Team
At Earth Capital (EC) we think globally, but have the added benefit of colleagues around the world who are experts in their local markets. We also strongly believe in promoting diversity, as an equal opportunities firm and have signed the UK Government’s Charter on Women in Finance. For more information visit our About Us page.
Avent Bezuidenhoudt
Investment Director
Avent's responsibilities include making new investments with a particular focus on new technologies in the sustainability sector, as well as working with the management teams of our portfolio companies to develop and deliver on their strategic plans.
Avent has over 25 years’ experience in investing, portfolio management and corporate finance advisory, with a particular focus on high growth technology businesses and 16 private equity technology deals.
Prior to joining Earth Capital, Avent was a Senior Fund Manager at The FSE Group and before moving into investment management, was an Assistant Director in the London Corporate Finance team at BDO UK.
Neil Brown
Chief Risk Officer
Neil was a founder of Earth Capital and is responsible for risk, compliance and operations. He is also Chair of the investment committee.
Neil has over 35 years’ experience as a trader, broker, management consultant and asset management risk manager. He has previously worked at James Capel & Co, Hoare Govett, Lloyds Bank, HSBC and Credit Suisse.
Prior to Earth Capital, Neil was Global Head of Risk Management for Credit Suisse Asset Management, which had assets under management of US$335 billion when he left. At CSAM he established their independent risk function, sat on the Credit Suisse Group Risk Committee and was a trustee director of the Credit Suisse UK pension schemes. Previously to Credit Suisse Neil was Global Head of Risk Management at HSBC Asset Management, where he established an independent risk function for that business.
Neil is a Chartered Fellow of the CISI. For the past fifteen years he has chaired the CISI diploma panel for the Financial Derivatives paper and chairs the CISI Bond Forum. He graduated from UCL with a degree in Economics.
Richard Burrett
Chief Sustainability Officer
Richard is also a member of the investment committee.
Richard has spent over 35 years in international banking. In his 20 years with ABN AMRO he was Head of UK Structured Finance and Corporate Banking and sat on the UK Executive and Credit Committees. As Global Head of Project Finance, he was responsible for ABN AMRO’s award-winning business franchises in Europe, Asia, Australia, North America and Brazil. In this role he was also instrumental in the creation of the Equator Principles, a market recognised standard for managing environmental and social risk issues in project financing.
Latterly, as Global Head of Sustainability, he chaired the group’s Sustainability Council and developed the bank’s strategy on climate change and the carbon markets. He is former Chair of the UNEP Finance Initiative, a former Steering Committee member of Renewable Energy Networks for the 21st Century and external board member of Forest Renewables (part of the Forestry Commission in Scotland).
Richard is currently a Fellow of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and holds a BA and MBA from Durham University. He is an Independent Non-Exec Director of Triodos Bank UK, a Senior Adviser to the Earth Security Group and a Dutch Development Bank (FMO) nominated non-Exec Board Director of Union Bank of Nigeria.
Caroline Butler
Investment Committee
Caroline is the Senior Independent member of the Investment Committee.
She is also a Director of Walcot Partners Ltd, an FCA authorised investment adviser to single family offices and university endowments. Previously, she was a Director and Head of Risk in a leading multi-family office.
During her 20 year career in banking based in London and New York, Caroline worked at N.M.Rothschild and Sons, S.G.Warburg & Co Ltd, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank. The first woman elected to the Board of S.G. Warburg, Caroline was later Head of UK Private Wealth Management at Deutsche Bank, London. Currently she is a member of the Investment Committee of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford and on their Investment and Finance Committee, a Trustee of the Art Fund and on their Finance and Investment Committee, a Trustee of The Pilgrim Trust and on their Investment Committee and an Advisory Board member of OMFIF (the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions’ Forum).
Caroline read History and Economics at Oxford.
Dr Simon Crook
Investment Director
Simon is a Director on Earth Capital’s biomass, biogas, and renewable assets.
He has 18 years’ experience in Clean Technology and Sustainable Finance. Previous experience includes Operating Partner at Greensphere Capital, Senior Manager at Grant Thornton and Senior Scientist at Exxon Mobil.
Simon has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cambridge and an MA in Chemical Engineering from the University of Nottingham.
Phil Culver Evans
Chief Financial Officer
At Earth Capital, Phil is responsible for financial controls and reporting; he is also a member of the investment committee. In addition, Phil is the Group CFO.
He has over 25 years’ experience of managing fast-growing and changing businesses in both financial and operational senior management. For some years he has run his own consulting firm.
Previously he was Finance Director of College Hill (now Instinctif) and then as a Consultant Director at Conduit PR and Tavistock Communications. Prior to this, Phil was the Finance Director of Huntsworth Group PLC. Previously he was a General Manager at the then-largest worldwide PR and Marketing Services agency, Burson Marsteller. His corporate career started with the executive recruitment firm Robert Walters.
Before starting his business career, Phil was a soldier in the French army. He is also an FCCA.
Kathryn Duffy FCCA
Financial Controller
Kathryn is the Financial Controller and in addition works with a number of the investee companies.
She has 15 years’ finance experience in Private Equity, Venture Capital and Media. Prior to joining the group Kathryn was Financial Controller at Sports Revolution Ltd, Everywoman Ltd and Sales Activation Solutions.
Kathryn is an FCCA.
Elise Hockley
Investor Relations & Marketing Manager
Elise is responsible for investor relations and digital marketing.
Elise started her career as a theatrical agent at Burnett Granger and Jorg Betts Associates. In 2012 she joined Edge Group and whilst there took on responsibility for Investor Relations. In 2013 she joined KKR and became the Office Operations Co-ordinator.
In 2016, she relocated to India and worked for a number of NGOs at Parmarth Niketan where amongst other duties she handled relations between the projects and the donors. Elise joined EC in 2018.
Elise studied Drama and Theatre at Middlesex University and has a Foundation Certificate in Environmental Management from the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment.
Joshua Hope
Investment Associate
Joshua has a Cleantech background, having previously worked with a number of start-ups based in the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation. He joined Earth Capital after completing an MSc in Climate Change, Management and Finance at Imperial College Business School.
Joshua also holds a BSc in Geography from the University of Edinburgh.
Gemma Hopkins
Office Administrator
Gemma is responsible for Office Administration.
Prior to joining Earth Capital, Gemma worked at Hugh James Law Firm in Cardiff gaining experience in financial compliance and office administration.
She also holds a BA in Theology and Religion from the University of Exeter.
Stephen Lansdown
Co-Founder
Stephen was co-founder of the private client business Hargreaves Lansdown (HL), the UK’s largest independent private client brokerage, and a FTSE100 constituent. He co-founded Earth Capital Holdings with Gordon Power in 2008 to focus on sustainable technology investments and stepped down as executive director of HL in 2010.
Sue Main
Executive Assistant
Sue is the Executive Assistant to our Chief Investment Officer.
She has worked in the financial sector for over 25 years. In 1994 she joined Gordon Power at ProVen Private Equity as Facilities Manager.
She previously worked as Office Manager for Palamon Capital Partners and relocation consultant and events co-ordinator at Warburg Pincus International. More recently she has been a freelance consultant to a number of companies before returning to work for Earth Capital.
Gordon Power
Chief Investment Officer
Gordon is responsible for the investment activities of the firm. He is also a co-founder of Earth Capital Holdings with Stephen Lansdown, Earth Capital's holding company. In addition, Gordon is also Director & Investment Committee member at Berkeley Energy Ltd (BEL) and Director of Sustainable Development Capital Ltd (SDCL).
Gordon has over 34 years’ of private equity experience. He founded the private equity business ProVen Private Equity (now re-named Beringea) and led its buy-out from Guinness Mahon in 1997 acting as CEO and CIO until the firm’s sale in 2004. In 2003 ProVen had funds under management of $340m. Gordon’s investment track record extends to over 256 investments made over the last 34 years, generating an IRR of 28.5%. During this time he has made 33 investments in sustainable technology within areas such as forestry, plastic recycling and eco-friendly building materials and brand packaging which have generated an IRR of 45%.
Gehane Tewfik
Office Manager
Gehane is responsible for Human Resources and assists the Investment team.
Gehane has 30 years’ experience in investment and asset management, project management and financial services.