Anand Punja

Anand has worked on sustainability through its different core lenses (Social, Environmental and Economic) for 25+ years now at varying scales from local level to international.

He currently works for FSC International leading change to improve engagement with its diverse membership and stakeholder base. He works with the various teams across FSC to find meaningful and innovative ways to collaborate and create solutions that can be implemented through forest related markets- whether this is through tangible value chains such as fiber or furniture or less tangible such as carbon, biodiversity and restoration finance markets.

As a social scientist, Anand has a well-rounded perspective of the challenges and opportunities faced by society and nature across the world. He strongly believes that the current environmental and societal challenges faced must be tackled by working with all parts of society, engaging people with empathy and courage to make them a part of the solution, not the problem, as many narratives do.

Anand lives with his wife and two teenage daughters in Ruislip, West London, just on the edge of the London’s largest National Nature Reserve - Ruislip Woods- a semi-ancient woodland, where he walks his dog almost daily. Anand’s connection goes beyond walking in the woods, as he is an active Trustee of Ruislip Woods Trust, a Charity set up to support the Local Authority in managing the woods.

He is also a Trustee of Embercombe in Devon, England. Embercombe is retreat space set in 50 acres of a beautiful Devonshire valley. Embercombe runs courses for people to connect with themselves and nature in a beautiful Devonshire valley. Many of Embercombe’ s Alumni have been inspired to change their relationship with nature and take more purposeful action to live in greater balance.