Mark Tercek is president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy, the global conservation organization known for its intense focus on collaboration and getting things done for the benefit of people and nature.
A former managing director for Goldman Sachs, where he spent 25 years, Mark brings deep business experience to his role leading the Conservancy, which he joined in 2008. He is a champion of the idea of natural capital-valuing nature for its own sake as well as for the services it provides for people, such as clean air and water, productive soils and a stable climate. Mark’s book, Nature’s Fortune: How Business and Society Thrive by Investing in Nature, written with Jonathan Adams, and published by Basic Books, explores why responsible stewardship of nature is of the utmost importance to businesses, governments and societies.
Growing up as a city kid in Cleveland, Mark was a late-bloomer to conservation. It was becoming a parent that sparked his passion for nature. “I want to be able to look my kids in the eye,” he says, “and tell them I did all I could to leave the world a better place.”
After more than two decades as an investment banker heading various business units for Goldman Sachs, Mark found an outlet for his interest in conservation when he was tapped to develop the firm’s environmental strategy. Inspired by the opportunity to help businesses, governments and environmental organizations work together in new, innovative ways, Mark left Goldman Sachs in 2008 to head up The Nature Conservancy.
Mark is a member of several boards and councils, including Resources for the Future, the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and the Commission on Climate and Tropical Forests. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.