About
Organisation
The interDependence Agency is a UK-registered not-for-profit ‘think and do’ tank focused on incubating systemic solutions to global challenges.
The interDependence model was originally developed for the Global Challenges Foundation in 2017 in response to a call for proposals to create a more equitable, accountable and transparent models of global governance capable of responding to global challenges, existing and emerging.
​
​
Global Climate Change Challenge
In June 2019 the interDependence Agency hosted its first Global Climate Change Challenge programme which was attended by over 230 volunteers from 30 different countries. The objective of the programme was to educate volunteers about global heating and promote community engagement around the topic.
​
We held 30 interactive workshops featuring subject matter experts in areas from the latest climate science, sustainable leadership, to community engagement and much more. These workshops are all available on our Youtube channel.
​
We are pausing the Global Climate Change Challenge programme for now in order to focus on other aspects of our work. However, if you would like to register your interest in future programmes, please fill out this form here.
Principles and Values
We declare interDependence!
​
We hold these truths to be self-evident: we all live on the same fragile planet with finite resources. In today’s globally interconnected world actions taken by one individual or group within our shared environment can affect all other life on the planet.
We call for an update to our common values to safeguard against behaviours that materially threaten the way of life for any other member of society.
We believe in cultivating awareness
We believe that a grounded acknowledgement of reality is a prerequisite for taking action.
We believe in the importance of cultivating internal personal awareness as well as external awareness.
We believe in enabling others
We believe in enabling and empowering others to act.
We believe in a model of Sustainable Leadership that “helps groups of people address shared dilemmas that the majority assess to be beneficial and significant, and that would not otherwise have been achieved”.
We believe in impact
We are data-driven in our approach to achieving impact when it comes to creating a more sustainable society. We prioritise impact over ideology at all times.
We believe in respectful nonviolent communication
We are respectful of other people’s feelings and we use non-violent communication techniques, especially when giving feedback to others.
We believe empathy is crucial
We put ourselves in the shoes of others and we try to understand their perspective.
We believe in honesty, transparency and accountability
We tell the truth and we act like the truth is real.
We believe in running the interDependence Agency in a manner that is transparent and accountable.
We are open to feedback, new ideas and different perspectives
We regularly solicit feedback and welcome constructive critique.
We are open to new ideas and different perspectives that may help us collectively define an optimum response.
​
​
Team
Sam Gill
Sam started his career at Google, before going on to run the Environmental Investment Organisation (which has since rebranded to the Engaged Tracking Foundation) - the first organisation in the world to rank the world’s largest companies according to their greenhouse gas emissions. During his time at the Environmental Investment Organisation Sam oversaw the recruitment, training and management of a network of over 350 volunteers to produce the rankings each year.
He went on to co-found Engaged Tracking in 2014 with support from the European Union’s Climate KIC accelerated programme to commercialise the EIO’s work and begin translating the rankings into low carbon investment products.
Today Engaged Tracking is Europe’s leading advisor on climate change risk to institutional investors and employs 12 staff. To date, Sam has raised over £1.5m in venture capital investment for his ventures.
Sam was initially inspired to develop the interDependence concept in response to the call for proposals from the Global Challenges Foundation on how to develop and scale a more equitable, accountable and sustainable model for society.
Having spent the first 10 years of his career working on climate change mitigation, Sam plans to focus the next 10 years of his career helping society adapt to the rapid climatic changes that lie ahead.
Rahul Verma
​
Rahul graduated from the University of York with a degree in Electronic Engineering and Nanotechnology. As an engineer occupying varying roles since graduation, Rahul has gained first-hand exposure to the rapidly evolving technology landscape from a variety of perspectives. His experience spans fast-moving nascent startup environments to more mature organisations. Through this experience he has developed a broad understanding of how the technology world works.
Coming at endeavours from a Product Management mindset he is able to appraise both technical and non-technical aspects of ideas, and bring a host of methodological and procedural approaches to the table. Strategising ideas from inception to reality, he is able to cultivate business value from even the most embryonic of concepts.
​
​
Philippe Desfossés
​
Philippe is the former Chief Executive Officer of ERAFP, the French Public Service Additional Pension Scheme from May 2008 to December 2018. He started his career at the French Treasury (Ministry of Economy and Finance) in 1985, his roles included Deputy Head of the Enterprise Financing Desk, Deputy Head of the Sub-Saharan Africa Desk, Financial Attaché in New York (1989-1992) and Head of the Insurance Desk (1992-1995). From 1995 to 1997, he was Special Advisor to Mr Jacques Barrot, the French Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, in charge of the Employment, Family, Retirement and Old Age portfolios. In 1998, he joined AXA Group as Senior Manager and became CEO of two subsidiaries: International Finance Futures and Compagnie Financière de Paris. From 2006, Mr DESFOSSES was Director of Corporate Affairs & Business Development and member of the Executive Committee of Lilly France. From 2012 to 2018 Philippe was a member of the MSCI Advisory Board. He remains an advisor to the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) after having been Vice-Chair of the Board for 3 years. He recently joined the S2iem and NOWcp boards as a trustee. S2iem is “un fonds de Place” bearing the shares in projects of common interest for several French Institutional Investors. NOWcp is the new digital marketplace for Commercial Paper in Europe.
Pierre Lenders
Pierre Lenders is an impact investor focusing on the radical transformation of the food sector. Pierre was previously CEO of TerreNeuve Capital LLP, a sustainability-focused investment firm. In 2013, Pierre launched Prius Partners with the aim of measuring the intensity and financial effectiveness of ESG integration within any investment process. In 2012, he was the CEO of Rothschild HDF Investment Solutions, after running HDF Finance as CEO and Co-CIO from late 2010. During his tenure, they became a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment.
Ed Gillespie
Ed Gillespie is a writer, communications specialist, serial entrepreneur and futurist. He is the author of ‘Only Planet – a flight-free adventure around the world’ a book about his circumnavigation of the globe without getting on a plane, which the Independent said “Allow[s] the world’s flaws and beauty to seep into your soul”. Ed’s core talent is to take the complex, interconnected, interdependent nature of the many challenges the world faces, from climate change to disruptive innovation, and make common sense of them for non-specialist audiences. Ed is co-founder of Futerra, a change agency that specialises in business transformation and creative communications and campaigns. For the last fourteen years, Futerra has become internationally renowned for it’s influential and award-winning work on some of the biggest corporate sustainability initiatives, from Unilever’s ‘Sustainable Living Plan’, through Mondelez’s ‘Coffee Made Happy’ to SAB Miller’s ‘Prosper’. Professionally Ed is known for his own unique brand of authentic ‘insultancy’ – being strategically rude to clients, with judicious wit and wisdom to inspire them to greater heights and aspirations. He is highly adaptable, constructively challenging and pushes audience assumptions of business as usual, opening minds then mapping possible practical solutions and opportunities.
Isabelle Delattre
Isabelle is the former chief investment officer and deputy CEO for Raymond James Asset Management International, where was responsible for overseeing environmental, social and governance issues. In 2018, she oversaw the launch of the world's first "Carbon Momentum" fund which invests in European companies that are lowering their emissions the most year on year. She has been working on environmental, social and governance investment since 1998 when she founded the first French publicly-traded open-ended investment fund structure dedicated to environmental issues backed by one of the first rating agencies called "Arese". She was involved in early discussions for the G8 summit on environmental issues in 2003 which involved the French President. She began her career in 1984 as a financial analyst at the Banque de Gestion Privée, then in 1988 became General Manager of open-ended investment funds at Fimagest. In 1997, Isabelle participated in the creation of Expertise Asset Management (an affiliate of Boston-based group UAM which became Sarasin Expertise Asset Management in 2003), of which she was Associate-Founder. She is a member of the S.F.A.F (French Society of Financial Analysts).
Stephen Fitzpatrick
Stephen Fitzpatrick has over 20 years of experience in branding, digital marketing and PR sustainability and finance with global brands, campaigning organisations and agencies in sustainability and finance. He has worked with Greenpeace, WWF and Oxfam as well as Visa and LloydsTSB. He was Group Interactive Strategist at Saatchi and Saatchi and head of Strategy at the Social Business Group where he originated Mindful Money, a membership-based online news and social network for investors sponsored by HSBC, Schroders, Henderson’s, Blackrock and M&G, which beat the Times and the Huffington Post to win best commercial innovation and best use of crowd-sourcing at the online media awards.
Nektarios Liolios
Nektarios is co-founder of Startupbootcamp FinTech. Working to address the relationship between corporates and startups, Nektarios has worked closely with industry partners and investors for the Startupbootcamp FinTech and Rainmaking programs in London, New York, Singapore, Mumbai, Mexico City, Dubai, Amsterdam, Melbourne and Cairo). He is also co-founder and partner of Rainmaking, the global cooperative of entrepreneurs, leading innovation programs across the financial services sector. Prior to Startupbootcamp, he led SWIFT’s Innotribe Startup Challenge, the first global Fintech startup competition, facilitating interaction between startups and financial institutions. Driven by entrepreneurship, collaboration and the desire to change the industry, Nektarios is a global nomad, travel geek, and sneaker freaker.
Sophy Banks
Sophy has been a trainer for over 20 years. She has worked as an engineer, information systems consultant and psychotherapist and has considerable experience in the voluntary sector and community projects.
Sophy jointly set up the first ’Heart and Soul’, or ’Inner Transition’ group as part of the Transition Towns movement in Totnes in 2006. She co-founded Transition Training and, during her time at Transition Network, delivered Launch and other workshops to transition projects around the world. In 2016 Sophy stepped back from the Transition movement to give time to her own work and teaching.
ADVISORS