Net Zero Investor’s Natural Capital Forum

James is responsible for CCLA’s approach to sustainable investing. This includes our work to deliver real and lasting change through active stewardship, integrating environmental, social, and governance factors into our investment processes and ensuring that our portfolios are aligned with the values and mission of our clients.

James joined CCLA in 2010 and has developed and led programmes that have improved corporate behaviour on a wide range of issues including climate change, mental health, the Living Wage and modern slavery. This track record led to James being named one of Financial News’ 40 Rising Stars of Asset Management in Europe, 2020.

Prior to joining CCLA, James completed his PhD in economic geography at the University of Nottingham. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts.

Bola is currently working with a Local Authority assisting in the management of Pension Fund Investments, loans and cashflows having previously worked with a Local Authority and a private Pension Fund Administration Company for 10 years. Here she was responsible for assisting in the management of funds of some £750 million in one organisation and over £1.3 billion in another with over 45 institutional fund managers and investment banks.

Bola is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (ACMA) and also runs a consultancy business specialises in helping SME (small to medium enterprises), Social Enterprise and Start ups to improve efficiencies in their business practices. Her expertise includes fund management. performance analysis, risk analysis, strategy and business planning, budgeting and forecasting, financial and management accounts preparation and independent review of accounts.

Chris currently leads nature-related activities at Phoenix Group, focusing on developing the approach for understanding and assessing nature related risks across Phoenix investment portfolios as well as supporting the work to identify, define and integrate nature-related investment opportunities into existing investment strategy.  Prior to joining Phoenix in November 2021, Chris led financial sector engagement at Global Canopy, a UK based not for profit organisation focused on enabling a tropical deforestation free economy through data and tools development. Prior to that he held roles as both equity portfolio manager and financial analyst predominantly for in-house managed pensions schemes.

Olga is the Deputy Head of Responsible Investment at the Church Commissioners for England, where she works across the Church Commissioners responsible investment and stewardship activities, and with the other investing bodies of the Church of England to develop and deliver responsible and ethical investment policies. Olga also holds the position of Chair of the UKSIF Policy Committee, Co-Chairs the Indonesia Investor Policy Dialogue on Deforestation and leads the Policy workstream of the Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance. Olga is a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability.  Prior to joining the Church Commissioners, Olga worked in human rights and environmental law.

Eve Gleeson (Research Manager, Biodiversity) joined ShareAction in April 2021 to lead the biodiversity team’s research efforts. In this role, she has lead research and report writing on financial sector action on biodiversity and the pesticides industry. Prior to ShareAction, Eve was a research fellow at Food Tank, a non-profit focusing on sustainable food systems, where she researched and wrote about various issues relating to the global food system. Eve formerly worked in threat intelligence for a political risk consulting firm. Eve holds a BA in International Studies from Emory University and an MA in International Relations from King’s College London.

Fernanda Gimenes is works at the Tropical Forest Alliance/World Economic Forum as engagement manager for the Innovative Finance for the Amazon, Cerrado and Chaco (IFACC) initiative. Prior to this, she worked at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in the Sustainable Consumption and Production Unit, where she coordinated private sector engagement on the UN Principles for Communicating Product Sustainability Information. In Brazil, she worked at the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development conducting research and managing projects on sustainable finance and ecosystem services. Fernanda is currently completing her PhD on Environmental Policy and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where she is conducting research on climate finance in emerging market countries. She holds a BSc in International Relations from the University of Brasília (UnB), a MSc in Sustainable Development from UnB and a MSc Environment and Development from the LSE.

Becky is the Climate Investment Analyst at the Environment Agency Pension Fund (EAPF). Having spent over 18 years of her career in scientific research, the last being in the Futures team of the Environment Agency’s Chief Scientists Group, she now provides scientific analysis for EAPF. She originally joined EAPF in 2020 to help them develop their Climate Change & Net Zero policy. She works in the EAPF investments team and supports the work done on responsible investment. She has a focus on nature, leading engagement work on behalf of EAPF to support companies better value water and was also part of the working group that helped Global Canopy develop their Deforestation Free Finance guidance for pension funds.

Olly Hughes has been Managing Director and an Investment Committee member of our Forestry division since January 2019. He is responsible for managing the growth and development of Gresham House’s sustainable forestry and land management investment activities including sustainable timber, carbon and other natural capital opportunities.

Prior to joining Gresham House, Olly was a Partner and Head of Infrastructure at Oxford Capital for six years where he built and managed a portfolio of over £300m of solar and wind renewable energy assets. He started his career at ING Barings in 1995 focusing on asset backed structuring and since then has focused his career on natural capital investment management.

Olly has over 25 years of investment experience and holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master’s degree from the University of Oxford in Biological Science. He also obtained the Investment Management Certificate from the CFA Society in the UK.

Pei Chi Wong is Global Canopy’s Senior Research Associate focusing on driving guidance for the Deforestation-free Finance initiative. She works with financial institutions and asset managers to help them move towards deforestation-free portfolios. Before joining Global Canopy Pei Chi spent over a decade in risk management and corporate treasury roles in the banking sector.

John Willis is the Director of Research at Planet Tracker, a non-profit think tank focused on aligning capital markets with planetary limits. With more than 30 years of experience in the financial sector across research, trading, securities lending and portfolio management, John brings an analytical edge to Planet Tracker’s research. Prior to joining Planet Tracker, John co-founded Sustainable Insight Capital Management, an asset manager of a range of equity funds for sustainability-conscious investors and held the position of Global Head of Research at Deutsche Asset Management.