ABOUT US
Creating Circular Solutions
for the World
The story of PCX starts in the Philippines, one of the epicentres of the plastic pollution crisis.
It Hits Close to Home
In 2012, Nanette Medved Po set up a non-profit called HOPE to help fund the construction of public school classrooms in underprivileged communities in the Philippines through the sales of HOPE branded water. As sales grew, so did her concern about where all that plastic was going.
Like many emerging markets, there is little to no recycling infrastructure in the Philippines. Precious tax dollars are already stretched over many urgent, competing priorities, such as education and health care, leaving little to tackle the large and highly fragmented waste problem. This is a challenge across the region. According to the World Bank, half of the top 10 countries contributing to plastic leakage to rivers and seas are located in Southeast Asia.
We’re Mobilizing a Planet
In 2019, Nanette founded PCX to help tackle the legacy plastic waste crisis both in the region, and all over the world. While PCX started off as a non-profit, today there are two separate entities that support a shared mission.
PCX Markets is a fully transparent plastic credit marketplace for audited, traceable plastic waste recovery and responsible processing worldwide. Our marketplace activates an ecosystem of partners who collect, transport and responsibly process plastic waste, while supporting communities on the ground with programs that improve livelihoods and scale social impact. PCX Markets, which is headquartered in Singapore, has enabled the clean up of over 108 million kilograms of plastic waste. We work with over 37 projects in 12 markets worldwide.
“Businesses have an incredible opportunity to take leadership on this urgent issue. First, by reducing their upstream consumption of virgin plastic, where they can.
And secondly, by helping fund the cleanup of the equivalent of their remaining footprint to help tackle the legacy waste that's choking our planet”
Nanette Medved, PCX Markets
PCX Solutions, a non profit organization headquartered in Manila, works with governments around the world on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes; helps companies understand their plastic footprint, implement reduction strategies and comply with existing and upcoming legislation; and manages a fully transparent, third-party audited Plastic Pollution Reduction Standard (PPRS) to ensure the impact and responsibility of plastic waste projects, channelling funding into recycling infrastructure and increasing socio economic benefits for the communities.
Let's accelerate the transition to a circular economy and build a future where no plastic ends up in nature.
We aim to not only enable the cleanup of 9 billion+ tonnes from 80+ years of consumption already threatening the planet, we encourage the elimination of unnecessary plastic and enable responsible production and waste management for any plastic that remains.
Change Is a Team Sport
Board
Nanette Medved-Po
Founder and Executive Chairperson
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Generation HOPE Inc., Founder, Philippines’ First B-Corp Forbes Hero of Philanthropy WWF Philippines, Trustee Finance and Entrepreneurship, Babson College
Nanette is the founder and chairperson of PCX Markets and PCX Solutions. She also founded HOPE, an impact company that invests 100% of profits to improve public school education infrastructure, agriculture interventions for smallholder farmers, and environmental initiatives in both the plastic waste and carbon sequestration spaces. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the World Wildlife Fund Philippines and on the Board of Directors of Winrock International in Arlington, Virginia. Nanette received the NGO Leadership Award and Social Innovation Leadership Award from the Philippines Leadership Awards and was honored as one of Forbes’ Heroes of Philanthropy. She graduated summa cum laude with degrees in Finance and Entrepreneurship from Babson College in Massachusetts.
Michael Gilmore
Board Member
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UN PRI International Working Group on Plastics, Member Albizia Capital, Research Director MBA SOAS University of London
Michael Gilmore leads Albizia's approach to ESG and is a member of the UN PRI's Plastics Investor Working Group. Michael began his career at DBS Securities, before moving to UBS where he became Head of Asian Consumer Research. In 2005, Michael joined Nomura Securities, and HSBC in 2010, in the sales role. Michael has a Masters from SOAS, University of London where he also has a BA in Economics and Politics, specialising in the ASEAN.
Ron Hose
Board Member
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Coins.ph, Founder UnionBank, Independent Director Innovation Endeavors, Founding Partner Masters in Computer Science, Cornell University
Ron Hose is an entrepreneur and early-stage investor in technology companies. He currently serves as Independent Director of UnionBank. Prior to joining the board of UnionBank, Mr. Hose was the founder and CEO of Coins.ph (acquired by Gojek in 2019), one of the first blockchain-based financial services platforms to reach significant mainstream consumer adoption. Mr. Hose was also a founding partner at Silicon Valley-based venture fund Innovation Endeavors, and a founder at TokBox Inc, a San Francisco based video conferencing startup that was acquired by Telefonica. He is a graduate of Cornell University in 2005 with a Master’s of Engineering Degree in Computer Science.
Gideon Agar
Board Member
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Tradelegs, CEO Patriarch Partners, Managing Partner MBA Harvard Business School
Gideon Agar is currently CEO of Tradelegs, and its wholly-owned subsidiary Optimize.Advisors, an SEC-registered investment advisor. He has worked in the tech industry since 1988, holding management positions at companies like Oracle and Cisco. From 2007-2010 Gideon was a managing director at Patriarch Partners, a multi-billion dollar private equity fund. Gideon has bachelor degrees in both Computer Science and English Literature from Brown University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Helga Vanthournout
Board Member
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Director, Wealth of Flows Consulting Strategic Advisor, ADM Capital Foundation Senior Expert, McKinsey & Company MBA, IMD MSc Env. Policy, IIIEE MSc Env. Engineering, Ghent University
Helga is the founder of Wealth of Flows Consulting, where she helps organizations around the globe set powerful sustainability and circular economy agendas and strategies. She is also a Strategic Advisor of ADM Capital Foundation which aims to understand how our environmental and economic systems are changing and taking those insights as a starting point to reduce system stresses and help build resilience and in Drink Without Waste. She worked as a Senior Expert at the Sustainability unit of McKinsey & Company. She took her MBA at IMD Business School and holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental Policy from IIIEEE, and Environmental Engineering from Ghent University.
Sheila Lirio Marcelo
Board Advisor
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Care.com, Founder New Enterprise Associates, Venture Partner MBA Harvard Business School JD Harvard Law School
Sheila Marcelo is the founder, chairwoman, and CEO of Care.com, the world’s largest online destination for finding and managing family care. She was a management consultant and a teaching fellow at Harvard Business School, vice president of product management and marketing of Upromise, the vice president and general manager of TheLadders.com, and an Entrepreneur in Residence at Matrix Partners. She became the youngest recipient of the lifetime award by Harvard Business School, the Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award in 2014. She sits on the Board of the Philippine Development Foundation, the Advisory Board for the Harvard Business School Rock 100 Entrepreneurs Summit, and is an adviser to several startup companies. Sheila graduated magna cum laude with a degree in economics from Mount Holyoke College. She earned her JD and MBA degrees with honors and the Dean’s Award from Harvard University.
Management Team
Sebastian DiGrande
CEO
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Sebastian has over 35 years of global experience building and leading teams to deliver impact at scale. He spent 20 years at BCG in San Francisco, London and Sydney, leading the Technology Practice and helping launch BCG Digital Ventures, followed by several years leading $5B+ of digital and international businesses at Gap Inc. He joined PCX to apply his experience to a mission he felt passionate about, and to help lead the change in the fight to protect nature from plastic waste. Sebastian has a passion for nature, and enjoys diving, skiing, running, biking and swimming with his wife, three sons and their dog Kona.
Rudi Ramin
Commercial Director
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Rudi is a business builder with over 20 years of experience in marketing, sales, finance, and general management across technology, consumer goods, and professional services. He began as an auditor at KPMG, then moved to Unilever and Kraft Foods (Mondelez), handling brands like Lipton, Knorr, and Oreo across Asia Pacific. In 2014, he joined Google as Brand Solutions Expert for the region. From 2016, he co-founded several tech startups in the field of personal development, e-commerce and mental health. In 2023, he joined PCX to help companies on their plastic responsibility journey. He is a proud dad to a teen who aims to be a world tenpin bowling champion someday.
Margarita Parma
Chief of Staff
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Margarita is a sustainable development professional with over nine years of experience fostering cross-sector collaboration to address social and environmental challenges. Specialising in innovative solutions, process improvement, and partnership building, she has worked closely with government leaders and grassroots stakeholders in the Philippines. Since joining PCX in 2021, Margarita has spearheaded partnerships with EPR pioneers in the Philippine government, and empowered a mission-driven team. Margarita enjoys spending time with her community and has been an active volunteer in several orphanages, food banks, and shelters for over a decade.
Russell Davis
Business Operations and Strategy Lead
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Russell is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in sustainability, business operations, and design. He is committed to building market-efficient circular solutions. His journey began at the Boston Consulting Group after earning an MBA at Darden. Later, he worked in design for the circular economy and thought leadership with McDonough Innovation. Russell enjoys snowboarding, hiking, coaching his daughter’s soccer team, camping, and visiting family in Montana.
Marla Go
Sustainable Supply Partnerships Head
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With over a decade of dedicated experience in procurement, Marla has honed her skills in strategic sourcing commodities management, and the procure-to-pay process. Her proficiency spans across the procurement and supply chain domains of both local enterprises and leading multinational corporations, where she held pivotal roles at organizations such as Nestlé, Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, and Coca-Cola FEMSA. Venturing into sustainability, Marla has discovered a profound passion for cleaning up plastic waste and she is committed to making a significant impact in the fight against plastic pollution. Outside of her professional pursuits, Marla cherishes family time, finding joy in travelling to new destinations and exploring various activities with her three boys and three pets.
Jack Rosenberg
US Sustainability Partnerships Leader
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Jack began working for PCX Markets in May 2023 to help global companies develop and implement holistic plastic responsibility strategies. His journey began in the enterprise software space as a core member of DocuSign's financial services team. Jack has a passion for creating cleaner and healthier environments and communities globally. He greatly enjoys spending his time with family and friends, running, hiking, biking, and being in nature.
Cris Prystay
Director of Communications
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Cris is a content and communications specialist with over 25 years experience in journalism and media relations. She spent nine years with the Wall Street Journal, based in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, before joining J. Walter Thompson as the Asia Pacific Director for Communications. Later, she joined Sequoia Capital India & Southeast Asia as Head of Content, based in Singapore. Cris, an avid diver who has seen the region’s plastic pollution problem compound over the last two decades, hopes to make a difference by sharing the stories of the people on the front lines of the crisis.
RJ Pragacha
Finance Director
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RJ is a seasoned CPA with over a decade of experience overseeing profit and loss responsibility and managing financial operations through complex company stages. He has held key management roles at multinational FMCGs like Procter & Gamble and Unilever, as well as leadership roles at tech startups across Southeast Asia, Australia, and North America. A full member of CPA Australia and a Certified ERP Consultant, RJ also holds an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management, University of New South Wales, awarded as an Australia Awards scholar. RJ is an advocate for LGBT rights, animal welfare, and economic empowerment for disadvantaged young people.
Kristoffer Rivera
Human Resources Director
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Kris brings a decade of HR leadership experience from both multinational corporations and startups companies. Most recently, he served as an HR Leader at 917Ventures, the venture-building arm of Globe Telecoms, where he managed HR for five startups providing B2B digital solutions. Previously, as Head of Human Resources at M360 Inc., Kris designed and implemented benefits and drove OD initiatives critical to the company's expansion. His career also includes HR leadership roles at Honeywell International and Chevron Corporation, where he managed global operations teams and work migration projects. A longtime supporter of an environmental preservation organization, Kris strongly believes in efforts that contribute to protecting the environment.
What We Care About Most
We’re cleaning up 80 years of plastic waste. We encourage the elimination of unnecessary plastic, and enable responsible production and waste management for any plastic that remains.
1. Restoring a healthy ecosystem
The oceans give us oxygen, regulate our climate, and provide food and income for billions. Yet human activity has left them in a perilous state. By preventing plastic waste from leaking into our ecosystems, we hope to restore our oceans and protect our planet.
2. Responsible waste management
We partner with companies committed to environmentally preferred waste management practices. By ensuring stringent audits on all of our partners’ operations, we do everything we can to promote the effective reduction and disposal of plastic waste.
3. Socio-economic development
For us, sustainability means social and economic development too.
Our model provides investments in environmental protection, support for behavior change, and opportunities for women in the circular economy. Through projects like HOPE’s Aling Tindera Waste-to-Cash program, we support impactful work that not only provides additional income to communities but allows our partners to become champions of sustainability.
Let’s Get To Work
Join us in the collective fight to keep plastic out of nature.