After two years leading Climateworks’ program delivery team, Climateworks executive Michaela Morris takes her passion for carbon markets into a Chief Executive role.

Michaela will step up into the role of Chief Executive Officer at Tasman Environmental Markets.

Michaela joined Climateworks in early 2023 with a career that spanned over a decade of experience across Germany, South Africa, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Australia. 

Michaela pivoted from political communications in her native Germany to waste and resource management and climate change policy with the United Nations Development Programme in the Middle East. Driven by solving complex problems, she was naturally drawn to climate change.

‘Climate change is the biggest wicked problem, due to its complexity, interconnectedness, and the numerous stakeholders involved.’ Michaela said when asked what honed her focus on climate. ‘And it’s a complex problem that connects with so many of the world’s other big issues, including biodiversity loss, equity and justice, finance, politics, etc.’

Michaela was drawn to Climateworks as a place with an agenda that is set by impact. ‘We get to choose what we work on based on what is most needed in the transition to net zero,’ she said.

As the executive leader of Climateworks’ program delivery team, Michaela was tasked with finding the points of connection and collaboration between our seven systems of work; energy; food, land and ocean; industry; cities; corporates; economies; and finance.

Michaela is most proud of building this collaboration across the systems and the mindset the team has brought to this. ‘The team recognises we’re one organisation with a shared goal to unlock the full force of systems change,’ Michaela acknowledged.

‘The climate change issues aren’t limited to one sector, they’re cross-cutting.’

Climateworks CEO Anna Skarbek thanked Michaela for setting the system teams up to seize high-impact opportunities into the future.

‘Michaela has provided leadership and guidance to our busy program teams including recruiting senior roles and supporting teams to develop proposals and navigate the twists and turns in the delivery of their programs. We share her pride in our delivery teams with the impact delivered this year and the momentum ahead, and congratulate Michaela on her CEO appointment.’

‘I’m grateful for the personal and professional growth I’ve experienced in my time here,’ Michaela reflected, ‘including working directly with Anna and the other brilliant leaders at Climateworks, as well as within the Monash University ecosystem and professional development opportunities such as a flagship Advanced Leadership course at Oxford University. Being an executive in a policy research organisation has set me up well to be an effective leader in this critical decade for climate action.’ 

In stepping up to her next challenge as CEO, Michaela is excited to hone her focus on carbon markets, which she reflected can be misunderstood.

‘Carbon markets themselves aren’t inherently good or bad, they are as effective or ineffective as we design them. They can be powerful tools to direct climate finance efficiently to where it’s most needed.’ Michaela said. ‘What matters is how they’re set up and used.’

‘The passing of operational guidance on Article 6 at COP29 in Baku indicates that a really dynamic phase for carbon markets is about to start, and I’m keen to shape how that looks for corporate Australia.’