Board members
Els Martens
Els has a strong relation with Africa, as she was born and raised in Africa and went back after her Ecology studies to undertake projects with the Kenya Marine Institute and Kenya Wildlife Service. She worked at the Agency for Nature and Forests of the government of Flanders as coordinator for European and international nature and biodiversity processes. Through her wealth of experience, she is a strong advocate for succeeding nature conservation through the involvement of local communities and land owners and by educating the youth. An admirer of Dr Jane Goodall for her continuous commitment to nature conservation, Els appreciates the approach of JGI Belgium of combining forest planting projects in Belgium with reforestation actions in Africa. Honoured and excited she joined the multidisciplinary team in 2020 to keep supporting the understanding and commitment that is needed to preserve nature! She also represents JGI Belgium in the Belgian Biodiversity Alliance (a forum for voluntary actions for biodiversity), Biodiversa+ (European Biodiversity Partnership supporting excellent research on biodiversity with an impact for society and policy), and Grootouders voor klimaat (‘Grand parents for climate Belgium of which dr. Jane is ambassador since 2020).
Personal quote: “Nature is our life insurance: if you protect nature, nature will take care for you”.
Tanya Pérez Echeverría
Hege Hellstrom
Balazs Nagy
Balazs is a Hungarian working in Brussels for almost 20 years and an avid follower of Dr Jane Goodall. He has been an accounting and finance volunteer since 2018, later appointed as a member of the General Assembly between 2020 and 2021. Balazs became a Board member and the Treasurer of the organization in 2022.
His favorite quote is from Albert Einstein: "A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new."
A French citizen working in Brussels for an environmental commodity trader specialized in emissions trading, Guillaume is fascinated by wildlife and deeply touched by the environmental challenges of today.
Favourite quote: “If you get up in the morning and think the future is going to be better, it’s a bright day. Otherwise, it’s not.” Elon Musk.
Paul Maassen
Paul is a Dutch national that has lived in Brussels since 2009. He currently works at the Open Government Partnership as Chief Global Programs. Previously he has worked as Head of Finance and Partnerships for WWF International’ Global Climate & Energy Initiative and at Dutch development funder Hivos, as program manager for the global ICT & Media program. He's been a board member of JGI since 2019.
The common thread in all his jobs is a passion for innovation and a believe in people being the most important change agents for any challenge we face. He is inspired by the work of Jane, her Institute and especially the team and volunteers. Together making the world a better place in a very concrete way.
Favourite quote: It always seems impossible until it's done - Nelson Mandela (or for JGI: just get on with it, one tree at a time)
Juno Hautekiet
Juno is a Belgian who also lived in the US, Singapore, France and Spain. She is a seasoned transactional lawyer at an international law firm, and brings her legal expertise to the board.
She is passionate about sustainability and the environment, and is a big animal lover. She has settled down in the outskirts of Brussels together with her husband and their herd of animals (currently including a dog, a cat, two horses and a pony!).