Our Team

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.

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.

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 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 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.

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.

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.