Desiree is a government affairs practitioner and ICF Certified Coach with over 20 years of work experience in government affairs and sustainability. She has assisted multinationals across multiple industries, including tech, FMCG, agri-food, energy, finance, healthcare, etc., plan and execute their government affairs strategies across Southeast Asia.
Desiree currently focuses on leading and running workshops for government affairs practitioners, government affairs teams, and senior business leaders with the goal of facilitating a greater understanding of good government affairs practices that is essential for effective government affairs. Desiree has trained hundreds of individuals across more than a hundred organisations ranging from Fortune 500 companies, Asian Unicorns to industry associations.
Prior to joining Vriens & Partners, she was the Sustainability Director of a triple-bottom line company managing an agri-energy project in the coconut industry. As part of the management team, Desiree oversaw the development of the supply chain towards achieving greater social impact and environmental accountability, whilst still ensuring financial profitability.
Desiree started her career in trade policy. She holds an MA in Southeast Asian Studies from Johns Hopkins SAIS, as well as a BA in Philosophy and Political Science from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She has been coaching since 2016 and is an ICF-ACC Certified Coach.