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Chief Executive Officer Michael Berends is a highly respected leader in the global carbon markets. With a decades-long career spanning North America and Europe, he has held senior positions in top energy and financial organizations, including Barclays Capital, Vattenfall Energy Trading, and ICL, in trading, origination, procurement, and sales.
Michael has successfully executed numerous global carbon product deals and devised pricing and risk management strategies for emitters in compliance and voluntary markets across more than 50 countries.
Under Michael's leadership, ClearBlue Markets has experienced remarkable growth, expanding sixfold, earning its place as a trusted partner for hundreds of corporations worldwide and launching the Vantage carbon intelligence platform. In 2023, ClearBlue Markets secured an investment of $8 million in financing led by the Royal Bank of Canada.
Michael holds a Master's degree in Conservation Biology from the University of Toronto and a Master's in Environmental Management from the University of Amsterdam.
Nico’s innovative contributions have been pivotal in developing the proprietary analytical models that underpin ClearBlue’s award-winning Market Intelligence (MI) practice. These models form the foundation of ClearBlue Vantage, our AI-enabled carbon intelligence platform, which benefited significantly from Nico's strategic vision.
In addition to advancing ClearBlue's industry-leading technology, Nico actively assists clients in navigating the complexities of emerging emissions trading systems, with a particular focus on Latin American carbon markets. Nico is a key figure in our global operations, playing a critical role in the ongoing success and industry influence of ClearBlue.
Chief Carbon Trading Officer Michiel ten Hoopen brings over 20 years of extensive policy and practical trading experience to provide clients with invaluable insights and strategic guidance.
With a global footprint, Michiel has worked on emission reduction projects spanning various technologies, including industrial energy efficiency, renewable energy, landfill gas, and biogas. His expertise earned him recognition as a member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Clean Development Mechanism Small-Scale Working Group for seven consecutive years, where he contributed to the approval of numerous projects and provided guidance to countless others.
Michiel played a pivotal role in building Barclays Capital emission reduction origination capabilities and developed CDM baseline methodologies and projects for EcoSecurities B.V. At Vattenfall, he led the Global Emissions desk, pioneering transactions in the Chinese domestic carbon market and managing a portfolio of over 200 offset projects, generating more than 100 million offsets.
Michiel holds a Master's in Economics and International and European Law from the University of Groningen and an SII Level 3 Certificate in Investments from London's Securities & Investment Institute. He continues to drive carbon and offset strategy and implementation for entities in Europe, leveraging his wealth of experience and expertise to create impactful solutions in the ever-evolving landscape of environmental sustainability.
Jennifer has two decades of experience guiding clients through the complex environmental markets landscape, emphasizing policy analysis and forecasting pricing for environmental commodities. Jennifer also frequently presents at conferences and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, among other publications.
Prior to joining ClearBlue, Jennifer was the Lead Analyst for Low-Carbon Markets at S&P Global Platts, responsible for collaborating across commodity teams to develop and communicate market outlooks. Jennifer also helped build the newly founded environmental practice as Director of Emissions and Clean Energy for PIRA Energy Group, which was acquired by S&P Global in 2016. Jennifer holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Cornell University and a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Drew University.
Yves joined ClearBlue Markets, bringing over twenty years of professional experience in software engineering and business consulting. He has extensive experience managing projects, leading teams (including CTO experience) and designing and developing enterprise software. Most of his experience is in financial applications (B2B pricing software, Fintech and banking).
Before joining ClearBlue, Jenny was the Finance leader of start-up companies in the FinTech and SaaS domains for 5 years and built the financial management functions from the ground up. She also played a key role in collaborating with product development and financial modeling for product-driven business models. Prior to her start-up adventures, Jenny served as Finance Manager with the costing & inventory team at Loblaw Companies Ltd. Before that, Jenny spent 5 years in the financial controller role at Terminal Investment Ltd’s joint venture in China.
Jenny holds a Bachelor of Arts in Literature from NanKai University. She is also a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) in Ontario.
Rebecca Brown, the vice president of marketing at ClearBlue Markets, is an award-winning and innovative brand builder, content strategist, and thought leader. With 20 years of experience in senior roles, she has significantly impacted marketing and advertising in Canada.
Before her tenure at ClearBlue, Rebecca founded Crowns Agency, a leading strategy, creative, and media agency for the global cannabis industry. At Crowns, she satisfied complex regulatory requirements while developing a content-driven approach to brand development, setting industry standards, and helping develop and launch brands such as Quatreau, Simply Bare, and Up!.
During her time as vice president of social media and content at J. Walter Thompson (now Wunderman Thompson), Rebecca's leadership was instrumental in launching the agency's social media and content division. Her innovative approach led to the development of the Storymap strategy product, employed by clients including Air Canada, HSBC, and the St. Louis Children's Hospital to deepen and define their social media brands. Her ability to scale the content and social media team and deliver client success stories further solidified her reputation in the industry.
Rebecca's earlier experience includes her role as the head of strategy and content at Entrinsic Partners (now Engagement Labs) from 2012 to 2015. There, she led content and social media strategies for major clients like RBC, Google, Cineplex, McCain Foods, and Sobeys. Her entrepreneurial spirit shone through when she founded Bunch Family Inc. and Rec Room Agency, establishing Bunch as Canada's leading content source for trendsetting families.
Rebecca is a sought-after thought leader and speaker who contributes her insights to The Economist, MarketWatch, and BNN Bloomberg. She has spoken at prestigious events such as The Economist Cannabis Summit, Cannabis Europa, and MaRS Health Innovation Week and served on award juries for the Clio Awards and Effie Awards. Her writings on marketing, branding, and social media have been featured in Strategy Magazine, Applied Arts, The Globe and Mail, and the National Post.
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Yuriy Solovyov is a product leader passionate about addressing customer problems and aligning teams to create exceptional products. With a robust foundation in software development and research, Yuriy holds a BSc and MSc in Computer Science.
His expertise lies in product management, UX design, and cross-functional team alignment, ensuring that all stakeholders are working towards common business objectives.
Yuriy’s dedication to solving real customer problems and delivering high-quality, user-centric solutions has been the cornerstone of his career covering a number of industries including media management, e-commerce, and workflow management.
An accomplished commercial professional, as VP Sales, Justin Banrey leads ClearBlue’s initiatives to expand its market presence, drive strategic growth, and deliver value to clients. He brings significant experience in understanding market challenges and finding solutions that address the rapidly changing dynamics within diverse commodity markets.
Prior to ClearBlue, Justin held a Head of Business Development position at ICIS, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the global energy and chemical markets by supporting clients in optimising their use of resources through effective data use. He also held several roles managing company acquisitions, growing strategic accounts globally, and driving global initiatives for new product go-to-market strategies.
Throughout his career, Justin has been recognised for his ability to navigate complex market environments and deliver actionable insights. His leadership style is characterised by a forward-thinking approach to maximising new commercial opportunities, anticipating market trends, and responding with innovative solutions.
Justin holds a degree in Business Administration in American Studies and Media & Communication from State University of New York Old Westbury. And a Master’s in International Business Administration from Bournemouth University in the UK, where he developed a strong foundation in international business principles, corporate culture and strategic management. Outside of his professional life, Justin is passionate about charity, travel and long distance running.
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Dave now leads ClearBlue Markets’ transaction services business, which assists customers with all aspects of transacting in carbon markets. As a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant, Dave brings an incredible level of financial acumen and attention to detail when facilitating and advising on carbon market transactions for ClearBlue Market's customers.
Ivan brings a decade of experience in the energy industry to ClearBlue, particularly in the oil & gas sector. Through his technical expertise and business insights, he actively supports ClearBlue’s wide range of clients in compliance and voluntary markets. Before joining ClearBlue, Ivan worked at TotalEnergies as a Drilling Engineer. He was in charge of well technical design & drilling operations and was the contract owner for 8-figure contracts. Other previous experiences include working in Gaulois Energía (O&G consulting) and Pluspetrol.
Ivan holds a master’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA) and a post-graduate specialization in Drilling & Completions from the Institut Français du Pétrole (IFP).
Gerald Ouellette is the Director of Offset Advisory at ClearBlue Markets. He leads the development of offset strategies for clients, advising on offset projects and carbon crediting opportunities in compliance programs and the voluntary carbon market.
Gerald previously led Verra’s global energy sector and energy transition emissions accounting methodology development under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) for carbon capture and storage (CCS), oil & gas well abandonments and the early retirement of coal-fired power plants.
Gerald led the Province of Alberta's (Canada) regulatory design for CCS projects and established the “hub model,” including subsurface mineral rights ownership and environmental monitoring requirements.
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Elton Lawes is our Director, Carbon Markets. He joined ClearBlue after 24 years at NOVA Chemicals in both research and environment, bringing a wealth of knowledge to support the next level of growth of our Vantage platform. Elton is responsible for building out analytical models for the Canadian markets, optimizing services, products, and the geographic pillars of our work, as well as deepening existing practices within our Advisory practice by providing insights and leadership – both technical and managerial - to drive marketplace success.
Elton’s work with the NOVA corporate environment team was climate-focused, including regulatory engagement and advocacy, continued compliance forecasting, learning the Ontario cap and trade program inside and out, and transacting for offsets and EPCS in Alberta to manage compliance costs.
Elton served as a senior climate advisor supporting the decarbonization strategy, managing the development of scope 3 inventory, advising on regulatory credit transactions, and managing long-term GHA compliance forecasting for all sites within the company.
Elton has a BSC in environmental management from Royal Roads University and is a self-described pragmatic environment and climate nerd.
Anop is the lead market analyst for the WCI, RGGI, Alberta TIER, and the Global Voluntary Carbon Market. Anop's financial background helps produce in-depth research reports covering the fundamentals and the out of the markets under coverage. Anop is also responsible for answering any fundamental or regulatory questions that may arise. Before joining ClearBlue, Anop was an Equity Analyst for a South-East Asia-based family investment office.
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Kate is a Manager Advisory who focuses on large-emitter greenhouse gas emission quantification and reporting, as well as compliance and credit management strategies.
Kate has a background in Green Process Chemical Engineering, continued studies in Climate Change Action and Policy, and 6+ years of combined practical experience in chemical process simulation, the solar industry, and the carbon market industry. These experiences enable her to work through not only emission quantifications but also the big-picture considerations of decarbonization, communication of projects, and policy impact for clients.
Emily Xu is a Senior Product Manager specializing in technical products with a niche data focus, spanning from data engineering, data science to data analytics. She has extensive experience leading cross-functional teams in designing, developing, and delivering innovative solutions across diverse industries. Emily holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Statistics, alongside a certificate in Product Management for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
She excels at bridging the gap between business strategy and technical capabilities, driving transformative user-centric and data-backed initiatives to minimize risk exposure, enhance customer experience, and optimize operational efficiency.
Emily is a passionate, strategic product leader and a collaborative team player, committed to exceeding expectations and delivering impactful results.
Maik holds an MSc in Theoretical Physics from the University of Amsterdam. His analytical background helps him understand the different concepts and calculations across standards and methodologies.
Marcela joined ClearBlue Markets as Manager Carbon Project Development to identify offset potential in emission removal, avoidance, and reduction projects for development across compliance and voluntary markets. Marcela has more than a decade in the design of Nature-Based Solutions initiatives, especially carbon projects under the Voluntary Carbon Market, estimating GHG emissions reductions/removals, identifying indicators and generating recommendations for project owners. She also brings experience drafting adaptation and mitigation strategies and programs for companies to fight against climate change.
Marcela holds a master’s degree in environment and sustainable development from Montreal University and a bachelor’s degree in Forest engineering from the National University of Colombia.
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Christina spent 3 years specializing in segregated fund accounting, ensuring accurate financial reporting and compliance. As a Senior Financial Analyst in the Financial Planning & Analysis area, Christina delved into complex financial models, identifying growth opportunities and optimizing resource allocation.
She holds an Honours Bachelor's degree in Finance from the University of Western Ontario.
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Nicholas is a Manager with ClearBlue, focusing on the Voluntary Carbon Market. Tasked with providing insights and in-depth analysis of supply and demand dynamics, corporate demand trends, VCM policy, and integrity standards, including international markets and regulations (Article 6, ICVCM, VCMI).
Nicholas holds a Master’s Degree in Macroeconomic Policy and Financial Markets from the Barcelona School of Economics and has prior work experience in ESG ratings and sustainability reporting.
Goda is a Senior Carbon Market Analyst with ClearBlue, focusing on the European compliance market EU & UK ETS. As a part of the market analysis team, she applies her economic knowledge and quantitative skills to assess the market fundamentals and build forecasting models. She brings a deep understanding of the complex regulatory environment of the EU, most specifically the policies that affect the European emissions trading market and European industries. This knowledge enables her to assess decarbonization incentives for the industrial, power, and transportation sectors and, consequently, the future landscape of the EU ETS.
Goda holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business Economics, with a minor in Sustainability and Economics. While studying, she also worked as a Screening Operations Analyst at the Dutch fintech company Adyen.
Koorosh is a Fuel Standards Analyst who draws on his experience in corporate sustainability management, public engagement, and policy design to help clients navigate the clean fuel markets in North America. As a member of the Advisory team, he works closely with clients to optimize their position and craft and implement credit monetization strategies. Koorosh is well-versed in various regulatory frameworks, including CFR (Clean Fuel Regulation), California LCFS, EPA RFS, and other clean fuel markets in North America.
Anthony-Pierre is a Senior Carbon Strategy Analyst with ClearBlue Markets, focusing on providing advisory services to entities part of the Western Climate Initiative (WCI). His knowledge of WCI regulation, coupled with an understanding of environmental commodities' transactional processes, strengthens his ability to provide carbon compliance strategies to entities. Anthony-Pierre also supports clients with transactions of carbon compliance units, offsets, and renewable energy certificates (RECs).
Chloe is a Senior Policy Analyst with ClearBlue, focusing on the regulatory landscape of carbon pricing in North America. A holistic understanding of environmental, political, and economic sustainability positions her well to navigate the evolution and impacts of environmental policy and carbon pricing programs. Chloe supports clients with interpreting carbon pricing regulations, and analyzing interactions of complementary policies, government incentives, and political influences.
Nanaki is a Policy Analyst at ClearBlue Markets, focusing on regulatory drivers that impact North American compliance and low-carbon fuels programs. Nanaki previously worked with the UN Environment Programme’s economy division in France and has since worked in sustainability consulting, financial services, and responsible investing. She holds a BSc in Environmental Sciences and Agricultural Economics from McGill University.
Carbon Offset Manager Kedar is a Chemical Engineer who supports project origination, valuation, and procurement of offsets in the voluntary carbon market. The project pipeline provides a portfolio of offset projects for investor clients looking to finance early-stage projects or engage in offtake agreements to meet their net-zero targets. Previously, Kedar spent four years developing and scaling up Direct Air Capture, an engineered carbon removal technology.
Abhishek is a Market Analyst specializing in the VCM market, with experience in EU market analysis. With a background in physics and corporate finance, he brings a unique blend of technical and financial expertise to his role. Abhishek collaborates closely with cross-functional teams, including the offset, transaction, data science, and market analysis teams.
His contributions extend beyond market research and data analysis, encompassing technical analysis and business domain knowledge. Abhishek plays a pivotal role in developing proprietary models like OPD and crafting insightful reports, newsletters, and financial models for different markets. He is committed to enhancing client relationships and delivering actionable intelligence that drives informed decision-making.
With a rich background in software development, machine learning, data science, and engineering, Mohammad has held positions as a Part-Time Engineering Professor teaching Machine Learning Operations at the University of Ottawa, Lead Machine Learning Engineer, and Senior Software Development Engineer. He has contributed to the development of machine learning models for financial predictions, emissions predictions, and fraud detection in the tax field.
In his master's thesis, Mohammad successfully predicted stock market prices using sentiment analysis and financial data. He is currently working on using transformer architecture and multi-task learning to predict cryptocurrency market trends.
Aneesa is our Senior HR Business Partner at ClearBlue Markets. She joined the organization in 2024, bringing seven years of HR experience from various industries. Aneesa leads our recruitment and HR functions, supporting our business groups in North America and Europe. She has an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Waterloo, a Post-Graduate Certificate in Human Resources Management from Durham College, and a CHRP designation through the Human Resources Professionals Association.
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With a strong background in banking and trust services, Allison has developed extensive expertise in investments, auditing, and office management, with a keen interest in operations. Her professional path is deeply influenced by a commitment to environmentalism, making her role at ClearBlue Markets perfectly align with her values as the company strives towards achieving net-zero emissions. At ClearBlue Markets, Allison is dedicated to optimizing Office and Operations, ensuring both are streamlined and eco-conscious. Currently, she is broadening her skills by learning Dutch, reflecting her enthusiasm for personal and professional growth. Allison is thrilled to contribute to the global effort against climate change, embodying the principles of environmental stewardship at work and in her personal life.
Wilson is a forestry engineer with over a decade of experience in GIS analysis and modeling of deforestation, forest management, land aptitude analysis, species distribution maps and Nature-based solutions REDD+ project development, afforestation, forest and biodiversity inventories, and a slew of other land cover and modeling analyses.
Miran was a UI/UX Design intern at ClearBlue Markets. She joined ClearBlue Markets as part of the New Media Design and Web Development program at BCIT in Vancouver, Canada. Miran’s biggest motivation as a designer is to help make a real difference and positively impact people’s everyday lives. She is focused on building effective and intuitive design solutions for impactful organizations, ultimately leading her to work at ClearBlue Markets. In her free time, you will find her dancing salsa, playing tennis, or drawing art.
Raymond is a Full-Stack Developer at Clearblue. He focuses on Market Intelligence within the Vantage platform and integrating different services. He also works on a range of front-end and back-end technology to provide the best and most valuable experience to clients.
Brandon is a Front-End Developer with ClearBlue, focusing on developing the Vantage carbon intelligence platform. His knowledge of UI/UX, combined with front-end technologies such as React, Typescript, and MUI, works hand in hand to create an accessible and user-friendly product for all.
Ryan is a Full-Stack Developer at ClearBlue. His main responsibilities include the Shipping, Voluntary, and Industrial Position Managers of the Vantage platform. Ryan works with a range of front-end and back-end technologies, striving to create a comprehensive product that offers the best user experience.
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In her role as an Application Support Engineer, Carolina brings a blend of expertise in system design and development and a strong foundation in Cloud Architecture from her postgraduate studies. She provides technical support for enterprise-level application systems, responding promptly to client inquiries and ensuring a smooth user experience by researching and troubleshooting issues. With experience leading developer teams and serving as a bridge between all departments, she is dedicated to identifying potential product enhancements and maintaining high service standards.
Larisa is a Software Engineer with a profound understanding of designing, coding, and rigorously testing intricate systems. Her expertise spans a wide array of technologies and methodologies, enabling her to craft robust solutions tailored to meet specific project requirements. Larisa is adept at navigating the complexities of back-end development, seamlessly integrating various components to ensure optimal performance and scalability. Larisa's main responsibilities include the Voluntary and Industrial Position Managers of the Vantage platform.
Ben is a skilled software engineer at ClearBlue Markets with a strong background in React, TypeScript and Java.
Ben specializes in developing scalable and secure applications, contributing significantly to advancing environmental markets through innovative software solutions.
Passionate about technology and sustainability, Ben leverages expertise in these technologies to enhance ClearBlue Markets' mission while continually refining his technical skills.
Marco is an Offset Project Analyst at ClearBlue Markets, focusing on offset project development in the Voluntary Carbon Market. His analytical skills, energy expertise, and engineering background assist him in actively supporting ClearBlue’s clients in assessing the likelihood of offset project success and quantifying emission reductions in energy-efficiency projects.
Marco has recently finished his MSc Energy Engineering degree from the Universitá di Bologna and holds a BSc Energy Engineering degree from Politecnico di Milano.
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Elahe with a keen eye for details is dedicated to supporting ClearBlue in due diligence services to ensure that projects not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also foster social and environmental benefits.
Elahe has recently finished her MSc Sustainable Business Management degree from the Amsterdam School of International Business and holds a BSc Business Administration degree from University of Tehran.
Sectoral Expertise: Basic knowledge of international carbon standards, VCS (Verra), Gold Standard; Awareness of developments in the international carbon market and environmental policy, including Greenhouse Gas Protocol, corporate GHG inventory (including scopes 1, 2, and 3), Science-Based Targets, and Net Zero; Stakeholder engagement
With master's degrees in Information Resources Management and Innovation Management, Olga possesses a comprehensive understanding of technologies, projects, and requirements management. Additionally, she holds a Professional Scrum Master certificate, demonstrating her commitment to promoting agile practices.
