The Icons of Change Global Secretariat proudly announces the appointment of Dr. Simon J.D. Schillebeeckx as Ambassador for Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land, under the Icons of Change Alliance for Planetary Regeneration.

A visionary academic, entrepreneur, and strategist, Dr. Schillebeeckx stands at the forefront of the global regeneration movement—bridging technology, business, and ecology to reimagine how human enterprise can become a force for planetary renewal. His work embodies a future where environmental restoration and economic progress are not opposing goals, but mutually reinforcing systems that sustain both people and planet.

As Co-Founder and Chief Vision Officer of Handprint, Asia’s leading regeneration-as-a-service platform, Simon is transforming how businesses measure and deliver sustainability. By embedding impact directly into digital transactions, supply chains, and customer experiences, Handprint enables organizations to make tangible environmental contributions with every engagement. This model—impact automation—has revolutionized corporate sustainability, moving it from passive reporting to active regeneration, where every click, purchase, or partnership contributes to real-world ecosystem restoration.

Parallel to his tech-driven innovations, Simon co-founded the Global Mangrove Trust, a non-profit dedicated to scaling mangrove restoration across vulnerable coastal regions. Combining digital traceability tools with grassroots conservation, the Trust has advanced climate resilience, biodiversity protection, and livelihood support for communities in Southeast Asia. It exemplifies Simon’s belief that technology and local action, when harmonized, can yield scalable, equitable, and lasting ecological solutions.

Beyond entrepreneurship, Simon continues to shape the global sustainability discourse as Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship at Singapore Management University (SMU). His research and teaching focus on digital sustainability, circular economy models, and business model innovation, equipping the next generation of leaders to build organizations that regenerate more than they consume. His academic contributions, grounded in practical impact, extend from policy dialogues to corporate boardrooms—where he serves as a certified Non-Executive Director guiding responsible governance in emerging green industries.

Dr. Schillebeeckx’s scholarly foundation is as formidable as his entrepreneurial impact. A PhD graduate in Management from Imperial College London, he also holds an MA in Corporate Social Responsibility from the University of Nottingham, and BSc and MSc degrees in Commercial Engineering from the Catholic University of Leuven. Across these disciplines, one principle defines his philosophy: sustainability is not a siloed practice—it is a strategic design principle that must permeate every decision in business, governance, and innovation.

At the core of Simon’s mission lies Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land, a mandate to protect, restore, and sustainably use terrestrial ecosystems. His work through Handprint and the Global Mangrove Trust has shown that regeneration is both achievable and measurable—when technology is aligned with nature’s rhythms and human intent. He envisions a world where businesses can become regenerative organisms—repairing ecosystems, sequestering carbon, and restoring biodiversity through automated, data-driven action.

What sets Simon apart is his rare synthesis of systems thinking and pragmatic execution. He decodes the complexities of planetary boundaries into actionable business frameworks, empowering leaders to view regeneration not as philanthropy, but as strategic resilience and competitive advantage. His message is clear: regeneration is not only essential—it is the next frontier of innovation and value creation.

As Ambassador for SDG 15, Dr. Simon J.D. Schillebeeckx will spearhead the Icons of Change Alliance for Planetary Regeneration, promoting cross-sector coalitions between business leaders, scientists, technologists, and policymakers. Through his leadership, the Alliance will drive initiatives in digital sustainability, ecological restoration, and regenerative business transformation, accelerating collective action toward a net-positive future.

We celebrate Ambassador Simon J.D. Schillebeeckx as a Pioneer of Digital Sustainability and Global Regeneration—an architect of systems that heal, empower, and sustain. His work challenges us to rethink prosperity itself: not as extraction from the Earth, but as partnership with it. 🌱🌍

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