L-R: Pavel Richter, Anders Bolmstedt, Maria Gaden, James Dixon, Oliver Bisazza, Rachid Kherrouf, Annemiek Hoogenboom, Kenneth Barker
Anders Bolmstedt
Chair
Anders has a background in preclinical research in virology, which involved working with quantities of hazardous chemicals. Today he coordinates chemical management in the Region Västra Götaland, from both health and environmental aspects. Anders has been involved in risk assessments of hazardous chemicals for over 15 years and is one of the founders of the National Substitution Group (NSG) in Sweden. He also chairs the board of an association coordinating chemical risk and safety information within Swedish regions and universities. Since 2017 he has been Chair of the Board of HCWH Europe.
James Dixon
Vice Chair
James is a Chartered Environmentalist, and Fellow of the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment, with over two decades of environmental sustainability experience across public sector services in the UK. During his time at Newcastle City Council, implementing Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001 & EMAS), he contributed to Newcastle being awarded UK’s Greenest City two years running by Forum for the Future. Working at Newcastle Hospitals since 2010, James has established sector-leading waste management practices and sustainability strategies that led to him receiving the Healthcare Sustainability Leader Award in 2018.
Pavel Richter
Vice Chair
Pavel is an international NGO consultant and CEO with more than 14 years of experience leading non-profit organisations. For the last two years, he has built The Coalition for Clear Vision, a multi-stakeholder initiative of for-profits and non-profits. Their goal is to ensure that everyone who needs a pair of eyeglasses has access to them by the end of 2050. In this capacity, he has worked with the WHO and with funders and stakeholders in the eye health sector. Before that, Pavel was the COO of the Association of German Foundations and the CEO of the Open Knowledge Foundation and Wikimedia Germany. His main focus is on building and managing multi-stakeholder initiatives, strategy development and organisational development.
Rachid Kherrouf
Treasurer
With experience in INGO governance as a CFO and Finance Director at Greenpeace and Save the Children, Rachid has developed expertise in organisational development, policies, recruitment, talent management and holistic strategic planning. His financial management skills, honed in large international organisations, ensure a solid foundation for navigating the requirements of the role. In addition, he is involved in climate philanthropy and diversification of fundraising strategies, notably as a member of Greenpeace's Global Growth Committee.
Oliver Bisazza
Secretary
Oliver is currently CEO of MedTech Europe, with over a decade of experience in healthcare affairs at European level and beyond. He has extensive experience in building business and multi-stakeholder coalitions to advance common policy goals, regularly speaking at public events and representing the industry at meetings. He is committed to encouraging the industry and key players to enhance the sustainability of healthcare systems, with a focus on the importance of SMEs to access best practices, and sustainability tools. Oliver has Executive Board experience and directly manages and moderates MedTech Europe’s own Board of Directors.
Annemiek Hoogenboom
Annemiek is an international Executive and Non-Executive Director in fundraising social lotteries, charities and academia, with expertise in international business and project development. Her focus sectors are water management, journalism and publishing, women’s rights, girls’ education and nature and environment. Annemiek brings expertise in overseeing the building of IT platforms, optimal payment traffic, data-driven marketing, good governance and legal affairs, and internal processes.
Gary Cohen
Gary has been a pioneer in the environmental health movement for more than 38 years. He has helped build coalitions and networks globally to address health impacts related to climate change and toxic chemical exposure. Cohen is co-founder and president of Health Care Without Harm, created in 1996 to help transform the health care sector to be environmentally sustainable and support the health and climate resilience of the communities they serve. Since its inception, the non-profit has grown to lead and partner in ground-breaking initiatives in more than 86 countries.Cohen was awarded the Champion of Change Award for Climate Change and Public Health by the White House in 2013. In 2015, Cohen received a MacArthur Fellowship and a “Genius Grant” from the MacArthur Foundation.
Kenneth Barker
Kenneth has been a consultant in Raigmore Hospital, Inverness since 2000, and in recent years developed an interest in environmental issues and sustainable medicine. He is a keen supporter of grassroots change, co-founding Green Anaesthesia Scotland (@GreenAnaesScot) to spread the message about achievable change in medical practice. He was elected in 2020 to Council of the Association of Anaesthetists and chairs the Environment and Sustainability committee. He is now Clinical Lead of the National Green Theatres Programme in Scotland hosted by the Centre for Sustainable Delivery.
Maria Gaden
Maria has a background of nearly 10 years of experience as a midwife, working with work-environment and social sustainability issues, before she entered the field of healthcare and climate. She holds an international master’s degree in Leadership and Innovation in Complex Systems, focussing on the leadership needed for the transformation to sustainable healthcare. Since 2017 Maria has initiated and facilitated projects on circular economy in clinical settings and plays a leading role in the mobilisation and organisation of the Central Denmark Region's strategy and actions for sustainability. She is active in the public debate with articles, blogs, podcasts etc., and is a frequent speaker, panellist, and gives key-notes at national and international level on the broader perspective on the interconnections between health, healthcare, sustainability and leadership. Maria is also a member of various Advisory and Sounding boards.