MDF Brussels

Trainer / Consultant specialised in EU external aid procedures: DG DEVCO-EuropeAid & DG ECHO (Humanitarian Aid), project cycle management (PCM, MfDR) as well as rural development, food security and agricultural extension.

Languages: French, English

Before joining the MDF-Brussels team in 2008, this Agricultural Engineer from University of Louvain (Belgium-2001) took part in several development cooperation actions in the South. Loving very remote areas and passionate about rural development and agricultural challenges to face in Africa, Grégoire worked during more than 4 years on fish farming in Guinea, food security in Sahel and agricultural extension in Algeria, as Technical assistant and Head of project for different European NGOs.

Totalising 7 years of professional experiences, he has a very good command of project cycle management (PCM), in the field of humanitarian aid and development cooperation, for several fund raisers. Grégoire is since 2009 Trainer and Coach in PCM and in Management for Development Results (MfDR) notably for Acodev (Federation of Belgian NGOs).

Since 2009, he is specialised in EU external aid procedures: DG ECHO (with a focus on grants, procurement and audit) & DG DEVCO-EuropeAid (with a focus on grants, procurement and programme estimates).

Trainer/Facilitator with a legal protection background, specialized in proposal writing, fundraising and project management of EU funded programs in development countries and humanitarian settings.

Languages : Italian, English and French

She began her career with an Italian NGO while finishing her post-graduated studies in development and human rights at the Bologna University. After few years of backstopping at the Head Quarter she decided to gain field experience and moved to Burundi where she started managing humanitarian programs. She was in charge for nearly three years of the coordination and management of projects, funded mainly by ECHO, aiming at providing health and nutrition assistance to the displaced population affected by the internal conflict. Building on her legal background and her experience she then moved to UNICEF to act as emergency expert with a particular focus on Gender Based Violence. There she started facilitating workshops and training CSO’s and stakeholders on protection issues.
In Uganda as liaison manager she has established the country office of a German NGO and later act as Country Representative for four years doing fundraising, managing programs to support the return of 500.000 displaced persons and supervising and guiding a team of 10 international staff. Still in Uganda in 2009 she started working as consultant/expert for INGO and UN agencies to write project proposals for the EU.

After moving to Brussels, two years ago, building on her knowledge and understanding of EU procedures and experience in managing EU funding programs she started conducting Result Oriented Monitoring missions in African countries on behalf of the European Commission AIDCO Directorate.

During her career she devoted a lot of attention and energy to studying and establishing coordination mechanisms, within cluster structures and in existing local networks, developing a natural attitude towards networking.

With 12 years of experience in fundraising, coordination and management of complex projects and programmes she joined MDF Training and Consultancy in Brussels in May 2010, working as a trainer - expert conducting tailored made workshops for NGOs, trainings on EU grant opportunities, proposal writing, and EU program/grants management.

Trainer/consultant specialised in:

• EU Programme Management
• EU Contractual and Financial Procedures related to External Actions (EDF & Budget)
• Project Cycle Management (Planning/Logical Framework/OOPP Monitoring & Evaluation)
• Managing for Development Results
• Organisational Development

Since my universitary curricula in European Studies at the University of Amsterdam and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Strasbourg I have always been much interested in the relations between the EU and in particular the ACP countries. Furthermore, through my experience with the international NGO Youth for Development and Cooperation, I saw how powerful and meaningful a training and learning event can be for development actors.

My path led me logically to the heart of Europe, Brussels, where I could follow a traineeship at the then DG for Development of the European Commission.  Here I dived into the functioning of the EDF, the European Development Fund for the ACP countries. Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group Belgium offered me the possibility to continue on the path of the EDF/ACP cooperation. Through them I got the chance to be part of the team who set up the first training programme in the financial and contractual procedures of the EDF, which started in 1995. This again confirmed how much I enjoyed working in a real learning setting.

So when MDF Training & Consultancy came on my way in 1997 proposing to start their branch office in Brussels, I did not hesitate one second. The combination of training, development cooperation and entrepreneurship is just great.

Since then and in parallel to building a performant and pleasant team, I managed the two following Training programmes in EDF procedures for the European Commission and all ACP countries, which we hold with MDF twice, from 1998 until 2009; and later on also the EU procedures training programme for the ENPI countries. As a trainer and consultant, I work in the fields of EU procedures and EU programme management, Aid Delivery Methods (ADM) (Technical Cooperation Reform process, Environmental Mainstreaming and Climate Change), project (cycle) management & Logframe Approach, Management for Development Results and Organisational development.

I love to be involved at all stages of a training process, ie from assessment of training needs, development of course curricula, design of didactic material and training sessions, facilitation and training, training and coaching of trainers to evaluation of training programmes. Seeing people during a training or learning event opening-up and gaining confidence in themselves is a great satisfaction. Hearing and observing later, after the training, how they were able to improve their results is wonderful.

• Interactive planning/facilitation of plan and change processes
• Organisational and institutional strengthening, especially of NGOs
• Evaluation of projects and programmes
• Project cycle management, including financing 
• Workshops and training

Languages: Dutch, French, English, German

“Common ground” is the basis for change and makes development possible. Facilitation of such processes, especially assuring enthusiastic support, informed co-decision making and self determination by groups and individuals who are in a relatively weak position, is at the heart of my work.
My studies in human geography of developing countries provided me with the possibility to work for over 10 years in various projects in East Africa (Kenya), the Caribbean (Dominica), then West Africa (Burkina Faso) and South Asia (Sri Lanka), for both the ILO and the Dutch Cooperation: socio-economic research, reconstruction, organisation of local level organisations, and bottom-up planning were recurrent characteristics in these projects. Almost 5 years as a trainer in project management courses and consultant for MDF followed.
As the coordinator (6 years) of the NGO- Federation of local level organisations in the Province of Friesland-Netherlands, I worked on the positioning of village organisations in bottom up planning processes and inclusive mobilisation of people in the villages.

Since 1996, I have found an almost perfect mix of working abroad and in the Netherlands as a private consultant. In the Netherlands I do facilitation of steps in local planning processes, especially through applied workshops, facilitation of medium and long term village development plans (visions, projects) and local level organisation and change. I also give training in setting up and facilitating such processes.

Since 2000, activities abroad have become more and more important again. Evaluations of projects and programmes of International NGOs in reconstruction after natural disasters and in post-conflict regions are amongst the main activities.

Claiming to be an “old hand” of MDF seems justified, as I have continued to work for MDF ever since I left in 1994 as a permanent staff member. I contribute to the MDF training activities in project cycle management, EU contractual and financing procedures, grant management or work as a consultant in project formulation.

Project Cycle Management (also in EC context)
Private Sector Development

Languages: English, Dutch

During my Master International Business Studies at the University of Economics and Business Administration in Maastricht, I got involved with MARA, a student organization organizing medicine transports to hospitals in former Yugoslavia. From that moment on my passion has always been closely linked to the development sector. First by working for SOS Children’s Villages in Botswana, and thereafter for an NGO which stimulates private sector development in post-conflict countries by supporting young people to set up their own business. During these experiences I encountered the struggle of the developmental sector for efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability.

I also worked for several years in the private sector - again in the field of economic development. This time to help countries and regions to strengthen their local markets by attracting more foreign companies to their region. Based on these experiences I got especially interested in the field where business and development cooperation meet: creating sustainable economic development in other to tackle poverty in a structural manner.

With MDF I have found a way to combine the best of 2 worlds: the passion for the development sector and the results oriented approach of the private sector.
Within MDF I have developed my training experience mainly in the field of Project Cycle Management, Logical Framework Approach and EU Contractual Procedures (Procurement, Grants) for clients such as the European Commission, Ministries (NAO Botswana, DPRK,…), NGOs (MSF, Fair Trade Original,…) and Trade Unions.

I strongly believe in the power of forging links between people with different backgrounds and different perspectives to create a strong network. Training helps to bring people together and open up to possibilities and ideas they had not imagined before.

Commercial administration  :

• Administration and organisation of trainers’ missions, and open inscription courses 
• Administrative and logistical follow-up of clients and contracts
• Administrative preparation of prequalification files and proposals
• Development and follow-up of information systems

Financial administration:  Accounting preparation and follow-up, Invoicing, treasury …

Human resources administration

Internal organisation of the Brussels office

Languages : French, Dutch, English, Italian, German

I have joined MDF Brussels in January 2011.

I am French, have completed a Master in International Management at Thunderbird – Arizona in the US in 1988, and moved in Belgium 20 years ago. 

I have built an international experience of 20 years in project management and coordination for various international companies such as Jacob Delafon, Star Clippers, Umicore. Thanks to this international exposure, I have developed a passion in interacting with people from various origins and backgrounds.

I was looking for an international company whose business is about people, I guess I have found it with MDF !

 Click here to view Nancy's LinkedIn profile and to connect with her.

After her studies of bio-engineer at the University of Leuven (Belgium), Nancy worked eight years abroad in Guatemala as a program advisor for the Belgian NGO ACT.  Together with local counterparts, she coordinated microfinance and capacity building programs to enhance local micro-entrepreneurs and small farmers. And also to strengthen the socio-economic position of women within their family context in order to improve livelihood security. This period marked Nancy's further career, as she developed a passion for coaching and advising people and organisations. 

Back in Belgium, Nancy coordinated a small consultancy/training organisation within the welfare, public and social profit sector.  During that period of six years she worked as consultant and trainer on topics such as strategy development, performance management, organisational audits and change processes. Her consultancy work became gradually more oriented towards finding an optimal linkage between organisational and individual learning processes. During that period she obtained also a Master of Science in Human Resource Development at the University of Twente (Netherlands).   

In 2007 Nancy entered the international cooperation sector again by starting to work for Trias, a Belgian NGO with nine regional offices abroad in Africa, Latin America and the Philippines.  As head of the Research and Development department, she coordinated and stimulated the internal organisational learning processes, the implementation of an integrated planning, monitoring and evaluation system and the development of knowledge management and knowledge productivity.  In September 2010 Nancy joined MDF, where she carries out consultancy and training assignments related to topics she has very much at heart: organisational and human resource development.

Trainer/Consultant/Coach specialized in Human Resource Development and Organisational Development; he has developed expertise in the area of:

• Adult Pedagogy 
• Human Resource Management,
• Environmental mainstreaming
• European Development Fund procedures
• Change Management/capacity development
• Individual and team coaching

Languages: French, English

After a Master in Organizational Psychology (Université Libre de Bruxelles), he studied Politics of Development at the Universita della Sapienza di Roma (Erasmus program). He also attended various training programs in project management, human resource management and organizational analysis. He has gained more than 15 years of experience in the international cooperation sector: 3 years as technical assistant United Nation project in the field and 12 years as Independent Consultant working with various organizations in developing countries and Europe.

He participated in the development and implementation of several major training programs for the European Union AIDCO Directorate: Contractual and Financial Procedures of the European Development Fund, Environmental Mainstreaming and Aid Delivery Methods.

He is keen on developing expertise based on the following question: "How can we work together? And how can you better work with your team?" Besides working in the area of cooperation and development, he has also worked with teams of public and private sectors in Belgium.

In 1997, when he moved back in Belgium as an independent consultant, he worked several years for the ILO as a trainer/consultant in the field of Entrepreneurship Development. His mission was primarily capacity building: namely to develop the ability of the local organisation to provide support to the contractor. During these missions, he learns that you can't obtain any lasting result, if as a consultant, you are not able to build a relationship with your local partner, with his client. This is why he became more interested in inter-personal relationships.
Meanwhile, in 1998, he began working in close collaboration with MDF in the field of Human Resource Management. Since then, he has delivered training programs in the field of "situational leadership", "techniques of interview", "staff evaluation", "conflict management"…as well as some consultancy work to assist organizations to set up evaluations, recruitment procedures and team functioning for NGOs and public sector administration.

Project coordination (OIC courses, EU courses and other), acquisition & marketing activities and related tasks.

Emmanuelle Gratia holds a master degree in Biology and has been working for 10 years in the sphere of Sciences in particular as a researcher and university assistant in Belgium and the UK. On that path, she discovered that she really loves organising, coordinating, administering as well as … home decoration. So she decided to start launching her own business in flower arranging whilst working for MDF Brussels since the end of January 2007.

Emmanuelle takes care of the organisation of courses (preparation, organisation, repro and sending, logistics and evaluation). She is also in charge of acquisition and marketing activities such as brochure, website update and maintenance, database maintenance, contribution to administrative process of proposal writing, updates of references, mass mailings, etc