If your organisation is interested in sponsoring the 2025 conference please reach out to us at: conference@uebt.org

Amsterdam - Movenpick Hotel

Piet Heinkade 11, 1019 BR, AMSTERDAM, Netherlands

UEBT Conference 2025 is supported by:

Deep discussions were had at the 2024 conference. Companies from all stages of the value chain shared insights and information. Key takeaways for the participants both in-person and online could be summarized as:

• Engaging in the field at the sourcing areas is key but deeper collaboration is needed, especially through meaningful partnerships between international companies and suppliers.

• When risks are found, more attention needs to be paid to living wages and living incomes, as there is a long way to go in this area.

• Companies will need to start anticipating the scenarios of climate change’s impacts on ingredient sourcing. Global summits this year have emphasised biodiversity loss and climate change are correlated and mutually reinforcing.

• Biodiversity awareness of consumers is at an all time high but their trust in companies on this topic remains low. Also, in company reporting, nature seems to be a blind spot.

Attendees can access the speakers’ presentations via the conference app.

What your peers said about the Sourcing with Respect Conference

Questions?

Write to us at conference@uebt.org

Speakers from 2024

Francisco Amorim

Senior Researcher, Nature-based Insights

Francisco is a seasoned conservation biologist with a strong academic foundation and extensive fieldwork experience. He is a Senior Researcher at Nature-based Insights, where he leverages his expertise in ecology to support businesses in integrating nature-based solutions into their operations. Specializing in geospatial and statistical analysis of large datasets, Francisco bridges scientific knowledge with practical, actionable solutions, helping companies set and achieve ambitious yet feasible nature targets. With a background in Environmental Engineering and a Ph.D. in Biodiversity, Genetics, and Evolution, he is deeply committed to promote positive environmental impacts and fostering collaboration between the scientific and private sectors. 

Thomas Andro

Vice-President of Responsible Sourcing, DSM-firmenich

Thomas Andro is Vice-President of Responsible Sourcing at dsm-firmenich, a global leader in co-creation and innovation, for food, drink, perfumery, and health sustainable solutions. Thomas drives the Procurement sustainability transformation and its impact driven Responsible Sourcing strategy #JoinForces for Sustainability. Thomas is member of the Procurement and Sustainability Leadership teams. Thomas ensures that Sustainability is holistically embedded at the heart of the sourcing decision to enhance sustainable value creation for all the stakeholders and bring positive impacts across the value chains for People and Planet. Prior to joining Dsm-firmenich, Thomas spent 14 years at Solvay, a world leader in sustainable chemistry. In his last role at Solvay, Thomas served as Head of Solvay Way, the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility program, and Head of One Planet Better Life activities. In addition, he is an alumni of the Leadership Program of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and Imagine Leader. Finally, Thomas is a lecturer on sustainable development management at various Business Schools. 

Elisa Aragon

Co-founder & CEO, Nelixia

Elisa Aragon is the co-founder and CEO of Nelixia, a leading essential oil, extracts and spices producer in Latin America. Nelixia strives to reinvent the way of sourcing and producing natural ingredients. Convinced that sourcing has to go hand in hand with sustainability, NELIXIA puts social and environmental aspects at the heart of all its operations. The company now has three production sites and has deployed its sustainable approach in six Latin American countries.

Elisa is from Guatemala and driven by her passion for naturals she obtained an organic chemistry degree in Paris, then a Master in Perfumery at ISIPCA, finishing by a master degree in Entrepreneurship at ESCP in Paris.

Deniz Austin

Human Rights Expert, UEBT

With UEBT since 2023, Deniz monitors and integrates evolving requirements on human rights due diligence into the UEBT systems, tools and processes. She is developing strategies to address human rights risks and concerns in specific supply chains. Deniz has both hands-on, field level, and high-level corporate experience designing and implementing human rights due diligence programs in various geographies related to different sectors, such as food & beverage, agricultural supply chains with extreme to high level of human rights risks, transportation, packaging as well as the e-retailer and fashion industries. She worked for NGOs such as Transparency International, and companies such as Nestlé. Deniz has master’s degree on applied human rights from the University of York in the UK.

Nour Altamimi

Sustainable Sourcing Department Manager, Groupe Rocher

Nour is currently holding the position of Sustainable Sourcing Department Manager at Groupe Rocher. After 10 years of experience in strategic & operational consulting on sustainable supply chains development mainly in agriculture, food and cosmetics, in both private and public sectors.
Her last experience was at UTOPIES as Senior Consultant CSR Strategy & Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains.

Nour has for main missions to guarantee the plant and natural sustainable supply chain strategy and associated indicators in line with the Groupe Rocher's ambitions, to guarantee the sustainability of the sourcing of botanical ingredients, natural ingredients and perfumes, and to ensure the implementation of sustainable plant supply chains in France and abroad.

Nour has an engineering diploma in agronomy from Montpellier SupAgro / AgroParisTech.

Aastha Lalit Bajaj

Founder and Director, Ancient India Organics

Aastha Lalit Bajaj is a visionary leader and the founder of Ancient India Group AG and AIO Impex, driving sustainable agriculture and organic trade with unwavering dedication. With exceptional leadership qualities, she spearheads initiatives that empower tribal farmers and pioneer eco-friendly practices. Her extensive experience in agri-supply chain management, sustainable sourcing, and organic product development has catapulted Ancient India Organics to the forefront of responsible business. Aastha's collaborative spirit and tremendous effort have yielded remarkable results, including a notable partnership with GIZ to enhance agricultural value chains. Additionally, AIO has long-standing supply partnerships with esteemed buyers in the EU. Together, they strategically implement sustainable initiatives focused on water and soil conservation, positively impacting biodiversity, reducing deforestation, and consistently supporting tribal farmers with livelihood, food, and water security. Her unrelenting passion for sustainability and social impact has made a lasting difference, supporting marginalized communities and fostering a greener future. As a trailblazer in conscious entrepreneurship, Aastha's innovative approach and commitment to excellence have driven a significant positive impact. At the UEBT conference this year, Aastha is joining the panel of “Local Voices,” bringing her expertise, passion, and vision to share with fellow thought leaders and help shape the future of sustainable agriculture. 

Mark Birch 

Program Director – Sustainable Procurement, IDH
 

Mark recently joined IDH as Program Director – Sustainable Procurement. IDH seeks to transform markets and enable businesses to create value for people and planet. IDH brings stakeholders together from across global value chains, to innovate and invest in solutions for sustainable and inclusive international trade. In 15 years of operation, IDH has mobilised private sector investment and support for new business models creating better jobs, better incomes, a better environment, and made progress towards gender equity. 

Mark has 37 years of FMCG experience in both consumer facing and B2B organisations, with 15 years spent in Procurement functions and 10 years leading sustainability strategies. He has a track record in driving positive impact in farming supply chains and extensive commercial expertise in agricultural crop procurement. 

His current role is focused on effecting change in procurement practices of companies, to drive meaningful social change. 

John Broadway

Sustainability Communications Specialist, Yogi Tea

John Broadway manages communications and storytelling for the sustainability team at Yogi Tea. Under his leadership, Yogi has been named Marie Claire Sustainable Drink Brand 2024, took top honors at Sustainability LIVE London, and received accolades at the World Tea Awards and the North American Tea Convention in 2023. John cooked in top New York City kitchens before working in wild and foraged food distribution throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. He went on to continue his education with an MBA from the University of Oregon and an MA in Cultural Studies from Malmö University, Sweden. He has published articles in international journals ranging from Gastonomica to Food Studies as well as business publications like Sustainable Brands and Trellis.

Nora Brune

Project Lead Sustainability Purchasing Herbs & Fruits, Teekanne

Nora Brune has been with Teekanne for 10 years and has gained valuable experience in various positions in Purchasing. For the past two years, she has been a project lead in Purchasing Herbs & Fruits and is responsible for the areas of RFA/UEBT, strengthening organic initiatives and reducing emissions in the supply chain. Nora is also responsible for purchasing apples, one of the company's top 3 product groups. Her work in purchasing has a decisive influence on the quality of raw materials, availability and the further development of suppliers. Business trips have taken her to growing regions in Ghana, Turkey and Kyrgyzstan, among others. Nora studied business administration at the universities of Aachen and Düsseldorf and gained international experience in Detroit, Singapore and Paris. She starts the day with a cup of tea every morning. 

Jason Clay

Senior Vice President, Market Transformation at WWF USA, and Executive Director of the WWF Markets Institute

JASON CLAY, SVP for Markets at WWF-US works with companies to reduce the impacts of their supply chains. As ED of the Markets Institute identity emerging global issues, trends, and tools impacting conservation in order to address them in more timely, cost-effective, and scalable ways. Clay’s career includes working on/running a family farm, USDA, teaching at Harvard and Yale and 45 years with human rights and environmental NGOs. In 1988, Clay founded Rainforest Marketing, set up a trading company within an NGO, helped indigenous and local communities access global markets, and launched Ben & Jerry’s Rainforest Crunch plus more than 200 other products. At WWF, Clay developed the food strategy and programs on market transformation, DCF products, The 1% Solution and Codex Planetarius.  Clay writes the weekly ReThink Food and has authored 18 books, 500 articles, 300 blogs and has given 2,000 invited presentations. He studied anthropology and agriculture at Harvard, LSE, and Cornell (PhD). 

Jean-Pierre Coutauchaud

Corporate raw materials category director, L'Oreal

Jean-Pierre possesses 25 years of experience in Sourcing, boasting a strong purchasing and technical background within the food and cosmetics industries. An agronomist by training, he holds a deep passion for agriculture (rooted in his family's "Pineau des Charentes" tradition), fishing, and the discovery of natural ingredient sources. 

Since joining L'Oréal Group 18 years ago, he has spearheaded the implementation and design of the company's sourcing strategy on naturals, alongside his team. A key focus of his efforts since 2008 has been on sustainable sourcing. Jean-Pierre has worked diligently to develop the inclusive sourcing program for raw materials, encompassing traceability from the field level to a living income approach for farmers cultivating natural ingredients. The program's mission is to generate a positive and sustainable impact on the communities with which L'Oréal engages. By 2030, the Group aims to achieve 100% sustainable sourcing for its biobased raw materials. 

David Croft  

Group Head of Sustainability, Reckitt 

David leads sustainability for Reckitt, the leading global health and home hygiene company which reaches billions of people around the world. 
He is responsible for their work on environmental and social sustainability worldwide, integrating this within the core business. It means working with farmers, communities, manufacturers and customers across an international supply network alongside Reckitt’s global supply chain, brand, R&D and customer teams together with global functions and the leadership team. His work stems from a personal goal to develop inclusive growth at scale through the organsiations and partnerships he is part of. 
David has a wealth of leadership experience from major global companies, holding senior roles within Diageo, Kraft Foods and Cadbury, and the UK retailers, Waitrose and the Co-operative Group. With these, he led technical, quality, marketing and sustainability functions to deliver growth and consumer engagement through stronger sustainable supply chains, product quality, brand equity and shared value.  

David also chairs the Business Industry Advisory Council’s Development Committee, leading private sector input to the OECD Development Committee. Amongst other external roles, he is a member of the TNFD taskforce, contributing to the development of nature and biodiversity measurement and disclosure. 

Victor Dagnelie

Innovation Manager on Better Environment, IDH

Victor is a sustainability content expert in the broadest sense. In his current role at IDH he brings environmental expertise to programs around the world, while connecting them to social, economic and systems change outcomes.

This broad perspective is reflected in his background. Victor holds an MSc in Theoretical Physics with a focus on nuclear fusion energy before he switched to the more pragmatic challenges in sustainable agriculture. There he spent some years as a strategy consultant crafting socio-economic models for agrifood clients, before switching again and building expertise around environmental solutions. Not by coincidence, his current favorite subjects include regenerative agriculture and climate resilience, which are often at the nexus of environmental, income and gender impact.

Simona D'Amico

Head of biodiversity, risk and impact, UEBT

An international expert on the socio-biodiversity impacts of the sourcing of natural raw materials, Simona has been with UEBT since 2017 and oversees UEBT’s workstreams on biodiversity conservation and regeneration. She also leads UEBT’s own monitoring & evaluation to determine organisational impact on people and biodiversity. Simona holds a PhD in rural sociology from Wageningen University. Prior to joining UEBT, she worked on European research projects on policies for organic farming and sustainable food systems, as well as the valorisation of agrobiodiversity through sustainable agrifood chains.  She has traveled extensively to UEBT field projects and has worked with UEBT members on their journeys to implement biodiversity actions in supply chains and surrounding landscapes.

Nelly Debril

Communications and Claims Manager, UEBT

Specialised in sustainability claims and communications, Nelly has been with UEBT since 2017. She is responsible for communications and leads UEBT’s work with companies on claims and labelling. Previously, she worked as a media monitoring specialist for the French Ministry of Environment and for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Nelly holds a master's degree in international relations from the Institute of the Oriental Languages and Civilisations (INALCO) in Paris.

Cathrien de Liagre Böhl

Certification Team Lead, Herbs and Spices Programme Coordinator, UEBT

Cathrien leads the overall management of the certification team, supports the roll out of the UEBT/Rainforest Alliance Herbs and Spices Programme, and facilitates linkages with UEBT member companies, especially UEBT and UEBT/RA certified suppliers. Before joining UEBT, Cathrien worked for more than six years with Rainforest Alliance and UTZ on herbs and spices. She held various positions working on responsible agricultural value chains and started her career as marketeer in the food industry. Cathrien holds a master’s degree at Wageningen University in land and water management and nature conservation, as well as an executive economic master’s degree from the TIAS Business School.

Andrea Einig

Director Botanical Sourcing, Mast-Jägermeister

Andreas has been working as Director Botanical Sourcing for Mast-Jägermeister SE since 2016. He holds a diploma degree in Agricultural Sciences from Bonn University and started his career managing an organic farm in Germany. He worked for several years in the field of rural development in the Philippines before taking responsibilities in shaping supply chains in the tea and herbal infusions industry. For almost 20 years he is deepening his insights and knowledge on the many fascinating aspects of botanicals, their environments and the people behind. 

Catarina W. Ferreira

Project Assistant - Biodiversity and Certification, UEBT

With UEBT since 2022, Catarina supports companies on biodiversity requirements and the development of Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs). She holds a master's degree in environmental management from the University of Amsterdam and a bachelor's degree in life sciences with specialisation in biology from the University of Luxembourg.

Seher Gumus

Türkiye Representative, UEBT

With UEBT since 2023 and based in Izmir, Seher is the representative for Turkey. She has been working as consultant and auditor in the field of sustainable agriculture since 2015. She has also worked as proposal writer and project coordinator with various civil society organisations. Seher holds a master’s degree on food engineering from Hacettepe University (Turkey). She also completed a master’s on sustainable development in agriculture from UCC (Ireland) and Montpellier SupAgro (France).

Gerbrand Haverkamp

CEO, World Benchmarking Alliance

Gerbrand Haverkamp is the Executive Director of World Benchmarking Alliance, a non-profit bringing together investors, NGO’s, business platforms, governments and existing disclosure standards to develop free and publicly available benchmarks that rank companies on their contribution to the SDGs. 

Gerbrand is responsible for the direction and daily operations of the World Benchmarking Alliance. He believes that society won’t progress unless companies align their business with societal interest. All of us should have a say on how we want companies to shape our lives and the world around us. Based on these societal expectations we can rightly credit companies that lead, while holding others accountable, encouraging both to do better. Gerbrand originally founded and led Index Initiative, one of WBA’s founding partners, where he led the global consultation on the WBA. Prior to this Gerbrand worked for the Dutch Government in the areas of inclusive business, sustainable agricultural supply chains and food security. 

Joe Iveson

FSA Manager, SAI Platform

Joe is the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) Manager at SAI Platform. He is responsible for the FSA Benchmarking Programme and the ongoing maintenance and development of the FSA Web App. To this end, his role also revolves around enhancing the user experience and quality of the support offered to SAI Platform’s members and partners who use the FSA Programme.

He previously worked as a Project Support Officer at SCOPEinsight, an organisation which aims to professionalise global agri-business through a data-driven approach. In this position, he worked on the implementation of multi-year projects across Africa and Latin America.

Joe graduated from the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University in 2017, with a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development, and with a specialisation in Environmental Governance.

Michael Jakobsen

Regional Director of Business Development and Timber Commodity Lead, Preferred by Nature

Michael is in charge of optimising the services of Preferred by Nature to provide clients with an excellent experience. This includes addressing opportunities for providing added value and streamlining the customer service processes.

A seasoned FSC and PEFC auditor, he is charged with auditing tasks requiring senior experience, including with the most complex parts of the certification systems. Furthermore, he is in charge of sales, marketing and LegalSource services on behalf of Preferred by Nature's office in Aarhus.

A popular public speaker, Michael is frequently seen facilitating or speaking at events, including external conferences and workshops and our own courses and seminars. Michael holds a Master's degree in Forestry and has passed Preferred by Nature's FSC Expert and LegalSource Expert training courses. Prior to joining Preferred by Nature in 2001, he worked in forestry research and in state forest management.

Michael acts as the Timber Commodity Lead for Preferred by Nature, representing the organisation in all aspects related to the commodity. His role involves advocating and facilitating the widespread adoption of sustainable practices in timber production landscapes and supply chains. 

With extensive experience in the timber sector, Michael possesses invaluable expertise and knowledge that provide deep insights into market trends and challenges.

Hasan Ali Kinaci

CEO, Sebat Roseoil

Hasan Ali Kinaci was born on 17th of July 1979, in Isparta. He lives in Isparta. He graduated from Süleyman Demirel University, Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2004. He continues his career as the CEO of Sebat Roseoil, founded by his grandfather Hasan Kinaci in 1985. He is also the chairman of the Rose Oil Productions and Aromatic Oil Industrialists Association (GUYAD).

Lara Koritzke

Communications and Marketing Director, UEBT

With UEBT since 2018, Lara brings 20 years of experience working to engage business to adopt sustainability standards. She is also an expert on credible sustainability claims. Her previous work includes serving as Director of Communications & Development for ISEAL Alliance and Global Director of Institutional Relations for Rainforest Alliance. Lara served as judge for the Unilever Sustainable Entrepreneur Awards and as guest faculty for the Kinship Conservation Fellows. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and is a graduate of the University of Cambridge Sustainability Leadership Programme where she focused on cross-sector partnerships, specifically those between companies and environmental NGOs.

Sandra Kruger

Partner, Kruger, Swart & Associates

Sandra Kruger is a partner at Kruger, Swart & Associates, a consultancy based in the Western Cape in South Africa.  The consultancy has over 15 years’ experience in the context of standards, certification and biotrade, including the development of local and international sustainability standards and development strategies for a variety of sectors and businesses. The consultancy aims to create, together with their clients, outcome-focused action plans to address trade and development issues that strengthen businesses and create vibrant sectors that can respond well to change. Sandra is experienced in multi-stakeholder facilitation and sustainable value chain development, especially facilitating dialogue and collaboration between the public and private sector, and development organizations

Elisabeth Le Franc

Senior Manager, Worldwide Regulatory Affairs, L'Oreal

Elisabeth has always worked in the environmental field and is passionate about exploring new areas and passing on knowledge. At L'Oréal, she explores new regulations or changes to existing regulations and shares complex concepts such as ABS and EUDR with internal and external stakeholders. As a former expert on the REACH regulation, she accompanied the L'Oréal teams through the various stages of transformation brought about by this revolutionary regulation in the field of chemical products. Before joining L'Oréal, Elisabeth began her career as an environmental consultant in the field of soil and groundwater contamination at Dames & Moore (today Aecom ex URS). She holds two masters degrees, one in chemistry and one in environmental engineering.   

Sarah Lucas

Project Officer, UEBT

With UEBT since 2024, Sarah works on monitoring and analysing due diligence rules in policy and sector change. Sarah has 14 years' experience working in the field of biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods. She has developed extensive expertise in advising governments, regional organisations and multilateral environmental agreement secretariats, such as the Convention on Migratory Species, to ensure that national legislation is consistent with international law and global conservation objectives. She has also worked as a legal officer for the IUCN Environmental Law Centre, managing projects on protected areas, wildlife conservation and the green economy. Sarah grew up on the island of Réunion and holds a master’s degree in environmental law from the Robert Schuman University in France.

Rik Kutsch Lojenga

Executive Director, UEBT

Rik has been the Executive Director of UEBT since its creation in 2008. He is an expert on ethical sourcing of ingredients from biodiversity in support of the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity.  He spent more than a decade with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), where he was involved in the creation of the BioTrade Initiative and helped to conceptualise the idea of UEBT.  He has also served as the Board Chair of ISEAL, the umbrella group for sustainability standards.  Rik grew up in the Netherlands, where he earned a master’s degree in business and environmental economics.

André Grossi Machado

Technical Advisor, GIZ

André Grossi Machado is an business manager with a master's degree in Agribusiness. For the past 15 years, he has been working on projects focused on the management of supply chains for agricultural and socio-biodiversity products in Brazilian government, NGOs and private sector. He has directed significant Brazilian public policies such as the Social Biofuel Seal and the Food Acquisition Program (PAA). Currently, he is a technical advisor for the AgriChains Brazil Project at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

Helen Mant

Sector Director, Food & Agriculture, twentfyfifty ltd

As sector lead for the food and agriculture sectors, I am passionate about improving the lives of the most vulnerable people within global value chains. Using my 20 years of international experience, I enjoy supporting businesses to drive positive change through pragmatic and innovative solutions.

My previous roles across corporate, consulting and the non-profit sector include working with SABMiller, the Rockefeller Foundation and PricewaterhouseCoopers. This coupled with my cross-sector expertise, enables me to bring a unique perspective of sustainable agriculture whilst leading our projects at Board level and into the whole value chain, to address human rights challenges.

Claire Mathot

CSR Manager, Laboratoires Expanscience

With 8 years of experience in sustainable development, Claire has worked on social research studies, as environmental consultant at Deloitte, in CSR at Elior and now in the cosmetic and health sector at Laboratoires Expanscience.  

For the last 4 years, she has been holding the role of CSR manager and is in charge of: 

• The deployment of the impACT strategy to make Laboratoires Expanscience become a company with positive impact and regenerative aims. 

• CSR certifications such as B Corp 

• Carbon and biodiversity impact management at the company’s global level and LCAs at products’ level. 

Claire Mathot is an agronomy engineer graduated from ENSAIA Nancy. She is passionate and sincerely involved in working to transform and shift business models to better balance between fairness, inclusiveness, resilience and regeneration. 

Eduardo Mattoso

General Manager, Kaapi

Eduardo Mattoso is the General Manager at Kaapi, a Brazilian company dedicated to offering natural ingredients for the flavor and fragrance industry, sourced from the country's rich biodiversity. With a keen eye for sustainability, Eduardo is passionate about transforming Brazil's abundant plant resources into products that drive economic growth, create jobs, and support the livelihoods of wild harvesters and small farmers. 

Since becoming a member of UEBT in 2022, Kaapi has been committed to sourcing tonka beans and copaiba balsam from the Amazon with integrity and care. The company also prides itself on its sustainably managed Brazilian rosewood plantations, where rosewood oil is distilled from leaves and twigs, ensuring the preservation of these precious trees. In collaboration with universities and research institutes, Kaapi is continually innovating to develop new ingredients and essential oils, aligning with its mission of sustainable development. 

Francesca Minerva

Ethical Sourcing Expert, UEBT

With UEBT since 2021, Francesca works with the verification team on supply chain verification projects. She has a long background in Fairtrade, BioTrade and supply chain assessment, with a focus on human rights in agriculture. She has worked both in the development and the private sector, as a project manager, certification expert and social auditor. Francesca holds a master’s degree in cooperation and development by the University of Pavia and has extensive fieldwork experience, especially in Latin America.

Shamiso Mungwashu

Coordinator, Fairtrade Support Network Zimbabwe

In the past 15 years, Shamiso has worked with small scale farmers and wild collectors training them in Organic and Fairtrade principles. She is the co-founder of Fairtrade Support Network Zimbabwe which has championed farmer led community development that has seen communities build classes, equip schools and hospitals, build roads and other infrastructure. For her efforts, Shamiso Mungwashu became an OWA (One World Award) silver medal winner in 2017.

Shamiso has also championed the Access and Benefit Sharing debate in Zimbabwe bringing together the Government of Zimbabwe and key stakeholders thus promoting awareness of Access and Benefit Sharing and Sustainable harvesting in Zimbabwe. Shamiso currently serves as a member of the Regional Steering Committee Africa (RSCA) of the ABS Initiative.

She is part of UEBT Board and Standards and Assurance Committee.

Shamiso also runs an orphanage that takes care of children who lost parents to HIV and AIDS or are living with HIV themselves.

She lives by the saying, ‘if this is the world that you want to see tomorrow, or you desire a better looking tomorrow, what are you doing today?”

Maria Julia Oliva

Director of Policy and Sector Transformation, UEBT

Julia is responsible for Policy and Sector Transformation as of May 2023. She previously worked with UEBT from 2009 until 2021 and last served as Deputy Director and Senior Coordinator for ABS and Policy. Her last position was Head of Policy at UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) where she oversaw a team focused on accounting for the value for biodiversity in policy and providing support to incorporate biodiversity management into policy across many sectors. She is a trained lawyer with internationally recognized expertise on legal and policy issues linked to biodiversity. Julia grew up in Mendoza, Argentina and has an LLM degree from Lewis & Clark Law School in the US.

Hayat Osseiran

Senior Labour Rights Consultant

Hayat Osseiran is an independent senior child protection and child labour expert, working for more than twenty years in the Arab States as well as Africa.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Sociology-Anthropology and a Master of Arts (MA) in Political Sociology from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. Her Doctoral Degree (PhD) was in Social Policies, with an emphasis on Child Labour, starting at the  University of Bath in the UK and completing it at Princely International University in New York, USA. Over the years, most of her work was with the International Labour Office - ILO (headquarters as well as regional offices in Beirut, Abidjan, and Cairo as well as its Turin International Training Centre). Moreover, she has been a main child labour consultant and advisor to other regional and international agencies such as UNICEF, Freedom Fund, League of Arab States and the Arab Parliament, developing and supervising child labour projects, or negotiating and developing appropriate national and regional policies and programmes in this domain. In addition, she has been a lead auditor with international organizations for child labour in supply chains of internationally consumed products. Over the past few years, she has been a consultant with UEBT attending to labour and social sustainability issues especially child labour in Egypt, specifically within the sectors of aromatic, medicinal, and other agricultural products.  

Raja Palaniswamy

Chief Commercial Officer, Jasmine Concrete Exports Private Limited

Mr Raja Palaniswamy has been with Jasmine Concrete Exports Private Limited since its early days and has been strategically guiding towards the overall  growth of the company. He is the Chief Commercial Officer and joint owner of Jasmine Concrete Exports Private Limited. He has been the key to establish and nourish relationships that brings in sales and new business opportunities. His contribution has not only ensured a healthy growth in the top line, but also maintain a healthy bottom line for the organization. His guidance in ensuring a sustainable business model through sustainable farming, earlier on, has been paving new opportunities in the recent times. 

Linda Pessler  

Strategic Procurement, Martin Bauer GmbH & Co. KG  

Linda joined the company MartinBauer 14 years ago as a team member in developing the company’s own sustainability standard. She is now in charge of qualification and certification of the suppliers at MartinBauer Germany. She manages MartinBauer’s sustainability standard, the UEBT membership, the UEBT/RA Herbals Certification Programme, the company’s Chain of Custody certifications as well as the company’s supplier qualification and certification in general such as due-diligence (e.g. EUDR, German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act…). She also acts as an auditor for the company’s own standards since 2013. She holds a Mater degree in business administration and is currently studying “Sustainability Management” part-time. 

François Petit

General Manager, Bionexx Sa 

François is managing Bionexx SA, a company based in Madagascar since 2006, specialized in raw materials supply chains and plants extracts for cosmetic, pharmaceutic, flavor and fragrance industries. During the last 18 years, François built several raw materials supply chains (fresh flowers, dry flowers, dry leaves, bark, cacao shells, vanilla beans), always with small local farmers. The company founded its strategy around large scale farmers networks, and contracted 47 000 farmers in 2024. Convinced of the importance of ethical sourcing, Bionexx invested its energy in traceability systems, in farmers incomes sustainabilty, with respect for natural resources and human rights. 

One of the pillars of the company is to carry out many processing stages in Madagascar to create added value locally.

Annette Piperidis

Head of Membership and Due Diligence, UEBT

With UEBT since 2022, Annette leads membership and due diligence at UEBT. She supports companies to become UEBT members and provides specific advice on their commitments to due diligence on cultivation and wild collection practices. Prior to joining UEBT, Annette worked for 14 years at Weleda where she held various roles. In her last role at Weleda, she was manager sustainable sourcing. In this function she implemented the UEBT’s due diligence system at Weleda as well as the Ethical Sourcing System certification. She travelled extensively to meet with suppliers and support them to implement required actions. Annette is based in Germany.

Rina Razanakolona

Director of UEBT Madagascar, UEBT

An expert on ethical sourcing of natural raw materials in Madagascar’s high biodiversity ecosystems, Rina has been with UEBT since 2016. She oversees the UEBT local team and activities in Madagascar. She previously worked as a consultant for GIZ, UEBT, and Label CBD on value chain development, access and benefit sharing, bio-cultural community protocols, and certification. She holds an Engineer's degree in Agronomy from the Higher School of Agronomic Sciences, University of Antananarivo, Madagascar and a Master's degree in Food Sciences and Technologies from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of Gembloux and Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium.

Nicole Roth

Purchasing coordinator herbs & spices, Teekanne

After almost 30 years in process and project management at a global player and a management consultancy, Nicole Roth has fulfilled her dream of setting up the Herbs & Fruits purchasing sustainability project at Teekanne. For 5.5 years, she has been working with Teekanne's suppliers on the development of sustainable agriculture, which enables the global purchase of sustainable raw materials. Business trips take us to these suppliers, whom we advise and support on site. RA/UEBT has been supporting us here for many years. Nicole is also jointly responsible for comprehensive project and process management in the Herbs & Fruits purchasing department. Nicole studied economics at the University of Essen and has enjoyed drinking herbal tea all her life. 

Catherine Rutherford

(Participating through pre-recorded video)

Research Associate, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Catherine Rutherford is an environmental consultant, working to support legal and sustainable trade in plant species. She was a member of the UK CITES Scientific Authority for flora at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, for several years and is now a Research Associate at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, working on Boswellia species (frankincense). She consults regularly on illegal logging for the Forest Policy, Trade and Finance Initiative at Forest Trends, an international non profit based in Washington, D.C. and works with CITES Parties and the CITES Secretariat to ensure CITES decisions are implementable and create long term, sustainable benefits to the plant species they protect. 

Télé Yacouba SANOU

Head of the Department of Agriculture Production and Wild Collection, AGRIFASO

Télé Yacouba SANOU is a economist with a Master's degree in Macroeconomics and Development Management from the University of Ouagadougou. His professional journey began at the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), where he served as an economic analyst and data collection supervisor, honing his skills in economic analysis and data management.

In 2021, Télé Yacouba SANOU assumed a key position at AGRIFASO, where he now leads the Agriculture Production and Wild Collection departments. In this role, he is responsible for managing social investments, as well as overseeing initiatives in Environment and Biodiversity. He trains and supervises agricultural advisers, meticulously plans and monitors agricultural activities, and conducts both internal and external audits to ensure operational efficiency and sustainability.

In addition to his professional responsibilities, SANOU has actively engaged in ongoing professional development through a range of online and international training programs. This commitment has allowed him to continually enhance his expertise and remain at the forefront of the latest advancements in his field.

Bas Schneiders

Director of Sustainability and Responsible Sourcing, CREED Fragrances

Bas Schneiders has 30 years of experience in the natural and beauty products industry in different roles. He has led transformations where a focused strategy and people-first values deliver real `sustainable change´ in organizations, besides being an expert on supplier development and ethical sourcing of ingredients from biodiversity. 

Bas has been the UEBT Board president for around 10 years and currently holds the position of Director of Sustainability & Responsible Sourcing at Creed Fragrances.

Sureel Singh

South Asia Representative, UEBT

With UEBT since 2019 and based in Ghaziabad (India) Sureel is country representative for India and regional representative for South Asia. He is in charge of guiding companies in the implementation of the UEBT standard, conducting supply chain and risk assessments, supervising audit procedures and other certification advisory related functions. He brings over a decade of professional experience working in various positions with Fairtrade International focused on collaborating with regional stakeholders. Sureel holds a master's degree in management and a diploma in labour laws. He is also a SA - 8000  & ISO 9008 certified auditor. Read his interview here.

Philippa Smith

Director of Sustainability for Scent and Care, Symrise

Philippa Smith is Sustainability Director for Scent and Care at Symrise and is responsible for setting strategic direction and implementing projects. For 15 years she has worked to develop sustainable supply chains for commercial organisations across both agricultural and mineral materials. She recognises the power of partnerships along the value chain to support and enable change. Philippa holds a PhD in chemistry and is based in the UK. 

 Marthane Swart

Partner, Kruger Swart & Associates

Marthane is a partner in Kruger, Swart Associates, a consultancy that designs and implements projects in the biotrade sector in Southern Africa. The consultancy focusses on a wide range of activities in the sector including the analysis of value chains and industries to enable innovative and proactive actions for development, working with partners to optimise models for access and benefit sharing and responsible environmental practises and exploring the potential of new tools such as geographical indications in the biotrade sector. A key part of this work is to facilitate the development of collaborative networks between biotrade sector stakeholders, government and development organisations to identify shared priorities and opportunities and to motivate for collective solutions creating an enabling and strong basis for growth.

Sergio Talocchi

Sustainable Supply Chains Senior Manager, Natura

Sergio Talocchi is an economist with a master's degree in Ecological Economics. After several experiences in the third sector, he began his career at Natura in 2007, where he worked until 2013 as Relationship Manager with Rural Communities. From 2014 to 2021, he was responsible for Circular Economy strategies and environmental management of operations, with emphasis on the Elos Program, which structures the responsible supply of recycled materials. Currently in Procurement, he leads the area of Sustainable Supply Chains, focusing on promoting regenerative business models within Natura's supplier network.

Jacqueline Tedaldi

Senior consultant, Community Insights Group (CIG)

Jacqueline is a Senior Consultant at Community Insights Group, specializing in human rights and business. She has extensive experience supporting companies in building human rights due diligence systems, conducting human rights impact assessments (HRIAs), and delivering capacity-building and training on human rights topics. Jacqueline has led human rights studies across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America in mining, renewable energy, food and beverage, and agriculture sectors. Her recent projects in Italy and Türkiye focused on workers' rights and responsible sourcing. Jacqueline is deeply committed to improving approaches to stakeholder engagement with affected communities and workers, emphasizing the importance of integrating a human rights-based approach. 

She holds an MSc in International Business and Politics from Copenhagen Business School.

Hamish Taylor

Global Sustainable Supply Chains Expert

Vanessa Vega

Senior Market Research Executive at Toluna- Harris Interactive

Since 2022, Vanessa in partnership with UEBT, has been leading the UEBT Barometer research, a global survey that tracks the evolving awareness and expectations of consumers regarding biodiversity. 

Her passion for biodiversity has deepened through this work, as she explores the intersection of sustainability and consumer behavior. 

Vanessa, originally from the United States, holds a Marketing degree from the University of California, Long Beach, and a Master's in Luxury Brand Management obtained in Paris, where she currently resides.

Matthias Vey

VP Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, IFRA

Dr. Matthias Vey is a chemist by training from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany. After his studies and a short period of training as a perfumer he started in fragrance research and development for Marbert Cosmetics in Düsseldorf, Germany. He then became global regulatory affairs manager for Coty/Lancaster in Mainz, Germany. 

In 2000 Dr. Vey joined IFRA. In his current position as Vice President Scientific Affairs he is responsible for the fragrance industry's worldwide safe use program, known as the IFRA Standards. He also manages all of IFRA's science related committees and is strongly engaged in IFRA's advocacy activities. He is further responsible for the management of the International Dialogue on the Evaluation of Allergens (IDEA), a multi-stakeholder initiative. He regularly presents at international meetings and conferences, including the Safety Course at the free university of Brussels. 

Gina Villarreal

Ethical Sourcing Expert – Living Income and Living Wage, UEBT

With UEBT since 2022, Gina works with members and partners on their efforts on fair prices and sourcing arrangements—including​ living wage and living income projects. Previously, she worked as a researcher on corporate sustainability policies in the agri-food industry. Gina has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and holds a PhD in agri-food sociology from Wageningen University. 

Stephanie von Meibom

Senior Programme Coordinator, TRAFFIC

Stephanie von Meibom is the Senior Programme Coordinator – Europe for TRAFFIC, a leading non-governmental organisation working to ensure that trade in wild species is legal and sustainable for the benefit of the planet and people. 

 Stephanie coordinates TRAFFIC's work in Europe on wildlife trade issues, leading research on a range of topics and advising European governments on developing better regulations to ensure trade is sustainable and legal, supporting private sector engagement and facilitating consumer behavioural change. She has more than 20 years of experience of working on issues of wildlife trade, including trade in wild plants ingredients. Her work involved projects in Europe, Central Asia, Russia, Caribbean and South Asia and relevant policy work, including the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations, CITES and CMS contexts. Stephanie has a background in Biology, with an MSc Degree from the Free University of Berlin, Germany.   

Joshua Wickerham

Outreach and Engagement Manager, ISEAL

Joshua Wickerham is Outreach and Engagement Manager at ISEAL, the global membership organization for ambitious, collaborative and transparent sustainability systems. In his work with ISEAL since 2010, he has supported governments, companies and civil society from around the world to design smart mixes of market and regulatory approaches to sustainability. Joshua also has a keen interest in wild and medicinal plants and enjoys cultivating his garden in London.

30 September and 01 October 2025

Amsterdam

Movenpick Hotel - Amsterdam City Center
Piet Heinkade 11, 1019 BR, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Questions?

Write to us at conference@uebt.org

Questions? Write to us at conference@uebt.org