2015 - 2018
FounderHaasii Club - ThailandCreated two 'cross-cultural co-creation club' facilities in N. Thailand, which offered co-creative workshop, retreat and travel experiences to mixed groups of foreigners, Thais and refugees from Myanmar. The club developed a relationship with a village of long-necked Kayan refugees in support of their desire to change their tourism model. I designed, led and recruited participants for 10 workshops in support of this goal, and trained village youth in conversation hosting & translation skills.
2010 - 2015
Initiator and Co-founderCi2i GlobalSpearheaded a 5-year international exploration of co-creative approaches to community development. This involved guiding a core group of community development practitioners from 5 continents in a structured discovery and co-creative learning process. The Ci2i Global group co-hosted 3 co-creative learning events (in 2 countries) for changemakers and civil society actors from around the world.
2009 - 2017
CEOEvolutionize It! - BelgienEstablished a consulting and facilitation services company that designed, led and hosted events in the social change sector. Notable clients included the International Women's Forum (France & Myanmar), Ashoka Innovators for the Public (France), and The HUB coworking space (Brussels). Some profits from Evolutionize It! events and event services financed small projects I initiated at a rock quarry community in Uganda and a garbage dump community at the Thai/Myanmar border.
1999 - 2009
Founding DirectorLife in Africa Foundation - Kampala & Gulu, UgandaIn the early days of the internet in Uganda, I created a website that used storytelling to raise funds for local development. That website was cited in the UN's report on the Internet in Developing Economies in 2001, & earned me a fellowship with Ashoka Innovators for the Public. With that support, I taught Ugandans how to participate in online communities in ways that could support their own development goals. Google 'Co-creating a post-war community' for my TedX talk about what happened next.
1994 - 1998
Project ManagerTranstec, SA - BelgienProvided headquarters management and implementation support for a portfolio of international development projects in Eastern Europe and Eastern Africa which were contracted to the company. Projects in my portfolio were financed by the European Union, the World Bank and the African Development Bank. I was also responsible for writing or editing all proposals and company promotional documents that were in English.
1993 - 1994
Project ManagerPlant Location International - BelgienThe company had developed a research method that was designed to find the best locations in the world for a new factory. I promoted this method to the World Bank as a way of measuring the investment attractiveness of countries and highlighting key factors governments should work on to improve their attractiveness. My team and I carried out World Bank funded studies in Morrocco and Tunisia.