Sanche de Montesquiou
Paris
Summary
Senior consultant with 10 years of experience in security, governance, and risk consulting, delivering complex projects in high-risk environments. Proven track record in building strategic client partnerships, leading end-to-end delivery across multiple assignments, and growing consulting portfolios up to €10M while meeting financial targets, across the French, European an FCAS markets. Experienced leader of multidisciplinary teams of up to 30, and trusted advisor to senior decision-makers, delivering clear strategic insight and executive-level briefings in challenging contexts.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
10
10
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
Work history
Senior manager- EU Team
Adam Smith International
Paris
07.2025 - Current
- Spearhead the development of a strategic pipeline of BD opportunities in security and governance across the French and EU markets (5M EUR).
- Personally lead BD teams throughout the full proposal lifecycle, including opportunity scoping, budget formulation, team assembly, and technical writing.
- Designed, scoped, and wrote the proposal for a major Counter-Terrorism/Security Sector Reform technical assistance project in Ghana for the EU (2.5M EUR).
- Delivered training to ASI UK staff on best practices for EU pipeline development, enhancing organizational capacity in competitive BD.
Project Director - Conflict, Security, Stability
Adam Smith International
Palestine/Somalia/France, Hybrid
03.2024 - 07.2025
- Led strategic client relationships and advisory delivery for EU institutions, British Embassies, and Armed Forces across crisis, security, and risk consulting projects in Palestine and Somalia, providing geopolitical and security analysis in high-risk environments.
- Developed and converted a strong business development pipeline, securing innovative consulting assignments in the security and stabilisation sectors across fragile and emerging markets, contributing to commercial growth.
- Won and delivered the £8M UK FCDO Stabilisation Programme in the West Bank and Gaza, leading bid strategy, project start-up, and delivery, generating £3M in consulting delivery in year one, and building long-term client partnerships.
- Led delivery of a €10M Security and Resilience Programme in Somalia, coordinating multiple workstreams, ensuring effective resource planning, on-time/on-budget delivery, and achievement of financial targets, while providing strategic recommendations to the EU.
Implementation Lead
Adam Smith International
Mali, Bamako/Gao
07.2022 - 03.2024
- Led a £6M Stabilisation Programme in Northern Mali, managing a team of 25 and ensuring effective technical oversight across 5 different work streams and in three high risks locations across Mali.
- Served as the primary point of contact for the British Embassy and UK Foreign Office, managing the full client relationship lifecycle and liaising with key stakeholders, including the Malian government.
- Provided strategic advisory on risk, security, and geopolitical issues, guiding embassy decision-making and programme direction.
- Managed the pipeline of project-level activities, ensuring timely execution, financial and contractual compliance, and alignment with client priorities.
Head of Fragile States Unit
SOFRECO
Paris, France
03.2021 - 07.2022
- Established SOFRECO’s first dedicated business unit for resilience and security projects in fragile states, designing the team and business development strategy from scratch.
- Developed a robust business development pipeline and portfolio, successfully winning multiple bids and growing the portfolio to €10M.
- Directed proposal development and client engagement, ensuring alignment with donor priorities and maximizing business opportunities.
- Managed a team of 20+ staff across six fragile countries, providing technical oversight, project planning, and delivery support.
- Provided strategic advisory to senior clients on governance, security, and resilience initiatives, shaping capacity-building plans and programme design.
Project Director
SOFRECO
Paris, France
02.2021 - 05.2021
- Contributed to business growth and project oversight within the company’s diverse project portfolio.
- Played a key role in winning proposals and budgets, including a €1.4M EU-funded project in Borno State, Nigeria and €1.6M EU-funded project in Solomon Islands.
Consultant Public sector & International Institutions
Eurogroup consulting
Paris, France
05.2017 - 11.2018
- Contributed to consulting assignments for French public sector institutions, including the Banque de France, the French Ministry of Finance, and the French Ministry of Housing, supporting institutional reform and operational improvement initiatives.
- At the Banque de France, supported the restructuring of accounting processes through process mapping, analysis of existing workflows, and preparation of technical notes; at the French Ministry of Finance, contributed to capacity-building activities for staff related to the rollout of new internal HR procedures; and at the French Ministry of Housing, supported the design and implementation of stakeholder engagement processes for Loi ELAN, engaging public sector actors, private sector stakeholders, and NGOs.
- Supported senior consultants by contributing to analytical tasks and production of consulting deliverables, including research, data analysis, briefing notes, and presentations, and participated in key client meetings to support discussions and follow-up actions.
Junior Consultant International Development
Nathan Associates
London, UK
12.2016 - 12.2016
- Supported the business development team in the preparation of technical and financial proposals for international donors, including DFID, the World Bank, and the EU, contributing background research, inputs to budgets, and drafting support.
- Assisted with impact evaluations of development programmes by contributing to data collection, participatory research activities, and analysis under the guidance of senior team members.
Education
Master 2 - International Development Economics
University Paris Dauphine
Paris 09.2015 - 06.2016
Master’s degree - International Business Administration & Political Sciences
SciencesPo Lille
Lille 09.2011 - 06.2015
Bachelor of Arts - International Relations
University of Kent
Canterbury 09.2012 - 06.2015
GCSEs -
Worth School
United Kingdom 09.2005 - 06.2008
Skills
- Strategic Client Relationship & Stakeholder Management
- Business Development Strategy & Pipeline Creation
- Consulting & Advisory Services
- End-to-End Project & Delivery Management
Languages
English
Fluent
French
Native
Spanish
Intermediate
Arabic
Elementary
Certification
- Advanced Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) Certificate, Janus Operations, Somalia, January 2024
- Fundamental Course on Security Sector Reform Certificate, European Security and Defence College, Austria, October 2021
- Introduction to Security Sector Reform Certificate, Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, June 2021
Affiliations
- Competitive English Boxing
- Writing articles for the online magazine Les Yeux du Monde, on international geopolitics reaching over 500,000 monthly readers
Timeline
Senior manager- EU Team
Adam Smith International
07.2025 - Current
Project Director - Conflict, Security, Stability
Adam Smith International
03.2024 - 07.2025
Implementation Lead
Adam Smith International
07.2022 - 03.2024
Head of Fragile States Unit
SOFRECO
03.2021 - 07.2022
Project Director
SOFRECO
02.2021 - 05.2021
Consultant Public sector & International Institutions
Eurogroup consulting
05.2017 - 11.2018
Junior Consultant International Development
Nathan Associates
12.2016 - 12.2016
Master 2 - International Development Economics
University Paris Dauphine
09.2015 - 06.2016
Bachelor of Arts - International Relations
University of Kent
09.2012 - 06.2015
Master’s degree - International Business Administration & Political Sciences
SciencesPo Lille
09.2011 - 06.2015
GCSEs -
Worth School
09.2005 - 06.2008