About Us

What we do

RISE works with leaders and organisations to put purpose and sustainability at the heart of strategy and engagement.

The RISE methodology helps guide leadership teams through the process of defining and developing corporate purpose, setting goals, aligning business strategy and embedding it in the business. We advise on business transformation, strategic sustainability and stakeholder communications.

Our team works alongside clients to align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, put in place strategies to accelerate their achievement, and develop creative engagement campaigns.

Meet the team

We are a multi-disciplinary team with outstanding experience and passion for working with businesses to enhance their performance and reputation through purpose.

We are based in Brussels and London, and work with partners and clients around the world.

Geoff McDonald

Senior Advisor

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Geoff is one of the leading global experts in helping companies develop and define their corporate purpose, and a founding member of RISE. He was previously the Global VP of Human Resources for Unilever. As a global advocate, campaigner and consultant, he is passionate about helping organisations embed purpose as a key driver of business performance and advises clients and leadership teams around the world. Geoff’s HR experience spans leadership & talent development, organisational change, capability development and business transformation. Having helped to archetype the transformation of Unilever’s performance by putting purpose at its core, Geoff is a strong believer that purpose is central to both organisational performance and individual wellbeing.

Katarina Wallin Bureau

Managing Partner

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Katarina is the founder and managing partner of RISE. She has researched and advised on corporate purpose for over 10 years, working with leaders, organisations and academia across multiple sectors and regions. Katarina has a combined management consulting and strategic communications background, as well as having worked in the European Commission. This gives her a multi stakeholder perspective on what it takes to drive positive change while strengthening business performance and reputation. She has wide experience in developing creative, global campaigns and partnerships, with a particular passion for gender & diversity and working together to make progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Katarina was previously the COO of Burson-Marsteller in Europe, Middle East & Africa.

Charles Perry

Partner

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Charles is a green entrepreneur and widely recognised sustainable business leader, with a long track record of advising clients how to embed sustainability to deliver financial, social and environmental value. He was Co-founder and Managing Director of SecondNature, one of the UK’s leading sustainability consultancies, which was acquired by Anthesis Group. Charles was the first non-American to be trained by Vice President Al Gore in the US and was endorsed to co-found Climate Reality UK. Prior to this, Charles worked at BP, where he ran the renewables business. He has been a regular commentator in the media and, as sector lead for the UN COP26 Climate Champions, helped launch the twin campaigns Race to Zero and Race to Resilience, and successfully mobilised the Aviation industry’s commitment to Net-Zero by 2050.

Sarah Gobel

Consultant

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Sarah has a background in European Affairs coupled with experience in political and non-political policy, communication, and advocacy work in Brussels. She previously spent time in the European Parliament assisting two Swedish Members of Parliament in their political mission. Subsequently, she spent time at Rud Pedersen Public Affairs in Brussels supporting the Communications and Consumer Goods clusters on environment and sustainability issues, strategic communication, and EU advocacy.

Nicholas Jackson

Director

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Nick has more than eight years’ experience in corporate sustainability. Working across sectors and geographies, Nick’s work focuses on sustainability strategy development and implementation, including materiality assessments, goal setting, stakeholder engagement, and the embedding of sustainability within organisations. Nick joined RISE from the sustainability strategy and disclosure team at ERM. Most recently, Nick was on secondment to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, leading its CFO Network and sustainable finance policy projects. He has also worked at leading consultancies SustainAbility (acquired by ERM) and Corporate Citizenship, as well as in-house at KPMG.

Duncan Lumsden

Senior Advisor

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Duncan has over 20 years of experience working at the intersection of journalism, politics, law, advocacy, and business in Brussels. He was the founding director and Global Managing Editor of regulatory-risk newswire MLex, overseeing editorial operations and content, and previously founded the newswire EUpolitix. He has in-depth knowledge of policy areas ranging from sustainability, antitrust, and mergers to digital, trade, and energy. He has also written for a variety of newspapers and has experience advising on media strategy for high-profile organisations and European political parties.

Emanuela Semiani

Senior Advisor

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Emanuela is an architect, journalist, event organiser and communications manager who has worked at the heart of architecture, planning, art, culture and public relations in Venice for over 20 years. She has worked for private and corporate clients as well as public organizations, both local and international.

Dennis Landsbert-Noon

Chief Storyteller

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Engaging your audiences internally and externally in your journey – and communicating success stories – is critical to leading with purpose. Dennis is a highly experienced communications strategist and trainer, helping purpose-driven organisations, large and small, communicate their mission to the wider world. He also leads Panda Communications, and previously spent 10 years as managing director at Burson-Marsteller EMEA, chairing the Sports and Media practices and coaching senior executives, politicians and other leaders. Dennis worked in media for over 20 years as part of the Economist Group, Publisher of European Voice and as a journalist for a number of UK national newspapers.

Neil Davy

Senior Advisor

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Neil is the former CEO of Corporate Citizenship, a specialist sustainability consultancy. Prior to that he led the London-based corporate governance think-tank Tomorrow’s Company. He specialises in corporate purpose, sustainability and responsible business. He has worked with senior leaders in multinational companies across a range of industries.

Mayssa Badr

Senior Director

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Mayssa is senior director of communications and business development, and a founding member of RISE. Having previously worked for European Voice (now Politico) followed by 10 years at BCW (previously Burson-Marsteller), she is a marketing & communications expert with extensive experience in developing creative communication campaigns in a wide range of industry sectors, working at the intersection of communications and public affairs. She has built and led campaigns with an EMEA-wide or global reach. Mayssa’s experience includes developing communications and marketing strategies, strategic messaging, media relations, digital and online advisory, communications/messaging/media trainings and crisis communications.

Matthias Lüfkens

Senior Advisor

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Matthias Lüfkens is a digital media expert with over 25 years of digital and communications experience to promote and protect reputation. He notably put the World Economic Forum on social media and set up its successful social media strategy. As EMEA Digital lead at BCW he advised corporate clients as well as many international organisations including UNICEF, WFP, WWF and selected foreign ministries. Most recently Matthias and RISE worked together with leading UK charity Education & Employers at the World Economic Forum.

Tiziano de Angelis

Founding advisor

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Tiziano is a serial entrepreneur and investor, and a Managing Partner at TwentyEight. A founder of Cronos International, a European VC and technology firm and the holding company of RISE, Tiziano was instrumental in the setting up of RISE and the early development of the business.

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