Jeff Bezos names Andrew Steer CEO of $ 10 billion Earth Fund

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Tuesday appointed the head of a major environmental think tank as the CEO of its $ 10 billion Earth Fund.

In an Instagram post, Bezos said Andrew Steer, who is currently president and CEO of the World Resources Institute, a non-profit environmental organization, has agreed to lead the Earth Fund.

“Lauren and I are delighted to have Andrew on board and very excited about what lies ahead for the Fund and our partners,” Bezos wrote in the post, referring to his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez. Sanchez has participated in previous meetings with recipients of the Earth Fund, the Earth Fund said.

The Earth Fund, launched last February, is designed to combat the effects of climate change by providing grants to scientists, activists and other organizations in their efforts to “preserve and protect the natural world”. Last November, Bezos announced the first recipients of the Earth Fund, groups receiving $ 791 million in grants. Among the recipients were the Nature Conservancy, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the World Wildlife Fund and the World Resources Institute.

Bezos was actively involved in the interview process and hired Steer, the Earth Fund said. In addition to leading the World Resources Institute, Steer maintains close ties with global groups focused on environmental and economic issues, in addition to previously holding senior positions at the World Bank.

In a series of tweets, Steer said the Earth Fund will invest in scientists, NGOs, activists and the private sector to continue new technology development, investment, policy change and behavior. A key focus of the Earth Fund, which Bezos hopes to “spend” by 2030, will be around the impacts of climate change on “poor and marginalized communities,” Steer said.

Steer’s appointment comes as Bezos is expected to step down as Amazon CEO later this year, handing over the helm to AWS CEO Andy Jassy. Bezos is expected to focus more on projects like the Earth Fund, his space company Blue Origin, the Washington Post and the Amazon Day 1 Fund.