Executive Director

Patrice Barrat is the Executive Director of Bridge initiative. He worked as a journalist before becoming an editor at Gamma Television (1986-88). In 1988 he co-funded an audiovisual Press Agency « Point du Jour » and ten years later he created Article Z, a new production structure aiming at developing new documentary format for television. In 2001 he launched Bridge Initiative’s activities with Evelyn Messinger (Head of Citizens Interact), the association being officially created in 2004.

Program Officers

Karina Brun graduated in political sciences medias and documentary at the Sorbonne, Paris. She worked for a few years in the UNESCO in the Education Sector, on capacity building for civil society organizations, social mobilization and educational issues. Then, she worked as a journalist/documentarist for independent medias in France and Brazil. In 2003, she joined the Bridge Initiative team where she is responsible for media and the renewal of public space.

Former Program Officers

Mathieu Routier is a French Arabic-speaking lawyer. After spending several years in Southern countries including Syria and South Africa, he graduated in the Master of International Law and Administration of the Paris, Pantheon University. Then, through a Master research paper presented at the French Sorbonne University, he focused on the juridical status of non-governmental organizations in the Arabic area and followed Arabic courses at the Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations of Paris. His specific interest for the Arab Countries has also been strengthened by his different ground experiences in Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Yemen, including participation to social development projects. Since December 2005, Mathieu is working as a Bridge Initiative’s project officer on the Civil Society in the Arab World.

Annick Jeantet graduated in medias communication. She was head of humanitarian programs for different international NGOs (IRC, ICG, UNICEF) in emergency field (Romania, Bosnia, Rwanda, Ex- Zaire) before setting up a program on the Reform of the IMF and the World Bank at Agir ici, a French NGO based in Paris. In 2003 she set up Oxfam international office in Paris and has joined Bridge initiative in June 2004 as program officer. She currently coordinates the "Water for All" program. She currently coordinates the "Water for All" program.

Pierre Johnson, graduated in sociology and has been working with international cooperation since 1995. He has been proactive in supporting dynamics of change and development in Latin America, South-East Asia and West Africa through economic practices based on solidarity, such as Fair Trade. Since year 2000, he has also been facilitating exchanges and the elaboration of strategies for those innovative practices in international fora, such as the World Social Forum and the Workgroup on a Solidarity Socio-Economy. With an intimate knowledge of different cultural contexts, he is contributing to the dialogue on issues related to globalization in an intercultural setting. He coordinates at Bridge Initiative the process on "agriculture and trade", the communication tools, and the reflection on its methodology.

Chloé Keraghel is graduated in Hindi from the Oriental Languages Institute and hold postgraduate degrees in International Relations from Sorbonne University and in sociology from the EHESS in Paris. She has specialised herself in the Geopolitics of drugs in South Asia and South East Asia, and then on social movementsand undertook numerous field studies in Asia and in Brazil. After her collaboration with the
Geopolitical Drug Watch, she joined UNESCO as a consultant where she coordinated various research programmes and publications in both the social sciences and the non-formal education sectors. She also organised (in collaboration with CACIM ad UNESCO) the 'Explorations in Open Space" Meetings I and II in Brazil focusing on the analysis of the concept of open space in relation with the World social forum process. She has joined Bridge Initiative in July 2006 and is responsible for the coordination of the team and the programmes of the organisation. She also participates to the fund raising and the organization of the
meeting "Reinventing Globalization 2007".