PolyCIVIS is guided by a diverse and experienced Advisory Board comprised of experts and policymakers from both Europe and Africa.
Their collective knowledge and insights play a vital role in shaping the strategic direction of the project, ensuring it addresses key challenges and opportunities in addressing polycrisis.
Our Advisory Board members:
Thannaletchimy Housset, Ph.D
Currently working as a Research Manager at the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), Geneva. Thannaletchimy Housset (Letchimy) leads IDMC’s research in analyzing patterns, drivers, and impacts of internal displacement. Prior to joining the IDMC, she worked as a senior consultant for the International Labour Organisation (ILO), specializing in sustainable development and social protection. Letchimy also worked as policy advisor at the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) on labour market issues and served as Key Account Manager for Asia and the Pacific, offering her support and expertise to IOE members in that region, advocating for business-friendly policies and regulations. She also has experience as an economist at SEURECO-ERASME, specialising on trade competitiveness in Europe. Graduating with a PhD and Double Masters in Economics from Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, Thannaletchimy is perfectly fluent in 4 languages (English, Tamil, Mandarin and French) and is originally from Singapore, where she completed her undergraduate studies.
Chrysafo Arvaniti
Chrysafo Arvaniti brings over 25 years of experience working as a strategy advisor, project manager and trainer across the development and humanitarian field, in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. She has collaborated globally with numerous civil society organizations. From 2014-2024 she worked for Médecins Sans Frontières, in the design and delivery of innovation projects with focus on community engagement. From 2011-2015, she served as elected chair of the international voluntary network, Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organizations, active in over 45 countries. Her background studies are in Humanities and she holds an Executive Specialization in Non-Profit Leadership from John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is an adjunct faculty at IE Madrid University and a scientific associate of the MSc in Global Health and Disaster Medicine of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She is based in Athens, Greece.
Petra Kežman
Petra Kežman is a senior advisor for higher education and research in the Union for the Mediterranean, based in Barcelona. She is a Slovenian diplomat with extensive experience in environmental and public diplomacy. Previously, she served as Head of Department for Global Challenges and Head of Department for Public Diplomacy and International Relations in Culture at the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. She also worked at the Slovenian Embassies in Paris and Buenos Aires, and has been a Board member of EUNIC Global. Her main mission is to put education, research and culture at the heart of international relations as drivers of sustainable development, stability and peace.