Rik Kutsch Lojenga grew up in the Netherlands, where he also earned a Master's degree in business and environmental economics. His long-term interest in environmental and development issues led him to spend part of his studies in Costa Rica, studying the environmental impact of the macro-economic policies of this biodiversity-rich country. Following, Rik worked with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) for over 10 years, where he was involved in the creation of the BioTrade Initiative, which coined the term ‘biotrade’. A strong believer in the role that the private sector can play in sustainable development and biodiversity conservation, he helped to conceptualize the idea of the Union for Ethical BioTrade while at the UN. On 22 February 2008, the Union for Ethical BioTrade appointed Rik Kutsch Lojenga, as its Executive Director. Working closely with the Board of Ethical BioTrade, Rik has established the Union’s offices in Geneva and has begun to roll out the Union’s core services. Rik has been tasked to build-up the Union's membership base and reach out to private sector in both developing and developed countries.

Born in Italy and raised in Switzerland, Pierre Hauselmann began his career running a business restoring antiques and designing furniture. In the late 1980s, the debate over the use of tropical timber inspired him to help set up the Forest Stewardship Council with a handful of people and the support of WWF International. These activities gradually led him to establish Pi Environmental Consulting, which focused initially on the topic of forest certification and expanded to include ethical market differentiating mechanisms in general. During this time he earned an MSc in environmental management with the University of London. He has travelled extensively as an advisor on institutional structure and multi-stakeholder mechanisms for many of the best-known labelling schemes, including FSC and Rainforest Alliance. Based on his involvement with the UNCTAD BioTrade Initiative since 1997, Pierre was invited to come up with a concept for a biotrade market differentiating mechanism. On July 15, 2008, the Union for Ethical BioTrade appointed Pierre as its Technical Director. From the perspective of 20 years of experience in this field, Pierre is convinced that the Union is as innovative now as the FSC was back in the early 1990s, and as Technical Director he is happy to be able to actively contribute to the development of the system.

Maria Julia Oliva was born in Mendoza, Argentina, where the importance of water conservation in the economic, social and cultural life of the city gave her an early awareness and interest in environmental issues. She holds a law degree from the University of Mendoza and a Masters of Laws (LL.M) in environmental law, cum laude, from Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College. Julia has extensive experience on the interface of trade, intellectual property and sustainability, which has been the focus of her work since moving to Geneva in 2002.  She joined the Union for Ethical BioTrade in January 2009 as Senior Adviser on access and benefit sharing, with a focus on intellectual property-related issues. Previously, she served as Senior Programme Officer for Trade, Natural Resources, and Environment at the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), legal consultant for the UNCTAD BioTrade Facilitation Programme, and Director of the Intellectual Property and Sustainable Development Project at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL). Julia is also on the Board of Directors of IP-Watch, an independent reporting service on intellectual property issues, and is a member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law.

Cristiane de Moraes is Brazilian, and graduated with a degree in environmental technology. She then furthered her studies, obtaining a Masters degree in business administration, logistics and sustainable business. During her professional career, which has spanned 18 years, she has served in the area of product development and business administration with large companies such as Rhodia, Unilever and Natura.

In Natura she worked for 10 years on matters related to sustainability and was responsible for the purchasing and supply of raw materials. She was also responsible for establishing the company’s sustainable development policy and the commitment of the suppliers to sustainable practices.

She now works as a business consultant for enterprises from various sectors.

Born and raised in Brazil, Hélène Menu has always found her country a source of inspiration for her interest in the environment, and its link to local communities and cultures.

Hélène graduated with a degree in agronomy, which she followed with a two year specialization in France on systemic diagnosis involving small scale rural activities. This represented her first step towards a career in sustainable development, in different countries such as France, Madagascar, Tunisia and of course Brazil.

Her extensive experience includes: applying sustainable concepts in agrarian reform projects in Southeastern Brazil ( where there is a semi arid climate). Hélène has also worked with companies in the cosmetics sector, where she developed sustainable commercial partnerships between companies and communities, mainly in the Amazonian region. She helped develop sustainable supply chains for forest raw materials, and implement indicators of sustainability, to assist companies in determing the impact of their actions on the ways of life of different communities.

Over the last 3 years, Hélène has established her own consulting company, working with different sectors (food, cosmetics and wood), to help companies and communities build sustainable partnerships, and incorporate sustainable concepts.

Emma Brooks was born in Honduras, is of British nationality and was brought up in France. She has lived in the US, France and the UK and has travelled extensively, including in Argentina, Brazil, Kenya and many European countries. She holds a master’s degree in EU politics and government from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Having had the opportunity to grow up in the Lac Léman region, surrounded by stunning mountain scenery and wildlife, she was constantly aware of the richness of biodiversity. In her travels, she also had the opportunity to see the amazing Iguaçu falls and the Perito Moreno glacier, reminding her of what nature is capable of. Emma was keen to take action on environmental issues and contribute to the conservation of biodiversity. During her extensive travels in Brazil, she witnessed not only the striking richness of its biodiversity, but also the lack of respect for it. This motivated her to work in a field that would allow her to promote the importance of biodiversity and work closely with Latin American and developing countries. Having recently joined the UEBT team, she aims to help raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity, and the fact that we as humans are also part of it.

Stéphanie Paquin was born and raised in France. Her first trip in the field was to Benin, working on the traditional knowledge of voodoo with her uncle for a photodocumentary. Her studies in biological engineering took her further afield to Nicaragua, Brazil and Cape Verde.

There she worked in the private sector with local populations and women to help improve their living conditions, with local Amazonian producers on Ethical BioTrade, and as a consultant in organisation systems for a Portuguese company.

Whilst studying, Stéphanie’s experience in developing countries raised her awareness of biodiversity-related issues and sparked her interest in Ethical BioTrade. Working with local communities brought to light the potential for biodiversity-related work and the importance of preserving traditional knowledge.

Stephanie’s experiences abroad have allowed her to see the richness of biodiversity around us, and motivated her to link her practical knowledge in developing countries with her career. Having recently joined the UEBT team, she aims to further advance Ethical BioTrade and continue to emphasize its importance through her work with the Verification and Standard system.