About Us

Lucy is the Chair of the Nature4Climate coalition, a strategic mobilization response to climate change. She has helped to catalyze action and investment in nature-based solutions to climate change, playing a central role in bringing together many different sectors of civil society to create an alliance of resolute partners committed to addressing the climate crisis and protecting and restoring our natural ecosystems. Lucy helped launch the initiative and since 2017, has guided its influencing strategy, building awareness of nature-based solutions, and engaging with governments and the private sector. Lucy’s past experience has been invaluable: drawing on her background as an international strategic communications specialist in the energy and natural resources sector, with experience at The World Economic Forum, The Nature Conservancy, BP and at her own consultancy.

Ben Jack has over 15 years of experience in developing and leading projects to address complex environmental challenges worldwide. Through partnerships with governments, businesses, communities, and wider society, his work has driven new policies, catalyzed behavior change, and developed practical solutions to safeguard our planet.

Based in the UK, Ben now leads the N4C team and works closely with the Chair, to foster partnerships between governments, civil society, businesses and investors to unlock the power of nature as a solution to climate change.

Previously, Ben served as Chief Strategy Officer and Director at Common Seas, playing a pivotal role in scaling the organization into a global leader in combating plastic pollution. Earlier in his career, Ben was involved in conservation research projects worldwide, to translate scientific knowledge into sustainable business practices, policies and community action. His academic background includes a thesis on the design of Marine Protected Areas for sharks and rays, reflecting his lifelong passion for ocean conservation.

During Chris’ tenure at The Nature Conservancy, he has conducted and supported climate adaptation and mitigation research on four continents. He has developed innovative conservation and natural system management approaches using climate change impacts analyses and decision support applications that guide Conservancy programs and partners. Chris has led the development of numerous initiatives that directly support project implementation, global policy and communications, and the visualization and dissemination of cutting-edge scientific research that connects science to action. Currently, Chris is a Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) Specialist at The Nature Conservancy where he is leading the development of naturebase, an online platform that will allow decision makers to put Natural Climate Solutions into action, by showing where and which NCS activities have the highest climate, biodiversity, and human-wellbeing benefits and likelihood of success.

Patricia da Matta is a Brazilian journalist whose expertise in communications strategies for dynamic audiences. Passionate about storytelling, for over 12 years, she has engaged in strategy design and implementation for communications endeavors across many fields, including climate action, sustainable agriculture, and energy, for private, governmental and NGOs in Brazil and abroad. She joins TNC from the UNFCCC Secretariat, where she helped design the communications framework for the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform, as well as the Nairobi Work Programme. Previously, Patricia has held positions at the digital team dedicated to deliver the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Agency, where she led the communications and outreach plan for the Brazilian Pavilion at COP24. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Patricia thrives in multicultural environments and has lived in the United States, France, Scotland and Sweden, the latter where she received her master’s degree in Global Studies at the University of Gothenburg.

Emmylie Borg Nilsson is a Swedish communications professional based in the UK. She has been with The Nature Conservancy and Nature4Climate since 2019, specialising in strategic communications, partnership management and project delivery for large-scale global initiatives. For the past couple of years, Emmylie has been leading on project delivery of the Nature Zone partnership at the UNFCCC CoP26 and CoP27. Before joining The Nature Conservancy, Emmylie spent several years working for international PR and Public Affairs firms with development and implementation of multi-channel campaigns focused on awareness raising, advocacy, and behavioural change. Most notably, she led partnership strategy for the award-winning #BetterThanThat campaign in 2017, raising awareness of the rising number of post-Brexit hate crimes in the UK. Emmylie has a MSc in Political Science from The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

His background is as a UK based environmental activist. Having spent a decade working in and around the UK Parliament advising Political Parties and several large NGOs. James is currently the project lead for Nature4Climate, an international multi-sectoral strategic communications and advocacy platform. At its core is the objective that natural climate solutions that are capable of being one-third of the solution to climate change by 2030. N4C targets and networks international leaders to build ambition and accelerate delivery. James is a catalyst whose work is a mission to help to nurtures a hotbed of ‘regenerative’ ideas that over the next decade have the potential of meeting the triple challenge of ending biodiversity decline slowing dangerous climate change and reducing poverty.

Mariana Ceccon is a multimedia Brazilian journalist with a strong background in content production and storytelling. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Communication – Journalism from the Universidade Federal do Paraná, as well as a Master’s degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. Her master’s thesis addresses care as a political and security response to global threats, including climate change. Over the course of her 14-year career, Mariana has been awarded the Young Journalist Prize from the Vladimir Herzog Institute of Human Rights. She has worked for diverse media outlets, covering a wide range of topics such as international news, politics, nature-based solutions (NbS), science, and innovation. Prior to joining N4C, Mariana held the role of editor at the United Nations Information Centre in Rio de Janeiro. In this capacity, she covered UN operations and major international summits, including COPs 26 and 27.

Currently serving as the N4C Project Coordinator, Nimshani focuses on movement building, aiming to foster a robust, diverse, and inclusive membership organization. Her responsibilities include delivering membership value, monitoring and reporting progress, and cultivating relationships with IPLCs and youth groups engaged in NbS, amplifying their influence in the climate-nature discourse. Nimshani, an Italian with Sri Lankan roots, holds an MSc in Geography specializing in Environmental Risks and Human Security from the United Nations University in Bonn. With a rich background in various geographical settings and multicultural teams, in the past Nimshani has actively contributed to sustainable development and climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. Her roles have encompassed advocacy, high-level regional and national event planning in Asia and the Pacific, research, and analysis across diverse organizations, including the Ministry of Sustainable Development in Colombo, UNESCAP and UNEP in Bangkok, and the German Development Institute in Bonn.

Lea Blanchet is the N4C Contracts Coordinator, working closely with The Nature Conservancy. Based in London, England, Lea operates in a bilateral work environment, managing external contracts and ensuring internal compliance. She specializes in Legal Liability, Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance. Her professional journey includes her tenure as Executive Assistant and Secretary of the Board at the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Prior to her involvement in nonprofits, she built her private sector experience in Immigration and Family law.

With Brazilian and French-Canadian roots, Lea grew up immersed in multicultural environments, speaking native French, English and Portuguese. She also learned Italian, Spanish, and German studying Modern Languages at Vanier College, allowing her to manage international contracts across the coalition and its allies. Lea also studied Common Law at Queen’s University, as well as International Law at the Université de Montréal.