ABOUT US
MICHEL
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS & SERVICES
Based in Europe and Africa, MICHEL IRS is a specialist consultancy with an established track record of more than a decade of providing niche, customized services to a variety of national and international organisations, including the OECD, OSCE, the Asian Development Bank, various European ministries and national ministries such as the German Federal Foreign Office, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the African Climate Finance Hub and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Drawing from her squad of experienced, multi-lingual associates and her large network of contacts, Founder and Managing Director Rebecka Michel is able to constitute the ideal team to plan and execute a diverse range of high-level events and programmes.
In recent years, MICHEL IRS has provided protocol services for the G20, the Asian Development Bank Annual Meeting and for the European Union’s Development Days.
A specialist consultancy with an established track record of more than a decade of providing niche, customized services to a variety of national and international organisations.
I take a very direct, hands-on interest in every single piece of work we do because I take great pride in the quality of our service and in ensuring we meet the detailed requirements of every one of our clients.
OUR EXPERT TEAM
Rebecka Michel
Founder and Managing Director
REBECKA MICHEL
Founder and Managing Director
Rebecka is the Founder of MICHEL International Relations & Services. A self-confessed “perfectionist, who sets the highest standards – of myself and my staff”, Rebecka is passionate about her business, which she has grown since its inception in 2006.
For the two years before her decision to go it alone, Rebecka had joined the Press and Cultural division of the German Embassy in Tehran, Iran. Rebecka explains: “I realised that I loved the world of international diplomacy and that there was a potential niche for me as a provider of protocol services. Perhaps it was brave to set up shop, but it seemed like a natural growth opportunity at the time and I have certainly never looked back”.
Rebecka speaks German, English, French and Persian (Farsi) fluently and has basic knowledge in Spanish and Portuguese. Rebecka’s multilingual talents have served her in good stead. While she was born in Germany, she was educated at French schools when growing up in Tunisia and Pakistan (her father was a development aid specialist with GIZ).
Later, she studied Political Sciences, French and English at the University of Kassel, Germany. Alongside her studies she worked for a subsidiary of BASF (Wintershall AG) and as an English Lecturer for the management level of Daimler Chrysler.
Nowadays she divides her time between her base in Berlin and her home in Cape Town, South Africa, where she lives with her partner and their children.
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Kaja Zalewska
Programme Director and Head of Recruitment
KAJA ZALEWSKA
Programme Director and Head of Recruitment
In addition to playing a key role in managing task teams on big projects such as the G20, French Presidency and COP 2017, Kaja leads on the recruitment, training and coordination of Liaison Officers.
“Kaja is my left-hand woman”, says Rebecka. “Her focus under pressure, her emotional intelligence and her ready wit make her the perfect lieutenant for my organisation and my projects. I could not do without her”.
Kaja has a wide experience in organising big international summits and conferences. In 2011, she advised the Polish government on the organisation of its rotating EU presidency and operated as Principal Coordinator of a team of about 80 Liaison Officers. She then joined the Polish Finance Ministry where she coordinated the work of the Finance Minister’s Office and acted as a media and public relations Adviser to the Minister, and as his chief spokesperson. Subsequently, Kaja was appointed Deputy Director of the Financial Education Office at the Polish Ministry of Finance. In this position, she supervised the work of up to four units, building educational campaigns, new media and communication channels.
A native speaker in Polish, Kaja speaks fluent French and English. She has a good understanding of Russian and basic knowledge of German and Spanish. She holds Master degrees in Politics, and Administration from the College of Europe (Bruges), and in European Politics from the Sciences Po Institute of Strasbourg.
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Nathan Dufour
Senior Project Manager
NATHAN DUFOUR
Senior Project Manager
Nathan is a long-time partner of MIRS, whom he advises on global content and protocol-related matters. In addition to being an experienced event coordinator he is a political analyst who specialises in European and African politics. In recent years, he served as Deputy Coordinator for VIP related services and bilateral meetings manager during the European Development Days in 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and has also coordinated the stay of some of the most challenging foreign delegations during various international summits.
Until February 2016, he worked as a Policy Analyst at the Polish Institute for International Affairs (PISM), a leading Warsaw-based governmental think-tank, where he provided expertise on EU affairs and French security and defence policies in particular. Previously, he gained experience within various institutions such as the Council of the EU, the World Bank Brussels Office, the European Stability Initiative, the Belgian Business Chamber and the Belgian Embassy in Warsaw.
Nathan is the Founder of a political-economy advisory group, Dufour Analysis & Associates, and is retained as a Senior Research Associate and Marketing Advisor by the Paternoster Group – African Political Insight.
Nathan holds a postgraduate Masters degree in EU International Relations and Diplomacy (College of Europe, Bruges, 2011) and an MA in European studies (ULB, Brussels, 2010).
A native speaker in French, Nathan speaks fluent English and has a solid knowledge of Polish and Spanish, as well as a basic understanding of Russian and Dutch.
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Rita Caeiro
Senior Project Manager
RITA CAEIRO
Senior Project Manager
Rita is one of MIRS’s most seasoned Senior Managers, with a deep knowledge of high-level events’ management and a results-orientated approach to leading a multi-cultural team and the aptitude and agility needed in such a role.
Rebecka says that: “Her tough, no-nonsense approach, as well as her brilliant sense of humour, is often exactly what I need in the management of a large team of liaison officers and in dealing with demanding delegations. She balances charm with sharp reflexes and her ability to anticipate problems and take immediate action to resolve them. I trust her completely”.
Having worked at the European Commission as a coordinator for DG Enterprise specific events, Rita gained extensive experience in the domain of event management. She pursued that path as a freelance event manager for events such as the Rock in Rio International Music Festival, as well as the NATO summit in Portugal and also worked as Liaison Officers’ Coordinator during the Portuguese, French and Belgian rotating presidencies of the Council of the European Union, the UNESCO summit and the French chair of the G20.
When she is not working with MIRS, Rita runs her own business in Lisbon, where she is the owner and manager of “The housing Concept” – an innovative company managing student residencies, accommodating over 400 students.
Rita has a strategy-orientated MBA from the Solvay Business School ULB and the Open University of Saigon as well as the Master’s degree from Universidade Católica de Lisboa both in Business Management and Administration.
A native speaker in Portuguese, Rita speaks fluent English, French and German and has a working knowledge of Dutch and Spanish.
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Xhejsi Farozi
Project Manager
XHEJSI FAROZI
Senior Project Manager
Xhejsi is a Senior Project Manager and has played a key role in all of our high-level events. She has been involved in high-level events such as the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2020 and the German G7 Presidency in 2022. She has coordinated task force teams and co-coordinated liaison officers for various events.
Rebecka says: “Collegial and completely dependable, Xhejsi has quickly emerged as a vital cog in the organisation, brilliant at pulling things together under pressure. With her natural charm and playful sense of humour, she is very good at creating the right ambience within a group – whether a task force or a visiting delegation. She is just very good with people!”
During her studies Xhejsi worked for various political organisations on a voluntary basis, such as Amnesty International. Given her Albanian background, she is very interested in topics that include migration and integration as well as gender studies.
Xhejsi studied political science and sociology at Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main (Germany), specialising in humanitarian interventions, conflict research and democracy theories.
A native speaker in German and Albanian, Xhejsi speaks fluent English, and has a working knowledge of French.
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Isabelle Freiin von Uslar-Gleichen
Project Manager
ISABELLE FRELIN von USLAR-GLEICHEN
Project Manager
Isabelle is a project manager who takes responsibility for a wide range of complex international events as well as leading on the BUKA project (German Chancellor Fellowship) for the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Before joining MIRS in 2018, Isabelle worked in the country office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania).
Rebecka says “Isabelle’s attention to detail and her excellent network makes her a first-rate project manager. But, I also value her conceptual skills, and her highly developed inter-cultural skills and awareness… as well as her sharp wit!”
Isabelle has a big heart. Since 2006 she has looked after socially disadvantaged children during annual holiday camps organised by the Order of St John. From 2011 to 2019, she was in charge of organising a camp in Thuringia (Germany), where she was responsible for content, programme, financial and administrative matters.
A graduate in history and art history from Ruprecht-Karls-University in Heidelberg (Germany), after an Erasmus year at the Università di Pisa (Italy) Isabelle completed her studies with a Master’s degree at the Freie Universität Berlin (Germany) in 2012.
A native speaker in German, Isabelle speaks fluent English, French and Italian.
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Cansu Tekin
Project Manager
CANSU TEKIN
Project Manager
Cansu is a project manager who has been working for MIRS since 2016 with a focus on preparing high level events such as the OSCE ministerial meeting and the G20 summit in Hamburg. Furthermore, she has acted as liaison officer on numerous occasions profiting from work experience she gathered during her previous activity at the Visitors’ Service of the German Bundestag.
Rebecka says that “Cansu is very attentive to the important details, quick to grasp the essence of a client’s needs and I know that I can rely on her to handle the complex planning that is often a key part of our work. She is a brilliant project manager”.
Cansu studied Public Administration at the Berlin School of Economics and Law and is currently completing her Master’s degree in European Studies at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt Oder. During her studies, she completed numerous internships including the German Bundestag, the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin and the European Parliament in Brussels. Cansu is fluent in German, English, Turkish and has basic understanding in French.
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Fabian Jung
Project Manager
FABIAN JUNG
Project Manager
Fabian is working as a project manager and is our expert for virtual events of all kinds and everything related to digitalisation. Starting with digital event spaces, tailor-made virtual meetings to digital infrastructure that helps MICHEL IRS to keep on ‘meeting the world’.
Rebecka says: “Fabian is a timely addition to the team, bringing digital and technical skills at just the moment, when the COVID-19 pandemic required us to adapt and extend our range of services. He is a valuable asset.”
Prior to working for MICHEL IRS, Fabian worked for the GIZ and the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. His areas of interest are politics and societies of Central and Southeastern Europe.
His academic background encompasses a wide range of subjects, including Philosophy and Economics, studied at the University of Mannheim, Germany and International Relations at the Andrássy University Budapest, Hungary. A native speaker in German, Fabian is also fluent in English and has basic knowledge of French and Romanian.
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Géraldine Texier
Project Manager
GÉRALDINE TEXIER
Project Manager
Géraldine is a project manager who not only takes a leading role in the delivery of the high-level segment of international events but is also involved in business development, drafting proposals/tenders and developing operational plans.
Rebecka says: “In addition to her natural charm and diplomatic skills, I value Géraldine’s ability to have a vision for a project that can be executed effectively – she is excellent at linking the concept with the administrative and budget requirements.”
Prior to joining the MICHEL IRS team, Géraldine worked for a number of high-end European groups such as Caviar House & Prunier, Carlson Wagonlit Travel and the Hilton Group. Whether in the position of key account manager or in the role of event manager in Switzerland and France, she was required to deliver on a common credo – that “service excellence lies in the detail”.
Raised in a multicultural environment, she turned to Anglo-Saxon literature and civilisation at the University of Strasbourg and then in Dublin, Ireland, before pursuing studies in tourism, leisure and hospitality at the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce et Management Omnis in Strasbourg, France.
In addition to French, her mother tongue, Géraldine is fluent in English and has an upper intermediate level in Spanish.
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Richard Calland
Associate Advisor
RICHARD CALLAND
Associate Advisor
Richard Calland has thirty years of experience in law, politics and sustainability, and acts as a content and strategy advisor to MIRS. He is now based at the University of Cape Town (UCT) as an Associate Professor in Public Law and as a part of the academic leadership of its SDG initiative. As a specialist in transparency law and policy he currently serves as a member of the World Bank’s Independent Access to Information Appeals Board.
A programme director at leading African democracy think-tank Idasa from 1995-2011, Prof Calland has founded a number of organisations including of the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution and the Open Democracy Advice Centre. A prominent political analyst, and a columnist for the Mail & Guardian newspaper in South Africa since 2001, he is the author of a several books including Make or Break: How the next three years will shape South Africa’s next three decades, Anatomy of South Africa: Who holds the power? and The Zuma Years. He is a Founding Partner of political risk consultancy The Paternoster Group: African Political Insight, and a long-time advisor to a number of multinational companies.
In the field of sustainability strategy, he is a Fellow of the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership and as such has served as a member of faculty on numerous leadership programmes for organisations such as the African Development Bank, PWC, Network Rail, Namdeb, Tata and Nedbank. In addition, he is the co-director of the African Climate Finance Hub – the only African-based organisation with a specialist track record of working with governmental and development partners on climate finance in Africa.
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Nomfundo Xenia Ngwenya
Associate Advisor
DR NOMFUNDO XENIA NGWENYA
Associate Advisor
Dr Nomfundo Xenia Ngwenya is the Chief Strategy Officer for Ntsele Global, a small, black-owned South African investment group. She has worked extensively across the African continent as a senior government official, policy researcher and businesswoman.
She was previously Chief Director for African Economic Integration at the National Treasury, where she represented South Africa at key continental multilateral economic institutions such as the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund, the International Monetary Fund’s Afritac-South Steering Committee, the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). She previously chaired SACU’s Finance and Audit Committee and was South Africa’s Deputy at the ADF, where she co-chaired (with the UK) the working group on mobilising financial resources for Africa’s low-income countries.
Prior to her appointment as Chief Director, she was Director: Global Development Policy, where she headed National Treasury’s BRICS unit. In this role, she oversaw the formulation of South Africa’s negotiating position at the New Development Bank (NDB) and was part of the South African delegation to the inaugural negotiations of the NDB. After leaving National Treasury, she was appointed Programme Head for the the DfID-funded Globabl Economic Governance programme, where she oversaw research on regional trade, illicit financial flows and infrastructure financing. She has also headed the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA’s) South African Foreign Policy and African Drivers programme, served as an analyst at the South African Secret Service and lectured at the University of South Africa.
Dr Ngwenya is a member of the Institute of Directors and a Non-Executive Director of the Johannesburg Development Agency. She holds a PhD in International Studies from the University of Cambridge, MSc in Politics of the World Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), MA and BA (Hons) in International Studies from the University of Stellenbosch and BA (Political Science) from the University of Port Elizabeth.
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Torben Theis
Associate Advisor
TORBEN THEIS
Associate Advisor
Torben Michael Theis holds a track record of more than 15 years of work experience in the German political landscape and so advises MIRS on German government relations and content. After completing his political apprenticeship at the Federal Chancellery, he held various positions in political committees and in multinational organisations, as well as for members of the German Parliament (Deutscher Bundestag) before becoming Deputy Managing Director of Germanys biggest political youth organisation in 2007. Over subsequent years Torben has built up an admirable network of high-level contacts across the German political scene. In 2013, he established THEIS International Consulting, which provides strategic guidance to its clients on matters of policy, government relations and public affairs.
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