Ava Mitzi

IBT Online · Washington D.C. / Paris

• Lead institutional business development and strategic partnership development across U.S. Federal and State government markets, with direct accountability for revenue growth, pipeline management, and long-cycle relationship conversion.
• Manage senior-level engagement with Economic Development Agencies and federal representatives at the U.S. Department of Commerce, working directly with Global Team Leaders for Environmental Technologies on market entry, regulatory alignment, and programme design for environmental technology companies.
• Support Economic Development Agencies in coordinating and allocating grant funding through the U.S. Commercial Service STEP programme, structuring outreach programmes and coordinating eligible companies across strategic sectors.
• Manage our institutional partnership with Santander through their Navigator Global programme, coordinating co-development initiatives and digital communications across their international network.
• Represent the organisation at ministerial-level trade missions and international delegations across the U.S., Latin America, Africa, and Europe, engaging government and institutional leadership directly.
• Design and deliver outreach programmes including institutional events, webinars, and AI-powered livestreaming sessions for public and private sector audiences.
• Apply AI-assisted workflows across reporting, stakeholder management, and pipeline development using Microsoft Copilot and Anthropic's Claude.
• Led our corporate ESG programme with Terrapass, managing a full Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions assessment, carbon offset procurement, and Renewable Energy Certificate investment through to board-level reporting.

IBT Online, Canada Operations · Montreal

• Built the Canadian business development function from the ground up, establishing outreach strategy, CRM architecture, and structured nurturing workflows across institutional and public-sector markets.
• Generated qualified pipeline through international trade missions, targeted outreach, and stakeholder engagement across multi-jurisdictional environments.
• Managed revenue forecasting, KPI tracking, and conversion optimisation across long-cycle government and institutional opportunities.
• Delivered executive-level presentations and analytical briefings to public-sector stakeholders across complex multi-stakeholder accounts.

UMedia · Brussels, Belgium

• Managed multi-country production logistics and financial oversight across simultaneous European co-productions across France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Sweden.
• Controlled budgets, tracked expenditure against approved cost plans, and produced financial and performance reports for senior management and licensing partners.
• Negotiated contracts and licensing agreements with rights holders and international partners, coordinating cross-border contract logistics across multiple regulatory frameworks.
• Coordinated cross-border stakeholder teams, maintaining operational continuity and delivery standards across distributed, multilingual environments.

TimeSlice Aerial Cinematography · Cape Town, South Africa

• Led drone-enabled aerial monitoring operations inside Southern African national parks, coordinating UAV deployment in direct support of anti-poaching units, habitat monitoring, and biodiversity protection programmes.
• Managed aviation regulatory compliance within UAV and environmental frameworks, secured flight and environmental permits, conducted operational risk assessments, and coordinated technical teams in remote and protected environments.
• Liaised directly with conservation authorities, national park management teams, and field ecologists, ensuring safe and compliant deployment of aerial systems across active conservation operations.
• Produced field documentation, monitoring reports, and donor-facing funding visibility materials connecting field impact and remote-sensing data to institutional and philanthropic investment.
• Applied original Master's research on drone and aerial monitoring technologies for habitat protection in Sub-Saharan Africa directly to live field operations across South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia.

OutOfAfrica Entertainment & BBC · Cape Town, South Africa

• Coordinated logistics, budgets, and crew scheduling for conservation documentary productions distributed across broadcast and digital platforms.
• Managed editorial and post-production workflows in collaboration with BBC editorial teams, maintaining production standards and delivery timelines.
• Coordinated international and local conservation teams, including field ecologists and park authorities, across field and studio environments.
• Produced visual content for conservation storytelling, public advocacy, and habitat and wildlife protection communications across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi · East Africa

• Coordinated community operations and logistical support within IDP refugee camps in Kenya, engaging directly with displaced populations and collaborating with international NGO structures in active emergency response settings.
• Coordinated within community development and child welfare structures in Rwanda, working alongside local civil society organisations in post-conflict recovery contexts.
• Supported hospice and community care coordination in Burundi, delivering support within one of the most fragile and resource-constrained humanitarian environments in the region.
• Gained grounded understanding of governance dynamics, local capacity constraints, and the community knowledge required for sustainable development outcomes across East Africa.