The Centre for Climate Engagement plays a unique role in bringing leading academic research to a targeted audience of chairs and non-executive directors to accelerate climate leadership on boards in the private and public sectors.
The Centre is uniquely placed to develop insights drawing on academic expertise from across the University of Cambridge and the wider research community, together with independent expertise from the business sector.
The Centre supports new areas of research particularly relevant for board members with a specific focus on climate law, governance, and organisational change. Our research is carried out directly by postdoctoral researchers, and indirectly via partnerships and collaboration with relevant experts.
Our mission is to encourage academic excellence in climate law, governance and organisational change, and to translate and transfer this knowledge to corporate boards to accelerate the race to net zero emissions and climate resilience.
Our Story
The Centre was launched in 2018
The Centre was set up in 2018 as part of The Bridge initiative at Hughes Hall which leverages the College’s multi-disciplinary perspective, international nature and external focus to bring the research and expertise of its academic community to solve real world problems.
Founders of the Centre, Dr Ron Zimmern and Julie Baddeley, were particularly concerned that boardrooms of listed companies (with few exceptions) were not sufficiently engaged with the climate agenda. Many boards had not given it the priority that it deserves, and some had not discussed it at all.
The Centre was initially set up to provide general guidance and toolkits that might be of assistance to boards and non-executive directors, but explicitly not to provide consultancy services or direct educational activity. This has allowed for successful partnering and collaboration with academics, professional services firms and increasingly, law firms.
Chapter Zero was launched in 2019 and the Centre became the secretariat for the Climate Governance Initiative in 2020
Chapter Zero was launched in 2019 and became one of the first networks of chairs and non-executive directors supporting increased awareness and understanding of climate change. Working closely with the World Economic Forum, it helped to spur a global movement and in 2020 the Centre became the secretariat for the Climate Governance Initiative. The success of these growing communities has driven a need for expansion and continued focus on the role of the Centre to bridge between academia and the boardroom.
In 2021, Emily Farnworth joined the team to develop the research and knowledge brokering teams, help strengthen links with the University through Cambridge Zero and the Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance in additional to supporting growing networks of critical importance to the overall mission of the Centre.
Our Team
Dr Ron Zimmern
Co-Founder of the Centre for Climate Engagement
Ron has a distinguished career in human genomics and is also Chair of the PHG Foundation, successor to the Public Health Genetics Unit, which he established in 1997.
Julie Baddeley
Co-Founder of the Centre for Climate Engagement and Chair of Chapter Zero
Julie has served on the boards of major organisations in the public and private sectors for more than 20 years. Julie has a background in change management and sees delivering a zero-carbon economy as the biggest change challenge for business in her lifetime.
Emily Farnworth
Director, Centre for Climate Engagement
Emily has over 25 years of experience working with businesses, governments and non-profit organizations to support the transition to a low-carbon economy. Emily was previously the Head of Climate Initiatives at the World Economic Forum where she was involved in setting up the Climate Governance Initiative.
Alexandra Bolton
Director, Climate Governance Initiative
Alexandra has had a varied career, having qualified as a chemical engineer and holds a Post-graduate Diploma in Law. She has worked in industry, the City, the University of Cambridge and as an independent consultant. She has held a number of senior positions including as the founding Executive Director of the Centre of Digital Built Britain, and most recently as the founder of an independent consultancy providing strategic advice on digital transformation, digital twins, and organisational strategy.
Rachel Allen
Knowledge Exchange Manager
Rachel has a Natural Sciences degree from the University of Cambridge and specalised in atmospheric chemistry for her Master’s project dissertation. Rachel manages the delivery of written briefings, toolkits and case studies from the Initiative and its partners. Rachel also works as a Project Fellow in the Net Zero Pillar of the World Economic Forum, a founding partner of the Climate Governance Initiative.
Sylvie Baird
Head of Impact and Governance – Climate Governance Initiative
Sylvie was the Secretariat’s first employee in September 2020 and now oversees its business operations, implementation of the Climate Governance Initiative strategy and its impact. Sylvie studied modern languages at Cambridge University and subsequently an MBA at the Open University Business School, whilst working at Save the Children.
Dr Karen Barrass
Senior Researcher
Karen is a Senior Researcher, working as a technical co-lead on a project to develop a ‘locally determined contribution’ framework for Cambridgeshire. Karen has been working on climate issues for over 20 years. Her extensive experience lies is research and advocacy – developing tools and leading campaigns to affect positive change. Until 2023, Karen led the research and policy team at UK100. Working across a raft of sectors that need decarbonising, she has pioneered the understanding of policy approaches that can deliver multiple co-benefits. Prior to Brexit, she advised European parliamentarians on climate, air quality and transport. Karen’s doctorate explored the policy implementation processes necessary to decarbonise transport. In 2023, she established Climate Insights, an organisation which offers bespoke research and policy analysis
Sophy Bristow
Senior Researcher
Sophy is a Senior Researcher, working within the Knowledge Brokering team to provide strategic insight and research to support content outputs for the CCE and Climate Governance Initiative. Sophy has nearly twenty years experience working across climate change and clean air policy for a range of academic, non-profit and international organisations.
Kate Coghlan
Head of Communications
Kate has worked for in communications for over 20 years in retail, charity and education, including 3 years as Head of Communications at Lucy Cavendish College and 2 years as Editor of Publications at Jesus College. She is passionate about promoting the urgent need for climate action, and has recently installed solar panels, a storage battery and an air-source heat pump at home. She is a voluntary Non-Executive Director and Sustainability Lead for Goalball UK, a paralympic sport for blind and visually impaired players.
Jessica Crow
Cambridge Hoffmann Fellow
Jessica is a doctoral candidate and an affiliated Lecturer in climate law and environmental policy at the University of Cambridge, as well as a Researcher at C-EENRG. She is delighted to be the working with the CCE as the Cambridge Hoffmann Fellow in Global Climate Governance with the World Economic Forum and Hughes Hall. Her research focuses on corporate climate litigation risk, looking specifically at the evolving strategic and evidentiary landscape informing climate litigation and the expansion of climate liability for corporate actors and states.
Gavin Franks
Digital Communications Executive, Climate Governance Initiative
Gavin is the Digital Communications Executive. He works to ensure the Initiative’s digital communications are agile, consistent and effectively reach their target audiences. He also enhances and disseminates messaging and content across multiple digital platforms. Gavin achieves this by utilising creative and technical skills he has gained across his marketing career over the past 15 years.
Barry Fuchs
Senior Partnerships Manager, Climate Governance Initiative
Barry is Senior Partnerships Manager with CGI, working to develop and strengthen agreements with the key partners that help the Initiative achieve its goals and objectives. Originally from the Washington, D.C. area, Barry has previously held several roles within Hughes Hall, where CCE is based, and worked with member-driven organisations throughout his career.
Judith Hannan
Project Manager, CANFFUND Project
Jude is Project Manager on the Innovate UK funded project which aims to provide a template for local authorities to ascertain their Locally Determined Contributions to Net Zero. She has a Master’s in Education from the University of Cambridge and was for many years a primary teacher both in the UK and abroad. She loves working with the CCE team and is excited to be involved in a project which has local and national relevance.
Harriet Harthan
Head of Content
Harriet has over 15 years’ experience working in climate, energy and sustainable development in a policy and business context. Harriet collaborates with academic and industry experts to understand key areas of climate research and how these can be translated for non-executive directors to accelerate climate action.
Dr Eldrid Herrington
Head of Academic Engagement
Eldrid works with colleagues internally and internationally to translate academic insight to climate action. She has published on climate and the sustainable development goals as well as in a variety of other disciplines. An academic for 30 years at universities in the US, the UK, and Ireland, she has been a US National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow and a Government of Ireland Fellow. She has a BA from Princeton University and an MPhil and PhD from the University of Cambridge.
Jellie Molino
Research Associate
Jellie is a Post-Doctoral Research By-Fellow with research focusing on private law, procurement, and climate change. Dr Jellie Molino is an international legal expert on sustainable public procurement (SPP) and a member of the Philippine Bar specialising in environmental law and corporate compliance. She is an international legal expert on sustainable public procurement (SPP) with experience working for international organisations, including UNOPS, UNEP, UNDP, World Bank, IFC, OECD, ITC-ILO and ADB. She also serves as Procurement Advisor for UNOPS and International SPP Expert for the World Bank in Bangladesh.
Esme Montgomery
Senior Communications Manager- Climate Governance Initiative
Esme holds a Master’s degree in Journalism and International Relations from New York University and comes from a career in strategic communications in the UK Government and public relations agencies in New York and London. She is experienced in developing impactful communications strategies for large international organisations and is the Climate Governance Initiative’s Senior Communications Manager.
Matthew Moss
Associate Director for Communications and Engagement – Climate Governance Initiative
Matthew manages the Communications and Engagement teams. He served as Chief of Staff to the Vice-Chancellor for 10 years and gained extensive experience as a speechwriter. At Homerton College, Cambridge, he helped the College transition to its current status as Cambridge’s newest College. He is an associate with Global Philanthropic, a strategic fundraising consultancy.
Nobuhle Ndlovu
Community Engagement Manager- Climate Governance Initiative
Nobuhle is the Community Engagement Manager for the Climate Governance Initiative. Nobuhle has a background in Natural Resources Management having worked as a Forest Manager for Forestry Commission in Zimbabwe. She has a Physical Sciences degree from the university of Cambridge. Nobuhle works with the team to support the coordination, communication and engagement with our chapters of Non-Executive Directors.
Claire Ng
Academic Engagement Manager
Claire has a background in strengthening international partnerships and research networks. She previously served in Singapore’s public agencies, where she worked with a diverse range of stakeholders from governments, academia, and industry. Claire holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Freiburg, Germany, and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Abigail Plet
Executive Assistant & Administrator –
Climate Governance Initiative
Abigail comes from a background of administrative roles in both the public and private sectors. Abigail began working in a French startup company before joining a Cambridge University, most recently at a centre partnering Cambridge University and the UK Government. Abigail will work to help assist with the support Climate Governance Initiative gives to chapters and to the core team and as Executive Assistant to the Director.
Zhen Ren (Jane)
Centre Financial Accountant
Zhen is a Fellow Chartered and Certified Accountant with 20 years of accounting experience across various industries, including biotech, food, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, and blue-chip companies. Zhen holds a Master’s degree in International Consultancy and Accounting from the University of Reading and a first degree in Law from the University of Dalian, China.
Dr Samuel Ruiz-Tagle
Research Associate
Samuel is a Research Associate at the Centre for Climate Engagement. He completed his PhD in the Faculty of Law at Oxford University. A public lawyer, he began his career as a legal advisor to the General Secretariat of the Presidency of Chile, where he is originally from. He also practised law for several years advising private and public companies in all aspects of public law, including planning and environmental law and natural resources law.
Nick Scott
Manager, Law for Climate Action
Nick leads the Centre’s ‘Law for Climate Action’ programme, which engages academics, legal practitioners, and corporates to determine legal solutions to the climate crisis. This includes finding ways to leverage existing legislation to address climate change, and also investigating emerging climate law and policy measures, particularly those relevant to business. Nick has law degrees from the University of Cambridge and the University of California, Berkeley.
Jacquie Storey
Senior Team Coordinator, Climate Governance Initiative
Jacquie is the Senior Team Coordinator for the Climate Governance Initiative Secretariat. She comes from a conference management and publishing background with extensive experience of supporting global teams to deliver high impact, high value programs and events with the minimum impact on the planet.
Sophie Surraco
Junior Content Lead, Law for Climate Action
Sofie is a Junior Content Lead on the Law for Climate Action programme. Sofie is an experienced sustainable development practitioner, with a passion for low carbon technologies and placemaking. With over five years of experience working across academic, corporate, and voluntary sectors, Sofie helps create impactful research and infrastructure delivery programmes.
Angela Walters
Head of Operations, Centre for Climate Engagement
Angela provides executive support to the Centre for Climate Engagement, working across programmes to provide operational management of core functions, including supporting colleagues with administrative functions that drive the Centre, such as finance, HR, IT, communications and engagement. Angela has worked within the university environment for over 25 years, supporting research centres and initiatives in administrative operations, communications and engagement capacities, including at a centre that partnered Cambridge University and the UK Government.
Join our team
Job opportunities will be listed below as they become available.
Senior Communications Manager – Maternity Cover
We are currently recruiting a Senior Communications Manager – Maternity Cover.
The Senior Communications Manager reports to the Associate Director for Communications and Engagement, and is responsible for promoting a positive and relevant presence for the Initiative to a diverse global audience, both within and beyond our own network.
The Climate Governance Initiative is a unique and growing global platform for corporate board directors, run in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. The Initiative maintains a network of Chapters – currently standing at 32 Chapters covering 73 countries – dedicated to equipping board directors to drive climate action in the boardroom. The Initiative is currently hosted at Hughes Hall.
Further information about this role and to apply for this vacancy please click here: Search Vacancies (current-vacancies.com)
The closing date is 12 noon BST on Friday 4th October. Interviews will be held at Hughes Hall and expected to be on 15th or 16th October .
Communications Manager – Part-time
We are looking to recruit a part-time Communications Manager (0.50 FTE) 18.75 hours per week.
The Communications Manager – Financial Services Programme will report to the Senior Communications Manager of the Climate Governance Initiative, and be part of both the FS Programme and CGI Communications and Engagement teams. This new role will bring energy and enthusiasm to a new programme as part of a growing, international initiative with huge potential for driving climate impact in boardrooms around the world.
The role-holder will work with Knowledge Exchange and Communications colleagues within the Initiative and in partner organisations.
The Climate Governance Initiative is a unique and growing global platform for corporate board directors, run in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. The Initiative maintains a network of Chapters – currently standing at 32 Chapters covering 73 countries – dedicated to equipping board directors to drive climate action in the boardroom. The Initiative is currently hosted at Hughes Hall.
Further information about this role and to apply for this vacancy please click here: Search Vacancies (current-vacancies.com)
The closing date is 12 noon BST on Friday 4th October. Interviews will be held at Hughes Hall and expected to be on 15th or 16th October .
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