About us
Board of Directors & Shareholders
Open Planet is guided by the visionary leadership and generous support of individuals committed to delivering our mission and values. They provide expert counsel and strategic oversight, with industry-leading representation across science, business, media and communications.
Colin Butfield
Co-Founder and Executive Producer at Studio Silverback. Board Chair at Open Planet.
Illah Nourbakhsh
Professor of Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University. Director and Board Member at Open Planet.
Emily Renshaw-Smith
Executive Director of Operations and Board Member at Open Planet.
Gill Einhorn
Head of Innovation and Transformation; Head of Global Collaboration – Centre for Nature and Climate at the World Economic Forum. Board Advisor at Open Planet.
Jamie Arnell
After a career in private equity, Jamie is now into nature restoration and negative emissions tech. Oh, and cycling. Shareholder of Open Planet.
Roy Bedlow
Founder and Chief Executive of Low Carbon - creating large-scale renewable energy for a lasting and positive climate impact. Shareholder of Open Planet.
Julia Davies
Impact investor, lawyer, philanthropist, environmental campaigner and founding member of Patriotic Millionaires UK dedicated to protecting safe living conditions for life on Earth under the banner We Have The POWER. Shareholder of Open Planet.
Nick Powell
Former TV producer and founder of production company Ricochet. Impact investor and creative advisor with a focus on media projects relating to climate. Shareholder of Open Planet.
Global Advisory Board
Guiding our mission with unparalleled insights and industry knowledge, the unique perspectives and expertise of our advisors helps to ensure our strategies are globally inclusive and impactful. Read more here.
Amanda Ellis
Best-selling author and former World Bank economist, UN Ambassador and Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for New Zealand, Amanda Ellis now leads global partnerships for philanthropist Julie Ann Wrigley’s Global Futures Laboratory at the largest public university in the U.S., Arizona State University (ASU). She is a Fellow and Trustee of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences and in addition to Open Planet serves on the advisory boards of the Blue Planet Alliance, Generate Zero, Global Governance Forum, and the Institute for Climate and Peace.
Marie-Claire Graf
Marie-Claire Graf is a climate justice activist, was the youngest Swiss negotiator at UN climate negotiations, and Co-Founder of Youth Negotiators Academy, where she is equipping several hundred young diplomats from all over the world with the knowledge, skills, understanding, resources and networks for multilateral processes. She is a board member at the Climate Action Network International and was leading the UN Climate Change Youth Constituency.
Brad Irwin MBE
Brad Irwin has been at the forefront of public engagement with climate and nature for over 20 years - from transforming global programming at the Natural History Museum through to catalysing widespread action for the Sustainable Development Goals with Project Everyone. Passionate about collaboration, he has partnered with a broad coalition of museums, businesses, artists and governments to create innovative programming for people and planet. In 2024 he was awarded an MBE in the King’s New Years Honours List for his services to UK Arts and Culture.
Professor Tim Lenton
Tim Lenton is a founding Director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter and Chair in Climate Change and Earth System Science. He has more than 25 years research experience, focused on modelling of the biosphere, biogeochemical cycling and climate, and associated tipping points. Tim is renowned for his work identifying climate tipping points, which informed the setting of the 1.5C climate target, associated net zero targets and nationally determined contributions. Tim recently led a team of more than 200 people from over 90 organisations in 26 countries to produce the Global Tipping Points Report - an authoritative assessment of the risks and opportunities of both negative and positive tipping points in the Earth system and society.
Professor Dr. Jemilah Mahmood
Jemilah Mahmood is a medical professional with more than two decades of experience managing crises in health, disasters and conflict settings. She is Professor and Executive Director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health at Sunway University in Malaysia and holds advisory council roles in the Government of Malaysia in Climate and Higher Education. Jemilah co-chairs the World Economic Forum Steering Committee on Climate and Health. She holds several corporate board positions globally and several non-profits including Norwegian Refugee Council and Climate Action Accelerator. She is a strong advocate of planetary health and sustainability and actively advises on Environment, Social and Governance in the advisory and board roles she holds.
Emily Wanja
Emily Wanja is the Director of African Programs at Doc Society. She uses storytelling to drive social change and collaborates with organisations, people, and communities to envision a more climate-just world. As an award-winning impact producer, she engages with stakeholders in policy, civil society, foundations, media ecosystem and communities. Emily previously served on the Climate Justice Resilience Fund Advisory Council and the Global Impact Producers Alliance Transitional Committee. She is on the board of STEPS and several others.