As we chart a course to a nature-positive economy, how can we make sure supply meets demand for private finance for the restoration of land, water and nature?
The Nature Finance UK Conference 2023, was the biggest ever event of its kind in the UK, attracting buyers, sellers and investors.
Increasing corporate demand for the good that a healthy environment does. Nature-based carbon and biodiversity credits. Capitalising on UK nature finance opportunities for both the UK rural economy and the marine and coastal environment. Building on the 2022 Natural Capital Finance & Investment Conference, this year’s conference explored supply and demand in the UK’s growing market for nature-based solutions.
The UK nature finance event of the year
The event featured leaders and experts, including keynote speaker the Rt Hon. The Lord Mayor Nicholas Lyons and David Craig, Co-Chair of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures. The programme included representation from Triodos Bank UK, PwC, Knight Frank, National Parks Partnerships and the UK Infrastructure Bank.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Nature Finance UK Conference 2024. If you have questions about the 2023 or 2024 events, get in touch via conference@ecosystemsknowledge.net.
Join us at Nature Finance UK Conference 2024 on November 5th, and together we can advance financial innovation for nature and net zero
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26 September 2023
Guildhall, City of London
8:30am – 5.10pm
With drinks reception and networking from 5.15pm
David Craig
Co-Chair, Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)
David Craig
Co-Chair, Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)
David Craig is Co-Chair of the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). David has 30 years of experience in financial markets data and technology and is seen as a world expert in the data, technology and market infrastructure required to drive sustainable markets.
David was the former founder and CEO of Refinitiv, one of the largest data and technology platform providers to financial markets with revenues of over $6.4B. David spearheaded the creation of Refinitiv, spinning out of Thomson Reuters with Blackstone, and the successful acquisition by LSEG for $27B in 2021, becoming head of LSEG Data and Analytics Division. He was previously founder and CEO of the Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) business and head of strategy at Thomson Reuters and Reuters plc. He spent 8 years as a partner at McKinsey focusing on technology and financial services clients.
Caroline Price
Senior Development Manager – Habitat Creation, The Crown Estate
Caroline Price
Senior Development Manager – Habitat Creation, The Crown Estate
William Hawes
Head of Nature-Based Solutions, National Parks Partnerships
William Hawes
Head of Nature-Based Solutions, National Parks Partnerships
William is a land manager and chartered surveyor specialising in natural capital. He’s involved in the design and delivery of landscape scale NbS projects through Revere, a partnership between the UK National Parks and Palladium, catalysing private investment into nature at scale. Before joining the National Park Partnership, he set up and led the natural capital service line at a national firm of rural property consultants.
William is based in Scotland, where alongside his work with Revere, he advises environmentally led private and institutional landowners on the restoration of their farms and estates through engagement with natural capital markets.
William’s work is closely aligned to Scotland’s Land Reform agenda, which has brought into sharp focus the need to make sure decisions over land use that impact local communities and economies are properly consulted on, and that the benefits generated through natural capital are distributed fairly. The lessons learnt can be applied across the UK.
The Rt Hon. The Lord Mayor Nicholas Lyons
Lord Mayor of the City of London
The Rt Hon. The Lord Mayor Nicholas Lyons
Lord Mayor of the City of London
Nicholas Lyons joined Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York in London in 1982 then worked at Salomon Brothers and Lehman Brothers. He specialised in advising banks and insurance companies on mergers and acquisitions and raising capital.
He is currently taking a sabbatical as Chairman of Phoenix Group, the largest player in the UK retirement and long term savings industry. He sits on the boards of Convex Group, a specialty insurance underwriter and Miller Insurance Services, a London market insurance broker. He is a member of the Leadership Council of TheCityUK, the Advisory Board of the International Business & Diplomatic Exchange, the Association of British Insurers and the Chartered Insurance Institute. His City career has spanned over 40 years.
Sarah Hendry
Director General, Country, Land & Business Association (CLA)
Sarah Hendry
Director General, Country, Land & Business Association (CLA)
Sarah Hendry is responsible for the strategic direction, organisation and smooth running of the CLA.
Before joining the CLA in 2018, she spent nearly 30 years as a UK government official working across national, EU and international policy. A senior Director in Defra and the Department of Health for twelve years, her experience covers a wide range of areas relevant to CLA members’ interests, including farming, environment, rural development, climate change, forestry, water and floods.
Leo Murphy
Impact Manager, Climate Asset Management
Leo Murphy
Impact Manager, Climate Asset Management
Leo has more than eight years’ experience in environmental management. As Impact Manager at Climate Asset Management the dedicated natural capital asset manager, Leo is leading on TNFD, actively participating in its iterative development and engaging in several of the taskforce’s working groups on behalf of Climate Asset Management shareholder HSBC Asset Management. Leo has previously worked for Fauna & Flora International as the technical specialist for Nature-based Solutions and at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre focused on assessing impacts and dependencies on natural capital, including the development of the ENCORE tool and the Land-use Finance Impact Hub. Leo is a member of the IUCN Commission’s Impact Mitigation and Ecological Compensation thematic group.
Dr Rebecca Heaton
Director of Environmental Sustainability, Lloyds Banking Group
Dr Rebecca Heaton
Director of Environmental Sustainability, Lloyds Banking Group
Dr Rebecca Heaton has a 25-year global career working at the interface between business, science, and policy. Her expertise spans energy, climate change and land-use and the role business must play in enabling the UK to decarbonise. After an early career in academia, she has held senior roles in a number of large energy companies and is currently the Director of Environmental Sustainability for Lloyds Banking Group.
She was a member of the UK Committee on Climate on Change from 2017 to 2021, and currently sits on the Natural Environment Research Council. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Foresters, has a PhD on climate change, energy and forestry from Cardiff University and was awarded an honorary Docter of Law from Bangor University for her work on climate change policy. In 2021, she was selected as one of ‘one hundred women to watch in business’ by Cranfield University.
Whitni Thomas
Head of Corporate Finance, Triodos Bank UK
Whitni Thomas
Head of Corporate Finance, Triodos Bank UK
Whitni was appointed head of the corporate finance team in January 2022. Previously she was a senior manager in the team, responsible for raising capital from a wide range of investors including institutional investors and individuals. She led the development and launch of the crowdfunding platform and managed it for several years. Whitni has worked on a broad range of capital raising and advisory mandates including raising the investment capital for the Wyre Catchment natural flood management project.
Whitni joined Triodos Bank in 2006 and first worked in the venture capital team making equity investments in ethical businesses and helping to grow the bank’s presence in the social investment market.
Whitni started her career at JP Morgan where she worked for six years in New York and London structuring debt for leveraged buy-outs, before heading up the access to finance team at the think tank New Economics Foundation.
Whether you’re a natural capital specialist or landowner, an organisation looking to attract funding or deliver on your corporate sustainability targets, the Nature Finance UK Conference is the place to learn from and contribute to expert-led discussions that:
- Challenge inertia in vital UK nature investment
- Provoke greener, more sustainable ways of doing business in the UK
- Shape the future of the UK, as speakers reveal how nature can jointly tackle both climate and biodiversity aims
Our partners and sponsors
We were proud to be sponsored by some outstanding leaders delivering financial innovation for nature and net zero across the breadth of sectors involved in nature finance.
Sponsor profiles
Join us as a crucial sponsor of the Nature Finance UK Conference 2024, or take advantage of our display space offer
Become known as a leader in financial innovation for nature and net zero. Enquire today about our sponsorship and partnership opportunities.
The conference is being organised by the award-winning Ecosystems Knowledge Network (EKN). Our Event Partners are Green Finance Institute (GFI) and The CLA.
