Sam Elder
Founder & Director @Climate Navigator
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WORK HISTORY
Founder & Director @Climate Navigator
Christchurch, NZ
Climate Navigator is unlocking the power of people and places to accelerate just transitions.We are an impact-driven strategy and innovation consultancy, partnering with organisations, people and communities to drive bold collective action on society\'s biggest challenge. Drop me a line if you\'d like to explore working together.
EDUCATION
University of Nottingham
BEng (1st Class Hons), Mechanical Engineering
Centre for Alternative Technology - Graduate School of the Environment
Master's Degree, Master of Science Architecture: Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies
SKILLS
ABOUT SAM ELDER
I\'m a natural systems thinker and problem solver who thrives when working with others to address the major challenges and opportunities we face as a society. I\'ve spent the past 25-years developing systemic, impactful solutions to complex problems across the public, private and NFP sectors.I started out in the 1990s as a \'rocket scientist\'(AKA spacecraft thermal systems engineer), working on some of the world\'s biggest, highest-risk space missions. One of my first projects was testing an early instrument to measure sea surface temperature, and so monitor and detect climate change. I worked on many other missions over 11-years, including the James Webb Space Telescope (the Hubble replacement) for which I received an award for my \'outstanding contribution\' from NASA and ESA.I moved to NZ in 2005 with my Kiwi husband and young family and since then have gained a wealth of experience across the public, private and NFP sectors. Initially I coordinated NZ\'s largest Outcomes Based Investment research programme (B3 - Better Border Biosecurity), before moving on to create new, industry-leading insight and analytics capability as the Business Insight Manager at Meridian Energy. After 6-years at Meridian, I took on a new challenge - supporting social innovation and entrepreneurship as Southern Director of the Akina Foundation. More recently I spent 3-years as a Senior Strategy Manager at Environment Canterbury, with responsibility for three of Council\'s six portfolios, and a new \'Climate Change Integration\' programme - the first of its kind in NZ.It\'s been quite a journey so far, and along the way I\'ve gained a BEng (First Class Hons) in Mechanical Engineering in 1994; qualified as a UK Chartered Engineer in qualified as a Project Management Professional in 2007; and gained an MSc (Distinction) in Architecture (Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies) in 2014.In 2020 I chose to focus in on society\'s ultimate complex challenge - the urgent, must-win fight to combat climate change, with a focus on enabling an equitable energy transition for Aotearoa and Canterbury communities.
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