Scaling Quality in the VCM

Guest Lecturers

Sam Israelit is an Advisory Partner in Bain's San Francisco Office. For more than 24 years, he has worked with clients in the retail, manufacturing, and technology industries to help them transform their operations to improve cost, service levels, and resiliency. He is also Bain’s Chief Sustainability Officer, where he is responsible for Bain’s leading carbon management program, which has been recognized by EcoVadis and CDP as being in the top 1% of companies globally. He and his team lead Bain’s Carbon Net-Negative program and drive efforts to measure and reduce Bain’s carbon footprint, source its carbon instrument investments, and manage its public ESG reporting. In this role, he leads the firm’s investments in both nature- and technology-based carbon removal projects, as well as its long-term offtake agreements with its supplier partners. Sam obtained a BS and MS in engineering from Harvey Mudd College and an MS in Management at MIT Sloan. In his personal time, Sam is active in supporting The Nature Conservancy and local food banks. He, along with his wife, Lynn, also runs a small family farm where they produce award-winning olive oil and raise endangered goats.

Guest Lecturers

Racheal Notto is the Head of Carbon Markets at Kita, a London-based company specializing in carbon insurance. With a robust background in sustainability, she previously served as Carbon Portfolio Manager at South Pole, managing initiatives across the Americas. Racheal’s expertise spans carbon project risk assessment, legal and regulatory frameworks, and the integration of digital monitoring technologies.    At Kita, Racheal focuses on de-risking carbon projects to facilitate investment and scalability. She emphasizes a data-driven approach, considering factors like project documentation, legal context, climate risks, commercial data, and digital monitoring tools. Racheal also contributes to the broader carbon market discourse, serving on Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard Program Advisory Group.  

Guest Lecturers

Adrian Wons is the co-founder and CEO of Senken, a Berlin-based platform that brings transparency and efficiency to the voluntary carbon market through blockchain technology. With a background in computational fluid dynamics and sustainable innovation, Adrian previously led the blockchain competence center at Ernst & Young in Germany. His experience in both climate and tech sectors led him to create Senken as a way to solve key problems in carbon markets—like opacity, inefficiency, and high intermediary costs. At Senken, Adrian focuses on ensuring that nearly all funds (98%) go directly to climate projects, reinforcing the platform’s commitment to impact and trust. He’s also active in the climate finance space as co-host of the Co₂ming Clean podcast, where he shares insights on building credible and scalable carbon solutions.