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

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

In an Instagram post, Bezos said Andrew Steer, who currently serves as president and CEO of the World Resources Institute, an environmental nonprofit, has agreed to lead the Earth Fund.

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

Launched last February, the Earth Fund aims to combat the effects of climate change by providing grants to scientists, activists and other organizations in their efforts to “conserve and protect the natural world.” Last November, Bezos announced the first recipients of the Earth Fund, with groups receiving $ 791 million in grants. Recipients included the Nature Conservancy, Natural Resources Defense Council, WWF, and World Resources Institute.

Bezos took an active part in the interview process and hired Steer, the Earth Fund said. In addition to leading the World Resources Institute, Steer has close ties with global groups working on environmental and economic issues, in addition to 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 further develop new technologies, investments, policy change and behavior. A major focus of the Earth Fund, which Bezos hopes to “spend” between now and 2030, will be around the impact of climate change on “poor and marginalized communities,” Steer said.

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