Meet the DEAL Community

Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom

I’m a senior leader in the building maintenance and social housing sector, currently working as a Head of Operations across South England, with a particular focus on retrofit and decarbonisation. Outside of work, I’m advocating fo a fairer and more regenerative future. I’m interested not only in how we redesign our institutions and economies, but how we empower people and communities, unlock our collective potential, and turn the extraordinary resources, knowledge and technology humanity already possesses towards shared prosperity and planetary wellbeing. I’m married with two children, which makes this deeply personal too. I want their generation to inherit a world of greater possibility, fairness and security. I’m currently writing How to Fix the World, exploring these ideas and developing the concept of a Global Missions Force (GMF) as a new model for turning global ambition into sustained, real-world action.

I have over six years of experience spanning operations, strategy, and international business expansion. I currently work with a health-tech startup making diagnostic testing more affordable and accessible globally, where I’m building our distribution network across Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.  My experience has given me a strong understanding of how organizations translate strategy into execution, build processes for scale, and navigate the complexities of entering and operating in new markets.  I’m joining this community to deepen my understanding of Doughnut Economics and explore how businesses can rethink their models, strategies, and approaches to growth to create sustainable and inclusive value. I hope to apply these ideas to help build and scale businesses that are commercially viable while contributing positively to people and the planet.

Oberneunforn, Thurgau, Switzerland

Ich bin pensionierter Elektroingenieur und engagiere mich bei Greenpeace, weil ich überzeugt bin, dass wir die grossen Herausforderungen unserer Zeit nicht nur diskutieren, sondern auch ganz praktisch angehen können. Besonders beschäftigt mich die Frage, wie wir unsere Energieversorgung klimafreundlich, zuverlässig und unabhängiger gestalten können. Als Ingenieur interessieren mich dabei nicht nur Visionen, sondern vor allem Lösungen, die technisch funktionieren und sich wirtschaftlich tragen: erneuerbare Energien aus der Region, intelligente Netze und Speicher, Wärmepumpen, effiziente Energienutzung und eine zunehmend dezentrale Versorgung. Gleichzeitig möchte ich über die technische Perspektive hinausblicken. Muss wirklich immer alles mehr werden, damit es uns besser geht? Für mich bedeutet Wohlstand auch Zeit, Gemeinschaft, Sicherheit, eine intakte Umwelt und die Möglichkeit, das eigene Leben mitzugestalten. Deshalb engagiere ich mich in der Greenpeace Regionalgruppe Ost. Wir suchen das Gespräch, hören zu und entwickeln Ideen – ohne den Anspruch, auf alles bereits eine fertige Antwort zu haben. Denn Veränderung beginnt für mich oft mit einer guten Frage und einer praktischen Idee. Meine Mission: Technik, Erfahrung und gesellschaftliches Engagement miteinander verbinden und gemeinsam nach Wegen suchen, wie ein gutes Leben innerhalb der Grenzen unseres Planeten möglich wird.

Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France

Teaching, mostly. Engineering and Management students. They need to reflect on the economy of the 21st rather than the 20th century. Doughnut is the only systematic approach that speaks to them.

Kitwe, Copperbelt, Zambia

Mapalo Chirwa Mapalo Chirwa is an Economics student at Copperbelt University and Chairperson of the Rethinking Economics CBU Chapter. He is passionate about rethinking conventional economic systems and advancing inclusive, sustainable development. He joins the Doughnut Economics Action Lab to learn, connect with global changemakers, and explore how Doughnut Economics can inspire practical solutions for Zambia and Africa.

København, Capital Region of Denmark, Denmark

Albanian by roots, born and raised in Italy and have been living in Copenhagen since 2020. Working as a leader in a pharma company since 2021.  I strongly believe that change can only happen if people believe in it and if they engage with like minded people. This is why I am here, to challenge today’s economic and get inspired by you on how to drive this change together.

Switzerland

I'm Head of communication at the Fédération vaudoise de coopération (www.fedevaco.ch), an organization working in international cooperation, in collaboration with Swiss public authorities. As part of our advocacy work, we are developing ideas on the global social lens and the responsibility of public authorities for living conditions in the Global South. The aim is to explore the links between official development assistance and achieving a world within the Doughnut. Our thought are available on this page : https://www.fedevaco.ch/donut and in this article (FR)

Switzerland

I'm Head of Partnerships and Knowledge Sharing at Fédération vaudoise de coopération (www.fedevaco.ch), an organization active in development cooperation. As part of our advocacy work toward public authorities, we are developing ideas from a global social perspective and examining the responsibility of public authorities for living conditions in the Global South. The goal is to explore the links between official development assistance and the achievement of a world within the Doughnut.

Pavullo nel Frignano, Modena, Italy

MD in Economics. Manager and consultant. Great book reader and non professional book writer. 

Richmond, Virginia, United States

I am a design-for-sustainability practitioner focused on making systems more reciprocal than extractive. My work adapts familiar design frameworks so that they give back more to communities and ecosystems than they take. I use play as a way of making complex systems feel knowable. In projects like Time-Shifted Forest, a sustainability-focused trading card game, I turn circular economics and systems thinking into mechanics that friends can learn together around a table, not just concepts buried in reports. Across my practice, I design playful invitations like games, prompts, and workshops to help collaborators see themselves as part of living systems and try out new behaviors in low-risk, joyful ways. Whether I’m prototyping with waste materials or mapping circular textile ecosystems, I’m asking: how might this feel more like play than obligation, while still moving us toward net-positive futures.

Yangon, Myanmar

I’m a professional translator and BBA student from Myanmar, currently working as a Class Facilitator. I have a strong passion for Climate Change, Sustainable Development, and Doughnut Economics. I joined this community to learn, connect with like-minded people, and share ideas.

Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

I’m a change maker working with and for children, young people and survivors of gender based violence. I’m interested in systems change and the process of building better futures-through care, compassion and community. 

Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland

Communications Lead | DEFI (Doughtnut Economics Finland Initiative) Member I am a Master’s student with a strong foundation in Machine Learning and applied Data Science. Experienced in interdisciplinary research spanning Environmental Science, Medical Imaging, Security, Legal Systems, and Embedded Systems. Skilled in developing intelligent systems and predictive models for real-world applications. Strong interest in research methods, experimental design, and human-centered evaluation of AI systems. Passionate about applying AI/ML to create sustainable, user-centric solutions aligned with Sustainable Development. I enjoy exploring all elements of creativity since I have a variety of hobbies, including singing, free-hand sketching, imitating animal sounds, reading, and gaming. In addition, my love of psychology and creative writing has stoked my interest in learning more about how the human mind works.

55268, Nieder-Olm, Rheinland-Pfalz, Deutschland

Ich bin ein pensionierter Architekt, der etwa 25 Jahre für die Stadt Mainz als Projektleiter gearbeitet hat. Meine Tätigkeit bestand im Wesentlichen daraus, mit externen Architekturbüros beim Bau von kommunalen Gebäuden zu kooperieren. In den letzten Jahren meiner Arbeit habe ich versucht kommunale Entscheidungsträger davon zu überzeugen, anstatt Neubaumaßnahmen Umbauten zu präferieren. Dies vor dem Hintergrund Energie und Ressourcen zu sparen, die in vorhandenen intakten Tragstrukturen bereits existieren. Begehrlichkeiten und der Vorwand technischer Hindernisse haben meine Bemühungen jedoch stets konterkariert.  Auf meiner Suche nach Antworten für die Ursachen sozialer und ökologischer Krisen bin ich auf die Donut-Ökonomie gestoßen, die zum ersten Mal die Dualität von sozialen und ökologischen Belangen thematisiert.  

An Agricultural Economist with experience in leadership, partnership building, project coordination, and policy engagement at national and international levels since 2016. I founded and led Rethinking Economics Zambia, establishing eight university chapters and engaging more than 300 students, teachers, civil society organisations, and policymakers in evidence-based public policy dialogue.  As an Advisory Board Member and Elected Campaigns Council member of Rethinking Economics International, I have strengthened my strategic planning and collaboration skills. My background in democratic governance, stakeholder engagement, and inclusive dialogue aligns with values of democracy, accountability, inclusion, real-world discussions, and political neutrality — that is why I joined this platform.

Kent, England, United Kingdom

After graduating with a BSc(Econ) from Hull University, and working in industry first as a Financial Analyst with Ford Tractors (UK), then in Management Consultancy for a decade, then with my wife we established a Michelin star restaurant from scratch. I then decided I wanted to train as a homeopathic doctor unable to get a place in a medical school, I was advised to train as an osteopath and study homoeopathy on my own. We sold our restaurant we moved to Kent where I enrolled at the osteopathic College in Maidstone and qualified in 1981. I then joined forces with a number of like minded practitioners including an anthroposophical Doctor to establish the first holistic clinic in the Southeast of England that year. This multi discipline clinic was a training ground to help understand the power of our own healing abilities when helped with appropriate therapy, we also were humbled by knowing that although I was supposed to be an expert in physical medicine others could help better with certain patients. Working together as a team to offer the best care to patients was the key. After forty years in the healthcare profession I published a small book as a guide for people wanting to take more responsibility for their own health entitled “Be Your Own Doctor of Health and Happiness-You Are a Miracle!” I have never been convinced of our economic dogmas and decided to begin working on my next book entitled “Be Your Own Economist of Wealth and Prosperity - Replace GDP growth with GDW growth”. By clearly defining “wealth” we can have growth that would be sustainable. I have gained much inspiration from Doughnut Economics.

Ōtorohanga, Waikato, New Zealand

Working at the intersection of economic systems change and climate action 

Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Hi everyone! I am a Master's student in Technology for Sustainable Development at the Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Indonesia. Before returning to academia, I spent over two decades (since 2000) building a professional career in the Food and Beverage industry, primarily in the dairy sector. Over the years, my concern for the escalating environmental crises (particularly in Indonesia) grew profoundly. It reached a tipping point where I realised I needed deeper answers as to why our ecological issues are worsening despite economic progress. Driven by this, I made major decision on step away from corporate world in December 2024. By February 2025, I began my Master's journey to explore how development can genuinely thrive without  breaching our ecological ceilings. Reading Kate Raworth's "Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist" during second semester on Environmental Economics Class was a revelation for me. However, I quickly realised that translating this brilliant macros concept into localized, actionable steps requires practical tools and community wisdom. Looking at the global map, I noticed a significant gap: the Doughnut framework is still rarely adopted in Indonesia's territorial governance (whether at the village, district, or city level) unlike the widespread implementation in Europe. I am deeply challenged to change this narrative. My immediate goal on this platform is to dive deep into available tools, unrolled models, and case studies from practitioners worldwide. I am currently adapting the Doughnut framework for my university's Field Study Program (KKL) in Padukuhan WIntaos, a rural village in Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta. My mission is to pioneer grassroots implementation of the Doughnut in Indonesia by integrating its 12 Social Foundations and 9 Planetary Boundaries with Javanese local wisdom (Memayu Haying Bawana). I'm here to learn from all of you, exchange ideas on rural/Global South implementation, and eventually contribute our findings from Wintaos back to this amazing community. Let's connect, learning, sharing and becoming together! 

Rende, Cosenza, Italy

I am currently a Post-doc research fellow at the Department of Political and Social Sciences of the University of Calabria. His main research interests include management control systems, sustainability accounting, the higher education system and environmental and social sustainability.

Ohio, United States

I'm a business coach focused on human and planetary well-being. I'm curious about DEAL because I specialize in helping my clients move their organizations toward a future that is equitable and life-giving for all life, including the natural world.

Eindhoven, North Brabant, Netherlands

Hi! I'm an Industrial Design student in Eindhoven (Netherlands), focussed on how we design society and practices. In my designs I use the Doughnut Economics as a template and an inspiration of how I believe the future of society should look. If you are interested in that, please do not hesitate to get in touch :)

Tokyo

For many years, I have been involved in the business development of renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, in Japan and Europe. During this time, I witnessed numerous cases where local communities hosting these power plants struggled to sustain themselves due to ongoing population decline and aging demographics. This made me realize the critical need to nurture individuals who can become new leaders for these local communities. Driven by this realization, four years ago I launched Green Business Producers, a school dedicated to developing regional revitalization leaders. To date, we have graduated 100 students. As we worked alongside many of these students to tackle local issues, we constantly encountered a central debate: Should we prioritize global environmental conservation, or the quality of life and prosperity of the local residents? This discussion often led to a clash of opposing views, frequently ending without a clear conclusion. It was in the midst of this challenge that I encountered the concept of Doughnut Economics. Moving forward, I intend to center our school’s operations around the study and application of Doughnut Economics.

Vienna, Austria

I’m one of the three co-founders of Donut Wien, actively working to bring systemic sustainability transformation to the City of Vienna by applying the principles of Doughnut Economics and strengthening the community of change makers here. In my daily work, I’m an impact and sustainability advisor working with impact investors, companies and individuals on charting paths from intention to impact, focusing on business model transformation reflecting planetary boundaries and social equity.   Before, I worked with The Economist Group for over two decades, where I initiated and implemented the company’s first sustainability strategy while leading the global readership business. After that, I was a strategist with Quantis, a Boston Consulting Group specialist sustainability consultancy for three years working with global F&B players on climate strategies, climate and nature risk projects. I have a master’s in communications from the University of Vienna and did my sustainability education with the Sustainability Management School Switzerland (SUMAS) and Terra.do.

Columbus, Ohio, United States

I came across the Doughnut Economics Model recently and would love to learn more about how policy makers, business owners, and communities have implemented it. I would also love to work together to start discussions about this way of economic thinking near Columbus, Ohio.