Alexandra Balafrej

Alexandra Balafrej-Dhorne is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience managing multidisciplinary and multicultural teams in international development. She is currently the Country Director and Maghreb Cluster Arts Lead at the British Council, where she oversees the implementation of cultural and educational strategies across Morocco and the Maghreb region, fostering stakeholder engagement and business development. Previously, Alexandra served as Country Director of IDinsight in Morocco, supporting government and NGO leaders to use rigorous, timely, and actionable data and evidence that can improve governance, development policies and programs and maximize social impact. As FHI 360 Chief of Party for the USAID Career Center program, a $24 million, five-year initiative in Morocco, her leadership earned an ‘Exceptional’ rating for quality and management in USAID CPARs. Alexandra has collaborated extensively with public and private stakeholders, including businesses, governmental institutions, and international NGOs. Her extensive experience spans economic growth, democracy and governance, education, and private sector engagement. She has managed projects funded by USAID, MCC, the EU, and UN agencies, with assignments in Morocco, Australia, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Mauritania, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Vietnam. In addition to her leadership, management experience, and technical skills, Alexandra excels in strategic communications, business development, and proposal writing. She is a seasoned trainer, and her skill set also includes capacity building and strategic planning. Her academic background includes a postgraduate diploma in International Relations from Sciences Po (Paris) and a Master’s Degree in Russian Language and Studies. She is bilingual in English and French, fluent in Moroccan Arabic, and has intermediate proficiency in Russian.