Herman is a tropical forester with over 35 years of working experience in integrating the role of trees and forests in sustainable (rural) development.
He has spent many years in Latin America and Asia where he worked in integrated rural development and land use programmes, after which he joined the Netherlands government as an international forestry policy advisor.
Since 2010, Herman is with Tropenbos International (TBI), where he coordinates the inclusive financing and business programme activities. He has co-authored several reports, articles, briefs and books on this topic (available at www.tropenbos.org). As a Programme Coordinator, Herman manages, amongst others, the Partnership Programme with the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. He further leads the secretariat of the European Tropical Forest Research Network and his work is very much guided by the “power of knowledge and networks to connect people for joint action”.