Our Company

Our Story

Pioneers in Natural Capital

Natcap was founded in 2018 by a team of researchers at the University of Oxford, including Professor Baroness Kathy Willis and Professor Dieter Helm, leaders in the emerging field of natural capital. They recognised a critical gap: while cutting-edge science was advancing how we measure and manage interactions with nature, businesses lacked the tools to translate this knowledge into real-world decision-making.

From the outset, Natcap’s work was shaped by the latest academic research, and we collaborated closely with leading universities, policymakers, and industry bodies. As the corporate nature agenda gained momentum, particularly with the rise of frameworks like the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), Natcap refined its models and methodologies to align with these approaches, ensuring businesses could integrate nature into their strategic and financial planning.

What began as an academic initiative soon evolved into something more: a company dedicated to delivering both advisory and innovative solutions for businesses navigating the complexities of measuring and managing their interactions with nature. Today, Natcap is at the forefront of the nature intelligence space, helping corporates, financial institutions, and policymakers move beyond commitments to meaningful action.

Create Clarity

We cut through complexity to empower informed, nature-positive action.

Be rigorous; it matters

Our scientific depth and expertise delivers value for customers. As such, we think carefully about the theory and correctness of everything we do.

Pragmatic; iterative

We need to move quickly and decisively to create real-world impact. We deliver useful solutions, available now, and constantly improved.

Always learning

We know we don’t have all the answers now. By staying curious and open to new ideas we will get there together, faster.

Openly human

We bring our whole selves to work and celebrate the quirks. Being honest, kind, and supporting each other enables us to achieve extraordinary results.

Sebastian Leape

CEO

Sebastian leads the Natcap team on their mission to accelerate the nature positive transition by integrating nature intelligence into business decision making. Over the last 10 years, his career has been focused on trying to make our economic system more sustainable. Sebastian worked as an Associate Partner at McKinsey, helping businesses and governments define and embed climate and nature strategies into their operations. He has also been a policy advisor, teacher, and researcher.

Beccy Wilebore

Chief Science Officer

Beccy sets the science vision, leads the science team, and overseeing model development. She is a quantitative ecologist with 10+ years of experience of natural capital modelling, including mapping of vegetation and landcover in both the tropics and temperate regions. Beccy holds a PhD in forest ecology and REDD+ from the University of Cambridge.

Tom Ashworth

Chief Technology Officer

Tom leads product and technology at natcap. A leader with experience over decade across big tech (Twitter), renewable energy (Bulb), and biotech (LabGenius), Tom has led teams across customer products, internal & scientific tooling, mobile app development, data management, machine learning, wet-lab automation, project management & delivery, payments, security and more.

Siobhan Stewart

Head of Delivery

Siobhan leads the delivery of nature intelligence to end users, bridging the gap between our science and corporate application. Her experience speaks to both specialisms. First at the Capitals Coalition she led multidisciplinary teams to develop technical guidance on natural capital assessments, before spending the next three years at Sillion, a sustainability consultancy advising FTSE 350 companies on all aspects of sustainability strategy.

Charles Shingles

Head of Sales & Partnerships

Charles leads the commercial team at Natcap, helping organisations better understand how to embed nature intelligence into a range of business workflows. He was formerly Head of Partnerships at Cervest, where he enabled their clients and partners leverage best-in-class climate and biodiversity intelligence to support their sustainability ambitions. He is an alumni from the University of Cambridge's Institute for Sustainability Leadership, where he studied Business and Climate Change.

Fatou Samateh

Head of Marketing & Communications

Fatou oversees Natcap’s global marketing and communications strategy, developing initiatives and building capabilities that drive brand awareness and accelerate revenue growth. Prior to joining Natcap, Fatou held multiple leadership positions at ISS STOXX, including Head of Marketing and Head of Product Marketing for ISS ESG, the responsible investment arm of ISS STOXX.

Jane Carroll

Chief of Staff

Jane Carroll is the Chief of Staff at Natcap, partnering with Seb and the broader leadership team to drive strategic priorities, optimise operations, and lead special projects. She began her career at McKinsey in Melbourne, where she advised clients across various industries, before moving into the fast-paced start-up world at Eucalyptus, a leading healthtech company.

David Craig

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

David Craig is Co-Chair of the TNFD, an Advisory Board member of the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), and a member of the International Advisory Panel for Biodiversity Credits (IAPB). David has also led several projects with TheCityUK and the World Economic Forum on global finance, innovation, and technology.

Professor Baroness Kathy Willis

Co-Founder & Non-Executive Director

Kathy is Professor of Biodiversity in the department of Biology, University of Oxford. Her previous roles include Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and a member of the UK Government’s Natural Capital Committee. She was also a Lead Author for the UN’s Global Assessment report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).