The head of Goldman Sachs’ Environmental Strategy Group is the new president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy, according to an announcement made today by the group that is committed to preserving 10% of all natural habitats on earth by 2015.
The appointment of Mark R. Tercek is significant in demonstrating a closer working relationship that has evolved in recent years between environmental groups and finance and business leaders.
Tercek, who is currently a managing director at Goldman Sachs and head of the Goldman Sachs Center for Environmental Markets, replaces Steven J. McCormick, who stepped down as president and CEO in October 2007.
"At this important time for conservation and for our organization, Mark’s knowledge of global cultures and governments, his passion for conservation and his experience as a decisive consensus builder in an intensely results-oriented organization positions him to lead the Conservancy to accelerate our work around the globe," John P. Morgridge, chairman of the Conservancy’s board of directors, said.
"We are proud that the work of The Nature Conservancy’s national and local leadership and our thousands of dedicated volunteers has enabled us to attract a civic and business leader with Mark’s reputation and experience," Morgridge added. "We believe that we have assembled an extremely talented senior management team that brings the skills, commitment and vision we need to move us toward our 2015 Goal."
To ensure a smooth transition of leadership, Stephanie K. Meeks, who has served as the Conservancy’s acting president and CEO since October and as its chief operating officer since January 2007, has agreed to continue in those capacities through the beginning of Mr. Tercek’s tenure.
Tercek is currently collaborating with Resources for the Future, the World Resources Institute and the Woods Hole Research Center on projects concerning climate change. He serves on the Council on Foreign Relations’ independent task force on climate change and the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Chilean Advisory Council. He is a member of the Steering Group on the Prince of Wales’ Princes’ Rainforest Project.
In addition, Tercek has worked with Nature Conservancy board member Dr. Gretchen Daily, professor of biology at Stanford University, and Conservancy chief scientist Peter Kareiva on advancing finance and policy mechanisms for valuing forest ecosystems for the vital roles they play in supporting human well-being, thereby creating alternatives to rainforest destruction.
"Mark is opening innovative possibilities for aligning economic forces with conservation," Daily said. "His vision is central to taking conservation to scale, incorporating the values of nature into real decisions and engaging leaders globally."
"I have long admired The Nature Conservancy and have an enormous amount of respect for its global mission," Tercek said. "As climate change, habitat loss and other global trends continue to threaten our planet’s biodiversity, the world needs the Conservancy’s effective, practical solutions now more than ever."
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