June 18, 2020 – New York: Environmental non-profit CDP North America today announced it has welcomed a new member to its Board of Directors, Usha Rao-Monari. As a seasoned investment professional with almost 30 years of experience in the finance sector, Rao-Monari brings a wealth of pertinent knowledge and expertise to the CDP North America Board. As a Board member, she will help steer the direction of the organization as it grows and expands its work in North America to help investors, companies and governments drive environmental action and ambition.
Rao-Monari has extensive leadership experience at the intersection of financial and environmental issues, and currently serves as a Senior Advisor to Blackstone’s Infrastructure Group. Previously, she served as Chief Executive Officer of Global Water Development Partners, a Blackstone portfolio company. Prior to Blackstone, she held several senior-level positions at the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group. She has also worked for Prudential Bache in the corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions areas in New York and London.
Rao-Monari is a long-standing environmental advocate with special expertise in water security issues. She has taken on numerous voluntary Board and advisory positions to tackle environmental threats, and currently serves on the Boards of UPL Limited, Water Unite, Wine to Water and Women in Innovation. She was instrumental in founding and establishing the 2030 Water Resources Group, a public-private partnership platform which is now part of the World Bank Group. Previously she served on the Veolia Sustainability Committee to the Board and the WaterHealth International Board, was Co-Chair of the Steering Board for the 2030 Water Resources Group and has chaired several World Economic Forum councils including Water, Natural Capital and Biodiversity, and Environmental and Natural Resource Security.
Bruno Sarda, President of CDP North America, said: “This is a critical time for the environmental movement as we look ahead to 2030 – the year when science tells us we must halve global emissions to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. We see deep, long-term economic changes at the heart of our economy, which are signs of a shift toward a more sustainable world. Usha’s deep experience in finance and her long-standing commitment to protecting the global environment will be an asset to our organization as we build toward this better, greener future.”
Rao-Monari joins established CDP North America Board of Directors members Martin Wise (Chair), Joyce Haboucha, David Lubin, Martin Whittaker and David Wolfson. The Board provides essential oversight and guidance to CDP North America’s leadership, propelling the organization to achieve its mission, strategy and goals.
Usha Rao-Monari said: “CDP’s work has never been more essential, and I am eager to help drive its mission forward. For far too long, we have treated our environment as an infinite natural resource – and we are already paying the price. The financial community must invest in our future, business leaders must consider long-term stability and governments must protect their citizens from the already devastating impacts of climate change. CDP North America plays a significant role in building a greener economy here in the U.S. and Canada, and I look forward to helping the organization accelerate this work in the years to come.”
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For more information, or exclusive interviews, please contact:
Anna Clark, Director of Communications, CDP North America
Tel. +1 347-949-1367 | e : [email protected]
About CDP
CDP is a global non-profit that drives companies and governments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard water resources and protect forests. Voted number one climate research provider by investors and working with institutional investors with assets of US$106 trillion, we leverage investor and buyer power to motivate companies to disclose and manage their environmental impacts. Over 8,400 companies with over 50% of global market capitalization disclosed environmental data through CDP in 2019. This is in addition to the over 920 cities, states and regions who disclosed, making CDP’s platform one of the richest sources of information globally on how companies and governments are driving environmental change. CDP is a founding member of the We Mean Business Coalition. Visit https://cdp.net/en or follow us @CDP to find out more.