Global Roundtable 2020: Speakers

Ahmed Al Qabany
Manager, Resilience and Social Development Department, Islamic Development Bank

Dr. Ahmed Al Qabany is the Manager of the Climate Change Division at the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB). An engineer by training, Ahmed set up and is currently heading the Climate Change Division in IsDB. The Division is responsible for mainstreaming Climate Action in IsDB Operations, which includes increasing IsDB financing of Green projects and climate adaptation of IsDB investments, in addition to capacity building in IsDB Member Countries.
Since joining the Bank in 2012, he led and participated in the implementation of Infrastructure projects in many IsDB member countries and was part of IsDB’s efforts to enhancing sustainability of its projects through his work in the Infrastructure Department. Prior to joining the Islamic Development Bank, Ahmed worked in Environmental and Climate Change consulting, as well as research in Egypt and the UK. He holds an MSc. in Engineering from the American University in Cairo and a PhD from the University of Cambridge, UK.

Inger Andersen
Executive Director, UN Environment Programme

Inger Andersen was appointed Executive Director of the UNEP by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in February 2019.

Between 2015 and 2019, Ms. Andersen was the Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Ms Andersen brings a passion for conservation and sustainable development with more than 30 years of experience in international development economics, environmental sustainability and policy-making, as well as in designing and implementing projects and generating on-the-ground impact. She has played a key role in supporting riparian countries on international water management and hydro diplomacy.

Prior to joining IUCN, Ms Andersen held various leadership roles at the World Bank and United Nations. Most recently, she was Vice President of the Middle East and North Africa at the World Bank, and previous to that Vice President for Sustainable Development and Head of the CGIAR Fund Council. Throughout Ms Andersen’s 15-year career at the World Bank, her managerial roles focused on water, environment, and sustainable development with special emphasis on Africa and the Middle East. Previous to the World Bank, Ms. Andersen worked at the United Nations for 12 years, starting in the UN Sudano-Sahelian Office working on drought and desertification issues, and was then appointed UNDP’s Water and Environment Coordinator for the Arab Region.

Ms Andersen’s educational background includes a BA from London Metropolitan University North and a MA degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London with specialisation in development economics.

Ivani Benazzi de Andrade
Sustainability Superintendent, Bradesco Seguros (Brazil)

Ivani Benazzi de Andrade is the Sustainability Superintendent at Bradesco Insurance Group, acting in the field since 2017, leading projects such as planning for climate change, sustainable businesses, diversity and inclusion, volunteering, insurance education, sustainability innovation.

In 1984 she started her career at Bradesco Bank, going through different fields. Started in retail and 3 years later in 1987 was transferred to the area of Fiscal Auditing of Bradesco Bank, acting as Fiscal Auditor. Ten years later, she started to work as a buy side investment analyst, specialist in commodities companies at BRAM – Bradesco Asset. In 2007, she became Department Manager at the Department of Market Relations at Bradesco Bank, managing the fields of Investor Relations, Socio-environmental Risks and Sustainability.

She is a graduate in Business Administration, post-graduate in Financial Administration from Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, holds an MBA in Capital Markets from IBMEC – SP and is currently concluding a Masters in Sustainability at Fundação Getúlio Vargas São Paulo(FGV).

Ivani is a member of the commissions of sustainability and innovation at CNSEG, participates in the ASG Integration Commission and the Inclusive Insurance Commission of CNseg(National Confederation of Companies of General Insurance, Private Pension and Life, Complementary Health and Capitalization), in order to accompany the integration of ESG questions in the sector’s operations and the overseeing of the Inclusive Insurance development. She actively participates in discussions on ESG and Climate Change matters promoted by UNEP FI – Principles for Sustainable Insurance and also in the discussions surrounding Microinsurance Network regarding the incentive for the development of the inclusive insurance market directed at low-income persons and small and medium enterprises.

Jesica Andrews
Climate Change, UNEP FI

Jesica Andrews joined UN Environment in June 2013. She focuses on climate finance and governance and has held positions in the Africa Regional Climate Change Team, Global Climate Adaptation Team, and most recently on UNEP FI Climate Change Team where she coordinates various climate change and investor initiatives.

Prior to joining UN Environment, she worked as a project management assistant for a public private partnership on behalf of the US government, and as a paralegal for a civil rights law firm.

She holds a BA summa cum laude in Political Science and Economics from the University of New Mexico, and a Master of Finance from the University of Cambridge.

Butch Bacani
Programme Leader, UN Environment Programme’s Principles for Sustainable Insurance Initiative

Butch Bacani leads UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Principles for Sustainable Insurance Initiative (PSI), the largest collaboration between the UN and the insurance industry. Endorsed by the UN Secretary-General and insurance industry CEOs, the PSI is a global framework and initiative for the industry to address sustainability issues—as risk managers, insurers and investors—and to build resilient, inclusive and sustainable communities and economies.

Butch leads activities supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and the Financial Stability Board’s climate risk disclosure recommendations (TCFD). These include a global initiative to develop “Insurance Sustainable Development Goals”, the largest gathering of insurers to pilot the TCFD recommendations, and working with the California Insurance Commissioner to develop the world’s first sustainable insurance roadmap. He co-led the development of the first global sustainability guide for the insurance business, led the creation of the Insurance Industry Development Goals for Cities, forged the PSI’s partnership with the world’s inclusive insurance community, and co-led the creation of UNEP’s Sustainable Insurance Forum for supervisors and regulators. Butch is involved in the InsuResilience Global Partnership, Vulnerable 20 Group of Finance Ministers, California Climate Insurance Working Group, Insurance Development Forum, and Microinsurance Network. In 2020, he was included in InsuranceERM’s inaugural list of the most influential people leading and shaping the insurance industry’s response to climate change.

Butch led the global process that created the PSI in 2012, and UNEP’s insurance and investment programmes from 2006 to 2010, including activities with the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment Initiative (PRI). He has shaped global insurance industry initiatives to address climate change, disaster risks, tobacco risks, illegal fishing and plastic pollution; and to protect natural and cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Butch has authored pioneering studies on sustainable insurance and responsible investment. Previously, he was in the insurance industry for over a decade, working with leading insurers and reinsurers worldwide.

Antoni Ballabriga
Global Head of Responsible Business, BBVA (Spain)

Antoni Ballabriga is Global Head of Responsible Business at BBVA. He reports directly to the Board of Directors. His mission is to ensure that people are systematically placed at the decision-making processes. He assists the CEO in proposing Responsible Banking policy and defines its plans, and is responsible for its implementation & monitoring. He works mainly as second line to challenge and give support to all areas to embed this policy in their operational models. This includes the design of customer solutions to marketing and sales, customer relations & complaints; sustainable finance integrating environmental & social opportunities & risks; reputation monitoring & risk management; integrated report; community investment.

He is CEO of Momentum Social Investment and professor at ESADE Business School. Former President of DIRSE, Spanish Association of CSR Professionals and Former President of SpainSIF, Spanish Forum for Socially Responsible Investment. Antoni holds a Degree in Business Sciences and MBA from ESADE Business School. He has studied at Harvard Business School and is First Mover Fellow at The Aspen Institute.

Edward B. Barbier
Distinguished Professor, Colorado State University

Edward B. Barbier is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Economics, Colorado State University and a Senior Scholar in the School of Global Environmental Sustainability. His main expertise is environmental and resource economics as well as international environmental policy. He has consulted for a variety of national, international and non-governmental agencies, including many UN organizations, the World Bank and the OECD. He has authored over 300 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, written or edited 25 books, and published in popular journals. Barbier is a Fellow of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists and is a highly cited scholar on global environmental and sustainability issues. Professor Barbier’s latest books is The Water Paradox: Overcoming the Global Crisis in Water Management. Yale University Press, New Haven and London.

Clara Barby
CEO, Impact Management Project

Clara has led the IMP since inception in 2016 and is on secondment from Bridges Fund Management, where she previously led the firm’s sustainable and impact investing strategies across all fund types. Clara also led the firm’s research and development efforts to promote the growth of the wider sustainable and impact investment sector.

Prior to Bridges Fund Management, Clara focused her career on investing in sustainable businesses – most recently on the management team of a healthcare chain in India and Acumen portfolio company. Clara previously worked for Acumen’s Capital Markets team where she played a lead role in designing an innovative investment vehicle and later co-led the Acumen renewable energy portfolio.  Clara grew up between the Bahamas, France and the UK. She has since lived and worked in Bogota, New York, Mumbai, Paris, Yangon and London. Clara holds a BA (Hons) in Greats from Oxford University and an MBA from INSEAD.

Oliver Bäte
CEO, Allianz SE

Angelique Bayot
Head of SCOR Global Life Strategy, SCOR (France)

Angelique Bayot is a French business school graduate (Grenoble Ecole de Management), and holds an Advanced Master Degree in Insurance from ESSEC business school and an MBA from Ottawa University (Canada). She started her career at Euler Hermes (Allianz) in 2003 as a risk underwriter. She then joined Standard and Poor’s in 2008 as an insurance analyst and joined SCOR as a rating agencies manager in 2013. She is Head of the Strategy and CSR representative for SCOR Global Life since March 2018.

Rostin Behnam
Commissioner, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Commissioner Behnam arrived at the CFTC with extensive experience in financial and agricultural markets. After earning an A.B. in English literature and a minor in economics from Georgetown University, Commissioner Behnam worked as a proprietary equities trader in New York City, structuring and executing technical and fundamental trading strategies during a period of significant technological change.  Seeking to improve and help shape the intersection between financial markets, public policy, and the law, Commissioner Behnam pursued a Juris Doctorate at Syracuse University.

Since joining the CFTC, Commissioner Behnam has advocated that the CFTC utilize its authority and expertise to ensure the derivatives markets innovate responsibly within an appropriate oversight framework and promote coordination and engagement among the financial regulators and innovators.  As sponsor of the CFTC’s Market Risk Advisory Committee, Commissioner Behnam convenes leading market experts and public consumer groups to engage in a public dialog on the timeliest issues relating to evolving market structures and movement of risk across clearinghouses, exchanges, intermediaries, market makers, and end-users.

Amal Benaissa
Sustainable Finance Manager, Bank of Africa - BMCE Group

Amal Benaissa is Sustainable Finance Manager at Bank of Africa – BMCE Group, a regional leader and pioneer in sustainable and inclusive finance. Part of the Bank’s Sustainability team, Amal’s work involves developing innovative financial products, services and partnerships that yield positive environmental and/or social impacts. Amal further contributes to the implementation of the Sustainability & Climate Strategy across the Group, driven by the emergence of sustainable Impact-based financial innovations. In parallel, Amal Benaissa is particularly interested in how social enterprises can generate both financial and environmental/social returns, and she regularly connects with social entrepreneurs in Morocco. Amal is an Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leader and a lifetime member of the US-based National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Amal is also a member of the Board of the Global Clean Water Desalination Alliance. In 2017, Amal Benaissa received the Desmond Fortes Scholarship for excellence in sustainable finance awarded by FMO, the Dutch Development Bank. Growing up between Morocco and the United States, Amal pursued her higher education in Boston University (BSc 2006) and later at the London School of Economics to complete Masters and PhD (2012).

Zelda Bentham
Group Head of Sustainability, Aviva plc

Zelda Bentham has worked in Aviva and its legacy companies for three decades, helping create the Environment programme in 1997 and subsequently the Corporate Responsibility strategy. She developed Aviva’s climate change and environment strategy and carbon management programme. In 2006, the Aviva Board published their position on climate change and Aviva became the first carbon neutral insurance group on a worldwide basis. Their carbon offsetting approach has directly improved the lives of 1 million people since 2012 and was recognised in 2017 by the UNFCCC as a Lighthouse Activity.

Zelda’s focus is on sustainability issues for Aviva as an asset owner, and insurer, working with the Aviva businesses to develop solutions aligned to the four 2015 UN frameworks – particularly Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. She leads on Aviva’s response to the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosure and is currently developing Aviva’s 10-year Climate Change Strategy. Aviva was rated AAA in the 2017 Asset Owners Disclosure Project Global Climate Index.

She represents Aviva in respect of UNEP Principles of Sustainable Insurance, the CBI Energy & Climate Change policy working group, ClimateWise’s Management Committee (the Insurance Sector’s collaborative forum on climate change), and Climate Change Advisory Committee of the G7 Investors’ Global Initiative.

Christine Bergeron
President & CEO, Vancity

As President and Chief Executive Officer of Vancity, Canada’s largest community credit union, Christine believes that banking plays a vital role in developing a healthy society – building the well-being of people and, at the same time, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the communities in which they live and work.

Prior to becoming CEO, Christine held several senior leadership roles within Vancity, serving as Vancity’s Chief Member Services Officer, leading the Member Experience & Community Engagement division.

Christine’s achievements in fostering community impact, social justice and environmental sustainability have earned her accolades from Business in Vancouver magazine, which included her in its 2007 “Top 40 Under 40” list. In 2012, the Association of Women in Finance gave her the Rising Star award, and in 2017 Clean50 awards recognized her for her dedication to sustainability.

Christine chairs the board of InBC Investment Corp., and currently represents North America on the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative’s Banking Board.    She serves on the board of the Women’s Enterprise Centre as past-chair; the board of Aviso Wealth, and the Board of Governors for the BC Business Council.

Judson Berkey
Managing Director, Sustainability Strategy & Regulatory Affairs, UBS

Judson Berkey is an experienced manager in global regulatory-driven change programs for large financial services firms. He has an extensive experience in emerging legal and regulatory issues particularly as related to internal control, electronic commerce, food and agricultural policy, and climate change. He leads an active role in sustainable finance both at private and public sector level.

Charles Bernardi
Senior Sustainability Advisor, Desjardins Group

Charles Bernardi is the Senior Sustainability Advisor at Desjardins Group and loves helping people and businesses assess their impact on society to discover positive opportunities that stem from it. He has spent the entirety of his career in the financial industry, gaining experiences in areas such as ESG integration, private equity, and responsible supply chains. While championing sustainability projects is his primary job function, Charles also enjoys cooking (but not following recipes) and creating things out of clay.

Andre Bertolotti
Head of Global Sustainable Research and Data, BlackRock

Andre Bertolotti, CFA, is a head of Global Sustainable Research and Data with BlackRock Sustainable Investing (BSI). He is responsible for establishing and providing leadership to the global team in creating a platform ESG research capability and supporting sustainable investment solutions across the firm.

Prior to joining BlackRock in 2018, Andre was Director of Research at Quotient Investors, developing and managing sustainable investment strategies. His work in quantitative research and product development spanned roles with the Industrial Bank of Japan, DLIBJ, Innovest and Barra in San Francisco, New York and London.

Andre holds an MBA in finance and a Master of Engineering from UC Berkeley, and a BS from Virginia Tech.

Hans Biemans
Head of Sustainable Markets, ING

Hans Biemans MSc MiF (1966) is Head of Sustainable Markets at ING AG. He has previously worked at Rabobank since 2002 and has integrated sustainability in the mainstream business of the group (capital markets, retail and wholesale finance, private banking, private equity, leasing, and real estate). Furthermore, he has also explored business development opportunities in areas such as renewable energy, bioeconomy, green building, climate change, and brownfield remediation. Biemans holds a Master in Molecular Sciences from Wageningen Agricultural University as well as a Master in Financial Economics from Tilburg University (Tias), and studied Ethics at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. Until 2002, Biemans was vice president of the structured reinsurance department at Eureko Reinsurance and sales manager for Interpolis (Achmea Group) corporate clients.

Lisa Biesenbach
Climate Risk Lead, ING

Lisa represents tech, innovation and banking. She is focused on shaping the future of banking by leading ING’s climate risk assessment. Selected by TNW and Accenture for the T500 list, as one of the top digital minds under the age of 26 in the Netherlands.

Rosemary Bissett
Head of Sustainability Governance & Risk, National Australia Bank

David Blood
Co-Founder & Senior Partner, Generation Investment Management

David Blood is co-founder and Senior Partner of Generation Investment Management.  Since its founding in 2004, Generation has played an integral role in the development of sustainable investing and in demonstrating the long-term commercial and societal benefits of this approach.  Previously, David spent 18 years at Goldman Sachs including serving as CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management.  David received a B.A. from Hamilton College and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Graduate School of Business.  He is chairman of Dialight, Social Finance UK and co-chair of The World Resources Institute and on the board of On the Edge Conservation.  David is also a life trustee of Hamilton College.

Christopher Bonnet
Head of ESG Business Services, Allianz (Germany)

Chris holds a MSc in Spatial Planning and is currently Head of ESG Business Services for P&C business Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE (AGCS), the Allianz company for global business insurance and large corporate and specialty risks. The department serves as a Group center of competence for ESG integration in Allianz-wide P&C business.

Before joining Allianz in 2014, Chris worked as a Senior Consultant Sustainability Services at KPMG Netherlands since 2009, where he provided audit and advisory services on sustainability for financial industry clients. After joining Allianz, Chris focused on developing the center of competence for ESG integration in Allianz-wide P&C business.

In his position, he is focused on developing and implementing Allianz ESG in Underwriting approach in the P&C portfolios within Allianz Group. He regularly reports to the Group ESG Board, a C-level decision making body on all ESG related topics within Allianz. Those ESG services are an essential foundation for Allianz Group’s aspiration to be a leader in sustainable insurance.

Daniel Brooksbank
Head of Strategic Content, Responsible Investor

Thomas Buberl
CEO of AXA Group

Mr. Thomas Buberl holds a Master of Economics degree from WHU Koblenz (Germany), a MBA from Lancaster University (UK) and a PhD in Economics from the University of St.Gallen (Switzerland). In 2008 he was nominated as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. From 2000 to 2005, Mr. Thomas Buberl worked at the Boston Consulting Group as a consultant for the banking & insurance sector in Germany and abroad. From 2005 to 2008, he had worked for the Winterthur Group as member of the Management Board of Winterthur in Switzerland, first as Chief Operating Officer and then as Chief Marketing and Distribution Officer. Then, he joined Zurich Financial Services where he had been Chief Executive Officer for Switzerland. From 2012 to April 2016, he was Chief Executive Officer of AXA Konzern AG (Germany). In 2012, he has been member of the AXA Executive Committee. In March 2015, he became Chief Executive Officer of the Global Business Line for the Health Business and joined the AXA Management Committee. In January 2016, Mr. Thomas Buberl was also appointed Chief Executive Officer of the global business line Life & Savings. From March 21, 2016 to August 31, 2016, Mr. Thomas Buberl was Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Directeur Général Adjoint) of AXA. Since September 1, 2016, Mr. Thomas Buberl has been Chief Executive Officer and director of AXA.

Elizabeth Cardona Rendon
Head of the Geosciences Department, Suramericana S.A

Elizabeth Cardona Rendón holds a degree in Civil Engineering and a Specialist degree in Seismic-Resistant Engineering from the Universidad EAFIT. She has worked for Suramericana since 2008 serving in different areas. She is currently Head of the Geosciences Department at Suramericana S.A.

David Carlin
TCFD Programme Lead, UNEP FI

As a member of the UNEP-FI team, David is coordinating Phase 2 of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). This work engages over thirty financial institutions in developing and implementing a set of best practices to evaluate and address climate risk. David is also leading learning modules on transition risk for the participating institutions.

Tomás Carmona
Head of Sustainability, SulAmérica Insurance, Life and Pension

Tomás Carmona brings 20 years of experience dealing with environmental, social and governance issues into corporate management and business strategy, NGOs administration and consultancy for United Nations agencies. He is the Head of Sustainability at SulAmérica Insurance in Brazil since October 2015. Previously he worked as Head of Sustainability at Serasa Experian Brazil and Experian Latin America. Prior to Experian he worked as a consultant for FAO and UNESCO and as an administrator at NGO Ação Educativa. Tomás has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration, an Executive MBA and Sustainability Management Specialization.

Mark Carney
Special Envoy on Climate Change & Finance, United Nations

Mark Carney is UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance and Prime Minister Johnson’s Finance Adviser for COP26. Mark was previously Governor of the Bank of England (from 2013 to 2020), and before that Governor of the Bank of Canada (from 2008 to 2013). Internationally, Mark was Chair of the Financial Stability Board (from 2011 to 2018), Chaired the Global Economy Meeting and Economic Consultative Committee of the Bank for International Settlements, and was First Vice- Chair of the European Systemic Risk Board. He is a member of the Group of Thirty and the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum. Mark was born in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada in 1965. He has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Harvard and a master’s and doctorate in Economics from Oxford. After a thirteen-year career with Goldman Sachs, Mark was appointed Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada in 2003. In 2004, he became Senior Associate Deputy Minister of Finance. He held this position until his appointment as Governor of the Bank of Canada in February 2008.

Hui Wen Chan
Senior Vice President, Environmental and Social Risk Management, Citi

Hui Wen Chan is a climate risk, ESG and sustainability specialist. She is experienced at partnering with private sector, NGOs, and public sector on sustainable and social finance, impact investing, and the SDGs. She has extensive knowledge of major sustainability reporting frameworks and surveys, including GRI, SASB, DJSI and CDP, and third-party ESG data providers, including MSCI, Sustainalytics, Bloomberg, and Oekom. She is currently focused on climate-related risks and scenario analysis and implementing the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).

Sir Ronald Cohen
Chairman of the Global Steering Group, Impact Investment & The Portland Trust

Sir Ronald Cohen is Chairman of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment and The Portland Trust. He is a co-founder director of Social Finance UK, USA, and Israel, and co-founder Chair of Bridges Fund Management and Big Society Capital.

For nearly two decades, Sir Ronald’s pioneering initiatives in driving impact investment have catalyzed a number of global efforts, each focused on driving private capital to serve social and environmental good. These efforts are leading the global impact investment movement towards an Impact Revolution.

He chaired the Social Impact Investment Taskforce established under the UK’s presidency of the G8 (2013-2015), the Social Investment Task Force (2000-2010) and the Commission on Unclaimed Assets (2005-2007). In 2012 he received the Rockefeller Foundation’s Innovation Award for innovation in social finance.

He co-founded and was Executive Chairman of Apax Partners Worldwide LLP (1972-2005). He was a founder director and Chairman of the British Venture Capital Association and a founder director of the European Venture Capital Association.

He is a member of the Board of Dean’s Advisors at Harvard Business School and a Vice-Chairman of Ben Gurion University; a former member of the Harvard University Board of Overseers;  a former director of the Harvard Management Company and the University of Oxford Investment Committee; a former trustee of the British Museum; and a former trustee of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

He is a graduate of Oxford University, where he was President of the Oxford Union and serves as an Honorary Fellow of Exeter College.  He has an MBA from Harvard Business School to which he was awarded a Henry Fellowship.

In 2007, Sir Ronald published: The Second Bounce of the Ball – Turning Risk into Opportunity and today is authoring a book on the “Impact Revolution.”

Simon Connell
Head, Sustainability Strategy, Standard Chartered

Simon is Head of Sustainability Strategy at Standard Chartered. In this role he leads the Bank’s external engagement, co-ordinates internal action on sustainability across the organisation with a specific focus on climate change and human rights, and oversees the Bank’s sustainability reporting and disclosures.

With over a decade’s experience in helping banks understand and manage environmental and social risks and opportunities presented by their client portfolios, Simon holds a BSc in Politics with Economics and is a qualified Corporate Treasurer and Management Accountant.

He is Chair of the University of Cambridge’s Banking Environment Initiative, Co-Chair of the Association of Financial Markets in Europe’s Sustainable Finance Steering Committee, and a member of the European Banking Federation’s ESG Taskforce.

Guy Cormier
President & CEO, Desjardins Group

Mr. Cormier is a graduate of École des hautes études commerciales (HEC Montréal), where he earned both a bachelor’s degree and an MBA. He also taught finance there for nearly 8 years. He has been with Desjardins since 1992, first as general manager of several caisses within the network and then as Vice-President of Cooperative Network Finance from 2009 to 2012. He joined Desjardins Group’s senior management team in 2012 as Executive Vice-President of the Caisse Network before being appointed Executive Vice-President of the Caisse Network and Personal Services in 2013. He was elected President and CEO of Desjardins Group in 2016. Mr. Cormier also served as chair of Desjardins General Insurance Group from 2016 to 2018 and is currently chair of Desjardins Financial Security.

Since being elected President and CEO, Mr. Cormier has worked hard to instill a strong member- and client-focused corporate culture. He encourages innovation and has fast-tracked the organization’s digital shift. He also set up a $100 million development fund to support local and regional community initiatives.

Under Mr. Cormier’s direction, Desjardins Group has continued to grow, including through its acquisition of State Farm’s Canadian operations. Desjardins has also forged a new partnership with the provincial credit union centrals and CUMIS to create a new company, Aviso Wealth, which is already one of Canada’s leading wealth managers.

Mr. Cormier is actively involved in a number of community organizations, including the fundraising campaigns of Fondation Forces AVENIR, Le Diamant theatre in Quebec City, Fondation Madeli-Aide and the Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal Foundation. He’s also active in Fondation Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis, the Montreal Heart Institute and Domaine Forget. Mr. Cormier sits on the boards of HEC Montréal, the Conference Board of Canada and Fondation Forces AVENIR.

Sola David-Borha
CEO, Africa Regions, Standard Bank Group

Marie De Montlaur
Manager of Forestry Assets and Investments, Caisse des Dépôts

Karen Degouve
Head of Sustainable Business Development, Natixis

Past experience and achievements include:

– project finance (energy sector)
– credit insurance
– investment fund management and distribution (carbon, infrastructure)
– climate finance
– environmental & social responsibility
– impact investing business development
– origination and execution of financial mandates
– private equity / venture capital investing (as business angel)
– emerging capital markets (Russia)

Specialties: credit insurance, project finance, sustainable development, impact investing, social business, venture capital, private equity, infrastructure, carbon markets, renewable energy, environment, climate change, emerging markets, origination, distribution, international negotiation, lobbying, international background and culture.

Tom Delay
CEO, Carbon Trust

Tom was appointed as the first Chief Executive of the Carbon Trust in 2001.  Since then, he has grown the company to become a world leader, advising businesses and governments on carbon emissions reduction and the development of low carbon technologies, markets and businesses.

More recently, he has taken the company’s unique capabilities to China, Singapore, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa, extending its mission to accelerate the move to a sustainable, low carbon future.

A chartered engineer, Tom worked for Shell for 16 years in commercial and operations roles in Africa and Europe before moving into management consultancy with McKinsey and A.T. Kearney.

Tom is a member of the UK Energy Research Partnership and the advisory boards of the Centre for Climate Finance and Investment at Imperial College London and the Global CO2 Initiative at the University of Michigan. He studied mechanical engineering at the University of Southampton and completed an MBA at INSEAD, Fontainebleau.

In 2018, he was awarded a CBE by the Queen for services to sustainability in business.

Xavier Desmadryl
Global Head of ESG Research, HSBC Global Asset Management

Simone Dettling
Banking Team Lead (Simone is currently on maternity leave and Puleng Ndjwili-Potele replaces Simone as Interim Team Lead)

Simone leads the Banking Team of the UN Environment Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), a global partnership between the UN and more than 200 banks, investors and insurers. As such she manages leadership initiatives with banks from over 60 countries around climate-aligned, sustainable finance. Formerly, Simone managed the German Government’s Emerging Markets Dialogue on Green Finance, under which she and her team worked with financial institutions from G20 Emerging Markets and Europe to integrate environmental costs into financial decision making and product development. As expert on green finance at the German International Cooperation (GIZ), she furthermore advised projects in emerging economies worldwide on renewable energy and energy efficiency financing, incorporation of natural capital considerations in financial decision making, as well as innovative approaches for green economic development. Simone holds an MA in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. and during her career has lived and worked in various developing countries, such as Bangladesh, Lebanon, Syria and Malawi. Before joining UNEP FI she completed a half-year cycling trip from Germany to Iran.

Conor Donaldson
Head of Implementation, IAIS

Conor Donaldson joined the IAIS in July 2012 and currently serves as Head of Implementation, a position he has held since November 2017. In his current role, he supports the Implementation and Assessment Committee and manages IAIS work in the area of assessment, capacity building and supervisory development, financial inclusion and supervisory cooperation. Conor also represents IAIS Members in global forums focused on the implementation of international standards and works closely with the implementation partners, such as the Financial Stability Institute, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Access to Insurance Initiative, Asian Development Bank, and others to advance capacity building initiatives.

Conor is a member of the Toronto Centre’s Advisory Board on Insurance and Pensions, the Financial Stability Board’s Implementation Monitoring Network, and is a regular speaker and contributor to seminars and training events.

Rowan Douglas
Head of Climate and Resilience Hub, Willis Towers Watson

Mr Douglas is Head of Capital, Science & Policy (CSP) Practice at Willis Towers Watson, a leading global advisory and re/insurance broking company and Chair of the Willis Research Network. Previously, he served on the Board of the Group’s reinsurance division, Willis Re, as CEO Global Analytics. The CSP Practice helps governments and corporates manage large scale risks and is a leader in developing sovereign and multi-sovereign catastrophe financing programmes.

In 2014-16 he led the creation of the Insurance Development Forum (IDF) of industry, governments and international institutions to harness the role of re/insurance capabilities to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and wider Post-2015 Agenda and was appointed to lead the Implementation Group of the IDF in May 2016. He was made CBE in the 2016 UK New Year’s Honours List for services to the economy through risk, insurance and sustainable growth.

He was a member of the UK Prime Minister’s Council for Science & Technology 2011-2016; the Royal Society’s Working Group on Resilience to Climate Risk and Extreme Weather, and serves on the Executive Committee of the International Insurance Society (IIS), New York from which he received the Kenneth R Black Award in 2014.

Following degrees in Geography at Durham (BA Hons) and Bristol (M.Phil) Universities, Rowan began his career underwriting reinsurance at Lloyd’s Syndicate 1095 before founding the international risk information company WIRE Limited in 1994 which was purchased by Willis Group in 2000.

Frank Elderson
Executive Director, De Nederlandsche Bank & Chair, NGFS

Frank Elderson has been an Executive Director of Supervision at DNB since 1 July 2011. He is responsible for supervision of banks, horizontal functions and integrity supervision, and legal affairs. He is a member of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank.

Frank holds several secondary positions. Since 2018, he has been chairman of the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System (NGFS). In addition, he has been chairman of the Sustainable Finance Platform since 2016. Frank has also chaired the FEC Board since 2016. He has been chairman of the Management Board of the Netherlands Violin Competition Foundation since 2016 and chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Dutch Reading Foundation since 2017. Since 2019, Frank has been a member of the Reflection Council of the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service and a member of the Sustainable Markets Council HRH The Prince of Wales (SMC).

Before joining the Governing Board, Frank served as DNB’s General Counsel (2008-2011). He was the Director of the Legal Services Division (2007) and Head of the ABN AMRO Supervision Department (2006).

He completed the first year of the Dutch law university programme with honours in 1990 and studied at the University of Zaragoza, Spain, in 1993 and 1994. Elderson earned his degree in Dutch law at the University of Amsterdam in 1994. He obtained an LLM degree from Columbia Law School, in the United States, in 1995.

Nomindari Enkhtur
CEO, Mongolian Sustainable Finance Association (MSFA)

Nomindari is a young professional primarily concerned about the role of private sector mobilization in financing sustainable development. She currently serves as CEO of the Mongolian Sustainable Finance Association, a first-of-its-kind national institution that aims to bring together various financial sector players to direct investments for real progress in sustainable development. In addition, she works with the UN Joint SDG Fund as Portfolio Management Consultant for SDG finance. Since 2013, she closely worked with Mongolian banks, policy makers and international partners to help banks integrate environmental and social considerations into lending decisions and product design. Besides, she worked as a consultant with IFC, UNEP, UNICEF, GIZ and Partners Group on a number of projects related to portfolio emissions calculation, green taxonomy development, green finance mobilization, ESG integration, and capacity building. For her contribution in sustainable development, she was recognized by the European Commission as one of the Global Young Leaders for Development of 2017. In 2018, she was also selected as one of the 5 young sustainable business innovators by the Business for Peace Foundation. Nomindari holds a master’s degree in Sustainability Management from Columbia University in New York and is a Fulbright Awardee.

Mariana Escobar
Head of the Sustainable Finance Working Group, Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia

Mariana Escobar is Head of Sustainable Finance at the Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia. With more than 12 years of experience, her work has been focused on issues related to financial inclusion and sustainable banking. Previous to this post Mariana served as Citi Colombia´s Sustainability Manager and was a Senior Consultant for BSD Consulting from where she led the sustainable finance practice. She has also served as a public policy advisor to the Director of the Department of Social Prosperity, was the Deputy Director at the Ministry of Information Technology and Communications, from where she supported financial inclusion and Fintech  initiatives.  

Mariana is an International Studies professional from Bentley University (Boston) and has a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University (New York).

Eliza Huger Eubank
Managing Director and Global Head of Environmental and Social Risk Management, Citi

Eliza Huger Eubank is a senior approver for Citi’s ESRM Policy, reviewing environmental and social risks related to client activities. She engages Citi clients on environmental and social risk management, as well as emerging climate risk management and scenario analysis.

Mrs Eubank is also a member of Citi’s Green Bond Screening Committee, and Green Bond Asset Selection Committee. She represents Citi as a member of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Climate Risk Sub-Committee, preparing recommendations on climate risk policy responses for US financial regulators.

Elodie Feller
Policy Officer Sustainable Finance, DG FISMA, European Commission

Elodie Feller joined the UNEP Finance Initiative in January 2013 as the Investment Commission Coordinator responsible for the UNEP FI investment work programme. Prior to that Elodie joined Lombard Odier Investment Managers’ graduate programme in 2010 where she worked as a product specialist and ESG analyst for the Fixed Income department. She graduated in International Relations from the Graduate Institute in Geneva, Switzerland.

Christiana Figueres
Convenor, Mission 2020

Christiana Figueres is a world authority on global climate change and was the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC from 2010-2016. Ms. Figueres is currently Vice-Chair of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, ClimateWorks Board Member, World Bank Climate Leader and Mission-2020 Convenor.

During her tenure at the UNFCCC Ms. Figueres brought together national and sub-national governments, corporations and activists, financial institutions and communities of faith, think tanks and technology providers, NGOs and parliamentarians, to jointly deliver the historic Paris Agreement on climate change, in which 195 sovereign nations agreed on a collaborative path forward to limit future global warming to below 2C. The agreement entered into force in less than a year, breaking the record of the UN. For this achievement Ms. Figueres has been credited with forging a new brand of collaborative diplomacy.

In addition to her remarkable diplomatic achievements over the past 20 years, she served as Director of Renewable Energy in the Americas (REIA) and in 1995 founded the non-profit Center for Sustainable Development of the Americas (CSDA), which she directed for eight years.

Remco Fischer
Climate Lead, UNEP FI

Remco Fischer joined UNEP FI in October 2006 and coordinates the Initiative’s activities on climate change (through the UNEP FI Climate Change Working Group). These aim to increase the understanding of both the implications of climate change on financial performance and the roles of the finance sector in addressing climate change; as well as to advance the integration of climate change factors, both risks and opportunities, into financial decision-making. Activities include research, advocacy, awareness raising, capacity building and the development of guidelines and tools for financial institutions.

Prior to joining UNEP FI, he worked as an investment management assistant for the German Development Finance Institution (DEG; KfW Group of Banks), designing structured deals in infrastructure project finance (predominantly renewables).

He holds a British BA Honours in Business Administration and Economics from Napier University in Edinburgh, a Spanish Licenciatura from Alicante University and a German Diploma (MSc equivalent) from Aachen University of Applied Sciences.

Leila Fourie
CEO, Johannesburg Stock Exchange and Co-Chair, GISD

With over 25 years of international experience, primarily in financial services, Leila Fourie has served on multiple boards and held senior roles in banking, capital markets and payments.

Leila was appointed as CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange effective 1 October 2019. Prior to this role, she held the role of CEO of the Australian Payments Network.

Leila served as Executive responsible for Consumer Finance at Australia’s largest bank, The Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and also served as the NSW Vice President of the Economic Society of Australia and on the Board Audit Committee of Lifeline Australia.

Before moving to Australia, Leila served on the Board of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange as Executive Director. Leila previously worked for one of South Africa’s largest banks, Standard Bank as Card Division Managing Director. During this time, she served as Chairman on the board of Diners Club and Board Member on Discover’s Chicago-based Diners Club International  Advisory board.

Leila has a PhD in Economic and Financial Sciences and won the Economic Society South Africa Founders’ award in 2012 for best Masters Economics thesis in the country. Leila has published several articles in academic journals and actively advocates for policy development in various sectors.

Junichi Fujino
Principal Researcher & Senior Coordinator for Urban Taskforce, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)

He has joined Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) as a Principal Researcher and Programme Director of City Taskforce since April 2019. He was a Senior Researcher, National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) and one of the main members to develop the Asia-Pacific Integrated Model (AIM) to assess policy options for stabilizing global climate since April 2000. He was a lead author of IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation (SRREN) and has supported to develop Japanese climate actions using simulation models and INDC (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions) as a committee member, as well as an advisory committee member of “FutureCity” initiatives (Cabinet Office, Japan) and a senior advisor to ICLEI Japan. He is also an expert member of Urban Planning and Sustainability Commission under The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOG) since June 2015. He received his B.S/M.S/Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tokyo. He has joined every UNFCCC/COP as NGO since COP11 and also Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) since 2017 and High Level Political Forum (HLPF) since 2018. His team launched the world first VLR (Voluntary Local Review) Report at HLPF2018 with Kitakyushu city, Toyama city, Shimokawa town, and VLR lab with UCLG ASPAC at APFSD2019. Nowadays he has visited many Asian countries/cities to collaborate in making low/zero carbon and sustainable development happen.

Kristalina Georgieva
Managing Director, IMF

Kristalina Georgieva was selected Managing Director of the IMF on September 25, 2019. She assumed her position on October 1, 2019.

Before joining the Fund, Ms. Georgieva was CEO of the World Bank from January 2017 to September 2019, during which time she also served as Interim President of the World Bank Group for three months.

Previously, Ms. Georgieva helped shape the agenda of the European Union. She served as European Commission Vice President for Budget and Human Resources, overseeing the EU’s €161 billion (US $175bn) budget and 33,000 staff. In that capacity, she was deeply involved in efforts to address the Euro Area debt crisis and the 2015 refugee crisis. Before that, she was Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, managing one of the world’s largest humanitarian aid budgets.

Prior to joining the European Commission, Ms. Georgieva worked for 17 years at the World Bank, culminating in her appointment as Vice President and Corporate Secretary in 2008. In this role, she served as the interlocutor between the World Bank Group’s senior management, its Board of Directors, and its shareholder countries.

Ms. Georgieva serves on many international panels including as co-Chair of the Global Commission on Adaptation to climate change, and as co-chair of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing. She has authored and co-authored over 100 publications on environmental and economic policy topics, including textbooks on macro- and microeconomics.

Nermin El Ghazali
Senior Analyst, Banque Misr

Nermin El Ghazali is one of the co-leads in the Working Group developing the “Impact Analysis Tool” led by the UNEP-FI as part of the PRB initiative.

Nermin has over eight years of experience in Strategic Planning and Implementation, as well as Corporate Governance. Nermin is currently a Senior Analyst in the Strategy and Change Management Department in Banque Misr, where she is part of the team responsible for formulating the Strategic Direction of the Bank, while developing and executing the plans and projects that are fundamental for transformation to position the bank locally, regionally and globally in a leading position.

Her former occupation was a Strategy Senior Supervisor in Banque Audi for seven years.

Nermin holds a MSc in International Economics and a Diploma in Cultural Diplomacy from the University of Furtwangen (Germany), a Bachelor in Economics and a minor in Business Administration from AUC The American University in Cairo.

Moira Gill
Associate Vice President, Government and Industry Relations, TD Insurance

Responsible for Environment, Government and Industry Relations at TD Insurance since 2005, Moira’s focus on strong, long-term, industry and government relationships has led to a track record of successful collaboration and resolution of political and regulatory issues. Her responsibilities extend over the Life and Health and General Insurance businesses and the company’s environmental commitments. Under her leadership TD Insurance developed a climate strategy, employee environmental engagement program, joined the UNEP insurance pilot on climate change risk reporting, and launched the TD Insurance Advisory Board on Climate Change, comprised of experts from Engineers Canada, and five top Canadian universities. At the TD Bank level she is part of the executive steering committee for the climate Plan Task Force.

Moira is past-Chair of the Executive Committee of the Canadian Association of Financial Institutions in Insurance, serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Direct Relationship Insurers, and chairs committees for the Insurance Bureau of Canada and the Canadian Life and Health Association. Moira also works closely with IBC and CLHIA climate change strategies.

A graduate in International Relations from the University of Toronto, Moira also has an MBA from the Rotman School of Management. Moira is an active supporter of the United Way, the Ride for Heart, the Ride to Conquer Cancer, and local environmental initiatives.

David Grey
Sustainability and Communication Manager, Banco Pichincha

David Gray has nearly 20 years of experience in sustainability, communication and public affairs. He is currently the Sustainability and Communication Manager of Banco Pichincha and has previously worked at institutions such as SABMiller, Pfizer, Rainforest Alliance, Christoffel Blindenmission and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea. He has a solid foundation in matters of Sustainability, Communication, Administration, Governance, among others.

Shu Gu
President, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)

Pedro Guazo
Representative of the Secretary-General, UN Joint Staff Pension Fund

Mr. Guazo is the Representative of the Secretary-General for the investment of the assets of the UNJSPF since April 2020 managing a globally diversified portfolio of more than US$70 billion. Before this, Mr. Guazo was the Director of the Finance Division and Deputy Controller in the United Nations Secretariat in New York, since 2012. He served in a similar capacity as the Director of Finance and Treasury at the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome (2010-2012).

With over 10 years of experience in high level management positions in the United Nations system, together with more than 17 years of experience in the private and public sectors, Mr. Guazo brings a balance of deep knowledge of the United Nations system and expertise in national, regional and global practices for financial and pension fund systems.

During a 15-year banking career, he contributed to the modernization of the Mexican Financial System, while serving as its regulator and supervisor.  As Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer at the Federal Mortgage Bank of Mexico (2008-2010), he negotiated and managed loans from the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.  He championed financial inclusion among people with low and middle incomes as CFO and Treasurer of the National Savings and Financial Services Bank of Mexico (2001-2008).  His government service included posts at the Ministry of Finance (1999-2001) and at the National Banking and Securities Commission (1996-1999), as a member of its Financial Sector Supervisory Body.  He started his professional career in 1993 at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

A former professor of Finance at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), Mr. Guazo received an International Executive MBA from the Instituto de Empresa Business School in Madrid. He earned a master’s degree in Economics from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and graduated from ITAM in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting.

Marianne Haahr
Executive Director, Green Digital Finance Alliance

Marianne is Director of the Sustainable Digital Finance Alliance – a not for profit foundation – with the objective to harness the power of fintech to unlock financing for the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. It is co-chaired by the UN Environment Program and Ant Financial Services Group and is a partner to the UN SG’s Task Force for Digital Financing of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Marianne has been External Advisor on TechVelopment to the Danish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Prior she was Executive Leader at Sustainia leading the development of the Global Opportunity Explorer – a digital platform for sustainable business innovation in partnership with the UN Global Compact and a group of Norwegian businesses and investors. She has spent the first part of her professional life designing solutions for financial inclusion and climate finance in emerging markets.

Jonathan Hackett
Managing Director & Head of Sustainable Finance, BMO Financial Group

Jonathan Hackett is the MD and Head of BMO’s Sustainable Finance Group, which brings together capabilities from across the bank to mobilize financing for a sustainable future. The group is responsible for raising capital and providing financing for clients pursuing sustainable outcomes, offering advisory services and managing BMO’s impact investment fund.

Jonathan joined BMO in 2017 as a Managing Director of Strategy in BMO’s Office of Strategic Management where he supported the bank’s Executive Committee on several initiatives including the development of BMO’s purpose statement and commitment framework. He is also a part of the working team on the bank’s efforts to promote Inclusive Local Economic Opportunity with the United Way of Greater Toronto. Prior to joining BMO, Jonathan was a Principal at the Boston Consulting Group where he was a member of the financial services, strategy and risk practices, supporting clients across North America. His work there included projects supporting strategies for various Canadian governmental and non-governmental organizations on innovation, economic development and competitiveness.

Jonathan holds a PhD from the University of Waterloo where he was a doctoral student in residence at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. His research focused on topology, particle physics and quantum gravity.

Cassim Hansa
Group Head: Underwriting and claims, Continental Reinsurance Plc

Cassim Hansa is a professional civil engineer (Engineering Council of SA) and MBA graduate with experience in both the Engineering and Insurance Industries; in the USA and Southern Africa.
Over a period of thirteen years he worked for MunichRe in SA (as Chief Engineer for Sub-Saharan Africa) and its American subsidiary in Princeton, New Jersey.
In 2005, he started his own professional specialist engineering insurance consultancy.
In October, 2015 he was formally appointed MD – Continental Property and Engineering Risk Services (Pty) Ltd.
In December, 2016 he was formally appointed MD – Botswana Subsidiary – Continental Reinsurance Company Limited.

Elliott Harris
Chief Economist, UN

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 13 March 2018 the appointment of Elliott Harris of Trinidad and Tobago as Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development and Chief Economist in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). He will succeed Lenni Montiel of Venezuela to whom the Secretary-General and the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs are grateful for his commitment and dedicated service to the Organization.

Mr. Harris brings over 25 years of international experience in the fields of international economics and development policy analysis, coupled with knowledge of the United Nations system, multilateral and inter–agency coordination processes. He has extensive experience in the design of macroeconomic policies and its application as a central instrument for the reduction of poverty and for resilient and sustained economic development. His work in the field of economics also focuses on the macroeconomic linkages with global social and environmental policies.

Since 2015, Mr. Harris has served as Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the New York Office of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). He joined UNEP’s Senior Management Team in 2013 as Director of the New York Office and Secretary to the Environment Management Group.

Prior to joining UNEP, Mr. Harris began his career in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 1988, where he worked in the African Department and the Fiscal Affairs Department. In 2002 he became an Adviser in the Policy Development and Review Department, and was appointed in 2008 as Special Representative to the United Nations, in addition to serving as Assistant Director of the Strategy and Policy Review Department.

Mr. Harris holds a Bachelor of Science degree in German and political science and an advanced degree in economics. He was awarded an Advanced Studies Certificate in international economics and policy research from the Institute of World Economics in Kiel, Germany.

Alyssa Heath
Head of EU & UK Policy, Principles for Responsible Investment

Alyssa Heath is Head of EU & UK Policy with the Principles for Responsible Investment. Alyssa leads PRI’s advocacy strategy in these markets and supports PRI’s contribution to groups such as the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance, Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance and the EU High Level Group on Sustainable Finance. She has over a decade of experience working across sustainability and finance. Alyssa holds a BA in Physics from Oxford University and an Msc in Climate Physics from the University of Reading.

Ryuichi Horie
Co-founder & CEO, CSR Design Green Investment Advisory

Horie is Co-founder and CEO of CSR Design Green Investment Advisory, Co., Ltd., which focuses on advisory on ESG integration in the real estate and infrastructure sector as well as research on policy and market with respect to green buildings. He has extensive experience in finance – he worked for IBJ and Merrill Lynch, and also served as Managing Director responsible for structured finance including renewable energy funds at Deutsche Bank.

Horie is a graduate of The University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Law, and obtained an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. He holds a LEED AP O+M and a CASBEE AP for Real Estate. He has been a member and/or chairperson of many committees and working groups with regards to green building, green finance and ESG investment hosted by Japanese Ministry of Land Infrastructure Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Horie also serves as one of the special advisors for  UNEP FI Property Working Group, chairperson of the Property Working Group and the Infrastructure Working Group of PRI Japan Network, and a member of the Benchmark Committee of GRESB.

Laila Hosny
Head of CSR and Sustainable Development, ALEXBANK

Laila Hosny is the Head of CSR and Sustainable Development at ALEXBANK, the Intesa Sanpaolo group’s subsidiary in Egypt. She is currently tasked with the development of the bank’s multi-faceted approach to sustainable business, community investment and value creation. In 2016, she founded the bank’s CSV flagship initiative “Ebda3 Men Masr EMM (Inspiration from Egypt)” which has changed the landscape of the Egyptian creative industry and heritage preservation. EMM has empowered thousands of craftsmen/women via a holistic development approach incorporating product development, artisans’ scalability access to finance, capacity building trainings and consultancy. Early 2020 Laila also recently launched “Ghalya” ALEXBANK’s platform of empowerment of multiple economic and social initiatives. The platform caters for all female-focused causes such as Early Marriage, Girls in Street Situations, Gender Equality and lack of Education, Economic Empowerment, and Health and Wellbeing.  “Ghalya” is also endorsed and driven by the bank’s strategic partner in sustainable development; the National Council of Women (NCW) and its national women empowerment initiative “ ة ” تاء مربوطة supporting and empowering Egyptian women and local female entrepreneurs.

She is also a member of the Federation of Egyptian Banks Sustainability Committee in addition to serving as an advisor to many NGOs and Corporations on how to enhance their community investment programs. As a student, she was an advocate for Egyptian street children, launching several key projects in this field. Laila holds a bachelor’s degree in Humanities and Social Sciences from the American University in Cairo where she specialized in Sociology and Psychology, as well as an Executive MSc in Social Business and Entrepreneurship from London School of Economics (LSE).

Dr. Ali Adnan Ibrahim
Global Head of Sustainability and Social Responsibility, Al Baraka Banking Group

Dr. Ali Adnan Ibrahim the Global Head of Sustainability and Social Responsibility at the Al Baraka Banking Group in Bahrain, the world’s largest Islamic banking network.

Ibrahim is Chair of Sustainable Development Committee of the Bahrain Association of Banks that examines and explore various ways in which the banking sector can contribute to the continued sustainable development of Bahrain.  He also chairs the Global Islamic and Sustainable FinTech Center at the Bahrain Fintech Bay.

Ibrahim is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and leads Social Credits Initiative, which seeks to incentivize private investments for sustainable development and inclusive growth.

Ibrahim has published internationally and his areas of interest and expertise include market-based strategies for financial inclusion and enterprise development, impact and blended finance, digital and sustainable finance, Islamic finance, the intersection of impact and faith, microfinance, foreign direct investments, and financial regulation.

As Fulbright Scholar, Ibrahim received his doctorate in juridical sciences (SJD—with distinction) from the Georgetown University Law Center, master of laws (LL.M.) from the Washington University School of Law, and  bachelor of laws (LL.B. Honours) from the International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Arshad Mohamed Ismail
President & CEO, Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Berhad

Arshad Mohamed Ismail has been appointed as Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Berhad’s (“BPMB”) President/Group Chief Executive Officer effective 8 April 2019.

Prior to his appointment, Arshad was Head of Global Banking Business at Maybank Islamic Berhad, in which capacity he oversaw the bank’s corporate banking, trade finance and investment banking business lines. Arshad has had a varied career path since commencing his career in 1995 as a lawyer in Kuala Lumpur with Messrs Mohamed Ismail & Co; he specialised in corporate law, banking and finance law, and also Islamic banking and finance law.

The other roles he has held include Head of Asset Management at Aayan Capital, a boutique investment bank based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Head of Corporate Finance and Advisory at Al Hilal Bank, an Islamic bank based in Abu Dhabi. Arshad returned to Malaysia in 2011 to join the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (“IILM”) as Executive Director, Origination and Structuring.

Arshad holds an LL.B. (Hons.) degree from the International Islamic University Malaysia and an M.B.A. from the London Business School, United Kingdom. He was elected to the SC-OCIS Visiting Fellowship in Islamic Finance for the academic year 2015 – 2016 at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, University of Oxford.

Jennifer Reynolds
President & CEO, Toronto Finance International

Jennifer Reynolds is the President & CEO of the Toronto Finance International (TFI). TFI is a public-private partnership between Canada’s three levels of government, the financial services sector and academia. TFI’s mission is to lead collective action that drives the competitiveness and growth of Toronto’s financial sector and establishes its prominence as a leading international financial centre.

Jennifer’s 20 year career in the financial services industry has included senior roles in investment banking, venture capital, and global risk management. Prior to joining TFI, Jennifer was the President & CEO of Women in Capital Markets (WCM), Canada’s largest industry association and advocacy group for women in the financial sector.

Jennifer is a Director on the Board of Citibank Canada, Board of the Canada Development Investment Corporation (“CDEV”), Director on the Board of Women’s College Hospital Foundation, and is a former Member of the Ontario Venture Capital Fund Advisory Committee, former Chair of the Board of Advisors of the Microskills Business Incubator, and former Director on the Board of Studio 180, an independent, Toronto based theatre company. In 2015, she was named a Women’s Executive Network (WXN) Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winner.

Jennifer is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Women’s Leadership program, and she received her MBA from McGill University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Economics and Political Science from McGill University. Jennifer also holds the Institute of Corporate Directors Designation, ICD.D.

Andrés Leonardo Jiménez
Sustainability Professional, Fasecolda

Andrés Leonardo Jiménez is an experienced sustainability professional from Fasecolda, Colombia. Mr Jiménez promotes the resilient growth of the insurance sector in Colombia, through the transfer of knowledge, the identification of opportunities for improvement, the inclusion of the environmental dimension to the business and the management of emerging risks. Mr Jiménez also leads various projects focused on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the inclusion of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria in insurance underwriting and institutional investment.

Huang Jing
Head of Green Finance, Bank of Jiujiang

Huang Jing, the head of the Green Finance Department of Bank of Jiujiang, has made every effort to promote the green finance business since her appointment in 2018. In terms of green finance research, she has been deeply involved in China’s first green bill research project and pushed the convention of research results to products. In terms of green finance product innovation, she co-designed “Hand-in-hand Wealth Management” and “Green Home Loan” products to support garbage classification from both the residents’ side and the sanitation operators’ side. In terms of multilateral cooperation, she took the lead in promoting Bank of Jiujiang as China’s first city commercial bank to join the Hong Kong Green Finance Association (HKGFA), as well as to sign the United Nations Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB).

Huang Jing graduated from Wuhan University with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in finance.

Jacki Johnson
Co-Chair, Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative

Peter Johnson
Director, Scotiabank & Chair, CSA Technical Committee, Green and Transition Taxonomy

Peter is focused on making companies more successful through the integration of environmental risks and opportunities into business practices, products and brands. A recognized pioneer and leader in shaping corporate sustainability Peter has worked across many sectors developing and implementing business-centric programs around sustainability, climate change, risk management, CSR, stakeholder and employee engagement, metrics and reporting.

Currently, Peter works on Environmental and Social Risk within Global Risk Management at Scotiabank’s headquarters in Toronto. In this role Peter is responsible for identifying and managing current and emerging environmental, social and sustainability risks and opportunities across Scotiabank’s 55 country operational footprint. Peter is also the Chair of the CSA Technical Committee, Green and Transition Taxonomy.

Peter was the first certified sustainable forest management (SFM) auditor in North America and holds a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of Toronto and a Master of Science in Forestry from Lakehead University.

Ma Jun
Director of the Center for Finance and Development, Tsinghua National Institute of Financial Research

Dr. MA Jun is the UN Environment’s Special Advisor on Sustainable Finance. He is also Special Advisor to the Governor of the People’s Bank of China, Chairman of Green Finance Committee of China Society for Finance and Banking, and Co-chair of G20 Green Finance Study Group. Before joining Tsinghua University, he was the Chief Economist at the Research Bureau of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) from 2014-17. Prior to that, he worked for 13 years at Deutsche Bank, where he was Managing Director, Chief Economist for Greater China, and Head of China and Hong Kong Strategy. From 1992-2000, he worked as public policy specialist, economist and senior economist at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. From 1988-1990, he was a research fellow at the Development Research Center of China’s State Council. Dr. Ma received his Ph.D. in Economics from Georgetown University in 1994, and his master’s degree in Management Science from Fudan University in 1988.

Dr Dalia Abdel Kader
Chief Sustainability Officer, Commercial International Bank (CIB), Egypt

Dr Dalia A. Kader is a recognized expert in the fields of sustainable finance and branding. Currently, Dr Kader is Head of the Sustainable Development Committee at the Federation of Egyptian Banks. She is also Co-Founder, Vice Chairman and Board Member of “We Owe it to Egypt” foundation. She was earlier General Manager and Director of Sustainability & Marketing Communications at Arab African International Bank from 1997-2019. As adjunct professor at the American University in Cairo, she instructed courses on “Sustainability Marketing and “Egypt: Corporate Responsibility & Social Entrepreneurship” for the MBA program in 2013.

Sustainable Finance is a core focus for her ongoing advocacy since 2003. Dr. Kader represented Egypt in the working sessions of the G20 Green Finance Study Group that issued the 2017 Green Finance Synthesis Report. In 2014, she helped launch MOSTADAM, the first platform for advancing Sustainable Finance in the Middle East with a focus on capacity building and policy advocacy. In 2018, she prompted Arab African International Bank to cooperate with the UNEF FI in launching the Principles for Responsible Banking.

Dr. Kader has managed to make AAIB the first and only bank in Egypt to join the Equator Principles in 2009 – introducing social and environmental risk management- and the U.N. Global Compact being part of Dr Kader’s serious efforts to leverage international networks to advance sustainable finance.

Substantiated with an inter-disciplinary exposure to finance, political science, economics and sustainability, Dr. Kader conceived the concept of “Humanizing Finance”; one that seeks to reinvigorate finance through revising accounting standards. She also introduced and lectured a proprietary postmodern interpretation of the Marketing discipline in international platforms. Dr. Kader lectured in several local and international conferences on sustainable finance and sustainability branding and the “Future of Marketing”.

Hasmig Khoury
Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Bank Audi, Lebanon

Hasmig Dantziguian Khoury is the Head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Bank Audi where she initiated a full scope strategy stretching from Corporate Governance through Economic, Community and Human Development reaching Environmental Protection. She speaks at regional conferences on sustainability; mentors thesis papers and other organisations; and has recognition from both, public and private sectors, for initiatives by Bank Audi’s CSR team. She’s knowledgeable in sustainable development benchmarks such as ISO 26000, UNGC (representing Bank Audi at the National Board of Directors), GRI and the UN SDGs.
Hasmig was appointed as a member in the Lebanese Republic Economic and Social Council since 2017 and is an active member of the Environment Committee within the Council. In that function, she worked on the National Poverty Targeting Program (NPTP) within the Parliamentary Commission on Sustainable Development.
Previously, she’s managed companies in diverse fields and acquired experience in service to society through decades of volunteer work to international and local associations such as Rotary and AGBU. Initially, she’s a graduate of McGill University transferred from AUB. Proud mother of Andrew, Peter and Angela, her hobbies include skiing, walking, music, reading, painting and cooking which she is pleased to share in her book, “Cooking from the Heart” published in 2010.

Johanna Köb
Head of Responsible Investment, Zurich Insurance

Johanna Köb is Head of Responsible Investment at Zurich Insurance Company, where she supports the implementation of Zurich’s responsible investment strategy for the company’s approx. US$200bn portfolio of group assets. Johanna joined Zurich Insurance Company in 2013 as responsible investment analyst, following the adaptation of the 2012 responsible investment strategy.

Prior to joining Zurich, Johanna worked for RobecoSAM, where she was part of the Sustainability Operations team. Her task was to support companies throughout the annual corporate sustainability assessment, as well as serving as an analyst for the financial services and support services sectors for the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

Johanna holds a BA and MA in International Affairs & Governance from the University of St Gallen, as well as a MA in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.

Fabián Kon
CEO, Banco Galicia

Currently, Enrique Fabián Kon occupies the position of Chief Executive Officer of Grupo Financiero Galicia SA and Chairman at Sudamericana Holding SA (a subsidiary of Grupo Financiero Galicia SA).

Brenda Kramer
Senior Advisor Responsible Investment, PGGM

Brenda Kramer works as Senior Advisor Responsible Investment at PGGM and is member of the EU’s Platform on Sustainable Finance. She was also a core member of the European Expert Group on Sustainable Finance (TEG) where she co-developed the European taxonomy. At PGGM, Brenda specializes in climate related regulatory affairs and investment strategies. Previously Brenda worked 10+ years as economic strategic advisor for the government.

Elmar Kriegler
Acting Head of the Research Department "Transformation Pathways", Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Dr. Elmar Kriegler is Acting Head of the Research Department “Transformation Pathways” at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) where he puts his focus on the Research Area “Mitigation and Sustainable Development Pathways”. His core expertise is in integrated assessment of climate change, scenario analysis and decision analysis.

Elmar Kriegler has coordinated several international integrated assessment modeling projects and has been a coordinator or member of the scientific boards of several German and EU research projects. He had a coordinating role in the development of the Shared-Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs) in support of new scenarios for climate change research. He is also member of the scientific steering committee of the Integrated Assessment Modelling Consortium (IAMC). Elmar Kriegler has been a lead author for the chapters on “Transformation Pathways” in the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report of Working Group 3 and “1.5°C Mitigation Pathways” in the IPCC Special Report on 1.5°C Warming and is currently serving as a lead author for the chapter on “Mitigation pathways compatible with long-term goals” in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report of Working Group 3. He has published more than 80 articles in refereed journals and was named Highly Cited Researcher in 2018.

Elmar Kriegler received a diploma (MS equivalent) in physics from the University of Freiburg, Germany, in 1998, and a Ph.D. from the University of Potsdam, Germany, in 2005. He was a Marie Curie Fellow at the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA.

Jochen Krippner
Vice-President, ESG and Sustainability, Barclays

In his role Jochen engages with internal and external stakeholder, including executive management, investors and rating agencies on ESG and sustainability and supports client facing teams across the bank in the development of green, social and sustainable banking products.

Prior to joining Barclays Jochen spent 10 years with PwC’s ESG assurance and advisory business, working with multinationals across sectors and geographies. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant and hold a Masters in Chemistry from Imperial College London.

Jochen is a member of the CDSB technical working group and the SBTi Technical Expert Group.

Christine Lagarde
President, European Central Bank

Born in Paris in 1956, Christine Lagarde completed high school in Le Havre and attended Holton Arms School in Bethesda (Md, USA). She then graduated from law school at University Paris X, and obtained a Master’s degree from the Political Science Institute in Aix-en-Provence. After being admitted as a lawyer to the Paris Bar, Christine Lagarde joined the international law firm Baker & McKenzie as an associate, specialising in labour, anti-trust, and mergers and acquisitions. A member of the Executive Committee of the Firm in 1995, Christine Lagarde became the Chairman of the Global Executive Committee of Baker & McKenzie in 1999.

Christine Lagarde joined the French government in June 2005 as Minister for Trade. After a brief stint as Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, in June 2007 she became the first woman to hold the post of Finance and Economy Minister of a G7 country. From July to December 2008 she also chaired the ECOFIN Council, which brings together Economics and Finance Ministers of the European Union.

As a member of the G20, Christine Lagarde was involved in the Group’s management of the financial crisis, helping to foster international policies related to financial supervision and regulation and to strengthen global economic governance. As Chair of the G20 when France took over its presidency for the year 2011, she launched a wide-ranging work agenda on the reform of the international monetary system. In July 2011 Christine Lagarde was elected the 11th Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the first woman to hold that position. In February 2016 she was selected to serve a second five-year term. She resigned from the IMF on 12 September 2019 following her nomination as the first woman to be appointed President of the European Central Bank.

In 2019 Christine Lagarde was ranked the second most influential woman in the world by Forbes magazine. She has often been named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Christine Lagarde was named Officier in the Légion d’honneur in April 2012. A former member of the French national team for synchronised swimming, Christine Lagarde is the mother of two sons.

Frazer Lanier
Vice President - Environmental and Social Risk Management, Citi

Calvin Lee Kwan
Head of Sustainability, Link Asset Management

Jean Lemierre
President, BNP Paribas

EDUCATION
Jean Lemierre graduated from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Paris) and the Ecole Nationale d’Administration. He also holds a degree in Law.

CAREER
Jean Lemierre has a long and recognised career in international finance.
In the 1980s he held various posts within the French Tax Administration, including Head of Tax Legislation and Director General of Taxes.
In May 1995, he was appointed Chief of Cabinet of the French Ministry of Economy and Finances and become Head of Treasury in October later that year.
Before being appointed at the helm of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in 2000, he was a member of the European Monetary Committee (1995-1998), President of the European Economic and Financial Committee (1999-2000) and Chairman of the Paris Club (1999-2000). He served as President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development until 2008.
En 2009, Jean Lemierre became a member of the International Advisory Council of the China Investment Corporation (CIC) and the International Advisory Council of the China Development Bank (CDB). He is member of the International Advisory Panel (IAP) for the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
He was Senior Advisor to the Chairman of BNP Paribas between 1 September 2008 and 30 November 2014.

TODAY
On 1 December 2014, Jean Lemierre became Chairman of BNP Paribas.
He is also Chairman of the main French institute for research into international economics (CEPII), a member of the Institute of International Finance (IIF) and in May 2016, he was elected Member of the Board of Directors of TOTAL.

Daphne Lilli
Head of Social Politics, Banco Maré

With her undergraduate in Public Administration at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV-EAESP), she articulated several projects related to entrepreneurship and social inclusion. Before working at Banco Maré, she had the opportunity to be a summer intern at Endeavor and Fundação Brava, both organizations considered relevant in innovation and empowerment of startups. Other than living her whole life in São Paulo, she lived for six months in Singapore, while studying at NUS (National University of Singapore) during her exchange program.

After some experiences in contact with extreme poverty in South Africa and in the Amazon, she Co-founded Papo Futuro in 2020, a social project that digitally include Brazilian students by providing them internet access and electronic devices.

She became the Head of Social Politics at Banco Maré, being responsible for coordinating the Bank’s approach to the socially vulnerable population by using blockchain technology for transparency and security.

Robert Litterman
Chairman of the Risk Committee and Founding Partner, Kepos Capital

Bob Litterman is the Chairman of the Risk Committee and a founding partner of Kepos Capital, a New York City based systematic global macro firm. Prior to joining Kepos Capital in 2010, Bob enjoyed a 23-year career at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he served in research, risk management, investments and thought leadership roles. He oversaw the Quantitative Investment Strategies Group in the Asset Management division. While at Goldman, Bob also spent six years as one of three external advisors to Singapore’s Government Investment Corporation (GIC). Bob was named a partner of Goldman Sachs in 1994 and became head of the firm-wide risk function; prior to that role, he was co-head of the Fixed Income Research and Model Development Group with Fischer Black. During his tenure at Goldman, Bob researched and published a number of ground-breaking papers in asset allocation and risk management. He is the co-developer of the Black-Litterman Global Asset Allocation Model, a key tool in investment management, and has co-authored books including The Practice of Risk Management and Modern Investment Management: An Equilibrium Approach (Wiley & Co.). Bob earned a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Minnesota and a B.S. in Human Biology from Stanford University. He was inducted into Risk Magazine’s Risk Management Hall of Fame and named the 2013 Risk Manager of the Year by the Global Association of Risk Professionals. In 2012, he was the inaugural recipient of the S. Donald Sussman Fellowship at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. In 2008, Bob received the Nicholas Molodovsky Award from the CFA Institute Board as well as the International Association of Financial Engineers/SunGard Financial Engineer of the Year Award. Bob serves on a number of boards, including Commonfund, where he was elected Chair in 2014, Options Clearing Corporation, Resources for the Future, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Sloan Foundation.

Ola Lowden
Founder and CEO, Omocom

Ola Lowden is Founder and CEO of omocom, an insurance solution for the circular economy. Mr Lowden has 8 years’ experience in data flows and digital trade. He has given lectures at universities and organizations such as the UN, WTO and CIFTIS as well as both the EU-parliament, commission and the Swedish Riksdag. He is an appointed expert in several parliamentary committees.

Martina Macpherson
SVP, Moody's & President, Network for Sustainable Financial Markets

Martina Macpherson is Senior Vice President, Strategic ESG Engagement & Partnerships, at Moody’s, and President of the Network for Sustainable Financial Markets. Martina has held a number of ESG leadership roles including Head of ESG Index Products at S&P DJI, Managing Director of Sustainable Investments Partners Ltd. and Vice President of ESG at MSCI.

She has been working in the ESG, index and asset management industry for almost 20 years and has been a member of multiple sustainable finance associations and policy working groups at UK, EU and at an international level.

Martina is a visiting fellow in sustainable finance at University of Zurich and Henley Business School. She has an MBA certificate in finance and business from LSBF / UK, and a MA in Law and Human Sciences from University of Frankfurt in Germany. She is a fellow member of the ICRS, and an alumni of the German National Academic Foundation.  ‍

Bruno Le Maire
Minister of Economy and Finance, France

Deia Markova
Head of Trade Commodity Finance, Societe Generale (Switzerland)

Will Martindale
Director of Policy and Research, Principles for Responsible Investment

Will Martindale is Director of Policy and Research at PRI, the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment. Will leads PRI’s global regulatory affairs and public policy programme, the flagship fiduciary duty project jointly with UNEP FI and the implementation of PRI’s sustainable financial system activities in national policy reform. Will has a background in banking, joining JPMorgan’s graduate programme in June 2004. In September 2010, Will joined French bank, BNP Paribas, as a business manager for their credit trading desk. Will holds a MSC in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and a BSC in Maths from King’s College London.

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema
Executive Secretary, UN CBD Secretariat

Since December 2019, Ms. Mrema has been the Acting Executive Secretary of the CBD Secretariat.  Prior to that, Ms. Mrema served as Director of the Law Division at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya.  With over two decades of experience at the United Nations, Ms. Mrema brings to the position extensive experience in global environmental law and policymaking, implementation of environmental and sustainable development programmes, and a deep knowledge of multilateral processes.  From 2009 to 2012, she served as the Executive Secretary of the UNEP/Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals as well as served as the Acting Executive Secretary of the UNEP/ASCOBANS (Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas) as well as Interim Executive Secretary of the UNEP/Gorilla Agreement, all based in Bonn, Germany.

Before joining UNEP, Ms. Mrema worked with United Republic of Tanzania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. During her time with the Ministry, she also lectured in Public International Law and Conference Diplomacy at Tanzania’s Centre for Foreign Relations and Diplomacy.

Ms. Mrema holds a Master of Law degree from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, a Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Centre of Foreign Relations and Diplomacy in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, and a Bachelor of Law from the University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

Dorothy Maseke
Group Head of Risk and Compliance, ICEA LION Group

Dorothy is currently the Group Head of Risk and Compliance at ICEA LION Group. The Group, with interests in Life Assurance, Health and Property insurance, Life Assurance, Asset Management is one of the largest financial services Groups in East Africa. Dorothy started her career at KPMG within the Risk Consulting department, later moving to the financial services sector where she has been for the last 10 years. She holds senior leadership roles in a number of industry forums including the Founding Chair of the Institute of Risk Management (IRM) East Africa Regional Group. Dorothy is a Committee member of the IRM UK Special Interests Group as well as a Task member of the UNEP FI Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) Insurer Pilot Group. Dorothy is also a member of the Governance and Nomination Board Committee of World Vision Kenya. Dorothy is a Fellow of the Swedish Institute Management Programme (SIMP), a global programme on Leadership and Sustainability for Young African leaders. She has most recently been named one of the Top 40 Under 40 women in Kenya (2019). Dorothy was the Risk Manager of Year at the 2017 & 2018 Think Business Insurance Industry Awards as well as a Finalist at the Thompson Reuters Innovation Awards 2018.

Jeremy McDaniels
Senior Policy Advisor, Sustainable Finance, Institute of International Finance

Jeremy McDaniels serves as Senior Policy Advisor, Sustainable Finance, in the IIF Global Policy Initiatives department. In this role, Jeremy is responsible for the IIF’s Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG), leading projects on climate risk assessment, disclosure, terminology and definitions. Jeremy also supports the IIF’s engagement on sustainable finance policy and regulatory issues with international standard-setting entities (e.g. BCBS, IAIS, IOSCO), leadership coalitions (e.g. NGFS, SIF, IPSF), governments, regulators, and multilateral entities.

Prior to joining the IIF, Jeremy worked with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), where he led a portfolio of strategic programs on sustainable finance issues. While at UNEP, he served as Head of Secretariat of the Sustainable Insurance Forum (SIF), and was co-founder of the International Network of Financial Centres for Sustainability (FC4S). As a member of the UNEP Inquiry on Sustainable Finance, Jeremy supported the G20 Green Finance Study Group, and contributed to the development of sustainable finance strategies in over 10 countries. Prior to joining UNEP, Jeremy worked as a management consultant and an academic researcher, publishing research on climate risks and stranded assets.

Jeremy holds an M.S. in Environmental Management (Dist.) from the University of Oxford, where he specialized in energy economics. He received his B.A. from the University of British Columbia, majoring in Economic Geography.

Whitney McWade
Director, Sustainability Strategy, Disclosure and Impact Measurement, BMO Financial Group

Maria de Fátima Mendes
Sustainability Director, MAPFRE, Brazil

• Director of Sustainability at MAPFRE Brazil
• President of the Comission of Sustainability and Innovation at CNSEG
• Member of the PSI Board (Principles for Sustainability in Insurance – UN)
• Graduate and Postgraduate in Marketing at FAAP (Armando Álvares Penteado Foundation) and Business Management at Universidade de Navarra – Spain

At MAPFRE for 29 years and for 12 years taking sustainability to the business environment and to MAPFRE Group strategies.

Fatima has, since then, has been creating value and generating positive impact for those involved (clients, employees, brokers, suppliers, investors, community and society) and promoting a constant dialogue among its stockholders – facts which contributed for the relevance of the social and environmental aspects and impacts in the area of insurance.

Fatima is also responsible for keeping a strong sector performance, representing the company in boards and chambers connected to sustainability.

Alexandra Mihailescu Cichon
Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, RepRisk

Alexandra Mihailescu Cichon joined RepRisk in 2013 and is the Executive Vice President  of  Sales and Marketing. Over her tenure, she has established and led RepRisk’s globally distributed Client Relationship Management, Sales, and Marketing & Communications teams.

Before joining RepRisk, Alexandra worked on the Global Sustainability Affairs team at Credit Suisse, focusing on environmental and social risk management, sustainability opportunities such as green business, corporate responsibility reporting and disclosure, and employee engagement. Prior to this, she worked at the US headquarters of Mercedes-Benz, holding positions within brand marketing and business development.

Alexandra holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of St. Gallen (HSG), in Switzerland, with an exchange semester at the HEC Paris (École des hautes études commerciales de Paris), in France. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology (honors), and a Certificate in International Studies from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, USA.

Amina J. Mohammed
Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations

Ms. Amina J. Mohammed is the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group.

Prior to her appointment, Ms. Mohammed served as Minister of Environment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where she steered the country’s efforts on climate action and efforts to protect the natural environment.

Ms. Mohammed first joined the United Nations in 2012 as Special Adviser to former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with the responsibility for post-2015 development planning. She led the process that resulted in global agreement around the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the creation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ms. Mohammed began her career working on the design of schools and clinics in Nigeria. She served as an advocate focused on increasing access to education and other social services, before moving into the public sector, where she rose to the position of adviser to three successive Presidents on poverty, public sector reform, and sustainable development.

Ms. Mohammed has been conferred several honorary doctorates and has served as an adjunct professor, lecturing on international development. The recipient of various global awards, Ms Mohammed has served on numerous international advisory boards and panels. She is the mother of six children and has two grandchildren.

Edward Moncreiffe
Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Life (International) Limited

Edward Moncreiffe is the Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Insurance (Asia) Limited and HSBC Life (International) Limited, overseeing HSBC’s insurance businesses in Hong Kong and Macao.

Since joining HSBC Group in 2005, Ed has served in a variety of senior executive positions across Broking, Underwriting, Reinsurance, Life and Non-life insurance business lines as well as working in Group Strategy. Prior to moving to Hong Kong in 2016, Ed was Head of Life and Pensions for HSBC Brazil.

Beyond HSBC, Ed is the Deputy Chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers, and the Chairman of the Life Insurance Council. He is also a member of the Economic Policy Committee and Financial & Treasury Services Committee of The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. He is a Governor of the Matilda International Hospital and a Director of the City Mental Health Alliance HK. He holds a BA (Hons) from University of Durham, UK and a MBA from University of Chicago Booth School. Ed is also a Chartered Insurer of the Chartered Insurance Institute.

Gustavo Montezano
President, BNDES

Montezano holds a Masters’ degree in Economics from the Faculty of Economics and Finance (Ibmec-RJ, 2007) and graduated in Mechanical and Automotive Engineering from the Military Institute of Engineering (IME-RJ, 2003). He was Chief Operating Officer (COO) of ECTP (BTG Commodities), based in London, and was previously the managing partner of BTG Pactual, responsible for the corporate and structured credit division in São Paulo.

Gustavo Montezano started his career as a Private Equity Analyst at Opportunity in Rio de Janeiro. He held the position of Deputy Special Secretary for Privatization, Divestment and Markets of the Ministry of Economy. He is currently the President of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES).

Francisco Moreno
Undersecretary of Finance, Finance Ministry of Chile

Mr. Moreno has a degree in Law from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and a master’s degree in Law (LL.M.) from University of California at Berkeley, where he focused on free competition and law and economics.

He served as Secretary General and Legal Counsel of the National Press Association (ANP) and as an Associate Researcher and Legislative Coordinator at the Latin American Center for Economic and Social Policies at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

During President Piñera’s first administration, he worked as the Cabinet Chief of former Social Development Minister Felipe Kast Sommerhoff in 2010 and as Legislative Coordinator in the Treasury Ministry from August 2010 to March 2014, processing bills submitted by the ministry to Congress.

Mr. Moreno is single and an active member of the Unión Demócrata Independiente party.

Caesar Mwangi
CEO, ICEA LION Insurance Holding

Caesar is the Chief Executive Officer of ICEA LION Insurance Holdings Limited, a leading financial services provider offering services in insurance, pensions, investments and trusts through its eight companies in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

He has a rich and varied professional career spanning over 30 years, elements of which include: Managing Director at the Centre for Personal Leadership (CPL Africa) where he focused on the development of high performance organizational cultures through research based organizational interventions, Managing Director of Sasini PLC,  a leading public listed Agribusiness focused on growing processing and marketing of tea, coffee, horticulture and dairy products, Chief Executive Officer of Sunny Money, a Pan-African renewable energy social enterprise focused on elimination of the use of kerosene lamps for lighting in Africa and Associate Director for the Consultative Group in international Agriculture Research (CGIAR) responsible for risk Management in Africa and Europe regions.

Based on his convictions for a just and sustainable world, Caesar has served on various Boards such as the Kenya Climate Innovation Centre, the Kenya Climate Ventures Fund, the Kenya Markets Trust and the Strathmore University Council.

He has a PhD. in Organizational Performance and Change Management from the University of Johannesburg, an MBA from the Wits Business School in Johannesburg and a BA in Economics from the University of Nairobi. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)K, a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and a Certified Executive Leadership Coach (CELC).

Ahmed Nassar
Senior Deputy Manager, Banque Misr

Ahmed Nassar is one of the co-leads in the Working Group developing the “Impact Analysis Tool” led by the UNEP-FI as part of the PRB initiative. Ahmed has more than 10 years of experience in Strategic Planning and Implementation, as well as Corporate Finance and Management Consultancy. Ahmed is currently a Senior Deputy Manager in the Strategy and Change Management Department in Banque Misr, where he is part of the team responsible for formulating the Strategic Direction of the Bank, while developing and executing the plans and projects that are fundamental for the bank’s transformation to position the bank locally, regionally and globally in a leading position.

He used to be a Strategy Analyst in the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector, the Private Sector arm of the Islamic Development Bank, for several years as part of the team leading the strategy formulation and implementation of the institution.

Ahmed holds an Msc. in Economics of Banking and Finance from University of Glasgow (Scotland, UK) and a Bachelor in Business from RMIT University (Melbourne, Australia).

Puleng Tumelo Ndjwili-Potele
Interim Banking Team Lead

Puleng is the Interim Banking Team Lead at UNEP FI. She was involved in developing the Principles for Responsible Banking, and currently leads the team that works closely with Signatory Banks and various stakeholders to support and drive implementation of the Principles for Responsible Banking, focusing on impact and driving alignment of bank portfolios with sustainable development objectives.
She started her career as a commercial law attorney. She left practice to work in the legal departments of Investec and then Standard Bank. She spent four years in Standard Bank’s corporate and investment banking department, working on property development transactions. Thereafter, she moved to Standard Bank’s Regulatory Advocacy team, where she worked with a broad range of stakeholders on policy issues, engaging with policy makers and regulators on emerging policies and legislation, including financial technology.
Puleng has obtained a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws, and Masters degree in Public Policy from Wits University. She is passionate about sustainable development, and working towards achieving the objectives of the SDGs in order to realise an equitable and sustainable future for all.

tumelo.ndjwili-potele@un.org

Lesley Ndlovu
CEO, African Risk Capacity

The African Risk Capacity Limited (the ARC Ltd) has appointed Mr. Lesley Ndlovu as its new Chief Executive Officer following the expiration of the tenure of Ms Dolika Banda, the former CEO, under whose tenure the company recorded impressive growth of its disaster risk pool portfolio.

Mr. Ndlovu was the former CEO of AXA Africa Specialty Risks, a Lloyd’s of London insurance syndicate and has extensive international experience spanning 14 years across corporate finance, audit, tax advisory, insurance and investment management sectors in several countries including Bermuda, Singapore, France and the United Kingdom.

Mr. Ndlovu is a graduate of the University of Oxford in England and at the Institut Européen d’Administration des Affaires (INSEAD) in France. He is a CFA charter holder, a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales and a member of the Institute of Directors.

Stephen Nolan
Managing Director, FC4S Network

Stephen Nolan is the Managing Director of the UN Environment convened Financial Centres for Sustainability (FC4S) global network. With a membership base covering Europe, the Gulf, Africa, Asia and North America, the objective of the network is to exchange experience and take common action on shared priorities to accelerate the rapid global growth of green and sustainable finance across the world’s financial centres, supported by strengthened international connectivity, and a framework for common approaches.

A senior business professional who has led and delivered initiatives from start-up to scale across both public and private spheres internationally, Stephen is also a member of the international Advisory Panel member of the Climate Bonds Initiative and the Advisory Board of the International Energy Research Centre.

Stephen is a co-founder of Sustainable Nation Ireland, a non-governmental body working together with Ireland’s public and private sectors to advance the sustainable finance agenda within Ireland. Stephen currently sits on the boards of Haven, an Irish based charity focused on Haiti and the Children’s Cancer Fund. He is a former Irish Government ICT Special Advisor and Advisor to UN Secretary General Annan’s Task Force on ICT.

Ligia Noronha
UN Assistant Secretary-General and Head of UNEP, New York Office

Ligia Noronha is the UN Assistant Secretary-General and Head of UNEP, New York Office, an economist with over 30 years of international professional experience in promoting environmental sustainability.

She was appointed in April 2014 as Director of the UN Environment Programme, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics – now known as the Economy Division. The Division works to shift economies from brown to green with a strategic focus on decarbonizing, decoupling, and detoxifying. Ms. Noronha acted as Lead Director of two of the seven UN Environment’s sub-programmes, namely chemicals and waste, and resource efficiency, and leads the emerging agenda on Environment/Pollution and Health. Until 2018, she also led the climate change sub programme.
Prior to joining UN Environment, Ligia Noronha worked in The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) as Executive Director of Research Coordination and Director of the Resources, Regulation and Global Security Division. She has published on issues related to energy and resource security, climate change, India’s environmental and coastal policy, responsible mining, coastal tourism and resource and environmental federalism.

She holds a Masters in Economics from the University of Bombay, a Masters in Sea Use Law, Economics, and Policy, and a PhD from the London School of Economics.

Joshua Oigara
CEO, KCB Group

Joshua Oigara, CBS, is a member of the KCB Group Plc and KCB Bank Kenya Boards as well as the KCB Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director. He is the Chairman of the Energy and Regulatory Commission of Kenya, a Director of the Vision 2030 Delivery Board and was commended by H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta on the Award of Chief of the Order of the Burning Spear, CBS, for exemplary service to the people and Nation of Kenya. Further to these, Joshua has been selected by the Minister of Sports to join the World Rally championship steering committee. He is also the Chairman, Kenya Bankers Association, the banking industry lobby.

Listed as one of African’s top 25 leaders to watch based on his role to champion transformational leadership and change on the continent by the Financial Times, Joshua actively engages at National and Industry level to drive this agenda.  Where possible, he will prompt and drive discussions that aim to address Leadership, Governance, Sustainable financial inclusion and technological innovation concerns at various business Schools and International Conferences.

Joshua was named among the top 100 youngest and most influential economic leaders in Africa by an independent French research center and was among six other under 40-year old Kenyans in the top 100 list in the annual research conducted by Paris-based Institut Choiseul in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Frédéric Oudéa
CEO of Société Générale

Frédéric Oudéa is a graduate of the École Polytechnique and the École Nationale d’Administration. From 1987 to 1995, he held a number of posts in the French senior civil service, Audit Department of the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of the Economy and Finance, Budget Ministry and Cabinet of the Ministry of the Treasury and Communication. He joined Societe Generale in 1995 and went from being Deputy Head to Head of the Corporate Banking arm in London. In 1998, he became Head of Global Supervision and Development of Equities. Appointed Deputy Chief Financial Officer of the Societe Generale Group in May 2002. Appointed Chief Financial Officer in January 2003. Appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Group in 2008. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Societe Generale from May 2009 to May 2015. In May 2015, the Board of Directors separated the offices of Chairman of the Board of Directors and of Chief Executive Officer, and appointed Frédéric Oudéa Chief Executive Officer.

Janette O’Neill
Group Head of Sustainability, QBE (Australia)

Janette O’Neill is a recognised leader in sustainability with the proven ability to articulate the business imperative for long term, integrated thinking and connecting growth and financial performance to the effective management of customer, people, community and environmental issues.

Janette’s career started in strategy consulting and she has worked in several countries as a consultant and in senior leader roles related to strategy, sustainability, culture, leadership, transformation and generalist HR. She has worked for global companies including Andersen Consulting, PwC and NAB.

Janette joined QBE in 2017 to establish and lead their global sustainability function. Her team is responsible for developing and driving QBE’s sustainability agenda and working with teams across the business to integrate sustainability into decision making and stakeholder engagement.

Janette is currently on the Prince of Wales Accounting4Sustainability expert panel and the Arise Leadership Circle. She is the lead for QBE’s involvement in the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative, is a non-executive director of the PwC Foundation and a board member of the UN Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI).

Christian Peter
Practice Manager for the Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy’s Global Platform Unit, World Bank

Christian Peter is the Practice Manager for the Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy`s Global Platform Unit at the World Bank. He has more than 25 years of experience working on environmental, natural resource and community forest management issues. Since joining the World Bank in 1998, he has held various headquarters and field-based operational positions as Environmental and Natural Resources Management Specialist in the Africa, East Asia & Pacific and Latin America & Caribbean regions, as well as Program Leader for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure for Central America.

Karl Pettersen
Chief Sustainability Officer, Americas, Societe Generale Corporate and Investment Banking

Karl Pettersen is Chief Sustainability Officer, Americas, at Societe Generale (“SG”).   Karl and his team focus on advising SG’s clients across the entire range of ESG topics, and in developing new tools to help meet the ESG needs of clients and the bank specifically in the Americas.

Karl joined SG in 2007 as Head of Ratings Advisory, Americas, a role he retains in addition to his duties as CSO.   Karl founded the team in the US, and developed its credit ratings advisory practice to cover large corporates, project finance, and leveraged finance, across a wide range of sectors.

From 2005 to 2007, Karl worked at UBS in London as Head of Emerging Markets Ratings Advisory, focusing primarily on energy clients in Russia and the CIS, as well as leveraged finance.

From 2000 to 2005, Karl held several positions at Moody’s Investors Service in London.  In his last role at Moody’s, Karl was Vice President – Standards & Criteria, where he developed and authored a number of Moody’s corporate finance sectoral and topic-specific rating methodologies, for use by analysts and market participants.

Karl holds a B.A. in Economics from Yale University.

Nehru Pillay
General Manager, Research and Intelligence, Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa

Nehrunaman Pillay is a macro-economist with over 25 years of experience as an applied economist, researcher and lecturer.  He has a Bachelor of Business Science Degree from the University of Cape Town and a Master of Commerce Degree in Economics from the University of Pretoria.  He has developed macroeconomic policy expertise working at the IMF in Washington DC and at the SARB, National Treasury and Central Bank of Swaziland.  He joined The Land Bank in June 2016 as the General Manager Research and Intelligence where he has focussed on the agricultural sector and the interconnections between the economy/finance, environment and society.  This has instilled a greater interest in Sustainability and Sustainable Finance supported by national and international formal and informal courses on Corporate Sustainability and Sustainable Finance.  Working in a financial institutions we see the significant impact and outcomes of extending credit to the real economy.  Where this is done irresponsibly it will lead to destruction of society, our economy and our environment.  The legacy of every individual, business and government on the planet is to leave a planet where all future generations can thrive and that there is a fundamental role of finance and financial institutions in ensuring this.  To this extent he was instrumental in getting Land Bank to join the UNEP FI project on developing the Principles for Responsible Banking culminating in September 2019 when Land Bank became a founding signatory to the PRB.  He has played a leadership role within the UNEP FI PRB Project co leading the implementation working group and subsequently co leading the Peer Learning Working Group and Collective Progress Working Group.  He also participates in the National Treasury led Working Groups on a Green Taxonomy for SA and on TCFD Integration in SA.

Franco Piza
Head of Sustainability Area, Grupo Bancolombia

Public Accountant, Financial Directing and Organisational Development Specialist, with executive programmes in business management, shared value creation, sustainability strategies and circular economy. Expert in international standards oriented towards Sustainability in the financial sector. He has more than 28 years of experience in the regional banking. Corporate Responsible for the Sustainability strategy of the Grupo Bancolombia from which he promotes sustainable economic development to achieve the wellbeing of EVERYONE. Represents the Group in international sustainability initiatives such as the Principles for Responsible Banking, the Principles for Responsible Investment, the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, the Strategic Committee of the Global Allowance of Investors for Sustainable Development, all initiatives of the United Nations, and forms part of the Expert Advisory Group of the Science Based Targets for the definition of goals for the global financial sector in the face of climate change.

Corli Pretorius
Deputy Director, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre

Corli is responsible for advising and supporting the UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre Director in exercising their strategic management responsibilities across programmatic, policy and managerial issues. Her responsibilities include: development and evaluation of new project areas; development and maintenance of effective liaison with key partners and constituencies, including Governments, and key donor partners; and providing programmatic support, including guidance on engaging with UN system entities, human rights-environment linkages, as well as integrating gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Alban Pyanet
Principal, Oliver Wyman

Alban Pyanet is a Principal in the Finance & Risk practice in New York. He has nearly a decade of experience consulting to leading financial institutions in North America and in Western, Central, and Eastern Europe on stress testing, climate change risk, capital management, credit risk, and equity valuation.

Alban has most recently been leading the development of a methodology to assess climate risk and help banks implement the recommendations of the Financial Stability Board’s (FSB) Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). This engagement is a cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme and a Working Group of 16 global banks.

Jan Raes
Global Sustainability Advisor, ABN AMRO

Jan Raes is a circular economy finance expert and a global sustainability advisor for ABN AMRO bank. Mr Raes works with many international organisations including UNEP FI and contributes to various global dialogues on climate, science-based targets, circular economy and the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Mr Raes is a member of the advisory panel on circular economy finance for Chatham House.

Layalee Ramahi
North America Coordinator, UNEP FI

Layalee Ramahi is the Regional Coordinator for North America at UNEP FI. She is engaged with industry leads and the finance sector in North America to assist in implementing banking, insurance and investment activities. Her role consists of developing UNEP FI sustainable finance programme with members in the region, facilitate knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer learning and support the adoption of the sustainable finance agenda and working with members to address regional priorities.

Layalee Ramahi, a business strategy and sustainability professional, has over 13 years of experience in the financial industry in market analysis, strategy and product and business development. With MBA in Banking and Finance and executive certification in Sustainable Business Practices and Management from University of California – San Diego, Layalee specializes in developing business strategy and project management focused on sustainability integration and strategy alignment.

Prior to working as a consultant in the United States, Layalee worked across different emerging markets in the Middle East. Layalee previously head the business strategy and sustainability function for Tawreeq Holdings group based out of Dubai, leading the development and execution of the business strategy and establishing the sustainability unit. Before that, she worked in analysis, operations and communications in financial markets and investment management consultancies in Jordan and Egypt.

Fiona Reynolds
CEO, Principles for Responsible Investment

Fiona joined the PRI in 2013. She has overall responsibility for the PRI’s operations globally. Fiona has more than 20 years’ experience in the pension sector, working in particular with the Australian government, and has played a key role in advocating pension policy change on behalf of working Australians. Fiona has a particular interest in retirement outcomes for women. Prior to joining the PRI, Fiona spent seven years as Chief Executive Officer at the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST). Fiona has formerly been a director of AUSfund, Industry Funds Credit Control, Australia for UNHCR and the National Network of Women in Super. In September 2012, she was named by the Australian Financial Review as one of Australia’s top 100 women of influence for her work in public policy. Fiona also serves on the Councils of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), Tomorrow’s Company, the Global Advisory Council on Stranded Assets at Oxford University and the Business for Peace Steering Committee.

Rémy Rioux
CEO, Agence Française de Développement (AFD)

Rémy Rioux is the chief executive officer of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD). During his career, Rémy Rioux, Senior Advisor at the Court of Auditors, has alternately held responsibilities in France and to support development in Africa. He works for France’s economic and financial policy and conducted control missions in the energy and defense sectors at the Court of Auditors from 1997 to 2000, and subsequently from 2002 to 2004.

Vicky Robertson
Chief Executive and Secretary, the Ministry for the Environment, New Zealand

Vicky was appointed Secretary for the Environment in April 2015, and is leading cross-sector collaboration in New Zealand’s public sector to safeguard our natural environment. She is co-chair of Aotearoa Circle, a partnership of public and private sector leaders committed to reversing the decline of New Zealand’s natural resources. Vicky sits on the new public sector Climate Change Chief Executive Board, and is a member of the steering committee of Te Hono, a group of primary industry leaders exploring new ways of thinking and doing. Vicky’s background in law and economics led her into senior roles at the New Zealand Treasury, where she spent time as Deputy Chief Executive, Chief Operating Officer and Acting Secretary and Chief Executive.

It has also taken her on secondment to the United Nations Development Programme, where she led a strategic and structural review of the organisation. An Edmund Hillary Foundation Fellow, she is a champion for inclusive growth, transparency and accountability in the state sector

Johan Rockström
Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Johan Rockström is an internationally recognized scientist on global sustainability issues. He led the development of the Planetary Boundaries framework for human development in the current era of rapid global change. He is a leading scientist on global water resources, with more than 25 years of experience in applied water research in tropical regions, and more than 150 research publications in fields ranging from applied land and water management to global sustainability.

In addition to his research endeavours, which has been widely used to guide policy, Rockström is active as a consultant for several governments and business networks. He also acts as an advisor for sustainable development issues at international meetings including the World Economic Forum, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conferences (UNFCCC). Professor Rockström chairs the advisory board for the EAT Foundation and the Earth League and has been appointed as chair of the newly-formed Earth Commission.

Juan Carlos Jiménez Rojas
Director General, Association de Bancos Mexico

Juan Carlos Jiménez Rojas holds a degree in Public Administration from El Colegio de México, a master’s degree in Political Economy from the University of Essex, UK, and a master’s degree in Administration from Columbia University, US, where he studied several subjects related to sustainable economics.

He also obtained a postgraduate degree in Senior Business Management from IPADE, Mexico, in addition to numerous diploma courses from other institutions, such as UNAM and ITAM.

Between 1990 and 1996, he held several senior positions at the CNBV (Mexico’s National Banking and Securities Commission). In May 1996, he joined the ABM (Mexican Banking Association), where he has served as Deputy Director for Financial Analysis and Technical Director. In 2005, he was named General Director of the ABM, a position that he holds to this day.

Mr Rojas is keenly interested in sustainable finance, he is a founding member of the CCFV (Green Finance Consultative Committee); he is also an active member of CESPEDES (Private Sector Studies Commission for Sustainable Development).

Madeleine Ronquest
Head of Environmental and Social Risk, Climate Change, FirstRand Group

Madeleine Ronquest is the Head of Environmental and Social Risk Management in the FirstRand Group and her portfolio includes Eco-footprint Management, Green Finance and positive impact banking, Climate Change and Environmental and Social Risk Management in financing and investment.

Her professional background includes environmental science, risk management and environmental law. Her role is to ensure that FirstRand is positioned as one of the business leaders in climate change, natural capital management, positive impact banking, responsible investment and sustainable development finance. It is imperative that the Group plays a pertinent role in leading South Africa into a low carbon economy and that it has a verifiable positive impact on the economy, the environment and society.

She is an eternal student and an international speaker and has taken leadership roles in the Global Steering Committee and other board committees of UNEPFI (United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative), the South African Advisory Committee on Environment and Society (National Business Initiative), the NBI Advisory Committee on Green Finance, and the Sustainable Finance Forum of the South African Banking Association (BASA)

David Rouch
Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

David is widely recognised for his technical expertise in financial services law and regulation. He works with the full range of financial market participants on both their advisory and transactional matters – dealing with some of the market’s greatest regulatory challenges.

He is regularly consulted on aspects of the UK and international regulatory reform agenda such as individual accountability, product governance and the interface between conduct and competition regulation and has been assisting various clients with their Brexit planning. He is currently advising the United Nations Environment Programme and others on the integration of sustainability in the investment chain.

He is also known for his work on law and institutional culture, and has helped a number of firms with their culture-change programmes. He has run two joint projects between Freshfields and the London School of Economics exploring this area, and was involved in Bank of England work on the global FX code.

David is a regular commentator and speaker on financial services-related issues and has written for various publications, including the Journal of International Banking Law and Regulation and The Times.

He is the author of The Social Licence for Financial Markets: Reaching For The End and Why It Counts, Palgrave Macmillan, July 2020.

Louis Roy
CEO & President, Optel Group

By the age of 15, Louis Roy had decided that his mission would be to try and lead the world down a more responsible path, whether in social or environmental terms. Ten years later he founded Optel, a B-Corp-certified company whose goal is to influence the behaviour of both large companies and consumers.

Since then he has worked toward using the technology developed by his company to improve transparency in the consumer goods sector and to use his influence to change people’s habits. In 2017, he was named Entrepreneur of the Year by EY in Canada.

Karen Sack
President & CEO, Ocean Unite

Karen is CEO & President of Ocean Unite, a non-profit founded in 2015 with a mission to deliver the science-based target of strongly protecting at least 30 percent of the Ocean by 2030 and build Ocean resilience globally. In 2018 with AXA, Ocean Unite initiated the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, a multi-sector collaboration driving investment into coastal natural capital by pioneering ground-breaking finance products that incentivise blended finance and private investment into the regions and communities that need it most. Karen co-chairs the Alliance.

She was formerly Senior Director for International Oceans at The Pew Charitable Trusts where she initiated the Global Ocean Commission. Before that she was the Head of Greenpeace International’s Political & Business Unit and of their international oceans campaign.

Enric Sala
Explorer-in-Residence, National Geographic

ENRIC SALA is a marine ecologist who fell in love with the sea growing up on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. After obtaining a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Aix-Marseille, France, Sala moved to the United States for ten years, where he was a professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In 2006, Enric moved back to Spain to hold the first position on marine conservation ecology at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), and in 2008 he became a National Geographic Fellow. Recently named a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, he is currently one of the leaders of National Geographic’s Mission Blue program, a global marine conservation initiative.

Musa Salah
Head of Environmental and Sustainability Management, Ecobank, Togo

Musa Salah is the Group Manager and Head, Environmental and Sustainability at the Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), Lome-Togo. Prior to this, he was a Regional Account Manager, United Nations, Agribusiness and Climate Initiatives in the International Organisations Department of Ecobank. Before joining Ecobank in 2008, he worked at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), with field postings in Ethiopia and Nigeria, from 2003-2008.

Musa is a member of International Association of Impact Assessment (IAIA) and also serving on the Ghana National Climate Change Committee. He has contributed to a number of Policy reports on the Environment and Sustainable Development nexus, including National Councils for Sustainable Development in Africa: A Review of Institutions and their Functioning, UNECA (2005); and Ghana Policy Advisory Series on Climate Change, Africa Adaptation Programme, EPA-Ghana (2011).

He holds MSc degree in Environmental Management, Sustainable Development option, from University of Surrey, UK. He was a Fellow at the UNEP Risoe Centre on Energy, Climate and Sustainable Development, Copenhagen, hosted by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, (2011).

Werner Schmidt
Director, European Investment Bank

Werner Schmidt is Director of the Environmental and Sustainable Territorial Development Department (ETD) within the EIB’s Projects Directorate. The Department is responsible for the techno-economic appraisal of investment projects in the following sectors: water management, agribusiness and rural development, urban development and solid waste management and regional development. His department concentrates significant technical expertise on circular economy and bio-economy projects.

Werner Schmidt is an agricultural engineer and economist, who has been working on project, policy and sector advisory work for more than 25 years. Prior to joining the EIB he worked inter alia for the World Bank, the European Commission and the German bilateral technical assistance organization.

Reto Schnarwiler
Head Group Sustainability, Swiss Re

Reto Schnarwiler is Head Group Sustainability at Swiss Re. He brings a wealth of experience in reinsurance, insurance and impact investing. He started his career in structuring Alternative Risk Transfer solutions and advised insurance clients across the globe. He later became deputy head of Swiss Re’s Group Strategy Team before founding Swiss Re’s Public Sector Solutions team.

Reto is also Chairman of responsAbility Investments, a leading impact investor, and he is a member of the board of APA Insurance Group in Kenya. Furthermore, he is a member of the Swiss government´s Advisory Committee on International Cooperation, an extra-parliamentary committee with the primary task to advise the federal council and federal offices.

Veronica Scotti
Chairperson Public Sector Solutions, Swiss Re

Veronica Scotti was appointed Chairperson Public Sector Solutions in July 2018, succeeding from the role as President & CEO of Canada & the English Caribbean, based in Toronto.

Veronica joined Swiss Re in 1999 in London through the acquisition of Fox-Pitt Kelton, a boutique investment bank where she worked as Corporate Finance advisor. After moving to Zurich in 2002, she gained reinsurance experience through roles in strategy, risk management and products. Since 2007 she held various client-facing positions including Head of Business Development EMEA, and Key Account Manager in Zurich. As Client Executive in Armonk, New York, she had the global responsibility for some of Swiss Re’s largest clients, managing an international team of Key Account Managers.

Prior to joining Swiss Re, Veronica worked in investment banking in the UK, Switzerland and Italy with Banque Paribas, Union Bank of Switzerland and Banco di Napoli.

She holds an MBA from the SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, and a master’s degree in International Commerce from the Naval University Institute, Naples, Italy.

Dean Segell
Director, Sustainability Strategy, Sun Life (Canada)

Dean Segell is Director, Sustainability Strategy, at Sun Life. In this new role, Dean is responsible for developing and implementing Sun Life’s new sustainability plan. Dean has a background in investment banking and management consulting, and most recently was an Associate Director at Convergence – a sustainable investing platform working with private and public investors to increase capital flows to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in emerging markets. Dean was part of the founding team at Convergence, launching the organization in Toronto, and raising $20M of seed funding from the Canadian Government. His responsibilities included managing Convergence’s innovation fund, which supported the development of 17 sustainable investing strategies and products that are on track to raise over $1B from private and public investors. Prior to Convergence, Dean was a consultant at Dalberg Advisors in the firm’s Johannesburg and New York offices. At Dalberg, he worked on projects across a range of sectors, including sustainable investing and financial inclusion, with clients including MasterCard, Gates Foundation, JP Morgan, Rockefeller Foundation, the Government of Canada, and the United Nations.

Judith Sidi Odhiambo
Group Head Corporate Affairs, KCB Group (Kenya)

Judith Sidi Odhiambo occupies the position of Group Head-Corporate & Regulatory Affairs at KCB Group Ltd. Ms. Odhiambo received a graduate degree from United States International University (Kenya) and an undergraduate degree from Daystar University.

Anne Simpson
Interim Managing Investment Director, Board Governance & Sustainability, CalPERS

Anne Simpson joined CalPERS in 2009 and was named interim managing investment director for Board Governance & Sustainability in June 2020.

She is responsible for strategic initiatives across the Fund. These include Climate Action 100+ (a global investor alliance of $40 trillion driving business action on climate change), the Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance, and the UN Secretary General’s Global Investors for Sustainable Development. Specific programs within investments include the Emerging Manager Program and the sustainable investment strategic plan.

In 2019 she was named by Time Magazine as one of the 15 women leading the global fight on climate change and in 2020 one of the 100 Most Influential Women in US Finance by Barron’s (Dow Jones). For 10 consecutive years from 2010-20 Anne has been ranked by the National Association of Corporate Directors as one of the year’s 100 most influential people in the boardroom.

Anne has published several books in the field of Board Governance and Sustainability including “The Financial Ecosystem: The Role of Finance in Achieving Sustainability” with Satyajit Bose and Dong Guo of Columbia University; “Fair Shares: the Future of Shareholder Power and Responsibility” with Jonathan Charkham; and “The Greening of Global Investment: How the Environment, Ethics and Politics Are Reshaping Strategies.”

Previous roles included senior faculty fellow and lecturer at the Yale School of Management, head of the Global Corporate Governance Forum at the World Bank, executive director of the International Corporate Governance Network, and joint managing director of Pensions & Investment Research Consultants Ltd.

Anne graduated from Oxford University in the United Kingdom, where she read philosophy, politics and economics and was awarded bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She was a Slater Fellow at Wellesley College, Massachusetts.

Paul Smith
Climate Change, UNEP FI

Paul Smith joined UNEP FI in 2019. Having adapted from a career in engineering, to development strategy and management, he now advises financial institutions on climate change risk and impacts.

Valerie Smith
Chief Sustainability Officer & Managing Director, Citi (USA)

Val Smith is Managing Director and Citi’s Chief Sustainability Officer. She joined Citi in 2004 and oversees Citi’s global sustainability initiatives, including leading the bank’s Sustainable Progress Strategy and $100 Billion Environmental Finance Goal. Val also serves as an advisor and spokesperson on sustainable finance, climate risk, stakeholder engagement, ESG integration and sustainability trends towards a low carbon economy.

Prior to joining Citi, Val spent a decade working in the environmental sector, including the National Audubon Society, Brainerd Foundation, and the Houston Advanced Research Center. She began her career with the U.S. Peace Corps, where she served for two years in Honduras. She serves on the boards of the UN Global Compact US Network and the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, and is a member of the Aspen Institute Leaders Forum. Val earned her MBA from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and her BA from the University of Virginia.

Jessica Smith
Nature Lead, UNEP FI

Jessica Smith leads work on nature at UNEP FI.

For the past 7 years she has directed a consultancy firm undertaking environmental finance project development and evaluation, and leading secretariats for the Equator Principles Association (environmental and social risk in Project Finance for 100+ financial institutions) and the Cross-Sector Biodiversity Initiative (applying IFC performance standard 6 on biodiversity in oil & gas, mining, and finance). Jessica has worked extensively to mobilise and evaluate environmental finance, globally and across Africa.

Jessica’s areas of interest are mobilising pro-poor private and blended finance for ecosystems and nature-related risks in banking and investment.

Leigh Smyth
Movement Lead, Money and Pensions Service

Leigh Smyth is a social inclusion intrapreneur. She leads initiatives which help organisations do well by also doing good. This includes leading the strategy and delivery to tackling the UKs digital skills agenda. Specific deliverables include the development of the largest network of digital advocates in Europe, establishing the annual UK benchmark Index for Digital Skills for consumers and business used by UK Government including DCMS and partners. In addition, more recently Mrs Smyth led the team designing and delivering a new community Academy for “Everyone” which is currently in pilot. She is the 2016 WIBF Outstanding Achievement Award winner and is a recognised UK Digital Leader.

Maria Eugenia Sosa Taborda
Latin America and Caribbean Network Coordinator

Maria Eugenia Sosa Taborda is Latin America and Caribbean Network Coordinator for UNEP-Financial Initiative. She has more than 15 years’ experience with the dissemination and consolidation of corporate social responsibility strategy in large companies, sustainable finance and developing innovative projects with positive impacts. She worked for 11 years in the financial sector with different subjects: Financial Education and Social, Entrepreneurship and Environmental Risks and Opportunities, working directly with different Business Units: Investments, Credit and Insurance. Maria Eugenia is graduated in business administration at PUCCAMP and she is currently studying a Masters at USP (São Paulo University) with a focus on social impact.

maria.sosataborda@un.org

Celine Soubranne
Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer, AXA Group

Graduated of Political Sciences, after initial experiences in journalism, local authorities and consulting, she joined AXA in 2006 to lead digital transformation of communication. In 2010, she was appointed Director of Corporate Responsibility at AXA France and also Secretary General of the AXA Prevention association, which works to educate the general public about risks. She has driven the first ESG integration program in insurance products in France, with the creation of the “Citizen Insurance” Label. In December 2014, she was awarded the Women’s Citizenship Trophy at the “Women in Insurance” Trophies.

Martin Spolc
Head of Sustainable Finance and Fintech Unit, European Commission

Martin Spolc is the Head of the Sustainable Finance and Fintech unit in the European Commission’s Directorate General for Financial Services. Prior to his current role, he was the Head of the Capital Markets Union unit, the Economic analysis unit, Deputy Head of the Banking unit and Assistant to the Director General, directly involved in developing the Banking Union and other key projects in the area of financial services aiming at restoring financial stability since the crisis.

Before joining the Commission, he had worked at risk management consultancy and the banking sector. He is the holder of the CFA and FRM designations and member of the CFA Institute and Global Association of Risk Professionals.

Daniela Stoffel
State Secretary for International Finance (SIF), Federal Government of Switzerland

Daniela Stoffel (born in 1968) took up her role as State Secretary for International Finance at the Federal Department of Finance (FDF) on 1 March 2019.

In 1998, Daniela Stoffel entered the diplomatic service of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). In 2005, she took over as Head of Public Relations and Culture at the Swiss Embassy in Washington D.C. and in August 2009 she moved to the Swiss Embassy in Berlin as Head of Economic and Financial Affairs. There she was appointed Deputy Head of Mission in 2012. In 2015, Daniela Stoffel assumed a staff function in the General Secretariat of the OECD in Paris.

From 2015, Daniela Stoffel was on detachment to SIF with the title of Ambassador, latterly as Head of Political Staff. From 2016, she was also the Diplomatic Advisor to the Head of the Federal Department of Finance (FDF). In these functions, Daniela Stoffel was involved in safeguarding and dealing with current financial policy issues and challenges and in the corresponding international negotiations and contacts.

Daniela Stoffel graduated from the University of Zurich in 1992 with a degree in Philosophy, Economics and German Linguistics. Accompanying her work as a University Assistant at the Institute of Philosophy of the University of Zurich, she wrote her thesis in 1996. She is a citizen of Winterthur, in the canton of Zurich, and is the mother of an adult daughter.

Geoff Summerhayes
Executive Board Member, APRA & Chair, UNEP Sustainable Insurance Forum

A purpose and values-driven leader who has made significant contributions in a breadth of economic sectors including property and the built environment, wealth management, banking, insurance and now in prudential regulation as an Executive Board Member of APRA. Geoff has been a forthright leader on raising awareness of climate change financial risk in Australia and globally. In Australia, he chairs the Council of Financial Regulators Working Group on Climate Change, its members include APRA, ASIC, RBA and Treasury.

Internationally, Geoff is a member of the Executive Committee of the global standard setting body for insurance, the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) and chairs its Audit and Risk Committee. He chairs the UN Environment Program’s Sustainable Insurance Forum (SIF), a global body of insurance regulators collaborating on sustainability and climate change and represents IAIS and SIF at the Central Banks and Supervisors Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS).

Prior to his appointment at APRA, Geoff was CEO of Suncorp Life, held a number of senior executive roles at National Australia Bank in strategy, asset finance and distribution, was CEO of Retail Investment at MLC and started his career in commercial property development at Lend Lease.

Robert Swaak
CEO, ABN AMRO

Currently, Robert Swaak is Chairman-Executive Board & Chief Executive Officer at ABN AMRO Bank NV.  He is also on the board of Nationale Opera & Ballet and Chairman for Bernard van Leer Foundation.  Mr. Swaak previously held the position of Chairman-Management Board at Pricewaterhousecoopers BV and Vice Chairman-Clients & Markets at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.  Mr. Swaak received a graduate degree from Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Tom Tayler
Senior Manager, Sustainable Finance Centre for Excellence, Aviva Investors

Tom Tayler is a Senior Manager in the Aviva Investors Sustainable Finance Centre for Excellence. His work focuses on market reform and sharing expertise and best practice on sustainable finance through the Aviva Investors ESG Academy.

Tom has supported Aviva’s work regarding sustainable finance with a particular focus on market and regulatory reform, including contributing to the work of the EU High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance, the UK Green Market Taskforce, the UN-convened Net Zero Asset Owners’ Alliance, and the UN Global Investors for Sustainable Development. He has also worked with policymakers on key reforms including the EU Sustainable Finance Action Plan, the DWP reform of pension trustees’ fiduciary duty, and the IOSCO Sustainable Finance Network. He is a member of the reference group for the UN PRI/UNEP Legal Framework for Impact project and is a qualified solicitor, holding an MA (Oxon) in Jurisprudence from the Queen’s College Oxford. He previously worked at Allen & Overy LLP, the Department of the Treasury Solicitor, Beachcroft LLP and the University of Law.

Guenther Thallinger
SE Board Member, Allianz & Chair, UN convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance

Guenther Thallinger joined Allianz Group in May 2009.

He has been a  Member of the Board of Management of Allianz SE since 2017, responsible for Investment Management and the Center of Competence Life & Health. In 2018 he additionally assumed responsibility for steering ESG topics within Allianz.

He is the chairman of the United Nations-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance (AOA).

Until his appointment to the Board of Management, Guenther Thallinger acted as CEO, and before that as CFO, of Allianz Investment Management SE and was Chairman of the Allianz Investment Management Board.

Before joining Allianz, he was principal at McKinsey&Company.

Born in Austria, Guenther Thallinger graduated with a BSc from the Technical University Graz and a MSc from the Technical University Vienna in technical mathematics. He holds a PhD in applied Mathematics from the Technical University Vienna.

Peter Thomson
Special Envoy for the Oceans, United Nations

Peter Thomson was appointed UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean in September 2017. He was president of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly, having served as Fiji’s permanent representative to the UN in New York since 2010. In 2013, he chaired the Group of 77 and China. In 2014, he was President of the Executive Board of the UN Development Programme/UN Population Fund/UN Office for Programme Support. From 1972 to 1987 he worked for the Government of Fiji on rural development and foreign affairs.

Nigel Topping
High Level Climate Action Champion, COP26, UK Government

Nigel Topping is the UK’s High-Level Climate Action Champion, appointed by the UK Prime Minister in January 2020. Nigel works alongside the Chilean High-Level Climate Action Champion, Gonzalo Muñoz. The role of the high-level champions is to strengthen collaboration and drive action from businesses, investors, organisations, cities, and regions on climate change, and coordinate this work with governments and parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Nigel was most recently CEO of We Mean Business, a coalition of businesses working to accelerate the transition to a zero carbon economy. Prior to that he was Executive Director of the Carbon Disclosure Project, following an 18 year career in the private sector, having worked across the world in emerging markets and manufacturing.

Jason Tu
Co-Founder & CEO, MioTech

Jianyu (Jason) is the Co-Founder and CEO of MioTech. Jason’s career spans across banking and tech startups around the globe. He kicked off his career at Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong, and has since then worked at a number of startups such as WeLab and Robinhood in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and the U.S. Jason holds an MBA degree from Stanford Graduate School of Business, master’s degree from Toulouse School of Economics in France, and bachelor’s degree from Purdue University.

Caroline Tully
Head of ESG Reporting & Ratings, AIB Group

As AIB Group plc’s Head of ESG Reporting and Ratings, Caroline leads the Bank’s sustainability reporting and disclosures, as well as contributing to the development and implementation of AIB’s Sustainability Strategy.

Caroline represented Sustainability on the Working Group behind AIB’s €1bn Tier 2 Green Bond issuance in September 2020 – the first Green Bond issued by an Irish Bank and only the second such Green Tier 2 capital issue by a European bank.

Caroline is a career banker with AIB, with a background in in commercial banking, strategic development and credit risk, and joined the Sustainability Team in 2018.

She is a member of the Sustainable Finance Forum of Banking & Payments Federation of Ireland and a co-lead of the UNEP FI’s Reporting Working Group.

Eric Usher
Head, UNEP Finance Initiative

Eric Usher currently heads the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative, UNEP FI, a global partnership bringing together the UN with 230 banks, insurers and asset managers working to develop the sustainable finance and responsible investment agendas. Eric oversees governance, strategy and day-to-day management of UNEP FI’s work programme and global network development. Over the years UNEP FI has established some of the most important sustainability oriented frameworks within the finance industry, including the Principles for Responsible Investment (2006), the Principles for Sustainable Insurance (2012) and work now underway on the establishment of Principles for Responsible Banking. Since joining in 2015, Mr. Usher has focused on accelerating the deep integration of sustainability risks into financial practice, including addressing climate change, natural capital loss and human rights abuses, as well as building out the frameworks for positive impact finance needed to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Eric sits on several industry bodies including as UN representative on the Board of the Principles for Responsible Investment, as a member of the Evaluation Council of the French sovereign green bond, as Director for the impact fund REPP Africa and founder of the Seed Capital Assistance Facility.
Prior to leading UNEP FI, Mr. Usher has over twenty years of experience in the low carbon sectors, spanning technology commercialisation in Canada, solar rural electrification in Morocco and financial sector development across emerging markets. During 2011, Mr. Usher worked on the establishment of the Green Climate Fund and led efforts to create its Private Sector Facility. Eric has been an editor of the Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment report published annually with Bloomberg and was lead author for finance of the IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources. Before joining the UN, Eric was General Manager of a solar rural electrification company based in Morocco.

Mabyr Valderrama
Director of Financial Inclusion and Sustainability, Fasecolda

Mabyr Valderrama is responsible for the industry agenda related to Consumer Protection, Financial Inclusion and Education, as well as Innovation and Sustainability of the Colombian insurance industry. She also leads the agricultural insurance area.

Merlyn Van Voore
Head of the Secretariat of the International Resource Panel, UNEP

Ms Van Voore has more than 25 years’ professional experience in the field of science-based policymaking. She started her career in the United Nations in 2009, first at UNEP’s Headquarters in Nairobi, as the Africa Coordinator for climate change. She then worked in UNEP’s Paris office as Climate Change Coordinator & Special Advisor to the Executive Director. Her previous work experience includes working for the South African Government, an international development agency, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, a management consultancy firm, and a university. In these positions, she has been responsible for research, policy formulation and development, policy advice and programme delivery, resource mobilization, partnerships, representation, and advocacy.

A South African national, Ms Van Voore holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration (Public and Economic Policy), from the London School of Economics, and a Master’s Degree of Science in Education from Oxford University. She completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Science at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Sylvain Vanston
Group Head of Climate and Environment, AXA

Jose Alexandre Vasco
Director of Investor Protection and Assistance Office, CVM

José Alexandre Vasco has been with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Brazil (CVM) since 1997. He was selected for a job as on-site inspector on the results of a public competitive examination. Previously, he had been a Navy Officer, after his graduation from the Naval Academy (1986-1990).
Since September 2005, he has worked as Director of the Investor Protection and Assistance Department and has led various financial and investor education initiatives in Brazil as well as joint educational projects (public and private sector) for investor, journalists, professors and judges. Vasco is also the CVM representative for the OECD International Network on Financial Education (INFE/OECD) since 2008, and is a member of the dedicated Expert Subgroup on Long-Term Savings and Investment. He is also a member of the G20/OECD Task Force on Financial Consumer Protection. Since January 2016, Vasco is the Chair of IOSCO Committee 8. He is also the focal point of the CVM / OECD Centre for Education and Financial Literacy for Latin America and the Caribbean, established in 2016.
Vasco has a Master of Science in Law from Rio de Janeiro State University (2005-2007); a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Rio de Janeiro State University (1995-2001); a Master of Business Administration from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (1999); and a Bachelor’s degree in Logistics from the Brazilian Naval Academy (1986-1989).

Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan
Head of Sustainability, Access Bank, Nigeria

Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan has been working in the field of Sustainability and Communications for over 17 years. She joined Access Bank in 2008 to establish the Sustainability function and has since led the Bank’s efforts in its Sustainability performance. In 2011, she initiated the Nigeria Sustainable Finance Week to create awareness and education on Sustainability and the need for the financial sector in Nigeria to develop a set of principles that will guide their sustainability performance. This was implemented in collaboration with UNEPFI and the DFIs, leading to the development of the Nigeria Sustainable Banking Principles.

Omobolanle has since been actively involved in ensuring implementation both within Access Bank and other financial institutions. She serves as the internal leader and “go to” expert for sustainability in Access Bank and the financial sector, monitoring emerging trends, programs and issues; communicating and educating others on sustainability. She leads the interface with stakeholders (domestic and international), on the Bank’s sustainability agenda and also responds to questions or statements of position on Sustainability related matters. She mentors Sustainability champions in other African financial institutions and provides them with relevant support required to implement the necessary positive change in their institutions.

Armelle de Vienne
Vice President and ESG Research & Engagement Analyst, Rockefeller Asset Management

Armelle de Vienne is a Vice President and ESG Research & Engagement Analyst within Rockefeller Asset Management. Prior to joining Rockefeller, Ms. de Vienne worked for Schlange & Co. GmbH and its subsidiary, S&C North America Inc., a management consultancy specialized in Corporate Responsibility. As a consultant, she advised global companies on the development of sustainability strategies, responsible supply chain management and sustainability reporting. Ms. de Vienne received a B.A. in Political Science from Colgate University and a M.Sc. in Sustainability Management from Columbia University. She is fluent in French and German.

Margaret Wachenfeld
Member of the Board of Directors, Corporate Human Rights Benchmark

Margaret G. Wachenfeld is an international lawyer and senior policy adviser. She is one of the founders of the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark and is a member of the Board of Directors. She is also Managing Director of Themis Research & Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Human Rights and Business. Previously, Margaret was Director of Research & Legal Affairs at IHRB for five years. Margaret started her career as legal counsel to the Danish Institute for Human Rights. After practicing law in a commercial firm for eight years, she joined the International Finance Corporation (IFC – World Bank Group) to work on the environmental and social dimensions of IFC transactions and later served as the first principal human rights advisor at IFC and EBRD, followed by six years as senior policy advisor to UNICEF. Margaret has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in biology (Wellesley College), a juris doctor (JD) and masters in international and comparative law (LLM) (Duke University School of Law) and a PhD in law (licentiat) (University of Copenhagen).

Mazen Wathaifi
CEO, Amman Stock Exchange, Jordan

Mr. Wathaifi is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) since September 2019. He joined the Amman Financial Market (AFM) in1984 and became the Director of the Research and Studies Department at the AFM in 1997. He was appointed as the Director of the Research and International Affairs Department at the Jordan Securities Commission (JSC) in 1999. Among his main responsibilities were conducting researches on matters related to capital market regulation and activities and following up the JSC’s relations with related international organizations including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), Union of Arab of Securities Authorities (UASA), and International securities regulators. He took part in internal committees that drafted the Securities Law and legislations governing various activities in the national capital market. He headed the committee that drafted the Corporate Governance Code for Shareholding Companies Listed on Amman Stock Exchange. He is a member in several local, Arab, and international working groups and task forces. Mr. Wathaifi was appointed as the Executive Director of the JSC in July 2013. In July 2014 he was appointed by the Jordanian Council of Ministers as a commissioner on the JSC’s Board of Commissioners in addition to the responsibilities of the Secretary General of the JSC. He holds the BA in Business and Economics in addition to High Diploma in banking studies and the Master’s degree in finance/ financial markets. He received training in a number of international institutions and institutes including the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the British Financial Services Authority (FSA), the American University, and the Capital Market Research Center at the George Town University in Washington. He participated and represented the JSC in several conferences and seminars on Arab and international levels.

Angela Wiebeck
Head of UBS in Society Program Office, UBS

Angela Wiebeck leads UBS in Society’s Program Office.

UBS in society focuses on driving long term positive impact for clients, employees, investors and society. This includes UBS’s sustainable investing, philanthropy, corporate responsibility, environmental and social risk, foundation and community investment activities.

Angela defines the strategic focus for UBS in society and leads in its implementation and communication. In her fourteen years at UBS, she has held a variety of roles including six years client facing for HNW and UHNW clients in Toronto, Canada and more recently as Head of Impact Investing (ad-interim) in the Global Chief Investment Office. Her experience provides her with an understanding of what clients value and what UBS can offer in this space.

Bill Winters
CEO, Standard Chartered

Bill was appointed Group Chief Executive of Standard Chartered PLC in June 2015 and Chief Executive of Standard Chartered Bank in April 2019.

Bill is a career banker with significant frontline global banking experience and a proven track record of leadership and financial success. He has extensive experience of working in emerging markets and a proven record in spotting and nurturing talent.

Bill began his career with JP Morgan, where he went on to become one of its top five most senior executives and later co-chief executive officer at the investment bank from 2004 until he stepped down in 2009. Bill was invited to be a committee member of the Independent Commission on Banking, established in 2010, to recommend ways to improve competition and financial stability in banking. Subsequently, he served as an advisor to the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards and was asked by the Court of the Bank of England to complete an independent review of the bank’s liquidity operations. In 2011, Bill founded Renshaw Bay, an alternative asset management firm, where he was chairman and CEO. He stepped down on appointment to the Standard Chartered PLC Board. Bill was previously a non-executive director of Pension Insurance Corporation plc and RIT Capital Partners plc. He received a CBE in 2013.

Sang-hyeon Woo
Chief Senior Managing Director of CIB Business Unit, KB Financial Group

Sang-hyeon Woo is Chief Senior Managing Director of CIB Business Unit at KB Financial Group. He also serves as Senior Managing Director of CIB Group at KB Kookmin Bank and Vice President of IB Sector at KB Securities. In these roles, he is responsible for leading corporate and investment banking business of the Group.

Prior to this position, he served as Head of IB Division at KB Kookmin Bank. Mr. Woo began his career at Korea Long-Term Credit Bank in 1989, which merged with Kookmin Bank in 1998, and has extensive experience in corporate financing and investment banking. Before becoming Head of IB Division, he held several positions in corporate and investment banking function within Kookmin Bank including General Manager of Structured Finance Department and General Manager of Investment Banking Department.

Mr. Woo graduated from Korea University earning B.A. in business administration and received an M.A. in finance management at Korea University.

Yuki Yasui
Regional Coordinator, Asia Pacific, UNEP FI

Yuki has been working on sustainable finance for the last 16 years.  She has recently moved to the UN Environment Asia Pacific Office to expand UNEP FI activities in the region. She works towards the acceleration of the development of financial institutions in the region that integrate sustainability as a value creation driver and which contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She is a chartered accountant (ACA) and was at PricewaterhouseCoopers in London.