Yolandi is globally recognized Ecological Engineer and Sustainability Professional. She is an environmental forensic scientist, professional land rehabilitation specialist, registered professional natural scientist and a registered environmental assessment practitioner. She has innovated and contributed to world-class products and services in ecological engineering and sustainability, specifically in the USA, Europe, Russia and Africa.

 

Her track record includes developing global innovations, service excellence, and building networks that continue to play a critical role in repairing, designing, and building ecological infrastructure, ecological services, and biodiversity initiatives to benefit the environment and the people living in that environment. She also specialize in water-energy-food accounting, deciphering coupled human and natural systems, industrial ecology, and ecosystem valuation and repair.

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She was also part of a Global project team researching green infrastructure globally. This initiative was funded by the Lloyd's Register Foundation, where she worked with the University of Arizona and the University of the West of England. She represented Monash, South Africa. She was included in the 2017 Austrian Leadership Program (ALPS) as selected by the Austrian Ministry for European, International, and Foreign Affairs during November 2017. They select approximately 100 young leading executives globally per annum to participate in this Austrian Foreign Ministry's professional exchange program. Candidates are nominated and selected by Austrian Embassies and Advantage Austria offices around the world. The ALPS program took place in November 2017.

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Her core experience lies in the mining and manufacturing sectors, where she has been responsible for developing, implementing, managing and maintaining global environmental and sustainability portfolios.  She has been involved in, initiated, and managed several innovative, sensitive, and groundbreaking environmental projects while building and maintaining relationships with communities, government agencies, and other stakeholders.

 

She managed to position Baoberry as a local and global innovator in Ecological Engineering. Baoberry was a runner-up in the 2015 Green City Start-Up Challenge, the winner of the 2016 Eco-Logic Eco-Innovation award, and the overall winner of the 2016 Global Cleantech Innovation Program-SA Program for Small and Medium Enterprises with the innovation "awetbox". Baoberry also received the reward as the most promising Women-Led Business in the GCIP-SA 2016 program for Small and Medium Enterprises. Baoberry was also a runner-up in the International Global Cleantech Innovation Program 2017, awarded in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, USA. She was named 1 of 200 Mail and Guardian's Young South African's for 2015. This demonstrates the global impact and influence of previous work she completed in the sustainability space.

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She was also nominated and previously announced as a finalist in the African Utility Industry Awards in the category: Outstanding Contribution- Water. Baoberry was a bronze winner in the 2019 Eco-Logic Awards Waste Management and Recycling category and a catalyzer winner in the 2019 SEED awards.

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Nothing is indeed impossible. She is passionate about solving planetary health challenges in a mutual beneficial way for the environment and communities.  

 

Fields of Specialisation

 

Industrial Ecology

Environmental Foresics

Sustainability turnarounds

Biotechnology

Green Infrastructure Design and Implementation

Corporate Environmental and Sustainability Management

Ecological Engineering

Ecological and Environmental Monitoring and Modeling

Sustainable Landscaping

Integrated Water Management

Circular Economy

Landscape Planning

Protected Areas Planning and Management

Wetland and Ecological Specialist Studies