PIONEERS IN CLIMATE PROTECTION

Andreas Schnall, co-founder and Managing Director of FORLIANCE GmbH, is an accomplished forest scientist with extensive experience in forest and agroforestry projects in diverse climates since 2009. His expertise spans forest management, carbon certification, and FSC certifications across Latin America, Africa, and South East Asia.  

At the helm of FORLIANCE and as a co-founder of Re-Spire GmbH in 2021, Andreas has played a key role in developing one of the first three Gold Standard certified reforestation projects. His commitment to high-quality standards underscores his significant contributions to the field of sustainable forestry and climate-resilient projects.  

Dirk Walterspacher, Managing Director at FORLIANCE, is a pioneer in corporate climate solutions and nature-based climate protection projects. Since 2001, he has developed and managed land use and business strategies for carbon forestry and agroforestry projects. 

Dirk has designed solutions for investors and funds to enhance their ESG propositions through projects in Colombia, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Egypt. He played a key role in the first Gold Standard project generating carbon credits from cocoa agroforestry. Dirk emphasizes state-of-the-art geo-digital services for efficient project management. He holds a degree in Technical Engineering from the University of Karlsruhe (KIT).

Germán Rodriguez is an economist with extensive expertise in corporate finance, investment banking, and international project management. As Senior Director Nature-Based Solutions at FORLIANCE, he leads the negotiation and scouting for carbon projects in over 25 countries.

Germán supports various business units with market analysis, economic evaluations, business plan development, and financial products in the agroforestry sector.

Julian Ekelhof, Director of Climate Solutions at FORLIANCE, has over a decade of experience in global carbon markets and corporate climate action. A trained sports economist, he leads the Climate Solutions team for corporate partnerships. 

Julian's expertise includes markets for nature-based solutions, voluntary corporate finance, and broader climate strategies. He initiated the first major corporate partnerships for Gold Standard forestry projects, negotiating over 70% of such volumes to date. His goal is to promote ambitious climate action within and beyond corporate value chains globally.

Andrea Vera, Director of Natural Climate Solutions at FORLIANCE, is an expert forester specializing in certifying, implementing, and managing international nature-based carbon projects under voluntary carbon standards. She co-developed the VCS biochar carbon removal methodology and the Sustainable Mangrove Conservation concept note under Gold Standard. 

Andrea leads the project implementation and certification team, focusing on innovative nature-based solutions to address climate change and biodiversity loss.

Daniel Koob brings 16 years of experience in the packaging industry and medical technology. With extensive expertise in quality management, supply chain, and general management, he serves as Director of Operations at FORLIANCE. 

Daniel oversees IT, Legal, Finance, HR, and Communications departments, as well as the development and expansion of data protection, work health safety, and quality management

Antonio Calle, Senior Director at FORLIANCE, leverages cutting-edge geospatial and remote sensing data to evaluate Nature-Based Solutions and lead forestry carbon initiatives adhering to various VCM standards. 

Passionate about Earth Observation and Ecosystem solutions, Antonio manages teams of remote sensing experts to execute projects with precision.

Luke Ikeda, Director of Project Design and Delivery at FORLIANCE, is an experienced carbon project manager with expertise across the project development cycle. His skills include project ideation, design, feasibility assessments, compliance, registration, and commercialization. 

Working in the Australian market, Luke has collaborated with Indigenous and agricultural project participants, project developers, and multinational corporations. He leads the team responsible for designing nature-based projects to meet the rigorous standards of stakeholders and robust climate projects.

Michael Sahm leads the Climate Strategy Advisory Unit at FORLIANCE, helping corporate clients embark on their Net-Zero journey and implement ambitious sustainability goals. With a background in Economic Geography, Sociology, and Journalism, Michael worked for broadcasting stations and newspapers before joining the World Bank and green-tech companies pioneering environmental and carbon markets.

 His expertise includes greenhouse gas emissions accounting, target setting, carbon removal options, and business model implications for decarbonization strategies.

Daniel Paez Martin, Finance Director at FORLIANCE, is a financial expert with over ten years of experience in various sectors. Originally from Spain, he has lived in Germany since 2014.

Known for his technical knowledge, pragmatism, leadership, hands-on approach, analytical skills, and resilience, Daniel is crucial in communicating with shareholders, auditors, authorities, and stakeholders. 

His main tasks include accounting closures (IFRS), budgeting, financial planning, modeling, liquidity management, and advising project managers on finance.