Supervisory Board
Avalon Foundation is governed by a Supervisory Board. The Supervisory Board safeguards the foundation's mission, vision, guiding principles and values. It sets the tone for the foundation's culture. The Supervisory Board ensures that the work of the foundation is accomplished according to the plan. It oversees its financial management and makes sure that its functioning is ethical and legal.
Alex has been (co-)chairman of the Avalon Foundation since 2000. He is an experienced businessman and financial expert who worked with Shell International for 15 years in various finance functions, in the Netherlands and abroad. After that he worked during 5 years in retail as a CFO and CEO for an international chain in fashion. Thereafter, 7 years in the media business as CFO of the media giant Endemol. Subsequently he was co-founder of a consultancy firm and worked as CFO at the EWT Wind Technology, one of the leading companies in the wind energy business.
Chair
Alex
Oostvogel
Christa is an international lawyer, biochemist, and former diplomat with extensive experience in Asia, Africa, and Europe. She worked for the United Nations for 15 years as a conflict negotiator and senior political advisor in East-Timor, Indonesia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Kosovo, Darfur, Nepal, DR Congo, Sudan and in New York. Previously she worked as deputy coordinator of the Task Force Sudan of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She has an extensive experience with private foundations and was director of the Prince Claus Fund and senior director of Porticus. Christa was a co-founder of The Hague Center for Strategic Studies. She is now director of the International Campaign for Tibet-Europe. Her last book "The Red Bullet" addresses the loving way of life of the Tibetan people and their resistance to Chinese repression.
Member
Christa
Meindersma
Volkert is a former World Board Member of IFOAM Organics International; and founder and former CEO of Eosta – Europe’s leading distributor of organic fruits. In his early career he worked for Cargill Inc USA. He is a founder of a food transparency scheme called Nature & More, linking food sustainability to transparency and external (hidden) costs. Volkert now runs the Resilience Hub and Robin Food Coalition, a food transition network for one-health, social inclusion, and regenerative agriculture. Volkert and Eosta have been awarded with various prizes such as the Public Eye Award for corporate social responsibility at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Dutch Innovation Award, the #1 position at the 2017 Trouw Sustainability Top-100, the King William I Prize for Sustainable Entrepreneurship 2018 and the European Business Award for the Environment 2019.
Member
Volkert
Engelsman
Supervisory Board
Avalon Foundation is governed by a Supervisory Board. The Supervisory Board safeguards the foundation's mission, vision, guiding principles and values. It sets the tone for the foundation's culture. The Supervisory Board ensures that the work of the foundation is accomplished according to the plan. It oversees its financial management and makes sure that its functioning is ethical and legal.
Alex has been (co-)chairman of the Avalon Foundation since 2000. He is an experienced businessman and financial expert who worked with Shell International for 15 years in various finance functions, in the Netherlands and abroad. After that he worked during 5 years in retail as a CFO and CEO for an international chain in fashion. Thereafter, 7 years in the media business as CFO of the media giant Endemol. Subsequently he was co-founder of a consultancy firm and worked as CFO at the EWT Wind Technology, one of the leading companies in the wind energy business.
Chair
Alex
Oostvogel
Christa is an international lawyer, biochemist, and former diplomat with extensive experience in Asia, Africa, and Europe. She worked for the United Nations for 15 years as a conflict negotiator and senior political advisor in East-Timor, Indonesia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Kosovo, Darfur, Nepal, DR Congo, Sudan and in New York. Previously she worked as deputy coordinator of the Task Force Sudan of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She has an extensive experience with private foundations and was director of the Prince Claus Fund and senior director of Porticus. Christa was a co-founder of The Hague Center for Strategic Studies. She is now director of the International Campaign for Tibet-Europe. Her last book "The Red Bullet" addresses the loving way of life of the Tibetan people and their resistance to Chinese repression.
Member
Christa
Meindersma
Volkert is a former World Board Member of IFOAM Organics International; and founder and former CEO of Eosta – Europe’s leading distributor of organic fruits. In his early career he worked for Cargill Inc USA. He is a founder of a food transparency scheme called Nature & More, linking food sustainability to transparency and external (hidden) costs. Volkert now runs the Resilience Hub and Robin Food Coalition, a food transition network for one-health, social inclusion, and regenerative agriculture. Volkert and Eosta have been awarded with various prizes such as the Public Eye Award for corporate social responsibility at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Dutch Innovation Award, the #1 position at the 2017 Trouw Sustainability Top-100, the King William I Prize for Sustainable Entrepreneurship 2018 and the European Business Award for the Environment 2019.
Member
Volkert
Engelsman
Wouter is member of the Club of Rome and the founder of IMSA, a leading environmental thinktank. He was vice-chair of the International Advisory Board of the Wuppertal Institute as well as the Factor 10 Group (on resource efficiency). Among his books is the Report to the Club of Rome “Taking Nature into Account” (1995) about the need to correct the GDP for environmental losses. He has been awarded the Rachel Carson Gold Medal (2006), the WWF Global Merit prize (2012, and the nomination into the Royal Order of Orange-Nassau. He is fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science.
Chair (1991-1995)
Wouter
van Dieren
Egbert is professor of environmental management at the University of Amsterdam and professor of sociology and environment at Utrecht University. Founder of the legendary European Postgraduate Course in Environmental Management (EPCEM) – a joint MSc. study programme of several Dutch Universities specially created for students from the former Soviet Union and other communist countries, which produced many environmental experts and leaders in the region.
Chair (1996-1999)
Prof Egbert
Tellegen
Jan Diek was first professor of organic farming at Wageningen University (NL) (ranked as #1 agricultural and #6 environmental sciences university in the World, QS World University Ranking 2022). In two terms (1988-1992) he was President of IFOAM’s (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements). He is founder and former chairman of the Louis Bolk Institute in the Netherlands, and is Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
Member (1991-1995)
Dr Jan Diek
van Mansvelt
Peter was CEO of the Triodos Bank (1997-2021), the biggest and the best-known green/ethical bank in the World with branches in Belgium, Germany, France, United Kingdom and Spain, with 721,000 customers worldwide. He is Chair of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values, Member of the Board of The Dutch Banking Association, Chair of the Organic Food and Agricultural Council of the Netherlands and founder and board member of the Sustainable Finance Lab in the Netherlands; member of the Club of Rome.
Member and treasurer (1991-1995)
Peter
Blom
Branko is a physicist who worked on research in at CERN in Geneva (Switzerland). He was Regional Adviser on Environment of the UN Economic Commission for Europe, specialised in trans-boundary water and environmental issues. He worked as a senior advisor with the Dutch Ministry of Environment and was a board member of the Regional Environmental Centre in Hungary. Branko is professor of environmental management at the University of Rijeka (Croatia).
Member (1995-2005)
Prof Branko
Bošnjaković
​Franz-Theo is Honorary Professor for agrarian and environmental ethics at Humboldt University, Berlin. He is Managing Curator of the Cocreatio Foundation for Cooperation and Collective Development. He is also Director of the Renate Benthlin Stiftung für Nutztierschutz. He holds memberships in several scientific and business ethics organisations. Author of numerous books and articles on the future of agriculture, education, agricultural and food ethics.
Member (1998-2012)
Prof Franz-Theo
Gotwald
Marilou is an international entrepreneurial impact investment banker with 30+ years of experience in values-driven business and banking and extensive international board experience. She is former Chair of the Board of Directors of Triodos Investment Management of the Triodos Bank – the biggest and the best known green/ethical bank in the World. Her focus and expertise is impact investing, in a broad range of sectors including inclusive finance, food and agriculture, renewable energy, etc. whereby she promotes and influences how money can work for lasting, positive change.
Member and treasurer (1994-1997)
Dr Marilou
van Goldstein Brouwers
Boele is an experienced financial expert and was chairman of the Dutch Banks Association. He served as the Queen's Commissioner of Utrecht from 1998 to 2007, and as a Senator from 1991 to 1998 and again between 2010 and 2011. He also was the ad interim Mayor of Arnhem from October 2016 to August 2017. Starting from December 2017 for half a year he was the Acting King's Commissioner of Overijssel.
Member (2002-2006)
Boele
Staal
Chair (1991-1995)
Prof Wouter
van Dieren
Wouter is member of the Club of Rome and the founder of IMSA, a leading environmental thinktank. He was vice-chair of the International Advisory Board of the Wuppertal Institute as well as the Factor 10 Group (on resource efficiency). Among his books is the Report to the Club of Rome “Taking Nature into Account” (1995) about the need to correct the GDP for environmental losses. He has been awarded the Rachel Carson Gold Medal (2006), the WWF Global Merit prize (2012, and the nomination into the Royal Order of Orange-Nassau. He is fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science.
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Chair (1996-1999)
Prof Egbert
Tellegen
Egbert is professor of environmental management at the University of Amsterdam and professor of sociology and environment at Utrecht University. Founder of the legendary European Postgraduate Course in Environmental Management (EPCEM) – a joint MSc. study programme of several Dutch Universities specially created for students from the former Soviet Union and other communist countries, which produced many environmental experts and leaders in the region.
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Member (1991-1995)
Dr Jan Diek
van Mansvelt
Jan Diek was first professor of organic farming at Wageningen University (NL) (ranked as #1 agricultural and #6 environmental sciences university in the World, QS World University Ranking 2022). In two terms (1988-1992) he was President of IFOAM’s (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements). He is founder and former chairman of the Louis Bolk Institute in the Netherlands, and is Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
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Member and treasurer (1991-1995)
Peter
Blom
Peter was CEO of the Triodos Bank (1997-2021), the biggest and the best-known green/ethical bank in the World with branches in Belgium, Germany, France, United Kingdom and Spain, with 721,000 customers worldwide. He is Chair of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values, Member of the Board of The Dutch Banking Association, Chair of the Organic Food and Agricultural Council of the Netherlands and founder and board member of the Sustainable Finance Lab in the Netherlands; member of the Club of Rome.
Former Supervisory Board Members
Member (1995-2005)
Prof Branko Bošnjaković
Branko is a physicist who worked on research in at CERN in Geneva (Switzerland). He was Regional Adviser on Environment of the UN Economic Commission for Europe, specialised in trans-boundary water and environmental issues. He worked as a senior advisor with the Dutch Ministry of Environment and was a board member of the Regional Environmental Centre in Hungary. Branko is professor of environmental management at the University of Rijeka (Croatia).
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Member (1998-2012)
Prof Franz-Theo Gotwald
Franz-Theo is Honorary Professor for agrarian and environmental ethics at Humboldt University, Berlin. He is Managing Curator of the Cocreatio Foundation for Cooperation and Collective Development. He is also Director of the Renate Benthlin Stiftung für Nutztierschutz. He holds memberships in several scientific and business ethics organisations. Author of numerous books and articles on the future of agriculture, education, agricultural and food ethics.
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Member (1994-1997)
Dr Marilou van Goldstein Brouwers
Marilou is an international entrepreneurial impact investment banker with 30+ years of experience in values-driven business and banking and extensive international board experience. She is former Chair of the Board of Directors of Triodos Investment Management of the Triodos Bank – the biggest and the best known green/ethical bank in the World. Her focus and expertise is impact investing, in a broad range of sectors including inclusive finance, food and agriculture, renewable energy, etc. whereby she promotes and influences how money can work for lasting, positive change.
Member (2002-2006)
Boele
Staal
Boele is an experienced financial expert and was chairman of the Dutch Banks Association. He served as the Queen's Commissioner of Utrecht from 1998 to 2007, and as a Senator from 1991 to 1998 and again between 2010 and 2011. He also was the ad interim Mayor of Arnhem from October 2016 to August 2017. Starting from December 2017 for half a year he was the Acting King's Commissioner of Overijssel.