Previously, Neilson served as Co-founder and CEO of i(x) Net Zero, a leading sustainable investing platform which is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange (IX.). 

 

In 2006, Neilson co-founded advisory firm Global Philanthropy Group. In that capacity, he has been involved in the creation and implementation of many of the world’s most respected philanthropic initiatives and has worked with over fifty major philanthropists.

 

Neilson’s leadership in business and social change includes time as the Executive Director of the Global Business Coalition (GBC), a coalition of over 200 multinational companies focused on global health issues created with investments from Bill Gates and Ted Turner amongst others. In this capacity, Neilson reported to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and President Obama’s former Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

 

Prior to his leadership of the GBC, Neilson worked closely with Bill & Melinda Gates, both in their family office and as Director of Special Projects. He was a founding member of the team that created and launched the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where he served as the Director of Public Affairs.

 

Named by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader, Neilson served in the White House during the Clinton administration and served on the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre International Advisory Network.

 

He served as a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is a member of the World Affairs Council.

 

Neilson is an advisor on climate issues to Palo-Alto based PsiQuantum, which is working is to build the world’s first useful quantum computer out of conventional silicon chips that process information using individual photons as well as electronics.

 

He is also a Co-founder of Creatures United, an organization focused on biodiversity protection and the species extinction crisis, and Co-founder of The Philippines Foundation.

 

In the wake of the devastating California fires in 2018, Neilson co-founded the Malibu Foundation. He was named a “Citizen of the Year” by the Malibu Times in honor of his work in Malibu and the surrounding region. 

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As the father of three kids and a passionate outdoorsman, Neilson is dedicated to protecting nature.