Earth Active Under Neil Jeffery: De-Risking Capital in Complex Markets

Earth Active operates at the intersection of environment, climate, governance and social performance, helping lenders, investors and developers deploy capital effectively in complex and high-risk markets. Under Chief Executive Officer Neil Jeffery, the firm has evolved from a specialist advisory practice into a scaled ESG risk and investment business, recognised for translating environmental and social complexity into decision-grade insight that supports bankable, durable outcomes.

At its core, Earth Active remains anchored in high-value, project-based advisory, complemented by longer-term strategic support to financial institutions and developers. The firm works with major banks and other investment institutions globally to align transactions with international standards, while supporting clients to identify, manage and mitigate material environmental and social risks. In parallel, Earth Active advises developers of large infrastructure programmes — including roads, rail, airports and power generation — helping them embed robust environmental and social systems across the full project lifecycle, from early-stage planning through construction and operations.

In markets where execution risk is high and stakeholder expectations are accelerating, Earth Active’s work is defined by proportionality and practicality. The firm supports capital providers in aligning investments with the intent and substance of frameworks such as the Equator Principles, IFC Performance Standards and EBRD standards. The aim is not compliance as an administrative exercise, but risk management as an operational discipline — a means of turning requirements into measurable performance, reduced volatility and stronger investment resilience.

The financial value of this approach is increasingly clear. By strengthening how environmental and social risks are identified and managed, Earth Active contributes to de-risking transactions and lowering the cost of capital. Insurance can often be priced more favourably where concrete risk controls are in place, while early identification and resolution of issues supports project delivery against timeline — avoiding delays, containing costs and keeping capital deployed efficiently. For lenders and sponsors alike, disciplined ESG risk management has become less a reputational overlay than a commercial enabler.

Earth Active is also positioned to add value at the earliest stage of the investment lifecycle, when risk is most manageable and mitigation is least expensive. The firm supports lenders and investors by screening prospective transactions before commitment, enabling early identification of material environmental and social constraints. Formal Environmental and Social Due Diligence (ESDD) provides a structured basis for credit and investment decision-making at origination and beyond, allowing clients to avoid deal-breakers, strengthen transaction structure and reduce downstream execution risk.

This capability is underpinned by deep technical expertise and operational experience. Earth Active’s multidisciplinary teams work across the Middle East, Central and Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe, combining technical excellence with practical understanding of delivery in challenging contexts. That reach is supported by an integrated operating model that blends in-house expertise with a trusted network of specialist associates, enabling the firm to respond flexibly across geographies, sectors and project realities.

The standards landscape in which Earth Active operates is itself evolving. International frameworks are refined as lessons from lenders and developers feed into best practice, and as new sources of capital emerge — particularly in emerging markets where development needs are acute and risk can be unevenly priced. Earth Active plays a constructive role in this evolution by bringing practical lessons and policy perspectives into sector-wide discussions. The firm supports clients in responding to shifting expectations by helping develop internal guidance, policy positions and risk frameworks, and contributes to international standards working groups. The objective is to keep ESG requirements grounded in operational reality, while ensuring they remain credible to investors, lenders and regulators.

Biodiversity has become a particularly material investment variable in recent years. It is increasingly treated as a core issue in project finance decision-making, with a growing expectation that investments should not merely avoid harm, but actively improve biodiversity outcomes. This shift is reflected in requirements such as those set out in IFC Performance Standard 6, including expectations around biodiversity net gain strategies in critical habitats.

Earth Active supports clients in meeting these requirements by applying the mitigation hierarchy — identifying, quantifying and costing practical actions to avoid, minimise, restore and, where necessary, offset impacts. The approach creates an actionable pathway through biodiversity management and offset planning, helping clients respond to requirements in a way that is achievable, auditable and commercially realistic. The firm has supported programmes at meaningful scale, including work on one of the world’s largest biodiversity offsets at a site in Southeast Asia, illustrating how biodiversity risk can be addressed rigorously without undermining investment viability.

Alongside the evolution of its client offering, Earth Active has undergone a substantial period of internal transformation. Jeffery was appointed to lead a change process designed to prepare the business for its next phase of growth. With two decades of experience in change management — particularly within small and medium-sized firms operating across emerging markets — his mandate was to sharpen the company’s operating model, strengthen leadership structures, and position Earth Active to better leverage its capabilities in a rapidly maturing ESG market.

That change programme, delivered over just more than a year, culminated in the successful sale of Earth Active to the Ecology and Environment Group. Integration into a wider ecology and environmental consultancy has created new opportunities for growth, enabling the business to streamline operations, benefit from economies of scale and expand its client base. In doing so, Earth Active has strengthened its ability to support capital deployment through project finance, delivering specialist services to a broader set of clients across more diverse and complex markets.

The transaction also unlocked new investment into the business, enabling Earth Active to deepen its technical specialisms across environment, biodiversity and social performance. This capability expansion strengthens the firm’s ability to respond to increasingly sophisticated client requirements, while remaining focused on outcomes. In Jeffery’s view, success is measured by the firm’s ability to resolve business issues efficiently, manage risk with discipline and unlock investment that delivers enduring value.

Internally, the transformation placed people, systems and culture at its centre. Jeffery sought to lead change in a way that empowered staff and strengthened delivery, recognising that advisory credibility depends not only on technical skill, but also on consistency, collaboration and trust. Leadership structures were reinforced through the establishment of a new Executive Team, while communication around change became more structured and transparent.

Staff support was strengthened through a refreshed talent management strategy, alongside improvements in client and account management designed to elevate the customer experience. Cultural change included a more disciplined approach to internal communication, training and professional development. Greater clarity of roles and stronger line management were achieved by restructuring consultancy teams around technical disciplines and introducing dedicated line-management training. A stronger feedback culture, coupled with consistency between rhetoric and action, proved central to building alignment across the organisation.

The result has been a business with higher internal cohesion and stronger delivery momentum — a workforce more invested in the company’s direction of travel and better positioned to deliver outcomes for clients. Following the move into the Ecology and Environment Group, Earth Active has also widened share ownership to a larger number of team members, reinforcing the link between performance, culture and long-term value creation.

Today, Earth Active stands as a mature, lender-trusted ESG advisory business supporting responsible investment and sustainable growth in regions where robust environmental and social risk management is indispensable. Under Neil Jeffery’s leadership, the firm continues to demonstrate a simple commercial truth: disciplined analysis, applied early and intelligently, creates value. It protects downside, accelerates execution, strengthens credibility — and helps capital reach the projects that will shape resilient, inclusive and sustainable development.