Leadership team

As CEO, Kirsten leads the organisation with a deep conviction in our capacity to learn and evolve into a climate-resilient society. She brings over 30 years of experience catalyzing systemic transformations in a career spanning academia, consulting, banking, and insurance. Kirsten serves on various Advisory Boards and is a recognized leader at the European Commission Economic and Societal Impact of Research and Innovation (ESIR) expert group. 

Barrie Roulston is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Climate KIC, where he leads financial strategy, governance, and operations to support the organisation’s mission of driving systemic change for a sustainable future. With a strong track record in financial leadership, Barrie has held key roles at War Child UK, Plan International, and WaterAid, overseeing financial planning, compliance, and strategic decision-making. His expertise spans financial planning and reporting, risk management, and integrating financial strategies with technological solutions, ensuring financial sustainability and operational excellence in mission-driven organizations.

Alethea leads our Portfolio function. Furnished with over 20 years of leadership experience across financial services and not-for-profits in areas including strategic innovation, large-scale system projects and organisational change management, she thrives in complex operating environments that require creativity and innovation.

Ewa leads our team of legal, procurement and compliance lawyers. She also advises the boards, executive and leadership teams, on  strategic, business critical matters. Ewa has over 15 years of professional experience as head of legal across multiple sectors, from highly-regulated, private international corporations to philanthropy, as well as an entrepreneur. 

Solla leads the development of our learning and capability activities. She has worked for over 15 years to expand and facilitate the learning processes of organisations, with a focus on skills building and shifting mindsets in the climate space. She is an expert in the facilitation of change management processes, working to create transformation both within and across different cultures.

Thomas heads our Cities Cluster and is the Managing Director of the EU Cities Mission Programme NetZeroCities. He identifies and catalyses initiatives to address critical sustainability needs through innovative business models and capital platforms, focussing on core ecosystem services – shelter, food, energy, water, mobility, interaction.