“Brief overview of your professional background”

Jens has 35 years’ experience in the field of agriculture, water supply, rural infrastructure, forestry, and disaster mitigation, with a focus on institutional development, policy and sector coordination. He has experience as Team Leader, Chief Technical Advisor, Program Coordinator and Advisor for working for multilateral and bilateral development organizations and international NGOs in East Africa, South Asia and South-East Asia.

“Your core responsibilities within the organization”

Jens is primarily responsible for ensuring SustaiNet Group adheres to responsible business practices and high Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards in terms of internal corporate governance and technical quality of projects and partnerships.

“Any regional or international experience or focus areas”

Since 2011, Jens has supported agricultural sector policy, planning and devolution in Kenya, with a specific focus on commercialization and market-orientation of Kenyan agriculture. This includes support to establishment of mechanisms for intergovernmental consultation between national and county governments; establishment of national and county level value chain stakeholder platforms for identification and implementation of business-oriented value chain solutions by stakeholders. Jens has acted as long-term advisor to high-level government decision-makers in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and the National Drought Management Authority in Kenya.

“What unique value, leadership style or philosophy do you bring?”

I emphasize that local ownership and responsible innovation is critical for achieving scale and sustainability of development action. My leadership is collaborative, adaptive, and focused on building local capacities to ensure a lasting impact.