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Top Moves
Nigel Topping has been appointed the new Chair of the UK Climate Change Committee, (CCC) the independent body that advises the UK government on adaptation and mitigation. Topping has served on the CCC since May 2023. Previous roles include serving as the UN’s Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP26, and as the UNFCCC’s Global Ambassador on the ‘Race to Zero’ and the ‘Race to Resilience’.
Sergio Gusmão Suchodolski has been tapped as Senior Advisor in Brazil by the Climate Policy Initiative, where he will support the non-profit’s finance mobilization work. He has served as CEO of the development banks of São Paulo (DesenvolveSP) and Minas Gerais (BDMG).
Ujala Qadir has been appointed Head of Market Development at the Development Guarantee Group, a specialist advisory and asset management platform that facilitates financial guarantees for projects aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Qadir previously served as Director of Strategic Programmes at the Climate Bonds Initiative, where she led the development of the Climate Bonds Resilience Taxonomy.
Daniel Abrahams and Andrea Warren have co-founded BeechTree, an executive search and advisory firm focused on climate change and resilience. Daniel, who is serving as BeechTree’s CEO, led USAID’s work on climate change as a national security threat —both designing programmatic interventions and advising the White House on policy strategy. Andrea Warren, serving as Chief Operating Officer, previously spent five years at USAID, including two as an AAAS fellow, advising on nutrition, food security, and resilience across both humanitarian and development portfolios.
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New Roles & Promotions
Tucker Van Aken has started a new position as Senior Director at Systemiq, and will also serve as the company’s Co-Lead for North America together with Dee Yang. The consultancy officially launched its US office in July with a focus on adaptation and resilience.
Ann Vaughan has joined CARE, the global humanitarian organization, as an Associate Vice President for Resilient Futures. In this role she will support community-based adaptation projects and advance solutions that build resilience, strengthen food systems, and protect nature in some of the world’s poorest areas. Vaughan previously served at USAID, most recently as a Deputy Assistant Administrator.
Ellen Mecray has joined Climate Central as Managing Director for Climate Services, and Adam Smith as Senior Climate Impacts Scientist. Climate Central produces data and research on climate impacts in the US.
Ryan Vaughn has been tapped for Director of Property & Casualty Climate Risk and Exposure Analytics at USAA Inc, a leading financial services company predominantly serving the US military community. He previously served at Freddie Mac on natural disaster risk analytics and research.
Kristofer Canto has started at financial institution Northern Trust as a Senior Vice President of Sustainability. He previously worked at KPMG US as a Manager in the Climate Resilience Management, Data and Technology team.
Laura Ramsamy has been promoted to Lead Scientist at Climate X, a physical climate risk data and analytics provider. She first started at the company as a Flood Hydrologist in 2022.
Mikhail Korostikov has been promoted to Senior Taxonomy Manager at the non-profit Climate Bonds Initiative, with responsibilities over the organization’s investor guidance and tools, like the Resilience Taxonomy. Korostikov has been with the Initiative since 2022.
Julie Greco has joined investor Climate Adaptive Infrastructure as a Senior Associate. In this role, they will supervise a portfolio of investments, with a focus on industrial water management. Julie previously worked at early stage investment fund Energy Capital Ventures.
Departures
Mahesh Roy has left his role as Director of the Investor Strategies Programme at the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC), a trade body that facilitates investor action on climate risk and opportunity. He had been at the organization since 2022. The IIGCC is currently hiring for his replacement (see below).
Katy Peat has exited the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, where she served as Head of Climate Adaptation Science. Katy had been with the department since 2021, and previously worked at the Environment Agency.
Open Opportunities
📍 The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is looking for a Head of Strategy, responsible for developing the organization’s efforts to channel finance towards Paris Agreement goals. The GCF is the world’s largest dedicated climate fund and has a mandate to commit 50% of its capital to adaptation projects. The role is based in South Korea. Applications close August 27. Apply here
📍 The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services is hiring for a Climate Resilience Advisor. The successful applicant will act as a subject matter expert on climate resilience, and support the office’s initiatives on climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and mitigation strategies. Apply here
📍 The Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) is looking for a Senior Programme Manager, Climate Strategy Implementation, with responsibility for shaping the trade body’s climate agenda within the investment industry and advancing the adoption and implementation of the group’s Net Zero Investment Framework (NZIF) and Climate Resilience Investment Framework (CRIF), among other guidance. Applications close September 4. The role is based in London. The IIGCC is also looking for a London-based Investor Strategies Programme Director, who will provide strategic oversight and input into development of the NZIF and CRIF and support investors to manage climate risks and opportunities using these tools. Apply here (Senior Programme Manager) / Apply here (Investor Strategies Programme Director)
📍 Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) is hunting for a new Executive Director to lead the organization. ESIP is a non-profit supported by NASA, NOAA, and USGS that brings together science, data, and information technology practitioners. Applications received before August 29 will receive first consideration. Apply here
📍 Infrastructure and design consultancy Arcadis is seeking a Senior Federal and Climate Adaptation Project Manager for its San Francisco office. The incumbent will lead federal accounts and project teams for planning and designing climate adaptive infrastructure. The company is also hiring a Climate Risk Specialist based in San Francisco. This role involves using GIS data and tools to visualize climate risks for client projects. Apply here (Senior Federal and Climate Adaptation Project Manager) / Apply here (Climate Risk Specialist)
📍 WTW, the risk consultancy and insurance broker, is hiring for a Physical Climate & Natural Catastrophe Risk Consultant based in New York City. They will be tasked with growing and supporting the catastrophe and climate risk management business in the US and globally. Applications close September 6. Apply here
📍 The Climate Risk Group is seeking a Head of UK Commercial and Operations. The successful candidate will lead the development of the company’s commercial strategy in Europe. The Climate Risk Group is the umbrella organization for XDI, a physical climate risk analysis company, and Climate Valuation, which provides household level insights into the costs of climate change. Apply here
📍 JPMorgan Chase is seeking a Climate Risk Macroeconomic Modeler for its London office. The successful applicant will establish and refine transmission channels between Integrated Assessment Models and large-scale global macro-econometric models, contribute to climate and nature risk scenarios, and integrate macroeconomic insights into broader risk strategies, among other things. Apply here
📍 Climate X is hiring in London for a Storms Scientist, who will lead the refinement of the company’s storm models. The company is also seeking a Loss Modeling Specialist for calculating climate and weather losses and a number of commercial and tech professionals to fill positions in London and New York. Climate X provides physical climate risk data and analytics for businesses and financial institutions. Apply here
📍 Jupiter Intelligence is seeking a contract Climate Data Scientist to assist the company with designing, developing, and implementing statistical models and algorithms to quantify climate-related economic impacts. The position is based in the US. Apply here
📍 Rainmaker Technologies is welcoming applications for an International Affairs Associate to support business development and government affairs initiatives. The company is pioneering a modern cloud seeding system to solve water scarcity and inclement weather problems across the globe. The role is based in California, and involves extensive travel. Apply here
📍 Gallagher Re is searching for a Global Wildfire Peril Lead to join its Property Research Team. The role involves leading wildfire catastrophe model research and evaluation, and acting as the company’s thought leader on wildfire risk in the wider industry. This role is based in London. The company is also hiring a Global Lead —Severe Convective Storm (SCS) Peril who would drive catastrophe modeling evaluation, development and risk assessment for SCS worldwide. The role is being advertised in the UK, EMEA and North America. Apply here (Global Wildfire Peril) / Apply here (SCS Peril)
📍 The Green Digital Finance Alliance, a Swiss-based ‘think and do tank’ is looking for a Transformative Finance Specialist to advance innovative financial models and solutions for sustainable urban transformation and climate/nature-related initiatives. The role is in Switzerland. Apply here
📍 The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is looking for a Senior Advocate, Adaptation to serve in its Washington DC or New York office. The successful applicant will collaborate in efforts to promote comprehensive risk management at the state and local levels. Apply here
📍 Cal Poly is hiring for an Assistant/Associate Professor of Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Fire Science. Applicants committed to research programs on WUI challenges to impacted communities are especially encouraged to apply, as are those with a proven ability to partner with fire management agencies, the forest industry, and other stakeholders. Reviewing of applications will begin September 15. Apply here
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Thanks for reading!
Louie Woodall
Editor
