Date: March 27, 2025
After 18 years, MicroEnergy Credits CEO and Co-founder April Allderdice will step down to clear the way for new leadership. She will pass the CEO baton to Narendra Prajapati, who has served MEC in various capacities since 2017, including as the Chief Financial Officer since 2019. April will remain on the Board of Directors.
April founded MEC in 2007 with a vision to mitigate climate change through the empowerment of local low-income and vulnerable communities, especially women microentrepreneurs. She has fostered strong partnerships with local communities, centering them in all of MEC’s projects and ensuring they deliver tangible benefits, including access to clean energy and improved livelihoods.
Under her leadership, MEC has grown from a fledgling start-up to a recognized leader in the carbon market. It is renowned for its innovative and community-centric approach. MEC has registered 55 carbon projects, reduced 12 million tonnes of carbon emissions, and positively impacted the lives of nearly 60 million people in Asia and Africa. April’s unwavering commitment to ethical and equitable project development has set a new standard for the industry and differentiated MEC’s climate impact from other developers.
"Building MEC has been the most rewarding journey of my career," said April. "It is not lost on me that for 18 years, I have had a role where I have learned every day from our inspirational women improving their lives with clean energy. It has been incredibly satisfying, after having been exposed to the seemingly intractable problems of clean energy access and gender early in my career, to have then been a small part of documented successes at scale. I’ve always viewed MEC as a relationship more than a company. Through this relationship with our end users, we’ve connected with their needs, desires, and power to make change. From this connection, even though there have been exciting successes, I know we are still at the beginning of the transformation we can create. There is an enormous opportunity to continue to fight climate change and build resilience among our client base of low-income women. I am so proud that MEC is in a strong position to continue to catalyze the solutions to these problems at an even greater scale moving forward.
I am also extremely grateful that MEC has within its ranks a leader as talented as Narendra to take on the CEO role. MEC has a unique business model as a social enterprise, combining financial sustainability with a priority for social impact. Further, MEC’s work culture is equally unique, helping us perform at the highest levels while enjoying a supportive work environment that can attract and retain top talent. Having worked hand in hand with Narendra for over eight years, I am confident in his ability to navigate this beautiful balance and lead MEC to even greater heights."
Narendra is known for his ability to bridge financial management with long-term strategic planning and has a proven track record of driving positive change with a deep understanding of the complexities of carbon project development. His passion for creating lasting social and environmental impact aligns perfectly with MEC's core values. In addition to being the CEO, Narendra will continue to serve as the CFO.
"I am honored to be entrusted with the leadership of MEC," said Narendra. "April's vision and dedication have built a remarkable organization, and I am committed to building upon her legacy. We will continue prioritizing community impact in all our projects, ensuring that our work contributes to a more sustainable and equitable future for all."
Other leadership changes include Sriskandh Subramanian, MEC’s Chief Sustainability Officer, who has been leading MEC’s carbon program for the last ten years, joining MEC’s Board of Directors as its Chairperson.
As we continue to champion low-income and vulnerable communities in an age where both fighting climate change at every opportunity and creating climate resilience among our most vulnerable communities is increasingly urgent, we are confident that Narendra and Sriskandh’s vision, strategic thinking, and commitment to MEC’s values will be invaluable in guiding our path forward.
The transition of leadership will happen over the next three months. April will remain available as an advisor to ensure a smooth transition and continuity in MEC’s work.
