Driving commercial and political engagement between Asia, the Middle East and Europe
Driving commercial and political engagement between Asia, the Middle East and Europe
Driving commercial and political engagement between Asia, the Middle East and Europe
Asia House is convening global thought leaders to explore the role of carbon markets in Asia’s net zero transition.
Standard Chartered Bank Group CEO Bill Winters will be joined by business and policy leaders for this hybrid conference on Thursday 2 February, convened as part of the Asia House COP28 Programme.
Unlocking Asia’s carbon market potential
Following the establishment of carbon trading systems in South Korea, China and Singapore, other Asian countries including Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam have set up their own regulatory roadmaps towards establishing carbon markets.
However, despite the surging interest, there are multiple challenges to be overcome before carbon markets can have a material impact in the region. On a domestic level, policymakers must formulate clearly defined carbon taxing and trading infrastructure, robust standards and mechanisms for accurate reporting and monitoring, and methods to hold non-compliant entities accountable.
On an international level, the lack of unified standards across carbon markets may create additional hurdles for global trade, which has emerged as an area of concern since the recent establishment of the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
Conference agenda:
The hybrid conference, chaired by Asia House Chief Executive Michael Lawrence, will present the latest insights on how to unlock the potential of carbon markets, which could create benefits equalling US$10 billion in Southeast Asia alone by 2030.
REGISTER NOW TO JOIN US ONLINE
To express interest in attending in-person at Asia House in London, please contact Magdalena Markiewicz, Programme Producer: magdalena.markiewicz@asiahouse.co.uk
Bill Winters, Group CEO, Standard Chartered Bank
Bill Winters is the Group Chief Executive of Standard Chartered PLC (since Jun ‘15). Standard Chartered is a UK headquartered, emerging markets focussed bank, with a presence in 59 markets across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Prior to joining Standard Chartered, Bill spent 26 years with JP Morgan and was Co-CEO of the Investment Bank (2004-2009). He has served as a committee member of the Independent Commission on Banking, established by the UK Govt (2010) and as an advisor to the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards. Bill also founded Renshaw Bay, a credit fund which he ran from 2011-2015.
Bill is deeply engaged in driving the climate finance agenda. Under his leadership, Standard Chartered chairs the Net Zero Banking Alliance. Bill chaired the Taskforce for Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets, a global private-sector initiative that developed a roadmap to scale high-integrity carbon markets. Bill also co-Chairs the B20 Taskforce for Finance & Infrastructure, which has a special focus on unlocking finance for green infrastructure. Bill is a Non-Executive Director of Novartis International AG. He was awarded a CBE in 2013 and holds an MBA from Wharton.
Kurt Vandenberghe, Director General of DG CLIMA, European Commission
Kurt was appointed Director General of DG CLIMA on 16 January 2023. Until then, he was the Green Deal and Health advisor to President Ursula von der Leyen since 1 December 2019.
Kurt had joined the cabinet of the President coming from DG Research and Innovation where he was Director for Policy & Programming since 1 February 2016 and Acting Director for Research & Innovation Outreach since 1 June 2019. Previously, he was the Director for ‘Climate action and resource efficiency’ at DG Research and Innovation since July 2013, and had served in the Cabinet of Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin (1999-2004) and as Head of the Cabinet of Janez Potočnik, who was Commissioner for Research and Innovation (2004-2009) and subsequently for Environment (from 2010).
Kurt joined the European Commission in 1996 as co-ordinator of the Commission’s Intermodal Transport Task Force and of the Transport Research Programme. Before entering the Commission, he worked for four years as a manager at Ernst & Young Association Management, where he set up, managed and represented international trade associations.
After reading French and Italian literature at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL) and obtaining a degree in Public and International Affairs at the University Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve (UCL), Kurt gained a Master of Arts degree in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (S.A.I.S.) in Bologna, Italy and Washington D.C., United States.
Jiravat Ratisoontorn, Deputy Secretary-General of the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand
Jiravat Ratisoontorn is currently the Deputy Secretary-General of the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand. Jiravat is responsible for the operation of four divisions including Climate Change Management and Coordination Division, Urban Environment and Area Planning Division, Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation Division, and Biodiversity Management Division.
Prior to his appointment at ONEP, Jiravat was the Director of Coordinating Bureau of the Masses, Department of Water Resources (DWR). Jiravat earned Master of Science in Biological and Irrigation Engineering, Utah State University, USA.
Masyita Crystallin, Special Advisor to Minister of Finance, Republic of Indonesia
Masyita Crystallin is currently serving as a Special Advisor to the Minister of Finance, Republic of Indonesia, on Macroeconomic and Fiscal Policy, with diverse experience prior to joining the Finance Ministry. She is the Sherpa for the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action, where the Indonesia’s Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati serves as co-chair together with Finance Minister of Finland, and the Indonesia Investment Authority’s spokesperson. Masyita also serves as a Commissioner at Indonesia Financial Group (IFG). At University of Indonesia, she serves as a Senior Researcher at the Demographic Institute.
Prior to joining the ministry, Masyita served as the Chief Economist for DBS Indonesia, leading macroeconomics, fiscal, and market analysis. She also acted and served as a Macroeconomist at the Macro-Fiscal Management team at the World Bank and was part of the core economist team supporting Indonesia’s Fiscal Policy Agency. She carried out duties on various positions within the government, as macroeconomic policy special advisor to the Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs focusing on accelerating the nation’s infrastructure and tourism development, and also as part of the National Team for the Enhancement of Exports and Investment which was led by the Coordinating Ministers for Economic Affairs previously.
Masyita holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Claremont Graduate University, USA, where she specialised in International Monetary and Finance. She completed her Master’s Degree at the Australian National University in International Development Economics and received her bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia, where she started her career as a lecturer.
Alicia Eastman, Co-Founder & President, InterContinental Energy
Alicia has led investment and strategy in global developing markets for nearly 25 years, managing private equity funds and market entry and finance strategy for multinational companies across Asia including the Middle East.
Alicia has focused on infrastructure, renewable energy, specialty chemicals, telecommunications, and technology. Before co-founding InterContinental Energy in 2014, she was a founding partner of Asia Pacific Capital Fund II and the Mongolia Opportunities Fund. Previously, Alicia led international Strategy and Acquisitions at Elan Biopharmaceuticals and was Vice President of Prudential Asia Infrastructure Mezzanine Capital Fund. She was also a Founding Principal at NetFuel Ventures (acquired by the University of Chicago) and has held international strategy and investment positions at Gemini, Lend Lease, and AirTouch International (Vodafone).
Alicia holds a B.Sc. in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Alicia sits on the Board of Advisors for SEC Hydrogen, the Executive Committee of the Ammonia Energy Association, and multiple philanthropic groups.
Professor Yao Wang, Director General of the International Institute of Green Finance, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing
Professor Yao Wang is the Director General of the International Institute of Green Finance (IIGF), the Deputy Secretary General of Green Finance Committee (GFC) of China Society for Finance and Banking, as well as the Expert Advisor of the Green Securities Committee (GSC) of the Securities Association of China.
Professor Wang is the the Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and Advisor to the Sustainable Finance Programme at the University of Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment and the Consultant of the Luxembourg Green Exchange. She was appointed the Chief Technical Advisor for BIOFIN China and previously served as the Chief Advisor of Research and Promotion on SDGs Impact Financing for UNDP China. In addition, she is also an expert at the Asian Development Bank.
Professor Wang was awarded the “Outstanding Contribution to Development of Green Finance in China” by Asiamoney China Green Finance Awards in 2019; the Special Award of Distinguished Expert from All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese in 2020; and the “CUFE Figure of the Year ” Award issued by Central University of Finance and Economics in 2021. Moreover, she has also been awarded the “Responsibility Pioneer” Award by Southern Weekly, and the “60 ESG Pioneers Award” – an annual ESG award for most prominent experts in the field selected by Shanghai United Media Group.
Professor Wang’s research interests focus on Green Economy, Sustainable Finance, Climate Finance and Green Finance.
Michael Wilkins, Executive Director and Professor of Practice at the Centre for Climate Finance and Investment, Imperial Business School
Michael is Executive Director and Professor of Practice at the Centre For Climate Finance And Investment at the Business School. Until recently he was a Senior Research Fellow for Sustainable Finance at S&P Global Ratings and a Visiting Lecturer in sustainable finance at Cambridge University Judge Business School.
Michael is a senior sustainable finance professional with 28 years experience in sustainable finance, corporate and infrastructure credit analysis, project finance, structured finance and carbon markets. Certified Credit Analyst (S&P/NYU), Executive MBA (Cass Business School) and Post-Graduate Certificate in Carbon Finance & Analytics (London Business School). He holds a BA (Joint Hons) in Modern Languages from Bristol University.
From 2016-21 he was a member of the Taskforce for Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and on the GARP Sustainability & Climate Risk Certification Advisory Committee. He remains a member of the UK Centre for the Greening of Finance & Investment (CGFI) and Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment (CCRI). Michael has both executive management and non-executive board experience as well as a long record of public speaking, publishing and guest lecturing on sustainable finance, climate change, project finance and credit risk analysis. He is a recognised practitioner in business development and external communications. His specialities include corporate and project finance credit analysis, sustainable finance, carbon markets, structured finance, environmental and climate risk research, team management, budgeting, strategic planning, acquisition integration and product development.
Zhouchen Mao, Head of Research and Advisory, Asia House
Zhouchen Mao is the Head of Research and Advisory at Asia House, managing and contributing to the organisation’s research as well as engaging with stakeholders from a range of sectors. Holding a PhD in International Relations, prior to joining Asia House, Zhouchen was the Senior Analyst at AKE International, leading the firm’s Asia Pacific desk. He was also a Teaching Fellow at SOAS, University of London, where he taught both undergraduate and postgraduate courses on international relations in East Asia and China’s foreign policy. Zhouchen’s research focuses on international norms, China’s domestic and foreign policy, and geopolitical and macroeconomic risks.
