Navigating Net Zero: Ashley Allen & Lessons from Consumer Companies, Mars and Oatly
In this episode of Navigating Net Zero, host Alexia Kelly is joined by CSO Copilot’s Ashley Allen, whose career has spanned climate leadership at the United States Department of State, spearheading climate and land use initiatives at Mars, and serving as Oatly’s Chief Sustainability Officer. They discuss the challenges and strategies of setting ambitious net zero goals, the complexities of tackling supply chain emissions, and the vital role both large multinationals and smaller startups play in driving lasting change. The conversation also covers the impact of recent political shifts on global sustainability efforts and the promising future of nature-based solutions.
Creators and Guests

Host
Alexia Kelly
Alexia Kelly has worked for more than 18 years at the intersection of policy and finance to address the climate crisis. Alexia is the Managing Director of the Carbon Policy and Markets Initiative (CPMI) at High Tide Foundation. The CPMI accelerates ambitious climate action and capital mobilization through robust rules and guidance for voluntary corporate action and disclosures, and building the next generation of high-integrity carbon and environmental services markets. She currently serves on the Board of the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets (IC VCM) and the Board of the Advanced and Indirect Mitigation Initiative, as well as on the Expert Advisory Group of the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI). Prior to joining High Tide Foundation, she served as Director of Net Zero + Nature at Netflix, where she led the company’s inaugural greenhouse gas inventory, renewable energy strategy, Science Based Target and global carbon credit portfolio. Previously, she worked at the U.S. Department of State, where she served as lead negotiator to the UNFCCC on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. She has also held senior roles at the World Resources Institute, The David and Lucille Packard Foundation, The Climate Trust, and in private equity.

Guest
Ashley Allen
Ashley Allen is a sustainability executive and climate change champion with a 20 year career that spans the private and public sectors, including eight years in the food and beverage sector and 10 years in international diplomacy. Ashley is the Founder and President of CSO Copilot, a professional consultancy that partners with corporate leaders to provide strategic sustainability support. Previously, Ashley served as the Chief Sustainability Officer at Oatly where she built an industry-leading, purpose-driven Global Sustainability Department and designed and set a global corporate sustainability strategy. She modernized and upgraded Oatly’s ESG portfolio and disclosures and helped the company navigate a successful IPO in 2021. She has extensive experience embedding sustainability in all stages along companies’ full value chains. She has championed innovative and collaborative sustainability and climate change strategies and solutions throughout her career with Mars, Inc., the U.S. Department of State, USAID, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality. She is a skilled and seasoned public speaker, facilitator and influencer.

Producer
Matt Jordan
Matt Jordan is a Director within the High Tide Foundation’s Carbon Policy and Markets Initiative (CPMI). Matt has been working in climate action for more than 15 years, and has a long track record of envisioning, developing and scaling innovative programs and financing tools that deliver lasting global impact. Matt built CLASP’s Clean Energy Access program from a single small project to an integrated portfolio of technical, research, and market stimulation programs with a coherent, issue-defining theory of change and a global team of more than 20. He co-founded Propel Clean Energy Partners, a consulting firm with clients such as the World Resources Institute, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, and the Asian Development Bank. Following their acquisition of Propel’s work and team, Matt served as a Director in RMI’s Global South portfolio and led their global clean energy workforce development initiative. He holds a BA in Philosophy from Colgate University, a Master’s in Public Policy Analysis from the University of California, and a Professional Certificate in Financing and Deploying Clean Energy from Yale University.
