Eric Bouchet
Chairman

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Eric has a background in electrical engineering and was involved in several hi-tech projects, including the design of Eurostar traction electronics. In 1995, he decided to dedicate his career to the family business, Botanic. As CEO of Botanic he has managed the company’s growth and the eco design of stores. With 70 shops located across France, Botanic is a major player in the garden centre industry and was the first company to have abandoned the sale of artificial pesticides, as well as being a major lobbyist to modify the French law towards a ban for non-professionals.

As a grower’s son and an engineer, Eric likes to think of himself as a nature-rooted dreamer – technology and nature are not to be opposed, but to be reconciled.

Saskia Ozinga
Member of the Board

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Saskia Ozinga is the founder of Fern, an organisation with the aim of making the EU work for forests and people. Born in Beverwijk, the Netherlands, she studied biology and healthcare at the Hogeschool Utrecht. Since graduating in the 1980s, she worked briefly as a teacher in environmental science at the Hogeschool Utrecht and for nearly ten years as a forest campaigner at Friends of the Earth Netherlands.

She founded Fern in 1995. While at Fern, she has facilitated various NGO coalitions on different topics related to forests and community rights and written and published numerous books, articles and reports on themes like forest certification, trade and forests, effective advocacy, and improving forest governance and forests and climate. She now works part-time for Fern and on a consultancy basis for various organisations. Besides being a board member of Earthworm Foundation, she is also a board member of Corporate Europe Observatory and the American Hardwood Council's Standard Endorsement Body.

Pascal Gauthier
Member of the Board

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In late 2011, Pascal Gauthier founded an advisory and private equity activity to help corporations and organisations develop strategies and projects to address environmental needs and protection, and to face the future impact of energy cost increases and raw material rarefactions, as well as to materialise the benefit of resource recovery and renewable energies. He is also a direct capital investor in businesses such as plastics recycling, biomass preparation, water treatment, solid waste management, development of new environmental technologies.

Pascal is an independent member of various Board of Directors, a senior advisor to many operators in the environmental industry and the founder of Waste Force, an NGO addressing toxic waste pollution in emerging countries, in partnership with UNO.

Luc Cardyn
Member of the Board

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Luc has a successful background as a senior banking executive, with over three decades with a world-renowned French financial institution, including more than ten years as the country manager and CEO in Vietnam and Indonesia.

Spending 14 years in Southeast Asia has raised his awareness of the numerous challenges facing agriculture in this region. Luc will support Earthworm Foundation in developing robust sustainability strategies and support small farmer communities in this challenging transition.

Krisztina Bende
Member of the Board

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Krisztina Bende, a Swiss citizen, is the Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations Organizations in Rome, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Before her current posting, Krisztina Bende was the Director of the Trade Relations Division at the European Free Trade Association in Geneva, overseeing trade negotiations with non-EU countries.

In 2005, Krisztina Bende joined the Federal Office for Agriculture to work on international trade issues related to agriculture. She was a Member of the Swiss delegation to the World Trade Organisation and chaired the Joint Committee on Agriculture between Switzerland and the European Union.

She started her career at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, where she worked on environmental issues in the Policy Directorate. She then worked as a lawyer at the European Court of Human Rights. Ambassador Bende holds a Law degree from the University of Berne, CH and an MBA from IE Madrid and Brown School of professional studies in the USA. 

Julio J. Copo Terrés
Member of the Board

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Julio is an attorney with more than fifteen years of experience in Regulatory Law, Health and Life Sciences Law, Compliance and Anti-Corruption law, and Philanthropy. He graduated from Universidad Iberoamericana, holds a Master's in Administrative Law fromUniversidad Panamericana, and has a Master's in International Human Rights Law from the University of Notre Dame.

In the professional field, Julio works as Counsel at Arochi & Lindner. In the past he worked as Junior Counsel at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in San José, Costa Rica; and as Senior Associate at Basham, Ringe y Correa where he had a foreign professional exchange with the firm FRORIEP in Geneva, Switzerland. He is a full member of the International Bar Association, the International Association of Young Lawyers, the Ilustre y Nacional Colegio de Abogados, where he heads the Administrative Law Commission and an active member of the Mexican Bar Association, where he was founding Coordinator of the Health Commission.

Since 2021, Chambers & Partners has consistently ranked him as a leading lawyer for "Life Sciences" in LatinAmerica. In 2022, they also recognised him as a "Thought leader" in the field.

Julie Wynne
Member of the Board

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ulie Wynne is a highly regarded social impact lawyer with expertise in philanthropy, charity law and social entrepreneurship. As a partner at MLL, a Swiss business law firm, she advises individuals, non-profit organisations, and businesses aiming to create social and environmental impact. Julie (TEP) also advises nonprofit and cultural institutions on charity law, governance, legacies, fundraising, and sponsorship.

She is deeply involved in promoting philanthropy and using business as a force for good. She sits amongst others on the boards of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Movement Health and Earthworm Foundation, and serves on the Advisory Council of the Geneva Centre for Business and Human Rights and of Art for Action.

Karl Yen Quek
Regional Director - Asia

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Karl Yen Quek is the Regional Director, overseeing Earthworm's operations across Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, and China. Karl's background reflects a strong focus on driving sustainable practices and regional impact within complex organisational structures.

Building on experience at Earthworm Foundation, Karl has progressed through several roles, including Regional Lead (Malaysia), Program Manager, and Project Officer. These roles have provided a foundation in program development, project implementation, and stakeholder engagement. Karl's work history focuses on positively impacting the relationship between people and nature, contributing to value chains that drive positive economic, environmental, and social impact.

Prior to joining Earthworm Foundation, Karl served as an Assistant Estate Manager at KLK, a plantation company engaged in oleochemical production and palm oil and rubber manufacturing. In this role, they managed estate operations and oversaw crop management activities. Karl holds a Bachelor of Forestry Science from Universiti Putra Malaysia, demonstrating a solid foundation in applied environmental management principles.

Steven P. Patriarco
Regional Director - USA/Canada

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Steven is an experienced professional in sustainable development, focusing on driving innovation and inclusivity in global value chains and the rural economy. His portfolio of clients and projects spans the globe, encompassing North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa. He has broad expertise in helping diverse private, public, and social sector clients to define, measure, and achieve ambitious environmental, social, and economic objectives. He views sustainability and resource productivity to be two of the most significant business opportunities and social imperatives of the 21st century. 

Serving for over 15 years as a technical advisor and strategy consultant to leading NGOs, commodity producers, benefit corporations, governments, and global institutions on how to improve organizational performance, navigate complex trade-offs, and mitigate risk - including in some the most environmentally sensitive and economically challenged regions on the planet - Steven is a firm believer in the power of people to come together and find collaborative solutions that facilitate inclusive economic growth and safeguard the integrity of natural ecosystems.

Having previously co-founded both a successful, sustainability-focused aquaculture firm and an all-women-led non-profit training centre for rural economic empowerment in Indonesia, Steven is a dynamic and proven entrepreneur with a track record of delivering value to communities, nature, and markets. He is recognised by clients, colleagues, partners, and mentees for his strategic vision, cultural adaptability, and results-driven approach. He takes his work and mission very seriously, while bringing humility and good humour to every endeavour.

Fabien Girard
Regional Director, Europe

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Gerome Tokpa
Regional Director Africa

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Gerome Tokpa is the Director of the Earthworm Foundation Africa Region, contributing to initiatives that positively impact the relationship between people and nature. Gerome's background includes expertise in program management and environmental stewardship, cultivated through diverse roles within the sustainability sector.

Prior to Gerome's current position, Gerome served as a Senior Manager at the Earthworm Foundation, where they further developed their capabilities in environmental program implementation. Their work history also includes serving as Program Manager, Environment & Certification at Precious Woods, where Gerome focused on environmental compliance and sustainable practices within the real estate sector. This role involved overseeing certification processes and ensuring adherence to environmental standards.

Gerome's academic foundation includes a Master's from TU Bergakademie Freiberg and a Diplom from Bergbau Schule in Elfenbeinküste (ENSTP Yamoussokro). They also hold certifications in environmental certification, organic chemistry, and prospecting geology, demonstrating applied knowledge of environmental science and resource management.