The Finance for Biodiversity Initiative is established in October 2019 as an initiative to increase the materiality of biodiversity in financial decision-making, and so better align global finance with nature conservation and restoration.
Who we are
Our Vision
Our vision is to align global finance with nature positive and equitable outcomes.
Tackling climate change and reversing nature’s endangered state needs a reset of the nexus between nature and finance.
We see an historic opportunity to re-shape tomorrow’s businesses and economies to ensure nature positive outcomes and equitable distribution of their economic benefits.
Our Approach
NatureFinance is placing nature positive and equitable outcomes at the heart of global finance, from sovereign debt markets to early stage investor ecosystems, risk-related metrics, food system transition and anti-money laundering. Our underlying philosophy is collaborative working, to draw in the best technical, market and policy expertise wherever it is found.
NatureFinance’s work is underpinned by three cross-cutting pathways to impact:
- Effective policy advocacy: increasing market opportunities and the success of nature positive enterprises and investments.
- Market engagement: creating an ecosystem of investable, nature-related ventures with the potential to shape nature positive markets.
- Innovation and incubation activities: accelerating nature positive outcomes at scale.
Unique Geneva & Swiss Ecosystem
Our work benefits from and contributes to the unique Geneva, and Swiss international ecosystem of financial, corporate, technological, policy and civil actors to enable it to become a global hub of excellence in nature-related finance.
Meet the Team
Anastasia Biselli, Communications and Engagement Coordinator
Annia Costermani Visconti, Program Manager
Arend Kulenkampff, Sovereign Financing Lead and Director – Sustainability-linked Sovereign Debt Hub
Athulya Purushothaman, Researcher and Project Manager
Barbara Oldani, Stakeholder Engagement Lead – Sustainability-linked Sovereign Debt Hub
Daniel Muthiani, Associate – Operations
Eva Sirp, Senior Associate – Administration
Fiona Napier, Senior Advisor
Gregor Pipan, Senior Associate – Sovereign Debt
Gustavo Martins, Senior Associate for Global Brazil
Hiba Larsson, Principal – Nature Investment
Holger Schmid, Principal
Indekhwa Anangwe, Grants Developer and Coordinator
Isobel Cohen, Principal
Jeremy Eppel, Senior Advisor
Joanna Benn, Communications Director
Joanna O’Malley, Program Coordinator
Julie McCarthy, Co-CEO
Justin Mundy, Senior Advisor and Chairman of the Sustainability-linked Sovereign Debt Hub
Katherine Keddie, Advisor
Kayla Rodrigues, Programme Administrator
Konstantina Koulouri, Project Manager – SEED
Lilian Mbeva, Finance Associate
Louis de Montpellier, Senior Advisor
Luana Maia, Global Brazil Lead
Marcelo Furtado, Principal
Mark Halle, Senior Advisor
Martina Tamvakou, Program Coordinator – Sustainability-linked Sovereign Debt Hub
Matt Jaworski, Advisor – Web and Digital Communications
Melina Inglese, Finance & Operations Director
Monique Atouguia, Nature Market Program Manager
Natan Aquino, Advisor – Brand and Design
Nicholas Niggli, Associate Principal – Beyond 1.5
Rupesh Madlani, Senior Advisor
Roberta Zandonai, Communications Senior Associate
Samruddhi Kothari, Research Consultant
Shereen Wiseman, Associate – Coordination
Sarah Krisht, Nature Risk Lead
Simon Zadek, Co-CEO
Sylvain Coutu, Senior Associate – Food
Amanda Santos Lopes, Global Brazil Administrator-Coordinator
Amanda is a Global Brazil Administrator-Coordinator. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Global Governance and International Policymaking and has an undergraduate degree in international relations. With a background in project management and administrative assistance, Amanda completed a specialised course in the Study of Gender Violence Against Women at the Latin American Council of Social Sciences and is strongly interested in social and environmental justice. She is currently an active contributor to the Promotoras Legal Popular (Popular Legal Promoters) of Santos — a women’s rights NGO dedicated to raising awareness of gender-based violence.
Anastasia Biselli, Communications and Engagement Coordinator
Anastasia is Communications & Engagement Coordinator. She has lived and worked across North America, Europe, and the Middle East. As a creative and innovative communicator, she has demonstrated expertise in areas related to social and climate justice, educational equity, and broader development issues. Previously, Anastasia was Communications Specialist for UNDP. Anastasia holds a MSc in Marketing Strategy & Innovation from Cass Business School and a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). Anastasia’s hobbies include artistic disciplines and outdoor activities. She currently lives between Italy and Senegal.
Annia Costermani Visconti, Program Manager
Annia is a Program Manager and focuses on Nature-Finance Alignment. She brings 6 years of transdisciplinary work experience in areas related to sustainable finance, conservation and climate and natural disaster risk. Annia has worked in both Latin America and Switzerland. She developed solutions to strengthen the financial resilience of vulnerable groups as well as developed and implemented nature-positive business models for community development and ecosystem regeneration for Sinal do Vale in Brazil. Annia holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of St. Gallen and is completing her M.Sc in Development and Sustainability at the Graduate Institute of Geneva.
Arend Kulenkampff, Sovereign Financing Lead and Director – Sustainability-linked Sovereign Debt Hub
Arend leads work on sovereign financing. He has 15 years of experience in sovereign debt, credit trading, risk management, economic research, credit ratings, and debt advisory. Arend was part of the sovereign advisory team at Citigroup, where he helped governments manage a wide range of debt management challenges. He also designed innovative tools for governments while working at BFA Global as a policy specialist and product manager. Arend was a Director of Sovereign Ratings at Fitch Ratings and an investment banker at Standard Bank. He holds a B.A. from McGill University and a MSC from the London School of Economics.
Athulya Purushothaman, Researcher and Project Manager
Athulya is a Researcher and Project Manager. She has over 5 years of interdisciplinary experience working with the Stockholm Environmental Institute, TTI, Capitoline Consulting and The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics. She brings deep sectoral knowledge of ESG and sustainability reporting, clean energy development, energy transition advocacy and nature credit markets. Athulya currently co-hosts the sustainability podcast “Planet Prism.” Athulya holds a MSc degree in Environmental Science, Management, and Policy with an emphasis in Sustainable Management of Socio-Ecological Systems, Sustainable Business Strategies, and Environmental Justice.
Barbara Oldani, Stakeholder Engagement Lead – Sustainability-linked Sovereign Debt Hub
Barbara is the stakeholder engagement lead for the Sustainability-linked Sovereign Debt Hub and sovereign debt work more broadly. Previously, Barbara launched and served as Director of the Sovereign Decarbonisation Program and Labelled Bonds Campaign at the Emerging Markets Investors Alliance. Barbara brings 20+ years of experience in financial markets, having held roles at Salomon Brothers, Citibank, Unicredit and Natwest Markets, mainly focussing on fixed-income structured products and emerging markets. She was co-founder and CEO of an FCA-regulated advisory firm. Barbara holds a CFA Certificate in ESG Investing and a BSc and MSc in Economics and Social Sciences from Bocconi University in Milan.
Daniel Muthiani, Associate – Operations
Daniel is the Operations Associate for Nature Finance. He works with the coordination team to support all our working teams, managing the day-to-day activities of the organization and improving efficiency in the organization. He comes with several years of experience in operations and admin, having spent the last 10 years running operations in various sectors, including tech, marketing, and media. He holds a degree in Business Management.
Eva Sirp, Senior Associate – Administration
Eva is the Senior Administrator Lead responsible for team coordination and logistics, diary management and events/travel planning. Her experience in supporting organisations spans various sectors including finance, sustainability, health and design. Eva holds an MSc in Psychology.
Fiona Napier, Senior Advisor
Fiona is a Senior Advisor based in Nairobi. She channels her interest in promoting accountable governance and protecting the natural world, through her consultancy work and in a personal capacity. Fiona’s previous roles include Africa Nature Lead for the Climate Champions Team, International Advocacy Director with the Open Society Foundations; Associate Campaigns Director on Environmental Governance at Global Witness and Regional Adviser for Save the Children in southern Africa. She co-founded the Ethical Trading Initiative and the Publish What You Pay campaign. Fiona is a trustee of the UK based Environmental Funders Network and the Lamu Environment Foundation in Kenya.
Gregor Pipan, Senior Associate – Sovereign Debt
Gregor is senior associate at NatureFinance and focuses on the organisation’s sovereign debt portfolio. He brings more than 15 years of experience in the asset management industry. He holds a MSc degree in Risk & Asset Management from EDHEC Business School and an MBA degree with the specialization in sustainable businesses from the University of Bologna.
Gustavo Martins, Senior Associate for Global Brazil
Gustavo is a Senior Associate for Global Brazil in Nature Finance. He has 10+ years of experience in finance, with a strong track record in investment analysis and project development across startups, investment banks, and large corporations. Previously, he worked as a Strategic Finance Manager at re.green, a Brazilian reforestation project developer. Gustavo holds a BA in Economics from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (Puc-Rio).
Hiba Larsson, Principal – Nature Investment
Hiba is a Principal and leads on nature investment activities. She has 17 years of international experience in finance. She has lived and worked in Stockholm, London, Sydney, and Abu Dhabi, where she held the post of COO Middle East at Respira International, an impact-finance business, was CEO and co-founder of Bydand Ag Partners and managed an initial portfolio of AUD $50 million and held posts as Director at New Hope Group and UBS. Currently, she is Non-Executive Director of OneFarm, a business designing and deploying large-scale circular vertical farms and has held a number of Advisory and Board roles.
Holger Schmid, Principal
Holger is a Principal. He was the director of the sustainable economy and Switzerland programme at the MAVA Foundation, a family foundation based in Switzerland. He led MAVA’s strategy development and portfolio management on natural capital, green finance,circular economy and sustainable agriculture. He is a co-initiator of the national Swiss Circular Economy movement and a founding member of the member for the Plastic Solutions Fund. Holding a M.S.c in Biology, Holger started his career in conservation in central America, central Asia and worked for WWF in Mongolia and in the Mediterranean.
Indekhwa Anangwe, Grants Developer and Coordinator
Indekhwa is passionate about leveraging finance and trade for positive environmental and social impact. She has 14+ years of experience in finance and conservation. Indekhwa previously served as the Senior Policy & Partnerships Officer-Africa at African Wildlife Foundation, where she collaborated with various stakeholders to promote Africa’s environmental and socio-economic goals. Indekhwa has experience working in the humanitarian, development and private sectors having served in various organizations including Norwegian Refugee Council, Save the Children International, MERLIN International and PKF International. She holds an MBA in International Business Management, a BBA in Accounting, and an Advanced Diploma in Accounting and Business Management (ACCA).
Isobel Cohen, Principal
Isobel is a Principal. Isobel trained as a contemporary dancer and spent her twenties working as a global performer and choreographer. After graduating as a mature student in English Literature from Cambridge University, she worked in university fundraising, specifically focusing on nature and climate. She led on fundraising for Cambridge Conservation Initiative, a collaboration between Cambridge University and ten international conservation organisations. In 2022, she became the lead fundraiser for Cambridge Zero, Cambridge’s flagship climate initiative, where she focused on transformational philanthropy for solutions to climate and nature emergencies.
Jeremy Eppel, Senior Advisor
Jeremy Eppel is a Senior Advisor who brings decades of experience advising Ministers and convening international partners around critical sustainability issues. Previous roles include Deputy Director International in the UK Government for DEFRA, and as senior advisor to the World Bank’s Global Wildlife Program, the Prince of Wales’s International Sustainability Unit, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, and the UN Environment Programme. Jeremy spent eight years as Environment Counsellor in the Organisation for Economic Development and Co-operation (OECD), Paris, and in 2016 co-founded Eppel Sustainability. Currently, he is a member of the CBD’s Advisory Committee on Resource Mobilisation, a Director of the Nature and People Foundation, a Trustee of IUCN UK, and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Joanna Benn, Communications Director
Jo Benn specialises in communicating and campaigning on international environmental issues. Having lived and worked in seven countries including the UK, Switzerland, Italy, Kenya, the USA, Belgium and Chile, she considers herself a ‘global citizen’. She has worked in leadership roles for various non-governmental organizations, for the United Nations as well as for international news networks, foundations and print outlets. She began her career at Associated Press TV News in London and was part of the first cohort of Project Inside Out an initiative entitled ‘Becoming a Guide for Change.’ She is passionate about the power of ideas and words.
Joanna O’Malley, Program Coordinator
Joanna O’Malley works as a Program Coordinator. Joanna has held several key positions, including Communications and Engagement Project Manager and Initiative Project Manager at NatureFinance, where she played integral roles in the organisation’s communication and stakeholder management efforts. She holds a diverse range of experiences, from education programs to social media and communications roles, all within the environmental and sustainability sectors. Joanna holds a master’s degree in ‘Climate Change: Policy, Media and Society’ and a bachelor’s degree in Zoology, paying particular attention to biodiversity and conservation.
Julie McCarthy, Co-CEO
Julie is Co-CEO. She was founding co-director of the Open Society Foundations’ (OSF) Economic Justice Program, a $100 million per annum global grantmaking and impact investment program focused on issues of fiscal justice, workers’ rights, and corporate power. Previous roles include serving as the founding director of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), and as a Franklin Fellow and peacebuilding adviser at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, focused on Liberia. Prior to this, McCarthy co-founded the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), serving as its deputy director until 2009. She is a Brookings non-resident fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development, and an Aspen Civil Society Fellow. Julie lives with her three children in Warwick, NY.
Justin Mundy, Senior Advisor and Chairman of the Sustainability-linked Sovereign Debt Hub
Justin is a Senior Advisor to NatureFinance and the Chairman of the Sustainability-linked Sovereign Debt Hub. He served as Director of HRH The Prince of Wales’s International Sustainability Unit and is Chairman of SLM Partners, Managing Director for Strategy at the Howden Group, and an Advisor to Finance in Motion and the Landbanking Group. He is also a Trustee of WWF-UK and of Global Canopy. He has previously worked for HMG, the European Commission and the World Bank and he is the Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Katherine Keddie, Advisor
Katherine Keddie is Co-Founder and Director of Adopter, the marketing company for green technology adoption and Knowledge Partner to the Taskforce on Nature Markets. She holds a degree in Politics from Durham University. Adopter specialises in growing the online presence of companies that have invented new green technologies and organisations that are shaping new climate & nature positive markets. Katherine has led digital communication and marketing projects for ‘world first’ climate change and nature loss solutions for sectors including finance, construction and agriculture.
Kayla Rodrigues, Programme Administrator
Kayla is NatureFinance’s Programme Administrator. She brings 11 years of experience as an Executive Assistant to C-Suite management and 3 years of experience in Project Coordination across several industries, including event management. Kayla is a dynamic professional who enjoys managing complex situations and problem-solving in order to ensure timely delivery of products and budgets. Kayla currently lives in Youngstown, Co. Kildare, Ireland where she recently relocated from Johannesburg, South Africa with her husband and two kids.
Konstantina Koulouri, Project Manager – SEED
Konstantina Koulouri is Project Manager for SEED, and brings expertise at the intersection of finance, ecology, and technology. Konstantina is also a co-founder of TreesAI, which is backed by organisations including Google.org and the Morgan Stanley Sustainable Solutions Collaborative and has been voted one of 50 Rising Stars in ESG under 35 by the Women of the Future Programme.
Lilian Mbeva, Finance Associate
Lilian Mbeva is a finance professional with ten years of experience spanning across various sectors including non-profit, private sector and financial institutions. She holds a master’s degree in business administration from Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh Business School and a Certified Public Accountant.
In addition to her professional achievements, Lilian played a pivotal role in establishing a boutique think tank research organization dedicated to providing innovative insights aimed at advancing global governance, with a particular focus on sustainability.
Louis de Montpellier, Senior Advisor
Louis is a Senior Advisor at NatureFinance. He is an expert in the management of government debt and sovereign wealth, ESG, impact and green finance, sustainable economics, and inclusive capitalism. He currently serves as Chair of the Board of rePLANET and vice-Chair of the Biodiversity Credit Company, two firms he helped found in 2020 to drive large-scale ecological restoration and preservation. His public sector roles have included Member of the Executive Committee of the Bank for International Settlements; Executive Director of the Belgian Government Debt Agency and Director of Funding at the EBRD. In the private sector, he has held senior positions at State Street, Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse. Louis holds a Master of Law, a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Louvain and an MBA from Cornell University.
Luana Maia, Global Brazil Lead
Luana is the lead for Global Brazil work, where she advances the Global Brazil portfolio. She has 15+ years of experience integrating themes of sustainability, governance, and human rights in managing high-impact projects. Previously, Luana was the Director of Strategic Planning at the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development, helping companies move forward working on food systems and biodiversity. Luana was the first executive secretariat of the Brazilian Coalition on Climate Forests and Agriculture, one of the largest multi-stakeholder forums in Brazil to promote and implement a low-carbon economy focused on land use. She holds a B.A. in international relations and a M.Sc in Sustainability.
Marcelo Furtado, Principal
Marcelo is a Principal. He was executive director of Greenpeace in Brazil, where he worked for 24 years, before becoming CEO of Arapyau Institute and Alana Foundation. Marcelo currently leads the Itaúsa Institute, where he is also head of sustainability. He is also a board member at the World Resources Institute in Brazil, Conectas Human Rights and the Sovereignty and Climate Center as well as of the Sustainable and Healthy Food Network at Columbia University’s Climate School. He co-founded the Brazilian Coalition on Climate, Forest and Agriculture and is a member of the Sustainability Committee of Dexco and Marfrig.
Mark Halle, Senior Advisor
Mark is a Senior Advisor. He holds a BA from Tufts University and Postgraduate Diploma in Historical Studies from Cambridge University. After working with the Diplomatic Secretariat of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, he worked within the United Nations Environment Programme’s Policy Planning Division and then built WWF-International’s Conservation Division’s China programmes. He was also conservation advisor to HRH The Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh. Mark spent fourteen years at IUCN and before becoming Director of Policy and Partnerships. He left IUCN to establish the International Institute for Sustainable Development (Europe) which he directed until 2016. Mark currently chairs the Board of Trustees of TRAFFIC International and of the Global Rewilding Alliance. He sits on the Boards of Sustainable Finance Geneva and of the Building Bridges Foundation.
Martina Tamvakou, Program Coordinator – Sustainability-linked Sovereign Debt Hub
Martina is a Program Coordinator for the Sustainability-linked Sovereign Debt Hub. She holds a degree in Political Science from Stockholm University. With previous roles as a Project Manager and Administrative Assistant, Martina worked for five years with the Stockholm School of Economics before freelancing. Her expertise in project management, administrative support, and program coordination reflects an agile and innovative approach, ensuring efficient operations and successful outcomes.
Matt Jaworski, Advisor – Web and Digital Communications
Matt is a Co-Founder and Director of Adopter, the marketing company for green technology adoption and Knowledge Partner to the Taskforce on Nature Markets. Adopter specialises in growing the online presence of organisations in the green technology and innovation space. Matt has led digital communication, website and marketing projects for ‘world first’ climate change solutions, green tech accelerators, and NGOs in sectors ranging from sustainability-linked sovereign debt and green finance to nature markets, biotechnology, and construction.
Melina Inglese, Finance & Operations Director
Melina Inglese is NatureFinance’s Finance & Operations Director. She has 15+ years of experience working as a financial expert within multinational corporations, startups, SMEs and NGOs across Latin America and Europe. She previously served for five years as Finance & Operations Director for the Southern Andes region at The Nature Conservancy. Since 2019, Melina has been providing external Chief Financial Officer advice and strategic financial leadership for clients committed to social and environmental impact. Melina holds a M.B.A. from UCEMA University of Buenos Aires.She is a native Spanish speaker with a good understanding of Portuguese.
Monique Atouguia, Nature Market Program Manager
Monique is a writer and researcher who specialises in conflict resolution, consensus-building, multi-stakeholder relations and policy. She led and coordinated the African Leadership Initiative’s Project Pakati, which advocated for the continent’s leaders to address the governance gap with greater urgency. Prior to this, Monique worked as a Policy Analyst at the Centre for Development and Enterprise, South Africa’s leading developmental think tank. Monique is completing her Masters in Organisational and Institutional Studies (Wits), has a BA Honours (with distinction) in Justice and Transformation (UCT) and a BA Undergraduate in Economic History, Political Science and English Literary Studies (UCT).
Natan Aquino, Advisor – Brand and Design
Natan Aquino is NatureFinance’s Brand & Design Advisor. He has been in the field of communications and design for the past 18 years, having worked with companies like Accenture and Pearson Education. Lately, he has specialized in Institutional and Environmental Design and has partnered with initiatives like Greenpeace, the World Food Programme, the United Nations, and the Pulitzer Center. Natan is also the founder of the Afreaka Project.
Nicholas Niggli, Associate Principal – Beyond 1.5
Nicholas is Associate Principal for the Beyond 1.5C Agenda at NatureFinance. Previously, he served as Director General and Deputy Secretary-General for economic development, research, and innovation at the Republic and Canton of Geneva. His background includes tenure as a Swiss senior diplomat specializing in geoeconomics, finance, international trade, innovation, and complex negotiation dynamics. Over a 15-year period, Nicholas has worked in multilateral, plurilateral, and bilateral diplomatic settings for Switzerland, with postings in Geneva and London. He has also held elected chairmanships at the WTO, notably spearheading mediations and institutional finance reforms. Additionally, he led the renegotiation of the Government Procurement Agreement, catalysing an international endeavour focused on good governance, and delivering a $100bn/year expansion in economic opportunities.
Rupesh Madlani, Senior Advisor
Rupesh is a Senior Advisor. Rupesh co-founded Global Sustainable Capital Management, a London-based impact investment asset manager. Previously, Rupesh spent nearly a decade at Lehman Brothers and Barclays in equity research in sustainability and the clean technology sector. Rupesh co-founded Bankers without Boundaries, to utilise former investment bankers for the benefit of the environment and social good. Rupesh has been an expert reviewer working with the World Economic Forum, the OECD, Prince of Wales ISU and the UN relating to sustainable development. Rupesh holds an economics degree from the London School of Economics and is a chartered accountant.
Roberta Zandonai, Communications Senior Associate
Roberta is a senior communications professional. She brings 10+ years of experience with public information, strategic communications, partnerships and academic research. She is passionate about sustainable development and was previously the Institutional Communication Manager at the United Nations Environment Programme in Brazil. At UNEP, she was the national focal point for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, implemented the Environmental Defenders Initiative in Brazil, and led several successful campaigns. Earlier in her career, Roberta worked with content development, media and research. Roberta holds a M.A. in International Relations from the Federal University of Santa Catarina and B.A. in International Relations and Journalism.
Samruddhi Kothari, Research Consultant
Samruddhi is an accomplished finance professional and avid scuba diver who has combined these passions to focus on climate-related initiatives. Starting in traditional finance sectors in Mumbai, Samruddhi pivoted to addressing environmental challenges using financial expertise. At Aspiration, Samruddhi developed innovative carbon-financing structures, contributing to a reduced risk and increased return profiles. Additionally, as a volunteer with the Blockchain & Climate Institute and the Conservation Finance Alliance, Samruddhi contributes to important research and strategic development. Whether delving into the intricacies of carbon financing or exploring marine environments, Samruddhi is committed to making a lasting impact on the planet.
Shereen Wiseman, Associate – Coordination
Shereen is a Coordinator and is responsible for team coordination and logistics, including scheduling, travel arrangements and event planning. She brings 15+ years of experience as an Executive Assistant and Project Coordinator in various industries. Previously, she was Assistant Donor and Member Relations Manager for FC4S (Financial Centres for Sustainability) and SIF (Sustainable Insurance Forum) as well as Relationship Manager for the UNEP Inquiry into the Design of a Sustainable Financial System team. Shereen holds a B.A. in International Business Management from Newcastle University and has excellent written and spoken Spanish.
Sarah Krisht, Nature Risk Lead
Sarah is leads our Nature Risk portfolio. She is an environmental economist with 10+ years of experience in natural capital, sustainable land use and nature-based solutions. She previously worked in a range of boutique-style, infrastructure advisory and strategic consultancies. Her work has focused on helping organisations in the private, public and third sector understand their nature-related impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities. She has also contributed to key natural capital initiatives for the UK Government. Sarah holds a B.A. in Economics from the American University of Beirut and a M.Sc in Environmental Economics and Climate Change from the London School of Economics.
Simon Zadek, Co-CEO
Simon is the Co-CEO. He is also a Senior Advisor to the Task Force on Nature Related Financial Disclosure. He was Head of the UN Secretary General’s Task Force on Digital Financing of the Sustainable Development Goals, Senior Advisor on Finance and Co-Director of UNEP’s Finance Inquiry. He co-Chaired China’s Green Finance Task Force and led the Green Finance Study Group secretariat under the Chinese, German and Argentinian G20 Presidencies. Previously, Simon has served as Senior Advisor to the World Economic Forum and the Global Green Growth Institute. He was founder and CEO of AccountAbility and Development Director of the New Economics Foundation. He has been a lecturer and professor at various management and business schools around the world, written and published extensively, including the award-winning book, The Civil Corporation.
Sylvain Coutu, Senior Associate – Food
Sylvain Coutu is a scientific expert working at the interface of Nature, Finance and Technologies. Occupying different leadership roles in the finance and academic domains, Sylvain focused on developing financial risk solutions and innovative products for agriculture and natural assets. His work has consistently bridged the gap between financial sciences and ecological concerns, making him an ideal candidate to lead a project that integrates nature at the core of financial decision-making. Sylvain holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from EPFL and participated in the writing of numbers of publications related to the topic of environmental risk management and nature finance.
Meet the Board
Abyd Karmali, Board Member
Isabel Hoffman, Board Member
Marianne Haahr, Board Member
Sanjaasuren Oyun, Board Member
Sean Hinton, Board Member
Tom Brookes, Board Member
Abyd Karmali, Board Member
Abyd Karmali is a Managing Director, Environmental Business Advisory at Bank of America based in London. From 2007-2014, he served as Merrill Lynch’s (subsequently BofAML) Global Head of Carbon Markets. In 2014, he became part of the team supporting the bank’s broader capital deployment commitment to mobilise $1.5 trillion in sustainable finance by 2030. He has worked for more than 30 years on climate change and sustainable finance and was made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for these efforts in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List for 2019. In 2022, Financial News included Abyd its in inaugural list of “The 50 Most Influential in Sustainable Finance” and he received the same accolade in 2023.
His current advisory roles include the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) and the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance. He also serves on the Judging Panel for the Sustainable Development category of the King’s Award for Enterprise, Board of the International Emissions Trading Association, India Advisory Board of NGO The Climate Group, and Board of NatureFinance. He holds an MS in Technology and Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Isabel Hoffman, Board Member
Isabel Hoffmann has a background in ecology and corporate sustainability. She is co-founder at rePLANET, a company pioneering novel biodiversity and carbon market mechanisms to drive private sector funding into the conservation and restoration of landscapes. Previous to this, she worked on the TEEB for Business program, developing guidance for agri-business to measure and value their impacts and dependencies on natural capital. She is an active board member of the Tour du Valat wetland research institute and is a member of the scientific and technical committee of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
Marianne Haahr, Board Member
Marianne Haahr is a board member of NatureFinance. She is the Nature-related Finance Lead with Global Canopy and the Technical Sector Guidance Lead and metrics WG with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). Previously, she was the Executive Director of Green Digital Finance Alliance and an Advisor to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Denmark on digitalisation in emerging markets finance. She was also Director of Sustainia a think tank deploying digital technology for impact. Marianne started her career building climate adaptation projects in West and Southern Africa. She holds an M.Sc. Environmental Science and a M.A. in International Human Rights Law.
Sanjaasuren Oyun, Board Member
Dr. Sanjaasuren Oyun, a geochemist by training, with a Ph.D in Earth Sciences from the University of Cambridge, is currently the Chair of the Global Water Partnership, an intergovernmental organization dedicated to water-secure world. She is one of the leading women figures in Mongolia and She is also the founding member and the Chair of the Special Olympics Mongolia, Women Corporate Directors and heads the Zorig Foundation, a Mongolian NGO that advances democracy and supports youth and education. Dr. Oyun also served as the first President of the United Nations Environment Assembly of UNEP.
She was elected 5 terms as Member of Parliament of Mongolia (1998-2016), and served as Vice-Speaker of the Parliament, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Environment and Green Development. While in Parliament, Dr Oyun successfully championed several reforms especially in good governance, green development, and children’s rights.
Before joining politics, Dr. Oyun worked as a geologist in Mongolia and UK.
Dr Oyun’s active public life extends beyond environmental protection to include advancing civil and social rights. Oyun is a member of advisory boards of a number of global initiatives dedicated to sustainable development including the Green Growth Knowledge Platform, Future Earth and International Environment Technology Centre of UNEP.
Sean Hinton, Board Member
Sean Hinton was formerly the director of the Economic Justice Program and chief executive officer of the Soros Economic Development Fund at the Open Society Foundations. Previously, Hinton was principal of Terbish Partners, which he founded in 2007 to provide strategic advisory services focusing on China, Mongolia, and Africa and the social and economic impact of large-scale extractive investments. He was a long-term senior advisor to Goldman Sachs (Asia) and the Rio Tinto group. His other roles have included: deputy chairman of SouthGobi Resources; special advisor to the CEO of SOHO China; and chairman of China Networks. Hinton is a Henry Crown fellow of the Aspen Institute and serves on the board of the Natural Resources Governance Institute and the international advisory board of the Baha’i Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland.
Tom Brookes, Board Member
Tom Brookes is a board member at NatureFinance and is also a Senior Adviser on International Strategic Communications to ClimateWorks. Tom started his career as a journalist, covering technology, regulation and broader European politics and moved into communications, public affairs and media relations. In 2002, Tom worked on the Microsoft competition case in Europe, representing Microsoft as press spokesman on the case and acting as political advisor to Microsoft’s CEO and General Counsel. He later joined Apple as Director of Government Affairs, Europe, Middle East and Africa. In 2009 Tom became Managing Director of the Energy Strategy Centre at the European Climate Foundation (ECF). Tom joined the Executive Management Team of the ECF as Executive Director, Strategic Communications.
Our history as the Finance for Biodiversity Initiative (F4B)
The Finance for Biodiversity Initiative (F4B) was established in 2019 with support from the MAVA Foundation. F4B’s core mission was to increase the materiality of biodiversity in financial decision making and so better align global finance with nature conservation and restoration. NatureFinance will build and expand on F4B’s high-impact work and partnerships.
“Building a nature positive future is not just about natural resources; it’s also about financial sustainability. If we can demonstrate the economic benefits to humanity of a well-functioning ecosystem, we’re much more likely to maintain that ecosystem functionally into the future.”
Andre Hoffmann President, MAVA Foundation