Anthesis Appoints David Nussbaum as Chair of the Board

Anthesis, the leading global pure-play sustainability advisory and solutions firm, announced today that David Nussbaum has been appointed as its new Chair.

David’s executive career spans international organisations in the private and NGO sectors, including five years as Chief Executive of The Elders, a group of independent global leaders – mainly former Presidents and UN Secretaries General – founded by Nelson Mandela, working together for peace and human rights.

David was also the Chief Executive of WWF-UK for ten years and chaired WWF’s Global Climate and Energy Initiative; Chief Executive of the global anti-corruption organisation Transparency International; and Finance Director and a Deputy Chief Executive of Oxfam. Prior to that he was the CFO of a PE-backed packaging business, Field Group plc. Since 2021, David has held a portfolio of non-executive, trustee board, and advisory roles.

David replaces Malcolm Paul, who co-founded Anthesis and retires after a decade as Chair, working with the leadership team to transform the firm into a market leader in analysing, designing and implementing impact led sustainability, ESG, and net zero programmes for over 4,000 clients. During his tenure, Malcolm supported Anthesis in securing private equity investment, initially with Palatine in 2021 and more recently with Carlyle and Tikehau in 2023.

On his new appointment, David Nussbaum, said: “Anthesis combines a clear sense of purpose, which I value, with a vision of how it can effectively guide its clients to tackle the climate, nature and other crises we face. I was impressed by the breadth of its capabilities and the depth of expertise within the business – supporting business leaders to make impact-driven decisions to drive sustainable performance. I look forward to working with Stuart, the leadership team and our investors on this exciting journey with Anthesis.”

Stuart McLachlan, CEO of Anthesis Group, commented on the new appointment: “David has been at the forefront of international development and environmental issues throughout his career, supporting some of the most respected organisations across the private and NGO sectors. We welcome David to the Board, and in collaboration with Carlyle, Tikehau and the wider Anthesis management team, supporting our mission of empowering our clients to transition from the broken models of the old era to the new era’s sustainable performance models.”

Mark Dale, Managing Director on the Carlyle Europe Partners investment advisory team, said: “David’s strong track record of leading organisations across the private, NGO and non-profit sectors, coupled with his extensive knowledge and expertise in climate and sustainability, makes him ideal for this role. We look forward to working closely with David to ensure Anthesis continues to expand and accelerate its client impact and build upon its market leading position in end-to-end sustainability solutions.”