Diana Propper de Callejon

Diana has more than 25 years of experience investing in and building sustainability market leaders and purpose-led companies and is a recognized thought leader on the market growth of these opportunities and how businesses that create stakeholder value can outperform their peers over the long term. Diana’s sector expertise includes better-for-you consumer products, natural health and wellness, energy efficiency services, and green building.

At Cranemere, Diana leads the Consumer team that is focused on acquiring companies across diverse sectors in consumer products and services. Diana also supports Cranemere’s operating companies in strengthening their environmental and social performance to build business value. Diana joined Cranemere because she believes that companies can capture their full potential and grow into their next chapter when they are partnered with a long-term, stable capital partner who is values-aligned.

Prior to Cranemere, Diana was co-managing partner at Expansion Capital Partners, providing growth capital to and serving on the board member of companies in sustainability markets including green building, energy services, and resource efficiency. While at Expansion Capital, Diana took companies public and also sold businesses to large corporations.

Diana is a producer of documentaries that profile businesses whose success is integrally tied to their leadership in sustainability and social wellbeing, including the award winning “Beyond Zero.”  Diana is on the Board of Trustees of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) where she chairs the investment committee, and is also on the Advisory Board of Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability. She has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts Summa Cum Laude from Duke University, where she is an Executive-in-Residence and teaches a course at Duke entitled “Investing in Climate Solutions.”

My upbringing influenced who I am today because I am the child of immigrants and grew up in the U.S. speaking several languages with my extended family overseas. I learned early on that there were many perspectives in life and it was important to put myself in other people’s shoes to understand and learn from the diversity of views. I realized at an early age that there was no “normal” or “right or wrong perspective” and this helped me become a more empathetic person.

If I weren’t in finance, I’d be a photographer. I am an insatiably curious person and love learning about other cultures. Photography is about observing and learning new insights. I would also spend half my time as a wilderness photographer of nature. There is nothing more inspiring, moving and humbling than photographing nature’s great gifts.

What motivates me most is harnessing the power of business and capital to address some of our toughest challenges – climate change and social and economic inequities. For a company to achieve positive impact on these issues and to drive enhanced business performance from environmental and social investments takes time, focus and resources. I joined Cranemere because our long term ownership model and partnership with management teams puts our operating companies in the best position to realize their full impact potential and related business value.

I am a big fan of baseball. My older brother made me a diehard NY Yankees fan but given my youngest son’s passion for the LA Dodgers, I’ve achieved the difficult feat of being a loyal fan of both teams!