Chief Financial Officer, Sustainable Development & Conservation Initiative Lisboa

Chief Financial Officer, Sustainable Development & Conservation Initiative
Lisboa
Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

We consider sustainable development and the defence of biodiversity two of the great challenges of our time. There is a global imperative both to address poverty, and to ensure that economic gains are sustainable for biodiversity and future generations. Our mission is to challenge what is possible in this regard.

HBD Príncipe is a sustainable development organisation focused on Príncipe, the smaller of the
- island nation of São Tomé & Príncipe, considered the 'African Galápagos' due to its rich and unique biodiversity. Founded by technology entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth, our goal is to conserve the natural heritage of the island, deliver meaningful economic improvement in the lives of its people and find new solutions to global environmental challenges in biodiversity, conservation and development.

We are hiring a CFO to join our resident leadership team in driving multidisciplinary efforts that bring together world class expertise and technology to innovate in conservation and sustainable development. The work is intense and difficult, in a remote and challenging environment. We look for outstanding and resilient leaders who believe they can thrive in these circumstances.

Príncipe is a vulnerable and fragile treasure. Development along traditional lines would quickly overwhelm the small island and destroy both its future prospects and ecologically unique ecosystems. The whole of Príncipe was granted UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status in 2012. We support the island community in charting a course with better outcomes.

Our goal is to achieve a model in Príncipe which provides economic and social development for its people, while protecting the island's natural heritage for future generations. We aim to do this by combining ecotourism and agroforestry with a new economic approach to conservation which rewards the people of Príncipe for their stewardship of globally significant biodiversity and natural beauty. Our portfolio includes five hotels and large agricultural estates which mainly produce cacao.

HBD has invested in Príncipe for fourteen years, with notable achievements including a popular consensus to decline
- scale palm oil operations on the island, and the opening of two hotels: one of which, Sundy Praia, is a
- star hotel listed in the Unique Lodges of the World by National Geographic. It has not been smooth sailing and we have our share of mistakes and waste to learn from.

As a pioneering initiative in conservation we wish to give every Príncipean an economic incentive to arrange their affairs in ecologically sustainable ways. We call this a 'Natural Dividend' for Príncipe. This proposal fuses the concepts of payments for ecosystem services and universal basic income. The natural dividend is administered by its own organisation, Faya, but the links with HBD are close.

We believe that agroforestry offers the
- impact path to
- based employment for both men and women. As a small and isolated island, Príncipe cannot be competitive with industrialised agriculture. Our focus is on premium
- dependent products that achieve the best economic returns for Príncipe with the lowest impact on biodiversity and natural beauty.

The CFO, with the leadership team, is charged with:

1. Developing group objectives, strategies and action plans
2. Implementing policies, procedures and processes in support of the action plans
3. Generating innovative ideas to meet our strategic objectives
4. Reporting to the Board on achievement of project timelines and objectives
5. Monitoring and taking corrective action to resolve any variance to plan and budget
6. Building relationships to strengthen business and the awareness of HBD

The financial control environment in this multinational group, the quality of
- level accounting and management reporting and dealing with local authorities having limited capacity and capability are constant challenges. Experience of similar circumstances and of business turnaround situations would be a distinct advantage.

This is a
- time role based on Príncipe, a beautiful but poor and remote island. It has limited public services and social infrastructure. Logistics are difficult, which makes Príncipe a model of rural operational reality but also rules out easy answers to obvious problems. We believe these challenges are surmountable but are looking for truly exceptional individuals in shaping this team. Colleagues must have the intellect, energy, tenacity, leadership flair and passion to deliver results in such circumstances. They must collectively bring insights that will enable us to address very difficult challenges in hospitality, agriculture, sociology, ecology, leadership, technology, business and economics in a way that can serve the global need for innovation in effective sustainable development.