Meet the team
Fabiana Issler
CEO of EBD Global Optimum
Social scientist, Danish-Brazilian, with a Master’s degree in International Development Studies and Environmental Planning from the from Roskilde University, Denmark
Fluent in five languages: Portuguese, English, Danish, French and Spanish, currently learning German
More than 24 years of international work experience in sustainable development issues, having lived many years in Africa and Europe
Extensive consulting experience from around the world and having covered a wide range of environmental management themes, including biodiversity, climate change, land degradation
Sharp analytical and writing skills
Functioned as team leader for various multi-disciplinary teams, bringing expertise together with purpose
Prior to establishing EBD Global Optimum in 2015, Fabiana worked at UNDP for 10 years as Senior Technical Advisor for the UNDP unit dedicated to projects funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), reaching high levels of success with resource mobilization
While at UNDP worked with other colleagues to establish the NBSAP Forum
Fabiana is an ‘out-of-the-box’ thinker with passion for solving the world’s development problems
Ana Gangemi
Manages accounting, contracts and finance supporting the the company’s operations
Social Communication specialist, graduated from Faculdade da Cidade in Rio de Janeiro
Obtained her post-grad in History of Arts.
Worked for two of the biggest newspapers in Rio de Janeiro: Jornal do Brasil & Jornal do Commercio
Worked for Heatherley’s School of Fine Arts and Maddame Tussauds Museum while living in London, UK.
Improved her professional skills while working for several independent film and advertisement producers
Native from Brazil
Fluent in English, understands Italian
Passionate about Film and Arts
Alicja Biesmer
Project Manager at EBD Global Optimum. Geographer with wide international experience and specialization in hydrology. GIS specialist
Alicja holds a double degree in Geography, specializing in Hydrology and Water Resources Management and Philosophy (Environmental Ethics) from the University of Silesia
Passionate about water-related challanges of the globe, especially in the context of climate change and the social and ethical implications that it brings
Involved in the development of projects from different thematic areas, such as climate change vulnerability and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, land degradation, and others
Worked on various projects in Africa, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean
Fluent in English and Portuguese
Holds advanced skills in GIS
Silvia Ziller
Associate Consultant at EBD Global Optimum, Forest engineer with broad international experience
Graduated in Forest Engineering, with a master’s degree in forest succession and a doctorate in biological invasions at Federal University of Paraná, Brazil (UFPR)
Extensive experience in the areas of environmental management, analysis and restoration, support for the development of government programs at federal and state level, development of legal norms, management of invasive alien species, evaluation of international projects on invasive alien species and environmental issues, phytosociology and floristics of natural ecosystems
Participation in international programs linked to the Convention on Biological Diversity, operating throughout Brazil and in 23 countries in Latin America and Africa in the scope of training, technical qualification, technical-scientific courses and support for the development of national and state programs and legislation on management of invasive alien species, including the development and application of risk analysis protocols. Creation and maintenance of the National Database of Invasive Exotic Species
Founder and Executive Director of Horus Institute for Development and Environmental Conservation (www.institutohorus.org.br)
Founder and leader of Sziller Environmental Planning and Consulting, member of the Invasive Species Specialist Group at the International Union for Nature Conservation (ISSG – IUCN) (www.issg.org)
Fellow at Ashoka Social Entrepreneurs (www.ashoka.org)
Birgit Embaló
Associate Consultant of EBD Global Optimum, Gender specialist from Germany and Guinea-Bissau
Social scientist and gender affairs specialist with many years of professional experience, especially in Africa, and an Associate Consultant at EBD Global Optimum
Birgit Embalo 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, 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”.
Works regularly as an international consultant for the European Union, UNDP, the World Bank, and other development agencies in the country
Since 2017, Birgit participated in various projects of EBD Global Optimum, developing the Gender Strategy and Gender Action Plan for the UNDP-GEF project “Coastal Zone Management of Guinea-Bissau” and provided gender analysis and gender mainstreaming for the Adaptation Component of Guinea-Bissau´s new National Determined Contribution (NDC) in 2021
Birgit is also engaged as M&E Gender Expert in the European Union Program “IandaGuine!” and works with the World Bank in the field of Renewable Energy, women and green business, and on gender and human development for the WB’s Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR)
Proven ability to translate analytical work into operational recommendations and rich experiences in producing high-quality technical studies in a context of tight schedules, thanks to various works as an independent international consultant in the area of gender and climate.
Native German speaker and fluent in Portuguese, English, French and Guinea-Bissau’s Crioulo.
Marcos Cavalcanti de Albuquerque
Associate Consultant at EBD Global Optimum Environmental. Biochemical Engineer and social entrepreneur
Specialist in smart waste management and community-based recycling
Environmental consultant, Co-founder of Katalisar, Simbiose Ecosoluções and Viverde
recycling cooperatives and local communities through empowerment and skills leveraging
Responsible for coordinating the Update of the Guinea-Bissau’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), Adaptation Component
Currently responsible for developing the technical and organizational recycling of milk and juice cartons working with more than 200 waste recyclers’ cooperatives across four states in Brazil: Amapá, Espirito Santo, Rio de Janeiro and Roraima
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
Worked on projects of energy efficiency, integrated and selective waste management, WATSAN among others
David Sumares Ph.D.
Environmental policy specialist and an Associate Consultant at EBD Global Optimum
David 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
Broad range of expertise 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
Skills in project design, implementation and evaluation as an international consultant
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)
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 analytica skills, Davis id 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