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Mark O'Brien
Director, Beyond Neutral®; Climate Change Specialist, CEnvP, FEIANZ. Carbon footprints, reporting, management & offsets
Professional Background
Mark O'Brien is a highly respected and accomplished environmental expert with over 30 years of experience, predominantly focused on climate change for the past 25 years. Since 1999, he has played a pivotal role in directing innovative climate change initiatives and businesses, effectively collaborating with clients in both the private sector and government. His impressive track record has established him as a pioneer in the industry, serving as a leading voice in the discourse surrounding climate action and its implementation.
In recognition of his expertise and commitment to the field, Mark became the first accredited Climate Change Specialist in Australia and New Zealand in 2015. This distinction was awarded to him for his exceptional contributions and profound experience within climate change, setting a benchmark for others in the field. Additionally, Mark has been a Certified Environmental Practitioner (CEnvP) since its inception in 2005, earning the CEnvP of the Year award in 2009 for his outstanding work related to carbon emissions assessments and climate change mitigation efforts.
With his diversified knowledge, Mark provides extensive climate change advice and services, including the supply of carbon credits from accredited carbon offset projects. He actively engages with various sectors, most notably the energy and water utilities, applying his specialist knowledge in carbon accounting, emissions assessment, reporting (such as the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System or NGERS), and developing actionable emission reduction (mitigation) plans.
Mark boasts 23 years of continuous experience in both voluntary and mandatory emissions reporting, where he has served as a verifier of emissions reporting and carbon neutral accreditation. His meticulous approach to reporting has ensured that the reports he prepares are regularly and successfully audited, maintaining the integrity of the emissions data. By assisting clients in tracking and reporting their emissions, Mark plays a crucial role in driving climate action and transparency in emissions mitigation strategies.
Moreover, Mark provides technical advice across a broad spectrum of topics including climate change, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and the management of carbon sinks. He possesses an extensive background in conducting detailed impact assessments for significant infrastructure projects and creating energy efficiency information products tailored to stakeholders’ needs. His advisory role to government agencies includes recommendations on inventory methodologies, assessment of abatement, and the reporting requirements necessary for effective climate change strategies.
One of Mark's notable contributions to the field of climate change was his involvement in the development of Australia's National Greenhouse Accounts, where he provided invaluable guidance on inventory development and waste management strategies across various industrial processes. Additionally, he contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) “Sinks Report,” enhancing the overall understanding of land-based carbon sinks and their potential in mitigating climate change.
Furthermore, Mark was a key player in one of the world's first avoided deforestation projects employing market mechanisms and verified emission reductions to curb forest degradation in Queensland—this initiative alone prevented 1.25 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and preserved 12,000 hectares of forest.
Another of his significant achievements includes completing the world’s first comprehensive carbon footprint case study for a feature film. This groundbreaking project covered all three scopes of carbon emissions, leading to significant reductions in the film's footprint while also enhancing its environmental and socio-cultural sustainability. The film subsequently received an award in recognition of its minimized environmental impact, showcasing the effectiveness of Mark's innovative strategies in reducing carbon footprints.
Education and Achievements
Mark's educational background is as impressive as his professional journey. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Resource and Environmental Management as well as a Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology, both from The Australian National University, showcasing his foundational knowledge in environmental issues. Additionally, he earned a Graduate Diploma (Honours) in Environmental Studies, specializing in Decentralised Renewable Energy Systems from the University of Tasmania. This diverse educational grounding equips him with a robust understanding of the complexities surrounding environmental management and highlights his commitment to ongoing learning in the field.
Outside of his direct consulting role, Mark has been an influential member of several organizations. He currently serves as a Director at Beyond Neutral®, where his leadership helps drive corporations towards achieving their emissions reduction goals. Previously, Mark was the President of the ACT Division at the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand and held director positions at Carbon Pool Holdings P/L and Carbon Pool Management P/L. He also served as a Research Officer at the Cooperative Research Centre for Carbon Accounting and worked as an Industry Advisor for the Energy and Water sectors with the Australian Government’s Greenhouse Challenge, underscoring his commitment to fostering environmental practices across various sectors.
Achievements
Mark O'Brien's career is punctuated by notable achievements that reflect his dedication to environmental excellence and leadership in climate change mitigation.
- Accredited Climate Change Specialist: First individual to receive this esteemed accreditation in Australia and New Zealand, highlighting his industry-leading experience and commitment.
- CEnvP of the Year 2009: Acknowledged for his remarkable contributions to environmental practice, particularly in carbon emissions assessments and mitigation.
- Contributions to IPCC: Involved in the development of influential reports, contributing significantly to the global understanding of climate change and carbon sink management.
- Pioneering Avoided Deforestation Project: Played a crucial role in one of the pioneering projects aimed at preventing deforestation through market mechanisms, saving thousands of hectares of forest and significant carbon emissions.
- Award-Winning Film Carbon Footprint Case Study: Successfully conducted a comprehensive carbon footprint assessment for a feature film, leading to the project receiving accolades for its minimal environmental impact.
Mark O'Brien's dedication to tackling pressing environmental issues through practical solutions and collaborative efforts has positioned him as a leader and innovator in the fields of climate change and carbon management. His extensive experience, robust educational background, and unwavering commitment to sustainability continue to make a substantial impact in the fight against climate change and the promotion of renewable energy solutions.
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Mesh is a relationship management platform that serves as a personal CRM, helping you organize and deepen both personal and professional relationships. It functions as a beautiful rolodex and CRM available on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web, built automatically to help manage your network efficiently. Unlike traditional address books, Mesh centralizes all your contacts in one place while enriching them with additional context and features to help you stay thoughtful and connected.
Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
- Smart Search: Allows you to search using natural language like "People I know at the NYT" or "Designers I've met in London"
- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.
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