Isabelle Salabert is the founder of and has been leading the Madagascar Private Sector Humanitarian Platform – a CBi Member Network – since its creation in 2015. As an advocate for building local capacity and working together to foster change, Isabelle has a French background and has been living in Madagascar since 2005. We interviewed her as part of our series featuring leaders in disaster management.
How did you get into this private sector disaster management space?
The journey began in 2014, when the TELMA Foundation was awarded as the best humanitarian actor in the contest initiated by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN General Secretary to engage the private sector to be more involved in the disaster risk and management and humanitarian fields.
The TELMA Foundation was then involved in the preparation process for the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in 2016, as the private sector focal point for the Indian Ocean and Sub-Saharan region. That’s why in 2015, in the lead up to WHS, we decided to create the Madagascar Private Sector Humanitarian Platform (PSHP), with some other private companies, to better coordinate business contributions to disasters through private companies and working with traditional humanitarian actors (UN agencies, Government agencies such as the Bureau National de Gestion des Risques et Catastrophes [BNGRC], civil society, etc.).
The idea was to act not only to respond, and not only with money, but to be part of the whole disaster risk management cycle and for private companies to provide products, services, logistics, and human resources much more easily and more quickly, thereby allowing for a more efficient approach in the field.
How has your engagement in private sector disaster management evolved over the years? Can you share an example of how you/business has made a difference in this context in Madagascar or the region in the past year or so?
In recent years, business became more involved in disaster risk management because of the way disasters affected private sector activites. We decided to move from an “informal platform” to an Association, and are now shifting to restructure as a non-governmental organization (NGO). We developed some tools such as a contingency plan and a business continuity plan for the PSHP and its member companies, and also provided some training in collaboration with the UN and Government partners to further support and develop private sector engagement.
In parallel to that, we developed an innovative approach with our National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) by signing a memorandum of understanding or MOU with BNGRC to be more effective on private sector interventions.
The public-private partnership plays a "vital” role in disaster management, including building business and community resilience.
What did you do before you moved to Madagascar and started Fondation AXIAN?
I have a PhD in Molecular Physics and worked as a consultant in Knowledge Management for 10 years, based out of France. That decade was spent with various companies, mainly industrial, and covering several countries such as Canada, Germany, USA, England, and more.
When my husband had an opportunity to become the CEO of DTS, a local internet provider in Madagascar, I decided to take on a new challenge. After spending four years with Telecom Malagasy, also known as TELMA, leading the department of wired networks to upgrade to the ADSL technology, I decided to get involved in humanitarian affairs for the Malagasy people. That’s when I revived the TELMA Foundation project, in 2009, right when the political crisis happened in Madagascar.
In April 2020, the TELMA Foundation evolved and grew to become Fondation AXIAN, as TELMA was part of the AXIAN Group, a dynamic pan-African and multi-activities group. Its corporate foundation coordinates the entire group’s people and financial resources to sustainably improve vulnerable populations’ quality of life in the countries where AXIAN operates.
As Executive Director of AXIAN Foundation, I am deeply convinced that together we are stronger. Therefore, through the Foundation’s various projects, in healthcare, education, community development and humanitarian aid, as well as environment and sustainable development, I am always trying to build partnerships with UN agencies, the public sector, the private sector and other Foundations or NGOs.
I was also partner of a handcraft company, Le Village, that makes high quality ship models in precious woods, and which benefits over 40 Malagasy workers.
What are some of your interests or passions outside of disaster management?
I am passionate in sports and especially water sports, some practiced at competition level (swimming, sailing, and windsurfing) and others for leisure (water skiing, diving, and kite surfing, to name just a few).
I have also run 12 Marathons, in cities such as New York, Chicago, London, Paris, Athens, and Prague among others.
What’s something you wish you could tell your 20-year-old self?
Don’t hesitate to do what you want in your professional life: Don’t listen to people saying that you’re too young or that it’s not a job for a girl… If you feel that it will be the job of your dream, go for it no matter what people think.
Do you have a personal motto or life philosophy?
Enjoy your life and try to be good for the people around you. Doing good helps you to feel good. Take care of your family and your friends.
If you want to hear more from Isabelle…
- Read her article on Devex “Opinion: African private sector has to play key role in crisis response” (August 2023)
- Watch her video explaining what the PSHP Madagascar does and how it works (April 2023)
- Read about “Private sector launches emergency operations center to support collaborative disaster management in Madagascar” (Dec 2022)