Without a Who’s Who—a list of the individuals who set the agenda—no report on sustainable investment would be complete. We spoke with hundreds of individuals over the last several months, all of whom are involved in sustainable investment, to find out who they believed should be on our list. We also spoke with Barron’s colleagues who have been following the growth of the sustainable-investing field.
One of the most powerful sectors for creating a more sustainable economy is finance. By directing investments toward sustainable solutions, it may assist firms in being more conscious of environment and climate change. The people on our list are all thought leaders in sustainable finance who can make a difference. If you are looking forward to getting to know about the Steve Jobs of sustainable finance, you may go through this article. We will share all the influential figures who are creating a positive impact on sustainable finance.
Ray Dhirani
He is the Director of Sustainable Finance at the WWF. He had worked in the financial business before joining WWF1 to work on sustainable finance issues for the last eight years. He is focusing on improving the financial system’s long-term viability.
Mark Campanale
Mark Campanale has twenty-five years of expertise in long-term financial markets. He was a co-founder of some of the first responsible investing funds at Jupiter Asset Management. He is presently the Founder and Executive Director of the Carbon Tracker Initiative2, a non-profit think tank devoted to ensuring that finance markets are in line with climate change.
Richard Burrett
Richard Burrett has about 35 years of expertise in international finance. He presently serves as Earth Capital’s Chief Sustainability Officer and has a lengthy record of achievements. Mr. Burrett believes that responsible investment should be mainstreamed.
He worked with ABN AMRO for 20 years, where he was a key contributor to the establishment of the Equator Principles3, a risk management framework for social and environmental concerns in project finance.
Elisa Moscolin
Elisa Moscolin has extensive experience creating and implementing sustainability plans and programs. She presently works at Santander as the Head of Sustainability and CSR, where she is in charge of driving the bank in the proper direction. This job is responsible for sustainability, CSR, and the Corporate Foundation. Her ambition is to help businesses achieve their sustainability objectives, and she believes that connecting corporate strategy with the Sustainable Development Goals4 is vital.
Courtney Lowrance
Courtney Lowrance is an ESG5 specialist who has worked in sustainable finance for over 15 years in a number of sectors.
She has worked with the business sector, regulators, development agencies, and international financial institutions in over 50 countries, mostly in developing economies.
Anjuli Pandit
Anjuli Pandit of BNP Paribas has played a crucial role in the company’s environmental initiatives. She is in charge of helping consumers integrate sustainability into their financial portfolios. Before joining the French banking firm, she worked at Tata Firm, where she focused on creating eco-sustainability solutions in partnership with a number of international corporations.
Emily Murrell
After working in sustainable finance at HSBC and the International Chamber of Commerce6, she joined the World Bank in August 2019. In the United Kingdom, she is in charge of political analysis, relationship management, and long-term connections. For the preparation of COP 26, she has been cooperating with climate experts in particular. She could contribute a lot towards the future development of sustainable finance. Therefore, you don’t have to think twice before calling her as the Steve Jobs of sustainable finance.
Cristina Lacaci
Cristina Lacaci is the Executive Director of Morgan Stanley, where she has worked for almost 14 years. She also serves as the firm’s sustainability bond structuring lead. Lacaci started her capital markets career as an equity originator7 in Iberia and has covered banking institutions in DCM since 2009.
She has also worked on the construction and execution of debt transactions for issuers all across Europe, including the structuring of green bonds for well-known issuers, with a focus on first-time, strategic transactions.
Chris McHugh
Chris McHugh is the founder and director of the Centre for Sustainable Finance at the London Institute of Banking and Finance. The UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement8 are at the center of the Centre’s research and educational endeavors. He has more than 20 years of experience in investment banking, with an emphasis on risk management and derivative-based deal structuring.
His primary study areas include development and sustainable finance, as well as the relationship between public and private capital markets.
Dr. Rhian-Mari Thomas
Dr. Rhian-Mari Thomas was formerly the Global Head of Green Banking at Barkleys and is now the CEO of the Green Finance Institute. The institute’s mission is to mobilize green money in order to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon society. For her services to green banking, she was awarded an OBE9. She founded the Barclays Green Banking Council as well. The contributions of Dr. Rhian-Mari Thomas are pretty significant in the sustainable finance industry. Hence, you don’t have to think twice before calling him as the Steve Jobs of sustainable finance.
Final words
These individuals have shown that it is possible to succeed while being sustainable. There isn’t a Planet B, after all. At a time when young people all across the world are protesting for climate action, it’s more vital than ever to recognize and support those who have the greatest capacity to act: those who are driving real policy change.
This list honors politicians, civil officials, academics, and activists, and it is based on hundreds of submissions from experts and major organizations. High-profile campaigners are among those honored for their contributions to raising awareness and demanding change. Others are emerging stars who are building a name for themselves in their communities and are pushing government forward.