Our Team
We have a full-time operational team based in Afghanistan, supported by international support staff in Europe who regularly travel to work directly with our local teams and artisans around the world.
Belinda
Co-Founder & Director
Based between Amsterdam and Kabul, Belinda leads design, production and partnerships from artisan collectives to international donors, NGOs and brands.
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Belinda carries several worlds within her. Her French, Yemeni and Djiboutian heritage gave her an early appreciation for the world’s cultures, traditions and spiritual paths, from Sufism to Kabbalah. She has since lived in more than ten countries, always travelling with purpose and returning with a suitcase full of treasures and the stories behind them.
A background in international management gave her the strategic discipline to operate in complex markets. But it was leaving the corporate world that reconnected her with her true passion: handmade craft and the people who keep it alive.
Years spent building relationships with artisan communities across the Global South showed her extraordinary skill, and how rarely that skill reached the markets it deserved. Living in Afghanistan during the fall of Kabul in 2021, she watched artisans caught in the collapse of their country, left without secure livelihoods. She did not want to build another charity. She wanted to build connection: a sustainable business grounded in dignity and long-term partnership.
Artijaan, a dream she had carried for many years, was born from that conviction. Offering work with dignity, especially to women artisans, sits at its heart, as part of a larger hope for a world that values people over profit.
She believes the future lies in living simply and in harmony with nature: owning less but better, and knowing that what we choose to bring into our lives can change the lives of others for the better.
“Craft connects us beyond borders and politics. It’s a quiet power, one that carries memory, creates healing, and reminds us that softness can transform the world.”
Pierre-Emmanuel
Co-Founder
Based in Paris, Pierre-Emmanuel is in charge of our creative directions and operations in France
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Pierre-Emmanuel is the co-founder of Artijaan. With a background in design, he worked for 8 years in China, in the brand identity and communication sector. Back in France, he decides to embark on entrepreneurship with a cause and takes part in “Mapatho” project, a patient platform intended to facilitate the daily lives of people affected by chronic diseases.
In 2021, he co-founded with Belinda: Artijaan, a project that embodies many of his aspirations.
He is passionate about craft techniques, wooden construction, and handmade objects that translate a unique history. He greatly values preservation of traditional skills used in making of such objects.
Pierre-Emmanuel currently lives in France, where he is responsible for the communication and the branding of this project.
Michael
Field researcher
Based in Italy
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Michael is a documentary filmmaker, anthropologist, storyteller and conflict researcher. He has worked in humanitarian aid, as a journalist, and as a field researcher in the Middle East, West Africa, Latin America and Central Asia. He speaks Arabic, Farsi, French, German, Spanish and Italian.
After spending much of his life exploring the root causes of conflict, more recently he has spent time with indigenous communities around the world to better understand wisdom traditions, and how the modern world can learn from and exchange with different forms of knowledge. Artijaan for him represents a powerful bridge between worlds, cultures and peoples through stories, craft and heritage, which can help us refashion globalisation into more equitable and human forms of exchange.
Hannah
Storyteller
Based in Rome, Hannah is Artijaan’s storyteller
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A writer and photographer, Hannah has always appreciated how storytelling illuminates and connects us to a world beyond ourselves. Early in her career, she spent three years living in Kenya. While exploring the bustling Maasai markets of Nairobi or the sun-soaked streets of Lamu, she developed a deep appreciation for the way handmade objects bring richness and beauty to everyday life.
In 2021, she began looking for ways to respond to the unfolding situation in Afghanistan and saw Artijaan at the vital intersection of social enterprise, cultural preservation, and conscious consumption. In a world where value is often placed on rapid and cheap production, she admires the mindful, slow approach to handmade crafts.
She is currently based in Italy and writes stories for Artijaan’s online platforms.
Lenna
Project coordinator
Based in Amsterdam
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With a strong interest in cultures and structures in society, Lenna studied Interdisciplinary Social Sciences in Amsterdam. Through her studies and travels, she became fascinated by the experience of true connection, and the stories that emerge from it. Being entrusted with other people's stories is something she holds in deep honour. To further develop she now studies Arabic and is planning on doing a masters in Visual Anthropology.
At Artijaan, she supports the team across a wide range of work: from developing new projects and events to coordinating shipments and building relationships with shops. For her Artijaan is a living example of how handmade products can bridge worlds, carry meaning and create connections between people with different cultural backgrounds.
Clémence
Business developer
Based in Paris
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Passionate about craftsmanship and sustainable practices in the manufacturing sector. Clémence Sangaré is committed to empowering artisans in developing countries by fostering ethical production practices and developing market access. With a diverse background spanning marketing, social enterprise leadership, and international consulting, she has worked extensively in France, Uganda, and various regions across Africa.
Clémence’s journey began in the fashion industry, where she recognized the urgent need for sustainable changes and fair trade practices.
Since then, she has worked alongside refugee artisans and local communities through social enterprises and UN initiatives to promote handmade products that honor traditional craftsmanship while making ethical production available to independent brands and their customers, thereby establishing sustainable and trust-based relationships between artisans and retailers.
Team in Afghanistan
Our incredible team in Kabul and across the provinces ensures everything runs seamlessly. While we prioritise their privacy and won’t share names or photos, we can proudly say they are the heart of Artijaan.
They are the driving force behind supporting artisans, preserving cultural heritage, sharing stories, and turning the vision into reality.
Their dedication and hard work are essential to making everything we do possible