Data Foundation Announces Key Senior Fellow Appointments to Climate Data Collaborative

Washington, D.C., July 10, 2025 – The Data Foundation today announced the appointment of three distinguished experts as Senior Fellows contributing to its Climate Data Collaborative (CDC), significantly strengthening the initiative's capacity to establish a permanent, independent source of investor-grade, open source climate performance data across sectors. 

• Catherine Atkin is an attorney specializing in corporate sustainability reporting and carbon market infrastructure, Atkin was the chief technical and legal advisor on California's Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (SB 253). She chairs the Stanford Law School CodeX Climate Data Policy Initiative and serves on the UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub Technical Working Group for updating the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard.
• Ben Macdonald brings extensive experience from his role as managing principal of the Climate Market Strategy & Infrastructure (CMSI) group, a philanthropic initiative of Michael R. Bloomberg. At CMSI, Macdonald oversaw creation of the Net Zero Data Public Utility and participated in establishing the Global Carbon Market Utility. His 25-year financial markets career includes serving as global head of Bloomberg's Enterprise Products Group and CEO of Bloomberg Tradebook LLC, where he testified before the U.S. Senate on derivatives reform and worked extensively with global regulators.
• Liv Watson is a co-founder of both the Global Digital Single Market Data Alliance and the XBRL International consortium, and has played a significant global role in financial and sustainability reporting standards. She has collaborated with various market regulators and institutions, and has also served as a senior advisor to the Capitals Coalition, CDP, the Impact Management Project and as a Senior Director at Workiva Inc. 

Atkin, Macdonald, and Watson are jointly the co-founders of The Global Digital Single Market Data Alliance initiative, originally launched at the Capitals Coalition, now part of the Data Foundation’s Climate Data Collaborative.  

"The appointment of these new senior fellows represent a significant milestone for the Climate Data Collaborative," said Nick Hart, Data Foundation President & CEO. "Their combined expertise in financial markets, regulatory frameworks, and digital reporting standards will be instrumental in building the trusted, open-source climate data infrastructure that decision-makers want and need."

The Climate Data Collaborative launched at the Data Foundation in early-Fall 2024 as a nonpartisan initiative to establish a trusted, independent center that makes investor-grade, usable climate data available to decision-makers across sectors, building a resilient climate data ecosystem that serves the needs of those able to advance climate mitigation.

About the Data Foundation

The Data Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. that champions the use of open data and evidence-informed public policy to make society better for everyone. As a nonpartisan think tank, we conduct research, collaborative thought leadership, and advocacy programs that advance practical policies for the creation and use of accessible, trustworthy data. Our activities proactively address emerging data-related needs in the country with the goal of devising realistic solutions, accelerating policy coordination, and advancing innovation. The Data Foundation is recognized by Candid Guidestar with the Platinum Seal of Transparency and received 4-Stars from Charity Navigator. To learn more, visit www.datafoundation.org. (LEI: 254900I43CTC59RFW495)