Our team

Dr. Oliver JÜTERSONKE has served as President of Coginta since 2023. Based in Geneva, he is a strategic advisor, lecturer, and facilitator with extensive field experience in conflict-affected settings across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. He works with international organisations, national authorities, and civil society networks on security sector governance, stabilisation, social cohesion, durable solutions for displaced populations, integrated approaches to the triple nexus (humanitarian–development–peace), and conflict sensitivity. His pedagogical focus is on applied research, strategic foresight, organisational learning, and the design of innovative mentoring initiatives for practitioners.

Dr. Luna IACOPINI has served on Coginta’s Board since 2019. In 2024 she became Chief of Staff to the Rector of the University of Geneva. Previously, she led International Affairs at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO). She holds a doctorate in Education and has over fifteen years’ experience designing and implementing education programmes and partnerships across Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Alexandre DORMEIER FREIRE joined Coginta’s Board in 2019. He is a Lecturer and Researcher at the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID), where he serves as Director of the Development Policies and Practices (DPP) programme and as Research Associate at the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP). He holds a doctorate from the University of Geneva, and his recent research examines the importance of family structures in mitigating violence in fragile contexts. He sits on several commissions, including for the Swiss Confederation, the City of Geneva, and various international organisations active in international solidarity and humanitarian action. His contributions include the recruitment of development professionals, project evaluation, and the formulation of field-oriented strategic guidance.

Silke GRABHERR joined Coginta’s Board in 2020. She is the Head of the University Centre of Legal Medicine (Centre universitaire romand de médecine légale, CURML) for French-speaking Switzerland and serves as Head of Service at the Lausanne University Hospital (Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois, CHUV) and the Geneva University Hospitals (Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève, HUG). She is also a Full Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva and at the Faculty of Biology and Medicine of the University of Lausanne. As lead editor of the Atlas of Post-Mortem Angiography (2016), she has trained teams on every continent and is recognised as a leading authority in forensic imaging. As a forensic pathologist, she is called upon as an expert in several national and international cases and takes part in a range of humanitarian missions.

Sébastien GOURAUD is the Executive Director of Coginta. With a degree in law, political science and international security, he is a specialist in public policies on internal security and judicial and security reform processes in fragile or transitional states. After working for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sudan, he joined the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) in Geneva as a “Rule of Law, Justice and Security” Programme Manager. In this role, he has covered numerous countries, including the Central African Republic, Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Chad and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. With a wealth of experience in technical assistance and project management, he participated in the creation of Coginta and became its Executive Director in September 2011.

Dr. Dominique WISLER is co-founder of Coginta. Specializing in local security issues and methodologies, he develops security analysis tools and conducts thematic and impact monitoring studies in Coginta's areas of activity. He is the author of studies and comparative works on public security in sub-Saharan Africa. Dominique also leads project development and technical assistance missions related to community policing and mining security. He has a doctorate in political science and a degree in philosophy.

Jérôme BERNARD has been the administrative and financial director of Coginta since 2017. For over 20 years, he has been involved in transition management processes in both the non-profit and private sectors for human-sized groups with a European or global reach, with a focus on financial and organizational accountability. Jérôme holds a Master II degree in Small and Medium-Sized Business Management.

Hervé GONSOLIN has been Coginta's Programmes Director since 2024, after having notably served as Programme Manager and principal technical adviser since September 2021. He has more than 25 years' experience in various fields focusing on security sector reform, reducing armed violence and community engagement. Previously, he was Senior Programme Coordinator for Sub-Saharan Africa at DCAF Geneva. He has also held the position of Special Adviser on Peace and Security at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. As an independent consultant, Hervé Gonsolin has provided expertise in the identification, formulation, monitoring and evaluation of projects and programmes in countries such as Guinea, Tanzania and Nigeria. His professional background also includes roles as a Project Manager and Programme Coordinator for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and non-governmental organisations in emergency humanitarian contexts.

Bertrand CAVALLIER is technical advisor for Coginta. A graduate of the Special Military School of Saint-Cyr, a graduate of the War School, he spent his military career in the French national gendarmerie. He exercised numerous
operational commands, but also served in high-level staffs and in training structures. In particular, he served as commander of the national training center for the gendarmerie forces in St-Astier. A European expert, he contributed to the development of crisis management concepts for the European Union and to the creation and development of the European Gendarmerie Force. Since 1993, he has participated in the design and implementation of numerous projects, mainly European, for the benefit of internal security forces, in Cambodia, Romania, Ukraine, the Balkans, Jordan, and since 2014, under the banner of Coginta, Africa.

Victoria WALKER is a Senior Technical Adviser at Coginta, leading work at the intersection of natural resources, conflict, security, and environmental governance in conflict-affected and high-risk contexts. With over 25 years of experience in sustainable development and human rights, she specialises in governance, risk, and institutional change, with a strong focus on implementation. Her work draws on extensive field experience across Sub-Saharan Africa, South-East Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Asia-Pacific, supporting governments, international organisations, financial institutions, companies, and community-based actors. More recently, her work has focused on artisanal and small-scale mining, biodiversity and conservation, and de-risking investment environments through long-term field engagement, meaningful stakeholder processes, and the strengthening of local governance and livelihood systems.

Marguerite Tewa CAMARA holds a postgraduate degree in agri-food engineering. With more than 15 years of professional experience in international non-governmental organizations and national institutions in Guinea, she is a specialist in the management and monitoring and evaluation of cooperation projects. In particular, she was in charge of security sector reform, decentralization and deconcentration programs in Guinea. She joined Coginta in 2018.

Yahaya NOUHOU holds a master's degree in management, finance and accounting. He has more than 15 years of experience in national and international non-governmental organizations and bilateral and multilateral cooperation agencies in Niger, Chad and the United States. For ten years, he was responsible for operations at the United Nations for development, on projects in governance, justice, security, rule of law, resilience, demobilization and reintegration. He has been working with Coginta since 2019.

Hippolyte Harkite SIB holds a degree in public affairs management. He has nearly 15 years of professional experience, including 10 at Coginta. He has notably coordinated cooperation projects in security sector reform and justice sector reform in Guinea, and then cooperation and development projects in Côte d'Ivoire. Since 2006, Hippolyte has contributed to several development and international exchange programs in Africa and the United States.

Salifou OUEDRAOGO holds a university degree in management sciences. For more than 20 years, he was an administrative and financial manager in development programs (Burkina Faso, Togo, Chad, etc.) in the fields of livestock, justice, the rule of law and good governance or security sector reform. His skills include the development of procedure manuals and internal control and risk management tools or procurement. He joined Coginta in 2021.

Appolinaire DOUANODJI has a degree in geography and a Master's degree in business administration management, with a specialization in project management. He holds several certificates, including in association management, accounting and financial management in organizations and development projects. He specializes in the management, assembly and organization of development projects on issues of social cohesion and local, judicial and security governance. He has more than 20 years of professional experience in Chad in development and the promotion of human rights. Appolinaire has worked for Coginta since 2016 as Country Director and Project Manager.

Emmanuel KAMATE LIMASI is a graduate of the Higher Institute of Rural Development of Bukavu and a specialist in planning and management of development projects in rural areas. He worked for more than 30 years in the management and coordination of humanitarian emergency programs (assistance to those displaced by war and those affected by natural disasters) for several non-governmental organizations. He joined Coginta in 2021.

Clement AAPENGNUO has worked for Coginta since 2021. A graduate in conflict analysis and resolution, he has extensive experience in conflict transformation, peacebuilding and facilitating community dialogues. Clement has worked for over 23 years on community conflicts in northern Ghana, linked to questions of power, social identity or resources.

Mireille WIDMER joined Coginta in 2024 after a multifaceted career centred on peace and development issues. She worked among other on small arms control at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, implemented community security projects with UNDP in Haiti and Somalia and a rule of law project in the Central African Republic, and designed and conducted an academic study on local security governance in Nepal. She holds a Masters in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Sydney, and a PhD in Development Studies from the University of Sussex (Institute of Development Studies).

Ilaria BRACCHETTI joined Coginta in January 2022 as a programme officer, after working for more than 15 years as a project manager in the field in Africa (Mozambique, Tanzania and Angola) and Latin America (Brazil) with international NGOs. Ilaria has a law degree and a postgraduate master course on international cooperation, as well as additional training courses on PM, M&E and a professional certificate in Euro-project designing. She has a proven track record in project and grant management, as well as sound skills in governance, capacity building and human rights.

Valentin WAGEE joined Coginta in 2025. He has over ten years of experience in security sector governance and reform. Before joining Coginta, Valentin was a Program Manager at the Kofi Annan Foundation, leading projects on democracy and multilateralism in collaboration with governments, regional organizations, and civil society in West Africa. He previously spent eight years at the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF), half of which were spent on the ground in sub-Saharan Africa and the Sahel, contributing to the development of local partnerships. His career demonstrates a strong commitment to good governance, transparency, and institution building.

Anne MOLTÈS joined Coginta in 2025, bringing nearly 15 years of field experience in peacebuilding in West Africa, the Sahel region, Somalia, and Burundi. She was Interpeace's Regional Director for West Africa, where she supported the development and implementation of social cohesion, governance, and resilience programs. She has also worked on various PVE-related projects, including with DCAF, focused on defense and security forces, and for USAID, focused on media and communities, strengthening local capacities to respond sustainably to security and peace challenges. An experienced facilitator and trainer in conflict sensitivity, Anne brings to Coginta her participatory approach, field experience, and program coordination skills to support sustainable partnerships and local ownership. She holds a double master's degree in international relations and security/defense.

Maviatou BAH has been a Procurement Officer for Coginta since January 2025, having been a Procurement Expert on various Coginta projects since 2021, notably in Guinea and Chad. He holds a Master's degree in Economics and Finance and has over 18 years of professional experience in the Official Development Assistance sector, having worked with multiple donors including the European Union and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. During his career, he has held positions in various areas, including internal control, management control and procurement.

Mélanie FILIPPELLI joined the Coginta teams in December 2022, as an administrative and HR assistant. Mélanie has extensive experience in administrative and HR support acquired in the private sector, mainly in Switzerland. She is notably in charge of the deployment and contracting of long/short term experts to different countries. She is also an office manager, supporting finances at headquarters.

Solène DEBOVE has a degree in Economics and Management. She first worked in international groups specializing in aeronautics and then luxury as part of the implementation of financial and industrial reporting processes. In 2022, she joined Coginta as a management controller and supports financial managers in different country offices in ensuring compliance with the organization's financial and administrative procedures.

Derya OZBAHAR joined Coginta in 2023. A versatile management controller with federal certification training, she specializes in finance and accounting. She has over 10 years of experience in demanding business environments requiring strong organizational and analytical skills.

Frédéric WASMER joined Coginta in 2023 as the Communications Manager. Frédéric holds a master’s degree in socioeconomics from the University of Geneva, and also studied graphic design and visual communication. Particularly interested in issues related to international cooperation and development, he has sought to combine his skills in positions within NGOs and international organizations since 2015. He has notably worked as a Communications Officer for the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.