Team
The Natural Habitats Team is a seasoned team of professionals in scaling businesses and leading sustainable systems. Operating across four continents, four time zones and communicating in multiple languages, the Natural Habitats Team is a global organization aligned around a common vision of proving palm can be grown for good.
Management Team
Alfons van der Aa
Founder and CEO, Natural Habitats GroupAlfons is both strong operator and entrepreneur. He has an excellent track record in strategic and business turnarounds, combined with strict financial management. He is confident and successful amongst many different cultures, having lived and worked in Holland, UK and Middle East, and managed global operations (North America, Europe and Asia).
Jan Hein De Vroe
Chief Financial Officer, Natural Habitats GroupJan Hein is an experienced and down-to-earth all-around (financial) entrepreneur with can do attitude, overview, knowledge and ideas to grow and improve businesses and people. He has a proven record of making a difference in past assignments and lives by the motto “Attitude determines altitude.”
Kevin Godlington
CEO at Organic Animal Nutrition Inc. & Group COO Natural Habitats GroupKevin Godlington is Group Chief Operations Officer of the Natural Habitats Group of companies, the largest cooperative of organic and fair trade palm oil farmers in the world, and CEO of Organic Animal Nutrition, a global organic animal feed company with innovative and novel nutritional feeds for ruminants, swine, poultry and aquaculture.
Isabel Gonzalez
HR Director, Natural Habitats GroupJoining the organization in June 2017, Isabel has over 20 years of diverse human resource and management experience specializing in start-ups to mid-size organizations. Her broad experience includes HR infrastructure and workflow development, talent acquisition and management, employee relations, performance management, training and development and policy design.
Jessenia Angulo
Group Sustainability Director, Natural Habitats GroupJessenia is an enthusiastic, proactive and results oriented professional with 14 years of experience in agriculture and aquaculture business strategy, incorporation of social, environmental, and economic value into core strategy and operations, partnership building and impact driven projects (fair trade-projects and their financial feasibility). She has extensive knowledge of certifications structures and implementation with more than 3000 small-medium farm holders organic and fair trade certified in South America, and West Africa.
Neil Blomquist
Chief Commercial Officer Natural Habitats Group, Managing Director, Natural Habitats USA, Inc.Neil Blomquist has over 42 years of hands-on success building brands and companies in the natural products industry. Neil has practical experience in retailing, distribution, brand marketing, product sourcing, product development and organizational management. Formerly President and CEO of Spectrum Organic Products, Neil is the current Managing Director for Natural Habitats USA. An expert in in the development and marketing of sustainable business solutions for natural products, Neil provides oversight of all business activities in the U.S. for the Natural Habitats Group. An expert in fats and oils as well as sustainable business practices, Neil is the spokesperson for Palm Done Right, an international campaign on a mission to change the conversation around palm oil and working to prove that palm can be grown for good.
Mark Retzloff
Chairman of the Board, Natural Habitats GroupCo Founder of Horizon Organic Dairy,
Aurora Organic Dairy, and Alfalfa’s Markets
Mr. Retzloff is a pioneer in the organic and natural foods industry with a 48-year career starting and managing successful companies. He is co-founder and chairman of Alfalfa’s Markets, Boulder-based natural foods stores. He also co-founded Aurora Organic Dairy in 2003, and currently acts as a senior advisor to the company. He was the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resource and Environment Practitioner in Residence for 2014/2015 and 2015/2016. He is former senior partner of the Boulder Farm Team consulting firm which works with companies in the Natural, Organic, Local and Sustainable food and sector. He is also Chairman of the Board of Natural Habitats Group, a Netherlands based, fully integrated leader in organic sustainable palm oil production, processing, and distribution.