(Carbon Neutral Royalty Ltd., 4.Mar.2022) — Carbon Neutral Royalty Ltd. appointed Erik Solheim and John Mitnick as strategic advisors to the company.
Brett Heath, Non-Executive Chairman of Carbon Neutral Royalty stated: “I am delighted to welcome Erik Solheim and John Mitnick as Strategic Advisors of the company. Erik has had an extensive career holding some of the highest public office positions for policy on the environment in Norway and at the United Nations. John has had extensive experience serving as an attorney and leader at the highest levels of government and the private sector in the United States. As this new sector moves toward a more formalized global standard, Carbon Neutral will have the benefit of their geopolitical experience, public office experience, and global networks.”
Appointment of Erik Solheim as Strategic Advisor
Following an extensive career focusing on environment and development in government and international organizations, Erik Solheim was Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme between May 2016 and November 2018. Prior to joining UN Environment, Solheim was the chair of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. In this capacity, Solheim emphasized the role of private sector and tax in development finance, spearheading the Sustainable Development Investment Partnership and the Addis Tax Initiative. Solheim also focused on the need to channel more aid to least-developed countries, and bring new members and partners to the Development Assistance Committee. From 2007 to 2012, Solheim held the combined portfolio of Norway’s Minister of the Environment and Minister of International Development, and from 2005 to 2007 he served as Minister of International Development. This unique portfolio mixture allowed him to bring a coherent approach to development and the environment. Solheim also put into place the Nature Diversity Act, which many consider to be Norway’s most important piece of environmental legislation in the last 100 years. The Norwegian Climate and Forest Initiative, in which Norway cooperates closely with Brazil, Indonesia, Guyana, and other countries to conserve rainforests, was also established under Solheim. This initiative provided critical input to the establishment of UN REDD, the global coalition to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries.
In addition to his role in government and international development, Solheim has served as UN Environment’s Special Envoy for Environment, Conflict and Disaster and as a Patron of Nature for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. He has also received a number of awards for his work on climate and the environment, including UN Environment’s Champions of the Earth award, TIME Magazine‘s Hero of the Environment, and an honorary doctorate from TERI University in Delhi, India. He has also written three books: Den store samtalen, Naermere, and Politikk er a ville. Solheim holds a degree in history and social studies from the University of Oslo.
Appointment of John Mitnick as Strategic Advisor
Mr. Mitnick is an attorney with over 30 years of experience serving at the highest levels of government and the private sector. His government experience includes service as the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2018-2019) and as Associate Counsel to the President of the United States (2005-2007). He has also served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of The Heritage Foundation, an influential think tank (2014-2018), and as Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of a Raytheon business unit with over $3bn in annual revenue, over 9,000 employees, and operations in over 40 countries and on all continents (2007-2013). He began his legal career at the law firm now known as Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP (1988-2001), where he was a partner specializing in mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, commercial contracts, and international law.
Mr. Mitnick serves on the boards of directors of Draganfly Inc., a publicly-traded drone company (NASDAQ: DPRO), and Valaurum, Inc., a private mint. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jurisprudence from the University of Oxford. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science (summa cum laude) from Emory University.
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