Fabiana Issler
CEO of EBD Global OptimumFabiana is a social scientist with a Master degree in International Development Studies and Environmental Planning from Roskilde University, in Denmark. Fluent in Portuguese, English, Danish, French, and Spanish, she is currently learning German.
Fabiana has over 25 years of professional experience in sustainable development matters at the international level, and is EBD Global Optimum’s CEO and Principal consultant. A seasoned development practitioner, Fabiana is Danish-Brazilian, and has lived and worked extensively in Africa and Europe in the development of inclusive environmental solutions. With global level consulting experience, she has led initiatives on biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation and mitigation, land degradation, pollution control and integrated environmental management.
Known for strong analytical, technical and writing skills, Fabiana has served as team leader in numerous multi-disciplinary projects, effectively aligning diverse expertise toward shared goals.
Prior to founding EBD Global Optimum in 2015, Fabiana spent a decade at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), serving as Senior Technical Advisor within the unit supporting projects financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). During this time, Fabiana played a key role in resource mobilization for UNDP in Africa and globally.
A creative and strategic thinker, Fabiana is deeply committed to solving the world’s most pressing development challenges through collaborative and innovative approaches.
Alicja Biesmer
Manages the company’s accounting, contracts and operations, including the “Travel A-Z” proceduresAlicja holds a double degree in Geography, with a specialization in Hydrology and Water Resources Management, and in Philosophy, with a focus on Environmental Ethics, from the University of Silesia. Passionate about global water challenges, Alicja is particularly engaged with the impacts of climate change and their social and ethical dimensions. Since the company’s inception, Alicja has been actively involved in the development of projects across a range of thematic areas, including climate change vulnerability and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, land degradation, and integrated environmental management. Alicja contributed to project implementation and research in diverse regions, including Africa, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean. Fluent in English and Portuguese, Alicja also brings advanced technical skills in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and drone operation, supporting data-driven approaches to environmental analysis and planning.
Janet Rojas, Ph.D.
Project Manager and geographer with wide international experience and specialization in gender affairs, stakeholder engagement, social and environmental safeguardsJanet holds a PhD in Local Development and International Cooperation from Jaume I University (Spain) and a Master’s in Social Sciences from the University of Havana (Cuba). She is affiliated with the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) and specializes in spatial analysis of development processes and the social and gender dimensions of environmental management. An expert in participatory mapping, Janet works with diverse stakeholders to identify and map interests, land use, and social dynamics. Janet has extensive experience designing and implementing GEF-funded projects in Cuba and several African countries, with strong expertise in social and environmental safeguards, rights-based approaches, and gender-responsive programming.
At EBD Global Optimum, Janet contributes to socially-oriented research and knowledge management, promoting inclusive and equitable environmental solutions.
Ana Gangemi
Manages the company’s accounting, contracts and operations, including the “Travel A-Z” proceduresBased in Brazil, Ana holds a degree in Social Communication from Faculdade da Cidade in Rio de Janeiro and a postgraduate qualification in the History of Art. Earlier in her career, Ana worked as a journalist for two of Rio de Janeiro’s leading newspapers: Jornal do Brasil and Jornal do Commercio. While living in London, Ana held roles at Heatherley’s School of Fine Art and the Madame Tussauds Museum, gaining valuable experience in arts administration and cultural institutions. Fluent in English and with a working knowledge of Italian, Ana brings strong interpersonal skills and a passion for film and the arts to the team.
At EBD Global Optimum and since the company’s early days, Ana is responsible for administrative matter, including HR and travel management, applying and enforcing the company’s “Travel A-Z” procedures.
Jean Ometto
Climate Scientist and an Associate Consultant at EBD Global OptimumJean is a senior climate scientist linked to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and collaborator at EBD Global Optimum.
At INPE, Jean has led the Division of Strategic Projects 3 since 2020. He previously served as Coordinator of INPE’s Earth System Science Center (2013–2019). Jean's research integrates ecology, biogeochemistry, and Earth system science, focusing on global environmental change, ecosystem services, and public policy. He coordinates the ‘AdaptaBrasil’ MCTI Platform, is Deputy Coordinator of the Brazilian Research Network on Global Climate Change (Rede CLIMA), and represents FAPESP in the Belmont Forum consortium.
Jean has contributed to major international science-policy bodies, including the IPCC (AR5 and AR6), IPBES, and UNEP’s Global Environmental Outlook.
He has published over 230 scientific papers, books, and book chapters, and serves on advisory boards for organizations such as the American Geophysical Union, Future Earth, and the French-Brazilian Center for Amazonian Biodiversity.
In Africa, he worked with EBD Global Optimum in assignments in Cabo Verde and Guinea-Bissau linked to climate transparency and green-house gas inventories.
Silvia Ziller
Associate Consultant at EBD Global Optimum, Forest engineer with broad international experienceSilvia is specialized in Forest Engineering, with a Master’s degree in forest succession and a Doctorate in the ecology of biological invasions from the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil (UFPR).
She has extensive experience in environmental management and regulation, comprehensive ecological analysis and ecosystem restoration, and has helped develop various governmental conservation programs at federal and state levels in Brazil.
An expert in the management of invasive alien species, Silvia led the creation and maintenance of the National Database of Invasive Exotic Species in Brazil. She also has extensive experience in the evaluation of international environmental projects and a background in research in phytosociology and floristics of natural ecosystems, as well as risk analysis protocols.
Silvia is a skilled trainer and participated in international programs linked to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) across Brazil as well as in 23 countries in Latin America and Africa.
In Timor-Leste, Silvia led the development of the ecological component of the comprehensive risk assessment conducted by EBD Global Optimum in partnership with Antea Belgium NV and the Indonesia-based NGO HIVOS.
Other roles include: Founder and Executive Director of the Horus Institute for Development and Environmental Conservation; Founder and leader of the Sziller Environmental Planning and Consulting; Member of the Invasive Species Specialist Group at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ISSG – IUCN); Fellow at Ashoka Social Entrepreneurs.
Silvia is a long-term collaborator of EBD Global Optimum.
Birgit Embaló
Associate Consultant of EBD Global Optimum, Gender specialist from Germany and Guinea-BissauBirgit is a social scientist and gender affairs specialist with many years of professional experience, especially in Africa, and an Associate Consultant at EBD Global Optimum. She holds a PhD in Near and Middle Eastern Studies (1996) and a Master’s Degree in Political Sciences (1986) from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany. With 20 years of experience and has specialized in Gender and Climate Change Adaptation, Birgit has been working as development expert and social scientist in West Africa since 2003. Birgit is affiliated to the National Research Institute of Guinea-Bissau where she co-coordinates the research group on “Gender, Peace and Sustainable Development”. Working regularly as an international consultant for the European Union, UNDP, the World Bank, and other development agencies in the country, Birgit is a an experienced consultant with a solid track record. Since 2017, Birgit participated in various projects of EBD Global Optimum, developing the Gender Strategy and Gender Action Plan for these. Birgit is also engaged as M&E Gender Expert in the European Union Program in Guinea-Bissau and with the World Bank in a Renewable Energy project. Native German speaker and fluent in Portuguese, English, French and Guinea-Bissau’s Crioulo.
Birgit is a long-term collaborator of EBD Global Optimum.
Marcos Cavalcanti de Albuquerque
Associate Consultant at EBD Global Optimum, an Environmental and biochemical engineer, and a social entrepreneur based in BrazilMarcos is a biochemical engineer and holds a post-graduate degree in Environmental Management from the Polytechnic School at Rio de Janeiro's Federal University (UFRJ) and the United Nations Environment Program's Institute. He is a specialist in smart waste management and community-based recycling.
An experienced environmental consultant, Marcos is the co-founder of Katalisar, Simbiose Ecosoluções and Viverde.
He works with recycling cooperatives and local communities through empowerment and skills leveraging, promoting the advancement of an inclusive circular economy in Brazil. Through Katalisar, he is currently responsible for developing the technical and organizational recycling of milk and juice cartons working with more than 200 waste recyclers’ cooperatives across Brazil.
Marcos was previously responsible for the correct disposal of all class I and class II contraband material seized by the Federal Revenue Authorities in the state of Rio de Janeiro and worked on projects of energy efficiency, integrated and selective waste management, WATSAN among others.
In association with EBD Global Optimum, Marcos was responsible for coordinating the Update of the Guinea-Bissau’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), Adaptation Component between 2021 and 2022.
In 2023, Katalisar and EBD Global Optimum joined forces for developing a UNEP GEF project in Brazil titled “Innovation ecosystem for the circularity of plastics, reduction of consumption, and disposal of single-use plastic in the HORECA sector”, under the GEF8 Impact Program on the circularity of plastics.
Tom D’Haeyer
Collaborator at EBD Global OptimumTom holds a master degree in Engineering in Agriculture and Applied Biological Sciences from KU Leuven in Belgium, with a specialization in rural engineering and agriculture in tropical and subtropical regions. He also earned an Executive MBA from Antwerp Management School in Belgium.
With over 20 years of professional experience, Tom has worked with NGOs, the private sector, and as an independent consultant. A significant part of his career was spent at the environmental and engineering firm Antea Belgium, where he held a leadership role in international business development within the Water unit.
During his 15 years at Antea, Tom led numerous projects on disaster risk management, ecosystem services, hazard-vulnerability-risk assessments, and rural development. His work spanned various countries, including Haiti, Benin, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Uganda, South Africa, Papua New Guinea, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Timor-Leste, and Mozambique.
Some of these assignments involved close collaboration with EBD Global Optimum. Since 2024, Tom has resumed independent consulting through his company Irrawaddy BV, continuing to collaborate with both EBD Global Optimum and Antea.
In 2025, EBD Global Optimum joined forces to develop a UNDP GEF project in Chad titled "Integrated production of rice and secondary crops using an agroecological approach in the Tandjilé province", under the GEF8's Impact Program on Integrated Food Systems.
David Sumares, Ph.D.
Environmental policy specialist and an Associate Consultant at EBD Global OptimumDavid has an academic background in Environmental Policy (PhD and Masters) covering a wide range of fields including EU environmental policy, environmental governance and public participation.
With a broad range of expertise and skills within the focal areas of Biodiversity, Climate Change and Land Degradation, David has successfully worked with several projects as international consultant in project design and implementation, including roles as consultant team leader and project coordinator.
He has skills in project design, implementation and evaluation as an international consultant across different continents, in particular in Africa and Southeast Asia.
David has worked in project evaluation and capacity building for integrated climate finance country programming targeting environmental funds such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Adaptation Fund (AF).
He has solid experience in project management in rural development, and has developed practical experience in urban agriculture, agroecology and landscape restoration, with a special focus on farm-level water management in semi-arid climates.
A skilled writer with sharp analytical skills, David is an effective communicator and a native speaker of both Portuguese and English, also fluent in German and French, with working knowledge of Spanish and Italian.
