Board
US Board
Kristine Pearson (Chair)
Kristine Pearson is the Chief Executive of Lifeline Energy and leads Lifeline Energy strategically and operationally in the US and South Africa. She has held this position since the charity became operational in January 1999. Previously, she was an executive with a large South African banking group. Kristine is a fellow of the Schwab Foundation of the World Economic Forum, serves on the Women’s Leadership Board of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and was named a Hero of the Environment by Time magazine. She is the 2005 recipient of the James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award.
Edmund Burns (Secretary)
Edmund Burns is the managing partner of the New York City law firm Burns, Kennedy, Schilling and O’Shea. He specialises in corporate and commercial law and is also a trial lawyer. Edmund holds a law degree from Fordham University and an undergraduate degree from UCLA.
Peggy McLeland
Peggy McLeland is active in community and civic affairs in Alexandria, VA in addition to managing family businesses. Previously, she was an Executive Assistant to Texas Congressman Pete Geren of Texas for many years and prior to that held a variety of positions in business in Virginia and Texas. Peggy is a graduate of the University of Texas.
Colleen Rini
Colleen Rini is Director of Development of Cathedral Kitchen, based in Camden New Jersey, which operates extensive feeding and other relief programmes for the disadvantaged and marginalised. In this role, she is responsible for fundraising for a $3.5 million capital campaign to find a new building to expand the programme. Previous experience includes directing a business and life skills training program for public high school students in disadvantaged areas. In this role Colleen has created a corporate partners giving programme that increased corporate giving significantly, and has worked to expand major individual gifts to more than double the 1998 results.
Sarah Schaefer
Sarah Schaefer is a strategic communications professional with a specialisation in corporate citizenship and sustainability. She combines US corporate experience as a senior leader in a global role at Mars, Incorporated and has a background in journalism, think-tanks and as a special adviser to Rt Hon David Miliband, Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. As a result she has in depth knowledge of the geopolitical challenges and opportunities that face one of the world’s leading food companies and the workings of the EU and national governments. Sarah has a personal passion for Africa and development issues. She holds graduate and undergraduate degrees from Oxford University and is based in London.
SA Board
Arthur Johnson (Chair)
Arthur Johnson graduated with a BCom LLB from the University of Cape Town in 1992 before traveling extensively overseas for several years. His passion for Investments was initially ignited through working at Nomura International in London. Upon his return to South Africa, he joined Commercial Union which was later bought by Metropolitan. Over this period, Arthur was awarded his CFA Charter. He has been in the financial services industry for 15 years managing both equity and balanced portfolios. Arthur is a co-founder of 3 Laws Capital and is the portfolio manager for the Climate Change Fund
Jenny Kotze
Jenny Kotze earned a Bachelor of Social Science at the University of Cape Town. Her interest, however, lay in the area of sales and marketing, and she has pursued this line of business throughout her working career in sub-Saharan Africa. She is a co-founder and director of Controlled Locking Systems (Pty) Ltd and a director of Yebotech (Pty) Ltd. Both companies provide electronic access management solutions.
Rory Stear
Rory Stear is an international businessman with extensive experience in renewable energy. He was founder, CEO and chairman of Freeplay Energy from 1994 until its sale in 2008. He is chairman of Flambard Capital, an international investment and trading company, chairman of Bastion and Flowe, a South African digital marketing company and chairman of Lifeline Technologies. He was named a Time/Fortune/CNN Principal Voice on energy poverty and a Time Hero of the Environment. He is chairman of the advisory board at the Business School at Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.