The team

Consisting of market experts and academic researchers, Universal Owner Initiatives' team works at the nexus of finance, climate, and data
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Thomas O'Neill
Founder
Before Universal Owner Initiatives, Thomas O’Neill co-founded InfluenceMap where he led the development of its analysis of corporate lobbying and FinanceMap to benchmark the climate performance of asset managers until June 2020. Thomas has worked internationally in Canada and Germany and has a degree in Politics and an MSc in International Security and Global Governance from Birkbeck, University of London. Thomas is on the 2018 Forbes 30 under 30 list for Europe Law and Policy.
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Kate Mackenzie
Advisor​
Kate Mackenzie is an independent consultant who advises organisations pursuing the Paris Agreement goals on climate change, particularly in relation to finance and economics, strategy, and communication. She is also a regular contributor for Bloomberg Green, where she writes the "Stranded Assets" column. Kate was formerly director of Finance, Policy and Decision Metrics at Climate-KIC Australia. Prior to that, she worked as a financial journalist at the Financial Times in London and Sydney. She is a member of the stakeholder advisory committee for the NESP Hub, an Australian science research network, and a fellow at the Centre for Policy Development, an independent, research-focused thinktank. 
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Paul Dickinson
Advisor​
Paul founded CDP in 2000 with an ambition of creating a global economic system that operates within sustainable environmental boundaries and prevents dangerous climate change. Paul previously co-founded Rufus Leonard Corporate Design and EyeNetwork. Paul is Chair of the Trustees of the NGO ShareAction as well as a Trustee of the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland where he has established a program of seminars and retreats now used by the responsible investment community as well as emerging social businesses.
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Louis Fletcher
Senior Research Fellow
Louis has undertaken research in the past for organisations including Campaign Against the Arms Trade and the 'Judging Political Violence' project, and has won awards for his writing on existential risk and climate change from The Future of Humanity Institute and The Guardian. He has a PhD from the University of Edinburgh in Politics, and an MPhil from the History Faculty of the University of Cambridge
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Sam Brown
Consultant
Sam’s work at Universal Owner has focused on investor engagement around the coal sector in Southeast Asia. He has previously worked in research positions at various national newspapers, and has recently conducted a policy placement at NATO Allied Command Transformation in the US. His research interests lie at the intersection of climate, health, and global security. Sam holds a BA and MPhil from the University of Cambridge.
Lara Dixon
Analyst
Lara is a graduate from the University of Manchester where she studied Chemical Engineering. She has conducted research on the sustainability of the industrial production of chloromethanes and designed a proposal for a new plant that addresses existing issues. She is keen to expand her knowledge of the financial sector, industry, and climate change through working with Universal Owner.