Business Development Advisor - ACEN Africa
Since 1992, Chris has been involved in environmental and sustainable project developments across Africa and channelled his focus into waste from 1999. He founded and headed USE-IT the Waste Materials Recovery Industry Development Programme in Durban, South Africa from 2009 to 2020 facilitating thousands of jobs in the waste and recycling. Chris deals in every aspect of the waste stream to explore, invent and create sustainable opportunities in waste beneficiation that touch on waste management, water management, infrastructure, energy, social upliftment, environmental benefit, economic development, low-carbon development, enterprise development and skills development – all key aspects of sustainability and drivers of the Circular Economy. Chris is recognised locally, nationally and internationally through many awards and nominations.
In 2016, Chris started directing his efforts to building the African Circular Economy Network (ACEN) to ensure that lessons learnt in transitioning to a sustainable circular future could be taken across the continent with strategic links globally. With a great group of professional and passionate members, ACEN is now the go-to organisation for circularity in Africa with 32 member countries and many North-South agreements on collaboration. To bring additional capacity to this structure and the continent, Chris co-founded the ACEN Foundation in 2021. Chris also drives several commercial companies in project development and his passion and vision are to transition corporates and countries to a Circular Economy where waste is a resource.