Francesca Paola Traglia

Founder & CEO

Rebecca Venuto

Aaron leads our social technology portfolio, co-designing AI tools and building partnerships to make knowledge more accessible and helping communities strengthen democracy.

He brings two decades of experience with the World Bank, Pact, and his own company Context Matters, advancing governance reform, peer exchange, and civic participation through technology and network-driven approaches. His work focuses on innovations that expand accountability, resilience, and equity while ensuring communities remain at the center of change

With over 17 years of experience in humanitarian operations, development cooperation, and human rights advocacy, Francesca has worked from policy to practice, strengthening systems of accountability and people-centered design across global contexts.

Her work spans leadership roles with organisations such as OCHA, ACT Alliance, the Lutheran World Federation, Finn Church Aid, and Amnesty International, where she has supported teams across Latin America, Africa, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Francesca brings expertise in strategic planning, research and evaluation, as well as ethical AI integration, combining feminist and decolonial perspectives to promote transformation rooted in care and justice.

She currently serves as Co-President of the Society of Gender Professionals (2025–2028) and through Metis Insights, Francesca continues to champion collaboration, evidence-based learning, and inclusive leadership to ensure that people remain at the center of every process of change.

Aaron Leonard

Polly Newall

Senior Associate Consultant

Polly is an experienced researcher, facilitator, and programme strategist with over 15 years of international experience working across Europe, Africa, and Asia. As the Founder and Director of Roots to Change, and now Senior Associate Consultant at Metis Insights, Polly brings a unique combination of technical expertise, empathy, and systemic thinking to her work on gender justice, human rights, and community resilience.

A qualified primary school teacher with a deep commitment to social justice and inclusion, Polly’s expertise spans participatory research and evaluation, community engagement, capacity building, and the design and management of complex multi-country programmes. She has worked with NGOs, government partners, and global networks, managing portfolios exceeding £2 million and leading initiatives in contexts such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, and India.

Associate Consultant

Rebecca is a policy and gender equality specialist with a strong background in EU development, human rights, and inclusive governance. She brings to Metis Insights a unique combination of policy expertise and field experience, having worked across Europe and Africa to connect global frameworks with community-led action.

With a career spanning roles at ActionAid International Kenya and ACT Alliance EU, Rebecca has led initiatives promoting gender-responsive climate adaptation, LGBTQI+ rights, and civic participation. Her work bridges advocacy, participatory research, and capacity strengthening, supporting organisations to turn policy into practice through inclusive, measurable, and sustainable approaches.

Rebecca holds an LLM in International Law and Global Governance from the University of Tilburg and a Master’s certification in Diversity, Equality and Inclusion from the Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini. Fluent in Italian, English, and French, she brings to Metis Insights a deep commitment to intersectional analysis, ethical policy influence, and people-centred development.

Senior Associate Consultant

Contact Us

We’d love to hear from you. Whether you’re exploring collaboration, seeking advisory support, or simply curious about how we integrate ethics, care, and justice into data and design — let’s start a conversation.

Reach out to connect with the Metis Insights team about partnerships, consultancy services, or speaking engagements. Together, we can turn insight into impact.