• Achim Steiner
    "Combining private sector financial flows and smart public policy will be a key to a low carbon, resource efficient 21st century Green Economy."
     
    Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director
  • Gordon Brown
    "By kick-starting this engagement on issues of systemic risk and financial sustainability with the United Nations community, my hope is to contribute to defining the new kind of thinking and action that we must embrace to address the challenges of a global economy when climate change, resource scarcity, commodity price volatility and income inequality, amongst other ongoing concerns, will set the future context for our finance sector and global capital markets."
     
    Gordon Brown, former UK Prime Minister
  • Mary Robinson
    "The UN framework affirms that all businesses have a responsibility to respect human rights and that all must be able to demonstrate that they are meeting this responsibility through due diligence and positive actions irrespective of local contexts and government capacities. Many companies still have a great deal of work to do to make human rights due diligence part of their operations and to ensure that at minimum, their actions do not undermine respect for rights and indeed contribute to realizing rights in people’s lives."
     
    Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland
  • Barbara Krumsiek
    "I look forward to welcoming key stakeholders from around the world to Washington, D.C. for the UNEP FI Global Roundtable. My hope is that the event will build the critical partnerships that are necessary to move the sustainable development agenda forward."
     
    Barbara J. Krumsiek, Calvert Investments President and CEO, UNEP Finance Initiative Co-Chair
  • Kai Buntrock
    “I expect a truly catalytic reaction as to the felt and understood necessity of policy makers for placing the discussion on a sustainable policy framework - targeting the future private sector mobilisation and involvement - centre stage!”
     
    Kai Buntrock, Senior Investment Manager, DEG
  • Yvo de Boer
    “I hope the UNEP FI conference will explore best practice in ESG-investing, particularly in the US where we see new levels of interest from mainstream investors. The step change for companies is recognizing that investors have a valid interest in understanding how these issues are being managed across multiple asset classes.”
     
    Yvo de Boer, KPMG’s Special Global Advisor on Climate Change and Sustainability
  • Ernst Rauch
    "Munich Re is particularly looking forward to the expert workshop on climate information services for financial institutions at the UNEP FI’s Global Roundtable 2011. We appreciate the establishment and work of climate information centres, as reinsurance companies would benefit from the broader financial services and insurance sector. This would enhance the overall resilience of the entire sector in light of climate change impacts."
     
    Ernst Rauch, Head of Climate Change Centre, Munich Re
  • Nassim Taleb
    "Owing to [...] misunderstanding of the causal chains between policy and actions, we can easily trigger Black Swans thanks to aggressive ignorance - like a child playing with a chemistry kit."
     
    Nassim Taleb, author of The Black Swan

Plenary speakers

 

Paul Abberley, Chief Executive Aviva Investors London

 

Paul Abberley joined the asset management industry in 1981. Paul is both responsible for all Aviva Investors’ high alpha business in the UK, and for the delivery of investment solutions to clients worldwide. Paul joined Aviva Investors in 2008. He was previously at ABN Amro asset management for 8 years where he worked in a series of fixed income roles and as CEO for London. Paul has also worked as a global head of fixed income at Lombard Odier. Paul holds an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Keble College, Oxford. He is currently a member of the UN-backed PRI Advisory Council and the UK CBI Infrastructure Board.  

 

 

James (Jim) L. Balsillie, Co-CEO of Research In Motion and member of UN High level panel on Sustainability

 

Since 1992, Jim Balsillie has been co-Chair & co-CEO at Research In Motion (RIM), maker of the world renowned BlackBerry wireless solution. Balsillie and his partner have been named for the last three years in Barron’s World’s Best CEOs list.In 2002, James Balsillie founded The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), a world-class global research institute focused on the restructuring of international governance. In 2007, Balsillie announced the creation of the new Canadian International Council (CIC) of which he is the Chair. In 2008, he founded the Balsillie School of International Affairs. He is a member of the UN High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability. Mr. Balsillie is a graduate of the University of Toronto and the Harvard Graduate School of Business.  

 

 

Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

 

Gordon Brown served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. As Prime Minister, Brown’s tenure coincided with the start of the global financial crisis. He was one of the first to initiate calls for global financial action, while introducing a range of rescue measures in the UK. In April 2009, Brown hosted the G20 Summit in London where world leaders committed to make an additional $1.1 trillion available to help the world economy through the crisis and restore credit, growth and jobs. They also pledged to strengthen financial supervision and regulation. Previously, Brown served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1997 to 2007, making him the longest-serving Chancellor in modern history. His time as Chancellor was marked by major reform of Britain’s monetary and fiscal policy and sustained investment in health, education and overseas aid. Brown’s experiences during the global financial crisis convinced him of the urgent need for greater international cooperation to prevent future shocks to the global economy and he is the author of Beyond the Crash: Overcoming the First Crisis of Globalisation. Brown, who has been a Member of Parliament since 1983, has a PhD in History from the University of Edinburgh, and spent his early career working as a lecturer. Since leaving government, Brown has advised the World Economic Forum, chairing its Global Issues Group.   

 

 

Aron Cramer, President and CEO, Business for Social Responsibility  

 

Aron is recognized globally as an authority on corporate responsibility by leaders in business and NGOs and by his peers in the field. He advises senior executives at BSR’s 250 member companies and other global businesses, and is regularly featured as a speaker at major events and in a range of media outlets. Under his leadership, BSR has doubled its staff and significantly expanded its global presence. Aron is co-author of the book Sustainable Excellence: The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World, about the corporate responsibility strategies that drive business success. Aron joined BSR in 1995 as the founding director of its Business and Human Rights Program, and in 2002, he opened BSR’s Paris office, where he worked until becoming President and CEO in 2004. Previously, Aron practiced law in San Francisco and worked as a journalist at ABC News in New York. 

 

 

Roberto Dumas Damas, Head of Environmental and Social Risk , Banco Itau BBA

 

Roberto Dumas Damas heads environmental and social risk management at Itaú BBA and, until recently, was the bank’s chief representative at its Shanghai office. He joined Itaú BBA as a project finance manager in 1997 and was involved with the bank’s largest development-related financings, including projects in the power and mining sectors. From 1990 to 1997, he held various investment banking and capital markets positions at UBS, Citigroup, and Lloyds. He holds a Master´s degree in Economics from the University of Birmingham (UK) and a Master in Chinese Economy from Fudan University (P.R.China).  

 

 

 

Alexandra Liftman, Global Environmental Executive, Bank of America

 

As Global Environmental Executive for Bank of America, Liftman provides strategic oversight and serves as the central integration point for environmental business activities, operations initiatives, public and corporate policy, philanthropic and other investments, marketing and corporate affairs. In this role, Liftman serves as the primary steward of the company’s ten-year, $20 billion environmental business initiative, a commitment to address global climate change through lending, investing, products, services and operations. Liftman and members of the Global Environmental team work closely with the company’s business lines to create and execute integrated programs to support this initiative, focused on the development and commercial implementation of low carbon energy solutions. Liftman graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia where she received a bachelor of science in mathematics.  

 

 

Weihua Ma, President, China Merchants Bank

 

Weihua Ma has been Executive Director, President and CEO of China Merchants Bank since joining the bank in January 1999. Dr. Ma has also been actively involved in the public sector. He was a deputy to the 10th National People’s Congress and currently is a member of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. In addition, he holds the position of Vice Chairman of China Chamber of International Commerce, Executive Deputy Chairman of China Association for Company Directors, Executive Director of China Society for Finance, and President of Shenzhen Soft Science Development Foundation. He additionally serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for CIGNA & CMC life Insurance Company Ltd., China Merchants Fund Management Co. Ltd., and Wing Lung Bank Ltd. He also currently sits on the board of China Merchants Group Ltd.   

 

 

Jigar Shah, CEO, Carbon War Room

 

A renowned visionary, Jigar Shah is committed to renewable energy and sustainable solutions that enable prosperity beyond the carbon economy. As CEO of the Carbon War Room, Jigar is dedicated to identifying business-as-usual practices and replacing them with low-carbon solutions. Prior to the Carbon War Room, Jigar founded SunEdison in 2003. Under his leadership, SunEdison revolutionized the solar industry by introducing a business model to sell solar as a service. The transformation to solar power service agreements is responsible for turning solar services into a multi-billion dollar industry. Jigar is also an expert on energy project finance, changing energy policy, working with entrenched stakeholders, and convincing individuals to embrace energy technology. He works closely with entrepreneurs, policymakers, and investors around the world to develop, incubate, and implement sustainable solutions. Jigar holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and an MBA from the University of Maryland. Jigar sits on the boards of SB NOW, Earth Day Network, and Greenpeace USA.  

 

 

Achim Steiner, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme

 

Following the nomination by the Secretary-General, the UN General Assembly in 2006 unanimously elected Achim Steiner as the Executive Director of UNEP for a four-year term. He became the fifth Executive Director in UNEP’s history. In 2010, he was re-elected as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme for another four-year term. Before joining UNEP, Mr. Steiner served as Director General of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) from 2001 to 2006, and prior to that as Secretary General of the World Commission on Dams. He serves on a number of international advisory boards, including the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED). His educational background includes a BA from the University of Oxford as well as an MA from the University of London with specialization in development economics, regional planning, and international development and environment policy. He also studied at the German Development Institute in Berlin as well as the Harvard Business School.

 

Mark Tercek, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Nature Conservancy

 

Mark Tercek is president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy, a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy uses a science-based, collaborative approach to solve complex global challenges: conserving critical lands, restoring the world’s oceans, securing fresh water and reducing the impacts of climate change. Before joining The Nature Conservancy, Mark was a managing director at Goldman Sachs, where he played a key role in developing the firm’s environmental strategy. He worked to develop and promote market-based solutions to environmental challenges.Mark is a member of several boards and councils, including Resources for the Future, the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, the National Petroleum Council and the Commission on Climate and Tropical Forests. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Mark earned an MBA from Harvard in 1984 and a B.A. from Williams College in 1979.