Gabriele Ballero is the Manager of Public Affairs at Cascale. He supports the Senior Director of Policy & Public Affairs in coordinating and undertaking key work streams of Cascale Public Affairs Strategy, delivering widespread and effective government engagement and education to ensure that Cascale and the global consumer goods industry gives more than it takes. He is based in Brussels, Belgium.

As Executive Vice President, Andrew is responsible for delivering strategic and operational leadership for the organization. While continuing to oversee the Membership, Stakeholder Engagement, Collective Action, and Public Affairs teams, as second-in-command at Cascale he is responsible for driving growth of the organization to ensure it can scale impact and deliver value to members. This involves broader strategic development of the organization, including into new verticals / adjacent product categories, development of new revenue streams, and expansions of key partnerships.

Prior to joining Cascale, Andrew was at amfori, the leading business association for open and sustainable trade, where, as VP Services, he was responsible for global operational activities. In addition to a strategic role in the development of the vision and strategy of the organization, Andrew managed membership services, led the implementation of global social and environmental audit assessments, including launching a pioneering audit integrity program, and also the largest capacity building program of its kind for social and environmental performance in global supply chains.

Andrew has a degree in philosophy and theology from King’s College London, an MBA with distinction from the University of Exeter, where he was awarded ‘Dissertation most likely to change global thinking,’ and a postgraduate qualification in team coaching, from UWE, Bristol. During his extensive career, including more than 20 years in global textile manufacturing, Andrew has worked for a multi-national corporation, his own consultancy, and more recently in the education and non-profit sectors.
A highlight of his work and interest is the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, and its philosophy of Gross National Happiness, an alternative progressive values-based model for measuring and guiding economic, societal, and personal well-being. He is currently based in the seaside town of Looe in Cornwall in the Southwest of England.

Elisabeth is the Senior Director, Public Affairs for Cascale. She is leading our global activities in public affairs, policy and advocacy, including heading and further developing the public affairs team. She is leading Cascale working engagement with the Policy Hub and other like-minded partner organizations. She is based in Brussels, Belgium.

She has more than a decade of experience in decision-making procedures and public affairs and has acquired extensive expertise in sustainability legislation. She is specialised in strategically positioning members’ interests through targeted stakeholder alliances and constant dialogue with policy makers. Before joining Cascale, Elisabeth was head of the Brussels office of a public affairs consultancy and led the sustainability department at the EU association Independent Retail Europe.

Elisabeth holds a Bachelor’s degree in European Studies from Maastricht University in the Netherlands and a Master’s in Management, Economics and International Relations, from which she graduated with distinction. In addition to her native German, she speaks English, French and Spanish. Elisabeth loves to travel and getting to know new people as well as cultures. Coming from a region close to the German alps, she also very much enjoys hiking, climbing, and skiing.

Lisa Süss heads the work of Fair Wear Foundation on industry alignment, forging alliances that leverage Fair Wear’s longstanding experience and expertise to transform the industry beyond its frontrunner membership. Earlier, Lisa coordinated the Sustainable Textile Initiative – Together for Change (STITCH) consortium and worked in different roles at Fair Wear Foundation and GIZ.

Adrián is a sourcing and sustainability expert with a proven track record in strategic program management and the implementation of comprehensive ESG frameworks within the global apparel and footwear industry. His approach is characterized by versatility, adaptability, and proactivity, underpinned by a broad knowledge base that spans the entire supply chain and product lifecycle. Adrián’s commitment to transparency and reducing industry impact directs every decision he makes, with efficiency, continuous improvement, and a results-driven mindset as his guiding principles. In his recent professional endeavors, he has engaged in the development and enhancement of data-driven sustainability tools and methodologies in line with leading reporting standards like GRI.

Jeannette Baljeu is a member of the European Parliament on behalf of the Dutch People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), which is part of the liberal political group Renew Europe. She is a full member of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) committee, as well as a substitute member of the committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). In parliament, she focuses on a sustainable single European market.

Before Jeannette became a Member of the European Parliament in July 2024, she was Regional Minister of Zuid-Holland (2017-2024) and vice-mayor of Rotterdam (2006-20014), during which time she experienced the practical effects of European regulations. Her work concentrated on the transformation of industry, port and maritime clusters towards a sustainable and circular future. To Jeannette, businesses form the backbone of our society and need clear and workable regulations. Critical raw materials are a concern of high priority to her. In ENVI she will put to good use her experience of water management and water quality issues for which she was responsible in Zuid-Holland. Whereas the previous mandate was all about setting goals, this new mandate will be about #howdoweachievethis.

As Executive Vice President, Andrew is responsible for delivering strategic and operational leadership for the organization. While continuing to oversee the Membership, Stakeholder Engagement, Collective Action, and Public Affairs teams, as second-in-command at Cascale he is responsible for driving growth of the organization to ensure it can scale impact and deliver value to members. This involves broader strategic development of the organization, including into new verticals / adjacent product categories, development of new revenue streams, and expansions of key partnerships.

Prior to joining Cascale, Andrew was at amfori, the leading business association for open and sustainable trade, where, as VP Services, he was responsible for global operational activities. In addition to a strategic role in the development of the vision and strategy of the organization, Andrew managed membership services, led the implementation of global social and environmental audit assessments, including launching a pioneering audit integrity program, and also the largest capacity building program of its kind for social and environmental performance in global supply chains.

Andrew has a degree in philosophy and theology from King’s College London, an MBA with distinction from the University of Exeter, where he was awarded ‘Dissertation most likely to change global thinking,’ and a postgraduate qualification in team coaching, from UWE, Bristol. During his extensive career, including more than 20 years in global textile manufacturing, Andrew has worked for a multi-national corporation, his own consultancy, and more recently in the education and non-profit sectors.
A highlight of his work and interest is the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, and its philosophy of Gross National Happiness, an alternative progressive values-based model for measuring and guiding economic, societal, and personal well-being. He is currently based in the seaside town of Looe in Cornwall in the Southwest of England.

Carolina van Loenen is the Director of Stakeholder Engagement at Cascale. She leads the global Stakeholder Engagement team and develops stakeholder and policy engagement strategies. Hence, she also ensures integrated and aligned strategy delivery by overseeing the implementation of related internal and external policies and processes. As a key senior stakeholder engagement contact, she fosters proactive engagement and cooperation among Cascale’s international stakeholders and represents Cascale at international external stakeholder events. Carolina is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, which is also her country of residence.

Before joining Cascale team, Carolina as Public Sector Partnerships Manager at WWF-Netherlands and contributed to realizing food, forestry and governance objectives within conservation goals by initiating and developing multi-stakeholder public sector partnerships and advising on complex frameworks, guidelines and standards. Carolina has ten years of experience managing programs and projects, complex processes and customer operations, mostly in sustainable value chains and governance at international NGOs, as well as public and private sector organizations. She holds a master’s degree in International Relations and Human Rights.  

In her free time, Carolina enjoys music concerts, restaurants or cultural events in the Netherlands or when traveling abroad. She loves to explore nature by bike or foot and loves to discuss current international affairs, technology and South American culture.

Jeremy Lardeau is the Senior VP of the Higg Index at Cascale. As part of the leadership team, he oversees the strategic direction and development of the Higg Index suite of tools. Jeremy is based in Barcelona, Spain.

Before joining Cascale team, Jeremy was Senior Director of Sustainability Analytics, at Nike, Inc. where he led sustainability reporting, performance management, data products, and reporting. Prior to Nike, Jeremy was a manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers’ sustainability practice, successively working out of the Paris, Mexico City, and San Francisco offices.

Jeremy holds a Masters in Industrial Engineering from the Ecole Centrale Paris. In his free time he is known to love travelling, running and alpine climbing, but actually enjoys most spending time with his three young boys.

Elisabeth is the Senior Director, Public Affairs for Cascale. She is leading our global activities in public affairs, policy and advocacy, including heading and further developing the public affairs team. She is leading Cascale working engagement with the Policy Hub and other like-minded partner organizations. She is based in Brussels, Belgium.

She has more than a decade of experience in decision-making procedures and public affairs and has acquired extensive expertise in sustainability legislation. She is specialised in strategically positioning members’ interests through targeted stakeholder alliances and constant dialogue with policy makers. Before joining Cascale, Elisabeth was head of the Brussels office of a public affairs consultancy and led the sustainability department at the EU association Independent Retail Europe.

Elisabeth holds a Bachelor’s degree in European Studies from Maastricht University in the Netherlands and a Master’s in Management, Economics and International Relations, from which she graduated with distinction. In addition to her native German, she speaks English, French and Spanish. Elisabeth loves to travel and getting to know new people as well as cultures. Coming from a region close to the German alps, she also very much enjoys hiking, climbing, and skiing.

Gabriele Ballero is the Manager of Public Affairs at Cascale. He supports the Senior Director of Policy & Public Affairs in coordinating and undertaking key work streams of Cascale Public Affairs Strategy, delivering widespread and effective government engagement and education to ensure that Cascale and the global consumer goods industry gives more than it takes. He is based in Brussels, Belgium.