Expert Sources
CROWN’s founders are available to provide expert commentary, background briefings, and on-the-record interviews for journalists, documentary makers, and media producers covering hair discrimination, identity-based bias, and anti-discrimination policy in Europe.
Yanina Soumaré — President and Co-Founder
Yanina Soumaré brings expertise at the intersection of psychology, lived experience, and clinical practice.
Areas of expertise:
- Hair discrimination — the psychological mechanisms, social dynamics, and daily realities of hair-based bias in European workplaces, schools, and public life
- Identity-based trauma — how sustained appearance discrimination damages self-concept, mental health, and social functioning, and the concept of aesthetic trauma
- Therapeutic intervention — the 360° Integrative Mind-Body Therapeutic Protocol, its evidence base, its six modalities, and its application to discrimination-related mental health conditions
- Textured hair culture — the cultural significance of hair within African diaspora communities, the politics of natural hair, and the history of hair as identity
- Mixed-heritage experience — navigating identity, appearance, and belonging as a person of mixed European-African heritage in Europe
Language: English, French, Portuguese
Seydou Soumaré — Vice-President, Treasurer and Co-Founder
Seydou Soumaré brings expertise in technology strategy, corporate governance, and European policy.
Areas of expertise:
- Anti-discrimination technology — how sensor technology, AI, and data infrastructure can make discrimination measurable, with specific reference to CROWN’s diagnostic device and AI classification engine
- ESG reporting and CSRD compliance — how emerging European sustainability reporting requirements intersect with appearance-based discrimination and what the CROWN Discrimination Index offers as a benchmarking tool
- European anti-discrimination policy — the legislative landscape across France, Switzerland, the EU, and the UK, including the implications of the Serva bill
- Innovation strategy for social impact — how Swiss research institutions (ETH, EPFL, University of Geneva) can be leveraged for mission-driven technology development
- The business case for inclusive workplaces — the economic costs of discrimination and the measurable benefits of inclusive grooming and appearance policies
- Swiss and French nonprofit governance — structuring cross-border nonprofits, mecenat frameworks, and the strategic advantages of Geneva as an institutional base
Language: English, French
How to Request an Interview
Contact CROWN at [email protected] with:
- Your name and media outlet
- The topic and angle of your coverage
- Preferred format (phone, video call, in-person, written responses)
- Your deadline
CROWN responds to press enquiries within 24 hours. For urgent requests, please indicate “PRESS — URGENT” in the subject line.
For downloadable assets, see the Press Kit. For mission summaries and key facts, see the Press Room.