Systemiq has appointed Christine Delivanis as Managing Partner, succeeding co-founder Jeremy Oppenheim as the firm enters its second decade.
Founded in 2016, Systemiq helps leading companies, investors, governments and philanthropies navigate major shifts in the systems underpinning our economies, societies, and the health of our planet. Its work spans energy, nature and food, materials and finance.
Over its first decade, the company has built deep expertise in these systems, combining rigorous analytics and advice with coalition-building and implementation to accelerate positive change. It established and continues to convene the Energy Transitions Commission and the Food and Land Use Coalition, while Breaking the Plastic Wave helped establish the evidence base for action towards a circular plastics system.
Headquartered in the UK, Systemiq has established teams across Europe, Indonesia, Brazil and, most recently, Kenya. In its second decade, it will continue to build on its core strengths while deepening its work across Latin America, Africa and Asia, where rapid economic growth, climate exposure and investment needs are increasingly converging.
Christine’s appointment marks a significant and deliberate next step in Systemiq’s evolution from founder-led management to a model in which responsibility for the firm is shared more broadly across the Managing Partner, Leadership Council and wider Partnership. It also follows a series of recent promotions of women into senior roles across the firm.
Born in Greece and educated in the U.S., Christine began her career as a Research Assistant for the World Bank in Central Africa, before moving to the UK in 1999. She spent more than 20 years in strategy advisory at Monitor Group and Marakon, working with major international businesses on corporate strategy and transformation. Since joining Systemiq in 2022, Christine has led its Nature and Food platform, shaping analysis on global food systems shifts and implications, advising corporates on ocean and nature resilience strategies, and helping scale food technology and innovation.
Commenting on the appointment, Christine Delivanis said:
”“We are facing a complex moment. The global political backdrop is shifting, and there is sharper scrutiny of the costs, pace and trade-offs of the transition than we have seen before.
“At the same time, parts of the energy transition are moving faster than many of us would have expected even five years ago. Technologies are scaling rapidly across sectors, changing what is possible and at what cost. Artificial intelligence, if harnessed well and responsibly, has the potential to accelerate many of the transitions we work on, and you will see Systemiq doing more in that space. And in some parts of the world, policies are emerging that will make the transition easier.
“We are also witnessing the damaging impacts of climate change every day. Against this mix of headwinds and tailwinds, the case for change is being made before our eyes.
“Our role at Systemiq is to be a source of clarity and a steady hand for businesses, civil society organisations and governments navigating these complex times. In our next decade, we will double down where it matters most: in the powerhouse economies driving global growth, and in markets where the stakes for nature and livelihoods are highest. We will build on the strengths that have shaped Systemiq so far and keep a clear focus on delivering practical results that accelerate the transition to better economies.”
Jeremy Oppenheim, formerly a World Bank Economist and Senior Partner at McKinsey, will return to a Founding Partner role, spending more time with clients and partners. This will include helping to build Systemiq’s presence in India, deepening its work with the tech sector and tackling the political economy of major transitions through the Blue Whale initiative.
“Christine brings exactly what Systemiq needs at this moment: a deep commitment to our mission combined with real commercial rigour. She is direct and hardworking, and impatient in the best possible way. Her taking the helm gives me every confidence that our next decade will be even better and more impactful than our first.”
Jeremy OppenheimFounding Partner
The transition comes alongside a broader strengthening of Systemiq’s leadership. São Paulo-based Patricia Ellen da Silva will succeed Christine in the role of Global Head of the Nature and Food Systems platform and remains Head of Systemiq LatAm – a role she has held since 2022. Veerle Haagh has been promoted to Partner and leads Systemiq’s new Nairobi office, with a focus on climate resilience, sustainable finance and sovereign investment strategies.
“Christine has the judgement, experience and right leadership qualities Systemiq needs for its next phase. She is mission-driven and steadfast in building the business case for system change, deepening Systemiq's impact globally, and building an organisation that's equipped to take on the challenges and opportunities to come. The Board is backing her without reservation to take Systemiq into its second decade.”
Sir Andrew SteerChair of Systemiq’s Board
Media contact: Lily Owen, Communications Lead
