About us
Our Team
Founded in 2011 by Divya Seshamani and Jon Moulton, the Greensphere team is brought together by a love of problem-solving using technology and investing in and growing sustainable companies.
Greensphere’s teams are supported by an experienced Investment Committee comprising leading names from the realms of public and private equity investing. With similarly strong ESG credentials and exceptional business networks, the Investment Committee provides additional strategic oversight whilst enhancing Greensphere’s ability to access attractive investment opportunities.
Divya is Managing Partner of Greensphere Capital and Investment Committee Member.
Divya is a private equity and venture capital investor with over 22 years of experience, growing and investing in businesses in sustainable technology, infrastructure, energy, sustainable agriculture and forestry. Educated at Oxford (BA (Hons) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics) and at Harvard (MBA, the Harvard Business School), she built her track record at industry-leading organisations such as Goldman Sachs, Parthenon, Unilever Ventures, GIC (Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund) and at the global Private Equity house, TPG, where she was a Partner. Divya is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader for her work in sustainable and impact investing and has served on the Investment Committee for the Global Innovation Fund anchored by USAID and the UK’s DFID. She was previously a council member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) where she was re-elected for two consecutive terms. She is currently a Non-Executive Director of Forterra PLC, a FTSE-250 British manufacturing business. In 2019 Divya was appointed by the Secretary of State to advise the UK Government as a member of the HMG’s Council for Sustainable Business where she leads the Net-Zero Initiative.
Graham is a Head of Nature-Based Climate Solutions, Partner and Investment Committee Member
Graham has held a wide range of leadership roles during his 30+ year career, growing and investing in businesses in food and agricultural technologies, sustainable development, renewable energy, and rural land management. Appointed to create a new diversification strategy for the Grosvenor Estate, Graham founded the Wheatsheaf Group in 2012. Over the next 10 years he led the business to become one of the leading, largest, and longest established international investment groups in Agritech leveraging a farsighted approach to rethink the food system to positively influence human health, ecosystems, and the climate. Prior to this, Graham was responsible for the expansive rural land portfolio of The Co-operative Group, developing a strategy to combine commercial activity with the Groups’ social and community goals through large scale sustainable land development and renewable energy projects throughout the UK. Previously, Graham was a partner with a national land management consultancy responsible for rural estates, enterprises, and landholdings throughout Scotland and northern England (including farming forestry and conservation) and served for five years as a Royal Navy Officer. Graham has held numerous Non-Executive Director Roles across a range of business, public sector, and educational organisations. Educated at Newcastle University (BSc Hons in Agriculture), The Royal Agricultural University (MSc Rural Land Management) and Harvard Business School (Advanced Management Programme).
Barry is Head of Engineered Climate Solutions, Partner of Greensphere Capital
Barry is a long-standing member of the Greensphere team, marrying a strong financial background with a deep understanding of the business and regulatory environment that Greensphere’s engineered solutions portfolio operates in. Barry is a Chartered Accountant with over 2 decades of cross-sector experience, having spent 15+ years in PE-backed businesses as CFO and in other senior finance, commercial and strategy roles. Barry is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and holds a BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes.
Ben is an Operating Principal of Greensphere Capital
He has over 20 years in senior financial, operational and strategy roles across multiple industries, with the last 4 years spent in Operating Partner roles in Private Equity. Ben qualified as a chartered accountant with Arthur Andersen and has a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and an MPhil in Economics from Cambridge University.
Sri is an Operating Principal of Greensphere Capital
Sri has extensive expertise in the sustainable farming, seed technology, food processing and organic waste processing industries for over 10 years. As a qualified agricultural scientist, seed technologist and long-standing operator in sustainable agriculture and organic waste, Sri has engaged with leading technologies in green energy production as well. Sri has held a number of roles from Vale Green Energy, ReFood, Biffa and Severn Trent. Sri has a Bachelors degree with Distinction in B Tech Biotechnology at Allahabad Agricultural University, India, and an MSc Applied Sciences at Nottingham Trent University.
Jamie is Group General Counsel of Greensphere Capital
Jamie is Group General Counsel and is a qualified solicitor with over 14 years’ experience advising at City firms Bevan Brittan, Eversheds and Dentons on large-scale energy and infrastructure projects, with a particular focus on renewable energy projects. During her time at Dentons, Jamie advised Greensphere on a number of transactions, contractual arrangement and operating matters relating to portfolio companies. Jamie has an LLB in law from the University of Birmingham.
Tracy is Operating Partner and Interim CEO of Gaia Sciences’ first investment, KewREACH
Tracy joined Greensphere Capital LLP as an Operating Partner and is Interim CEO of Gaia Sciences’ first investment, KewREACH. Most recently, Tracy was CEO and Founder of Oasis Hub, a natural hazards data platform that was acquired by US Company, dClimate. Through Oasis Hub, she has also led on a number of Innovate UK and Horizon Europe Projects on Climate Risk Assessment and Disaster Risk Management with over 25 European research institutes and universities, the Insurance sector and SME’s, developing climate change and disaster risk technologies, in flood, wildfire, health, agriculture, typhoon and disaster management. Prior to Oasis Hub, Tracy worked for the European Institute for Innovation and Technology – Climate KIC, Imperial College London, SciDev.net, (a global science for development news and analysis agency) and in Africa for a large NGO umbrella and other environmental initiatives in landscape restoration, community forestry and island sustainability. Tracy’s early career was at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where she helped develop the Kew Innovation Unit, bringing plant science to governments and the commercial sector. Tracy has an academic background in environmental science (ecology, wildlife conservation and remote sensing) and environmental archaeology (archaeobotany and zooarchaeology) and has studied international development and science communication.
Dai is Operating Partner (Forestry) of Greensphere Capital
Dai is Chartered Forester with over 30 years of experience of Forest Management in the UK. Dai brings experience of managing forests and woodland of all scales and forest planning, an understanding of landowners approach to development and his up to date knowledge of forestry industry’s cost base. Dai has unique balance of experience having worked for 23 years in the state forest sector before transferring to work in the private forest sector in 2014. Dai held the position of Forest District Manager, a senior staff position in Forestry Commission Wales (FCW) for over 15 years, during this time Dai was a member of the FCW Estate Management team and the National Forest Estate Wind Energy Project Board. Dai is a member of the CONFOR Wales Committee, CLA Dyfed Committee and a member of The Institute of Chartered Foresters.
Alison is Operating Partner (Forestry) of Greensphere Capital
Alison is a Consultant Ecologist and Chartered Forester with over 30 years of experience working in the field of nature conservation and native woodland management with a particular emphasis on woodland creation. Alison brings experience of managing large woodland creation projects and undertaking a wide range of ecological survey, planning and land management programmes. She has been working professionally since 1992. After achieving a Masters in Ecology at Aberdeen University in 1988 Alison worked on the voluntary sector, employed as Conservation Officer by the Wildlife Trusts in Lancashire and South & West Wales. In 1998 she joined the private forestry sector as an Ecologist gaining Chartered Status with the Institute of Chartered Foresters in 2015.
Jon is an Investment Committee Member of Greensphere Capital
A chemist and chartered accountant by training and a polymath by default Jon never fails to challenge the investment team with rather detailed chemistry and financial questions. Jon was formerly Managing Partner and Founder of Schroder Ventures where he served from 1985 to 1994. He was also the Managing Partner of Alchemy Partners, which he founded in 1997. Jon has previously worked with Citicorp Venture Capital, Permira, and was a Director at Apax Partners. He was an inaugural member of the British Venture Capital Hall of Fame and served on the Board of the Corporate Finance Faculty of The Institute of Chartered Accountants. He has sat on the Board of several public companies and is currently a director of a number of private companies and charities.
Paul is a Partner and Investment Committee Member of Greensphere Capital
An engineer at heart, Paul has over 30 years experience at the senior management or director level of businesses. He currently serves as Non-Executive Chairman of Signia Wealth Limited, Readypower Group Limited, and McCarthy and Stone. Paul previously served as Non-Executive Chairman of Forterra, John Laing Infrastructure Fund Limited, a FTSE 250 company where he led the initial public offering of the fund in 2010; and was a Non-Executive Director of Invensys, a FTSE 100 company, and Chief Executive of VT Group Plc, amongst a variety of other directorships. Paul holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering and a diploma in Management Studies from Nottingham Trent University. He is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and a member of Her Majesty’s Major Projects Review Group. Paul was awarded a CBE in 2007.
Ian is an IC Member of Greensphere Capital
With a passion for technology, Ian has over three decades of experience in private equity and investment management and currently also serves as Partner of Circularity Capital, a sustainable investment fund. Ian was chosen by the UK Government as founding CEO in 2011 to establish the UK Green Investment Bank and was its Chief Investment Officer until 2014. Previously, Ian spent 25 years at at 3i during which time he was Chief Investment Officer with responsibility for managing £10 billion of assets across Europe. He was also a member of the 3i Group Executive, Investment Committee, Risk Committee and Conflicts Committee. Ian qualified as a chartered accountant with Arthur Andersen and graduated with a BA in Economics from Cambridge University.
Paul is a Partner of Greensphere and has worked with the Partners of Greensphere in various capacities for over a decade
Paul has an extensive background in the chemical industry and private equity for over than 35 years. Paul is currently an investor in and NXD at Marine Biopolymers Limited, and Group Chair of multinational chemicals and materials company, Scott Bader Company limited. He is also a founding partner and director of the advisory group Cogency Chemical Consulting Limited, providing commercial strategy and market due diligence services to the financial investment sector. Paul is a graduate Chemist (1976), enjoying a long and successful career within a number of large multinational chemical companies until moving into private equity and venture capital in late 2001. His early roles included General Manager – Commercial for Albright & Wilson’s Surfactant Business in Europe, Marketing Director at Brent International PLC, and European Managing Director – Elementis Pigments. Paul has held a number of leadership roles in VC-backed businesses and has an enviable track record of creating value and highly profitable exits for investors. These include the sale in 2018 of the three Catexel Group companies to ICIG portfolio company, Weylchem, and US based Borchers Company, respectively, and Rahu Catalytics Limited (a business where he worked with Divya Seshamani at Unilever Ventures) to Wall Street listed US Specialty Chemicals player, OM Group Inc. in late 2011. He has extensive international experience in Europe, North America and Asia, and lived and worked in Germany for 4 years.
Our Approach
Our Track Record
Greensphere’s investment track record has been created over a decade because of (and not in spite of) our core values of putting planet and people on the same footing as profit. Evidence shows us that climate change and biodiversity loss are true systemic economic risks – and we therefore believe there is a superior return to be made addressing these risks. Greensphere has true team diversity, not just within our investment team, but in ownership and control. We focus on equitable benefit of all stakeholders, from our investors, employees (both within Greensphere and in portfolio companies) to portfolio companies and the communities they serve.
Our Companies
Our investment strategies target assets, operating companies and technologies that help mitigate against and adapt to climate change and biodiversity loss. Our companies are proof that ethical, sustainable, performance-focused investments are achievable without compromising profit. Indeed, without profit the change desired will not be delivered sustainably and consistently at the pace and scale needed to save the planet and the people.
Our Metrics
For over a decade we have held ourselves to a higher account than any policy demands. As the first fund manager to the UK Green Investment Bank, and with senior Partners who are actively engaged in shaping global governance frameworks, we have sought to set the highest standards. Indeed, in some areas like biodiversity, we are actively investing to find ways the rest of the market can set and meet the gold standard. Finally, through our Gaia Sciences Innovation network of partners, we prioritise evidence-led, science-based approaches above all, working with our science partners to ensure the very best solutions and companies are scaled up for wider impact.
Greensphere Capital LLP founded by Divya Seshamani and Jon Moulton
Greensphere wins GIB account against 24 other fund manager and makes first investment from its first fund - UKGSW&EI
Merger with TPG and first investment from TPG in Whites Recycling
Spin-out of Greensphere from TPG to pursue a buy-to-hold strategy in Engineered Climate Solutions
Final close of Greensphere's 3rd fund - GAIA - a buy-to-hold strategy investing in Engineered Climate Solutions
Announcement at COP26 of launch of Nature Based Solutions Investment strategies
Announcement of Joint Venture with RBG Kew Science
Announcement of Gaia Sciences Innovation