At Planet Mark, we’ve always believed that sustainability isn’t just about reporting numbers; it’s about creating meaningful change that drives business value, resilience, and growth. Today, we are entering an exciting new chapter.
We’re delighted to announce that Avital Johanan has been appointed as our new Managing Director, succeeding our founder, Steve Malkin, after 12 years of inspirational leadership.
Avi joined Planet Mark in 2024 as Chief Product Officer, where she has helped deliver transformative solutions, focusing on strengthening our member and service offerings to help businesses of all sizes measure and reduce carbon emissions. Her background in data products and business transformation most notably at IHS Markit (now part of S&P Global) has given her deep expertise in building data-driven products that help organisations translate complex challenges into action.
Steve Malkin will continue to play an active role in the business as a Senior Advisor and Founder, working closely with our community to accelerate transitions, energise employees, and engage supply chains.
Why this matters: the state of the market
The marketplace for climate solutions is rapidly evolving. There is a shifting to focus on sustainable supply chains. Increasingly, large corporates are turning to software providers to manage their sustainability strategies particularly for Scope 3 emissions measurement across supply chains. While these tools offer powerful top-down data aggregation, we see a growing challenge: low supplier engagement and low take-up rates.
Why? Because a measurement tool alone isn’t enough. Supply chain transformation depends on people, not just systems. Without genuine engagement, education, and capacity building at the ground level, suppliers often lack the tools, knowledge, or motivation to act.
This is where Planet Mark sits uniquely at the heart of climate tech and people. With 12 years of leadership, a market-leading end-to-end offering, and now as part of the UK Supply Chain division of Veriforce, we have deep expertise about supply chains and access to tens of thousands of suppliers in a connected ecosystem, and true global reach. This is where we will drive impact at scale and fulfil our ambitions and drive measurable progress to net zero globally, with Avi at the helm in this new phase of growth.
Our approach: ground-up and top-down
At Planet Mark we believe real progress requires a dual approach.
- Top-down tools and certifications that give businesses a structured pathway to manage risks and measure carbon across their supply chains.
- Engagement from the ground-up and capacity building that empowers suppliers no matter their industry, size, or location, to take meaningful action and succeed on their sustainability journey.
This blend of technology and human engagement is why hundreds of companies work with us on their supply chain risk management. It’s also why our members consistently achieve better results: because transformation doesn’t happen in spreadsheets; it happens in businesses, with people.
Looking ahead
Commenting on her appointment, Avi said:
“I believe we have an exciting opportunity to grow our business and our impact at Planet Mark. We have a talented and committed team, with products that are trusted by hundreds of companies across the UK and beyond to support them on their journey to net zero and find the business value in sustainability.
We know that companies of all sizes – from micro-businesses to multinationals – face challenges in turning ambition into action, particularly around engagement, education and capacity building within their business and their supply chains. This remains the biggest barrier to progress. Through the principles that have built Planet Mark; combining the best of people and technology, continuous improvement, and encouraging businesses in their first steps, we are unlocking access to tens of thousands of companies to overcome this challenge and deliver meaningful impact. Our end-end-end certification products provide a strong foundation to integrate businesses’ supply chains directly into our net zero programme – scaling and accelerating carbon reduction on the path to net zero.”
Steve added:
“Planet Mark has proven time and time again, that sustainability can be a source of growth, resilience and differentiation for every business. I’m incredibly proud of what our team and community has achieved and the tangible difference we’ve made together.
I believe that Avital will do a tremendous job in continuing to build on this legacy of impact. And as I move into my new role, I look forward to having more time to engage directly with our members helping them drive direct action in their organisations.”
The bigger picture
This transition signals the start of Planet Mark’s next phase: scaling our impact across global supply chains. As the climate tech market continues to grow, we remain confident that our people-powered model blending data, certification, and human-led engagement will continue to set us apart.
Our vision is simple. To enable thousands more businesses to measure, reduce, and truly transform their businesses by targeting net zero, and making it easier and simpler to bring their supply chains on their journey. And with Avi leading the way, and Steve continuing to champion our members, we are better placed than ever to achieve it.
