Meet the team

Abel is a Senior Field Supervisor at Laterite. He has more than ten years of professional experience in consultancy and research on a broad range of topics education, nutrition, agriculture, gender, children, youth, and income-generating activities. He brings significant leadership and finance-related expertise from his prior role as an Admin and Finance Director as well as his extensive engagements with a multitude of stakeholders from the private, public, and NGO sectors. Abel holds a BA in Business Education and is currently pursuing his MBA. Furthermore, Abel is an Enneagram enthusiast and has taught the subject on different platforms.

Abenezer is a PhD candidate at the Department of Sociology at Addis Ababa University. He also holds a Master of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Gondar and also has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the same university. Most recently, Abenezer was a Lecturer at Ambo University in the Department of Sociology and has part-time experience working as a qualitative researcher, M&E officer, and as a counseling & guidance officer at a local college. He has also produced several academic essays and reviews related to various contemporary social and philosophical issues in Ethiopia.

Anne serves as a Data Operations Associate at Laterite Kenya. She began her career as a Project Assistant and later as an M&E officer at an NGO before moving to other leading research organizations such as Jhpiego and IPA. She has managed several field teams and at Laterite, is one of the most experienced field researchers with over 8 years' experience. Anne has received training in Environmental Studies from the University of Nairobi where she completed her bachelor’s degree. She also holds a diploma in project management from the Kenya Institute of Management. She excels in team management and coordination, field logistics as well as infield data quality control.

Anneka is a Senior Research Associate in Laterite's Ethiopia office. Prior to joining Laterite, Anneka focused on monitoring and evaluation for the American Refugee Committee in Rwanda, supporting health, nutrition, sexual and gender-based violence and WASH programs. Before that, she worked as Program Manager for the Global Diabetes Institute. Anneka holds a Master's degree in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley and Bachelor's degrees in Biology and International Studies from Oregon State University. Anneka's main areas of interest are public health and research design.

Amani is one of the most experienced field researchers in Rwanda and works with Laterite as a Data Manager. He specializes in operations management, field logistics and the training of survey teams. At Laterite Amani has directly managed large survey teams and projects involving complex logistics. In addition to Laterite, Amani has worked on major research projects for Innovation for Poverty Action (IPA), the Abdul Latif Jameel Povery Action Lab (J-PAL), and the World Bank. He holds a BSc in Civil Engineering from the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).

Beatrice works as a Senior Research Associate in the Rwandan office. Prior to Laterite, she served as a regional program manager for Worldreader where she led the design, implementation, and scale-up of technology-led literacy interventions within school and library systems across multiple African countries, with a focus on sustainability and government adoption. Beatrice holds an MPhil in Education, Globalisation and International Development from the University of Cambridge (UK), a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (US) and a BA in Chemistry from Mount Holyoke College (US).

Bélise is a Research Analyst at Laterite. She has previously worked at Laterite as a Senior Data Manager, where she worked to effectively build and streamline Data team operations at the company. Prior to this, Bélise worked at the Government of Rwanda’s Ministry of Finance on the establishment of its first Sovereign Wealth Fund. She pursued a BA in Social Sciences, majoring in Sociology and Politics, at Glasgow Caledonian University and an MSc in Economics of International Finance and Trade at the University of East Anglia. Her research interests range from labor and trade economics to issues of gender and equity in the context of Africa. Bélise is an Acumen fellow and a Chevening Scholar.

Bruk works at Laterite as a qualitative field supervisor. He was born and raised in Ethiopia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Social work from Jimma University and a Master of Arts in Social Work from Addis Ababa University. Prior to joining Laterite, he worked as a lecturer at Ambo University. He has also worked as a freelance data collector and supervisor on various research projects for different research and consultancy firms in Ethiopia including the Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI), EMCOM Consulting, and Sublime Consulting. Bruk is interested in sustainable social development and public policy.

Christine is Laterite’s Finance Director, heading the group finance function and leading the accounting and office management team. Prior to joining Laterite, Christine worked as a Senior Auditor at KPMG Kenya where she led financial statement audits and assurance reviews for multinationals and local companies. She also facilitated training with the Learning and Development team. In addition, her experience includes working as an Internal Auditor in a micro-finance institution in Kenya. She holds an MSc Commerce (Finance and Accounting) from KCA University and is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Christine Nishimwe works as Laterite's Office Administrator. Christine is very experienced in coordinating and supervising field data collection teams. Before joining Laterite full-time, she worked as an Enumerator, Field Coordinator and also Field Supervisor in different projects like Girl Hub Rwanda implemented by Imbuto foundation, Keep Girls at School coordinated by Care International - Rwanda, 12+ project, Girl Effect Rwanda, Drop-out Project, MRC Project and many others. Christine holds a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies from UNILAK (University of Lay Adventist of Kigali).

Cox is a Research Associate at Laterite Ethiopia. Prior to joining Laterite, Cox was a researcher at the Economic Institute for Housing and Construction in the Netherlands. She holds a master’s degree in Specialized Economic Analysis from the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics and a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences specializing in Policy Science from Leiden University College. She is passionate about sustainable development and applied econometrics. In her free time she likes to travel and go (kite)surfing.

Denis works as a Data Quality Associate at Laterite. Before joining Laterite’s Data Team full time, he worked as an enumerator, field coordinator and most recently as a Field Supervisor on a number of qualitative and quantitative research projects including a social protection case study for the FAO, a Winrock International study on the prevalence of child labor in tea growing areas in Rwanda and the GSMA/TIGO Rwanda Connected Women Program. In addition to his work at Laterite, Denis has worked with the Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (IPAR-Rwanda), Tigo Rwanda as a Business Research Analyst and at a local social protection NGO – Safer Rwanda. He holds a BSc in Applied Statistics from the University of Rwanda.

Dieudonne works as Senior field supervisor at Laterite.Prior to joining the data team full time,Dieudonne has worked as Enumerator,Field coordinator and Field supervisor. He worked on a number of quantitative research such that Technoserve, Teacher Training academy(Plan International), Girl Hub Rwanda, KGAS, Kigali Panel,12+ Baseline, Word Bank Baseline line survey on Land water husbandry, Winrock International study on prevalence of child labor in tea growing areas, Cookstoves, Spark Endline, to mention a few. He interned in Tigo as Network Operations Engineer and worked with Contracting companies as a Telecom Engineer. Dieudonne holds a Bsc Degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from Kigali Institute of Science and Technology.

Dimitri is one of Laterite's Founding Partners and specializes in program evaluation, econometrics and research methods. Dimitri is Greek and Dutch and has lived and worked in more than 10 countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Mali, Zambia, Angola, India, Indonesia and Rwanda. Dimitri holds an MPA in International Development from Harvard University, an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, and an MSc in Management from ESCP Europe Business School. Prior to establishing Laterite, Dimitri worked for the World Bank in Washington and Nairobi, for the UNDP in Angola, and the Delegation of the European Commission in Tanzania. He also briefly supported the Harvard Center for International Development and the KPMG/Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund. Dimitri is fluent in English, Dutch, Greek, French and Spanish.

Elbethel Darge is a Finance and Admin Associate at Laterite. She holds a BA in Accounting and Finance from Addis Ababa University and is currently pursuing her MBA in Finance. Prior to joining Laterite, she was a Functional Consultant at Techno Brain Group and worked on the IFMIS project of Ethiopia. During her time there, her main role was providing finance and payroll training.

Ezron Mucyo works as a Senior Field Supervisor. He also helps in leading and managing Quantitative projects from time to time. Prior to joining Laterite full-time, he worked as an enumerator and team leader on a couple of projects including but not limited to MRC, IDS, LARS III, FSI, and SMART campaign. He worked as Senior Field Fixing for Iwacu Tours and Travel working collaboratively with Dalberg. He also worked as a Marketing and Sales Executive for Airtel Rwanda. Ezron holds a Bachelor's degree in Management with Concentration in Insurance from Southern New Hampshire University.

Fabiola works at Laterite as a Data Operations Associate. In addition to leading quantitative projects, she is specialized in managing qualitative projects. Prior to joining Laterite’s Data team full time, she worked on different projects as enumerator and translator, which include: the MRC/What Works study on Gender Based Violence, an evaluation of the 12+ Girls’ Health and Social Asset Building Program and a qualitative study for TIGO Rwanda/GSMA Connected Women Program. Besides working for Laterite, she worked for World Vision Rwanda as a data collector where she conducted interviews on the WASH project, she interned with Indego Africa as a Computer trainer to its Artisan women, and worked for Think Impact as a logistic assistant. She holds a Bachelor’s degree of sciences with Honors in Pharmacy from the University of Rwanda.

Faith is a Finance and Accounts Associate at Laterite, managing the finance and operations for the Kenya office. Prior to joining Laterite, she worked as a Finance and Accounting Analyst at Cytonn Investments Management PLC. She is well versed in Financial Reporting and Analysis, Budgeting and Costs Controlling techniques, Taxation, Cash flow and Stakeholder Management. She holds hers Bachelors in Commerce with a Finance major from the Multimedia University of Kenya and is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Fitsum was born and raised in Ethiopia. He holds a MBA with concentration in Project Management. He has over 8 years of experience in field research, managing data collection teams, leading operation on large-scale and complex research projects in Ethiopia. Prior to joining Laterite, he was the Field Manager at IDInsight and worked for a number of research and data collection agencies in Ethiopia. Other roles include Qualitative field researcher and Team leader at WAAS international consultancy, a leading market and socio economy research company in Ethiopia and also a Field Research Operation Manager at the Ethiopian Economics Association. At Laterite, Fitsum manages all the data collection teams, supervises all major field work activities, directly conducts qualitative research and providing support to the entire research team given his experience managing large data collection projects in Ethiopia. Fitsum is fluent in English, Amharic and conversant in Afan Oromo.

Born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, Francisco studied Economics at the University of Munich. There he worked at the Institute of Behavioral Economics and also interned at a fresh-cut flower importer and distributor in the United States. He then moved to Barcelona where he obtained a Master's degree in Specialized Economic Analysis at the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics (BGSE) and collaborated with a consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank. After graduating, he worked as a Research Assistant in Kampala, Uganda before joining Laterite as a Research Analyst in January 2018. Francisco is passionate about development economics and the role of the private sector as an engine for development. In his free time, he likes to hike, rock climb and read.

Jacques is an Office Admin & Assistant Accountant at Laterite, supporting the management and administrative needs of the Kigali office. Prior to joining Laterite, Jacques was the Chief Accountant at a local NGO and also worked in a similar capacity for a Government agency. He has a Bachelors in Information Systems and Management and a MBA from the Independent Institute of Lay Adventists of Kigali.

Janvier is Laterite's HR Operations Associate, leading the recruitment process, maintaining enumerator and employee database, and supporting employee growth. Prior to joining Laterite, he worked as HR Coordinator at Kepler where he was in charge of coordinating recruitment process and performance management, leading new hire orientation, managing employee data in the HR software, and updating HR policies. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications with a Concentration in Business from Southern New Hampshire University.

Jean Baptiste works as a Data Manager and specializes in the management of field teams and research logistics. Before joining Laterite’s team full time, he worked as an enumerator, field coordinator and field supervisor on several of Laterite’s projects including the World Bank’s LWH study, an evaluation of TechnoServe’s Coffee Training Programs in Rwanda, Winrock International Study on Prevalence of Child Labor in Tea Growing Areas and the evaluation of the MenCare + Bandebereho program for Promundo. He has considerable experience coordinating and supervising large teams of enumerators and managing complex data collection operations. In addition to his work at Laterite, he has worked as GIS technician on KWAMP Activities Mapping Project in Kirehe District. He holds a BSc in Geography (Urban and Regional Planning) from University of Rwanda.

Jean Claude works as a Data Manager at Laterite. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural economics and Agribusiness from the University of Rwanda. He has over 7 years of experience in field research activities, managing data collection teams, managing the implementation of field operations and leading complex field work activities. Before joining Laterite’s Data Team full time, he worked as an enumerator, field coordinator and field supervisor on a number of quantitative research projects including the World Bank baseline survey on land water husbandry, the Winrock International study on the prevalence of child labor in tea growing areas in Rwanda, the MINISANTE baseline and endline field preparation of year 1 of the 12+ program, the baseline and midline surveys of the Mencare+/BANDEBEREHO program for PROMUNDO/ RWAMREC, and the SPARK baseline survey. In addition to his work at Laterite, Jean Claude has worked with the Highland center for leadership and development (L4D ltd) as a Research Assistant, has been a promoter at Society for Family Health (SFH, former PSI), and has also worked at the international NGO Catholic Relief Services (CRS) as a field team leader.

Job is a Senior Field Supervisor at Laterite. Born and raised in the eastern region of Uganda, Job is self-motivated, enthusiastic, hardworking, people-centered and results-driven. He holds Bachelor of Information Technology from Makerere University, Uganda. He has over six years of experience in field research activities, including planning fieldwork and managing both qualitative and quantitative data collection teams. Before joining Laterite, he worked as a field anthropometric enumerator, field manager, project coordinator and project lead for various non-governmental research institutions such as Innovations for Poverty Action Uganda, Family Health International (FHI-360), Metajua, USIDS WEI/BANTWANA and Educate Uganda.

John is a Research Associate at Laterite's Kenya office working on the IGNITE project. He has five years of experience in corporate strategy consulting roles in Canada before switching his focus to development research. His past research projects have included a study on entrepreneurship in Jamaica with the Inter-American Development Bank, an urban sustainability project with UN-Habitat in Kenya, and a study on the link between state history and political views in Rwanda. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Economics from the University of Toronto and a MSc in Development Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Jon works as a Research Associate based in the Kenya office. Prior to working at Laterite, he served as a consultant for the World Bank where he conducted research on social protection in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and as a research assistant for the University of Oxford Refugee Studies Centre, where he led research on the economic lives of refugees and refugee host interactions in Ethiopia. Jon was an ODI fellow in the Treasury of Papua New Guinea in 2014-2016 and holds an MSc in Economics for Development from the University of Oxford (UK), and an MA in Economics from the University of Edinburgh (UK).

Juliet Kalimba is one of the most experienced women in data collection, logistics, field team management in the country. She works as Senior Field Supervisor at Laterite. Before joining Laterite's data team full-time, she participated in various projects including the Reach-T project implemented by Winrock International; a study on the prevalence of child labor in tea growing areas in Rwanda; Care International's Keeping Girls at School project; Promundo's Bandebereho project; a project on the health and poverty effects of cooking practices; a study for Girl Effect Rwanda and so many others. She has worked as an enumerator, field coordinator and field supervisor. Juliet also worked with Compassion International as an accountant and non-government organization called Practical Action as a promotion and marketing assistant for cook-stove producer cooperatives. She holds a Bachelor's degree in commerce and applied economics with honors in finance from University of Rwanda.

Kennedy is a consultant with Laterite. He started his career as an analyst at the World Bank before founding two data analytics companies. His experience spans data collection and analysis as well as product management, and working with public sector clients such as the Ministry of Industrialization in Kenya, the County Government of Nairobi as well as the city of Buffalo, New York. He holds a Bachelor's degree in mathematics and a Master's in public adminstration and international development, both from Harvard University.

Kevin works as a Data Quality Analyst at Laterite. Before joining Laterite, Kevin worked as a data editor for the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) in the Seasonal Agriculture Survey, where his main tasks included monitoring data quality and incoming data. He has also worked as a data collector and field supervisor for other survey organizations such as CESS as well as public institutions like NAEB, MINAGRI and NISR. Kevin holds a Bachelor's degree in Animal Science from the National University of Rwanda.

Kristin is a Business Development and Communications Associate at Laterite's Amsterdam office. She is an experienced communications and policy professional with a background in urban planning. Kristin holds a Bachelor of Planning (First Class Honours) from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and has completed a minor in economics at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Prior to joining Laterite, Kristin worked in communications and project management roles for an international social investor based in the Netherlands. She also has over four years' experience delivering complex government reforms for the New South Wales government in Sydney, Australia, where she held various policy roles.

Laura is a Research Analyst at Laterite, based in the Kenya office. She holds a B.A. in International Business and a M.Sc. in International Economics & Economic Policy, with a focus on the evaluation of development policy and applied microeconomics from Goethe University in Frankfurt a.M., Germany. Prior to joining Laterite, Laura worked as an Economist at Fichtner, a German consultancy focused on infrastructure projects worldwide, the German Development Bank KfW in Kenya, and the Inter-American Development Bank in Bolivia. Laura is experienced in economic research, econometric analyses and project management.

Laura works as a Research Analyst based in the Amsterdam office. She has a BSc. in Social and Economic Sciences and an MSc. in Economic Policy from the University of Antwerp. She also holds an MSc. in Development Economics from Wageningen University. She is experienced in conducting quantitative and qualitative research with a focus on gender and health. During her studies, she conducted fieldwork in Sierra Leone to study the impacts of rural electrification and she also researched the secondary effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on healthcare use. Before that, she worked for CIFAL Flanders, an organization specialized in capacity development for the UN Agenda 2030. In her free time, she likes to go on long runs and play classical guitar.

As a Research Associate in the Rwandan office, Laura manages a portfolio of research projects in education, early childhood development and gender. She has experience analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data, conducting key informant interviews, and providing M&E advisory. Before joining Laterite, she was a public policy analyst at the French Treasury where she gained experience in both micro and macro-economic policy analysis and advisory, as well as research dissemination. Laura holds a Master in Economics and Public Policy from École Polytechnique, Sciences Po Paris and ENSAE, a Bachelor of Mathematics from Pierre et Marie Curie University and a Bachelor of Sciences Po Paris.

Lydie is the Senior Data Manager for Laterite in Rwanda. She specializes in the management of a portfolio of medium and large scale data collection projects. Lydie has managed large teams of over 120 enumerators and led field operations and logistics for projects involving 12,000 interviews. She is experienced in managing studies involving the tracing of study participants over multiple years (2.5 years). Lydie specializes in the management of education projects involving early grade reading assessments, learning assessments and classroom observations. She is experienced in managing sensitive projects involving data collection with children and studies on gender based violence. Lydie also led the establishment of new logistics and management systems that strengthened operation processes and improved efficiency of field operations.

Maggie manages a portfolio of research projects in early childhood development, public health, nutrition, and education. She is experienced in leading randomized controlled trials, mixed methods research, qualitative studies, and process evaluations. She holds a Masters degree in Public Health from Yale University and a Bachelors Degree in Neuroscience and Medicine, Health, and Society from Vanderbilt University. Maggie’s background includes work as a researcher at Laterite in Rwanda, a monitoring and evaluation officer at Gardens for Health International in Rwanda, a research associate in the National Cancer Institute Risk Factor Assessment Branch, and a research assistant at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. She has worked on research and public health projects in Rwanda, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.

Matteo is a Research Analyst at Laterite’s Amsterdam office. Prior to joining Laterite, he was an ODI Fellow and Economic and Financial Analyst at the Ministry of Finance of Guyana. He also worked as a Research Assistant at the London-based National Institute of Economics and Social Research. He is experienced in undertaking micro- and macroeconomic research, impact evaluations and fieldwork. Matteo holds a MSc in Development Economics from the University of Amsterdam and a BSc in Economics and Business from LUISS Guido Carli.

Mats was born and raised in the Netherlands. He holds a BSc and MSc in International Development Studies from Wageningen University & Research, specializing in development economics. During his studies, he did fieldwork in Ghana and Uganda for the N2Africa project. Before joining Laterite, Mats worked for Impact Institute in Amsterdam. He is currently also working part-time as a research assistant for the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, where he supports various impact evaluations and will continue to support them through to July 2020.

Melese is a Data Operations Associate at Laterite’s Ethiopia office. Melese has significant experience working on large and complex data collection projects as a statistician at the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia, where he led and coordinated the national population and housing census; annual agricultural survey; large, medium and small scale industries study; as well as research on the Productive Safety Net Program and Feed the Future projects. He has also worked as a Field Supervisor to the International Food Policy Research and Ethiopian Development Research Institutes prior to joining Laterite. Melese holds a Bachelor of Science in statistics and computer science from Addis Ababa University. In his free time, he likes to exercise and read.

Mico is a research analyst at Laterite's Rwanda office. He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Economics from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He specializes in econometrics and research design with research interests in public health, education and policy evaluation.

Narcisse is a Data Quality Analyst at Laterite. He holds BA in Management with Concentration in Logistics and Operations from Southern New Hampshire University. Prior to joining Laterite Quality Team, he was part of Laterite Data Team where he worked as Enumerator, Field Supervisor, and Senior Field Supervisor. Before that, he worked as Assistant IT Manager at Kepler Kigali. Narcisse's interests are in data science, economics, and forensic data analysis.

Oliver is a Research Analyst at Laterite’s Amsterdam office. He has capabilities and interests quantitative data analysis and visualisation and impact evaluation. He holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Sussex and and MSc in Economics from the University of Amsterdam, where he specialized in international development and public policy. Prior to joining Laterite, Oliver worked on M&E and impact evaluation for a Dutch NGO in the WASH sector, financial inclusion and SME development in Uganda, and education research at the ETH Zürich in Switzerland. He has quantitative and qualitative research experience in education, inclusive finance, SME development, WASH, nutrition and agriculture.

Olivier is Laterite's Finance and Accounts Manager and specializes in accounting. Prior to joining Laterite, Olivier worked as an accountant at Transparency International Rwanda, at the Peace and Decentralization Enterprise of the Swiss Cooperation and at the African Evangelistic Enterprise. Olivier holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Management/Accounting from Mount Kenya University, as well as an Advanced Diploma in Management from the Byumba Polytechnic Institute.

Phil is responsible for providing technical leadership on Laterite’s education projects, as well as leading the Uganda office. Phil completed his PhD in Economics from McMaster University in 2012, with a focus in Econometrics, Labour and Education Economics. Prior to his doctoral work, he spent more than five years working for the Canadian Government conducting program evaluations of federal education and labour market programs. After completing his PhD, Phil worked in academia for six years, teaching and publishing in a range of topics related to education, labour markets and health. His 2017 publication on junk food bans in schools won the Vanderkamp Prize for best article in Canadian Public Policy.

Pietro is a Research Analyst at Laterite's Amsterdam office. He holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Economic and Social Sciences from Bocconi University in Milan, where he specialized in international development, impact evaluation methods and behavioral economics. Prior to joining Laterite, Pietro worked in Uganda for a data collection company and as a research assistant for the University of Amsterdam. He also spent a summer in the United Kingdom working for an international development consultancy. His experience includes projects in agriculture, nutrition, fertility, health and education.

Priscah Cheruiyot is a Research Associate at Laterite, based in Kampala, Uganda. Born and raised in Kenya, Priscah holds a Master’s degree in Biostatistics from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Smith College. Priscah has conducted survey coding, and data monitoring, auditing and cleaning for several complex surveys, including the evaluation of a coffee agronomy training project with a sample of approximately 15,000 coffee-farming households in western Uganda. Priscah is experienced at working with STATA and SurveyCTO to improve data quality and automate processes.

Ravina is a Research Associate at Laterite. Born and raised in Tanzania, Ravina is interested in the application of evidence to inform public policy particularly in the agriculture, financial inclusion and education sectors. She has undergraduate degrees in Economics and Development Studies from the University of California, Berkeley and a Masters of Public Administration in Development Practice (MPA-DP) from Columbia University. Prior to joining Laterite, Ravina worked for the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) in Ethiopia, and for One Acre Fund in Tanzania. Ravina has also worked on research projects to end child labor and improve public transportation in Haiti and Kenya, respectively.

Sachin Gathani is one of Laterite's founding partners and specializes in public sector strategic consulting, project management, and public policy. He has over 12 years’ experience leading data collection and research projects, and has led over 65 data and research projects in East Africa. Born and raised in East Africa, Sachin studied and worked in the US and Latin America for more than 10 years before moving back to the region. He has undergraduate degrees in Political Economy and Business from the University of California, Berkeley and a Masters in International Affairs (Economic Policy & African Studies) from Columbia University. Prior to establishing Laterite, Sachin worked for the World Bank Group in Kenya, as a management consultant for several US State Governments, and as a consultant for Booz & Co (now a subsidiary of Price Waterhouse Coopers) in South Sudan. He also has led studies for government agencies in Djibouti and Colombia.

At Laterite, Samuel is a Research Analyst. He holds a Master’s degree in Information Technology from Carnegie Mellon University Africa and BSc in Computer Science from Makerere University. Before joining Laterite, Samuel worked as a teaching assistant at Carnegie Mellon University Africa. Samuel’s work experience also includes ERP consulting.

Samuel Shumye works as a Data Operations Associate at Laterite. Samuel has experience leading data collection and management teams at various local and international consultancies in the areas of agricultural, social, and market research. He holds a BA in Economics from Mekelle University, and has been responsible for leading national surveys and various large projects, such as a survey of Ethiopian coffee farmers. Over the years, Samuel has proven his research management capacity working as an Enumerator, Supervisor, and Field Coordinator. Giving training and managing actual fieldwork is his favorite working area. Before joining Laterite’s Data Team, he worked as an Operational and Data Quality Officer at Insight Consultancy.

Samuel is a Data Operations Associate at Laterite. He holds Bachelor of Science in Statistics from Hawassa University, Ethiopia. He has over 10 years of experience in field research activities, including planning fieldwork and managing data collection teams. Before joining Laterite's Data Team, he worked as an enumerator and field coordinator in Laterite Ethiopia as well as other governmental and non-governmental research institutions such as Central Statistical Agency (CSA), Family Health International (FHI), Save the Children, Economics Association of Ethiopia (EAE), and the Center for Development Consultancy (CDC).

Sara studied Geology in Portugal and Germany before starting a different career with a Masters in Science Communications from the University of Bath. Sara worked as a structural geologist with a focus on lab projects and field work, as a science writer for AAAS Science magazine, Planet Earth online and as a freelancer. Before joining Laterite, Sara led the Communications and Events team of a not-for-profit set up to coordinate academic clouds and compute resources in Europe.

Serafina is the Country Director for Laterite in Rwanda, where she leads the design and implementation of research projects, business development, and country operations. She specializes in research on health and gender. At Laterite, she has managed an assessment of social inclusion issues affecting the Rwandan health sector, a nationally representative study of stunting, and evaluations of programs to promote better health and socioeconomic outcomes among young women. Prior to joining Laterite, she managed USAID-funded programs and has experience in program design, implementation and field operations, and monitoring and evaluation. She holds an M.S. in Public Health for Development from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Sylvia is Biostatistician with over three years of experience in data management, analysis, and reporting. She holds a Master's degree in Medical statistics and a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry, both from the University of Nairobi-Kenya. Since postgraduate qualification in 2017, she worked with African Population Health and Research Center (APHRC) as a data manager and analyst, before joining Laterite Kenya as a Research Analyst. She is passionate about data quality monitoring and the application of both simple and advanced statistical methods to derive information from data to guide policy implementation.

Tessa is a Research Associate at Laterite Kenya, working as an embedded research advisor on the IGNITE project. She comes most recently from Rwanda, where she worked to increase capacities at a WASH NGO in nutrition and health, in M&E, and in gender-sensitive programming. Before that, Tessa lived in Washington, DC, working at FHI 360. She has a MPH in Global Health with a concentration in Monitoring and Evaluation.

Thomas is an Accounts Assistant in our Uganda Office. He began his career as a Bookkeeper at M2R Consults - an accounting firm, before moving to UBK Developments Ltd and Auro Foundation Ltd, where he served in the capacity of Assistant Accountant and Finance Assistant respectively. Through his personal experience in the corporate world, Thomas brings extensive knowledge in taxation, book-keeping and financial management. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting Major) from Makerere University and is studying toward attaining his CPA (U) membership.