Who we are
The Biodiversity Footprint Company (TBFC) was founded in 2019 to help organisations measure, account for and disclose their impacts and dependencies on biodiversity. Our team brings together ecologists, GIS and remote-sensing specialists, and natural capital accounting experts, with decades of combined experience across science, policy and business. Working remotely from across South Africa and Seoul, South Korea, we partner with companies, governments and institutions to shift biodiversity from an abstract risk to a measurable, manageable and actionable reality.
Joël Houdet (PhD)
Managing Director
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Joël Houdet is a leading expert in business and biodiversity, specialising in natural capital measurement, valuation, accounting, and disclosure.
He spearheaded the development of the Biological Diversity Protocol and contributed to the Natural Capital Protocol. Joël founded The Biodiversity Footprint Company (TBFC) in 2019 to provide biodiversity footprint accounting services.
His research focuses on refining double-entry bookkeeping conventions to account for changes in natural capital stocks. Since 2010, he has collaborated with more than 50 multinationals, governments, and institutions.
Having lived and worked all over the world, Joël is currently based in Seoul, South Korea.
Gabi Teren (PhD)
Director of Business Development
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Gabi Teren is a terrestrial systems ecologist with a PhD focused on elephant impacts on biodiversity. With over 20 years of experience in field ecology, GIS, remote sensing, and research management, she brings both scientific depth and strategic insight to her work.
Gabi previously served as Head of the South African National Biodiversity and Business Network, Chair of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s Global Partnership for Business and Biodiversity, and was a lead author for the IPBES global assessment on Business and Biodiversity.
She has led biodiversity footprint assessments for multinational companies across the mining, forestry, retail, and energy sectors—helping bridge the gap between science, policy, and corporate action. She revels in out-of-the-box thinking on complex environmental challenges and in translating science into practical, decision-ready insights.
She lives in Cape Town with a lively collection of dogs and cats and is currently learning the art of winemaking.
Aileen van der Mescht (PhD)
Biodiversity Footprint Analyst
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While her parents may have expected a career in winemaking, Aileen van der Mescht has spent 15 years in an academic setting delving into the world of conservation ecology. From learning to speak to insects to understand how different components of production landscapes fit together, to investigating large-scale macroecological questions, Aileen’s work has focused on understanding what is plotting in a landscape (pun intended) through the questions of where and why.
She joined TBFC as a junior GIS Specialist but soon defined the role of Biodiversity Footprint Analyst. She draws extensively on her ecological expertise and GIS/data wrangling skills. When not working, she can be found exploring back roads slowly with her husband and dog, escaping through sewing or cuddled on a couch with a cup of hot tea and a book.
Nicky Vermonti (MSc)
Biodiversity Footprint Analyst
Nicky Vermonti is an ecologist and carbon scientist with a background in conservation ecology, ecosystem assessment, GIS and nature-based solutions. She holds an MSc in Conservation Ecology from Stellenbosch University, where her research explored the interactions between termites, vegetation and soil properties in the Fynbos and Succulent Karoo biomes.
She previously worked at a private nature reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, where she was involved in reserve management, conservation education, wildlife monitoring and natural resource management. She later moved into the nature-based carbon sector, working as a technical consultant on international voluntary carbon market projects, with a focus on project design, GIS, remote sensing, carbon accounting and biodiversity management.
Nicky is passionate about understanding how ecosystems function and finding practical ways to protect and restore them. Originally from Durban, she now lives in Somerset West. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring South Africa’s diverse landscapes through hiking, camping and road trips. She is equally happy curled up with a good book and a cup of tea, or catching up with friends over a glass of wine.