Rikolto's governance structure

In 2016, our organisational and governance structure underwent a complete makeover and we became an international network organisation. Following the internationalisation our organisation and governance, we changed our brand name from Vredeseilanden/VECO to Rikolto. In 2018 we created a company/profit organisation to complement our activities funded with donations.

A Belgian Public Interest Foundation, Rikolto International s.o.n. has been operational since 2017 and is managed by an International Board of Directors and an International Management Team composed of the directors of the different programmes in the various regions.

This Public Interest Foundation operates alongside the non-profit organisation Rikolto Belgium v.z.w. (previously Vredeseilanden v.z.w.), which has ultimate responsibility for all funds raised from Belgium donors.

At the end of November 2018, Rikolto International s.o.n. and Rikolto Belgium v.z.w. created Rikolto Limited (“b.v.”), an enterprise with limited liability and social purpose, with the goal of scaling the methodologies, methods, tools and instruments that the Rikolto family has been developing in its programmes financed through commercial contracts with third parties.

Rikolto International - Board of Directors

The composition of our International Board of Directors is based on the members’ complementary individual expertise (finance, HR and mission-related content), their background or stakeholder representation (civil society, public sector and private sector), their knowledge of Rikolto and a geographical distribution across the Rikolto regions. In 2020, Amon Mattee resigned, he has been replaced by Mary Shetto.

These are members of the Board (end of 2019): Stephanie Daniels (Chair), Amon Mattee, Koen Dolphen, Lettemieke Mulder, Ronnie Natawidjaja, Sharon Hesp, Mark Lundy, Marijke Beel and Alex Arnaud Assanvo. 

The directors are appointed for a maximum period of three years and are eligible for reappointment twice. The Board members can only nominate new members if they are proposed by the International Management Team, to ensure diversity and knowledge of Rikolto’s work. The Chair and all other Board members are volunteers. They receive no payment for their services, nor do they have an executive function within the organisation. The Board delegates operational responsibility to the organisation’s Executive Management: since 1st September 2018, Chris Claes is the Executive Director of Rikolto International.

The Rikolto International Board of Directors meets three times a year in a virtual meeting and one time in a physical meeting, jointly with the International Management Team. The Board safeguards our mission and core values. Based on proposals from the Management Team, the Board defines the general policies and strategies of the organisation. They follow up on the implementation of these policies and strategies and on the results and impact achieved. Social, economic and environmental concerns form the core of these strategic conversations.

Meet our board!

Rikolto International - International Management Team and Executive Management

The International Management Team, which steers the daily operations of the whole network organisation, is composed of the regional directors of the different Rikolto regions. In 2019, also the coordinators of the different international programmes (clusters) joined the Management Team.

Meet our management team!

Rikolto Belgium vzw - General Assembly

The General Assembly consists of 78 members representing our key stakeholders. They are volunteers, experts from various organisations or private companies, people working for governmental institutions or public administration, members of the Board of Directors and former staff members. In total, our General Assembly comprises 37 women and 41 men (as of 31/12/2020).

Anyone may apply to become a member of the General Assembly. Applications are presented at the next General Assembly. Membership is valid for an indefinite period. The Articles of Association stipulate that current Rikolto staff cannot be a member of the General Assembly.

The General Assembly is the supreme body of Rikolto Belgium v.z.w. (non-profit organisation). It appoints the Belgian Board of Directors and ratifies the annual accounts and the annual report. Within the General Assembly there is a Financial Committee that thoroughly studies the financial reports ahead of each General Assembly.

In 2020, apart from its formal obligations, the General Assembly also discussed the highlights of the next programme 2022-2026.

Rikolto Belgium vzw - Board of Directors

These are the members of the Belgian Board at the end of 2020: Marijke Beel, Kristof Debrabandere (chair), Frie De Greef, Koen Dolphen, Karel Bolckmans, Marnix Somers, Toon Martens and Petra Dombrecht. The directors are appointed for a maximum period of four years, renewable once. In 2020 Marc Bosmans ended his second term of four years as a member of the Belgian Board, he joins the General Assembly from now on. The membership of Karel Bolckmans, Marnix Somers and Toon Martens is renewed for four years.

The Board of Directors is responsible for general management and determines the organisation’s strategy. The Board monitors the organisation’s sustainability performance. This concerns practical decisions as well as choices within the programme.

The Board delegates operational responsibilities to the organisation’s Executive Management: Jan Wyckaert. The Chair and all other Board members are volunteers. They receive no payment for their services, nor do they have an executive function within the organisation.

The Board has incorporated the principles of good governance into its Articles of Association and Rules and Regulations, based on the Belgian King Baudoin Foundation’s "Good Practices and Recommendations for the Management of Social Profit Organisations" (Goede praktijken en aanbevelingen voor het besturen van Social Profit organisaties).

Rikolto BV

Rikolto Limited (Rikolto b.v.) is a limited liability company, and all profits go to Rikolto International s.o.n. and Rikolto Belgium v.z.w. The limited company was set up to scale the methodologies, methods, tools and instruments that the Rikolto family has been developing in its programmes. Its activities are financed by commercial contracts with third parties who seek its consultancy and advisory services.

It was established by Rikolto Belgium and Rikolto International, which each hold 50% of the shares. The three organisations are related in financial, economic and organisational terms and share a common mission and vision. The respective executive directors of Rikolto Belgium and Rikolto International, Jan Wyckaert & Chris Claes, have been statutorily appointed as the college of directors of Rikolto Limited to oversee its daily management. A supervisory board has been established consisting of two board members from the Rikolto Belgium & Rikolto International boards of directors. According to the statutes of the two sole shareholders Rikolto Belgium & Rikolto International, this supervisory board can also represent the general assembly of Rikolto Limited.

In 2016 the Belgian government (through the consultancy agency Deloitte) screened all Belgian NGOs on their governance and management. Rikolto achieved an excellent result and is now recognised as “programme NGO” for the next ten years, allowing us to apply for long-term funding from the government.