Meet the Team
Get to know the people behind Material Innovation Center
Rik Logtens
Founder / Director
Eric (Rik) Logtens builds thriving, impactful businesses like birds build their nests.
Just like the birds know exactly what twigs to select, and how to position these twigs to construct a genius architectural structure to nurture and safeguard their offspring, Eric understands that talent and resources are precious. In his view, each material, technology or methodology serves a specific function or role in time and place, and he is in business to interlink positive social, ecological and environmental impact with thriving operations. Among the very first to apply the principles of Cradle2Cradle and conceptualise the Circular Economy, over the past 15 years, Rik has focused on:
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conceptualization and commercialization of sustainable materials, products and services
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advocating and inspiring students, business professionals, and policymakers to make the right decisions instead of the less bad ones
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building companies from zero to scale
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developing and implementing strategies and structures for multinationals, governments and universities on sustainability and circular economic principles.
Gabrielle Bastien
Stakeholder Engagement
Leader
A community organizer, social entrepreneur, and consultant, Gabrielle has been an advocate for regenerative agriculture for over 10 years. This passion led her to found the non-profit Regeneration Canada in 2017 and organize its Living Soils Symposium, which played a key role in accelerating the transition to regenerative land management in Canada. As a consultant, she now supports organizations working in sustainable food systems, the circular economy, and social innovation.
Gabrielle believes in the importance of using a systems lens to tackle complex challenges and in fostering collaboration among all stakeholders to drive systemic change. She sees the circular economy as a powerful application of regenerative principles in our economic system and as a crucial solution for both planetary and community health. She loves leading collaborative projects, building relationships with diverse stakeholders, and advocating for causes she deeply cares about.
Gabrielle holds a Master's degree in Sustainability & Environmental Management from Harvard University and is a recipient of the 2021 Canada's Clean50 Emerging Leader Award.
Jeremy Croes
Circular Business and Growth Strategist
With over 20 years of experience in corporate sustainability and circular economy, I am the owner of Future Fit. A strAtegic consultancy specialised in helping businesses and governments maximize their positive impact on the economy, the planet and society at large.
Additionally, I serve as a program manager and sustainability lead for the Government of Aruba, where I advise the minister of economic affairs, communication and sustainable development, and coordinate the national action plan towards a new sustainable and inclusive economy.
My passion is to empower individuals and organizations to launch or grow their own sustainable / circular businesses or initiatives, and to create meaningful and long-lasting relationships with their audiences. I also specialize in full funnel growth strategy, business development, lead generation and transformational management. I have a proven track record of delivering impact and value for my clients and partners.
Suki Kler Young
Material Scientist
An experienced Project Manager and Team Leader in successful frontrunner Cradle to Cradle product and system optimisation projects with a wide range of industrial clients and partners, a people person and a problem solver, motivated by a wish to improve the outcomes of modern industrial activities for people and the planet. This could mean optimising products and systems, or innovating to create something new. With a background in natural sciences, materials and sustainability, as well as broad cultural and working experience, I aim to implement common sense approaches, which are at the same time practical and holistic.
Laurens Bänziger
Business Developer
Laurens is a Social Entrepeneur that turns big ideas into tangible results. With a background in International Business Administration and master’s degrees in both Strategic- and Information Management from Tilburg University, he has a knack for creating clarity in chaotic situations. Whether it’s structuring design processes or coordinating between scientists, businesses, and other stakeholders, he brings people together to make innovation happen.
Passionate about sustainability and smart solutions, Laurens combines creativity with a practical mindset to keep projects on track and moving toward real impact.
Sjoeke Suilen
Industrial Designer
Sjoeke is a Social Designer with a passion for communication, sustainability, and circularity. With a background in Industrial Design Engineering and a double master’s in Integrated- Strategic Product Design from TU Delft, he transforms complex ideas into clear, engaging visualizations and stories.
Whether crafting detailed renders, animations and prototypes or facilitating collaboration within multidisciplinary teams, Sjoeke brings ideas to life and fosters meaningful connections and conversations between stakeholders.
Advisory Board
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
To help advance the foundation, MIC has established its Advisory Board, which includes a broad representation of distinguished experts, passionate professionals and friends who are demonstrated leaders in their respective fields. We are honoured to have Zehra, Suki, Barend, Bart and Ben join us.
