Michael Hammer initiated and manages the ROCsalt network. He is an experienced Director, Programme Manager and organisational development leader of not for profit organisations working in the field of human rights/conflict transformation, global governance, civil society capacity building, and the broader environmental advocacy field. From 2018 to 2020 he served as World Animal Protection’s Global Development Director and in 2022 as interim Greenpeace International’s Chief of Staff to assist with the organisations leadership transition. Since 2017 he is a Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Keele University’s School for Social, Political and Global Studies focusing on governance, organisational development and social movement building in the field of public goods provision and advocacy.
From 2013 to 2016 Michael led organisational development and capacity building specialists INTRAC, and prior to that for seven years global governance think tank One World Trust (2006-2013). Before that he worked as West Africa Programme Director for peacebuilding organisation Conciliation Resources (2005-2006), and as Researcher, Africa Programme Director and Head of Office of the Secretary General of Amnesty International (2000-2005). Earlier in his career, Michael worked in sustainability and regional planning for Germany based Institut Raum & Energie.
Michael studied African history in Dakar, Senegal, and holds a research-based master’s degree in geography, history and urban planning from the University of Hamburg, Germany. He lived and worked in West Africa for several years, researching urban and rural land conflicts and the potentials of community based localised planning and spatial organising in the context of slum rehabilitation and environmental resource degradation.
His main research and organisational development focus is on accountability, governance and effectiveness of international organisations involved in providing and advocating for access to global public goods as well as enabling locally owned community development through strong civil society organisations. He co-developed the Global Accountability Framework, a comparative assessment benchmarking tool for global organisations, and led its use in relation to close to 100 global organisations across different sectors. As part of an ESRC-DFID project he co-led, with Prof Susannah Mayhew, research on organisational change and citizen-responsiveness of global institutions in the context of climate change. Building on his governance experience such as on the Boards of the UK’s international development network BOND, Greenpeace Germany and as a member of the UK Development Studies Council. From 2014 to 2021 he served as Company Director on the International Board of Greenpeace, as founding chair of the organisation’s global governance committee and as Board Secretary. Michael speaks fluent English, German, French and Dutch.
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