Stefanie de Kool has been working for SMK as a Programme Manager Plant agri chains since January 2014. She is responsible for On the way to PlanetProof Plant products, both in the Netherlands and internationally and the various associated projects.

Stefanie studied Agronomy at Wageningen University, graduated in 1996 with specializations in tropical agronomy, soil fertility and extension. She started working as a consultant in sustainable land use within a soil conservation project in Nicaragua, then as technical assistant at the International Agricultural Centre in the Netherlands, and later as agriculture adviser for the Uganda National Farmers Federation) in Uganda.

From 2001 to 2014 Stefanie worked at the Applied Plant Research (PPO) of Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR); First as a researcher in sustainable farming systems and since 2003 as a senior project manager for the business unit Flower Bulbs, Tree Nursery and Fruits. She developed a broad expertise on improving the sustainability of farming systems and stakeholder processes.

Mail Stefanie: sdekool@smk.nl  LinkedIn  

John Janssen started working at SMK in August 2018. He is working as a project manager Plant agri chains on the national and international development of the ‘On the way to PlanetProof’ certification schemes for some horticultural branches, and on the criteria for processed products. He is also the contactperson for the Barometer Sustainable Florist.

John studied Horticulture at the Wageningen University and he specialised in a few agronomical directions. After graduation he worked as a horticultural advisor, agronomist, public relation manager and advisor for horticultural policy.

As an employee at some regional Dutch Agricultural production organisations and the Dutch Association of Arboriculturists (NBvB) and Tree Centre Opheusden, he became very familiar with sustainable production. He also took initiatives for developing sustainable growing systems in arboriculture and greenhouse cultures.

John is considering his employment for SMK as a unique opportunity to contribute to the development of horticultural production systems, in a way that the production of vegetables, fruits and ornamentals are more and more in balance with the environment: ‘On the way to PlanetProof’.

Mail John: jjanssen@smk.nl  Bellen : 0651503132  LinkedIn   

Jaap Bij de Vaate started working at SMK in September 2019. As project leader Vegetable Agro-chains, he is responsible for the certification scheme Green Label Greenhouse and also heavily involved in developing criteria for On the way to PlanetProof.

Jaap grew up on an arable farm and studied horticulture at the Wageningen Agricultural College (now: Wageningen University). After graduating in 1989, he gained a lot of experience with substrate supplier Grodan in greenhouse farming, was involved in substrate development, and supported growers as an international consultant. From 2007 Jaap was involved as project leader and expert at Delphy in a wide variety of projects in greenhouse horticulture: water quality and emission reduction, application of innovations, energy-saving projects, development of growth models, etc. He also set up and carried out training courses there and supervised international ornamental plant cultivation companies.

At SMK Jaap continues to work on making the Dutch and international horticultural sector more sustainable, striving to build bridges between the ideals of sustainability and the practice of economic and technical feasibility.

Mail Jaap: jbijdevaate@smk.nl  LinkedIn   

In May 2019, Lien Terryn has joined the SMK team. In her role as project manager Plant agri chains she contributes to the content-related requirements of On the way to PlanetProof and she has contact with producers, advisers and researchers.

Lien graduated on the Catholic University of Leuven as Bio-engineer soil science and water management. Her first working experience was in Vietnam. During her 2-year stay in Hanoi, Lien facilitated the transition to more nutritious forages used by small-scale dairy farmers.

The last 9 years, she worked as a consultant and project manager at CLM Research and Advice Ltd. In this position she managed projects for among others SAI Platform, Heineken, PepsiCo and Ben & Jerry’s.

Mail Lien: lterryn@smk.nl  LinkedIn   

Yannick Kraamer has been working at SMK since June 2022. As a project officer within the Plant Agri Chains team, he works mainly on the quality label On the way to PlanetProof and is the contact person for certification bodies.

Yannick studied International Development Management at Van Hall Larenstein, University of Applied Sciences in Wageningen and Velp. He specialized in Sustainable Value Chains and gained international experience during his studies through internships such as at a farmers association in Seychelles and for AgroFair in Panama. After his studies, he started as a policy officer for sustainability at GroentenFruit Huis, the trade organization for the fruit and vegetable sector. After a period in Indonesia, he worked in Sales and Supply Chain Support at Fairtrasa, an import company in organic fruit and bananas. With both his strategic and operational experience, he sees his work at SMK as an opportunity to play a role in making agricultural production and trade more sustainable.

Mail Yannick: ykraamer@smk.nl  LinkedIn   

Sepha Smit has joined SMK as Business Development Manager on an interim basis since April 2023. She focuses on exploring and exploiting opportunities for the application of sustainability standards managed by SMK. She also maintains contacts with retail and food service, is organizing agreements with supermarkets for a premium price for more sustainable products and supports SMK with strategy development.

Sepha has more than 20 years of retail experience. For example, for the past 10 years she has been Unit Manager for fresh products at PLUS Retail where making the fresh assortment more sustainable was one of the key elements.

Mail Sepha: ssmit@smk.nl  LinkedIn  

Herman Docters van Leeuwen has been working for SMK since 1999. As a Programme Manager Agri chains, he is responsible for On the way to PlanetProof livestock sectors (beef cattle and dairy), the Barometer Duurzame Bakkerij & Zoetwaren (Barometer for Sustainable Bakery & Confectionery), the Barometer Duurzaam Terreinbeheer (Barometer Sustainable Management of public areas). He is also involved in the development and management of the Maatlat Duurzame Veehouderij (Sustainability standard for animal production). Previously he developed the certification scheme Groen Label Kas. Moreover, he advises governments and companies on sustainability.

Herman studied biology in Leiden and completed the study Dutch agriculture at the Agricultural University of Applied Sciences in Delft in 1992, with a major in Animal production. After graduating, he took on a commercial role at the plant nursery Hoveling Plant. After this, he worked as a policy officer for the gardening department of the municipality of Apeldoorn, and as a teacher in higher agricultural education, for the studies of rural development and animal production.

In the past years, Herman has been involved with the development and implementation of agricultural nature conservation as a secretary for the agricultural nature association Vockestaert in Midden-Delfland. Moreover, he is a rider at the Jockey club of the Rotterdamsche Manège. He was active at this club as a board member for four years. Since 2013, he is a member of the sustainability workgroup of the Laurens Church in Rotterdam.

Mail Herman: hdoctersvanleeuwen@smk.nl  Bellen : 0610503786  LinkedIn   

Annika de Ridder has been working at SMK since 1 May 2013. As the Project Manager animal supply chains, she is responsible for the On the way to PlanetProof criteria for the livestock sectors and processed products, and is intensively involved in the development and management of Maatlat Duurzame Veehouderij (Sustainability index for animal production and Aquaculture).

Annika completed the Bachelor degree programme in Dier- en Veehouderij (Animal and Livestock Farming) at the INHOLLAND University of Applied Sciences in Delft. She then gained a Master’s degree in Biology in Leiden, specialising in Evolutionary and Ecological Sciences.

In 2009, she worked as an inspector of subsidies for agricultural nature conservation at the General Inspection Service (Algemene Inspectiedienst, AID, now part of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, NVWA). In that role, she visited a large number of agricultural firms.

From 2010, she was an implementation expert at the former Implementation Service for the Ministry of Agriculture, now part of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), dealing with applications for project grants for the agricultural sector, for instance for innovation projects and the investment scheme IDSH (Integraal Duurzame Stal- en Houderijsystemen, integrated sustainable animal housing and husbandry systems).

In 2011, she gained the certificate Bedrijf en Kwaliteit (Company and Quality, integrated quality assurance) at HAS Kennis Transfer in Den Bosch.

Mail Annika: aderidder@smk.nl  Bellen : 0610664940  LinkedIn   

As Project leader of Animal Agro Chains, Saskia van Wageningen-Lucardie is the first point of contact for all questions about the Yardstick of Sustainable Livestock Farming. She also works on the management of the On the way to PlanetProof criteria for animal products. She is also the first point of contact for the Register of Green Declarations. She uses her extensive knowledge of IT applications in the development of supporting digital (web) tools and in the financial management of various SMK programs.

Saskia graduated from the INHOLLAND University in Delft, where she followed the HBO study Animal and Livestock Farming. Her graduation project was for the Fur for Animals Foundation and involved the evaluation of existing and the development of new teaching packages for groups 6 to 8 of primary education.

After her graduation, Saskia worked as an office manager at the Sophia Association for the Protection of Animals. In this job, she was responsible for the daily operations of the office of the Sophia Association.

Mail Saskia: svanwageningen@smk.nl  LinkedIn   

Tineke Kramer joined SMK in June 2019. As project manager of animal supply chains she is involved in animal products and stables through the criteria of the integral quality mark On the way to PlanetProof and Maatlat Duurzame Veehouderij.

Tineke is a veterinarian and European specialist veterinary public health (Dip. ECVPH). In recent years, her focus has been on One Health and risk management of zoonoses. This in collaboration with human doctors, policy officers and livestock farmers, among others. She worked on One Health at the Faculties of Veterinary Medicine in Utrecht and Gainesville Florida, the regional public health service (GGD), Inholland University of Applied Sciences, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the World Health Organization in Geneva. One Health focuses on balancing the health of people, animals and the environment and is therefore in line with SMK’s objectives to stimulate integral sustainability.

Mail Tineke: tkramer@smk.nl  LinkedIn   

Ineke Vlot has worked at SMK as Programme Manager non-food of various non-food programmes since 1996. For EU Ecolabel, she assesses application files for certification. From her role within SMK, she represents the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management in the Regulatory Committee of EU Ecolabel and advises this Ministry about new and revised EU Ecolabel criteria with regard to voting positions within the European Union Ecolabelling Board (EUEB). Since 2020 Ineke is the President of the EUEB. She has been the vice president of the EUEU since April 2015.

Ineke is also responsible for the development and management of the Milieukeur non-food certification schemes.

In addition, she is involved in Sustainable Purchasing/Green Public Procurement for various product groups, both nationally and internationally.

Ineke is also a board member of the Association of Certification Scheme Developers, founded end of 2018.

Ineke studied biology and environmental sciences at Leiden University. During her studies, she performed research on topics including environmentally-relevant product information for consumers, modelled on the German ‘Blaue Engel’ (Blue Angel) certification programme.

After graduation, Ineke worked for a lengthy period as a project leader at the Centrum voor Energiebesparing (CE Delft; centre for energy savings). Her responsibilities included the feasibility study for Milieukeur (examining the possibility and desirability of setting up a Dutch eco-label) and research into international product-focused environmental policy. Before that, she was a project leader at the Stichting Consument en Veiligheid (consumer and safety foundation) and a product researcher at the Keurmerkinstituut (Certification Institute).

Mail Ineke: ivlot@smk.nl  Bellen: 06-10761573  LinkedIn   

Lars Woltmann has been working as project leader EU non-food at SMK since August 2008. He is responsible for the assessment of application dossiers for the EU Ecolabel certificate and maintains intensive contact with certificate holders and other stakeholders. Furthermore, he advises on new and revised EU Ecolabel criteria to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture, and Innovation regarding voting positions in the EU Ecolabel Board (EUEB).

Lars studied Biology at the University of Göttingen and then worked there for over five years as a researcher/teacher, of which he spent two years conducting ecological research in Indonesia.

Mail Lars: lwoltmann@smk.nl  LinkedIn   

Robert Jan Volders has been working at SMK as project manager non-food since March 2018. He supports the non-food department and handles applications for EU Ecolabel certification. He also deals with communication about the EU Ecolabel and is the contact person for questions regarding the label.

Robert Jan studied Industrial Ecology at TU Delft/University of Leiden. This study is characterized by a multidisciplinary approach to sustainability issues with elements from environmental science, engineering, and sociology. Over the years he specialized in sustainable product design and life cycle analysis, combining it with a bachelor Industrial Design.

During his studies, he worked on several products, service, and urban design projects and conducted research on the environmental impact of various products and industrial activities. Furthermore, he has been working as a teacher of life cycle analysis methodology. For his graduation project, he researched the life cycle impact of different processing scenarios for coffee grounds.

Mail Robert Jan : rvolders@smk.nl  LinkedIn   

Lotte van den Bosch has been working at SMK since June 2022 as junior project lead EU Ecolabel. She supports the non-food team in preparing applications and assists the team with certification of the EU Ecolabel. She is also a contact person for questions related to the EU Ecolabel and she is involved in the communication regarding the quality label.

Lotte studied Public Administration (MSc) at Radboud University Nijmegen and Philosophy of Contemporary Challenges (MA) at Tilburg University. During the master programme Public Administration she gained a lot of knowledge about policy processes, policy analysis and advice. During the master programme Philosophy of Contemporary Challenges she has approached sustainability and environmental issues from an ethical perspective. In addition, she is currently taking courses from the master programme Environment and Society Studies (MSc) at Radboud University Nijmegen to gain more specialist knowledge in the field of sustainability.

After her studies, she completed the Blue Book Traineeship at the European Commission. After that, she worked as an analyst at Rabobank. Lotte perceives her work for SMK as a unique opportunity to contribute to making businesses, and more specific non-food products, more sustainable.

Mail Lotte: lvandenbosch@smk.nl  LinkedIn   

Ellen Brussee has been working at SMK since October 2019. As a Communication Manager, she deals with the b-to-b communication activities for SMK and the different labels and programs. She is in contact with our stakeholders through press releases, events, websites, newsletters, and social media channels. In addition, she facilitates hallmark holders in their consumer communication through guidelines, advice, and content. Ellen is part of the Communication Working Group of the European Commission for the EU Ecolabel.

Ellen studied Science of Communication at the University of Amsterdam. In Canada she followed a minor Marketing and graduated in Amsterdam with a Master of Science in Corporate Communication. She continued to develop and achieved certifications in Business and Online Marketing.

She worked in profit and non-profit organizations on the development and execution of marketing and communication strategies for different (international) target groups. While working at agencies, she worked for clients like HelloFresh, Qurrent, VandeBron, Rabobank and the municipality of Leiden. Her expertise lies in the area of social media.

Mail Ellen: ebrussee@smk.nl  LinkedIn   

Mail Anna: aevers@smk.nl  LinkedIn  

Monique van Raam has worked as an office assistant at SMK since 1995. She is responsible for all occurring secretarial work, including the preparation and settlement of supervisory committees, hearings, and meetings of Boards of Experts and the Supervisory Board. She is also the contact person for personnel matters.

Before joining SMK, Monique worked as a secretary at Coopers & Lybrand Tax Advisors. There she worked as a jack-of-all-trades for the Chairman of the Board.

Mail Monique: mvanraam@smk.nl  

Nannette has been working at SMK as an office assistant since 2018. She is responsible for all occurring secretarial work, including the preparation and settlement of guidance committees, hearings and meetings of Colleges of Experts and Supervisory Boards.

Mail Nannette: nbraun@smk.nl  

Mail Erwin: edevries@smk.nl  Bellen: 0610412750  

Willian Klaassen has been working at SMK as a Financial Officer since January 2021. She takes care of billing, project administration and accounts receivable management and also does various control tasks and supporting administrative work.

Before Willian joined SMK, she worked at various insurance companies and insurance agencies, and then at several administrative offices.

Mail Willian: wklaassen@smk.nl  

Gijs Dröge (1959) has been director of SMK since June 1, 2015. In this position, he is responsible for day-to-day management and focuses on the future of SMK. His aim is to stimulate sustainability in business in a positive way and to increase the impact of SMK’s tools.

Prior to SMK, Gijs was a founder and partner in consultancies for public affairs, communications, and corporate social responsibility. He is also a member of the panel of the transparency benchmark of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate. Gijs Dröge started his career in journalism and still publishes regularly.

Besides his work, Gijs is active as chairman of Liberal Green, a political think tank. Gijs studied architecture at TU Delft and took several management courses in the United States.

Mail Gijs : gdroge@smk.nl   Bellen : 0653177112  LinkedIn