Evaluation function consultants provide specialized assistance in executing its approved 2025-2027 Workplan and Budget. Their precise objectives and corresponding responsibilities are meticulously aligned with the work plan's goals.

Federica Bottamedi 

Evaluation Outreach Specialist 

Federica supports the Evaluation Function of the CGIAR Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service (IAES), focusing on evaluation communication, outreach, publications, and stakeholder engagement. Before joining IAES, she worked at the FAO Office of Evaluation, where she contributed to the management, conduct, and communication of evaluations and engaged with the United Nations Evaluation Group — building firsthand experience in evaluation use and uptake. Her background in international relations and diplomacy, combined with evaluation work across four continents, sharpens her ability to translate evidence into messages that resonate across diverse cultural, institutional, and stakeholder contexts. She currently engages with the EvalforEarth Community of Practice and facilitates workshops in Spanish. Complementing this work, her training in coaching and neurolinguistic communication with the Madanes Institute informs her approach to facilitation, active listening, and evidence-informed dialogue.

Gaia Gullotta

Evaluation Analyst

Gaia is a Data Analyst and GIS Specialist with a background in biodiversity conservation and natural resource management. Over the past ten years at Bioversity International, she has worked across multiple research projects and helped develop a methodology for assessing on-farm biodiversity in Latin America and Asia under UNEP-GEF Initiatives. She is as a consultant in the Policy Unit, focusing on data analysis related to ex situ conservation. Since 2019 she has collaborated with IAES as an Evaluation Data Analyst. She contributed to developing the data analysis methodology for the 2020 independent reviews of the CGIAR Research Programs, was a team member of the Performance and Results Management System (PRMS) Study. In 2023, she supported evaluability assessments of the CGIAR’s Regional Integrated Initiatives, and contributed to the EA Synthesis Report. In 2025, she co-authored a MELIA learning product presenting findings and recommendations drawn from the evaluation of previous CGIAR research portfolios, providing evidence-based guidance to inform the 2025–30 CGIAR Research Portfolio. Gaia is passionate about biodiversity conservation, landscape analysis and sustainability.

Samia Khayo

Expert Consultant – Institutional Evaluation

Samia is an evaluation and learning consultant with over 20 years of experience in program and institutional evaluation, applied research, and Monitoring and Evaluation systems. She brings deep expertise in designing evaluation frameworks, ensuring quality assurance, and coordinating complex multi-stakeholder evaluations across multicultural and multidisciplinary environments. Her work has spanned West Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, Latin America, and Europe. 

Before becoming an independent consultant, Samia served for nearly eight years as Senior Advisor and Head of the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit at Oxfam Intermón, where she directed organizational evaluation systems across 15+ country programs and led specialized evaluation teams.

Samia holds a PhD in Plant Production and Agroforestry Ecosystems from the Polytechnic University of Valencia. She also holds master's degrees in Evaluation of Programs and Public Policies and in Development Cooperation, and is completing a master's in Women's, Gender, and Citizenship Studies at the University of Barcelona. She is a member of the American and European Evaluation Associations and speaks Arabic, English, and Spanish.

Marta Maria Molinari

Evaluation Analyst

Marta Maria Molinari, an Italian national, is a young and emerging evaluator specializing in research, data analysis, portfolio assessments, and resilience. With experience as a Junior Evaluation Analyst at FAO, she applied advanced data analysis techniques using tools like FishStatJ. Holding a Master's in Development Economics & International Cooperation from the Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata,” her research focused on the spillover effects of Cash-Based Transfer Programs on food security. Fluent in English and Spanish, with basic French skills, Marta is dedicated to results-oriented approaches for social and economic development. Her involvement in voluntary work reflects her holistic commitment to community welfare.

George Theuri

Evaluation Analyst

Kenyan evaluation specialist with expertise in project design, data analysis, and digital data collection tools (ODK, Kobo, SurveyCTO). He has led and supported evaluations for organizations such as Regional Pastoralists Peace Link and the Tony Elumelu Foundation. At the IAES Evaluation Function, he contributes to learning summaries on CGIAR’s new ways of working under the 2030 strategy. He previously worked with UNODC in East Africa on Kenya’s PLEAD program. George also builds data dashboards (PowerBI, Looker Studio) and websites for organizations like Pamoja Trust. He is active in the Evaluation Society of Kenya and NIERA.