Wood Mackenzie appointed Elena Belletti on Dec. 6 as head of carbon research within the company’s energy transition practice.

Based in Madrid, Belletti joins from the UN Headquarters, where she had worked since 2015, most recently as an economist in the office for financing sustainable development.

“Carbon and wider greenhouse gas emissions are a strategic focus for a growing number of clients in all industries,” Jonny Sultoon, head of markets and transitions, energy transition at Wood Mackenzie, commented in a release by Wood Mackenzie. 

“Elena’s appointment is particularly timely post-COP26,” Sultoon continued, “as governments have renewed or announced pledges to reduce both carbon and methane emissions to mitigate climate change, and industry and government will have to work collaboratively to align with these national commitments.”

Head of carbon is a newly expanded role at Wood Mackenzie, a Verisk business and trusted source of commercial intelligence for the world's natural resources sector.

“It is an exciting time to join Wood Mackenzie’s growing energy transition practice,” Belletti commented. “There is increasing demand from clients for data and support on all aspects of carbon, from emissions, price markets and mechanisms and voluntary markets to nature-based solutions, mechanical carbon removal and more.”

Belletti will lead a team of five, responding to clients’ demands for tools and intelligence to help them through the energy transition. This includes the assessment and mitigation of their carbon emissions and an understanding of the fast-changing landscape around carbon mechanisms.

“Elena brings a cross-cutting understanding of the issues and governmental dynamics as well as stakeholder management experience,” Sultoon added in his comments. “She is ideally suited to lead our carbon team.”

At the UN, Belletti was the focal point on taxation and climate, advising senior government officials from low-income countries on the development of policies that generate revenues while protecting the environment. She also focused on carbon pricing and on the role of taxation in attaining environmentally-related sustainable development goals. Prior to the UN, she was an economist for Palantir Economic Solutions and an adviser at Eni.

“I look forward to working with such a talented team as we help clients achieve a fair energy transition,” Belletti added in the release.