I am a serial social entrepreneur and board member, strategic adviser, and expert in governance, ESG, and diplomacy in complex environments

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I bring over 25 years of leadership experience at the intersection of governance, diplomacy, and sustainability, with a proven track record in board and executive roles across globally operating organisations. As a former international official, I led the team that established the International Criminal Court and was closely involved in scaling the Yugoslav Tribunal. I later served as the founding CEO of the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL) and the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), two globally respected ventures that developed innovative, high-impact approaches to governance, dispute resolution, and conservation. In these and other leadership roles, I have successfully led strategic transformation, complex stakeholder engagement, partnership building, multilateral fundraising, and governance reform. I have advised and worked closely with ministers, CEOs, chief justices, civil society leaders, business leaders, and development finance institutions, often in fragile or politically sensitive environments - particularly in Africa and the MENA region.

 

I bring deep board experience in internationally operating, mission-driven organisations, including as Chair of the Supervisory Board of WWF Netherlands, Chair of the Wildlife Justice Commission, and member of the Board of WWF International. I have served on two Global Agenda Councils of the World Economic Forum - one as Chair - and advised the Justice Action Coalition on governance and rule of law reform. I am particularly strong at navigating institutional complexity, innovation, designing and executing ESG strategies that align with both global standards and local realities, and supporting boards in managing geopolitical risk, regulatory uncertainty, and stakeholder expectations.

 

In recognition of my work, I received the Tällberg-SNS Global Leadership Prize in 2022 and a Royal Decoration of the Netherlands in 2024 for my contributions to the rule of law and environmental conservation.

In the following pages you can find out more about me.