Our board KS Venkatagiri Chairperson, GreenPro (India) Read moreRead less Mr. Venkatagiri is the Executive Director of CII-Godrej GBC – Confederation of Indian Industry’s centre of excellence on green businesses. He is an expert in green concepts and is leading a team of over 90 green professionals. Under his leadership, the centre is offering services to Indian industry in the areas of green buildings, green companies, green products, energy management, renewable energy, and other related sectors. He played leadership role in conceptualizing and launching the ecolabel GreenPro in India. Venkatagiri holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and has been associated with Confederation of Indian Industry since 1993. CUI Xiaodong Director of Certification Department China Environmental United Certification Center (CEC) Read moreRead less Cui Xiaodong has been engaged in the research into green and low-carbon policies, developing standards, implementing environmental label certification, and conducting technical research and development on carbon footprint of the product（CFP） and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certification. In terms of professional background, he was familiar with policies related to green and low-carbon development, proficient in greenhouse gas quantification methods at the organization, project, and product levels, and skilled in applying the product life cycle theory and relevant evaluation tools. Meanwhile, he serves as an expert of the ISO/CASCO Technical Expert Group (TEG); Secretary-General of the Environment and Sustainability Technical Committee under the CCAA Standardization Working Committee; Deputy Secretary-General of the Carbon Emission Standardization Technical Committee of the China Certification and Accreditation Association (CCAA); and a member of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Working Group of the China Iron & Steel Association (CISA). Steven Choi Head of Certifications for the Hong Kong Green Council Certification Scheme Read moreRead less As the Head of Certifications for the Green Council Certification Scheme, Steven has dedicated over 15 years to the fields of sustainability and environmental protection. His primary focus has been on ecolabelling scheme and ISO Management Systems, which encompass QMS, EMS, and OH&SMS. Throughout his career, Steven has been committed to driving initiatives that promote sustainable practices across various sectors. The Green Council (GC) is a non-profit, non-partisan environmental association of Hong Kong A group of individuals from different sectors of industry and academics shared the vision to help build Hong Kong into a world-class green city for the future. They formed the Green Council in May 2000 with the aim of encouraging the industrial and commercial sectors to include environmental protection in their production and management processes. The Green Council (GC) was registered as a non-profit making organisation in December 2000. Katherine Larocque EPEAT Program Read moreRead less Katherine has over 13 years of experience as a sustainability professional, providing customized sustainability advice and solutions to a wide variety of organizations and industries ranging from multinational food and beverage companies, and technology sector clients, to small non-profits. Katherine plays a critical role in ensuring the credibility of the EPEAT Program, and supports manufacturers as they seek to increase the availability of sustainable electronics globally. Prior to joining the Global Electronics Council, Katherine lead the extended producer responsibility and recycling efforts at a large global retailer. Having served as the Secretariat Manager of the Global Ecolabelling Network for several years, Katherine has a deep appreciation and understanding of the very important role ecolabels play in increasing the production and consumption of more sustainable products. Katherine holds a Master of Science in Environmental Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science from Queen’s University. She resides in Ottawa, Canada. Svetlana Perminova All-Ukraine NGO Living Planet Read moreRead less Svitlana Permynova is the Director of the Center for Environmental Certification and Ecolabelling (Green Crane Ecolabel) at Ukraine’s leading environmental NGO, “Living Planet” Since joining Green Crane in 2008, she has developed expertise across the full lifecycle of ecolabelling program, including certification standards development, conformity assessments, management procedures design, QMS accreditation maintenance, and outreach with government and industry to promote ecolabeling and raise consumer awareness. As a leading expert at Living Planet, Svitlana contributes to projects on environmental certification, standardization, LCA, SPP, sustainable construction, energy efficiency, and environmental education, broadly supported by international organizations and programs such as GIZ, UNIDO, UNEP, OSCE, and EU4Environment. She is a member of Ukraine’s National Technical Committee 82 “Environmental Protection”. Svitlana holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture, where she also conducted research on GIS-based environmental monitoring and lectured. Her specialization and work experience include developing the environmental impact sections of construction project documentation. Stephanie Schiller Senior Technical Manager Read moreRead less Stephanie Schiller is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in product sustainability and quality management within the retail and consumer products sector at UL Solutions since May 2013. Positions held include Senior Technical Manager for Product Sustainability and Global Quality Manager, overseeing global quality and conformity assessments for multiple certification schemes and laboratories across continents With over a decade of professional experience, I lead the Product Sustainability Technical Team at UL Solutions, focusing on developing innovative programs and services that align with sustainability goals. My mission is to drive sustainable practices across products, facilities, and enterprises, combining technical acumen with a commitment to environmental stewardship. By fostering collaboration and prioritizing quality, I aim to support UL Solutions’ vision of creating safer and more sustainable global solutions. At UL Solutions, I contribute to the development of technical standards, conformance programs, and innovative service offerings. By leveraging expertise in quality process development, product management, and technical standards, I guide teams in delivering impactful outcomes. My role emphasizes thought leadership, driving advancements in sustainability programs, and supporting global standards that influence industries worldwide. Anja Hanslik The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) Read moreRead less Anja Hanslik is a lawyer with a focus on international environment law. She works at the German Ministry for the Environment. For several years now she is leading the division that is in charge of Blue Angel, the German Ecolabel. She and her team are also in charge of the EU Ecolabel, greenwashing, GPP, ecodesign and the right to repair. Besides that, she is very familiar with committee work. For years she was a member of the GPP Advisory Group to the European Commission and participated in various expert groups at national, European and international level, for example in the regulatory committees for ecodesign in Brussels and in the UNFCCC process. Hiroyuki Kobayashi Treasurer, Eco Mark Program (Japan) Read moreRead less Mr. Hiroyuki Kobayashi works in Promotion Section of Eco Mark Office following he was engaged in Criteria & Certification Section developing criteria as well as supporting a company that wishes to apply for Eco Mark, which is only Type1 Ecolabelling program in Japan for more than 30 years. He is in charge of international activities of Eco Mark such as Mutual Recognition Agreement known as MRA, dissemination of Eco Mark program internationally and is a regional chapter of the Working Group 2 on Type I Ecolabels of the Consumer Information for SCP program of One Planet Network led by UN Environment. He also serves as General Affairs Office for Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN). Isabella Huang Loh Vice-Chair Read moreRead less Joining the Board at the 2024 AGM, Ms Isabella Huang Loh PBM, Chair, Singapore Environment Council, will serve as Vice Chair for External Relations + Partnerships with GEN. Isabella is an accomplished business leader and entrepreneur with extensive international experience. A strong advocate for action on environment in this role, she will: • Strengthen relationships with key international partners • Develop new strategic alliances globally, with particular focus on the Asia-Pacific region • Represent GEN at critical international fora • Coordinate external communication strategy with partners Sofie E Munteanu Read moreRead less Sofie E Munteanu, based in Sweden, will serve as Vice Chair for Internal Network Development. Her responsibilities include: Supporting member organizations’ needs Facilitating knowledge sharing across the network Coordinating capacity building initiatives Enhancing communication between member organizations Sofie comments “As Vice Chair for Internal Network Development, I am committed to strengthening our network’s effectiveness through enhanced collaboration and knowledge sharing. My background in sustainability leadership, combined with experience in bringing diverse teams together around common goals, will help us build stronger connections between member organizations. By focusing on practical capacity building and strategic alignment, we can amplify GEN’s impact in promoting sustainable consumption worldwide. The challenges we face in environmental protection are complex, but our network’s diversity is our strength – different perspectives united by one shared commitment to environmental stewardship through the world’s leading ecolabels.” Riikka Holopainen Director Read moreRead less The Board also welcomes Riikka Holopainen as a new Director. Holopainen brings valuable expertise as the Managing Director of Ympäristömerkintä Suomi Oy (Ecolabelling Finland), which administers both the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and the EU Ecolabel in Finland. Under her leadership since 2018, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel has become the second most valued brand in Finland. Her role on the Nordic Swan Ecolabelling board of directors further strengthens GEN’s connections with leading regional ecolabelling programs. Our Secretariat Team Kate Harris Secretariat Read moreRead less Kate Harris is an experienced designer, coach and facilitator of Leadership Development programs for senior leaders in the Public Service and across all sectors. She is a social ecologist who is also a passionate Secretariat of the Global Ecolabelling Network and Non-Executive Director of the Living Future Institute of Australia. Kate has held previous CEO positions including Good Environmental Choice Australia and the Centre for Sustainability Leadership. She is also the Chair of Standards Australia – environmental communication and involved in the international redesign of the international ecolabelling standard. With an extensive background in helping high performing individuals, organisations and communities create a better future through sustainable development, Kate brings all these foci to her work. Kate has expertise in leadership development, sustainable development, strategic foresight and organisational leadership. She believes passionately in human potential to create meaningful change which she brings to all her positions. P.O Box 1807 Canberra ACT 2601 Australia Email: secretariat@globalecolabelling.net Phone: +61 2 5110 2202, ext. 100 Gareth S Johnston Joint Global Secretariat Read moreRead less Gareth joined GEN Secretariat at the 2023 AGM. In his third decade of sustainability, climate and resilience, he has worked across Asia Pacific, MENA, EU and North America on green business, clean technology and environment. Post grad qualified in Applied Science (Sustainability), Resilience, Risk and Governance and Social Leadership, he brings extensive experience in governance of member networks. He sees Type 1 ecolabels as a ready made solution for government, consumers and industry to respond to environment, climate and social challenges. General Affairs Office Japan Environment Association (JEA) Read moreRead less TMM BLDG. 5F, 1-10-5 Iwamotocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 101-0032 JAPAN TEL: +81-3-5829-6286 FAX: +81-3-5829-6281 Read our Latest Annual Report Annual Reports Sign up for GENews Are you a GEN member? GEN Friends Yes, add me to the GEN members newsletter Leave this field empty if you're human: