Our Team

Stephen Rumsey, Chairman

Stephen Rumsey is a life-long environmental conservationist who grew up in West Africa. He has served on a number of boards of environmental non-profits and was Deputy Chairman/Treasurer of Birdlife International. He lives on his farm on the south coast of England where he has developed his own nature reserve over the last thirty years. Elsewhere he has been particularly involved with tropical forest projects in Brazil, West Africa and Southeast Asia.

Professionally he was investment manager for the biggest pension fund in the UK. He then designed and ran the debt markets business for BZW for eight years, which was re-named Barclays Capital after he left. He built a business for Merrill Lynch and set up his own asset management business ECM (with some colleagues) which grew from zero to $30 billion AUM in six years before being sold to Wachovia/Wells Fargo in 2007. Stephen is a graduate of the London School of Economics.

Dr Gerard Bertrand

Jerry Bertrand is an Environmental Adviser to Permian Global. After serving as a science advisor in the Executive Offices of Presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter, Jerry became head of International Affairs for the US Fish and Wildlife Service where his portfolio included setting up new parks and reserves in partner countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. He was chairman of BirdLife International, President of Massachusetts Audubon Society, and he co-founded the World Land Trust (WLT). Jerry has an MS and PhD in marine science and oceanography, and he also holds a degree in environmental law.

Joseph A Biernat, CFA

Joe Biernat is Chief Investment Officer of Permian Global. Previously he served as a managing board member of the asset management business ECM, along with Stephen Rumsey. Joe’s career spans thirty years and included senior positions in investment banking in London and New York, working for Merrill Lynch and Deutsch Bank among others.
Joe is a past Chairman of the CFA Society of the UK and has been elected a Fellow of the Society of Investment Professionals. He has also been actively involved in serving the CFA Institute and is currently a member of the Institute’s Capital Markets Policy Council. Joe holds an MBA from Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute and a BA in Biology from Gettysburg College.  He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Gettysburg College where he is Chairman the College’s Endowment Committee.

Dr Henrietta Boyd

Henrietta Boyd is Permian Global’s Chief Scientist, and has a background in natural sciences and finance. She has a BSc (Hons) in Marine Biology and a PhD in Ecology from the University of Cambridge. Henrietta spent several years working as a quantitative analyst at the asset management business ECM, and she is now responsible for ensuring that Permian Global has the scientific knowledge base necessary for executing and monitoring its forest projects in the most appropriate and efficient manner.

Alex Braun

Alex Braun is Finance Director for Permian Global; he has a long track record in the financial industry, having held senior positions in a number of financial institutions. Alex was formerly Director of Funding and Asset Management for Abbey National Treasury Services Plc and in that role he was a member of the Board, Executive Management Committee, Risk and Credit Committees. He was responsible for management of the securities portfolio of $60 billion and the funding lines of the bank that involved total debt issuance of £49 billion. Following his role there Alex became head of Wholesale Banking for Dah Sing Bank Ltd in Hong Kong where he was a member of the Asset and Liability and Treasury Risk Committee. Alex has a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics, and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, and a member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers.

Dr Nick Brickle

Nick Brickle has responsibility for Permian Global’s projects in Asia. Nick has over 20 years’ experience in forest project development and management across a variety of sectors, including government, non-profit and commercial. Prior to joining Permian Global Nick led the Indonesia Program of the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) where he gained extensive practical experience of running successful forest protection projects. He has also worked for the UK’s Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and with the Vietnam and Indonesia programs of BirdLife International.

Nick co-founded Burung Nusantara (Birds Indonesia) and was formerly a trustee of the Indonesian Foundation for the Conservation of Wildlife and Wildlands; he also spent five years as Chairman and CEO of the local international school. Nick holds a degree in Zoology from the University of Bristol and a PhD in environmental management from the University of Sussex.

Syamsul Budiman

Syamsul Budiman is a forest management adviser for Permian Global, and is based in Indonesia. He has 13 years’ experience working within the forestry sector in Indonesia, and his roles have spanned policy development, commercial concession application and management, and government and private-sector liaison. Syamsul has a bachelor’s degree in Forestry from Bogor Agricultural Institute, Indonesia.

Simon Burt

Simon Burt is a member of the Permian Global finance team. He has over 20 years' administration and managerial experience in both public and private sector roles. Simon holds professional qualifications in Human Resources and Data Protection. Prior to joining the team, he worked for the UK government as a Data Protection Officer.

Karen Burt

Karen Burt heads the accountancy team at Permian Global. She is a Chartered Certified Accountant and a Chartered Secretary with 20 years’ experience working in accountancy practices. She was a partner at a firm of Chartered Accountants before joining Permian Global.

Alberto Callejas

Alberto Callejas is a member of the scientific research team at Permian Global, and uses Remote Sensing to collect satellite imagery data and analyse land cover changes. Alberto gained a BA in Environmental Sciences from the University of Jaén and a postgraduate degree in geographic information systems (GIS) from the University of Seville. Prior to joining Permian Global Alberto worked in Argentina and the Czech Republic as a GIS technician, focusing on changes in land use, and using environmental information to create databases and related maps.

Peter Carr

Peter is part of the Permian Global field team, focusing on verifying information on the ground and helping to formulate project implementation plans. Peter is a retired Royal Marine Commando officer and has a long association with the British Indian Ocean Territory; he was responsible for establishing ten Important Bird Areas in the Territory, publishing a book on the birds and leading wetland restoration, reforestation and invasive mammal eradication projects there. Peter holds a BSc (Hons) in Natural Science and has recently submitted a Master’s thesis to the University of Warwick on the role of seabirds as indicators of the requirement for the restoration of ecologically degraded central Indian Ocean islands. 

Shuen Chan

Shuen Chan manages the Permian Global Fund marketing team. Prior to Permian Global, she ran her own advisory firm in sustainable business and ethical ventures. Shuen was previously, Head of Structured Product Origination at the asset management business ECM, responsible for fund structuring and developing investment solutions for institutional clients. She spent the first half of her career in Debt Capital Markets at Deutsche Bank, Macquarie and HSBC. Shuen is originally from Southeast Asia and maintains strong networks in the region. She holds an MBA from Imperial College, University of London and an Economics degree from University of Adelaide, Australia.

Liz Jones

Liz Jones is the finance manager at Permian Global, and has extensive experience of international financial project management gained in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Permian Global Liz spent 12 years at Fidelity Worldwide Investments, where she held the post of Financial Controller of the UK Financial Reporting team; prior to that she was head of the Fidelity Wide Processing business finance team. Liz is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Simon Koenig

Simon Koenig works in the Permian Global science team, focussing on project design and carbon accounting methodologies. He has experience of leading database analytics projects, and has worked on forest projects and sustainable tourism development in Central and South America. Simon holds an MSc in Ecological Economics from the University of Edinburgh.

Clive Lampard

Clive Lampard is a member of Permian Global’s legal and compliance team. He is a practising solicitor and a qualified mediator, and was formerly a senior real estate partner at a leading City of London law firm. Clive has over 25 years’ experience in real estate and corporate transactions. He has an MA from the University of London.

Sara Lara

Sara Lara is a member of the Latin America projects team specializing in Colombia and Panama. She has more than a decade of experience in conservation across the Americas, working closely with local organizations and government agencies. Sara has led many initiatives to protect highly endangered species, and has helped non-governmental conservation organizations develop long-term, sustainable, financial independence and organizational strength. Sara graduated from the University of Cauca in Colombia with a BSc in Civil Engineering. She worked in the engineering industry in Colombia and in Europe.

Leswarawati

Leswarawati is the regional finance manager for Permian Global in Asia, based in Indonesia. She is a fully qualified accountant with over 18 years’ experience as a finance manager in both the commercial commodities-export and non-profit sectors. For the past seven years she has worked as the financial manager for the Indonesia program of the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society. Leswarawati's role is to oversee the financial management of our operations and projects in Indonesia and Asia.

George Leventis

George Leventis co-leads the Permian Global project teams. His experience has been focused on emerging markets, working as an equities analyst investing in the ASEAN markets and for a conglomerate in Nigeria. He holds a BA (Hons) from Oxford University, and a postgraduate degree in Law from City University, London.

Sophie Martin

Sophie Martin is a member of Permian Global’s marketing team. She has over 20 years’ experience in research and marketing across a variety of sectors, particularly in tourism and financial services. Sophie has also been involved in the not-for-profit sector, working previously in India where she helped establish a community based eco-tourism project as part of a wider forest conservation program. Sophie gained a BA (Hons) from the Courtauld Institute, University of London, and studied marketing at the University of Roehampton.

Anita McBain

Anita McBain works in the Permian Global marketing team. Anita was a director at CFA UK, prior to that she worked as a credit analyst at the asset management business ECM, and for SBC Warburg, JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank and BNP Paribas; she also worked in Singapore for three years. Anita holds a BSc (Hons) from City University, London and an MBA from Edinburgh University.

Dr Miguel Milano

Miguel Milano co-leads Permian Global South America. He has a distinguished career in forest science, largely in the non-profit sector, in Brazil and the US. He holds MSc and Doctorate degrees in Forest Science, and spent 25 years as professor and researcher at the Federal University of Paraná (Brazil), where he advised, published and lectured extensively, both nationally and internationally, on nature conservation, protected areas planning and management, environmental solutions and sustainability. Miguel has also taught at Colorado State University (USA) in the Department of Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism. He is the founder and director of Milano Ltda, a consulting company in sustainability; a member of the corporate sustainability boards of EBX (Brazil) and Novelis (USA); and a board member of the following organizations: LIFE Institute (Brazil); FUNBIO – Brazilian Fund for Biodiversity; Forest Trends (Washington DC, USA); Neotropical Foundation (Brazil); and “O Eco” (Brazil). Miguel has held senior positions at a number of Brazilian organizations including AVINA Foundation, O Boticário Foundation for Nature Protection and O Boticário Company.

David Moss

David Moss holds the position of General Counsel and is responsible for all Permian Global contractual agreements; he is also Head of Compliance. David has over 25 years’ experience as a corporate finance lawyer working on numerous M&A and other capital market transactions, and his practice has spanned a range of sectors both public and private. Prior to joining Permian Global David was a partner at the City of London law firm Kingsley Napley; he has also held a number of non-executive posts in corporate entities. He gained an LL.B at Hull University.

Hardian Mulyana

Hardian Mulyana is based in Indonesia and is a Remote Sensing and GIS adviser for Permian Global. He has over 7 years’ experience of geographic information system and remote-sensing use, gained largely within the commercial forestry and land-use sector in Indonesia. Hardian has a BSc in Forest Management from Bogor Agriculture Institute, Indonesia.

Dr Fábio Olmos

Fábio Olmos co-leads the Permian Global South America team. He has a degree in Biological Sciences and an MSc in Ecology, both from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil, and a DSc from Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). He has worked for several government and multilateral agencies, including the São Paulo state environment agency (including a role as park manager), UNDP and FAO; NGOs such as BirdLife International; and the private sector. A trained ornithologist, Fábio has carried out research not only on birds but also on primates, carnivores, tapirs, caimans and other animals, on subjects ranging from natural history to seed dispersal and conservation. He has worked as consultant for projects on environmental impact assessments, selection of new protected areas, economic-environmental zoning plans, threatened species conservation plans, faunal surveys and management plans. Fábio has authored or co-authored three books, 121 papers and 12 technical publications on topics ranging from seabird conservation to the impacts of land reform in Brazil on protected areas.

Dr Erasmus Owusu

Erasmus Owusu heads Permian Global’s activities in West Africa. Erasmus is a Conservation Biologist with a PhD in Biodiversity Management, and a lecturer at the University of Ghana. He has extensive knowledge of conservation and environmental issues across Africa gained through 18 years’ experience in biodiversity and community-based natural resource management. Erasmus was Executive Director of the Ghana Wildlife Society, Ghana’s leading national conservation NGO, and a Member of the Global Council of Birdlife International; he is also a member of Ghana’s National Biodiversity Committee.

Dr Luciana Passos

Luciana Passos is a member of Permian Global’s legal team in South America. She is a Doctor of Law from the University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil, and she has a degree in Biological Sciences, an MSc and a DSc in Ecology from Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil.

During 10 years as an ecology researcher Luciana published several scientific papers and participated in many scientific conferences, and as part of her legal training she gained environmental practice at law firm Pinheiro Neto, offering legal advice on a full range of environmental matters, litigation and non-litigation cases, due diligence, and legal opinions. 

Priyatno

Based in Indonesia, Priyatno is a financial and business adviser for Permian Global’s projects in Asia. He has over 13 years' experience in finance and accounting, previously serving as finance manager for a number of domestic and multi-national companies operating in Indonesia. Priyatno has a bachelor's degree in Accounting from the University of Indonesia and a master’s degree in Finance from Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia. 

Matt Riddiford

Matt Riddiford manages the carbon sales and commercialisation functions of the Permian Global Fund, working closely with the investment team on all aspects of the investment process, and Fund infrastructure. Prior to joining Permian Global Matt worked at UBS, at the asset management business ECM, and he also previously established a venture capital fund and consulting firm specialising in renewable energy. Matt has a BSc (Hons) in Business Studies from Imperial College, University of London, and he is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Justus Roele

Justus Roele has a senior role in the marketing of the Permian Global Fund, particularly in Europe. After graduating from Manchester University with a BA (Hons) in Economics, Justus worked for 18 years in the international bond markets in London, with Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and Paribas. In 2001 he moved to marketing at the asset management business ECM, specialising in the pan-European credit markets. In 2009 he left ECM to become an independent consultant, before joining Permian Global in 2012.

Edward Rumsey

Edward Rumsey co-leads the Permian Global project teams that are working with management partners and third parties to implement projects in the respective portfolio countries. He has BSc degrees in Economics & Business Finance, and in Building Surveying, with related land law modules. He also has experience working within the financial services industry in fund management, investment banking and insurance. Ed has a lifelong interest in conservation and wildlife and is a Trustee of The Wetland Trust.

Joshua Schaefer

Joshua Schaefer is a senior analyst in the Permian Global investment team. His key responsibilities include project valuation, investment analysis and fund marketing. Prior to joining Permian Global, Joshua worked at an economic consultancy based in Boston where he specialised in valuation and risk analysis. He has a BA (Hons) in History from Cambridge University and an MBA from the London Business School.

Nicholas Scott

Nicholas Scott is a member of the project management team at Permian Global. Nick was previously an entrepreneur in the technological sector, most notably with Groupspaces.com where he became head of marketing, and with a number of non-profit organisations including The Student Initiative (TSI), the London Development Forum, and the Society of Young Philanthropists; he remains involved with the Development Committee of the Special Olympics. Nick has a BA in Business Management & History of Art from Leeds University.

Jake Simpson

Jake Simpson works in Permian Global's scientific research team. He has a BSc in Biology from Imperial College, University of London, and an MSc in Climate Change from University College London. Jake uses geographic information systems (GIS) to assess forest cover trends and their underlying causes in and around Permian Global project sites. This is achieved using data derived from both Remote Sensing images and ground-based assessments. Jake has previously undertaken extensive field work in Gabon looking at how the crown allometry of canopy trees can be used to improve LiDAR-derived biomass estimates.

John Szeto

John Szeto is a member of the legal and compliance team. He has been engaged in the investment industry for over 25 years, principally in the City of London but also in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, and has experience within a range of environments (from start-ups to global investment banks) in a number of regulated markets. John is an Associate (ACSI) of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment and brings broad regulatory knowledge and business experience to Permian Global

Sir Philip Thomas

Philip Thomas is responsible for leading negotiations with governments in a range of countries where Permian Global is developing project assets. Philip was a member of the British Diplomatic Service for 35 years, during which time his posts included being director general for trade and investment successively in Germany and the US (as Consul-General in New York) and British High Commissioner to Nigeria; he has also worked as a Special Adviser to Shell. Philip has pursued a life-long interest in conservation and ornithology. He has an MA in History from Cambridge University.

Dawn Tomlinson

Dawn Tomlinson is the Executive Assistant for Permian Global and ensures the smooth running of the London office. She has a BSc in Applied Ecology from Coventry University and has over 10 years of administration experience in both the private and voluntary sector, including the London Natural History Museum and Business in The Community (BITC).

João de Vasconcellos

João de Vasconcellos has a senior role in the marketing of the Permian Global Fund, particularly across territories in South America and Iberia. He previously worked at the asset management business ECM, where he served as a board member and led fundraising efforts in Iberia, France and Brazil. Prior to this João was responsible for the credit portfolio at Espirito Santo Investment Bank (BESI) and for the bond and swap portfolios at Santander Portugal. João holds a management degree from the Catholic University of Portugal (UCP), Lisbon