Heleen van den Hombergh | Senior Expert Agro-Commodities

Heleen van den Hombergh, PhD, is IUCN NL’s lead on responsible value chains and good governance of agrocommodities.

She advises government, companies and financial institutions on measures to achieve responsible conversion-free soy and palm oil, which are both important for the global transition towards sustainable proteins and vegetable oils. In the Forests for a Just Future programme, she works with CSOs in countries such as Indonesia and Colombia and advocates for biodiversity-proof trade and commodity policies.  Passionate about knowledge-based bridge building for impact, Heleen is convener of the multi-stakeholder Dutch Soy Platform, collaborates with other commodity platforms in Europe and is promotor of the global Collaborative Soy Initiative, striving towards 100 % conversion free responsible soy. She also works with Dutch business and Argentinean NGOs to achieve positive impact in agrocommodity production landscapes in the Chaco.

Heleen chairs the informal NGO palm oil platform in the Netherlands, is member of the IUCN Oil Palm/ Vegetable Oils Task Force, as well as Steering Group member of the Edible Oils and Fats Collaboration hosted by Forum for the Future. For and with IUCN she furthermore takes part in EU dialogues and consultations to achieve policy and legislation for forest protection, and with the Transition Coalition Food she advises government to promote future-proof protein consumption and production.