About
Our people
Marc Palahí
CEO
Marc Palahí is a leading expert on forests and global change, with a new vision of the transformational role forests can play in fighting climate change and developing a circular bioeconomy.
Marc is Chief Nature Officer at Lombard Odier Investment Managers. From 2015-May 2023 he was Director of the European Forest Institute, driving its development as a pan-European science-policy platform, and working to connect knowledge to action at the interface of science, policy and business. Marc has a PhD in forestry and economics and his work, which has featured in Nature and other high-level scientific journals, focuses on the development of a sustainable circular bioeconomy that prospers in harmony with nature.
Paula Wilson
Chief Financial and Operating Officer
Paula is the CFOO of the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance. She has held several financial and operational leadership roles in both the commercial and charity sectors and has nearly 20 years’ experience in the charity sector. After graduating from Law School, Paula qualified as a Charted Accountant whilst working in the business environment. Recently Paula was the Financial Controller and Deputy Treasurer to The Household of Their Royal Highnesses, The Former Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. She was also the Interim Chief Executive Officer of The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund. Paula was appointed a Member of The Royal Victorian Order (MVO) in the Kings’s 2023 Birthday Honours List, an honour solely in the gift of the King.
Talia Smith
Chief Programmes Officer
Talia is the Chief Programmes Officer for the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance. Prior to joining the CBA, Talia spent six years at Systemiq, a global systems change company where she was a Director in the Nature-Food team. She also served as Director of Knowledge Generation for the Food and Land Use (FOLU) Coalition where she was responsible for FOLU’s global thought leadership and global engagements with corporates, financial institutions and policy makers. She has co-authored several analyses on a range of topics, including scaling investments in nature-based solutions and regenerative agriculture. Prior to joining Systemiq in 2018, Talia was an international development consultant, designing infrastructure, land use and natural resource management programmes in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Talia holds a degree in International Development (Political Science and Economics) from McGill University and a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
Giuseppe Scarascia-Mugnozza
Chief Scientist
Giuseppe is a former full professor of Silviculture and Forest Ecophysiology of the University of Tuscia-Viterbo, where he has taught urban forestry for many years in the joint School on Landscape Architecture with the faculty of Architecture of the First Rome University-Sapienza. He is a Senior Expert of the European Forest Institute’s Engagement Unit in Rome, and a Member of the Scientific Committee of the Castelporziano Estate of the President of the Italian Republic. Giuseppe has written more than 250 scientific papers and books. His research topics include Mediterranean forest ecosystems, urban forestry and climate change impacts on trees and forests. He has a PhD in Forest Ecology and Management from the University of Washington, Seattle (USA).
Katie McCoshan
Director of Strategic Relations and Membership
Katie is the Director of Strategic Relations and Membership of the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance. She has over eight years experience in building coalitions and driving multistakeholder action on the intersection of people, nature and climate. Previously, Katie worked at the World Resources Institute (WRI) leading the Food and Land Use Coalition’s (FOLU) international engagement agenda. Katie helped established the first Food Systems Pavillion UNFCCC COP27 and COP28 and oversaw FOLU’s Ambassador network. From 2024 to 2026, Katie brought the Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation to life. Early in her career, she promoted sustainable trade and investment in emerging markets with DMA Invest, and as a senior advisor in the House of Lords. Katie has a Master’s with Distinction in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics and a First-Class Undergraduate Degree in Geography from the University of Cambridge.
Antoni Trasobares
Director of Wildfire Resilience
Antoni is the CEO at the Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC). Since 2017 he has led CTFC development to become a centre of reference in the European context, by establishing a hub of excellence in research, innovation and technology transfer towards society. He is also the coordinator of the FIRE-RES programme, focusing on the mitigation of extreme wildfire events by a holistic approach towards resilient landscapes. His professional career has been related to research, technology transfer and applied projects in forest management and the environment in general. Prior to joining CTFC he was General Director of Natural Resources and Biodiversity of the Catalan Government, research assistant at ETH Zurich, and consultant. Antoni has a PhD in forest planning and economics from the University of Joensuu and master’s in forestry engineering from the University of Joensuu and Lleida. He is the author of more than 30 scientific publications.
Yitagesu Tekle Tegegne
Director of Programmes, Advisory and Assessment
Yitagesu Tekle Tegegne is the Director of Programmes, Advisory, and Assessment for the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance and a Principal Scientist at the European Forest Institute. With extensive experience advancing knowledge in forest governance, land regeneration, land-based carbon project and land-use policy, his work spans across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. He has led numerous international initiatives as a lead investigator, coordinator, and project manager. Yitagesu holds double master’s degrees from University of Easter Finland and Swedish Agricultural University as well as a PhD in Global Forest Governance and Policy from the University of Helsinki.
Rach Colling
Senior Head of Communications
Rach Colling is the Senior Head of Communications at the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance. From 2020 to 2025 she was Head of Communications at the European Forest Institute. Rach joined EFI in 2011 and was responsible for the development of its policy support communications, as well as managing and developing digital communications tools. She has over 25 years’ experience in science communication, and prior to joining EFI ran a successful communications business working with UK government agencies and universities. Before that, Rach worked for BBC News Online as a journalist, as well as in communications/marketing for various UK universities. She has a masters’ degree in international relations from Cambridge University and trained as a journalist in the UK.
Theodora Ewer
Senior Head of Programme Implementation
Theodora is the Senior Head of Programme Implementation at the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance. She has over six years’ experience working at the intersection of climate, nature and food systems, with a background in coalition management, strategic advisory and systems change thinking. Prior to joining the CBA, Theodora worked at Systemiq in London, where she led multi-stakeholder coalitions and advised governments, businesses and international organisations on their food and agriculture strategies. Her work focused on advancing regenerative agriculture and supporting policies that promote nature-positive and climate-resilient food systems. Theodora holds a First-Class Honours degree in Geography from the University of Exeter. She recently spent time in south-eastern Madagascar volunteering with a conservation and community development programme, supporting biodiversity monitoring, local reforestation and environmental education.
Lauren Carroll
Programme Associate
Lauren is a Programme Associate at the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance (CBA). Prior to joining the CBA, she worked at Palladium International as a Programme Coordinator on UK PACT, the UK Government’s flagship international climate finance programme focused on providing technical assistance and capacity-building to accelerate climate mitigation efforts in partner countries. She also worked at the Impact Investing Institute, where she supported place-based impact investing initiatives and led a programme of work on Community Development Finance Institutions. Earlier in her career, Lauren spent six years at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, working as a Business Management Analyst and later as an Investment Specialist covering multi-asset absolute return funds. She holds a BSc degree in Economics from the University of Warwick and has completed all three levels of the CFA Programme.
Maryam Ahmed
Executive Assistant
Maryam is an Executive Assistant at the CBA, bringing over six years of experience in executive support and operational roles across the corporate, consultancy, and financial sectors. Maryam has worked closely with senior leadership teams, providing high-level administrative support, coordinating complex schedules and travel, and assisting events and HR functions. After completing her BA in Anthropology at Goldsmiths, University of London, Maryam went on to earn an MBA from the University of East London. Maryam has since built a career characterised by attention to detail, discretion, and a proactive approach to problem-solving. She holds an Advanced Diploma in Executive PA (Level 7) and is a current member of the Chartered Management Institute.
Justin Adams
CBA Sir Evelyn de Rothschild Fellow for Reimagining Nature Finance and Inclusive Capitalism
Justin Adams is a sustainability leader and systems thinker with over 30 years of experience tackling the climate and nature crises. He recently founded Ostara to harness imagination in pioneering new approaches and driving collective action toward regenerative economies, reimagining nature finance, and transforming food systems. Previously, Justin was a Partner at Just Climate building their pioneering nature fund, led the Tropical Forest Alliance, and held senior leadership roles at The Nature Conservancy and the World Economic Forum, working at the intersection of finance, policy, and environmental stewardship. He serves as on the Advisory Board of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery at the University of Oxford and is Chair of the Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment, focusing on scaling finance for local nature recovery.
Rafael Camargo
CBA Fellow on Artificial Intelligence for a Nature-First Economy
Rafael is the CBA Fellow on Artificial Intelligence for a Nature-First Economy. He is also Head of Geospatial Engineering at NatureAlpha, where he leads the development of innovative data-driven tools that enable businesses and financial institutions to assess and manage their nature-related impacts, dependencies, risks, and opportunities. Prior to joining NatureAlpha, Rafael was a senior consultant at BCG/Quantis, advising major corporations on sustainability strategies, and before that he worked at WWF, where he managed data and technology for the Water Risk Filter and Biodiversity Risk Filter. He has contributed to global sustainability frameworks and guidance, including the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN), and the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB). Rafael holds a background in geospatial data science and is passionate about harnessing nature data and artificial intelligence to advance corporate sustainability and accelerate the transition towards a nature-positive, circular bioeconomy.
Nisha Harpalani
Charity Project Lead in India (CBA In-house Consultant)
Nisha is a project management expert with 18+ years’ in-depth experience managing projects in diverse areas including E2E business transformation, product launch, sales (RBS), customer experience (NPS), HR operations and training, warehouse management and senior stakeholder management and cross-functional team leadership. Many of these projects were delivered using agile/kaizen/lean/six sigma/TQM methodologies to drive business and customer growth, quality, and cost productivity enhancements.
Simon Sadinsky
Honorary Role – CBA Special Advisor – Built Environment
Simon is an Executive Director at The King’s Foundation, where he oversees the organisation’s education, health, research and impact activities. In addition to his role at The King’s Foundation, he serves on the Governing Board of the Global Centre on Healthcare and Urbanisation at Kellogg College, University of Oxford, sits on the Advisory Board of the Harmony Institute, is a Professor of Practice at the University of Wales, is a Research Fellow at the University of Grenoble, and is a Trustee of Heritage Crafts. Prior to joining the King’s Foundation, Simon worked within the education and community development sector in the UK, US and internationally. He holds a PhD in Urban Studies at the University of Glasgow, an MSc in Population and Development from the London School of Economics, an MA Urban Policy from the University of Illinois-Chicago, and a BA Political Science from Colorado College.
Saurav Malhotra
Honorary Role – CBA Special Advisor Asia-Pacific
Saurav Malhotra is a Lui-Walton Fellow at Conservation International, where he leads the Mountains to Mangroves initiative. He co-designed and currently heads this transformative program, developed in partnership with leading national NGOs, aimed at restoring and conserving 1 million hectares of critical forest landscapes across the Eastern Himalayas, which includes Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. This region is a key biodiversity hotspot and plays a crucial role in fostering climate resilience. Before his work at Conservation International, Saurav was the CEO of the Balipara Foundation, where he developed forest restoration programs with indigenous communities in northeast India. He also pioneered the Rural Futures model, which links forest restoration with the development of resilient livelihoods. He is also a recipient of distinguished fellowships from the Aspen Global Leadership Network, Acumen, and Ashoka for his leadership in environmental conservation and community development.
Xiaoqian Chen
Honorary Role – CBA Special Advisor in China
Xiaoqian has over 25 years’ research and project experience in forest economics and policy. She is associate professor at Beijing Forestry University and was the Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies from 2016-2017. Xiaoqian has worked for ADB, World Bank project as forestry economics and governance expert in China in 2024 and 2022; the European Forest Institute (EFI) as forest bioeconomy expert in China from 2018-2022, and as FLEGT advisor in China from 2011-2017. Before this, she worked for The Nature Conservancy (TNC)’s “Responsible Asia Forestry and Trade (RAFT) Program as a senior expert in China. Xiaoqian has a PhD degree in forest economics and management from Beijing Forestry University.
Alice Leguay
Honorary Role – CBA Strategy Advisor for Growth & Engagement
Alice is an entrepreneur, investor, and advisor dedicated to advancing regenerative startups and developing nature finance solutions, fostering collaboration among corporates, institutional investors, farmers, and Indigenous leaders. At Bright Tide, Alice co-created programs focused on regenerative farming and sustainable AI. Previously, as a partner at Standard Deviation, she specialized in scaling regenerative businesses. Alice founded and worked in several fintech startups, starting her career at Morgan Stanley in 2001.
The CBA team consists of employees, secondees, consultants and volunteers.
