Profile — Eva Jordans

Core application areas of expertise: working in diverse teams, communication across cultures, leadership, intercultural competence and project management

  • Creator of various training and capacity building programmes, from intercultural competence, to institutional and leadership development;
  • International consultant and advisor for a broad range of public and private organisations;
  • Project and Programme Manager in both the public and private sectors, Executive Director with profit & loss responsibility;
  • Strong leadership credentials, known to mentor and motivate professionals, inclusive of the nuances of leadership of multi-cultural teams.

I have been an executive company director, a professional consultant, and a management trainer in both the public and private sectors. I have 30 years of experience supporting leadership and institutional development in Asia, Africa and Europe.

My educational background is in land and water management, gender issues and intercultural communication, and throughout my career I have worked at the interface of these disciplines. After completing my first MSc degree in 1991, I worked in a rural development programme in Bangladesh and then went to live and work in Rome with the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in a range of African and Asian countries. Those experiences convinced me of the importance of understanding cultural issues, especially working effectively in intercultural teams and the role of diversity.

After returning from over 10 years of living and working across Africa and Asia, I completed in 2002 in the UK an MA on intercultural communication and started a career as a trainer and advisor on leadership in intercultural organisations. Working in the largest organisational development company in the Netherlands, I established and led their international department (S&N International) and provided global capacity building solutions, leading 8 direct reports and 150 consultants worldwide. I designed and facilitated a range of intercultural training programmes and management workshops globally.

Moving on in 2011 to become an Executive Director of a law firm, I managed the company which provides legal services and is comprised of 130 professionals and support staff, with annual revenues of 17 Million Euro. This gave me hands-on experience with strategic planning, business development, HR and change management.

In 2014 I resumed my work for UN organisations to support the empowerment of rural poor in Africa and Asia, especially youth and women. I provide consultancy services in the context of large investment programmes in the field of rural and institutional development, leadership development, and diversity & inclusion. In parallel to my work for the UN, I conducted a research project on leadership in 5 African countries, which resulted in the book Developing Global leaders: Insights from African Case Studies. Currently I am developing capacity building initiatives for young leaders in Africa based on these insights. On the basis of my published work, I am completing a PhD in Intercultural Communication at the University of Warwick in the UK.

To learn about my publications, click here.