Steering Committee Members
Kevin Whitfield
Head: African Treasuries Carbon and Financial Products Unit.
In 1992 Kevin was appointed as a Senior Manager in Nedbank Treasury Audit. In 1999 Kevin accepted the position of Chief Operations Officer at Nedcor Investment Bank (NIB) where he was responsible for the following: Unit Trusts, Investor Centre, Asset Management and Private Bank Operations. In Jan 2003 NIB, Nedbank and BOE merged, Kevin was then appointed as the Head of the Strategic Deployment & Financial Products Unit.
Kevin’s new title is Head: African Treasuries Carbon and Financial Products Unit. The unit is responsible for Creation, Management of new business in the African Treasury space, Carbon and Financial Product line.
Georg Schattney
Managing Director, Forest Carbon Group AG
Georg Schattney co-founded Forest Carbon Group in 2009, one of Europe’s leading forest carbon and ecosystem investors. Today he serves the company as one of its two managing directors. Georg’s relevant carbon market experience ranges back to 2000 when he co-founded the first German Emissions Trading Expert Group. He has been working on various aspects of emerging carbon markets ever since, first for Deutsche Börse, then for Deutsche Bank and finally as a consultant at BCC. He has been specializing on forest carbon since 2007 when he started a project in the framework of the Packard Foundations’ Tropical Forest Carbon Strategy and has worked on political, biodiversity and capital markets related aspects of forest carbon for German Blue Chip Companies and Germany’s Federal Office for the Environment.
Johathan Shopley
Managing Director, The CarbonNeutral Company
As Managing Director, Jonathan Shopley leads The CarbonNeutral Company’s contribution to international policy developments on climate change and standards for carbon trading and carbon offsetting. Jonathan joined the company in 2001 as CEO, and led the Company’s evolution and expansion across Europe before assuming his current role in 2007.
Katie Sullivan
Canadian Policy Director, IETA
Katie Sullivan joined the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) as Canadian Director in 2010. In this role, Katie leads IETA’s efforts in further enhancing its members’ ability to engage in constructive climate policy dialogue at Canadian federal and provincial levels, while also contributing to IETA’s growing international policy work on innovative economic instruments and public-private risk-sharing mechanisms to combat climate change. Katie also leads IETA’s Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) Working Group and plays a major role in its engagement across North America’s regional greenhouse gas initiatives. Prior to joining IETA, Katie worked as a senior consultant for ICF International, where she provided strategic climate advisory services and analytics to corporate, government, and IFI clients.
Jeff Waldon
Chief Technical Officer, Forest Carbon Offsets LLC
Mr. Waldon is formerly the Executive Director of the Conservation Management Institute at Virginia Tech, the largest natural resources research center in the eastern United States. Mr. Waldon has 20+ years experience in conservation project development and management, and has been involved with almost one thousand research, training, and support projects in natural resources. Mr. Waldon is a certified wildlife biologist, sits on the World Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility as the private sector observer, and has spent extensive time and energy researching the process of documenting forest carbon offsets and determining co-benefits. He has worked on projects in Belize periodically since 1989.
Michael Jenkins
President and CEO, Forest Trends
Michael Jenkins is founding President of Forest Trends, a Washington D.C. based non-profit organization, created in 1999 by leaders from conservation organizations, forest product companies, research groups, multilateral development banks and private investment funds. Its mission is to expand the value of forests to society; to promote sustainable forest management and conservation by creating and capturing market values for ecosystem services; to support innovative projects and companies that are developing these markets; and to enhance the livelihoods of local communities living in and around those forests.
Prior to founding Forest Trends, Michael held a joint appointment as Senior Forestry Advisor to the World Bank. From 1989 to 1999 he was Associate Director for the Global Security and Sustainability Program of the MacArthur Foundation funding environmental conservation projects in Latin America and the Caribbean regions and in Asia and Africa. He spent three years (1983-1986) working in an agro-forestry project in Haiti. In the late 70s, Michael was a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay working in agriculture, apiculture and forestry projects. He has travelled and worked throughout Latin America, Asia and parts of Africa, and speaks Spanish, French, Portuguese, Creole and Guaraní.
Michael holds a Master’s of Forest Science from Yale University. He has authored and contributed to a number of books and articles including “The Business of Sustainable Forestry, Strategies for an Industry in Transition”.
In 2010, Michael received the SKOLL Award for social entrepreneurship on behalf of Forest Trends.
Edit Kiss
Manager, Eneco Energy Trading
Edit Kiss is currently Structured Origination Manager at Eneco, an integrated energy company in the Netherlands playing a leading role in the transition to a completely sustainable energy supply in North-West Europe. She is responsible for originating structured carbon deals including REDD+ projects for the company. She also advises the firm on international and EU climate change policy and her areas of expertise include new market mechanisms such as REDD+. Edit has been working on Eneco’s REDD+ corporate strategy for more than 2 years, and is the author of Eneco’s Code of Conduct which was published in Durban at COP17. Besides, from the beginning of the year she represents Eneco in the Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank’s Future Carbon Fund. Prior to joining Eneco in early 2010 Edit has been, among others, working for Bank of America as a carbon trader and for Constellation Energy as a carbon project originator. She is an environmental economist and holds an MsC from Corvinus University of Budapest and from HEC Paris.
Agustin Silvani
Managing Director, Carbon Finance
Agustin Silvani heads Conservation International’s Carbon Fund, which to date has been one of the most active investors in land-based carbon projects having developed over 20 reforestation, afforestation and REDD+ projects around the globe, both for the voluntary and compliance markets. Since its launch in 2009 the Carbon Fund has achieved some important milestones, including executing the largest private-sector REDD deal to date with the Walt Disney Company, and developing the first verified REDD project on public lands. More recently, the Carbon Fund launched the Sustainable Landscapes Partnership, a $20M public-private facility meant to foster low carbon growth in Indonesia by greening key agricultural supply chains. As part of CI’s Ecosystem Finance and Markets unit, Agustin is tasked with creating and executing innovative financial mechanisms to encourage sustainable development and has led the development of “green” bonds and natural capital funds in conjunction with JPMorgan Chase, the World Bank and BNP Paribas, among others.
Agustin moved to CI from the private sector with the goal of using public-private finance to drive low carbon development, primarily by catalyzing the growth of ecosystem service markets. Before CI, Agustin spent time in capital markets and project finance world, including six years spent on the commodities desk of a UK trading group.
Gerald Prolman
Executive VP Business Development, Wildlife Works
Gerald Prolman is a pioneer across several product markets. He is a serial entrepreneur with a 33 year history building branded, specialty consumer product company’s.
Gerald has vast experience establishing ventures that join together for-profit and cause related business interests, particularly in the area of international organic agricultural business development.
He was the founder and CEO of Made In Nature, Inc. (1989), the first organic produce brand in the US to break through to mass-market retail. He was responsible for the conversion of more than 20,000 acres to organic production systems and ultimately sold the company to Dole Food Co. in 1995. Gerald went on to be the founder and CEO of Organic Bouquet, Inc. (2001), the world’s first and largest online organic floral and gifting site.
Today, Gerald is the Executive Vice President of Business Development at Wildlife Works Carbon LLC, the world’s leading REDD project development and management company. In this role Gerald is responsible strategic partnerships, capital raising and marketing the carbon credits the company generates.
José Roberto (Beto) Borges
Director of the Communities and Markets Program, Forest Trends
José Roberto (Beto) Borges is driven by a passion and love for nature and conservation. He was born and raised in Brazil where he was inspired by his Grandfather’s stories about life in the early twentieth century in the state of Minas Gerais. His appreciation for nature brought him to California in 1984 to hike and climb in national parks and where he also worked as an ecotourism guide, a nature photographer and a rock climber.
Beto’s academic background includes a degree in industrial chemistry, conservation of natural resources and community development, and an MBA in strategic leadership. He has worked as director of the Brazil Program at Rainforest Action Network; manager of sustainable harvesting at Shaman Pharmaceuticals; executive director of Adopt-A-Watershed; program officer with the Goldman Environmental Foundation; co-chair of Grantmakers Without Borders; and consulting (among others) for Aveda, Conservation International, Instituto Terra, and Wildlife Conservation Network.
Beto is currently the Director of Communities and Markets Program for Forest Trends where he works to establish relationships between communities and new environmental markets of carbon, water and biodiversity. His work aims to promote biodiversity conservation and benefits for local communities.
Mariano Colini Cenamo
Senior Researcher and Deputy Executive Secretary, IDESAM (Institute for Conservation and Sustainable Development of Amazonas)
Mariano is a forester at the University of Sao Paulo (ESALQ/USP), and has large experience on working with forest carbon projects over the last ten years. In 2005 Mariano found the NGO Idesam, in the city of Manaus. Through a close cooperation with the State of Amazonas, Mariano played a fundamental role on the construction of the Amazonas State Policy for Climate Change (PEMC-AM), which has brought the Amazonas State into a leading position worldwide in terms of climate change mitigation and forest conservation. In the past years, he has been involved in many projects and initiatives related to REDD and forest conservation, providing consultancy and support to institutions like the World Bank, Government of Amazonas, Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS), Katoomba Group, AVINA, IPAM, TNC, and others.
Gary W. Dunning
Executive Director, The Forests Dialogue, Yale University
Gary is the Executive Director of The Forests Dialogue (TFD), an organization based at Yale University in New Haven, CT, USA. TFD was created in 1999 to provide global and regional leaders in the forest sector with a neutral, multi-stakeholder dialogue (MSD) platform and process. TFD is focused on developing mutual trust and a shared understanding among leaders while working towards collaborative solutions to the challenges in achieving sustainable forest management and forest conservation around the world. Gary is the founding Executive Director of TFD’s Secretariat, bringing it to Yale in 2000. Gary works with a diverse 25 member, international Steering Committee to set priorities on key forest related issues and to develop the multi-stakeholder dialogue-based initiatives that is TFD’s core work. He oversees a small, Yale based staff.
Gary has been working on forest related issues for over 25 years and has been leading MSD’s since 1995. Gary was the founding Executive Director of the Yale University’s Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry and helped to create and lead the Yale Forest Forum. He was also the National Roundtable Coordinator for the Seventh American Forest Congress and the US Liaison to the World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development. Gary began his forest career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya where he taught agroforestry and forest extension at the Kenya Forestry College. He holds a Master of Forestry degree from the Yale University and a Bachelor’s degree from Humboldt State University in California.
Leticia Labre
Research Fellow, Ateneo School of Government
Leticia leads the climate finance program of the Ateneo School of Government, a regional and recognized center of excellence on climate issues in Asia. Previously she was Head of Business Development and Communication of the Climate Markets and Investment Association, and before that with a UK-based think tank heading its global advocacy program to improve governance in major intergovernmental, NGO and corporate organizations in relation to the environmental sector. With a business advocacy group in the Philippines, she has also directed the efforts to ensure that the new national electricity markets legislation led to private sector investment in electricity generation, transmission and distribution. Leticia holds masters degrees from the New York University (History and Government) and from the London School of Economics (Utility Regulation), as well as an executive education certificate in infrastructure development with the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is also a member of the Philippine delegation to climate change negotiations at the UNFCCC.
Edward Hanrahan
Director, ClimateCare
Edward is the CEO of ClimateCare – an independent ‘profit for purpose’ organisation committed to tackling climate change, poverty and development issues. Their unique climate and development model helps to transform millions of lives worldwide.
Edward joined ClimateCare in early 2007 to scale the business and bring investment to the organisation. He managed the sale of ClimateCare to J.P. Morgan, and its subsequent integration into the investment bank. He has managed the organisation through substantial growth and in August 2011 led the Management Buy Out of ClimateCare back to an independent Profit for Purpose entity.
During his time at J.P. Morgan, as well as running the Bank’s interests in the voluntary carbon market for both ClimateCare and EcoSecurities, Edward was Global Head of Emissions Sales, responsible for commercial relationships across the Compliance carbon markets as well.
Edward believes passionately that private and public sector investment, coupled with results-based solutions can have a huge impact in tackling both climate change and development issues in the world’s poorest countries. He was one of the founding architects of ICROA, and remains an active participant and campaigner for quality and transparency in carbon markets.
Andréanne Grimard
Head of North America for Solidaridad Network
Andréanne is Head of North America for Solidaridad Network and is based in San Francisco. Solidaridad’s mission is to promote sustainable supply chains in the agriculture and mining sectors, and is one of the implementing organisations of RT-REDD, an initiative to build bridges between REDD+ and global commodity roundtables. Previously, Andréanne led the Prince’s Rainforests Project‘s work on addressing drivers of deforestation. In this role, she has brought together agribusiness, NGOs and governments in Indonesia, Brazil, and Ghana to collaborate on identifying ways to increase agricultural production outside forests and financial mechanisms to do so. Andréanne also worked at the United Nations Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity, and as Sustainability Coordinator at the London School of Economics’ Centre for the Study of Global Governance. She holds an MSc in Environmental Policy and Regulation from the London School of Economics and a BA in International Development from McGill University. In 2011, she was selected as a World Economic Forum Global Shaper.
Gerald Maradan
Chief Executive Officer, EcoAct
EcoAct, a leading company in carbon offset strategy, offers thorough consultancy to organizations wishing to develop an environmental approach, reduce their carbon footprint and development carbon offset projects.
Prior to join EcoAct, he worked for 7 years at STMicroelectronics in strategic and environmental project development, where he gained valuable experience in project management. He also possesses an extensive non-profit background, having worked for many non-profit organizations.
He holds a Master of Engineering from Grenoble INP in France, a Master of Research in Physics from the Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse as well as an MBA from HEC School of Management in Paris.
He’s also a Lecturer at Université Paris IV Sorbonne and Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, and a Peer Reviewer for VCS REDD methodologies.
Christian del Valle
Managing Partner at Althelia Climate Fund
Christian del Valle is a founder and managing partner with Ecosphere Capital Limited and the Althelia Climate Fund GP, dedicated investment platforms for financing sustainable land-use, ecosystem services and REDD+.
Previously, Christian served as Director of Environmental Markets & Forestry with BNP Paribas, where he led the bank’s movement into the forest carbon space, with a particular focus on community-based REDD+ in Africa and Latin America. Whilst there, he oversaw the execution of one of the first-ever large private sector interventions in REDD+, through the creation of a $50m financing framework agreement for African forest carbon projects with Wildlife Works LLC.
Christian has been engaged with national governments and the UNFCCC on forest and climate policy, both directly and through organisations such as International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) and Climate Markets and Investment Association (CMIA). He has been a guest lecturer at Imperial College London and London Business School, and serves as an advisor to the Forum on Readiness for REDD, the American Carbon Registry and is on the project board of the World Economic Forum’s Project on Sustainable Land-use Finance.
Christian has an MSc in Conservation Biology awarded by the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) and has field-based experience in Kenya, Botswana and South Africa.
Brer Adams
BioCarbon Fund
Brer Adams leads BioCarbon a forest carbon business invested by Global Forest Partners LP, IFC and Macquarie Bank. Brer is an Associate Director with Macquarie Global Investments, a division of Macquarie Bank where he has focused on investment opportunities linked to climate change and has experience in forest and renewable energy developments and investments.
