Movers & Shakers: Unilever, Greentech Capital snag top talent

Who’s moving where? Who’s doing what? Each month, “Movers and Shakers” chronicles the comings and goings — along with the promotions and achievements — of sustainable business professionals.

Got a tip about someone (maybe you!) who’s worthy of a shout-out? Send a note to: editor@greenbiz.com.

Greentech Capital Advisors, the first and largest investment bank focused on the business of green, has snagged a big hitter with David Dolezal. As a partner, Dolezal will head up the firm’s San Francisco office.

Dolezal’s career so far spans more than 15 years in the financial world, including most recently a stint at the renewable energy and clean-tech group at UBS Investment Bank.

“I am excited to be joining one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic investment banking firms focused on sustainable infrastructure,” said Dolezal in a statement.

The consumer manufacturing giant Unilever is also getting a veteran player on board with Marcela Manubens. Serving as Unilever’s global vice president for social impact, Manubens’ job will be in parts to implement the United Nation’s “Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights,” a global standard for businesses to follow on the impacts of human rights.

Before taking this position, Manubens had served as corporate social responsibility officer at PVH Corp., the largest shirt company in the world with such major brands as Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Kenneth Cole New York.

At sustainability trailblazer and carpet manufacturer Interface, Lindsay James has been appointed the company’s new vice president of restorative enterprise, where she’ll work to link sustainability into Interface’s business strategy. James has shifted to this new role after serving as Interface’s director of strategic sustainability for seven years.

Also up for promotion is Katherine O’Dea with her new position as director of innovation at the nonprofit GreenBlue. After almost two decades of professional experience in sustainability at private and nonprofit organizations, she first joined GreenBlue in 2007 as a senior fellow.

Saying goodbye will be Matt Elliott, who moved on last month from his job as clean energy advocate at the nonprofit Environment New Jersey. In an email announcing his departure, he wrote, “After 10 years, I’m looking forward to exploring new opportunities and taking on new challenges. I’m not sure where I’ll land just yet, but I won’t be far, and plan to continue my work to advocate for clean energy in some capacity.”

In other news:

• The Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark, an Amsterdam-based organization that assesses the sustainability of real estate portfolios, has named Elsbeth Quispel as head of sustainability.
• Novinda, developer of environmental technologies for power utilities, names Thomas Gale director of technology development.
• Publicly traded renewable chemicals and fuels firm Amyris announced Zanna McFerson as its new chief business officer. Previously, she was vice president of Cargill, where she served as business director of Truvia, creator of the natural sugar substitute.
• Remsoft, a Canadian-based software company that provides asset management tools for natural resources, has added business analyst Jennifer Landry to its forestry team.

Photo of David Dolezal provided by Greentech Capital Advisors