“I partnered closely with Robert as the Ministry of Education in Peru prepared to launch One Laptop per Child in 2008. Robert was our contact for all the financial and logistical arraignments associated with getting the program under-way. Robert was successful in negotiating and reconciling terms between the Government of Peru and OLPC. However in order to be a workable agreement Robert also needed to represent and close terms with private and public banks, parts suppliers and the XO manufacturer. He proved himself to be an effective negotiator and a willing spokesperson for the project. Robert was well versed in the financial instruments, manufacturing conditions, and shipping and delivery terms, as well as the technical specifications of the XO. Robert was very responsive and maintained excellent relationships with all the parties, that helped in communicating changing requirements and, ultimately, execution of the agreement. And because he structured the OLPC supply-chain, he knew its cost-structure and operations intimately. Robert was able to ensure the manufacturing of the laptops and their delivery happened as agreed and on-time. We were particularly pleased when the first 40,000 units were delivered on time in just two months, allowing the government of Peru to kick off the program in March 2008. This partnership and agreement served as the basis for the now over 800,000 laptops that are in the hands of Peruvian children. Robert’s efforts were instrumental in ensuring the OLPC program happened and in building the close relationship with the Ministry. I would not hesitate to work with him again.”
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Contact Info
2K followers
500+ connections
Experience & Education
Licenses & Certifications
Volunteer Experience
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Advisor and Mentor
R2 Social Ltd.
- Present 5 years
Economic Empowerment
I am supporting the R2 Social team founders as they build-up their program and prepare to offer refugees access to cutting-edge learning, mentorship, and support to develop and launch start-up driven by data science, blockchain, and machine learning. Join me in empowering young people and and their communities.
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Treasurer and Board Director
96 Bricks
- Present 7 years 11 months
Children
96 Bricks is a charitable program founded in 2016, focused on providing disadvantaged children around the world with access to constructive play. It is our firm belief that creative and constructive play is essential for early child development, yet children in many communities around the world do not have sufficient access to the tools and toys needed to make this happen. To help remedy this we want to give these children a very simple but incredibly dynamic toy, Lego® Bricks. More at…
96 Bricks is a charitable program founded in 2016, focused on providing disadvantaged children around the world with access to constructive play. It is our firm belief that creative and constructive play is essential for early child development, yet children in many communities around the world do not have sufficient access to the tools and toys needed to make this happen. To help remedy this we want to give these children a very simple but incredibly dynamic toy, Lego® Bricks. More at http://www.96bricks.org/
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Organizer and Fund Raiser
YOCAMA, Inc.
- 4 years 7 months
Social Services
Support program geared toward teen-agers to gain experience working with the indigenous people of Montana, New Mexico and Arizona. In-field projects include health screenings, community farming, food and water delivery, and construction.
Help participants learn about fundraising and communications.
Travel to sites, plan and execute seasonal projects, support learning and reflections on experiences.
Expand program to include medical and graduate students.
Languages
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English
Native or bilingual proficiency
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Greek
Professional working proficiency
Recommendations received
4 people have recommended Demetri
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