Advisers

JANINE BENYUS

Janine Benyus is a biologist, innovation consultant, and author of six books, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature.

In 1998, Janine co-­founded Biomimicry Guild, the world’s first bio-­inspired consultancy, bringing nature’s sustainable designs to 250+ clients including Boeing, Nike, General Electric, Herman Miller, HOK, IDEO, Interface, Procter and Gamble, Levi’s, Kohler, and General Mills. In 2006, Janine co-­founded the Biomimicry Institute, home of AskNature, an online library of life’s best ideas. In 2011, she launched Biomimicry 3.8 to certify, connect, and nurture the growing network of biomimicry professionals.

Janine’s awards include the 2011 Heinz Award, UN 2009 Champion of the Earth, and TIME International 2007 Hero of the Environment.

Robin Bidwell

Robin Bidwell is the Chairman of the ERM Foundation. As one of the founders of ERM, he has had a key role over the past thirty years in building and leading the environmental consulting group. For much of his career, he has been an active consultant on sustainable development and related issues.

Robin co-chairs WBCSD’s development work and is a member of WBCSD’s Council. He is Chairman of the Green Alliance and also chairs the OFGEM Low Carbon Network Fund for GEMA (the UK gas and electricity regulator). He is a non-executive for ICE, an environmental rewards company, and he chairs ZSL’s Field Conservation Advisory Committee.

Robin was awarded a CBE in 1999 for services to the environment.

Rachel Crossley

Rachel Crossley is passionate about delivering a sustainable future by driving sustainability into the heart of business and investment practices. In pursuit of her passion, she has worked for more than 20 years at the leading edge of sustainable development and responsible investment. Her career has spanned roles in development finance, asset management, strategic consulting, and the not-for-profit sector.

Between 2002 and 2009 she was a Director of the Responsible Investment team at Insight Investment in the City of London. She currently works as an independent consultant, principally for clients in the investment sector, on a range of sustainability and responsible investment initiatives. She was a founding Trustee of The Climate Group and has held numerous other advisory and Board roles with sustainability-focused not-for-profit organisations. She currently serves on the Investment Committee of Oxfam’s Enterprise Development Programme.

Paul Hawken

Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, and author. His work includes starting ecological businesses, writing about the impact of commerce on living systems, and consulting with CEOs and governments on economic development, industrial ecology, and environmental policy.

Paul has appeared on numerous media including the TODAY Show, Larry King Live, Talk of the Nation, and Charlie Rose. He has been profiled or featured in hundreds of newspapers and magazines including The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, The Washington Post, Businessweek, Esquire, and U.S. News and World Report. His writings have appeared in the Harvard Business Review, Resurgence, New Statesman, Inc., The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, Mother Jones, Utne Reader, Orion, and other publications.

Paul is the founder of the Natural Capital Institute, a research organisation located in Sausalito, California. The Natural Capital Institute created WiserEarth.org, an open-source networking platform that links NGOs, foundations, business, government, social entrepreneurs, students, organizers, academics, activists, scientists, and citizens concerned about the environment and social justice.

Charles Secrett

Charles Secrett is a founding member of The Robertsbridge Group, a senior associate at the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership, and a founding member of the Green New Deal Group.

Charles has been Chair of the Board of Triodos Renewables, the Triodos Bank’s UK renewable energy investment fund, since 2004. He is a member of Shell’s global External Review Committee, an advisor to Base and Basecities, and a member of BP’s advisory panel for its TargetNeutral programme. Between 2004 and 2008, he was a Special Advisor on Climate, Environment and Sustainability for The Mayor of London and a board member of the London Development Agency and Chair of its Health and Sustainability Advisory Group. He was a member of the UK Government's Round Table (then Commission) for Sustainable Development for ten years. As Executive Director of Friends of the Earth (1993-2003), Charles led its transformation into becoming, for many years, the UK's most effective campaign organisation.

In 1985, Charles planned and launched the first global Save the Rainforests campaign (for FOE International), the model of which was quickly adopted and developed by NGOs around the world.  He has held salaried posts and volunteer advisory positions with a range of environment and sustainability NGOs. He has previously worked on a variety of environmental research and investigation projects in Brazil, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Nicaragua and Nigeria.

Simran Sethi

Simran Sethi is an award-winning journalist and associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Mass Communications, where she teaches courses on diversity, sustainability and the environment, and social media for social change.

Simran is the founder of Metamorphose, an interdisciplinary exploration of the personal and cultural dimensions of transformation.

Named one of the top 10 “eco-heroes” of the planet by the UK’s Independent and lauded as the “environmental messenger” by Vanity Fair and an “environmental woman of impact” by Daily Variety, Simran has contributed numerous segments to NBC Nightly News, CNBC, PBS, The Oprah Winfrey Show and the TODAY Show. She also appeared on MSNBC, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Martha Stewart Show, and the History Channel.

Francis Sullivan

Francis is Adviser on the Environment, Group Corporate Sustainability at HSBC.  He joined HSBC following a 20-year career in sustainable development at the conservation organisation WWF where he held a variety of leadership roles, including Director of Conservation for WWF-UK. Francis directed a successful forest conservation campaign for WWF International and helped establish the Forest Stewardship Council. He was a member of its international board for three years.

Since joining HSBC, Francis has defined the Group's strategy on sustainability issues and works closely with customer and product groups, regions, and operations to support its implementation. He drove HSBC’s decision to become carbon neutral in 2005.

He manages the teams that are responsible for reducing HSBC’s environmental footprint, the Group’s sustainability risk framework, and sustainable business development strategy. He is also a member of the Board of the HSBC Malta Foundation and a Director of the HSBC Pension Scheme in the UK.

Francis is a member of the Advisory Board of the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University, the Centrica CR Advisory Group and the Vodafone Corporate Responsibility Expert Advisory Panel. He is also a judge for the Whitley Awards for Nature Conservation and a member the Inter-American Development Bank’s Independent Advisory Group on Sustainability.

Tessa Tennant

Tessa Tennant is President of The Ice Organisation, a personal carbon management and loyalty programme. She co-founded the UK's first equity investment fund for sustainable development in 1988.

Tessa was Chair and Co-founder of the UK Social Investment Forum and of the Carbon Disclosure Project, where she is now a trustee. In 2001, she co-founded and was first Chair of ASrIA and remains on the Board.  She is the SRI adviser to Oxford University's Endowment Fund.  She also is Chair of the Global Cool Foundation.

In 2003, Tessa received the Sustainability Leadership Award from SAM/SPG of Switzerland and in 2004 was joint winner of the City of Göteborg International Environmental Leadership Prize.