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Mongabay is pleased to announce its newest board member, Holt Thrasher.
Holt is an active conservationist and brings deep leadership in that sector as well as decades of experience in investment banking, IT, and consulting.
“Holt’s unparalleled experience at the intersection of conservation, finance, and technology brings an invaluable perspective as we continue to scale Mongabay’s platform,” said board chair Brodie Ferguson. “We’re excited that Holt will join us as we enter this exciting new stage of growth.”
Echoing board chair Ferguson, Mongabay founder and CEO Rhett Butler said, “We’re thrilled to welcome Holt to the Mongabay board. His passion for nature, deep knowledge of conservation issues and trends in technology, strategic thinking, and strong network will be tremendous resources for Mongabay as it continues its rapid expansion into new media markets.”
Holt has been an active conservationist and nature enthusiast for more than 25 years. He currently serves as Trustee and Treasurer of the National Marine Sanctuaries Foundation, supporting the 640,000 square miles of national marine sanctuaries and monuments managed by NOAA and the US Department of Interior. He is also Chairman Emeritus of the National Audubon Society. In 2001, he was a founding member and Chair of the Board of Audubon Connecticut. He joined Audubon’s national board five years later and was named Chair in 2008. His leadership played a critical role in advancing Audubon’s legislative, educational and conservation operations; guiding it to re-establish its science-based mission to conserve birds and their habitats; and strengthening Audubon’s place as one of the nation’s foremost environmental organizations.
“I am very excited to be able to work with the Mongabay board and team to help increase their global activities,” said Thrasher. “Now more than ever, we need objective sources of environmental reporting.”
Holt Thrasher
Holt has more than 35 years’ experience in investment banking, information technology, and consulting. He currently is Founder and CEO of Synovia Capital, an investment fund focused on ecosystem management within the data analytics sector. He recently served as Group CEO of Permian Global, a Luxembourg-based investment fund focused on climate change mitigation through the effective management of large areas of tropical forest (avoiding deforestation and restoring degraded forests). Prior to Permian Global, he founded and served as Managing Partner of Mooreland Partners, an information technology sector-focused investment bank. Holt previously was a Partner at Broadview Holdings, a global merger and acquisition advisory and investment firm.
He has a B.A. from Colby College and an M.B.A. from the International Institute of Management Development in Switzerland, and lives with his family in Greenwich, CT.
Banner image of Yellow-rumped Warbler by Peter Pearsall of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service