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.

Emmanuelle Assouan has been the Director General for Financial Stability and Operations – Banque de France – since January 2023. She also chairs the Banque de France Center for Climate and Nature. She was previously delegated Director General in charge of Financial Stability within the Banque de France and the Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution. Her areas of responsibility also covered activities related to prudential regulation of credit institutions and insurers. Prior to financial stability, she held several positions in relation to payments and market infrastructures, but also management of foreign exchange reserves of Banque de France and implementation of monetary policy. Emmanuelle Assouan joined the Banque de France in 1997. She is a graduate from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris.

Maria Netto is the Executive Director of the Institute for Climate and Society. She worked at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) as a Principal Specialist in Capital Markets and Financial Institutions, and at the New Development Bank (NDB) as Head of the Division of Financial Institutions and Markets. In both organizations, she was responsible for supervising programs of Innovative Financing Strategies with local financial institutions and capital markets to promote the financial inclusion and investments of the private sector in low carbon projects and resilience in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean, including in sectors of land use, low carbon agriculture, renewable energy and energy efficiency, resilient and sustainable infrastructure and urban mobility, among others. Maria Netto also worked previously at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), where she was responsible for supervising global projects to support the capacity building of countries and civil society to assess investments and financial flows and policy options to integrate green business in different sectors and economic activities. Finally, Maria Netto worked for more than 10 years at the secretariat of the Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), where, among others, she was responsible for leading the work of the institution in bilateral and multilateral financial cooperation, for the evaluation and monitoring of investments and financial flows to address climate change and the development of carbon market mechanisms under the Kyoto protocol. She has a master’s degree in economics from the Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva.

Sylvie Goulard is a French Politician and civil servant. She has held various roles, notably, political adviser, MEP and minister of the armed forces.

In her previous role as deputy governor of the Banque de France (2018-2022), her portfolio included international issues, research, and climate-related financial stability, including the Network of Greening the Financial System (NGFS). She is a member of One Planet Lab (President Macron’s multi stakeholder global initiative dealing with climate and biodiversity).

Humberto Delgado Rosa is the Director for Biodiversity, DG Environment, European Commission. Previously he was Director for Mainstreaming Adaptation and Low Carbon Technology in DG Climate Action. He is experienced in European and international environmental policy, particularly in biodiversity and climate change issues. He served as Secretary of State for the Environment of the Portuguese Government from March 2005 to June 2011. Between 1995 and 2002 he was an advisor for environmental matters to the Prime-Minister of Portugal. He holds a PhD in Evolutionary Biology.

Alice Sireyjol, Amundi – Deputy Head of Responsible Investment Development Alice is Amundi’s Deputy Head of Responsible Investment development. She supports the development of responsible investment strategies, as well as the implementation of ESG into the firm’s processes and frameworks. Prior to joining Amundi, Alice was a senior manager in the consulting firm EY in Paris. As a sustainability specialist, she advised companies from various sectors to decrease their environmental impact, rethink their supply chain and transform their business model to drive superior resilience and innovation. Before EY, Alice worked during 6 years in London. She was a manager in the sustainable development team of PwC where she led natural capital impact measurement projects. Before that, Alice was a research analyst at Trucost, the leading ESG data and intelligence firm. Alice is an agro-economist and holds a specialised master from HEC Paris.

Arthur Campredon is Director of Footprint Measurement at CDC Biodiversité and is a member of its Executive Committee. He is charge of developing and deploying quantitative solutions to assess biodiversity isks, impacts and dependencies. Before joining CDC Biodiversité, Arthur was Deputy Head of the Sustainable Finance Office at the French Treasury (French Ministry of Finance). He had the opportunity to play an active role in establishing a regulatory framework designed to encourage the alignment of financial flows with climate, biodiversity and environmental objectives (Taxonomy, CSRD, SFDR, Article 29 LEC, EU GBS, etc.). During his time at the Ministry of Finance, he also took part in the COP 15 biodiversity conference held in Montreal in December 2022 as European negotiator for targets 14, 15 and 16. At the same time, he was seconded to the TNFD to help build the reporting and disclosure framework for biodiversity risks, impacts and dependencies.

Carlos Rittl serves as Director of Public Policy for Forests and Climate Change at WCS. Carlos holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration and PhD in Biological Sciences For most of his career, he led the climate agenda of major civil society organizations in Brazil, having served as Executive Secretary of the Brazilian Climate Observatory, as head of WWF Brazil’s Climate and Energy Program, and of Greenpeace Brazil’s climate campaign, all with a strong focus on public policies and multilateral processes. He has been living in Germany for the last 4 years. having been a senior fellow at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Potsdam and an international policy advisor to the Rainforest Foundation Norway. Carlos is a board member of three organizations (Uma Gota no Oceano, Amigos da Terra – Amazônia Brasileira and Latin American Climate Lawyers Initiative for Mobilizing Action), a founding member of two others (Centro Brasil no Clima and Laboratório Observatório do Clima).

Dr Caroline van Leenders has a PhD in Environmental Studies and works on greening the financial sector at the Netherlands Enterprise Agency and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature. For more than thirty years Caroline has successfully engaged in transformational change in the field of sustainable energy, plant-based food and biodiversity. In recent years her focus has been on accelerating the transition towards a biodiversity-inclusive financial sector. Bringing people together is essential to change and Caroline has therefore formed various Communities of Practice where financial frontrunners learn from each other about how to implement biodiversity in decision-making and supported the forming of coalitions such as Partnership Biodiversity Accounting Financials and the Task force on Nature Financial Disclosures. In the run up to COP15 of the CBD she developed and moderated the Interface Dialogue Finance and Biodiversity (www.IDFB-dialogue.org) and is in the advisory board of the Birofin project (www.birofin.org). She also creates attention for the importance of halting biodiversity loss by writing books on transformational change, presenting and commissioning research. She published on financing nature Strategies-to-scale-up-payments-for-ecosystem-services-.pdf. In 2021 and 2022 Caroline was honored in the list Top 50 Women in Sustainable Finance Netherlands.

With over 20 years experience catalyzing positive change within private and public sectors, I seek to apply my talents to affecting long-term systemic change within the world; change that leads to stronger communities, stronger economies, and stronger natural environments.
An internationally recognised thought leader, I strive to take a pragmatic yet strategic approach when finding solutions, enabling organisations to deliver outstanding results at a global scale. With a focus on high performance, I thrive on applying my skills and talents across varied and complex ecosystems of stakeholders to deliver a more sustainable world.

Christopher Adamo is the Director of Sustainability & Social Advocacy and B Corp at Danone Global. He previously served as Vice President of Public Affairs & Regenerative Agriculture Policy at Danone North America. In his current role, Chris helps Danone develop policy and advocacy positions to mitigate the food sector’s climate impact. He also collaborates with Danone’s procurement teams to implement regenerative agriculture strategies with farming partners across the company’s supply chain. As part of its regenerative agriculture framework, Danone launched a global methane initiative aiming to reduce methane emissions by 30% from its fresh milk supply by 2030. Chris has nearly 20 years of experience addressing environmental and climate issues across the corporate food sector, non-profit advocacy, academia, and government. Before joining Danone, he spent over a decade in the U.S. federal government, leading strategies on agriculture, natural resources, and climate change. He served as Chief of Staff for the White House Council on Environmental Quality under President Barack Obama, co-leading natural resource strategies under the climate action plan. Additionally, he led the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, shaping domestic agriculture and environmental policies.

Claudia is the Head of Financial Sector Research at ShareAction, a non-profit working to ensure the financial system serves our planet and its people. ShareAction leads campaigns on climate, biodiversity and key social issues such as public health, publishes ground-breaking research and engages with financial institutions and policy makers. Claudia oversees the team responsible for ShareAction’s benchmark reports, which rank financial institutions such as asset managers and insurers on their approach to critical environmental and social issues. Her background is in environmental science, having moved into the NGO sector from academia. She previously managed conservation programmes at the Zoological Society of London, and she has provided technical expertise to biodiversity research in 39 different countries. Claudia has a PhD in Ecology from Oxford University.

Clément Chenost is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of The Shared Wood Company, a Nature Based Solutions project developer and operator. A French national dedicated to expanding impact investing in sustainable agriculture and forestry in developing countries, Clement has spent the last 15-Years bridging the gap between traditional private equity investors and sustainable agroforestry businesses in Africa and Latin-America. He is a former Sustainability Consultant at Ernst & Young and Business Development Director at ONF International (ONFI), the international branch of the French forest service. He co-founded and was CEO of the Moringa Fund, a pioneer investment vehicle dedicated to agroforestry businesses with high social & environmental impact in Latin America & Sub-Saharan Africa, part of Edmond de Rothschild Group. Clément studied Biology at the Ecole Normale Supérieure (MSc). He has an executive master in Natural Resource Management (Agro ParisTech) and a private equity certificate from the Wharton School.

Daniela Chiriac is the Research & Insights lead at UNEP’s Climate Finance Unit. She focuses on conducting market research and analysis on climate and nature finance, particularly focusing on innovative funds and facilities active in this space. Previously, Daniela was a Manager at Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) where she led the Secretariat for the ClimateShot Investor Coalition (CLIC), aiming to rapidly scale up the finance required to shift towards low-carbon and climate-resilient agriculture and food systems globally. At CPI, she also led the Sustainable Agriculture stream of the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance, a public-private initiative that accelerates innovative climate finance solutions. Daniela led research and analysis of global climate financial flows to agrifood systems, and on the levels of finance needed to ensure their transition to low-carbon and climate resilient pathways. Moreover, Daniela provided support to development finance institutions and multilateral development banks on investment vehicles for climate adaptation, on taxonomies and frameworks for tracking nature-related finance as well as on emerging practices, tools and frameworks to measure impact of nature finance. She also helped develop innovative blended finance mechanisms designed to generate climate mitigation and adaptation impacts through land restoration, climate smart agriculture and renewable energy. Daniela previously worked with International Development Enterprises (iDE UK) on projects focusing on market-based approaches to increase climate resilience of smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia. In her prior roles with consulting companies, she managed large international development projects. In 2022-2023, Daniela served on the U.S. Subcommittee on Systemic Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems launched by the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD) and USAID.

With over 15 years’ experience in NGO management and investments, David leads the cultivation of a robust network of corporate, philanthropic, investment partnerships at WeForest alongside marketing, communications, and organisational strategy. Based in Paris, David’s career has focused on cross-sector synergies between the public, private, and third sectors in the US and Europe. He holds an MBA in International Management from ESCP Business School and a Master of Public Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

David Carlin advises governments and executives on how to thrive in a changing and volatile future. He is a globally recognized thought-leader on sustainability, finance, and innovation. He is the CEO of D.A. Carlin and Company, which provides future-proof tools and skills to organizations around the world. He co-founded the Risk Centre at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which produces practical resources for the financial sector to manage environmental risks and capitalize on sustainable opportunities. David has been an advisor to the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), the UK’s Transition Finance Council, the Glasgow Financial Alliances for Net Zero (GFANZ), and the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI). A Forbes contributor and senior research associate at Cambridge, he teaches sustainability strategy at University College Dublin. David has spoken at numerous COPs and other international summits, and his work has appeared in the Financial Times and Time Magazine. He is the author of Accelerating Transition and The Customer is the Planet. Get his insights through his weekly newsletter, on his podcast, and on LinkedIn (165K+ followers)

Ed is the Nature Finance Lead at CreditNature. That means making nature restoration an investable proposition for the institutional investment community. He is also responsible for developing relationships with corporates using nature-based solutions to create resilience within their supply chains. Ed is a former Debt Capital Markets banker, having worked for Mizuho International and Banco Santander. Ed has an MBA in sustainability from the Rotterdam School of Management, where he developed his passion for natural capital.

Dr. Gareth Thomas MRSB, is a senior leader and innovator in environmental sciences, serving as Head of Research Innovation at the Natural History Museum, London. With a strong commercial background and extensive experience in strategic leadership, he drives the museum’s data-licensing initiatives, science commercialisation, and innovation-led partnerships. His work fosters an entrepreneurial culture, bridging the gap between scientific research, policy, and market-driven solutions. Gareth collaborates extensively with corporate, financial, and professional services sectors, shaping global policy and regulatory frameworks on biodiversity and sustainability. A recognised thought leader, he actively engages in international discussions on environmental challenges, influencing decision-makers across business, government, and academia. Beyond his role at NHM, Gareth is a Board Trustee for Chester Zoo, where he contributes to conservation strategy and financial sustainability. He is also a Knowledge Partner for the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits, helping to develop innovative funding mechanisms for nature-positive projects. A passionate advocate for biodiversity and climate action, he uses his platform to drive meaningful change at the intersection of science, policy, and business.

Heather Elgar is Lead for LandScale, an initiative co-led by the Rainforest Alliance and Conservation International to raise the standard for landscape-level MRV. Through its framework, platform and validation services, LandScale equips local and global landscape stakeholders to access and report reliable information about landscape management, resiliency and sustainability performance, enabling them to design and target interventions and transition plans to deliver greater impact at scale. Heather has over a decade’s experience working across policy advocacy, strategic partnerships and business to drive joined-up action for nature, climate and people across value chains and landscapes. She has a strong understanding of the policy levers and business case for corporate sustainability, corporate engagement in production landscapes, and nature finance. Heather’s background is in sustainable development, sustainable value chains and landscape ecology. Previous roles include Sustainability Manager at Clarks (focused on traceability, deforestation & conversion-free sourcing, and green claims), Corporate Policy Advocacy at the Woodland Trust (focused on nature positive, insetting and nature finance), leading the West of England Nature Partnership, and developing the ‘Reporting Exchange’ in partnership with WBCSD as an early map of the ESG landscape.

Having started his first climate change and biodiversity job in 1998, Ingmar is one of the pioneers of carbon finance and one of the most experienced experts in the field of applied climate economics and sustainable finance. He spent 2002-2017 in increasingly responsible positions within the OECD, the UN (FAO) and the EU Commission, and Ingmar is amongst the very few experts covering the entire range of climate policy and finance dossiers; from adaptation, to mitigation, finance and policy to the modelling of climate change impacts and the economics of climate change. In 2017, Ingmar took leave from the European Commission to focus on his sustainable finance research work, while starting to develop Climate & Company. Working initially part-time at DIW Berlin and Frankfurt School of Finance, he started dedicating 100% of his time to Climate & Company in March 2021. In 2024, Ingmar co-founded datura.io, the nature finance & data start-up. A champion of evidence-based decision making, Ingmar has kept his analytical edge throughout his career, publishing applied work about climate policy, finance and economics in areas spanning from land use, industry, the energy sector, and the financial markets. His unique mix of science, finance and policy skills have enabled him to play key (typically low-profile) roles in crucial policy processes at national, EU and the international level. Ingmar has been working as an observer with the German government‘s sustainable finance advisory committees from the beginning, has served as Sherpa (and “biodiversity lead”) in the EU sustainable finance platform and is a member of one of EFRAG’s expert working groups for drafting the European sustainability reporting standards.​Ingmar is member of the EU’s expert group on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), co-founded the Sustainable Finance Research Platform and is a member of the scientific advisory group of Germany’s #1 sustainable finance association (VFU). From 2018-2024, Ingmar served as board member and vice chair of the board of Germanwatch, Germany‘s leading NGOs in the field of international climate policy, corporate social responsibility, food security and sustainable finance.​

Jóhanna Hlín is a Sustainability Engineer (MSc) and Director of Climate and Impact management at Landsvirkjun, the national power company of Iceland. Her department oversees the company’s environmental impact and societal contributions, managing environmental strategies and community research across operations. For over four years, Jóhanna has led Landsvirkjun’s climate and environmental efforts, earning both national and international recognition for the company’s best practices in managing environmental and climate-related impacts. Jóhanna is also a board member of UN Global Compact Iceland, where she actively supports global sustainability initiatives. Driven by the belief that responsible, renewable energy generation is crucial to addressing today’s climate challenges, she is committed to doing her part in realizing a sustainable future.

Jon is the Chief Operations Officer for Emergent. Previously, Jon was a director at EY, where he conceived and set up a global non-profit unit that worked with leading impact entrepreneurs in the Global South. Earlier in his career, Jon worked for Accenture, The Prince’s Trust – a leading youth development NGO in the UK – and was an infantry officer in the British Army.

Karen Ellis is Chief Economist at WWF-UK, and a member of WWF’s Global Finance Practice Leadership Team, and oversees a cross-organisational programme of work focusing on how to transform the financial and economic system for sustainability. She represented WWF on the UK Government’s Transition Plan Taskforce, and on the Green Technical Advisory Group for the green taxonomy. She is an economist with over 25 years’ experience in the public and private sectors. Karen previously worked for the UK Government at HM Treasury, and at the Department for International Development, with a focus on international economics, private sector development, growth, investment, financial regulation and macroeconomic policy issues. Karen also worked at the Overseas Development Institute, where she led the Private Sector and Markets Programme, focusing on the role of business in achieving sustainable development. Karen started her career as a consultant for London Economics, advising on financial regulatory issues for private sector clients.

Katherine Foster has been spearheading initiatives at the intersection of technology, finance, nature, and climate for over 35 years. A former Canadian diplomat, she served as Climate Attaché to the USA, led public consultations for the NAFTA Environmental Agreement, and advanced initiatives for Kofi Annan’s Human Security Network. Katherine then undertook leadership roles at the EU’s Climate-KIC and served as Chief Intelligence Officer and Executive Director of the Green Digital Finance Alliance, including as Sherpa to the UN Secretary-General’s Task Force on Digital Financing of the SDGs. She has contributed to global initiatives, pilot programs, startup ecosystems, and publications advancing digital finance innovation. Most recently, Katherine served on the Supervisory Board of EIT Food—the world’s largest agri-food innovation initiative—before taking on her current role as Finance Innovation Lead and WEF Fellow, co-leading the Food Innovation Hub Europe.

Kristin Hughes is Global Head of Sustainability at Diageo. Kristin leads the global sustainability team on the delivery of Diageo’s overarching sustainability strategy, Grain to Glass, with a focus on decarbonisation, water, nature, and raw materials across the global value chain. Kristin has a law degree from American University, Washington College of Law and over twenty-five years’ experience working in businesses, governments and international organisations. She has driven complex global programmes in a number of industries, including the built environment, packaging and food and beverage. Prior to joining Diageo in 2023, Kristin spent five years at the World Economic Forum where she oversaw the organisation’s circular economy platform and was recognised as a senior leader, representing the Centre for Nature and Climate on the Forum’s Executive Committee. During her time with the Forum, Kristin was also involved in designing the Global Plastic Action Partnership which aims to address plastic pollution. So far, the partnership has supported over fifteen countries in their efforts to create a circular economy for plastics.

Libby Sandbrook is Director of Business & Nature at Fauna & Flora, the world’s oldest international conservation charity, working with partners in 46 countries. Libby leads Fauna & Flora’s work with the energy, mining and other sectors to transform business practices and achieve nature positive outcomes through their operations, supply chain and at a wider landscape level. Libby has over 25 years of experience of working within the private and NGO sectors on business and sustainability. She joined Fauna & Flora from King Charles’s Responsible Business Network where, as England Director, she worked with senior business leaders to find solutions to shared environmental challenges and led collaborative initiatives on climate change, nature recovery and the circular economy, and community engagement.

Luiz de Andrade Filho is a career diplomat since 2012, currently serving as the Head of the Climate and Environment Section at the Embassy of Brazil in Paris. Luiz acted as the Technical Coordinator for the G20 Task Force on a Global Mobilization Against Climate Change (TF-CLIMA). From 2016 to 2019, he was Brazil’s lead negotiator for Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, the IMO’s GHG Strategy, and ICAO’s CORSIA. Between 2019 and 2022, he served at the Embassy of Brazil in New Delhi, India. Luiz holds a Master of Philosophy degree in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge and a Bachelor’s in International Relations from the University of Brasília.

Marina Gavaldão is the founder of Ubá Sustainability Institute, a social company built over her 22 years experience with carbon projects, social development, climate change and resilient solutions. She is a brazilian forestry engineer from University of São Paulo, with a master on Sustainable Development from Geneva’s International Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. Marina has worked as independent consultant for different organizations like UNDP, FAO, and as technical director of organizations like GERES, Pur Projet and was the head of project development and portfolio from Ecoact. Her experiences cover all the continents and different angles and scopes of projects.

Martin has been working on sustainable finance topics for over ten years. He is currently programme manager in UNEP’s Climate Finance Unit and is managing the Restoration Seed Capital Facility, an innovative mechanism for accelerating private investment in sustainable land use and forest landscape restoration. Prior to his work with UNEP, Martin worked as research lead for the Natural Capital Finance Alliance’s ENCORE project. He has previously held positions in other international organisations, NGOs, and in private banking.

Maud Abdelli has worked for the French Central Bank for 12 years as a policy officer and specialist in financial regulations, mainly in financial regulation and supervision. She joined WWF to lead and coordinate the WWF initiative on greening financial Regulation and work on the integration of climate change and nature loss into financial regulations, prudential supervision, and monetary policy frameworks. Maud studied in Toulouse and Barcelona. She holds a Master’s in Business Law from University Toulouse Capitole, a Master’s in International Management from TBS-ESEC Business School, and Certificate of Advanced Studies in Sustainable Finance from the HEG Geneva.

Nathalie is the Senior Sovereign Advisor at the Finance for Biodiversity Foundation. Before joining the FfB, she was the Lead for financial markets at TNFD and a former senior executive at international banks, including Citi, JPMorgan Chase, and BNP Paribas. Nathalie brings decades of expertise in investment and corporate banking, sustainability, climate, and nature-related finance. Her work focuses on redirecting financial flows towards businesses and countries striving to live in harmony with nature; at FfB, Nathalie coordinates the Sovereign project.

Nick Oakes is co-founder of Impact Earth, a new organization 100% dedicated to impact investing and innovation at scale, and investment advisor to the Amazon Biodiversity Fund (ABF), a pioneering impact fund dedicated to investing in biodiversity and communities in the Legal Amazon of Brazil. He has fifteen years’ experience in carbon finance, impact investing, third sector and as an entrepreneur. He was previously an Investment Director at Mirova Natural Capital / Althelia Ecosphere, has lived and worked in Latin America and currently resides in London.

Phil heads up policy and communications for Emergent, the non-profit coordinator of the LEAF Coalition, focusing on carbon markets, nature based solutions and Article 6.

Puninda Thind is Finance Nature Lead with the UN Climate Champions Team focused on catalyzing and mobilizing finance sector action to address biodiversity loss and nature-related risks and opportunities. Puninda is deeply committed to building a sustainable, prosperous, equitable future. She has previously worked at the intersection of sustainable investing and climate resilience for 10+ years. She holds a Bachelors of Environment and Business (Honours) from the University of Waterloo and a MSc Sustainability, Enterprise, and Environment from the University of Oxford. She is also a member of the Global Shapers Community, an initiative of the World Economic Forum. Puninda has been recognized as one of Canada’s top 30 under 30 sustainability leaders, one of Canada’s top 25 under 25 environmentalists, and as a Clean50 honouree for her contribution to the advancement of climate action.

Dr Rachael Barza is an economist specialising in systemic resilience, including both human system resilience to climate change and nature and biodiversity decline, and natural system resilience to climate change and human activities. At the EBRD, Rachael leads the climate adaptation and nature finance team, which supports all of the Bank’s investments in ensuring alignment with the Paris Agreement for adaptation, develops new investment opportunities for nature finance and climate resilience, and provides policy dialog and investment strategies on those topics across all of the Bank’s sectors and geographies. She sits on the Impact Board for the European Commission-funded GoNaturePositive! Initiative, the steering group for the MSc in Sustainable Management and Finance at Bayes Business School, and the African Climate Foundation’s Steering Committee on Adaptation Investment. Before the EBRD, Rachael worked in consulting across energy, financial markets, climate change adaptation, and disaster response. She has a PhD in economics from Harvard University and a BA in economics and mathematics from Barnard College.

Director of Landscape Recovery for The Wildlife Trusts, driving the strategic development and delivery of large-scale landscape recovery; species reintroduction; land management; green finance initiatives for nature-based-solutions to absorb emissions, reduce risks such as flooding, underpin sustainable farming, as well as engaging people with wildlife. Previously regional director for Rewilding Europe and former CEO of Yorkshire, Hampshire & Isle of Wight and Sheffield Wildlife Trusts. Rob pioneered peatland restoration with the Scottish Wildlife Trust early in his career following on from his PhD on peatlands and climate change. He is a board member of the International Mires Conservation Group advocating for peatland conservation and research across the globe. At Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Rob set up the IUCN-UK Peatland Programme (hosting and chairing the programme for many years) as well as the Yorkshire Peat Partnership – one of the largest peat restoration schemes in Europe.

The Rt Hon Chris Skidmore OBE was a UK Member of Parliament from 2010 to 2024 and served in five UK government departments including as Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation. In 2019, he was appointed Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth during which time he signed the UK’s commitment to net zero by 2050 into law, and helped secure the UK Presidency of COP26. Since then, he has been at the forefront of developing net zero policy and strategy. In 2022-3 he chaired the Independent Review of Net Zero, commissioned by the UK Government.

As the Rainforest Alliance’s chief executive officer, Santiago Gowland oversees the organization’s strategic, programmatic, financial, and operational leadership. Gowland has dedicated his career to driving organizational innovation and sustainability strategies. Prior to joining the Rainforest Alliance, Gowland served as the executive vice president for Latin America and global innovation for The Nature Conservancy (TNC). In his role as managing director for the region, he led the Latin American Conservation Council, an unprecedented group of leaders working with TNC to identify solutions to help tackle Latin America’s greatest environmental challenges, including water security, sustainable food production, and smart infrastructure. Before joining TNC, Gowland led the development of sustainable business innovations for some of the world’s leading brands, including Unilever, Nike, Inc., and The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc. Gowland holds a degree in law and political science from Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina (UCA) and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University in Phoenix, Arizona. He currently resides with his family in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Thomas is an experienced professional with deep expertise in environmental economics, finance, and policy making. He has worked for the Bank of England, HM Treasury, the Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), and Aviva. Thomas is currently Nature Strategy Lead at Aviva. He leads the setting of Aviva’s nature ambition, and oversees the prioritisation, development, and implementation of activities across investment, insurance, and operations areas of the business to deliver on such ambition. Thomas is also currently an independent member of both the UK’s Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) College of Experts, and UK Statistics Authority National Statistician’s Committee for Advice on Standards for Economic Statistics (NSCASE). Thomas was previously Head of Capacity Building and Regulatory Engagement for the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). Prior to joining TNFD, he worked at the Bank of England, where he developed and led the Bank’s initial approach and strategy to nature-related financial risks, and co-authored a range of NGFS and UN SIF foundational publications related to nature-related financial risk. Thomas was also previously an Economic Advisor of the UK government’s The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review.

Mark Barton is an international business journalist, event host and moderator. Mark anchored all of Bloomberg Television’s prime-time programs over a 23-year career, breaking and analysing the biggest global business, economic and political events of the past two decades, including six U.K. general elections, six U.S. elections, the global financial crisis and Brexit. He also conducted over 20,000 interviews with world leaders, finance ministers, central bankers and chief executives. Mark now chairs conferences across the world, moderates panels on business, politics, sustainability & sport, and conducts one-on-one interviews. He’s also co-founder of a business helping to raise the media profile of companies & executives.