The Ecological Restoration Fund (ERF) is appoints Lenke Bálint as the Executive Director.
With a commendable background in environmental conservation and biodiversity, Bálint is poised to steer ERF towards new heights in its mission to support organizations dedicated to biodiversity restoration, degraded ecosystems rejuvenation, and environmental activism enhancement.
Lenke Bálint expressed her enthusiasm about her new role, saying, “as of tomorrow, I will be taking up the newly created position of Executive Director at The Ecological Restoration Fund (ERF). I look forward to joining Daniel Hotz, James Byrne CEnv FLS and advancing ERF’s mission of supporting organisations that champion biodiversity, restore degraded ecosystems and amplify environmental activism. There has never been a more urgent time to grow a global #restoration movement and I am excited by the new opportunities and collaborations to protect and restore landscapes and seascapes – for people, for nature and for the planet.”
Bálint brings over 14 years of experience in the environmental sector to ERF. Her journey in environmental conservation began at Fundatia ADEPT Transilvania, where she coordinated community-based conservation and sustainable development projects for nearly five years. Her role involved project management, communications, public relations, fundraising, advocacy, and NGO staff management & training, laying the groundwork for her future endeavors.
Her expertise further developed through roles at Kinship Conservation Fellows, where she was recognized as a Kinship Fellow, emphasizing market-based solutions to environmental problems. At The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Bálint served as the Country Programmes Manager for Southern Europe and Central Asia, focusing on the sustainable growth and development of civil society organizations in the region.
Bálint’s most recent position was at BirdLife International in Cambridge, United Kingdom, where she led global programs aimed at strengthening the BirdLife Partnership at national and local levels for over six years. Her work significantly contributed to empowering grassroots organizations to conserve, manage, and defend their natural resources effectively.
