What We Do Values
Advisory Areas Process
Team Higher Purpose A Brief History

[fade]Meet Our Team[/fade]

We are a group of consultants from diverse disciplines in branding, sustainability, and impact investing who tailor custom solutions for your business.

C&SG Group’s expertise comes from working with Fortune 1000 companies and entrepreneurs to ensure those brands and corporate cultures align with the ever-changing business landscape.

 
 
John Smith

ANNE BAHR THOMPSON

Author of 'Do Good'

John Smith

Anne Bahr Thompson, Author of 'Do Good'

Global Marketing Strategist focusing on purpose and impact.

Anne Bahr Thompson has been uniting brand development with the purpose to transform organizational culture and align operations with a sustainability mindset for more than 25 years. A 2020 Superbrands Top 10 Branding Leader and a Trust Across America 2018 Top Thought Leader in Trust, she is the author of DO GOOD, which details her pioneering Me-to-We continuum of Brand Citizenship® that guides brands to provide solutions to people’s personal ME problems alongside their generalized WE worries about society and the planet. Her groundbreaking research influenced a movement of purpose and profit that continues to grow today. A former executive director at Interbrand, Anne founded Onesixtyfourth, a C&SG collaborator, to help businesses integrate purpose and social responsibility into their brands, corporate culture and operations. She brings the depth of knowledge and understanding that comes from interacting with a lengthy list of the world’s most valuable organizations. An active community volunteer, Anne is proud of her work with numerous non-profit and humanitarian aid organizations. She holds an MBA from the Darden School of Business at UVA and has been an adjunct professor at NYU Stern School of Business’s London campus.

RENE BONOMI

Strategic CFO

Rene Bonomi, Strategic CFO

Financial Planning/Operations Structuring and Business Modeling.

Rene Bonomi, brings years of experience both in business development, for startups and corporations, and in financial advisory, structuring M&A and capital raising transactions. He has international business experience working in Latin America, United States and Europe. He is passionate about environmental finance & impact investing, Venture Capital and startup acceleration. Rene has a consulting business focused on supporting entrepreneurs, startups and corporations on financial strategy, business modeling and business strategy, in the fields of social & environmental impact. His business has a collaboration partnership with The Capitalism & Social Good Group to work on these projects globally. He also collaborates with Idea Lunchbox, a US accelerator that internationalizes and expands deep tech startups to the US market. Rene pursued his MBA at Cornell University in the United States and has an Industrial Engineering degree from UFSCar, one of the top engineering schools in Brazil. He is passionate about different cultures and speaks three languages fluently (English, Spanish and Portuguese) with additional two in progress. His industry expertise includes industrials, renewable energy, healthcare, biotechnology, agriculture, food production, and social and environmental impact.

WILL HOGAN

Managing Director, Umergence

Will Hogan, Managing Director (Umergence)

Impact Investments expertise and the Managing Director at Umergence: a Broker-Dealer private placement company.

Will Hogan raises capital for impact ventures and funds that hold the promise of delivering solid financial return as well as broader value to communities and the environment. Will is a builder of community and collaboration in Impact. Recent focus Impact themes include regenerative+circular economy, cleantech, health+wellness, diversity, equity+inclusion, sustainable food+agriculture, and real estate. Over his career, Will has often led cross-functional project teams to originate commercial and project financings and build investment products. Will has driven new business development efforts at Amalgamated Bank, Aetos Capital, Morgan Stanley, and Ernst & Young. Will holds an MBA from NYU Stern, an AB in Public Policy from The University of Chicago, the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation, and the Sustainable Investment Professional Certificate from Concordia University (Montreal). Will holds Series 7, 63 & 24 securities licenses.

DIANE KALDANY

Founder + CEO, the C&SG Group

Diane Kaldany, Co-founder + CEO (the C&SG Group)

Chief Strategy & Relationships Officer of the C&SG Group.

Driven by a desire to leave a meaningful legacy, Diane is on a journey to preserve our planet and improve the lives of communities worldwide. As the CEO of The CSG-Group, Diane established the organization to engage with like-minded consultants on a mission to advocate for sustainable business practices that create value towards a stakeholder regenerative economy. The CSG-Group’s team brings extensive experience and skills in managing sustainability endeavors across ecological, social, and economic aspects intertwined with a company’s operational footprint. Through strategic advisory and capital raise services, alongside introductions to sustainable investors, the team supports innovators creating solutions that address the challenges identified by the 17 UN SDGs. The CSG-Group provides customized sustainability services to SMEs, helping them to have a more significant impact on their communities based on their values, needs, and budgets. Diane's leadership and vision drive the CSG-Group's commitment to fostering a sustainable future for businesses and communities alike.

JASON KLIWINSKI

Founder/CEO, The Green Building Center

Jason Kliwinski, AIA, LEED™

Sustainability-focused Architect, Consultant, and Educator.

Jason Kliwinski is Principal and Founder of his sustainable architectural firm, Designs for Life LLC., started in 2003, catering to the green market. Jason is also founder and CEO of The Green Building Center started in 2010, with locations in New Jersey and New York serving the Northeast Region, realizing the vision of providing an integrative approach to sustainability across all market sectors by bringing green consulting, design, construction, finance, products, and education all under one roof. Jason is also a passionate educator and dedicates time to teaching as a presenter at International and national conferences, as LEED and GPro Faculty and has served as an adjunct professor at NJIT in the School of Architecture's Sustainable Design program for five years. Considered an expert in the field of sustainability, Mr. Kliwinski is regularly asked to present at conferences and lectures throughout the Tri-State area, nationally, and internationally. As such, he has presented in a wide range of public and private forums and understands the importance of being able to 'tell the story' of sustainability.

JOE MILAM

Founder, AngelSpan/The Legacy Funds

Joe Milam, Founder (AngelSpan/The Legacy Funds)

Investor Relations and Capital Markets expertise.

Joe Milam (MY-lum) is a recognized expert in securities analysis, valuation, portfolio design and management, venture & angel investing, and oddly enough - the Psychology of Wealth. He ran his own multi-family office for 20 yrs, and is now applying his almost 40 years of investing experience to address the inefficiencies in how we fund innovation. At AngelSpan, we are addressing the chronic 'information gap' typical with early-stage companies by delivering the best in class Investor Relations. Now rolling out The Legacy Funds division of AngelSpan to address the chronic and growing funding gap across the U.S. by delivering the first institutionally rigorous solution for allocating capital to the venture asset class - regardless of the investment thesis. In essence, we remove the gamble from funding innovation.

GUENTER SCHMITTBERGER

Senior Fundraiser for Startups & Venture Funds

Guenter Schmittberger, Senior Fundraiser for Startups & Venture Funds

Focusing on Conscious Investments for Development and Climate.

After studying mathematics and psychology, I worked in the IT industry for 11 years, building up the maintenance division, managing ERP sales for a region, and after key account management, I set up my own business and sold best-of-breed software to a large chemical company. As co-founder of an IT company for a digital twin of logistical processes, I was first confronted with fundraising for start-ups. Shortly after, I joined an initiative of the Stanford Business Club of France, and as a member of the supervisory board of Leonardo Finance S. A., I started fundraising for startups from Germany, France and the US. At the same time, I became a member of the Business Angels Club in Berlin and invested in two start-ups. Subsequently, I worked for more than a decade for an international management consultancy with a focus on the management of shutdown & turnaround for large physical assets. 2019 I got back into fundraising for start-ups to support a grassroots change process by focusing on start-ups that have an impact on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. I also started fundraising for venture funds, i.e. attracting investors for funds. With partners, I support a fundraising portfolio of pre-selected 50+ startups and VCs from all over the globe. I'm using various tools to preselect startups out of a large deal flow before I offer them a personal online meeting and focus on those that have the best chances for high impact on people, planet and profit.

TRACI SHIRACHI

CEO, The Mark USA

Traci Shirachi, CEO (The Mark USA)

Social Impact Measurement and Reporting expertise.

Traci Shirachi is the CEO/President of The Mark USA Inc. (“The Mark” or “the Company”). The Mark is a data analytics applied research and evaluation company comprised of about 15 employees that work with organizations nationally and internationally to help the underserved thrive. The Mark uses rigorous data collection and research methods to evaluate and measure results for organizations and companies to achieve sustainable growth. Many of the organizations or companies’ that work with The Mark focus on demonstrating their social impact. Traci formerly worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers and has an MBA from Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University and a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Davis. Traci is married and has two young girls (5 years old and 1 year old). She is actively involved in the Center Club as an Orange County Advisors in Philanthropy member, and a Board member of WISE Place. She was honored in 2019, 2020, and 2021 as the Orange County Business Journal’s Women in Business and also honored in 2020 and 2021 for Women in Entrepreneurship.
John Smith

ERIC SOLOMON

Founder & CEO, the Human OS

John Smith

Eric Solomon, Founder & CEO(the Human OS)

With a Doctorate in Psychology, invigorating enterprises to cultivate their employees and customers through the Human Operating System.

Eric Solomon has been working at the intersection of psychology, technology, creativity, and brand-building for over 20 years. He is the Founder & CEO of The Human OS, a premium marketing and leadership consultancy. Prior to founding his practice, Eric held executive leadership positions for some of the top brands in the world including YouTube, Spotify, Google, and Instagram. He was also the Chief Marketing Officer for Bonobos, a DTC e-commerce retailer owned by Walmart. Eric entered the corporate world through the doors of academia, earning his Master’s and Ph.D. in psychology prior to running research and strategy for award-winning creative agencies. As part of The Human OS, Eric has served as fractional CMO for a variety of companies, from emerging start-ups to established organizations. He is a Board Advisory member (both for- and non-profit), an author, a collaborator of the C&SG Group (Capitalism & the Social Good), a consultancy, and a frequent public speaker.
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 Advisory Board

 
 
 

Chris Marquis, PhD

Sinyi Professor of Chinese Management at the University of Cambridge. Author of "Better Business: How the B Corp Movement is Remaking Capitalism"

Vicki Benjamin

Karner Blue Capital Co-Founder, CEO, CPA, MBA. Women Business Entrepreneur; Biodiversity Investment Specialist.

Ash Varma, Esq

COO & Business Coach | Legal Consultant | Advocate for Women Leaders & Entrepreneurs | Forbes Contributor | DEI

Andres Penaranda

MBA from Yale University Strategy | Finance | Startups | Venture Capital Private Equity | Investor | MBA | Engineer

minjia yang

Vice President, International WELL Building Institute | Consultant Inter- American Development Bank | MPA Cornell | Investment in Health

 
 

CLARA LIPSON

Founder & Chief Executive of AboutMicrofinance.com | Impact Capital Forum Director

 

Social & Impact Investing Networks

Creating a better future