Faculty & Experts
Ir. Paul van Brenkelen, MABR, MSc
CESGA® ISB® QRD® GCB.D
Expert Contributor in ESG
Global ESG and sustainability expert with extensive experience in corporate governance, risk assessment, and supply chain compliance.
Faculty & Experts
Areas of Expertise
Where Expertise Meets Insight.
About Paul
From ESG strategy to corporate governance and supply chain compliance.
Paul is the founder of Foria (HK) Ltd., a strategic corporate advisory firm specializing in Sustainability & ESG, Compliance, Corporate Governance, Risk Assessment, and Supply Chain Solutions, with representation in Hong Kong and Shanghai. He is also the Co-Founder of Eqologic Ltd., an advisory company that employs a hybrid approach, leveraging systemic, operational, and regulatory consulting to restore the environmental system to stability and sustainability. The company has offices and representations in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
Previously, he held the position of General Manager China / Global ESG & Traceability Director for Intertek CEA, where he was instrumental in building a service portfolio that navigated the complex and geopolitically sensitive supply chains for renewables (photovoltaic / battery storage) with the origination of rare earth materials / polysilicon from areas of concern. Paul further acted as adviser to multilateral and bilateral banks on their funds deployed for infrastructure projects.
Since 1998, Paul has travelled to Asia to support subsidiaries in tapping into sustainability services related to consumer products, forestry, food and agriculture and carbon emissions reduction services during his tenure at SGS.
About Richard
From ESG strategy to corporate governance and supply chain compliance
He then relocated to Hong Kong and Shanghai in 2005. Paul has been instrumental in developing and rolling out global sustainability solutions as a service. GlobalGap, MSC, FSC, ASC, Floricultural Environment Project (MPS), GMP+, to name a few. While managing a global competence center during the 2000s, he was at the forefront of what we now encompass with the “E” of ESG, including Carbon Offset Verification (COV), the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Joint Implementation (JI), and the UK Emission Trading Scheme (ETS).
Paul currently pursues a Doctorate in Business Administration related to corporate governance (“Corporate Governance of a Firm’s Human & Structured Capital: Influencing a Firm’s Innovation Strategy.”). Paul has obtained his Master in Business Research (MABR). He further holds a degree in Agricultural Science (BASc), Agronomy (MSc), a postgraduate master PgDIP and DipCD for corporate governance. Obtained the ISB®, GCB.D, CESGA® and QRD® designations and is a Certified Board Chair™.
As recognised corporate governance professional, Paul has been accepted as a Fellow at the Hong Kong Institute of Directors (FHKIoD), a Member of the Singapore Institute of Directors (MSID) and as a Member of the GCC Board of Directors Institute (M.BDI).
Credentials
Advanced qualifications in business research, agricultural science, and corporate governance.
Experience
A Career Across Sustainability, ESG, and Corporate Governance.
Selected Publications
Publications on ESG, sustainability, and corporate governance by Paul.
Academic publications:
- Master degree thesis. Bufferzones at the Zijpe Municipality (NL): a Matter of give and take. Wageningen University and Research.
- MABR research proposal for DBA thesis. Corporate Governance in Hong Kong and the Netherlands of a firm’s Human and Structured Capital: Influencing a Firm’s Innovation Strategy.
Professional publications:
- Study on the current situation and possibilities for chain-of-custody/traceability in the global photovoltaic supply chain. An internal white paper (183 p.) for a global multilateral institute financing utility-scale infrastructure projects globally, 2021.
Presentations, speaker invites, guest lectures:
Sustainability and Environmental Sound Production Schemes in the Agricultural Industry Guest Lectures at various Applied Agricultural Universities and Colleges, Netherlands, 1994 – 2005
Sustainability and Environmental Sound Production Schemes in the Agricultural Industry
Guest Lecturer at Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Province Gelderland, Netherlands, 1994 – 2005Introducing Social Themes into the auditing of Agricultural Schemes
Keynote speech, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, 1998Sustainability, ESG, Supply Chain, Agriculture, Benchmarking, Continuous Improvement at seminars, summits, workshops, lectures, training, webinars, Keynote speeches
NL/CH/BE/IT/ES/RSA/UK/DE/FR/KR/JP/IN, 2005 – 2025- Chain-of-Custody, Traceability, ESG in the photo voltaic and battery storage industry
Various keynote speeches on summits, seminars, webinars, training, lectures and coaching sessions, HKG/CN/EU/US, 2021 – 2024 - “ESG in the Footwear industry. Changing the paradigm through stakeholders, risk management and brand protection,” 12th Global Footwear Sustainability Summit, Dongguan, 2024
- ESG in Renewable Supply Chains in China.
HKUST MBA Guest Lecture, Guest lecture on the impact of geopolitical tensions on supply chains for PV, BESS, WECS and H2, Hong Kong, 2024
- ESG in Renewable Supply Chains in China.
HKUST MBA Guest Lecture, Guest lecture on the impact of geopolitical tensions on supply chains for PV, BESS, WECS and H2, Hong Kong, 2024 - The ISB/ISF training of IASE as the ESG module for HKU’s Sustainability MSc program.
HKU/IASE joint introduction session and educational lecture on how IASE’s ISB/ISF training contributes to the practitioner and investor-related ESG roles of students joining the program. Hong Kong, 2024 - Greening Human Capital: Preparing Asia’s Labor Markets for the Green Economy Transition – Policies, Skills Development, and Ensuring a Fair Transition. Panelist at the Asia ESG Summit 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2025.
- Aligning Ambition with Accountability: How Corporate ESG Integration and Climate Risk Assessment Drive Responsible Investment and Circular Outcomes. Breakout session keynote speech for the Responsible Investment & Circular Economy stream during the Asia ESG Summit 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2025.
- Smarter, Greener Trade: AI-Powered ESG in Cross Border E-Commerce International Innovation Summit 2025 by Enterprise Asia (Shanghai, China): “Reimagining Growth in the Age of Intelligent Systems”. Keynote speech Shanghai-China 2025
- Co-organizer for monthly ESG events relevant to members of the Benelux Chamber of Commerce, related to sustainability, ESG, GHG, compliance, regulations, circular topics. Bencham Shanghai, Director of ESG IPG (Industry Practice Group). Shanghai/Wuxi/Yiqing/Suzhou/Taicang/Jiashan/Xushou/Anhui & Yunnan provinces – China 2024-2025
- ESG/Sustainability and Decision Making – how to decide on social and environmental initiatives and investments? Guest lecture at Xian Jiaotong University-International Business School. Suzhou – China 2025
- Sustainability Committee member at the British Chamber of Commerce. Providing input for events and initiatives, where emerging trends are explored, actionable best practices shared, while providing a unique insight into the Chinese, the UK and international landscapes.