Hernán has over 30 years of experience working on issues related to the environment, sustainability, citizen participation, facilitation, conflict management, organizational development, and climate change.

He has worked in Chile, other Latin American countries, Europe, and South Africa.

Originally trained as a hydraulic and environmental engineer (Chile, 1991) and with a master's degree in Environment and Development (Cambridge, UK, 1995), he became convinced early in his career that social and human dimensions were key to the environmental challenges he was addressing.

He began his career at the EULA center at the University of Concepción; then founded an NGO for applied and participatory research on environmental issues, and has been an active consultant on topics in his field of expertise. He led the MAPS Chile process (2011-15) on climate mitigation and adaptation scenarios in the country, where he was the main facilitator, involving more than 300 people from different sectors. He was director for Chile of the Avina Foundation (2018-2020) and chairman of the board of the Latin American Future Foundation (2018-2020). 

Throughout his career, he has trained in Organic Leadership and Delicate Activism, inspired by the application of anthroposophy to organizational development, approaching human groups and organizations as living processes. His main interest is helping human groups reach their highest level of development and thus contribute to facing the challenging times we live in.

He is passionate about photography and lives in the countryside in Olmué, Chile, with his wife and children, who are beginning to leave home.