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The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) has appointed Bettina Paschke as its incoming Executive Director. Bettina will join RSB in September 2026, bringing close to two decades of experience in carbon accounting, ESG performance management and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) procurement to an independent, multi-stakeholder sustainability standards organisationoperating across hard-to-abate sectors globally.
Arianna Baldo, Senior Director Programmes, steps in as Interim Executive Director, ensuring full continuity across RSB’s programmes, member services, certification and day-to-day operations.
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A Strategic Appointment at a Defining Moment
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RSB is growing its presence across hard-to-abate sectors including aviation, maritime, road transport, chemicals and steel, as demand for credible, independently verified sustainability standards that address environmental, social and governance dimensions simultaneously continues to increase.
RSB’s standard is built on the principle that meeting a carbon threshold is the baseline, not the benchmark. This architecture underpins every area of RSB’s work: certification applies it, Book & Claim makes it claimable across supply chains, advisory services embeds it into emerging systems before they are built, the RSB Academy builds the technical capacity to implement it, sustainability transition projects support industries in navigating the shift in practice, and RSB’s research and development programmes continuously regenerate the evidence base that keeps it credible. It is what distinguishes RSB from compliance-only frameworks in an environment where the credibility of sustainability claims is under increasing scrutiny.
Bettina Paschke’s appointment reflects the RSB Board’s confidence that this phase will be led by someone with direct, proven experience at the intersection of sustainability strategy, financial discipline and large-scale decarbonisation, and with the sector depth to engage credibly across the full range of industries RSB serves.
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Bettina Paschke: Background and Expertise
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Bettina joins RSB from DHL Group, where she has spent close to two decades in senior roles spanning finance, sustainability reporting and large-scale business transformation. Most recently serving as Vice President of ESG Accounting, Reporting and Controlling, she has led global sustainability reporting, carbon accounting and ESG performance management, embedding sustainability into core business strategy and driving the execution of decarbonisation initiatives across aviation and road transport.
Her work has included leading the development of some of the aviation industry’s largest sustainable aviation fuel procurement agreements, contributing directly to the scaling of credible SAF markets and the design of independently verifiable carbon accounting standards. She has also contributed to the development of scalable market mechanisms that connect corporate sustainability commitments to measurable outcomes across complex supply chains.
Earlier in her career, Bettina served as CFO of DHL Express Hungary through the global financial crisis, demonstrating a proven ability to steer organisations through under constrained conditions. This combination of financial rigour and strategic clarity is directly relevant to RSB’s position as an organisation that must balance mission integrity with revenue diversification and operational sustainability.
“This is the right appointment at the right moment. Bettina has spent her career building and running the kind of credible, large-scale sustainability frameworks that our members rely on us to uphold:NGOs, governments, airlines, fuel producers and financiers. Our standard is rigorous precisely because it has to work for all of them simultaneously, and Bettina understands that complexity from the inside. Demand for independently verified sustainability claims is accelerating across every sector we serve. I have no doubt she is the leader to take RSB to the next level”. Adam Klauber, RSB Board Chair
A recognised voice in global industry forums, Bettina has an established record of collaboration with partners, regulators and peers on transparency, decarbonisation accountability and system-wide progress. Her experience spans several of RSB’s core sectors and positions her to engage credibly with RSB’s members, certification bodies and partners from day one.
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Continuity Through to September: Arianna Baldo as Interim Executive Director
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Bettina’s appointment is supported by a stable and well-led bridge period. Through to her arrival in September 2026, Arianna Baldo, RSB Senior Director Programmes, steps in as Interim Executive Director. With close to a decade at RSB and a comprehensive overview of its operations, Arianna brings deep organisational knowledge and an established record of leadership across RSB’s core programme areas to the interim period.
Under Arianna’s leadership, RSB’s certification programmes, Book & Claim system, research and development projects, sustainability transition projects and strategic operations continue without interruption.
“I could not be more excited to welcome Bettina into the RSB family in September after working with her in her role as RSB Delegate and industry leaders for many, many years already. Bettina’s experience navigating multi-stakeholder environments, at scale, makes her an outstanding fit.” Arianna Baldo, Interim Executive Director
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RSB’s Work: The Context Bettina Joins
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RSB operates as the only independent, multi-stakeholder organisation that simultaneously certifies operators across hard-to-abate sectors, operates a cross-sector Book & Claim system, continuously regenerates the scientific knowledge that keeps the ecosystem credible, and, through its members, constitutes and governs the global community shaping all of them.
Demand for independently verified sustainability claims, chain-of-custody assurance and science-based certification is increasing across aviation, maritime, road transport, chemicals and steel, driven by tightening regulatory frameworks including EU RED III, CORSIA and the FuelEU Maritime regulation.
RSB’s Book & Claim system enables corporate buyers to support sustainable fuel production independently of physical supply chains, with traceable sustainability attribute claims that are independently verified and registered on the RSB B&C Registry. Unlike carbon offsets, Book & Claim Units (BCUs) are traceable sustainability attribute claims, not displacement mechanisms. Bettina’s experience in designing and implementing credible carbon accounting frameworks and market mechanisms at scale is directly relevant to RSB’s ongoing development of this system and its role in enabling scalable decarbonisation across sectors where direct fuel switching is not yet commercially viable.
It is into this organisation, and this moment, that Bettina Paschke steps in September 2026.
“I am delighted to be joining RSB at such a pivotal time. I strongly believe in its unique role in establishing globally trusted, science-based standards that enable sustainable development. I look forward to working with all RSB stakeholders to build on the strong foundation already in place and to lead the next chapter; supporting a transition that is not only low-carbon, but also transparent, and trusted across global value chains.” Bettina Paschke, Executive Director
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About the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB)
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The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) is a global, multi-stakeholder network advancing the just transition to a net-positive world. Its peer-reviewed sustainability framework supports real climate action, biodiversity protection and social equity across the bio-based and circular economy. Through certification, advisory services, collaborative programmes and innovative tools, RSB supports its partners to make credible sustainability claims and unlock investment for a sustainable future. Learn more at rsb.org.
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