Rebalance Earth has appointed Eoin Murray (pictured) as chief investment officer, amid plans to mobilise £10bn to restore nature at a landscape and seascape level in the UK.
Murray joins Rebalance Earth after a decade at Federated Hermes. During his 30-year career, Murray supported the launch of one of the first biodiversity equity strategies in collaboration with London’s Natural History Museum, and initiated the UK Nature Investment Fund, backed by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA). He is currently pursuing a PhD in nature & investment.
His role at Rebalance Earth will focus on designing, developing and delivering investment opportunities that link nature restoration with business resilience. He is set to lead an investment team charged with bringing together several different aspects of nature restoration. This includes river catchment, which could offer opportunities that range from peatland restoration in upland moors, through the creation of wetlands and tree-lined riparian buffer zones, to estuarine salt march restoration and near-shore ecosystem improvements.
“We are thrilled to have Eoin join our team at such a pivotal time,” said Robert Gardner, CEO and co-founder of Rebalance Earth.
“His expertise will bolster our efforts to establish nature as business-critical infrastructure to help companies, communities and cities become more resilient to the impact of climate change and nature loss.”
According to Rebalance Earth, the UK’s estimated £100bn nature deficit over the next decade presents a significant investment opportunity. They advocate for long-term asset owners to allocate just 2% of their assets to nature restoration, targeting key challenges such as flooding, drought, water quality, biodiversity and carbon capture.
“Nature restoration is not just an environmental imperative; it’s a financial one,” commented Murray.
“I look forward to working with Rebalance Earth to unlock nature’s full potential for the economy.”
