I am Project officer at the EU Delegation in Malawi in charge of Secondary Education and Technical Vocational Education and Training.
I am a seasoned economist and consultant with a diverse international background. Holding a PhD Cum Laude from the University of Alcalá de Henares, Spain, my expertise lies in the intersections of family labor supply, labor market segmentation, and transitions between formal and informal employment settings, as showcased in my renowned thesis and academic publications. With a breadth of experience across various roles, from being a Senior Partner at Almenara Estudios Económicos y Sociales, S.L. to serving as a Global and Regional Economic Advisor for UNIFEM and UN Women, I have contributed extensively to gender equality and women's empowerment initiatives within the UN and EU frameworks. My proficiency extends to areas of economic governance, social security, and evaluation of socio-economic projects, reflected in her memberships and expert roles across multiple international committees and networks. Beyond my professional endeavors, I have received recognition for my impactful work, including prestigious awards for my doctoral thesis and entrepreneurial innovations. My insights have been featured in global media outlets like HuffPost, BBC, CNN, and El País, further highlighting my commitment to addressing societal issues and advocating for gender equality.
1. Economic Analysis & Research: Extensive experience in economic analysis, demonstrated through roles as an economist, senior partner, and researcher in various institutions and projects.
2. Gender Equality Advocacy: Specialized expertise in gender equality and women’s empowerment, showcased through advisory roles at UN Women, regional economic advisement, and contributions to initiatives fostering gender parity.
3. Consultancy & Project Management: Proven track record as a freelance consultant for EU and UN entities, overseeing projects, and contributing to committees focused on extending social security to informal economy workers in ASEAN.
4. International Collaboration & Networking: Involvement in multiple international committees, networks, and expert groups reflecting a strong ability to collaborate and contribute to global initiatives.
5. Evaluation & Policy Development: Extensive experience in evaluating socio-economic projects, serving as an expert in various evaluations related to social policy, poverty, and labor market issues.
6. Multilingual Communication: Proficiency in multiple languages—Spanish (mother tongue), bilingual in English, conversational French, and basic understanding of German and Italian—enabling effective communication across diverse settings.
7. Media Engagement & Public Speaking: Recognition through media appearances (HuffPost, BBC, CNN, El País) highlighting the ability to communicate complex economic and societal issues effectively to wider audiences.
Expert in Life Long Learning and vocational education and training (VET) issues, both at operational and policy level.
Good understanding of cultural and socio-economic differences in approaching in learning and training systems at International level. (EU, North Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe countries)
Experience with project management, consultancy and networking at International level.
Since 2010 employed at the ETF. (www.etf.europa.eu) and worked at INTPA from 2019 until 2021
My academic and professional career echoes my ambition to understand the fascinating socioeconomic mechanisms in developing countries at a microeconomic level, especially on topics related to ICTs, employment and climate change.
My PhD consisted in investigating the digital shift in Sub-Saharan Africa and understanding how it is transforming the business environment. Coordinating a unique mixed survey in Dakar (Senegal) and shedding light on specific effects of mobile phones on economic performances has awakened a great thirst to understand what works and what doesn't help the vulnerable population's in the global south.
This is why, today, I am a monitoring & evaluation specialist at C4ED where I am responsible for designing and conducting impact evaluations as well as disseminating the results. in the past years I have been leading impact evaluations on projects implemented in Sub-Saharan Africa (Ethiopia, Uganda, Lesotho, The Gambia, Guinea, Benin, Senegal) and Central America (Ecuador, Mexico and Barbados) with a wide arraw of clients (such as the EU, GIZ, Enabel, ITC, UNICEF, GCF) and topics (employment, education, migration, climate change and health).
My aim is to pursue my career in using rigorous tools to raise awarness on what works, for whom and when, shape future policies and improve the efficiency of the resources invested in development.
I am founder and Executive Director of Bantani, previously youth-worker, VET teacher and policy maker with Welsh government/European Commission and an international expert in entrepreneurship education and development. Bantani Education is a non-profit based in Belgium and working globally with a mission to transform learning. At the heart is the commitment is equipping young people and adults with transversal skills and mindset needed to be more entrepreneurial in life and work, leading to more learner engagement, active citizenship, employability and self-employment. Our skills work connects across entrepreneurial, digital, sustainability and finance skills development - integrating these in a coherent way across all sectors from pre-school to adult learning. Bantani achieves our vision by bringing extensive policy and practical experience to actions with partners from public, education, civil society and private sector, to research, test and embed high-quality learning practice and policy.