Adriana Sahagún Martínez
Communications Officer
Adriana is the Communications Officer at TMG. Before joining the team, Adriana worked in various international development and civil society organizations, where she developed and implemented multiple global marketing campaigns. She holds a Master’s degree in Institutional Communication from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).
Alexander Müller
Founder & Managing Director
Alexander is a former FAO Assistant Director-General (2006-2013), and State Secretary for Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture, Germany (2001 -2005). He has vast experience in global sustainability governance, as inter alia: Chair of the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition; member of the UN Environmental Management Group; and Lead, Voluntary Guidelines for Responsible Governance of Land, and TEEBAgriFood.
Christian Sonntag
Research Associate - Urban Food Futures
Christian has more than 10 years of research experience in human-environment relations and food systems, and previously worked on agricultural value chains and urban agriculture in Kenya and Tanzania. His educational background is in Geographical Development Studies and he holds a PhD in Economic Geography from Berlin's Humboldt University.
Daniel Montas
Junior Research Associate - Governance of Food Systems Transformation
Daniel's work focuses on the transformation of food systems. He holds a Master's degree in Global & Development Studies at Humboldt University, University of Pretoria and Chulalongkorn University. Daniel previously worked for the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States as well as the European Union-Latin America and Caribbean Foundation.
Emmanuel Atamba
Senior Adviser - Food Systems
Atamba works on the governance of food systems transformation and the urban food futures projects in Kenya. Atamba has had an active role in the food systems landscape in Kenya through his works on the Human Right to Food and relevant policies. He has also previously worked on different agricultural development programs and initiatives in Kenya, Somalia and Uganda. Atamba has a background in agriculture, agricultural economics major.
Frederike Klümper
Programme Lead - Land Governance
Frederike's thematic interests include the governance of natural resources, social accountability tools, and participatory development approaches. She has previously worked as a researcher and adviser with diverse organizations in Africa, Europe and Central Asia. Frederike obtained a PhD from the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies for her work on water and land governance in Tajikistan.
Gültaç Çinar
Research Associate - Food Systems
Gültaç joined TMG as a Research Associate for the PLAN´EAT project. Her main work focus is development of a TCA database for food and agriculture sector. She holds a master’s degree in environmental engineering from ETH Zurich. Prior to her role at TMG, she made contributions to a startup, helping the food sector achieving net-zero emissions. Additionally, her experience includes research on mitigating GHG emissions in agricultural systems during her work at the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy.
Ilse Pelkmans
Research Associate
llse has worked with diverse local and international organizations in East and West Africa, Central America and Europe, focusing on human rights, gender, social inclusion, and participatory planning, monitoring and evaluation. She holds a Master's degree in Cultural Anthropology and International Development Studies from Nijmegen University in the Netherlands.
Jes Weigelt
Head of Programmes
Jes is responsible for co-steering TMG’s programmes, and overall strategic development. He has more than 10 years’ experience in providing science-based policy advice in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Jes' thematic interests span natural resources governance, transitions to sustainability, co-creation of knowledge, and social innovation.
Joanna Trimble
Strategic Communications Officer
Joanna serves as the Strategic Communications Officer, assisting the Managing Director and Head of Programmes in strategic organizational positioning and partnership development. Prior to joining the team, Joanna worked with global development and humanitarian organizations in brand development, communications, fundraising and donor reporting, wherein M&E was integral. Joanna holds a Master of Philosophy from the University of Amsterdam.
Jörg Schindler
Senior Adviser - Governance of Food Systems Transformation
Jörg is a seasoned communications professional, diplomat and policy expert working at the intersection of rural development, food security, and governance. Starting as a journalist with German print and broadcast media, he has held various positions in the public sector, including as Director GIZ-AgenZ Berlin and Senior Adviser Communication and Public Diplomacy for the BMZ Special Initiative One World - No Hunger (SEWOH).
Kader Baba
Research Associate / Country Programme Manager - Benin
Kader manages TMG’s work programme in Benin, building on over 15 years of experience in development cooperation. His research focuses on innovative knowledge sharing approaches such as the Tem Sesiabun Gorado model, a farmer-led approach for sharing knowledge on good agricultural practices.
Lisa Maria Klaus
Research Associate - Food Systems
Lisa joined the CLIF Project at TMG, where she contributes to developing a systematic understanding of food systems transformation. She has over four years of experience in science-based policy advice and previously worked for Welthungerhilfe. Lisa has a background in Social Science and Geography. Her areas of expertise include food systems transformation, nutrition, gender equality and migration.
Marlene Ohlau
Research Associate - Food Systems
As a research associate, Marlene works on the sustainable transformation of food systems in terms of content and strategic development with a focus on True Cost Accounting (TCA), thereby contributing to the PLAN'EAT project. She studied Food Science and holds a PhD in Agricultural Science from the University of Göttingen. She has worked intensively on sustainable dietary behaviour, analysing characteristics of plant-based diets and food choice factors.
Moritz Hauer
Research Associate - Land Governance
Moritz is a climate change adaptation specialist with research interests in social-ecological resilience and ecosystem-based approaches. At TMG, he focuses on the dynamics of climate change, land, and land tenure. Moritz previously worked for the UN Environment Programme on climate-resilient and sustainable development. He holds a Master’s degree in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation from Lund University, Sweden.
Nicole Paganini
Programme Lead - Urban Food Futures
Nicole's research focuses on rethinking the urban-food nexus for more inclusive and resilient urban futures. Her specific interests include the right to food, co-creation of knowledge with local communities, and feminist research approaches. Nicole obtained a PhD from Hohenheim University for her work on a food justice perspective in urban agriculture.
Njokom Vashti Akuhro
Team Assistant - Land Governance & Urban Food Futures
Vashti holds a MA in Labour Policies and Globalization from the University of Kassel and the Berlin School of Economics and Law. With a professional interest in leveraging administrative technologies, she has previously provided technical and logistical support to various development programmes in Cameroon. Vashti is an avid lover of nature, cycling and therapeutic music.
Olivia Riemer
Programme Lead - Food Systems
With a background in agricultural science, and food economics, Olivia manages the True Cost Initiative at TMG. Her research focuses on true cost accounting, and sustainable food system transformation. Olivia has co-developed guidelines for the food sector that integrate externalities into business reporting.
Rowan Deer
Strategic Communications Officer
Rowan is the Strategic Communications Officer for TMG's True Cost Accounting work and the Horizon PLAN'EAT project. She has a PhD and postdoctoral research experience in the Environmental Humanities and her previous communications work spans the non-profit, academic and cultural sectors, with a focus on environmental and sustainability themes.
Serah Kiragu-Wissler
Senior Research Associate / Country Programme Manager - Kenya
Serah Wambui Kiragu-Wissler is a social scientist with extensive experience in facilitation and management of research and development cooperation. She works as a Senior Research Associate leading the accompanying research on Social Innovations to Protect Soils and Empower People in Kenya and also works for the Urban Food Futures programme.
Siranush Ghukasyan
Data Research Associate - Food Systems
Siranush contributes to the PLAN'EAT project, part of the True Cost Initiative team at TMG. She has previously worked at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Development in Transition Economies and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). She is undertaking PhD studies at the Martin Luther University Halle on distributional aspects of agricultural subsidies. Siranush has a passion for travelling, international cuisine, and skiing.
Stefanie Wiese
Project Officer - Finance
Stefanie supports financial accounting and reporting at TMG. She previously worked in consumer protection, where she monitored the energy, digital, and financial market sectors. After a brief stint in e-commerce, she aims to align her career more closely with her personal beliefs in climate protection and sustainability.
Thembeka Sikobi
Junior Research Associate - Urban Food Futures
Thembeka has earned an MA in Social Sciences from the Humboldt University of Berlin and an MPhil in Inclusive Innovation from the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business. She has a keen interest in feminist research and topics that relate to South Africa and the Global South. Her previous experience is in early childhood development policy and consulting on industry research and development projects.
Vanessa Venne
Human Resources & Office Management
With a passion for working in an international, multicultural environment and an academic background in humanities, Vanessa supports the team as Human Resources & Office Manager. Her interests revolve around sustainable living, holistic health and environmental protection.
Washe Kazungu
Research Associate - Land Governance
Washe is a land governance specialist with more than ten years‘ experience in implementing projects to improve livelihoods through sustainable land and natural resource management. He has previously worked with the Kenya Country Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). Washe regularly publishes articles in the Kenyan media focusing on land governance, sustainable development and social inclusion themes.
William Onura
Research Associate - Land Governance
William works with TMG's partner civil society organizations in western Kenya to facilitate action research and co-design of social innovations, such as community-led land lease guidelines. With more than 10 years of experience in development work, his expertise includes conducting social science surveys and the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. He has previously worked as an environmental and disaster risk reduction consultant with several Kenyan firms.
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