José Malbec-Leighton

Born in Santiago, Chile, and raised in various countries, Jose is dedicated to building strong relationships with diverse stakeholders to advance climate action collectively.

Before joining Verra, José worked as a communications consultant for LLYC in Barcelona assisting multinational organizations. Later in 2021, he joined the World Climate Foundation in Denmark, where he led media relations and developed communication strategies, executed strategic partnerships for both public and private sectors for COP26 in Scotland, COP27 in Egypt, NYCW, LCAW. In 2022, after a solo trip to Cape Town, South Africa, he connected with entrepreneurs, investors and governments, and built a network to advance climate action for African countries.

In 2023 he joined Verra as Manager, Media Relations and Sustainable Programs, where he builds relationships with media representatives behind his strong commitment for a net zero world by supporting Verra’s impactful solutions. This 2024, he was awarded and recognized as Future Climate Leader by the Aspen Institute and as Youth Fellow by NATO, contributing with expertise in climate communications, and sharing his work with Verra.

José holds a Master’s degree in digital entrepreneurship from Europa Universität Viadrina (Germany) and Montpellier Business School (France), where he developed strong interest climate change and biodiversity conservation communication strategies. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Navarra (Spain).

Beyond his professional endeavors, José enjoys doing Crossfit, wakeboarding, beach volleyball, and hiking, which allows him to connect with nature.