Who we are

Rhian-Mari Thomas is Chief Executive of the Green Finance Institute, an independent organisation at the forefront of shaping how finance can be used to facilitate real economy transition.

Rhian spent 20 years in investment banking and corporate finance and was the first person to be awarded an OBE for services to green banking.

She is a former member of the Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and co-chaired the launch of the Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) – having served as a senior adviser to the TNFD since its inception in June 2021. Rhian is a Trustee of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) UK, and chairs the independent National Wealth Fund Taskforce. She also sits on an Independent Advisory Board for carbon ratings agency, BeZero Carbon, offering strategic advice on the future of carbon markets.

A fluent Welsh speaker, Rhian holds a PhD in Physics from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.

Ingrid Holmes is Deputy CEO of the Green Finance Institute. She joined GFI in 2021 from Federated Hermes, where she was a Director in the Responsible Investment Team and led the development of the firm’s first Nero Zero Policy. She previously held roles at dedicated low carbon asset manager Climate Change Capital, and also climate diplomacy thinktank E3G, where she established and built their Sustainable Finance Programme. She has 20 years of experience working on environmental policy and sustainable finance and is a serving external expert member of the Lloyd’s of London Sustainability Committee. Ingrid has a BSc in Biological Sciences (Hons Zoology) from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London.

An experienced and passionate green finance specialist, Emma Harvey-Smith is the Managing Director for Partnerships, responsible for unlocking growth opportunities and partnerships across the organisation. Emma previously led the GFI’s built environment programme. From convening the UK’s largest green home finance network, to catalysing new markets including Property Linked Finance and Green Mortgages, Emma’s leadership accelerated the mobilisation of capital towards net-zero and resilient homes. She is a non-executive director of Trustmark and the Future Homes Hub. She began her banking career at Barclays, working across corporate debt structuring, relationship management, and product management.

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.

Simon is responsible for our strategic communications, relationship with governments and key external stakeholders. Prior to joining the GFI, Simon was Innovation Director at the City of London Corporation where he served on the secretariat for the Green Finance Taskforce which led to the creation of the GFI. He also served on the board of the Kalifa Review into UK Fintech. Most recently he was a Director at Flint Global, advising investor clients on sustainability.

Andy leads the people, finance and governance function and has significant experience in scaling start-ups and working with organisations that span the public and private sector. Andy was Global HR Director and General Manager of the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) where he led the transition from Government to the private sector and expansion into USA, Australia and Singapore markets. He has a degree in Music, a post-graduate Diploma in Management and is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Helen leads the Institute’s nature team, whose work supports the transition of the economy to one that values and invests in nature. The team works across nature market development in the UK and internationally, and across nature-related financial risk, focusing on mobilising private sector finance into nature restoration and nature-positive outcomes. Prior to joining GFI in 2020, Helen was Global Sustainable Finance Editor with Euromoney Magazine.

Ryan is a Programme Director, with his work including leading the team advising the UK Government on implementing the UK Green Taxonomy, through the Green Technical Advisory Group (GTAG), and developing criteria for new sectors, via the Land, Nature and Adapted Systems (LNAS) advisory group. Ryan also works with the Institute’s sector-focused coalitions and initiatives, and previously led the Zero Carbon Heating Taskforce (ZCHT) and established the Local Climate Bond (LCB) Campaign. Before joining the Institute, Ryan worked in investment banking at Cantor Fitzgerald and Jefferies, specialising in infrastructure and renewable energy.

Mahesh Roy leads the Green Finance Institute’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Programme, working at the intersection of industry, finance, and government to unlock private capital and accelerate advanced SAF production across the UK and EU. He was previously a Director at IIGCC and CDP, focusing on investor initiatives, following nearly two decades in banking and finance—primarily with Macquarie. Mahesh holds an MBA in Energy from Cranfield University.

Eloise is the Director for Property Linked Finance in the UK, leading and delivering on the GFI’s workstream which aims to develop a Property Linked Finance solution for the commercial and residential markets and catalyse investment to scale the solution in the UK. Eloise joined the GFI in September 2024 having spent 9 years within the Commercial Real Estate Finance team at Wells Fargo Bank in EMEA where she managed a portfolio of client relationships and loans and was the sustainability lead in region.

Eduardo has over 25 years of experience in the financial and legal environment, having held leadership positions in several multinational financial institutions including Banesto, Santander Group, Ge Capital and Iberdorla, across corporate finance, securities markets, consumer finance and renewable energy sectors. In April 2023, he joined the Green Finance Institute as Director for Spain where he is building the GFI brand in Europe and bringing financial products to market to decarbonise Spain’s built environment.

Signe Fosgaard leads the Green Finance Institute’s work in Denmark with an initial focus on catalysing and scaling investment into renovating the built environment. Signe joined from the Danish Green Building Council, where she focused on attracting investment into sustainable building projects. Prior to this, Signe worked on sustainability in the social housing sector, and did investment advisory in Shanghai. Signe has working proficiency in Danish, English, German and Mandarin and holds an MA in International Economics from Johns Hopkins University.

Richard leads the Green Finance Institute's delivery of the Global Clean Power Alliance Finance Mission (GCPA FM) programme in partnership with the World Bank. The GCPA is focussed on supporting the scale-up of private sector financing of clean energy and adjacent sectors in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies. Prior to joining GFI, Richard worked as a Managing Director in Macquarie Asset Management, leading innovative green investments in Africa and India. He was a UK Senior Civil Servant prior to joining Macquarie.

Adam works in the Carbon Dioxide Removals programme with a focus on international CDR policy and investment but joined the Green Finance Institute in November 2021 as a Senior Analyst to work on the Green Taxonomy programme advising UK Government. Adam has also spent time in the GFI's New Energy Technologies programme, designing blended finance solutions for heat networks, industrial decarbonisation and long duration energy storage. Adam has a policy background and previously worked in various analytical roles within the UK Civil Service after graduating with a degree in Neuroscience.

"Amy Allan joined the Green Finance Institute in September 2022 to support the Green Taxonomy and Nature Programmes on workstreams related to sustainable agriculture.
Amy has a research background focused on international development, impact investing and sustainable food systems. Amy holds a BSc in Global Resource Systems from the University of British Columbia, an MA in International Studies from Simon Fraser University and an MSc in Development Management and Applied Development Economics from the London School of Economics."

Bailey joined the Green Finance Institute in September 2024 as the Grant Accounting Manager and manages the budgeting, reporting and compliance processes for all grants across the GFI and its subsidiaries. Prior to joining the GFI, Bailey worked for the San Francisco based nonprofit Tides Center for 3 years overseeing financial compliance on a USAID funded project. She previously spent 3 years at the United Nations Foundation, managing budgeting and reporting across multiple initiates and issue areas. Bailey holds an MSc in Nonprofit Management from Northeastern University.

Bunwin is an Associate in the Financial and Investment Analysis Team, with a focus on supporting the international programmes. He joins after recently completing his Masters in Finance at London Business School, with prior experience in Project Finance and Distressed Asset Management roles at a public sector financial services organisation in India.

Caelan is the Green Finance Institute's Communications Manager. She works closely with our External Affairs team to drive engagement in GFI's work. She joined GFI in 2024 from a sustainability consultancy where she managed and delivered communications strategies for institutional investors. Prior to that, she worked closely with climate finance and non-profit organisations at communications agencies in London and Canada.

Charlie heads up market engagement on the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) in the UK for the GFI. He works closely with senior leadership of UK companies to build a strong business case for getting started on nature and coordinates the TNFD’s UK Consultation Group. Charlie joined GFI from McKinsey & Company where he helped build and lead its global nature and biodiversity service line for 3 years, in particular supporting financial institutions to develop organisational strategies on nature, undertake nature-related risk assessments, and build nature-positive funds and products. Prior to this, Charlie spent 8 years at Vivid Economics, where he led its agriculture, forestry and land use (AFOLU) practice.

Chloe leads the Green Finance Institute’s (GFI) Green Mortgage Campaign as part of their Built Environment Programme, which aims to spur the UK mortgage market towards innovative and scalable solutions to the housing decarbonisation challenge. With a background in regulatory policy and financial planning, Chloe is a passionate advocate for sustainability – having previously led the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries’ cross-industry Green Mortgage Advice Initiative and the multi-award-winning ‘Working in Mortgages’ Diversity and Inclusion programme. She is also the author of a book about the UK housing crisis and has appeared on national and regional radio to discuss issues affecting renters and first-time buyers.

Claudia has over 6 years of experience in development finance, managing national, European, and multilateral resources for impact investments via public-private partnerships. In June 2024, she joined Green Finance Institute Spain as Senior Associate, where she is building the GFI brand and introducing financial products to help the Spanish built environment and cities transition towards decarbonization. Previously, she was a Senior Investment Analyst at COFIDES, the Spanish development finance institution. Claudia also held roles at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the World Bank, specializing in project management, climate finance, and financial inclusion.

Clive is the Director of Finance & Operations, leading the financial and accounting activities at the Green Finance Institute and its subsidiary companies. Prior to joining GFI, Clive was Finance Director for a group of media companies and has over 25 years' experience in finance and operations roles in both the public and private sectors.

Clodagh is a Senior Analyst in the GFI’s International Nature Team. Prior to joining, Clodagh worked at the Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI) in the Reporting and Assessment team, where she supported investment managers and asset owners on their responsible investment strategies. She holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Manchester.

Analyst

Elisabeth joined the Green Finance Institute Denmark in May 2025. Prior to joining, Elisabeth worked in an investment and transactions team at a Danish solar developer. Working extensively with financial models for investing in utility scale solar plants and co-located storage. Elisabeth’s work at GFI will be centralized around the "venture infra" finance gap exploring the obstacles and possibilities for setting up a Nordic Cleantech Fund

Eloise joined the GFI in July 2024 to work in the Transport team. She supports the Transport team’s work on charging infrastructure, the UK battery supply chain and HGVs. Before joining the GFI, Eloise completed an internship focusing on the development of biodiversity credits in Ireland. Eloise holds an BA Hons in History and Political Science from Trinity College Dublin, and a MSc in Environment, Culture and Society from the University of Edinburgh.

Franco leads the GFI Local Mission in Spain. He works alongside municipalities across sectors to develop and implement financial instruments alongside the private sector, industries, civil society and policy makers. Franco has over 13 years of experience in project-based environments and previously worked as an architect, urban planner, researcher, teacher, start-up founder, and freelancer. Before joining GFI, he led EU-funded and philanthropic initiatives at the intersection of just transition, innovative finance, and advocacy at ICLEI Europe, such as the EU Mission on Climate Neutral and Smart Cities.

Georgia joined the GFI from Patch- a platform scaling finance for climate projects- where she led on UK and EU policy. She has worked for fifteen years in the energy and environment sector across non-profits, industry and government. She was Head of Corporate Responsibility for Centrica; Special Advisor for energy and infrastructure to Prime Minister Theresa May; Director of Policy and Public Affairs at OVO Energy, and Co-Director of Future Countryside. She has a strong understanding of the political and commercial contexts of infrastructure, nature and climate policy, and has seen policy through from inception to legislation. Georgia chaired the ZeroC Commission and was a commissioner on the Nature Positive Innovation Commission. She is a Board Member of PRASEG, The All Party Parliamentary Group on Renewable and Sustainable Energy.

Hannah supports Helen Avery, Georgia Berry, and Ryan Jude, as well as the wider team as needed. She joined GFI in early 2025 after many years supporting C-suite executives across diverse industries, from creative independents to corporate organisations.

Hannah works on market engagement for the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) where she supports UK company senior leadership to build the business case for nature and convenes sector groups to discuss disclosure approach. She also works with the nature team to develop nature market supply and demand, within policies such as Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and other UK-based biodiversity markets. Prior to joining GFI, Hannah worked in built environment decarbonisation and Net Zero investment strategy at Buro Happold and Evora Global. She holds an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London.

Jamie joined the Green Finance Institute in January 2024 as part of the Built Environment Team, working to scale up the green mortgage market and support the development of unsecured loans for green retrofits in the UK. Prior to joining the GFI, Jamie worked at EDF R&D as an engineer, researching the structural analysis of nuclear reactors. Jamie holds a MEng degree from Loughborough University.

Jas joined the Green Finance Institute as a Finance Officer in June 2025 and is responsible for purchase ledger activities for GFI Ltd and its subsidiaries.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance and is ACCA part qualified. Jas has experience in public sector as a Finance Officer and as an Accounts Assistant in the private sector.

Senior Advisor

Jimena is an economist and urban planner with over 10 years of international experience at the intersection of international development, urban planning, and climate policy. She joined GFI Spain in August 2025 as an Associate, where she supports the design and development of innovative financial products aimed at helping decision-makers implement sustainable solutions that contribute to the decarbonization of the built environment. Prior to joining GFI, Jimena held research and consulting roles at the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, the MIT Center for Real Estate, and the Buenos Aires City Government. She holds a Master’s in City Planning from MIT, as well as a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Torcuato Di Tella University in Argentina.

Joe joined the Green Finance Institute in January 2024 to work on the Green Taxonomy programme advising the UK Government. Joe now works in the New Energy Technologies programme on industrial decarbonisation, heat networks and long-duration energy storage, while also being involved in the GFI’s grids and networks work. Joe holds a BA in Geography from Durham University and an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London.

Jonatan is an Analyst in the GFI Denmark team. Prior to joining, Jonatan completed a master’s in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. In his previous role at Green Building Council, Jonatan worked toward a more sustainable building industry. Specifically, by contributing to the outline of an economic analysis of the direct and indirect economic, social and environmental impacts of increased sustainability measures in buildings through sustainability certification and by securing the necessary funding for the project.

Jonathan Heybrock is an Associate in the Transport mission. He currently covers the team’s work on developing flexible finance solutions to support the rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and the build up of the UK battery supply chain. Jonathan previously worked on GFI’s Green Taxonomy programme, advising the UK Government, and has also spent time designing blended finance mechanisms and fund structures, including the Mayor’s Green Finance Fund. He has experience in financial research across different asset classes, financial products and sectors, having interned at Allianz Global Investors, Peel Hunt and Standard Life Aberdeen. He holds an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Leiden University, and a BSc in Politics and Economics from the University of Bath.

Jonny joined the Green Finance Institute's Built Environment Team to develop solutions to the UK's heating crisis. As an entrepreneur for ten years, Jonny's experience includes co-founding the UK's first green merchant bank, deploying £20m into early stage climate startups, helping Octopus EV develop senior connections in corporates and governments, and supporting early stage startups on finance and governance. He holds a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Leeds.

As Technical Director of the Financial and Investment Analysis team, Josh brings his corporate and strategic finance experience to the GFI. He works across various workstreams, with a primary focus on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and carbon dioxide removals (CDR), working to address key investment risks through broad sectoral engagement, complemented by thorough quantitative and qualitative analysis, with the goal of enabling the flow of capital to these nascent net zero technologies.

Kim joined the Green Finance Institute in February 2023. Kim is part of the Finance and Operations team and is responsible for the purchase ledger function for Green Finance Institute and its subsidiary companies. Prior to joining the GFI, Kim worked for 12 years within the finance team at the Food & Drink Federation. Kim holds a BA degree in business studies and is CIMA part qualified.

Kitty joined the Green Finance institute in April 2024 to lead the School Retrofit Financing workstream, as part of the wider UK Decarbonisation programme. She works closely with Miles and also supports on the Local Authority engagements. Prior to joining the GFI, she was at NatWest where she specialised in structured debt financing and advisory for energy transition assets such as Battery Energy Storage Systems and EV Fleet & Charging Infrastructure.

Lora joined GFI in March 2021, as a virtual assistant before stepping into a full time role as Senior Executive Assistant to Rhian-Mari Thomas in November 2024. Drawing on over 15 years of executive support experience across multiple industries, Lora provides strategic support to Rhian, ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of her diary, managing complex schedules and facilitating seamless communication, proactively anticipating needs.

Lucy joined the Green Finance Institute in March 2025 as an Executive Assistant where she plays a key role in ensuring seamless operations and strategic support to the senior team. With a strong background in problem-solving and organisation, Lucy brings over ten years of experience as an EA, most recently having successfully founded and managed her own business for seven years. A certified personal development coach, Lucy is passionate about empowering individuals and fostering growth, both professionally and personally.

Maria focuses on accelerating development of green consumer finance for decarbonisation of the UK’s homes. Leading the GFI’s Green Loans workstream, she drives efforts to establish a robust, transparent, and scaled unsecured green home finance market. Maria also supports the GFI’s Residential Property Linked Finance workstream, developing an innovative product for the UK market. She joined the GFI from J.P. Morgan Chase, gaining experience from teams across the Corporate Investment Bank and Asset Management businesses.

Marie-Adélaïde leads GFI work in Brussels where she focuses on EU public/private finance solutions to unlock private capital and accelerate green investments. Prior to joining the GFI, she worked at LSEG, the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA) and Paris Europlace, where she focused on financial regulation, sustainable finance and broader EU policy matters. She holds a Master Degree from Sciences Po Paris and has worked and lived in Italy, Brasil, Russia and the UK before settling in Belgium.

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.

Max is the Operations Coordinator at the GFI supporting across operations, HR and finance admin. Max has a background spanning government, education, property, and live events. Most recently, he worked for the New Zealand Government as an Analyst and Delivery Manager, leading projects to improve operational systems, team processes, and knowledge sharing. He’s also worked in event and stakeholder management in the music industry, as well as in operational leadership roles in education and compliance. Max enjoys roles that offer variety and the chance to get involved across different areas, from supporting events to streamlining day-to-day operations.

Miles leads the GFI’s Local Climate Bond campaign, which supports local authorities in exploring innovative financing mechanisms to fund their climate action plans. Prior to joining the Institute, Miles worked at ABN Amro Bank, in the Netherlands, where he specialised in the design and delivery of blended finance programmes that promoted social and environmental impact in developing countries. Miles holds a MSc in Finance from the University of Amsterdam and a BEng in Civil Engineering from the University of Bristol.

Nicole joined the Green Finance Institute as HR Manager in August 2023 to support the business across all aspects of the HR function including recruitment, reward, policy, learning and development and performance management. Prior to joining the GFI, Nicole worked for 5 years within the People and Wellbeing team at MJ Hudson (now part of Apex Group). Nicole holds a BSc in Psychology from the University of Bristol and CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management.

Phoebe focuses on the UK’s implementation of nature markets, including voluntary carbon and Biodiversity Net Gain. She leads market engagement to identify the solutions and enabling market conditions that allow projects to access private finance. This culminated in the launch of the Investment Readiness Toolkit and the Farmers’ Toolkit for Assessing Nature Market Opportunities. Alongside this work, she is an advisor and assessor to the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF) in England and the Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland (FIRNS).

Dr. Poppy Ismalina is a senior economist with over 25 years of experience in sustainable finance, climate policy, and green economic development, with a strong focus on Indonesia. She currently serves as Senior Advisor for Sustainable Finance in Indonesia Works at the Green Finance Institute. Her previous roles at the IFC–World Bank and the Financial Services Authority of Indonesia (OJK) were pivotal in shaping POJK 51/2017 and the development of the national Green Taxonomy. As Regional Lead for Economic Growth and Partnership under the Asia Resilient Cities Project, she led efforts to promote sustainable development and carbon market initiatives across Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, and Mongolia. Her experience also includes advising the Green Climate Fund’s National Designated Authority through GGGI, contributing to green building finance with GBPN, and supporting fiscal reform through GIZ programs. She holds a Master’s in Economics of Development from the Australian National University and a PhD in Industrial Economics from the Research Institute SOM, University of Groningen.

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.

Sriram is Director, Structuring at the Green Finance Institute. He has over 20 years of experience in structured products across asset classes, and brings a practitioner's perspective to designing and implementing blended finance structures for decarbonisation, energy transition and carbon markets. Sriram has worked at Deutsche Bank, Deutsche Asset Management (DWS) and Mizuho Securities in London, and contributed to the UK Government's Transition Finance Market Review launched in 2024. Sriram holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Madras) and a management degree from the Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad).

Senior Advisor

Thea joined the Green Finance Institute in October 2024 to help develop a roadmap to implement Property Linked Finance (PLF) in Scotland's residential and commercial markets. Prior to joining GFI, Thea worked in sustainability consulting at Jones Lang LaSalle, supporting clients within the built environment meet their sustainability goals and ambitions. She holds a BA in Geography and an MSc in Environmental Modelling, Monitoring and Reconstruction from the University of Manchester.

Tom leads the GFI Transport Team’s work on designing and scaling financing solutions for zero emission heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), and the associated charging or refuelling infrastructure. Since joining the GFI, Tom has led on a variety of projects across the Transport team including development of the ‘Delivering Net Zero’ report which identified ways to accelerate private investment into zero emission HGVs and infrastructure, as well as a guide for investors in the EV Battery Supply Chain. He joined the Institute from the Growth Lending Group.

Tom leads the international nature work for GFI with the aim of identifying and replicating successful models that will help the signatories of the Global Biodiversity Framework in mobilising private sector and innovative finance to meet nature goals. Tom previously worked for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, where he led the water programme and established the nature programme. Previous to that Tom worked for the International Water Association, in a variety of positions including interim Executive Director. Tom has lived and worked in the UK, the Netherlands and India, has an MSc in Microbiology from the University of Hertfordshire and MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management.

Valerie leads market engagement on the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) in the UK for the GFI. She works closely with senior leadership of UK companies to build a strong business case for taking action on nature, from disclosure to nature transition planning and execution, and coordinates the TNFD’s UK Consultation Group. Valerie joins from the CANA Collective, where she was a consultant with a focus on natural capital accounting. Previously, she was a Director at Pollination, where she supported clients with nature risk assessments and strategy development, due diligence as part of carbon market transactions, and coalition-based policy advocacy for scaling environmental markets. Prior to this, she was an Associate Program Officer at the Robertson Foundation, making strategic grants to address climate change, protect ocean health, and deliver landscape-scale restoration projects.