She has worked in and visited over 100 countries and has immersed in cultures across the globe. Highly organized strategic thinker and campaign manager, she is versed in both the latest tech products, platforms and trends and in traditional media.
I had the privilege to manage Gema during the Typhoon Haiyan Level 3 humanitarian response in 2013, in the Philippines. Gema has a 'can do' attitude to her work, which makes working with her very easy. I found Gema to be talented and creative. She has attention to detail and can be relied on to provide accurate and reliable data. She has a very positive outlook which transcends to her work and can be relied on to deliver in the most stressful of situations. I would work again with Gema in a heartbeat.
Gema is a consummate professional and great colleague. Her ability to manage heavy workloads under pressure and a knack for finding solutions makes her an asset to any team. She is an outstanding creative thinker, whose leadership is action-oriented and results-driven. Her profound sense of humanity marks all her actions and provides her with an exceptional capacity to connect people from all spheres - from children and women fleeing conflict to high-level officials.
Tuve la suerte de trabajar con Gema Cortés en la agencia Reuters, en Bruselas primero y luego en Madrid, y pude comprobar su profesionalidad, su enorme capacidad de trabajo y su entusiasmo arrollador. Es una excelente compañera con la que da gusto trabajar y se desenvuelve perfectamente en entornos internacionales.
Gema is such a creative, inspiring, vibrant, engaged and committed professional but most of all, a magnificent human being who is compassionate and devoted to make any working environment a great place. Her social, integrity and moral values are outstanding. She is a leader, a colleague, and a mentor to any team member. I do feel blessed to have worked with her and can't wait for another opportunity to do it again. Any team will be luck to have her!
I met Gemma when I was just starting as a cameraman in Reuters and she was and remains - even after more than 20 years in the business - one of the people, a handful, who inspired me the most. A great operator, courageous, skillful, talented, with great ability to work under stress. A great one-woman-band. Most importantly, for me, with a deep, genuine and creative interest to humans and their stories. I last worked with her in 2004, when she was heading coverage of the Madrid terror attack, a difficult story she managed almost single-handedly. Since I followed her travels from afar as she left Reuters and changed course. And - throughout- I kept seeing in her work what had inspired me when I first met her.
I had the pleasure of working indirectly with Gemma in Mali in 2018. She was both my colleague (same duty station and compound but a different division) and friend. Gemma’s biggest strength is her ability to deal with conflicting priorities in high-pressure situations. She never loses her cool and her sense of humor is quite contagious. In addition to her technical skills in the multimedia domain, her openness to learning, adaptability, and flexibility make Gemma a brilliant and gifted emergency relief worker. She has been a pleasure to work with. Would definitely recommend to any colleagues in the sector.
Gema avec qui jai eu l'opportunite de collaborer, est une professionnelle de l'action humanitaire ayant cummule de nombreuses et riches experiences et pour la plupart dans des environnements difficiles. Elle possede des competences averees en matiere de planification, coordination des projets et programmes ainsi que la gestion de la securite. Elle dispose de grandes qualites manageriales en termes de travail d'equipe, de communication, de negociation, etc. Professionnelle chevronnee, tres devouee, fiable, courageuse avec une extraordinaire facitite d'adaptation aux divers contextes culturels et environnementaux. Je recommande Gema sans hesiter pour toutes responsabilites de haut niveau dans les interventions humanitaires, y compris dans les zones de conflits.
Gema is a very commited and creative professional. I had the opportunity to work closely with her and appreciate her work in MINUSTAH, Haiti and MINUSMA, Mali. She is skilled in team management and has 360-degree know-how of the multimedia domain. As a colleague, I very much appreciate working with her and her team.