The Team

1. Rajiv S. Joshi

   Founder

   

   Rajiv Subhash Joshi is an economist, community organiser, and instigator of business transformation and social change. As the Founder of Bridging Ventures, he is forging a new approach to drive radical collaboration in service to a regenerative future for all.

   Rajiv is currently the Associate Dean for Climate Action with The Climate School at Columbia University in New York. He joined The B Team at its inception in 2012 having served as the organisation’s CEO and first Managing Director until 2019, as part of a Collective Partnership, where he led the Executive Team. In that position, he worked closely with Co-Founders Sir Richard Branson and Jochen Zeitz, to redefine the role of business in society – alongside a global group of committed global Leaders, advisors, and supporters. He was also instrumental in advancing Principles of Responsible Tax Practice and driving corporate ownership transparency to end illicit flows of capital. In 2014, as a founding Board Member of the We Mean Business coalition, he supported efforts to mobilise corporate leadership and secure a universal commitment to phase out greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement. 

   In 2019, Rajiv was appointed as an Executive-in-Residence at Oxford University Säid Business School to explore the future of the corporation, investigate innovative forms of education, and help businesses address environment, social, and governance (ESG) risk. That year, he was commissioned by Christiana Figures – Chief Architect of the Paris Climate Agreement and Convenor of the Mission 2020 Campaign – to serve as the Lead Author of the Decisive Decade Inquiry into the Future of Climate Action, entitle: “Organising Climate Action: Catalytic Collaboration for Systemic Change”.

   Prior to The B-team, Rajiv was Executive Director of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), the world’s largest civil society alliance working to end poverty and inequality launched by Nelson Mandela, Kumi Naidoo, and other civic leaders in 2005. He was a Trustee of Oxfam Great Britain and a Board Member of CIVICUS, based in Johannesburg. As part of the anti-poverty movement, he co-chaired the UN-Civil Society Steering Group for the World We Want, playing a pivotal role in the design of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), building on his involvement in the UN Millennium Campaign, established by Kofi Annan in 2000.

   Raj received a Bachelors of Arts with a First Class Honours in Economics from Strathclyde University Business School, and was awarded the Mahbub Al Haq Prize for Development Economics in 2008. After completing his degree, he was a Senior Consultant at CapGemini. In 2011, he completed a Masters in Public Policy and Administration (MPA) at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where he is a part-time Research Scholar. 

   In 2008, he was publicly appointed by the UK Government to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, where he helped to strengthen community relations, building on his experience working on race relations, community policing, equal opportunity and youth participation in Scotland, the UK, the EU and the Commonwealth. Raj was also an Advisor to the Scottish Commissioner for Children and Young People and a Member of the Glasgow Anti-Racist Alliance.

   From 2005-2007, Raj was twice elected as Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament and was  Vice-Chair of Young Scot, he successfully campaigned to introduce transport subsidies and abolish tuition fees and worked closely with the United Kingdom Financial Services Authority (FSA) to drive financial literacy and provide access to banking services amongst young people aged 16-18. He continues to serve as a Director of the Centre for Scottish Public Policy, on the Council of the International Anti-Corruption Convention (IACC) and as a Judge of the Thomson Reuters 

   ‘Stop Slavery Enterprise Award”.

   Rajiv originates from Gujarat, India and Kisumu, Kenya, and was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland. He currently lives between the UK and the US with his wife Shalini and their son Avi. 

2. Joseph Martorano

   Chief of Staff

   

   Joseph Martorano comes to Bridging Ventures after more than two decades as a Communications Executive and Consultant spanning government, politics, non-profits, and the technology industry. He has consistently earned the confidence and praise of clients and peers alike for outstanding service, operational excellence, and an unwavering, solution-oriented focus. 

   His abilities, honed by the breadth and depth of extensive professional experience, are multidimensional. He is a consummate collaborator and highly resourceful team player who brings great passion and joy to all that he does. Joseph holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Lewis & Clark College.

3. Sufyan Belhoche

   Director, Communications and Design

   

   After moving to London to specialise in Communications and Design studies at the renowned design school Central Saint Martins, Sufyan has gathered experience across various sectors from art, e-commerce and fashion to non-profit and climate-action. After joining Bridging Ventures as an intern in 2021, Sufyan has built up and established an inclusive and educational Social Media platform, further becoming become more involved in the organisation’s operational communications. At the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, Sufyan worked closely alongside partners such as Columbia University and the Obama Foundation in creating ‘The Climate Action Lab’ which acted as a creative and activist hub during the conference. 

   Sufyan’s work focuses on the intersection of design and communications, using language and narratives as amplifiers for change and inquiry into climate action and transition into a fairer and brighter future.

4. Amber Freeth

   Associate

   

   Amber began her journey at Bridging Ventures as an intern during the height of Covid-19, and was left inspired by the outlook and methodology. She went on to formally join the team as the resident Gen-Z, working on strategy and leading the communications team. Amber is currently in the third year of her economics degree at UCL, where she has elected to focus on Economic Development, Environmental Economics, Trade, and Policy.

   Amber currently splits her time outside of studies between Bridging Ventures, and a collective philanthropy initiative which is the first of its kind in Europe. Following university, she is interested in further pursuing sustainability strategies for modern businesses that redefine shareholders and repurpose modern marketing technologies for community good.

5. Ben Margolis

   Associate

   

   His journey has taken him from a small village in the north of England, to two formative years living and working in China and Nepal, to leading major international campaigns on poverty, inequality, and climate change. He then took a much-needed break after coordinating civil society campaigning around the major UN climate summit in Copenhagen in 2009. 

   The next decade was spent at a different pace setting up a permaculture smallholding, learning to live more simply, and welcoming people seeking sanctuary from all parts of the world into a rural community. Ben brings his learning from sharing a home with people from many countries and backgrounds, and his experience as a permaculture teacher and international campaigner, to Bridging Ventures which he has been a part of since April 2009. 

   Within Bridging Ventures, Ben focuses on campaigning and public engagement and building partnerships with campaigning organisations around the world. He is also an advisor to The Climate Coalition in the UK on their COP26 strategy, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference set to be held in Scotland in 2021.