ABOUT THE FORUM
The Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA) in association with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission will host a virtual Investor Forum to be held on May 17 at 9AM, this high-level presentation and discussion aimed at highlighting climate-smart, investment-ready projects in the eastern Caribbean to investors, and creating a platform for the formation and strengthening of relationships among eastern Caribbean leaders and potential investors
Watch the Recording
MEET OUR SPEAKERS
Racquel has enabled leadership and organizations around the world to go beyond their current vision and stay on the cusp of what’s next.
As the newest UN Global Ambassador in the Race to Zero, Racquel has become a critical advisor for driving the shift to digital, process automation, and implementing key turnaround projects that heighten customer engagement and strengthen organizational performance.
Known for her ability to build coalitions, Racquel’s success in the public and private sectors has allowed her to drive important advancements on world-changing topics that require regional consensus, such as climate change, sustainability and building resilience.
Dr. Jules has had a long distinguished, multidimensional career focused on education, social transformation and organizational re-engineering. He is currently the Director General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) – a regional integration grouping of eleven Member States.
His career covers national, regional and international experience with the following highlights:
- Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Caribbean Examinations Council
- InterRegional Coordinator of the International Literacy Support Service
- Permanent Secretary for Education and Human Resource Development (St. Lucia) as well as Permanent Secretary for Education & Chief Education Officer (concurrently) in Revolutionary Grenada
His qualifications include BA (Hons) UWI; MSc Curriculum Univ. Wisconsin-Madison; PhD Education Policy University of Wisconsin-Madison and EMBA UWI.
Board appointments include: Caribbean Center for Educational Planning UWI Mona; Knowledge, Innovation & Exchange Program (KIX); Global Partnership for Education (LAC region); Chancellor’s Commission on UWI Governance; Caribbean Climate Accelerator; World Bank Task Force on Caribbean Education Strategy 2020.
Jamie McInerney is part of CrossBoundary’s global investment advisory team based out of the Washington, DC office. He leads implementation of CrossBoundary’s investment facilitation programs in the Caribbean and is responsible for business development with new and existing development sector and private sector clients. Prior to joining CrossBoundary he worked for FTI Consulting where he led client engagements specializing in foreign market entry strategies, principally in frontier and emerging markets. Jamie developed successful strategies that achieved enterprise value creation while also creating development impacts and economic benefits in local markets. Earlier in his career Jamie was an economic and political risk advisor at ExxonMobil and prior to that a legislative aide on Capitol Hill. He holds an MA in international relations and economics from Johns Hopkins SAIS and a BA from Middlebury College.
Former Chief Operating Officer of Canopy Growth Corporation. Managed +2700 employees across 5 continents with a CAPEX budget of $2B and an OPEX budget of $500M. Previously worked in manufacturing finance and asset management and was part of the team that implemented the World Class Manufacturing methodology to transform Chrysler when Fiat and Chrysler merged. Holds a B.Sc. from Queen’s University and an MBA from Rotman School of Management (UofT).
Chamberlain is a Professional Civil Engineer (BSc); Certified Project Manager (PMP, Dip.); and Innovation and Leadership enthusiast (MSc. in Innovation and Entrepreneurship). At the OECS Commission he oversees a portfolio spanning: Climate Change and Disaster Resilience; Biodiversity and Ecosystems; Land and Water Resources; Ocean Governance and Fisheries; Sustainable Energy; and Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Management. Chamberlain has over twenty years of practical experience in leading and implementing regional and national programs and projects for sustainable development in Eastern Caribbean and other Small Island Development States.
Stephen Wedderburn is a senior energy, infrastructure and public policy professional with strong interest in sustainability and climate resilience. He is currently a member of TotalEnergies’ global team of Renewable Explorers working to make TotalEnergies one of the five largest suppliers of renewable energy by 2030.
Mr. Wedderburn previously served in several senior Jamaican Government roles including Interim CEO of the Petrojam Petroleum Refinery, Acting Deputy CEO and Group Technical Director at the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica, Director of Privatization and Infrastructure Projects at the National Investment Bank of Jamaica, Chief Technical Director at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries and Executive Director of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica.
He is one of the most experienced professionals in executing public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the Caribbean region and was involved in several ground-breaking PPP transactions in Jamaica including the first independent power provider (IPP) projects, the first airport privatization and the first private toll highway project. He was also involved in early-stage development of the Wigton Wind Farm, the first renewable energy IPP in CARICOM.
During consulting stints, Mr. Wedderburn advised clients such as the Inter-American Development Bank, the Government of Canada, United States Agency for International Development, MBJ Airports, Airports Authority of Jamaica and IC Power on sustainable energy and infrastructure matters.
Mr. Wedderburn is an alumnus of Duke University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Judith Ephraim-Schmidt is the Programme Coodinator for the Sustainable Energy Unit of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission. Ms Ephraim-Schmidt has been working in the field of sustainable energy for the past 20 years. Prior to joining the OECS Commission, she was the Chief Energy, Science and Technology Officer in the Government of Saint Lucia. During her tenure with the Government of Saint Lucia she worked on the development and implementation of the Sustainable Energy Plan and Sustainable Energy Policy for Saint Lucia. Ms Ephraim-Schmidt has also worked in the areas of Climate Change, Science and Technology, the Green Economy, and Hazard and Disaster Mitigation. Ms Ephraim-Schmidt holds a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Geoscience from the University of Bristol UK, and a MSc in Resources Engineering from the University of Karlsruhe (now Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, KIT,) in Germany.
Mrs Joan John-Norville has been active in the field of environmental management for the past four decades. She began her career as an agriculturist in Saint Lucia and is currently employed at the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) as Programme Director, Biodiversity and Ecosystems Management. She also has oversight for the Land and Water Resources programme within the Environmental Sustainability Division at the Commission.
Joan enjoys assisting communities and resource users to improve their livelihoods while conserving the natural ecosystems of this biodiversity rich region.
She has facilitated the implementation of several projects and activities related to ecosystems management including biodiversity, marine, coastal and protected areas management, climate change and disaster management, waste management and community resilience enhancement and sustainable livelihoods.
[Mrs Norville holds a BSc in General Agriculture and an MSc in Horticulture. She also holds project management certification.]
Commander David Robin (Ret.), assumed the post of Programme Director, Oceans Governance and Fisheries at the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, in October 2016. In this capacity he provides strategic leadership, coordination, development and implementation of a cohesive ocean governance and sustainable (blue) economy plan to support the (OECS) Member States in delivering and achieving agreed priorities and outcomes collaboratively with key stakeholders and partners.
He supported delivery of the OECS Blue Economy foundation through the Caribbean Regional Oceanscape Project (CROP), and complimentary initiatives and partnerships to towards the achievement of integrated national and regional outcomes including secured access and rights to utilize marine resources.
Commander Robin has over 30 years experience in maritime safety, security and environmental protection at the national and regional levels and in their integration at the international level. He is a graduate of the World Maritime University, Malmö, Sweden; the Staff College, U.S. Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, USA; and the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, Devon.
Crispin d’Auvergne is currently Programme Director for Climate and Disaster Resilience at the OECS Commission. A national of Saint Lucia, he previously worked for many years with the Government of Saint Lucia, in the fields of Fisheries, Natural Resources, Environment and Energy, with his final position being that of Chief Sustainable Development and Environment Officer. In that position, he also served as his country’s lead technical negotiator on Climate Change.
Crispin holds a Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies (Natural Resources) from the University of East Anglia (UK) and a Master’s degree in Natural Resources Management (Climate Change) from the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill Campus).
Alexa is co-Founder and Managing Partner of Deetken Impact, a Canadian registered investment fund manager with a 10-year track record of delivering strong, stable returns to investors by supporting businesses that make a meaningful contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals. Together with its affiliates, Deetken Impact Sustainable Energy and Deetken Impact Alternative Finance, Deetken Impact currently manages $150 million in impact assets.
Prior to joining Deetken, Alexa was an executive with African Alliance, a pan-African financial services group and an associate with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and the Macquarie Group in Toronto.
Recognized as one of Vancouver’s Top Forty Under 40 by Business in Vancouver magazine, Alexa is a CFA Charterholder, a Chartered Business Valuator and holds an MA in Financial Economics from the University of Toronto.
Imene Moussa is a director of Credit Suisse, based in London, in charge of developing and executing ESG / Sustainability related structured credit products since 2020.
Imene originally joined Credit Suisse in 2007 and worked for more than 11 years in the equity derivatives and structuring team in London before joining UBS Honk Kong to develop and execute quantitative investment strategies solutions for two years. Before 2007, Imene worked for Societe Generale Paris as a fund manager for 2 years.
Imene holds an Engineering Degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from ENSIIE and an MSc in Mathematical Statistics and Probability from Paris 6 University.
Past CCSA Investor Forums
The Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA) virtual Investor Forum was held on December 1st, 2021, it was a high-level presentation and discussion aimed at highlighting climate-smart, investment-ready projects in the Caribbean to investors, and creating a platform for the formation and strengthening of relationships among Caribbean leaders and potential investors.
The theme of the forum was: Creating Connections to Accelerate Climate Resilience – watch the recording.
Previous Speakers
Hari has deep and expansive field experience at the front-lines of sustainability. Starting with coastal and marine projects in Portugal, Barbados, Malaysia, the Maldives and Cuba, he later led the monitoring and evaluation function at Conservation International where he oversaw (and got to see!) over 150 projects in 45 countries around the world. Having lived in and worked well in the giant chasm between capital and impact, it became clear that real dollars needed to flow.
In September 2012, Hari traded in his SCUBA gear for a business suit and founded EcoAdvisors to grow the amount of capital flowing toward environmental impact. As a Certified B Corporation®, EcoAdvisors builds robust, multi-partner sustainability programs in the philanthropic world, advises leading global corporations on sustainability integration, designs impact investment strategies, and advises governments on policy, regulations and program design.
This strategic advice and oversight have influenced over U$3.25B in sustainability-oriented capital, creating value for clients and helping to protect threatened species, forests, oceans and the people who depend upon them throughout the world. Hari also went on to co-found EcoInvestors Capital, which invests for sustainability at scale.
Hari serves as a Director for several Canadian environmental charities, mentor to start-ups, and advisor to investors, corporates, and governments on the value of nature. He was recently recognized as the 2020 top impact consultant/enabler in Canada through Clean Leaders. He holds a BSc in Biology from McGill University and an MSc in Geography (Distinction) from Oxford University.
Ms. Betre is Vice President, Environmental and Social Performance for
the Intrinsic Exchange Group, a company pioneering a new asset class
based on nature and the benefits it provides.
Ms. Betre has nearly 20 years’ experience working at the intersection of
business, environmental sustainability and community well-being, having
worked for international NGOs and multilateral organizations including
RESOLVE, the World Bank and Conservation International (CI).
While at CI, she led strategic partnerships with major corporations, like
BHP Billiton and Newmont, providing advice on environmental and social
best practices at both corporate and site levels.
Marisa Drew is the Chief Sustainability Officer for Credit Suisse and the Global Head of the Sustainability Strategy, Advisory & Finance Group. She is responsible for setting the sustainable strategy and ambition for the bank and for creating and facilitating sustainable investments on behalf of Credit Suisse’s wealth management, institutional and corporate clients. Ms Drew co chairs the Sustainability Leaders Committee and serves on the ESG Steering Committee, the Climate Risk Strategy Steering Committee and the UK Reputational Risk Committee of the bank.
Ms Drew has been with Credit Suisse for 18 years and in the investment banking industry for over 30 years. Prior to her current role, she established the Impact Advisory and Finance department in 2017 which she ran until mid 2020. From 2013 to 2017, she was the Co-Head of Investment Banking and Capital Markets for EMEA and before this, she was the Global Co Head of the Global Markets Solutions Group, encompassing Equity Capital Markets, Debt Capital Markets, Leveraged Finance and Equity and Debt Structured Derivatives Products. Before joining Credit Suisse, Ms Drew worked for Merrill Lynch for eleven years and prior to receiving her MBA, she worked in private equity and for the investment bank, Kidder Peabody.
In terms of external roles, Ms Drew was appointed in 2020 as a non-executive director of the Swiss telecoms provider, Sunrise Communications AG. She also serves on the advisory boards of numerous leadership, sustainability, humanitarian, environmental and civil society organizations. She sits on the Advisory Board of the Aspen Institute UK, the Milken Institute Center for Strategic Philanthropy and is a Trustee of the Credit Suisse Foundation. She is also a member of the FCA’s Markets Practitioner Panel and of several High Level Working Groups (HLGs) sponsored by the World Economic Forum and the UN, including serving as co-chair of the HLG for Humanitarian Aid and the Oceans Panel. Ms Drew’s external activities also include EMEA Advisory Board roles for The Wharton School and UK charity, Room-to-Read.
Ms Drew has been recognized by the BBC as one of the Most Powerful Women in Britain and by Fortune Magazine as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in International Business. Ms Drew has also been recognized by Financial News in its “Most Influential Women in Finance” list from 2007 through 2018.
Ms Drew received a BA in Finance and Marketing with distinction from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce in 1986 and an MBA with distinction from the Wharton School in 1992.
Kiesha is an experienced organisational and project management professional who has worked in 17 countries with organisations such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), the former Department of Foreign Affairs and Development (DFAT-D) of the Government of Canada, the former Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and Walkers Institute for Regenerative Research, Education & Design (WIRRED) among others.
With over 15 years’ experience focused on innovation for growth across a variety of sustainable development sectors, Kiesha is an adept project manager whose work has traversed multiple thematic areas.
Kiesha holds a M.Sc. in Project Management, with a specialization in the Economics of Oil and Gas (& Renewable Energy) from the University of Liverpool, a BSc. in Psychology with a minor in Sociology & Management, from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and has trained as an Executive Coach with Erickson Coaching International.
His Excellency Dr. Didacus Jules assumed the post of Director General, of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States in May 2014. In this capacity he is responsible for driving the regional integration thrust towards a single economic and social space involving ten Eastern Caribbean States.
Dr. Jules has had extensive regional and international experience, most of it focused on education, social policy and organisational transformation. He served as Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Caribbean Examinations Council (2008-2014) leading a thorough modernization of the Council. He has also served as Vice President Human Resources Cable and Wireless St, Lucia (2005-2008); Permanent Secretary for Education & Human Resource Development St. Lucia (1997-2008) as well as Permanent Secretary for Education and Chief Education Officer in revolutionary Grenada from 1981-1983.
He has provided consultancy services to national governments, regional and international organisations in the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and North America. He chaired the World Bank’s Vision 2020 Committee on Education in the Caribbean and has served on many private sectors, educational, and philanthropic boards.
Ray is the Group Head of the Investment Banking for Republic Bank, the leading capital markets advisory in the Caribbean. In his role, Ray is responsible for mergers, acquisitions, and debt capital markets and structured finance. Previously, he was a Vice President at Citigroup’s Private Bank, where he structured alternative investment products for professional family offices.
Before Citi, Ray worked at Morgan Stanley, where he ran a $13 billion alternative investment platform for high net worth clients to invest in private equity and real estate opportunities. Ray holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University of New York.
Ray serves on the Board of Literacy Incorporated, a non-profit organization based in New York that promotes reading for children in low-income communities throughout New York City. He is also the current President of the Columbia Business School Alumni Club of the Caribbean.
Joan M. Larrea is an expert in catalysing investment in places that need it most and brings with her over 20 years of experience in emerging markets investing. Joan serves on HRH The Prince of Wales’ Sustainable Markets Council, the Global Environment Facility Advisory Group for Non-Grant Instruments, the Impact Canada Initiative Advisory Committee for the Government of Canada’s Privy Council, and the Advisory Council for FinDev Canada.
Prior to joining Convergence, she led the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation’s (OPIC) efforts to partner with philanthropic and private investors to increase capital flows to OPIC’s target markets. While at OPIC, she also directed a pilot program to finance smaller, high impact, and innovative funds, many of which drew on blended finance structures.
Before OPIC, Joan served as a managing director on the emerging markets team at Global Environment Fund, an asset manager dedicated to the energy, environmental, and natural resource sectors. She began her career as an investment officer at International Finance Corporation, where she concluded pioneering transactions in a variety of infrastructure and manufacturing sectors across Asia.
Racquel has enabled leadership and organizations around the world to go beyond their current vision and stay on the cusp of what’s next.
As the newest UN Global Ambassador in the Race to Zero, Racquel has become a critical advisor for: driving the shift to digital; process automation and implementing key turnaround projects that heighten customer engagement and strengthen organizational performance.
Known for her ability to build coalitions, Racquel’s success in the public and private sectors has allowed her to drive important advancements on world-changing topics that require regional consensus, such as climate change, sustainability and building resilience.
Walter H Roban JP, MP, serves as Deputy Premier of Bermuda and is the Minister of Home Affairs. A man with a passion for politics and community, he has a career spanning nearly 30 years.
Minister Roban was appointed a Government Senator in 2003 and held the posts of Junior Minister of Health & Family Services, Tourism & Transport, and Education & Development until 2006.
In 2007, Roban was elected to the House of Assembly as representative for Constituency 15, Pembroke East. He served as the Junior Minister of Labour, Home Affairs, and Housing from February 2008. Roban was appointed to Cabinet in June of 2009 as Minister Without Portfolio, responsible for Municipal Reform. He served as the Minister of Health, and Minister of Environmental Planning and Infrastructure Strategy from 2009 until 2011. Roban later served as Minister of Transport from June 2012 to December 2012. He successfully retained his seat in the December 2012 General Election and held the Shadow Minister positions of Public Safety, Home Affairs, and National Security from 2012 to 2017.
Since the his party returned to Government in 2017 Minister Roban served as Minister of Transport and Regulatory Affairs and is currently the Minister of Home Affairs. His portfolio includes the Departments of Energy, Planning, Environment and Natural Resources, Land Title and Registration, Land Valuation, Consumer Affairs, the Registry General, and the Regulatory Authority. Minister Roban also has been given responsibility for some international matters, specifically as it relates to Bermuda’s relationship with the Caribbean region.
Cheryl is the Finance Innovation Director for Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA). In this position, Cheryl is responsible for the fundraising, finance, administration and technology portfolios of the CCSA.
Her career includes fifteen years’ experience in complex senior management roles, providing financial management and strategic leadership for operations across several industries. She has extensive experience with business financing for operations, capital projects and investments and has provided successful leadership of related business functions, specifically procurement, technology, human resources and administration with a focus on leveraging technology solutions to build operational efficiency and improve process management.
Cheryl has completed graduate and postgraduate education in business and financial management and is currently pursuing additional post graduate studies in financial and commercial law.
Darren has almost 20 years of institutional finance experience and has served in management capacities. Darren is a registered representative in the US and a holder of FINRA Series 7, 63, 55 and 24 designations. His previous roles included Head of US Cash Equities, Program and Electronic Trading and Futures Execution for BNP Paribas, nearly 10 years at Morgan Stanley and 5 more at BTIG & Bay Crest Partners.
Darren has start-up experience founding Broadform, a cloud-technology company, FlyClip LLC, a technology wearables company, Housetab, a payment processing company, and Digital Prime Services, a securities lending platform for digital assets. He has served on the Board of Directors for Redi, a Goldman Sachs spin-off company that was sold to Thompson Reuters in 2017, and AiX, a Fintech company based in London, sold to Blockchain.com in 2021. Darren is currently Chairman of Blockchain Triangle Systems.
Darren has a BFA in Industrial Design from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
