The Management

The founder and CEO of GER, John serves as the principal of Alexander Investments Ltd, an investment advisor to hedge fund portfolios. Prior to his involvement in the alternative asset management industry, John spent over 15 years in the commercial shipping sector, predominantly on the trading desk of his family's shipping business, Andros Maritime, London. John has a law degree from the University of Buckingham in the United Kingdom and an MA in Law from the University of Pennsylvania. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1982 and is a member of Middle Temple.

Effendy Sumardja serves as GER's Representative in Indonesia. Stationed in Jakarta, Effendy is a skilled diplomat and lobbyist for GER. In his 30 year career in government and with NGOs in Indonesia, Effendy has served as Director for Conservation Programs for the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry, Director of Nature Conservation, and Regional Forestry Chief, Bali Province. In the Indonesian Ministry of Environment, Effendy served as the Assistant Minister for Planning, Assistant Minister for Coordination, Deputy for Law Enforcement and Environmental Impact Assessment, Assistant Minister for Global Environment Affairs, and as Special Assistant to the Minister for International Relations.

Effendy has also been active in many professional associations and non-profit organizations including serving as a Member of the Indonesian National Research Council; Vice Chair World Conservation on Protected Areas (WCPA) - IUCN; Chair SC - Promotion Tropical Forest (PTF), Small Grant Program (SGP), UNDP and EU; Chair Wana Media Lestari Foundation; Chair Steering Committee Nagao Foundation Indonesia; Chair Indonesian Seashield Foundation; Deputy Chair Asian Rhino Specialist Group SSC-IUCN; Member, Council for BirdLife Indonesia; Member, Save the Tiger Fund; Council Member, Indonesia Wildlife Society; Council Member Wetlands International Asia-Pacific, Advisory Committee for Biosphere Reserve-UNESCO; and Focal Point Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Effendy is a lecturer at the University of Indonesia (UI) on Conservation Management and Marine Conservation and Exploration. He is a graduate in Biology from Padjajaran University Bandung and in Natural Resource Management from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.

Ion Tsakonas is responsible for general management, financial analysis and business development of GER. Brings financial expertise, with prior investment and banking experience at Octavian Advisors, Deutsche Bank and Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette

Jeni Pareira, who coordinates GER’s forestry management and Government relations in Indonesia, holds a BA in Natural Resource Conservation from Bogor Agricultural University in Java, and has extensive experience working on conservation issues in Indonesia especially in Kalimantan, Sumatra, Nusa Tenggara and Moluccas Regions. She was previously a member of the first ever initiative on ecosystem restoration in production forests in Indonesia focused on the non-timber alternative uses. Ms. Pareira has held previous positions with Birdlife International and BTRF.

Luke has been living in Banda Aceh, Indonesia for the past three years, speaks Bahasa Indonesia and has a strong local network among NGOs, donors and the Government. Luke worked for Oxfam and the UNDP in Aceh prior to joining SFM-SEA and now GER. Luke’s work in Aceh has focused on policy issues, specifically concerning REDD and sustainable economic development. Luke has a M.Sc. in Environmental Management and a B.Com. in economics from the University of Otago.

Jesse taught for two years as a Shansi Fellow at the Syiah Kuala University in Banda Aceh and worked for the Aceh Research Training Institute (ARTI) and GTZ before joining GER. During Jesse's three years in Aceh, he has established strong networks with the academic community, focusing on cross-cultural and language exchanges. He speaks Bahasa Indonesia and graduated with a B.A. in Developing World Studies and French Literature from Oberlin College, USA.