Sustainability advisory and solutions firm Anthesis announced today the appointment of EY climate and sustainability leader Dr. Matthew Bell as its new Group Chief Executive Officer. Bell will take on the new role in December from Anthesis co-founder and current CEO Stuart McLachlan, who will remain on the firm’s board of directors.
Founded in 2013, London-based Anthesis works with companies, cities and other organizations to drive sustainability performance and develop financially-driven sustainability strategies. The company has acquired 24 businesses, and grown to over 1,400 sustainability experts globally, offering solutions spanning areas ranging from carbon credits, brand communications, environmental management and ESG, to net zero & decarbonization, sustainability reporting, sustainable products & circularity, sustainable finance and supply chains & sustainable sourcing, among others.
In 2023, global private capital investment firm The Carlyle Group announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Anthesis.
Bell said:
“The sustainability field is at an inflection point: organisations are navigating a rapidly changing environment with evolving regulation and standards, Artificial Intelligence development, radical transparency on performance, and a need to manage risk and create new forms of value. They will need scalable solutions to deliver sustainable performance. Anthesis has a unique combination of talent, breadth of services, and global reach to deliver this at scale for our clients.”
Bell joins Anthesis after 18 years at EY, most recently serving as Global Leader for Climate Change and Sustainability Services (CCaSS), leading a global team of more than 4,300 specialists advising multinational corporations and governments on sustainability strategy, decarbonization, reporting, and long-term value creation. Prior to joining EY, he headed the UK Government’s project office on its major climate and energy policies. Bell also currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the World Green Building Council.
Derek Kemp, Chair of Anthesis said:
“On behalf of the Board and the Anthesis team, I want to thank Stuart for his outstanding leadership in building Anthesis into the business it is today. We are delighted to welcome Matthew as our new CEO. He brings a rare combination of policy depth, extensive market experience and credibility, and high-performance leadership on a global scale.”
Alex Wagenberg, Managing Director and Partner at Carlyle, added:
“On behalf of Carlyle, we thank Stuart for his commitment to Anthesis over the last decade. His vision and stewardship created a differentiated platform with global scale and client trust. As a shareholder to the business, we are excited to partner with Matthew and the Anthesis team to accelerate growth and execute the strategy for long term success.”
