Niels is the founder and co-director of Satelligence, a social enterprise dedicated to tracking deforestation for companies and partners such as Cargill, Unilever, Fairtrade International and Tony’s Chocolonely. He is driven by a commitment to protecting people and the planet through the use of satellite-based analytics, particularly in promoting more sustainable agricultural commodities.

With over 25 years of experience in tropical commodity production landscapes, Niels is a recognised expert in satellite-based monitoring of forests, agriculture, carbon and water. His expertise has seen him serve as a technical advisor to the European Commission on the implementation of the EU Renewable Energy Directive. He has also been an invited member of the RSPO Working Group on GHG Emissions and a specialist in Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems for REDD+. Niels earned his MSc in Forestry, specialising in Remote Sensing, from Wageningen University in 2003.