Summary of Nominations

With over 15 years of professional experience, he has led sustainability strategies for both national and international companies, driving corporate certification processes and strengthening environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. He has served as an ESG consultant and successfully led initiatives such as B Corp certification, and previously directed LDC's sustainability agenda across Latin America and Africa. He is an RSPO Lead Auditor — giving him first-hand command of both how the standard is designed and how it holds up under field verification.

He currently serves as Corporate Sustainability Manager at Grupo Agroindustrial Numar, a Costa Rican conglomerate founded in 1951 and a regional benchmark in the production and marketing of shortenings, margarines and vegetable oils, with operations spanning Mexico to Colombia. Grupo Numar is a leader in the integrated management of the palm oil value chain, operating vertically from cultivation through processing to final distribution. In this role, Santiago leads the transition toward value chains that are more responsible, more resilient and fully aligned with the highest international sustainability standards.

Compañía Industrial Aceitera Coto Cincuenta y Cuatro S.A. (Coto 54) is a leading palm oil producer and processor within Grupo Numar, one of the most important agroindustrial groups in Latin America. Headquartered in Costa Rica, the company operates integrated palm oil mills and supply chains that serve domestic and international markets with high-quality crude palm oil, palm kernel oil, and value-added derivatives. Through its operations, Coto 54 contributes to the economic, social, and environmental development of the Pacific region of Costa Rica while promoting responsible agricultural practices and sustainable rural development. 

The company is part of a regional agroindustrial platform with operations in Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Colombia, supplying international customers with certified, traceable, and responsibly sourced products. 

Thomas Lavreys has led Socfin's sustainable oil palm development programme for ten years, across eight operations in seven African countries. He has directed the Group's RSPO certification across its African sites, guiding 13 management units through to initial certification between 2019 and 2024.

He co-chairs the RSPO Decent Living Wage Taskforce and sits on the Human Rights Due Diligence Taskforce, working with members across all seven sectors to reach implementable positions on issues where grower realities and stakeholder expectations do not initially align.

His experience and professional network in Africa will allow him to represent the African oil palm grower community, and advise the principal board member accordingly.

Involved in RSPO since 2004, Socfin manages 130'005 ha of oil palm through PT Socfindo in Indonesia and eight companies across 9 African countries - 90'542 ha in Africa and 39'463 ha in Indonesia - with all 23 palm oil mills and all own plantations RSPO certified. Certified production from own plantations reached 484'757 t in 2025, of which 186'241 t in Indonesia and 298'516 t in Africa, making it Africa's largest certified oil palm grower and producer.