Skip to main content

Our Team

Berta Gielge

Berta Gielge

Value Chains Coordinator

Berta coordinates value chain activities at CREATES. Originally from Austria and Poland, she has worked for fifteen years in Senegal in agroecology, permaculture and intercultural facilitation.

Dr. Joan Bastide

Dr. Joan Bastide

Director of Development

Joan leads development, innovation, communication and artistic productions at CREATES. A geographer, filmmaker and social entrepreneur, he has fifteen years of field experience across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

Keaton Scanlon

Keaton Scanlon

Associate Researcher

Keaton conducts research on indigenous crop preservation and agroforestry. A Fulbright Scholar, she came to the Sahel through ethnobiology and permaculture.

Paolo Ngom

Paolo Ngom

Admin & Finance Manager

Paolo manages CREATES' administrative and financial operations. A specialist in budget monitoring and project accounting, he has worked for ChildFund, Plan International and UNICEF in Senegal.

Pape Ousman Diallo

Pape Ousman Diallo

Audiovisual — Videographer & Photographer

Pape Ousman documents CREATES' work through images and video, giving visibility to field realities and the faces of Sahelian transformation.

Dr. Patrick Bottazzi

Dr. Patrick Bottazzi

Scientific Director

Patrick oversees the scientific direction of CREATES. A researcher at the University of Bern, he has spent twenty years working on natural resource governance and social justice, from the Amazon to sub-Saharan Africa.

Saliou Thiandoum

Saliou Thiandoum

Agroecology Project Manager

Saliou leads CREATES' agroecology projects in the field. An agronomist and certified organic farming trainer, he holds a Master's in food security from Gaston Berger University.

Thomas Grand

Thomas Grand

Audiovisual — Filmmaker

Thomas produces CREATES' audiovisual content. His documentary Poisson d'or, Poisson africain, co-directed with Moussa Diop, was selected at 85 festivals and won 27 awards.