Nicole Rawling

Nicole is the CEO and co-founder of the Material Innovation Initiative, a nonprofit advancing the next-gen materials industry to replace leather, wool, silk, down, fur, and exotic skins with animal-free and more sustainable innovations. Nicole co-founded MII after identifying the rich potential of the next-gen materials market through her work catapulting plant-based foods into the mainstream.

In her previous role as director of international engagement at the Good Food Institute, Nicole worked with key audiences around the world including companies, entrepreneurs, scientists, investors, and government officials to promote the development of alternatives to animal products.

Before her work in nonprofits, Nicole was an attorney at Orrick, Herrington, and Sutcliffe, and international law firm, handling securities litigation and internal investigations. Nicole also served as pro-bono council on multiple animal-protection litigation cases for HSUS and ALDF mainly suing factory farms for environmental law violations.