Mahenina Jaovita Manase received his PhD in Pharmacognosy from the University of Burgundy, France. He is currently an associate professor at University of Antsiranana, Madagascar. His research interests are largely focused on the analytical chemistry of natural products from plants, as well as the use of various biological assays to assess the potential of these molecules. He is working on the development of an international project that aims to increase the value of plants that are traditionally used by the Malagasy people.

Celina is an expert on access and benefit sharing (ABS) and provides technical expertise on issues related to innovation and sourcing of biodiversity. For the past 22 years, she worked in the cosmetic industry, both for ingredient suppliers and brands. She specialized in sustainable innovation and has been a consultant for life science based industries since 2010, especially on ABS. She also worked with the GIZ. Since 2007, she has trained companies and students on sustainable development, innovation and geopolitics & SDG.