Sigma Global Team
Sigma Global Founders
Sally Burns
Sally is expert in structuring and transacting projects under the Kyoto Protocol and other international environmental market schemes. In Australia, she worked in market development and communications at the Sustainable Energy Development Authority in NSW. She later held a position at Origin Energy to expand their carbon projects portfolio. In Europe, Sally worked as legal counsel at The Netherlands' largest power company, Nuon, when emissions trading became mandatory in the EU. In a commercial role with Grontmij Climate and Energy she developed international carbon projects all over the world under the Kyoto Protocol. Sally holds degrees in Resource and Environmental Studies and Law.
Claire Byers
Claire undertook the first carbon trade in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and is expert in realising value from the international carbon markets. Co-founder and architect of the Carbon Banking concept, Claire was instrumental in setting up the multi-million Euro Fortis Bank carbon origination and trading desk. Previously, at Nuon, she worked on structuring and trading environmental products. She has also worked for Ecofys, providing energy and environmental consulting services to the European Commission, after starting her career as a production geologist working for Shell. Claire holds masters degrees in Natural Science and Environmental Technology from Cambridge and London (Imperial) Universities.
Sigma Global Team
Ben Cirulis, Technical Manager
Ben has strong expertise in reducing emissions in the resource sector. At Rio Tinto Aluminium, Ben held a number of research, technical and project management roles, including the operational activities of the Drained Cell Project, a technology development project focused on emissions reductions in primary aluminium smelting. In the food and beverage industry, Ben worked with Provisor where he assisted companies in complying with energy efficiency and emissions reporting regulations, and with voluntary carbon market activities. Now with Sigma Global, he is developing international emission reduction projects across a number of countries, with activities including technical evaluation, risk assessment and carbon strategy development. Ben has a degree in Process Metallurgical Engineering and has completed an executive education leadership programme at the London Business School.
Bridget Centenera, Head of Microfinance
Bridget's career has 9 years experience in the Finance and Microfinance industries. Through her work in this field Bridget has established a considerable level of understanding of community development and effective poverty alleviation. Her first position was with the Australian partner of the global Microfinance Network, Opportunity International. In this role Bridget worked extensively in assessing and improving the business of not-for-profit and formal Microfinance Institutions throughout Asia and Africa, as well as managing community based projects in these regions. In 2008 Bridget founded Strategic Poverty Solutions which partners with Sigma Global to implement community development projects. These projects contribute to sustainable development through social, economic, environmental and technology benefits in developing countries and Australia. These projects combine enterprise development with other sector services to address a variety of needs in poor communities. Bridget’s experience also includes training and supporting Microfinance practitioners around the world in strategic planning and implementing related business tools. Bridget holds an undergraduate degree and Masters in International Studies and Economic Development from the University of South Australia and the University of Sydney respectively,and she also completed postgraduate studies in Accounting and Finance at the University of Technology Sydney.
Amelia Reid, Project Officer
Amelia is a dedicated climate policy researcher and project developer. She has been working with Sigma Global since mid-2008 where she focuses on analysing project documentation, drafting and reviewing accreditation documentation under various emission reduction and trading schemes and monitoring and analysing domestic and international policy developments in environmental and carbon markets. Previously she has worked as a researcher and writer for Australian Geographic, a human resources assistant at ANZ, a scientific field and laboratory assistant at the Australian Museum and an international human aid and development volunteer at Cross Cultural Solutions. She graduated from Sydney University with a degree in arts and science in 2008 and thereafter continued her studies in biological sciences, achieving first class honours in 2009.
Sigma Global Associates
Klaus Trifellner, Associate
Klaus started his career as a futures broker and financial advisor in Switzerland and Germany. Changing gear, Klaus travelled widely working mainly in imports and in charitable activities. In Ghana he worked to help poor children pay their school fees, in the distribution donations of cloth and in training unemployed young people.
On returning to Germany Klaus devoted his time to developing and implementing cooking stove projects world-wide and developed and registered the first Indonesian/ German CDM Project; the CDM Solar Cooker Project Aceh 1.
Today, Klaus' company, Climate InterChange, develops multiple cook stove projects world-wide. These projects are highly attractive to investors and have the added benefits of improving living conditions for the world's rural poor, reducing deforestation and mitigating climate change.
Klaus holds qualifications in Physics, Mathematics, Economics and Spanish.
David Sanders, Associate
David Sanders is a founding partner of Cleantech Advisory, a strategy consulting and venturing firm based in the UK. Previously, as a founding partner of Cairneagle, David led their Carbon and Climate Change practice from 2004. David has been advising a number of corporates, funds, not-for-profit organisations, private equity firms and entrepreneurs in the carbon and clean technology space, and is a leading market commentator in the impact of carbon on corporate strategy. David has over 15 years experience as a strategy consultant, initially with the LEK Partnership and Roland Berger. He has spent 8 years as a successful entrepreneur, and has significant experience across strategy, finance, marketing and M&A. He has an MBA with distinction from Wharton, and a degree in mathematics from New College, Oxford.
Matt Cooksley, Associate
Matt Cooksley is a partner at Cairneagle, with 10 years strategy consulting and 4 years investment banking and advisory experience. Over the last four years, his focus has been advising clients in the carbon and clean technology sectors. Projects have included establishing carbon and clean tech funds, commercial due diligence for private equity firms, advising on the deployment of clean technologies in developing countries, and helping companies incorporate carbon in to their business strategies. Matt holds a degree in engineering from Cambridge University.
Rebecca Short, Associate
Rebecca is a dedicated communicator with specialist knowledge in energy, climate change, and sustainability. She works in collaboration with experts in their field to bring out the most compelling messages from very complex projects and initiatives. She relishes the subject of carbon markets and climate change and communicating commercial carbon projects to a broader audience.
Rebecca has held professional roles in communications at the NSW Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability, the Sustainable Energy Development Authority, and PPK (now Parsons Brinkerhoff). As part of the NSW Public Service she specialised in renewable energy, energy and water conservation - initiating and managing projects like the NSW Wind Atlas, Solar Month and the NSW Bioenergy Handbook. At PPK Rebecca was a team member on environmental impacts assessments, collecting community feedback for several large infrastructure projects. She holds joint qualifications in environmental science (BSc Hons) and post-graduate science communications (GradDipSciComms).