Environment
The Rainforest Alliance appoints Santiago Gowland as new CEO
The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit working in more than 70 countries to protect forests and biodiversity, take action on climate, and promote the rights and improve the livelihoods of rural people.
Gowland, a native of Argentina with a passion for conservation and sustainability, brings extensive expertise in organisational innovation and sustainability transformation across multiple sectors, cultures, and continents.
At The Nature Conservancy, Gowland championed the green technology strategy through systems innovation, partnerships with technology companies, and embracing lean methodologies - most notably, through the pioneering ‘Agility Lab’.
“I am thrilled to contribute my global conservation and business insights to accelerate the Rainforest Alliance’s vision of a world where people and nature thrive together. It’s crucial that we leverage social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities without delay,” Gowland said.
“The Rainforest Alliance is uniquely positioned to bring farmers, forest communities, companies and consumers together to build a more sustainable and resilient future for people and nature.”
The Rainforest Alliance draws on more than 30 years of experience in sustainability transformation, with an aim to create a more sustainable world by implementing proven and scalable solutions on the ground, while testing innovative ways to drive positive change at scale.
With a focus on cocoa, coffee, tea, bananas, forest products, and palm oil, its four areas of work are certification, landscape management, supply chain services, and advocacy.
In 2020, 6.8 million hectares of land and more than 2.3 million farmers were certified according to the Rainforest Alliance's rigorous sustainability standards, it said, designed to improve economic, environmental, and social impacts for people and nature.
