Nicholas Parker

For over twenty years, Nicholas Parker has pioneered sustainable venturing ideas and initiatives around the world. He is Founding Managing Partner of Global Acceleration Partners Inc. (“GAP”), a financial enterprise established in 2012 to address global megatrends shaping basic needs for resource-efficient clean energy, food, water and infrastructure by accelerating cross-border deployment of proven technologies and business models into high growth emerging economies. GAP seeks both superior value creation and positive impact at scale.

Nicholas introduced the “cleantech” concept to the finance and business community in 2002 while launching Cleantech Group (“CTG”), a market-leading research and advisory company that he chaired until the end of 2013. Under his leadership, CTG helped mobilize over $6B in private equity, convened 10,000+ decision-makers around the world, and analysed 16,000+ cleantech innovators while serving major corporations, governments and institutions in Asia, Europe, the Middle East. and North America.

Nicholas was Chair of Corporate Knights from 2011 to 2013, the media company for clean capitalism, best known for the Global 100 rankings launched annually at the World Economic Forum in Davos. During his tenure, CK raised venture capital, won the National Magazine Award and launched CK Capital. During 2011-12, he was also founding Chair of WaterTAP, a state corporation formed to promote water technology, finance and policy innovation.

Prior to starting CTG, Nicholas accumulated over 15 years’ experience forming and investing funds worldwide through limited partnerships, family offices, corporate funds and endowments. During this time, he initiated the first trans-Atlantic "sustainability" private equity fund, the first pan-Asian fund, the first cross-border India fund and participated in the second ever solar IPO on NASDAQ. In the 1990s, he built and sold one of the first environmental finance firms, including advising the EU, UN and WBCSD on capital markets and technology cooperation.

He serves on several private equity and non-profit advisory boards including Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, Bright Capital (Russia), Blue Economy Initiative, Clinton Global Initiative, Singapore Economic Development Board, Inspired Evolution Investment (Africa), Purpose Capital (Canada), Network for Business Sustainability (academic research) and, until recently, the Premier’s Climate Change Advisory Panel and the Centre of Excellence for Commercialization of Research. From 2003-08, he was Chairman of E+Co, the award-winning investment company for clean energy in developing countries.

Nicholas earned a BA Tech, Hons. (Carleton University, Ottawa), an MBA in International Business (City University, London), and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). He has lived and worked in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America while currently residing in Toronto. Nicholas has authored or edited more than ten books related to cleantech, finance and international business, starting with Investing in Emerging Economies in 1993, co-published by The Economist and the International Finance Corporation.

np@gap-inc.net +1 416 456 9314