Thomas Hentschel is a Managing Director since 2014 and has been working with Projekt-Consult since 1988. He is also the Global Program Manager of the Swiss Better Gold Initiative (BGI) with a basis in Colombia. Thomas is an ASM expert with more than 35 years of experience managing complex international projects in mining, trade and responsible sourcing in more than 30 countries. He is regarded as an internationally recognized expert for mercury reduction in the ASM gold sector and as a pioneer for successful industry initiatives along mineral supply chains.

Moritz Lörcher is a Managing Director of Projekt-Consult GmbH and has been with the company since 2014. He holds a German-Spanish double Diploma (Dipl.) in International Economics. Upon graduating he embarked on a career in development cooperation with a focus on resource policy. Over the last ten years Moritz has participated as an expert and manager in a wide range of projects, studies and evaluations in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa.

Johanna Carstens is the Chief Operating Officer of Projekt-Consult and has been with the company since 2009. She holds a Master’s (M.Sc.) in Environment and Development from the UK, and previously studied in Germany. She has experience as a senior expert, team leader and trainer for responsible ASM and mineral supply chains. Johanna is native in German, fluent in English and French and has a working knowledge of Swahili.

Expertise: Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, Training and Qualification, Responsible Mineral Extraction, Mineral Governance, Responsible Sourcing, International Resource Policies

Michael Priester is a Senior Advisor at Projekt-Consult, he is a mining engineer by profession who has worked with miners and mining communities in over 40 countries worldwide. For more than 20 years he was a director of the company’s mining department. Coming from a more technical background Michael covers the whole width of small-scale mining-related topics, from child labour to policy development, from environmental management to training and from the mine to the market. He has also been involved in several research-led advisory projects on mineral policies and has published numerous articles and books.

Expertise: International Resources Policies, Responsible Mineral Extraction, Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, Training and Qualification

Diderot Nguepjouo is a Senior Consultant in mining and environment at Projekt-Consult. He holds a PhD in Geosciences from Germany, and previously studied in Cameroon. He has over 15 years of experience in academics and extractive industries, particularly in Africa and Germany. Diderot has been involved in projects dealing with environmental follow-up and management, participatory mapping, remote sensing, land use and land cover change, artisanal and small-scale mining, community empowerment and capacity building. He is fluent in English, German, French, and has a working knowledge of Swahili and various African languages.

Expertise: Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, Training and Qualification, Mineral Governance

Christopher Demel is a Consultant for mining and mineral resources as well as the company’s security backstopper for all projects and studies abroad. He holds a German University Diploma (Dipl. Min) in Mineralogy with a focus on economic geology and geochemical-mineralogical analytics. He has been involved in projects on artisanal and small-scale mining, mineral exploration, GIS/geo-data management, mining sector development and governance. Over the last ten years, he has worked both for private companies and in technical assistance projects in Australia, Africa and Asia. He is fluent in German, English, and has a working knowledge of French.

Expertise: Responsible Mineral Extraction, Mineral Governance, Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, International Resource Policies

Víctor Andrés Garzón Vergara is a Consultant at Projekt-Consult. He holds a Master's (M.Sc.) in Metallurgy, a Bachelor's degree (B.Sc) as mining and metallurgy engineer and a diploma in management. He has over 12 years of experience in the extractive sector, working in mine planning, production and R&D engineer, as well in managing and implementing development cooperation projects in Latin America. His areas of interest and expertise are commodity markets, mining taxation and transparency, mineral value chains, innovation and technology, and good governance in the extractive sector. He is a native Spanish speaker, fluent in English and German.

Expertise: Responsible Mineral Extraction, Mineral Governance

Viviana Lozano Castro is a Consultant for international mining policy at Projekt-Consult. She holds a Master’s (M.A) in International Relations and Cooperation from France, and previously studied in Colombia. She has over six years of experience in managing and implementing development cooperation projects in Latin America and West Africa in the areas of responsible mining, artisanal and small-scale mining and good governance in the extractive industries. She is a native Spanish speaker, fluent in English and French, and has working knowledge of German.

Expertise: Mineral Governance, International Resource Policies

Jennifer Rangel is a Junior Consultant with a focus on sustainable mineral supply chains and responsible sourcing. She holds a Master’s (MSc.) in Physical Geography, Environmental History from Germany, and previously studied in the United States and South Africa. She has been involved in a large Latin American regional project as a junior expert on mineral supply chains. She has worked on other topics including ESG risk analysis, copper, international resource policies, climate change, responsible sourcing and sustainable supply chains. She is native in English and Spanish and fluent in German.

Expertise: International Resource Policies, Responsible Sourcing

Barbara Stulz is the Supply Chain Specialist at the Swiss Better Gold Initiative, a long-term project of Projekt-Consult. She started at the Initiative in February 2021. Barbara holds an MSc. in Human Rights and Politics from the UK, and previously studied her Bachelors in Anthropology in Switzerland and Mexico. Before joining the team, she worked in a project related to sustainable water management in Mexico and has experience in various human rights organisations in Bolivia, Mexico and Switzerland. At the Swiss Better Gold Initiative, Barbara is mainly involved in regional project management and in the maintenance of the Swiss Better Gold supply chains. Barbara is native in German, fluent in English and Spanish, and has working knowledge of French.

Expertise: Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, Responsible Sourcing

Fabian Rodrigues is the Administrative Coordinator at Projekt-Consult. He supports the in-house team by ensuring that all projects comply with the company’s quality management system certified according to ISO 9001. Before joining Projekt-Consult he has worked as freelance interpreter and translator. Fabian holds a Master’s (M.A.) in Romanian Linguistics from Germany. He is native in German and Portuguese, fluent in English, Spanish, and has working knowledge of Italian and French.

Hella Lascano works as an Administrative Coordinator at Projekt-Consult. She has a German University Diploma (Dipl.) in Geography and minored in Ethnology and Hispanic Studies. She has long professional experience as an office manager which she gained at our sister company GFA Consulting Group GmbH, where she worked for 20 years. She is fluent in Spanish, German, and English.

Carlos Soliz is a Working Student at Projekt-Consult. He holds a bachelor’s degree as an Environmental Engineer and is currently working on his Master’s in Sustainable Mining and Remediation Management at TU Freiberg. He has five years of experience related to management systems in the mining field, for both public and private sectors, additionally, environmental management, environmental education, Environmental Impact Assessment studies, and Environmental Monitoring reports. He has experience working on international cooperation, and development projects. Carlos is native in Spanish and fluent in English.

Expertise: Responsible Mineral Extraction, Mineral Governance, Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining.

Heike Schulze is the Senior Responsible Sourcing Expert with a focus on private clients. For more than 20 years she has worked as a manager in the automotive industry, as a consultant for responsible sourcing as well as a professor for supply chain & operations management. Her PhD from London South Bank University was granted for the work on sustainability competences for purchasing professionals.

Expertise: Responsible Sourcing

Nicolas is a Responsible Mining Expert with over 10 years of experience in the field. He is the Director of Afai Consulting BV where he has worked for a variety of international donors as well as mining and trading companies, minerals and metals users, investors and insurers. Nicolas holds a Master’s (MSc.) in Security Studies from University College London. His work has covered topics including mineral supply chain mapping and characterisations, specifically Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, OECD Guidance and IFC Performance Standards, mineral sourcing strategies for downstream companies, design of ASM formalisation and integration strategies, and training in human rights due diligence. He speaks fluent English, French and Spanish.

Expertise: Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, Training and Qualification, Responsible Mineral Extraction, Mineral Governance, Responsible Sourcing.

Heinz-Josef (Joe) Seegers is a Mineral Resources Expert and environmental, health & safety specialist with over 40 years of experience in natural resources, technical assistance and capacity building. His work in consulting and managerial roles includes the full mine’s life cycle from grassroots exploration, mine development & production, environmental monitoring and mining waste management to post closure operations.

He studied Mineralogy and Ore Deposits (MSc, 1976) at the RWTH Aachen, Germany, and has been working as free-lance consultant with Projekt-Consult since 1992 as technical advisor and team leader of medium- to large-scale technical assistance and capacity building projects in challenging social and cultural environments in Afghanistan, Bolivia, Finland, Germany, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Tanzania, Turkey, and currently in Nigeria and Uzbekistan.

Expertise: Responsible Mineral Extraction, Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, Capacity Building, and Mineral Policies.