PEFC appoints new Secretary General/CEO

1 June 2022 Organization news

The PEFC Board of Directors is pleased to announce that it has appointed Michael Berger as PEFC Secretary General/CEO as of 1 June 2022.

“Michael will be an engaged, responsive, and dedicated leader for the PEFC alliance,” said Eduardo Rojas Briales, PEFC Chair. “With his team-oriented, people-centric management style, his focus on collaboration and innovation, and his remarkable expertise and technical knowledge, we are confident he will guide PEFC in the next phase of its evolution.”

Dr Berger was selected after an open and intensive process, managed by an external recruitment company. He has worked at PEFC since 2011, most recently as Acting Secretary General/CEO. 

Michael has over twenty years of experience in environmental and quality management, sustainable supply chain development, and management systems. After his studies in Economics and PhD in Forestry, he worked as a management consultant in different sectors, before serving as a Technical Expert for accreditation bodies and at a leading sustainability consultancy in Germany. Michael was also a lecturer in Corporate Social Responsibility at the School for Forestry and Sustainable Resource Management at the Technical University Munich in Weihenstephan. 

“I am honoured and humbled by the trust the PEFC Board and our members are placing in me,” commented Michael Berger. “I am looking forward to working with colleagues in member organisations globally, our excellent team at PEFC International, and all other stakeholders that want to join us on the PEFC journey.”

“Demands on forests have never been so high. The need for timber is increasing, but forests are also critical climate change mitigation champions and biodiversity hosts. We need to meet and exceed society’s changing expectations of forests.”

“We will strengthen our capacity and collaboration with members and partners to better demonstrate the positive impact that credible certification has on forests, people, and local economies. As an innovative service provider, we will collectively deliver meaningful impact on our journey towards a low carbon economy.”