GFI Brazil

Brazil plays a critical role in global decarbonisation as the largest economy in Latin America and the host for COP30.

Launched in 2024, the Brazil Climate and Ecological Transformation Investment Platform (BIP) is an initiative from the Brazilian government created with the ambition of expanding investments in ecological transformation towards the decarbonisation of the economy, the sustainable use of resources and the improvement of the quality of life of the population. With this aim, it is critical that the BIP unlocks finance to support the Ecological Transformation Plan and other government climate transition and adaptation plans in key sectors. The National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) in partnership with GFANZ / Bloomberg, acting as the Secretariat for the Platform, will be instrumental in running the day-to-day operations.

GFI's role

The Green Finance Institute is engaged in Brazil to align sustainability goals and investor appetite at the request of the ministries of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC), and Mines and Energy (MME). This work entails curating nascent projects in the sectors of interest for MDIC and MME and creating the enabling environment that will bring them to FID with local and international investors. This project preparation facility will also engage with the BIP to design the risk-sharing mechanisms and inform the policy landscape ensuring more projects reach investment stage, thus catalysing sector transformations in line with the ambitions of the Brazilian government.

Team

James Hooton is Managing Director of Missions, managing the Programme Directors across all GFI’s sectors. James previously spent 16 years at Goldman Sachs in London and Asia as a Vice President managing teams across geographies and a range of financial products from commodities, equity derivatives to vanilla cash equity. James is a founding and board member of the Sustainable Energy Finance Association, based in Brussels where he advises on financing real estate decarbonisation.

James Hooton

Managing Director, Missions

Sandie leads the Institute’s international programme in the Philippines, designing financing mechanisms to mobilise private capital into priority NDC sectors. She previously led the Land, Nature and Adapted Systems (LNAS) Advisory Group, advising the UK government on a Green Taxonomy to help capital into nature positive investments and to support the delivery of a resilient UK economy. With a background spanning NGOs, UK Civil Service and energy sector consultancy, Sandie brings deep expertise in environmental policy and energy transition. She began her career as an offshore geophysicist and holds an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London.

Sandie-Gene Muir

Senior Associate

Senior Advisor

Jeremy Gorelick

Senior Advisor

Maud is Brazil GFI Director based in Rio de Janeiro. Having been based in Brazil for the past 18 years, Maud recently joined the GFI from the UK Embassy in Brazil, where she served as the Climate Finance Senior Lead. In this role, she was responsible for forward planning and strategic program development of the Climate Finance portfolio within the country, as well as providing policy advice on Brazil's G20 Presidency priorities, Climate Finance Architecture Reform, and Sustainable Finance.

Maud Chalamet

Consultant, Brazil