Who we are

“I find it a joy working with people who have the courage and the humility to advocate for what it takes to respect people’s dignity.”

Ana Maria is the founder of Community Insights Group. Her expertise lies in working out how energy, extractives and infrastructure projects can avoid harm and provide positive benefits to local communities, while respecting human rights.

Ana Maria is dedicated to supporting social performance professionals to elevate their standards of practice and enhance their influence within organisations. She works as a practitioner, executive coach, and educator, and led the development of a competency framework for social practitioners on behalf of the Social Practice Forum, and CIG’s competency development assessment tool, SPGrow360.

Ana Maria is a Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Strathclyde. She established SIAhub (an online platform for the social impact assessment community) and is co-author of the International Association for Impact Assessment’s Guidance (IAIA) for Social Impact Assessment. She is also a past President of the board of the IAIA (2016-17) and current member of the Editorial Board for the Association’s Journal, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal.

Ana Maria has qualifications in Executive Coaching and in Advanced Group Coaching, both from INSEAD, and is a graduate of the Company Directors Course of the Australian Institute for Company Directors. She holds an MBA from Melbourne Business School and PhD from the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Mozambique-born, she is now based in Groningen, the Netherlands.

“A true balance between a company and the community is achieved when the company is fully conscious of its impact on the people living and working around them. This means that up and down the company ranks the organisation recognises its responsibility to strive always to tilt the balance towards the positive.”

Victoria is a development professional based in Stuttgart with over 25 years of experience in consulting for both the public and private sectors. Specialising in advising on the intricate balance between community rights, stakeholder expectations, and business imperatives, she serves as the COO of CIG.

As a Senior Consultant at CIG, Victoria provides advisory services to clients on a variety of social performance issues, assisting companies in addressing community needs, adhering to government regulations, meeting international best practices, and managing corporate accountability issues. 

Victoria’s assignments include feasibility studies, due diligence, social impact assessments, social investment strategy, new country entry, programme design, sustainability reviews, economic analysis, community consultation, stakeholder engagement, and performance monitoring and evaluation.

Victoria has worked in over 30 countries around the globe.

Prior to joining CIG, Victoria served as a Managing Director at Cardno Emerging Markets in Washington DC, leading a global Social and Environmental Impact Management team spanning the US, UK, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, Kenya, Ecuador, Peru and Namibia.

She has a MA degree in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a BA in Diplomatic History from the University of Pennsylvania. A dual citizen of the United States and Canada, Victoria is fluent in English, German, and French, with basic proficiency in Italian. 

Currently residing in Germany, Victoria continues to contribute her wealth of knowledge to the field of social performance.

“At CIG we’re more than just a team; we’re a family. Our strength comes from the synergy of well-structured processes with highly qualified and dedicated people. Fueled by a collective ethos, we invest in our future and the success of our company.”

Suelen, CIG’s Financial Manager, brings over a decade of experience in project administration and financial coordination, with a background in education institutions in Brazil –  Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) and Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. She holds a Master’s degree in Accounting, specialising in financial management, accounting, and project administration. In her Master’s Thesis, she worked with performance evaluation (using multi-criteria decision analysis) applied to distance learning courses. 

Suelen is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and is a native speaker of Portuguese, fluent in English, and speaks intermediate Dutch and Spanish.

“I believe that the sustainability of businesses hinges on an essential principle—that operational success must always be intertwined with the wellbeing of local communities. This forms the bedrock for enduring prosperity.”

Vera is the Learning Manager at CIG and brings 20 years of expertise in social performance management and capacity building for international, energy, mining and infrastructure businesses, collaborating with financing institutions, public utilities, and governments. Vera has broad expertise in social risk management and creating and delivering training courses on sustainability.

Currently, Vera spearheads CIG’s learning programmes, managing a portfolio that includes an SIA course, an Indigenous Peoples Rights course in partnership with the University of Strathclyde, and a course on Land Acquisition, Resettlement, and Sustainability with Groningen University, Netherlands. She guides tailored training sessions for clients and acts as the lead facilitator for the SIA online course.

Vera also conducts social risk assessments and human rights impact assessments, and supports benefit-sharing projects, focusing on local content, community investment, and CSR activities related to various investment projects.

Previously, as a development specialist at Cardno Emerging Markets UK, Vera undertook assignments for DFID, the World Bank, and EBRD. She also held a role in the Government and Public Relations department at Chevron in Russia.

Vera holds an MSc in Development Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and a graduate diploma in International Economics from Kyrgyz Russian Slavic University.

Fluent in Russian and English, Vera, a native of Kyrgyzstan, is currently based in Dallas, Texas.

“My main motivation is to get social performance teams to have the needed ‘granularity’ to be able to embrace perspectives beyond their own, to navigate the complexity of human cognition and social interactions, to be able to create a common plane of reality between projects and communities. 

This opens the door to collective transformation, where projects can be transformed by communities, and communities—in their sovereignty—transformed by projects.”

Sérgio Moreira is a psychologist with extensive experience in applying Social Psychology to improve Social Performance and Project-Community relations.

He has worked in diverse development projects spanning the energy production, transportation, and extractive industries. Sergio co-developed CIG’s social performance competency development instrument SPGrow360, and is an invited assistant professor at Nova SBE, where he teaches Research Methods and Data Analysis applied to social sciences.

Sergio’s published work is in Frontiers in Psychology, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, and The Extractive Industries and Society, with the most recent work resulting from collaborations with CIG’s Frank Vanclay and Ana Maria Esteves. Sergio is from Portugal and currently lives in a traditional neighbourhood of Lisbon.

“I find it an honour to be able to help enhance business practises that respect rights and improve lives on the ground. I truly believe that businesses who earn trust, uphold human rights, and meaningfully engage with local communities can pave the way for positive social transformation.”

Luciana is a human rights expert with 15 years of experience. She is skilled in applying the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and other international standards and principles of social responsibility in the natural resources sector.

Coordinating sustainability and human rights projects from planning to delivery, Luciana excels in human rights due diligence, impact assessments (HRIAs), and designing capacity-building intiatives and strategic plans for social risk management. She has specific expertise in grievance mechanisms, and has been responsible for implementing non-judicial complaints mechanisms for impacted communities in a disaster context in Brazil.

At the start of her career, Luciana spent many years developing and implementing corporate social responsibility initiatives in Latin America and Africa. In particular, she has addressed labour, security risks, relationships with indigenous communities, and resettlement activities in Mozambique, Brazil, Argentina and Chile.

Luciana has an LLM in International Legal Studies from Newcastle University in the UK, and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

She is a native Portuguese speaker, fluent in English and Spanish, and has basic French.

“Our multi-lingual, international team brings amazing advantages, supporting clients in their home languages, navigating diverse cultural contexts, and adapting to their challenges.”

Alexandra is a social practitioner driven by solving the challenges brought about by climate and social change. She has 17 years of experience in designing and implementing socioeconomic development plans, with expertise in land acquisition and livelihood restoration planning.

Alexandra initiated her professional career working for Rio Tinto and Vale, managing local community relations and implementing a resettlement plan and livelihood restoration plan for a greenfield project in The Andes, South America. 

Since 2013 she has undertaken consulting assignments in the Southern Africa region to develop and monitor impact assessments, stakeholder engagement, social investment, human rights assessments, livelihood restoration plans and involuntary resettlement plans following IFC Standards. 

At CIG, Alexandra has contributed to projects all over the world spanning different industries and clients. Her most recent work has involved developing monitoring frameworks for livelihood restoration, and she has participated in several due diligence processes driven by the international finance sector.

As a livelihood restoration specialist, Alexandra champions a community-centered approach with a strong emphasis on human rights. She actively strives to improve the development and monitoring of World Bank/IFC-compliant livelihood restoration plans.

Alexandra is currently based in Durban, South Africa where she is also a volunteer at the local Hillcrest Conservancy where she is a volunteer for water monitoring projects and biodiversity M&E. She is a native Spanish speaker, fluent in English and Portuguese, and has basic French.

“I’m fascinated by the fundamental link between social and environmental sciences—it’s a dynamic connection, where understanding one side illuminates the intricate relationship, recognising that changes in human actions influence the environment, and, conversely, environmental changes can shape entire human communities and livelihoods.”

Paige is an environmental and social consultant with over 8 years of experience.  Environmental Manager and Scientist by training, Paige has found a deep passion for the fundamental link between environmental and social sciences.

At CIG, she brings her expertise to the management of the social aspects of industrial projects. She has conducted socioeconomic impact assessments, human rights risk assessments, E&S and Broad Community Support due diligences, livelihood restoration and resettlement plans, and stakeholder engagement. She has worked for mining, oil and gas, renewable energy, telecommunications, and agricultural sector clients in Southern Africa and internationally.

Paige is an experienced data manager, handling small and large datasets including human rights indicators, social investment initiatives, qualitative and quantitative data sets from key engagements, and socioeconomic and livelihood information at the household level for projects ranging from 40 to 700 households. Using software such as Fulcrum and Power BI, Paige oversees the entire data collection lifecycle, from training field enumerators and developing tailored questionnaires aligned with project-specific methodologies,  to reporting and visualising findings, ensuring insightful and impactful data-driven decision-making.

Prior to CIG, Paige played a pivotal role in implementing a national public participation process  and social impact assessment in Namibia for a telecommunication ESIA. Responsibilities include stakeholder analysis, managing local community relations, social issues scoping studies, and supporting involuntary resettlement and livelihood plans to IFC standard. Paige ensured the alignment of community opportunities and proactive measures to avoid conflict and build positive long-term relationships between companies and the communities she worked in.

In recent years, Paige has been responsible for data management and the analysis of large sets of household-level socioeconomic data for LRP monitoring, evaluating against IFC PS5, and training clients on data management platforms for two renewable energy projects in Malawi.

Paige has an Honors Degree in Environmental Management from the University of South Africa (UNISA) and a Postgraduate Certificate of Education in Senior and FET Phase. Based in Durban, South Africa, she is a native English speaker and speaks some Afrikaans.

“Our aspiration is to contribute to the emergence of a new business culture where every decision is inherently, instinctively, assessed for its social, environmental, and human rights impacts. This goes way beyond the idea of mere ‘compliance’ with regulations.”

Francesco is an experienced legal practitioner specialising in international human rights law and Business and Human Rights. His specific areas of interest include Indigenous Peoples’ rights, community and environment, diversity and inclusion, security, and human rights.

After graduating in law from the University of Milan and passing the Italian bar exam, Francesco pursued a Masters degree in International Human Rights Law at Nottingham University in the UK.

His LLM thesis focused on Indigenous Peoples’ rights and the implementation of the FPIC principle in the extractive sector from the perspective of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. During his studies, he assisted his supervising professor in submitting to the European Commission regarding proposed legislation on mandatory human rights due diligence for businesses. 

Before joining CIG, Francesco worked as a policy intern for a Brussels-based NGO in disability rights within the framework of European policies.

As a consultant at CIG, Francesco has been involved in social and human rights impact assessments, evaluating corporate human rights plans and stakeholder engagement programmes, including with Indigenous and Land-Connected communities, in the extractive and renewable sectors. 

At CIG, Francesco has also worked on identifying labour rights risks in agribusiness supply chains and researched national ESIA regulatory systems for international institutions. He has been central to fieldwork in Mexico, Portugal and Spain, conducting research across many of his specialisms. He has also drafted guidance for stakeholder engagement and community consultation, emphasising his commitment to ethical and inclusive business practices.

Francesco is a native Italian speaker and is fluent in English and Spanish.

“Our mission at CIG is to make a positive impact on people, and centring the personal is vital for me. We know that positive effects have lasting ripples, shaping experiences that are shared across families and generations. No impact ever occurs in isolation, so we keep pursuing the best outcomes for communities because we know it will enhance the future for the next generations.”

Ben is a social and human rights consultant who works for CIG following an internship as a research assistant in 2021.

At CIG, Ben has worked on Social & Human Rights Impact Assessments, evaluations of stakeholder engagement (including with Indigenous and Land-Connected Peoples), and Livelihood Restoration Plans for displacement impacts. Ben has conducted research into social development program best practice, and supported the development and delivery of CIG’s ‘Social Impact Assessment’ and ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Projects’ online courses.

Ben is Board Trustee for a charity, InterClimate Network, working to empower young people in the UK to lead, advocate, and take action towards environmentally sustainable behaviours, career choices and societal change. Ben also chairs ICN’s Funding Working Group. 

Prior to joining CIG, Ben worked as a caseworker and researcher in the Parliamentary & Constituency Offices of British Member of Parliament and Shadow Paymaster General (Cabinet Office), Fleur Anderson. Ben’s previous work in the charity sector includes roles at the Safe Passage Project, a non-profit legal services organisation for refugee and immigrant children, and the Marmalade Trust, a loneliness awareness charity.

Ben holds a First-Class Politics & International Relations BSc from the University of Bristol. This degree was oriented towards human rights-related issues, largely focused on Sub-Saharan Africa.

“Promoting social performance isn’t just a moral imperative, it is also a sound business decision that propels companies towards sustainable growth and enduring success. At CIG, we are deeply committed to emphasizing the vital link between social responsibility and business success. This commitment is reflected in our development of purpose- and data-driven initiatives that not only resonate with our clients, but more importantly, with the people they are designed to benefit.”

Francesco is a Canadian based social performance and corporate sustainability specialist with over a decade of consulting experience supporting the development and implementation of social and health impact assessments and social impact management plans.

Francesco’s project experience includes supporting governments (Indigenous and non), non-profits, international finance corporations, global health organizations, academic institutions, front line teams, and the private sector. Francesco currently serves as a Board member for the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA).

Academically, Francesco holds an bachelor’s degree in Geography (Hons) with a specialization in Population Health from the University of Victoria, Canada, and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Simon Fraser, Canada.

“We are entering a new era where soft law voluntary initiatives like the UNGPs are evolving into hard law, as we see in forthcoming EU Corporate Sustainability legislation. Over time, a critical mass of companies will shift their perspectives, with civil society more empowered, more students taught…and the integration of human rights into business practise will become ingrained. We will get there.”

Jacqueline draws on her international business and politics and human rights experience to support global companies across industries in fulfilling their responsibilities to respect human rights, in alignment with the UN Guiding Principles for Human Rights. 

Jacqueline has experience in conducting human rights impact assessments and human rights and social due diligences; capacity-building and awareness raising/training on human rights topics; and developing internal human rights management systems. Jacqueline has led several human rights’ studies in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America in the extractive, renewable energy and agriculture sectors. She also co-developed the Danish Institute for Human Rights’ Human Rights Impact Assessment Guidance and Toolbox (2016) and has developed internal company guidance and methodologies on human rights. 

Jacqueline is a PhD fellow at the University of Southern Denmark Department of Law’s Centre for Law, Sustainability and Justice researching human rights and institutional investor practices. She holds an MSc in International Business and Politics from Copenhagen Business School, and a BA in Political Science from Hofstra University in New York. She is a native English speaker, fluent in Danish and Spanish, and has a basic understanding of Portuguese.

“The motivation to excel in this field comes from working alongside incredible people, all with a wealth of life experience, who collectively create a unique environment where we can make a true difference to the world.”

“I’m dedicated to shaping policies and practises that give due consideration to social issues, driving us toward a society that is not only sustainable but also just.”

Frank is professor and Head of the Department of Cultural Geography and Director of the Urban & Regional Studies Institute in the Faculty of Spatial Sciences at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands. He works at the University of Groningen and partners with CIG on various projects.

An internationally acclaimed expert in the field of Social Impact Assessment, Frank specialises in the areas of: the management of social issues associated with large projects (social performance); social licence to operate; business and human rights; and the social aspects of resource extraction. His expertise extends to the social aspects of project-induced displacement and resettlement, and avoiding the resource curse. He also has interests in the social impacts of tourism, social understandings of place, and the social aspects of natural resource management, farming and agriculture. 

On behalf of IAIA, he facilitated the process that led to the drafting of the International Principles for SIA in 2003, and the International Guidance for SIA in 2015. Both of these are landmark documents that are widely cited by United Nations agencies, International Financial Institutions, regulatory bodies, consultants, community representatives, academics, and students. He co-edited ‘New Directions in Social Impact Assessment’ together with Ana Maria Esteves. 

Originally from Australia, he currently resides in The Netherlands.