Women in Technology: Genevieve Soh, Head of Platforms & Ecosystems, Climate Impact X

As Head of Platforms & Ecosystems at Climate Impact X (CIX), Genevieve Soh leads her team to drive environmental impact and increase access to quality carbon credits. We spoke with Soh to learn more about her role at the global marketplace and exchange for carbon credits.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your role as Head of Platforms & Ecosystems at CIX?

I’ve always been intrigued by businesses that can balance profit with purpose. CIX was an opportunity to bring together two of my passions: technology and a purpose-driven mission. It has also given me the opportunity to work with innovative businesses that are leaders in their field, such as Nasdaq.

As the Head of Platforms and Ecosystems at CIX, I am responsible for leading a team to build trading venues such as our exchange, marketplace and auction platforms – all of which aim to increase access to quality carbon credits and drive environmental impact at scale. I also wear a second hat of overseeing our communications and community-building efforts, ensuring that we are articulating our purpose in a way that makes the most sense for different stakeholder groups.

How did you become involved in the carbon space? 

Prior to joining CIX, I was a Principal and Venture Architect Director with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where I worked with businesses across Southeast Asia and North America on various topics that focus on the things that matter. The carbon markets became an area of interest to me as it was clear that businesses were increasingly grappling with the challenge of climate change and what it meant for their operations and the world we live in.  

CIX has a mission to create genuine climate impact through the carbon markets. It’s the core value that drives us. We work hard to ensure that what we do makes a difference, whether it’s increasing access to quality carbon credits or building a community to whom we advocate for the responsible use of carbon credits.

How has technology influenced your role at CIX? 

Technology has a multiplier effect – it enables us to attack many different problems through different solutions. However, technology itself is not enough. Many solutions don’t work, not because the underlying technology isn’t available, but because they need to be brought to the world in a practical manner in order for the solutions to be adopted at scale. Technology doesn’t work in siloes. Solving this in the carbon markets remains a key challenge, and I find that really exciting.

Throughout your career, what challenges have you been presented with that you’ve had to overcome? 

Being able to effect systemic change has always been a challenge, no matter which industry you’re in. I remember working on a project that sought to migrate hospital patients over to digital platforms to alleviate the administrative burden on staff members and, importantly, allow them more time to focus on patient care. Surprisingly, most of the people who resisted such change were the doctors and nurses, who did not want to replace a system they had already grown accustomed to. Human beings are generally resistant to change; finding the right incentives is absolutely critical, as well as adopting a customer-centric mindset. When users themselves are able to grasp the value of change and what it means for them, adoption rates do tend to skew higher.

How do you break the bias as a woman in technology? 

Show up – because the only way to break the bias is if more people show up. Of course, it is also important to find the right people who will recognize your capabilities, give you opportunities, lend credibility to your efforts, and back you up. I was fortunate enough to have ‘sponsors’ every step of the way who advocated for me.

What advice would you give to people who are interested in working in the carbon space? 

Make your intention known and seek out the opportunities. This is a nascent but fast-growing and fast-evolving space. There is a real opportunity here to shape the market, which is super exciting in my view. There is no better time to join than now.

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