United Planet is excited to announce that the organization is welcoming ten new members to its Board of Directors. These new members will bring a wide range of expertise and knowledge to further strengthen United Planet’s mission to build a united planet, one relationship at a time.
These newly appointed board members, known for their outstanding achievements and leadership in their respective fields, will play a vital role in overseeing the strategic and organizational development of United Planet.
John Seker, Chair of United Planet’s Board of Directors, is thrilled to welcome such exceptional individuals to the Board of Directors: “By bringing on more extraordinary leaders into the organization, we will be able to realize United Planet’s mission and potential at a whole new level of scale in the future. We are extremely excited to make this journey together with such a stellar board, team, partners, and supporters.”
Achim Dettweiler
Achim Dettweiler is the Chief Executive Officer of Vital Ideas Consulting Group, a consulting company he founded after a career in marketing leadership positions in the technology sector.
Achim has held leadership positions in the tech sector in the US and Europe for the last three decades. With a knack for solving highly unstructured strategic business problems, he led product marketing for billion-dollar divisions at Microsoft and managed large groundbreaking e-business programs at Intel. Achim received his degree from München University of Applied Sciences and continues to strive to be a lifelong learner.
Alen Amini
Alen Amini is a management consultant with previous experience in education, government, small business, and nonprofit leadership.
Andrew Landry
Andrew Landry has over a decade of experience in strategic leadership, highlighted by guiding business transformation and change management with a focus on identifying paths to improved operational efficiency, coaching and growing high-performing teams, and driving long-term relationships with clients, donors, partners, and vendors within a variety of sectors and industries.
Daniel Garcia
Daniel Garcia is Brazilian by birth but also holds Portuguese and British citizenships. He spent a great part of his career advising a wide range of industries in cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions across Latin America, until he moved to the UK in 2014 to attend a master’s degree in Strategy and Innovation at Oxford University. Daniel’s experience spans into Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Growth Capital leading on transactions and investments in the UK, Continental Europe, the US, and Asia.
Jill Tracy
Jill Tracy has extensive experience living and working internationally in both corporate and non-profit. Jill recently retired from a 21-year career at Microsoft, where she was responsible for multi-billion-dollar revenue goals in a variety of global leadership roles including Director of Sales Operations, Director of Marketing, and leader of the Microsoft-Dell partnership. Early in life, Jill spent a year in Brazil as a Rotary Exchange Student, which inspired her passion for international sustainable development and global understanding.
Katy Hansell
Katy is an expert executive and leadership coach and strategic advisor with two decades of business advisory experience and a decade of professional coaching experience. Katy has worked with hundreds of individuals across numerous industries. Her focus is on empowering leaders to unlock high performance and create breakthrough innovation, foster diversity, and deliver massive impact. She is considered an expert on careers, the evolving global talent market, and values-based leadership.
Mei Gechlik
Mei Gechlik is the Founder & CEO of SINOTALKS®, a China law and policy think tank in Silicon Valley, USA. She founded and led the groundbreaking China Guiding Cases Project (2011-2021) and taught Chinese law and business (2007-2021) at Stanford Law School, Stanford University. Mei worked for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington D.C.-based think tank (2001-2005), and was a tenured law professor in Hong Kong (1994-2001). In 1993, Mei oversaw two projects in Cambodia to help the country rebuild its legal system, which was destroyed during its civil war. One of these projects received an award from the French government.
Neil Persaud
Neil Persaud brings over 20 years of leadership experience on the international stage. His expertise lies in guiding organizations toward success and fostering connections among team members. Co-founding LiveMore, an organization dedicated to enhancing employee engagement and experience, reflects Neil’s commitment to creating positive and collaborative work environments. LiveMore specifically focuses on elevating the employee experience and engagement within organizations. Currently pursuing a doctoral degree in leadership and innovation at NYU, Neil is dedicated to deepening his understanding of effective leadership in a global context.
Timothy Castano
A public policy professional with experience in global and domestic enterprises, Tim Castano is the Finance Chair of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance. Tim holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a master’s degree in public policy from Rutgers University, where he was a Fellow of the Eagleton Institute of Politics. He graduated with a B.A. in English and philosophy and a B.A.H. in honors from Villanova University.
Vikas Choudhary
Vikas Choudhary is an executive leader, a Fortune 500 Corporate Strategist, board director, published author, and a technical pioneer. He has 25+ years of experience playing pivotal roles in transforming complex public and private organizations into global leaders in high-tech and advanced industries spanning semiconductors, software, and services. Vikas has lived and worked across three continents and has traveled to more than 25 countries and believes in empathetic leadership enabled through cultural proximity. Vikas has a master’s in electrical engineering from UCLA, an MBA from Kellogg School of Management, has 5 patents, 1 book, and multiple publications to his name.
ABOUT UNITED PLANET
United Planet is a non-profit organization with a mission to create a global community, one relationship at a time. Established in 2001, United Planet offers volunteer abroad, virtual internships, internships abroad, gap year volunteering, and global virtual exchange in more than 40 countries.
