Affiliates and Senior Associates
The AtKisson Group is a network of organizations and individuals around the world. Affiliates are member organizations who serve as our official representatives. Associates are individuals who work as part of the global AtKisson team on our client projects and training programs. Senior Associates have more than ten years of experience in sustainable development.
Some of individuals profiled below play dual roles, leading our regional Affiliate organizations, and participating as Associates on global projects. Scroll down to review the whole list.
Axel Klimek, Germany
Axel serves as CEO of ISIS Academy GmbH, a standalone spin-off from AtKisson Inc. and the AtKisson Group's professional training and development division. (See ISISAcademy.com) Axel is a senior management consultant with high-level experience in Europe, Asia, and Africa, helping organizations manage complex change processes and improve performance. His clients have included the African Union Commission, Canon Europe, Ernst & Young, GTZ, Lufthansa, Unilever and T-Systems. The founder of Axel Klimek 3p, Axel now focuses his practice on helping clients achieve sustainability through cultural change processes, innovation, cooperation, strategic planning, and change management. One of his main focus areas is how sustainability can be integrated into the value chain of an organisation and can become a habitual part of the perception, decision making process and actions of its leaders, managers and staff.
With a professional background in psychotherapy, Axel also has exceptional professional coaching and group process skills. He is certified in the use of the ISIS Method and ISIS Accelerator tools for strategic sustainable development, and has been trained by Peter M. Senge and Otto Scharmer ("U Process" technique).
Axel is based in Frankfurt, Germany.
Systainability Asia - Robert Steele, Thailand
Robert Steele, director of Systainability Asia Ltd. (and AtKisson Asia), is one of the most experienced consultants and trainers in the AtKisson Group. He has led both introductory and advanced workshops for a wide variety of professional audiences, all over Asia. His clients have included UNEP leadership training programs, national school systems, companies and government agencies throughout Asia and the Pacific. Using a combination of team-building, systems thinking, and sustainability analysis skills, he helps organizations in Asia set and achieve their sustainability goals.He also trains and certifies people in the use of the ISIS Method and the ISIS Accelerator tools.
Previously, Robert was a senior trainer and educator with the Thai Environment and Community Development Association, a leading NGO whose environmental education programs attracted students from all over Asia. In addition to leading AtKisson Group Affiliate Systainability Asia, Robert is lead representative for the AtKisson Group in SE Asia.
David Berry, USA
David Berry is the former Executive Director of White House-sponsored Inter-Agency Working Group on Sustainable Development Indicators. As a senior civil servant in the US Department of Interior, he also co-led an Industrial Ecology working group, producing a report on materials flow. Currently he directs and facilitates the Water Roundtable, a broad inter-agency initiative which he also founded.
David has represented the United States in UN-sponsored meetings on sustainability indicators; spoken at many conferences; and led dozens of workshops on sustainability-related topics. He is an excellent speaker, presenter, and facilitator, in addition to having long experience in policy and decision-making on sustainability.
Trained as an economist, David is also an accomplished musician, having performed many times on the long-running radio program "A Prairie Home Companion" in its earliest days. His AtKisson Group clients have included the the US Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, Imperial College London, the Heinz Endowments, and The HealthForum.
Change Agent, Inc. - Junko Edahiro, Japan
Junko Edahiro is one of Japan's leading advisors and communicators in the field of sustainability. She has translated dozens of books in the field (while authoring several of her own), including books by Al Gore, Lester Brown, and Alan AtKisson, while authoring several bestselling books of her own. She appears frequently on Japanese television, and has advised the Prime Minister on possible futures for a post-carbon society.
Junko is the founder of Japan for Sustainability, a prominent NGO that keeps the rest of the world informed about what is happening in Japan on environment and resource-related matters. She is also founder of e's, a service that helps adult learners master English, the environment, and self-empowerment, all at once.
Currently she consults to corporations and government agencies through Change Agent, Inc., a consultancy specializing in change and systems thinking for sustainability. Change Agent, Inc. is an AtKisson Group Affiliate, founded by Junko and Riichiro Oda, also an AtKisson Senior Associate with over a decade of experience in business management and systems change.
Junko also serves on a variety of international boards, and is a Visiting Professor at the University of Tokyo.
Fundacja Sendzimira / Sendzimir Foundation - Poland
Created to "help Polish society in finding solutions to complex environmental, economic and social problems," the Foundation is leader in education, training, and research. Several key leaders in the Foundation have received advanced training on the ISIS method and tools, including Tomasz Bergier, Karolina Maliszewska, and Patrycja Romaniuk, all graduates of the ISIS Academy Master Class.
Center for System Solutions - Piotr Magnuszewski, Poland
The Center, led by AtKisson Senior Associate Piotr Magnuszewski, is an independent and innovative source of expert-level systems modeling, simulation, and game-design expertise. Piotr also serves as senior faculty with the ISIS Academy, and as a researcher with IIASA, a leading systems research center in Vienna, Austria.
Planet Partnership - Roberta Fernandez and Leslie Laney, USA
Planet Partnership is a leading sustainability service provider in the Southeast United States, and serves as a base for the offering of ISIS Academy core classes in the United States (see ISISAcademyUSA.com). Founder and President Roberta Fernandez is recognized as a leading and passionate voice for sustainability through education, personal responsibility and action.
Roberta was one of the first 50 volunteers to be selected and personally trained by Al Gore to present his widely acclaimed climate change message. She then helped train over 1,000 additional presenters in her role as Senior Mentor for the Climate Project.
An entrepreneur for more than 25 years, Roberta's experience in sales and management in the corporate world, and as a Certified Financial Planner for American Express, allow her to relate to the relevant needs and priorities of the business world. She also has extensive experience in the field of education as founder and administrator of a Montessori school.
Roberta holds a Sustainability Professional Certification from the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) and is also a graduate of the ISIS Academy Sustainability Master Class.
Leslie Laney is a Sustainability Specialist for Planet Partnership. Previously she was employed for 16 years with Sam's Club, the wholesale division of Walmart. It was there that she discovered her true passion, taking on the role of Sustainability Market Leader. In this role, she participated in the pilot of Walmart's PSP (Personal Sustainability Practice), and helped educate employees on the effects of their daily actions on the world. She led projects with groups and schools within the community, as well as organizing events and education campaigns for Sam's Club's customers.
Leslie comes with a broad range of experience in creating successful partnerships with organizations, businesses, utilities and governments in order to promote sustainability initiatives. She brings a wealth knowledge from the large corporate sector. Leslie holds a Sustainability Professional Certification from the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) and is also a graduate of the ISIS Academy Sustainability Master class.
Optimal Niche - Lee Hatcher, USA
Lee Hatcher has 27 years of experience in mechanical and environmental engineering, coupled with more than decade of experience working on sustainability indicators and initiative planning. He has consulted to numerous companies, cities, and regional government authorities, and authored three chapters for a leading European textbook on sustainability. In addition to his engineering training and experience, he holds a Masters in Human Ecology, Magna Cum Laude, from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium.
Lee is a highly experienced facilitator; an expert in the development of sustainability indicators; and a skilled manager of projects and organizations. His international experience includes training Chinese city officials in the development of urban indicators for the United Nations Development Program, training city officials in Australia, and training other trainers of the ISIS Accelerator toolkit in SE Asia. He is principal in his own consultancy, Optimal Niche, which is an Affiliate of the AtKisson Group.
Hal Kane, USA
Hal Kane has has been a writer, editor, consultant and leader in the field of sustainability for nearly twenty years. He co-founded the "Vital Signs" book series at Worldwatch Institute, and he has advised numerous management teams, organizational boards, and other leadership groups. His work has encompassed a full range of subject matter from agriculture, water, and energy, to biodiversity and environmental economics, as well as trade and development. Hal has also played a full range of roles from executive director, media promoter, fundraiser, and strategic planner, to researcher and writer.
His writing credentials include the publication of 10 books about international development (W.W. Norton & Co., Island Press, and others) with translations in 31 languages and sales of three-quarters of a million copies. His work has included press conferences and promotion that generated more than 1,000 newspaper articles covering topics of sustainable development; speaking appearances in top forums all over the world; and numerous guest appearances on radio and television shows including the BBC, NPR, CBC, and CNN.
Cabinet Espere, France - Francois Raguenot, JF Fillaut
Cabinet Espere is a leading sustainability consultancy in France, with an office in Senegal as well. Espere provides a wide range of strategy, technical, and change management services to companies and communities. Principals Francois Raguenot and JF Fillaut are also very experienced in the application of ISO 14000 and 26000 standards.
Francois Raguenot is a 2010 graduate of the ISIS Academy Master Class. In addition to being certified in the application of the ISIS Method and Accelerator tools, he is very experienced with The Natural Step framework and other tools for managing sustainability planning.
For more information on Espere (in French), please visit their website, www.cabinet-espere.fr.
Change Agent, Inc., Japan - Riichiro 'Rich' Oda
Rich Oda has extensive experience at the intersection of business, systems thinking, and sustainability. He is co-author, together with Junko Edahiro, of a new systems thinking guidebook, and he advises both companies and Japanese government agencies on issues ranging from climate change to corporate social responsibility. With a background in management, Rich combines mastery of sustainability theory and practice with solid experience in business implementation. He is an excellent communicator (in both Japanese and English).
FWR Group Ltd. - Michael O'Brien, Australia
FWR Group, based in Brisbane, is a full-service sustainability consultancy serving a wide variety of business and government clients with planning, training, and strategic consulting services. Technical director Michael O'Brien (pictured here) is a graduate of AtKisson's ISIS Academy Master Class.
Led by Mike Duggan and Michael O'Brien, FWR Group calls itself "the guiding hand through the green maze." With its extensive experience and many sustainability-related technical certifications, FWR Group is exceptionally well-positioned to serve as AtKisson Group Affiliate in Queensland.
Ben Roche, Australia
As a sustainability educator and community facilitator, Ben has been actively engaged in the sustainability sector for over 10 years. With a background that blends academia and professional practice, Ben has diverse experience leading projects that focus on engaging people in a mutual learning process for change.
Ben has worked with a range of agencies, from small not-for-profits to Universities, Government and United Nations programs. He has extensive experience working with the strategic and organisational context for community education and engagement across a variety of sectors and segments.
His recent experience includes working with young leaders, designing effective sustainability education and large scale social change programs, facilitating complex multi-stakeholder processes, delivering capacity building and training workshops, undertaking innovative qualitative social research, supporting individuals and their organisations in strategic change processes, and developing community involvement approaches.
Ben has held key positions at the University of New South Wales and the Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW leading various community education and engagement activities. In 2008, he received the prestigious Carrick Citation from the Australian Teaching and Learning Council for his work with University-based community engagement processes.
LEAD Indonesia - Darwina Widjajanti
Darwina Widjanti is Executive Director of Indonesia's Foundation for Sustainable Development and LEAD Indonesia, the AtKisson Group's Affiliate in Indonesia. LEAD Indonesia trains young leaders and also provides training support to the business sector. It has been working with major Indonesian corporations using the ISIS Accelerator to assist them with sustainability reporting and strategy. Darwina leads the team of LEAD associates that has become very experienced with Accelerator and a key partner to the AtKisson Group in SE Asia.
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