Roberto Chipembere, Senior Advisor, Economic Development (Horticulture value chain)
Roberto holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from the University of Malawi (Chancellor College), a diploma in Financial Management and a Public Certified Accountant certificate from the Malawi College of Accountancy. He gained his professional experience in financial management from various multinational companies and KPMG in Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Roberto joined SNV Mozambique in early 2005. Despite the fact that joining SNV was a major career shift, being an advisor is the best thing that happened to him. Within the horticulture value chain, where he focus mostly in the cashew, he is involved in better access and sustainable rural financial services (microfinance) and financial management for microfinance institutions; in this way he sees the opportunity to facilitate and effect positive change to people, organizations and the society as a whole as the most attractive part of his work.
Luis Miguel Correia, Senior Advisor Economic Development (Horticultue Value Chain)
Luís holds a Masters degree in Agribusiness by the University of Melbourne in Australia. His expertise includes Management of outgrowers programs, agribusiness financing, Farmers’ organization and Agriculture policy.
Prior to joining SNV, he has worked for three and a half years as an Outgrower Manager and Business Analyst for the Mocfer group, working on the rice and grains value-chains. He has also worked as a Deputy Project manager for Mozambique Leaf Tobacco, a tobacco agro-processing, member of the Universal Leaf Africa group, reaching out to thousands of tobacco outgrowers in the central and north of Mozambique. Earlier in his career, he worked as Accounts Manager and Financial analyst-Corporate, related to agribusiness finances and loans, based in the Sofala Province.
He joined SNV in March 2010, as Senior Economic Development Advisor for the Maputo Portfolio, working alongside a team of advisors committed and focused onto developing value chains, mainly in the horticulture sector.
Cíntia Portraite, Advisor, Economic Development (Horticulture Value Chain)
Cíntia holds a Masters degree in Economic and Management. She started her career as Monitoring, Evaluation and Communication assistant at Food for the Hungry International (FHI), involved in Agriculture, Health and Nutrition, HIV/AIDS and Child Development Projects. In 2007, she worked as Environmental Economist at World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), and also as a lecturer at the Catholic University of Mozambique.
In February 2008, Cíntia joint SNV as an Advisor in the Beira Portfolio, in the horticulture sector working in the Manica and Sofala provinces. Her scope of work involves strengthening the capacity of local actors in the chain ranging from government entities, producer’s associations as well as local development agencies, by providing them with financial, organizational and technical assistance. In addition to that, she also works to create synergies among the relevant actors in the region. The aim is to improve production, employment and income of the poor people.
Hermenegildo Manuel, Advisor, Economic Development (Horticulture value chain)
Hermenegildo holds a Bachelor of Education Science (Hons) Degree. He has nine years experience in market access, management of credit for rural enterprise and also the development of value chains, from his previous experience with CLUSA and OLIPA.
He joined the SNV in Nampula in April 2007 where, in his capacity as Economic Development Advisor, he focus in value chain development of cashew and market facilitation. He is also the focal point for the SCAPEMA programme.
Martinus Ruitjen, Advisor, Economic Development, Horticulture Value Chain
Tiny Ruijten is an auditor by training and has held a number of positions in the field of financial management and administration of country programs. In the last years he has gradually made the shift to capacity development services.
He has been with SNV since 1988, and has worked in Zambia, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Cameroon and Angola. He managed a project promoting small-scale industry in Guinea-Bissau and was instrumental in the establishment of a company in Zambia, dealing with local craftsmen. In Angola he supported the National Network of Micro Finance Organisations and a Loan Guarantee fund. Since 2007 Tiny has been instrumental in training and providing back-up support to advisors in Managing for Results. He was also Portfolio Coordinator for the Beira Portfolio from 2008 to 2010. He is now based in Chimoio.
Federico Vignati, Advisor, Economic Developmentm, Tourism
Federico holds a PhD in Applied Economics (Tourism Development), holds a Masters Degree in Public Tourism Management and a Masters Degree in Business Administration. Federico has nine years of professional experience in the field of Vocational Skills Training, Destination Management and Public Policies. He is the author of many publications related to this field of development and has recently published in Portuguese the book “ Tourism Destination Management” this book has been translated into Spanish.
He joined SNV in September 2008 as a consultant and in January 2009 joined SNV as a Senior Tourism Advisor working in the Maputo Portfolio giving support to Inhambane tourism development initiatives and leading Gorongosa National Park initiatives for pro-poor tourism.
Manuel Mutimucuio, Advisor, Economic Development, Tourism
Manuel holds a Bachelor of Science (Honors) degree in Tourism Planning from Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique. His short work experience has been always linked to the tourism sector, having worked as operation manager of a dive tour operator and English, French and Portuguese freelance translator. He joined SNV Mozambique first as a consultant and in June 2008 he became tourism advisor with duty station in Inhambane sub office (Maputo Portfolio). His current work in the tourism value chain in Inhambane is related to the linkages between the tourism sector and the local economy with the aim of integrating the communities in the tourism development.