Meet Benjamin: ECF's new Senior Director of EMEA Advocacy, bringing global experience to nutrition

We asked Benjamin to answer three questions as a way to introduce him to our wider community – and his answers show why we’re so excited to have him working with us.

What are you most excited to work on in your new position at ECF?

What excites me the most about ECF is the way we focus on impact and evidence to drive our advocacy on malnutrition. As senior director of EMEA advocacy, my role will be to inspire public donors to prioritize and support nutrition interventions. In a crowded advocacy space in which governments are juggling competing priorities, being able to leverage evidence and demonstrate the life-saving and long-standing impact of nutrition investments is a key asset.?

After having partnered with various philanthropies during my career, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to join an innovative foundation and deploy a powerful philanthropic approach that articulates grant-making, advocacy and research in service of our mission.

I’ve been impressed by the positive values the foundation promotes internally and externally. As Helen Keller once said: “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”? I think this quote resonates strongly with the culture I found at ECF.

What’s something unique from your past experience that you’ll bring to your role at ECF??

I’ve been working in advocacy and campaigning for close to 20 years and one unique aspect of my career that I’m bringing to ECF is my track record of helping organizations establish a global presence and drive impact in various cultural and political contexts.

I particularly enjoyed working in organizations with an ‘early stage startup’ mentality and where I was asked to strategize as much as execute, to test new approaches and improve systems and to lead committed and talented people.

As ECF expands its advocacy portfolio in Europe, Middle-East and Asia, I look forward to leveraging my skills and experience in service of this expansion and to help spread ECF’s “sick of business-as-usual” philosophy.

What’s something interesting about you that we wouldn’t find on your resume??

I’m passionate about music. ????

I’ve played the piano since the age of 6 and I’ve been involved in numerous musical projects spanning various genres. Something interesting that I may add to my resume at some point is that I had the privilege of playing at the iconic Afrika Shrine in Lagos, Nigeria with our Paris-based band called Roforofo Jazz. It was a truly transformative experience in the temple of afrobeat music alongside talented and inspiring musicians from across the African continent.?