Certificate of completion issued to

Barry Hall

For completing

ESG Essentials Pathway

Completion date

07 Feb 2025

Delivered by

Accredited for

3 CPD credits

Certificate ID

a4bd8bf9faf7ffdcbffdb4ad06444ce7

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About ESG Essentials Pathway

16 Learning modules

3 hours of learning

4.6 rating

Foundational level

Why is Understanding ESG Essential for the Future of Investments? Sustainable finance is an increasingly important theme, focusing on integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors into investment and business decisions for the long-term benefit of society. Understanding ESG is critical for businesses and individuals to navigate and contribute to a more sustainable financial landscape. In this pathway, experts will cover the essentials of ESG, exploring various aspects and emerging themes that are shaping the future of finance and promoting sustainable practices across industries.

In this pathway

Understand climate change science

Identify and manage climate risk

Explore natural capital and biodiversity

Pathway experts

Simon Thompson

Simon Thompson

Sustainable Finance Expert

Simon Thompson is an accomplished executive with over 17 years of leadership in banking and finance, specialising in ethical and sustainable finance. As Managing Director of the Global Capacity Building Coalition (GCBC), he drives global efforts to enhance financial systems through capacity building and education. Previously, as Chief Executive of the Chartered Banker Institute, Simon transformed it into a global leader in socially responsible banking, advocating for ethics, culture, and sustainable finance. He is the author of "Green and Sustainable Finance: Principles and Practice".

Amit Kara

Amit Kara

Macroeconomist

Amit Kara is an economist at the International Monetary Fund. He was previously Associate Research Director for Global Macroeconomic Analysis at NIESR. He is a macroeconomist with experience in central banking, investment banking, commercial banking and corporate credit rating, and has worked at the Bank of England, UBS and HSBC.

Vincent Kneefel

Vincent Kneefel

Ocean Conservationist

Vincent Kneefel is an underwater photographer, ocean conservationist and circular economy expert. He has worked for organizations such as WWF, United Nations and Accenture on strategic sustainability and ocean conservation initiatives. His photographs show some of the most iconic and endangered creatures of our ocean.

James Clifton

James Clifton

Sustainability Strategy Specialist

James Clifton is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Cultivo, a fintech company whose mission is to unlock investment in nature at scale. He is a technology entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience building data-driven technology ventures from ideas to IPO.

Oliver Bolton

Oliver Bolton

CEO of Earthly

Oliver Bolton is a ClimateTech entrepreneur with 12 years experience in the consumer product and health sectors. He founded his first drinks brand, Alibi in 2007. In 2015, his soft drinks company Waterbomb Ltd. became a founding UK B Corp and one of the first European soft drinks brands to become B Corp accredited. In 2014, Oliver co-founded the vitamin brand VITL.com. VITL became the largest subscription and nutrition platform and combined AI, DNA & bloods analysis. Oliver was a recipient of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin COOM award in 2017, which came with a £3 million prize support package. Oliver also mentors students who have grown up in some of the UK's most deprived communities through the Prince's Trust. In 2018, Oliver pivoted from the consumer product and health sectors into climate technology. He is the founder and CEO of Earthly, a marketplace that connects businesses with high-integrity nature-based solutions.

Karina Robinson

Karina Robinson

Governance Advisor

Karina Robinson is the CEO of Robinson Hambro. Alongside this position Karina has a few other roles includes being on the Court of Governors of the London School of Economics, where she is also a Visiting Senior Fellow and Co-Founder of The Inclusion Initiative. Karina is also Chair of the Lord Mayor’s Appeal Advisory Board, and finally, Karina is also Master of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers, a one year role where she is the chairperson of a livery company that has finance professionals as members. Karina is a champion of the City of London, with a deep belief in the power of Diversity & Inclusion.

Keith Mullin

Keith Mullin

Capital Markets Editor

Keith Mullin is the founder and director of KM Capital Markets, a media and thought-leadership consultancy. He spent the past 35 years working in specialist capital markets media and has had a ring-side seat at all of the major market events. Prior to setting up KM Capital Markets in 2017, Keith worked at Thomson Reuters.

Elisa Moscolin

Elisa Moscolin

Sustainability and Foundation Executive

Elisa Moscolin is a sustainability professional with a track record of driving this agenda in global blue-chip organisations. She advises Boards and Executive teams on sustainability strategy and execution. She has worked in the ICT and Financial Services sectors. Elisa is currently Executive Vice President for Sustainability and Foundation at Sage Group plc.; Sage is a global market leader for technology for small and medium businesses and Elisa is leading its sustainability agenda. Elisa has previously worked for Vodafone Group in global and local roles in Italy, the UK and Kenya. In Kenya she worked with Safaricom, a subsidiary of Vodafone which developed M-Pesa, the iconic mobile-based money transfer and banking platform that has greatly improved financial inclusion in the country. She is an alumni of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and holds a Master’s Degree in International Studies and Diplomacy. Elisa’s professional ambition is to contribute to shifting the business community toward more ethical and responsible business practices.

Stephanie Sfakianos

Stephanie Sfakianos

Sustainable Finance Veteran

Stephanie's long career in the financial services industry in London culminated around the past seven years in the field of sustainable finance. She has now left the banking industry, but has continued to apply her sustainable finance expertise through her work with ICMA and the International Standards Organisation.

Colin Palmer

Colin Palmer

Renewable Energy Specialist

Colin has been involved in renewable energy since the late 1970's. In 1988 he launched his own renewable energy company Windcluster Ltd, which financed and built one of the first wind farms in the UK. Colin has also been a director of the British Wind Energy Association and ReGen Southwest as well as a trustee of the Centre for Sustainable Energy in Bristol.

Nisrin Abouelezz

Nisrin Abouelezz

Structured Finance Expert

Nisrin Abouelezz is a banker covering emerging markets for an Asian bank in the City of London. She has experienced diversity both directly and indirectly in a number of its different forms throughout her career. When Diversity & Inclusion initiative was introduced at her bank, she jumped at the chance to play a part in progressing this important issue faced by both our current generation and those of the future.

Sir Ronald Cohen

Sir Ronald Cohen

Impact Investing Pioneer

Sir Ronald Cohen is the Chairman of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment, the Impact-Weighted Accounts Initiative at Harvard Business School and The Portland Trust. At the start of his career, he co-founded the private equity firm Apax Partners. In 2020, he wrote the bestselling book “Impact: Reshaping capitalism to drive real change”. Considered the Father of Social Investment, in 2012 he received the Rockefeller Foundation’s Innovation Award for innovation in social finance.

Stuart Sweeney

Stuart Sweeney

Risk Management and Social Finance Specialist

Stuart spent 23 years working on the fixed income side of finance, in London and New York. He covered bonds, derivatives and leveraged finance. Stuart also worked as a university teacher and researcher publishing books and articles on economic and political history. He moved into social investment two years ago.