Bio-Diversity & Smart Cities

Module 2 : Bio-Diversity & Smart Cities - 1 Day, 20th September

Module Overview

Our biodiverse planet is threatened by an unprecedented transformation and exploitation of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, driven mostly by human activities. There is a great urgency to combat biodiversity loss, and it is imperative we address biodiversity loss in decision-making.  The objective of this module is to facilitate participants’ ability to integrate biodiversity criteria into projects and investment decision-making, and to effectively address biodiversity loss on all levels.

Learning Objective

By the end of this module, participants will be able to:

• Understand and explain the Mitigation Hierarchy

• Apply the mitigation Hierarchy
• Understand the work of the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and the role it plays in protecting biodiversity
• Evaluate the need for consistent metrics to facilitate the integration of biodiversity criteria into investment decision making
• Explain the initiatives that have taken on the task of integrating biodiversity criteria
• Identify and apply steps that should be taken to address biodiversity loss at the sector, economic, and global level
• Deliver an overall understanding of the key drivers for building Smart Sustainable Cities
• Understand the inter-related forces Biodiversity and Technology that frame the deliverables for Smart Sustainable Cities
• Learn from industry cases and lessons from other fore-runners in the Smart Cities space
• Engage in practical discussions with leading global experts in Urban Planning and Cities Resilience to depend the learning

Topics

• The Global Biodiversity Crisis

• Major Threats and Impacts to Biodiversity Loss
• Tackling Biodiversity at the Local Level
• Introduction to the Mitigation Hierarchy
• Relation to the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (BES) Target Feasibility Assessment
• Relation to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
• WWF’s Conservation Work
• Biodiversity Measurement
• The Concept of a Smart Cities
• Smart Cities and Sustainability
• Green Buildings and Carbon Footprint through various Green Building Certification
• Case Studies: Singapore and Oslo
• Preparing for the future: How to transition into Smart Cities

Who should Attend (Audience)

• Financial communication professional
• Regulatory compliance professionals
• Executives and company public faces
• Any executive involved in delivering ESG initiatives or projects

Trainer Picture and Bio

Ms Helene Li

Co-Founder & CEO, GoImpact Capital Partners

A seasoned management consultant and finance industry professional, Helene has held various senior management positions in Strategic Planning, Marketing and Branding throughout her career which includes Boston Consulting Group and Willis Towers Watson.

Helene was Managing Director and Head of Strategic Planning, Brand and Communications Asia Pacific for BNP Paribas Wealth Management, a role she has held for 5 years. She also held similar roles at J.P. Morgan Private Bank and Swiss wealth management firm Lombard Odier. In these capacities, she was instrumental in advancing the agenda of Sustainable Finance and Investments across a broad client base of family offices and asset owners. Helene is a known Influencer and Key Opinion Leader in Fintech and Digital Transformation, recognized by Thomson Reuters Refinitiv as Top 5 in Asia Pacific, and globally a Top 2 Influencer in Sustainable Finance. She has received numerous accolades as Top 100 Women in Finance from FinTech Times, and Top 50 Hall of Fame Global Fintech Leaders. GoImpact platform has already forged partnerships with key players like Temasek Foundation, UNDP, Financial Times and Bloomberg since inception one year ago.

A sought-after speaker and moderator at Fintech and Sustainable Finance forums, Helene graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a First Class Honors degree in English and Economics.

Mr Clarence T’ao

Co-Founding Partner, GoImpact Capital Partners

A veteran banker having extensive experience in the financial markets in the APAC region, China and Canada, Clarence has accumulated broad banking and market knowledge which spanned loan syndication, structured finance, acquisition/ leveraged finance and corporate and private banking. Before his last assignment at BNP Paribas in wealth management, Clarence was based in Shanghai and served as the CEO of BNP Paribas (China) between 2010-2014. Prior to joining BNP Paribas, he has held various senior positions with Citibank and the Chase Manhattan Bank. Since November 2018, Clarence decided to pursue his own interest. He is a Co-Founder of GoImpact (Impact Investing), an Advisor to the PrivEx (a Singapore Fintech platform), and the Founder of Immortelle Health.

Dr. Lakeesha K. Ransom

Enterprise Engagement Director and Visiting Professor of Management, the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand

Dr. Ransom’s expertise is in the areas of strategy, entrepreneurship, social impact and the circular economy. She has previously served in leadership positions in academia and industry, having served on several boards, Regent of the University of Minnesota; Vice Provost, Associate Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer, and Dean at the University of Akron; and Dean of the Jesup Scott Honors College at the University of Toledo. She's also held a faculty position at the Assumption University of Thailand.

In addition, Dr. Ransom served as Senior Manager of Emerging Business at Best Buy, where she led the development of an alliance with the Grameen Foundation and collaborations with the World Economic Forum that resulted in a consumer industry e-waste recycling program in the late 2000s. This initiative helped accelerate the $40 billion dollar company’s sustainability initiatives, which has resulted in the corporation being ranked No. 1 on Barron’s list of most sustainable companies in 2019 and 2021, and in the top 5 for four consecutive years.