About CivicNetZero
Helping cities deliver what they’ve already committed to — faster, smarter and at scale.
Our Story
CivicNetZero was born out of a simple, persistent problem.
Cities around the world have clear climate ambitions but too often lack a fast, structured way to connect those ambitions with the capital and capability needed to deliver at scale.
The idea began with Lord Marvin Rees, who saw this challenge firsthand as Mayor of Bristol. Despite strong political will and growing investor interest, turning city plans into funded, delivery-ready projects remained slow, fragmented and resource intensive. Marvin recognised that the right use of AI could fundamentally change this.
To turn the concept into a scalable, trusted platform, Marvin partnered with Tom Ilube, an experienced technology entrepreneur with deep expertise in building and governing mission driven platforms. Together, they formed CivicNetZero; a city-led, practitioner built company designed to move climate action from ambition to execution.
Mark Apsey added a critical dimension: delivery. Decarbonisation only happens when engineers, developers and delivery partners are brought into the system early and not bolted on at the end. The platform had to work for those who actually build and operate infrastructure, not just those who plan or finance it.
From the outset, CivicNetZero has been supported by a Strategic Council of globally recognised city leaders, climate practitioners and technologists. Their role is to challenge assumptions, ground the platform in real world delivery, and ensure it remains ethical, practical and focused on impact.
CivicNetZero exists to help cities deliver what they’ve already committed to but faster, smarter and at scale.
Our Team
Executive Team
Lord Marvin Rees OBE
Chair & Co-founder
Skills and experience
Marvin Rees is a globally recognised city leader and advocate for inclusive, climate-resilient urban development. As Mayor of Bristol (2016–2024), he led one of the UK’s most ambitious city-wide decarbonisation programmes, pioneering large-scale public-private partnerships to deliver social value alongside emissions reduction. Marvin serves as an Honorary Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, contributes to global networks including C40, the Global Covenant of Mayors, and UN-Habitat, and continues to champion collaboration between cities, investors, and industry to drive equitable climate progress worldwide.
Tom Ilube CBE
Co-founder
Skills and experience
Tom Ilube is a technology entrepreneur, and philanthropist, renowned for building innovative digital businesses and for his leadership in technology, finance, and education. He founded and scaled multiple high-growth ventures, served on the boards of FTSE-listed companies, and is an Honorary Fellow of St Anne’s College, Oxford and Jesus College, Oxford alongside receiving multiple Honorary Doctorates for his contribution to innovation and social impact. Tom brings deep experience in data, AI, and scale-up strategy to CivicNetZero. His insight into digital platforms, governance, and investor confidence ensures CivicNetZero’s foundations are robust, ethical, and globally scalable.
Mark Apsey MBE
CEO
Skills and experience
Mark Apsey is a sustainability and energy executive with over two decades of leadership across the UK and global clean-energy sectors. As SVP of Ameresco, he delivered some of the nation’s most significant decarbonisation projects, including the award winning Bristol City Leap partnership. A Chartered Engineer (CEng), Past President and Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (FIChemE), Mark is an Honorary Professor at the University of Exeter and part of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Clean Power Advisory Working Group. His mission through CivicNetZero is to turn ambition into delivery — empowering cities, investors, and delivery partners to work together, faster, for a sustainable future
Terry Leonard
CTO
Skills and experience
Terry Leonard is a technology and product leader with 20 years’ experience in innovation-led development across multiple sectors. He has built and scaled platforms from early-stage start-ups to enterprise environments, combining technical leadership with commercial focus. He played a senior role in growing a semantic web start-up to acquisition by a leading global information services company, and has since held senior IT roles at Experian and online gaming leader GAN, where he helped build an online gaming platform for regulated markets in the USA. As CTO of a blockchain-based company, Terry led a platform adopted by major system integrators for ESG, financial reporting, reinsurance, and AI provenance, delivering complex technology solutions in highly regulated industries.
Strategic Council
Lolita Jackson MBE
Advisor
Skills and experience
Lolita Jackson MBE is the Executive Director of Sustainable Cities at Sustainable Development Capital LLP. She is the link to governments around the world, also working on business development and origination. Lolita previously worked for the NYC Mayor’s Office for 15 years, and last served as the Special Advisor for Climate Policy & Programs, where she was the climate diplomat for NYC and lead for the administration regarding global work on divestment and climate finance.
Rob Muggah
Advisor
Skills and experience
Robert Muggah specialises in smart cities, international security and climate and nature action. He co-founded the Igarapé Institute, an award-winning think and venture tank, and the SecDev Group, a geopolitical and cyber risk consultancy. He is a co-founder with Bioverse and Regenera Mata Atlantica, and associated with SuperNature Emerald Tech Ventures. He advises national and city governments, technology and energy companies, as well as international organisations such as the UN, IADB, IMF, and World Bank. Dr. Muggah is a fellow at Princeton University, the Robert Bosch Academy, the Graduate Institute in Geneva, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and Singularity University and advises the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report. He delivered TED talks in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021, and holds a DPhil from the University of Oxford.
Mauricio Rodas
Advisor
Skills and experience
Mauricio Rodas, former Mayor of Quito (2014–2019), led the construction of Ecuador’s first Metro, advanced urban sustainability, and hosted the UN Habitat III Conference. He was Vice Chair of C40 Cities and board member of UCLG, GCoM and ICLEI. Now a Visiting Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, he leads cities’ climate finance initiatives from the Secretariat of the Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance and advises cities worldwide.