Climate Change and Sustainability: Leveraging Carbon Market Initiatives for Business

Koh Lian Pin

Prof. Koh brings 16 years of international research experience in the field of sustainability and environmental science, having worked in institutions across Switzerland, Australia and the United States.

He was formerly a Swiss National Science Foundation Professor at ETH Zurich, the Chair of Applied Ecology and Conservation at the University of Adelaide, and Vice President of Science Partnerships and Innovation at Conservation International Foundation.

In 2020, Prof. Koh returned to Singapore under the National Research Foundation’s Returning Singaporean Scientists scheme to join the Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore.

He is also Director of the University’s Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions, which seeks to produce cutting-edge science to inform climate policies, strategies and actions in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region.

Prof. Koh is one of the most highly cited conservation scientists in Asia, a TED-Global speaker, Founding Director of ConservationDrones.org and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.

His research areas include Conservation science, technology and policy; nature-based climate solutions; applied ecology; sustainability science. Prof. Koh focuses on developing policy-relevant science and science-based decision support tools to help reconcile humanity’s needs with environmental protection. I am particularly interested in environmental issues in the developing tropics, a region where population growth is most rapid, yet the people are poorest, and where biodiversity is the richest, yet most threatened globally.

Mikkel Larsen

Mikkel Larsen is the Chief Executive Officer of Climate Impact X. Prior to this, he was the Chief Sustainability Officer of DBS Group, during which time, he was appointed as the DBS lead in the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), an international effort to help corporates report and act on nature-related risks, and redirect finance towards nature-positive initiatives. He was also involved in Singapore’s Emerging Stronger Taskforce to work out how to create a more carbon-conscious society. Mikkel has held leadership positions in UBS, Citigroup and KPMG over his career. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Corporate Sustainability at the Copenhagen Business School.

Mikkel holds a Master’s Degree in Sustainability Studies from the University of Cambridge. He also has an MBA from the London Business School in Economics.

Jolene Lin

Jolene Lin is an Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore’s Faculty of Law (NUS). She is also Director of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law. Jolene’s research focuses on four broad issues:

• Climate Litigation as a Strategic Tool to Advance Climate Policy Goals
• Global Climate Change Law and Policy
• Environmental Law in Asia
• Transnational Environmental Legal Ordering

Jolene has published extensively on these topics in peer-reviewed journals including Journal of Environmental Law, the European Journal of International Law, and the American Journal of International Law. She regularly conducts seminars and provides consultancy services to government agencies, judicial bodies, companies and non-governmental organizations. At NUS, Jolene teaches tort law and climate change law. She received the faculty’s teaching award in 2020 in recognition of her passionate commitment to teaching.

Stephan Bognar

Stephan Bognar is currently serving as the Director of Sustainability Asia for Wildlife Works Carbon (WWC), a global leader in market-driven forest conservation and protection projects.  His mission in Asia is to design and implement a multi-sectorial and integrated approach to human development centered on healthy eco-systems in extremely poor and isolated villages. WWC initiatives and programs are all encompassing from food and nutritional security, environmental protection and law enforcement, health care, education, and conflict resolution.  All activities promote sustainability, community engagement, and ownership and teach core values such as transparency, good governance, accountability, environmental responsibility, and leadership.

Stephan’s work in conservation also includes the creation of the first Sister Park Agreement between the USA and Cambodia and the Transboundary Peace Park initiative between Cambodia, Thailand, and the USA -showing how sharing physical green spaces and management responsibilities can build and sustain positive relations between countries.  Stephan also designed and delivered with the US State Department the first women’s leaders in park law enforcement in Southeast Asia.  The core objective of the program was to promote empowering relationships between men and women in conservation law enforcement and to place women in key decision-making positions in a male-dominated work force. 

Recognized for his work in public health, education, and environmental security programs, Stephan received the City of San Francisco Environmental Citizen’s Award in 2005, Quebec’s Global Citizens nomination from L’Actualité in 2007, and the International Ranger Federation Commendation Award in 2014 for his work in human development and conservation in Asia.  In 2019, he received a Recognition Award by US House of Representatives for his work in humanitarian affair and an Appreciation Award by Office of Manhattan Borough President City of New York for working with vulnerable kids

Stephan has a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Vienna (Austria) and a bachelor’s degree in political science from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. In 2001, Bognar continued his post-graduate studies in sustainable development at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.  From 2009 to 2014, Stephan was selected to be one of Columbia University’s global mentor and coach for students attending the School for International Public Affairs.

Special Environmental and Humanitarian Awards

• 2005 City of San Francisco-Environmental Citizen Award
• 2007 Recognized by L’Actualité (Quebec) as one of Quebec’s global citizens
• 2014 International Ranger Federation Commendation Award for work in human development and conservation
• 2015 Recognition Award by Cambodian Government for work in rural development
• 2015 Cambodian RED CROSS Blood Donor Bank Certificate for launching first NGO blood donor program in the northwest of the country
• 2019 Recognition Award by US House of Representatives for work in humanitarian affairs
• 2019 Appreciation Award by Office of Manhattan Borough President City of New York for working with vulnerable kids

Chua Aik Xin

Chua Aik Xin is Platform Lead at Climate Impact X, responsible for user experience and platform build of the marketplace, auction and exchange trading platforms. Prior to CIX, she was a core member of a digital exchange startup, in which she built and manage the operations team for the trading of tokenised securities. Before that, she spent 8 years with UBS in various roles providing securities custody solutions for wealth management clients.

Yuvaraj Dinesh Babu Nithyanandam

Yuvaraj DINESH Babu Nithyanandam is currently the Executive Director of Climate Data Action Trust (CAD Trust), based in Singapore. CAD Trust is a global platform that links, aggregates, and harmonizes carbon credit data from project registries. The platform aims to improve transparency and build confidence in carbon markets.

Dinesh worked with Ernst&Young (EY), as its Executive Director and led The World Bank funded, State Bank of India operated 5 year $12.93 million Grid Connected Solar Rooftop PV Technical Assistance (TA) Program (SUPRABHA) for 17 States in India since August 2017 and Carbon Advisory related assignments.

He has over 29 years of extensive national and overseas experience in carbon markets, GHG mitigation technologies assessment, advisory, financing, clean energy strategic planning, risk ratings and deployment, country clean energy program management, policy review and framework development, innovative financing, knowledge management, advising, and capacity building in the fields of Renewable Energy (RE), Energy Efficiency, and Climate Change.

Prior to this, he worked with Nexant Inc., serving as its Chief of Party for the USAID-funded, 6-year, $22 million Partnership to Advance Clean Energy – Deployment (PACE-D) (TA) in India.

Earlier, Dinesh served as the Director of Bangkok-based Asian Greenhouse Gas Management Center, an initiative implemented by GHG Management Institute and Asian Institute of Technology funded by USAID/Bangkok’ Low Emissions Asian Development (LEAD) TA Program. 

Dinesh posses extensive experience in Carbon Markets as a Group Director and CEO for a Singapore firm (Asia Carbon Group) and a UK firm (The Carbon Ratings Agency) between 2005-2013, respectively who were engaged in leading initiatives of carbon markets. Whilst at Asia Carbon Group he pioneered commissioning the world’s first Carbon Exchange, and managed its Carbon Asset Management Facility, Carbon Registry and Carbon Advisory businesses. As the CEO of IDEAcarbon’s The Carbon Rating Agency, he led its strategy of positioning world’s first carbon ratings as a key tool for strengthening and expanding global compliance & voluntary carbon markets by enhancing transparency of risk assessment.

He also worked with India’s only exclusive clean energy financing public sector NBFC, IREDA and the international think tank, TERI besides managing his entrepreneurial venture, NSYEECS which engaged in biomass conversion equipment manufacturing and clean energy consultancy.

Jeffrey Delmon

Jeff Delmon is leading a new World Bank initiative called the Emissions Reduction Program (ERP), that helps developing countries prepare to engage strategically with global emission reduction credit (ERC) markets, to understand better how to improve their processes, project development and legal frameworks to attract purchasers of emissions reduction credits, to get best value for money. Jeff has advised governments, sponsors and lenders on infrastructure finance and PPP across Western and Eastern Europe, East Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, Africa and Central America since 1994 and has been a senior PPP specialist with the World Bank since 2005.  He is currently based in Singapore. Prior to joining the World Bank, he spent 11 years in Paris and London advising on infrastructure and PPP projects globally at the law firms of Allen & Overy and Freshfields.  He is author of numerous books, articles and blogs, including most recently Private Sector Investment in Infrastructure: Project finance, PPP projects and PPP programs (4ed Kluwer International 2021). Jeff has a PhD in Law and Engineering from King’s College, University of London; a Diplome d’Etudes Approfondies from the University of Paris Sorbonne-Pantheon; and a Juris Doctorat in Law and a Master’s in Global Conflict from the University of Denver. He is a qualified mediator and is a member of the International Advisory Panel of the Climate Impact Exchange (an exchange for trading high quality emissions reduction credits).

Ricky Dengkayaphichith

Ricky is South Pole’s Offering & Procurement Manager in Asia-Pacific, leading the carbon credit offering for clients in the voluntary carbon market. Ricky has been involved in multiple successful carbon credit deals with major players across a wide range of industries, including energy, heavy industries, transport, finance, mining and consumer goods in the APAC region. Prior to joining South Pole, Ricky was at a prominent boutique oil and gas consultancy firm providing advisory services on long-term LNG procurement and carbon-offset LNG study. Ricky has a BBA degree from the National University of Singapore.

Pamela Mar

Pamela Mar is the Managing Director of the Digital Standards Initiative (DSI) of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), based in Singapore. The DSI is a public private partnership backed by the ICC, Asian Development Bank, World Trade Organization and the Singapore government, that aims to digitalize global trade by harmonizing and digitalizing supply chain standards and documentation, and by building digital readiness across the global trade ecosystem.  

Prior to joining the DSI, Pamela was Executive Vice President for Supply Chain Futures, and then EVP for Knowledge and Applications for the Fung Group, a Hong Kong based multinational supply chain manager where she was also the first Group head of Sustainability. She was named one of Asia’s ten A-list sustainability leaders in 2019, and is a recognized industry leader in this area.  Prior to moving to Hong Kong, Pamela was based in Shenzhen, China, as a Director of Global Finance for TCL Multimedia Technology, the first major Chinese  company to go global by buying a foreign brand.

Prior to TCL, Pamela ran Greater China for the World Economic Forum, based in Geneva for five years.  Pamela was born in New York and went to university in the USA, but has spent the majority of her life abroad.  She speaks English, French and Chinese, and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a M.Sc from the London School of Economics. 

Anshari Rahman

Anshari Rahman is Vice President at GenZero, Strategy & Development Group, covering impact investments across the carbon markets value chain. Anshari was a climate change negotiator with over 10 years experience in multilateral negotiations and policymaking, having represented the Singapore Government at various multilateral fora such as the UNFCCC, IPCC and ASEAN. He was the lead carbon markets negotiator for Singapore, and played a key role in the landmark deal at COP-26 on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

Shruti Singh

Shruti leads the Climate Strategies team for APAC at South Pole. She has 14 years of experience across sustainability consulting and corporate sustainability with deep expertise in leading design and delivery of sustainability strategy and low carbon solutions for organisations. She has led projects across a broad spectrum of sustainability topics including science based and net zero target setting, carbon budgeting and mitigation roadmaps, renewable energy strategy, green supply chain, circular economy and more. Her experience spans across multiple industries such as transportation & logistics, consumer goods, retail, energy, technology, chemicals and others.