Highclere Consulting
Who we are.

We are a privately owned consultancy company based in Braşov, Romania.

Established in 2006,

our company provides high quality consultancy, training and policy analysis services for governmental and non-governmental organizations working on agricultural, rural development and environmental issues in south-east Europe and beyond.

Clients to-date include

the European Commission, Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), World-wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Danube-Carpathian Programme, International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN) and World Bank. We have also worked for the Romanian government on a range of rural development and environmental issues.

Our main areas of activity are

social sciences research;
technical assistance and policy analysis;
rural networking;
facilitation and training.

Watch this website for news of forthcoming projects and company activities!

View all news here

Highclere Consulting Team

Highclere’s technical capacity is based upon the knowledge, practical experience and commitment to rural development of its co-owners, Mark Redman and Raluca Barbu, complemented with the diverse skills and enthusiasm of its associates and collaborators. We’re always interested to find new people to work with. Contact us via e-mail at office@highclere-consulting.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Mark Redman

Mark is the co-owner and Director of Highclere Consulting. He has a PhD in agricultural science and 30 years of experience in research, consultancy, teaching and training activities in agriculture, rural development and the environment. Mark has provided hands-on freelance consultancy support to around 60 projects in over 15 countries, including comprehensive experience in rapid rural assessments and the provision of technical assistance to the development of agri-environment schemes, Rural Development Plans and rural network facilities in EU candidate/accession countries and new Member States.

mark (at) highclere-consulting.com

Raluca Barbu

Raluca is the co-owner and Administrator of Highclere Consulting. She has over 15 years of experience in rural development policy-making and related activities, with a particular focus upon sustainable food systems and nature conservation and small-scale farming. She has held positions as European Integration Counsellor to the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; as Nature and Prosperity Co-ordinator for the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme in Romania, and; as EU Agriculture and Budget Reform Policy Officer for the WWF European Policy Office in Brussels.

raluca (at) highclere-consulting.com

Alina Alexa

Alina is our Communication Specialist and local ‘connector’ (she knows everyone locally). She has an MA in marketing and experience in journalism, social media, strategic communication, training, participatory processes, lobby and advocacy activities. She has worked for over 15 years with private companies and environmental NGOs, including the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme, Association of Ecotourism in Romania and the Propark Foundation for Protected Areas.

alina (at) highclere-consulting.com

Elena Ion

Elena is our Office Manager and Junior Consultant. She has a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management from the Transilvania University in Brasov and a background of intensive English and French studies. She is a quick learner and can adapt to any problem in a minute to find the best way to fix it. She is very keen on learning everything about the human resource side of our work and is to build a career which can bring real benefit for others.

elena (at) highclere-consulting.com

Cătălina Rogozan

Cătălina is our Junior Consultant. She has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Management and Business Strategies from the Transilvania University from Brașov, studies completed by two study Erasmus experiences in Belgium and France. She is an enthusiastic and organized person, who learnt how to work in multicultural environments and who embraces challenges. Her wish is that through her work, she can help Romanian communities to be better.

catalina (at) highclere-consulting.com

Gina Geală

Gina is a communication enthusiast, with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Public Relations from the University of Bucharest. She has over 6 years of work experience in both the public and private sectors, always being able to adapt to each situation. Diplomatic, highly organized and able to manage sensitive topics she has a practical attitude and wants to bring a benefit to the community she belongs to.

gina (at) highclere-consulting.com

Lisa van Dijk

Lisa is one of our senior international consultants and she has 25 years of experience in knowledge exchange, learning and innovation with farmers and rural communities. Her PhD focused on farmer-led innovation in the European livestock sector, and she has long-standing experience in facilitating multi-actor/stakeholder collaborative learning and co-creation processes. Prior to her PhD studies, she worked for over 15 years in international development in the management and coordination of complex projects and programmes related to agriculture and rural development in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Apart from her research, facilitation, training and project management activities, she is also a passionate practising sheep farmer.

lisa (at) highclere-consulting.com

Jordi Pietx

Jordi is one of our senior international consultants. Jordi is a Biologist (UAB-Barcelona) and Environmental Scientist (Lancaster Uni, UK) by training, with 30 years of professional experience in land stewardship, nature conservation and sustainable landscapes. He has worked in management positions in land stewardship and ecological restoration networks, as well as extensively as a consultant. Mark, Raluca and Jordi have crossed professional paths in the past and now share a joint one at Highclere Consulting, with Jordi working remotely from Catalonia.