The positive impacts team

“From voluntary engagements to building a career advising organizations, sustainability has been my life’s mission for almost 30 years. I truly believe that the way to a sustainable economy is a thoughtful integration into business strategies, while challenging the (political) conditions around it. I founded positive impacts (PI) to focus on further developing viable concepts that will support organizations on that path, leveraging my experience and network to maximize ‘positive impacts’.”

David Kofler is a Software Engineer at Dextra Rechtsschutz, Switzerland, who is working on data driven optimizations for all aspects of the insurance workflow and developed a machine learning application solution for automated insurance claims classification. After studying Technical Mathematics at the Vienna University of Technology and completing his Master of Science ETH in Mathematics at ETH Zürich, he worked as a Machine Learning Engineer before transitioning over to Dextra. David supports PI in all analytical processes within the PI services.

“The issues of climate change and sustainability have long been considered mostly at the political and governmental level, but this is shifting towards more private sector-led action, and I am convinced that this can deploy the power of entrepreneurship, innovation, and finance to achieve sustainability and global warming goals. Coming from the agricultural sector, I am aware of the interrelationship between people, nature and productivity, and I want to take my experience even further by supporting companies on their path to sustainable business.”

“Studying social and political sciences, I focused on environmental and climate policy from the outset. In doing so, the relationship between legislation and economy was often discussed from a political point of view, although corporations and business should remain at the center of these discussions. That’s why I want to deepen my understanding of how businesses can best use their resources and take initiative to work responsibly. Working in the PI’s team will not only help me further develop my existing knowledge in this field but will also give me the opportunity to contribute to making a difference in the world.”

“Positive impacts represents for me a thrilling opportunity to express my love for life and make an authentic contribution to the world. As a five language speaker and freshly graduated Strategic Management MSc student I am excited to bring an international mindset and further bridge the gap between sustainability and business to maximize benefits for all”

Chetna Jain brings several years of experience with more than 3000 ESG assessments and 2700 quality checks across several sectors. She has experience working on various ESG certifications and international frameworks such as GRI, SASB (now VRF), TCFD, UNPRI, UN SDGs. She worked as an ESG Research Lead at sustainometric, where she also analyzed and managed projects on impact and materiality assessment for PI. Her core skills include project management, team management, assuring work quality, and client interactions.

Klaus-Michael Ahrend is member of the HEAG Executive Board since 2008. He is part of numerous supervisory bodies, advisory boards, and associations of the municipal economy. He is also a lecturer in energy economics and corporate governance and an honorary professor at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. After studying business administration at the University of St. Gallen and completing his doctorate at the University of Trier, he worked as a management consultant at Accenture. He then took over management tasks at the municipal utilities in Offenbach.

Lewis Akenji is Managing Director of Hot or Cool Institute, a Berlin based think-tank that helps organizations design science-based solutions to climate change. He is the former Executive Director of SEED, a UN partnership promoting entrepreneurship for sustainable development, and Director for Sustainable Consumption and Production at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies in Japan. He has a MSc. in Sustainable Resource Management and a PhD in Political Economy.

As a full professor at the School of Business, Economics and Social Science of University of Hamburg and Senior Fellow at the Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth of University of Zurich, Timo Busch teaches courses on corporate sustainability, business strategy & the environment, and sustainable finance. He also is a member of the steering committee on the Science Platform Climate Protection advising the German government.

Todd Cort holds several positions at Yale University. He is a Lecturer in Sustainabliity at the Yale School of Management, Faculty Co-Director of the Yale Center for Business and Environment and Faculty Co-Director of the Yale Initiative on Sustainable Finance. His teaching and research focus on the barriers to moving capital (either corporate or investor) to more sustainable investments, with an emphasis on ESG metrics, corporate ESG strategy and investor strategies to evaluate and integrate financially-material aspects of ESG data.

Andre Habisch serves as full professor of Social Ethics and Social Policy at the Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt’s Faculty of Business and Economics, where he also coordinates the MA program for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. His research covers sustainability reporting, sustainable consumption, business ethics, sustainable finance, practical wisdom etc. Moreover, he volunteers as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Bayer Cares Foundation and as Scientific Advisor of the Union of Catholic Entrepreneurs (Cologne).

Thomas Müller-Kirschbaum has 30+ years top management experience with Henkel in the areas R&D, production and supply chain as well as sustainability and innovation. As co-chair of the Sustainability Council he was responsible for the global sustainability strategy including an early commitment to climate neutrality and circular economy. Thomas now acts as independent expert and advisor for industry and science, e.g. the Fraunhofer CCPE, the Circular Valley Foundation, the AEPW and the CEID. He teaches innovation management at the Niederrhein University of Applied Science.

Prita Leenheer has 30 years of experience in a range of industries executing PR, marketing strategies and unique experiences across the globe. Her strengths lie in handling marketing budgets and developing new revenue streams and markets by thinking out of the box. Using her global partnerships and networks, Prita launched Earth 300, the largest sustainability & climate change multidisciplinary platform to the world in a well-orchestrated PR launch event in March 2021.

Bremley Lyngdoh is the Founder & CEO of Worldview Impact Foundation. He is a climate change and sustainable development professional with over 20 years of experience working with the public and private sector. He has developed a range of innovative projects in Asia, Africa and South America, aimed at producing ecologically sound and economically viable activities, contributing directly to reducing rural poverty, and generating productive sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable local communities.

Todd Cort holds several positions at Yale University. He is a Lecturer in Sustainabliity at the Yale School of Management, Faculty Co-Director of the Yale Center for Business and Environment and Faculty Co-Director of the Yale Initiative on Sustainable Finance. His teaching and research focus on the barriers to moving capital (either corporate or investor) to more sustainable investments, with an emphasis on ESG metrics, corporate ESG strategy and investor strategies to evaluate and integrate financially-material aspects of ESG data.

Foster Deibert has almost 40 years of experience in the financial services sector, comprising corporate finance, leveraged finance, mergers and acquisitions advisory and structured finance. He is currently an Executive Director at Portigon AG (formerly WestLB AG). In 2004, he established and led for 10 years a Sustainability Management team in the bank’s Management Board Office, focused on ESG issues relating to the bank’s activities. Since 2017, he has been advising international NGOs on sustainability issues, in particular climate and human rights, as well as working with other parties on projects in the field of sustainability.

Chetna Jain brings several years of experience with more than 3000 ESG assessments and 2700 quality checks across several sectors. She has experience working on various ESG certifications and international frameworks such as GRI, SASB (now VRF), TCFD, UNPRI, UN SDGs. She worked as an ESG Research Lead at sustainometric, where she also analyzed and managed projects on impact and materiality assessment for PI. Her core skills include project management, team management, assuring work quality, and client interactions.

Gina Kanhai supports PI with her expertise, especially in the environmental dimension, in KPI and sustainability strategy development, workshop moderation, change processes, establishing monitoring processes, project management and due diligence. She held team lead roles working on sustainability in the private sector at KPMG and the global youth organization AIESEC e.V. Additionally, she worked in the area of development support at the GIZ, the WHO and KfW DEG.