Speakers

Alderwoman Dame Susan Langley became Lady Mayor of London 7th November 2025. She is the 697th Lord Mayor, the third woman to hold the office, and the first to be styled “Lady Mayor”.  

Dame Susan Langley is Chair of Gallagher UK, and the Senior Independent Director for UKAR (Northern Rock Asset Management and Bradford and Bingley). Previously she was the Lead Non-Executive Director for the Home Office, a Trustee for Macmillan Cancer, CEO Financial & Professional Services at the Department for International Trade (DIT), Executive Director North America and Market Development for Lloyd's of London, Director of Lloyd’s Asia and Chairman of Lloyd’s Japan. Prior to this, Susan held various Insurance Board positions. She joined the Insurance Market from PriceWaterhouseCoopers where she was a Principal Consultant working with a range of FTSE 100 companies.  

A founding member of the Government Women's Business Council, she is a past recipient of the Insurance Institute of London (IIL) President’s Award, the FS Women in the City Achievement Award, Women to Watch, Leading Women in Reinsurance and top 20 inspirational City Women. Born in the East End, she is passionate about social mobility and involved in a number of charitable and mentoring roles. In 2015 she received an OBE for services to women in business and in 2023, a DBE for public service to the financial services industry. Dame Susan graduated (BSc Hons) from Southampton University and married Gary in 2003. She is a Liveryman of the Insurers and Drapers and a Freeman of the Goldsmiths. Dame Susan is the Alderwoman for the City of London Aldgate Ward and served as Aldermanic Sheriff of the City of London 2023/2024. 

Xiye Bastida is a Mexican climate justice activist and storyteller. She began her activism after her hometown in Mexico experienced flooding. Since then, she has become a leading voice in the international youth climate movement, organising climate strikes, advocating at the United Nations, and championing justice-centered climate solutions. Of Otomi-Toltec heritage, Xiye integrates Indigenous worldviews of reciprocity, interdependence, and intergenerational responsibility into global climate advocacy. She is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Re-Earth Initiative, a global youth-led organisation supporting resource distribution and frontline leadership in over 30 countries. Xiye has been recognised as a TIME 100Next honoree, and is a recipient of the UN Spirit Award. At the start of 2026, she was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Social Impact.

Eugénie L. Birch is the Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research, Department of City and Regional Planning, and graduate dean at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania. She is the founding co-director of the Penn Institute for Urban Research, dedicated to integrative research and instruction in sustainable urban development. She is co-editor of the University of Pennsylvania Press’s City in the 21st Century series and co-editor, SSRN Urban Research e-journal. She serves on the SDSN Executive Committee and the Board of the Regional Plan Association. She is a member of the Word Economic Forum’s Futures Council on Urbanization, and president, General Assembly of Partners (GAP) for the implementation of the UN’s SDGs and the New Urban Agenda.

Oi-Yee is the Chief Executive Officer of Climate Impact X (CIX), a global carbon market solutions provider headquartered in Singapore. She is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of CIX, as well as developing and executing the company’s vision and mission to accelerate environmental impact at scale through the carbon markets.

Oi-Yee is a seasoned, visionary leader with a background spanning 25 years in financial markets. She brings a wealth of experience in building and leading high-performing businesses across sectors, with a proven track record in fintech, innovation and capital markets.

Oi-Yee was most recently CEO of ADDX, a blockchain-based private capital markets exchange in Singapore licensed and regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Under her leadership since 2020, ADDX strengthened its partnerships with global blue-chip companies and grew its platform to surpass US$1 billion in tokenised securities, one of the largest worldwide.

Prior to ADDX, Oi-Yee spent over 20 years in investment banking, leading major capital markets transactions for clients across Asia, Europe and the US.

Caitlin leads BTG Pactual TIG’s work on policy initiatives shaping the role of responsible forestry in delivering positive outcomes for people and nature. She oversees the firm’s engagement in global standard-setting processes and advises on environmental policy, strategy, and performance. Previously, Caitlin advanced the development and implementation of nature-based solutions strategies at The Nature Conservancy. Prior to TNC, she led Western Hemisphere operations for Double Helix Tracking Technologies, a Singapore-based consulting, auditing, and technology firm. Caitlin serves as a technical expert to leading industry and multilateral initiatives, with expertise spanning land use, carbon accounting, forest management, certification systems, and deforestation-related commodity supply chains.

André Aranha Corrêa do Lago was born in 1959. He has a BSc in Economics from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (1981) and joined the Brazilian foreign service in 1982. As a career diplomat, he has held functions in different areas at headquarters, in Brasília: international organizations, trade promotion, protocol and energy. Abroad, he has been posted to the Brazilian Embassies in Madrid, in Prague, in Washington, in Buenos Aires and to the Brazilian Mission to the EU in Brussels.

He has been working with the sustainable development agenda since 2001. He was the director of the Energy Department (2008-2011) and of the Environment Department (2011-2013) at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the latter period, he was Brazil´s chief negotiator for climate change and for the Rio+20 Conference. He was the Brazilian ambassador to Japan (2013-2018) and to India (2018-2023). From 2023 to 2025, he was Vice-Minister for Climate, Energy and Environment at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 2025, he is the UNFCCC COP30 President.

Corrêa do Lago is the author of several books and articles on sustainable development and climate change, as well as on architecture.

Jonathan has responsibility for climate strategy development and implementation across the Anglo American group. This includes emissions mitigation, climate engagement and advocacy, building the company’s resilience to a changing climate and drawing together different parts of the group to ensure the company is contributing to a Just Transition.

Previously, Jonathan worked in Anglo American’s Corporate Relations team, leading on UK Government Relations and building an advocacy strategy in relation to critical minerals policy. Prior to joining Anglo American in 2018, Jonathan served as a British diplomat for 21 years, during which time he spent four years in Hanoi, Vietnam and eight years in Brazil (5 in Brasilia and 3 in Rio de Janeiro). His time in Rio coincided with the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Jonathan led the UK Government’s work on the Games, receiving an OBE from HM Queen Elizabeth for this work.

Jonathan holds a bachelor degree in geography from the University of Sheffield and is based in London.

Jamie is the World Bank Group’s Director for Climate. He leads the Group’s climate strategy, innovation and delivery to support public and private sector clients in achieving their smart development goals. Jamie’s group-wide climate department works with operational teams across all regions and sectors of operation in IBRD/IDA, IFC and MIGA.

Jamie joined IFC in 2005 and has led and contributed to a range of innovation and new business growth across IFC’s investment, advisory, and support operations. Prior roles at IFC include Global Director for Climate Business, Director of Strategic Business Development, Director of Environmental and Social Risk and Policy and Chief Investment Officer for Renewable Energy.

Jamie has a BA and MA in Zoology from Cambridge University, UK, and both a Master’s in Environmental Economics & Policy and an MBA from Yale University, USA.

Tony has been CEO of the Taskforce on Nature‑related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)  since its inception in 2021, driving the strategy of the TNFD, coordinating support to its 40 Taskforce members and building a global network of partnerships that has supported the development of the TNFD recommendations and guidance. For over two decades, Tony advised government, financial sector and philanthropic leaders on a range of strategic challenges at the intersection of business, finance and public policy. He began his career in the Australian diplomatic service before moving into the private sector, first in investment banking where he focused on infrastructure project financing and then advising national government leaders on strategy and SDG challenges in strategy consulting and as an adviser through the World Bank Group. In 2024, he was named a TIME 100 Climate Leader by TIME Magazine.

Indigenous woman, environmental activist and member of Chad’s pastoralist Mbororo People, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim began advocating for Indigenous Peoples’ rights and environmental protection at age 12, founding the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT) to combat discrimination against indigenous peoples and advocate for their rights and the preservation of nature. 

In the Sahel region, where communities face immense pressure from climate change—including heatwaves, droughts, desertification, and devastating floods—she has pioneered initiatives to support Indigenous communities. She has introduced alternative income-generating activities for Mbororo women and innovative collaborative tools, such as 2D and 3D participatory mapping to protect land rights, promote sustainable ecosystem management, and reduce conflicts over natural resources. Her work strengthens climate solutions through mitigation, adaptation, and resilience strategies.

To bridge the gap between local realities and global policy, she began engaging in international negotiations on climate, land, and biodiversity over two decades ago. Her mission has been to amplify the voices of Indigenous Peoples, especially from Africa, who are on the frontlines of climate change. She advocates for increased investment in small-scale, community-led projects spearheaded by Indigenous women initiatives that foster meaningful impact, empower women, and drive local innovation in nature protection, yet are often overlooked by traditional international financing.

At the international level, she is dedicated to the protection of all Indigenous Peoples, from the Congo to the Arctic, Himalaya to the Pacific, to promote their wisdom and further value their knowledge in the fight against climate change. She served as co-chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change at the historic UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, and for COP22-23-24 - 27 and COP28 in UAE. She was an advisor to the COP26, COP28 and COP29 Presidents. 

She advances environmental protection for Indigenous Peoples by participating in international policy dialogues held around the three Rio Conventions; Climate Change (UNFCCC), Biodiversity (CBD), and Desertification (UNCCD) pressuring governments to recognize land rights of Indigenous peoples and advance their solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation. 

Hindou is appointed as SDG Advocate by the UN Secretary-General to share her local experiences with global leaders to climate action.

Her speech during One Forest Summit and her  TED talk on Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge meets science to solve climate change has surpassed more than 1 million views. 

Professor Dame Angela McLean DBE FRS is the Government Chief Scientific Adviser having taken up the role in April 2023. She is also Head of the Government Science and Engineering Profession. Prior to this Angela was the Chief Scientific Adviser for the Ministry of Defence. Until April 2023, Angela McLean was a Professor of Mathematical Biology in the Department of Zoology at Oxford University and a Fellow of All Souls College. Angela’s research interests lie in the use of mathematical models to aid our understanding of the evolution and spread of infectious agents.

Bertrand Millot steers the development of La Caisse’s sustainable investing strategies, including its climate policy. As such, he is responsible for defining the major strategic orientations in this area and asserting the organization’s leadership in sustainable investing with internal and external stakeholders. He participates in major global forums and maintains open dialogue with civil society. He also represents the organization before the Board of Directors, depositors and other partners on climate issues. Lastly, he contributes to La Caisse’s international outreach on sustainability.

Mr. Millot is one of the architects of La Caisse’s climate strategy and a seasoned investor in infrastructure and corporate debt in growth markets, where sustainability considerations have always been at the forefront. He joined La Caisse in 2015 and has held several positions in sustainable investing and risk management, including supporting the Fixed Income, Capital Solutions, Infrastructure and Cross-sectoral Risk teams.

Prior to joining La Caisse, Mr. Millot was CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Cordiant Capital, a fund manager specializing in corporate debt in emerging markets. In his early career, he worked in infrastructure project financing at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London and BNP Paribas in Paris.

He holds an MBA from McGill University and a Master’s Degree in Engineering from École nationale supérieure d’arts et métiers, Paris, and is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D). Since 2022, Mr. Millot has worked with Competent Boards as an expert, providing courses and training for corporate directors and executives. He sits on the Québec government’s Advisory Committee on Climate Change, as well as on the Boards of Ceres, a U.S. NGO leader on sustainability issues, the Datamars Sustainability Foundation and the Sustainable Infrastructure Foundation (SIF).

Meryam Omi is the Chief Executive of Arc, a global non-profit organization delivering urgent point-in-time tools, analysis and skills that empower financial decision makers with the transparent information and comparable insights they need to confidently direct capital to the right solutions at speed and scale.   

Meryam has over 16 years of investment experience. In 2010, she created a sustainability role within Legal & General Investment Management and launched successful engagement campaigns on topics such as independent directors in Japan, corporate tax and the removal of quarterly reports.

In 2016 Meryam led the launch of Future World Funds – flagship climate change solution funds which grew in assets under management to $120 billion. She also spearheaded the Climate Impact Pledge, a multiple award-winning engagement programme to drive tangible climate action from investee companies globally.

As a COP26 UN High Level Champion for Climate Action, Meryam led many Race to Zero campaigns within the finance sector.

Meryam has been recognised as “one of the most influential women in sustainable finance” and is one of "the 25 badass women shaking up the climate movement”. She is an associate fellow at Chatham House and sits on the UK board of Climate Group.

Takako Onitsuka is a professional in trade policy and environmental management with over 20 years of experience in the Japanese government.

She joined the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in 2005 and has since worked on a range of policy areas, including climate change negotiations under the UNFCCC. After further studies in law and economics at Harvard Law School and Yale University, she held various roles covering trade policy, international negotiations, and nuclear energy cooperation.

In 2019, she became Senior Deputy Director, working on environment policy. She later served as Director for Personnel Affairs, contributing to organizational reform within METI. Since July 2024, she has been Director of the Environmental Finance Office in the GX Group at METI, where she focuses on advancing Green Transformation (GX) through financial and policy measures.

Claudia Trindade Prates has served as Director of Sustainability at the National Confederation of Insurance Companies (CNseg) since May 2025. She is an executive with a distinguished 28 year career at the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), where she held several leadership roles across multiple areas, including serving as Director from June 2016 to March 2019. 

From August 2019 to March 2023, she was Director General for the Americas at the New Development Bank (NDB), further strengthening her international experience. In 2023, she returned to BNDES as Head of Climate, a role she held until April 2025, where she led the institution’s climate strategy and key initiatives, including the coordination of the Climate Investment Platform for Ecological Transformation (BIP). 

Ms. Prates holds a degree in Economics, a Master’s degree in Economics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), and an MBA in Finance from COPPEAD.

In April 2024, the United Nations Secretary-General appointed Astrid Schomaker Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Prior to her appointment as Executive Secretary of the CBD, Astrid was the Director for Green Diplomacy and Multilateralism with the European Commission in Brussels. There she promoted a global transition to resource-efficient, low emission, nature-positive circular economies. She also focussed on increasing the EU's effectiveness in addressing international environmental challenges, strengthening multilateralism and international environmental governance, and working towards the full implementation of multilateral environment agreements, among other priorities.
Astrid also worked as the Director for Global Sustainable Development at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment. In this role, she oversaw international and interinstitutional relations, as well as environment policy strategy, supervising the implementation of the EU's 7th Environment Action Programme.

Astrid studied English, history and law in Hamburg and Norwich and has an LLM in international legal cooperation from Brussels' Free University. After briefly working at the law schools of the Universities of Hamburg and Ann Arbor (Michigan), she joined the European Commission in 1992, working on EU-US relations.

She returned to Brussels in 1999 where she oversaw regulatory cooperation with Japan. In 2001, she became Head of Unit for Relations with the Andean Community in the Directorate-General for External Relations. Astrid moved to the Environment Department in 2004 and led work on a variety of issues within the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment, ranging from bilateral and multilateral relations to chemicals, oceans, and the water industry, including as Director of Strategy; Head of Unit for Global Sustainability, Trade and Multilateral Agreements; Head of Unit for Marine Environment and Water Industry; and Head of Unit for Chemicals and Nanomaterials, among other roles.

Astrid is fluent in English, French and German.

A sustainable finance leader and award-winning expert, recognised by Reuters as one of twenty global Climate Trailblazers of 2024, Dr Seega brings rare depth across financial markets, academic research, regulatory engagement, and board governance, grounded in hands-on financial experience and over a decade shaping global sustainable finance policy and practice. As a director of the Centre for Sustainable Finance at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, she is a trusted voice for central banks, financial regulators, G20 and G7 forums, and leading financial institutions worldwide.

Alok Sharma served as a Member of Parliament in the UK House of Commons for 14 years (2010-2024) and was subsequently appointed a Member of the House of Lords in the UK Parliament. Prior to entering Parliament, Alok qualified as a chartered accountant and then worked as an investment banker for 16 years based out of London, Frankfurt, and Stockholm.
 
He served in a range of UK government ministerial roles prior to entering the UK Cabinet as Secretary of State for International Development. He was subsequently appointed Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, as well as President Designate of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). In 2021, he took on the COP President role full-time, leading the UK’s work in bringing together the world to tackle climate change and getting almost 200 countries to sign up to the historic Glasgow Climate Pact.
 
Alok was knighted in King Charles III’s 2023 New Year’s Honours for his services to tackling climate change. He currently serves as Chair of the UK's Transition Finance Council, is a Member of the Advisory Council of the Martin School at the University of Oxford, Co-Chair of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Climate Advisory Council and a Distinguished Fellow at Conservation International.

Swenja Surminski is Managing Director Climate and Sustainability at global risk management and professional services firm Marsh, responsible for thought leadership and capacity building across sectors and geographies, working globally on innovative risk solutions with colleagues from across the Marsh family, including Mercer, Oliver Wyman and Guy Carpenter. She is also Professor in Practice at the Grantham Research Institute, part of the London School of Economics, where she oversees cross-sectoral work on climate resilience, leads the EU-funded Naturance project and advises the Coalition of Finance Ministers on physical risks. In 2022 Swenja was appointed by the UK Government to the UK Climate Change Committee, the UK's independent advisor on climate change, initially serving on the adaptation committee and since 2025 as member on both mitigation and adaptation committees. Since 2021 Swenja is the elected Chair of the Management Board of the not for profit MCII, the world’s longest running think tank on climate insurance and resilience solutions for most vulnerable communities, hosted by United Nations University in Bonn, Germany. 

James is Deputy Chair of Policy and Resources for the City of London Corporation. James was first elected as a Common Councillor in 2013, and he is also a member of the Finance Committee. Investment Committee, Community & Children’s Services, and Capital Building Board – the latter responsible for the £700m delivery of the new City Courts complex on Fleet Street and the new City Police Headquarters and wider estate.

James was previously Chair of the City of London Police Authority Board and was Chair of its Economic and Cyber Crime Committee which has oversight for the work of the City Police as National Lead Force for fraud. He has served on the Police Authority Board since 2015, and he previously served as a Special Constable for 12 years.

James is a Board Member of the City Bridge Foundation; the UK’s 6th largest charity formed c.900 years ago. Today it owns, operates and maintains the five City bridges at no cost to the taxpayer and is London’s largest charitable grant giving body giving some £25m to social justice causes.

Outside of the City, James is a non-executive director of the Serious Fraud Office and is Chair of its Audit and Risk Committee.

James was Chair, stepping down in 2025, and former Chief Executive of MJ Gleeson plc the listed house builder building low-cost affordable homes for first time buyers. Prior to that he was Chief Executive (and former CFO) of Keepmoat. Keepmoat Homes delivers c.4,000 homes a year and during his seven-year tenure he saw the business grow from 1,500 homes year.

He previously worked for Smith Group PLC, the FTSE100 specialty engineering business. He was also CFO and Finance Director of DTZ, the international real estate business, now part of Cushman & Wakefield.

James earlier career was in financial and professional services. He joined Price Waterhouse (now PwC) and qualified as a Charted Accountant in 1992 working in financial services audit and corporate reconstruction and insolvency. That was followed by 10 years in investment banking: joining Samuel Montagu (becoming part of HSBC Investment Bank) and Deutsche Bank. At HSBC, he spent three years living in South Africa advising the ANC led Mandela Government of National Unity.

James was educated at Oriel College, Oxford University and graduated with a degree in Geology.

James was awarded a CBE in the 2025 New Year Honors for Policing and Inclusion.

Sebastian Troëng is a global conservation executive with more than 30 years of experience in nature conservation, climate solutions and sustainable development across Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe and North America.

He spent nearly two decades at Conservation International, most recently as executive vice president for conservation partnership and chief people officer.

In previous leadership roles in the organization, he oversaw operations in 27 countries, led the US$ 1.6 billion Heal Our Planet campaign, and co-developed the Ocean Health Index adopted by more than 25 countries.

Prior to Conservation International, Sebastian directed marine conservation at the Caribbean Conservation Corporation, guiding national policy achievements in Costa Rica and founding an Indigenous conservation program in Panama.

Fluent in English, Spanish and Swedish, Sebastian earned a Ph.D. in animal zoology from Lund University and a master’s degree in marine environmental protection from the University of Wales.

Faith Ward MBE is a leading figure in responsible investment, with nearly three decades of experience at the intersection of investment and sustainability. Until June 2026, she served as Chief Responsible Investment Officer at Brunel Pension Partnership, where she was responsible for embedding responsible investment across public and private markets. She previously spent twenty years at the Environment Agency Pension Fund. Faith chairs the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change and co-founded the Transition Pathway Initiative. She also holds advisory roles with the UK Government's Transition Finance Council, the ISSB Investor Advisory Group, and the Church of England's National Investing Bodies. Awarded an MBE in 2025 for services to pensions and the environment, she is a Fellow of the CFA UK, a Fellow of ISEP, and a Chartered Environmentalist, recognised for her leadership in sustainable finance and helping investors respond to long-term system-level risks.

Andrew Wilson is the Deputy Secretary General — Policy at the International Chamber of Commerce. He has previously held a range of policy and advocacy roles across the organization, including as its Permanent Observer to the United Nations. 

Irem Yerdelen is the Managing Partner of ERM’s Sustainability & Climate Solutions in Northern Europe, which includes several strategic advisors, subject matter technical experts, consulting staff and other partners.

Irem is advising global clients from all sectors to manage their transition to a low carbon economy; from strategy, reporting to operationalising sustainability - including all types of ESG, Climate, Biodiversity and Net Zero related matters.

Irem is also an elected Councillor for the City of London Corporation, representing the Lime Street Ward. Currently acting as the Policy Lead for Sustainable Finance, Board Director of the Green Finance Institute, and Deputy-Chair of the Transition Finance Council.

Irem brings decades of international risk management and insurance industry experience, having worked at Marsh and WTW, specialising on (re)insurance and alternative risk solutions for global complex risks. 

Mike Zehetmayr is a Partner/Principal at EY, based in London, and leads sustainable technology and data for financial services globally, with a particular focus on carbon and nature markets. 

With over 30 years of experience in financial services, Mike has worked across Europe, the United States, and Japan, advising banks, market infrastructure providers, and regulators on risk, regulation, and large-scale transformation programmes. 

He now focuses on building and scaling market infrastructure and digital solutions to support the transition to a low-carbon and nature-positive economy. His work spans the design and implementation of carbon market mechanisms, sustainable finance data and technology platforms, and innovative approaches to mobilising capital at scale.

Mike’s work sits at the intersection of capital markets, climate policy, and technology innovation, helping shape the role of financial services in accelerating the global transition to net zero and beyond.