My career history is broad and led by a deep interest in nature conservation and human development. For this reason, I have followed my passion in various, seemingly disjointed areas, but combined provide me with a well-rounded, deep experience of many sectors.

After receiving my PhD from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, I followed an academic path undertaking research in prestigious universities such as University of London, UCLA, University Copenhagen and the Smithsonian Research Institute. During these years I pioneered the use of novel genetic barcoding methods to investigate population dynamics of wild animal populations then went on to develop new theories of bird evolution and biogeography. I became a tenured senior lecturer at Otago University in New Zealand and won several prominent research grants that funded my research program in evolutionary and ecological genetics that employed several postdocs and PhD students. I taught undergraduate students from year 1 to 4 in genetics, conservation and wildlife management and was often given teaching accolades for my presentation skills.

After a life of theoretical and academic investigation I felt it was important to move into a role where I could obtain practical worldly experience in the field of tropical nature conservation, an area that was (and still is) of extreme interest to me personally. I founded a non-profit organisation from scratch in Panama, obtained grants to purchase tropical forested land and set up an education and outreach centre there. To this day the centre hosts university students from around the world and works with local communities to support their livelihoods and the health of their natural environment. I work with many international donors and developed skills in working with farming communities, understanding their needs and implementing practical solutions.

My interests at this time also led me to co-found a company in the US that offered ESG type consulting services for the agricultural sector. This work centred on understanding corporate risk from environmental change including climate disruption. My skillset evolved during this time to corporate carbon accounting, agronomy and resilience strategies.

My work in the field of climate change and agriculture as well as my knowledge of natural systems led me to begin consulting work for international donors in the field of climate finance. Most notably I became a retained consultant for the GCF, a position which I held for 7 years. During this time my knowledge and experience of climate finance evolved tremendously, working with DAEs and NDAs developing proposals and national finance strategies.

My passion for nature and human development has shaped my career in both public and private sectors and in several different areas of pursuit and I now bring this long list of experiences and skills to AvaTerra Global and to our clients.