On today’s program we talk about how universities are key innovators in solving the climate crisis. At the same time, as we read daily in the news, they’re dealing with tremendous uncertainty. So how is Lisa Sachs, the Director of the Columbia University Center on Sustainable Investment and the recently launched Columbia Climate School MS in Climate Finance, coping with these uncertainties in U.S. climate policy and sustainable finance? And what about the volatility in career opportunities that graduates of these programs will face during the next four years? For Sachs, these are just two of the stress points she is managing in today’s university environment. Sachs is also an Associate Professor of Professional Practice at the Columbia Climate School, where climate science and climate change are engaged in the 21st Century’s existential challenge for supremacy.

How does an “immigrant kid” become the Founder of a firm that provides sustainable solutions for institutional investors, including ESG market analysis and education, regulatory risk management and investment process design? Allison Binns is the Founder and Principal of Peregrine Strategy, She is also a Senior Advisor at Danu Venture Group, which provides early-stage investment access to technology companies focused on national security, new infrastructure and their enabling industries. Allison says her background as an “immigrant kid” has shaped the way she approaches investments and sustainability in general. We’re fortunate to have her as our guest for this episode of the SFP.

There are $200 trillion of investable assets across the global financial system, affecting the decision-making of businesses and the lives of billions of people. So in this challenging financial environment, how are major banks, asset managers and investors focusing on adaptation and resilience to guide investment decisions? On today’s program, Nikki Gwilliam-Beeharee, Head of Stakeholder Engagement at the World Benchmarking Alliance, walks us through their process for benchmarking how 400 of the largest companies in the global financial system are scaling adaptation to climate risks in the next decade.

U.S. companies doing business in the EU who need to comply with their emissions trading rules will be interested in what Andrew Eckhardt, CAP2’s Chief Sales Officer, has to say on today’s Sustainable Finance Podcast program. Almost 50% of CO2 emissions in Europe are controlled by the EU Emissions Trading System. CAP2 buys carbon certificates for their investor clients that incentivize businesses not only to reduce emissions but also to retire them from the EU market forever.

According to Boston Consulting Group (BCG), sustainable food and plant-based innovations will grow in market share from $39B today to $290B by 2035! My guest today is a global player in helping transform the food system. Elysabeth Alfano, the CEO of VegTech, consults with public sector companies up and down the industry supply chain. Today, Alfano is talking about her role as advisor to EATV, an ETF which invests in the founders, disruptors and trend-makers with the vision and technology to create a food secure future.

Did you know that your employer-qualified retirement plan can negatively impact the company’s growth potential and profit margins? We’re talking about the carbon footprint of a firm’s qualified retirement plan investments, insurance premium payments or bank loans. This is a critical topic because financed emissions are linked to the activities of financial institutions like the investment managers, banks and insurers, which are employed by 60 million SMEs in the U.S. Scott Ryan, CEO of Investature is an impact investment advisor and financed emissions expert. On today’s program Ryan tells us how company owners and employees can use employer-sponsored investment and retirement plans to catalyze sustainable impact and growth goals.

The US healthcare system is under siege, financial distress and rising frustration and dissatisfaction by the public to name a few challenges. My guest today is leading the way to a different approach. Rob Roy is SVP, Chief Investment Officer and Co-Head of Environmental Sustainability for AdventHealth, a non-profit healthcare system which employs 3,800 physicians and provides healthcare services to over 8 million patients through 52 hospital campuses in 9 states and 22 home health and hospice agencies. Rob, who has 36 years of institutional investment experience, oversees AdventHealth investments, which include operating capital and employee retirement portfolios totaling approximately $20 billion.

For real estate investors and owners, figuring out how to reduce carbon emissions without raising the cost of building new or retrofitting is a major challenge. My guest today, Laura Rapaport, founder and CEO of North Bridge, is leading the way in providing financing that does just that. C-PACE is a long term, fixed-rate credit product secured by a special property assessment, and North Bridge has recently secured a $1 billion commitment from the Carlyle Group to originate C-PACE loans. Rapaport explains how this financing can ensure that resilient and sustainable real estate projects have the flexibility required for completion while reducing carbon emissions and energy consumption, and benefiting local economies. All PACE projects to date are expected to reduce
carbon emissions by 3 million tons.

For listeners interested in cutting edge climate tech and investment opportunities for 2025, the Wall Street Green Summit is your one stop shop. My guest, Peter Fusaro, a leader in the clean tech sector, launched his first Summit in 2002. On today’s episode Fusaro gives a preview of what will be happening at this year’s gathering on March 18 and 19th, when leading investors, asset managers and founders in climate tech will convene to share their knowledge about clean energy solutions and solving new problems in sustainability. In our wide ranging conversation, Fusaro discusses his perspective that the train has left the station and climate tech innovations will continue during the next administration. The 24th Wall Street Green Summit: NYC, March 18-19th, in person only, at the Cornell Club (one block from Grand Central Station). TheWallStreetGreenSummit.com

The big shift in ESG data analytics is from opaque ratings to key design principles for meeting regulatory demands and stakeholder expectations. My podcast guest today, Lise Pretorius, talks about ESG data’s influence amid the current industry backlash and sustainable investing’s potential to shape a future in financial markets focusing on accountability, trust, and meaningful impact. Pretorius is Chief Sustainability Analysis Officer at Matter, which provides ESG and sustainability data and analytics solutions to the investment industry. She discusses using new types of data to supplement company disclosures, including forward looking analyses, geospatial data, and third-party insights.

The Climate Talent Initiative was the brainchild of Roshan Paul during his third major career change, designed to de-risk pathways for skilled people to enter the global climate change workforce. Roshan used his own experience in the climate change sector to create opportunities for others, especially to answer the following question; “How can I earn a good living and have a positive impact on global climate change issues”?

What can VC and PE companies do when faced with pressures from investors, customers, and regulators to report ESG metrics more accurately and dedicate more resources to the process? SFP guests Charlie Mahoney, Head of U.S. Sales at Novata, and Simone Wren, ESG and Sustainability Director at New Relic, bring first-hand experience and insights to how private companies can achieve their sustainability and business goals, like increasing employee retention, reducing their carbon footprint, and building more financially efficient business systems.

Today’s guest, Francisco Roque de Pinho, does a deep dive on how regenerative agriculture is addressing land degradation and water scarcity across Latin America. Roque de Pinho, who began his career as a banker at https://www.linkedin.com/company/edmond-de-rothschild/. and co-founded The Land Group in 2016. The company is an independent and fully integrated real asset manager and farmland operator of 40,000 hectares in South America focusing on soil management, animal welfare, natural resource conservation, and water system resilience. With €120 million of assets under management, The Land Group is now ramping up its focus on adaptive-grazing based approaches to regenerative agriculture.

GaiaLens is an AI-powered Sustainable Analytics Platform for institutional investors and financial services firms. My guest, CEO and Co-Founder Gordon Tveito-Duncan, and team offer cutting-edge technologies through this innovative platform and a suite of tools that support asset managers and owners throughout the whole ESG investment lifecycle. Tveito-Duncan tells us how their platform saves significant time and helps fulfill ESG portfolio reporting, investment screening, and deep-dive research capabilities.

The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, with its diverse economies, regulatory environments, and cultures, presents unique challenges and opportunities for businesses, investors, and regulators. On today’s program, Jeanne Lee, Head of APAC Sales and Kyle Flick, APAC Advisory Lead at Novata talk about how their platform is simplifying and streamlining data collection to help businesses create a competitive edge, stimulate long-term growth and prepare for regulatory reporting.

In 2016 the founding partners at Cibus Capital merged their first-hand experience of the impacts of the current food production industry on the planet and its people. By combining their skills in finance and agriculture they formed the Cibus Funds to invest in more sustainable food systems. Rob Appleby, Cibus Capital’s CIO and Founder, believes that by identifying companies that are category or local champions, with proven track records, a cost advantage and that pay specific attention to sustainability criteria, Cibus makes investments that will outperform over the next decade.

The single serve coffee industry has a recycling problem: too many pods, not enough recycling providers. My guest today is going to tell us how his company aims to solve this problem by manufacturing compostable coffee pods. Matthew Martin is the VP of Innovation at Pod Pack Int’l. He’s second generation, growing up in the business with his father, who co-founded Pod Pack in 1996. In 2018 Pod Pack Intl. joined LongueVue Capital (“LVC”), which galvanized the company’s potential to generate attractive returns while being accountable for their social and environmental impact.

In 1989, Ron Dembo founded Algorithmics Inc., which he grew from a start-up to the largest supplier of enterprise financial risk systems, serving 80% of the world’s largest banks and insurers. Fast forward to 2020, with just three employees, Dembo embarked on and even bolder mission, launching Riskthinking.AI–a groundbreaking simulation engine capable of modeling the world’s largest financial institutions, the most complex corporations, and even entire countries, all to assess the impact of climate change on their futures. On today’s program, Dembo talks to us about developing a platform that is scientifically rigorous, mathematically sound, scalable, computationally efficient and evolving alongside advancements in data science.

Tim Gocher’s adventures in Nepal started 20 years ago when he left his job in London’s financial markets. Gocher is founder and CEO of Dolma Fund Management, the first international private equity firm to focus on empowering Nepal’s startups. Under Tim’s strategic leadership, Dolma has successfully raised over $100Million in two funds and created over 15,000 jobs in Nepal and other developing countries. Tim has pioneered renewable energy investment throughout Asia. He is also founder and chairman of Dolma Foundation, a charity focused on fostering education-related changes in Nepal.

My guest on today’s program is Marie Clara BUELLINGEN, Head of Sustainable Finance Americas for Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking, one of the largest foreign banking organizations in North America. She is charged with solving the challenges of making public and private capital work together to scale clean energy solutions in the required timelines. The Societe Generale sustainable finance team develops ESG strategies and programs that meet with key stakeholder expectations and best practices such as TCFD, SASB, GRI, UNPRI and the CDP. We talk about approaches to clean energy technology solutions that she has seen work across multiple sectors of the global economy.

It’s Climate Week 2024 in New York, and all eyes are on the decarbonization and climate transition trend, with climate mitigation investing often taking center stage. But as the physical effects of climate change on people and the global economy continue to escalate, it’s increasingly obvious that investments in climate adaptation and resilience are also critical. And insurance, particularly the insurability of assets across different regions is rapidly becoming one of the most exciting avenues for meeting this need. Three investment experts from Schroders join us on today’s program to discuss what’s happening, including climate and crop insurance industries, insurance linked securities, and private market opportunities. Irene Lauro, an Economist at Schroders, focuses on climate issues; Christophe Etienne, is a Senior Natural Catastrophe Specialist on the Insurance Linked Securities team at Schroders Capital; and Martin E. Diaz Plata is Head of Private Equity Investments at Blue Orchard, an Impact investment manager owned by Schroders that runs the only private equity strategy in the world solely dedicated to climate insurance.

The sustainable finance markets in Latin America are developing rapidly, and Sandra Carrillo Hoyos has led more than 50 projects funded by multilateral banks and focused on renewable energy, construction, water management, cement, mining, and forestry. Carrillo Hoyos is an ESG & Sustainable Finance Consulting Partner with ERM, which has been working in the global sustainability markets for decades, and on today’s program she talks with us about the opportunities for scaling the sustainable finance markets in Latin American Countries and connecting climate mitigation ambitions with the employment and social gaps in these economies.

The insurance industry, one of the largest money management and investment sectors of the global economy, allocates trillions of dollars across the capital markets every year. Axis, a global specialty insurer and reinsurer, underwrites insurable risks across multiple economic sectors. Joe Dutton, Energy Innovation Lead at Axis, talks with us about their recently launched Lloyd’s syndicate that is underwriting the risks and opportunities of the energy transition.

In today’s episode we’re going to learn how Shariah investment compliance aligns with ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles, and the unique benefits this integration offers to investors and startups. My guest is Rina Neoh, Managing Partner at Ficus Capital and Secretary General for the ESG Association of Malaysia. Established in 2018, Ficus Capital is the world’s first ESG-Islamic Venture Capital management company. The firm offers investors in-house Shariah financial structuring and an ESG Islamic framework integrated with the investment and monitoring process of its portfolios.