"Astrid is a great professional, with admirable soundness in her technical skills and great communication abilities. She did an amazing job when she directed a complex breeding programme for the most threatened cat species in the world, the Iberian lynx, in circumstances that were not easy. She is inspiring, understands people and has a natural warmth that facilitates her leadership of teams. I was always impressed by how she could mobilise very different partners in a project, from politicians, funders, and scientist tor farmers or teachers. ."