Our People
Our highly-motivated and experienced team is Paris-aligned, on a mission towards high-integrity conservation and restoration of terrestrial ecosystems.
We bring together expertise across project disciplines including forestry, carbon project management and certification, community and livelihoods, communications and stakeholder engagement, Earth observation, ecology, monitoring and evaluation, greenhouse gas accounting and finance.
Our highly-motivated and experienced team is Paris-aligned, on a mission towards high-integrity conservation and restoration of terrestrial ecosystems.
We bring together expertise across project disciplines including forestry, carbon project management and certification, community and livelihoods, communications and stakeholder engagement, Earth observation, ecology, monitoring and evaluation, greenhouse gas accounting and finance.
Our advisors come from diverse backgrounds, including environmental science, policy, finance, and social development. With years of experience in their respective fields, they provide valuable guidance on best practices, innovative solutions, and long-term strategies for high-integrity conservation and restoration efforts.
About Charlotte
Prof. Dr. Charlotte Streck is co-founder of the climate consultancy Climate Focus and a Professor honoris causa at the University of Potsdam. She serves as a climate change advisor to numerous governments, private companies, foundations, and not-for-profit organizations, sits on multiple advisory panels and is actively involved in shaping the debate on the role of carbon and climate finance in meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. Previously Senior Legal Counsel with the World Bank, she is a proliferate writer and an associate editor of the Climate Policy journal.
About Mark
Mark is an entrepreneur and Professor of Biology at Syracuse University, where he teaches environmental science. For over 30 years, he has studied the effects of grazing animals on rangelands in North America and Africa. He is the author of Scale, Heterogeneity, and the Structure and Diversity of Ecological Communities (Princeton University Press) and has published over 90 scientific papers. His expertise covers soils, plants, and grazing in grassland and savanna ecosystems. He has also consulted for major U.S. ranches on livestock grazing and wildlife conservation.
About Manuel
Manuel is a climate change consultant with over 25 years’ experience in carbon accounting, climate finance and REDD+. He has advised governments, companies and NGOs worldwide, helped shape key VCS standards, and held senior roles including Climate Change Director for Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and REDD+ Innovations Director at Verra. A UNFCCC expert, he has assessed 15+ national reports and continues to support countries and funds advancing large-scale climate solutions.
Our Germany-based team serves as the backbone of our mission, driving high-integrity conservation and restoration efforts with expertise, dedication, and innovation.
About Chaitanya
An engineer and a scientist by education, Chaitanya is a terrestrial ecosystem specialist who has been part of many conservation and restoration initiatives globally. Besides building the organisation as the Founder, he is the executive leader and is heading the climate department at KAYA which has the mandate to develop land use projects and solutions. Chaitanya’s biggest passion is food, both cooking and eating!
About Chris
Chris is a sustainability and natural climate solutions professional, drawing on a wealth of expertise in carbon finance, carbon markets, certification schemes, nature-based solutions and corporate social responsibility. His most recent focus has been on policy developments impacting carbon markets, particularly Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and the VCM space. He is delighted to take part in shaping KAYA’s mission that puts local communities at the heart of environmental solutions. In his spare time, he is a permaculture fan and puts theory into practice in his garden.
About Florian
Florian has a master’s degree in business psychology and more than 6 years experience in various fields of Human Resources. He is very happy to be part of the KAYA journey to grow a nature-based future. He is responsible for all people-related topics at KAYA. In his spare time he enjoys music, sports and cooking.
About Yevheniia
Yevheniia, originally from Ukraine, has called Berlin home since 2019. She holds a Master’s in Psychology and a Bachelor’s in International Business Management, combining her passion for human behaviour with a strategic business approach. With experience in recruitment across agriculture and now nature conservation, she supports KAYA’s mission of preserving and protecting the environment by helping people find their place within the organisation. Outside of work, she enjoys tending to her many plants and creating a summer balcony garden of tomatoes and herbs.
About Don
Don leverages 25 years of experience in applied nature conservation science and practice, geomatics engineering, and programme management, to deliver a comprehensive approach to the design, development, and implementation of nature-based carbon projects and nature conservation programmes. He currently leads the Climate team at KAYA. In his spare time, enjoys watching Asian TV dramas with family and reading spy espionage thrillers.
About Mariami
Working Student in the Finance team at KAYA with a degree in Finance and over two years of professional experience. With her background and her current studies in Business Informatics, she is supporting financial operations and analysis while building expertise at the intersection of finance and data. She is interested in how financial insights can drive sustainable, impact-focused solutions. Outside of work, she likes going out with friends, cooking Georgian cuisine and reading books.
About Matthias
Matthias is an economist with many years of experience in finance and with a focus on impact start ups. At KAYA he will make sure that all financial aspects of our business are covered and that we allocate our financial resources to maximum impact. As a grandfather, the world being “enkeltauglich”, i.e., suitable for grandchildren, is what matters to him the most.
About Victor
Víctor has over 20 years of experience working on forest landscape restoration, sustainable forest management, agroforestry, and community forestry initiatives across Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. He brings experience in forestry field operations, GIS, restoration planning, monitoring systems, and collaboration with local communities and stakeholders to develop landscapes. Víctor’s biggest passions are reading and doing sports, with triathlon being his favourite.
About Wirong
As a community and ecosystem scientist from Thailand, Wirong has over two decades of research in tropical forests. He brings to KAYA extensive knowledge and fieldwork experience as well as proficiency in data science and modeling which produces high-quality greenhouse gas accounting. Wirong is a nature explorer, finding joy in hiking and bird watching, plus cooking spicy Thai cuisine and spending family time with his two daughters.
Our team in Angola is at the heart of our conservation and restoration efforts, working directly with communities to create lasting environmental and social impact. With deep local knowledge and a strong commitment to sustainability, our team plays a vital role in implementing projects that restore ecosystems, empower people, and build climate resilience.
About Américo
Américo (aka Petinha) oversees the Public Relations, Office Maintenance and overall management of KAYA´s administrative tasks at the KAYA office in the Province of Malanje. He brings extensive experience in the micro and small business sector, trading goods and services with the banking sector, fisheries and administration services, as well as strong connections across the province. Américo loves dancing and listening to music, specifically the pure Angolan Semba (music and dance style).
About Francisco
At KAYA Angola, Francisco is our Community and Livelihoods Management, hence, building trust with the communities we work closely with and organising communications and education around our project.
Francisco’s has extensive community engagement experience, as well as working on livelihoods generation programs and supporting micro enterprise businesses at the community level, building opportunities and local empowerment. He has worked for NGOs across Angola, Malawi and Mozambique for over 25 years.
He spends most of his free time watching football matches.
About Giza
Giza Gaspar Martins is Regional Director at Sun Africa LLC, advancing efforts to end energy poverty in Africa. Formerly Angola’s National Director of Environment and Climate Action, he oversaw policy, climate action, and international negotiations. He led Angola’s Clean Development Mechanism and Climate Change Unit, chaired the African Forum of DNAs, and co-chaired the Global Forum. In 2015, he headed the Least Developed Countries Group in the Paris Agreement talks and later served on the Green Climate Fund Board. Giza holds a degree in Economics and is pursuing a Master’s in Sustainability.
About Valente
Valente is an accomplished Asset and Administrative Specialist. He has over 10 years of experience and expertise in overseeing asset portfolios and streamlining administrative processes in airport ground support, the Private Sector and the Angolan Stock Exchange Market.
At KAYA Angola, in addition to his regular duties, Valente is serving as the focal point for process improvement and digital transformation initiatives, with focus on finance, accounting, administration and asset management.
Valente is passionate about fitness, reading and cinema.
About Justino
Justino Artur Soares is an Angolan agribusiness specialist and project consultant with over a decade of experience in agricultural development, project management, and sustainable market systems. His technical skills include remote sensing, soil mapping, value chain analysis, and project cycle management. He is speaking Portuguese, Umbundu, English and Spanish. He combines strong communication abilities with a deep commitment to sustainable agribusiness development.
About Oscar
Oscar transitioned from the Angolan Air Forces to a distinguished career as chief consultant and advisor to a leading American diamond company in Angola, where he directed the company’s strategic initiatives for a decade. His expertise across the Angolan public sector will help KAYA’s outreach and engagement across sectors. In his spare time Oscar enjoys working on his farm, where he raises chickens and grows excellent coffee, as well as travelling to remote locations.
About Yelena
Yelena holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy, specialized in plant production, transformation and conservation of agricultural products and the production of hybrid seeds. At KAYA Angola she works as Nursery Manager in Malanje. When she is not getting her hands dirty out in the field, we can find her practicing sports and is a lover of researching the biodiversity of the local fauna and flora.
Want to add your own pin in our team map? Check out our current job vacancies!
At KAYA, we’re fully-focused on implementing nature-based solutions that maximise impact on climate, biodiversity, and local communities over an area of Angola potentially reaching over 500,000 hectares.
We are engaged in reforestation, agroforestry, and fire management interventions, with ongoing assessment of environmental, social, and economic factors to ensure our work is appropriate, effective, and sustainable.
Dive deeper into our projects:
