CONNEX SUPPORT UNIT - Key Persons
Alex Mamontov joined the CONNEX Support Unit Secretariat in May 2020 and is responsible for financial processes and budget monitoring. He studied business administration at the University of Cologne and received the academic degree "Diplom-Kaufmann" in 2005. Prior to that, he worked for 9 years in the administration of the BMWi manager training programme at GIZ or its predecessor organisation InWEnt and for about 3 years in the finance department of GIZ.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Director General of German Agency for International Cooperation
Andreas Proksch has served as Director General of German Agency for International Cooperation's (GIZ) newly established Sector and Global Programmes Department (GloBe) from 2015 until his retirement in 2020, his department has been in charge of all global programmes of GIZ. Previously, he headed the company's Africa Department from 2007 until 2015 and led the German Technical Cooperation's (GTZ) Corporate Development Unit from 2001 until 2007. He has a total of 17 years' experience working abroad, in Nepal, Pakistan, Ecuador and Vietnam. During this period, he held management and senior programme director's positions. Besides, he was a founding member and for many years international coordinator of the ‘Learning Network on Capacity Development' (LenCD) and is an Africa and Asia expert with a proven track record.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Partner at the International Law Firm Gibson
Boris Dolgonos is a partner at the international law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and has advised on a wide range of mining issues, investment and financing transactions, including initial public offerings, high-yield and investment-grade debt offerings, and privatizations. His mining practice has focused on government representation and capacity development, including negotiating mining concessions, drafting model mining agreements and financing transactions. Boris serves on the Board of Directors of the International Senior Lawyers Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing legal services for human rights and economic development throughout the world. He received a Law degree from the University of Virginia and a bachelor's degree from Harvard.
Cara Horz joined CONNEX in 2023, having previously worked at the GIZ Sector Programme ‘Extractives for Development'. She holds a Master´s degree in Georesource Management from the RWTH Aachen University, focusing on raw material and renewable energy management. Her research there focuses on the nexus of raw materials and the green energy transition in German politics. Cara obtained her Bachelor's degree in geoscience and worked simultaneously in University of Bonn's Geochemistry Laboratory during her studies.
Christoph Buchberger joined CONNEX in September 2022 and is the focal point for our support activities in francophone African countries as well as in mineral resources. He previously supported the development of the G7 CONNEX initiative in its early stages as an advisor seconded to BMZ and subsequently worked with the Liberian government on good governance in the mining sector. More recently, he advised a parliamentary group in the Bavarian state legislature on development policy and SDG implementation in Germany. He holds a Magister Artium in political science and is an Alumnus of the Centre for Rural Development's post-graduate programme.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Cielo Magno teaches at the University of the Philippines' School of Economics, first as Assistant professor and since 2020 as Associate Professor. From 2016-2022 she represented the civil society in the international board of the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI), and she previously coordinated Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Philippines and was a founding member of the EITI in the Philippines. Cielo Magno sat as member of the board in a number of organizations including Bantay Kita-PWYP Philippines, Action for Economic Reforms and Center for Energy, Ecology and Development. She is also a member of the Executive Session on Extractives Industries of the Center for Sustainable Investment (CCSI).
Dennis Rach joined CONNEX in March 2021 as a negotiation support specialist. He holds an MA in Security Studies from Aberystwyth University, an MA in Mediation and Conflict Management from Europa-University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) and is a trained mediator. Prior to this, he worked at GIZ on resource governance, transitional development assistance and rural development in conflict and fragile settings. At CONNEX, he supports partner countries on mining, renewable energy and infrastructure projects around the globe (Caribbean, West Africa, Middle East).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Derya Thompson's background in civil and structural engineering includes 29 years' experience of both large Infrastructure and transportation projects. Her local and international transit and mobility experience includes working on key Infrastructure projects in USA, Canada, UK, Singapore, Malaysia and Turkey including recent projects in California on the design and management of California High-Speed Rail (CAHSR), Gerald Desmond Replacement Bridge and other LA Metro, OCTA, LA City and County projects. She has considerable experience in designing bridges, guideways, elevated/aerial stations, cut and cover tunnels and stations and other major civil structures. She currently serves as Director, Sepulveda Transit Corridor, for Meridiam since 2021, as Chief Engineering Council Member for Hyperloop Transportation Technologies since 2016.
Diara Diallo joined the CONNEX Support Unit in 2020 as an advisor for negotiation support. She is responsible for the implementation of activities in Latin America and impact-oriented monitoring. As a focal point for gender, a feminist and inclusive development policy approach is a big concern to her. She has previously been engaged in the study of rural development in Western Africa, with a focus on food security. In her past work with civil society organizations she could gather experience in public relations and foster her communication skills. She holds a BA in Political Science and a MA in African Studies from the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
Dr. Brigitte Klein heads CONNEX. Prior to that Brigitte led the Emerging Markets Sustainability Dialogues (EMSD) Programme and set up the Global Initiative for Access to Insurance (A2ii). Brigitte advised BMZ in inclusive insurance and represented BMZ globally. During her 25-years at GIZ, Brigitte led the NABARD-GIZ Rural Finance Programme in India. She was also seconded to the FAO, Rome in agricultural finance. Before joining GIZ, she was a lecturer and research associate at Humboldt University of Berlin. She earned her Ph.D. in economics from the Free University in Berlin, conducting empirical research on rural financial markets in Colombia. She also holds a diploma degree in economics from the Free University of Berlin.
Dr. John Hauert joined the CONNEX Support Unit in August 2021 as part-time Advisor and has since been responsible for the secretariat's strategic expansion to the infrastructure sector. He further leads the work on Sustainable Infrastructure at GIZ's Emerging Markets Sustainability Dialogues (EMSD). From 2014 and 2017, he worked at the OECD's Investment Division in Paris. John studied law, politics and economics at Sciences Po, the University of Edinburgh, and Columbia University. He holds a doctorate from the University of Cologne on the legal and policy framework for investments in the extractive industries in West Africa.
Dr. Leopold von Carlowitz focuses on CONNEX's institutional sustainability and strategy. He is a trained lawyer (FU Berlin) and holds a M.Phil degree in International Relations (Cambridge). His doctoral thesis is on the progressive development on international property rights law (Goethe University Frankfurt). Leo's expertise focuses on resource-related governance, dispute settlement and human rights. As senior advisor and deputy head of the GIZ Sector Programme ‘Extractives for Development' (2016-2020), he headed the workstream on responsible mineral supply chains. Other postings included the GIZ Namibia, the Berlin Center of International Peace Operations (ZIF) and Property Verification and Claims Unit of the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo. A certified mediator, Leo also works as process adviser and facilitator.
Dr. Sergio A. Ruiz joined the Connex Secretariat in early 2023, contributing expertise in crucial topics for a green energy transition (GET), including the decarbonization of the mining sector, green hydrogen, and renewable energy. His work experience spans countries such as Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, and Mozambique. He is responsible for portfolio development regarding the international agenda of GET, as well as for the implementation of activities on critical minerals in Latin America and Portuguese-speaking countries. Sergio holds a Ph.D. in climate governance from the University of Freiburg, Germany, and has extensive experience working with international financial institutions and donor organizations.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the CHAIRPERSON of the SUPERVISORY BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Helmut Nicolaus has been a Berlin-based attorney specializing in Public and European Law since 1993. He opened his own law firm in 2017 and has authored various publications on aspects of public law, including environmental, mining and electoral law. In 1989/90, he worked as an advisor to the French Minister for the Environment, focusing on Franco-German relations. In 1991/92, he served as Director of the Minister's Office in the Ministry for Labour, Social Affairs, Health and Women in the German state of Brandenburg. Helmut Nicolaus studied Law and Philosophy at the University of Heidelberg, Clare College, Cambridge, Freie Universität Berlin and the École Nationale d'Administration (ENA) in Paris. He holds a Master of Arts and Doctorate in Philosophy.
Job Titles:
- Member of the MANAGEMENT BOARD
- Vice - Chair of the Management Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Energy Executive
Jorge Chamot is an energy executive advising governments on policy and business development across Latin America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He served as Peru's Minister of Energy and Mines from 1999 to 2000. He has worked for a state-owned company, a Texan independent energy conglomerate and a private European shipping and trading firm. His understanding of the intricacies of policy-making and implementation allows him to adopt a comprehensive approach to national and regional development programs. Jorge Chamot holds Petroleum Engineering and MBA degrees with further studies in Oil Planning and International Development.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Advisory Committee
- Co - Chair
- Senior Fellow, Columbia Center
Karl P. Sauvant, PhD, is Senior Fellow, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI) and Lecturer-in-Law, Columbia Law School, New York. In 1998, he began championing the establishment of a facility to help developing countries negotiate large-scale contracts with international investors (during 2011-2016 in co-operation with Peter Eigen). In 2006, he established a Program that became the CCSI, serving as its Executive Director until 2012. During 2006-2011, he was Co-Director of the Millennium Cities Initiative, to assist African medium-sized cities attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). As Director of UNCTAD's Investment Division, he founded the annual World Investment Report (lead author until 2004). Throughout his career, he has focused on issues related to FDI and development. He has published extensively on these issues (https://ssrn.com/author=2461782).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Herbert F. Johnson Professor of International Management
Louis T. Wells is the Herbert F. Johnson Professor of International Management (Emeritus) at Harvard Business School, where he taught courses and conducted research on international business, largely on investor-host government relations. He advised governments and international organizations on foreign investment policies and negotiations with foreign investors, particularly for mining. He served as an expert for governments in more than a dozen investor-state arbitrations. Back in 1975, he and David N. Smith of Harvard Law School wrote Negotiating Third World Mineral Agreements: Promises as Prologue.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Marcelina Joel has more than 10 years of professional experience in the mineral resources oil and gas and energy sector. Since 2021, she holds the role of legal advisor at the Kimberly Process Unit Mozambique. Previously, she has worked for more than 9 years for the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy in Mozambique. Part of her responsibilities at the ministry role were the licensing of small-scale mining activities and other infrastructure installations as well as the negotiation of resource concession contracts, administrative litigation and legal advising processes. Marcelina Joel started off as Legal advisor from 1999-2003, served as Deputy National Director of Mines from 2013-2015 and from 2015-2016 as Provincial Director of Mineral Resources and Energy.
Mariya Ivato-Kolodziejski is a controller in the CONNEX Support Unit. She works closely with the programme manager, adviser team, GIZ areas, external experts, and clients to prepare, coordinate, monitor and report financial issues. Mariya has been working for GIZ since 2008. Before joining CONNEX in summer 2021, she was responsible for financial management of diverse GIZ programmes and co-fundings, as well as supported bilateral and regional projects at the Department Mediterranean Region and Middle East. Mariya graduated with a Master's degree in German, Economy and English from the Technical University of Darmstadt (Germany) and also holds a diploma degree in teaching English from the National University of Lviv (Ukraine).
Miriam Aders joined CONNEX in April 2023 as an Office and Event Manager. Prior to that, she worked for nine years in GIZ's Africa Department in a similar role. Miriam is a qualified industrial manager and has held various Human Resources positions in the IT and automotive industries as well as in an international law firm in the past.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Advisory Committee
- Co - Chair )
Natty B. Davis II has more than 15 years of experience in distinguished public service at the highest level of the Liberian Government. He has served, inter alia, as Chairman of the National Investment Commission (NIC), Chair of the Inter-Ministerial Concession Committee, Minister of State without Portfolio and Head of the Liberia Reconstruction and Development Committee (LRDC), Founder and Lead of Liberia's Philanthropy Secretariat, Deputy Minister of Commerce and Industry, and Acting Minister of Transport and Coordinator of Liberia's Economic Financial Management Committee (EFMC). Since 2014, he has held the position of senior partner at Devin Corporation, which he co-founded in 1992. He has also consulted extensively outside Liberia, for example in the United States and in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Olamide Udoma-Ejorh is an Urban Activist - researcher, writer, and artist, holding degrees in BSc Architecture, MA Design, and MPhil Infrastructure Management. She started her career in Public Relations, giving her a business and marketing foundation. She has worked in London, South Africa, and Nigeria with various organizations focusing on transport management, slum upgrading, and housing rights in urbanizing African cities. Besides the Lagos Urban Development Initiative where she serves as Executive Director since 2017, she worked as Director for Future Lagos (2013-17) and as Local City Specialist for UN-Habitat from 2018-22. She is on the advisory board of the African Cities Research Consortium and also a trustee at Open House Lagos.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Premila Nazareth Satyanand has 35 years of experience with Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) matters, including advising Governments how to deal with foreign investors. She has worked with the UN Centre on Transnational Corporations, New York, and the Economist Intelligence Unit, New Dehli, facilitating the Government-Multinational Companies dialogue on FDI liberalization and advising foreign investors on India strategy. She helped to advise Rio Tinto when entering India and kept Anglo-American updated on evolving Indian mining regulation. She also worked on the role of women in mining in India and has a keen interest in grassroots development issues, having lived in Satoli and volunteered with Aarohi since the mid-1990s. Premila Nazareth Satyanand has a bachelor's degree in history from St. Stephen's College, New Dehli, and a master's degree in International Relations from Columbia University, NY.
Richard Dion joined CONNEX in 2021, bringing significant business development, communications and fundraising experience and expertise to the team. Richard started his career at UNDP in Kazakhstan, managing the international response to the Soviet nuclear legacy's impact on local communities. Subsequently he joined Royal Dutch/Shell plc for over a decade, initially working with the new business development team in Central Asia and then managing the company's human rights and revenue transparency policies. Dion further consulted for the public sector, private firms and foundations. An American citizen, he is a UCLA graduate and completed Masters studies in Urban Management and Governance and Russian politics.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Sandra Vergara Dávila has more than 12 years of professional experience in inter-institutional projects of sustainable development with the application of renewable energies (thermal solar energy, photovoltaic solar energy, hydraulic energy, and wind energy); and appropriate technologies for social and environmental development.
She is the Coordinator of the Rural Sector Support Group (GRUPO PUCP) at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) managing and executing a number of research projects related to water pumping, rural electrification, thermal comfort and productive uses (from 2014-present). She has led and supervised initiatives during various stages of formulation, design, implementation, management, and monitoring of projects with public and private entities Concytec Peru, INIA Peru, Innovate Peru and Grand Challenges Canada, Technical University of Munich, among others.
Sarah Ojukwu joined the CONNEX Support Unit in 2022. She holds a Master's degree in International Relations from Leiden University (The Netherlands) and simultaneously worked at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies. Her research there focused on trends in the global energy transition as well as climate and resource conflicts. Sarah obtained her Bachelor's degree in Media and Culture studies (Duesseldorf) and has worked in strategic media planning and public relations. At CONNEX, Sarah's supports country processes and communication and develops the infrastructure and renewable energy themes.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Non - Executive Director
Sheila Khama is a non-executive director of listed companies, an independent mineral, oil and gas policy advisor, author, and podcast host with more than two decades' work experience in extractives. She is a non-executive director of Tullow Oil, a Financial Times Stock Exchange Group (FTSE) 250 company, The Metals Company listed on the NASDAQ stock market, and the Chair of the Audit Committee of the UN Office of Operations. She is a former CEO of De Beers Botswana and served as a non-executive director of several companies including Debswana. She worked for the World Bank and African Development Bank's mineral, oil and gas policy advisory units, leading teams of experts advising governments in Africa, Latin America, and Central Asia.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Stefan Hanselmann has been employed by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) in multiple roles over the years. He first joined the organization in 1993 and worked there until 1999, where he was involved in investment and export promotion in Latvia and India. He then ventured back into the private sector before returning to GIZ in 2009. He currently serves as the Director of the program "Improved Competitiveness of National Enterprises" in Cambodia, and previously acted as the Program Director for the Integrated Mineral Resource Initiative in Mongolia from 2009 to 2018, where he was responsible for Germany's Resource Partnership Agreement with Mongolia. Throughout his career, Stefan Hanselmann has focused on strategic planning, business development, and investment promotion and has extensive experience in the private sector.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Management Board