Climate research provider and environmental disclosure platform CDP announced the appointment of Beth Thoren as CEO of the CDP Foundation, the new charitable foundation focused on driving strategic principles for environmental disclosure.
The appointment follows the announcement last month of a major restructuring of CDP, which will see the organization split into two related units, including a commercial entity backed by private equity firm Permira, and CDP Foundation.
Under the new structure, the CDP commercial business will focus on deploying the disclosure system and delivering data products, while the foundation will be an independent charitable entity focused on leveraging CDP data to drive impact through engagement with business, government and civil society, and providing science-led principles and priorities to CDP for the strategic evolution of its question bank and disclosure methods.
Sherry Madera, CEO, CDP, said:
“I am delighted to welcome Beth to CDP at such a pivotal time for the organization. As CDP enters the next chapter in its evolution, the CDP foundation will play a significant role in partnering with CDP, delivering on our shared ambition.”
Thoren joins CDP from sustainability-focused outdoor apparel company Patagonia, most recently serving as Director of Environmental Action, EMEA. Prior to Patagonia, she served as Deputy Chief Executive at Client Earth, where she led the NGO’s work using the power of law to create systemic change across climate and nature.
The completion of the evolution into the CDP commercial business and CDP foundation is anticipated in the next six months. During that period, Thoren will work with the Board of Trustees, CDP Leadership Team and CDP’s diverse stakeholder groups, to map out the future of the CDP foundation.
Thoren said:
“There are few organizations with CDP’s ability to unite business, finance and government leaders around a table on the basis of trusted and standardized environmental data and insights. This puts the foundation in a unique and powerful position to drive systemic change and to work in partnership to deliver real world solutions. As we develop the strategy of the foundation over the coming months, it will be an important time to engage closely with our stakeholders to ensure the new organization plays a truly differentiated role in the sector.”
