Team in Paris

Pascal is the director of the GFARC and national medical advisor for the French Red Cross National Society. He has a PHD in Medicine from the faculty of Medicine Pitié Salpétrière in Paris. He is an active member of the French Red Cross since 1977, where he started as a first aid rescuer then he joined the European Reference Centre in 2002 as coordinator. His experience and international fame in the field of first aid has also led him to train and educate many French celebrities. 

On top of this, Pascal is a member of many resuscitation and emergency councils such as the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation. His expertise on first aid has led him to publish and contribute in many titles in emergency medicine and first aid. Since 2010, Pascal has led the team in charge of creating and reviewing the IFRC’s International First Aid and Resuscitation Guidelines, which are updated every 5 years.

Sendy Veerabadren is a graduate engineer from the National Center of Tropical Agronomic Studies in France, and holds a Mastère spécialisé de la Conférence des Grandes Ecoles in International Development. During his career Sendy has served in research centres, French governmental cooperation, NGOs and Red Cross, in Africa, in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania. He joined the French Red Cross headquarters in 2010 as Head of the Water, Sanitation and Food Security Expertise Department. He also taught humanitarian action at the Institute of Graduate Studies in Public Health in Paris.

Since 2016, he has been the Head of Delegation of PIRAC, the Regional Intervention Platform for the Americas and the Caribbean of the French Red Cross, supporting the action and capacity building of National Societies in the region in close collaboration with the IFRC. Within the French Red Cross branch of Guadeloupe, he has been responsible for the emergency and first aid sector. In September 2022, Sendy takes on the role of Coordinator of the IFRC’s Global First Aid Reference Center operated by the French Red Cross.

Diane has been involved in first aid promotion since 2001 where she led the European campaign for first aid and road safety at the French Red Cross. She has a degree in marketing and communications obtained at a Business School and experience as a communications officer in the private sector. Since 2012, Diane ha been managing GFARC partnerships and projects focusing on Europe, Africa and Americas. 

In 2007, Diane travelled to Peru and fell in love with the country and its people. She then created in 2010 a fair trade organisation to help vulnerable populations from Peru sell their handcrafts. 

As a real French girl Diane loves good fresh bread and has the best bakery addresses of Paris.

Thanks to her French Red Cross Emergency Operational Centre recognition, she has been able to assist the French Red Cross during the Covid-19 crisis by answering calls of those in need of support during the crisis.

Bassinte joined the GFARC in 2020 and since then has been part of the team. She in charge of  MENA projects, Education and Advocacy.

She has a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Paris 1 – Panthéon Sorbonne and a double degree in Political Science with a minor in Public Administration from Cairo University and Sorbonne University. Bassinte speaks fluent Arabic, English, French and intermediate level of Turkish. She is passionate about the humanitarian sector and wishes to bring change to the world. She likes helping people in need which led her to be part of multiple projects that work on empowering Egyptian women and increasing the education rate of children in marginalized districts. Sha has also worked in different Embassies and UN agencies in her country. 

Beside her community engagement, Bassinte was a Classical ballet performer at the Cairo Opera House. She loves playing with children and wishes one day to create her own NGO for children’ rights. 

Mercedes Aguerre holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Sciences and a Master’s degree in International Humanitarian Action with specialization in Disaster Risk Management (DRM). Before joining the GFARC, she was responsible for the Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) program at domestic and European level at the French Red Cross. She has worked in different contexts such as Guatemala, Afghanistan, Haiti, Niger, Ethiopia and Ecuador, conducting and supporting Disaster Risk Reduction programs. As a former consultant at the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) she supported a research project regarding Peru’s and Ghana’s efforts in integrating CCA and DRM in domestic policy. She has also worked with the IFRC coordinating a regional project in South America, which aim was to strengthen the DRM system through civil military and disaster law activities. She is fluent in Spanish, English, French and Italian.

Beside her humanitarian engagement, Mercedes loves sports; notably rock climbing, acrobatics, hiking and biking. She also enjoys nature and travelling very much. 

Eloise holds a Master’s degree in adult education from the University of Geneva and a degree in business management from the University Dom Bosco (Brazil). She has also concluded additional courses in project management and compliance management.

In 2017, she joined the Health Unit at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) where she assessed the need for training of health delegates, and got closer to first aid related topics. Having also a strong interest in project management and technologies, she then worked in the Digital Transformation department at the ICRC.

Finally, as a compliance officer, Éloïse monitored internal processes to ensure the fair and ethical selection of the ICRC’s private donors and partners. She is fluent in English, French and Portuguese. In her spare time, Éloïse enjoys hiking in the mountains and triathlon – running, cycling and swimming.

Anaëlle has a multidisciplinary background and holds 2 Master’s degrees: one in humanitarian project management and one in international relations with a specialization in security and crisis management. She has numerous experiences in the humanitarian and development field and has worked for many NGOs. She has also worked in business intelligence and has therefore acquired skills in this sector, including strategic research and monitoring. Anaëlle speaks fluently French, English, Levantine Arabic and intermediate level of Spanish.

In her spare time, Anaëlle is a First Aid Team Member and also provides First Aid Training for the general public at the Red Cross. Outside her engagement, she loves making her own homemade natural products using essential oils, following the “Do It Yourself” trend, advocating natural and organic. She also loves travelling!

Marie Carpentier holds two Master’s degrees in international affairs and contemporary Russian history. She was introduced to the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement with an internship at the ICRC’s Moscow delegation, and gained valuable experience as director of the association ITINER’AIR and the NGO Afghanistan Libre. She is committed in the fight against exclusion and the defence of women’s rights.

Marie has a great passion for cinema. She has directed several short movies and acts in films and theatre. She is fluent in French, Spanish and English and speaks Russian.

Marie works very closely with the team in Paris however she is based in Guadeloupe.