RI Europe 2025
Jakob Thomä
Co-Founder & Research Director at Theia Finance Labs
Driving the future of European sustainable finance
Join us in London for Responsible Investor’s 18th annual RI Europe conference this June, where leaders in sustainable finance will gather to shape the industry’s future. This event offers an invaluable opportunity to connect, collaborate, and explore the latest ESG innovations and best practices.
Gain first-hand insights from the visionaries advancing sustainable finance across Europe. Dive into essential topics such as accelerating net-zero progress, navigating evolving EU regulations, managing biodiversity risks, and pioneering new ESG data strategies. With a focus on fostering collaboration and addressing the industry’s most pressing challenges, RI Europe 2025 empowers you to stay ahead in a rapidly changing financial landscape.
Don’t miss your chance to be part of the transformation—connect with over 600 investors and fund managers, engage in interactive discussions, and take actionable ideas back to your organisation.
2025 key themes:
- Transition finance: Challenges and opportunities
- Facing up to a warmer world: Physical climate risk and adaptation
- Regulation: The EU, UK, US and beyond
- Nature: Taking the next steps
- The future of stewardship: Leverage and accountability
- Unlocking innovation: The next generation of sustainable funds
Snapshot of this year's attendees
Meet leading asset owners including:
What can you expect at the forum?
Get real insight into the industry
RI Europe’s innovative programme gets straight to the point on what sustainability means for business and investment in the real world. Topics include EU regulatory landscape, road to net zero, transition finance and many more.
Stay ahead of market trends
Be in the know about upcoming changes to regulations, latest trends and emerging opportunities in the world of responsible investment. Keep your strategies fresh and adapt to the rapidly evolving landscape.
Connect with the ESG community
Meet with the ESG community at the forefront of shaping sustainable finance in Europe. Engage with investment professionals, regulators, academics, NGOs, and legal experts who are driving meaningful change in the industry.
2024 speaker line-up included:
Are you an asset owner in public markets?
A limited number of complimentary passes are available for eligible asset owners to join the event.
To qualify for a complimentary pass, you must meet the eligibility criteria in representing a pension fund, insurance company, sovereign wealth fund, foundation, endowment, trust, family office or corporate investment division.
Apply for a pass and a member of our team will follow up with you to secure your pass.
Connect with investors & ESG professionals
Responsible Investor Europe provides an opportunity to make connections with an exclusive audience of ESG and sustainable finance decision makers. Share your solutions, collaborate and network with senior-level executives through bespoke sponsorship packages to meet your 2024 business goals.
RI Europe will return June 2025.
For more information on the agenda or speaking opportunities, please contact Finlay Eglinton.
finlay.eglinton@pei.group| +44 20 3640 7518
Network at Europe's leading responsible investment event
Join us in London for Responsible Investor’s 18th annual RI Europe conference in June 2025, the premier event for leaders in sustainable finance. Connect with over 600 top investors, fund managers, and industry professionals dedicated to shaping the future of responsible investment.
At RI Europe, networking goes beyond exchanging business cards—it’s about discovering shared values, aligning on goals, and building meaningful partnerships. Here, you’ll find the foundation for collaborations that drive impactful projects and long-term initiatives in sustainable finance.
From insightful sessions to interactive discussions, RI Europe is where today’s challenges meet tomorrow’s solutions. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the movement advancing sustainable finance across Europe.
The in-person networking experience
Meet industry thought leaders
Connect with the ESG community at the forefront of shaping sustainable finance in Europe. Engage with investment professionals, regulators, academics, NGOs, and lawyers who are driving meaningful change in the industry.
15+ hours of networking
Connect in-person with the ESG community at our interactive workshops, panels, private breakfasts, debates, and evening drinks reception. Every moment at RI Europe is a chance to forge valuable connections.
Build valuable connections with European asset owners
Engage with leading asset owners and gain insights into their ESG allocation strategies and preferences for their next investment partner. Past attendees include Aegon, Church of England Pensions Board, Folksam, Legal & General, Scottish Widows, Unilever APF, and many more.
Connect with active investors
GPIF
San Francisco Employees' Retirement System
OMERS
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
State of New Jersey
New York City Comptroller
Canada Post Corporation Pension Plan
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board
HOOPP
Aegon
AkademikerPension
Border to Coast Pensions Partnership
British International Investment
Brunel Pension Partnership
Cambridge Associates
Children's Investment Fund Foundation
Church of England Pensions Board
Friends Provident Foundation
Irish Life
Local Pensions Partnership
MP Investments
NEST Corporation
Nestlé UK Pensions
Nordea Life & Pension
Scottish Widows
Wellcome Trust
The Health Foundation
London Pensions Fund Authority
BBC Pension Trust
Folketrygdfondet
British Airways Pension Investment Management
Folksam
ING
VBV Pensionskasse
LGIM
Cambridge University Endowment
Migros Pension Fund
Caisse des depots et Consignations
Baloise
Strathclyde Pension Fund
GPIF
San Francisco Employees' Retirement System
OMERS
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
State of New Jersey
New York City Comptroller
Canada Post Corporation Pension Plan
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board
HOOPP
Aegon
AkademikerPension
Border to Coast Pensions Partnership
British International Investment
Brunel Pension Partnership
Cambridge Associates
Children's Investment Fund Foundation
Church of England Pensions Board
Friends Provident Foundation
Irish Life
Local Pensions Partnership
MP Investments
NEST Corporation
Nestlé UK Pensions
Nordea Life & Pension
Scottish Widows
Wellcome Trust
The Health Foundation
London Pensions Fund Authority
BBC Pension Trust
Folketrygdfondet
British Airways Pension Investment Management
Folksam
ING
VBV Pensionskasse
LGIM
Cambridge University Endowment
Migros Pension Fund
Caisse des depots et Consignations
Baloise
Strathclyde Pension Fund
GPIF
San Francisco Employees' Retirement System
OMERS
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
State of New Jersey
New York City Comptroller
Canada Post Corporation Pension Plan
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board
HOOPP
Be recognised as driving the future of sustainable finance
Responsible Investor Europe provides an opportunity to make connections with an exclusive audience of ESG and sustainable finance decision makers. Share your solutions, collaborate and network with senior-level executives through bespoke sponsorship packages to meet your 2025 business goals.
Pre-Event Resources
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If you would like to join the industry-leading line-up in June 2025, please contact Finlay Eglington.
finlay.eglinton@pei.group | +44 20 3640 7518
2024 speaker line-up included:
Dr. Jimena Alvarez
Lead Greening Finance for Nature, Resilience & Development Group, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford
Alasdair Docherty
Sustainable Finance and Data Analyst, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA)
Honor Fell
Associate Director and Sustainable Investment Lead, University of Cambridge Investment Management (“UCIM”)
Alex Kennedy
MD, Head, Sustainable Finance Solutions and Adaptation Finance, Standard Chartered Bank
Signe Andreasen Lysgaard
Chief Adviser, Business and Human Rights, Danish Institute for Human Rights
Patrick Parent
Chair of the CEAOB / Director for prospective and international affairs at H2A, H2A (Haute Autorité de l’Audit)
Patrick Peura
ESG Engagement Manager, Allianz Investment Management, Co-lead of the Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance Engagement Track, Allianz Investment Management
Simone Utermarck
Senior Director, Sustainable Finance, International Capital Market Association (ICMA)
Be recognised as driving the future of sustainable finance to institutional investors in Europe
Sponsoring at Responsible Investor global events positions your company at the forefront of key decision-makers and ensures your profile gains a competitive advantage within the industry. Enquire about bespoke sponsorship packages to:
- Align your brand with Responsible investor’s authoritative content-led event portfolio and be seen as a go-to solution provider for senior ESG and sustainable finance professionals.
- Stand tall amongst your competitors by positioning your company at Responsible Investor Europe and embed your brand as a major player to senior institutional investors.
- Raise your profile as a thought leader within the industry to overcome the key challenges within responsible Investing.
- Showcase your institutional investor solutions, in-person to new global audiences and generate new business opportunities to achieve your targets.
2024 sponsors included:
Connect with responsible investment investors
Ruffer
San Francisco Employees' Retirement System
Scottish Widows
State of New Jersey
Strathclyde Pension Fund
The Health Foundation
USS
VBV Pensionskasse
Wellcome Trust
Alecta
AP2
Asset Management One
Baloise
Bayerische Versorgungskammer (BVK)
BBC Pension Trust
Border to Coast Pensions Partnership
British Airways Pension Investment Management
Brunel Pension Partnership
Caisse des depots et Consignations
Cambridge Associates
Cambridge University Endowment
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board
Canada Post Corporation Pension Plan
Children's Investment Fund Foundation
Church Commissioners
Church of England Pensions Board
Folketrygdfondet
Folksam
Friends Provident Foundation
GPIF
Hermes
HOOPP
ING
Irish Life
LGIM
Local Pensions Partnership
London Pensions Fund Authority
Migros Pension Fund
MP Investments
NEST Corporation
Nestlé UK Pensions
New York City Comptroller
Nordea Life & Pension
OMERS
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
Robeco
Ruffer
San Francisco Employees' Retirement System
Scottish Widows
State of New Jersey
Strathclyde Pension Fund
The Health Foundation
USS
VBV Pensionskasse
Wellcome Trust
Alecta
AP2
Asset Management One
Baloise
Bayerische Versorgungskammer (BVK)
BBC Pension Trust
Border to Coast Pensions Partnership
British Airways Pension Investment Management
Brunel Pension Partnership
Caisse des depots et Consignations
Cambridge Associates
Cambridge University Endowment
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board
Canada Post Corporation Pension Plan
Children's Investment Fund Foundation
Church Commissioners
Church of England Pensions Board
Folketrygdfondet
Folksam
Friends Provident Foundation
GPIF
Hermes
HOOPP
ING
Irish Life
LGIM
Local Pensions Partnership
London Pensions Fund Authority
Migros Pension Fund
MP Investments
NEST Corporation
Nestlé UK Pensions
New York City Comptroller
Nordea Life & Pension
OMERS
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
Robeco
Ruffer
San Francisco Employees' Retirement System
Scottish Widows
State of New Jersey
Strathclyde Pension Fund
The Health Foundation
USS
VBV Pensionskasse
Wellcome Trust
Hiroshi Komori
Senior Director, Stewardship & ESG, GPIF
RI events around the world have been beneficial to catch up on ongoing ESG issues and network with great people.
Andrea Palmer
ESG Lead, PGGM
I appreciate the quality of the delegates and the conversations. It’s the go-to venue to gauge developments in ESG integration.
Asset owners at RI Europe
Responsible Investor Europe provides an unrivalled platform for asset owners investing in ESG and sustainable finance. Join over 100 asset owners from across Europe to discuss the latest responsible investing trends and compare best practices and allocation strategies for 2025 and beyond.
A limited number of complimentary passes are available exclusively for asset owners. Explore the conference benefits and find out which of your peers will be attending. Apply now for a complimentary pass for yourself or your team.
What to expect
Network with your peers
Enrich your network, build lasting relationships, and exchange valuable perspectives with your fellow asset owners during asset owner-only breakfasts, networking breaks, lunches and much more.
Gain expert insights
Hear from our industry-leading speaker line-up, discover the latest trends and stay aligned with future innovations in the market.
Stay aligned to developments and opportunities
Discover remarkable investment opportunities and leverage ESG expertise focused on regulation, human rights, biodiversity, net zero and more.
Meet with the best and brightest funds
Connect and arrange one-to-one meetings with the biggest and best ESG managers in the market and find your next investment partner.
Asset owners at RI Europe.
‘This event stands as the largest gathering designed specifically for asset owners and top-level corporates, providing two days of networking and insightful discussions.
Explore the conference benefits and find out which of your peers will be attending.
Asset owners that attended in 2024:
PGGM
Phoenix Group
Railpen
Redington
Scott Trust Endowment
Scottish Widows
University Pension Plan Ontario
Wesleyan Assurance Society
Zurich Insurance Group
Aegon UK
Allianz
Applerigg
Border to Coast Pensions Partnership
Brightwell
Brunel Pension Partnership
Church Commissioners for England
Church of England Pensions Board
DBS
De Nederlandsche Bank N.V.
EIRIS Foundation
Evli
Folksam
Friends Provident Foundation
Greater Manchester Pension Fund
HSBC Bank UK Pensions Trust
John Ellerman Foundation
Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
KLP Insurance Pension Fund
BBC Pension Trust
Laudes Foundation
LGPS Central
M&G
Merseyside Pension Fund
Monetary Authority of Singapore
National Bank of Belgium
Nippon Life Global Investors Europe
Norges Bank Investment Management
PenSam
Pension Protection Fund
People's Partnership
PGGM
Phoenix Group
Railpen
Redington
Scott Trust Endowment
Scottish Widows
University Pension Plan Ontario
Wesleyan Assurance Society
Zurich Insurance Group
Aegon UK
Allianz
Applerigg
Border to Coast Pensions Partnership
Brightwell
Brunel Pension Partnership
Church Commissioners for England
Church of England Pensions Board
DBS
De Nederlandsche Bank N.V.
EIRIS Foundation
Evli
Folksam
Friends Provident Foundation
Greater Manchester Pension Fund
HSBC Bank UK Pensions Trust
John Ellerman Foundation
Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
KLP Insurance Pension Fund
BBC Pension Trust
Laudes Foundation
LGPS Central
M&G
Merseyside Pension Fund
Monetary Authority of Singapore
National Bank of Belgium
Nippon Life Global Investors Europe
Norges Bank Investment Management
PenSam
Pension Protection Fund
People's Partnership
PGGM
Phoenix Group
Railpen
Redington
Scott Trust Endowment
Scottish Widows
University Pension Plan Ontario
Wesleyan Assurance Society
Zurich Insurance Group
Apply for a complimentary asset owner pass
A limited number of complimentary passes are available for eligible asset owners to join the event.
To qualify for a complimentary pass, you must meet the eligibility criteria in representing a pension fund, insurance company, sovereign wealth fund, foundation, endowment, trust, family office or corporate investment division.
Apply for a pass and a member of our team will follow up with you to secure your pass.
Meet our leading advisory board in 2024
James Alexander
Chief Executive, UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association
James Alexander joined UKSIF as Chief Executive in October 2020, with a strong vision and mandate to further enhance the organisation’s key role in promoting and expanding sustainable investment and finance in the UK.
James has a background in international climate finance and infrastructure finance as well as many years’ experience in leadership roles in membership organisations. Most recently, James supported global megacities to overcome the substantial barriers to financing climate action as Director of the City Finance Programme at the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and Head of the C40 Cities Finance Facility – a project preparation facility he developed, now supporting cities across the world to structure nearly a billion dollars of sustainable infrastructure transactions. James has worked on international climate finance issues at the UN level and supported cities across the world to invest their pensions and reserves more sustainably.
James is Treasurer of Eurosif, the European Sustainable Investment Forum, a member of the Green Technical Advisory Group (GTAG) providing advice to the UK Government on implementing a UK green taxonomy and a member of the Disclosures and Labels Advisory Group (DLAG) providing advice to the FCA on the UK’s SDR and fund labelling regime.
Dr. Jimena Alvarez
Lead Greening Finance for Nature, Resilience & Development Group, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford
Dr Jimena Alvarez leads the Greening Finance for Nature workstream in the Resilience & Development Group at the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford. She focusses on developing integrated nature-climate scenarios and analytics for financial decision-making as well as scenarios for the Oxford Martin School Programme on Systemic Resilience. She is also a Lillian Goldman Junior Research Fellow at Regent’s Park College, University of Oxford.
Alvarez brings almost two decades of experience spanning from engineering, climate change, nature-based solutions, modelling, economics and finance across academia, industry and nonprofit in Latin America, Europe and the United States. She started her career advising the C-suite in strategic corporate planning in an Italian-Argentine holding group. Her research skills comprise quantitative risk analysis, systems analysis and economic/financial analysis.
She holds a degree in Industrial Engineering (BEng and MEng equivalent) from the Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires, an MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in Management from Lancaster University.
Vipul Arora
Partner, ESG & Climate Solutions, Sattva Consulting
Vipul pioneered ESG in Emerging Markets. Ranked in 2018 as one of the top 25 people who made the most positive contribution to ESG globally, he has rated 10,000+ companies for leading ESG Rating firms like MSCI, Sustainalytics, S&P DJSI and others. He pioneered the world’s first EM ESG rating methodology in 2010 called “Best in Context”. This methodology predicted the USD 20 Billion Corporate Governance scandal at Petrobras in 2012, 2 years before it surfaced in 2014. This methodology was backed by Investors with AUM exceeding USD 13 Trillion.
He contributed to building the world’s first UN SDG based rating model (2019), Access to Medicine Index (2008), Access to Affordable Housing (2010), Responsible Mining Index (2016), Community Investment Index (2009), multiple Carbon Strategy indices (2011) and has spoken at 50+ global conferences. He served on the SDG advisory committee of UNPRI. He is a two-times Fellow of Stanford University.
Sattva Consulting
Sattva Consulting is a knowledge, advisory and implementation firm that supports clients in creating and delivering impact focused initiatives on CSR, ESG and Climate. It works across the impact ecosystem: with Investors, DFI’s, Governments, Corporates, foundations, philanthropists, non-profits, multi-laterals and impact ecosystems to enable systems change in the Global South.
Kiran Aziz
Head of Responsible Investments, KLP
Kiran Aziz is Head of Responsible Investments at Norway’s largest pension fund. KLP has embedded ESG in the investment strategy for more than 20 years and is seen as a leading actor on responsible investments. In her role she monitors and assesses how the investee companies maintain responsible business practices along with dialogue with the boards and managements on ESG matters in the companies on a global level.
Prior to joining KLP Asset Management, Ms Aziz was lawyer, lecturer and researcher. She also has extensive board experience. She is currently on board for Norwegian Refugee Council which is one of the world`s largest humanitarian organizations for displaced people. Ms Aziz holds a law degree from University of Oslo and Cornell Law School.
KLP
Kommunal Landspensjonskasse (KLP) is Norway's largest life-insurance company. KLP provides pensions, finance and insurance services to municipalities, county authorities, health enterprises and to businesses both in the public and the private sector, and to their employees. The KLP Group has total assets of NOK 950 billion. KLP Asset management manages assets approximately NOK 664 billion on behalf of the insurance business in the KLP Group and other customers through the KLP funds. If one is going to invest in the future one should also take responsibility for it. For us, part of that responsibility means having a conscious approach to the wider social consequences of our investments and has an ambition of being a leading actor in Responsible Investments.
Khalid Azizuddin
Senior Reporter, Responsible Investor
Khalid retrained as a journalist after working for a number of years in corporate strategy at Sime Darby in Malaysia. He focuses on sustainability data & disclosures, policy and developing markets. He is a former winner of the CFA UK Journalist of the Year Award for his coverage of the human rights issues involved in investment in Chinese surveillance companies.
Colin Baines
Stewardship Manager, Border to Coast Pensions Partnership
Colin Baines is the Stewardship Manager at Border to Coast Pension Partnership, the largest pooled local government pension scheme in the UK, representing 11 partner funds with combined assets totalling £60bn.
Colin has 20 years’ experience working across RI and ESG including via the Co-op Bank, Co-op Asset Management, and Friends Provident Foundation, covering RI policy, ESG research and analysis, proxy voting, shareholder engagement, asset management engagement, and impact investing.
His engagements include securing the world’s first just transition strategies from several energy utility companies and net zero policy including coal finance phase out from UK banks.
He is a Visiting Senior Fellow at LSE Grantham Institute and has sat on advisory groups to DECC, DEFRA, Manchester University Tyndall Centre, and Impact Investing Institute. He is on the IC of Snowball Impact Management and is vice-chair of the climate charity Possible.
Border to Coast Pensions Partnership
Border to Coast Pensions Partnership is one of the largest pension pools in the UK. We were founded to manage the investments of like-minded Local Government Pension Funds, our Partner Funds, who collectively have c.£60bn of assets.
Based in the heart of Leeds, our purpose is to make a difference for the Local Government Pension Scheme. Established as a regulated asset manager in 2018, we use the strength of our collective scale to deliver investment opportunities that enable our Partner Funds to implement their long-term investment strategies, and to act as an active and influential responsible steward of their assets.
Serkan Batir
Managing Director, Global Head of Index Product Development and Benchmarks, ISS STOXX
As STOXX’s Global Head of Index Product Development and Benchmarks, Serkan Batir is responsible for R&D across Sustainability, Thematics, Strategy indices and benchmarks. Before joining STOXX, Serkan held multiple leadership roles at BlackRock, including Head of Portfolio Management for EEGA (Eastern Europe, Germany and Austria) and Switzerland, and Head of Product Management, Germany at BlackRock.
He joined BlackRock in 2008 as a Senior Portfolio Manager. His responsibilities included overall trading and management responsibility for German and Swiss-domiciled index funds in various asset classes, including equities, fixed income and physical and synthetic commodities.
Batir was previously with UniCredit Bank AG – London for three years, as an equity derivatives trader in the firm’s proprietary quantitative trading hedge fund. He began his career at HypoVereinsbank, a member of UniCredit, as a Junior Trader in 2001.
Batir holds a degree in International Relations from Eastern Mediterranean University, a graduate degree in Strategy and Innovation from the University of Oxford-Said Business School.
ISS STOXX
STOXX® and DAX® indices comprise a global and comprehensive family of more than 17,000 strictly rules-based and transparent indices. Best known for the leading European equity indices EURO STOXX 50®, STOXX® Europe 600 and DAX®, the portfolio of index solutions consists of total market, benchmark, blue-chip, sustainability, thematic and factor-based indices covering a complete set of world, regional and country markets. STOXX and DAX indices are licensed to more than 550 companies around the world for benchmarking purposes and as underlyings for ETFs, futures and options, structured products, and passively managed investment funds. STOXX Ltd., part of the ISS STOXX group of companies, is the administrator of the STOXX and DAX indices under the European Benchmark Regulation.
Phil Bloomer
Executive Director, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
Phil became Executive Director of Business & Human Rights Resource Centre in 2013. Phil leads strategy and outreach globally working with 80 global team members and allies. Programmes are focused on transformation of business and investment models especially in areas of the just transition to net zero carbon; labour rights in supply chains; rights in technology and civic freedoms.
Phil sits on several external groups including Civil Society Advisory Group for Principles for Responsible Banking, the Expert Review Committee of World Benchmarking Alliance; Climate Outreach’s Board.
Prior to joining the Resource Centre Phil was Director of Campaigns and Policy at Oxfam GB, joining them after 11 years in Latin America working on human rights and indigenous rights. https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/about-us/meet-the-team/
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
At the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre we work with everyone to advance human rights in business and eradicate abuse.
We empower advocates:
We amplify the voices of the vulnerable, and human rights advocates in civil society, media, companies, and governments.
• Our Regional Researchers – located all over the world – go to local communities to understand the impacts of businesses on the ground, and regularly talk with businesspeople and government officials.
• We release briefings and analysis, synthesising the work of hundreds of advocates across the world and make recommendations for companies, governments, regions, and sectors.
We strengthen corporate accountability:
We help communities and NGOs get companies to address human rights concerns, and provide companies an opportunity to present their response in full.
• We take up alleged abuse quickly and directly with companies. We’ve made over 6,000 approaches to companies asking them to respond to specific human rights allegations. Our global response rate is 55-60%.
• We systematically follow up on company responses, pursuing companies that fail to respond adequately to allegations of egregious abuse. See examples of our impact.
• Advocates and communities thank us for eliciting responses from companies. Companies thank us for providing them the opportunity to present their responses in full.
We build corporate transparency:
We collect data on the human rights policy and performance of over 10,000 companies in over 180 countries, making information publicly available. We engage with companies and governments to urge them to share information publicly.
• Our website is the only global business and human rights knowledge hub, delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news in 11 languages. We receive over 415,000 page views on our site every month.
• Our free Weekly Update e-newsletter has over 14,000 subscribers around the world, including advocates, activists, businesspeople, governments, investors and the UN (Sign up / View archive).
Jean Boissinot
Deputy Director Financial Stability Head of NGFS Secretariat, Banque de France
Jean Boissinot is Deputy Director, Financial Stability at Banque de France and head of the NGFS Secretariat since 2021. He was previously a senior advisor to the Governors in charge of financial stability matters.
Before joining the Banque de France in 2018, he held various positions at the Direction générale du Trésor, at the HM Treasury (ministère des Finances britanniques) and at Insee.
During his career, he has been involved in numerous international groups (G20, FSB, OECD, etc) and has played an active role in the development of the agenda on finance and climate change both in France and internationally.
Catherine Bremner
Chief Strategy Officer, Impax Asset Management
Catherine is Impax’s Chief Strategy Officer. She is responsible for leading our business strategy, including corporate development activities and for leading the build of Impax/s digital strategy, inclusive of our data architecture and AI capability. With over 25 years of experience in sustainable development, finance, strategy and change management, she is also a highly respected leader in green finance.
Before joining Impax in 2021, Catherine spent five years at the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, including acting as Director General, responsible for around 500 staff tasked with developing the UK’s Net Zero Strategy and International Climate and Energy policy. She also chaired the UK Government’s Climate and Energy G7 Presidency in 2022. Before this, she was Global Head of Environmental Sustainability at Australian financial services firm ANZ. She was also Chief Operating Officer at Low Carbon Australia and Head of International Development at the Carbon Trust.
Outside of Impax, Catherine is on the Board of the Met Office and is the Chair of its Remuneration Committee.
Catherine holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the London School of Economics, a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management from Oxford University and a bachelor’ degree (Hons 1st) in Chemical Engineering from The University of Queensland.
Steven Bullock
Managing Director, Global Head of Research and Methodology, S&P Global Sustainable1
Steve leads the Research and Methodology Team at S&P Global Sustainable1 developing the methodologies underpinning S&P Global’s suite of sustainability-related datasets and analytical solutions that power the transition to a more sustainable future. This includes the S&P Global ESG Scores based on data collected via the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) and S&P Global’s range of environmental, climate and nature, and regulatory and reporting capabilities.
As Global Head of Research and Methodology, Steve has successfully overseen the development of numerous groundbreaking sustainability-related products, including datasets focused on climate transition and physical risk, nature risk and biodiversity, and regulatory reporting such as the EU Taxonomy and SFDR.
With over 15 years’ of industry experience, Steve is a regular speaker and commentator on sustainable finance issues globally.
S&P Global
Prior to joining S&P Global Trucost back in 2008, Steve worked as an analyst for a performance management consultancy. He holds a BA 1:1 with honors in Geography and a MSc with Distinction in Sustainable Development from the University of Exeter.
S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) provides Essential Intelligence. We enable governments, businesses and individuals with the right data, expertise and connected technology so that they can make decisions with conviction. From helping our customers assess new investments to guiding them through sustainability and energy transition across supply chains, we unlock new opportunities, solve challenges and Accelerate Progress for the world.
We are widely sought after by many of the world’s leading organizations to provide credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help the world’s leading organizations plan for tomorrow, today. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com.
Eva Cairns
Head of Responsible Investments and Stewardship, Scottish Widows
Eva is Head of Responsible Investments & Stewardship at Scottish Widows, responsible for embedding responsible investing into the investments proposition and leading our efforts to engage and shape best practice across the industry. She joined Scottish Widows from abrdn where she was the Head of Sustainability Insights and Climate Strategy, responsible for leading abrdn’s Sustainability Insights team to deliver research and views across key sustainability themes, including climate change, nature and social issues. She led abrdn’s climate strategy for Investments and has published a number of climate related papers including on net zero investing, climate scenario analysis, the credibility of net zero targets and the just transition.
Eva has been actively involved in collaborative industry initiatives to drive forward best practice in responsible investing and advocate for a policy environment that enables investing in line with sustainability goals. Before focusing entirely on responsible investing in 2018, Eva led Investments related change projects and managed a team of Business Analysts to improve investment and risk management processes. Eva joined abrdn (previously Standard Life Investments) in 2010 from Halcrow Group (now CH2M Hill), a global engineering consultancy, where she worked as an Economist focused on environmental and socio-economic impact assessment of energy and transport projects globally. Eva graduated with an MSc in Economics with Distinction from the University of Edinburgh where her dissertation focused on the social cost of carbon. She also obtained the Professional Risk Management (PRM) certification in 2014.
Elisa Cencig
Head of Policy Engagement, Norges Bank Investment Management
Elisa Cencig is Head of Policy Engagement at Norges Bank Investment Management, where she is responsible for the fund’s engagement with international organisations, standard-setters and policymakers on sustainability, responsible investment and corporate governance. Prior to that, she worked at the UK Financial Authority, first on EU Withdrawal Policy and Strategy and more recently leading the FCA’s engagement at the Financial Stability Board. Earlier in her career, she worked at the Association of Financial Markets in Europe’s Brussels office on prudential and resolution policy and advocacy. She was also part of the European Commission’s secretariat team supporting the High Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance. She is an alumna of the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa (Italy) and the College of Europe (Belgium) and holds a PhD in Political Science from the London School of Economics.
Nicoletta Centofanti
CEO, Luxembourg Sustainable Finance Initiative (LSFI)
Nicoletta is the LSFI CEO. She is an environmental engineer and holds an Executive MBA from Bocconi University in Milan. Nicoletta is a sustainability and sustainable finance expert and has 15 years of experience spanning from environmental and social due diligence, Corporate Social Responsibility review and implementation within companies around the globe, responsible sourcing and sustainable finance. She is committed to support financial players and companies transition towards increased sustainability and impact. Nicoletta is enthusiastic about impact investing, social businesses and Environmental Social Governance
drivers. In short, anything that contributes to a better world.
James Chamberlayne
Director, Sustainable Finance Program , CDP
James is the Director of CDP’s Sustainable Finance Program, Capital Markets, which facilitates real-economy engagement, disclosure and data insights tailored specifically to serve the needs of banks and financial institutions. Prior to this he led the UK & Worldwide Supply Chain team at CDP working with large corporate multinationals in their efforts to build sustainable supply chains. Before CDP, James worked in Indian company in the agriculture sector, as Head of Sustainability & Social Impact and has a background in international and sustainable development.
Theodor Christensen
CEO, Envira
Theodor Christensen is the owner of Envira, a boutique advisory company focusing on sustainability and ESG in the financial sector. The company assists clients in regulatory implementation projects, compliance advisory and ESG risk management. Previously, Theodor worked as Head of Sustainability Compliance in Danske Bank, a large Nordic bank. In that position, he established and scaled a cross-functional department dedicated to sustainability-related compliance risk management. Before that, Theodor was heading sustainability and climate work at the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority as a Deputy Director. In that position, he established the sustainability practice of the supervisor, negotiated the development and implementation of several major EU legislative files (SFDR, Taxonomy Regulation, CSRD, EU Green Bond Standard), and he oversaw enforcement of the SFDR and the Taxonomy Regulation across the Danish financial sector, covering asset management, asset owners, and banks.
Envira
Envira is a Copenhagen-based ESG and sustainability consulting firm for the financial sector that advises on regulatory implementation and ESG risk management. We specialize in EU sustainability-related legislations such as SFDR, CSRD, the Taxonomy Regulation and the EU Green Bond Standard. Furthermore, we have developed a climate financial risk management platform called AgroRisk that quantifies climate risks for the agricultural sector. The platform is designed for the financial sector to accurately cover credit and insurance risks for banks and insurance companies using the latest advances in geospatial and satellite analysis.
Mandy Chung
Vice President, ESG Product Manager, FactSet
Ms. Mandy Chung is Vice President, Principal Product Manager of the ESG & Regulatory Content Strategy group at FactSet, based in London. In this role, she is responsible for leading the product strategy for first party company reported ESG datasets, overseeing all aspects of data modelling and ESG data analytics product launches. Prior to FactSet, she worked at J.P Morgan, where she worked on a variety of teams with her last role there as the Asset Servicing Proxy Voting Product Manager. Ms. Mandy Chung earned a B.A from University of College London (UCL).
FactSet
FactSet helps the financial community to see more, think bigger, and work better. Our digital platform and enterprise solutions deliver financial data, analytics, and open technology to nearly 8,000 global clients, including over 206,000 individual users. Clients across the buy-side and sell-side as well as wealth managers, private equity firms, and corporations achieve more every day with our comprehensive and connected content, flexible next-generation workflow solutions, and client-centric specialized support. As a member of the S&P 500, we are committed to sustainable growth and have been recognized amongst the Best Places to Work in 2023 by Glassdoor as a Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award winner. Learn more at www.factset.com and follow us on X and LinkedIn.
Leanne Clements
Head of Responsible Investment, People’s Partnership
Leanne is a responsible investment expert with 14 years’ experience, and 25 years working in sustainable development more broadly. Her role is to assist the investment team in integrating environmental, social, governance and stewardship considerations into our investment process. In any discussion, Leanne brings to life the impact that such policies have on savers’ pension funds, notably with respect to addressing industry challenges to effective stewardship.
Paul Clements-Hunt
Founder / CEO, The Blended Capital Group UK
After heading UNEP-FI for 12 years, Paul Clements-Hunt founded The Blended Capital Group in March 2012 and remains CEO. He splits his time between TBCG and the UK head-quartered law firm Mischon de Reya LLP, where he is helping to shape and drive their sustainability agenda. Paul is a Board Member at Global Infrastructure Basel, and Chair of the Board at Future Fit Foundation.
Paul, trained as a journalist, created his first company, Environmental Business Group (EBG) Co., Ltd in Bangkok, Thailand in 1992. For thirty years, through roles in business, the United Nations and as an entrepreneur, his focus has been on how to mobilize finance and capital at scale into sustainable development. Paul has private equity holdings in last mile impact businesses where digital, technology, and sustainability developments merge.
Ed Collins
Director, InfluenceMap
Ed is Director of the LobbyMap program at InfluenceMap, an independent non-profit think tank based in London. Ed joined InfluenceMap in 2015, focusing on the development of a pioneering approach to assessing the private sector's climate impact by measuring corporate advocacy and lobbying. Working with a team of 30+ dedicated analysts across four continents, Ed manages InfluenceMap's system for tracking and assessing the climate change lobbying of the world's largest 500 companies and their key industry associations.
InfluenceMap
Founded on the eve of the Paris Agreement in 2015, InfluenceMap is a global non-profit think tank working on the cutting edge of climate and sustainability issues. Its mission is to facilitate ambitious action by corporations and governments globally to address the climate and biodiversity crises. It does this by generating innovative analysis for use by investors, corporations, policymakers, campaigns, and a range of other influential actors, as well as being a trusted and widely covered resource for the global media. Its two main work streams, LobbyMap and FinanceMap, are world-renowned platforms that respectively hold the corporate and finance sectors accountable for climate performance. InfluenceMap is philanthropically funded and based in London, with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Seoul.
Caroline Cook
Head of Climate Change, Ballie Gifford
As Head of Climate, Caroline coordinates across the firm to improve the integration of climate and wider environmental factors into our investment approach and into our conversations with clients and policy-makers. She joined Baillie Gifford in January 2020, having spent the prior four years leading cross-sector energy transition research within Deutsche Bank’s equity research business. Prior to that she focused on the oil and gas sector, both as an independent consultant and as co-head of Deutsche Bank’s number one rated global and European oils team. Caroline graduated from Cambridge with an MA in Modern History in 1989.
Ballie Gifford
Baillie Gifford, based in Edinburgh, is one of the UK’s oldest independent investment management firms, having been founded in 1908. Our sole purpose is to deliver excellent returns for clients by investing in companies for the long term.
We are active investors, not speculators. We seek out innovative companies at different stages of their evolution across many industries and geographies, and focus on their unique circumstances and opportunities. Our approach to investment means looking beyond traditional financial analysis to consider a range of factors, including ESG, that may affect our holdings’ ability to thrive over many decades. In short, we look for businesses that sustain long-term growth and remain resilient in a changing world.
Our role as an engaged owner is core to our mission to be effective stewards of our clients’ capital. Ultimately, we believe that companies that act sustainably and treat society fairly will generate superior long-term returns.
www.bailliegifford.com
Craig Davies
CEO, Cadlas
Dr Craig Davies is the CEO of Cadlas, an advisory firm with deep expertise on climate change impacts and climate resilience financing. Cadlas works with financial institutions, investors, professional associations, policymakers and regulators to strategize around climate resilient business operations, and to define products and instruments that enable investment in climate resilience. Prior to founding Cadlas, Dr Davies led operations on climate resilience, climate risk and climate corporate governance at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Dr Davies previously worked for the UK Government on international development and sustainability, after starting his career in environmental impacts research. Dr Davies holds a PhD in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London. He has 25 years of professional experience in sustainability, with more than 15 years of specialisation in climate resilience financing.
Cadlas
Cadlas is a technical advisory practice focused on the climate resilience needs of our economy, our society and our world over the years and decades ahead. Our mission is to help shift capital towards building a climate resilient future, as a climate change increasingly shapes the way that business, finance and society operate.
A changing and more variable climate poses risks to our economy and society – while also creating opportunities for capital to flow towards the technologies, assets and activities that offer solutions for building climate resilience. We believe that businesses, investors, markets, regulators and policymakers all have roles to play in building climate resilient economies and societies that can meet the needs of generations to come.
Working at the interface between climate science, finance and sustainable development, we offer a range of specialised services covering analytics, financing modalities, impact measurement, investment strategy and regulatory insight.
Cathrine De Coninck Lopez
Global Head of Responsible Investment, HSBC Asset Management
Cathrine joined HSBC Asset Management in 2023 and is responsible for leading a centre of excellence comprised of more than 20 responsible investment specialists. The responsible investment team works closely with global investment, sales and functional teams, with a dedicated focus on ESG products, research and integration, stewardship activities and climate insights. Cathrine was previously Global Head of ESG at Invesco, where she led activities related to ESG integration, research, voting and engagement across EMEA, the US and Asia, as well as supported client engagement and ESG product innovation. She started her career as a responsible investment analyst at Columbia Threadneedle Investments in 2008.
Cathrine was a non-executive board member of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association between 2018-2022. She holds an MBA from London Business School, a MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management from Oxford University and a BSc in Environmental Science from Nottingham University. She also holds the Investment Management Certificate from the CFA Society of the UK.
HSBC Asset Management
HSBC Asset Management is the investment management business of the HSBC Group, with a vision to ‘open up a world of opportunity’ for our clients by providing innovative investment solutions aligned to the transition to a sustainable economy. We believe this transition is amongst the most significant structural trends facing investors, which creates risks but also opportunities. With our expertise in connecting the developed and developing markets, we work towards bringing together the people, ideas and capital that nurture sustainable inclusive growth.
Since the launch of our first Socially Responsible fund in 2001, we have continuously refined our investment processes to embed environmental plus social considerations that can materially impact the value of our clients’ investments. We were also one of the first asset managers signing up to the UN PRI in 2006, making us an early mover in sustainable investing. Under our active stewardship approach, we engage with companies, policy makers and industry bodies to share best practices and drive sustainable change at scale.
Anita de Horde
Co-founder and Executive Director , Finance for Biodiversity
Anita is the Co-founding Executive Director of FfB Foundation. With over two decades of sustainability experience, she leads efforts to mobilise financial institutions to reverse nature loss. Prior to the Foundation, Anita worked for banks and insurers as an asset manager and an impact investor. Throughout her career, she has been a driving force behind initiatives aimed at addressing climate change that lead to commitments and collaboration within the finance sector. Anita started her career in public policy and green politics, working in both the European Parliament and the Dutch Parliament.
Finance for Biodiversity Foundation
The Finance for Biodiversity Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded in March 2021. It is dedicated to fostering a call to action and collaboration between financial institutions via working groups and programmes, serving as a connecting body for contributing signatories of the FfB Pledge and partner organisations.
To date, 177 financial institutions, representing 27 countries with over €22.1 trillion in assets, have signed the FfB Pledge.
The current 76 financial institution members of the FfB Foundation are sharing knowledge on biodiversity in the different working groups and setting up collaborative actions in diverse subgroups and corporate engagement initiatives.
Michiel De Smet
Sustainable Investment Expert, National Bank of Belgium
Michiel De Smet is sustainable investment expert in the reserves management team at the National Bank of Belgium. Previously, he launched and led the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Finance Initiative and was circular economy expert in the European Union’s Platform on Sustainable Finance, developing the EU Taxonomy. His previous positions include consultant at McKinsey & Company with a private equity focus, policy officer at the European Commission dealing with circular economy innovation, and project manager at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation where he worked on a circular economy for plastics. Michiel holds a PhD and Masters in mathematics (Ghent University, University of Bristol and University of Pisa).
National Bank of Belgium
As a modern central bank at the heart of the Eurosystem, the National Bank of Belgium (NBB) serves the public interest. Its four core tasks are aimed at maintaining prosperity, providing certainty, and creating confidence. From its independent position and equipped with analyses, data, and research, the Bank participates in the public debate in a respectful, prudent, and socially responsible manner. Indeed, as a central bank, the NBB lies at the intersection of the country’s economic and financial information, producing vital economic analyses and putting forward recommendations. It thereby puts the expertise built from its unique position at the service of society.
Eliya Devay
Engagement Track Manager, Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance
Eliya Devay manages the Engagement Track and guides efforts of various working groups on Financing the Transition (Climate Benchmarks, Climate Solutions and Blended Finance) within the UN-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance.
Through his previous roles, Eliya has become experienced in identifying feasible solutions and strategies for complex issues. He focused on connecting the private and the public sector in multi-stakeholder initiatives as a Management Consultant, Project Manager and Entrepreneur.
He graduated summa cum laude from the Franklin University with an MBA in Finance and Sustainability and holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business Management from the University of Applied Sciences Switzerland.
Alasdair Docherty
Sustainable Finance and Data Analyst, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA)
Alasdair Docherty is the dedicated Sustainable Finance & Data Analyst for IEEFA's European team. His research aims to accelerate the transition to a sustainable energy economy, with a focus on issues relevant to asset owners and investment managers.
Alasdair draws on fifteen years' experience within institutional equity management, having served as Product Manager for Schroders' Emerging Market Equities desk. He holds a comprehensive understanding of the European financial regulatory environment and how to integrate sustainability considerations into investment and operational processes. His proficiency as a qualified data analyst amplifies his ability to derive actionable insights. He graduated in 2004 with a degree in Business Finance from the University of Durham.
Claire Dorrian
Head of Sustainable Finance, Capital Markets and Post Trade, LSEG
Claire is responsible for the portfolio of sustainable finance products and services across London Stock Exchange Group’s Capital Markets and Post Trade business divisions. She is responsible for leading the development of London Stock Exchange’s sustainable finance cross asset class offering which includes equities, green and renewable funds, and fixed income. Claire is also responsible for developing the range of sustainable finance products and services for Capital Markets and Post Trade clients. She has played an important role in Group-wide sustainable finance initiatives such as the development of model guidance on ESG and climate disclosure, climate reporting training for listed companies and initiatives such as the Green Economy Mark. Claire is a member of an industry Taskforce on the Scaling of Voluntary Carbon Markets, and she led the work on the recent launch of LSEG’s Voluntary Carbon Market.
Claire’s background is in capital markets largely with a sustainability focus. She previously worked in the fund management industry for AIB Govett and ANZ.
Positioned at the heart of global financial markets, LSEG works across the investment and finance chain from issuers to asset owners, and across the financial, banking, trading, and advisory ecosystem. As such LSEG is uniquely positioned to support clients in achieving the transition to a sustainable and net-zero economy and was the first exchange group to commit to net zero emissions.
LSEG
LSEG is a leading global financial markets infrastructure and data provider that operates connected businesses to serve customers across the entire financial markets value chain.
At LSEG, we believe only the permanent fusion of finance and sustainability will help effectively tackle the world’s most urgent challenges and strategically enable sustainable growth.
We are leaders in data, indices and analytics, capital formation, trade execution and clearing and risk management, backed by more than three centuries of experience, innovative technologies and employ 24,000+ people globally. With our trusted expertise and global scale, we enable the sustainable growth and stability of our customers and their communities.
LSEG has been involved in the Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative as a Partner Exchange.
Learn more at lseg.com/sustainable-finance
Frédéric Ducoulombier
Director, EDHEC-Risk Climate Impact Institute
Frédéric Ducoulombier is the founding director of EDHEC-Risk Climate Impact Institute, managing research strategy and business development. He was previously ESG Director and a member of the executive committee member of Scientific Beta. Prior to this, he worked as a business school and research administrator and performed research and policy advocacy work focussed on financial regulation. Frédéric holds degrees in economics and business, including a master’s from IÉSEG School of Management, and is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst®. He has authored dozens of industry reports and articles and published in academic journals including The Journal of Portfolio Management. Frédéric has contributed to financial regulation consultations for the European Supervisory Authorities and the European Commission and to consultations on guidelines and standards for IOSCO, the TCFD and the IIGCC. He served on the Consultative Working Group of the European Securities Markets Authority’s Financial Innovation Standing Committee and was a member of the Portfolio Alignment Measurement workstream of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero.
EDHEC-Risk Climate Impact Institute
Marking the priority assigned by the School to sustainability issues and building on its research programmes exploring the relationships between climate change and finance, EDHEC-Risk Institute became EDHEC-Risk Climate Impact Institute in the Fall of 2022. The Institute’s mission is to help private and public decision-makers manage climate-related financial risks and make the best use of the financial tools available to transition to low-emission and climate-resilient economies. Our core ambition is to become a leading academic reference point for long-term investors, helping them to manage the asset-pricing implications of climate change. We also aim to play a noted role assisting financial supervisors and policy makers assess climate-related risks in the financial system and advising on policy and tools to mitigate those risks, and optimise the contribution of finance to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Bruce Duguid
Head of Stewardship, Federated Hermes
Bruce Duguid is head of stewardship at EOS. As well as overseeing the team of engagement professionals, Bruce leads engagements with environmentally-exposed companies across the oil and gas, mining, and utilities sectors. Bruce is particularly focused on engagement on climate change, contributing to CA100+ engagement as a member of the IIGCC Board and IIGCC’s Corporate Programme Advisory Committee. Prior to joining EOS, he was head of sustainability at the UK Green Investment Bank, where he spent four years working on the project to establish the bank. This followed a variety of corporate strategy roles, including a management consultant position at the Boston Consulting Group.
Federated Hermes
Federated Hermes is guided by the conviction that responsible investing is the best way to create long-term wealth. We provide specialised capabilities across equity, fixed income and private markets, in addition to multi-asset strategies and proven liquidity-management. Through our world-leading stewardship services, we engage companies on strategic and sustainability concerns to promote investors’ long-term performance and fiduciary interests. Our goals are to help people invest and retire better, to help clients achieve better risk-adjusted returns and, where possible, to contribute to positive outcomes that benefit the wider world.
£594.4bn in assets under management | £1,156.1bn in assets under advice | 2,025 employees in 15 offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
We offer specialised investment capabilities in public and private markets, and pioneering stewardship services:
Active equities: global and regional
Fixed income: across regions, sectors and the yield curve
Liquidity: solutions driven by five decades of experience
Private markets: private equity, private credit, real estate, infrastructure and natural capital
Stewardship: corporate engagement, proxy voting and policy advocacy
Source: Federated Hermes as at 31 December 2023.
Robert Edwards
Director of Product Management, Morningstar Indexes
Rob Edwards, CFA Director of Product Management – Morningstar ESG & EMEA Indexes
Based in London, Rob Edwards leads Product Management for Morningstar’s ESG Indexes globally. He has spent the last six years launching and supporting the creation of new index products. Rob played a crucial role in launching Morningstar’s EU Climate Benchmarks, Gender Diversity, Low Carbon Transition Leaders, and SDG Indexes, among others. Previously, Robert spent four years working with the company's institutional research platform, Morningstar Direct.
Prior to that, Robert spent three years working at Keyence Corporation, a global factory automation firm. Robert holds a bachelor's degree in finance and a degree in marketing from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.
Morningstar Indexes
Morningstar is a leading provider of research, data, and ratings with a rich history of empowering investor success. For more than 30 years, the firm has been at the forefront of developing innovative solutions to support global investors in the research, development, and implementation of complex investment decisions. Our range of ESG and climate data, insights and index solutions enable investors to holistically measure, manage, and benchmark a wide variety of risks and opportunities. Learn more about how our market-leading offerings can help to meet your investment objectives. Visit Morningstar Sustainalytics and Morningstar Indexes.
Honor Fell
Associate Director and Sustainable Investment Lead, University of Cambridge Investment Management (“UCIM”)
Honor is UCIM’s Sustainable Investment Lead, with a focus on integrating sustainability into the appointment and monitoring of asset managers in both private and public markets. Honor joined UCIM in May 2020 from her role as Head of Responsible Investment at Redington, an investment consulting firm advising long term savers and investors. Honor has a Geography degree from Cambridge University. She is a CFA Charterholder and has a Masters in Sustainability Leadership from Cambridge University.
University of Cambridge Investment Management
University of Cambridge Investment Management (UCIM) is the investment organisation that manages the Cambridge University Endowment is a £4bn fund. UCIM has a single, dedicated team focused on optimising performance and stewarding capital over the long-term. The team is fully aligned with the University’s sustainability objectives; working with stakeholders and partners to achieve the ambition for the CUEF to be net zero of greenhouse gas emissions by 2038.
The Cambridge University Endowment a is £4bn fund. Its distributions support over 1,000 projects and programmes across the University, including scholarships, bursaries, teaching and research into some of the most critical societal issues, such as life sciences, conservation, climate change and technology.
Arnaud Filhol
CEO, France Valley
Arnaud is the co-CEO and co-Founder of France Valley, a leading European real assets manager. More specifically, Arnaud manages Nature Based Solutions of France Valley (timber funds, carbon funds, vineyards funds, agriculture funds). Previously, Arnaud founded the “Société d’Investissement Forestier”, and used to work during 15 years as a private equity investment professional in companies such as Thales, Natixis PE or La Française Group. As such, Arnaud organized numerous transactions and exits (venture capital, LBO) in various industries. Arnaud started his career as a financial auditor at Arthur Andersen. Arnaud graduated in Economics at Paris X University and Toulouse Business School.
Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker
Editor, Responsible Investor
Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker joined Responsible Investor as editor in 2022 from Euromoney magazine, where she was ESG editor. Prior to that, she was Euromoney’s editor for Central and Eastern Europe and contributing editor at GlobalCapital. She has covered most aspects of banking and capital markets since switching to journalism from investment banking in 2003.
Mette Emsholm Gahr
Climate Investment Analyst, Zurich Insurance Group
Mette Gahr is a Climate Investment Analyst at Zurich Insurance Group, overseeing the various climate-related activities within the Group Investment Management, including the groups’ climate scorecard, net zero strategy and the development of the Group’s climate risk model. Prior to her role at Zurich, Mette worked at Credit Suisse Wealth Management, contributing to the function’s net zero targets and as an ESG officer at responsAbility Investments, a Swiss-based impact investor, creating the climate framework for their ‘transition to net zero’ bond fund and overseeing the implementation of the SFDR and EU taxonomy. Mette has a master's degree in climate change from the University of Copenhagen.
Gina Gambetta
Senior Reporter, Responsible Investor
Gina joined RI in 2020 after graduating from Goldsmiths, University of London, with an MA in journalism. Since then, she has developed expertise in biodiversity and human rights.
Adam Gillett
Senior Investment Director, Railpen
Adam is a Senior Investment Manager and the Climate Lead at Railpen, having joined in 2023. Prior to this, Adam spent ten years at WTW, latterly as the Head of Sustainable Investment.
At Railpen, Adam’s role is to lead the strategic response to the risks and opportunities presented by climate change, as part of the wider Sustainable Ownership programme. This includes delivery against Railpen’s net zero commitment, the design and delivery of the accompanying net zero engagement plan, and working with industry groups and collaborative initiatives. His role also includes work on nature and biodiversity. Adam started his career at KPMG and is a qualified accountant and CFA charterholder.
Railpen
Railpen is responsible for the safekeeping and investment of around £36 billion in assets for the 350,000 members of the railways pension schemes, one of the UK's largest and longest established pension funds. Railpen’s purpose is to secure our members’ future. We believe that financial and sustainability outcomes are complementary and integral to protecting our members' interests over the long term.
Deborah Gilshan
Head of ESG and Stewardship, Europe, AustralianSuper
Deborah has 25 years of experience in financial services specialising in corporate governance, sustainability, diversity and investment stewardship. She joined AustralianSuper in July 2023 to lead their work on ESG integration and stewardship across public and private markets in Europe. Prior to this, Deborah ran her own business, providing strategic advice to clients across the investment chain. During this time, she chaired the Vote Reporting Group convened by the UK Financial Conduct Authority and served on the Advisory Panel of the UK Financial Reporting Council. Previously, Deborah was an ESG Investment Director at Aberdeen Standard Investments and Head of Sustainable Ownership at Railpen, having started her career in responsible investment at the UK’s Co-operative Insurance Society. She initially worked in corporate tax at EY and read Mathematics & English at the University of Manchester.
Deborah is a Fellow of the UK Chartered Governance Institute and chairs the Nomination Committee of the International Corporate Governance Network. She is the lead author of two reports: The Ethics of Diversity for the UK’s Institute of Business Ethics (2020) and Say on Pay: Six Years On – Lessons from the UK Experience for Railpen and Pensions & Investment Research Consultants (2009). In October 2011, Deborah founded The 100% Club, a networking alliance dedicated to gender equality and she is a 30% Club Ambassador. In December 2023, Deborah received a Fellowship from CFA UK for her outstanding contribution to the investment profession. She has also been recognised for her work on diversity and was named as one of the UK’s top 50 trailblazers in gender equity by We Are The City in March 2023.
Romie Goedicke den Hertog
Co-head Nature, UNEP FI
Romie Goedicke den Hertog Co-Heads the nature thematic at the UNEP Finance Initiative. She also leads the work on nature-related risk and disclosure and manages the work on mainstreaming and capacity building. In these ways she supports the work on alignment of financial flows with the goals of the GBF. Romie joined UNEP FI in 2021, prior to joining she led the work of financial sector and business engagement at IUCN Netherlands. Romie is an experienced senior program manager, with a demonstrated history in managing programs on nature and finance in Asia and Africa. She is passionate about nature and committed to the role that innovation and collaboration can play in creating shared solutions for nature and finance.
UNEP FI
UNEP FI brings together a large network of banks, insurers and investors that collectively catalyze action across the financial system to deliver more sustainable global economies. For more than 30 years the initiative has been connecting the UN with financial institutions from around the world to shape the sustainable finance agenda. Convened by a Geneva, Switzerland-based secretariat, more than 500 banks and insurers with assets exceeding US$100 trillion work together to facilitate the implementation of UNEP FI’s Principles for Responsible Banking and Principles for Sustainable Insurance, as well as three UN-convened net-zero alliances. UNEP FI's Nature team, works to advance the integration of nature into financial decision-making. In this way, the thematic supports the financial sector’s actions toward financing the transition to a nature-positive economy.
Tony Goldner
Executive Director, Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)
For over 25 years, Tony has worked at the intersection of finance, sustainable development and diplomacy in Australia, the US, Europe and a number of emerging markets. Prior to joining the TNFD as Executive Director in September 2021, Tony was a Senior Adviser with the World Bank Group and earlier a Partner at the strategy consultancy Monitor Deloitte through which he advised government leaders in emerging market on national reform strategy and policy settings to attract inbound foreign investment and delivery against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He also advised a range of finance and philanthropic sector clients globally on impact investment and sustainable finance issues.
Tony began his career in Australia, first with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as an economist and diplomat and then in Sydney with Deutsche Bank and Freehills in infrastructure development and corporate finance.
Jane Goodland
Group Head of Sustainability, LSEG
Jane joined LSEG as Group Head of Sustainability in 2021 to lead the organisation’s sustainability agenda. Working in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders across the business she is responsible for delivering LSEG’s sustainability strategy across the full value chain including its own operations, supply chain, products and services.
For 25 years Jane has held numerous roles in responsible and sustainable investment within asset management, investment consulting, wealth management and financial market infrastructure. Prior to LSEG, Jane was Corporate Affairs Director at wealth manager Quilter plc. A member of the senior leadership team, Jane was accountable for the company’s responsible business and responsible investment agenda, as well as external and internal communications, strategic marketing and public affairs activity. Prior to this Jane was Global Head of Sustainable Investment at Willis Towers Watson, where she designed, built and lead the organisation’s sustainable investment research capability and client consulting business. In this role she engaged with a large number of asset managers and served some of the world’s largest asset owners, helping them to develop and execute their sustainable investment strategy. Jane also spent a number of years on the buy-side, working for HSBC Global Asset Management and Janus Henderson, working on responsible investment strategy and in sustainable funds management. Prior to this Jane spent the early part of her career in environmental management consulting, principally supporting financial sector clients.
Jane has an MSc, Environmental Technology from Imperial College and a BSc Environmental Science from University of Greenwich. Jane is also a non-executive director of The Investment and Savings Alliance (TISA) and a Trustee of The Centre for Financial Capability.
LSEG
LSEG is a leading global financial markets infrastructure and data provider that operates connected businesses to serve customers across the entire financial markets value chain.
At LSEG, we believe only the permanent fusion of finance and sustainability will help effectively tackle the world’s most urgent challenges and strategically enable sustainable growth.
We are leaders in data, indices and analytics, capital formation, trade execution and clearing and risk management, backed by more than three centuries of experience, innovative technologies and employ 24,000+ people globally. With our trusted expertise and global scale, we enable the sustainable growth and stability of our customers and their communities.
LSEG has been involved in the Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative as a Partner Exchange.
Learn more at lseg.com/sustainable-finance
Delaney Greig
Director, Investor Stewardship, University Pension Plan Ontario
Delaney Greig is Director, Investor Stewardship, at University Pension Plan. She supports public policy advocacy and leads engagement and proxy voting for UPP. Delaney joined UPP from Addenda Capital where she worked across stewardship, ESG integration and product development as Director, Sustainable Investing. She began her career in responsible investing at the Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE) as the lead social issues analyst and as manager of the engagement and policy team. A lawyer by training, Delaney also has experience in environmental and Indigenous law and policy. She is Co-chair of the Responsible Investment Association Policy Stewardship Group, Vice-chair of the Technical Committee of Climate Engagement Canada, and a member of the Board of Living Wage Canada. Delaney holds a JD/BCL from McGill University, an MA in Political Economy from the University of Toronto, and a BA in International Development (Economics) from the University of Guelph.
University Pension Plan Ontario
University Pension Plan (UPP) is a jointly sponsored defined benefit pension for Ontario’s university sector. UPP manages nearly CAD$11 billion in pension assets and proudly serves over 39,000 members across four universities and 12 sector organizations. UPP is growing a resilient fund to secure pension benefits for members today and for generations to come and is open to all employers and employees within Ontario’s university community.”
Dr Doug Gurr
Director, Natural History Museum
Doug is Director of The Natural History Museum. He is also Chair of The Alan Turing Institute and a non-executive Director at the Department of Health and Social Care.
Previously, Doug was Country Manager of Amazon UK and President of Amazon China. Earlier roles included the civil service, partner at McKinsey and Company, Director at Asda-Walmart, founder CEO of internet start-up Blueheath, Chair of the British Heart Foundation and Chair the Science Museum Group.
He has degrees in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in Computing from the University of Edinburgh, and previously taught mathematics and computing at the University of Aarhus in Denmark.
He is a former Scottish international triathlete, 12 times Ironman, keen ski mountaineer with over 20 first ascents, and an enthusiastic mountain runner.
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is home to over 350 scientists and guardian of one of the world’s most important natural history collections.
We harness the unique combination of our scientific expertise and significant public reach to communicate and tackle the biggest environmental challenges facing our planet today, and we help businesses around the world take steps to being more nature-positive.
We have declared a planetary emergency, acknowledging that human activity has put an extraordinary pressure on the natural world that threatens the future of all life on earth.
Our mission is to create advocates for the planet and secure our vision of a world where people and planet thrive.
Olga Hancock
Head of Responsible Investment, Church Commissioners for England
Olga is Head of Responsible Investment at the Church Commissioners for England where she leads on responsible investment strategy and implementation across the portfolio. Olga also co-leads the UN-convened Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance’s Policy working track, holds the position of Chair of the UKSIF Policy Committee, and co-chairs the Indonesia Investor Policy Dialogue on Deforestation. Olga is a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability. Olga previously worked in environmental and human rights law.
Church Commissioners for England
The Church Commissioners support the Church of England’s ministry, particularly in areas of need and opportunity. This is undertaken through responsible and ethical management of the Church of England’s permanent endowment fund, a diverse investment portfolio which enables us to provide financial support for the Church, by helping to ensure funding is intentionally used for mission and growth.
Shavana Haythornwaite
Head of Human Rights and Conflict Zones, Morningstar Sustainalytics
Dr Shavana Haythornthwaite is Head of the Human Rights and Conflict Zones team at Morningstar Sustainalytics. She is a recognised global expert within the fields of ESG, international law and policy, business and human rights and corporate governance. She has 15 years of experience working within these fields and has assisted governments, international organisations, civil society and multinational corporations from a wide range of sectors in these areas. Prior to joining Morningstar, Shavana was Head of Human Rights at The Commonwealth Secretariat, which involved providing legal and technical assistance to 56 Commonwealth governments and their private sectors. Other previous roles were at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the UK Government's Stabilisation Unit at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Shavana also has extensive academic experience as she is currently TTLF Fellow at Stanford Law School and Visiting Professor in International Law and Human Rights at the China University of Political Law and Science. She was previously Assistant Professor at The University of Manchester where she taught business and human rights and has held a fellowship at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, Cambridge University. She currently sits on the Board for the Information Assurance Advisory Council.
Morningstar
Morningstar is a leading provider of research, data, and ratings with a rich history of empowering investor success. For more than 30 years, the firm has been at the forefront of developing innovative solutions to support global investors in the research, development, and implementation of complex investment decisions. Our range of ESG and climate data, insights and index solutions enable investors to holistically measure, manage, and benchmark a wide variety of risks and opportunities. Learn more about how our market-leading offerings can help to meet your investment objectives. Visit Morningstar Sustainalytics and Morningstar Indexes.
Laura Hillis
Director of Climate and Environment, Church of England Pensions Board
Laura is the Director of Climate and Environment at the Church of England Pensions Board and leads climate stewardship, policy and targets for the Pensions Board as well as key strategic projects such as corporate climate lobbying and biodiversity. She has over a decade of experience in sustainability and ESG focused on finance and investment, including working Australian financial institutions such as Bank Australia and the Suncorp Group. Most recently Laura led Climate Action 100+ for the APAC-based Investor Group on Climate Change working with institutional investors and companies in the region, and served on the Global Steering Committee for the initiative.
Laura holds degrees from the University of Melbourne and Queensland University of Technology and is currently a candidate in the Master of Sustainability Leadership program at the University of Cambridge.
Church of England Pensions Board
The Church of England Pensions Board provides retirement services to those who work or minister for the Church of England. It serves over 42,000 pension scheme members across 700 employers, and responsibly stewards more than £3.2bn of funds under its care. The Board also operates clergy retirement housing on behalf of the Church.
Dr Stephanie Hime
Managing Director, Little Blue Research
Dr Stephanie Hime is the Managing Director of Little Blue Research overseeing the development and implementation of projects. She has over 15 years of experience in sustainability consulting and research with an emphasis on environmental and social impact analysis. Stephanie has enjoyed a varied career spending more than 15 years addressing sustainability challenges. She supported the Natural Capital Coalition as its Technical Director overseeing the development of the Natural Capital Protocol and Sector Guides. She also led KPMG's UK sustainability services team work on True Value (a method to measure social, environmental and economic impact). She is on the advisory board of the Capitals Coalition, the technical working group for the ISSB, a member of the BSI committee on Assessing and Valuing Natural Capital and a fellow of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) and BANC steering Group.
Little Blue Research
Little Blue Research is an independent consultancy specialising in the provision of technical support on sustainability, environmental economics, and social impact valuation. The team provide support to companies through four service lines:
- Nature readiness
- Impacts and dependencies
- Strategy and risk
- Research and training
Little Blue Research have a wealth of experience on a wide variety of projects which include measurement, strategy and research on environmental issues and natural capital. The team work with an extensive associate network and several partner organisations, enabling them to provide expertise specific to the project being delivered.
Little Blue Research are represented on several technical working groups including the TNFD forum and community of practice, the Science-based targets Network Corporate Engagement Programme and the Capitals Coalition. For more information about Little Blue Research please visit www.littleblueresearch.com
Ingrid Holmes
Executive Director, Green Finance Institute
Ingrid Holmes is the Executive Director of the Green Finance Institute and Chair of the UK’s Green Technical Advisory Group, which is advising the Government and Minister John Glenn on designing and implementing a green taxonomy in the UK.
Ingrid has 20 years of experience working on environmental policy and sustainable finance. She was a Member of the European Commission’s High Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance and ran the Secretariat for the Green Finance Taskforce, which led to the establishment of the Green Finance Institute. Ingrid has a background working in financial services (Federated Hermes and Climate Change Capital), NGOs (E3G), Government (DEFRA) and the UK Parliament. Her abiding passion is her focus on scaling investment into climate change solutions to address the climate crisis. Ingrid has a BSc in Biological Sciences (Hons Zoology) from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London.
Elza Holmstedt Pell
Deputy Editor, Responsible Investor
Elza is the deputy editor of Responsible Investor. She joined RI in 2019 and has a particular interest in sustainable finance regulation, Previously, she was a freelance journalist and conference producer for three years, covering sustainable finance, renewable energy, infrastructure finance, energy policy and M&A and organising sustainable finance events in Europe, the US and Asia. She has worked as a senior reporter covering renewable energy for infrastructure finance news service Inframation and covered the Nordic M&A market for Mergermarket. She started her career as a journalist and assistant editor at Environmental Finance.
Catherine Howarth
Chief Executive, ShareAction
Catherine Howarth OBE joined ShareAction as Chief Executive in 2008. ShareAction’s mission is to define the highest standards of responsible investment and to promote those standards across the world. Working closely with investors in many jurisdictions, ShareAction drives accelerated action by listed companies on climate change, loss of biodiversity, decent work and public health.
Catherine was recognised by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader in 2014 and in 2022 was awarded an OBE for ‘services to sustainability’. She was appointed in late 2023 to the FCA’s advisory committee on ESG. She is a member of the HM Treasury’s asset management taskforce, where she co-chaired a programme of work on investor stewardship in 2020. From 2015 to 2022, she served on the board and investment committee of the Scott Trust, owner of The Guardian Media Group. From 2008 to 2013 she served on the board and investment committee of The Pensions Trust as a member-elected trustee.
ShareAction
ShareAction’s mission is to define the highest standards of responsible investment and to promote those standards across the world. Working closely with institutional and individual investors in many jurisdictions, ShareAction drives accelerated action by listed companies on climate change, loss of biodiversity, decent work and public health. In doing so, ShareAction challenges investors to demonstrate greater ambition and to harness their power to tackle the biggest environmental and social challenges we face.
ShareAction publicly ranks the world’s largest asset managers and insurers on the RI performance and engages closely with senior executives in those firms in support of investment strategies that reduce risk and deliver positive real-world sustainability impact. The organisation works with policy makers and regulators to drive uptake of RI in the EU and UK. Finally, ShareAction educates and empowers individuals on how they can use their money to build a future they want.
Josephine Jackson
Vice Chair, IAASB
Josephine Jackson is a Director at the UK Financial Reporting Council (FRC) for International Audit and Assurance Standards and also leads the FRC’s Sustainability and Technology Advisory Groups. In her role, she also works on audit quality initiatives, which includes the development of audit and assurance standards for the UK. Josephine has been a Board member on the IAASB since 2019 and is currently serving her second term and second year as Vice Chair. Prior to joining the FRC, Ms. Jackson led the Audit Technical Department at Grant Thornton and started her audit career at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
IAASB
The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) is an independent standard-setting body that serves the public interest by setting high-quality international standards for auditing, quality control, review, other assurance, and related services, and by facilitating the convergence of international and national standards. In doing so, the IAASB enhances the quality and uniformity of practice throughout the world and strengthens public confidence in the global auditing and assurance profession.
The IAASB’s Strategy for 2020-2023 and Work Plan for 2020-2021 sets three strategic objectives to focus IAASB priorities and resources on during 2020‒2023.
- Increase the emphasis on emerging issues to ensure that the IAASB International Standards provide a foundation for high-quality audit, assurance and related services engagements
- Innovate the IAASB’s ways of working to strengthen and broaden our agility, capabilities, and capacity to do the right work at the right time
- Maintain and deepen relationships with stakeholders to achieve globally relevant, progressive and operable standards
The Work Plan describes how the IAASB intends to increase its focus on emerging issues, while completing the existing work already committed to and underway. In the Work Plan, the IAASB anticipates standard-setting projects on going concern, fraud, and audit evidence, and work to address the needs of auditors of Less Complex Entities, among other topics. To support an evidence-based and structured consideration of new topics, the IAASB Work Plan highlights a new Framework for Activities, comprising several key components, to help the IAASB develop informed and targeted responses to address emerging issues and topics of global relevance.
The IAASB follows a rigorous due process in developing its pronouncements. Input is obtained from a wide range of stakeholders including the IAASB's Consultative Advisory Group national auditing standard setters, IFAC member bodies and their members, regulatory and oversight bodies, firms, governmental agencies, investors, preparers, and the general public. Exposure Drafts of proposed pronouncements are posted on the website and comments are invited; final pronouncements are accompanied by a Basis for Conclusions with respect to comments received. The Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB) oversees the work of the IAASB and its CAG to ensure that the activities of the IAASB follow due process and are responsive to the public interest.
The IAASB is dedicated to operating as transparently as possible. IAASB meetings are open to the public and meeting agendas, agenda papers, and meeting highlights are posted on the website. In addition, the website includes project histories, audio recordings of the IAASB meetings, IAASB Exposure Drafts and all comments made on those drafts by stakeholders.
Till Jung
Head of ISS ESG, ISS ESG
Till Jung is Managing Director and Head of ISS ESG, the sustainable investment arm of ISS STOXX. Previously, he headed the ESG Product Development at ISS for 5 years and before headed the Business Development, Client Services and Marketing & Communications departments as Chief Client Officer at oekom research AG, an ESG Rating company that joined ISS in 2018. Till has over 19 years of in-depth experience in the ESG market and started his career as an ESG Analyst in 2004. Graduate of Political and Social Sciences of the Free University of Berlin and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris. Master Thesis (2007) on CSR strategies of companies.
Alex Kennedy
MD, Head, Sustainable Finance Solutions and Adaptation Finance, Standard Chartered Bank
Alex is the Chair of our Adaptation Finance innovation hub and leads our Sustainable Finance solutions team.
As Chair of the hub, Alex is focused on driving capital towards adaptation and resilience with a focus on emerging markets. Under Alex’s leadership, the Bank closed its first adaptation finance related transaction in 2023 for a parametric insurance provider, helping ensure that adverse weather events do not affect renewable power generation facilities. Alex also led our collaboration with KPMG and UNDRR to develop the Guide for Adaptation and Resilience Finance. This has been launched in April 2024 and provides a practical roadmap to help finance adaptation and resilience investment opportunities.
As head of the Sustainable Finance solutions team, Alex leads a team responsible for Standard Chartered’s suite of 43 Sustainable Finance products, many of which were world firsts. The SF solutions team also writes the Bank’s Sustainable Finance frameworks, defining what green, social, sustainable, transition mean for Standard Chartered. The team also looks at governance for the CSO function, rolling out Group-wide controls to mitigate greenwashing risk. Alex is also in charge of impact reporting on the Group’s Sustainable Finance portfolio.
Career
Alex joined the Bank as an International Graduate in 2011 and deployed onto the macro sales desk within our Financial Markets department where he worked for 4 years. Seeing the need for the Bank to expand its narrative from CSR to Sustainability, reflecting the integral role that it plays in some of the world’s most dynamic markets, Alex shifted career paths in 2015 and started the development impact team. In 2019 he set up the Bank’s Sustainable Finance team. In 2020 he was appointed head of the Sustainable Finance solutions team, enabling SCB to offer a world-leading suite of innovative SF Products that drive impact where it matters most, and mitigate greenwashing risk.
External appointments
Alex is on the Board of the Vision Catalyst Fund. The VCF builds on the legacy of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, Standard Chartered Bank’s Seeing is Believing, and Essilor’s See Change campaign bringing together founding partners EssilorLuxottica, Standard Chartered and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. It supports efforts for all eye health conditions, across geographies working on health systems change, market shaping and multi-sector collaboration at scale.
Alex helped establish and now sits on the board of a social enterprise operating between London and Kenya that serves to empower young people through employment.
Piet Klop
Head of Responsible Investment, PGGM
Piet Klop leads PGGM’s Responsible Investment team which is driving ESG integration, running its active ownership program and expanding its Sustainable Development Investments, including the measurement of real-world impact. Before joining PGGM Investments in 2011, Piet was a senior fellow at the World Resources Institute in Washington DC and held senior positions at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the private sector. As water resources expert he worked at the World Bank and United Nations. Piet holds master’s degrees in Water Resources Management (Wageningen University, 1989) and Applied Environmental Economics (University of London, 1999).
Hilkka Komulainen
Head of Responsible Investment, Aegon UK
Hilkka heads up the Aegon Responsible Investment team in the UK. Hilkka is responsible for driving forward the responsible investment strategy across Aegon UK’s workplace and retail investment business, including Aegon’s net zero commitments and stewardship strategy.
Hilkka has extensive experience in responsible investment, sustainability and policy issues, having previously worked at Principles for Responsible Investment, EY, the OECD, the United Nations, an most recently overseeing the integration of ESG into the investment strategy at IH International Advisors, part of the investment group Interogo Holdings AG.
Hilkka is a member of the DWP Taskforce on Social Factors where she chairs the Taskforce work on modern slavery, an active participant in the Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance Engagement Track and a member of the TISA Responsible and Sustainable Investment Committee
Aegon UK
In the UK, Aegon offers pension, savings and investment solutions to over 4 million customers throughout their lifetime. We do that by working with financial advisers and employers – we’re the UK’s largest investment platform and we provide workplace pension schemes to over 9,000 employers. Aegon employs over 2,000 people in the UK and together with around 600 people employed by Atos, we serve the needs of our customers. Figures correct as at 31/12/2022.
Aegon UK is part of the wider Aegon Group, based in the Netherlands, whose roots go back to the first half of the nineteenth century. Since then, Aegon has grown into an international business, with over 29 million customers in multiple countries and over 747.4 billion EUR of revenue generating investments (as at 30/12/2022).
Sindhu Krishna
Head of Sustainable Investments, The Phoenix Group
Sindhu Krishna is Head of Sustainable Investments here at the Phoenix Group. With her team of 20 FTEs she analyses and integrates the ESG and other sustainablility considerations across the wider Group’s investment portfolios for customers and wider stakeholders shareholders. This is about c£259bn of AUA.
She has been part of the Phoenix Investment team for nearly 12 years and prior to this worked in investments at Zurich Insurance Group.
Sindhu is a CFA charter holder and also holds an MBA from Warwick Business School. She is also a Non-Executive Director and represents Phoenix at the board of Transition Pathway Initiative.
Elizabeth Lance
Assistant Chief Counsel, ICI Global
Elizabeth Lance is Assistant Chief Counsel of ICI Global. Before joining ICI Global, Elizabeth was Vice President and Legal Counsel for Legislative and Regulatory Affairs at T. Rowe Price where she was responsible for monitoring global regulatory developments affecting T. Rowe Price’s entities, products, distribution and operations, including advisory, investments, and corporate functions. Elizabeth previously served as Attorney Advisor for Regulatory Policy in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of International Affairs. At the SEC, she received the Chairman’s Award for Excellence, served a six month detail to the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations Risk’ Analysis and Surveillance group, and was awarded a Presidential Management Fellowship. Elizabeth graduated from the College of William and Mary with a BA in Anthropology, and from Vermont Law School with honors.
ICI Global
ICI Global carries out the international work of the Investment Company Institute, the leading association representing regulated investment funds. With total assets of $44.2 trillion, ICI’s membership includes mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), closed-end funds, and unit investment trusts (UITs) in the United States, and UCITS and similar funds offered to investors in Europe, Asia, and other jurisdictions. ICI’s mission is to strengthen the foundation of the asset management industry for the ultimate benefit of the long-term individual investor. ICI Global has offices in Brussels, London, and Washington, DC.
Paul Lee
Head of Stewardship and Sustainable Investment Strategy, Redington
Paul Lee is Head of Stewardship and Sustainable Investment Strategy at Redington, the investment consultant, responsible for the delivery of stewardship and sustainability services to pension fund and other asset owners.
Paul has spent more than 20 years delivering ESG and stewardship work. At Hermes for more than a decade he helped create and build its world-leading Equity Ownership Services (EOS) business, and after a brief spell as Head of Investment Affairs at the National Association of Pension Funds (now the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association or PLSA) he joined Aberdeen Asset Management as its first global head of governance and stewardship, leaving following the merger with Standard Life.
Paul is also one of three investor members of the UK Endorsement Board, charged with deciding on the adoption of IFRS accounting standards for application in the UK, and chairs its Investor Advisory Group.
Paul writes a well-regarded blog on fairness.
John Lindberg
Policy and Public Affairs Lead, ICMM
John joined ICMM in July 2022 as Policy & Public Affairs Lead, leading on cross-cutting policy work.
Prior to joining ICMM, John has held a number of policy-facing roles in the UK, Europe and the United States, advising parliamentarians, ministers, governments, think tanks and industry associations on various issues, predominantly within (nuclear) energy policy, regulation, establishing advocacy functions, and communication. He has represented both the UK government and industry at a number of United Nations committees, and is a recognised expert on risk perception and communication, with some of his research cited in Nature.
John holds an MA(Hons) in Political Sciences from the University of Glasgow, an MA in Climate Change: Culture, History, Society from King’s College London, and (shortly) a PhD in social psychology and risk perception from King’s College London and Imperial College London. In 2017, John was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and in 2021 John was featured on the Swedish Nova 111 list as one of the most promising names in politics & the public sector under the age of 35. John is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
ICMM
ICMM brings together a third of the global metals and mining industry, along with key partners to drive leadership, action and innovation for sustainable development, ultimately delivering a positive contribution to society. Through collaboration, ICMM member companies set the standard for responsibly produced minerals and metals in a safe, just and sustainable world. Learn more here: https://www.icmm.com/
Tom Lorber
Director, Climate, Children's Investment Fund Foundation
Tom is Director, Climate at the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). He leads CIFF’s grant portfolio focussed on the role of companies and the financial sector in a just transition to net zero. Since joining CIFF in 2013, Tom has worked across the foundation’s climate portfolio on topics including heavy industry, power sector reform, HFCs and forests, in geographies including Brazil, China and Europe. Prior to CIFF, Tom worked as a management consultant for public sector and regulated utility clients in the UK and UAE. He holds an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London and a BA in Economics and Politics from the University of Manchester.
Children's Investment Fund Foundation
The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) is an independent philanthropic organisation, with offices in Addis Ababa, Beijing, London, Nairobi and New Delhi. CIFF works with a wide range of partners to transform the lives of children and adolescents.
Signe Andreasen Lysgaard
Chief Adviser, Business and Human Rights, Danish Institute for Human Rights
SIGNE ANDREASEN LYSGAARD is Chief Adviser on Business and Human Rights at the Danish Institute for Human Rights. She is a Political Scientist from University of Copenhagen and has more than a decade of experience advising companies, financial institutions, governments and civil society organisations across sectors and geographies on corporate respect for human rights. Today, her work focuses on scaling up respect for human rights across the financial sector. She engages in policy developments, project level collaborations with financial institutions and research activities. She served on the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance (2020-2022) and continues to serve as expert advisor to a number of external bodies including the EU Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) Sustainability Reporting Technical Expert Group and the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) Human Rights Technical Expert Group.
Danish Institute for Human Rights
The Danish Institute for Human Rights is Denmark’s National Human Rights Institution and an independent state-funded institution. We work to promote and protect human rights in Denmark and internationally. As one of the longest running independent national human rights institutions, we cooperate with other national human rights institutions, ministries, justice systems, civil society organisations, investors, companies, universities etc. globally. The aim is to support the development of stronger and more coherent human rights systems, where every actor fulfils their mandate, and contributes to the protection and promotion of human rights. We have more than two decades of experience working to advance respect for human rights in the context of business and finance activities.
Harry Mansfield
Account Manager, Capital Markets, CDP
Harry works with and supports over 65 UK financial institutions through their CDP Capital Markets Signatory membership. He provides support to asset managers, banks and asset owners with utilising CDP data, their engagement strategy and their wider environmental work. He has particular knowledge around corporate engagement and over four years of experience working with financial institutions at CDP.
Will Martindale
Co-founder, Canbury
Will Martindale is co-founder of Canbury, a sustainability consultancy providing a range of high-quality sustainability and ESG services for our global client base. Will is author of Responsible Investment: An Insider’s Account, a Palgrave Macmillan publication, published in November 2023. Previously, Will was head of sustainability at Cardano and NOW: Pensions, where he led Cardano’s sustainability research and stewardship teams. Will was Director of Policy and Research at UN PRI from 2013 – 2020. Prior to responsible investment, Will worked in credit trading at JPMorgan.
Canbury
Canbury is a consultancy providing a range of high-quality sustainability and ESG services for our global client base, with a vision to make sustainability practical, transparent and meaningful. Canbury works with investors to provide a range of end-to-end sustainability solutions including TCFD/ISSB reporting, net zero target setting, stewardship reporting, nature supply chain analysis, and ESG data sets.
Fiona McNally
Reporter, Responsible Investor
Fiona joined Responsible Investor in 2021 from Private Equity Wire. She covers the French and Australian markets, as well as sustainability standards and assurance, and DEI.
Colin Melvin
Founder and Managing Director, Arkadiko Partners
Colin Melvin is a thought leader and agent for positive change, who has been at the forefront of global developments in corporate leadership, stewardship and sustainability and responsible asset management for over twenty years. He has international experience from the investor and corporate perspectives in developing and challenging strategy, promoting effective risk management and corporate governance and creating well-aligned incentives.
He is Founder and Managing Director of Arkadiko Partners. He is also an External Lecturer at Copenhagen Business School and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Previously, he was Non-Executive Chair of InfluenceMap, a member of the InfluenceMap Advisory Board and Advisory Council at The Inclusive Capitalism Programme on Purposeful Ownership, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
Until November 2016 he was Global Head of Stewardship at Hermes Investment Management and between 2004 and January 2016 Chief Executive of Hermes EOS, the world’s largest stewardship service, which he founded. He was formerly Head of Responsible Investment at Baillie Gifford, a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, a Board Member and Chair of the Principles for Responsible Investment, Chair of Social Stock Exchange, Chair of Future-Fit Foundation, a Member of the Corporate Advisory Group at The Future of the Corporation, British Academy and a Member of the 30% Club Investor Group. Between 2008 and 2013 he was a non-executive director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee at Aedas, an architectural firm.
He has a strong network of contacts at the most senior levels within the world's largest investment institutions and listed companies. He is an expert in building trust and adding value to boards in industries with stakeholder challenges having worked with many companies to improve their relationships and performance. He has a strong ability to steer complex and sensitive situations to positive action.
Colin qualified as a fund manager in 1996 and is and member of the CFA Institute. He holds an MA from Aberdeen University and an MPhil from Cambridge University, both in History, and Diplomas in Investment Analysis from Stirling University and Company Directorship from the Institute of Directors.
Arkadiko Partners
Arkadiko Partners was founded in 2017. We assist many types of organisations – across the entire investment spectrum – in building a more sustainable approach to their businesses and asset allocation.
Our deep experience and unique expertise in strategy consulting enable our clients to discover, articulate and implement their corporate and investment purpose, values and beliefs. We help create an authentic and consistent narrative supportive of sustainability.
Our purpose is to help people understand what is possible, so that everybody can flourish.
Our vision is for a purpose-led financial system that contributes to a sustainable world.
Robin Millington
CEO, Planet Tracker
Robin Millington is CEO of Planet Tracker, a non-profit sustainable finance think tank which is working to embed the value of nature into global capital markets to ensure sustainability of our environment and of the businesses and products dependent upon natural capital.
Having dedicated nearly three decades to environmental causes including climate, biodiversity/nature and wetlands/water, Robin is an experienced senior director with an extensive track record including as a Director with the European Climate Foundation, Founding Director of Wetlands International and Managing Director of the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in Brussels. Previously she spent many years in the private sector both in consulting and in multinational work. She has an MBA from INSEAD and her BA from Stanford University.
She is currently a member of the Supervisory Board of the Capitals Coalition, was previously a member of the Supervisory Board of the Gold Standard Foundation and serves on various advisory committees.
Planet Tracker
Planet Tracker is an award-winning non-profit financial think tank aligning capital markets with planetary boundaries. Created with the vision of a financial system that is fully aligned with a net-zero, resilient, nature positive and just economy well before 2050, Planet Tracker generates break-through analytics that reveal both the role of capital markets in the degradation of our ecosystem and show the opportunities of transitioning to a zero-carbon, nature positive economy.
Julie Moret
Global Head of Sustainable Investing, Northern Trust Asset Management
Julie Moret, is the Global Head of Sustainable Investing Northern Trust Asset Management. She oversees sustainable investing and leads a team of global ESG specialists. The team partners with investment groups to advance portfolio integration, develop research, proprietary tools and methodologies such as Northern Trust’s ESG Vector Score. They also work with clients, consulting with them on implementing SI objectives into optimal risk aware solutions and partner with Product Development to shape the SI solutions roadmap.
Julie was previously the Global Head of ESG at Franklin Templeton. Julie started her career 20+ years ago in Quantitative Research and Investment Risk.
Julie serves as a member on the International Investor Advisory Group of the International Sustainability Standards Board as well as serving on its European Working group. She also sits on the Uk’s Investment Association Sustainable and Responsible Investment Committee.
Julie holds a BA in Economics and MA in International Economics.
Peter Munro
Head of Division, Investor Relations and Sustainable Finance, European Investment Bank
Peter is a leader on sustainable finance and development banking, with over 20 years’ experience. Previously he was a consultant on investor relations.
He is currently Head of the Investor Relations & Sustainable Finance Division at EIB, leading on sustainable debt structuring, ESG regulatory alignment and reporting, investor analytics, and credit ratings.
Prior Management and Advisory Experience: ExCom of ICMA Principles for Green & Sustainable Bonds, EU Platform on Sustainable Finance, EBF–UNEP FI groups on taxonomy for banks, London Stock Exchange Sustainable Bond Market Advisory Group, Central Banks’ & Supervisors’ Network on Greening the Financial System.
Prior experience: Director, ICMA / Green Bond Principles (During 2016-19).
Education: BA Philosophy, Politics & Economics, Oxford University; Insead – ‘Transition to General Management’ and ‘International Marketing’, IMD – Advanced Leadership Development Programme - Building a Climate Bank, London Business School – Corporate Finance.
European Investment Bank
The Climate Bank of the European Union
The European Union (EU) is at the forefront of the global fight against climate change and environmental degradation. With the European Green Deal, the EU aims at making the European economy sustainable and inclusive. The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the EU’s climate bank. It finances sound and sustainable investments that contribute to the EU policy goals.
In 2023, the overall climate action and environmental sustainability result of EUR 44.3bn represented 60% of EIB’s lending of EUR 75.1bn.
The EIB raises the bulk of its lending resources through benchmark bonds issued in the international capital markets. In 2007, the EIB pioneered the green bond market and in 2018, it introduced a new sustainable debt product (Sustainability Awareness Bond). Since 2007, the EIB has raised over EUR 93bn in green and sustainability bonds across 23 currencies.
Website: Homepage | European Investment Bank (eib.org)
Eoin Murray
Managing Director, SEED
Eoin Murray is the Managing Director of SEED, joining in 2024 to bring the SEED Biocomplexity Index to market. With over thirty years of experience as a successful business and investment leader, Eoin is proud to have launched one of the first biodiversity equity strategies with the Natural History Museum in London, and launched the UK Nature Restoration Fund backed by the Department for the Environment in the UK. Eoin is currently studying for a PhD in Nature & Investment, further cultivating this commitment to business playing a vital role in protecting biodiversity. Eoin is based in the UK, where he is Chair of the Exmoor Search & Rescue Team.
The Global Biodiversity Consortium (GBC) is a unique coalition of initiatives that brings together cutting-edge knowledge in global ecological research (Crowther Lab at ETH Zurich), a single metric that unifies all dimensions of biodiversity by integrating diverse ecological data sources to evaluate the whole state of nature (SEED Biodiversity Index), and a unifying geospatial platform that supports nature stewards and enhances decision making to accelerate conservation and restoration of the ecosystems we all depend on (Restor).
The GBC exists to address the urgent need for the conservation and restoration of ecosystems at a global scale.
Girish Narula
Head of Sustainable Finance, EMEA and APAC, ICE
Girish Narula is Head of Sustainable Finance, EMEA & APAC at ICE. Girish came to ICE through its recent acquisition of Urgentem, a start up in climate analytics, where he was the CEO. Girish has a keen interest in building solutions and products that enable the financial services industry to manage the transition to a low carbon economy and maximize opportunities presented by decarbonisation to net zero future.
He has a track record of driving success and innovation in risk analytics, portfolio management and strategic business planning across different geographies including India, US, UK and Africa. His outlook is entrepreneurial, and technology driven with a B.Tech. in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Executive training in Artificial Intelligence from MIT Sloan and an MBA from the University of Oxford.
ICE
ICE is a Fortune 500 company that designs, builds and operates digital networks to connect people to opportunity. We provide financial technology and data services across major asset classes that offer our customers access to mission-critical workflow tools that increase transparency and operational efficiencies. We operate exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange, and clearing houses that help people invest, raise capital and manage risk across multiple asset classes. Our comprehensive fixed income data services and execution capabilities provide information, analytics and platforms that help our customers capitalize on opportunities and operate more efficiently.
As one of the world’s most experienced administrators of regulated benchmarks, ICE Benchmark Administration® (IBA) is leading the way in benchmark and other data administration services, offering the highest standards of input data collection, calculation, publication and surveillance. By establishing comprehensive and robust governance and oversight functions, and constantly evolving and developing our benchmarks and data services, IBA is enhancing benchmark and data integrity in order to give market participants confidence in the information they depend upon.
Carmen Nuzzo
Professor in Practice, Executive Director, Transition Pathway Initiative Centre LSE
Carmen leads on setting and delivering the strategy of the TPI Centre - part of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science - as well as overseeing its research and operations. The Centre offers independent, authoritative research and open-access data on corporate, bank and sovereign entities, to support investors and policy makers in the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Prior to joining the TPI Centre in 2023, Carmen was Head of Fixed Income, at the UN-Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), where she was responsible for sovereign, sub-sovereign, securitised products and private debt workstreams, as well as leading on the ESG in credit risk and ratings initiative, a PRI’s flagship programme. Since 2014, her primary focus has been on sustainable economics and finance, building on her long-standing experience in economic and market analysis research, starting in 1993 at Salomon Brothers, with subsequent roles at Citigroup and Morgan Stanley, and a stint in the not-for profit ShareAction.
Patrick Parent
Chair of the CEAOB / Director for prospective and international affairs at H2A, H2A (Haute Autorité de l’Audit)
In 2020 he joined the H3C, the predecessor body to the H2A.
In June 2020 he was elected Chair of the CEAOB. The CEAOB‘s role is to advise the European Commission on matters related to auditing, as well as to facilitate cooperation between the Member States’ audit supervisors.
Mr. Patrick Parent has an extended experience in audit practice and also in audit regulation after having served six years on the Board of H3C, and in financial regulation as Chief Accountant of the French Securities and Markets Regulator (AMF) for the period 2011-2016. As AMF’s Chief Accountant he was in charge of enforcing regulations related to financial information published by listed entities, and of audit related matters.
Prior to joining the AMF in 2003, Mr. Patrick Parent developed field experience in audit, with Arthur Andersen and EY. He worked in the international and national audit practices for listed and non-listed groups and provided advisory services.
Mr. Patrick Parent received a Master’s degree from ESCP - France, a MBA from Drexel University (Philadelphia, USA), and a Master’s degree in Finance and Accounting.
CEAOB/H2A (Haute Autorité de l’Audit)
The Committee of European Auditing Oversight Bodies (CEAOB) founds its origin in EU Regulation 537 2014 which came into force in June 2016. Its role is to advise the European Commission on matters related to statutory audits (a role recently extended to assurance on sustainability reporting), and to facilitate cooperation between Members States audit supervisors.
The Haute Autorité de l'Audit (H2A) is the regulatory authority for the profession of statutory auditors and professionals certifying the sustainability reports of companies in France. Its missions include:
- Inspecting the quality of work performed by statutory auditors and independent assurance services providers that certify the sustainability reports where Public Interest Entities are at stake (inspection work on non-PIE audits/assurance is delegated to the profession, with supervision carried out by H2A),
- Conducting investigations with a view to transferring cases to the Sanctions Committee.
To carry out its duties, the H2A has several decision-making bodies within its Board (called the “College”) and consultative commissions that prepare its work.
Alexandra Pavlovskis
ESG Product Strategy Lead, Financial Information, SIX
Alexandra is the ESG Product Strategy Lead within the Financial Information Business Unit at SIX - the Exchange Group that operates the Swiss and Spanish Stock Exchanges. Alexandra has 7 years’ experience in the Sustainable Finance and ESG data fields. In her role as the ESG Product Strategy Lead she works closely with the Head of ESG product and the product managers to define our strategy and build our ESG offering. She is also responsible for ESG product go-to-market, covering clients across the financial services sector globally.
Prior to joining SIX Alexandra was a Senior Consultant in EY's Sustainable Finance team, where she worked with wealth and asset management clients on ESG data selection and management. Before that Alexandra was an ESG product manager at ESG Book and a Geo-Environmental Consultant at Leap Environmental.
Alexandra holds a BSc in Geology from Imperial College London and an MSc in Climate Change Management and Finance from Imperial College Business School.
SIX
SIX is a global financial services provider supporting the entire value chain. SIX operates the Swiss, Spanish and Digital Stock Exchanges, providing post trade services in domestic and global markets. Financial Information provides global data services and solutions. The Group also orchestrates Banking Services on behalf of the Swiss National Bank. The company is owned by its users (120 banks). With a workforce of 4,044 employees and a presence in 20 countries, it generated operating income of CHF 1.5 billion and Group net profit of CHF 185.0 million in 2022.
Patrick Peura
ESG Engagement Manager, Allianz Investment Management, Co-lead of the Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance Engagement Track, Allianz Investment Management
Patrick manages the global engagement program for Allianz SE’s proprietary portfolio. This includes engaging on Allianz’s climate ambitions. Allianz has committed their 700 billion euro proprietary portfolio to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 in line with a 1.5° maximum temperature rise. Beyond engaging directly with investee companies, he also directs Allianz’s asset manager engagement program to help align asset managers’ diverse investor stewardship approaches with Allianz’s long-term interests. Additionally, he is co-leading the United Nations-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance engagement activities alongside Jake Barnett at Wespath Institutional Investments.
Patrick holds a first-class honours degree in business administration and sustainability, a masters of environmental governance, and an executive MBA. Before joining Allianz in 2018, he worked for Chevron Canada, a fully integrated oil and gas subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, which included roles in finance, accounting, business strategy and fuel supply & trading.
Anand Rajagopal
Shareholder Assets & Private Markets Sustainability Lead, Phoenix Group
Anand Rajagopal leads Sustainability Strategy and ESG integration efforts for Shareholder Assets and Private Markets investments. The asset classes covered within his remit span various types of public markets debt as well as private market investments such as Infrastructure debt and equity, private credit/private placements, commercial real estate debt and equity, structured solutions and transition finance opportunities including blended finance efforts (involving DFIs/MDBs/ECAs etc.). Before Phoenix Group, Anand served as the Head of Public Annuity Asset Origination at Aviva (2019-2022) where he led portfolio construction and investment strategy for public assets including the development of the business’s ESG and Franchise risk framework and its integration in credit/investment processes, new asset class launches and related asset manager research. Prior to insurance asset management, Anand had worked for ~10 years in public- and private-credit investment and portfolio management/monitoring mandates at BlackRock (London) and Goldman Sachs (New York) covering asset classes such as RMBS, CMBS, Auto/Whole Loan ABS, Sovereigns/SSAs, EMD, Energy/Infra-Project Finance, CRE loans and Shipping/Aviation debt.
Vaishnavi Ravishankar
Head of Stewarship, Brunel Pension Partnership
Vaishnavi started her career in responsible investment following completion of her degree in Commerce at the ANU in 2010. She worked as a responsible investment analyst at an ESG research service provider providing company assessments, analysing sector-specific and thematic risks, and supporting active ownership strategies for a range of institutions in Australia and New Zealand. She spent six plus years at the PRI specialising in governance and leading workstreams on responsible political engagement, tax transparency, ESG-linked executive pay and cyber governance. She was involved as a steering committee member in the development of the Global standard on responsible climate lobbying and as a technical committee member, developing the GRI-207 tax standard. Prior to joining Brunel Pension Partnership in June 2023, she worked as the director of governance, leading and coordinating the governance team’s activities at PRI. At Brunel, she is responsible for leading and coordinating all engagement activities and voting implementation, supporting the delivery of investment services and provision of services to Brunel’s clients.
Clare Richards
Director, Social – Responsible Investment, Church of England Pensions Board
Clare Richards is Director, Social at the Church of England Pensions Board, where she has been a member of the Responsible Investment team since 2019. She leads on the Pensions Board’s approach to stewardship in support of a ‘just’ world, a remit which includes a particular focus on human rights and societal impacts. Prior to taking up her current role she worked at a variety of organisations that support responsible investment, and just and sustainable societies. Clare holds a PgCert in Corporate Governance and Business Ethics, and an MA in Conflict, Development and Security.
Isabella Ritter
Senior EU Policy Officer, ShareAction
Isabella Ritter serves as a Senior EU Policy Officer at ShareAction's Brussels office, a leading NGO advocating for responsible investment. With her expertise in Italian and European law, gained from her LLM at the College of Europe, she has a wealth of experience in the NGO sector, consultancies, and European institutions. Isabella has played a significant role in shaping the CSDDD legislation from the beginning and has also worked on other sustainable finance initiatives like the CSRD and SFDR.
ShareAction
ShareAction’s mission is to define the highest standards of responsible investment and to promote those standards across the world. Working closely with institutional and individual investors in many jurisdictions, ShareAction drives accelerated action by listed companies on climate change, loss of biodiversity, decent work and public health. In doing so, ShareAction challenges investors to demonstrate greater ambition and to harness their power to tackle the biggest environmental and social challenges we face.
ShareAction publicly ranks the world’s largest asset managers and insurers on the RI performance and engages closely with senior executives in those firms in support of investment strategies that reduce risk and deliver positive real-world sustainability impact. The organisation works with policy makers and regulators to drive uptake of RI in the EU and UK. Finally, ShareAction educates and empowers individuals on how they can use their money to build a future they want.
Verena Ross
Chair, European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)
Verena Ross is the Chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). She took up the role on 1 November 2021 and is responsible for representing the Authority as well as preparing the work of and chairing its Board of Supervisors and Management Board.
Between 2011 and 2021 Verena Ross served as ESMA’s first Executive Director, when she was responsible for building up the organisation and overseeing its day to day running.
Prior to this, Verena held a number of senior posts in the UK's Financial Services Authority (FSA) and was a member of the FSA's Executive Committee. Verena joined the FSA in 1998 to run the Executive Chairman’s office during the regulator’s start-up phase and was briefly a seconded advisor to the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission in 2000. She held various positions in the FSA’s Markets Division and was Director of Strategy & Risk Division before becoming Director of the International Division.
Verena is a German national. Following studies in Sinology and Economics in Hamburg, Taipei and London (SOAS) she began her career at the Bank of England in 1994, where she worked as an economist and banking supervisor.
David Russell
Chair, Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI)
David Russell is the Chair of the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI), which assesses companies’ preparedness for the transition to a low carbon future, supporting the efforts of investors in addressing climate change.
Prior to this, David was the Head of Responsible Investment at the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), the largest UK pension, where he worked from 2001 to 2023. He had responsibility for all aspects of RI strategy development and implementation across all asset classes. This included its development of policy and strategy, engagement, and integration across both public and private asset classes and from an asset manager and an asset owner perspective. He has also led on the scheme’s formal ESG related reporting, including the UNPRI, the UK Stewardship Code and TCFD reporting.
David is a former Board member of the UN supported Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI), is an advisor to the Board of the IIGCC, and until June 2023 was on the Board of the International Centre for Pensions Management. More broadly, David is a member of the FTSE Russell Sustainable Investment Advisory Committee, and whilst at USS was also a member of the PLSA Sustainability Committee and the UK Investment Associations’ Sustainability and Responsible Investment Committee.
Prior to joining USS, David worked as an Environmental Manager for a UK retail company, and was for five years a University lecturer in Environmental Management. He has a Masters Degree in Environmental Impact Assessment.
Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI)
The Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI) is a global initiative led by asset owners and supported by asset managers that provides independent, authoritative research and data on the progress of corporate and sovereign entities in transitioning to a low-carbon economy. As of March 2024, over 150 investors globally, representing around US$60 trillion combined Assets Under Management and Advice, have pledged support for TPI with many more using the data in their stewardship and investment process.
The TPI provides data on publicly listed equities, corporate bond issuers, banks and sovereign bond issuers. The TPI’s company data:
• Assess the quality of companies’ governance and management of their low-carbon transition.
• Evaluate whether companies’ current and planned future emissions are aligned with international climate targets and national climate pledges, including those made as part of the Paris Agreement.
• Form the basis for the Climate Action 100+ Net Zero Company Benchmark Disclosure Framework assessments.
Lorenzo Saa
Chief Sustainability Officer, Clarity AI
As Chief Sustainability Officer, Lorenzo is responsible for Clarity AI’s strategic engagements across the globe to enhance investor value and drive sustainable outcomes. Lorenzo joined Clarity AI after over 20 years of being at the forefront of sustainable investments. He held multiple roles at the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), driving it from about 300 institutional investors to the over 5,000 it has today. As Head of the PRI Reporting and Assessment he launched the first ever in house global responsible investment reporting framework and led the PRI’s Signatory Relations team which supports existing and new signatories globally.
Prior to PRI, Lorenzo held project manager and financial analyst roles at UniCredit and MicroRate, overseeing microfinance initiatives and advising on responsible investments. He also served as an independent consultant for the World Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. He holds a joint MBA/Masters in International Public Policy from SDA Bocconi, Milan and SAIS – Johns Hopkins, Washington, D.C and a BA in Business
and Economics from the Università Cattolica, Milan.
Clarity AI
Clarity AI is a sustainability technology platform that uses machine learning and big data to deliver environmental and social insights to investors, organizations, and consumers. Clarity AI’s capabilities are an essential tool for end-to-end sustainability analysis related to investing, corporate research, benchmarking, consumer ecommerce, and regulatory reporting. As of June 2023, Clarity AI’s platform analyzes more than 70,000 companies, 390,000 funds, 198 countries, and 199 local governments, which represents more breadth than any other player in the market. One way Clarity AI delivers on its mission to bring societal impact to markets is by ensuring its capabilities are delivered directly into clients' workflows through integrations with partners like BlackRock - Aladdin, Refinitiv an LSEG business, BNP Manaos, CACEIS, and Simcorp. Additionally, Clarity AI's sustainability insights reach more than 150 million consumers across more than 400,000 merchants on the Klarna platform. Clarity AI has offices in North America, Europe, and the Middle East, and its client network manages tens of trillions in assets and includes companies like Invesco, Nordea, BlackRock, Santander, Wellington, and BNP Paribas.
Nicolaj Sebrell
Director of Investor Relationships - EMEA, IFRS Foundation
Nicolaj serves as Director Investor Relationship, EMEA, for the IFRS Foundation. Previously, he worked in ESG Corporate Ratings heading a team of analysts covering Energy, Materials, and Utilities where he helped managed the corporate ratings methodology and produced thought leadership content. He brings 20 years of equity research and asset management experience covering various industries in both developed and emerging markets that included a stint as a top-3 ranked sell-side analyst. Prior to working in financial services, Nicolaj served five years as a submarine officer in the US Navy. He holds a B.E. in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University, an MBA from New York University, the CFA designation, and the CFA ESG certificate.
IFRS Foundation
The IFRS Foundation’s founding principle is that better information leads to better decisions. Investors need reliable, transparent and globally comparable information about companies to make better investment decisions. IFRS Standards meet this need by enabling companies worldwide to provide such information to their investors.
The IFRS Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation created in 2001 to develop— in the public interest—high-quality, understandable, enforceable and globally accepted standards for general purpose financial reporting, and to promote and facilitate their adoption.
The International Sustainability Standards Board is an independent sustainability disclosure standard-setting body of the IFRS Foundation. The ISSB issues IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards and the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Taxonomy, which enables digital reporting. The ISSB also maintains the SASB Standards.
Rafel Servent
Engagement Manager, MUFG Asset Management
Rafel is a sustainability professional with experience engaging with large companies on an array of topics. In his current role as Engagement Manager at MUFG Asset Management he supports the development and implementation of the firm's global engagement policy. Prior to this, Rafel was a Sustainability Engagement Manager at ISS ESG focused on net zero and gender equality. Previously, Rafel worked at World Animal Protection as a Private Sector Engagement Manager leading engagement with food companies on improving animal welfare standards. Before ISS ESG, he was a Forests Senior Officer at CDP where he engaged on deforestation management practices and produced the Annual Global Forests Report. Rafel holds a Geography bachelor’s degree from the University of Barcelona, partially studied at University College London. He speaks English, Spanish and Catalan.
MUFG Asset Management
With our shared vision of Investing for our Sustainable Future, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management (UK) and other MUFG group-wide companies, and Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management promote transformative solutions for global emergencies with group-wide sustainable investing.
As our one-global-brand for sustainable investing, MUFG Asset Management – a leading global asset manager – brings long-term financial returns and solutions for environmental and social challenges for creating a better future.
With our trusted expertise and confidence in stewardship, we power our thematic, collaborative and public engagements for sustainability and cutting-edge research to deliver tailored solutions to our clientele.
https://www.tr.mufg.jp/mufgam-su/english/
Jen Sisson
CEO, ICGN
Jen is CEO of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) a membership body, led by investors led responsible for assets under management of around US$77 trillion, focused on advancing the highest standards of corporate governance and investor stewardship worldwide.
Jen joined ICGN from Goldman Sachs Asset Management, where she was EMEA Head of Stewardship, driving engagement, proxy voting and industry collaboration efforts. In that role, Jen was a member of the Investment Association Company Reporting and Auditing Group and the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) Investor Advisory Committee. In 2022 Jen was also a member of the US Council of Institutional Investors Corporate Governance Advisory Council.
She joined Goldman Sachs in 2021 from the UK Financial Reporting Council (FRC), where she worked for four years, most recently as Deputy Director of Stakeholder Engagement and Corporate Affairs, following a year as Chief of Staff. Responsible for coordinating the FRC’s outreach with the global investment community, listed company leadership teams and board members across all areas of the regulator’s scope, Jen led policy outreach on ESG, audit and reporting matters including the creation of the 2020 UK Stewardship Code and the 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code.
Jen started her career at PwC. Over 13 years with the Firm she worked in audit, regulation and in the global investor engagement team, where she was responsible for research on accounting, reporting, regulatory, governance and ESG issues as well as acting as part of the Secretariat for the Corporate Reporting Users Forum.
Outside work, Jen is a volunteer for MyBigCareer, a charity focused on advancing higher educational opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Jen holds a BA in Business, Accounting and Finance from the University of Newcastle and a Masters in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge.
ICGN
Established in 1995 and led by investors responsible for assets under management of over US$77 trillion, ICGN advances the highest standards of corporate governance and investor stewardship worldwide in pursuit of long-term value creation, contributing to sustainable economies, societies, and the environment.
This is achieved through a comprehensive international work programme based around three core activities:
• Influence: Promoting ICGN Principles as investor-led global standards for governance and stewardship and influencing public policy and professional practice.
• Connect: Delivering high-quality global events and webinars with unrivalled opportunities for networking, knowledge-sharing and collaboration.
• Inform: Enhancing professionalism in governance and stewardship practice through information and education.
ICGN Members are organisations from the investment and corporate community who are passionate about preserving and enhancing long-term value; our priorities and Policy work are member-led.
Find out more about our work at: www.icgn.org
Rory Sullivan
CEO, Chronos Sustainability
Rory Sullivan is CEO of Chronos Sustainability and Visiting Professor in Practice in the Department of Geography and Environment at the London School of Economics (LSE). He is the author/editor of eleven books and of many papers and reports on responsible investment, climate change and related issues. His books include Responsible Investment and Fixed Income Markets (editor with Joshua Kendall, Routledge, 2023), Climate Change and the Governance of Corporations (editor with Andy Gouldson, Routledge, 2021) and Valuing Corporate Responsibility: How Do Investors Really Use Corporate Responsibility Information (Greenleaf, 2011).
Chronos Sustainability
Chronos Sustainability is a specialist advisory company with the fundamental objective of delivering transformative, systemic change in the social and environmental performance of key industry sectors. Our current and recent clients include the World Bank, the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC), Climate Action 100+ (CA100+), The Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), Ceres and the Transition Pathway Initiative.
Marcus Svedberg
Chief Economist, Folksam
Marcus Svedberg is chief economist at Folksam, one of the largest insurance and pension savings companies in Sweden. He is responsible for macro analysis and strategy across the group with a special focus on sustainability. He previously had a similar role at the Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund (AP4) and have also worked at the World Bank and East Capital. He has been involved with research institutes such as Stockholm Sustainable Finance Centre and Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics as well as Kyiv Economics Institute and Institute of International Relations in Prague. Marcus is a member of a number of advisory and working groups related to sustainable finance and pension investments. He has a master’s degree in political economy from the London School of Economics.
Michael Taschner
Head of Sustainability Solutions, S&P Global Market Intelligence
Michael is the Global Head of Sustainability Solutions at S&P Global Market Intelligence. With a passion for driving positive change, Michael plays a pivotal role in empowering corporates and financial institutions to embrace sustainable business models by leveraging cutting-edge, data-driven IT solutions.
Michael is a pioneer in the ESG industry with more than 20 years of experience in sustainable finance and management consulting. He was Head of Strategic Legal Regulatory and Sustainable Finance for a Big4 firm in Switzerland, advising companies on TCFD, risk analysis, and ESG strategy, among other topics. Afterward, Michael supported clients in the management of fundamental and ESG related risks and the integration into Asset Allocations for Asset and Wealth Manager, at a Swiss based global Quant company in the role of a Co-CEO and Head of Sustainable Finance and Wealth Management.
Michael holds a Masters degree in banking and finance and a CFA in ESG.
S&P Global
S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) provides Essential Intelligence. We enable governments, businesses and individuals with the right data, expertise and connected technology so that they can make decisions with conviction. From helping our customers assess new investments to guiding them through sustainability and energy transition across supply chains, we unlock new opportunities, solve challenges and Accelerate Progress for the world.
We are widely sought after by many of the world’s leading organizations to provide credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help the world’s leading organizations plan for tomorrow, today. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com.
Peter Taylor
Head of Engagement, IIGCC
Peter leads our corporate team, supporting investor engagements with companies through initiatives including Climate Action 100+, the Net Zero Engagement Initiative and Nature Action 100. He previously worked as a senior portfolio manager and Head of Corporate Governance at Aberdeen Asset Management in Singapore, London and São Paolo. Peter began his career at the International Finance Corporation and more recently has advised European development finance institutions on climate governance. He holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University and an MA from John Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.
Jakob Thomä
Co-Founder & Research Director, Theia Finance Labs
Jakob Thomae is one of the leading global experts on sustainable finance and long-term risks, and entrepreneur with a track record of incubating commercial and non-commercial sustainability solutions. He co-founded Theia Finance Labs (formerly 2DII Germany) where he now serves as Research Director, and co-leads the Inevitable Policy Response Programme as Research Director. Jakob is also Professor in Practice at SOAS, University of London. He is the author of multiple books on sustainability and existential risks.
Over the past 10 years, Jakob has led the development of a range of sustainability solutions, with a focus on designing business models for both public and commercial goods. Jakob co-founded the 2° Investing Initiative network and led the incubation of PACTA, the first methodology and tool to measure the alignment of financial portfolios with climate goals. He led the negotiations of the PACTA transfer to RMI in 2022. Jakob also led the incubation of MyFairMoney (MeinFairMögen), now with 2DII France, and co-led the incubation of AssetResolution (now AssetImpact, with GRESB). Current ventures include 1in1000, TransitionMonitor, and tilt, a venture on climate-related SME data. Jakob has served as advisor to central banks around the world including the Japanese Financial Services Agency, the Brazilian Central Bank, the Bank of Thailand, the Bank of England, the Bundesbank, the Dutch Central Bank, and EIOPA. He holds a PhD in Finance from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers.
Theia Finance Labs
Theia Finance Labs (formerly 2° Investing Initiative Germany) is an independent, non-profit think tank incubating research solutions for the financial sector that help solve the climate crisis. Theia Finance Labs is Co-Coordinator of the Inevitable Policy Response and 1in1000, as well as incubator of tilt, a start-up developing climate date for SMEs.
Sandy Trust
Chair, IFOA’s Sustainability Board
Sandy Trust is passionate about climate change and sustainability. His personal mission is to help re-connect finance and the economy to nature and the biosphere to deliver a future worth living in.
He leads IFOA research paper collaborations with Earth System scientists on climate change and sustainability topics, recent papers include The Emperor’s New Climate Scenarios and Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Sandy sits on IFOA Council and is past Chair of the IFOA’s Sustainability Board.
He works in financial services with large investors – pension schemes, asset managers and insurance companies with typically several hundred billion dollars of assets under management - to develop and implement their approaches to sustainability – allowing them to protect value, comply with regulation and compete in this fast moving area.
He is currently Head of Organisational Risk at M&G plc, a FTSE100 investment firm, where he is the risk lead on sustainability. Previously he helped a Big 4 firm build their consulting capability in this space. Sandy also works in the charity sector and founded the UK branch of climate action charity Protect Our Winters UK.
He lives in Edinburgh with his wife and two children and loves getting outdoors.
IFOA
The IFoA is the UK’s only chartered professional body dedicated to educating, developing and regulating actuaries based both in the UK and internationally. The IFoA regulates and represents over 32,000 members worldwide, overseeing their actuarial education at all stages of qualification and development throughout their careers. We set examinations, continuing professional development, professional codes and disciplinary standards for our members.
Agnieszka Trzcinska
Team Lead – Financial Stability, European Central Bank
Agnieszka Trzcinska is currently Team Lead in the Front Office of Macroprudential Policy & Financial Stability in the European Central Bank (ECB). In her role, Agnieszka supports the ECB’s Chair of the NGFS Workstream on Scenario Design and Analysis in developing forward-looking climate scenarios. Within the NGFS, members from central banks and supervisory authorities collaborate with a consortium of climate scientists to design climate scenarios which connect climate science with the financial world. Introduced as a novel tool in 2020, the NGFS scenarios have assisted central banks, supervisors, and other financial actors in exploring various potential future outcomes of climate change and the transition. The scenarios have been consistently refined and updated over four iterations with the latest results published in November 2023. With a view to complementing the utility of long-term narratives, the NGFS has recently started work on developing the first vintage of short-term climate scenarios.
Agnieszka has a diverse and extensive background in central banks and the private sector. She has led teams working on climate risk modelling, European economic and fiscal governance, and banking sector policy issues for the past five years. She joined the ECB in 2013 as an Economist in the Directorate General International & European Relations where she was responsible for preparing the ECB’s participation in EU fora. Before she worked in the Polish central bank and she managed European research projects in a private company. She also completed short-term secondments to the European Commission and the Bank of Canada working on the EU’s regional and urban policy and on the international collaboration, respectively. Agnieszka studied Managerial Economics and Finance and Accounting, and holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Warsaw.
European Central Bank
The European Central Bank is the central bank for Europe's single currency, the euro. The ECB’s main task is to maintain the euro's purchasing power and thus to maintain price stability in the euro area. The euro area comprises the 20 European Union countries that have introduced the euro since 1999.
The ECB also contributes to the safety and soundness of the European banking system.
Kate Turner
Global Head of Responsible Investment, First Sentier Investors
Kate Turner is Global Head of Responsible Investment at First Sentier Investors. Based in Sydney, Kate is responsible for defining and delivering our strategy globally. This includes supporting investment teams to integrate ESG factors into their investment processes, engaging with clients and stakeholders on responsible investment and creating learning and development opportunities for staff across all levels of the firm.
Prior to joining First Sentier Investors, Kate was an Associate Director at Sustainalytics leading its business in Australia and New Zealand, and has previously held roles at ICBC Standard Bank Plc in London and Baker & McKenzie in Sydney.
Kate holds Bachelor of Laws degree and Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies with First Class Honors and University Medal from the University of Technology, Sydney.
Kate reports to the Global Head of Investment Management.
First Sentier Investors
First Sentier Investors manages £124.7 billion in assets (as at 31 March 2024) on behalf of institutional investors, pension funds, wholesale distributors, investment platforms, financial advisers and their clients worldwide.
The firm was acquired by Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc in August 2019, and operates as a standalone global investment management business with offices across Europe, the Americas, and Asia Pacific.
First Sentier Investors is a globally Certified B Corporation and signatory to the UK Stewardship Code. The firm’s investment expertise spans across a range of asset classes and specialist sectors focused on delivering sustainable investment success based on responsible investment principles.
Eugenia Unanyants-Jackson
Global Head of Environmental, Social & Governance, PGIM
Eugenia Unanyants-Jackson is the Global Head of Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG), based in London. Ms. Unanyants-Jackson is responsible for shaping and coordinating ESG strategy and execution across PGIM, chairing the PGIM ESG Council, engaging with key external stakeholders including clients, consultants, regulators, and the media, and partnering closely with the PGIM affiliates as well as Prudential Financial Inc.’s ESG and Sustainability groups. Ms. Unanyants-Jackson joined PGIM Fixed Income in 2020 as the firm’s inaugural head of ESG Research, where she was charged with managing the strategic integration of ESG research across all elements of the firm, including investment decision-making, and internal and external education and engagement. Prior to joining PGIM Fixed Income, Ms. Unanyants-Jackson was with Allianz Global Investors where she was the Global Head of ESG Research since 2016, leading the implementation of ESG integration across fundamental equity and fixed income strategies. Prior to this she was a Director of Governance and Sustainable Investment at BMO GAM (formerly F&C Investments). Ms. Unanyants-Jackson received a diploma in Teaching English and German from the Tbilisi I. Chavchavadze State Institute of Western Languages and Cultures in Georgia, and a MA in Public Administration from the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs. She is also a co-chair of the Corporate Governance and Stewardship Council for The Conference Board.
PGIM
PGIM is the global asset management business of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a leading global investment manager with more than US$1.2 trillion in assets under management as of 31 Dec. 2022. With offices in 18 countries, PGIM’s businesses offer a range of investment solutions for retail and institutional investors around the world across a broad range of asset classes, including public fixed income, private fixed income, fundamental equity, quantitative equity, real estate and alternatives. For more information about PGIM, visit pgim.com.
Prudential Financial, Inc. (PFI) of the United States is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential plc, incorporated in the United Kingdom or with Prudential Assurance Company, a subsidiary of M&G plc, incorporated in the United Kingdom.
Simone Utermarck
Senior Director, Sustainable Finance, International Capital Market Association (ICMA)
Simone Utermarck is a Senior Director, Sustainable Finance at the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) based in London. She is part of the Secretariat that supports the Principles, Secretary to the Advisory Council and the Global Sustainable Finance Council (GSFC) and also the international voluntary Code of Conduct for ESG Ratings and Data Products Providers.
Simone’s other roles include(d) being a member of the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance, the UK Stakeholder Discussion Forum and the ASEAN Joint Sustainable Finance Working Group Industry Advisory Panel (IAP). She is a trained banker with international experience having lived and worked in Europe, the United States, Asia and the GCC. Her previous roles were with Thomson Reuters, S&P Global Ratings, Bloomberg, PwC, Ernst & Young, DaimlerChrysler Global Capital Services.
Simone holds a double degree in International Business from Dublin City University (DCU), Ireland and the ESB Business School, Reutlingen Germany. She also completed the International Certificate in Investor Relations and the CFA Level 1.
International Capital Market Association (ICMA)
ICMA promotes well-functioning cross-border capital markets, which are essential to fund sustainable economic growth. It is a not-for-profit membership association with offices in Zurich, London, Paris, Brussels, and Hong Kong, serving around 620 members in 67 jurisdictions globally. Its members include private and public sector issuers, banks and securities dealers, asset and fund managers, insurance companies, law firms, capital market infrastructure providers and central banks. ICMA provides industry-driven standards and recommendations, prioritising three core fixed income market areas: primary, secondary and repo and collateral, with cross-cutting themes of sustainable finance and FinTech and digitalisation. ICMA works with regulatory and governmental authorities, helping to ensure that financial regulation supports stable and efficient capital markets.
Elisa Vacherand
Deputy Practice Leader, Finance, WWF International
Elisa Vacherand is a sustainable finance expert with 20+ years experience, working with financial institutions, UN bodies and leading conservation organisations to finance a net-zero, nature positive world.
In her current role as Deputy Finance Practice Leader at WWF International she pilots the WWF Finance Practice strategy, advocating for a systemic change in the finance sector towards to incorporation of climate and nature-related risks and opportunities ("greening finance"), and developing new and fostering existing financial mechanisms to increase funding towards net zero and nature positive projects and businesses ("financing green").
Prior to joining WWF International, Elisa was a consultant at UNEP Finance Initiative, supporting banks and investors in their contribution to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She was the group global head of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risk management at BNP Paribas for 5 years, and worked for more than 10 years in various positions at Société Générale as a Credit Derivatives trader in New-York and Market risk manager in Paris.
She holds a MSc in Business and Computer engineering from Institut Mines-Télécom Business School and a MSc in Finance from Université Paris Dauphine.
Magali Van Coppenolle
Global Head of Policy, Climate Bonds Initiative
Magali Van Coppenolle is the Global Head of Policy at the Climate Bonds Initiative, an investors-focused international organisation working to mobilise global capital for climate action. She has a background in financial regulation and international economic policy. Magali previously worked for the Bank of England, where she, among others, led the Bank’s work on the climate negotiations for the UK 2021 Presidency of the G7 and the Bank’s EU engagement. She also worked as an advisor to the Central Bank of Somalia, and the Ministry of Finance, for several years, on projects financed by the Norwegian Government, the World Bank and DfID. Magali is an economist by training and holds a dual MPP/ MPA from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences and the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. She is a Board Member of the Belgian Royal Society of Political Economy.
Micha van den Boogerd
Director Responsible Investment Services, TAUW Group
Micha van den Boogerd is Director Responsible Investment Services of TAUW Group, a European environmental and sustainability consulting firm. Micha has over 20 years of experience in the environmental and sustainability consulting field with a focus on supporting clients in investment and business decisions making related to sustainability risks and opportunities. He has experience working in the US and various European countries assisting financial market participant and corporate clients in determining, managing and improving their impact.
Micha leads the development of TAUW’s responsible investment services group with over 40 experts across Europe.
TAUW
Starting in 1928 with five employees, TAUW can proudly say that today it is an employee-owned company with almost 1,400 staff. Headquartered in the Netherlands, we have offices in Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. Initiating change is deeply rooted in our DNA. We are committed to fostering a harmonious coexistence between nature and people. This ambition has driven us for nearly a century and will continue to steer us for generations to come.
At TAUW, we understand the strategic imperative of assessing risks, ensuring compliance, and shaping a responsive strategy in the face of challenges related to pollution, climate mitigation, climate adaptation, biodiversity, and circularity. We help identify, assess, and resolve these challenges, enabling our clients to create value by increasing their sustainability performance. Our commitment is to deliver tailored solutions that drive positive impact while maintaining financial strength, ensuring sustainability is both a strategic imperative and a driver of enduring growth.
Sylvain Vanston
Director of Climate Investment Research, MSCI
Sylvain Vanston is Executive Director, Climate & Biodiversity Investment Research at MSCI. He helps formulate a research agenda for MSCI’s climate and nature-related content and works with strategic clients on issues of climate risk reporting, risk management, portfolio management, climate metrics, biodiversity, etc. Sylvain represents MSCI on key organisations such as the TCFD, GFANZ, SBTi. He previously worked at the AXA Group as global head of Climate & Biodiversity, covering both investments and insurance underwriting policy development, as well as leading AXA’s work within the Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance, Net-Zero Insurance Alliance, TCFD and TNFD. His academic background is in International Relations (Sciences Po Paris, London School of Economics).
MSCI
MSCI ESG Research products and services are provided by MSCI ESG Research LLC, and are designed to provide in-depth research, ratings and analysis of environmental, social and governance-related business practices to companies worldwide. ESG ratings, data and analysis from MSCI ESG Research LLC. are also used in the construction of the MSCI ESG Indexes. MSCI ESG Research LLC is a Registered Investment Adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and a subsidiary of MSCI Inc.
Irina Velieva
Director, Sustainable Finance, S&P Global Ratings
Irina Velieva is a Director in the EMEA Sustainable Finance team, based in Stockholm. In her current role, she leads the team of analysts that provides second-party opinions on sustainable debt instruments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Prior to this role, Irina spent eleven years in the Financial Services practice at S&P Global Ratings, where she conducted creditworthiness analyses on banks and non-bank financial institutions. She was also a member of EMEA’s analytical oversight and consistency council for financial services at S&P.
Irina has a Masters degree in Finance from the Economic Faculty of Moscow State University (2006). For five years she was a visiting lecturer at Economic Faculty, covering financial markets and institutions.
S&P Global
S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) provides Essential Intelligence. We enable governments, businesses and individuals with the right data, expertise and connected technology so that they can make decisions with conviction. From helping our customers assess new investments to guiding them through sustainability and energy transition across supply chains, we unlock new opportunities, solve challenges and Accelerate Progress for the world.
We are widely sought after by many of the world’s leading organizations to provide credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help the world’s leading organizations plan for tomorrow, today. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com.
Paul Verney
Features Writer, Responsible Investor
Paul joined RI’s editorial team in 2017 and was recently promoted to features writer, taking deeper dives into the most topical issues in the responsible investment space. He has a particular interest in shareholder engagement, climate lobbying and the emerging corporate sustainability disclosure standards. Paul holds a MA degree in Philosophy from King’s College London.
Faith Ward
Chief Responsible Investment Officer, Brunel Pension Partnership
Faith is currently Chief Responsible Investment Officer for Brunel Pension Partnership and Chair of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC). These roles enable her to advocate for better appreciation of systemic risk as well as design solutions that embed such risks, like climate change, into the operations of finance and investment, an industry she has served for over 25 years.
Faith’s other roles include member of the Ethics Investment Advisory Group for the Church of England National Investing Bodies; member of Investor Advisory Group for ISSB (formerly SASBIAG); Member of the UK Green Taxonomy Advisory Group; and Climate Ambassador for the National Federation of Women's Institutes.
Faith is a founder and formerly its co-chair of the Transition Pathway Initiative and currently NED. She was also the chair of the Reporting and Assessment Advisory Committee for the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI).
Brunel Pension Partnership
Brunel Pension Partnership is one of eight UK Local Government Pension Scheme pools, bringing together £35 billion of investments of ten like-minded funds: Avon, Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, the Environment Agency, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Somerset and Wiltshire.
Our priority is to manage our fiduciary duties to our clients. Our partnership also made major commitments on Responsible Investment and Climate Change, in line with our shared values. In this way, we aim to help our clients provide not only for their members’ retirement, but for the world they will retire into. On this note, you may like to read our Annual Report & Financial Statements.
Brunel is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as a full-service MiFID firm.
Dominic Webb
Reporter, Responsible Investor
Dominic is a senior reporter for Responsible Investor, writing across a range of topics including fixed income, EU and UK regulatory issues, the US and investment stewardship. Since joining Responsible Investor in January 2021, he has won awards for his coverage of sustainability-linked bond markets and was named Willis Towers Watson's Sustainable Investment Journalist of the Year in 2022. He has a Master' Degree in Journalism from Goldsmiths College, University of London.
Responsible Investor
Responsible Investor is the single source for the latest thinking on sustainable finance for investors globally across all asset classes. With a dedicated team of award-winning journalists, Responsible Investor delivers news, market analysis, and data examining ESG and sustainability across financial markets. It provides readers with a clear understanding of how investors are incorporating ESG into their investment policies and processes.
Michael Wilkins
Professor of Practice, Executive Director, CCFI, Imperial College Business School
Michael is Executive Director and Professor of Practice at the Centre For Climate Finance And Investment at the Business School. Until recently he was a Senior Research Fellow for Sustainable Finance at S&P Global Ratings and a Visiting Lecturer in sustainable finance at Cambridge University Judge Business School.
Michael is a senior sustainable finance professional with 30 years experience in sustainable finance, corporate and infrastructure credit analysis, project finance, structured finance and carbon markets. He is a Certified Credit Analyst (S&P/NYU), holds an Executive MBA (Bayes Business School) and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Carbon Finance & Analytics (London Business School). He also holds a BA (Joint Hons) in Modern Languages from Bristol University.
From 2016-21 he was a member of the Taskforce for Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and remains on the GARP Sustainability & Climate Risk Certification Advisory Committee. He remains a member of the UK Centre for the Greening of Finance & Investment (CGFI) and Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment (CCRI). Michael has both executive management and non-executive board experience as well as a long record of public speaking, publishing and guest lecturing on sustainable finance, climate change, project finance and credit risk analysis. He is a recognised practitioner in business development and external communications. His specialities include corporate and project finance credit analysis, sustainable finance, carbon markets, structured finance, environmental and climate risk research, team management, budgeting, strategic planning, acquisition integration and product development.
Centre for Climate Finance & Investment, Imperial College Business School
The Centre for Climate Finance & Investment’s purpose is to unlock solutions within capital markets to address the challenges posed by global climate change. We execute interdisciplinary research combining intellectual rigour and industry relevance. Through collaboration between academics and practitioners, we are generating a new understanding of the risks and investment opportunities arising in this changing climate; through climate scenarios, nature based-solutions, renewable energy, and climate-resilient infrastructure.
Jamie Williamson
Executive Director, ICoCA
Jamie Williamson has been the Executive Director of ICoCA since 2017. An international practitioner, he offers over 25 years of experience with international organizations, including multi-stakeholder initiatives, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations and in academia. Jamie Williamson's areas of expertise include international law and relations, business & human rights, ESG and risk management, with a focus on geopolitical and international security trends, the role of private actors, public private partnerships and the impact of technology.
ICoCA
The International Code of Conduct Association (ICoCA) is an initiative dedicated to promoting and ensuring responsible, transparent, and accountable private security practices worldwide to reduce human rights risks along companies’ supply chain. Established in 2013 in response to concerns about the accountability and conduct of private security companies, ICoCA serves as a global mechanism to regulate the industry and foster a secure global environment where communities and individuals are respected and protected.
ICoCA oversees the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers (the ‘Code’), a comprehensive framework outlining principles for private security service providers. These principles cover considerations such as respect for human rights, compliance with international humanitarian law, and transparency in operations. By establishing a common set of standards, the Code aims to enhance accountability and mitigate potential risks associated with the activities of private security companies in various contexts, including conflict zones and areas affected by humanitarian crises. The Association’s role extends to capacity building, certification, advisory services, monitoring and complaint resolution in collaboration with our Member & Affiliate Companies.
Private security services are utilised by companies across all sectors to ensure the safety of people, activities and assets. Negative human rights impacts related to private security can affect business operational continuity, sustainability, long-term value creation and short-term share prices, thereby threatening investment returns. ICoCA seeks to share best practices and strategies for investors to actively promote responsible business conduct and human rights within their investment portfolios.
Amy Wilson
Head of Stewardship Team, Norges Bank Investment Management
Amy leads the stewardship team at NBIM with responsibility for the fund’s overall approach to stewardship, its corporate governance expectations of portfolio companies and the development of the fund’s voting guidelines. She also leads engagement with portfolio companies in the healthcare and consumer and telecommunications sectors. Previously, Amy led the European engagement team at EOS at Federated Hermes, a specialist stewardship team representing a global group of asset owners with combined assets of around 1.3tr USD. She was responsible for company and public policy engagement across the region and led EOS' global voting activity and policy development. She has a background in corporate affairs and sustainability at listed and private companies including, latterly, as group head of sustainability at Bupa. She holds a degree in Social and Political Sciences from the University of Cambridge.
Linda Zeilina-Cross
CEO, International Sustainable Finance Centre (ISFC)
Linda is the Founder & CEO of International Sustainable Finance Centre (ISFC), where she oversees its work on sustainability integration in financial institutions. Linda is a Member of the EIB’s Women Climate Leaders Network, an Obama Europe Leader and a member of EU‘s Platform on Sustainable Finance to advise on the usability of the EU Taxonomy and the wider sustainable finance framework. Linda is a Fellow at the RSA, a Member of the Agora Energiewende Council for Europe, and until recently, a non-executive director at a London-based start-up. Linda is an Advisory Board member at the Polish, Czech, and Romanian Sustainable Investment Associations. Linda works with the Florence School of Banking and Finance on climate-related supervision and debt instruments. Previously, Linda was a Director at Re-Define, a boutique consultancy advising financial institutions on climate finance and sustainability integration. Linda is an alumna of the University of Glasgow, McGill University, and the London School of Economics.
Aleksandra Palinska
Executive Director, Eurosif
Aleksandra Palinska is the Executive Director of Eurosif, the European Sustainable Investment Forum, the leading pan European Sustainable and Responsible Investment association advocating for a more sustainable financial system. It works as a partnership of European national Sustainable Investment Forums (SIFs).
She is a seasoned professional with nearly fifteen years of experience in EU public policy and regulation. Her expertise covers sustainable finance, financial markets regulation, company law and corporate governance. Since 2019 her focus has been on driving sustainability through financial markets.
Prior to joining Eurosif, she worked for various Brussels-based organisations including Finance Watch – a Brussels-based NGO and expertise centre with a mission to make finance serve society – EFAMA, EuropeanIssuers and BetterFinance, which represent the interests of asset managers, publicly-listed companies and individual investors, respectively.
With an in-depth understanding of how capital markets work, Aleksandra masters the challenges and expectations of the buy and sell side. Having led sustainable finance regulatory workstreams at Finance Watch and EFAMA, she became an expert in that field.
Until December 2023, Aleksandra served a member of the EFRAG’s Sustainability Reporting Board (SRB), helping shape the European Sustainability Reporting Standards. She first joined the EFRAG SRB in March 2022 on behalf of Finance Watch. As of mid-November 2022, Aleksandra, on behalf of Eurosif, is representing the users of sustainability-related information.
Between January 2021 and September 2022, Aleksandra acted as a sherpa on the European Commission’s Platform on Sustainable Finance, where she contributed to the development of the recommendations for a social taxonomy, minimum social and governance safeguards that taxonomy-aligned investments must meet, and the taxonomy-related disclosures.
Forbes Women Polska recognised Aleksandra for her work and achievements by featuring her among “23 women to follow in 2023”. She was also listed among 21 women Champions for Change by Reuters Events ESG Investment.
Aleksandra holds a master’s degree in management from the university of economics and a post-graduate diploma in European studies.
Jakob Thomä
Co-Founder & Research Director at Theia Finance Labs
Jakob Thomae is one of the leading global experts on sustainable finance and long-term risks. He co-founded the 2° Investing Initiative network in New York and Berlin and serves as Executive Director of 2° Investing Initiative Deutschland.
Jakob led the development of the first methodology in the world to measure the alignment of financial portfolios with climate goals (PACTA). PACTA remains the most widely used alignment methodology in the world, endorsed by a number of governments and financial supervisors to track financial sector alignment. Over 1,000 organizations have used PACTA to conduct portfolio tests to date.
In 2020, Jakob launched the 1in1000 research programme designed to integrate complex and long-term risks into financial supervision and decision-making. As part of the programme, Jakob authored the first COVID-19 stress-test scenarios, informing the regulatory response of supervisors in Europe and the United States to the crisis. His work has also informed the climate stress-test scenario design of major central banks and financial supervisors.
Jakob is Special Research Fellow to the Japanese Financial Services Agency, and previously served as Academic Advisor to the Bank of England and EIOPA. He holds a PhD in Finance from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers. Jakob is also Senior Fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, where he teaches a Green Finance course.