Nominations Committee

The Nominations Committee is responsible for proposing a list of candidates to fill the vacancies within the PEFC International Board, ensuring a balance of the major stakeholders supporting PEFC, the geographical distribution of members, annual cutting categories and gender.

Every year, we invite PEFC members to nominate candidates for the Board. The Nominations Committee guides our members by advising them on what qualifications and experience are sought from the nominees.

Once the members have submitted their nominees, the Nominations Committee is responsible for considering the nominations and proposing a list of candidates to fill the vacancies within the Board. This includes the Chairman, Vice Chairs and Board members.

This list is proposed to, and voted on by, the PEFC General Assembly.

Appointing the Nominations Committee

The Nominations Committee is made up of four members: two PEFC Board members and two people from outside the PEFC alliance. Each member of the Nominations Committee serves a term of three years and they can serve two successive terms.

The two Board representatives are appointed by the Board. The two external members are appointed by the PEFC General Assembly, based on a proposal by the Board, which in turn will have considered candidates proposed by at least two PEFC members.

Current Nominations Committee

Jan McAlpine, Chair

Jan is a former Director (CEO) of the Secretariat for the 197 countries of the United Nations Forum on Forests in New York. Prior to that she was the Senior Advisor and Negotiator for Forests for the US Department of State for 8 years in Washington DC where she conceived and initiated the President's Initiative Against Illegal logging, the Congo Basin Forest Partnership, launched by Secretary Colin Powell, the Liberia Forest Initiative and more.

Jan is currently CEO and President of McAlpine International Consultants, focusing on Natural Resources, Forests, Water and Water Pollution, Education, Training, strategic planning and development, policy development and implementation, fund raising and project management. She is also a part-time Lecturer, Yale University, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and serves as a Senior Policy Fellow, Tufts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; and is a Board member of the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR).

Suzette Weeding, PEFC International Vice Chair

Suzette is currently General Manager Conservation and Land Management - the Sustainable Timber Tasmania. Suzette is a forest industry professional and a senior executive. 

Suzette has over 20 years direct experience in senior roles directly responsible for environmental management, management of natural and cultural values, and management of areas of significant biodiversity, management of the sustainable forest management certification systems and stakeholder engagement.

Suzette has been a very vocal advocate of both the Australian Forestry Standard Certification Scheme (AFCS) and PEFC, and has been active in promoting the systems and maintaining the support from key legislators at numerous levels of Government. She has a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and Botany from the University of Tasmania, Hobart Tasmania.

Kurt Ramskogler, PEFC International Board member

Kurt is Chairman of PEFC Austria, and Advisory Board Member and Former Managing Director of LIECO, an enterprise of the Foundation Prince Liechtenstein.

In addition, he brings years of experience from a wide range of activities in Liechtenstein as well as market and industry knowledge in the forestry / paper and wood industry. 

Kurt is an advisory board member of the BFW (Austrian Research Center for Forests), examining commissioner of the state examination for the higher forest service and an expert for forestry, nature conservation, hunting, wood and ski slopes. 

Born in Styria, Kurt has a degree in forestry and obtained his doctorate in 1986 at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences.