CDP Announces Foundation CEO to Leverage Global Environmental Transparency, United in Shared Ambition with CDP

London, 30 June – CDP, the global system for environmental disclosure, today announces the appointment of environmental leader Beth Thoren as CEO of the CDP foundation. Following CDP’s recent evolution announcement, Beth will assume the role of CEO of the charitable CDP foundation once the organization has officially formed later this year.

In its next chapter, CDP will become two separate organizations – the CDP foundation, a charitable organization and CDP, a commercial entity – united in shared ambition.

Sherry Madera will remain the CEO and leader of CDP, the commercial business. The CDP foundation, the non-profit organization, will be led by Beth Thoren and it will continue to be overseen by a dedicated Board of Trustees.

Once formed, the CDP foundation will leverage CDP data to drive impact through engagement with business, government and civil society. It will also help shape the future of environmental disclosure, providing science-led principles and priorities to CDP, the commercial entity, for the strategic evolution of CDP’s question bank and disclosure methods.

Beth brings more than two decades of experience spanning environmental conservation and business engagement, having held senior leadership roles at Patagonia and ClientEarth. Joining from Patagonia, as Environmental Action & Initiatives Director EMEA, Beth was instrumental in working with a coalition of NGOs to save the last wild rivers of Europe.

Prior to Patagonia, Beth was Deputy Chief Executive at Client Earth, where she led the NGO’s work using the power of law to create systemic change across climate and nature.

Over the next six months, Beth will be working closely with the Board of Trustees, CDP Leadership Team and CDP’s diverse stakeholder groups, to map out the future of the CDP foundation, to ensure it has the agency and focus to achieve its ambitious impact-driven goals.

Sherry Madera, CEO, CDP, said: “I am delighted to welcome Beth to CDP at such a pivotal time for the organization. As CDP enters the next chapter in its evolution, the CDP foundation will play a significant role in partnering with CDP, delivering on our shared ambition. Beth and I are dedicated to working symbiotically - starting today - to deliver an excellent disclosure cycle and the insight needed for a sustainable future.”

Katherine Garrett-Cox, Chair, CDP Board of Trustees, commented: “I’m thrilled that the Board of Trustees has confirmed Beth as the CDP foundation CEO – a passionate and experienced leader, who will have a strong mandate to take forward the foundation’s mission.”

Beth Thoren, Designate CEO, CDP foundation, added: “There are few organizations with CDP’s ability to unite business, finance and government leaders around a table on the basis of trusted and standardized environmental data and insights. This puts the foundation in a unique and powerful position to drive systemic change and to work in partnership to deliver real world solutions. As we develop the strategy of the foundation over the coming months, it will be an important time to engage closely with our stakeholders to ensure the new organization plays a truly differentiated role in the sector. I am looking forward to working with the wider team and all of CDP’s stakeholders to harness the full potential of the foundation's influence and global reach.”

The completion of the evolution into the CDP commercial business and CDP foundation is anticipated in the next six months.

About CDP

CDP is a global non-profit that runs the world’s only independent environmental disclosure system. As the founder of environmental reporting, we believe in transparency and the power of data to drive change. Partnering with leaders in enterprise, capital, policy and science, we surface the information needed to enable Earth-positive decisions. We helped more than 22,100 companies and over 1,000 cities, states and regions disclose their environmental impacts in 2025. Financial institutions with more than a quarter of the world’s institutional assets use CDP data to help inform investment and lending decisions. Aligned with the ISSB’s climate standard, IFRS S2, as its foundational baseline, CDP integrates best practice reporting standards and frameworks in one place. Our team is truly global, united by our shared desire to build a world where people, planet and profit are truly balanced. In June 2026, we announced CDP will evolve into two separate organizations - a commercial entity, CDP, and a non-profit CDP Foundation. This transition into two organizations is expected to happen over the course of six months and both organizations will continue to remain united in shared ambition: to surface new information, enabling Earth-positive decisions to protect future generations.

For more information, please contact:

Samika Meshram-Jasinski (samika.meshram@cdp.net)

George Bush (george.bush@cdp.net)