Organised by
In Partnership with
In Support of
Fair Finance Asia is a regional network of 25 (and growing) Asian civil society organisations that is committed to ensuring that the business decisions and funding strategies of financial institutions in the region respect the social and environmental well-being of the communities in which they operate. Seven countries within the region are a part of the FFA: Cambodia, Japan, India, Indonesia, The Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) Ltd is one of the top life insurance companies in Singapore, serving the financial and protection needs of the country’s citizens for 88 years. The company has an AA- Financial Strength Rating from leading credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s, with S$36.7 billion funds under management as at 31 December 2018. It delivers a suite of well-rounded product offerings in Protection, Savings and Investment through multiple distribution channels including a network of more than 5,000 financial consultants.
The Carbon Trust is an independent, expert partner of leading organisations around the world, helping them contribute to and benefit from a more sustainable future through carbon reduction, resource efficiency strategies and commercialising low carbon technologies.
Climatetrade is a platform born to disrupt the new Climate markets by providing alternative solutions whose objective is to solve the carbon footprint offset needs of corporations and citizens by selecting the desired credits from those offered, supporting sustainable projects around the world, in a simple, safe and transparent through Blockchain technology. https://climatetrade.com/
OCBC Bank is the longest established Singapore bank, formed in 1932 from the merger of three local banks, the oldest of which was founded in 1912. It is now the second largest financial services group in Southeast Asia by assets and one of the world’s most highly-rated banks, with an Aa1 rating from Moody’s. Recognised for its financial strength and stability, OCBC Bank is consistently ranked among the World’s Top 50 Safest Banks by Global Finance and has been named Best Managed Bank in Singapore by The Asian Banker.
OCBC Bank and its subsidiaries offer a broad array of commercial banking, specialist financial and wealth management services, ranging from consumer, corporate, investment, private and transaction banking to treasury, insurance, asset management and stockbroking services.
OCBC Bank’s key markets are Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Greater China. It has more than 600 branches and representative offices in 18 countries and regions. These include over 330 branches and offices in Indonesia under subsidiary Bank OCBC NISP, and more than 100 branches and offices in Hong Kong, China and Macao under OCBC Wing Hang.
OCBC Bank’s private banking services are provided by its wholly-owned subsidiary Bank of Singapore, which operates on a unique open-architecture product platform to source for the best-in-class products to meet its clients’ goals.
Trucost is part of S&P Global. A leader in carbon and environmental data and risk analysis, Trucost assesses risks relating to climate change, natural resource constraints, and broader environmental, social, and governance factors. Companies and financial institutions use Trucost intelligence to understand their ESG exposure to these factors, inform resilience and identify transformative solutions for a more sustainable global economy. S&PGlobal’s commitment to environmental analysis and product innovation allows us to deliver essential ESG investment-related information to the global marketplace. For more information, visit www.trucost.com.
Vigeo Eiris is an independent international provider of environmental, social and governance (ESG) research and services for investors and public & private organizations. We undertake risk assessments and evaluate the level of integration of sustainability factors within the strategy and operations of organizations.
With a team of more than 260 experts of 28 different nationalities, Vigeo Eiris offers a wide range of services for investors (decision-making support covering all sustainable and ethical investment approaches including ratings, databases, sector analyses, portfolio analyses, structured products, indices and more) and for companies & organizations (supporting the integration of ESG criteria into business functions and strategic operations (including sustainable bonds, corporate ratings and more).
Vigeo Eiris is an affiliate of Moody’s since April 2019.
The World Gold Council is the market development organisation for the gold industry. Our purpose is to stimulate and sustain demand for gold, provide industry leadership and be the global authority on the gold market.
We develop gold-backed solutions, services and products, based on authoritative market insight and we work with a range of partners to put our ideas into action. As a result, we create structural shifts in demand for gold across key market sectors. We provide insights into the international gold markets, helping people to understand the wealth preservation qualities of gold and its role in meeting the social and environmental needs of society.
The membership of the World Gold Council includes the world’s leading and most forward-thinking gold mining companies.
ASIFMA is an independent, regional trade association with over 125 member firms comprising a diverse range of leading financial institutions from both the buy and sell side, including banks, asset managers, law firms and market infrastructure service providers. Together, we harness the shared interests of the financial industry to promote the development of liquid, deep and broad capital markets in Asia. ASIFMA advocates stable, innovative and competitive Asian capital markets that are necessary to support the region’s economic growth. We drive consensus, advocate solutions and effect change around key issues through the collective strength and clarity of one industry voice. Our many initiatives include consultations with regulators and exchanges, development of uniform industry standards, advocacy for enhanced markets through policy papers, and lowering the cost of doing business in the region. Through the GFMA alliance with SIFMA in the United States and AFME in Europe, ASIFMA also provides insights on global best practices and standards to benefit the region.
AVPN is a unique funders’ network based in Singapore committed to building a vibrant and high impact social investment community across Asia. As an advocate, capacity builder, and platform that cuts across private, public and social sectors, AVPN embraces all types of engagement to improve the effectiveness of members across the Asia Pacific region.
The core mission of AVPN is to increase the flow of financial, human and intellectual capital to the social sector by connecting and empowering key stakeholders from funders to the social purpose organizations they support.
With over 600 members across 34 countries, AVPN is catalysing the movement towards a more strategic, collaborative and outcome focused approach to social investing, ensuring that resources are deployed as effectively as possible to address key social challenges facing Asia today and in the future.
AsianNGO is the prime source of information on grants and funding opportunities, learning tools and knowledge resources, partnerships, news, events and policy updates in the development sector across Asia.
As a social enterprise venture and the official media arm venture of ASSIST (Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation), AsianNGO is the first and only platform for Asia's social sector and was initiated to address the three main issues that NGOs face today: finding funds, partners and relevant learning resources for better management.
Global Compact Network Singapore is the local chapter of the United Nations Global Compact.
As the national lead platform promoting corporate sustainability, GCNS provides an ecosystem for companies to align strategies and operations with universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and take actions to achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Through various platforms for multi-stakeholder engagement and collective action, GCNS advances the stewardship of sustainable business practices and Singapore’s national agenda of becoming a regional sustainable business hub.
In addition, GCNS nurtures the next generation of responsible business leaders through its youth initiatives. GCNS is a stakeholder of the Global Reporting Initiative and supports the Singapore chapter of the World Bank Group's Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC).
The International Capital Market Association (ICMA) is a trade association, representing over 580 members in more than 62 countries globally, who are active in the international capital market on a cross border basis. It is also distinctive amongst trade associations in representing both the buy-side and the sell-side of the industry.
ICMA works to maintain the framework of cross-border issuing, trading and investing through development of internationally accepted standard market practices, while liaising closely with governments, regulators, central banks and stock exchanges, helping to ensure that financial regulation promotes the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the international capital market.
Positive Energy is Asia's largest platform for renewable energy investments, offering developers global reach and providing vetted deal flow to investors.
WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organisations. Our mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. WWF-Singapore helps protect Singapore’s essential needs through the actions of individuals, businesses and governments in the region. To meet key conservation goals, we address issues such as deforestation, haze pollution, food security, sustainable consumption and illegal wildlife trade.
[Update on 13 August 2020: With the global Covid-19 pandemic still ongoing, Eco-Business has decided to take our flagship Unlocking capital for sustainability conference fully virtual for the first time. The current crisis has exposed the critical link between ESG performance and human and planetary health. We believe that our event is a timely avenue for our community to have urgent discussions on how to mobilise finance to build back better.
Existing ticket holders will be contacted to either receive a refund, or convert their ticket to the new virtual ticket and/or donate their contribution to EB Impact. We would like to thank you for your support during these unprecedented times, and we hope to see you at the virtual event on 10 September 2020!]
Unlocking capital for sustainability is an annual premiere event organised by Eco-Business in partnership with UN Environment Programme (UNEP) that brings together high-level decision makers in finance, business, government and civic society to discuss and commit to actionable initiatives that mobilise the capital markets for sustainable development.
The financial sector stands at a crossroads of change: Since the 2008 global financial crisis, the role of finance in building equitable, sustainable economies has been debated across societies. Set amid this backdrop is the rise of sustainable finance, which allocates capital with an environmental, social and governance (ESG) lens to create long-term value. Despite the encouraging momentum however, the deployment of private capital for sustainable finance remains relatively small.
According to the Business and Sustainable Development Commission, sustainable development in Asia will require US$5 trillion of investments to address complex challenges of climate change, growing inequality and rising urbanisation by 2030. How can the finance industry accelerate the responsible deployment of capital for these solutions in a rapidly growing region?
Join us at Unlocking capital for sustainability 2020: Building back better
*Please note that registrations will close at 6.30 pm Singapore time on 9 September.*
Associate Director, APAC, Forum for the Future
Sumi Dhanarajan is the Associate Director, APAC for Forum for the Future, an international non-profit that works with business, government and civil society to solve complex sustainability challenges. She is an experienced advocate and international development practitioner with expertise on the impacts of the private sector on the environment, poverty reduction and human rights. Previously, she served at Oxfam GB for 10 years as senior policy adviser, then head of the private sector team; and, on moving to Singapore, at the Centre for Asia and Globalisation at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, leading their programme on the Public Roles of the Private Sector. Before embarking on her career in international development, Sumi served as a senior legal adviser to the Secretariat for Legislative Councillors of the Hong Kong Democratic Party, and established the human rights desk for the Malaysian Bar Council. She has served as trustee and board director to the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, the Ethical Trading Initiative and the Commonwealth Human Rights Institute and has had various advisory roles including on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Human Rights.
Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Chief Economist of the United Nations
Mr. Elliott Harris is the Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and Chief Economist of the United Nations. He served previously as Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Office in New York of the UnitedNations Environment Programme, from 2013-2018. Prior to joining the United Nations, Mr. Harris spent 25 years as an economist at the International Monetary FundIMF), working in the African and Fiscal Affairs Departments, including as IMF Mission Chief in Togo, Chad and Guinea. He served from 2008-2012 as the IMF Special Representative to the United Nations, in parallel to his role as Assistant Director of the Strategy Policy and Review Department.
Senior Sustainability Consultant, Vigeo Eiris
Feng Hu works as Senior Sustainability Consultant at Vigeo Eiris (VE), an affiliate of Moody’s Investors Service, and is primarily responsible for providing Second Party Opinions on green finance projects. Prior to VE, Feng led water-nomics work at CWR (China Water Risk), a think-tank specialised in water and climate risk analysis. He initiated and led joint projects with the Foreign Economic Cooperation Office of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China, and co-authored reports on sectoral water risks such as in energy and agriculture, and basin water-nomics of Asia’s major rivers. In addition, Feng also worked as a senior carbon auditor on climate change mitigation projects of various types ranging from wind, hydro, solar PV, energy efficiency to waste management. As the project leader, he worked in China as well as across Asia and Africa
Founding Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact; Chairman, Arabesque; Advisory Board Member, Eco-Business
Georg Kell is the founder and former executive director of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the world’s largest voluntary corporate sustainability initiative with over 8,000 corporate signatories in more than 160 countries.
As its founding executive director, Kell helped to establish the UNGC as the foremost platform for the development, implementation and disclosure of responsible and sustainable corporate policies and practices.
In a career of more than 25 years at the United Nations, Kell also oversaw the conception and launch of the Global Compact’s sister initiatives on investment, the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), and on education, the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), together with the Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative. Mr. Kell is currently chairman of Arabesque, an asset management firm that integrates environmental, social, and governance data with quantitative investment strategies.
He started his career as a research fellow in engineering at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology and Innovation in Berlin. He then worked as a financial analyst in various countries in Africa and Asia before joining the United Nations in 1987. A native of Germany, Kell holds advanced degrees in economics and engineering from the Technical University of Berlin.
Mr. Kell has received numerous recognitions and has been named among the "100 Most Influential in Business Ethics" every year since 2011.
Chief Executive Officer, Rabobank Singapore & Representative Markets
Harjan Kuiper is the Chief Executive Officer of Rabobank Singapore & Representative Markets.
Based in Singapore, Harjan is responsible for the overall management of Rabobank’s offices in Singapore and Malaysia, as well as the wider South-East Asian franchise for which Singapore is the hub for clients from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Harjan has over 20 years of successful banking and finance experience most notably in investment and portfolio management, markets and trade finance. He started his career with Rabobank in London, and subsequently took on various key management positions in Dublin, Utrecht and New York with his most recent position being the Head of Markets North America at Rabobank New York and double hatting the role of Chief Executive Officer for Rabo Securities USA, Inc.
Group Chief Sustainability Officer, DBS
Mikkel Larsen is the Group Chief Sustainability Officer of DBS and a committee member of Global Compact Network Singapore’s Management Committee. Mikkel chairs the DBS Sustainability Council, which comprises senior leaders across business and support units and is responsible for developing DBS’ overarching sustainability framework, setting key performance indicators and targets in consultation with the relevant stakeholders, and driving sustainability initiatives across the bank. Prior to joining DBS, Mikkel was the Chief Financial Officer for Asia Pacific in UBS from 2009 to 2012 covering Investment Bank, Wealth Management and Asset Management. He was previously the Asia Pacific Head of Accounting Policy and location controller for Hong Kong at UBS. Mikkel has also worked in Citigroup in London and KPMG in London and Denmark. Mikkel holds an MBA from London Business School, Graduate education from Harvard University and a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Economics from Copenhagen Business School in his native country Denmark where he also holds his CPA.
Green Finance Lead for South East Asia, Carbon Trust
Xin Yi is the South East Asia Green Finance Lead in the Carbon Trust Singapore office.
She previously spent five years at a leading independent think tank, the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA), as a Senior Policy Research Analyst (Sustainability) where she focused on environmental sustainability in ASEAN’s resource sector. She is actively involved in engagement with corporations and the financial sector with a view to drive sustainability and deepen cross-sector partnerships.
Prior to this, Xin Yi worked at Sustainalytics where she evaluated and benchmarked the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices of publicly-listed companies in three industries: Consumer Discretionary, Food and Utilities.
Xin Yi holds a Bachelor of Science (Economics) with a second major in Political Science (Public Policy, Development and Management) from the Singapore Management University.
Executive Director, Head of ASEAN and Public Policy, World Gold Council
Andrew Naylor joined the World Gold Council in 2016. He is head of ASEAN, Australia, Japan and Korea. In this role he is overseeing the expansion of the World Gold Council’s activities in the region, including a renewed focus on investment. He is also global head of public policy and is responsible for the Council’s regulatory and policy initiatives.
Prior to the World Gold Council, Andrew worked for international consultancy firm Cicero Group advising financial institutions on foreign investment, the regulatory reform agenda and trade policy in Asia and Europe.
Andrew sits on the management committee of the Singapore Bullion Market Association (SBMA). He was a board member of the European Chamber of Commerce in Singapore from 2012 to 2019.
Andrew regularly gives broadcast media commentary on global and political economic developments on the BBC, Sky News, ChannelNewsAsia and CNBC.
Andrew has a degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science and the College of Law of England and Wales.
Head of Structured Finance, OCBC
Mike has been involved in project and infrastructure financing for more than 20 years. As Head of Structured Finance, he is responsible for the origination and execution of project financing, cross-border export financing and event-driven financing across a wide range of industries, including renewable energy, power and utilities, telecommunication, and general infrastructure. In 2018, Mike assumed the role of Head of Sustainable Finance. In this capacity, Mike is responsible for the origination and execution of sustainable finance transactions, including green loans, sustainability-linked loans, and financing for sustainable industries. Prior to joining OCBC, Mike was in the project and structured financing business in various institutions including the Royal Bank of Scotland (Hong Kong) and ABN AMRO (Hong Kong). Mike graduated with a Master of Science (International Accounting and Finance) with the London School of Economics, and a Bachelor of Business (Financial Analysis) with the Nanyang Technological University.
ASEAN Representative, EMPEA
Steven Okun is Founder and CEO of Singapore-based APAC Advisors, a public affairs consultancy working with clients on ESG, sustainability and stakeholder engagement. In addition, he serves as the ASEAN Representative for EMPEA and is a member of its global ESG community. Steve has lived and worked in Asia since 2003, most recently for KKR. As KKR’s first Director of Asia Public Affairs, Mr. Okun’s responsibilities encompassed government affairs, communications, stakeholder engagement and sustainability including KKR’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives. Prior to moving to Asia, Steven served in the Clinton Administration and is a graduate of the University of Virginia and University of Virginia School of Law.
Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific, IFC | World Bank Group
Vivek Pathak is IFC’s Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific, leading advisory and investment operations across 18 countries, which in 2019 reached US$3.8 billion in long-term investments, including funds mobilized from other investors. He has extensive emerging markets experience in principal investments, restructuring and risk management. Mr. Pathak was Director for Investment and Credit Risk, responsible for global coverage of credit risk, investment risk, integrity risk, pricing and credit/equity training. Prior to that he oversaw IFC’s portfolio in the Middle East and North Africa and led business development in frontier markets like Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran. Before IFC, Mr. Pathak worked at Bank of America and ABN AMRO Bank in new business and risk management.
Senior Energy Specialist, ADB
Steve Peters is a Senior Energy Specialist (Waste-to-Energy) in the Energy Sector Group of the Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, Asian Development Bank. He is responsible for developing the knowledge base, project development and implementation in waste to energy and supporting projects across waste, the circular economy and ocean impacts.
Prior to joining ADB, Mr. Peters was the Director at Stratcon Singapore Pte Ltd where he consulted on waste to energy, waste to fuels, biomass, biogas, biofuels and innovation in clean technology. He was a Founder and Technical Director for the Technology and Development Network which is a network of professionals in clean technology in Asia. He was the Managing Director at Waste to Energy Pte Ltd, a Stratcon JV biogas developer in ASEAN from 2004 to 2010; Deputy Project Manager at Kumagai Gumi Co. Ltd., in Singapore in 1997-1999; Director at Stratcon Pty Ltd., in Australia in 1993-1999; and a Director at Foster Sturrock Pty Ltd in Australia from 1988 to 1993. He is the immediate past Chairman of the Asia Pacific Biogas Alliance.
Mr. Peters obtained his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Civil Engineering both from University of Melbourne, Australia in 1996 and 1987 respectively.
Head of Asia Pacific ESG Business Development, Trucost , part of S&P Global
Michael Salvatico leads environmental, social and governance (ESG) business development in Asia Pacific for Trucost, based in Sydney. He works with investors and companies to consult on industry trends, assess their ESG performance and advise on the integration of tools that help manage ESG exposures and opportunities.
Prior to joining Trucost, Michael was an Executive Director at MSCI Inc. and oversaw the company’s ESG Research in Australia and New Zealand. His career experience involves working in portfolio analytics, quantitative investment analysis and ESG research. Before MSCI Inc., he was part of the highly rated research team at Bank of America -Merrill Lynch where he was head of Emerging Markets quantitative analysis.
Michael was a cofounder in the Climakind initiative to reduce global carbon emissions by promoting a price on carbon and a thought leader in solutions to the rising levels of global carbon emissions.
Michael received a Master of Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia, and a Bachelor of Commerce with Merit from the University of New South Wales.
Managing Director of Asia, Circulate Capital
Regula Schegg is Circulate Capital’s Managing Director, Asia. She leads the investment strategy, manages the investment team and oversees Circulate Capital Ocean Fund’s investment portfolio in South and Southeast Asia.
Together with her team, Regula manages asset allocations as well as due diligence, portfolio management of fund investments. She also provides strategic advisory to the portfolio companies, focusing on strategy, business development, fundraising, key hiring decisions, financial management and governance.
Regula is an experienced global professional with over 20 years' of leadership, business development, project management, finance and social enterprise/start-up expertise. Throughout her corporate career, she held positions in corporate strategy, M&A, private equity, financial controlling and business development.
She was further engaged in the microfinance industry, establishing a growth guarantee fund, financing microfinancing institutions. She further established a social enterprise in the Philippines, developing sustainable housing technologies, establishing production and construction of affordable housing solutions in collaboration with urban poor communities and civil society organizations in Southeast Asia.
Regula graduated with an MBA (Honors) in Global Management from Thunderbird, School of Global Management, USA, with undergraduate studies in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and France. She is an Aspen Institute Business & Society First Movers Fellow. Regula speaks German, English and French.
Head, Listing Policy & Product Admission, Singapore Exchange Regulation
Michael is the head of Listing Policy & Product Admission at Singapore Exchange Regulation (SGX RegCo), a subsidiary of Singapore Exchange (SGX) that undertakes frontline regulatory functions. He oversees listing policy and rules development and has oversight of the listing admission of securities products, including debt securities, structured products and exchange-traded funds. Michael graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with a Bachelor of Laws degree and is admitted to the Singapore bar. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the NUS Business School’s Centre for Governance, Institutions and Organisations (CGIO). Michael leads SGX’s efforts to promote sustainability across stakeholder groups.
Head of the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative
Eric Usher Heads the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative, UNEP FI, a global partnership bringing together the UN with a global group of banks, insurers and asset managers working to develop the sustainable finance and responsible investment agendas. Eric oversees governance, strategy and day-to-day management of UNEP FI’s work programme and global network development. Over the years UNEP FI has established some of the most important sustainability oriented frameworks within the finance industry, including the Principles for Responsible Investment (2006), the Principles for Sustainable Insurance (2012) and the Principles for Responsible Banking (2019). Since joining in 2015, Mr. Usher has focused on accelerating the deep integration of sustainability risks into financial practice, including addressing climate change, natural capital loss and human rights abuses, as well as building out the frameworks for positive impact finance needed to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Eric sits on several industry bodies including as UN representative on the Board of the Principles for Responsible Investment, and as a member of the governing boards of the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, the Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance, the Investor Agenda and the impact fund REPP Africa.
Prior to leading UNEP FI, Mr. Usher has over twenty years of experience in the low carbon sectors, spanning technology commercialisation in Canada, solar rural electrification in Morocco and financial sector development across emerging markets. During 2011, Mr. Usher worked on the establishment of the Green Climate Fund and led efforts to create its Private Sector Facility. Eric has been an editor of the Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment report published annually with Bloomberg and was lead author for finance of the IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources. Earlier in his career, Eric was General Manager of a solar rural electrification company based in Morocco.
Regional Program Lead, Fair Finance Asia
Bernadette Victorio is an international development and finance specialist with extensive experience delivering high impact initiatives in a variety of strategic, management, and policy advocacy roles in organisations including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ), and Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI). She has proven track record in influencing policy discussions on financial inclusion, sustainable finance, and ESG (environmental, social and governance) investment transparency and accountability.
Originally from the Philippines, Bernadette has lived and worked across highly diverse cultural contexts in Asia and worked extensively on assignments to other regions including Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific. Currently, Bernadette leads Oxfam Novib’s regional program, Fair Finance Asia, which aims to accelerate policy implementation and action on sustainable finance across Asia.
Head of Ethics, Prudential Assurance Company Singapore
El Lynn is the Head of Ethics at Prudential Singapore. She is responsible for ensuring a successful corporate ethics culture, developing and implementing an Environmental,Social and Governance (ESG) framework, as well as a framework around the responsible use of AI and data analytics.
Prior to this role, she was Head of Community Investment at Prudential Singapore responsible for driving community investment and sustainability initiatives in Singapore. She began her career in the corporate communications industry and spent 17 years consulting for major MNCs across banking and financial services, travel, arts, FMCG and for the public sector.
Before joining Prudential in August 2017, she ran her own corporate communications consulting business for three years where she worked with start-ups and non-profits in the technology, real estate, arts and aviation sectors. Prior to that, El spent eight years with Hill+Knowlton in various roles including Business Development and Marketing Director, Asia and Asia Lead for Sports Marketing and Sponsorship. During this time, she oversaw new business activities and multi-market pitches across Asia with a focus on improving conversion rates.
Before taking on her role at Hill+Knowlton, she led both corporate and marketing communications teams across Asia including in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai, managing clients such as DHL, HSBC, P&G, National Heritage Board, National Parks Board, UK Trade & Investment, State Street Corporation, Linde Gas, Pernod Ricard, Rio Tinto Alcan and American Express.
El holds a BA in Communication from Olympia College and is currently pursuing a BA inSociology and Psychology at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
Senior Director for Asia Pacific, ICMA
Ricco Zhang is Senior Director, Asia Pacific of the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) based in Hong Kong. Mr. Zhang is responsible for ICMA’s development in Greater China and works very closely with regulators, financial institutions and other organizations who are active at the capital markets in the region to promote and maintain the best market practice. He has previously worked for international law firms, investment banks and other financial institutions engaged in capital market transactions and mergers & acquisitions in Asia and has extensive experience as a market practitioner. Mr. Zhang graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong.
Jessica is the Founder and Managing Director of Eco-Business, an award-winning journalist, TV presenter, director, producer, and a social entrepreneur. She has more than a decade of experience in media, journalism and sustainable development and is a columnist for print and digital publications such as The Straits Times and TODAY.
She is an independent and non-executive director of Singapore-listed ComfortDelGro, one of the world's largest land transport companies, and sits on the nomination and investment committees.
She serves as Strategic Advisor to Blue Planet Environmental Solutions, and is founding Director for Embodhi (Singapore), a non-profit for women empowerment in Asia. She is also an associate member of the Singapore Institute of Directors, and currently chairs the Climate Action SG Alliance – an initiative supported by the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources to advocate climate action and raise public awareness on climate issues.
A Singapore Press Holdings scholar, she has won many journalism awards. In March 2018, she was announced the winner of the Women of the Future Southeast Asia Awards for the media and communications category. She was also named as one of LinkedIn's Power Profiles for Singapore for 2018.
Founder and Managing Director, Eco-Business
Robin is the Deputy Editor of Eco-Business. He has spent a decade living and working in Asia Pacific, including in Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore, and has 17 years of experience in journalism,writing about media, marketing, government, technology and the environment.
Robin is currently the Deputy Editor of Eco-Business, where he reports on the big stories in sustainability as well as manages Eco-Business’s network of writers across the region.
Robin has a degree in Zoology from the University of Bristol in the UK, and spends his weekends as a volunteer for Singapore animal welfare charity ACRES. He is also a long-suffering supporter of West Ham United FC.
Deputy Editor, Eco-Business
Nicholas brings a strong international background in the chemicals and plastic business. A Canadian and Australian citizen, he has worked extensively in Europe and Asia throughout his career.
Nicholas joined the Alliance to End Plastic Waste on May 1st, 2020 as Vice President of Projects, responsible for the sourcing, development, planning and implementation of projects focused on ending plastic waste in the environment.
Nicholas held various management positions in the Borealis Group from 2009 – 2020. Most recently as Head of Marketing Automotive, based in Vienna Austria. Prior to that he was located in Singapore as Strategic Planning Manager for Borouge Pte. Ltd.
He started his international career in the chemical industry in 1998 with Ciba Specialty Chemicals where he held several sales, marketing, strategy and management positions in Hong Kong, Switzerland, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
Nicholas holds an MBA in Marketing and Strategy from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.
Vice President, Projects, Alliance to End Plastic Waste
Junice is Eco-Business' Acting Executive Director, and Director for Greater China, based in Beijing and head of Eco-Business's consulting practice.
She was previously the Director for Southeast Asia at global sustainability advisory, Corporate Citizenship, where she worked with Asian-based corporations, governments and non-profits on strategic environment and social issues.
Junice is no stranger to China. She started her career in Shanghai with French consumer goods multinational, Danone. She returned to China again in 2011, where she was appointed by Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City (SSTEC) to be responsible for the marketing and communications of the bilateral project driving sustainable urbanisation. Prior to that, she spent four years as Deputy Head for the Switzerland's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) based in the Embassy of Switzerland in Singapore, helping Swiss companies, particularly in the cleantech and sustainable architecture industries - invest into Southeast Asia.
A certified trainer under the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)'s GRI Standards, Junice has trained over 200 individuals on sustainability reporting. She has also trained community specialists on social impact measurement.
As a mother of two young kids, Junice has genuine concerns about their immediate futures in an era of imminent climate change. Besides brushing up on her Mandarin, Junice is committed to helping businesses in China bridge knowledge, ideas and understanding on sustaining our planet for generations to come.
Deputy Managing Director, Eco-Business
Founder and Managing Director, Eco-Business
Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Chief Economist of the United Nations
In this intimate session, speakers share their birds-eye view of what it will take for the region to build back better after experiencing the largest peacetime crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. We will discuss the progress of sustainable finance in the region, looking at the trends that will shape the decade ahead and how to accelerate capital allocation for recovery and long-term sustainable development. The discussion will look at the opportunities in a rapidly developing region in crisis, and how to seize them.
Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Chief Economist of the United Nations
Chief Executive Officer, Rabobank Singapore & Representative Markets
Senior Director for Asia Pacific, ICMA
Founder and Managing Director, Eco-Business
Regional Program Lead, Fair Finance Asia
Green bonds, blue bonds, sustainability loans, green loans – financial institutions are clamouring to announce newly launched green loans and products. Even as the world recognises the need for new financial instruments to fund projects driving sustainability, there remains a strong scepticism towards loosely defined green instruments that are subject to greenwash. Is there a role for regulators in this respect for Asian products? What other drivers can accelerate financial ESG standards in Asia?
Group Chief Sustainability Officer, DBS
Head, Listing Policy & Product Admission, Singapore Exchange Regulation
ASEAN Representative, EMPEA
Executive Director, Head of ASEAN and Public Policy, World Gold Council
Deputy Managing Director, Eco-Business
Banks have an outsized influence on the modern economy today and have been under pressure to accelerate the critical energy transition needed to tackle our global climate crisis. Last year, banks with over US$47 trillion in assets, making up one third of the industry, adopted the United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Banking to fight climate change and shift loan books away from fossil fuels. Closer to home, Singapore’s three major banks said they would stop new investments in coal fired power plants. Regional banks and organisations in this panel will discuss the state of the energy transition in this rapidly developing region and the role of finance in enabling it.
Senior Sustainability Consultant, Vigeo Eiris
Head of Structured Finance, OCBC
Green Finance Lead for South East Asia, Carbon Trust
Head of Asia Pacific ESG Business Development, Trucost , part of S&P Global
Deputy Editor, Eco-Business
Head of Ethics, Prudential Assurance Company Singapore
Founder and Managing Director, Eco-Business
BlackRock made headlines recently when it announced a partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to launch the BGF Circular Economy Fund of US$20 million, marking the proliferation of circular economy concepts in our modern economy, which advocates a circular approach to managing our limited resources. Research has suggested that if Europe were to adopt a more circular economy it could expect to receive €1.6 trillion in net benefits. Separate research indicates a circular economy could boost UK GDP by £29bn and create 205,000 new British jobs.
What about Asia? Where should investors begin looking for circular economy investing opportunities in a region that is rapidly growing and grappling with responsible resource management? This panel invites the world’s forward-looking investors to discuss their investment approach, successes and challenges of putting their money where the circular economy is.
Managing Director of Asia, Circulate Capital
Senior Energy Specialist, ADB
Associate Director, APAC, Forum for the Future
Head of the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative
Vice President, Projects, Alliance to End Plastic Waste
Founding Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact; Chairman, Arabesque; Advisory Board Member, Eco-Business
Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific, IFC | World Bank Group
Attendees will be split into 4 intimate virtual networking sessions based on the following themes:
Please note that networking is only applicable to full access attendees.
*Please note that registrations will close at 6.30 pm Singapore time on 9 September.*
*Please note that registrations will close at 6.30 pm Singapore time on 9 September.*
*Please note that registrations will close at 6.30 pm Singapore time on 9 September.*