• Function: Director of sustainability
• Company: SIPEF

Dr. Matthew Nowak is an anthropologist with more than a decade of experience in conservation biology, tropical ecology, and corporate sustainability across Southeast Asia and the wider Asia‑Pacific region.

He began his career with the PanEco Foundation’s Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, where he led landscape‑scale conservation initiatives for Sumatra’s two orangutan species.

He later joined Earthqualizer Foundation as a Senior Representative for the Asia-Pacific region, supporting companies across the palm oil sector to strengthen sustainable sourcing, governance systems, and NDPE compliance.

He now serves as Director of Sustainability for SIPEF Indonesia, where he leads the region’s sustainability strategy, advancing responsible plantation management, climate‑aligned land stewardship, and measurable environmental and social performance across one of Indonesia’s most diverse operating
landscapes.