Our team

Anthony is the founder and CEO of C4 EcoSolutions and AfriCarbon. The focus of his career has been to catalyse investments in ecosystem restoration and regenerative agriculture within the public and private sectors so hundreds of millions of hectares can be restored. He has worked on GCF and GEF projects and designed the strategy on the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. He is working with a wide range of private sector investors to realise the vision of restoring one million hectares of degraded thicket landscapes in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Anthony is also an Extraordinary Professor in the Department of Soil Science, Stellenbosch University where he undertakes primary research on soil chemistry and ecology.

Project countries: Namibia, South Africa
Skills: team management; budgeting; planning and implementation of restoration projects

Robbert joined the C4 team in 2021 as a spekboom project analyst and now leads our implementation arm. He has a background in spekboom ecophysiology and ecology, having studied this in detail from honours through to PhD. During his time at C4, he has coupled his academic background with his experience in commercial-scale horticulture to implement the Kuzuko Thicket Restoration Project — a massive project with a diverse team of >350 people, who planted >30 million spekboom in a Big Five game reserve. Robbert and the implementation arm are now in the preparatory phases of the Spekboom Thicket Restoration Project, which aims to restore >100,000 hectares of degraded thicket landscapes across the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. He and the implementation arm are also starting to apply their lessons from the Kuzuko project in other restoration projects around the world, with the vision of pushing back degraded lands and deserts across the globe.

Jaun joined our team in 2022 and works as a remote sensing specialist. For his MSc, he investigated the spatial and temporal variability of rainfall in South Africa. He is pursuing a PhD in Environmental Sciences which focuses on using remote sensing to characterise maize crops in South Africa. He has >8 years’ experience in using GIS and remote sensing in numerous conservation, climate, agriculture and ecosystem projects. Prior to joining C4, he worked on developing bespoke remote sensing solutions for farmers in South Africa to monitor crops, implementing climate change adaptation programs in the Sahel, West Africa and developing GIS solutions for complex environmental challenges.

Project countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Skills: agricultural and precision farming; geospatial assessment of agriculture value chains; micro and mesoscale meteorology; climatology; database design; development and management

Reinhardt is an environmental specialist who addresses climate and environmental challenges through a multidisciplinary approach encompassing carbon sequestration projects, climate adaptation strategies, and geospatial analysis. He employs recognised methodologies from standards such as Verra, Voluntary Carbon Standards (VCS), Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Gold Standard (GS) to design and implement carbon projects in agriculture, forestry and land use.

Skills: data management; scientific methodology; people management and logistical coordination
Keith’s experience is in the environmental and conservation sector. Initially he worked on a project that investigated the impact of rangeland and game farming on animal conservation. His involvement in the ecosystem restoration project was primarily centred around innovation and scientific experimentation. As the project has grown, his responsibilities increased to focus on managing teams of workers and supervisors to execute the company’s vision.

Project countries: Djibouti, Lebanon, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania
Skills: research and analytic skills; project development and management; climate change adaptation and NbS; biological invasions and conservation

Nicole transitioned from academia to the practical field of climate change adaptation at C4. As an assistant lecturer and researcher, she gained her extensive background in ecology, invasion biology and conservation biology. She is part of the team at C4 leading and developing Funding Proposals, Feasibility Studies and Monitoring Evaluation Plans.

Project countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Cameroon, Djibouti, Eritrea, Malawi, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, The Gambia, The Maldives, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
Skills: gender mainstreaming; strategic planning; project management; climate action planning; sustainable development; budget management; stakeholder engagement

Tinovonga has 3 years’ experience designing and managing several climate change adaptation projects in multiple countries, having joined C4 in 2021. In her Honour’s thesis, she drew on a gender lens to assess the livelihoods of Zimbabwean female migrants living in Cape Town, South Africa. She is particularly interested in the relationship between climate change impacts and genders — specifically how a gendered response can improve the implementation of climate change adaptation projects.

Project countries: Djibouti, Lebanon, Mauritania, Somalia, Tanzania, The Philippines
Skills: disaster risk reduction; management; hazard risk assessments; NbS; systems thinking and social-ecological systems; research-based analysis; critical thinking and analytical skills

Emily has been involved in the development of innovative climate change adaptation and mitigation projects. She has also been involved in the development of a Climate Information Services (CIS ) study for the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) . She has recently expanded her role to reviewing and editing documents to enhance quality of deliverables.

Project countries: Mauritania, Zimbabwe
Skills: carbon project knowledge; environmental science; precision agriculture; remote sensing; Google Earth Engine; R; geospatial assessment (GIS); species distribution modelling

Gerhard has led a carbon Feasibility Study in Zimbabwe focused on improved agricultural land management and forest conservation. Prior to this, he worked on projects in South Africa where he developed tools to analyse crop health using satellite images and created an online portal for farmers to monitor their crops remotely.

Project countries: Botswana, Brazil, Colombia, Eritrea, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, United States of America, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Skills: environmental law; legal registers; opinions and compliance auditing; environmental management systems development and auditing; GIS analyses; remote sensing; integrated assessment modelling; advanced data analysis

Daniël has 10 years’ experience in the fields of environmental law, management and science. He has worked as an environmental law specialist, environmental management specialist, researcher in air quality science and meteorologist. He is involved in the development of Feasibility Studies of carbon projects. He leads the review and development of proposals and project documents on climate change adaptation and mitigation. He also assists with the design and execution of environmental analyses through GIS, remote sensing and modelling applications.

Project countries: China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Peru, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, The Philippines, Togo, Zimbabwe
Skills: research; scientific writing; QGIS; extensive carbon standard methodology knowledge; remote sensing software; carbon modelling software

Matthew has practical field experience collecting data and using scientific equipment, which has given him good context for much of the data we use day-to-day. Out of the field, he has experience with collecting and using remote sensing data, conducting research for desktop reviews and writing reports. Other points, such as carbon standard knowledge, help to add more details and context for practical solutions and targeted methodologies.

Project countries: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cambodia, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, multiple countries in Asia, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania, Thailand, The Gambia, The Philippines, Timor-Leste, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Skills: Python; JavaScript; C#; R; SQL; HTML/CSS; modelling; machine learning; statistical analysis; mapping; GIS/remote sensing; data visualisation; automation; prompt engineering; cloud server management; writing; research

Ruben joined the C4 team in 2023 as a consultant. He holds a BSc Honours in Zoology and a Master of Arts (MA) in Creative Writing, both from the University of Pretoria. For his Honours project, he analysed the climate change-induced shift in the foraging range of southern elephant seals. His MA in Creative Writing comprised a fiction novel and a mini-dissertation, both focusing on identity crisis in South Africans. Ruben has >4 years’ experience working as a software developer and data scientist. He is proficient in Python, SQL, JavaScript/TypeScript, R, C#, HTML and CSS. Ruben has a passion for creating software products, automating processes and extracting value out of data, especially in the field of conservation.

Project countries: Angola, Bangladesh, Burundi, Cambodia, Chad, Congo , Dominican Republic, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, The Gambia, The Philippines, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Skills: investigative research; problem solving; statistical analysis; writing and reviewing

Nikki has worked in literature and investigative research into methods for beneficiating coal without the need for water. She has designed, commissioned and optimised three laboratory-scale apparatus. She has done multiple fraction of non-renewable biomass (fNRB) and corporate carbon footprint studies at C4.

Project countries: Eswatini, Lebanon, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Rwanda, South Africa, Somalia, Tuvalu

Skills: critical thinking and analytical skills, project management, stakeholder engagement, budget management, systems thinking and social-ecological systems, strategic planning

Katherine has been involved in developing several climate change adaptation and mitigation projects, including leading the development of a Least Developed Countries Fund adaptation project in Rwanda. Her expertise spans Ecosystem-based Adaptation, Nature-based Solutions and disaster risk management. With a multidisciplinary background in psychology, social sciences and agriculture, Katherine specialises in stakeholder engagement, ensuring project designs meet communities’ needs in local contexts.

Project countries: Eswatini, Mongolia, Namibia, the SADC region
Skills: GIS and remote sensing; report writing; data management

Jordan has been actively involved in four distinct climate adaptation projects contributing to baseline research and engaging in more specialised technical tasks. Her experience extends to working on ecosystem restoration initiatives, with a focus on NbS and disaster risk preparedness.

Project countries: Eswatini, Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Skills: research project development and implementation; statistical analysis (Excel, R, XLSTAT, QGIS analysis), SQL, Google Colab

Chris has contributed to the evaluation and advancement of Scoping and Feasibility Studies for carbon credit projects, with a specific focus on Agriculture, Forestry and Land Use initiatives, encompassing REDD+ and Improved Agriculture Land Management projects. His involvement extends to ecosystem modelling activities within the SADC region.

Project countries: Kenya, South Africa, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Skills: design and implementation of carbon credit-generating projects, research skills and experience in multi-disciplinary environmental sciences

Mari’s academic work involved developing a tissue culture protocol for Crocosmia aurea with the aim of commercialising the antidiabetic compound Montbretin A (MbA). She has contributed to the research and development of Scoping and Feasibility studies for carbon credit projects, particularly in the Agriculture, Forestry and other Land Use sectors, encompassing REDD+, ARR, and Improved Agricultural Land Management projects. She has expertise in Verra methodologies and a nuanced understanding of relevant legislation for carbon credits, carbon ownership, land tenure, and associated intricacies of the process. Prior to joining C4, Mari has also been an Environmental Consultant at Biosylx (Pty) Ltd.

Project countries: South Africa, Zimbabwe
Skills: technical understanding of Verra’s REDD+ and sustainable agriculture carbon credit projects; development of Feasibility and Scoping studies; statistical analysis (Excel, R, PRIMER); QGIS analysis and mapping

Nicola’s work focuses on assessing the feasibility of carbon offset projects, particularly within the Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use sector. Her work centres on REDD+ initiatives and Sustainable Agriculture and Agroforestry.

Project countries: South Africa
Skills: Data management and analysis; Carbon accounting; Project management and coordination.

William started his career as an intern for the Rhodes Restoration Research Group. He has mainly worked with Portulacaria afra research and its potential in restoration ecology. He has continued his career working in the AfriCarbon thicket restoration project. He has also gained experience in the voluntary carbon market and the requirements of Verra methodologies, modules and tools required to implement an AFOLU ARR project.

William obtained his MSc in Water Resource Science from Rhodes University, where he analysed the vegetation use of livestock in the Transkei region of the Eastern Cape. After completing his studies, William went on to work as a research assistant at Rhodes, collaborating with SANBI to assess the population distribution of Aloe ferox in the Eastern and Western Cape provinces. He is now employed as a project coordinator for C4’s Spekboom Restoration Project, where his main responsibilities involve assisting with the management and roll-out of project implementation.

Since finishing his master’s at the University of Cape Town, Shaidan has worked as a data analyst at a carbon development company, focusing on soil organic carbon modelling. Having joined our team in 2024, he strives to understand the complexities of ecosystems to help create unique, effective strategies that drive real and tangible change. He is particularly passionate and interested in agroecology and restoration ecology and has expertise in remote sensing, GIS and landscape ecology.

Project countries: South Africa, United States of America, Zambia
Skills: writing; editing; science communication; data visualisation; R; statistical analysis; botany

Ruan joined C4 EcoSolutions in early 2023 as a research and publishing intern, carrying out primary scientific research at the company, with a background in plant ecology and evolutionary biology. Ruan has published work on various aspects of the Cape flora’s biodiversity, including phylogenetics, biogeography and macroecological patterns in relation to soil characteristics. Passionate and skilled in data wrangling, visualisation and statistical analysis, Ruan contributes to ongoing research projects on savanna, grassland, and spekboom thicket soil ecology, working with the AfriCarbon team. He also develops in-house training material on a variety of topics at C4, leveraging his teaching experience as a postgraduate at UCT, and provides editorial support across projects.

Countries: Angola, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Eswatini, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Laos, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Thailand, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Skills: remote sensing; GIS, geospatial analysis, biodiversity information management, biostatistics, data analysis

Tauriq has gained practical experience as an intern in Animal Production at the Agricultural Research Council. He has contributed to projects in C4 including climate modelling; REDD+ Feasibility Studies, Carbon Scoping Studie and restoration projects.

Ayesha joined C4 in 2024 and has a background in environmental science, data analysis and business intelligence development. Her technical expertise includes advanced Microsoft Excel, PowerBI, data visualisation, SQL and data management. Ayesha has contributed to GIS mapping and feasibility studies in Zambia and SADC. She has created detailed stakeholder matrices and consultation questions for a recent project. Prior to working for C4, she led multiple projects and coordinated with stakeholders to achieve client deliverables for a data analytics company in Cape Town. Her focus was on the fleet and solid waste department. Her responsibilities included creating business intelligence reports to manage vehicles within the fleet department and to aid with monitoring CO₂ emissions related to vehicles.

Proficient in geographic information systems and data management, they combine environmental knowledge with technical skills to develop evidence-based solutions. Their passion for understanding ecosystem interactions and their impact on the global climate drives their commitment to creating effective strategies for environmental conservation and climate action.