Chatham House report
Published 8 July 2020
Updated 17 December 2020
ISBN: 978 1 78413 404 4
Malnutrition acts as a brake on the development of individuals, communities and economies around the world. This report is the first of its kind to reveal the hidden costs of malnutrition for business, and the extent to which these costs are recognized and addressed by multinational companies (MNCs).
Laura Wellesley is a senior research fellow in the Energy, Environment and Resources Programme at Chatham House. Laura’s main areas of research interest are policy strategies to promote healthy and sustainable diets, and approaches to managing systemic risks to global food trade. She has also worked on approaches to delivering an inclusive circular economy in low-income countries, and on innovative alternatives to meat. Laura’s past Chatham House publications include the 2017 report, Chokepoints and Vulnerabilities in Global Food Trade, and the 2015 report, Changing Climate, Changing Diets: Pathways to Lower Meat Consumption. Laura is a member of the London Food Board and, prior to joining Chatham House in 2013, was a researcher for Global Witness. Laura has an MSc in Africa and international development from the University of Edinburgh and an MA in modern and medieval languages from the University of Cambridge.
Jason Eis is the executive director of Vivid Economics. Jason manages the company and oversees project work in finance, energy and industry, cities and infrastructure, and natural resources. His clients include multinational companies, international organizations, NGOs and government agencies. Prior to joining Vivid, Jason was regional director for the Global Green Growth Institute, where he oversaw programmes in Latin America, Africa and India, supporting public policy and private-sector investment decisions in the energy, transport, agricultural and forestry sectors. Jason has a PhD in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BA from Yale University.
Cor Marijs is a principal at Vivid Economics, leading the company’s sustainable finance practice group and heading its EU office in Amsterdam. Since joining Vivid in 2011, he has supported a range of clients across government, the private sector, international organizations and NGOs in developing and implementing strategies for navigating today’s sustainability transitions. He led the Vivid teams that created the UN Global Compact’s Blueprint for Business Leadership on the SDGs and that analysed energy demand transition scenarios for the Energy Transition Commissions. He has worked extensively on mobilizing the private sector in generating sustainable economic growth in developing and emerging economies. He holds a BSc and MSc in economics from Utrecht University and an MSc in environmental policy from Oxford University.
Caroline Vexler is an economist at Vivid Economics, focusing on human health and ecosystems. She is experienced in the non-market valuation of well-being and disease incidence; she led on developing the health valuation methodologies for Greenkeeper, an urban greenspace valuation toolkit. Prior to working at Vivid, she gained public-sector experience in the Chemicals & Waste Branch of UN Environment and co-authored a working paper on the economics of water resources and aquatic species management. Caroline holds an MSc in environmental economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Florence Waites is an economist at Vivid Economics, focusing on sustainable development in Africa. Prior to joining Vivid, she worked in the economic and social affairs department of the Trades Union Congress, where she focused on macroeconomic and labour market issues. She holds an MSc in economic policy from University College London and a BA in philosophy, politics and economics from the University of Oxford.
Professor Tim G. Benton is director of the Energy, Environment and Resources Programme and research director for emerging risks at Chatham House. Tim’s areas of expertise include global food security, food systems and resilience, ecology and natural resources, and climate change impacts. He joined Chatham House in 2016 as a distinguished visiting fellow while also serving as dean of strategic research initiatives at the University of Leeds. He is an author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s special report on Climate Change and Land and the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017, and has published more than 150 academic papers. Tim holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and a BA from the University of Oxford, both in zoology.
