Our charity trustees serve as GRP’s board of directors, providing financial, governance, and strategic oversight.
They ensure strong operations and support our fee-free giving model through securing core funding.
Our Team
Trustees
Jo Bacon
Stefanie Pfeil
Sofia Blount
Jasper Judd
Yan Swiderski
Camilla Swiderska
Daniel Appiah
Jo Bacon
Chair
Jo has been the Managing Partner of Allies and Morrison LLP, an internationally renowned firm of architects and urbanists, for more than ten years while continuing to be involved actively in projects from urban masterplans to construction stage delivery. In 2015, she was shortlisted for Architects Journal WIA Woman Architect of the Year and in 2019 led the publication of the RIBA Gender Pay Gap report for the architectural profession. Up until 2025 she held various positions at the RIBA including Chair the RIBA Awards Group, RIBA Vice President International, Councillor, Trustee and Board Member. She is also a current Trustee of the Architectural Association Foundation.
Stefanie Pfeil
Trustee
Stefanie is the founder of Give Rise Consulting, where she works with climate organisations on fundraising strategy, philanthropy, and organisational development. She brings twenty years of experience leading development, communications and external affairs teams across the international NGO sector, including at ClientEarth, Farm Africa, the International Rescue Committee (UK) and War on Want. Stefanie has held non-executive roles at Refugee Action and CARE International, and is currently a Trustee of Murmur.
Sofia Blount
Trustee
An accomplished sustainability and environmental governance professional, Sofia brings over a decade of leadership experience at the intersection of marine conservation, law and policy. As a Trustee of the Blue Marine Foundation for 8 years, she played a central role in guiding the organisation’s growth from an early-stage charity to a leading international NGO. She currently serves as Strategic and Policy Advisor to the Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP), advising the G20-backed programme on strategy, communications and policy to accelerate global coral conservation and restoration. She also consults for Kanaloa, a philanthropic initiative working across science, law, technology, policy and communications to protect and restore our ocean. Previously, as a co-founder and director of Omnia Strategy LLP, she led complex international projects on biodiversity protection and legal reform. In 2023 she graduated with a Distinction from the University of Cambridge’s Master’s in Sustainability Leadership, and has published on sustainability for The Sunday Times.
Jasper Judd
Executive Trustee & Co Founder
Jasper is a Cambridge graduate and Chartered Accountant. He is currently a non-executive director of two public companies: JPMorgan Indian Investment Trust PLC and Dunedin Income Growth Investment Trust PLC. Previously, he worked as finance director of a range of businesses. Most recently, he was a senior executive of the large Australian multinational, Brambles Limited, where he was Group Head of Strategy.
Yan Swiderski
Executive Trustee & Co Founder
Yan has had a long career in international finance. He has worked in Singapore, New York and London specialising in sovereign debt and currency markets. In 2002 he founded an investment management business, Finisterre Capital LLP. Here he was managing global portfolios investing in over 50 countries, primarily in developing markets. He retired from finance in 2014 to run an organic farm. Yan has a Law degree from Cambridge University, and also speaks Spanish and French.
Camilla Swiderska
Executive Trustee
Camilla has worked for not-for-profits which campaign to protect the environment. She worked at Greenpeace UK in the wildlife unit including the whale, fisheries and habitat campaigns. Later at Greenpeace International she researched and documented the international trade in toxic technologies. Camilla later worked for Campaign for Better Transport and also at CPRE. Camilla has an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College and a BA in Geography.
Daniel Appiah
Board Advisor
Dan initially joined the GRP team as the Reporting & Research Manager. After receiving the Clarendon Scholarship, he is now pursing his MPhil in Development Studies at the University of Oxford. Alongside his studies, Dan consults for the University of Glasgow for the Computer Science Academy Africa.
Executives
Our core team drives GRP’s mission forward every day, ensuring we remain a transparent, accessible, and high-impact vehicle for nature and climate philanthropy.
Jack Chellman
Georgie Murrin
Kiki Shahida
Dario Berrebi
Jack Chellman
CEO
Jack has worked with the Global Returns Project since our launch in autumn 2020. He came to the UK from America on a two-year Marshall Scholarship, during which he earned an MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History from the University of Cambridge. Jack also holds an MSc with distinction in Media, Power and Public Affairs from Royal Holloway, University of London.
Georgie Murrin
Chief Partnerships Officer
Kiki Shahida
Impact Officer
Kiki Shahida recently graduated from the University of St Andrews with a joint-honours degree in Sustainable Development and Business Management (BSc). Before the Global Returns Project, she worked as a sustainability analyst for climate-tech startups based in the United Kingdom and the Middle East and Northern Africa regions. She also has experience in marketing, non-profit work, and events planning.
Dario Berrebi
Digital Marketing Manager
Technical Advisory Board
The Technical Advisory Board, or TAB, sits on our Due Diligence Committee and guides the selection and assessment of our portfolio charities.
Its members are leading experts across nature, climate, and biodiversity.
Professor Joanna Haigh CBE (Chair)
Professor Yadvinder Malhi CBE
Professor Rosalind Rickaby FRS
Doree Marentette
Dr Mamta Mehra
Professor Joanna Haigh CBE (Chair)
Prof Haigh was Co-Director of the Grantham Institute at Imperial College from 2014 until her retirement in 2019. For the previous 5 years she was Head of the Department of Physics at Imperial College London.
Professor Yadvinder Malhi CBE
Yadvinder Malhi CBE FRS is Professor of Ecosystem Science at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on interactions between the biosphere and climate change, including how the biosphere can be protected, stewarded and restored to enhance climate change resilience.
Professor Rosalind Rickaby FRS
Prof Rosalind Rickaby is Chair of Geology, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford. Ros has pioneered an interdisciplinary blend of biology and chemistry to resolve questions of past climates, evolution, and the future of the phytoplankton. She has authored over 100 papers and co-authored the book, ‘Evolution’s Destiny: Co-evolving chemistry of the environment and life’.
Doree Marentette
Doree is a climate action advisor and has worked with government, charities, philanthropy, and the private sector on climate mitigation since 2009. She has an MSc from King’s College London in Environmental Modelling, Monitoring, and Management, and is currently Associate Director for Strategy and Partnerships at the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).
Dr Mamta Mehra
Dr Mamta Mehra is an environmental professional with more than eleven years of expertise in climate change, agriculture, and natural resource management. She is currently serving as the Research Director of the Global Council for Science and Environment, where she works on spanning the boundaries between science and decision-making to strengthen the impact of durable solutions to environmental challenges.
Advisory Board
Our Advisory Board brings a range of expertise from philanthropy to sustainability, providing insight and strategic guidance to strengthen GRP’s operations.
Lord Zac Goldsmith
Prof Mike Berners-Lee
Dr Surabi Menon
Sarah Butler-Sloss
Adam Lury
Professor Chris Rapley CBE
Dr Claudia Schneider
Cath Dovey CBE
Lord Zac Goldsmith
Zac Goldsmith has devoted his entire professional life to the environment. In 2019, Zac was appointed as a Minister attending Cabinet with portfolios across the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He served as a Minister of State until June 2023, when he resigned citing the Government’s increasing apathy in the face of the environmental and climate crisis. As a Minister, his responsibilities over the years included forests, oceans, biodiversity, climate change and the illegal wildlife trade as well as the Pacific region and UK Overseas Territories.
A committed environmentalist, Zac was extensively involved in the delivery of the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration at COP26, the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at CBD COP15, and the formation of Global Ocean Alliance that grouped 30 countries to sign a pledge to improve the protection of the ocean.
Prof Mike Berners-Lee
Mike consults, thinks, writes and researches on sustainability and responses to 21st century problems. He is the author of acclaimed books, including ‘There is No Planet B: A Handbook for the Make or Break Years,’ and ‘How Bad Are Bananas? The carbon footprint of everything.’ He is a professor at Lancaster University, where his research includes supply chain carbon modelling, sustainable food systems and the environmental impact of ICT. He has made numerous speaking, radio and television broadcast appearances to promote public awareness of sustainability and climate change issues.
Dr Surabi Menon
Surabi Menon is VP, Global Intelligence at ClimateWorks Foundation. Her work supports climate philanthropy by providing a global context for climate mitigation and climate policy progress; identifying investment flows, high-impact investment opportunities and the developmental and economic benefits associated with energy transitions. Dr Menon serves on the advisory council of the Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium, Climate Leadership Initiative and was a charter member of the U.S. EPA’s Science Advisory Board (2012-2018). She has published over sixty peer-reviewed publications and co-authored the 2007 IPCC report that led to a Nobel Peace Prize. She also started an environmental NGO in India in 2008. Dr Menon has over 20 years of professional experience in the climate change field. She has a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science and an MBA in Sustainable Management.
Sarah Butler-Sloss
Sarah is internationally recognised for her work in the field of green energy over the past 20 years. She is best known for founding the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy in 2001. Ashden is a London-based charity that focuses on sustainable energy and development. Its work includes the annual Ashden Awards, advocacy and research in the field of sustainable energy, and mentoring and practical support for award winners. Sarah is also the Chair of Trustees of The Ashden Trust, one of the Sainsbury Family Trusts, established in 1989. The Trust supports programmes focusing on climate change, sustainable development, or improving the quality of life in poorer communities. Sarah was formerly a trustee of Forum for the Future, and is on an Advisory group for Schumacher College.
Adam Lury
Adam began his career in advertising and in 1987 co-founded Howell Henry Chaldecott Lury – Campaign Magazine’s Agency of the Decade in 1999. He also built up a management consultancy practice independently of the agency dedicated to working with CEOs of major corporations on corporate purpose. He now focuses on the third sector, both in the UK and abroad. He was one of the 50 founding members of the European Council on Foreign Relations and is a Director of Well Told Story – an Emmy award winning, transmedia social enterprise that uses entertainment to bring life skills and economic opportunities to young people in Kenya and Tanzania.
Professor Chris Rapley CBE
Prof Rapley is Professor of Climate Science at University College London (UCL). He is a Fellow of UCL and of St Edmund’s College Cambridge, a member of the Academia Europaea, the Chair of the European Science Foundation’s European Space Sciences Committee, an Advisory Board member of the UK Government’s Clean Growth Fund, a member of the UK Science Museum Group’s Science Advisory Board and a member of the UK Parliamentary and Scientific Committee. His previous posts include Director of the Science Museum, Director of the British Antarctic Survey, Chairman of the London Climate Change Partnership, President of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, Executive Director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and Distinguished Visiting Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Prof Rapley was appointed CBE by Her Majesty the Queen in 2003 and was awarded the Edinburgh Science Medal in 2008.
Dr Claudia Schneider
Claudia is a behavioural scientist operating in the fields of decision science and behaviour change. A psychologist by training, Claudia conducted her doctoral studies and research both at Columbia University and Princeton University, based at the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions in the United States. Her research lies at the intersection of decision science and applied social psychology and explores avenues for motivating positive behaviour change to address society-level issues such as climate change mitigation and intergroup conflict. She has consulted on development work, led intervention projects, and conducted field research in Africa, Latin America, and India in addition to lab-based research in the United States and Europe as part of her efforts to translate scientific findings into real world applications. She is currently working as a research associate at the University of Cambridge.
Cath Dovey CBE
Cath Dovey CBE brings her expertise in philanthropy and wealth strategy to GRP’s Advisory Board. She is the co-founder of the Beacon Collaborative, a UK-wide movement to increase giving amongst wealthy donors. She was awarded a CBE in January 2024 for services to women and girls, the arts and the economy, and philanthropy. She chaired Philanthropy Impact until 2020, co-founded global wealth management firm Scorpio Partnership, and currently serves as philanthropic partner at New Philanthropy Capital.
Ambassadors
Our ambassadors help spread awareness of GRP’s mission, grow engagement, and support us at events and outreach opportunities.
Professor Tim Lenton OBE
Rebecca Jenks
George King IV
Sarah Goose
Ian Ritchie CBE
Phoebe Wright
Tom Storey
Richard Gillham
James Peel
Scarlett Irons
Philip Watkins
Stuart Mitchell
Neil Hoad
Oliver Tapper
Luca Smith
Professor Tim Lenton OBE
Professor Tim Lenton is the founding Director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter and Chair in Climate Change and Earth System Science. He has more than 25 years research experience, focused on modelling of the biosphere, climate, biogeochemical cycles, and associated tipping points. Tim is renowned for his work identifying climate tipping points, which informed the setting of the 1.5C climate target, associated net zero targets, and nationally determined contributions.
Rebecca Jenks
Rebecca Jenks is a senior level experienced investment management professional with extensive experience across Europe and Asia. She spent nearly 11 years at UBS, where she served as a Senior Private Banker, advising entrepreneurs, hedge fund managers, and family offices on portfolio management and strategic asset allocation. Rebecca holds a BEng in Environmental Engineering from the University of New South Wales. She now works with the the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership as an assessor on their Sustainable Finance Course.
George King IV
George King IV is a Partner at MASECO Private Wealth, where he advises high-net-worth families on cross-border financial planning. With 30 years of financial markets experience, specialising in investment strategy and portfolio construction. George began his career as an Institutional Investor-ranked Financial Analyst (CFA) at Credit Suisse. He later transitioned to private wealth management, playing a pivotal role in growing wealth management businesses at Alliance Bernstein and RBC. George joined B Lab UK, as a Trustee in 2023.
Sarah Goose
Sarah joined James Hambro & Partners in 2017 and is a Portfolio Manager, co-managing the MPS strategy, as well as Responsible Investment Lead. She previously worked in the Lloyd’s underwriting market after graduating with a First-class degree in Latin & Ancient History from the University of Exeter. Sarah holds the CISI Chartered Wealth Manager qualification, the CFA Investment Management Certificate and Certificate in ESG Investing, and was named in Citywire’s Top 30 Under 30 in 2021 and 2022. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Ian Ritchie CBE
Ian Ritchie CBE RA is a British architect, artist and author. He is renowned for his innovative and sustainable designs. He founded Ian Ritchie Architects in 1981, leading to acclaimed projects such as the Susie Sainsbury Theatre and Angela Burgess Recital Hall at the Royal Academy of Music, and the Royal Shakespeare Company Courtyard Theatre. Ritchie’s contributions to architecture have earned him numerous accolades, including being the first foreign architect to receive the French Académie d’Architecture Grand Silver Medal for Innovation.
Phoebe Wright
Phoebe Wright is a Sustainability & Impact Associate at Archimed, specialising in integrating climate-conscious strategies into investment decisions. She holds an MS in Climate Change Management and Finance from Imperial College London and a BS in Sustainable Development from the University of St Andrews. Alongside work Phoebe has dedicated eight years to marine conservation in Nosy Be, Madagascar, volunteering as a dive instructor to support ocean preservation efforts.
Tom Storey
Tom is a consultant specialising in employment & skills within the property and construction sector. After founding K10 (the largest construction apprenticeship training agency in the country), he now provides strategic consultancy advice to a number of the leading property developer’s, contractors within the construction sector in relation to social impact. This includes consulting on apprenticeships, local employment, digital transformation, community investment and well-being. Alongside this, Tom is currently completing his MSc at Oxford.
Richard Gillham
Richard Gillham, CFA, is a financial planner and sustainability specialist, where he combines holistic wealth planning with leading sustainability initiatives. With over 20 years in asset management, including roles at at Progeny Wealth, Legg Mason and Merrill Lynch, Richard brings deep expertise in sustainable and impact investing. He is a passionate advocate for aligning financial strategies with environmental and social responsibility, helping both retail and institutional clients engage in sustainable capital flows. Richard remains committed to simplifying complex sustainability topics and empowering financial professionals to integrate impact-driven investments.
James Peel
James Peel is an investment professional passionate about driving sustainability in finance. He is currently a Senior Research Analyst at Gravis, where he supports the VT Gravis range of open-ended funds.
James began his career in 2018 as a Researcher at the British Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, focusing on Taiwan’s efforts to decarbonise. He later joined Titan Asset Management (formerly Tavistock Wealth) as an Analyst, progressing to Portfolio Manager, where he led the firm’s approach to sustainable investing.
He holds a degree in Economics from the University of St Andrews and is a CFA charterholder. James has also completed the CFA UK Investment Management Certificate (IMC), the CFA UK Certificate in ESG Investing, and the CFA UK Certificate in Climate and Investing (CCI).
Scarlett Irons
Scarlett brings a strong background in data and technical consulting, underpinned by her MEng in Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Cambridge. During her final year at Cambridge, she completed a placement with the Global Returns Project, where she focused on researching and shaping GRP’s corporate engagement strategy. Scarlett’s work was instrumental in developing GRP’s positioning as a Business Value Chain Management (BVCM) solution, helping integrate climate-positive action into corporate operations.
Philip Watkins
Philip is a Senior Partner at Fieldfisher, practicing corporate and commercial law. Philip also has an active pro bono practice, and has considerable experience advising English charities and nonprofit organisations. Before embarking upon his legal career, Philip was a cultural adviser to the Japanese government. He is a founder member of the Practitioners’ Advisory Board of the Masters of Corporate Law at the University of Cambridge. Philip is a board member of The Roundhouse Trust, the Design Museum, The Creative Industries Federation, The Saturday Club Trust and The Global Vehicle Trust.
Stuart Mitchell
Stuart is a Liveryman with the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, one of the livery companies in the City of London providing philanthropic support to charities. He is chair of their IT & Climate change panel, and is also a member of the executive board of the Livery Climate Action Group. Before retiring in 2022 Stuart worked at the Intergovernmental weather and climate research organisation ECMWF for 30 years in a number of technology roles, and prior tothat worked as a software developer at the supercomputer manufacturer Cray Research Inc. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Computer Science from Kingston University.
Neil Hoad
Neil Hoad is a financial technology and strategic advisory expert with a track record of leadership across fintech, wealth management, and consulting. He currently serves as a Non-Executive Director and Strategic Advisor at HyScore and The Pension Lab, focusing on growth, partnerships, and capital raising. He also advises Dataiera, an agentic AI firm in the travel sector, and leads Equisolve Consulting, connecting scaling businesses with capital and commercial partners.
Neil has deep experience guiding fintechs through operational and commercial challenges and is passionate about sustainability, biodiversity, and climate action. He actively promotes green innovation and collaborative approaches to balancing economic and environmental priorities.
Previously, Neil was Fintech Director at Embark Group (2020–2022), where he led platform and ecosystem innovation across wealth and asset management. At BlackRock iShares (2015–2020), he drove ETF adoption in retail markets and partnered with fintechs to advance digital distribution and wealth management solutions.
Oliver Tapper
Oliver holds a BA in Geography from the University of Cambridge and was a founding team member of the GRP in 2020. As Head of Development for three years, he played a pivotal role in expanding GRP’s reach, forming key partnerships, and shaping its growth strategy. Oliver moved into the investment sector, working as an Investment Analyst at GrowthInvest. He remains a passionate advocate for climate-focused philanthropy and continues to support GRP’s mission.
Luca Smith
Luca joined GRP as an intern while completing his BA in Geography at the University of Cambridge. During his time with GRP, he developed and implemented a proprietary cost/benefit model to assess the efficiency of the portfolio’s charities, establishing the cost per tonne of carbon sequestered. Luca is set to begin his role at Inverto shortly but continues to support GRP’s mission.