Hong Kong Nature-based Solutions Week

Leader of the China–World Bank Global Knowledge Center on Ecosystems

André Aquino leads the China–World Bank Global Knowledge Center on Ecosystems at the World Bank office in Beijing, producing, curating and delivering cutting-edge knowledge on ecosystem management — including large-scale reforestation, watershed management, erosion and desertification control, biodiversity conservation, and nature finance.

Until December 2025 he served as Head of the Economics and Environment Office at Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, where he worked to redirect financial flows to Brazil’s environmental priorities and coordinated Brazil’s 2024 G20 Presidency environment agenda. He previously served as National Director for Forest Development at the Brazilian Forest Service, overseeing sustainable forest management, large-scale restoration of native vegetation, and management of Brazil’s forest information systems, including the national forest inventory.

André brings more than 20 years of international experience in natural resource management and environmental policy. He spent almost two decades at the World Bank, most recently as Program Leader for Sustainable Development in Indonesia and Timor-Leste (based in Jakarta), managing a multi-sector portfolio exceeding US$5 billion and coordinating landscape, forest and ocean programs. He has held World Bank positions in Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Washington, DC. His technical expertise spans forestry, biodiversity and protected areas, ecosystem services (carbon and biodiversity finance), climate mitigation and adaptation, coastal and fisheries management, land administration, nature-based tourism, and rural development — with a strong emphasis on mechanisms that channel benefits to local communities (REDD+, payments for ecosystem services, public-private-community partnerships, and integrated landscape management).

He holds an M.Sc. in Environmental Economics from the University of Maryland, an Executive Program Diploma in Forestry from Yale University, a postgraduate degree in Environmental Law from the Federal University of Pará, and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the Catholic University of Minas Gerais. He has published on the economics and institutions of natural resource management and regularly participates in high-level policy fora.

André’s work covers Africa (Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Republic of Congo, South Africa), Latin America (Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico) and Asia (Indonesia, Timor-Leste). His awards include multiple World Bank Vice Presidency Unit Awards for innovation and impact (notably for Ethiopia Sustainable Land Management, Mozambique Integrated Landscape Management, social inclusion initiatives, and Indonesia landscape and mangrove resilience programs). He is founder and manager of two private nature reserves in the Brazilian Cerrado near Chapada dos Veadeiros, initiated a fauna-monitoring network there, and volunteers as an advisor to IMAFLORA and IPAM.

Deputy Director of the Beijing Green Finance and Sustainable Development Research Institute, and Director of the Center for Natural Capital Investment and Financing

Ms Yunwen Bai holds dual master‘s degrees in environmental science from the University of Manchester in the UK and environmental policy and management from the Institute of Industrial Environmental Economics at Lund University in Sweden. She has been dedicated to analyzing and researching areas such as green finance, climate policies, and overseas investment environmental management for a long time. She has worked for international environmental protection institutions and foundations for many years. She founded the environmental public welfare institution Green Innovation Research Institute in China and served as its executive director. She served as the coordinator of the China Foreign Investment Environmental Management Initiative Working Group, promoting the release of relevant research results. In recent years, her work focus has shifted to topics such as natural-related financial risks, biodiversity finance, and information disclosure.

Senior Director, Conservation and Climate Finance Policy, The Nature Conservancy

Waqas Batley brings extensive expertise in advising governments, international institutions, banks and corporations on strategic issues at the intersection of nature, climate and sustainable economic development.

Working at ministerial and executive levels, he has established a distinguished track record in designing and implementing sustainable finance initiatives and policies that effectively blend public, private and philanthropic capital to maximize environmental and climate impact. Waqas is widely recognized within international climate diplomacy and the multilateral climate finance landscape. He has served as a committee member at numerous global climate funds including the Climate Investment Funds and the NAMA Facility. He has represented the United Kingdom at multiple UN Climate COPs and major multilateral forums, contributing to key policy developments, finance initiatives and strategic partnerships.

Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, Tsinghua University

Dr. Yue Cao holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture and a PhD in Landscape Architecture from Tsinghua University. He is an Associate Professor, Special Research Fellow, and PhD Supervisor in the Department of Landscape Architecture, School of Architecture, Tsinghua University. His research focuses on national parks and protected areas, wilderness conservation and rewilding, biodiversity conservation, climate change, and landscape planning and design.

Dr. Cao serves as the Northeast Asia Regional Focal Point of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM). He is also a member of the IUCN WCPA Wilderness Specialist Group and the CEM Rewilding Thematic Group. In China, he serves as a youth committee member of the Committee of Territorial Landscape of the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture and the Youth Working Committee of the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture.

He has led and participated in more than 20 major research and applied planning projects. His work has covered several national parks and protected areas of international and national significance, including Giant Panda National Park, Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, Wuyi Mountain National Park, Three-River-Source National Park, Mount Tai, Mount Huang, Northwest Yunnan, and Mount Helan. Dr. Cao has published more than 80 academic papers in leading journals, including Science Advances, Landscape and Urban Planning, Chinese Landscape Architecture (中国园林), and Landscape Architecture (风景园林). His publications have received multiple outstanding paper awards from journals such as Chinese Landscape Architecture and Landscape Architecture.

Managing Director, Seneca Impact Advisors 

Jean-Marc is the Managing Director of Seneca Impact Advisors where he leads all aspects of Seneca’s work.

Before launching Seneca, Jean-Marc spent 7 years at WWF, leading Bankable Nature Solutions in the Asia-Pacific region, fostering impactful projects supported by the Dutch Fund for Climate and Development. He also played a vital role in creating the Climate Impact Asia Fund, overseeing its investment advisory committee. With a 17-year finance background advising on equities and derivatives, including roles at Merrill Lynch and BNP Paribas in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore, Jean-Marc combines financial expertise with a commitment to sustainable initiatives. He holds a bachelor's degree in Marketing from Clarkson University.

Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, The Government of Hong Kong SAR

Mr Chan has many years of senior executive experience in the banking industry. He was a Managing Director in the Global Markets Division of Credit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank, and was a Managing Director in Financial Markets of Standard Chartered Bank.

Prior to joining the Government, Mr Chan held multiple roles in a number of public and professional bodies, including Vice President of the Hong Kong Society of Financial Analysts, Director of Hong Kong Securities & Investment Institute, Advisor of the Chinese Gold & Silver Exchange Society, as well as a General Committee member of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. Mr Chan was also a member of the Central & Western District Council.

Mr Chan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics (Hon) and Psychology from the University of Michigan, USA. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.

President, IFLA Asia Pacific

Mr. Chan, a seasoned landscape architect, boasts academic expertise in architecture, project management, law, and landscape architecture. Transitioning through roles in architectural consultancies and construction firms, he eventually led a project management department at an international developer before directing landscape architecture at Earthasia Limited. His journey continued as the founding head of landscape architecture at THEi and as a co-founder at Otherland Limited. Mr. Chan has helmed numerous significant projects in Hong Kong and neighboring areas, spanning public realm, institutional, infrastructural, residential, and commercial landscapes. Actively engaged in various professional and consultative bodies and NGOs, he currently presides over the Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects and leads multiple committees focused on town planning, land conservation, urban forestry, and climate adaptation. His leadership roles extend internationally, notably as Chairperson of the Climate Change and Biodiversity Working Group for the International Federation of Landscape Architects Asia Pacific Regions.

Professor, Rewilding and Wilderness Science, University of Leeds

Steve Carver is a Geographer and Professor at the University of Leeds. He has over 30 years' experience in the field of GIS and multi-criteria evaluation with special interests in wilderness, wild land, rewilding, landscape evaluation and public participation. He has worked extensively on the development of wild land mapping and evaluation methodologies and has tested and applied these across a variety of locations and spatial scales including Scotland, England, Britain, Europe, North America and Asia.

He has worked with a range of agencies on wild land topics including Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Government, The John Muir Trust, the Countryside Agency, EU, the USDA Forest Service and US National Park Service. He has published this work widely in over 100 papers, books, book chapters, conference proceedings and generalist articles. He is Director of the Wildland Research Institute and is Joint Chair of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM) Task Force on Rewilding. He also sits on advisory panel for the Wild Ennerdale and Rewilding Britain projects and is co-chair of the World Wilderness Congress' Science and Stewardship Symposium.

Managing Director, URBIS Limited

Sandy is a Registered Landscape Architect, a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects and the Managing Director of URBIS Limited, a Hong Kong based multi-award-winning design consultancy established in 1977, and providing services in masterplanning, urban design, town planning, landscape design, golf course design and environmental impact analysis. He has lived in Hong Kong and worked for URBIS since 1985, during which time he has contributed to several major territorial and strategic planning studies for the Hong Kong Government, and designed a very large range of private and public sector projects from small private gardens to large scale public infrastructure works. Designed projects include public parks, open spaces and streetscapes, schools, hospitals, hotels, residential, commercial and mixed use development and golf courses. Since 1977 URBIS has undertaken over 2,500 projects throughout the Asia Pacific region, South Asia and the Middle East and has won well over 250 awards and competition designs both locally and internationally. Many of these award-winning projects Sandy has worked on, designed and / or directed personally. He is particularly concerned with the promotion of sustainable design, designing the public realm to meet the needs of modern society and protecting the wonderful landscapes and biodiversity of Hong Kong. He is currently a 2nd Vice Chairperson of BEAM Society Limited, a Director of the Hong Kong Green Building Council, a Member of the HKGBC Green Building Faculty and a Member of Nature and Biodiversity AG (N&B AG) of Business Environment Council. In 2024 and 2025, Sandy was Convenor of the Expert Task Force on Biodiversity and Nature-based Solutions that was responsible for drafting the new Chapter 7 ‘Biodiversity and Nature-based Solutions’ in the ‘Climate Change Framework for Built Environment (v.3)’ that was launched on 26 November 2025.

Sandy was the Executive Landscape Architect for Taikoo Square and Taikoo Garden which recently won a Highly Commended Award at the World Architectural Festival in Miami in November 2025.

Director of Civil Engineering and Development, Civil Engineering and Development Department of The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China

Ir Michael Fong is currently the Director of Civil Engineering and Development, leading the department in advancing Hong Kong’s new town development and land supply projects, among which are the Northern Metropolis, which serves as a key driver for the social and economic growth of Hong Kong.

Over the past 30 years, Michael has held numerous positions in various work departments, as well as the Development Bureau. He is widely known in the construction industry as a determined champion of construction collaboration, safety, innovation technologies and urban-rural-nature integration.

Executive Director for The Nature Conservancy Hong Kong and Regional Partnerships

Anthony Gao is the Executive Director for Hong Kong and Regional Partnerships. He brings vast strategic leadership experience in philanthropy, international development and policy from leading global organizations in the private and non-profit sectors to this role.

Before joining The Nature Conservancy in 2025, he served as Head of Philanthropy Services, Asia, at Pictet Wealth Management, where he built a platform to support high-net-worth families and family offices in Asia to enhance their philanthropic impact. Prior to that, with a background of management consulting at McKinsey & Co., Anthony spent nearly a decade at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, during which he played leading roles in partnership building, policy advocacy and grantmaking, promoting the development of the philanthropic sector and supporting critical global health and development issues. He then joined UBS AG in Hong Kong, where he expanded philanthropy services and led impactful fundraising initiatives for UBS AG in Greater China.

Anthony holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C, specializing in International Development and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Fudan University in Shanghai.

Professor of Climate and Environmental Risks in the University of Oxford

Prof. Hall is internationally recognised for his research on risk analysis and decision making under uncertainty for infrastructure systems, water resource systems, flood and coastal risk management and adaptation to climate change. Prof. Hall is a member of the UK Prime Minister's Council for Science and Technology. He was a Commissioner of the National Infrastructure Commission until 2025 and was President of the Institution of Civil Engineers for the year 2024-25. He was a member of the UK independent Committee on Climate Change Adaptation from 2009 to 2019, and was Chair of the Science Advisory Committee of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) from 2020 to 2022. Amongst various distinctions, Prof. Hall was awarded the George Stephenson Medal from the Institution of Civil Engineers in 2001 and the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water in 2018. Prof. Hall was a Contributing Author to the Nobel Prize-winning Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In 2010 Prof. Hall was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering “for his contribution to the development of methods for flood risk analysis, which underpin approaches for flood risk management in the UK and internationally” and in 2025 was made a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist, World Bank 

Chyi-Yun Huang is the Urban, Resilience and Land Global Practice coordinator for China and Mongolia, and a Senior Urban Development and Disaster Risk Management Specialist at the World Bank. She has more than 20 years of experience in integrated urban planning and design, urban resilience, public policy, city management, municipal services and finance and sustainable development. She recently relocated to Beijing, China from Almaty, Kazakhstan. She has led and contributed technical expertise to numerous operation projects and analytical studies in more than 15 countries across four regions (ECA, AFR, SA, EAP). She also co-leads the Transit-oriented Development (TOD) Community of Practice (CoP) in the WB. Prior to joining the World Bank as a Young Professional, she was an Executive Planner with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Singapore's national urban planning agency. At the URA, she led various international urban planning/management consultancies and government-to-government collaborations notably with China, oversaw planning initiatives in Singapore, and conducted capacity-building activities and training for international participants. Chyi-Yun holds a M.Sc. in Urban Planning from Columbia University, New York and a B.A. in Architecture from the National University of Singapore, and is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Global Head of Nature-based Solutions Centre, IUCN

Charles Karangwa is the Global Head of Nature-based Solutions Centre at IUCN. He was recently appointed to advise Her Excellency Razan Mubarak, IUCN President and COP28-COP 29 High Level Climate Champion on Matters related to Nature-based Solutions.

Before joining IUCN Head Quarter in Switzerland, He served as Regional Head of Land Systems, Covering Forests, Drylands, Nature Based Solutions, Sustainable Agriculture at IUCN Africa Region. He also served as Country Representative for Rwanda since January 2016 and was appointed Country Representative for Kenya starting from 1st of June 2022. Charles have led IUCN Work on NbS and Nature Finance, Land restoration in Africa as part of the Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, Bonn Challenge and AFR100, he engaged both Governments and Non States actors to bring Africa’s commitments to land restoration up to speed since 2016. In 2020, he joined the COP26 High Level Champion team as the lead for land restoration in Africa and worked to engage private sector and other Non-State Actors for an ambitious climate action to Race to Zero and Race to Resilience by 2050.

With more than 18 years of Experience in interface between sustainable development, conservation and sustainable finance, Charles focused his work on Climate Change, sustainable agriculture, biodiversity conservation, nature-based solutions, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable finance.

Charles holds degrees from University of London (SOAS), University of California Berkley, Africa Leadership University School of Business and University of Rwanda. He specialized in Environmental Economics and Global Policy.

Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, The Government of the Hong Kong SAR

Mr Mickey Lai joined the Government in 1990 and has served as Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation since 2024. With extensive expertise and decades of experience across diverse fields, he leads the city in advancing the sustainable development of local agriculture and fisheries industries, and in safeguarding natural resources and biodiversity.

Under his leadership, the Department facilitates Hong Kong’s agricultural and fisheries production; conserves native flora, fauna and natural habitats; manages protected areas including country parks, special areas, marine parks and the marine reserve; regulates international trade in endangered species; promotes animal welfare; and controls the introduction and spread of animal and plant diseases.

Head of Sustainability Strategy, Economics and Strategic Planning Department, Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited

Mr Fei Lau is the Head of Sustainability Strategy at Bank of China (Hong Kong). He is responsible for coordinating formulation of the sustainability strategy of the Bank, pushing forward key sustainable projects and researching on cutting-edge sustainability topics, such as sustainability-related disclosure, green washing risk management, green fintech, carbon neutrality transition planning, etc. Mr. Lau has on-hand experience in strategic planning for banks for years and have served in public organisations in Hong Kong such as the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and has in-depth knowledge on financial industry.

Deputy Director and Principal Lecturer at the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at The University of Hong Kong

Dr. Winnie Law is the Deputy Director and Principal Lecturer at the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), and was recently appointed as the Principal Advisor to the university's Sustainability Committee. She teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses on sustainable development, community planning, environmental management, and rural revitalisation. Additionally, she collaborates with a team of researchers to conduct policy and action research, as well as knowledge exchange projects focusing on rural revitalisation, social innovation, community engagement, and corporate sustainability.

Dr. Law has served on several Hong Kong SAR Government advisory committees, including the Advisory Council for the Environment, the Environment and Conservation Fund Committee, the Board of Trustees of the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund, and the Assessment Panel of the Innovation and Technology Fund for Better Living. At the regional and international levels, Dr. Law is a founding member of the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Higher Education Network for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage. She has also been engaged by the EU and the UNDP as a planning and social monitoring expert for their city planning and environmental management programmes in Vietnam.

Deputy Secretary General, Hong Kong Green Finance Association (HKGFA)

Jenny Lee is Deputy Secretary General of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association (HKGFA), where she leads multi-stakeholder engagement and advances sustainable finance initiatives across the public and private sectors, regulators, and government. She contributes to capacity building, data analytics, and transition planning under Hong Kong’s Cross-Agency Steering Group’s Green and Sustainable Finance Centre, and is actively involved in global platforms including UNFC4S, the Global Capacity Building Coalition (GCBC). Jenny convenes regional bi-lateral sustainable finance dialogues, co-convenes the Hong Kong chapter of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and has advised on key Hong Kong green fintech initiatives, and proof-of-concept funding support scheme.

After a 20-year career in investment banking at Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, and JPMorgan, Jenny transitioned into sustainability. She is committed to driving positive change and impact, integrating finance, technology, and nature, and is a life-long learner, holding certifications from the CFA Institute in Climate Risk, Valuation and Investing, CFA Sustainability Investing and MIT Sloan Management in Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy.

Netherlands Enterprise Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy

Dr Caroline van Leenders has a PhD in Environmental Studies and works for the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of The Netherlands on biodiversity and the financial sector. For more than twenty years Caroline has successfully engaged in transformational  change in the field of sustainable energy, plant based food and green cities. In recent years her focus has been on accelerating the transition towards a nature positive financial sector. Bringing people together is essential to change and Caroline has therefore formed various Communities of Practice where financial frontrunners learn from each on natural capital (see Finance for One Planet) other and supported the forming of coalitions such as PBAF, the IDFB and the TNFD. She also creates attention for the importance of halting biodiversity loss by writing books, giving  presentations and commissioning research. Caroline van Leenders is a member of the Advisory Committee on Resource Mobilization of the CBD and lead authors for the IPBES Assessment on Business and Biodiversity. In 2022 Caroline was honored for the second year in the list Top 50 Women in Sustainable Finance.

Associate Dean, College of Environment and Ecology, Fujian Institute for Sustainable Oceans, Xiamen University and State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, China

Professor Yangfan Li currently works at the College of Environment and Ecology, Fujian Institute for Sustainable Oceans (Associate Dean, FISO), Xiamen University and State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, China. He does sustainable urbanization research in the coastal interface of ocean and city. His current project is 'Coastal Resilience: Land-Water-Biodiversity Nexus', incorporating remote sensing and socio-ecological resilience into policy-relevant solutions. He actively contributes to global initiatives, including a contributing author for the Blue Paper on Integrated Ocean Management by High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, associated research outcomes have been applied to Xiamen, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Haikou, Lianyungang and the Greater Bay Area in China and benefits integrated coastal management regime worldwide (e.g., New Capital Area of Indonesia). Dr. Li has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles in SCI/SSCI journals (e.g., Nature Ecology & Evolution, Nature Geoscience and One Earth) and received numerous awards for his outstanding academic performance.

Chief Development Strategist, Institute for the Environment, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Former Under Secretary for the Environment

She was Under Secretary for the Environment in the HKSAR Government (2012-17), Special Consultant to the Chief Executive on the mainland’s ecological civilization policy (2019-20), and a Member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council (1992-97 and 1998-20). She is currently a board member of Global Maritime Forum, New Forests Pty Ltd, and Towngas Smart Energy Company Limited, and is Asia Society’s Scholar in Residence (2023-24). She is also a Steering Committee member of the United Nations International Organization for Migration’s new Climate Mobility Innovation Lab. Loh has been active in public policy and politics since the 1980s. She founded and was the CEO of the non-profit think tank, Civic Exchange (2000-12), and helped to establish several non-profit organizations in Hong Kong related to the environment, equal opportunity, and arts and culture.

Director, Impact Programs, Columbia Climate School

She specializes in urban climate adaptation planning and public infrastructure project design that is forward-looking and conscious of community-based and ecosystem resilience. At CRCL, she manages the Resilience Accelerator, which delivers strategic support, technical design and climate systems research, and intensive local workshops to advance resilience project design and implementation in partnership with local governments around the world.  Prior to joining CRCL, Johanna worked as a Senior Analyst and Program Manager at HR&A Advisors, where she scaled resilience capacity-building models, developed city- and district-wide climate adaptation plans, and supported the design and evaluation of transformational urban resilience infrastructure investments. As City Planner at the New York City Department of City Planning, she researched planning opportunities in post-industrial, waterfront communities impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

Sustainable Finance Consultant, ADM Capital Foundation

Kate is the lead author of the recently published work ‘Blue Finance for a Blue Economy – Pathways to Marine Conservation in Hong Kong’ and is an accomplished sustainable finance specialist with three decades of experience in financial markets. She currently specializes in developing conservation finance structures and advancing blue economy financing. Previously, she established and managed a team responsible for structuring derivatives and hedging solutions at SMBC Capital Markets (Asia), launching several successful and profitable business initiatives across the Asia-Pacific region. At Pacific Risk Advisors, Kate evaluated significant ESG risks and opportunities within supply chains throughout China and Southeast Asia.

Beyond finance, Kate is an adventurer at heart, passionate about the outdoors and inspiring others to explore.

Senior Director of Learning & Development, Marriott International

Nadia Martins is a Senior Director of Learning & Development at Marriott International, based in Hong Kong, where she leads talent and capability development across the region. With a strong track record in designing impactful learning strategies, she is passionate about developing leaders, fostering inclusive growth, and strengthening organizational capability.

Beyond her corporate role, Nadia is deeply committed to sustainability, and community engagement within hospitality. She has led numerous environmental initiatives—from reducing single-use plastics in the workplace to driving awareness programs and regional sustainability conversations across Asia Pacific. She also contributes to Climate Fresk Hong Kong as an advisory committee member, supporting climate education and action.

General Manager, Investment Strategy and Operations at New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment

Ilana Miller is General Manager, Investment Strategy and Operations at New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment. She led delivery of the NZ$1.2 billion Jobs for Nature programme, considered the biggest single injection of funding and human effort Aotearoa New Zealand has ever directed at nature; investing in nature-based solutions to restore ecosystems, strengthen climate resilience, and support employment during New Zealand’s COVID-19 recovery. Her leadership is defined by pace, clear accountability, and an ability to turn complex priorities into action.

She oversees national environmental funding portfolios and has developed long-term investment strategies that align policy, science, and funding to deliver measurable results. Ilana has a practical approach to environmental investment: she brings discipline to what gets funded, why it matters, and how success is measured.

Her career spans senior leadership roles across environment, energy, natural resources, and infrastructure regulation. This experience shapes her work integrating nature-based solutions into public investment systems, supporting co-investment, and ensuring environmental restoration delivers lasting value for communities and the economy.

Lead Project Officer (Environment), Asian Development Bank

Dr. Zhiming Niu is a Lead Project Officer (Environment) at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), focusing on food and nature operations. His responsibilities include the design and management of investment projects and knowledge products. He also serves as the focal for ADB’s cofinancing programs with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and biodiversity in the PRC Resident Mission. He previously oversaw environmental safeguards for ADB operations in the PRC from 2006 to 2015. Dr. Niu worked as Senior Advisor for Land Degradation and Environment at ADB from 2002 to 2006. Prior to joining ADB, he served as a Senior Engineer for watershed management at the PRC Ministry of Water Resources.

Dr. Niu received his academic training at Beijing Forestry University and North Carolina State University (USA), where he earned a PhD. He also completed the Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) program at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) from 2016 to 2018.

Global Managing Director of Climate, The Nature Conservancy

Clare has more than 30 years of global experience on climate change, energy and natural resource management. Her experience includes seven years at the International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED) leading the climate group and 15 years with the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) leading first Asia and then Africa Division’s climate change response. Clare has deep experience working with Least Developed Countries and has focused much of her career advancing priorities in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Clare received her BSc in environmental science and development studies from University of East Anglia and her MSc in forestry and its relation to land use from Oxford. As global managing director of climate at TNC, Clare leads the Climate team as it executes on TNC’s vision for achieving TNC’s 2030 climate goals. Clare is from the UK and speaks Nepali, Swahili and Spanish.

Executive Director, Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD)
Strategic Lead, Ecosystem Services Valuation Database (ESVD) and Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP)

Mieke Siebers is a leader in fostering collaboration and innovation at the intersection of ecosystem services, nature valuation, and sustainable decision-making. As Executive Director of the Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD), she drives initiatives that bridge science, policy, and practice to advance the economic valuation of nature, including through the Ecosystem Services Valuation Database (ESVD).

Mieke specializes in business development and cross-sector networking, championing transdisciplinary approaches to address complex environmental challenges. She has led dissemination efforts for public-private partnership projects, including collaborations with Wageningen Economic Research, Allianz, Deloitte, and ING, focusing on datasets that assess the macroeconomic effects of ecosystem services loss and the costs and benefits of nature-based solutions (NbS). She has also supported the World Bank in developing a global dataset on NbS costs and benefits and co-authored studies with ASN Bank and the Municipality of Eindhoven to quantify the monetary value of impacts on ecosystem services.

An active member of international networks, Mieke chaired the Ecosystem Services working group for financial institutions within PBAF and was delegation lead for the Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) at key events, including CBD COP16. She firmly believes that monetary valuation of ecosystem services provides the essential language to shift from business-as-usual to nature-based solutions and foster a more sustainable future.

Professor of Practice, Natural Resources and the Environment Section, Cornell University

Gary M. Tabor is an ecologist and wildlife veterinarian. He is the Founder and President of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation - a support organization for large-scale conservation efforts and the hub of science, policy and practice on ecological connectivity conservation. Gary is Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas' Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group which connects 1300 scientists across 135 countries. Gary has worked on behalf of large landscape conservation internationally for over 40 years on every continent except Antarctica. Gary’s conservation achievements include the establishment of Kibale National Park in Uganda; the establishment of the World Bank’s Mountain Gorilla Conservation Trust in Uganda; co-founding the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative in US and Canada; pioneering the field of Conservation Medicine; co-founding the Network for Landscape Conservation and co-founding the Australia Environmental Grantmakers Network. He has several academic advisory and board affiliations: Board of Advisors of the Global Health Institute at University of Wisconsin Madison, Board of Advisors for the Salazar Center for North American Conservation at Colorado State University, and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, Australia. He is a member of the Conservation Committee of the National Aquarium in Baltimore and serves on the board of Bush Heritage Australia's US Board – a land trust that manages 1% of all lands in Australia.

Programme Lead, Hong Kong 2050 is Now

Kitty Tam is the Programme Lead of Hong Kong 2050 is Now. In her role, she aims to influence and encourage societies to adopt rapid, deep, and sustained climate actions, while promoting a nature-positive world. Having a diverse educational background in geography, business management, and environmental governance, Kitty has acquired a comprehensive understanding of the intricate connections between human activities and the natural world. With her previous experience at WWF-Hong Kong, Kitty played a key role in driving policy change to address pressing environmental challenges.

Associate Director of Conservation for The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Hong Kong

Marine is responsible for overseeing TNC’s marine conservation projects on the ground, with a current focus on restoring natural habitats, community-based conservation, and developing sustainable oyster aquaculture in Deep Bay as nature based solutions. Marine is also restoration ecologist specializing in shellfish reefs. Over the past 8 years, she has been developing restoration methods, evaluating ecosystem services that shellfish reefs provide, and advocating for policy changes that support widespread restoration efforts in Hong Kong's waters. She also works on large scale innovative projects, including the retrofitting of the 3rd Runway Seawall of the airport, in partnership with the Airport Authority Hong Kong.

Former Secretary for the Environment (2012-2022), Hong Kong SAR Government

During his decade-long role as the Secretary for the Environment, Wong has spearheaded Hong Kong's transition towards carbon neutrality by 2050 through policy initiatives on climate action, clean energy, electric vehicles, waste management, and biodiversity. Before his government position, Wong made significant contributions to sustainable architecture with projects like Verbena Heights and the Zero Carbon Building. He also engaged in volunteer work on sustainable infrastructure projects, notably in Gansu Province, China. Wong's leadership extends to chairing charitable foundations and committees focused on environmental sustainability and green building standards in Hong Kong. He played key roles in developing guidelines such as HKGBC's BEAM Plus and the Buildings Department's energy efficiency requirements, showcasing his commitment to advancing sustainable practices in the urban landscape of Hong Kong.

Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Ms Wong joined the Administrative Service in 1985.  Throughout the service with the Government, Ms Wong had taken up a wide range of duties at different Bureaux and Departments, including the former City and New Territories Administration, the former Education and Manpower Branch, the Tsuen Wan District Office, the former Transport Branch, the former Housing Branch, the Wong Tai Sin District Office, the former  Health and Welfare Branch (subsequently reorganised to become the former Health, Welfare and Food Bureau), the former Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau (subsequently reorganised to become the Development Bureau), and the former Food and Health Bureau.  She was appointed as a Deputy Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene Department in 2018 and subsequently as the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology in August 2022.

Ms Wong possesses a broad spectrum of experience in various areas of public administration, including food and environmental hygiene, land development, home affairs and social welfare.  During her tenure as the Under Secretary for the Environment, she helped support the formulation of policies on air quality, waste management, climate actions and conservation.

Senior Manager of Community Resilience Service, Hong Kong Red Cross

Eva is the Chairperson of the IFRC Asia Pacific Community Resilience Community of Practice, and Steering Committee of the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group, focusing on research and development relating to community resilience, urban development, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

Eva is enthusiastic about promoting participatory development and community resilience. She has placed special emphasis on enhancing resilience in high-risk areas of Hong Kong by integrating international and local experiences and examining comprehensive strategies for resilient communities. Including introducing working with nature for disaster risk reduction initiatives to mitigate the impact of climate disasters on vulnerable populations.