The Varda Group was established in 2003 by Kelly Rigg and Rémi Parmentier. We now have operations in the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK and we work with an extensive network of freelance collaborators. We’ve campaigned to protect the deep sea, sharks and tuna, the climate, health from smoking and on many other issues.
Welcome to The Varda Group
The Varda Group provides strategic advice and campaign expertise and coordination services across a wide range of international environmental and social issues. The Varda Group consists of Varda BV (The Netherlands), Varda Desarrollo Sostenible SL (Spain), and Varda Ltd (UK). In addition, The Varda Foundation (Stichting Varda) is a not-for-profit organisation that has the capacity to carry out charitable projects. The Varda Group was established in 2003 by Rémi Parmentier, Kelly Rigg, and Elaine Lawrence who have been leading campaigns for over 30 years on oceans, climate, disarmament, human health and many other issues. Our specialties include:
- Campaign coordination and leadership
- Political campaigning and advocacy
- Strategic planning
- Project design and management
- Campaign and organizational evaluation
- Meeting facilitation
- Communications strategy design
- Event organization
- Campaign training
Varda staff are fluent in English, French and Spanish (and to a lesser extent Dutch and Portuguese).
2018
July 2018
- Participation, on behalf of Friends of Ocean Action, in the 2nd Oceans Forum on Trade-Related Aspects of SDG14, organized by UNCTAD in Geneva.
- Strategic advice and stakeholders engagement facilitation for the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Programme.
June 2018
- Strategic advice and support to Oceans5.
- Secretariat and facilitation of the conference “The High Seas, What’s at Stakes?” in Paris, on behalf of the High Seas Alliance.
May 2018
- Strategic scoping for the Oak Foundation, exploring areas of further collaboration among a network of some of the most important endowed and regranting/intermediary foundations in Climate Change global mitigation.
- Preparation and facilitation of Greenpeace’s annual Executive Directors’ Meeting.
- Invited participant at an experts workshop on fisheries in areas beyond national jurisdiction, organized in Paris by IDDRI and BLOOM.
April 2018
- Communications and editing support for the REN21 Global Status Report on the renewable energy transition.
- Participant and presenter at a workshop on fisheries subsidies, upon invitation from the Pew Charitable Trusts, in Washington DC and on behalf of the Low Hanging Fish campaign.
- Partners coordination for the conference “High Seas, What’s at Stake?” to be held in Paris in June.
