Program Team
Mariam is the founder and Executive Director of the ACB. She holds BA LLB and LLM degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Under Mariam’s leadership, the ACB has produced a respected record of evidence-based work and plays a vital role in food sovereignty struggles on the African continent.
Stephen has been doing research with the ACB since 2004, before joining the organisation part-time in 2013 and then full-time from 2017. He has a PhD from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at Sussex University, with an MA from Wits University. Stephen has more than 20 years of research and policy analysis experience in South and Southern Africa, including in seed, food, agriculture, biodiversity, corporate power, and agro-food systems. He also provides direct support to the Executive Director on matters of strategic importance to the ACB and is part of the ACB's management team.
Sabrina is a Research and Advocacy Officer at ACB, based in Tanzania. She has an environmental background with a BA in Environmental Studies from Kenyatta University, Kenya and has been working in the NGO sector for seven years. Sabrina is also a link to ACB’s work in East Africa which involves research, campaigning, networking and advocacy around biosafety, seed and food sovereignty and farmers’ rights.
Linzi joined ACB in June 2016. She has a BSc (Hons) in Geography, Ecology and Environmental Science from the University of the Witwatersrand, an MSc in Forests and Livelihoods from the University of Copenhagen, and an MSc in Agricultural Development from AgroParisTech, Montpellier. She is driven by the need for social and environmental justice, and works between the arts and sciences for meaningful and sustainable behaviour change in our food systems.
Rutendo joined ACB as a Research and Advocacy Officer in February, 2019. She has a background in Agronomy with a BSc from Midlands State University Zimbabwe and an MAgric in Food Security from University of KwaZulu Natal. She has worked in the NGO sector for seven years with a focus on agriculture research aimed at creating sustainable pathways for achieving food security and eradicating hunger for all.
Communications
Fatima Gabru is the Communications Officer at the ACB, having joined the organisation in September 2017. She has worked as an intern researcher at the Centre for Education Rights and Transformation (CERT), at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). She has a BA (Hons) in English from UJ
Admin and Financial Team
Vinern joined ACB in 2013 as their Administration Officer and is responsible for maintaining the financial records and operational functions of the organisation. He has extensive experience in collection management, administration, finance, procurement and logistics which was acquired after working for the Department of Arts and Culture for over 16 years.
Hettie is a Tax and Accounting Practitioner with 35 years of experience in business and international accounting, especially in Non-Profit Organisations. Hettie is also part of the ACB's management team together with Mariam Mayet and Dr Greenberg. She has been working with the ACB since July 2013.
Rosanne has been working part time for ACB since January 2016. She assists with the logistics for events, workshops and meetings. She has experience in the travel and tourism industry, as well as the car hire industry. Rosanne earned her Conference, Exhibition and Event management degree from Damelin, and later studied for a Travel and Tourism diploma from Varsity College.