Our Team
Where Passion Meets Experience
With experience working across a wide range of sustainability challenges, we provide the expertise and develop the necessary tools to apply sustainability best practices that make financial sense.
Harry Etra
CEO & Founder
Harry Etra is the CEO & Founder of HXE Partners. Harry's experience is in advising public and private companies on their sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies.
As a Principal at CamberView Partners, he helped companies prioritize their sustainability disclosures and prepare for engagements with institutional investors. Previously as a Director at CodeGreen Solutions, he advised companies on ESG best practices with a focus on sustainability and energy efficiency. His experience includes working with clients to develop annual sustainability reports and earn recognition for their ESG initiatives through reporting programs such as the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project), Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), and the EPA's ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award.
Harry holds an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and a B.A. in history from Yale University.
Ozgem Ornektekin
President & Founder of KO2 Consulting (Partner)
Ozgem Ornektekin is the President and Founder of KO2 Consulting (a New York City Women-owned Business Enterprise, WBE) providing strategic sustainability and energy planning, implementation and management services for large public and private organizations.
Prior to founding KO2 Consulting, she served as Chief Energy Management Officer (Deputy Commissioner) of the City of New York, Director of Office of Sustainability at New York University and first Director of Sustainability at NYC Department of Education. Before her leadership roles at the City and NYU, Ozgem was mechanical/energy engineer and project manager at Parsons Brinckerhoff and AECOM.
Ozgem holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and Bachelors of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Denver.
Chad Spitler
Founder & CEO of Third Economy (Network Partner)
Chad Spitler is the Founder and CEO of Third Economy, a sustainable investment research and advisory firm. Chad was formerly a Partner at PJT CamberView, an advisory firm specializing in helping public companies engage with their investors particularly around complex or contested shareholder matters.
He is most widely known for his role building what are now BlackRock’s Investment Stewardship and Sustainable Investing teams. As a Managing Director at the world’s largest asset manager, Chad led the team responsible for analyzing how environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors may impact financial performance, and integrating that analysis into investment decisions, proxy voting, corporate engagement and product development. His work facilitated billions of dollars of capital into sustainable investments and hundreds of public companies to integrate long-term thinking into their business strategies.
Chad holds an M.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder and a B.S. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Emily Wei
Sustainability & ESG Associate
Emily Wei is a Sustainability & ESG Associate at HXE Partners focused on advising companies on how to continuously develop, implement, and progress upon their sustainability and ESG strategies.
Prior to joining HXE, Emily helped expand and implement Hersha Hotel and Resorts’ portfolio-wide sustainability and ESG strategy, including target setting, development of a GHG inventory, project management of sustainability and ESG initiatives, annual reporting, and investor engagement around material ESG issues. Previously, Emily supported programs at the University of Pennsylvania’s Sustainability Office that engaged campus-wide stakeholders on sustainability topics, including energy efficiency and waste reduction, as well as contributed towards achieving goals within the university’s Climate Action Plan. Emily is currently a member of Green Building United and sits on their Policy & Advocacy Committee.
Emily holds a B.Sc. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and is a LEED Green Associate.
Ben Linthicum
Sustainability & ESG Analyst
Ben Linthicum is a Sustainability & ESG Analyst at HXE Partners. Ben’s experience is in advising sustainability policy and finance.
Before joining HXE, Ben worked for Silicon Valley Clean Energy (a municipal utility) as an Innovation Analyst where he provided decarbonization guidance. Previously as a Sustainability Fellow for the City of Oakland, he drafted an EV action plan, updated Oakland’s climate action plan, completed GHG inventories, and wrote city council resolutions. Ben has also worked for the EPA in wetland protection and is currently chair of the Warren Wilson College ESG Investing Advisory Committee to the Board of Trustees.
Ben holds a MEM from the Yale School of the Environment and a B.A. in Environment Studies from Warren Wilson College.
Amanda Kay
Operations Manager
Amanda Kay is an Operations Manager at HXE Partners focusing on company strategy, driving forward initiatives, and creating structure in day to day operations.
Previously, Amanda served three years at Ideel.com as a Fashion Market Editor followed by four years at WeWork, in which her areas of focus included operations and project management. As a senior member of the Development Operations group, Amanda assisted in the design and implementation of operational improvements globally and across business lines. Throughout her varied roles at WeWork, Amanda always sought to exercise her aptitude for both people and process, as she played a key role in the creation and implementation of delivery initiatives while fine tuning her ability to communicate effectively with both internal and external stakeholders.
Amanda holds a B.A. in Communication Studies as well as an entrepreneurial certificate from the University of Iowa.
Kristen Fulmer
Sustainability Consultant
Kristen Fulmer is a sustainability expert focused on advising partners and clients onmaximizing performance and promoting occupants’ health and wellbeing within the built environment.
Previously, as the Global Sustainability Advisory Services Manager at WeWork, Kristen aligned the company’s sustainability goals and helped operationalize its sustainable design strategies. Prior to WeWork, Kristen worked at Lendlease where she adapted its Australian-based corporate sustainability vision for US-based construction and development projects. Most recently, she launched Recipric, a consulting firm that supports sports organizations' commitment to sustainability.
Kristen holds an M.S. in Sustainable Design from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. in Public & Urban Affairs from Virginia Tech. She is a LEED AP, WELL AP, Fitwel Ambassador, and TRUE Advisor.
Julia Sullivan
Sustainability & ESG Analyst
Julia Sullivan is a Sustainability & ESG Analyst at HXE Partners focused on assisting companies with their sustainability strategies. Julia’s experience is in advising corporate clients on ESG positioning in relation to equity financing.
Prior to joining HXE, Julia worked at Barclays for two years in the Equity Capital Markets Group, specializing in Real Estate and Consumer / Retail. While at Barclays, Julia assisted with strategy and execution of equity-related transactions for corporate clients. In conjunction with these offerings, Julia helped companies consider their ESG dialogue for investor presentations and marketing efforts.
Julia holds a B.A. in Global Economic History from Yale University.