Adrio has worked in the field of humanitarian action and civil society organisation leadership since 1997. Prior to this he was a professional engineer working as a CEO of a contracting firm and coordinating large scale construction projects.

In his humanitarian work Adrio occupied management positions at project, country, regional operational portfolio and senior executive. He was CEO of Medecins Sans Frontieres Germany from 2004-2008.

He has worked in a wide range of contexts and on projects implemented in Central, South and East Asia, Latin America, Europe, USA, South and Central Africa.

In September 2008 Adrio established Sandstone Consulting focussing on governance, strategy, organizational design, business development and leadership. His approach combines the knowledge of management and organisational theory with deep hands-on experience.  He has supported organizations through significant restructure, internal tensions, change processes and evaluations, working with executive directors/senior leadership, governing boards and their teams.

Adrio is skilled in the planning and facilitation of meetings, workshops, seminars and conferences. He has an in depth understanding of international/ transnational NGO governance structures and operating models. His assignments have included vision & strategy development, organisational design, programme design, support to governing boards, performance/critical reviews/evaluations, reorienting business models and conflict resolution. Adrio is also a trained mediator.

He has completed assignments in Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, China, Switzerland, Kenya, Spain, India and Belgium. Clients have included Greenpeace International, MSF, Action Aid International, the Open Society Foundation, Oxfam International, Transparency International, Hivos, BRAC and Terre des Hommes. These assignments have been a combination of solo support and pulling together teams to suit the task at hand.

Adrio was a member of an advisory group for the International Civil Society Centre Global Governance Project1 and has assisted in preparing and moderating seminars on INGO governance in multiple fora.

He was a member of the board of MSF Hong Kong from 2012 to 2024. Current professional focus areas include bridging between civil society work, philanthropy and progressive private sector purpose driven business. From 2017 to 2018 Adrio served on the board of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Inc., a leading organisation in this field.

Adrio lives in Berlin and is married with three sons, is a long-time rock climber and enjoys surfing.