Integrating Sustainable Finance in GBA and Beyond

CURRENT PROFESSIONAL STATUS

• Founder, Ben McQuhae & Co (bmcquhae.com), a Hong Kong-based corporate and commercial law firm for sustainability and innovation that has been described as the only true ESG law firm on the planet and Winner of the INSEAD Business as a Force for Good Award 2021. Ben is an industry leading corporate and commercial lawyer, a recognized leader in sustainable finance and green fintech, and a pioneer in carbon markets and decarbonization
• Qualified as a solicitor in England & Wales (1999) and Hong Kong (2003)

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

• Co-Founder, Executive Committee Member and Special Advisor to the Chairman, Hong Kong Green Finance Association (hkgreenfinance.org)
• Hong Kong representative, United Nations network of international Financial Centres for Sustainability (fc4s.org)
• Lead, APFF/SFDN Carbon Markets Workstream to develop policy recommendations for APEC finance ministers
• Member, Hong Kong Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) Working Group on Carbon Market Opportunities
• Advisory Panel Member and contributor, BIS Innovation Hub & Hong Kong Monetary Authority “Project Genesis”, A vision for technology-driven green finance
• Advisory Panel Member, BIS Innovation Hub & Hong Kong Monetary Authority “Project Genesis 2”, mitigation outcome securities
• Project Coordinator, The Greater Bay Area Green Finance Alliance
• Founder, Angel Attorneys
• Board member, The Alliance for Sustainable Schools
• Founder and Co-chair, Hong Kong Green Finance Task Force (2017-2018)

PREVIOUS PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS

• 2018 – 2021: Founding Partner, GPS McQuhae LLP, Hong Kong
• 2010 – 2018: Partner, Jones Day, Hong Kong
• 2004 – 2010: Partner, Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, Hong Kong (now part of Norton Rose Fulbright)
• 2000 – 2004: Denton Wilde Sapte, London and from 2001 Hong Kong (now Dentons)

PROFESSIONAL HONOURS & DISTINCTIONS

• Winner of the INSEAD Business as a Force for Good Award 2021
• Chambers Asia — ranked Band 1 (2012-2018)
• Legal 500 – leading individual (2009-2018)
• Who’s Who Legal: Expert (2012-2018)
• IFLR1000 — leading lawyer
• Expert Guides — The World’s Leading Lawyers — leading practitioner (2011-2018)

EDUCATION

• Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice – The College of Law, England
• LLB Hons – Exeter University, England

Head of the BIS Innovation Hub, Hong Kong Centre

Bénédicte is the Head of the BIS Innovation Hub, Hong Kong Centre. Prior to this appointment, she was a managing director at SC Ventures, the innovation arm of Standard Chartered Bank that leads a series of new ventures across digital banking, banking as a service, SME finance and blockchain. From 2018-2019, she was the Vice President of International Government Relations at Circle, involved in the evolution of blockchain and digital assets. From 2012-2018, she was the Head of Risk & Strategy of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), and in that capacity also acting as the Vice Chair of the Committee on Emerging Risks and the Fintech research lead for the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). From 2007-2012, she was a managing director at Credit Suisse and before that from 1997-2007 she was an associate and executive director at Goldman Sachs. Originally from Belgium, she holds LL.M. and M.B.A. degrees from the University of Chicago and the University of Leuven. She is admitted to the New York Bar since 1999. In 2016, she was a recipient of the China Daily Asian Women Leadership Awards for her efforts related to entrepreneurship, innovation and charity. She remains closely engaged in these topics, most recently through her involvement in the Fintech Association of Hong Kong (FTAHK) and Women in Finance Asia (WiFA.)

Managing Director, Head of Sustainable Capital Markets APAC, BNP Paribas

As Head of Sustainable Capital Markets Asia Pacific, Chaoni leads BNP Paribas’s sustainable finance solutions across asset classes for corporates, financial institutions and investors. Leading a growing Sustainable Capital Markets team and working with Global Markets, Capital Markets Group and coverage teams in Asia Pacific and the Banks’s global sustainable finance community, Chaoni drives BNP Paribas’s continued expansion and leadership in Asian sustainable capital markets.

Chaoni is an industry veteran with over 15 years of experience in sustainable finance having held various ESG-related roles at Natixis, S&P Trucost, MSCI and the United Nations. In addition to her role at BNP Paribas, Chaoni is also highly involved in the forwarding Asia’s ESG agenda through driving the development of sustainable finance ecosystems, education and advocacy in the region. She is Vice President and Secretary General of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association and was a guest researcher at both the Green Finance Center at Tsinghua University and the China Economy and Sustainable Development Centre at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business.

Chaoni received her Bachelor of Economics from the University of Warwick.

Head of Carbon Markets Development, Standard Chartered

Chris is the Head of Carbon Markets Development at Standard Chartered, building the bank’s environmental trading and financing business and growing its profile as a global leader in sustainable finance. This involves advising clients, originating carbon related transactions and building the trading infrastructure. He is a member of the Climate Impact X Advisory (CIX) Forum and supported SCB’s Group CEO, Bill Winters, in his role as Chair of the Taskforce for Scaling the Voluntary Carbon Markets (TSVCM). He is a board member of the newly formed Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Markets (IC-VCM) and serves as a member of the CPLC’s Advisory Group.

Chris’ experience in the commodity markets spans over 30 years in origination, sales and trading. At Standard Chartered, he built the Bank’s energy risk management platform, originating deals with state-owned and merchant refiners, oil producers, airlines, utilities and shipping companies. Previously Chris was with Barclays where he was Global Head of Environmental Markets Sales and before that at Merrill Lynch where he traded power, gas and set up their carbon emissions trading desk. He was a founder member of the Carbon Markets and Investors Association (CMIA) and was the Chairman of Power Trading Forum a division of the Futures and Options Association (FOA). He also worked as a base metals trader for a number of years before moving to energy. Chris has a strong understanding of commodity deal structuring, trade finance and managing price risk.

Dr. Ma Jun is currently the Chairman of the Green Finance Committee, China Society for Finance and Banking, President of Institute of Finance and Sustainability, Co-Chairman of the G20 Sustainable Finance Study Group, and the former member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the People’s Bank of China. As a leader in the field of green and sustainable finance, Dr. Ma Jun also serves as the sustainable finance special adviser of the United Nations Environment Programme, Chairman of the regulatory working group of NGFS, the Director of Beijing Green Finance Association, the Director of Hong Kong Green Finance Association, and many other public welfare duties.

From 2017 to 2020, Dr. Ma Jun served as the Director of the Research Center of Finance and Development, Tsinghua University National Institute of Financial Research. During his tenure as Chief Economist of the Research Bureau of the People’s Bank of China from 2014 to 2017, Dr. Ma Jun led the drafting of the Guidance of Green Finance in China and promoted the formation of a global green finance consensus under the G20 platform. From 2000 to 2013, he served as Chief Economist, Head of China and Hong Kong Strategy, and Managing Director of Greater China at Deutsche Bank. From 1992 to 2000, he served as a senior economist at the World Bank and an economist at the International Monetary Fund. From 1988 to 1990, he worked as a research fellow at the Development Research Center of the State Council of China. Dr. Ma Jun has published more than a dozen books and hundreds of articles on macroeconomic, monetary policy, environmental economics and green finance.

Dr. Ma Jun received his Master’s degree in Management from Fudan University in 1988, and he received his PhD. in Economics from Georgetown University in 1994.

Deputy General Manager, Global Corporate Banking Department

Managing Director, Sustainable Finance (Corporate Banking)

Bank of China (Hong Kong)

Winnie Fan is Deputy General Manager of Global Corporate Banking and Managing Director of Sustainable Finance at Bank of China (Hong Kong). Winnie has been with Bank of China HK for over 25 years and has extensive banking experience in corporate banking, retail banking, trade bills, mainland branches and cross border business management etc. In her current position, Winnie is responsible for managing the financing and banking services for large-sized corporate clients. Her role is also to initiate and drive the green and sustainable finance business in corporate banking. Winnie represents Bank of China HK in joining the Green & Sustainable Banking working group of Hong Kong Green Finance Association, Green Commercial Banking Committee of Hong Kong Association of Banks, and Green Financial Standards Mutual Recognition working group of Greater Bay Area Green Finance Alliance.

Winnie received her Bachelor degree in Economics and Statistics from the University of Hong Kong, Master degree in Finance from City University of Hong Kong and Executive Master degree in Business Administration from Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Head of Banking Policy at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA)

Frank Leung is the Head of Banking Policy at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), responsible for the development of green and sustainable banking in Hong Kong, as well as the regulatory frameworks on credit risk (internal rating based approach), liquidity risk and concentration risk (exposure limits) etc. Before he took up the current position, he was the Head of Economic Research in the Research Department of the HKMA. Frank started his career at the HKMA as a Manager Trainee and took up the current position in March 2018.

Frank got a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, a Masters in Economics from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and a Masters in Finance from the University of Hong Kong.

Glenda is Co-Head of Markets at HKEX and a member of the Management Committee.

Based in Hong Kong, she is responsible for the exchange’s sales and marketing efforts, covering equities, FIC, commodities and structured products, as well as new business development and post-trade services.

Prior to HKEX, Glenda spent four years as COO of a hedge fund in Singapore. Before that, she spent 23 years with Goldman Sachs where she was a managing director and held various leadership roles in the bank’s operations division, with overseas assignments in London, China and New York.

Glenda holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Baruch College, The City University of New York, USA.

Grace Cheung is Group Head of Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility at Cathay Pacific. Since taking up her role in 2017, Grace has turned sustainability from a standalone specialist function to an integrated strategic and operational imperative in the airline group.

During Grace’s tenure, Cathay Pacific has committed for its net zero carbon emissions goal by 2050, supported by its mid-term target for using 10% sustainable aviation fuel by 2030. The airline group is a founding member of Aviation Climate Taskforce and has also launched the first major Corporate Sustainable Aviation Fuel Programme in Asia in 2022.

Grace represents the airline in a number of industry working groups devoted to sustainability and environmental issues, including the ones at International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the oneworld Alliance.

Secretory of GBA-GFA and Shenzhen Green Finance Association. She served as President of Shenzhen Emissions Exchange and General Manager of Renewable Energy Industry Fund. She has over 10 years of work and leadership experience in the green and low-carbon fields.

Co-founder & CEO, MioTech

Jason is a technology and sustainability expert with an MBA from Stanford and previous work experience at Standard Chartered Bank, WeLab, and Robinhood.  He, representing MioTech, is a member of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association and the Director of the Alliance of Carbon Emissions Trading in China. He has been invited to speak at world-renowned conferences such as IOSCO and UNEP FI to address the role of technology in the global sustainability push.

Senior Director – Head of APAC sales, Moody’s ESG Solutions

Juliette Macresy is Senior Director, Head of Asia sales at  Moody’s ESG Solutions. She worked at VE since 1997 based in Hong Kong. As the Head of Greater China and South East Asian markets, she covered the region for both investors and issuers on sustainable finance transactions and its derivatives. In September 2020 she became a member of the Executive Committee of VE and took the global responsibility of the issuer team expanding MESG footprint in the sustainable finance markets in key regions North America, LATAM, EMEA and APAC.

In 2021, Juliette has won the award for ‘Excellence in Sustainability’ at Women in Finance Asia Awards. The ceremony’s judging panel recognized Juliette as a driving force for the APAC region’s sustainability agenda, commending her work in bringing greater transparency to green, social and sustainability bond markets and advancing diversity in the financial services sector.

Holding a Master’s degree in Banking and Finance from Dauphine University (France), Juliette has been working in financial markets in London and Paris for almost twenty years. She started her career in major French banks as a credit analyst before joining Moody’s Investors Services in London as a credit analyst. Then, she moved to fixed income positions within Natixis in Paris and Hong Kong.

Juliette is a CFA charter holder since 2003.

Meng Meng, master of Environmental Management from Xiamen University, served as the Secretary-General of Guangdong Green Finance Committee, the 10th People’s Political Consultative Conference Member of Huadu District Guangzhou, as well as the president of both Guangzhou Carbon Emissions Exchange Co., Ltd.(CEEX) and Guangzhou Green Industry Investment Fund Management Co., ltd. She possesses years of working experience in low-carbon environmental protection field and has intimate knowledge of current situation and development trends of green industries such as low carbon, energy saving and environmental protection, etc. She is conversant with carbon pricing theory and has participated in constructing and operating CEEX. She has also engaged in several research projects of national, provincial and municipal level, making great contribution to advancing Guangdong carbon emissions trading market as the largest regional carbon market in China and accumulating precious experience in exploring market-oriented means of energy saving and emissions reduction as well as promoting the construction of green financial system.

Professional positions: Expert in Guangzhou Huadu District People’s Congress Standing Committee Advisory Experts Library, Expert in the External Expert Bank of Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Guangdong Provincial Government Procurement Evaluation Expert, Expert of Guangdong Green Finance Committee, Senior Management Talent in Guangzhou Financial Field (2015-2016), Member of National Working Group on Sustainable Investment and Finance Standards, Executive Director of China New Energy Chamber of Commerce, Vice Chairman of Guangzhou Low-Carbon Development Promotion Association, Member of the Low Carbon Development Committee of Guangdong Society of Environmental Sciences.

Head of Sustainability Strategy, APAC, Schroders

Mervyn Tang is the Head of Sustainability Strategy, APAC. Currently based in Singapore, Mervyn is responsible for Schroders’ Sustainability Strategy in the Asia Pacific. He works in partnership with client facing and product teams to build the firm’s sustainable investment propositions across the region, and lead the company’s Regional Centre of Excellence for Sustainability.

Prior to joining Schroders in July 2021, Mervyn was Global Head of ESG Research at Fitch Ratings, overseeing a research team of 4 analysts across London and Hong Kong which primarily focuses on thematic and cross sector ESG research. He also held roles at MSCI, Fitch Ratings, the Bank of England, and Citigroup.

Mervyn holds a Master of Arts degree in Economics and Management from the University of Oxford and a Master of Science degree in Economics from the University of London. Mervyn is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.

Head of the Green & Sustainable Hub, Asia Pacific, Natixis Corporate and Investment Banking

Olivier Ménard is the Head of the Green & Sustainable Hub, Asia Pacific, at Natixis Corporate and Investment Banking.
Olivier joined the Green and Sustainable Hub as senior cross-asset originator for Asia Pacific (based in Paris) in October 2020. He has more than 20 years’ experience in advising & financing clients in the Energy & Metals commodity sectors across EMEA and Asia Pacific.

Olivier initially joined Natixis in 2001, in corporate banking with the Shanghai branch. In 2004, he joined the Energy & Natural Resources franchise, working in both Paris and Hong Kong, where he specialized in commodity structured & trade finance. Most recently, Olivier was a senior banker in Paris, advising and financing large commodity trading houses in
the Energy & Metals sectors.

Olivier holds a Master’s degree in Management, majoring in Corporate Finance from Neoma Business School.

Ricco Zhang is Senior Director, Asia Pacific of the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) based in Hong Kong. Mr. Zhang is responsible for ICMA’s development in Greater China and works very closely with regulators, financial institutions and other organizations who are active at the capital markets in the region to promote and maintain the best market practice. He has previously worked for international law firms, investment banks and other financial institutions engaged in capital market transactions and mergers & acquisitions in Asia and has extensive experience as a market practitioner. Mr. Zhang graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong.

Head of Sustainable Finance, Asia,

Standard Chartered

Tracy Wong Harris is the Head of Sustainable Finance for Asia at Standard Chartered Bank, focusing on the Bank’s sustainable finance strategy, by developing new products and solutions, further incorporating ESG considerations into banking decisions, and identifying sustainable finance opportunities for clients. Tracy is also the Vice President and Deputy Secretary General of Hong Kong Green Finance Association (HKGFA), the Senior Advisor to the Green Building Project of HK2050isNow, and an appointed member of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) Climate Change Technical Expert Group (TEG).

Prior to joining Standard Chartered, Tracy had been driving the green and sustainable finance development in Hong Kong and had over 16 years of financial markets experiences across various fixed income and complex structured products in JPMorgan, Mizuho International, Barclays Capital and BNP Paribas based in London and Hong Kong.

Tracy received her MSc and BA in International Finance and Capital Markets in the United Kingdom, graduated from the Oxford Said Business School in Social Finance.

Board member of AIDS Concern, previously served as Board member of the Hong Kong LGBT+ Interbank, founder of the JPM PRIDE HK network and received JPMorgan Employee Appreciation Award in 2015.

Deputy General Manager, Head of Strategic Development & Plan, Economics & Strategic Planning Department

Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited

Mr. Wong is currently working for Bank of China (Hong Kong) as the Deputy General Manager of Economics and Strategic Planning Department. He has 30 years’ experience in the financial and banking industry, covering market and economic research, securities analysis, strategic planning, M&A and ESG etc., and had accomplished numerous strategic projects.

He is responsible for formulating group’s strategic plan, establishing strategic development platform, and coordinating the implementation of key strategic projects.

Mr. Wong graduated from the University of Hong Kong and obtained a Master external degree in financial economics from the University of London. He is also the holder of Certified SAFe 4 Scrum Master.

He is the China Development Committee’s member of The Hong Kong Institute of Bankers. He is also the Vice President of the HKGFA and the C0-chair of Banking Working Group of Hong Kong Green Finance Association.

Director of Strategic Research in Shenzhen Green Finance Association. She served as director of strategic research in Shenzhen Emissions Exchange. She has 7 years of research and practical experience in the climate change, carbon trading, carbon finance, and green finance fields.

Managing Director, Head of Sustainable Finance, Asia Pacific, Societe Generale

Yasmine is Managing Director and Head of Sustainable Finance for Asia Pacific at Societe Generale, based in Hong Kong. Her team focuses on origination and structuring of sustainable financing solutions, as well as on supporting its clients to accelerate the development of innovative solutions and new business models that deliver positive impact.

Yasmine has more than 17 years of international banking experience in structured finance and advisory, notably in Natural Resources and Export Finance. More recently, she has been involved in numerous Green, Social and Sustainability-Linked financings across industries and asset-classes in Asia Pacific region.

Yasmine actively participates in a number of regional sustainability initiatives and working groups. She is Co-Chair of the Sustainable Finance Working Group of the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong as well as Co-Chair of the Green & Sustainable Loan Committee of Asia Pacific Loan Market Association (APLMA).

Yasmine holds a Masters Degree in Management from the Institut des Mines – Telecom Business School, Paris. She is certified by the European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies (EFFAS) with the CESGA certification (Certified Environmental Social Governance Analyst).

Tasos, is Head of Sustainable Finance for Greater China within the APAC Sustainable Finance Office whose objective is to enable business divisions in building ESG capabilities and support UBS clients ESG/SI agenda.  Tasos leads UBS’s global Carbon working group and is responsible for client engagements in transition and decarbonisation, he has represented UBS in the Taskforce for Voluntary Carbon Offset Markets and developing the Carbonplace infrastructure. Tasos holds certificates in CFA ESG Investing, Sustainability and Climate Risk from GARP and Circular Economy from Cambridge and is a Certified Al Gore Climate Reality Leader speaker.