Bastien became CEO in January 2016, which marked his tenth year at Earthworm Foundation. His background and experience in business and agriculture are well linked to Earthworm Foundation’s work between the two worlds of business and nature. He has helped to coordinate Earthworm Foundation’s palm oil strategy, heading up teams in France, Switzerland and Africa, and launching the Rurality programme, which works to empower smallholder farmers. In 2018, he launched the Living Soils initiative, dedicated to accelerating regenerative agriculture and soil health. Prior to joining Earthworm Foundation, Bastien spent several years in Brazil, Australia, England and Argentina where he led product and sales teams in logistics and agro-business for Hamburg-Sud and the Roullier Group respectively. Bastien graduated in agricultural engineering from the Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon (Agro Paris Tech) in 2000, and then completed his postgraduate degree in marketing and strategy at the University of Paris IX Dauphine.