Birgitte works as a project manager at DOB Ecology in Veessen. Birgitte lived abroad for 14 years in the Philippines, Singapore, Hungary and Malaysia. In Asia, she worked for Dutch banks looking after major Dutch and Global Clients as their account manager.

She also spent time setting up a small business working with local communities producing handicrafts. She has been with the Family Foundation since 2014, managing projects in Kenya and Indonesia. Birgitte holds a MSc in Business Economics from the University of Groningen.

Marianne started her professional career working for HaskoningDHV on water management projects in the Netherlands and abroad, ranging from climate change adaptation strategies to dike reinforcement projects very often combined with nature restoration. After this she moved to Paraguay where she worked for 4 years as project manager for WWF Paraguay on several multi-stakeholder projects focused primarily on reducing deforestation in the Chaco Dry Forest. Marianne has previously worked for IUCN NL where she engaged with business and finance on greening their supply chains in cooperation with local CSOs in Latin America and the Philippines, amongst others.

Marianne holds an MSc in Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis and Management from the TU Delft, and an MSc. in General Linguistics from the University of Leiden.

Merel works as the office manager at DOB Ecology in Veessen. She has a degree from Hotelschool The Hague and previously worked for several cultural institutions as an event manager. She joined DOB in 2021 to offer organizational support to the team. Merel is married and has a young daughter.

Coen has a university degree in Business Administration. As CFO he worked in several large and small companies, across different sectors and different countries. He joined DOB Tree in 2022 as CFO. Coen is married to Nicole and they have one daughter.

Richard started as Director of DOB Ecology in May 2023.  Before this he worked in various senior management roles for Wetlands International, WWF and Deltares. Early in his career Richard was fortunate to gain experience in programme and policy matters with the GEF and the European Commission. He has a Master’s degree in environmental technology from Imperial College, London. Richard lives in Deventer, Netherlands, is married to Anka and has two sons.

Paul Verheul is the Executive Director of MerweOord (the Van Oord Family holding) since 2020, and has various (chairman of) Supervisory Board positions in the Maritime and Automotive industry. During the COVID-19 crisis he was also appointed by the Dutch Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport as Supervisory Board member of SON (Stichting Open Nederland – Foundation Open Netherlands). He was Executive Board member of Van Oord from 2011 till 2019, one of the world leading companies in Dredging and Offshore Wind. In that role he set up a sustainability program covering all operations worldwide and he was responsible for, among other things, the realization of agreed strategy and business-targets.
Paul Verheul started his professional career in 1981 at Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) in various jobs. In 1998 he shifted to the airline business in various roles; starting at Transavia Airlines as Vice President Engineering & Maintenance followed by a transfer to Schreiner Aviation Group as COO in 2003. From 2005 till 2011 Paul was appointed as CEO from the Driessen Aerospace Group (in addition to this CEO role, he was also appointed Member of the Executive Committee of Zodiac Aerospace in 2008).
Paul is married and has 3 children.

Johan van de Gronden is the chief executive of the KWF Dutch Cancer Society. Johan was the CEO of the Word Wide Fund for Nature in the Netherlands for ten years and member of WWF’s global executive team. He has held senior management positions in both private business and public administration, among others at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has lived and worked in Suriname, South Africa and Denmark. End of 2021, Johan was appointed by the Minister of Infrastructure and Water as one of the Chairs of the Physical Environment Consultative Council (‘Overlegorgaan Fysieke Leefomgeving’) – an independent platform that develops the connection and cooperation between the central government and citizens, companies and other social organizations.

Johan holds a masters in philosophy from Leiden University and has published several books. He is also Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Early Music Foundation. Johan is married, with two daughters.

Marielos Peña-Claros joined DOB Ecology’s board on 1 January 2025, bringing a wealth of experience in forest ecology and conservation. As a professor at Wageningen University & Research, she specializes in understanding the effects of human activity on tropical forests and promoting sustainable management practices. Originally from Bolivia, Marielos has held leadership roles, including Executive Director of the Bolivian Forest Research Institute, and is currently co-chair of the Science Panel for the Amazon. She is internationally recognized for her research on biodiversity, forest recovery, and sustainable land use, reflected in her extensive publication record and awards, such as the IUFRO Scientific Achievement Award. Marielos is married and has one daughter.