GOVERNANCE BOARD

Studied ecology in Vienna and has been a vegetarian/vegan since 1989. He was one of the first to investigate and video-document chicken battery farms and was involved in making Austria's supermarkets commit to go "cage-free", back in the 90's. He has since accumulated over 30 years of experience in nature conservation, animal welfare and human rights. He has worked in African national parks, led high-profile lobby campaigns on banning GMOs in Europe and for many years has been involved in the fights to preserve the Amazon in Brazil. He is one of Sinergia's co-founders.

Eduarda Nedeff graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of the Itajaí Valley in Brazil and has a postgraduate certificate from George Brown College in Canada. After working in the marketing sector for over six years, she joined the animal protection movement in 2016 with a focus on campaigns, corporate engagement, strategies, development, and management. She has been involved in driving forward animal welfare policies that have been adopted by leading companies in Latin America, Asia, and globally (including McDonald’s, Burger King, Krispy Kreme, Minor International, Carrefour, and Dunkin Donuts)

Born in Austria, Nicolas has 30 years of experience in animal and nature protection campaigning. Since 1999, he has focused on marine protection and conservation issues and is currently the Director of International Relations at the international marine conservation organisation OCEANCARE. In 2010 he co-negotiated the “Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans: Whales and Dolphins” at the university in Helsinki, Finland. Furthermore, in 2011 he founded his own Campaigning Agency SHIFTING VALUES. Some of his focus areas are working towards an end of hydrocarbon exploration, reducing the ecological footprint of shipping, but also the role of International Finance Institutions (IFIs) within the farm animal sector.

Carolina is Brazilian and has 20 years of experience in research, investigation, strategic planning, mobilization, communication, and movement building. She has worked in over 30 different countries as an investigative journalist for several leading NGOs and her work has been covered by some of the world’s most prominent media. Between 2013 and 2018, she worked at different organizations in Brazil and was responsible for negotiations and campaigns that led some of the largest food companies in the world—such as Cargill, Bunge, JBS and McDonald’s, —to announce animal welfare policies in Latin America. Carolina is a graduate of Unicamp in Brazil (in economics) and has a master’s degree in International Journalism from City University, London. In September 2017, Carolina founded Sinergia Animal.

Marcela is a lawyer with 15 years of experience in corporate law. Since 2019, she has been actively involved with animal advocacy. Her dedication to the movement has led her to attend various fundraising and development programs, workshops, and strategic planning initiatives aimed at promoting dietary change, animal welfare, and advocacy, with organizations including Anima International, Proveg International, The Pollination Project Foundation, Beyond Carnism, and Scarlet Spark. Marcela works as a Director of Strategic Development at Sociedade Vegetariana Brasileira - SVB and as a Coordinator at the Pollination Project Foundation. Recently, she joined Thrive Philanthropy’s Board. Marcela’s contributions as a volunteer coordinator and fundraiser—including successfully securing a few international grants for a sanctuary—have significantly benefited animal advocacy organizations.