Meet our Team
Laura leads Estian's strategy, capital formation, and relationships across municipal, institutional, and project development markets. She has spent more than two decades at the intersection of climate law, policy, and finance and has built successful institutions three times over.
She most recently served as Founding CEO of Manifest Climate, the AI-driven climate intelligence platform, from 2020 to 2024, transitioning to a strategy role in 2024. Under her leadership, Manifest Climate raised more than $25 million in venture capital. She also built foundational partnerships with organizations including Microsoft, Meta, Deloitte, PwC, and OMERS Pension Fund, and Manifest Climate became a trusted advisor to blue chip and Fortune 500 clients on climate risk and opportunity.
Earlier, she founded and led Mantle314, a climate advisory firm serving asset managers, asset owners, financial institutions, corporates, and governments worldwide. At 27, she established the first law firm in Canada dedicated exclusively to climate change law and grew it into the largest climate-focused boutique in North America.
Laura has served on public and private boards and advisory groups, including Evergreen Foundation, HData, Clean Air Partnership, SHIFT, and TREX. She is a frequent speaker and advisor to financial institutions, Fortune 500 companies, funds, and not-for-profits on AI, climate risk, governance, and strategy.
At Estian, Laura brings legal rigour, operating experience, and a track record of building institutions that communities trust. She holds a JD from the University of Toronto and a BES (Hons) from the University of Waterloo.
Over her career, Laura has supported a broad range of organizations, from government agencies to charities, to large corporations and financial institutions. She has consistently shown the ability to be a platform architect to connect diverse thinking and the best available technology to solve real-world problems.
Ksenia leads Estian's investment strategy, project underwriting, and the innovative capital structuring required to bridge the gap between institutional capital and sustainable, real-world impact. She ensures every project is analyzed with the same discipline institutional investors expect, and that the financing structure is purpose-built for each municipal asset.
With a career dedicated to financing essential services and public-private partnerships, Ksenia brings deep expertise in capital markets and municipal credit strategy. Prior to co-founding Estian, she led platform-level sustainable investment solutions at Neuberger Berman, where she developed material investment risk frameworks for all credit sectors.
During her tenure at Payden & Rygel as Head of Municipal Credit Research and Strategy, she guided sector research and investment strategies across the municipal, infrastructure, and asset-backed sectors.
Ksenia's foundational understanding of municipal needs began in the New York City Council Finance Division, where she focused on intergovernmental funding priorities and public finance policies. This unique combination of public-sector policy experience and private-sector investment leadership allows her to anchor Estian's mission in a rigorous alignment between institutional investor outcomes and the long-term economic resilience of the communities the firm serves.
She holds a Master of Public Finance from NYU Wagner School of Public Service, a B.A. in Economics & Policy from UC San Diego, a Master Credential in Project Finance from Moody's Analytics, and holds FINRA Series 7, 63, and 24 licences.
As a systems thinker focused on megatrends affecting the real economy, Ksenia has a proven track record of translating complex risks into actionable investment strategies. She serves as a critical bridge in the Estian ecosystem, structuring the defensive, institutional-grade frameworks that allow smaller municipal projects to access global capital markets.
Pete advises Estian on P3 structuring, municipal concession and service contracts, EPC and O&M contracting strategy, and project finance documentation. He brings more than fifteen years of experience advising sponsors, contractors, and lenders on large-scale energy, infrastructure, and process plant projects across Canada, the United States, and internationally.
Pete was previously a Partner in Baker McKenzie's Global Energy, Mining and Infrastructure Group, working across the firm's London, Chicago, Sydney, and Toronto offices. He has also served as Contract Counsel with a major North American independent power producer, advising on gas-fired and renewable generation projects and on tax equity structures.
His representative work includes a critical water P3 pipeline in the United States, Canadian P3 social infrastructure portfolios, the wastewater treatment plant associated with a large process facility, utility-scale renewables, and the acquisition and financing of P3 assets.
Pete holds a BA (Hons) in Jurisprudence from the University of Oxford and an LLM in International Laws from the University of Sydney, and is admitted to practice in England & Wales and in Canada.
Pete ensures that every contract, concession, and financing agreement Estian brings forward is built on solid legal and commercial ground — across borders, across asset classes, and across the full arc of a project's life.
Suma serves as Investment Lead at Estian Partners, advancing project-level diligence, maintaining the investment pipeline, and preparing the analytical materials that support conversations with capital partners and municipalities.
She brings eight years of experience spanning transaction execution, credit research, and impact-oriented investment strategy. At Citigroup, she structured and executed over $17 billion in bonds across 75 public and nonprofit issuers in energy, water, and higher education sectors, supporting financial modeling, diligence, and credit analysis throughout.
On the asset management side, she worked alongside Ksenia on the transition of a $150 million portfolio into a dedicated social impact fund, developing the investment framework and tools used to evaluate both financial and environmental outcomes.
She holds a Master of Public Administration and a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, a Sustainable Investing Certificate from the CFA Institute, and FINRA Series 63, 79, and SIE licenses.
Suma keeps the investment pipeline moving with discipline and precision — bringing the credit rigour of public finance and the evaluative lens of impact investing to every project Estian advances.
Ahmad leads Estian's technology strategy and platform architecture, ensuring the firm's investment, diligence, and partner workflows are built on robust data systems, AI capabilities, and scalable digital infrastructure.
He previously served as Head of Data and later Senior Advisor, Data at Manifest Climate, the AI-driven climate intelligence platform, where he helped build the data and machine learning foundations used to scale climate expertise for Fortune 500 and institutional clients. Earlier, as Senior Manager, AI & Analytics at PwC Canada, he led cross-functional teams delivering advanced analytics, NLP, and cloud platforms for financial, regulatory, and enterprise clients. At Fidelity Investments Canada, he led machine learning and business intelligence initiatives that brought models and automation into production across the business.
Ahmad is a licensed Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) and currently serves as Chief Technology Officer at Hannam Fertility Centre, where he leads digital infrastructure, AI-enabled tools, and data strategy at the intersection of healthcare delivery and technology. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Software Engineering and Management from McMaster University and has taught data science and analytics at the University of Toronto, Queen's University, and BrainStation.
At Estian, Ahmad brings engineering rigour, operating experience building AI and data platforms, and a track record of translating complex technical systems into tools that teams and partners can trust.
Ahmad ensures Estian's platforms and technical foundations are as disciplined as its investment and legal frameworks — turning data and AI into durable infrastructure for municipal and capital partners.
Nicole owns Estian's marketing communications strategy and execution. She ensures the platform's presence across capital partners, municipalities, technology partners, and the broader market is consistent, credible, and compelling.
Nicole is the Founder of Vitamin N Studio, a strategic brand and communications consultancy for companies deploying innovative technologies and solutions to accelerate the climate transition. Previously, she spent 14 years at Cisco where she translated deeply technical concepts into clear, human-centered stories for one of the world's largest and most complex technology companies. Earlier in her career, she managed marketing communications for clean tech startups and environmental non-profits, establishing deep roots in the climate space.
She holds an Honours Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo and brings an award-winning track record spanning creative strategy, digital design, and B2B marketing across Fortune 500 and climate-focused organizations.
Nicole ensures that how Estian is seen in the market matches the rigour and ambition of what it's building.
