Creating Sustainable Forest Management Around the World at the Intersection of Environmental, Social and Economic Interests

Frank Harnischfeger

Chief Operating Officer, Forest Stewardship Council

Frank Harnischfeger is the Chief Operating Officer of the Forest Stewardship Council, the world’s most trusted sustainable forest management solution to deliver positive impacts for forests, markets, and people today and tomorrow. Frank joined the FSC 5 months ago as Chief Operating Officer.  In this role he oversees the global operations of FSC in more than 50 countries including Policy Development, Technology & Information Management, Market Development, Global Resources and corporate functions incl. Communications, Human Resources, Finance and Legal.  

Before joining the Forest Stewardship Council 5 months ago Frank worked for the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC where he was accountable for the operations and infrastructure of the institution with its more than 100 locations globally. Among others his team repositioned a portfolio of services, delivered several hundred million $ in cost reductions, developed an array of new approaches to talent management, achieved some of the highest certifications around sustainability and initiated a continuous improvement program around lean administration. Frank was a member of the United Nations’ High Level Committee on Management (HLCM) from 2006 to 2015 and has been a member of the International Labor Organization’s Independent Oversight Advisory Committee since 2015.

Prior to joining the IMF Frank worked for more than 15 years in the private sector. He served as Chief Procurement Officer of T-Systems, the IT and business customer division of Deutsche Telekom Group and worked as a Principal for the top management consulting firm AT Kearney in the US and Europe.  Previously he held managerial positions in various organizations focusing on Finance, Operations, Business Development and IT.

Before his MBA from INSEAD (France) in 1991, Frank earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Psychology from German universities. Frank is 53 years old and married with 2 kids 21 and 22 years old. He likes running, rollerblading, hiking and other outdoor activities as well as an occasional game of soccer or tennis.