Ben is the CEO and Secretary General of PEFC International, the world’s largest forest certification system, covering over 300 million hectares of certified forests in 46 member countries.
Ben has spent most of his working life in forestry, starting as a forestry worker. After completing his studies at Aberdeen University, Ben joined the University of Wales, Bangor as a researcher in Forest Economics. This was followed by various positions in the Timber Growers Association in the UK where he dealt with technical and policy aspects of forestry. Ben then became involved in forest certification when he took on the position of Technical Director.
In 1999, he became Secretary General of PEFC International. As a chartered forester, Ben has been further developing his skills with a Master’s in Business Administration from the Open University, and more recently a Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors.