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The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the leading certification body for the palm oil industry, is to part with Managing Director Beverley Postma.

The Kuala Lumpur-based organization announced its resignation in a brief statement on its website on Monday (May 17).

Postma resigned after about a year with the organization, which went through a transition phase with a number of personnel changes.

RSPO stated, “The Board of Governors recognizes the constraints resulting from the ongoing global pandemic and would like to thank Beverley for her valuable contributions to developing the organization’s five-year strategy with an ambitious vision and implementation plan. The RSPO Board of Governors wishes Beverley all the best in her future endeavors. “

Due to the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic, Postma was based in Singapore. RSPO will now seek an executive who can work from Kuala Lumpur based on sources familiar with the matter.

Audrey Lee, Malaysia-based general manager for sustainability at agribusiness giant Olam International, has been appointed RSPO’s interim coordinator.

Audrey Lee has been appointed RSPO interim coordinator

Lee will “assist in a smooth transition to ensure that the RSPO can continue its ongoing projects and initiatives uninterrupted,” RSPO said.

Lee takes on the position with prior experience with RSPO. She was previously the Conservation Manager and Head of the Impact Department. Before the RSPO, she worked as a forest manager for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia.

Postma joined as CEO-designate in April 202 after former CEO Darrel Webber left. Her successes at RSPO include completing a new five-year plan that sets out the principles and criteria for sustainable palm oil.

Postma previously worked for the sustainable management consultancy GreenOcean Group. During her career, she also served as General Manager of the food and beverage industry Food Industry Asia (FIA) and as CEO of HarvestPlus, a non-profit nutrition organization.

When she accepted the role at RSPO, she said the job was “not without its challenges,” but added that the RSPO’s approach of bringing together stakeholders with diverse interests was “the best way to build effective partnerships and make the world go round solve the most difficult problems. “

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