IDH the sustainable trade initiative has announced the appointment of Daan Wensing as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective October 19, 2020.
Daan Wensing has been a key member of IDH’s Management and Leadership team since January 2015 when he joined the organization as a Senior Manager of the Sustainable Landscape Initiative. He is stepping out of his role as Global Director Sustainable Landscapes to take over the CEO role from Joost Oorthuizen, who has led the organization for 12 years.
Reflecting on his appointment, Daan Wensing said: “I am honored and excited to have been selected to lead this passionate organization. I am determined to continue IDH’s momentum, accelerating and upscaling sustainability within mainstream international and regional commodity markets and producer landscapes. My mission is to lead IDH to orchestrate and deliver even more significant positive global change with our partners and through a combination of innovation, insights, data, digital innovations and, perhaps most importantly, with passion and drive. Joost’s support, and that of my colleagues, has helped me reach this landmark in my career, for which I thank them. Our organization is in great shape and has a solid base on which to build. This is essential for solving the increasingly complex environmental and social issues facing our world today – delivering the solutions for this Decade of Action on the SDGs.”
Prior to joining IDH, Daan was the managing director of the Leaders for Nature network and head of IUCN NL’s business and biodiversity programs. Daan has a MSc in Biology from Utrecht University and a Master’s in Science and Business from Utrecht University.
IDH brings companies, CSOs, governments and others in public-private partnerships together to realize green & inclusive growth at scale in commodity sectors and sourcing areas. Our approaches are designed to drive sustainability from niche to norm in mainstream markets, delivering impact on Sustainable Development Goals. We focus on creating positive impact on deforestation, living incomes and living wages, working conditions, toxic loading and gender. In this we are supported by multiple European governments, including our institutional donors: BUZA, SECO and DANIDA. IDH is a company that works together with over 600 companies, CSOs, financial institutions, producer organizations and governments in 12 sectors and 12 landscapes in over 40 countries worldwide.
IDH is a unique organization. We work with large private businesses on a global scale, while at the same time striving to make real progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
Climate change, deforestation and poverty are global challenges that go beyond the reach of individual companies or governments. Public-private cooperation is essential to solving them.
IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative brings together governments, companies, CSOs and financiers in action-driven coalitions. These coalitions combine together the powers of law, entrepreneurship and investments to create business-driven solutions for pressing sustainability issues.
Sector by sector and region by region, we design, (co)finance and implement sustainable action plans through our coalitions. We believe that sustainable impact is only possible when there’s a functioning market and a viable business case for (smallholder) producers, traders, buyers, financiers and others to drive sustainability from niche to norm.
IDH works with over 600 companies, CSOs, financial institutions, producer organizations and governments in 12 sectors and 12 landscapes in over 40 countries worldwide – and these numbers are growing all the time. There’s still a lot to do, and we’re always challenging ourselves to achieve more and get better.
