Mediterranean Sustainability Partners

Segment 1 : who is Hatem?

Segment 2 : AI & NLP in Africa are the next disruptors

Segment 3 : AI & NLP applications in Africa for equity, inclusion and diversity

Bio : Hatem Haddad received a doctorate in Computer Science and Information Systems from University Grenoble Alpes, France. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow at VTT Technical Research Center of Finland and at Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
He occupied assistant professor positions at Grenoble Alpes university (France), at UAEU (EAU), at Sousse university (Tunisia), at Mevlana university (Turkey) and at ULB (Belgium). He worked for industrial corporations in R&D at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Institute for Infocomm Research, Image Processing and Applications Lab of Singapore. He was an invited researcher at Leibniz-Fachhochschule School of Business (Germany) and Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra (Portugal).
His current research interests include Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning and Deep Learning. He is a Program Chair in various global conferences and serves as a reviewer for relevant journals and conferences in the Artificial Intelligence field. He is a board member of Masakhane and WiNLP (Widening NLP).

Segment 1 : Suzy is Development director at MEANS : what does she do?

Segment 2 : what is MEANS data base ?

Segment 3 : what are your challenges ?

Means data base : MEANS (Matching Excess And Needs for Stability) Database is an online platform connecting those with excess food, like grocery stores, co-ops, and restaurants, with nearby emergency food providers who serve those in need. Our organization has two major goals: to reduce food waste and reroute that food to feed people facing food insecurity. MEANS has been working in the anti-hunger space for six years and has adapted to meet the needs of clients and those in need remotely during this unprecedented time.

Bio : Saoussen Mahjoub, also known as Suzy, is the Development Director at MEANS Database, a food recovery anti-food insecurity non profit based in the US.

Previously, Suzy held the role of Chief Communications Officer at iCompass, an Artificial Intelligence/NLP startup focused on African Languages and Arabic dialects. She was in charge of communications, fundraising, and preparing for the next phase of iCompass’ growth and expansion in Africa and the Middle East.

Prior to that, Suzy was an Advisor in Multicultural Marketing and Business Development with ALSAC, the fundraising organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 2011, she co-founded the Tunisian American Young Professionals (TAYP); a DC-based diaspora non-profit that promotes economic ties, cooperation and exchanges between Tunisia and the United States.

Suzy holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Virginia (USA), with a concentration in Economics of the European Union (EU) and China, and a master’s degree in EU International Relations and Diplomacy from the College of Europe in Brugge (Belgium).

website : https://meansdatabase.org

Intro : This is a special Women’s Day podcast, celebrating, saluting women I admire , who have inspired me and others, to join me in a 15 minute segment (English and French) to speak about their work as professionals in different sectors of the economy.

Bio : Professeur associé invité à l'Université de la Défense nationale "Carol I", Faculté de sécurité et de défense, Département des opérations multinationales, études stratégiques et de sécurité. European Diplômé de Master en sciences militaires et de l'information, Curriculum « Crisis Management and Conflict Prevention, "Carol I" National Defense University, Bucarest, promotion 2013. Thèse de doctorat dans le domaine de l'information et de la sécurité nationale, Université de la défense nationale "Carol I", Bucarest, 2013-2016, complétée par la soutenance de la thèse de doctorat "Evolution des stratégies euro-atlantiques pour la prévention et la gestion des conflits dans l'après-guerre froide période ».

This is a special Women’s Day podcast, celebrating, saluting women I admire , who have inspired me and others, to join me in a 15 minute segment (English and French) to speak about their work as professionals in different sectors of the economy

Tanya Shea, President, People of Ukraine Foundation, USA

Bio : Tetyana Shea grew up in Kyiv, Ukraine in a military family. Her father is a combat veteran, went to war in Afghanistan, and served as a Chernobyl nuclear disaster rescue participant. Tetyana graduated from Taras Shevchenko Pedagogical College with a bachelor’s degree and worked as a teacher in Ukraine. She later worked at the “Partnership for Peace” Coordination Center, General Staff of Ukraine. Twenty years ago she moved to the US, and graduated from George Mason University with a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. After working as a teacher in Fairfax County, Mrs. Shea went abroad and supported the diplomatic missions and served as the President of the Attaché Spouses Association. After the Revolution of Dignity in 2016, Tetyana founded a non-profit People of Ukraine Foundation and manages charitable humanitarian educational projects and programs. Tetyana actively engages with civil society, non- governmental, and business organizations across Ukraine and the United States. In 2019 she established Hire Veterans of Ukraine Initiative and implemented English and Computer Classes Program for Ukrainian veterans and families to support the improvement of their professional qualifications. Tetyana published an article “Hire Combat Veterans of Ukraine Initiative” in the Business Ukraine Magazine (Spring 2021). Last year, People of Ukraine Foundation held the very first US-Ukraine Veteran Startup Exchange Forum. Tetyana was awarded the Presidential Order of

 Merit of Ukraine by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on December 2021.

Website : https://people-of-ukraine.org 

This is a special Women’s Day podcast, celebrating, saluting women I admire , who have inspired me and others, to join me in a 15 minute segment (English and French) to speak about their work as professionals in different sectors of the economy.

Bio : Anna Aleksandra Koj is Managing Director of Mavence , Brussels. She helps individual clients to thrive by aligning their personal and professional vision, and organisations to identify the best talent. Working closely with Mavence (formerly European Affairs Recruitment Specialists - EARS), an international recruitment firm at the crossroads of public affairs and people management, she supports the organisation's overall growth through business development, client portfolio management, coaching and public relations.

Website : https://mavence.com/members/anna-aleksandra-koj/

Intro : This is a special Women’s Day podcast, celebrating, saluting women I admire , who have inspired me and others, to join me in a 15 minute segment (English and French) to speak about their work as professionals in different sectors of the economy.
Bio : Valeria Giannotta studied in Milano at Catholic University where she obtained her Ph.D. Since 2009 she has been active in Turkey where she has served as academic in Istanbul, Gaziantep and Ankara.  As expert of Turkey she contributes to media and think tanks and she engages in high-level strategic meetings. For her analytical objectivity and effort in support to the Italian diplomacy in Turkey, in 2017 she was awarded as Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia by the Presidency of the Republic of Italy. Her last book Erdoğan e il suo partito. AKP tra conservatorismo e riformismo (Castelvecchi, 2018) has been listed among the best current politics essays of the year 2018 and got a special prize in the Italian award Cerruglio 2019.

Website : https://www.cespi.it/en/ricerche/osservatori/turkey-observatory

Intro : This is a special Women’s Day podcast, celebrating, saluting women I admire , who have inspired me and others, to join me in a 15 minute segment (English and French) to speak about their work as professionals in different sectors of the economy.

Bio : Adria is the founder of The Vine Global Impact. Her background builds on diverse experience working with family offices, government leaders and philanthropists worldwide. Her career started in Chicago as a futures and foreign exchange broker at the Board of Trade. In 2009 she moved to Singapore spending 10 years working across the region. It was there that she shifted her career into private wealth management and joined Coutts & Co. While in Asia she also created her own beverage company 108 Tea which she later exited. After moving back West, Adria was a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley and has since left to run The Vine Global Impact. In her spare time, Adria enjoys being a bridge for philanthropic causes, and considers herself ‘charity agnostic’, she loves all things equestrian, and is a writer. Her mission is to inspire hope the world and to create connections for cultural diplomacy so that societies can grow together and not apart.

website : https://www.thevine.earth

Intro : This is a special Women’s Day podcast, celebrating, saluting women I admire , who have inspired me and others, to join me in a 15 minute segment (English and French) to speak about their work as professionals in different sectors of the economy.

Bio : Ismahane is a lecturer at Sciences and Technology University of Bab Ezzouar, Algiers (Algeria) since December 2011. She prepared a thesis in earth Sciences; the aim of the subject is to characterize gold deposit in the southern part of Algeria. She is a member at the Laboratory magmatism and metallogeny of Algeria and a lecturer at USTHB University. She is also member of SGA (Society for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits), and co-organizer of the SGA-IUGS-SEG-UNESCO Short Course on African Metallogeny

Before joining the university, she worked as a design engineer at the ORGM (office de recherche en géologie minière) during the period 2006-2008 and as an engineer and project manager at the geological survey of Algeria between 2008 and 2011.

She has participated in several international seminars, congress and workshops in order to enrich her knowledge in mining exploration and identify new methods of analysis in minerals and rocks like petrology, mineralogy and geochemistry.

Intro :Intro : This is a special Women’s Day podcast, celebrating, saluting women I admire , who have inspired me and others, to join me in a 15 minute segment (English and French) to speak about their work as professionals in different sectors of the economy.

Biographie: Fahda Barrak

Diplômée de l’Ecole Nationale d’Architecture et d’Urbanisme de Tunis,  (Fahda Barrak) a débuté sa carrière d’architecte aux Emirats Arabes, dans une société de construction de bâtimentet de construction navale Intermass.

Suite à cette expérience elle a pu s’associer un groupe d’architectes et fonder avec eux la société internationale DRAWLINK.

Son parcours a Drawlink a été très riche en termes de projets et de défis, en effet étant un pilier de cette société, Fahda Barrakétait responsable du département du design ainsi que le département FF&E, qui concerne la recherche et  le ressourcement des nouveaux matériaux et nouvelles techniques de construction. (bureau de Drawlink à Guanzhou, Chine de 2013 à 2016 )

En 2018, Barrak décide de se lancer dans une aventure différente, elle a fondé sa propre société de Design fbDESIGNSTYLE, ou elle a pu travailler sur des projets de réaménagement et de conception d’intérieur tout en se concentrant sur la recherche et la réflexion sur les limites de ce qu’on appelle architecture durable, quant aux choix  des matériaux.

Fahda Barrak réside actuellement entre Dubaï et Tunis et ce depuis une année, à la recherche de nouveaux horizons.

Segment 1 : PDIE : purpose driven innovation 

segment 2 : Earthshot prize : nominating the brightest 

segment 3 : 4REVs African Summit in April : solving the water, food, resources, climate, energy

Short bio of Christian Schmitz : After a corporate career in large multinationals such as Bayer, BASF, Henkel and the German SME hulsta furniture, he established his boutique consulting firm Aventa to bridge Japan and Europe. Various experiences in the startup world, investing in startups as well as running a global organization. Finally, he founded the PDIE to build his own global network of purpose driven entrepreneurs.

Website : https://pdiegroup.com 

Japan ranks 28th/62 countries where the podcast is heard.

Segment 1 : Daphné’s Intercultural experience living in China

Segment 2 : Her observations of how China is coming out of the COVID pandemic

Segment 3 : future developments taking place in and outside China

short bio : 

Daphné Martin was born and raised in France by her French parents. When she was 14, her father was sent to China by his company.  She continued her education at the Lycée Français de Shanghai in the economics and sociology section and graduated with honors in 2018. From 2019-21, she studied Chinese at Donghua University, achieving a B2 level.

During her studies, Daphné also worked for a year in a branding agency (centdegrés) as a marketing and event manager, but also in a French association for young entrepreneurs called JEF (Jeunes Entrepreneurs Francophones) as a communication volunteer. She also tutored French to Chinese children for 2 years.

In 2021, she decided to move back to France and major in Global Communications at ISCOM Paris.

Segment 1 : Dr Hanna gives us the big picture, the historical context behind Lebanon‘s current declining political, economic and social situation, compounded by rampant corruption and a weak national défense. 

Segment 2 : what are the result of the recent presidential election? What has to change?

Segment 3 : 3 solutions proposed 

Short biography of Dr, Rebel Hanna : Chairman of Mantra Tourus Group (OOO, UO, Holding), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dexter Capital Risk Management Services L.L.C., BoD member of JHT SARL, entrepreneur with 30+ years of professional experience in the International Business Development, Commercial, Investment, Corporate and Private Banking industry.  Dr. Rebel Hanna served as well as Deputy General Manager at Invest Bank – UAE, Managing Director of the unique Investment Bank in Lebanon specialized in Securitization; he was managing the First SPVs in the MENA region and the First ABCP Conduit. Prior to that, he occupied different Senior Managerial Positions in the banking industry.

Here are the 3 Segments of the interview : 

1) Past lessons learned or not in Afghanistan 

2) Rough transition period and what's at stake. 

3) Way forward and choices/opportunities & region/great powers role.

Bio of Ambassador Samad: 

Omar Samad is a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center. He is also the founder and president of Silkroad Consulting, LLC. Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, Samad was a senior Afghan expert in-residence with the Center for Conflict Management at the US Institute of Peace from January 2012 to January 2013. He also served as Ambassador of Afghanistan to France from 2009 to 2011 and Ambassador to Canada from 2004 to 2009.

Samad was the former spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul and Director General, Information and Media Divisions from 2001 to 2004. He also served as an advisor and speech-writer to the foreign minister, and as a member of the ministry’s reform committee.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s he advocated for freedom and democracy in Afghanistan. As founder of the Afghanistan Information Center, in 1996 he launched Azadi Afghan Radio and its website based in Virginia. He has been a contributor to Afghan and international media since the 1980s and has published in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Afghanistan.

He is a founding member and advisor to the online platform Afghan Analytica, a member of the US-Afghan Women’s Council, on the advisory boards of The Kitson, the Fletcher School’s MENASA advisory group, the Afghan Higher Education Student e-Mentoring Program, and Initiative to Educate Afghan Women.

Samad holds an MA in International Affairs from Tufts University. He is fluent in English, French, and Dari-Farsi, and proficient in Pashto.

Source : Atlantic Council

Diplômé en droit public, en Sciences Politiques et de l’INALCO, Chiheb M’NASSER a travaillé comme agent de l’Etat pendant 7 ans. Il exerce actuellement les fonctions de directeur général à la Fondation de l’Islam de France.

C’est à cette occasion qu’il a choisi d’ aborder dans le cadre de ce Podcast les enjeux relatifs à la question islamique dans l’espace public français.

voici les 3 segments :

La Tunisie est 12e/57 pays où notre podcast est écouté .

Diplômé en droit public, en Sciences Politiques et de l’INALCO, Chiheb M’NASSER a travaillé comme agent de l’Etat pendant 7 ans. Il exerce actuellement les fonctions de directeur général à la Fondation de l’Islam de France.

C’est à cette occasion qu’il a choisi d’ aborder dans le cadre de ce Podcast les enjeux relatifs à la question islamique dans l’espace public français.

voici les 3 segments :

La Tunisie est 12e/57 pays où notre podcast est écouté .

Following the NATO summit in Madrid, Professor Dr. Nursin Atesoglu Güney will give us a debrief on the summit which she attended.

Segment 1 : Is NATO’ s Madrid Summit a sign of a rise of a new Cold War -the change in threat perceptions -have NATO’s strategic missions changed? Strengthened Deterrence seems to be the 1st priority over others- collective security and crisis management Segment 2: why is NATO is expanding now? Has the Ukrainian war triggered it? Segment 3: Turkish-Sweden-Finland trilateral deal: indivisibility of security principle in NATO is functioning now.

Here is a short bio : Distinguished author, speaker, commentator and author, Nursin Atesoglu Güney is professor of international relations in Nisantasi University and a member of Turkiye‘s  Presidential Security and Foreign Policies Council. She is president of CEMES, the Center of Mediterranean Security.

According to Worldcat.org she is the author of 19 works in 54 publications in 2 languages and 2,168 library holdings

Turkiye is ranked 6th/57 countries tuning in to our podcast . Thank you!

Following the NATO summit in Madrid, Professor Dr. Nursin Atesoglu Güney will give us a debrief on the summit which she attended.

Segment 1 : Is NATO’ s Madrid Summit a sign of a rise of a new Cold War
-the change in threat perceptions
-have NATO’s strategic missions changed? Strengthened Deterrence seems to be the 1st priority over others- collective security and crisis management
Segment 2: why is NATO is expanding now? Has the Ukrainian war triggered it?
Segment 3: Turkish-Sweden-Finland trilateral deal: indivisibility of security principle in NATO is functioning now.

Here is a short bio : Distinguished author, speaker, commentator and author, Nursin Atesoglu Güney is professor of international relations in Nisantasi University and a member of Turkiye‘s  Presidential Security and Foreign Policies Council. She is president of CEMES, the Center of Mediterranean Security. 

According to Worldcat.org she is the author of 19 works in 54 publications in 2 languages and 2,168 library holdings

Turkiye is ranked 6th/57 countries tuning in to our podcast . Thank you! 

This episode will look at the Changing landscape of Energy security in :  Segment 1 : Ukraine and the Black Sea Segment 2 : Turkey and the Mediterranean Sea Segment 3 : Africa 

Bio : Julian Popov is a Fellow of the European Climate Foundation, Chairman of the Building Performance Institute Europe and Former Minister of Environment of Bulgaria. He was the good will Bulgarian Ambassador for energy and climate policy and energy security adviser to the President of Bulgaria. Julian is member of the European Council of Foreign Relations, the Advisory Board of Climate KIC and the boards of several other energy and climate related organisations. He is the founding Vice Chancellor and current Board Member of the New Bulgarian University and cofounder of the Tunisian School of Politics. Julian was voted as one of the 40 most influential voices on European energy policies (N24) and also as one of the 40 most influential voices in the European energy efficiency policies (N25) by EurActiv. His articles on European and energy policy have been published by Financial Times, Project Syndicate, NS Energy Monitor, The Independent, Al Jazeera, Huffington Post, EurActive and others. He is author of two books and co-author of the books « The European Supergrid » and « Energy and Climate Diplomacy ». He lives in London with his family.

Voici le trailer du premier épisode de la Saison 2.

Notre discussion est en 3 parties : climat et sécurité, la guerre en Ukraine, le secteur privé dans les Relations internationales

Meet Chris Rammouz, a young Lebanese entrepreneur, founder of ModLab, a virtual platform for getting together in  a hybrid space. 

ModLab was our partner for our first Sustainable Leadership & Diplomacy Day in Paris (on line) on December 9, 2021.  Chris will speak to us about his beginnings, his education and career and how he came to found ModLab, a virtual platform, that provided us with a hybrid experience for our very special day!

Website : www.modlab.gg  

Email : chris@modlab.gg

"Quel modèle économique pour réussir la transition énergétique de la Grande Méditerranée?"

Segment 1 : Med Reset: la transformation d'une société

Segment 2 :  Repenser sa relation avec l'énergie

Segment 3 : Transition énergétique : émergence d'une société post-industrielle

Biographie de Jean-Claude FONTANIVE :  Jean-Claude Fontanive est, depuis plus de 30 ans, expert en affaires « publiques – privées », dans le développement des relations économiques internationales et un savoir-faire reconnu en géostratégie, en business diplomacy et en stratégies d’influence dans les territoires de La Grande Méditerranée.Personnalité experte associée au Comité National des Conseillers du Commerce Extérieur de la France.Délégué Général de la Chaire « Environnement, Changement climatique et Transition énergétique » et partenaire de la Chaire « Entreprise Inclusive » à l’IPAG Business School.Directeur associé chez ISD Conseil (Innovation Sociale Durable).Vice-Président d’Alters (Association Laboratoires Territoires Entreprises Résilients et Solidaires).Diplômé de SUPINFO International University & du MBA Management et Administration des Entreprises (MAE) de l’IAE Paris Sorbonne.

"Quel modèle économique pour réussir la transition énergétique de la Grande Méditerranée?" 

Segment 1 : Med Reset: la transformation d'une société  

Segment 2 :  Repenser sa relation avec l'énergie   

Segment 3 : Transition énergétique : émergence d'une société post-industrielle  

Biographie de Jean-Claude FONTANIVE :  Jean-Claude Fontanive est, depuis plus de 30 ans, expert en affaires « publiques – privées », dans le développement des relations économiques internationales et un savoir-faire reconnu en géostratégie, en business diplomacy et en stratégies d’influence dans les territoires de La Grande Méditerranée.Personnalité experte associée au Comité National des Conseillers du Commerce Extérieur de la France.Délégué Général de la Chaire « Environnement, Changement climatique et Transition énergétique » et partenaire de la Chaire « Entreprise Inclusive » à l’IPAG Business School.Directeur associé chez ISD Conseil (Innovation Sociale Durable).Vice-Président d’Alters (Association Laboratoires Territoires Entreprises Résilients et Solidaires).Diplômé de SUPINFO International University & du MBA Management et Administration des Entreprises (MAE) de l’IAE Paris Sorbonne.

Bienvenue à tous nos auditeurs marocains! Le Maroc est 4e de notre classement d’auditeurs après les Etats-Unis, France, Grande Bretagne, des 38  pays et aux 4 continents où est écouté notre podcast! Merci de votre fidélité!

Voici les 3 segments de ce podcast :

Segment 1 : Bilan des 22 ans de règne de Sa Majesté Mohammed VI : un système monétaire et financier plus robuste qu’il n’y parait

Segment 2 : le crowd-funding : une forme privilégiée de mobilisation de l’intelligence collective du public”

Segment 3 : Confiance est clé comme mécanisme de gouvernance entre le VC et les managers des sociétés de VC au Maroc.

La biographie de Professeur Slimane Ed-Dafali :

Slimane ED-DAFALI est Professeur en sciences de gestion à l’Ecole Nationale de Commerce et de Gestion d’El Jadida, Université Chouaib DOUKKALI. Il est affilié au Laboratoire d’Etudes et de Recherches en Sciences Economiques et de Management (LERSEM). Il a préparé sa thèse de doctorat au Laboratoire LaREFA de l’ENCG d’Agadir.

Slimane ED-DAFALI a enseigné à l'université IBN ZOHR puis à l'université Chouaib DOUKKALI. Actuellement, il assure l'enseignement de cours liés à l’ingénierie financière, à l'entrepreneuriat, au management de projet et à la gestion des risques financiers.

Ses travaux sur le capital-investissement et la gouvernance d’entreprise sont publiés dans de nombreuses revues académiques marocaines et internationales au comité de lecture ou internationales indexées.

Ses travaux de recherche actuels portent sur le capital-investissement, l’entrepreneuriat, la gouvernance, la performance et la croissance des Jeunes entreprises innovantes. Il est membre du Comité de lecture de plusieurs revues internationales. Il est également membre de L'Association Académique Internationale de Gouvernance (AAIG).

L'article cité dans le segment Introduction  : www.libreentreprise.ma, Edition Spéciale, Fête du Trône, n° 33, juillet-août 2021

Bienvenue à tous nos auditeurs marocains! Le Maroc est 4e de notre classement d’auditeurs après les Etats-Unis, France, Grande Bretagne, des 38  pays et aux 4 continents où est écouté notre podcast! Merci de votre fidélité!

Voici les 3 segments de ce podcast : 

Segment 1 : Bilan des 22 ans de règne de Sa Majesté Mohammed VI : un système monétaire et financier plus robuste qu’il n’y parait

Segment 2 : le crowd-funding : une forme privilégiée de mobilisation de l’intelligence collective du public”

Segment 3 : Confiance est clé comme mécanisme de gouvernance entre le VC et les managers des sociétés de VC au Maroc.

La biographie de Professeur Slimane Ed-Dafali : 

Slimane ED-DAFALI est Professeur en sciences de gestion à l’Ecole Nationale de Commerce et de Gestion d’El Jadida, Université Chouaib DOUKKALI. Il est affilié au Laboratoire d’Etudes et de Recherches en Sciences Economiques et de Management (LERSEM). Il a préparé sa thèse de doctorat au Laboratoire LaREFA de l’ENCG d’Agadir.

Slimane ED-DAFALI a enseigné à l'université IBN ZOHR puis à l'université Chouaib DOUKKALI. Actuellement, il assure l'enseignement de cours liés à l’ingénierie financière, à l'entrepreneuriat, au management de projet et à la gestion des risques financiers.

Ses travaux sur le capital-investissement et la gouvernance d’entreprise sont publiés dans de nombreuses revues académiques marocaines et internationales au comité de lecture ou internationales indexées.

Ses travaux de recherche actuels portent sur le capital-investissement, l’entrepreneuriat, la gouvernance, la performance et la croissance des Jeunes entreprises innovantes. Il est membre du Comité de lecture de plusieurs revues internationales. Il est également membre de L'Association Académique Internationale de Gouvernance (AAIG).

Belles Vacances à tous nos auditeurs francophones!

Merci de votre fidélité en France, au Liban, au Canada, en Belgique, en Algérie, au Maroc, en Cote d'Ivoire et en Suisse.

Ecoutez Episodes 1, 11, 13, 15 et 17.

Interview with COO of Helvetia Education Group, SA, Dr. Gabriel DEUTOU, a cross-cultural executive.

Recorded on July 22, 2021

3 segments : 

1) Life as a teacher for the last 15 years (from K12 to Executive students) to +30 institutes on 3 continents (Europe - Africa - North America)

2) Life as an entrepreneur since 2018 as Managing Director of DTN Europe (Deutou Teaching Network SAS) a on-demand staffing placement agency now providing Academic engineering and teaching contractors in France / Morocco including Program Dean.

3) Life as an Innovative EdTech COO since 2020 with Helvetia Education Group SA, and the deployment of Helvetia Connect SaaS, the 1st cloud-based on-demand staffing solution for Higher Ed.

Interview with COO of Helvetia Education Group, SA, Dr. Gabriel DEUTOU, a cross-cultural executive.

Recorded on July 22, 2021

3 segments :

1) Life as a teacher for the last 15 years (from K12 to Executive students) to +30 institutes on 3 continents (Europe - Africa - North America)  2) Life as an entrepreneur since 2018 as Managing Director of DTN Europe (Deutou Teaching Network SAS) a on-demand staffing placement agency now providing Academic engineering and teaching contractors in France / Morocco including Program Dean.  3) Life as an Innovative EdTech COO since 2020 with Helvetia Education Group SA, and the deployment of Helvetia Connect SaaS, the 1st cloud-based on-demand staffing solution for Higher Ed.

This is the first episode in a new podcast series on higher education in Africa.

This first episode will be about the privatisations of universities in Africa.

The discussion will be in 3 segments and be led by Dr. Abbes SEBIHI and Léonie SCHOELEN, Ph.D. :

1) Quality Assurance and Accreditation

2) Challenges and Harmonisation

3) Perspectives and Conclusions

Dr. Abbes SEBIHI has more than 20 years of project management experience in four continents, in the technology sector he has been working as IT expert for several companies including Bosch, Volkswagen, TüV Nord, ABB and IBM global service. During the past 11 years he has served the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation and Development (GIZ), contributing to a number of projects essentially in international higher education, Technical Vocational training and Digital learning , where he has been working as a team leader and other senior roles in cooperation with key stakeholders from Africa , Southeast Asia, Middle East and Europe, such as AU/HRST, European Union, UNESCO, UNEVOC, ASEAN, ILO, OECD, SEAMEO, BMZ, BMBF, ADB and more including policymakers, coalition partners, and researchers to identify policy opportunities and advance regional sustainable development goals.

Leonie SCHOELEN, Ph.D in in Sociology and Education Sciences in December 2020, wrote her doctoral thesis on ” Facing the Global – Ambivalent Coping Strategies in the Algerian Academic Field“. After her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Politics and Society, International Relations and Peace and Conflict Studies in Germany, Ireland and Scotland, she started working as a consultant for GIZ German International Cooperation in India and Benin in the field of social aspects and community engagement of renewable energy supply, respectively, rural electrification.

Interview en trois parties avec le Professeur Nicolas Badaoui, Université Saint Esprit de Kaslik Beirut, Liban.

Nicolas Badaoui est professeur depuis une dizaine d'années aux universités libanaises, chercheur associé au CREC - St. CYR, France; American Alumni Professor - Fullbright, ancien conseiller parlementaires et ministériel au Liban; conseiller auprès de plusieurs sociétés régionales et internationales; et rédacteur de plusieurs publications (livres et articles)

Voici notre interview en 3 parties, en préambule de la préparation de notre séminaire les 28-30 septembre à Paris, intitulé "Vision 2022 pour la Méditerranée : Les Enjeux géopolitiques et géoéconomiques" :

1) Segment 1 :  Le Monde post-COVID : les conséquences politiques, économique et sociales

2) Segment 2 : Géopolitique : la rentrée des forces asiatiques en Méditerranée; Géoéconomie : les enjeux économiques, énergétiques et environnementales en Méditerranée

3) Segment 3 : Menaces sécuritaires, hard et hybride

Welcome to the members of our audience tuning in from Jordan, The Hashemite Kingdom! You are the 31st country tuning into our podcast.  Thank you, dear Zeina Barhoum!

Going up the list from the bottom, is Hong Kong, Cyprus, Republic of Lithuania, Bulgaria, Israel, Japan, Ivory Coast, Ukraine, and Romania.

Happy Summer to all our listeners in 31 countries and on 4 continents!

Entretien en 3 parties avec Mourad Zeghidi sur la Tunisie  :  Segment 1 : Expérience démocratique, 10e anniversaire Segment 2 : La réussite de la démocratie  : pouvoir et contre-pouvoirs Segment 3 : La géostratégie de la Libye, grande voisine de la Tunisie

Une interview avec Mourad Zeghidi enregistrée le 6 juin 2021.

Entretien en 3 parties avec Mourad Zeghidi sur la Tunisie  :

Segment 1 : Expérience démocratique, 10e anniversaire

Segment 2 : La réussite de la démocratie  : pouvoir et contre-pouvoirs

Segment 3 : La géostratégie de la Libye, grande voisine de la Tunisie

Interview en 3 parties avec Cécile Théard-Jallu, Avocate associée au sein du cabinet d’affaires De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés.

Enregistré le 21 juillet 2021.

1) Segment 1 : Sécurité, cybersécurité, reconnaissance faciale,  IA, 5G

2) Segment 2 : Mobilité connectée, véhicules autonome , alternatives

3) Segment 3 : Santé digitale, COVID, Robots, data

This is a 3-part episode in the first of our maritime series with Dr. Stephen Blank and our guests.

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Geoffrey Gresh to our podcast.  Here is a short bio : 

Dr. GEOFFREY F. GRESH is Professor of International Relations at the College of International Security Affairs (CISA), National Defense University in Washington, D.C. with a primary research focus on maritime affairs. He has also served as the Department Head of International Security Studies and as CISA’s Director of the South and Central Asia Security Studies Program. Previously, he was a Visiting Fellow at Sciences Po in Paris and was the recipient of a Dwight D. Eisenhower/Clifford Roberts Fellowship. He also received a U.S. Fulbright-Hays Grant to teach international relations at Salahaddin University in Erbil, Iraq. He has been awarded a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to Istanbul, Turkey and a Presidential Scholarship at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. Most recently, he was named as a Hitachi-CFR International Affairs Fellow, a U.S.-Japan Foundation Leadership Fellow, an Associate Member of the Corbett Centre for Maritime Policy Studies at King’s College in London, and as a term member to the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of Gulf Security and the U.S. Military: Regime Survival and the Politics of Basing (Stanford University Press), editor of Eurasia’s Maritime Rise and Global Security: From the Indian Ocean to Pacific Asia and the Arctic and co-editor of U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East: From American Missionaries to the Islamic State (Routledge). He is also the book series editor for Palgrave Studies in Maritime Politics and History. His current book, To Rule Eurasia's Waves: The New Great Power Competition at Sea was released in late 2020, with a Chinese-language version being published later in 2021. His research has similarly appeared in other reputable scholarly or peer reviewed publications. He received a Ph.D. in International Relations and MALD from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

The views expressed here in each podcast segment are Dr. Gresh's alone in his personal capacity and do not represent the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense of the National Defense University.

Dr.Stephen BLANK is an internationally recognized expert on Russian foreign and defense policies and international relations across the former Soviet Union. He is also a leading expert on European and Asian security, including energy issues. Since 2020 he has been a Senior Expert for Russia at the U.S. Institute of Peace and a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. From 2013-2020 he was a Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council.

Cet épisode est divisé en trois parties  : 1) Introduction historique du Bitcoin (contexte économique de 2008); 2) Bénéfices théoriques; et 3) Blockchain au Moyen-Orient , études de cas.

Bio de Romain Aby : 

Romain Aby est docteur en géopolitique, diplômé de l’IFG (Institut Français de Géopolitique) et chercheur au centre GEODE (géopolitique de la Datasphère). Spécialiste des enjeux du cyberespace arabophone, ses travaux récents portent sur les enjeux géopolitiques des nouvelles technologies disruptives (Blockchain, Ordinateurs quantiques, IA, 5G…) et leur applicabilité et cas d’usage dans le monde arabe.

Pendant 4 ans il a occupé le poste d’analyste à l’Observatoire du Cybermonde arabophone (OCA) avant d’ouvrir son cabinet de conseil Rumi Consulting.

Il a notamment publié en 2019 un double article sur le site de l’IRIS (institut de relations internationales et stratégiques) intitulé « Géopolitique et Bitcoin : la technologie blockchain dans le monde arabe » : https://www.iris-france.org/130702-geopolitique-et-bitcoin-la-technologie-blockchain-dans-le-monde-arabe-2-2/ 

Episode 8 : THE HORN OF AFRICA Gateway to geostrategic power rivalries

Episode 5 : Preserving the Arctic : Our Last Frontier

Episode 11 : “Blockchain et Bitcoin : une révolution numérique aux portes du monde arabe"

"Joe Biden's Foreign Policy Agenda and challenges". Interview with Dr. Stephen Blank

Episode 3 : Interview with Julia Lagahuzère on "How Circular Culture will change the World"

Episode 2 : Interview with Stéphanie Chaltiel, Dronespray Technology

Episode 1 : Interview avec Hichem Ben Yaïche, "Les Afriques : tentative de décryptage d'un continent multiple et singulier"  

This time our guest is Dr. Theodore Karasik and we will be speaking about geostrategic power rivalries in the Middle East and Africa.

In this series of interviews with Dr. Stephen Blank, our guest is Dr. Theodore Karasik. Our discussion will turn to Africa, where we will discuss geostrategic power rivalries in the Middle East and Africa, for influence and access to  energy, military bases, trade and strategic positioning. 

Dr. Theodore KARASIK is currently a Fellow, Russia and Middle East Affairs at the Jamestown Foundation and a Senior Advisor to Gulf State Analytics.  He is also an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Lexington Institute, all located in Washington, D.C.   He is the co-author of “Russia in the Middle East” published in 2018.

For the past 35 years, Karasik worked for a number of US agencies involved in researching and analyzing defense acquisition, the use of military power, and religio-political issues across MENA and Eurasia including the evolution of violent extremism and financing networks.

Dr. Karasik lived in Dubai, UAE from 2006 until 2016 where he worked on Arabian Peninsula foreign policy and security issues surrounding cultural awareness, cybersecurity, maritime security, counter-piracy, counter-terrorism, and infrastructure and national resilience. Dr. Karasik worked for a number of UAE ministries and think-tanks covering regional and homeland security issues.

Dr. Karasik was an Adjunct Lecturer at the Dubai School of Government where he taught graduate level international relations and also an Adjunct Lecturer at University Wollongong Dubai where he taught labor and migration. Karasik was a Senior Political Scientist in the International Policy and Security Group at RAND Corporation.  From 2002-2003, he served as Director of Research for the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy.  He is a specialist in geopolitics and geo-economics for the MENA and Eurasia regions and frequently conducts studies and assessments of future security trajectories and military requirements in addition to cultural awareness issues surrounding traditionalism and tribalism in policymaking.

Dr. Karasik received his Ph.D in History from the University of California, Los Angeles in four fields:  Russia, Middle East, Caucasus and an outside field in cultural anthropology focusing on tribes and clans from Central Asia to East Africa.  He wrote his dissertation on military and humanitarian operations in the northern port city of Arkhangel’sk and their impact on political institutions during the Russian civil war.

Dr. Richard Weitz from the Hudson Institute joins Dr. Stephen Blank and me in this continuing series of interviews on strategic issues.

Questions : 

1.  What are China's objectives in the Indian Ocean and how is it realizing them?

2. How does this affect Sino-Iranian relations,  specifically is there a deal between Beijing and Tehran similar to what was announced last summer with massive Chinese investments and a base in Iran and what would be the implications of this outcome?

3 To what degree to we see Sino-Russian collaboration here and if we do how does it manifest itself?

On February 4, 2021, Ellen Wasylina interviewed Neil Watson, who is an international journalist with 25 years’ experience of writing on a wide range of topics, ranging from technology and architecture to geopolitics. Since 2009 he has focused on the history, culture and politics of the South Caucasus, and particularly on Azerbaijan. Neil has also edited numerous academic books on Azerbaijani literature and culture and regularly appears on Azerbaijani and Kazakh TV.

"How Circular Culture will change the World"

On February 11, Ellen Wasylina interviewed Julia Lagahuzère, Femme de Culture 2020, who was previously Deputy Casting Director of Opéra National de Paris in the two theatres of Opéra de Bastille and Palais Garnier. She is currently artistic consultant to the Queen Sonja International Music Competition in Oslo, Norway. Julia has a passion for finding and helping to nurture young talent, and established a concert series in order to strengthen relations between the QSMIC and the top international young artist programs; notably in collaboration with the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. She has previously worked at the San Francisco Opera, Scottish Opera and Opéra de Limoges. She is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and Sussex University, a musicology scholarship recipient at the University of California, Berkeley, and holds a Masters degree in Opera and Visual Performing Arts from King’s College London, in collaboration with the BBC Proms.

Stephanie Chaltiel is a French architect and interior designer working with innovative techniques and natural materials offering unique designs for each project. She began her career in Mexico and French Guyana building by hand with local dwellers houses. After working for Bernard Tschumi in New York, OMA and Zaha Hadid she started her own practice. Her award winning projects marrying cutting edge technology and raw materials (ACADIA, MIT 2017, part of the ICON Design 100 talents 2019 and Dezeen Awards Winners Highly commended mention) has been presented and exhibited worldwide. She taught at SUTD Singapore, Westminster London, AA London, Ravensbourne London, and at the architectural school of Brighton and more recently at Elisava Barcelona. She was also during 4 years an EU Marie Curie scholarship recipient when she developed the drone spray technology for sustainable architecture and refurbishments.

Interview avec Hichem Ben Yaïche

LES AFRIQUES : Tentative de décryptage d’un continent multiple et singulier.

Au retour de Congo-Brazzaville, ce grand expert en géopolitique, spécialiste de l’Afrique, sera interviewé par Ellen Wasylina, qui a eu le plaisir de vous convier le 8 décembre 2020 à 15h CET sur ZOOM. Hichem va nous livrer ses toutes dernières impressions et analyses sur les relations entre le continent et l’Europe, les Etats-Unis, la Chine , en toile de fond de la pandémie COVID19, qui nous affecte tous.