Reforestation Expert | Founder of Restore the Legacy & Rainforest Rebel
Renee Smits
As a reforestation expert with over 45 years of family legacy in ecosystem restoration, she turns complex climate challenges into tropical insights that are clear, practical and ready to apply. Renee connects policy to biodiversity, business to nature, and her audience to real solutions that stick.
Languages:
Employability:
Chairperson,Keynote Speaker,Workshops
Employability:
Chairperson,Keynote Speaker,Workshops,
About Renee Smits
Renee Smits is an international speaker known for her unique blend of field experience, system thinking, and a clear, accessible style. She translates complex sustainability challenges into tangible insights and profitable, nature-based solutions with a strong focus on tropical reforestation, biodiversity, and CSRD implementation.
Raised in a globally respected family of environmental scientists and reforestation pioneers, she now leads active reforestation projects in Indonesia. Her work is grounded in real ecosystems, not just theory, and that’s exactly what she brings to the stage.
With 16 years in corporate sustainability banking, Renee bridges the gap between ecological impact and business value. Her ability to align CSRD with real-world strategy stems from deep industry insight and firsthand knowledge of what sustainable transformation looks like on both balance sheets and forest floors.
She has spoken at COP28, the European Parliament, City Expo Dubai, the Forestry Forum, the ESG Show, and numerous leading financial and academic platforms,
taking the stage at some of the world’s most influential gatherings on sustainability and policy.
Bringing CSRD to the canopy — with roots, not just reports.
Renee doesn’t just talk about change — she grows it.
Specialist Subjects
Vasiliy Volynets, President
"My company deals with the promotion of digital products on the educational market. I have come this open meeting in order to find the answers to my questions concerning the sales. I have certain use-proven techniques which enable us to get a high profit percentage, but at present we face some complications concerning precisely sales and the final chain. Itwas yesterday when I was given not exactly answers, but certainguidelines on solving these problems. I hope these issues will be completely resolved today and sales will eventually be multiplied by 5. That is what I am after. How can I put things I learned into practice? Of course, I will apply my new knowledge to my company, directly to my subordinates. The work we are doing at present should be structured. I already see the ways of doing that. Consequently, the result will differ from the present one. I regard the implementation of the technique as structuring the operating process as well as compressing the process itself."
References
Your talks at COP28 caught many people’s attention!
"Your talks at COP28 caught many people’s attention, as you introduced them to the sounds of the forest, and brought them into your world."
As a speaker she is excellent and her passion shines through as she talks about the topics that are clearly important to her.
"As a speaker she is excellent— this much is obvious — and her passion shines through as she talks about the topics that are clearly important to her."