OUR TEAM
Experts in Their Fields Who Will Add Value to Our Projects
The team at Amazon for Life is a diverse team of individuals with extensive experience from a vast variety of sectors and regions around the world and based on that experience they have come to realize that the kind of work we’re doing through Amazon for Life is key for the future of humanity on planet Earth. All team members have decided to dedicate themselves to our mission and focus on concrete action to fight deforestation, contribute to solving the climate crises and biodiversity crisis and to having a positive socio-economic impact within the local communities.
Helena Lindemark
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Helena Lindemark has 30 years’ professional experience of sustainable development that she initiated at the UN in Bolivia in 1991. She has an MSc in International Business and Marketing, complemented with Environmental Economics. Her current focus is on accelerated action to solve the climate and environmental crises. As founder of the 2022 Initiative Foundation, she was instrumental in the Swedish Government’s decision to host the UN conference Stockholm+50 in June 2022. In a collaboration with Greta Thunberg’s network Fridays For Future the foundation supported 20 youths from Most Affected People and Areas (MAPA) to attend Stockholm+50. After the achievements of her advocacy work in relation to Stockholm+50 and after having been teaching and talking about the situation of the Amazon rainforest, Helena realized that that it’s time to focus on concrete bold action. Instead of going to COP27, she went to Bolivia and joined the Amazon for Life Team to contribute to saving the Amazon rainforest.
Colin Dunlop
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​Colin Dunlop has an M.A. Engineering from Cambridge University and an M.Sc. from Imperial College, London University, and over 30 years of professional experience from managing large projects in the Oil and Gas industry. After having spent most of his professional life within international organizations in the oil and gas industry his interest and love for nature in Bolivia has taken over in his priorities in life, having been involved in mining, cattle farming and now in photography in Bolivia he has witnessed first-hand the degradation of forests, the slash and burn techniques used to clear land and how this turns into forest huge fires affecting Santa Cruz and Beni regions in Bolivia. He believes we must take action now before it is too late and as a very experienced project manager and professional photographer he adds much value to the Amazon For Life project.
Stephan Winkler
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Stephan Winkler with an MA Politics, Philosophy, Economics from Oxford University has 20 years developing sustainable forestry plantations in Uruguay, Bolivia and Paraguay. He is the leader in sustainable forestry in Paraguay and in Bolivia he has planted over 1 Million trees. Owner of 17,000 Has of land in Bolivia since 2009 he has been developing a monoculture plantation of trees and now due to the Amazon For Life project and the Integrated Land Management approach he has realized that it is time to change his formula to native mixed forestry plantations with the Integrated Land Management approach to generate short, mid and long terms incomes to sustain forestry plantations. His experience in sustainable forestry is indispensable to the team and to develop the AFL project.
Javier Calvo
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Javier Calvo with a BSBA and Economics degree in the University of Newcastle is a business partner in Boliverde, a sustainable forestry company in Bolivia since 2009 with over 1 million trees planted. He is also owner of the oldest distillery in the world, Bodegas y Viñedos San Pedro. Former Director and board member of various successful companies in Bolivia such as Hotel Los Tajibos, McCann Erickson and DDB Worldwide. Being involved in sustainable forestry for the past 13 years to help Bolivia change its mindset has fueled his dedication to the AFL project. His business sense is a huge asset in developing the AFL project.
Oscar Dunlop
Oscar Dunlop with a BS in Industrial and Commercial Engineering in UTEPSA university started his career in the Oil and Gas Industry as a Coring Engineer in Europe, Asia, Africa and Central and South America. Since this experience he shifted his focus to his main passion nature and wildlife. Opening up the first adventure tourism company in Santa Cruz, Bolivia in 2002 and working as a business developer for a Global Golf, golf course developer and for Biocentro Guembe, an ecological and wildlife park. He also owns an international commerce company, Dunlop Trading International, exporting native products worldwide. His passion and dedication to helping Bolivian nature and wildlife grow is the main drive in this AFL project, his defined engineering and business structure is an asset to the project.
Karen Korponai
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Karen Korponai has over 20 years’ experience as strategy expert within international business development. As sustainability consultant for global brands and celebrities her mission is “guiding conscious companies in their quest to turn visions into reality to Promote People, Planet, Purpose and Prosperity”. Karen is a climate activist and speaker at international conferences such as World Economic Forum (WEF), UN General Assembly (UNGA) and ACTAI and she’s been mentoring the Founder of the Bolivian Chapter of Greta Thunberg’s network Fridays For Future.
Luis Alberto Arandia
Luis Alberto Arandia has a BA in Agricultural Business Management from the University of Aberdeen, UK has been involved in several sustainable forest management and community development projects in Bolivia. Since then he has more than 25 years’ experience in Management and Business Development in multinational companies, in Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe. He is the owner/CEO of Finch Global UK, a company that supports companies in market growth internationally. As a Bolivian who has been successful internationally he wants to give back to his country. He has a clear belief and understanding in the AFL project and his international business experience and contacts offers us value to commercialize all the AFL products worldwide.
Alfredy Alvarez Saavedra
Forestry Engineer, specialized in multifunctional management of forest plantations, strategic and economic production of forest plantations under nurseries. Diploma in urban forestry. More than 20 years of experience in forest plantations and nurseries.
Kimberlyn Saigua Baldivieso
Forest Engineer, with experience in identifying seed sources of native trees and evaluating damage in green areas, stands out for her dedication to research and sustainable management in the forestry field. She has contributed to projects as technical support for the plantation of Baru Nuts and the preparation of the diagnosis of the forest in the Chiquitania region. In addition, she demonstrates skills in managing forest emergencies through her training as a forest firefighter.
Steve Hopper
​After spending 7 years on the family Corporate Farm, Steve held various senior executive positions in the energy industry, including positions in the U.S., the U.K., Brazil, South Korea, and China. Steve also served for 5 years as President of Transredes S.A., in Bolivia. Steve holds B.S. and MBA degrees from the University of Idaho.
Romano Diel
​The co-founder and Executive Director of EFISA (founded in 2012). Romano has more than 20 years of experience in the Paraguayan forestry industry. He founded EFISA's predecessor, Emprendimientos Forestales S.A., Paraguay's main forestry services company, in 2003 and since then has planted more than 20,000 hectares of eucalyptus plantations throughout Paraguay, surpassing 50,000,000 trees planted. The decision to enter the transformation of industrial wood in 2012 led to the creation of Empresa Forestal y Industrial S.A. (EFISA).