Climate research provider and environmental disclosure platform CDP announced today the appointment of Sherry Madera as its new CEO.

Founded in 2000, CDP runs a global environmental disclosure system, enabling investors and other stakeholders to measure and track organizations’ performance in key environmental sustainability areas including climate change, deforestation, and water security. The platform has seen significant growth over the past several years, with more than 18,700 companies disclosed environmental data through CDP in 2022, up more than 40% over the prior year, and representing around 50% of global market capitalization.

Paul Dickinson, Founder and Chair of CDP, said:

“I’m delighted that Sherry will be joining CDP as CEO. Our work over the past 20 years means our data is now the bedrock of climate action, enabling companies, governments, and regulators worldwide to successfully set and meet climate commitments. Sherry has the perfect mix of skills to build on our success and lead CDP into a new era of environmental leadership at a critical time in the fight against climate change.”

Madera, who will take on the role in October, joins CDP from Mastercard, where she currently serves as Senior Vice President of Public Policy, responsible for overseeing the company’s public policy and government affairs activities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and China. Before joining Mastercard, she served as Chief Industry & Government Affairs Officer at LSEG. She also is currently serving as Chair of The Future of Sustainable Data Alliance (FoSDA), a global partnership aimed at improving the data landscape to enable sustainability-focused capital deployment at scale.

Katherine Garrett-Cox, Chair of CDP Trustees, said:

“We’re excited for Sherry to join us as our new Chief Executive in October. Her breadth of experience across business, policy making, and diplomacy and her conviction about the importance of data as a fundamental driver of climate action positions her perfectly for the next phase of CDP’s growth.”

Madera will succeed interim CEO Jamie Neil, who has served in the role since CDP co-founder and CEO Paul Simpson stepped down in 2022.

Madera said:

“I’m honoured to be joining CDP as data is recognised for its critical importance in measuring and managing climate actions. The scale of the climate and nature crises means CDP’s work is more urgent than ever. Without data we are blind in the fight against climate change and CDP’s pioneering role has become mainstream and essential to stakeholders including governments and regulators.”