The UBS Nature Finance Conference

Helen Avery is a Director of Nature Programmes within the Green Finance Institute and focuses on unlocking private sector investment into nature-based solutions and nature restoration. 

Helen leads the team that oversees the GFI’s work on supporting the UK Government’s investment readiness funds, as well as the UK’s National Consultation Group for the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures. The team also oversees an international nature investment programme with UNEP FI and UNDP Biofin. 

Michael Bennett is the head of market solutions and structured finance in the Treasury Department of the World Bank. He has spent more than 20 years with the World Bank and has worked in both the World Bank’s Paris office and its Washington DC headquarters. Among other areas, he is responsible for the World Bank's capital markets work related to new structured instruments and catastrophe risk financing. He has led the World Bank’s execution of several landmark structured bond transactions, including the World Bank’s first catastrophe bond, first pandemic bond, and first bonds linked to wildlife conservation, plastic recycling, water purification and reforestation projects. Prior to joining the World Bank, he worked for two international investment banks in Tokyo and Hong Kong. He is a graduate of Columbia University School of Law.

Judson Berkey is a Managing Director in the Chief Sustainability Office at UBS based in Zurich where he has worked since 2003 on global risk, regulatory and compliance topics. He currently focuses on sustainable finance policy and regulation including engagement with policymakers and standard setters. He also leads UBS work on nature. He graduated from Harvard Law School and the University of Virginia and is on the board of ECOFACT. He currently chairs the Institute of International Finance Sustainable Finance Working Group and is a member of the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures and Capitals Coalition Advisory Board.

Owen is currently developing Nestlé's global sustainability co-financing strategy and is supporting its key business units in identifying projects and collaboration opportunities with external financing institutions. This includes developing new financing vehicles that support the roll out of regenerative agriculture techniques and technologies. Co-financing efforts will play a key role in enabling Nestlé to achieve its goal of reducing absolute Scope 1,2 & 3 emissions by 50% by 2030. Prior to this role, Owen headed Nestlé's global climate and nature advocacy efforts, including engaging in multi-lateral processes and building stakeholder relationships with civil society, investors and policy makers around the world. Prior to joining Nestlé in 2015, Owen worked in public affairs consultancy for the pharma and food industries focused on the UK and EU.

Emma Howard Boyd has had a distinguished career focused on environmental issues and sustainable finance. She served as Chair of the Environment Agency for England from 2016 to 2022 and was an ex officio board member of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs during the same period. Appointed by the Mayor of London, Emma chaired the London Climate Resilience Review, publishing a full set of recommendations in July 2024 to help the city's prepare for the increasing impacts of climate change such as extreme heat and flooding.

Currently, Emma chairs ClientEarth's Group Board and ClimateArc, and is a co-Chair of Climate Resilience for All. She is a member of the Supervisory Board of the European Climate Foundation and a Visiting Professor in Practice, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Esben leads the business development team for the BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group (TIG), one of the world's largest and oldest timberland managers with US$ 6.4 billion assets and commitments and ~3 million acres under management throughout the U.S. and Latin America (as of December 2023). Esben is responsible for cultivating and maintaining relationships with potential clients, identifying new business opportunities, and expanding the organization's market presence. With more than 20 years of experience in global timberland investment, Esben previously helped manage a ~€3B AUM natural resource portfolio for a large European public pension fund, and led African and Asian advisory services for a global timberland advisory firm. Esben started his investing career in 2008 managing the world’s first global frontier timberland fund. Within the fund team, Esben was responsible for the origination and acquisition of African investments and was later responsible for investments in Latin America. Esben holds a B.Sc. and a M.Sc. in Forestry from University of Copenhagen, as well as an interdisciplinary diploma in Tropical Land Use Management. Esben is a frequent speaker on the challenging nature of responsible timberland investments in frontier and emerging markets.

David has worked in the pension and financial services industry for over 35 years and has both UK and international experience. As well as being Senior Director and Training Lead at Pensions For Purpose, David is an accredited professional pension Trustee with a small number of Trustee appointments including the Smart Pension Master Trust.

David has a particular interest in ESG and climate change, and holds the CFA certificates in ESG Investing and Impact Investing as well as being a Fellow of the Pensions Management Institute.

Craig is an Associate Partner the UK Head of Responsible Investment (RI) at Aon, overseeing the development and delivery of the RI proposition. As well as leading a team of c.20 RI specialist consultants, Craig leads on the delivery of market-leading RI advice and discussions across clients directly, including some of the investment practice’s largest accounts. 

He is actively involved in representing Aon across several collaborative industry-wide sustainability groups and serves on the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries’ Sustainability Research and Thought Leadership Subcommittee, and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership’s Investment Leaders Group. 

Keen to share his own experiences from his mixed-race heritage, Craig is a proud and active member of Aon’s Multicultural Network Committee and Aon’s Retirement and Investment Inclusion Group. He also mentors and coaches other Aon colleagues as well as external mentees through the Moving Ahead “Mission Include” program.

Dave is co-founder and CEO of Equilibrium Capital Group which was founded nearly 18 years ago with the mission to build an institutional asset manager focused on sustainable infrastructure investment strategies that could make a positive impact on our climate challenges. Equilibrium invests in sustainable food & agriculture and carbon transition infrastructure. With offices in San Francisco, Portland, and London, the firm serves a global group of institutional investors.

Dave started his career at Solectron and at McKinsey. He served as Chairman of the Portland Oregon Branch of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank 2005-2012. He was a general partner of OVP Venture Partners and a co-founder of GeoTrust (acquired by VeriSign).  He was a board member of HNCS (NASDAQ) 1999-2002, the pioneer in applying neural net technology to deliver application software for real time credit card fraud detection for the banking sector and in healthcare insurance fraud detection, later merged with FICO (NASDAQ:HNCS, now NYSE:FIC). For the past 15 years, he has also been an Adjunct Professor of Finance at the Kellogg School Management at Northwestern University and Director of the Kellogg Impact Investing Program. 

Christine has 25+ years’ experience in investment management, research & consulting, with a focus on technology, governance and sustainability. Before joining Tracker Group, she was a Managing Director at UBS Asset Management. She is the Board Chair of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN), an organization led by investors responsible for assets under management of around $US 90 trillion from over 40 countries and territories. She is an appointed adviser to the Accounting and Financial Reporting Council (AFRC) Hong Kong and the Convenor of the AFRC Sustainability and Climate Action Task Force (SCATF). She is an Emeritus Governor of the London School of Economics (LSE) and was a member in the Data Governance Task Force of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Artificial Intelligence.In 2019, She was named top 30 Inspirational Women in the City of London.  In 2020, She won the Finance Monthly Women in Finance Award as the Investment Management Leader of the Year (Asia). In 2022, she won the Sustainable and ESG Investment Woman of the Year Women in Investment Award (large firms) of InvestmentWeek. Her PhD thesis on responsible investment was short-listed for a United Nations award in Sweden for industry relevance and academic excellence.

Thibault is Co-Head of the Infrastructure Equity Europe team, a business which forms part of Global Real Assets (GRA) within UBS Asset Management.

Based in London, Thibault is responsible for originating, executing and managing direct investments in infrastructure, as well as responsibilities in fund raising, in Europe. He is also a member of the UBS AM Global Investment Committee of Infrastructure Equity. 

Based in London, Thibault is responsible for originating, executing and managing direct investments in infrastructure, as well as responsibilities in fund raising, in Europe. He is also a member of the UBS AM Global Investment Committee of Infrastructure Equity. 

Thibault is a Director at the Board of Altitude Infra THD (the leading fiber FTTH developer and operator in France) and a Director at the Board of Datum Datacentres (a colocation data center platform in the UK).

Prior joining UBS Asset Management in August 2017, Thibault worked for Morgan Stanley, Nomura and Rothschild in Merger and Aquisition advisory roles.

Paul Donovan is Chief Economist of UBS Global Wealth Management. He joined UBS back in 1992 as an intern economist working in the investment bank. As Chief Economist he sits on the House View Investment Forum, and is a UBS Opinion Leader and a member of UBS Pride and the UBS Art Board. Paul has been actively involved in the UBS Nobel Perspectives program and is a supporter of the UBS Women in Economics program.

Paul has an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford university and an MSc in Financial Economics from the University of London. He is an Honorary Fellow of St Anne’s College, Oxford (sitting on their investment committee and development board) and is a Fellow of the Royal Economic Society. He is a member of the research advisory board of Open for Business, was a commissioner on the Institute of Directors’ diversity commission, and sits as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Chief Economists’ Community and Global Future Council on growth.

Rodrigo is the Head of Systematic Strategies in the Systematic and Index Investments team. He focuses on developing and managing rules-based solutions, particularly UBS-AM’s Climate Aware strategies. He is based in London.

Prior to joining UBS Asset Management in 2016, he held a number of positions as researcher and portfolio manager at Citi, Tower Research Capital and Barings Asset Management where he developed and implemented systematic long/short and long-only trading strategies.

Before the financial industry, he worked as a researcher for University of Cambridge and for the Ministry of Finance of Bolivia. He has various academic publications in statistics and finance. 

Lisa joined MSCI in 2023 to lead the geospatial, physical risk and nature solutions. She oversees product development and roadmaps, and collaborates with research to drive thought leadership and engagement with peers, clients, and other organizations.

Lisa has focused her studies and career on facilitating the interactions between environmental science, policy-making and finance - focusing on the transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future. She has over 18 years of expertise in biodiversity, climate change (adaptation and mitigation), and disaster risk/resilience.

Before MSCI, Lisa was Managing Director and co-founder of Ortec Finance’s Climate & ESG Solutions, where she integrated climate risk and opportunities into investment models. She also spent over a decade as a consultant on climate adaptation and biodiversity policy for European institutions, national governments, and international organizations, contributing, for example, to the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy and Green Infrastructure Strategy.

Lisa holds a Master of Science in Environmental Management and a Master of Arts in Global Public Policy from Duke University, USA.

Tracy has 20 years of experience developing, leading and overseeing global conservation and sustainable development initiatives related to ecosystem services, protected areas, biodiversity conservation, and conservation finance. She has a PhD from Virginia Tech in Forestry. 

In 16 years of work for Conservation International (CI), Tracy designed and oversaw numerous projects related to freshwater ecosystem services programs and conservation fundraising strategies in the Asia-Pacific region. She created and led a team tasked with enhancing project design and delivery excellence across a portfolio of the highest dollar and most complex public and private sector projects valued at over USD 500 million. In her current role at IUCN, she oversees implementation of IUCN’s program of work engaging nearly 200 members across the United States and Canada; and as CEO of IUCN-US, she helps mobilize resources in support of IUCN’s global conservation initiatives.

Laura leads the Nature Positive Transitions initiative as part of the World Economic Forum Nature Action Agenda. She works with business leaders and financial institutions to develop pathways for nature action and accelerate the transition toward a nature-positive economy. Previously, she was a Climate & Sustainability Project Leader at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where she worked with corporates and financial institutions on climate and nature strategies, including target-setting, implementation, and new green business models. 

Laura holds an MSc in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics, a Master's in International Public Management from Sciences Po Paris, and a BA in Political Science from Columbia University. She is Australian-American and has lived and worked in Switzerland, the UK, France, the US, Brazil, and Southeast Asia.

Berit is a Client Portfolio Manager within Robeco’s Thematic Investing team with more than 15 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Robeco in 2020, Berit headed the Product Specialist team at Credit Suisse Insurance Linked Strategies Ltd, a Zurich-based alternative investment management boutique within Credit Suisse. Berit originally joined Credit Suisse in 2008 in the Single Manager Hedge Funds department. Prior to that, she held internship positions with Morgan Stanley in Frankfurt and WestLB in London. Berit holds a Master in International Banking and Finance from the Bayes Business School, UK (formerly Cass) and is a CAIA charterholder.

Romie Goedicke den Hertog co-leads the nature theme at the UNEP Finance Initiative. With over 20 years of expertise at the nexus of nature and finance, she specializes in managing nature-related risks and disclosures and catalysing environmental finance for the conservation and restoration of biodiversity. She manages a team of nearly 30 experts to champion the integration of nature and finance. In her role, she directly oversees efforts regarding nature-related risk and actively engages with the nature finance community to drive cross-program initiatives to align portfolio targets and amplify nature-positive financial flows.

With nearly 20 years' experience working in impact and philanthropy, Tom leads the UBS Social Impact team of over 150 professionals across the globe to help clients and UBS employees to maximize their impact locally and globally. Tom has personally advised over 2,500 clients and their families during his time at UBS and is passionate about finding ways to catalyze scalable solutions to the pressing social and environmental problems the world is facing. A regular speaker at conferences globally, Tom believes that through partnerships we can build an impact economy that values people and planet in all investment decisions and builds a world that is profitable for all. ​

In July 2024, Tom was additionally appointed CEO of the UBS Optimus Foundation network, an independent foundation that offers UBS clients a platform to use their wealth to drive positive change. The Foundation selects programs that improve children’s health and education, which have the potential to be transformative, scalable, and sustainable as well as programs tackling environmental and climate issues.​

Prior to joining UBS in 2013, Tom spent his career in the non-profit sector. As Director of Philanthropy and Social Investment at the Disability Charity Scope, he pioneered the use of social investment structures, including the Scope Bond which was the first listed bond issued by an operational charity in the UK. Tom also worked with the cabinet office on the development of the new Social Investment Tax Relief. ​

Earlier in his career, Tom was the first UK employee of the Microloan Foundation securing the investment for the charity to expand into sustainable microfinance, with over 50,000 customers in Malawi. ​

Tom is a father of four children, a keen runner and has a Politics degree from Exeter University as well as professional qualifications in marketing (CIM), fundraising management, financial planning and is a Green and Sustainable Finance professional. Tom is also proud to be #madebydyslexia and to be an advocate for personalized education to help every child achieve their full potential.​

Jai Jacob serves as Managing Director and Director of Investment Strategy for Rockefeller Asset Management. He is a member of the firm’s Management Committee.

In his role, Jai helps lead Rockefeller Asset Management’s growing equities solutions, focusing on combining quantitative techniques with fundamental research to support the investment process, generate differentiated alpha signals, and manage risk. He also acts as co-portfolio manager on select strategies and collaborates with institutional investors to develop equity strategies that meet the increasingly customized needs of our clients.

Prior to joining Rockefeller, Jai worked for nearly three decades at Lazard Asset Management in a variety of roles encompassing executive leadership, portfolio management, software development, and risk management. Most recently, Jai was a member of Lazard Asset Management’s executive leadership team as Chair of the Quantitative, Multi-Asset, and Alternatives Investment Group. He also served as Co-Head of Dynamic Portfolio Solutions and Lead Portfolio Manager for several equity and multi-asset strategies. He holds an undergraduate degree from Cornell University.

Sam leads GIST Impact’s corporate business, working with some of the world’s largest companies across geographies and industries to drive their sustainability programs using GIST’s market-leading data and software. GIST Impact’s corporate clients include Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Orsted, and Itausa; as well as leading partners  in technology and consulting like Novisto, Benchmark Gensuite, KPMG, and Deloitte. Sam helps clients to deeply embed sustainability data and intelligence into business decision making  and reporting – covering regulatory preparations, transition planning, impact valuation and analysis.

As the freshwater lead at UNEP FI, Cate is responsible for defining and delivering a program of work that enables UNEP FI’s Members to understand and respond meaningfully to the global water crisis.

Prior to joining UNEP FI, Cate led CDP’s water, ocean and plastics programs for 12 years, positioning CDP as the gold standard of corporate action and spearheading water-related transparency and associated due diligence throughout private finance. She led multimillion pound, multi-partner innovation projects and acted as founder and co-chair of a number of globally significant initiatives including The Blue Bond Accelerator, the UNFCCCC’s High Level Climate Champions, the Science Based Target Network Council and the Fair Water Footprints Coalition. In 2023, she was nominated as one of Thompson Reuters Trailblazing Women working on Climate.

Hiba Larsson is an investment partner at Naia Trust, which directs capital toward regenerative initiatives that restore balance between human and ecological systems. Naia Trust invests in efforts that strengthen biodiversity and regenerative systems, advance scientific discovery, and evolve governance models - ensuring capital flows toward solutions that enable all beings to thrive. With expertise at the intersection of nature, entrepreneurship, and finance, Hiba plays a key role in advancing regenerative and biocentric initiatives. She also serves as an advisor, including to the Climate Collective, supporting the acceleration of early-stage climate and nature-tech innovations.

Becky is an Investment Manager for the Environment Agency Pension Fund (EAPF). She has a background in scientific research at the Environment Agency and joined the EAPF permanently in September 2021 after doing a year’s secondment to develop their Climate Change and Net Zero policy. EAPF has a long track record in responsible investment, and Becky is keen to ensure that this continues by incorporating scientific evidence into investment processes. Becky has a focus on climate and nature and is working to further enhance EAPF's Natural Capital investments.

James Leaton is Research Director at the SDI AOP, responsible for methodology and product development focused on sustainable investment and measuring outcomes. He joined us from Moody’s, where he was a Senior Vice President in the credit rating agency’s global environmental, social and governance (ESG) team. At Moody’s, James was the architect of carbon transition analysis of companies across high impact sectors, before leading broader ESG research and outreach efforts in EMEA.

James was previously Research Director at Carbon Tracker – an independent research house - where he led a team producing thematic energy research combining elements of climate change scenarios with financial analysis. James was lead author of a series of research which sparked investor interest in the concept of stranded assets, and led to a number of investor initiatives on carbon asset risk.

James also advised blue-chip clients on climate change and sustainability strategy whilst a consultant at PwC, and was a senior policy advisor at WWF, focusing on the development and biodiversity impacts of extractive industries. James holds a Masters degree in Environmental Technology from Imperial College, University of London.

Jana Lessenich is Vice President, Sustainable Finance for Conservation International, focused on financial structuring for nature. Over the last 25+ years she has worked with development banks, impact investors, start ups, NGOs and consultancies, creating unusual partnerships across the capital spectrum, raising and structuring capital, investing in emerging markets, and leading and building teams. Her roles have included CFO of an African agtech start-up, member of investment committees of blended finance funds, and investment management at a development bank. Jana is a CFA charterholder.

Katharina is Head of Sustainability Strategy at Nest.  She joined Nest in 2019 and previously worked at Railpen and Standard Life Investments (now Aberdeen). She holds an MA in Philosophy and Economics from the University of Edinburgh, and an MSc in Economics and Policy of Energy and the Environment from UCL. Katharina is also a CFA charterholder.

Matt has 10+ years of experience in investment stewardship, risk consulting, and sustainability strategy. He currently leads stewardship at Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation endowment. Guy's endowment is one of the UK's largest and has a dual mandate of CPI+4% long-term financial returns and mission alignment. Matt has particular experience engaging consumer goods companies and is Chair of the Investor Coalition on Food Policy, which engages with policymakers on risks and opportunities facing the food sector.

Char Love is a fiercely determined optimist.  She is Natura’s Chief International Advocacy Officer.  Her role involves  building, implementing and evolving a strategy focussed on where to take a stand in this moment that matters and how to join forces with others to engage in structural and culture change. 

Her areas of focus include working with global partners to accelerate the transition to a regenerative economy, encouraging the adoption of tools to measure and manage externalities and championing justice and inclusion. She is a member of the TNFD (Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures), a Founding Working Group Member of the TISFD (Taskforce for Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures) and an Advisory Board member at Social Capital Partners. 

Prior to joining Natura and Natura &Co, Char was Co-Founder, Chair and Activist in Residence at B Lab UK and Co-Founder of Volans. Char is currently an Executive in Residence at Oxford’s Said Business School where she designs and teaches MBA and Executive MBA courses on topics such as Circular Economy, Systempreneurship, and Regenerative Business.

Marilia dos Reis Martins is a Senior Director at Conservation International’s Nature Finance division, where she leads the organization’s carbon finance work across the Americas.

Previously, she was a Managing Director at CrossBoundary, where she co-led the Natural Capital Advisory practice and helped launch the Fund for Nature — an investment platform providing project finance for nature-based carbon projects in emerging markets. Prior to that, she was a Director at Lion’s Head Global Partners, advising on the design and deployment of innovative investment vehicles, with a focus on climate and blended finance.

Marilia holds an MPhil from the University of Cambridge and an MRes from the London School of Economics.

Matthew is a Managing Partner at Posaidon Capital with 19 years of environmental finance experience converging institutional and private financial capital with investments delivering positive climate, nature and biodiversity impact. Previously at Credit Suisse, he has advised and structured nature focused investments across 27 countries in Africa, Europe and Latin America. At Posaidon he leads their family office landscape conservation and carbon venture, working on avoidance and removals projects across a private portfolio extending over 1.5 million hectares of natural land. 

Beatriz leads The Nature Conservancy’s engagement and relationships with European public and private financial institutions, helping advance financial solutions at scale for climate and nature. Prior to this role, she worked at J.P. Morgan managing the bank’s business with governments and multilateral institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe, as sovereign analyst at Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings, and as an economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Beatriz holds a PhD in economics from the University Autonoma of Barcelona, Spain.

Reniera is a member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Executive Leadership Team, leading the organisation’s work on the transition to a circular economy in the fashion and food sectors. Her role focuses on demonstrating what a circular economy can look and feel like in these key industries, helping to reshape how products are designed, produced, and used. 

Previously, Reniera led the Foundation’s education and food programmes, where she launched initiatives such as the Big Food Redesign Challenge—highlighting the potential of food design to positively influence landscapes and natural systems. 

Before joining the Foundation, Reniera worked for nearly 20 years in UK local government, specialising in housing. Originally from South Africa, she has lived in the UK for the past 24 years. 

James Pilkington is ZSL’s sustainable finance lead, working with financial institutions to incorporate biodiversity into decision-making, as well as with ZSL’s field teams and partners to develop projects and business that can attract investment to protect and restore nature globally. He has a background working for Indigenous peoples and organisations on conservation, enterprise and economic development in various countries, as well as with governments, the private sector and NGOs at the intersection between nature, finance and enterprise.

Neale Powell-Cook has served as Owner and CEO of Golden Acre Foods since 2008, leading the company through a tenfold expansion. Under his leadership, GA has become a category captain and/or strategic partner to each of the UK’s traditional “Big Four” food retailers.

A strong advocate for environmental responsibility, Neale has guided GA’s active support of marine regeneration initiatives, including projects in the Solent and Puerto Rico - the latter in collaboration with The Ocean Foundation. GA has also made forward-looking impact investments in areas such as semi-closed containment salmon farming in Scotland, floating offshore wind energy and cutting-edge graphene nanotechnology.

In recognition of its commitment to sustainability and innovation, GA was shortlisted in the “Best B-Corporation” category at the 2025 British Business Awards. The company’s ethos is encapsulated in its guiding principles: Performance, People, Future and Planet.

Neale holds an MA in Law from the University of Cambridge and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG. Before joining GA, he was UK Finance Director with Groupe Lactalis.

Aarti joined UBS Asset Management’s Sustainable Investing and Impact team in April 2022. She is the Environment Lead on Thematic Engagement and Collaboration activity. 

Prior to joining UBS Asset Management, Aarti served as Director of Research & Engagements at the FAIRR Initiative, an investor network, supported by institutional assets of nearly $50 trillion. She built and led the investor network’s collaborative engagements and research initiatives focused on food systems transition.

Prior to FAIRR, she was Client Director at a global sustainability firm, where she advised FTSE 500 companies on their sustainability strategy and reporting. She began her corporate career as a Public and Government Affairs Advisor at ExxonMobil for several years. In addition to her corporate experience, she has worked for two environmental non-profits and the U.S. Treasury and GE Capital.

Aarti holds an MA in International Affairs from Columbia University in New York, an MA in Journalism from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and an MS in Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University. She has worked in Europe, India and the US, and speaks three languages. Until recently, she served on the Advisory Board of the Partnership for Gender Equity, an initiative that supports gender equity in coffee supply chains.

Professor Nicola Ranger specialises in advancing finance and policy to address critical societal challenges related to climate, nature, food, water, economic development and human well-being. Her expertise spans quantitative risk analytics, decision-making under uncertainty, international finance, development, public policy and risk governance. Nicola is deeply involved in developing approaches to risk assessment, stress testing and scenario analysis for climate and nature risks with government, financial institutions and regulators. She also works extensively on mobilising sustainable investment, with a particular emphasis on working in Emerging and Developing Economies (EMDEs) to mobilise investment for a net-zero, nature-positive and resilient transition. Her work also aims to build systems to advance the systemic resilience of people, firms and economies to global crises.

In addition to her academic research and leadership roles, Professor Ranger holds senior advisory roles with organisations including the World Bank, the Bank of England’s Climate Financial Risk Forum, the Network for Greening the Financial System, TRASE and PlanetaryX. She is also the Founding Director of the Resilient Planet Finance Lab, Co-Director of UKRI Integrating Finance and Biodiversity, and Co-Director of Leveraging Earth Observation for Nature Finance. She is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, a Senior Associate at Oxford Net Zero, and a Fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy Research.

Nicola brings two decades of experience working in senior roles across government, research, international financial institutions and the private sector. Most recently, this includes leadership roles at the Environmental Change Institute of the University of Oxford, the World Bank and DFID (now FCDO), where she works with financial institutions, Ministries of Finance, Central Banks and International Financial Institutions to strengthen fiscal and financial resilience to climate and other crises, mobilise finance for sustainable development, and put in place systems to strengthen resilience to shocks and crises.

Jill Raval is a Nature Lead at Milkywire, where she guides private sector engagement with high-impact environmental projects focused on biodiversity and climate outcomes. She brings over a decade of experience spanning ocean governance, freshwater systems, regenerative agriculture, and sustainable finance.

Prior to joining Milkywire, Jill worked on UNEP’s Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters portfolio, supporting the governance and sustainable management of transboundary marine and freshwater ecosystems. She addressed physical water risks at the World Resources Institute (WRI) and explored the role of private finance in advancing a sustainable ocean economy while at the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

Today, she supports global fashion brands in embedding regenerative sourcing—across cotton, wool, and leather—into their value chains, while also overseeing nature-focused initiatives that support innovative conservation finance solutions. Her work bridges policy, science, and supply chains, grounded in a systems lens and shaped by lived experience across India, the United States, Mexico, and Sweden.

Peter is a Senior Partner based in the UK and leads ERM’s global finance industry. Peter is a sustainability and E&S risk management expert with approaching 30 years’ experience. Peter oversees all of ERM's sustainability work focused on the finance sector covering the private markets, banks and other financial institutions.

Lewis is the Chief Sustainability Officer for the UK at Microsoft, where he has the privilege of helping their customers use our technology to protect and save the planet that we all share. With over 20 years of experience in digital innovation and transformation, Lewis’ mission is to bring together industry stakeholders and technology solutions to address the pressing issues of sustainability, efficiency, and quality.

Darius is a Principal at SLM Partners based in our London office and leads their forestry and agriculture investment work in Europe. Darius studied Biology at Cambridge and Forestry at Oxford and worked internationally in a range of forestry roles before entering the world of finance 17 years ago. Prior to joining SLM he worked for New Forests where he co-led the Asian investment team that managed timberland investment funds and nature-based solutions carbon and biodiversity projects. He has also worked as a consultant on impact-oriented land investment strategies for a range of private sector, NGO and multilateral development bank clients.Darius has an MBA (Melbourne Business School) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He has co-authored a number of publications on forestry and featured in TV documentaries on sustainable forest management for the BBC, ArteTV (France) and NHK (Japan). Land management practices over the last 50 years have been taken over by chemists, geneticists and engineers and he is on a mission to bring back the biology in order to put agriculture and forestry back on a more sustainable footing. 

The founder of #tide, an impact business giving waste a value by repurposing plastic trash into premium quality second life raw materials. By fostering social, environmental and business impact, Thomas has built a full circular value chain from local communities to global brands.

Dr Vian Sharif is the Founder of NatureAlpha, a fintech platform that integrates natural world risk considerations into financial decision-making. NatureAlpha provides AI-powered, science-based environmental risk insights, influencing over $3 trillion in assets under management. She is also Head of Sustainability at FNZ Group, which oversees $1.7 trillion in assets, where she leads the development of sustainable investment frameworks. Her work has contributed to the integration of values-based risk indicators into investment strategies, including for some of the world’s largest pension funds. She was a member of the UK Government Business Advisory Group to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the TNFD Technical Experts Scoping Group, and supports HM Government’s Defra’s preparations for IPBES 2026. She is an ambassador for HM King Charles’s Circular Bioeconomy Alliance, and has also supported the co-creation of the Nature AI Fellowship with the CBA, to advance research on nature-aligned investment.

Eduardo Silveira Mufarej is an investor and  entrepreneur with a strong focus on impact, climate, and civic innovation.

He currently serves as Co-Chief Investment Officer at Just Climate, a global climate investment platform established by Generation Investment Management.

In May 2025, Mufarej's firm, Good Karma Partners, merged with Just Climate, marking a significant expansion of Just Climate's operations into Latin America, with Brazil as a key market. This merger integrated Good Karma's regional expertise and investment track record into Just Climate's global platform. 

Prior to this, Mufarej co-founded and led Tarpon Investimentos, one of Brazil’s leading private equity firms, and served as Chariman and CEO of Somos Educação, Latin America's largest K-12 education company. He also founded RenovaBR, a nonprofit organization aimed at training new political leaders in Brazil.

Mufarej holds a degree in Business Administration from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP) and is a fellow at Stanford University.

Diandra Soobiah is responsible for the delivery and implementation of Nest’s Responsible Investment approach, ensuring it factors in material environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities. As Director of Responsible Investment & ESG Integration, she makes sure that Nest fulfils its role as a responsible steward of members’ assets in order to deliver the best financial outcomes for members.   

Diandra has more than 22 years of investment experience including at Nedgroup Investments and Russell Investments. She Diandra holds a BA (Hons) in Business Studies and French from Queen Mary University of London and has passed the IMC.

Mark Spalding, is a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Blue Economy, a member of the UNEP Guidance Working Group for its Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Initiative, and an Advisor to the “Ocean Panel” for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. Mark served on the organizing committee and as a moderator for numerous panels at the UN High-Level Sustainable Blue Economy Conference. He played a key role in drafting that conference’s "Nairobi Statement of Intent on Advancing a Sustainable Blue Economy." Mark has over 15 years of experience in finance and blue economy investing relating to public equities, private equities, and fixed assets. As such, he is an advisor to various ocean-centric investment funds. Mark is one of three co-lead authors on an Ocean Panel 'blue paper' (forthcoming in May 2025) highlighting the status of ocean economy employment (including informal employment) and exploring possible changes in transitioning from traditional ocean industry practices to a sustainable ocean economy. He is an expert on international ocean policy, law, philanthropy, finance, and investment.

Peter serves as a Managing Director of The Lyme Timber Company and also oversee their conservation advisory work. He is also a co-founder of the Conservation Finance Network, International Land Conservation Network and Land Trust Alliance in the US. Peter serves on the Investment Committee for SLM Partners, and is an advisor to Upstream Technology, Vibrant Planet and Quantified Ventures. Peter and his wife, Lisa Cashdan  live in Vermont and when not conserving land, enjoys hiking and skiing and other outdoor pursuits, attempting to keep pace with their grandchildren.

Gareth Thomas, PhD MRSB, is an academic and Head of Research Innovation at the Natural History Museum in London, specialising in environmental sciences. In addition to research, Gareth leverages his strong commercial background, spearheading innovative data-licensing ventures at the museum, driving an entrepreneurial culture, and collaborating with global organisations. As a fervent environmental advocate, he actively shapes policy, engages in public outreach, and contributes to international discussions on environmental challenges, including during Climate Weeks and COPs. Gareth is a Board Trustee for Chester Zoo and a Knowledge Partner for the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits. 

Dr. Tobin is Professor of Practice at the S.C. Johnson College of Business at Cornell University, where he conducts research and teaches environmental finance, corporate sustainability, and related topics to students in business and public affairs. In addition, he actively engages with industry partners and civil society to develop financial solutions to sustainability challenges. He consults widely on matters of sustainability strategy, reporting, and disclosure, environmental and social risk management, stakeholder relations and reputational risk, and related areas for financial institutions, corporates, and civil society organizations.

Prior to his appointment at Cornell, he was Managing Director and Global Head of Sustainability at Credit Suisse, based in Zurich. In this position, he pioneered a variety of initiatives and policies aimed at improving environmental and social risk management in the banking industry and addressing the growing demand for sustainable investment products and services.

Dr. Tobin has extensive governance experience at the board level, particularly with entities in the areas of environment, science, and education. He recently completed his term as chair of the board of directors of the International Union for Conservation of Nature-United States (IUCN-US). He holds a PhD from the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, a JD from Harvard Law School, and a BS in biology from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Darran Ward leads on delivering uncorrelated returns through investments in climate solutions, sustainable places, innovation, and absolute returns. A CFA Charterholder, Darran’s expertise spans public and private markets, asset allocation, portfolio management, and sustainable investment strategies. His career is defined by a commitment to driving impactful, resilient investments that deliver long-term value for stakeholders.

Jessica is a portfolio manager for Nuveen’s global fixed income team. She is an integral part of the ESG/Impact fixed income strategy team and a lead portfolio manager for the Global Core Impact strategy and a co-portfolio manager on Core Impact Bond, Green Bond, and Short Duration Impact Bond strategies. She is a frequent panelist and speaker at ESG and Impact conferences and was a member of the ICMA Advisory Board (2020-21), which provides insight and guidance to the Executive Committee on issues affecting the Green, Social, and Sustainable Bond markets. She serves on the Steering Committee for the Orange Bond Principles. The Fixed Income Impact team were awarded ""Impact Report of the Year” at  Environmental Finance’s (EF) 2025 Sustainable Investment Awards,  ESG Fund of the year –fixed income” at Environmental Finance’s (EF) 2024 Sustainable Investment Awards in addition to “Investment team of the year –asset manager” and “Fund of the year –fixed income” at Environmental Finance’s (EF) 2023 Impact Awards.