SYNERGY GLOBAL - Key Persons
Benjamin leads the Synergy Francophone team, directing auditing, land and livelihoods, responsible mineral supply chains and monitoring and evaluation.
His work entails deploying, coordinating and managing multinational teams in carrying out development intervention evaluations with a wide range of methodologies. This includes conducting environmental and social impact assessments against national legislation and international best practice standards, as well social and governance auditing.
Benjamin is the project manager for Synergy's independent evaluation services to the iTSCi programme (upstream minerals traceability programme in conflict affected areas).He is passionate about advancing solutions to business and human rights, , artisanal mining, conflict minerals and social issues relating to the extractive industries. Benjamin is fluent in French, English and Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Project Manager
- Senior Consultant
- Trainer
Brooke is a project manager, trainer and consultant, with a focus on human rights and social performance of large-scale projects across Southern Africa and Latin America.
His experience in human-rights impact and due diligence assessments, monitoring
and evaluation, audits and due diligence, training and multi-stakeholder facilitation allow him to offer value to complex environments, where he helps clients to build their capacity in key areas of social performance and human rights.
Brooke is interested how large-scale projects across sectors intersect with human rights.
Dan has more than two decades experience working with the mining sector across sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.
His skill in analysis, diagnosis, system development, hands-on implementation
Dan is an ecologist by training and brings his understanding of the natural environment and that of people to bear in the work he does. He is passionate about nature and believes that people should live in harmony with the environment. His other passions include fairness, grammar and shoes.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Consultant
- Social Scientist
Holle is a trained Social Scientist with vast experience in multi-stakeholder projects and processes in the fields of energy, climate change and development, and a strong focus on social performance related issues in the renewable energy sector.
She applies her academic research training and experience from projects across the continent to conduct intuitive and visionary analyses of contexts and stakeholder ecosystems to bring about opportunities for systemic change.
Ed has more than two decades of international experience focused on helping organisations understand and manage their interactions with society.
His expertise ranges from managing the socio-economic impacts of large-scale development projects (including social impact assessments) to management systems, and building processes for effective stakeholder partnerships. Ed has done this successfully in over 30 countries, and works with organisations such as Shell, AngloGold Ashanti, IFC, Rio Tinto, EITI, the DFID, Fauna & Flora International, among others.
As a trained ISO 14001 lead auditor, he has led numerous external assessments and audits of community relations management systems.
He currently leads Synergy's training and capacity building work including the development and delivery of our innovative community relations practitioner courses.
Job Titles:
- Training Project Manager
- Training Project Manager South Africa
Elaine trains diverse groups of youths across South African communities. She also conducts research in socio-economics, development, and local governance; as well as communications, brand visibility, and content creation. Her recent work includes coordinating and developing training for community relations practitioners and natural resource projects, in partnership with the University of Witwatersrand, and human rights training and impact processes.
The focus of Elaine's work is in the fields of social transformation, development, and training. By assisting clients and training participants she helps to develop their skillsets to perform at full capacity whether in corporate, the public sector or civil society.
Elaine is interested in developing people's capacities to create informed audiences and is particularly passionate about educating people on gender-based violence to build a safer country.
James is a senior consultant with over five years of experience in social performance consulting, specializing in corporate human rights due diligence systems. He combines a strong academic background in research on political violence, conflict minerals, and human rights with practical expertise in the extractives and renewables sectors across Africa, the Middle East, South America, and Asia.
James has extensive experience in human rights impact assessment, security and human rights risk management, responsible supply chain due diligence, training and capacity-building, grievance management, stakeholder engagement, community relations management, and conflict resolution. He is passionate about bringing a "human rights lens" to risk management in complex environments and works with clients to integrate human rights considerations into their overall social performance strategies.
Laura contributes to the assessment, management and monitoring of social impacts for several of Synergy's large-scale projects in fragile and vulnerable contexts. This includes projects that induce community resettlement in Western Africa.
Job Titles:
- Community Development Specialist
- Junior Consultant
Lelethu is a community development specialist with a strong research background that spans diverse areas in urban agriculture, food sovereignty, food security, gender-based violence, and waste management. This diverse research experience equips him with comprehensive knowledge and insights into the complex challenges faced by communities.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Social Consultant
Mercy is a social consultant and human rights professional with experience in research and the engagement of stakeholders on human rights and social and development impacts of corporate entities, particularly mining and renewable energy companies.
Mercy's vast expertise and understanding of the salient human rights impacts associated with mining projects and renewable energy developments in several global settings, as well as her experience in human rights due diligence, enables her to work with clients in identifying and understanding human rights and social issues in a company's operations and business ties. She also assists customers with project design, implementation, engagement with relevant stakeholders, and management under complex situations.
Mercy is passionate about working with clients to develop sustainable and ethical practices that go beyond compliance to enhance the human rights and wellbeing of communities.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director South Africa
Paul has almost 30 years of working at the intersection of business and society with a focus on the mining, energy, forestry, agriculture, and large-scale infrastructure sectors. He is passionate about solving complex problems through collaboration, diving into difficult situations, and applying strategy and design thinking approaches for effective and impactful outcomes. He is equally comfortable engaging with Boards of Governors, C-Suite executives, and Government Ministers as he is in a village with leaders and disrupters.
As company community mediator qualified by the Africa Centre for Dispute Settlement, Paul has helped Synergy clients in strong and weak governance environments, conflict and post-conflict situations, to start and close mines, construct dams and pipelines, invest in agriculture, create benefit sharing initiatives relocate communities and evaluate impact. Paul is passionate about strengthening social capital and working with parties to align on mutually beneficial outcomes.
Robin is a senior consultant and human rights specialist. She has experience in litigation, policy and advocacy across various practice areas including migration, labour, finance and environmental law.
Robin has worked in the analysis and resolution of legally and commercially complex regulatory and relationship problems involving individuals and institutions. She is skilled in socio-economic and legal analyses, multi-stakeholder engagement, report writing, human-rights impact assessments and due diligence as well as facilitation and training. Robin increases clients' capacity to meet not just their social performance objectives but also broader performance on a corporate and operational level by assisting them in better understanding their real impact on people.
Robin is interested in the intersection between human rights advocacy, protection, and development with improved corporate performance.
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Principal South Africa
Sophie Mestchersky is a consultant with a focus on social performance of companies, human rights, and policy analysis across Africa.
Sophie is able to offer her clients targeted strategic advice owing to her extensive knowledge of working with companies, governments/institutions, and communities in the domains of socio-economic analysis and human rights. She has a deep understanding of organisational processes, management systems, and several international standards.
Sophie is interested in how companies can contribute meaningfully to development and social cohesion while meeting their operational goals. She has worked in diverse regions, carrying out assessments and providing strategic advice for companies and multilateral agencies in Afghanistan, West Africa, and East Africa.
Job Titles:
- Principal Consultant
- Social Performance Specialist
Théo is an experienced social performance specialist with core skills in social performance management, resettlement and livelihood restoration planning, stakeholder engagement, rural development, programming, GIS, and data management. At Synergy Global Consulting, he leverages his diverse experience and expertise to develop sustainable social management strategies that balance the needs of local communities and businesses. With an in-depth understanding of business constraints and community dynamics, Théo consistently provides value to clients and helps them achieve their social impact goals.
In his current role, Théo applies his qualifications and experience to deliver innovative and customized solutions to his clients. He is deeply passionate about working in challenging environments and developing comprehensive solutions that address the concerns of all stakeholders. Theo's professional interest and focus lie in projects involving rural development and environmental issues, where he can apply his expertise to make a positive impact.
Tom utilises his more than two decades of experience leading private and not-for-profit teams across the globe to focus on organisational development by setting up teams and management systems at Synergy to improve performance. He is also an experienced project manager, having worked with NGO stakeholders in Africa, and consulting for regulated manufacturing industries in the UK.
With skills in operations, project management, organisational development, and management systems, Tom applies his wide range of experience running teams, organisations and projects in different contexts to support Synergy's operations.
Synergy works with a wide and complex range of sectors and geographies and Tom uses his systems and people-centred approach to ensure that Synergy's consultants can deliver on their commitments to our clients.
Tom is interested in developing Synergy's team and organisation to maximise our impact for our clients and for the wider benefit of all the stakeholders involved on our projects.
Xoliswa is a Consultant with research experience in the academic and corporate environments. She has a range of quantitative and qualitative skills including research design and method, data collection, critical data analysis and report writing.
She supports social performance through participation in social impact assessments, stakeholder engagements, resettlement, community development and human rights.
As a social scientist, Xoliswa's experience allows her to help clients to understand their social impact and responsibility in the contexts in which they operate. She supports clients in developing and implementing strategies and processes to enhance their positive impacts.
Job Titles:
- Junior Consultant
- Social Consultant
Yaowen Deng is a social consultant with extensive research experience in social development and human rights across a range of issue areas including energy transitions, climate change, gender equality, and Africa-China affairs. He has fieldwork experience in both rural China and the United States.