News

Nathanial Matthews Appointed CEO of the Global Resilience Partnership

On December 1st, Nathanial (Nate) Matthews will become CEO of the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP).

GRP Areas of work: Innovation Knowledge Policy Theme: Jobs and livelihoods

On December 1st, Nathanial (Nate) Matthews will become CEO of the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP). Nate has played a central role in the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) since 2017 as its Program Director. In this role, he led GRP’s resilience innovation investments that have supported over 7 million people and 1100 organizations to become more resilient.

Matthews views resilience as being more important than ever, and he is excited to take over the leadership role. He says “GRP has grown from strength to strength over the last few years and now encompasses a diverse and thriving partnership of more than 60 organizations. This is an important opportunity to build on the fantastic foundation and momentum of the partnership towards a world where vulnerable people and places are able to thrive in the face of shocks, uncertainty, and change. I look forward to taking on this challenge and working with our Partners to achieve collective impact.”

Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Change Research (PIK) and Chair of GRP’s Advisory Council believes that this is a key next step in GRP’s leadership. “On behalf of the GRP Advisory Council, I am pleased to welcome Nate to the role of CEO. I have worked with Nate since his time in the CGIAR and I have been impressed by his leadership, integrity, collaborative approach and technical skills. The next few years are critical for humanity’s future on our planet and I believe Nate is well placed to help us seamlessly continue the critical work of GRP in building a resilient future.”

Shehnaaz Moosa, Director at SouthSouthNorth, one of the co-leads of the Resilience Knowledge Coalition and a GRP Partner states “The climate and development challenges facing the Global South require innovation, knowledge interventions, partnerships and deep collaboration. Nate has a proven track record in these areas and I am looking forward to working with him and all GRP Partners to ensure we leverage our collective strengths.”

Saleemul Huq, Director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) and Deputy Chair of GRP’s Advisory Board agrees, “The GRP community is an indispensable convening space for all of us working to build resilience, and Nate has the drive and skillset needed to continue leading the Partnership to support vulnerable people and places.”

Matthews is recognized as a senior leader with 16 years’ experience in program and people management, fundraising, strategy, partnerships and technical assessment linked to climate change and natural resource management. His experience spans over 30 countries. Prior to joining GRP, he was Global Research Coordinator at the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems. Nate contributes to numerous international forums and advisory councils including as lead author in the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service (IPBES), an Obama Foundation Mentor, a Munich Re Risk Award Judge and as part of the Economist Sustainability Summit Advisory Board. He is an active researcher and writer having published two books and authored over 60 scientific publications and reports. Matthews holds a PhD in Geography from King’s College London, an MA in International Development and Environmental Analysis from Monash University and a BA in Political Science from Acadia University.

“On behalf of the Partnership, we’d also like to thank Deon Nel for his outstanding work as CEO during GRP’s critical transition period,” says Rockström. Deon will take on a new role as Chief of Conservation at WWF-Netherlands on 1 December as Nate officially transitions to CEO. Nate can be found on LinkedIn here and on Twitter at @Nate_Matthews_

The GRP Secretariat is hosted by the Stockholm Resilience Centre and Stockholm University.