The PEFC Board of Directors has appointed Dr Michael Berger to succeed Ben Gunneberg as the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) secretary-general/CEO.
“Michael will be an engaged, responsive, and dedicated leader for the PEFC alliance,” says Eduardo Rojas Briales, PEFC chairperson. “We are confident he will guide the PEFC in the next phase of its evolution.”
Berger has over 20 years of experience in environmental and quality management, sustainable supply chain development, and management systems. After his studies in economics and PhD in forestry, he worked as a management consultant in different sectors before serving as a technical expert for accreditation bodies and a sustainability consultancy in Germany. He joined the PEFC ins 2011.
He also lectured in corporate social responsibility at the School for Forestry and Sustainable Resource Management at the Technical University Munich in Weihenstephan.
Michael Berger PEFC CEO.
Berger says he is “honoured and humbled” by the trust the PEFC board and members have in him. “I am looking forward to working with colleagues in member organisations, our excellent team at PEFC International, and all other stakeholders that want to join us on the PEFC journey.”
“Demands on forests have never been so high. The need for timber increases, and forests are critical climate change mitigation champions and biodiversity hosts. We need to meet and exceed society’s changing expectations of forests,” he says.
“PEFC will strengthen its capacity and collaboration with members and partners to demonstrate better the positive impact that credible certification has on forests, people, and local economies. As an innovative service provider, we will collectively deliver meaningful impact on our journey towards a low carbon economy.”