Our Team 

Chris is a primatologist with extensive experience in conserving key forest habitats in concession-dominated landscapes. Before joining AidEnvironment Asia in 2017, he worked for an orangutan conservation organisation in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, where his work focused on protecting orangutan habitat and other conservation areas inside oil palm plantations. As Executive Director of Sangga Bumi Lestari, Chris works with the Programme Director to manages day to day operations of the organisation and ensure a smooth implementation of all projects. He also contributes his expertise to projects to increase the sustainability performance of Indonesia’s forestry and agricultural sectors, and conserve, recover, and connect forests in Kalimantan.

Monalisa is a native of Ketapang in West Kalimantan and has a degree in forest management from Tanjungpura University. Mona has worked in sustainable development for over 20 years, principally in Kalimantan but also in North Sumatra, West Java, Papua, and Ethiopia. In recent years, Mona has become an expert in the development of strategies to increase implementation of the Indonesian government’s social forestry policy. This takes two forms: supporting communities to protect their local environment and mitigate against the impacts of environmental degradation, and engaging with key government departments to encourage the development of jurisdictional approaches to support conservation and sustainable development. Mona oversees all of Sangga Bumi Lestari’s projects in Indonesia.

Niawati joined Sangga Bumi Lestari in 2022 and has a background in finance and accounting studies. At Sangga Bumi Lestari, Niawati is responsible for the smooth running of all finance, bookkeeping and accounting procedures, ensuring Sangga Bumi Lestari is compliant with all finance and accounting regulations in Indonesia. She also works with our auditors to ensure Sangga Bumi Lestari’s accounts are audited and meet international accounting standards. Before joining Sangga Bumi Lestari, Niawati worked as finance and accounting manager in several multinational companies.

Dessy joined Sangga Bumi Lestari in 2022. She manages all operations for the organisation, ensuring the smooth running of the Jakarta, Ketapang and satellite offices, and making sure all projects can be effectively implemented. Dessy has developed all the Standard Operating Procedures and HR procedures that Sangga Bumi Lestari operates under and ensures compliance with all laws and regulations in Indonesia. Prior to joining the organisation, Dessy worked in office administration and human resources for several companies in the renewable energy sector.

Okita has an educational background in industrial ecology. At Sangga Bumi Lestari, she works alongside the Executive Director and Programme Director to develop strategies for expanding and enhancing both new ideas and existing projects. She also identifies potential partnerships with other organizations and engages with the government. In her previous experience with Sangga Bumi Lestari, Okita conducted research on the oil palm and timber sectors in Indonesia and led engagements with corporate companies and other key industry stakeholders.