Xavier Turquin Appointed Director of Greenpeace Luxembourg

On Tuesday 24 September 2024, Greenpeace Luxembourg announced the appointment of Xavier Turquin as its new Director, effective as of 16 September 2024.

Xavier Turquin, aged 48, has replaced Raymond Aendekerk at the helm of the environmental organisation. In his new role, he is responsible for the management and administration of the Luxembourg office in close collaboration with Greenpeace France.

A graduate in finance and information systems, the new director spent most of his professional career in the banking sector and in audit firms as a programme manager and project manager. It was only after a burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic that this father of four realised that his professional life no longer matched his values, noted Greenpeace. He decided to take a 180-degree turn and created his own societal impact company to raise awareness among companies about a more responsible and sustainable economic model.

For Xavier Turquin, the mission of Greenpeace Luxembourg is clear, namely "to raise awareness of the importance of ecology in the Luxembourg system, a small country with a strong economy, and to shift our society towards a safer and fairer world. Just like the laws of physics, ecology is not a negotiable element or one that can be ignored". Greenpeace added that its new director wants to promote a "well-being GDP" and get rid of competition between countries. "The major challenges for the Luxembourg office will be to make ourselves heard, not to disperse ourselves and to concentrate the available forces to be as effective as possible," he said.

The new director also referred to the importance of Greenpeace's independence from any form of power: "We will continue to defend our integrity as an organisation, by remaining free from the influences and pressures that we may be subject to. And the strength to resist comes from our teams, our volunteers and our donors. Money must stop being a taboo: it is a means, a simple tool, which must help us work for a better world."

Under his leadership, the environmental organisation said it would continue to act at the political level so that the Luxembourg financial centre assumes its responsibilities in the climate crisis. It will thus focus on the protection and restoration of nature in the face of investments that it said destroy biodiversity, but also continue to denounce the dangers of nuclear energy.

Commenting on the appointment of Xavier Turquin, Jean-François Julliard, Director of Greenpeace France, to which the Luxembourg branch is attached, said: "His knowledge of civil society in Luxembourg, of the impact of the Luxembourg financial centre on the climate and natural ecosystems, will be assets to continue the missions of our organisation. On behalf of Greenpeace, I wish him every success in his new role."