The Carbon Technology Research Foundation has appointed Maria-Krystyna Duval as CEO | British International Investment makes new hire for Francophone West and Central Africa | NatureAlpha hires head of sales.
The Carbon Technology Research Foundation (CTRF) has appointed Maria-Krystyna Duval as CEO.
Duval joins the Oxford-based philanthropic foundation from ClientEarth, the environmental law charity, where she was chief programme and impact officer, and led the organisation’s litigation and advocacy work.
CTRF launched in 2020 and is focused on research and biotechnology to reverse climate change by locking away carbon at a gigaton scale, it says. The foundation says it prioritises projects focused on co-benefits like food security, reducing land use footprints for crops, and opening new income schemes that support communities around the world.
In her new role, Duval will be responsible for building partnerships with academic institutions, public sector bodies and philanthropic organisations and donors.
“Nature-based carbon removal is one of the most consequential and hopeful frontiers in climate action, and it was the potential to help deliver real impact that excited me most about leading CTRF. We’ve known for some time that carbon removal must go hand-in-hand with emissions reductions, but we are still missing the solutions that can affordably scale to remove the 10 gigatons of carbon a year by 2050 we need as part of the Paris Agreement. That’s why we urgently need more investment in R&D to see how can supercharge nature to do this,” she said.
British International Investment hires Sylvia Monthe to focus on Francophone West and Central Africa
British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution (DFI), has hired Sylvia Monthe as coverage director for Francophone West and Central Africa.
Monthe will be responsible for leading BII’s investment and stakeholder activities in the region. She joins the organisation from the French DFI Proparco, where she served as head of financial institutions for Central Africa, and where she oversaw the financial sector portfolio and development of Proparco’s investment strategy across the financial sector in Central Africa, according to BII.
Her career began in France, where she worked with several investment banks including Société Générale Corporate and Investment Bank, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, and AXA Investment Managers. She later moved to Cameroon, where she managed a food processing company and established her own consultancy supporting SMEs. She also worked at the Agence Française de Développement in Cameroon, where she supported several private sector projects.
“I am excited to join BII and contribute to its impactful work across the continent. I look forward to collaborating with the talented teams in London and across Africa to drive sustainable development and inclusive economic growth in the region,” said Monthe.
Nebout joins NatureAlpha as head of sales
NatureAlpha, the AI fintech focused on nature risk data and analysis, has appointed Nicolas Nebout as head of sales.
Nebout joins the firm from CarbonChain, the carbon accounting platform. In his new role, he will lead the team responsible for business development, client relationships and scaling the firm’s operations.
Prior to CarbonChain, Nebout launched and led the UK operations at carbon management platform, Plan A, where he developed a deep expertise in carbon accounting, ESG reporting and net-zero strategies, according to NatureAlpha.
“My career has enabled me to help shape the carbon accounting market across a range of industries and regions, all focused on accelerating progress toward net zero. But tackling the climate crisis alone is not enough. Biodiversity is the next frontier and while businesses increasingly recognise its cruciality, we need a broader, more integrated approach. At NatureAlpha, I see a powerful opportunity to start where it matters most — with financial institutions — helping them identify, understand and address their nature-related risks, impacts and dependencies,” said Nebout.
