Catherine Mackenzie

Catherine is a multi-disciplinary development specialist, with degrees in social anthropology, forestry and zoology. She has over 35 years’ experience in rural development and natural resources management, particularly the social dimensions of forestry, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The “development industry” threatens to turn Catherine into a grumpy old woman.  She has an aversion to quick fixes and box-tickers, and a specialty in telling people, especially managers, things they don’t want to hear.   But she remains highly committed to objectives of sustainable development and still seeks to inform and inspire her analysis through evidence from real field work, especially talking to people.  Her talents are best used in participatory and innovative planning and problem solving.  Some people do like working with her!

Her last major assignment before COVID-19 was with the EU’s Value Chain Analysis for Development https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/value-chain-analysis-for-development-vca4d. (VCA4D) study of palm oil in Indonesia.  As the sociologist on the team, she was responsible for examining issues of social sustainability (labour, land, gender, food and nutrition, living conditions and social capital), as well as contributing to stakeholder, governance and inclusivity analyses.  The study, which also examines economic and environmental sustainability,  aimed to help create a shared understanding between the EU and Indonesia on critical palm oil issues.

She also participated in the development of management plans for mangrove forest reserves in Guyana, under EU funding.

Since COVID, her only work has been with the UK’s Darwin Initiative, conducting a home-based mid-term review of a conservation project in Guinea Bissau, which included ecological and community-oriented interventions related to the recent discovery of leprosy in chimpanzees.

Prior to this, Catherine was involved on a part-time basis on two long-term German-funded (KfW) conservation projects in Indonesia:  Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Protection in the Gunung Leuser Ecosystem (Aceh, Sumatra) and Forest Programme III in Lore Lindu National Park (Central Sulawesi).

Other recent work has increasingly focused on climate change, including an analysis of the Theory of Change for REDD+ and Norway’s ICFI programme , the “real-time” evaluation of Norway’s ICFI country programme in Indonesia for Norad,  a review of  Social Standards and Safeguards for REDD+ http://www.fcmcglobal.org/documents/Safeguards_Paper.pdf for USAID, preparation of Vietnam’s REDD-Readiness PIN, planning for social dimensions of pioneering REDD+ projects, and backstopping CARE’s community-based adaptation programme in Mozambique.

Her participatory forest management inventory and planning work in Sierra Leone has resulted in the first two forest co-management agreements in that country. She has been involved in biodiversity conservation and protected areas management work for many years and in many countries: Ghana (bushmeat), Mongolia, Tibet, Guyana, Indonesia, Bolivia, Brazil, Tanzania, the Galapagos and the Caribbean. Her work on forest governance and illegal logging in Mozambique is well-known as the first study to document the role of the Chinese in exploiting Africa’s hardwoods.  She has worked on  FLEGT preparation projects for the EU in Indonesia (2003), and in Mozambique, Zambia and South Africa (2012).

In these assignments she applies core competencies in social/poverty/ policy/institutional analysis, conflict resolution, monitoring and evaluation, impact assessment, research and teaching. She has experience in all phases of the project management cycle (identification, preparation, appraisal, management, technical advice, monitoring, and evaluation), working with World Bank, ADB, FAO, GEF, EU, DFID, Norad, USAID, DGIS, IUCN, WWF, FFI, SNV, CARE and others. An enthusiastic team worker and effective communicator, she has been team leader on several long-term participatory forestry projects and research projects.  She is a skier and scuba-diver, plays tennis, rides motorcycles and bicycles, got her PPL, and speaks very good Indonesian and Portuguese and functional French and Spanish.

Email:  Cathy.Mackenzie@theNRgroup.net

CVMackenzie EU CV 2019 Mackenzie ADB CV Feb 17

Country Experience:   Indonesia (including Sulawesi, Sumatera, Kalimantan (E,W, S), Moluccas, W Papua), Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India (including Sikkim, Kerala, Karnataka), Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China (including Tibetan Areas of Qinghai and Sichuan, Guizhou, Hainan, Shanghai), Vietnam, Cambodia,  Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador (incl. Galapagos),  Guyana, Honduras, Belize, Mexico, Panama, Jamaica, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos, Barbados, St Lucia, Dominican Republic, Haiti.

Availability Catherine is currently UK-based and available for both short and long-term assignments.  

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Stéphane Flasse

Initially trained in agronomy and remote sensing, I acquired over 30 years experience in the interpretation and use of environmental information (inc. remote sensing and GIS) and its integration into the local context for improving decision-making.

Since 2009, I have also been training in a number of complementary approaches such as Organisational Counselling, Organisation Alignment and Life Alignment, therefore focusing on the “well being” of teams and their work.

Today I thrive and focus on facilitating the life journey of people, teams and organisations: from facilitating challenging meetings and round tables, to deep work on the whole organisation, as well as activities such as team building, coaching and conflict resolution (mediation).

Emailstephane.flasse @ thenrgroup.net

CV:      FLASSE CV – ENGLISH              FLASSE CV – FRANCAIS

Country Experience:  Europe, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guyana, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mali, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Republic of Guinea, Somalia, South Africa, Thailand

Keith Shawe

ShaweKeith is a consultant with over 25 years of supporting & leading complex projects and multi-functional, cross-cultural teams in 21* countries for 9 different donors. Current Role: Senior Strategic Advisor to the Resident Representative of UNDP in Afghanistan responsible for introducing systems approaches and articulating a new strategic vision for the Country Office. Previous Role: Country Program Manager for UNEP in Afghanistan. Bulk of career: Working in an advisory capacity with senior government leaders and NGOs to promote and support organizational change processes. Core skills: 1) Organisational sensemaking using a systems thinking approach and creative methods such as the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Method; 2) Support for policy development (strategic planning, policy analysis, processes & procedures, policy review & drafting); 3) Analysis of complex social and technical information for senior decision-makers with a particular emphasis on biodiversity and natural resources management planning.


Emailkeith.shawe @ thenrgroup.net 

CVShawe CV, CV

Country Experience:   Afghanistan, Belize, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, UK, USA, Venezuela

Judith Pender

penderJudith has specialised in applying biogeographical techniques to a range of research areas, including migrant insect pests and vectors of disease. She has designed and implemented Geographical Information Systems to address data management and analysis in subjects such as the development of locust information management systems, research into the effects of tsetse fly control on land use, the management of natural resources in peri urban areas in relation to water resources and rat infestation problems and land land use of contaminated land. She has over 40 years experience in sub-Saharan Africa , Middle East , China and Central Asia , and speaks some French and Russian.


Emailjudith.pender @ thenrgroup.net

CVPender CV

Country ExperienceChina, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Yemen, Zimbabwe

Anthony Pope

Anthony PopeAnthony Pope has over 30 years’ experience in practical agriculture and consultancy in many different countries. Most recently, he established an advisory service to support livestock farmers with bovine TB issues in the South West of England. This entailed working with Defra, AHVLA and other industry stakeholders in order to develop the integrity of the Service. he has a broad background in the establishment of new projects throughout the World, for the public, private and governmental sectors, including the FAO, IFAD and UNOPS, and the EU. He has the background and knowledge to identify, plan and establish new projects together with the ability to control budgets and evaluate completion against specification. he has a deep interest in Conservation Agriculture (CA) technology with its practical and sustainable solution to halt declining crop yields, and reverse soil erosion, soil degradation and the decline in soil fertility.

Emailanthony.pope @ thenrgroup.net
CV:  Anthony Pope CV

Country Experience:  Albania, Armenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Georgia, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Lesotho, Malaysia, Moldova, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tajikistan, UK, Uzbekistan, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Availability:

Paul Schoen

Paul Schoen

Paul Schoen is seasoned agricultural economist with over 29 years of international experience in development projects.  After undertaking three university degrees (Hull University, London School of Economics (MSc International Relations, Law and Politics) and Wye College (MSc in Agricultural Economics), UK) he undertook various long and short term assignments in Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh, and other parts of Asia (South, South East, and Far East), all regions of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and CIS States. He is experienced in monitoring and evaluation (including mid-term, terminal and ex-post evaluations), economic and financial analysis, project identification, project-preparation, and appraisal and cost-benefit analysis. Evaluations have also utilized tools such as multiplier effects (employment generation and gross margin analysis across sectors analysed) and value chain analysis. He conducts studies as well as business planning and SME support.  He has worked mainly on agricultural development programmes and projects including design of sector support initiatives and strategies for agrarian change such as trade, finance and investment options.  In addition, he provides independent project monitoring and evaluation services to a wide range of organisations including development agencies, NGOs, corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes and charities. He has also lead a team on developing a portfolio to access climate change funds available worldwide for Nigerian agricultural development. Most of his missions have  been undertaken for UNDP (he worked initially as a Junior Professional Officer when he first started in 1992), EC, FAO, DFID, LuxDev, IFAD, SNV, USAID and USDA, World Bank and numerous private sector corporations and foundations including Agha Khan and ACDI VOCA.

In recent years he has been asked to work on regional SME development (such as for SADC which covered 16 member states), value chain development and strategy formulation.

Other recent work has been supporting the complete overhaul of the Novi Sad Commodity Exchange (NSCOMEX – formerly Produktna Berza)) in Serbia where he is leading a small team of technology, trading and legal specialists) for GIZ and the Government of Serbia (Ministry ion Agriculture). He has also worked in Saudi Arabia in 2018 and 2019 on aquaculture Red Sea development and a global strategy formulation for the National Date Palm Centre.

Emailpaul.schoen @ thenrgroup.net; paul_schoen@yahoo.com 

CV: http://Paul Schoen CV (June 2020) (y).docx

Country Experience: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, China, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Hungary, India, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Laos, Liberia, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Moldova, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, PNG, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudia Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, the Gambia, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, UK, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zambia.

Availability: Please enquire.

Mark Ritchie

Mark Ritchie - Natural Resources Development Specialist

Mark has been involved in agricultural development worldwide, especially in Africa and Asia for over 30 years. In the last 15 years he has undertaken diverse consulting assignments in environmental impact assessment and in project evaluation for DFID, JICA, the EC, ADB, and the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with a growing emphasis on developing resilience in the face of Climate Change. During 2011 he has been involved in an ex-post environmental impact assessment of the Malawi Government’s flagship agricultural programme, the Farm Input Subsidy Programme. In 2010 he collaborated with members of the Tropical Agriculture Association and the UK No-Till Alliance to prepare an Open Letter to the British Government, recommending a greater focus of attention and resources on Zero-Tillage. During 2009-2011 he worked with the HALO Trust to assist them in promoting linkages between mine clearance and development and enhancing understanding within the sector of the controversial concept of land release and the appropriate evaluation of mine clearance outputs and outcomes (see report). He has worked as an agricultural adviser with the Ministry of Agriculture for UNDP in East Timor (2004-5), led a locust management project for the Asian Development Bank in Kazakhstan (2001-2003) and a farming systems development project for DFID in Malawi (1996-2000). Mark has considerable experience in the management of interdisciplinary international project teams; participatory formulation and management of NR development projects with stakeholders; participatory development of on-farm crop and pest management technologies; institutional capacity building; design, organization and delivery of practical training courses; evaluation of development projects and project cycle management.

Emailmark.ritchie @ thenrgroup.net

CVMark Ritchie CV

Country Experience:  Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (PRC), Colombia, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Côte d’Ivoire, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mexico, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, UK, Uzbekistan, Zambia

Availability:

John Jackson

John Jackson - wildlife conservation, natural resources research and management, and forestryJohn has a lifetime’s experience in ground breaking and pivotal roles in wildlife conservation, natural resources research and management, training and forestry in Argentina and the United Kingdom, with short term assignments in a wide range of other countries. As an Anglo-Argentine, he is fluent in both English and Spanish. He has worked with the IUCN, WWF International, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina, Open University, Fauna and Flora International and the Royal Forestry Society and gazetted two new national parks in Argentina. A prolific author, he has published extensively in both English and Spanish, specialising lately in knowledge transfer material for outreaching services, websites and e-bulletins. Organising and leading group educational trips worldwide and working with stakeholders from all backgrounds with a common but apparently conflicting interest in a common, shared natural resources to obtain consensus and sustainable solutions are part of his multi-skilled portfolio.

Emailjohn.jackson @ thenrgroup.net

CVJohn-E-Jackson

Country Experience:  Argentina, Bulgaria, Canada, Malawi, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uruguay, USA

Availability:

Ian Grant

Ian Grant - EcotoxicologistAn ecotoxicologist with 35 years (27 of those in developing countries) of environmental impact/ecosystem assessments of pesticides and other organic pollutants (PAHs and other petroleoum hydrocarbons) in soil and aquatic ecosystems. Skilled in the design and validation of ecological monitoring/ surveillance programmes, and in reviewing and amending intervention procedures/ programmes to minimise the hazards and risks to wildlife and ecosystems, particularly those involving area-wide control of pests and vectors of disease. Interested in the relationships between agricultural development and environmental impact, decision making and policy. Extensive field, project and research management experience. Consulting and advisory roles undertaken for government, development banks, donors and the private sector. Programme and project review, including environmental screening.

Emailian.grant @ thenrgroup.net

CV:  Ian Grant – Resume    Ian Grant – Publications

Country Experience:  Botswana, Brazil, Cameroun, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Nicaragua, Philippines, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Singapore, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Availability:

Alan Mills

Alan MillsAlan is a geographer with over 20 years experience of information management, natural resource management, bio-geographical research and development. He is a specialist in development issues in small island developing states and shared information sources for cross-agency use, and is working currently in Africa, Caribbean, and South Atlantic and Indian Oceans. He has extensive experience in knowledge management, Geographical information Systems (GIS), database design and execution, mapping and programming, analysis and in management of corporate scale GIS. Alan has a Masters degree in remote sensing and has worked with aerial photography, low and high-resolution satellite imagery. Interests include island systems environmental management, coastal zone management, fisheries information, disaster management, land use and management, property titling,  pest control and physical planning. Alan has strong teaching skills and has trained personnel in GIS, remote sensing, programming and natural resource management.

Alan was awarded an MBE in the UK 2021 New Year’s Honours List for his services to International Development.

Email:  alan.mills @ thenrgroup.net
CV:  CV English 

Country Experience: Anguilla, Argentina, Ascension Island, Bahamas, Barbados, Benin, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Burundi, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Congo Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ghana, Italy (FAO), Fiji,  Guinea, Haiti, Côte d’Ivoire, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Maldives, Mauritania, Mauritius (inc. Rodrigues), Montserrat, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles (Curacao), Philippines, SerbiaSierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St Helena, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Sweden, Tanzania (inc. Zanzibar), ThailandTrinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda,  US Virgin Islands, Uzbekistan, VanuatuZambia, Zimbabwe

Availability:  Short term overseas up to 3 months, longer term inputs from UK or multiple trips.

Links:
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