Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announces the co-founding of The Climate Pledge at the National News Club on September 19, 2019, in Washington.
Paul Morigi | Getty Images | Amazon
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Tuesday announced the head of a major environmental think tank as CEO of his $ 10 billion Land Fund.
In an Instagram post, Bezos said that Andrew Steer, currently President and CEO of the World Resources Institute, an environmental nonprofit organization, has agreed to manage the Land Fund.
“Lauren and I are delighted that Andrew is on board and full of energy about the future of the Fund and our partners,” Bezos wrote in the post, referring to his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez. Sanchez has participated in previous meetings with Land Fund recipients, the Land Fund said.
Launched in February last year, the Land Fund is designed to combat the effects of climate change by providing grants to scientists, activists and other organizations in their efforts to ” conserving and protecting the natural world. “In November last year, Bezos announced the first recipients of the Land Fund, with organizations receiving grants worth $ 791 million. Its achievements included Nature Conservation, the Council for the Protection of Natural Resources, the World Wildlife Fund and the World Resources Institute.
Bezos took an active part in the interview process and hired Steer, the Land Fund said. In addition to being head of the World Resources Institute, Steer has deep ties to global organizations with a focus on environmental and economic issues, as well as holding senior positions at the World Bank.
In a series of tweets, Steer said the Land Fund will invest in scientists, NGOs, entrepreneurs and the private sector to further develop new technologies, investments, policy change and behavior. One key focus of the Land Fund, which Bezos hopes to “spend down” between now and 2030, will be around the effects of climate change on “poor and marginalized communities,” Steer said.
Steer ‘s hiring comes as Bezos is slated to retire as CEO on Amazon later this year, turning the helm to AWS CEO Andy Jassy. Bezos is expected to turn more attention to projects such as Earth Fund, its space company Blue Origin, The Washington Post and Amazon’s Day 1 Fund.