Philipp Kauffmann (1967) worked with Siegfried Woldhek in WWF’s Action Network, where they both realized that a new kind of brokerage was necessary to involve the large number of people who actively care about the fate of the planet and the many local places where more conservation work needs to be done. Their joint search converged on a web-based initiative where Local Communities are in the lead. With intellectual rigor and many contacts around the world, Philipp helped to develop the concepts, draft the foundation's statutes, and find the first board members. At the beginning of 2002, Philipp moved on to another job. He now is based in New York, working for the UNDP on new investment flows to environmental entreprises in developing countries.