ABOUT THE FORUM
The Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA) hosted its 9th Investor Forum from the UN Climate Conference, COP28, on December 5th, 2023, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am GST. Held at the CARICOM pavilion in the Blue Zone, the forum highlighted the Caribbean’s efforts in building resilience through homegrown sustainable solutions.
This Investor Forum brought together investors, stakeholders, and experts to explore and catalyze innovative strategies and financing mechanisms for building climate resilience and sustainability in the Caribbean region. By signing up, attendees were able to participate in the Q&A session and gain firsthand knowledge of the projects and breakthroughs taking place in the region.
Watch Recording
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.
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.
Cheryl assumes the role of Finance Innovation Director with the Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator Inc. with responsibility for the fundraising, finance, administration and technology portfolios.
Her career includes fifteen years’ experience in progressively 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.
She has completed graduate and postgraduate education in business and financial management and is currently pursuing additional post graduate studies in financial and commercial law.
Sasha Jattansingh is the Loss and Damage Expert at Climate Analytics Caribbean, based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Here, she works with Caribbean Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) to address critical issues related to loss and damage, adaptation, climate finance and climate justice.
Sasha is a climate finance and environmental policy professional with over 13 years’ experience in the public, international development and civil society sectors in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean. She has a strong background in environmental and climate policy, climate finance, participatory governance, capacity building and science communication. Before joining Climate Analytics, Sasha was the Commonwealth National Climate Finance Adviser to Antigua and Barbuda, as part of the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub, where she supported the Government of Antigua and Barbuda to strengthen its institutional and technical capacity to access and mobilise climate finance. Prior to this, Sasha has worked with the Global Green Growth Institute, United Nations Development Programme, Caribbean Natural Resources Institute, the University of the West Indies and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago on climate change and sustainable development issues.
Sasha holds a Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Regulation from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Master of Engineering in Environmental Engineering from the University of Auckland and an Honours Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Toronto. She is also a Commonwealth Scholar alumna.
Thibault Ménage is Vice President Caribbean for the French hydrogen infrastructure pure player, HDF Energy. He created and manages the HDF Caribbean subsidiary, headquartered in Barbados, and overseas in the development and acquisition of hydrogen infrastructure projects across the region. His multicultural team recently expanded to Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica. He leads the development of the Renewstable Barbados (RSB) project and serves as a Director on the Board of the Newgen project in Trinidad.
Thibault has built up experience in the development of innovative large-scale energy projects such as solar thermal for industrials and Multi-MW hybrid energy systems. Thibault is a graduate from Arts & Métiers Paristech French Engineering School and the EDHEC Business School. He also holds a MSc of Energy Systems and Project Management from the University of Melbourne, Australia.
Past CCSA Investor Forums
Cultivating Climate-Smart Futures
The 7th Investor Forum of the Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA) was held on September 26th at 9 AM AST. This forum was crafted to connect investment-ready projects, highlight innovative initiatives in Climate-Smart Agriculture and the Conservation of Land and Ocean across the Caribbean, and provide valuable project preparation resources.
Caribbean Cooperation for Fostering Energy Transition Investments and Finance
The Government of Barbados via the Energy Division and IRENA, through the SIDS Lighthouses Initiative, are co-hosting an event with the Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator CCSA, the Caribbean Development Bank CDB, and will seek close collaborations with the regional organizations and financial institutions that have the mandate to promote energy transition actions in the region. The event will provide an opportunity for the Leaders, policymakers, regulators, power utilities, private sector, project developers and financing partners to address issues constraining the deployment of energy transition technologies driven by renewables, and commence the brokerage process of deploying the appropriate investment for renewable energy projects in the Caribbean whilst building the momentum towards implementation.
The overall objective is to promote an investment environment conducive to energy transition investments and facilitate access to affordable finance towards the implementation of energy transition projects in the Caribbean SIDS.
Financing Resilience and Climate Adaptation for Regional Transformation
The Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA) hosted an Investor Forum from the United Nations climate change summit, COP27, on November 15, 2022 at 3pm EET. Focused on leveraging climate finance to fund resilience-building initiatives in the Caribbean, this was the CCSA’s first COP Side Event and featured attendees and panelists at the summit interacting with speakers.
Leveraging Climate Finance to Build Caribbean Resilience
The Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA) hosted an Investor Forum from the United Nations climate change summit, COP27, on November 15, 2022 at 3pm EET. Focused on leveraging climate finance to fund resilience-building initiatives in the Caribbean, this was the CCSA’s first COP Side Event and featured attendees and panelists at the summit interacting with speakers.
Blue Economy in the Caribbean
The Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA) virtual Investor Forum was held on September 6th, 2022, 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.
Investing in Climate Resilience in the OECS
The Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA) in association with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission hosted a virtual Investor Forum was held on May 17, 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
Creating Connections to Accelerate Climate Resilience
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.
Previous Speakers
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.
Cesar has over 12 years of international experience in entrepreneurship, finance, M&A and strategy consulting. As an Investment Advisor, he has landscaped plastics circular companies in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean and has conducted accelerator programs for
over 50 companies in all of LAC.
He is a former Senior Consultant with Deloitte with solid experience in Finance and Business Strategy. He led multiple teams in projects like international mergers of large corporations, post-acquisition strategies, business integration synergies and business plan development &
implementation for international corporations.
He is passionate about startups and entrepreneurship and has collaborated with multiple startups, helping them develop their financial models, go to market strategies and raise funds. He is also actively mentoring new companies in the circular economy sector in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
For the past two years, he has contributed to establishing CC LAC by landscaping the Mexican, Caribbean and Central American markets, conducting acceleration programs for Latin America and the Caribbean, mentoring over 25 companies from the region and analyzing the current state of 9 Caribbean countries and 14 Latin American ones. He is currently responsible for advancing CC’s operation in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
He has an MBA from HEC Paris specializing in entrepreneurship and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the Iberoamericana University in Mexico City.
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).
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.
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.
Gregory N. Hill is a career investment banker and regional business influencer. He has served in leadership and executive positions at preeminent regional and international Financial Institutions and Business Associations in the Caribbean for nearing 30 years.
Mr. Hill joined ANSA Merchant Bank Limited (AMBL) in Trinidad and Tobago in 2007 after significant regional banking and capital markets exposure and as Managing Director steered AMBL to become a dynamic regional financial institution. Clients range from sovereign Governments, multinationals and regional corporates implementing major infrastructural initiatives, to institutional investors wishing to diversify their portfolios, to retail, SME and commercial clients raising debt and doing corporate restructurings.
Today the AMBL Financial Group is unique in the region and encompasses non-bank financial institutions and a newly acquired retail commercial bank. Mr. Hill is Chairman of ANSA Merchant Bank (Barbados) and a Director of one of the Region’s oldest insurance companies, TATIL, which owns TATIL Life and has a significant branch in Barbados. In February 2021 AMBL concluded the acquisition of an international bank and launched ANSA Bank Limited, of which Mr. Hill is a Director. Not only is the AMBL Group competing in the commercial banking landscape for the first time, but it is moving swiftly to challenge traditional retail models with a robust, digital-banking platform.
Mr. Hill maintains his connections to the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business where he graduated as Top MBA Student on completing his Executive MBA. He remains Chairman of their Alumni Association, and mentors young students with big dreams whilst creating opportunities for suitable candidates within the AMBL fold.
Mr. Hill is actively involved in energizing and promoting regional business sectors for entrepreneurs and business owners. He sits as Vice President of the Board of the Trinidad and Tobago American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) and is focused on developing channels of opportunity on a wider scale at the national level. He is also in demand as a speaker and interviewee. In workshops, webinars and articles, he inspires and educates the regional business community and encourages innovative strategies for striving and thriving in challenging economic environments.
As a recognised visionary in his field, Mr. Hill says he is “restless when it comes to innovation.” He invests heavily in the new technology that will provide the platforms for continuous transformation, such as the recent implementation of a state-of-the-art system at the core of the Bank’s future operations. For clients, this will translate into new products for the digital age of banking, and exciting ways to enjoy the very best customer experience.
Gregory N. Hill graduated from The University of the West Indies with a BSc. (Hons) in Economics, and the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business with an Executive MBA. He is a graduate and Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK) (FCCA), and a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad and Tobago and represents the Caribbean region at as a Committee Member of the Accountant for Business Global ACCA Forum.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dr. Colin A. Young, a Belizean national, is the Executive Director of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center (CCCCC) headquartered in Belize SINCE January 2020. Prior to his appointment at the CCCCC, Dr. Young served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Social Security Board, a parastatal entity that administers Belize’s Social Security Fund from 2017 to 2019 were he championed contribution reform, technology transformation and numerous legislative changes. Dr. Young also served as the CEO in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, the Environment, Sustainable Development where he had overall responsibilities for all of the portfolios, including climate change, other than agriculture as well as the CEO in the Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology and Public Utilities from 2012-2015. Dr. Young has served on numerous boards including the Green Climate Fund, a financial mechanism under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. He holds both a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Connecticut in the United States.
Isaac Anthony is currently the Chief Executive Officer of CCRIF SPC (formerly the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility), the world’s first multi-country risk pool providing parametric insurance to Caribbean and Central American countries. He has over thirty years of senior management experience spanning the areas of public finance, financial sector supervision, economic planning and disaster risk financing having previously held key positions with the Government of Saint Lucia including Permanent Secretary, Finance, Economic Affairs & National Development. Mr. Anthony is now using his rich experience in public finance and disaster risk financing to promote catastrophe insurance as a strategy to build fiscal and climate resilience. He has extensive experience in corporate governance and has served on many Boards, including those of the Caribbean Development Bank and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank. He graduated from the University of the West Indies with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics & Accounting and a Master of Business Administration.
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.
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.
Dan Barker is managing director of Halcyon, an incubator and investor in early-stage, impact driven startups from around the globe. Dan joined Halcyon from the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth where he was vice president focused on supporting cutting-edge research on financial inclusion and SME finance. Prior to Mastercard, Dan was vice president for social impact at BlackRock. Dan first connected with Halcyon during his time as a management consultant at Deloitte where he advised corporate, multilateral, and nonprofit clients on social impact strategy. He began his career as a researcher at the Council on Foreign Relations and Earth Institute. He holds a master’s in international finance and economic policy from Columbia University and a BA from NYU. He serves on the advisory boards the Guyana Economic Development Trust and Global Kids and is a judge for the Inclusive Fintech 50.
Schuyler works for World Wildlife Fund’s impact investing initiative, WWF Impact, on regenerative agriculture. She collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to refine WWF Impact’s regenerative agriculture strategy, ensuring it is grounded in science, aligned with the priorities of producers, and promotes WWF’s organizational goals. Prior to WWF, Schuyler was the Director of Farmer Network and Innovation at AgLaunch, an agtech accelerator in Memphis, TN. She has worked on farms across the United States and the world. She has a B.S. in Agricultural Sciences from Cornell University and an M.B.A from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Sowmya is the Director for Partnerships and Sustainable finance at the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF). At PADF, her work focuses on innovative financing, local enterprise development, supply & value-chain development, and public-private partnerships for resilience. Sowmya joined PADF in PADF’s Port-au-Prince field office and is currently based in Washington D.C.. As former director for Haiti program implementation at PADF, she has experience directing programs in entrepreneurship, workforce training, local governance, environmental sustainability, and disaster resilience in the Caribbean. Sowmya holds a JD from Duke University School of Law and previously worked as a loans and equity investments officer at the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.
Caroline is a Manager at CollaborateUp, leading their consulting and facilitation business unit. An international development professional and curriculum design specialist, Caroline has expertise in multi-stakeholder collaboration, private sector engagement, facilitation, and learning design for global audiences across governments, private sector, and civil society. Caroline leads the design and delivery of workshops, develops curriculum and training, conducts research and report writing, and manages international development programs.
Kristen Donnelly is a Senior Partnerships Manager on the USAID Climate Finance for Development Accelerator (CFDA) and will be supporting the technical activity design and management of the Caribbean Climate Investment Program (CCIP). Kristen has over nine years of professional experience supporting international development program management, activity design, and business development globally. She specializes in climate finance, private sector engagement, and climate change adaptation. Kristen holds B.As. in economics and international relations from Syracuse University and a MSc. in public policy and international migration from the London School of Economics.
Nicholas Kee is a multi-hyphenate. He is the co-founder and CEO of Kee Farms, a regenerative ocean farm network focused on growing seaweed and oysters with the aim of reducing greenhouse gases and increasing biodiversity in oceanic ecosystems. Prior to this, he was the Co-founder and Executive Director of Next Gen Creators, a non-profit organization aimed at promoting software development, digital literacy skills employment and tech-entrepreneurship for youths in the Caribbean. Nicholas is also the Jamaica Youth Ambassador to the Commonwealth, a UNICEF U-Reporter, and a member of the World Bank Solutions for Youth Employment Coalition and spends his time consulting with various government agencies and private organizations throughout the diaspora to help implement technological solutions into their societies. He hopes to bring climate change action and mitigation to the forefront of the Caribbean so that its people can participate meaningfully in this circular blue economy.
During his professional basketball career, Rick captained two of the NBA’s most storied franchises, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles.
Rick’s off-court accolades rival his athletic accomplishments, having found success in entrepreneurship, acting, television and gaming.
After retiring from the NBA, Rick pursued a career in television and entertainment including 5 years as an NBA Analyst for TNT and NBATV. He has over 200 movie and TV episode credits to his name, either as an actor of producer, and has worked alongside Oscar & Emmy nominated producers, directors and actors during his career.
As an entrepreneur, Rick has worked with top Fortune 500 brands including American Express, Walt Disney, Hewlett-Packard, Asus, AT&T, Comcast, Pepsi, Ford, T-Mobile and Verizon, to name a few, across their global growth initiatives.
More recently, as a technology investor, Rick became one of the first major athletes to buy-into eSports – and helped to bring mainstream attention, along with traditional sports business models, to esports teams.
As a developer in hospitality, and one of the faces of tourism in The Bahamas, Rick has given his time and energy in creating The Bahamas Relief Foundation and bringing real-estate development opportunities to the region.
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.
Isaiah Oliver is a private sector engagement, trade and investment, and climate finance expert with more than 14 years of experience focusing on the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Eurasia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. He has conducted assessments and developed implementation strategies for programs in diverse sectors, including private capital mobilization, enterprise competitiveness, and climate finance. Currently serving as Deputy Chief of Party of the Climate Finance for Development Accelerator, a flagship USAID program focused on facilitating at least $2.5 billion in investment for climate mitigation and adaptation. Isaiah previously served as Deputy Chief of Party for the Asia and Middle East Economic Growth Best Practices Program (AMEG), where he led a variety of economic assessments and pilot activities under AMEG, including conducting research on cost-effective approaches to job creation and on social impact investment funds for India. Isaiah holds an M.A. in applied economics from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in urban policy from the University of Richmond.
Dr. Kristin Deason is GGGI’s lead representative in the Caribbean, based in Saint Lucia, where she leads GGGI’s programs in support of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and its member countries. She previously supported GGGI’s Pacific regional program, based in Fiji. Kristin has over 15 years of experience leading and managing international sustainability and green growth programs and projects, with over 5 years focused specifically on SIDS. Kristin leads development and implementation of GGGI’s programs in the OECS region, focused on climate action, climate finance, renewable energy, and green entrepreneurship. Prior to GGGI, Kristin implemented sustainability and green energy projects with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the U.S. Army and Navy, the US Department of Energy, and the governments of Germany and the European Union. She holds a Ph.D in Systems Engineering with focus on Energy and Environmental Management from the George Washington University and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the University of Virginia.
Carlinton G. Burrell has been addressing climate change challenges through cleantech innovation in The Caribbean by stimulating new business ventures. As CEO of the Caribbean Climate Innovation Center (CCIC) he has been supporting the development of and enabling the ecosystem to foster innovative and growth-oriented enterprises while helping them to raise necessary capitals for their business ventures. Carlinton has been establishing regional capacity to support cleantech start-ups and early-stage companies which underscore his contribution to the emergence of new domestic green industries.
Carlinton Burrell is a climate innovation expert and business development lead in the Caribbean working with several government entities, private sectors and quasigovernment institutions establishing programs while building capacity in the region for greater sustainability.
Carlinton is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), and a Certified Scrum Master who earned a Master’s Degree in Computer Based Management Information Systems from the University of the West Indies (UWI) and a double major Bachelors of Science Degree in Computer Science and Electronics also from the University of the West Indies (UWI).
Alicia Montalvo is Climate Action and Positive Biodiversity Manager at CAF, development bank of Latin America and the Caribbean.
She holds a degree in Economic and Business Sciences from the University of Valencia, Spain and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University. She is an Accredited Trade Expert and State Economist of the Government of Spain.
Before joining CAF in June 2022, Alicia has developed her professional career in different positions related to Climate Finance, Economic Policy and Trade. She acted as Chief Economic and Commercial Counselor at the Embassy of Spain in Colombia and as Executive Director for Austria, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Norway and Sweden at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Previously, she has been Director General at ICEX Spain Trade and Investment (TPO) of the Ministry of Economy of Spain. Alicia served as Director General of Climate Change in the Ministry of Environment of Spain acting as lead negotiator within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. She was member of the Transitional Committee of the Green Climate Fund.
In the economic area she served in the Ministry of Economy of Spain, acting as member of the Economic Policy Committee of the European Union. She was Director General of Trade and Foreign Investment, having responsibility on the Spanish ODA Credit Fund and the debt-for-development programs, among other.
In the academic field, she has been professor of Natural Resources Economics in the University Carlos III in Madrid.
Cass Vickers is an Associate at Azolla Ventures with the responsibility to source investment opportunities, research and develop theses to guide the investment pipeline, and support investment diligence. Since joining Azolla, Cass supported an investment in Scalvy, who is developing modularized electric vehicle (EV) drivetrains to bring EVs to market faster. Other areas of interest for Cass include offshore wind, buildings, and increasing the production of copper to support a more electrified world. Cass joined Azolla Ventures from National Grid, one of the world’s largest utilities, where she held various roles in the innovation department, building out first-of-a-kind demand response and electric vehicle utility programs. Cass has been recognized as a GreenBiz 30 under 30 awardee and holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.