There is a Dutch saying that goes: ‘A better world starts with yourself’. In my case, it was the other way around: ‘A better self starts with the world’. I grew up with first-world comfort in my native country the Netherlands. When I was 17, I went to Argentina for a year. Not the capital, but a small city in the center of the country. I went alone and spoke no Spanish. Cellphones and the internet didn't yet exist. I lived for a year with an Argentine family with eight brothers and sisters, sharing their many joys as well as their worries amidst an economic recession that would soon turn into a dramatic country default. That year triggered my senses and set me on a path to learn more about the world around me and about myself. I have not stopped exploring ever since. It has taken me to live, study, and work in many different countries, meeting incredible people along the way.I feel naturally drawn to people who dig in, ask questions, and work wholeheartedly on a topic they care about. I value a job well done: high-quality, with results beyond a mere 'hit-and-run'. I work on sustainable agriculture and trade because they are key topics of our era. Like in other sectors, agriculture and trade operate on systems with rules and incentives that lead to unsustainability. We need to change these systems if we are to secure a safe and dignified world for all of us.I contribute to this process by taking on complex issues, such as how to improve responsible water management in agriculture by engaging the entire value chain, bridging gaps between growers worldwide, retail clients in Europe, and governments; or how to make sure that the voice of workers -out in the field, in the packhouse- is genuinely taken into account and acted upon. We're making progress, but many challenges remain. In this work, I enjoy building partnerships in which one plus one adds up to three. It's the only way to achieve the scale and speed we need. Conservation, restoration, and regeneration are gaining momentum, and rightfully so. It gives me energy to know that my work will focus more on these topics in the coming years.People who have worked with me will describe me as resourceful, upbeat, and communicative. I love language and storytelling in all its forms; books, articles, a beautiful sentence or a quote, photography, and music. They are a source of joy and inspiration for me.