Dr. Florent BLANC, Ph.D. is Director of the “Negotiators of Europe” research and training program at ESSEC Business School.
He is the consortium team leader for the implementation of the Framework Contract (HR/R1/PO/2019/024 - LOT 3) covering the conception and delivery of negotiation-related trainings and services for the European institutions. This consortium joins the teams of College of Europe and the European Institute for Public Administration (EIPA).
As part of ESSEC IRENE’s negotiation training team, Florent delivers negotiation-related modules for the European Commission, public institutions in France and around the globe as well as private sector clients.
He contributed to capacity4dev activities as a member of the pool of trainers delivering Policy Dialogue and Negotiation as well as Context for Development modules under recent training contracts. For over 7 years, he also contributed to develop and adapt dedicated training modules for EUD teams (Nepal, Ivory Coast and Barbados). He also advised EUD on contractual negotiations for large infrastructure projects.
He contributed to the EU-PALOP-TL partnership by proposing a reflexion on the dialogue mechanisms and necessary capacity-building for Members of the partnership.
Florent holds a PhD from Northwestern University where he was George Lurcy scholar (Fulbright Program 2004-2005) and adjunct professor between 2006 and 2010. With a focus on national security policies and counterterrorism, Florent taught also courses in immigration policies, social changes, legal studies and journalism methodologies. From 2011 to 2016, he was West African Program manager for a French NGO where he oversaw and delivered projects on social cohesion, crisis prevention and education policy reform, with a focus on Mali. Florent also holds a doctorate from SciencesPo Paris.
I am an Ethiopian filmmaker, theatre artist, and media professional passionate about using storytelling as a tool for cultural preservation, social dialogue, and community empowerment. With a BA in Cinema and Theatre Arts and ongoing graduate studies in Media and Communication, I bridge artistic creativity with strategic communication to create impactful narratives.
Currently serving as Assistant Director of Stage and Studio Production at Amhara Media Corporation, I coordinate television, cultural, and studio productions, ensuring quality storytelling and audience engagement. My creative portfolio includes the feature film ውጥን (“Wutin”), short films such as Whispered Fractures, and theatre productions like Titon (children’s theatre) and Homa-Mir (indigenous marriage traditions of Gojjam).
Beyond the stage and screen, I have organized and hosted major cultural events including ንባበ ሕይወት and ንቂ ኢትዮጵያ book festivals, both covered by Amhara Television. I have participated in international festivals such as SmartPhilm, and received training from Canon Academy, Reuters, and American University.
My work focuses on amplifying underrepresented voices, integrating indigenous knowledge into modern media, and leveraging digital platforms to extend the reach of Ethiopian visual storytelling. I aim to foster cross-cultural dialogue, inspire youth, and use media as a catalyst for positive social change.
My training was in international relations, communications, languages and law, and I have HQ and field experience. I have been working since 2002 for NGOs and international organizations. I started in Italy within a European Commission network, following up projects in Brazil, India and Russia. My first position in Geneva was as representative of the Italian Ministry of Economic Development to Swiss and international organizations. Successive positions, for Swiss Development Agency (Rwanda), UNICEF (Mali) the EU, the UNHCR
(Greece), the International Federation of the Red Cross, enabled me to utilize my interests. These include humanitarian affairs, human rights and solution finding in line with the dignity of the human being. My work has been in the areas of public relations, communications, resource management and research.
