Day 1
15 September 2022
Building the green finance ecosystem: GCF’s private sector strategy
Opening session: Keynote addresses and opening statements
Yannick Glemarec
Executive Director, GCF
Yannick Glemarec is the Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund. He was appointed by the GCF Board at its 22nd meeting and took office on 3 April 2019.
Yannick has 30 years of international experience in climate change, development and finance, and their interrelationships. He served as UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director for Policy and Programme in UN Women from 2015 to 2018, overseeing services provided by close to 2,000 UN Women staff in over 80 countries worldwide. Before joining UN Women, he was Executive Coordinator of the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office in New York from 2013 to the beginning of 2015. He was responsible for the design and administration of about 100 UN trust funds supporting humanitarian, post-conflict, development and climate action in over 100 countries.
Previously, he served first as UNDP Deputy Executive Coordinator and then as UNDP Executive Coordinator for the Global Environment Facility in New York from 2003 to 2012, where he oversaw the formulation and implementation of a USD 6 billion portfolio for climate change management, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable natural resources management. Earlier, he worked with UNDP in increasingly senior development and environment programme positions in Switzerland, Viet Nam, China and Bangladesh.
Yannick holds a PhD from the University of Paris in Environment Sciences, and two Master’s degrees in Hydrology and in Business Administration. He has authored several publications in the field of risk management, renewable energy, climate finance, and co-benefits between human rights, gender equality and climate action.
He is the third Executive Director of the Fund.
Enabling a green investment environment
The first plenary session will bring together a diverse group of government ministers and development organizations to discuss the importance of an enabling policy environment to allow private markets for climate investment to develop citing specific actions that their respective country governments or organizations are taking.
Oyun Sanjaasuren
Director of External Affairs, GCF
Dr Oyun Sanjaasuren is the Director of External Affairs. A former Minister from Mongolia, Oyun has extensive experience in representing international organisations. She served as the first President of the United Nations Environment Assembly, the governing body of UN Environment. After leaving the Government of Mongolia in 2016, she was appointed Chair of the Global Water Partnership, an intergovernmental organization to advance water security by working with over 3,000 institutional partners in more than 180 countries. Oyun's five consecutive terms in Mongolia's Parliament included stints as Minister of Environment and Green Development (2012-2014) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2007 – 2008). Holding a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from the University of Cambridge, Oyun has also been a prominent advocate of civil and social rights.
Hon. Christopher Coye
Minister of State, Ministry of Finance, Economic Development & Investment Belize
Hon. John Ampontuah Kumah
Deputy Minister of Finance, Ghana Ministry of Finance
Cecilia Nicolini
State Secretary of Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Innovation
Helena McLeod
Deputy Director General, Global Green Growth Institute
Catalyzing climate innovation
Speakers representing impact investment funds, global philanthropies and leading technology R&D institutions will discuss how their respective organizations are catalyzing climate innovation through cutting edge technologies, business models and blended financial structures.
German Velasquez
Director of Mitigation and Adaptation, GCF
Yong Hyun Kim
CEO, Envisioning Partners
Hee-Tae Jung
Director / Chair Professor, KAIST
Ronny Castillo Gonzalez
CEO, Gaia Impact
Sarbinder Singh
Director of Investments, P4G
Steven Panfil
Senior Director Project Development and Implementation, Conservation International
Preview of day 2 parallel marketplace sessions
GCF will provide a preview of the Day 2 marketplace sessions where entrepreneurs, business owners, project developers and others can present their climate solutions to a small group audience in parallel to the larger plenary sessions.
Soji Omisore
Deputy Director of the Private Sector Facility, GCF
De-risking private capital at scale for mitigation and adaptation
Speakers representing some of the largest global commercial banks, development banks and pension funds will share their experiences, challenges and opportunities in innovative finance to de-risk large scale institutional climate investments, particularly in geographies and sectors that are underserved by the private sector.
Hong-Thuy Paterson
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, GCF
Hong Paterson is the GCF’s Chief Financial Officer and Director of Support Services. Before joining GCF, she was responsible for leading RBC’s Investor & Treasury Services (RBC I&TS) business in Singapore, as their Managing Director and Country Head. Her role at RBC included providing strategic oversight to RBC I&TS activities and contributing to the Asia Pacific strategy. She was also the Southeast Asia Coverage Executive responsible for the overall business development strategy and client engagement. Hong joined RBC with nearly twenty years’ experience at J.P.Morgan where she worked in several sectors including Commercial Banking, Investor Services, and Asset Management based in New York, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, and Singapore. Hong currently sits on the University of Virginia’s McIntire Global Advisory Board. Originally from Virginia, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
Mitsuhiro Yamawaki
Deputy CEO, Credit Guarantee and Investment Facility
Anuj Awasthi
VP Operations, Credit Guarantee and Investment Facility
Kamran Khan
Managing Director, Head of ESG for Asia Pacific, Deutsche Bank AG
Koichiro Oshima
Managing Executive Officer, Head of Financial Solutions Group, MUFG Bank Ltd.
Koichiro Oshima is Managing Executive Officer, Head of Financial Solutions Group of MUFG Bank, Ltd.
He is responsible for the oversight of the Bank’s Financial Solutions business globally, which includes sustainability business office, syndications, M&A Finance, project finance and other structured finance products.
Koichiro is also Managing Executive Officer of MUFG and Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Holdings Co., Ltd, where he takes a supervisory role in Capital Markets business outside Japan. He began his career in corporate finance in Osaka Japan in 1989.
Over his 30 years career with MUFG, he has attained extensive experience across the Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) business with postings in New York, Singapore and Tokyo.
Koichiro holds a Master’s of Business Administration from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a BS in Engineering from Osaka University.
Leong Wai Leng
Managing Director and Head of Asia Pacific, CDPQ
Greening the financial system
This session brings together researchers, international organizations and executives of development banks to discuss the latest trends in green finance, national strategies and roadmaps, and case studies that demonstrate concrete actions that private and public sector actors are taking to promote climate-aligned financial systems.
Selina Wrighter
Head of Policy and Strategy, GCF
Selina is Senior Adviser in the Office of the Executive Director, providing advice to the senior management team across the gamut of the Fund's operations. She has over 10 years of experience in climate change policy and practice, with a focus on mitigation and energy issues. Before joining GCF, she worked for the Australian Government on negotiations to conclude the UNFCCC Paris Agreement, as well as on national climate policy and Pacific regional engagement. She started her career as a transactional lawyer in Baker & McKenzie's Sydney energy and resources practice.
Vaine Nooana-Arioka
CEO, Bank of the Cook Islands
Emmanuel Herbosa
CEO, Development Bank of the Philippines
Soh Young In
Research Director, Stanford University (Korea branch)
Tae-Young Paik
International Sustainability Standards Board, IFRS Foundation
Ruth Coutto
Portfolio Manager, UNEP
Day 2
16 September 2022
Catalyzing investment to create new markets
Parallel marketplace sessions
Supporting sustainable oceans and nature-based solutions
Executives will share their institutional experience investing in the sustainable blue and green economy including offshore wind, blue bonds, coral reefs, deforestation, free commodities, among others. A common theme will be strategies to mobilize private investment for these traditionally challenging sectors through innovative finance and business models.
Veronica Galmez
Deputy Director of the Division of Mitigation and Adaptation a.i. , GCF
Renée González Montagut
Director General, Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature
Anton Willems
Executive Director, Profonanpe
Torsten Thiele
Founder, Global Ocean Trust
Benedict Libanda
CEO, Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia
Co-investing in a clean and just energy systems transition
Speakers will discuss how their organizations are promoting the clean energy transition in developing countries by ensuring equal access to those most affected by climate change and offering unique perspectives on finance, technology and policy development.
Lilian Macharia
Director of Portfolio Management, GCF
Lilian Macharia is the Head of Portfolio Management at GCF. She is a Kenyan national with over 21 years of designing, structuring and managing complex public and private financial sector investments in multiple sectors, including energy, gender, agriculture, manufacturing and SME sectors across Africa. Prior to her appointment, Lilian was a Senior Program Management Specialist where she assisted in setting up portfolio monitoring and management systems, and led the team that monitored and managed the implementation of GCF's portfolio. She had served for over 11 years with the African Development Bank (AfDB) in various capacities, and represented the AfDB in various investee company boards. She also previously served in various roles in Practical Action (Eastern Africa), K-Rep (microfinance) and NEPAD Secretariat in Johannesburg. Lilian holds a Bachelor of Education and Master of Business Administration from Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya.
Wale Shonibare
Director for Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation, African Development Bank
Wale is currently the Director for Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation, African Development Bank. Previously he was Director for Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation at AfDB. He has over 25 years of experience in Debt and Equity Capital Markets, M&A, and Project Finance spanning Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Prior to joining AfDB, Wale held senior positions at international investment banks in Lagos, Dubai and London. He holds an MBA from Imperial College London and a B.Eng (honors) from the University of Glasgow.
Yariv Cohen
Founder, Ignite Power
Kerry Adler
President, CEO, Sky Power Global
Jiwoo Choi
Chief of Strategic Initiatives, Acumen
Takeaways from the Global Programming Conference
GCF's Director of the Division of Country Programming a.i., Carolina Fuentes, provides highlights from the Global Programming Conference happening in parallel to GPIC. The session will showcase success stories, lessons learned and opportunities for enhanced engagement between the public and private sector to promote climate action.
Carolina Fuentes
Director of the Division of Country Programming a.i., GCF
Built environment and climate resilient infrastructure as an asset class
A diverse group of infrastructure focused investors, development banks and entrepreneurs discuss challenges and opportunities in financing climate resilient infrastructure and what it will take to develop into its own asset class ready to attract institutional investment.
Soji Omisore
Deputy Director of the Private Sector Facility, GCF
Matthieu Muzumdar
Chief Operating Officer Europe, Meridiam
Alamgir Morshed
CEO, Infrastructure Development Company Limited
Naveed Alam
CEO, WaterSprint Ltd
Jaeyoung Jin
Head of Korea, MIGA
Chinua Azubike
CEO, Infracredit
Promoting food security and human wellbeing
Fund managers, commercial banks, foundations and technology providers will offer their unique perspectives in mobilizing private finance for food security and well-being, focusing on climate resilient agriculture technologies, practices and financial solutions.
Kunduz Masylkanova
Senior Agriculture and Food Security Specialist, GCF
Malick Ndiaye
Director General, La Banque Agricole
Tamer El-Raghy
Managing Director, Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund (ARAF)
Baskar Reddy
Senior Advisor, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture
Robert Szatmari
CEO, CPRSX
Closing session
GCF to close the event with a small roundtable discussion, laying out next steps for continued engagement among participants and with GCF.
Henry Gonzalez
Deputy Executive Director, GCF
Henry is the GCF’s Deputy Executive Director a.i.. He has over 25 years of professional experience across sustainable and impact investing, emerging markets, and political and economic development. Prior to joining GCF he was an Associate Fellow at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School. He also served as member of Senior Management and Global Head of Research & Advisory at responsAbility Investments AG, where he led thought leadership, technical assistance, and ESG/impact integration strategies across the sectors of finance, climate and agriculture. He also spent time at Morgan Stanley, serving as a Vice President for Emerging Markets Debt investing and held other positions at the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program, and the Government of Costa Rica. Henry holds an MBA from Oxford University (Skoll Scholar), an MPA from Harvard University (Fulbright Scholar) and a BA in Political Science from the University of Costa Rica.