I help boards treat nature as a strategic asset and as part of an economy that lasts for generations. Our economies are being transformed: capital that still flows to business as usual needs to be reallocated to businesses and projects that build low-carbon, nature-positive economies, on land and at sea. For over twenty years I have worked where nature, economics and finance meet: with governments, multilateral institutions, investors and indigenous-led enterprises across Asia-Pacific, Africa and Latin America.
Open to new non-executive, supervisory board and advisory roles.
From a global certification body in London to an indigenous-led cacao company in West Papua: my board work spans standards, finance, science and community enterprise.
An indigenous-led cacao enterprise on 2,000 hectares under a 100-year permit: 1,200 ha of cacao and 800 ha protected for conservation. Grown from a 30 ha pilot with a team of 180, and recognised with a Cacao of Excellence award. I raised over USD 2 million in start-up capital and built a technical assistance facility that develops local leadership and nurtures talent, prioritising the young generation, especially women.
The global certification system for woody biomass used in energy. I hold a civil society seat on the board.
Senior international advisory council behind the Global Bioeconomy Summit, including the 2026 edition.
Community trust working towards a predator-free Hauraki Gulf and Coromandel Peninsula.
Investor initiative helping members respond to nature-related risks and opportunities, including through the TNFD.
Global partnership of UNEP, OECD, the World Bank, GGGI and UNIDO on green economy policy and practice.
I am looking for non-executive, supervisory and advisory roles where nature, climate and long-term value are part of the strategy, that want to help move capital towards a low-carbon, nature-positive economy, and where experience across governments, investors and communities makes a difference.
Nature stewardship is a critical part of the bioeconomy. Unless the loss of nature from poor land and ocean practices is priced in, we lose ecosystem services that humanity depends on. Market-based instruments and economic incentives can translate what healthy ecosystems need into business and investment terms. Practical experience in ecosystem valuation, nature value at risk and the TNFD agenda.
Low-carbon, nature-positive businesses still have too few track records, so investors see them as high risk. Blended finance instruments can de-risk early investments. We need to use them to build that track record, so this kind of investment becomes mainstream and can scale. Contributed to the mobilisation of over USD 150 million in catalytic capital from governments, multilaterals, foundations and companies.
At GGGI I built the Indonesia programme from scratch and wrote the first global strategy for sustainable landscapes, approved by management and the GGGI Council. At Ebier Suth Cokran I helped build a cacao agroforestry company from the farm to value-added products, and the leadership of indigenous and marginalised communities.
Experience with market-based instruments and economic incentives that make sustainable land use and green investment pay. Years of direct work with national and provincial governments across countries and with UN agencies, WWF, The Nature Conservancy and development banks.
From global to local: the international council behind the Global Bioeconomy Summit, the board of a global biomass certification scheme, and a cacao company built from farm to value-added products. Across biomass, cacao, seaweed, forestry, agriculture, wetlands and peatlands: standards and business models in which nature stewardship is part of the business, keeping land, coast and livelihoods productive for generations to come.
Strong interpersonal skills and a multicultural Dutch-Indonesian background. Lived and worked in eight countries, including six years in China. Fluent in English, Indonesian and Dutch, with basic French, German and Spanish, and comfortable chairing across cultures and time zones.
I was born in Papua New Guinea to a Dutch father and an Indonesian mother, and grew up in Papua, Sumatra, Java and Bali. As a teenager I lived in Ransiki, West Papua, where I returned years later to co-found a cacao farm and company with the local indigenous community, who own it.
After studying environmental science in Australia and geo-information science in the Netherlands, I spent two decades in Beijing, Jakarta and Seoul, with a global portfolio, turning the value of nature into policy and investment. Today I live in Auckland and work internationally as a board director and adviser.
I am based in Auckland and work internationally, in person and remotely. I am happy to have an exploratory conversation.