CONTACT PERSONS
If you would like to become a member of Fair Rubber or have any questions about the Fair Rubber system or products bearing the Fair Rubber logo, if you require further information or have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you!
Stefan Hörmann, Chief Operations Officer
Stefan Hörmann has been Chief Operations Officer of Fair Rubber e.V. since June 2021, succeeding Martin Kunz. Stefan is also Managing Director of the environmental foundation Global Nature Fund (GNF). He heads the GNF’s Bonn office and is responsible for the ‘Business and Biodiversity’ programme. Supporting companies in establishing and developing sustainable supply chains is one of the key areas of responsibility for Stefan, who holds a degree in political science and public administration. He gained international experience, amongst other things, as a former project manager for the global Living Lakes network, as well as through assignments in the Middle East and the Caribbean.
Olaf Paulsen, Project Manager
Olaf Paulsen has been involved in Fair Trade for more than 20 years, beginning with his work in development aid, where he supported various producer groups and introduced them to Fair Trade. He subsequently worked at Transfair International and then at FLO (Fairtrade Labelling Organisations), serving as head of the Standards and Policies department until the end of 2004.
Since 2005, Olaf Paulsen has continued to be active in and for Fair Trade as a freelance consultant, whether by conducting value chain analyses (e.g. of coffee in Yemen), developing audit systems for suppliers of the World Shops Federation, or acting as an on-site auditor for WFTO members in Europe.
Dr. David Löw Beer, Chairman
David Löw Beer has been Chair of Fair Rubber e.V. since 2014. He studied economics and political science in Tübingen and Niterói, Brazil, and completed his PhD on ‘economic education for sustainable development’. David Löw Beer is a research fellow at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam and works on sustainable investment, divestment, sovereign wealth funds, and political and economic education for sustainable development.
Felix Jahn, Deputy Chairperson
Felix Jahn is Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Schwalbe, the European market leader in bicycle tyres and inner tubes. He leads and coordinates teams, projects and partnerships committed to the circular economy, sustainable business practices, fair trade, environmental protection and human rights in the rubber industry. Prior to his role in CSR, he worked as a product manager in Schwalbe’s research and development department, where he focused on product sustainability and urban mobility. Felix holds an MSc in International Management from King’s College, London. He has been a member of the board of Fair Rubber e.V. since May 2022.
Dr. Shawn MacDonald, Board Member
Dr Shawn MacDonald is the Managing Director of Verité, an NGO that advocates for workers’ rights in global supply chains through research, consultancy, training and policy advocacy. Shawn MacDonald has international experience in the fields of workers’ rights, social entrepreneurship, occupational health and cross-sector partnerships. He gained his expertise through his roles as Director of Accreditation at the Fair Labor Association, Vice-President of Ashoka, Senior Advisor at the Meridian Group International, and co-founder of the Development and Employment Policy Project. He has also worked for a number of civil society initiatives in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe.
Shawn holds a PhD from the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University and a BA in History from Harvard University.
Dr. Martin Kunz, Advisor
Martin Kunz has focused on Fair Trade for over 45 years. As a university student, he co-founded a World Shop in his hometown, Ludwigsburg, Germany. His doctoral thesis on “World Shops” has been the first dissertation world wide on Fair Trade. He was the first chairman of the board of Fair Trade wholesaler GEPA, cp-founder and first excutive secretary of the international Fair Trade umbrella associations Transfair International and its successor Fair Trade Labelling Organizations (FLO) International. Geographically close to natural rubber is his company, Diversity Honeys GmbH, which imports honey from Asian bees (one variety even comes from a rubber plantation in southern India!). Most recently, he has started importing fair-trade traditional edible beans from Mexico and Bolivia – the genetic origin of the Phaseolus plant family. m.kunz[at]fairrubber.org
