Meet our CEO, Chair, Board, Advisory Board and team of world leading impact investors that drive South Pole’s success.
Meet our CEO, Chair, Board, Advisory Board and team of world leading impact investors that drive South Pole's success.
Dr Daniel Klier is South Pole’s Chief Executive Officer.
Daniel joined South Pole from sustainability data and technology platform ESG Book, where as CEO he oversaw the company's growth and established the business as global industry leader. He was previously Global Head of Sustainable Finance and Group Head of Strategy at HSBC, where he established the bank's net zero target and ambition to support the energy transition with 1 trillion dollars. Daniel started his career at McKinsey & Company, where he was a Partner, supporting companies to enhance their organisational performance and international growth.
A widely recognised sustainability expert, Daniel has served as the Chair of the Bank of England's Climate Working Group and Chair of the Institute of International Finance's Sustainable Finance Working Group. He serves on the Boards of the global sustainability reporting standard GRI and the international organisation Sustainable Energy for All.
As co-lead of South Pole's Climate Advisory business, Anne-Franziska is responsible for the strategic development and implementation of our global advisory services. She leads our consultancy team to implement solutions which help companies to assess sustainability risks and impacts, manage sustainability throughout their business and across their supply chains and to develop resilient business strategies. Anne-Franziska is a consultant by heart. She brings 20 years of experience in corporate consulting with focus on carbon markets and climate strategy. She has built carbon price models, abatement curves, modelled risks and developed hundreds of GHG footprints. She also designed broader sustainability strategies, outlined mitigation roadmaps, set targets (also science based) and developed net zero implementation plans for global sustainability leaders. She is always hands on to provide value to our clients “on the ground". At the same time she holds her clients accountable, pushes their ambitions, aims for new sustainability solutions to demonstrate leadership but also strives for making sustainability more mainstream.
Prior to joining South Pole in 2015, Anne-Franziska has worked for KPMG in the US and various consulting firms in North America and Europe advising on corporate sustainability management, assurance, sustainability strategy design, sustainability program set up, policy and market analyses.
Dara Olufon is a seasoned executive with over 15 years of experience in sustainability, decarbonisation, and large-scale business transformation. Prior to joining South Pole, he served as a Partner at McKinsey & Company in the UK, where he was a leader in the Global Energy and Materials practice. His expertise spans several key areas including energy transition strategies for hard-to-abate industries, clean hydrogen, biofuels, carbon capture, e-mobility, and renewables, as well as strategic counsel to global financial investors on climate-focused investments. His work has helped drive large-scale, impactful change within industries seeking to evolve and reduce their environmental footprint. Dara holds a strong track record in delivering high-level strategic insights and facilitating the transition to a more sustainable, low-carbon future. He holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cambridge.
Having spent the past 12 years working in the voluntary carbon market, compliance carbon markets, climate policy and thought leadership, Marco brings unrivalled knowledge to the role of Executive Director, Climate Certificates. With practical experience in carbon project development, implementation and trading, Marco is passionate about placing innovation and partnership at the heart of our certificates business. This ethos provides South Pole's global network of partners and clients with a vehicle to boldly speed towards a prosperous, low-carbon future.
His work has taken him to Canada, the United States, Belgium, Turkey, India, Switzerland and the UK, where he lives today.
Nadia Kaddouri was appointed Chief Financial Officer of South Pole in June 2024, reporting directly to the CEO. In this role, she will oversee our global financial operations, drive financial strategy, and ensure the sustainable growth of our company.
Nadia Kaddouri is a highly accomplished finance and strategy executive with over 18 years of experience in global companies across aviation services and automotive. Prior to joining Southpole she was the Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer at Swissport International, where she focused on implementing Swissport's strategic roadmap, and built the company's environmental, social, and governance (ESG) agenda while advocating the ESG topic in the airport services sector. Previously, as EMEA Chief Financial Officer at Swissport International, she successfully guided the company through the COVID-19 crisis while implementing a finance transformation agenda. Her earlier roles include Senior Vice President – Group FP&A, Senior Group Business Controller, and Senior Integration Manager. In these positions, she oversaw the integration of the largest acquisition in the company's history, established robust financial functions, and achieved significant transformative results.
Prior to Swissport, Nadia managed the sales process of Servisair and was a Financial Controller of Eastern Europe at Azelis and Etam.
Sofia brings a wealth of experience in change management, employee engagement, and workforce planning within complex, multicultural environments. As Chief People Officer at South Pole, she leads a team of seasoned and dedicated HR professionals to enhance the company's organisational design, talent development, and retention strategies, with a goal of implementing best-in-class HR practices.
Since joining South Pole in 2023, Sofia has spearheaded key HR initiatives to align the company's people strategy with its broader business transformation, focusing on talent development and fostering a culture of performance and accountability.
Prior to joining South Pole, Sofia has held senior HR leadership roles at AkzoNobel and Nike, where she led HR strategy, capability-building programs, and diversity and inclusion initiatives at both functional and regional levels. She holds a masters degree in Intercultural Communication from Voronezh State University, a diploma in Organisational Leadership from the University of Oxford and is CIPD certified.
Leila Kamdem is a senior climate risk professional whose career spans nearly two decades, and includes senior leadership roles at various organisations, including HSBC and Mazars. Prior to her role as Group Head of Climate Risk for HSBC, she was a Partner at Mazars where she held various roles, including UK Head of Financial Services Consulting and Lead Partner for Climate Risk. Leila has extensive experience leading regulatory compliance projects and developing risk management frameworks aligned with international climate standards.
Kushal Bhimjiani serves as South Pole’s Group General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, reporting to the CEO as a key member of the Group’s executive leadership team. With a mandate spanning strategic and operational excellence, Kushal advises on critical areas including fundraising, board management, and corporate governance while overseeing regulatory compliance and legal strategy, and across South Pole’s global operations in 20+ countries. Her responsibilities encompass high-stakes activities such as M&A, JVs, restructuring, public affairs, critical litigation, regulatory and governance transformation, overseeing a team of 20 acting on BAU matters such as employment, IP and commercial contracts as well as the development of innovative carbon funds and climate tech investments.
In her role as Corporate Secretary, Kushal acts as the vital liaison between the Board of Directors and company stakeholders, guiding corporate governance and ensuring robust decision-making at the highest levels of the organization.
Kushal brings over 12 years of experience from elite international law firms including Milbank, Herbert Smith Freehills, and Norton Rose Fulbright, as well as in-house leadership at South Pole. She has represented and negotiated with a broad range of financial institutions, including global banks, DFIs such as the World Bank, IFC, and KfW, and private credit funds, as well as corporate stakeholders like renewable energy developers, infrastructure funds, and energy majors. She has executed transactions exceeding $32 billion across 40+ jurisdictions, leading multidisciplinary teams and delivering pragmatic, commercially driven counsel on complex cross-border deals.
Kushal is qualified as a solicitor in England & Wales.
Ab Kasmi is an accomplished executive with over 15 years of experience in the carbon, renewables, and environmental markets. As the Head of Global Sales & Portfolio Management, Ab leads South Pole's group-wide sales and commercial strategies across its global offering and global project portfolio.
Previously, he held senior leadership roles at a large renewable energy company, where he supported and steered the development of new environmental markets, helping clients reach their decarbonization goals. Ab has extensive expertise in structuring renewable energy and carbon certificate transactions, business development, and managing client relationships, from local producers to large global corporations – driving impactful changes in environmental markets.
Nadia leads South Pole's Global Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs function, reporting to the CEO.
With well over a decade of experience in carbon markets, reputation management, corporate sustainability, and media relations, Nadia works with South Pole's global Marcomms team to successfully launch and position new growth-driving initiatives for the business.
Nadia joined South Pole in 2015 and has been instrumental in developing group-level marcomms strategy, as well as spearheading efforts to accelerate growth in areas of strength. This includes the development and launch of South Pole's annual Net Zero Report, a critical analysis of the corporate landscape and progress towards net zero.
Before joining South Pole, Nadia led a variety of communications for the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development and the European Commission. She holds a masters degree in International Business Communication from the Aalto University School of Economics.
George leads the South Pole's commercial efforts in the Americas, focussing on providing sustainability solutions to clients across North and Latin America. Working with South Pole's global teams, George's role is to maximise climate impact for customers.
With 18 years of experience in corporate sustainability, George helps clients reduce carbon emissions, secure renewable energy solutions, and effectively use carbon credits in strategies aimed at achieving net zero emissions. His clientele spans various sectors, including consumer products, retail, apparel, ICT, chemicals, and industrial products.
Zoltan is a seasoned scale-up executive and works across South Pole to drive business performance by focusing on our transformation program. Prior to joining South Pole, Zoltan worked on implementing mergers, organisation transformations and streamlining processes and operations in Europe, Africa and Australia. He was VP of Strategy and Business Development at Gorilla, Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company and spent several years in real estate investment management and venture capital prior to that. Besides work, Zoltan enjoys spending his free time with his family and friends, going out for frequent runs and is a passionate home chef and history geek.
An economist by training, Zoltan is motivated by the opportunity to strengthen market-based solutions to fight climate change at scale.
Led by our Chair Dame Inga Beale, our Board drives organisational excellence and supports us to navigate governance and operational change.
Dame Inga Beale is the former CEO of Lloyd's of London, where she served for five years before stepping down in 2018. She was the first female CEO in the global insurance and reinsurance market's 325-year history. Beale started her career at Prudential Assurance Company in London and is trained as an underwriter specialising in international treaty reinsurance. She worked for General Electric's insurance division for 14 years, where she held numerous management roles, including leadership roles in Kansas City, Paris and Munich. Beale then led the Swiss reinsurer Converium, where she spearheaded a company turnaround.
In 2008, she joined Zurich Insurance Group as a member of their Group Management Board. The following year she was named the group's Global Chief Underwriting Officer. From 2012-13, she was the Group CEO at the privately held Lloyd's insurer, Canopius.
Beale is a Chartered Insurer and studied economics and accounting at Newbury College, Berkshire, England and was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to the UK economy. Dame Inga has also played a critical role in advancing diversity and inclusion initiatives across the global insurance sector, including the Dive In Festival, the only sector-wide diversity and inclusion festival in the world. She also sits on the board of directors of NN Group N.V., Crawford and Company and Willis Towers Watson plc.
Cornelius Walter is an impact investor focusing on climate change, green infrastructure as well as industry innovatorsCornelius invests in and serves on the boards of early and later-stage companies with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals and sustainable business models. He is also an advisor at Lightrock, a leading global impact investing platform.
Prior to embarking on his journey as an impact investor, board member and advisor, Cornelius was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he advised financial institutions, energy companies, public-sector organisations, and clients in a broad range of other industries on growth strategies and large-scale transformations.
First based in Germany, he moved from Frankfurt to Budapest in the late 1990s to help build McKinsey's presence in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). He served as Managing Partner of McKinsey in Central Europe and, before that, Managing Partner of McKinsey's Budapest office. In these positions, he aspired to drive growth and profitability for CEE clients while role-modelling servant leadership among the local partner groups. Cornelius also helped lead the people initiatives across the EEMA (Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) region.
Anshari is a Director in the Strategy and Development Group (Policy & Analytics) at GenZero, and he is responsible for providing thought leadership on policy, regulations and standards in support of GenZero's investment activities.
Before GenZero, he was a climate change negotiator with the National Climate Change Secretariat under the Prime Minister's Office. He had represented the Singapore Government at various multilateral fora such as the UNFCCC, UNCBD, IPCC and ASEAN.
Anshari has coordinated whole-of-government initiatives such as Singapore's updated Nationally Determined Contribution and carbon markets strategy. He was also the lead carbon markets negotiator for Singapore, and has co-chaired expert level negotiations on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement (international market and non-market based cooperation). He is currently serving on Verra's Board of Directors.
Kimberly is Managing Director and Head of Investments at GenZero. She oversees GenZero's investments, and leads the firm's portfolio construction and investment strategy to achieve its dual goals of positive climate impact and long-term sustainable financial returns.
Prior to her appointment at GenZero, Kimberly spent twelve years at Temasek International, focussing on investments in the transportation and logistics sector where she helped to build a multi-billion global logistics portfolio. With a particular focus on China and Southeast Asia, she led deal origination and execution resulting in notable investments including LF Logistics and ZTO Express, market leaders in various parts of the e-commerce logistics value chain. She also played a key role in landmark transactions involving core Singapore transportation assets which required complex technical execution and broad-based stakeholder management.
Kimberly also developed and led a new mobility strategy to build exposure to the electrification and digitalisation of transportation, the enabling supply chain and supporting infrastructure.
In terms of external appointments, Kimberly currently sits on the Board of South Pole.
She holds a MA in International and Development Economics from Yale University, and a BA and MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Lincoln College, Oxford University.
Nigel is a Partner at Lightrock where he is responsible for leading growth stage equity investments in Europe and North America. He believes that the creation of positive impact and commercial value are deeply intertwined and wants Lightrock to be the leading resource for companies who care passionately about both.
Before joining Lightrock, Nigel co-founded a company that scaled consumer and healthcare services. Prior to this, he focused on global growth equity investments at the IFC, investing in businesses looking to expand their footprint in emerging markets. Nigel started his career working on restructuring and M&A transactions at Moelis & Company in New York.
Nigel holds a BA in Political Science from Harvard University.
Christoph is one of the Co-Founders of South Pole and Board Director. As member of South Pole's Board, he drives many strategic topics of the company.
Christoph is Member of the Stewards Circle of the B For Good Leaders Network.
In his earlier career, Christoph worked for over 12 years at McKinsey, where he was responsible for sustainability and energy-related topics, such as the Review of EU Emissions Trading Scheme for the EU Commission.
Christoph holds an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Karlsruhe University, an MSc in Energy Management & Policy from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and IFP School, Paris, and a Ph.D. in Economics in the field of Energy from Oldenburg University. His studies also included extensive internships in France and South Africa.
Patrick Buergi is a sustainability entrepreneur and expert with twenty years of experience in carbon markets, climate policy, corporate sustainability and impact investing. He is a co-founder of both the myclimate Foundation in 2002 and South Pole in 2006.
In mid 2022, Patrick relocated to Tokyo to lead the establishment of South Pole's presence in Japan. In addition, Patrick also acts as a Senior Innovation Advisor within South Pole working across a portfolio of innovation and R&D initiatives, including Net Zero strategies, carbon removals, regenerative agriculture, plastic stewardship and digital growth opportunities, for example.
Headquartered across the world, our investors help provide us with financial strength and global reach.
The Strategic Advisory Board operates separately from our Board of Directors. Its responsibilities include providing strategic guidance to South Pole's executive team, supporting on quality and risk and driving innovation in South Pole's strategy and operations.
Chief Executive Officer and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All, and Co-Chair of UN-Energy
Damilola Ogunbiyi serves on the Steering Committee of the African Carbon Markets Institute and several advisory boards, including the World Bank, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). She was part of the COP28 Advisory Committee and was Co-Chair of the COP26 Energy Transition Council (ETC). She is a global leader and advocate for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); she was named in the 2024 TIME100 Climate list and has been recognized as a trailblazer in her field.
Former Global Managing Director of McKinsey & Company, Advisor to Apax Partners, and Board member
Ian Davis is currently on the board of a number of private companies and non-profit institutions. Previously, between 2013-2021 Ian was Chairman of Rolls-Royce plc and of Thoughtworks. From 2010-2023 he was NonExecutive Director of Johnson & Johnson Inc. and from 2010-2020 he was a Non-Executive Director of BP plc where he was also Senior Independent (Lead) Director. Between 2011-2017 he was a Non-Executive Director of the UK Cabinet Office, of Teach for All, an educational non profit and Big Society Capital. Ian is Senior Partner Emeritus of McKinsey & Company, where he was a consultant and partner for over 30 years. He served as Chairman and Worldwide Managing Partner of McKinsey between 2003 and 2009.
Senior Advisor and Board member, dedicated to supporting energy transition journeys; former Head of M&A and Senior Vice President of Carbon Neutral Businesses at Total Energies and Founding Chairman of the OGCI Executive Committee.
Jerome Schmitt has over 30 years of experience in the energy and mobility sectors, specializing in finance, sustainability, and business strategy. He is the Chairman of C-4WARD, which supports a portfolio of leading global institutions and start-ups on their Transitions journey. As such is in particular a Senior Advisor to Systemiq and at the Board of several start-ups in the energy transition space. Previously, Mr Schmitt was the Founding Chairman of the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative Executive Committee and held senior roles at Total Energies, including Group Senior VP of Mergers and Acquisitions, SVP Net Zero Businesses and SVP Sustainable Development & Environment, where he led sustainability and climate strategies ahead of COP21.
Director of Climate and Energy Policy, Tony Blair Institute
Lindy Fursman leads the Climate and Energy Policy team at the Tony Blair Global Institute and is an expert in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Before joining the Institute, she worked for two years alongside New Zealand's Minister for Climate Change. Ms Fursman also served as Chief Advisor for Climate Change at the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment for five years. Additionally, she advised on climate change and economic policy for seven years, including roles at the New Zealand Treasury and as Economic Counsellor to the OECD.
Senior Partner and CEO at Resilient LLP
Lisa DeMarco is a Senior Partner and CEO at Resilient LLP. She is a Canadian and globally ranked expert with nearly three decades of experience in all aspects of climate and clean energy law. Lisa regularly advises on renewable power project development, energy storage projects, sustainable and climate finance transactions, carbon capture and storage, climate-related financial disclosure, corporate climate risk, ESG, green bonds, transition strategy, target setting, and compliance. Lisa is a director of the boards of the International Emissions Trading Association, MaRS Discovery District, and Planetary Technologies and member of Climate Economy Strategic Council.
Executive Vice President and Chief Impact Officer at Salesforce
Suzanne DiBianca is the Executive Vice President & Chief Impact Officer at Salesforce. In this role she leads Salesforce's stakeholder capitalism strategy, including the company's global corporate relations, sustainability, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy, with a depth of focus on climate action programs on the global journey to net zero emissions. Suzanne also oversees Salesforce's corporate philanthropy initiatives, which include supporting nonprofits focused on climate resilience, education, and workforce development. Suzanne has worked at Salesforce for more than 20 years and was previously co-founder and president of the Salesforce Foundation and Salesforce.org. Under Suzanne's leadership, Salesforce's pioneering 1-1-1 model of integrated corporate philanthropy has been adopted by tens of thousands of companies across 130 countries. Suzanne previously led Salesforce's Ventures Impact Fund which focuses on investing in next-gen cloud companies driving positive social change, and oversaw the company's Salesforce Military program focusing on up-skilling and hiring veterans. Suzanne serves on multiple councils for the United Nations and the World Economic Forum. She is a board director and trustee at the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, and board director at JGI. Suzanne is also a Senior Advisor to Lightrock, and on the Advisory Board at South Pole. She has been recognized on TIME's inaugural 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders in Business 2023 list. Suzanne holds a degree in economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Discover how South Pole drives integrity in the carbon market with robust risk management, enhanced quality controls, and strict compliance protocols. Learn about our commitment to transparency and ethical practices.
With over 800 employees in more than 20 countries, we create global impact by helping organisations decarbonise and navigate the complexities of climate in ways that are good for business, people and planet.
South Pole has over 800 employees in 20+ countries. We partner with on the ground operations and organisations in many more to deliver world-class climate projects.
With 18 years experience, we can help you navigate challenges and changes in the market.
