Programme Manager. Resilience and Climate Change.
Delegation of the European Union to Zimbabwe
Giacomo Rambaldi is an independent consultant in the domains of digitalisation for agriculture participatory mapping and enterprise development. He has 41 years of professional experience in Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific and the Caribbean where he worked for various international organizations including the Technical Centre for Agricultural & Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), FAO and as long-term consultant on projects funded by the Italian Aid to Development and the European Commission. He holds an honours degree in agricultural sciences from the State University of Milan, Italy.
He worked for 17 years at CTA as a member of the Digitalisation for Agriculture (D4Ag) team where he coordinated and administered a stream of activities related to the deployment of D4Ag in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.
Alexandre Castellano.
Born in France on 16 May 1975.
Nationality: French and Italian
Education: MSc in Biology in Italy and MSc in Public Health Nutrition at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Position: from 2020 to date - DG ECHO Head of Office - Pretoria - South Africa - for the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean Region.
Previous positions: from 2000 to 2012 working with various NGOs dealing with emergencies and innovation technologies in seven African countries – from 2013 to 2016 policy officer with ECHO in the head quarter dealing with Food Assistance, Nutrition, Cash-Based Transfers and Innovations. From 2016 to 2020, ECHO Technical Assistant for the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean Region.
Key interest: Innovative Technologies applied to humanitarian response.
Results-driven policy advisor with extensive experience in international cooperation, including in transition and developing countries. Proven track record in managing complex projects from identification and formulation through to implementation, grant procedures, and evaluation. Skilled in leading multi-stakeholder partnerships and delivering high-quality technical studies and evaluations that drive impact. Deeply committed to people and planet, with a passion for sustainable solutions and inclusive development. Brings a constant flow of fresh ideas and pragmatic solutions to the table – with curiosity, creativity, and speaking truth to power.
