ABOUT OUR FOUNDER
Mil Niepold is the founder and president of The Mara Partners (TMP)
“ Mil is quite unique in her ability to quickly grasp complex situations, appreciate both the technical and political aspects, as well as the all important personalities. This means that Mil can provide mediation for diverse complex groups in charged situations, commanding respect both for her intellect and ability to forge creative meaningful solutions. Mil complements her skills with a high level of integrity and sensitivity which I have witnessed in her work across cultures and with senior political figures."
Peter McAllister, Executive Director, Ethical Trading Initiative
Mil pioneered the Integrated Gender and Climate framework (IGC) currently being used by numerous Fortune 500 companies. The IGC framework is a nine-step process that addresses the critical potential of women’s leadership can have on climate change. It includes measures such as applying a dual gender and environmental lens to intersecting implication, setting gender parity goals at all levels of organizations, and revising decision-making procedures to include women.
Mil is Co-President of the board of the International Cocoa Initiative and was founding Co-Chair of Amnesty International USA’s first business and human rights group. She consults with The Consensus Building Institute, The Climate School, Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society Women4Climate Daring Circle, and Kite Insights among others.
Mil currently leads TMP’s research and thought leadership on gender and climate intersectionality. Mil has worked with grassroots organizations and top levels of government to apply a gender lens in all of their climate efforts.
She is a frequent public speaker for organizations such as the World Bank Climate Investment Fund, International Financial Corporation, the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society and various universities. She is a bi-lingual French – English speaker.
Mil has trained women climate leaders in negotiation skills and implementation strategies that ensure they are included in decision-making processes. Mil has partnered with the UN and NGOs, such as the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance, at the intersection of climate and gender.
Before starting The Mara Partners, Mil was the Director of Policy at Verité, a leading human rights organization for 14 years. There she led programs and trainings on women in the workplace and other multi-stakeholder initiatives----such as the global chocolate industry, Reebok, Hewlett-Packard, and Levi Strauss & Co., among others.
Mil has worked with several Fortune 500 companies including: Amazon, Mondelez, Johnson & Johnson, governments: including Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Thailand, Kenya and France, the United Nations and civil society organizations including Oxfam, Women Win, and the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance to structure inclusive long-term solutions that balance the needs of all stakeholders. At COP26, she recently launched Climate Resolute with Kite Insights at COP26 -- a coalition of leading companies who are leading the effort to integrate gender and climate throughout supply chains to accelerate equitable progress on climate change.
