NatureFinance, a Swiss-based international not-for-profit organization dedicated to aligning global finance with equitable, nature positive outcomes announced that Julie McCarthy has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. McCarthy will start in her new role on November 1, 2024. McCarthy currently serves as Co-CEO of NatureFinance, in partnership with NatureFinance’s founder and Co-CEO Simon Zadek, who will be stepping down at the end of October.
“The Board is thrilled that Julie McCarthy will be leading NatureFinance at this important inflection point in the global nature, climate and development crisis,” said Marianne Haahr, NatureFinance Board Chair, and nature-related Finance Director at Global Canopy. “Julie is a proven and respected leader who brings a track record of success, strategic insights, and deep knowledge at the intersection of financial and economic governance, equity and sustainability, a combination that positions her well to steer NatureFinance in this next chapter.”
“I am thrilled to assume leadership of NatureFinance at this critical moment, as we confront a global financial and economic system currently on track for 2.5-3C warming by the end of this century, and around $7 trillion per annum in global finance actively destroying nature”, added Julie McCarthy.
“The next five years represent the critical window for humanity to align finance with an economy that works for nature, climate, and people. I am honoured and excited to lead this uniquely innovative, dynamic, and talented organization into its next generation of impact on financing a more equitable and nature-positive economy.” – Julie McCarthy.
Simon has been the founding CEO of NatureFinance since it was established in late 2019 with support from the Mava Foundation and will remain a part-time senior advisor. During his tenure, Simon helped grow NatureFinance into a 40-person strong global organization responsible for driving a diverse range of impacts across nature positive financial transition, accelerating sustainability-linked sovereign finance, and advancing a sustainable global bioeconomy and enabling economic and financial architecture.
Reflecting on the transition, Simon observed, “NatureFinance has contributed to shaping the now-global collective efforts to realise our mandate to ‘align global finance with equitable, nature positive outcomes.’ I have no doubt that under Julie’s leadership it will continue to champion ambitious action at the nexus of nature, climate and equity.”
Referring to Simon’s work and legacy, Haahr added:
“On behalf of the board, I want to sincerely thank Simon for his leadership and the way he shaped NatureFinance. Beyond incubating NatureFinance into the dynamic global organization that it is today, he leaves an extraordinary legacy in helping shape and advance the field of nature finance during its most formative phase.”
McCarthy joined NatureFinance as managing director in 2022 and became co-CEO in October 2023. Prior to NatureFinance, McCarthy was founding co-director of the Open Society Foundations’ (OSF) Economic Justice Program, a $100 million per annum global grantmaking and impact investment program focused on issues of fiscal justice, workers’ rights, and corporate governance. Previous roles include serving as the founding director of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), and as a Franklin Fellow and peacebuilding adviser at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, focused on Liberia. Prior to this, McCarthy co-founded the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), serving as its deputy director until 2009. She is a Brookings non-resident fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development, and an Aspen Civil Society Fellow.
