Meet the GSEF Team

Aude Saldana

Secretary General (GSEF Secretariat) - aude.saldana@gsef-net.org

Aude Saldana is the Secretary General of GSEF since April 2022. In this capacity, she advocates for international recognition of the central role of SSE in achieving Sustainable Development Goals. She supports the members of the network, on behalf of the GSEF, in their collaboration and advocacy efforts with local and national governments, the European Union, international organizations and United Nations agencies.... She coordinates the implementation of the GSEF action plan and translates into action the aspirations of the Presidency and the 86 members of the network to better respond to the current socio-economic and environmental challenges, with the aim of promoting a cooperative environment where all stakeholders can meet, exchange best practices or experiences and identify common challenges. The GSEF supports the development and strengthening of networks of private and public actors involved in the SSE. GSEF positions itself alongside local governments in the co-construction of their SSE policies. Before joining GSEF, she worked for international NGOs both abroad and in France. In particular, she held the position of Director of Programs in Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for Caritas-Etats-Unis (CRS) before returning to France as the Aquitaine Regional Coordinator for the NGO Médecins du Monde. The support of self-help networks, cooperatives, and local collective development initiatives has been at the heart of the projects she has directed, both in rural and urban areas. She has worked to support, develop and strengthen the capacities of local civil society actors by defending a democratic governance model where the search for benefits allowed for a local development objective as well as the collective project of community members. She holds a DEA in political and social history and a Master's degree from the Sorbonne in Development and International Cooperation (international relations, humanitarian environment and project management). She also has a linguistic background and recently completed a degree in sustainable development.

Martin Georges

Program Coordinator (GSEF Secretariat) - jkchoi68@gsef-net.org

Martin Georges joined the GSEF Secretariat on June 1, 2022. He contributes to the development of GSEF projects (capacity building, research, networking), with a focus on supporting the organization of the Dakar Global Forum GSEF2023. Prior to joining GSEF, he worked at the national level as a Commons Development Officer, with an advocacy and engineering component (for digital inclusion). He also lived and worked in Southeast Asia in the sustainable tourism sector, as a partnership officer (Ho Chi Minh City). He is involved in education and youth involvement (student cooperatives, CRESS Nouvelle-Aquitaine, RIPESS Europe), also in new cooperative forms (multi-stakeholder cooperative, entrepreneurships mutualized). Martin holds a Master's degree in Social and Solidarity Economy, Social Innovation from Sciences Po Bordeaux.

Thomas ALLIÉ

Communication and Network Officer (GSEF Secretariat) (GSEF Secretariat) - thomas.allie@gsef-net.org

Thomas Allié joined the GSEF secretariat in January 2023. He is in charge of the organization’s communication, towards the outside world through the different media, and between the members through the network’s animation. Thomas obtained a Master's degree in Social and Solidarity Economy and Social Innovation at Sciences Po Bordeaux, after a year of apprenticeship for the French Federation of Funeral Cooperatives. He remains involved in the Bordeaux student cooperative ACC'ESS, of which he is co-president for the year 2022-2023.

Laura FURINI

Administrator (GSEF Secretariat) (GSEF Secretariat) - admin.laura@gsef-net.org

Laura Furini joined the GSEF team in October 2022 as a job-share via the AGEC&CO employer group. She assists the secretariat with administrative tasks and accounting follow-up. She also participates in the logistical organization of GSEF events. She has a master's degree in book economy and publishing, and works in parallel with the association of independent bookstores in Nouvelle-Aquitaine as a cultural project manager. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with various publishing houses (L'élan vert, Groupe Actes Sud, Teatro di San Carlo, etc.) in order to assist them in their economic development as well as in the development of commercial and communication strategies. She continues to work with independent publishing structures as a freelancer. It is thus in her daily life and in her various activities that she carries the values of cooperation and is committed to a fairer and more sustainable world.

Enora BIZOT

GSEF Referent for the Dakar Forum 2023 (GSEF Secretariat) - enora.bizot@gsef-net.org

Enora Bizot joined the GSEF team in January 2023 to support the organization of the 2023 Global Forum in Dakar. She is also in charge of the follow-up of actions and initiatives in terms of Social and Solidarity Economy as well as strengthening the African network for SSE according to recommendations adopted during the Global Forum. Before that she worked for a while as coordinator assistant for the togolese NGO COMINTES on a good governance practices project for mining communities and at the French embassy in Tajikistan. She got a master’s degree in International Affairs at Sciences Po Lyon (France) and another one in Middle-Eastern Studies, Development Assistance and International Solidarity at ENS de Lyon.