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Jo Richardson, head of research at the Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute, explains why the global debt market holds more power over climate transition than the stock market. Of the world’s 100 largest emitters are responsible for 75% of all emissions, but only 30 are listed on the stock market, yet all have debt outstanding. This reality gives fixed income investors unique influence over governments and private companies through the cost of capital.

This episode investigates the surge in Catastrophe Bonds and Insurance Linked Securities. These niche instruments areveal what the market actually thinks about physical climate risk. Jo discusses why historical, backward-looking insurance models are failing to account for our current reality and why we are on the brink of an unprecedented financial regime shift.

Using real-world examples from California wildfires to World Bank programs in Jamaica and the Philippines, the discussion highlights how pricing tail risk can incentivise adaptation and resilience. 

Discover why the bond market is the front line for pricing the future of the climate economy.

ABOUT JO: Josephine Richardson is the Head of Research at the Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute (AFII). Based in London, Jo leads the development of AFII’s research, which supports fixed income investors in aligning their portfolios to climate and sustainability goals. Jo joined AFII from JPMorgan where she worked for 18 years in fixed income markets. She has extensive experience trading structured, flow and index credit products, and in the modelling and valuation of derivatives. Jo has an MA Hons Mathematics & Management Studies from Trinity College Cambridge and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Management Accountants. She serves as trustee and advisor to a number of charities and social enterprises in the UK.

RECOMMENDATIONS: 

The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power: Jo recommends this 850-page, Pulitzer Prize-winning history of the oil and gas industry. It tracks the sector from its discovery in Pennsylvania in 1859 and provides essential context for understanding the role fossil fuels have played in global history.

Wild London: A documentary by Sir David Attenborough that showcases the ecosystems existing within the London area.

Tree Amble: A podcast focused on the ancient trees of Epping Forest, which Jo suggests as a way for individuals to connect with and appreciate local nature.

What the Catastrophe Bond Market Could Be Telling Us About Climate Risk: Joseph Jacobelli recommends Jo’s own report, which provides a deep dive into how "cat bonds" act as a tool for pricing the future of the climate economy.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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How is AI turning climate reporting from a tick‑box task into something useful? Greg Elders from Canbury Insights explains why financial materiality sits back at the heart of climate strategy. He shows how this shift affects investors, regulators and companies.

We examine Europe pushing for real sustainable impact under CSRD, the US facing ESG uncertainty and mixed signals from regulators, and Asian firms juggling ISSB and TCFD standards while dealing with regional economic pressures.

Greg sets out how large language models read annual reports, proxy statements and local media. They link business growth to physical climate risks such as water scarcity. The result is faster insight and sharper scrutiny.

We discuss targeted stewardship, greenwashing risks and the future of global reporting frameworks. Greg also explains why a single global standard remains a “crazy dream”. Automated scrutiny is already changing corporate behaviour, and the pace is only accelerating.

ABOUT GREG: Gregory Elders is Director, North America, at Canbury Insights. He is a recognised sustainable investing expert, leading Canbury’s North American operations and client engagements. He advises investors and companies in navigating evolving sustainability and stewardship expectations, building robust assessment and reporting systems, and aligning sustainability strategies with financial performance.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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We talk to Kingsmill Bond, energy strategist at Ember, sharing insights from his latest report, "The Electrotech Revolution". Discover how new energy technologies are transforming economies and geopolitics, with a special focus on Asia's rapid clean energy advancements. Tune in to explore the future of power systems, investment shifts, and what it means for a sustainable world.

REF: The Electrotech Revolution; Electricity Data Explorer; Ember.

ABOUT Kingsmill: Kingsmill Bond, CFA is an energy strategist for Ember. He has worked as a financial market analyst and strategist for over 30 years, including for Deutsche Bank and Citibank in London, Hong Kong and Moscow. He believes that the electrotech revolution is the most important driver of financial markets and geopolitics in the modern era. He joined Ember from RMI in 2025 to write analysis on the impact of the energy transition on financial markets, with a focus on the exponential growth of electrotech and the disruption to the fossil fuel sector.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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How do you scale green hydrogen from a laboratory curiosity to industrial reality? Alexander Tancock, CEO of Intercontinental Energy, reveals the breakthrough P2H2 Node system that’s turning massive renewable projects into factory-produced “Lego blocks.”

With numerous projects across three continents and backing from strong financial partners, Intercontinental Energy isn’t just making green hydrogen—they’re creating green iron to decarbonise steel production and building new trade corridors between Australia’s vast renewable resources and Asia’s industrial heartlands.

Alex shares why the hydrogen hype faded, how government partnerships became crucial, and why 2028 could mark the tipping-point for commercially viable green molecules at oil- and gas-scale.

REF: InterContinental Energy

ABOUT ALEX: Alexander Tancock is the CEO and Chairman of the Board of InterContinental Energy, a global leader in large-scale green hydrogen development who has been at the forefront of the industry for more than 10 years. Under his leadership, the company has pioneered a portfolio of groundbreaking projects, with its three flagship projects attracting partnerships from some of the largest names in energy. With backing from major institutional investors like GIC and Hy24, InterContinental Energy has established itself at the forefront of the green molecule sector. The company’s innovative team and approach extend beyond project development, and into giga scale enabling technology through its patented P2(H2)NodeTM architecture. Alex's expertise and strategic insights make him a significant voice in the energy sector.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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Joseph Jacobelli and Toby Chan unpack the dynamic landscape of climate tech investing in Asia. The discussion highlights current VC trends, financing gaps, and the transition from emerging tech to mainstream infrastructure, with case studies from maritime and aviation. Discover why Asia is gaining ground amid US policy shifts and how policy, capital, and supply chains are driving change in the region.

ABOUT TOBY: Toby is a co-founder of Audacy Ventures Limited, focused on catalysing and scaling decarbonisation technologies critical to the energy transition post his prior career in traditional energy and renewables. Audacy is an early growth stage investor and supports technologies related to energy efficiency, transportation and industrial decarbonisation, that are in early stages of commercialisation particularly in the APAC region.

Toby has 20 years of investments and advisory experience across energy, infrastructure, technology, real estate and natural resources. Toby advised on over US$15bn of transactions whilst at Macquarie Capital and was part of the founding team of Kerogen Capital, a specialist in international energy investments with over US$2 billion AUM.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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This episode dives deep into Australia's position as an emerging leader in the green hydrogen market, exploring both the immense potential and current challenges facing the industry. Nick Smith, a leading expert, shares insights from his unique perspective spanning corporate, government, and advisory roles, discussing major projects like the 1.8 million tonne Murchison Green Hydrogen Project in Western Australia and the infrastructure developments reshaping the sector. The conversation covers critical topics including cost reduction strategies, safety considerations, financing models, and the shift from export-focused to domestic market applications. With China controlling 80% of global green hydrogen installations and Australia navigating boom-bust cycles, this episode provides a pragmatic assessment of where the industry stands and realistic expectations for the next two decades.

ABOUT NICK. Nick is the Managing Director of Global Decarbonisation Advisory (GDA), bringing together people, projects and capital to accelerate decarbonisation across the energy, mineral processing and hard to abate industrial sectors. Nick is the current President of the International Association for Hydrogen Safety (HySafe), is a member of the International Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association’s Technical Committee and is a member of the Clean Energy Transition Advisory Committee at the Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee. Nick has extensive experience as an executive and non-executive director predominantly in Australia and is recognised for delivering world leadership in decarbonisation across the energy sector and mineral extraction and processing sector in Australia. Prior to commencing GDA, Nick held a range of senior executive and leadership roles across the government, gas, and construction materials sectors delivering strategy, policy and commercial advice along with full accountability for business performance and profitability.
Nick holds a Masters degree in Business Administration, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Energy.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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Southeast Asia's energy transition faces a critical challenge: information fragmentation. With hundreds of projects, billions in investments, and countless stakeholders working across the region, coordination has been nearly impossible - until now. In this episode, we explore SIPET (Southeast Asia Information Platform for the Energy Transition), an open-source platform. Our guest, Maximilian Heil from GIZ, reveals how this innovative tool maps nearly 500 energy projects representing over $45 billion in investments across 10 ASEAN countries. We dive deep into the platform's three core tools - the knowledge hub, project mapping database, and power sector resources - and discover how they're breaking down silos between governments, donors, researchers, and private sector players. From just energy transition partnerships in Vietnam and Indonesia to community-level energy efficiency projects in Laos, SIPET is connecting the dots that were previously scattered across the region. This conversation goes beyond technology to explore the human element of energy transition: capacity building, knowledge sharing, and the collaborative networks that will ultimately determine Southeast Asia's path to carbon neutrality.

REF: Southeast Asia Information Platform for the Energy Transition, GIZ.

ABOUT MAX. Mr. Maximilian Heil is a Project Coordinator at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) for the project “Clean, Affordable and Secure Energy for Southeast Asia” (CASE). Based in Bangkok, he leads coordination of regional initiatives such as the ASEAN Power Grid Advancement Programme (APG-AP) and the Southeast Asia Information Platform for the Energy Transition (SIPET). His work focuses on strengthening multilateral energy cooperation, promoting clean energy narratives, and enabling policy dialogue across Southeast Asia. Mr. Heil joined GIZ in 2018 as a liaison officer for Africa–EU Energy Partnership (AEEP) , supporting high-level engagement with the African Union and the European Commission. Before joining GIZ, he worked as a public affairs consultant on EU policy in the fields of energy, climate, and transport. His professional background combines expertise in international energy policy, strategic communication, and project management in multilateral environments. Maximilian Heil holds a bachelor and master ’s degree in  business economics and development studies with international academic experience in Denmark, Mexico, and Germany. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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In this episode, Joseph converses with Srini Nagarajan, who heads Asia for British International Investment (BII). BII is the UK’s development finance institution. It is focused on investing in sustainable infrastructure and businesses in developing countries to promote economic growth and support the UK's development goals. Between 2022 and 2026, BII plans to allocate at least 30% of its total new commitments by value to climate finance. It already has investments in almost 1,500 businesses across 65 countries in emerging economies, with total assets exceeding $10.9 billion. The conversation covers the critical role of financial institutions in Asia's energy transition, actions governments can take to attract foreign investors, and the intersection of inclusion and climate change. Srini provides insights into BII's strategies, including investment in funds, direct equity investments, and the importance of blended finance. He also highlights successful examples from India and Southeast Asia. Enjoy the discussion and please do e-mail us to suggest topics for future episodes.

RESOURCES: About BII; Latest news from BII.

ABOUT SRINI: Srini Nagarajan is Managing Director and Head of Asia at British International Investment. Srini joined BII in 2013 to lead the Asia team under the organisation’s new investment strategy. He has the distinction of having been our first overseas employee and recently moved to Singapore to lead BIIs expansion into the Indo-Pacific region. He has been instrumental in building a high-quality portfolio in the region, which focuses across products and sectors. Under his leadership, BII has a strong presence on the ground and the team has made successful investments in the financial services, healthcare, logistics and renewable energy sectors – including the creation of BII subsidiary Ayana Renewable Power in India, a pioneer renewable energy developer. His role includes support in the origination, execution and management of the portfolio for delivering development goals and value. In addition, he is building BII’s presence in the South-East Asian markets with a focus on climate change. Srini started his career with Standard Chartered Bank, both in India and Southern Africa, before joining British International Investment in 1996. He has managed leasing companies in Africa and in India he managed legacy assets for value before moving into mainstream private equity investing for both British International Investment and Actis. He has a Masters degree in Economics and a post-graduate qualification in Business Administration from Warwick School of Business.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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Banle Group’s Venus Zhao discusses how CBL International is revolutionising the maritime industry through sustainable biofuels. Its B24 biofuel blend reduces GHG emissions by up to 25% compared to conventional marine fuels. With operations across 60+ global ports and recent ISCC certifications, CBL is positioned to capitalise on the projected 50% growth in the green marine fuel market despite current supply constraints. Venus outlines how tightening IMO regulations are accelerating industry-wide sustainability adoption and shares CBL's vision to lead the maritime sector's transition towards net-zero emissions through diversification into biofuels, LNG and methanol.
REF: CBL IR page.

ABOUT VENUS: Venus Hui Zhao is the Director of Investor Relations and Public Relations of Banle Group. She is primarily responsible for investor relations, public relations and capital markets of the Group. She has more than 15 years of experience in investor relations, public relations, capital markets and ESG. Prior to joining the Group, she was the General Manager of Hong Kong Office, General Manager of Capital Markets & Corporate Communications at a Hong Kong listed company and assumed different management roles in Hong Kong and US listed companies and Fortune 500 MNCs. Ms Zhao obtained her master degree of Strategic Public Relations in Communications and Journalism School in University of Southern California, and her MBA degree concentrated in Finance in The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology. She is a certified FCMA, CGMA holder from Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), associate member of CPA Australia (ASA) , Certified ESG Analyst (CESGA®) from The European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies (EFFAS), Executive Committee member and fellow of Hong Kong Investor Relations Association (HKIRA), and full member of HKIoD (The Hong Kong Institute of Directors).

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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In this episode of the Asia Climate Finance Podcast, Joseph and Mark Hutchinson from the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) discuss the latest developments in the offshore wind industry, especially in Asia. Mark highlights GWEC's role in promoting wind energy through government-industry collaboration and expanding office presence in key Asian markets such as China, India, Vietnam, and the Philippines. He details the progress and challenges in specific countries, including Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines, and underscores the importance of policy stability and technological innovation in driving growth. The conversation also touches on the impact of geopolitical shifts, the rise of digital solutions, and the necessity of achieving net-zero targets. Despite recent challenges, Mark expresses optimism about the industry's future.

REF: GWEC's Global Wind Report 2025

ABOUT MARK: Mark is a Director in GWEC's Asia team, and a proven leader in the Energy Transition. Mark spent 16 years leading both Wood Mackenzie's and IHS Markit's (now S&P Global) APAC regional Gas & Power and Energy Transition consulting teams. He has worked with companies, governments and other stakeholders to enable the move to a carbon free future including advising on billions of dollars of renewable energy sector acquisitions, financings, IPOs and other types of capital raising. At GWEC Mark focuses on helping industry and governments transition to better enable the success of the wind industry, helping to meet various net zero carbon, energy security and other policy goals.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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In this special audio blog, host Joseph Jacobelli dives into the seismic shifts in US clean energy policy under the new administration. Discover how these changes are introducing uncertainty, leading to project cancellations, and potentially redirecting investments to Europe and Asia. With global clean energy markets expanding rapidly, could this shakeup fuel growth elsewhere? Join us as we explore the implications and opportunities arising from this pivotal moment in the energy transition.

ABOUT JOSEPH: Giuseppe ‘Joseph’ Jacobelli is an Asia finance and energy industry veteran. He is the Managing Partner of Bougie Impact Capital Ltd , a dedicated single-family office. Prior to B.I.C., he spent over 26 years in equity analysis with leading global investment banks covering China and other Asian energy stocks as well as five years as senior executive at a large utility and at a clean energy start-up. His book on energy transition, “Asia’s Energy Revolution: China’s Role and New Opportunities as Markets Transform and Digitalise”, was published in 2021.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

Comments/ideas: ACFpod@outlook.com

Asia is at the heart of the global energy transition, presenting a once-in-a-generation investment opportunity. In this episode, Luke Edwards of Brookfield discusses the crucial role of private capital in funding clean energy solutions, the challenges and opportunities in emerging markets, and how investors can navigate this evolving landscape. From large-scale renewables to business transformation strategies, discover what’s driving the shift to a low-carbon future — and why now is the time to act.

RESOURCES:

• Brookfield Launches Emerging Markets Transition Fund with Anchor Commitment from ALTÉRRA Alongside Investment in the Brookfield Global Transition Fund; Both Funds to Help Deploy Over $20 Billion in Climate Initiatives
• Brookfield Announces $10 Billion First Closing for Second Brookfield Global Transition Fund

ABOUT LUKE: Luke Edwards is Head of Australia and New Zealand for Brookfield’s Renewable Power & Transition Group. He is also Head of Japan for Brookfield. In these roles, Mr. Edwards is responsible for the growth and management of renewable power and transition investments in Australia and New Zealand, as well as Brookfield’s overall growth in Japan. Mr. Edwards has previously served in Brookfield’s Infrastructure business, where he focused on investment origination, analysis and execution. Prior to joining Brookfield in 2021, Mr. Edwards held various roles across engineering, commercial and investments sectors, including a director position at Citi. He has also held roles at Goldman Sachs in its power, utilities and infrastructure investment banking teams and has experience as a field engineer for Schlumberger in Brazil and Alaska. Mr. Edwards holds Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) and Bachelor of Commerce degrees from the University of Sydney.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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Unlock the secrets of solar bankability in this episode with Harsh Goenka from Solargis, a leading solar data and software provider. We explore how high-quality satellite data and AI-driven forecasting reduce investment risk and manage weather variability. Discover how precise resource assessment helps grid operators transition from coal to reliable, base-load renewable energy by optimising battery storage. Learn why accurate solar data is the essential "fuel" for scaling climate finance and navigating extreme weather risks like hailstorms in emerging markets.

ABOUT HARSH: Harsh Goenka is the Regional Sales Director for Europe and APAC at Solargis. An engineer by training, Harsh brings over a decade of expertise in the renewable energy sector, specialising in bridging the gap between technical solar engineering and financial risk assessment. Prior to his current leadership role, he was instrumental in mentoring commercial teams and forging strategic partnerships with major institutional investors and IPPs globally. He remains committed to advancing data-driven decision-making to accelerate the global transition to clean energy.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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In this 60th episode of our podcast we talk with Tim Bush, an analyst at UBS and a top expert in batteries and energy, about the fast-changing world of battery production. Tim provides a clear view of the global battery industry's complex challenges and opportunities. Tim‘s insights include China leading the way with lower costs and big capacity, and the US and Europe facing tough choices as they try to build their own battery supply chains while dealing with China's dominance. Tim highlights the game-changing potential of solid-state batteries, which promise safer and more efficient power. The conversation also covers the struggles of European carmakers as they shift to electric vehicles and the rapid improvements in Chinese EV technology. This conversation gives a clear view of the global battery industry's challenges and opportunities.

ABOUT TIM: Tim Bush is based in Seoul and heads UBS Global Battery Research. He is also responsible for Korea EV supply chain corporate coverage. He has almost 20 years of experience covering Alternative Energy. He joined UBS from BAML in 2015. Notable research includes UBS Battery Teardown series. UBS has analyzed nickel and iron batteries from all incumbents in this signature bi-annual report. Tim holds degrees from Cornell University / NYU Stern and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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Korn Ferry's Seth Peterson reveals how AI and in-house recruitment are revolutionizing executive search in Asia's energy transition sector. Despite the current market slowdown in China, demand for ESG and sustainability talent in Asia Pacific is quite strong. Corporate culture and purpose emerge as key differentiators in attracting top executives. Seth forecasts AI expertise and data science becoming critical skills, while emphasizing that traditional career-building remains fundamental. His insights highlight the dual challenge companies face: embracing technological innovation while maintaining strong organizational values to secure future talent.

ABOUTH SETH: Seth brings more than 25 years of corporate and consulting experience. He leads teams to bring Korn Ferry’s Solutions to clients across the Asia Pacific region. He also executes Executive Searches at the Board, C-Suite and Functional leadership levels across key Industry sectors, working for both Private Equity portfolio businesses and regional conglomerates as well as western multinationals. Seth is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and has been based in Greater China for the majority of his thirty-year career. Prior to joining Korn Ferry in 2018 he spent over seven years as a Partner at Heidrick & Struggles in Hong Kong. In his earlier career he worked in strategic planning, business development, and general management with multinational businesses in the region. He was Vice President, General Manager, in charge of Asia Operations for a Business Unit of Hong Kong-listed Techtronic Industries; and earlier worked for Emerson Electric for several years, where he held several Business Development and P&L responsibilities for various businesses across Asia Pacific and served as a corporate planner at the U.S. headquarters for two years. He began his career in Hong Kong and Shanghai in the early 1990s as a Management Consultant where he was involved in the development of China market strategies for a number of leading corporations. Seth earned an MBA from Washington University’s Olin School of Business in St. Louis and a bachelor’s degree in Chinese Studies and International Relations from Grinnell College. He previously chaired the board of AFS Intercultural Programs, Hong Kong, and served on the board and Executive Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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This episode features Giorgio Fortunato who leads Clean Energy and Power at Google in Asia Pacific. He outlines Google's dedication to clean energy, including its ambitious 24/7 carbon-free energy target by 2030. Giorgio explores the Asia Pacific region's unique challenges and opportunities, such as grid infrastructure development, diverse clean energy procurement strategies, and the crucial role of data transparency. He also shares specific examples of Google's successful clean energy projects across Australia, India, Japan, and Singapore, emphasizing the need for customized solutions to effectively address the diverse needs of each market.
RESOURCES:
1. 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Procurement in APAC: Pathways for Companies and Countries (BloombergNEF and the Global Renewables Alliance)
2. The Role of High-Impact Utility Green Tariffs (ACEC and CEBA)
3. New paths for clean energy in Asia-Pacific (G Fortunato)

ABOUT GIORGIO. Giorgio leads Clean Energy and Power at Google in Asia Pacific. He is responsible for securing Google's data centre and operational energy needs in the region, while driving Google's efforts to achieve 24/7 carbon-free energy and net-zero emissions across Google’s operations and value chain. His experience in the energy sector includes leading Schneider Electric's Cleantech advisory in APAC, co-founding the offshore wind startup Blue Aspirations, and holding leadership positions at Vestas Wind Systems. He also served as the National Energy Chair at the European Chamber of Commerce in China. Giorgio holds a master’s in aerospace engineering from La Sapienza University of Rome and a dual-degree EMBA from Tsinghua University and INSEAD.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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In Episode 57, leading Asia energy economist Mike Thomas of The Lantau Group shared insights on 2024 trends and the 2025 outlook. He highlighted improved investment fundamentals, growing demand for renewables, and significant market reforms in Malaysia and the Philippines. Looking ahead, Mike expects continued renewable growth despite geopolitical uncertainties, more solar-hybrid projects, and evolving challenges in gas flexibility. Mike also thinks that while nuclear power's future remains uncertain in Southeast Asia, small modular reactors show long-term promise.

REFERENCES: TLG Insights

ABOUT MIKE: Mike Thomas is the Managing Director and a founding partner at The Lantau Group with over 30 years of consulting experience, focussing on the energy sector.  He advises a wide range of energy sector stakeholders on strategic, regulatory, and competition matters; sustainability; market design and development; and commercial transactions.  Prior to co-founding in 2010, he headed the Asia Pacific Energy & Environment practice of a global consulting firm.  Mike has an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School, United States and a BA in Economics from Carleton College, United States. More specifically, within the Asia Pacific region, he has led many significant engagements involving the robust application of economics and analytics to a wide variety of business, policy, and regulatory challenges affecting the electricity and gas sectors.  He works extensively with multinationals on sustainability strategies, focussing on the best options in different markets, and on the regulatory and policy changes needed to support increasing renewable energy contracting options.  He has testified or advised as an industry economic expert in commercial contract disputes before courts or arbitral panels in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Australia, and on disputed regulatory matters before regulatory authorities in New Zealand, Australia, and the Philippines.  His experience in commercial matters includes market forecasts and revenue simulations for numerous renewable energy and conventional energy projects and market assessments in South Asia, North Asia, ASEAN, and Australia/New Zealand.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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In this episode, we delve into the world of climate business, climate finance, and the energy transition in the Asia Pacific region, as seen through the lens of a major investor. Our guest is Gavin Adda, CEO of Peak Energy Development, a Singapore-based company backed by the $70 billion global infrastructure investor, Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners. We begin by exploring the critical role of power market deregulation in accelerating the energy transition. We delve into specific challenges and opportunities within this space. Additionally, we discuss the markets that Gavin is most optimistic about and examine emerging trends in the industry. We also briefly touch on a couple of case studies that highlight innovative approaches to sustainable energy solutions. Finally, Gavin shares his long-term vision for energy transition projects and related investments in the Asia Pacific region.

ABOUT GAVIN: Gavin Adda is the CEO of Peak Energy Development Pte Ltd with responsibility for renewable energy across Asia Pacific. Peak Energy is the renewable energy developer for Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners in Asia with a focus on solar, onshore wind and battery infrastructure and includes some of the largest projects in Korea and Japan. Previously, he was CEO of TotalEnergies Renewables Utility Scale (Asia) and Distributed Generation (Asia) which was formed when he sold his start-up to TotalEnergies. It subsequently became the largest B2B-focused renewable player in the region before being merged with ENEOS to form a USD 2 Bn joint venture. Based out of Singapore, Gavin is also a Board Director of Maxeon Solar Technologies (NASDAQ:MAXN),a Board Director of Lindström Group and Co-Chair of the Sustainability Committee at the European Chamber of Commerce. Prior to TotalEnergies, Gavin founded several start-ups in the renewable sector. This includes CleantechSolar one of the largest developers in India, now partly owned by Shell and Keppel. At REC Solar, one of the largest, non-Chinese solar panel manufacturers, he ran several departments and launched a corporate turn-around, re-focusing the company on the DG sector. He sold the company to ChemChina for USD 640m (the largest solar M&A deal in ’15). Previously, he had various management roles in Samsung Group. This included developing, constructing and financing a USD 1 Bn portfolio of utility-scale solar projects and launching a JV with one of the largest, independent solar developers in the US. Gavin has an MBA from INSEAD and a Master’s Degree from Cambridge University.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of eco-friendly mining technology with Don Weatherbee, CEO of Regenx Tech, a company specializing in recycling precious metals from catalytic converters. Don shares the company's unique hydro metallurgic process, which is more environmentally sound than traditional mining and smelting. We discuss the market for platinum and palladium, the potential for growth, and the challenges in the recycling industry. Don also reveals Regenx Tech's journey from a junior mining company to a pioneer in catalytic converter recycling, with a focus on the underserved diesel market. We also discuss its fund raising approach. Join us as we explore the intersection of mining, recycling, and clean technology.

ABOUT DON: Don Weatherbee is the Chief Executive Officer of Regenx Tech Corp., a provider of a new clean-tech solution for the recovery of precious metals from end of life materials.  He is an accomplished Senior Executive with extensive experience in leading complex operations with over 28 years in the mining and material processing sectors including 20 years at the executive level. He holds Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta, a CPA, CMA from the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta, and a Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP) designation from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Don has worked for both privately held and publicly listed companies throughout his career.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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In this episode we dive into Taiwan's offshore wind story with Scott Hsu. A veteran in Asia's wind power sector, Scott shares unique insights from Taiwan's remarkable journey to become an offshore wind powerhouse. From market dynamics to financing challenges, we explore how Taiwan is balancing ambitious renewable targets with local industry development.

ABOUT SCOTT: Scott Hsu is the Country Director for Taiwan and the Philippines at K2 Management. Within this role, he advises clients on the development, construction, and management of offshore and onshore wind projects in Taiwan and the Philippines. Prior to this, he was a Site Manager at Vestas, a consultant at 8.2 Consulting AG, a Project Manager at Swancor and a Field Service Manager at GE Renewable Energy. He has a PhD in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from National Central University and a BA in Aerospace Engineering from Tamkang University.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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This episode is the second part of the conversation with a truly exceptional guest: one of Asia’s pre-eminent thinkers on the environment and climate change, Professor Christine Loh. We explore climate policy and climate action in the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong, examining the issues from a policy perspective. Given China's crucial role in global climate action, we began by discussing the nation's policies related to the environment, climate change, and energy.

ABOUT CHRISTINE: Professor Christine Loh, SBS, JP, OBE, Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite, is Chief Development Strategist at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She was Under Secretary for the Environment in the HKSAR Government (2012-17), Special Consultant to the Chief Executive on the mainland’s ecological civilisation policy (2019-2020), and a Member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council (1992-97 and 1998-2000). Loh has been active in public policy and politics since the 1980s. She founded and was the CEO of the non-profit think tank, Civic Exchange (2000-12), and helped to establish several non-profit organizations in Hong Kong related to the environment, equal opportunity, arts and culture, as well as human rights. Professor Loh is currently a board member of CDP Worldwide, Global Maritime Forum, New Forests Pty Ltd, Towngas Smart Energy Company Limited, and is Asia Society’s Scholar in Residence (2023-2024). She taught a course at Anderson School of Management, University of California at Los Angeles on nonmarket risks for five years (2018-22). She is a published author of many academic and popular works. Loh is a lawyer by training, and a commodities trader by profession. She received her legal training in England and received honorary degrees of Doctor of Law from the University of Hull and Doctor of Science from the University of Exeter.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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This episode features a truly exceptional guest: one of Asia’s pre-eminent thinkers on the environment and climate change, Professor Christine Loh. We explore the crucial topic of climate business and finance education and capacity building. We started the conversation with Professor Loh on what exactly is the Institute for the Environment at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. And as you'll discover, the Institute's work goes far beyond that of a traditional think tank. It is the first of a two part discussion with Prof Loh.

ABOUT CHRISTINE: Professor Christine Loh, SBS, JP, OBE, Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite, is Chief Development Strategist at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She was Under Secretary for the Environment in the HKSAR Government (2012-17), Special Consultant to the Chief Executive on the mainland’s ecological civilisation policy (2019-2020), and a Member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council (1992-97 and 1998-2000). Loh has been active in public policy and politics since the 1980s. She founded and was the CEO of the non-profit think tank, Civic Exchange (2000-12), and helped to establish several non-profit organizations in Hong Kong related to the environment, equal opportunity, arts and culture, as well as human rights. Professor Loh is currently a board member of CDP Worldwide, Global Maritime Forum, New Forests Pty Ltd, Towngas Smart Energy Company Limited, and is Asia Society’s Scholar in Residence (2023-2024). She taught a course at Anderson School of Management, University of California at Los Angeles on nonmarket risks for five years (2018-22). She is a published author of many academic and popular works. Loh is a lawyer by training, and a commodities trader by profession. She received her legal training in England and received honorary degrees of Doctor of Law from the University of Hull and Doctor of Science from the University of Exeter.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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Climate risk modelling plays a vital role in shaping informed decisions, managing risks, and driving strategic planning by empowering businesses, governments, and individuals to understand and quantify the impacts of climate change. It enables organizations to pinpoint and evaluate climate-related risks, meet regulatory requirements, safeguard financial stability, and fortify resilience. Furthermore, it underpins accurate insurance pricing and investment evaluations, while guiding public policy and resource allocation. In this episode, we are joined by renowned expert Martim Rocha. Together, we explore the high-level aspects of climate risk modelling and delve into the key areas of climate risk it addresses, including physical and transition risks. Martim shares his insights on data analytics, emphasizing the critical issue of data quality. He also examines the transformative role AI is playing in modelling and provides a compelling long-term outlook.

ABOUT MARTIM: Martim Rocha is the Global Head of the Risk Banking Solutions, as such he manages a team of global experts on banking risk management, defining roadmaps and priorities for SAS solutions and supporting customers on their journey to take the best of the SAS solutions, defining the best approach for each business case, and taking the to be live system. Martim has published several papers and has spoken at several conferences around the world on the topics of Risk Management in Banking, Risk and Finance Integration, IFRS9/CECL, Regulatory Risk Management, Balance Sheet Management, Capital Planning, Scenario Based Analysis and Stress-testing and more recently on Climate Risk on Financial Services.  With SAS for more than 20 years, he played leading roles on projects such as Stress-testing on a G-Sib based in London; IFRS9 and Stress-testing at G-SIB bank covering more than 60 locations worldwide; a couple of Top 5 Nordic Bank, at Top banks in UAE; and others. In addition, he was a lecturer for courses on advanced decision support systems, data warehousing and data mining at the Autonomous University of Lisbon and at the ISCTE Business School. Before joining SAS, Martim worked for the financial services industry implementing MIS, EIS, Financial Planning and Budgeting and Balanced Scorecard systems. After he was a partner on the Business Analytics focused consulting firm, Noscitare where he led the delivery of many IT projects again in financial services companies. Martim has a post-graduate degree in Business Administration from Nova SBE and has an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from ISIG. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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Host Joseph Jacobelli welcomes Mike Thomas, leading energy economist and founder of The Lantau Group (TLG), for their annual review and 2026 outlook. Mike argues that we have reached a historic tipping point where solar-plus-battery hybrids are now cost-competitive with traditional gas and coal, often without requiring a premium for base-load-style power.
The conversation dives deep into the "strategic pivot" in China that has led to a global battery fire sale, the surge in data centre demand in hubs like Johor, and the counter-intuitive risks posed by government-run green energy auctions. Mike also highlights why Malaysia is currently the region's most "ready" market and explores the legal and regulatory "software bugs", such as "intertemporal equity", that must be fixed to allow the physical energy transition to keep pace with technological reality.

LINKS: Research From TLG.

ABOUT MIKE: Founding partner at The Lantau Group with over 30 years of consulting experience, focussing on the energy sector. He advises a wide range of energy sector stakeholders on strategic, regulatory, and competition matters; sustainability; market design and development; and commercial transactions.  Prior to co-founding in 2010, he headed the Asia Pacific Energy & Environment practice of a global consulting firm. Mike has an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School, and a BA in Economics from Carleton College. Within the Asia Pacific region, he has led many significant engagements involving the robust application of economics and analytics to a wide variety of business, policy, and regulatory challenges affecting the electricity and gas sectors. He works extensively with multinationals on sustainability strategies, focussing on the best options in different markets, and on the regulatory and policy changes needed to support increasing renewable energy contracting options.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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In this episode we analyse national and corporate transition trends in Asia. We have invited a distinguished guest to discuss this topic: Prof. Dr. Sayuri Shirai. Dr. Shirai is an Advisor for Sustainable Policies at the Asian Development Bank Institute. She is also a professor of economics at Keio University. We discuss areas such as adaptation and mitigation in Asia. We also cover the phase-down or phase-out of coal-fired power plants. Additionally, we explore corporate climate disclosure and transition planning.

ABOUT DR SAYURI SHIRAI. Sayuri Shirai has been the Asian Development Bank Institute's Advisor for Sustainable Policies since 2022. She is also currently a professor of economics under Keio University’s faculty of policy management since 2016. From 2020-2021, she was a senior advisor to London-based EOS at Federated Hermes, which provides environmental, social, and governance (ESG)-related stewardship services on firms and public policy. She was a full-time member of the Policy Board of the Bank of Japan from 2011-2016, participating in making decisions on monetary policy and other central banking matters. She also taught at Sciences Po in Paris from 2007–2008 and served previously as an economist at the International Monetary Fund. She has published extensively on topics such as central bank digital currency, monetary policy, global finance, and ESG investment. She is also a contributing writer to the Japan Times and a frequent Japanese and international media commentator on Japan’s economy and global monetary policies. She holds a PhD in economics from Columbia University. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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Episode 49 is about the related topics of electric vehicles, key minerals, and China. Our guest is Henry Sanderson. Henry is currently the executive editor of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a provider of supply chain and energy transition intelligence. This includes lithium, nickel, cobalt, electric vehicles, and the like. Henry and I first discuss his interest in EVs and the related minerals. Then we talk about his book Volt Rush, about EVs, about some of the key minerals, and finally on his thoughts about market developments over the next 25 years.
Useful Resources:
Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green
Benchmark’s free newsletter
Benchmark Mineral Intelligence's Power Players

ABOUT HENRY: Henry Sanderson is an author and journalist focusing on clean energy. He authored Volt Rush, the Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green, which was chosen as a book of the week by the Observer, and one of the best science and environment books of 2022 by The Times. He also previously co-authored a book, China's Superbank: Debt, Oil and Influence - How China Development Bank is Rewriting the Rules of Finance. He is former journalist for the Financial Times and Bloomberg, he is currently the executive editor of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, the leading provider of data and analysis on the battery supply chain.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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This is a special episode. It is an abridged version of a webinar held in May 2024 on climate finance. There are three short presentations followed by a short Q&A session. You will hear the views from Dr Tim Cadman from the University of Southern Queensland, from Dr Tapan Sarker, from the same university, and from Joseph Jacobelli. Dr Cadman discusses some positive trends about action toward protecting the environment with some emphasis on biodiversity conservation. Dr Sarker focuses on the financing of the UN SDGs and developing countries’ access to finance being facilitated through enhanced project implementation and climate finance. Joseph focuses on the entities who will most benefit from opportunities opened up by the energy transition, namely corporations. Thank you to the publisher De Gruyter who kindly organised the seminar and also to Lervinia Swee from De Gruyter who facilitated the discussion.

YouTube: The Economic Cost of Climate Change to APAC in 2024 and beyond hosted by De Gruyter.

De Gruyter Handbook of Sustainable Development and Finance by Timothy Cadman and Tapan Sarker

Asia’s Energy Revolution: China’s Role and New Opportunities as Markets Transform and Digitalise by Joseph Jacobelli

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
Dr Timothy Cadman. Adjunct Research Fellow, University of Southern Queensland. Timothy specialises in governance of sustainable development, environmental politics and policy, climate change and natural resource management, including forestry, responsible investment and institutional performance. He works with communities and governments across Asia-Pacific to develop governance standards for international projects and programmes.
Dr Tapan Sarker. Professor of Finance, University of Southern Queensland. Tapan's research expertise lies in the domain of business strategy for sustainability, carbon finance and the political economy of sustainable development, with a particular focus on developing economies. Before entering academia, Tapan worked with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Environment and Forests in Bangladesh and later as a World Bank scholar in Tokyo, Japan.
Giuseppe (Joseph) Jacobelli. Managing Partner, Bougie Impact Capital. Joseph is a climate business and finance expert with over three decades of experience in investment banking, clean energy companies, and research. Currently, he manages two firms, including Bougie Impact Capital, a Single Family Office investing in public markets and real estate. A strong advocate for decarbonisation awareness, Joseph authored a book on Asia's energy transition and hosts a podcast on the topic.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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In this episode, we focus on a crucial part of climate-related business and finance: the creation of renewable energy projects. This is a significant step towards a cleaner energy future. Our expert guest, Steve Shi, is a seasoned professional in renewable energy project transactions, with experience in North America and Southeast Asia. He will enlighten us on the necessary steps to develop clean energy projects and share his insights on key Asian electricity markets, including the Philippines, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.

ABOUT STEVE. Difu (Steve) Shi is the Overseas Transaction Manager for Sungrow Renewables. He is based in Southeast Asia and coordinates renewable energy investments and transactions in the ASEAN market for Sungrow Renewables, the development arm of Sungrow. Prior to joining Sungrow Renewables, he was the leading analyst for a publicly listed IPP based in Toronto, Canada, covering the North American market. He also held positions at KPMG and EY in Beijing. Steve holds an MBA from the University of Toronto, is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Hong Kong and Ontario, and also holds Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designations. He volunteered for over eight years at the Toronto Wildlife Center, transporting dozens of injured red-tailed hawks and owls to the rehabilitation facility.

Please take note of the disclaimer at the end of the episode.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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The phase-out of coal-fired power plants in Asia Pacific presents a significant challenge, requiring a delicate balance between environmental sustainability and economic feasibility. In this discussion, we are joined by Dr Christoph Nedopil Wang of the Griffith Asia Institute, who delves into case studies from Pakistan and Vietnam, offering valuable insights applicable to other Asian electricity markets. Notably, the conversation will explore innovative financial mechanisms that could facilitate the early retirement of coal plants while mitigating potential financial burdens.

Resources: China coal exit: Opportunities for China-led financing of early phase down of coal-fired power plants in Pakistan and Vietnam.

ABOUT CHRISTOPH. Professor Christoph Nedopil is the Director of the Griffith Asia Institute at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. He is also a Visiting Professor at FISF Fudan University, Shanghai, Acting Director of the Green Finance & Development Center at FISF Fudan University, and a Visiting Faculty at Singapore Management University (SMU). Christoph regularly provides advisory to governments, financial institutions, enterprises, and civil society on sustainable development issues. He is the lead author of the UNDP SDG Finance Taxonomy, the Innovative Climate Finance Solutions report for the G20 in Indonesia, and the Green Development Guidance of the BRI Green Development Coalition under the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment. He has authored four books and published articles in Science and other leading journals. Christoph serves as board director in scaling sustainability in businesses and finance. Christoph is quoted regularly in Financial Times, The Economist, Reuters, Bloomberg, and other major outlets. Before joining Griffith University, he served as Founding Director of the Green Finance & Development Center and Associate Professor at the Fanhai International School of Finance (FISF), Fudan University and previously as Founding Director for the Green BRI Center at the Central University of Economics in Beijing. He worked with the World Bank in over 15 countries and was a Director in the German development agency GIZ. Christoph holds a Master of Engineering and a PhD in Economics from the Technical University Berlin, as well as a Master of Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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The world’s offshore wind installed capacity reached 117 gigawatts in 2023, up 50% over 2022. It is projected to reach 320 GW by 2030. We discuss with Asia energy markets veteran Mark Hutchinson the recently released Global Wind Report 2024 by Global Wind Energy Council. We have a quick review of 2023, focus on a couple of the key take aways, share some thoughts on some key Asia Pacific offshore wind markets, discuss the state of capital investments and financing, and finally look beyond 2024.

ABOUT MARK. Mark Hutchinson has over three decades of energy sector experience, including over 25 years consulting and research experience in Asia. He has expertise in strategic advice, finance, M&A, contract negotiations and due diligence in the power and renewables, and the oil and gas sectors. He is the chair of the Southeast Asia Task Force for the Global Wind Energy Council. Mark works with the GWEC members in Asia and globally to represent the wind industry in policy and regulatory discussions across the region. GWEC convenes both in-person and virtual meetings with key stakeholders, providing fact-based analysis and guidance to help shape policies that affect the wind industry.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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Scaling up energy efficiency can for 11 per cent of cumulative emissions reductions by 2030 according to the IEA. In this episode energy industry veteran Alexander Ablaza, explains why energy efficiency the most important pieces of the energy transition although it is often unjustifiably ignored. He discusses in detail business and finance trends in the sector as well as examining the many investments opportunities, and the challenges, with energy efficiency in the Asia Pacific region.

ABOUT ALEXANDER: Alexander Ablaza is CEO of Climargy Inc. The last 23 years of his 38-year professional career have been dedicated to growing energy efficiency and other clean energy technology deployment in 14 Asian markets through the identification, due diligence and financial close of over $3 billion in direct investments, and also through catalytic market transformation, policy, regulatory, fund mobilization and transaction support interventions. He designed and established Climargy, a global pioneer private Super ESCO aggregator of ESCO project assets hosted by the C&I sector in Asian growth markets. He convened, founded, and chairs the Asia-Pacific ESCO Industry Alliance and the Philippine Energy Efficiency Alliance. He likewise co-founded and sits in the Advisory Board of the Global ESCO Network and co-chairs the Marketplace Taskforce of the global coalition, Mission Efficiency. He is armed with 35 years of project and corporate management experience, an aggregate 29 years of energy sector involvement, and an educational background in engineering (BSCE) and economics (MBE). 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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In this episode podcast, we’re privileged to host two seasoned stalwarts of the heavy industry, Genevieve Hilton and Steve Willis. Their unexpected pivot has led them to channel their vast experience into a compelling work of fiction: ‘Fairhaven: A Novel of Climate Optimism’ (Habitat Press, 2024). This isn’t just a novel; it’s a beacon illuminating the pressing climate issues that our planet grapples with. Our conversation takes a deep dive into Genevieve’s and Steve’s transformative journey towards net-zero. We then shift our focus to three innovative climate solutions, not mere theoretical constructs, but viable both project-wise and financially, as explored in the novel. We also touch upon the topic of corporate sustainability and underscore the paramount importance of raising awareness. This episode isn’t just a discussion; it’s a thought-provoking exploration of climate change from a truly unique vantage point. Tune in for an enlightening experience.

ABOUT GENEVIEVE. Genevieve Hilton has worked in corporate affairs and sustainability in the Asia Pacific region since 1994. She previously led ESG and communications in Asia Pacific for Lenovo, as well as Corporate Citizenship and External Communications Asia Pacific for BASF. Since taking a step back from the corporate world in 2022, she has become a full-time sustainability activist and writer. Under the pen name Jan Lee, she is an award-winning science fiction writer. She is the co-author, with Steve Willis, of "Fairhaven – A Novel of Climate Optimism" (Habitat Press UK), a winner in the Green Stories contest. Her work has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and recognized several times in the “Writers of the Future” contest. She also is Editor-in-Chief of The Apostrophe, the quarterly magazine of the Hong Kong Writers Circle. She currently acts as a senior advisor for a number of environmental and social activist organizations, as well as co-chairing the Energy & ESG Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong.

ABOUT STEVE. Steve Willis is an engineer and innovator with decades of experience providing solutions to environmental problems for large scale industries. The start of the covid lockdowns gave him pause to think carefully about climate solutions, what was needed and what it would take to get there. This led to a collaboration with the GreenStories team to produce the No More Fairy Tales anthology for COP27. Steve continues to work on large scale climate solutions, currently developing a CO2 sequestration mineralisation process which can be deployed at the million tonne scale.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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One of the rapidly growing areas in climate business and finance is the purchase by corporations of clean energy. This is frequently referred to as corporate renewable energy procurement. Such purchases jumped 12% to 46 gigawatts in 2023 according to BNEF. Our guest is Suji Kang, the programme director of Asia Clean Energy Coalition, an organisation dedicated to corporate renewable energy procurement in Asia. Members include major multinationals such as Amazon, Google, Ikea, and many others. We discussed a variety of topics including the broad picture of what is happening in the region, the work of Suji’s organisation with governments, and the challenges currently faced.

ABOUT SUJI: Suji Kang is the Asia Program Director of Asia Clean Energy Coalition (ACEC) where she is responsible for engaging all members and stakeholders to create a favourable policy and market environment for the company’s clean energy procurement across the Asia Pacific region. Suji has ten years of experience in the public-, private-, non-profit sectors in energy and environment industry. She has worked as a director of K-RE100 solutions team at ROOT ENERGY, a private start-up company providing consulting and procurement services for renewable energy projects for companies in Korea. Prior to that Suji served as Regional Manager of Asia at the World Energy Council, based in London. Prior public experience includes her lead on international cooperation and external affairs team in Korea Energy Foundation. Suji is a graduate of McGill University with Bachelor’s degree in Management and currently studying for Msc in Energy and Environment at Korea University. She is a native speaker of Korea, fluent in English and conversational French.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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Some of the climate business and finance trends in Europe and the US are highly applicable to the Asian experience. In this episode, energy media specialist Pamela Largue provides some clarity on some of these trends. We first briefly chat about her organisation, Enlit World, an important source of sector news and trends through publications and conferences. We then discuss Pamela’s latest findings after participating at Enlit industry conferences in Europe (energy security) and the US (energy costs and the I.R.A.). Finally, we have a quick chat about Pamela’s own podcast, the Energy Transitions Podcast.

ABOUT PAMELA. Pamela Largue is senior reporter on Power Engineering International, a daily news site with a 25-year-plus heritage of covering the power generation sector. She writes about all aspects of the energy industry in news articles, features, and interviews. She is also the host of the Energy Transitions Podcast, which magnifies the future energy landscape through the lenses of industry movers and shakers. Pamela holds a post-graduate degree in Social Anthropology and has worked in media and energy events for more than 12 years.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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This special year‑end episode of Asia Climate Finance unpacks the three defining themes that shaped the energy transition in 2025. Joseph Jacobelli explores the ratchet effect driving unstoppable momentum, Asia’s emergence as a global rule shaper, and the rise of blended finance models unlocking capital for clean energy. He also highlights major trends from AI‑driven electricity demand to the return of nuclear, nature as infrastructure, and new breakthroughs in hard‑to‑abate sectors. A concise, insight‑rich wrap‑up for anyone tracking climate finance, energy markets, and the transition across Asia Pacific.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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Our guest is Mike Thomas who heads The Lantau Group, a Hong Kong-based consultancy, and who is one of the leading energy economics thinkers in the Asia Pacific region. As it is the beginning of the year, Mike evaluates a small sample of the many developments in the region’s climate business and finance in 2023. He also shares a few thoughts on 2024 and beyond. We discuss some specific markets including Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and China as well as examine some of the major themes such as the ASEAN grid, offshore wind, and grid capacity. Mike truly offers some unique perspectives thanks to his vast experience and extensive work with corporates, governments, and financial institutions.
Link: research by The Lantau Group.
Previous Episode with Mike: Ep23 Temperature check on the energy transition in Asia, ft Mike Thomas, 20 December 2022

ABOUT MIKE: Mike Thomas is a founding partner at The Lantau Group with over 30 years of consulting experience, focussing on the energy sector.  He advises a wide range of energy sector stakeholders on strategic, regulatory, and competition matters; sustainability; market design and development; and commercial transactions.  Prior to co-founding in 2010, he headed the Asia Pacific Energy & Environment practice of a global consulting firm.  Mike has an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School, United States and a BA in Economics from Carleton College, United States. More specifically, within the Asia Pacific region, he has led many significant engagements involving the robust application of economics and analytics to a wide variety of business, policy, and regulatory challenges affecting the electricity and gas sectors.  He works extensively with multinationals on sustainability strategies, focussing on the best options in different markets, and on the regulatory and policy changes needed to support increasing renewable energy contracting options.  He has testified or advised as an industry economic expert in commercial contract disputes before courts or arbitral panels in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Australia, and on disputed regulatory matters before regulatory authorities in New Zealand, Australia, and the Philippines.  His experience in commercial matters includes market forecasts and revenue simulations for numerous renewable energy and conventional energy projects and market assessments in South Asia, North Asia, ASEAN, and Australia/New Zealand. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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Corporates play a crucial role in driving the energy transition. Their role is critical to accelerating change and addressing the pressing climate change challenges. It is critical for corporates to formulate transition strategies, beyond climate risk and other types of reporting. It is a tough hurdle given all of this is very new. Our guest is Summer Chen who is a Principal Consultant with ERM, a leading multinational consultancy firm. Summer works with corporates on the strategy front, among other things. In the episode, first Summer puts transition in Asia into context. Then she offers several key take aways from her COP28 visit. She then discusses how corporates approach transition strategies, including a few examples. Finally, she shares some thoughts on her long-term outlook.
Helpful Link: ERM's SustainAbility Institute

ABOUT SUMMER. Summer is a Principal Consultant of the Corporate Sustainability and Climate Change Team with ERM based in Hong Kong. She is experienced in climate strategy development, climate risk assessment, scenario analysis and financial impact quantification covering a broad range of sectors. Summer also provides low carbon transition advisory, supporting companies at all stages of their net zero journey, from developing a decarbonisation strategy, implementing emission reduction measures, to deploying low-carbon technologies. Prior to Hong Kong, Summer has worked for the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office for over 5 years on climate change energy policy through the delivery of projects to support regional energy transition. She took on temporary roles in UN agencies and has previously lived and worked in Malaysia, China, Kenya and the UK.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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 Decarbonisation efforts start with the commitment by a government. Once the broad policy is set, the real hard work of regulation begins. To understand and advance sustainable finance it is absolutely imperative to understand this work. In this episode our guest is Eugene Wong who shares his unique insights on the Southeast Asian experience. Eugene is the Chief Executive Officer of the Sustainable Finance Institute Asia. The Institute is a neutral, convening platform to bring together different stakeholders to advance the sustainability agenda in ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asia Nations). The actors include policy makers, regulators, industry, academia, and others, and are all focused on Southeast Asia’s financial sector as a catalyst for ASEAN’s sustainable agenda. Today, for example, the Institute is a host to  the ASEAN Taxonomy Board collaborating with all of the capital markets regulators in Southeast Asia.
References: ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance version 1 (Nov 2021); ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance version 2 (June 2023); ASEAN Transition Finance Guidance (Oct 2023);

ABOUT EUGENE: Eugene Wong is the Chief Executive Officer of SFIA, an independent institute established to catalyse ideas on Sustainable Finance at the policy level in ASEAN, as well as propel action in support of those policy ideas. SFIA is currently the Host of the ASEAN Taxonomy Board and convenor of the ASEAN Capital Market Regulators’ Industry Advisory Panel on Sustainable Finance. Eugene was previously the Managing Director, Corporate Finance & Investments of the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC). He also served as a member of the Audit Oversight Board in Malaysia and was an Adviser to the Malaysian Accounting Standards Board. He oversaw the SC’s ASEAN related initiatives and was a Chair of the Deputies of the ASEAN Capital Markets Forum (ACMF) and the Co-Chair of its Sustainable Finance Working Group. The ASEAN Green Bond Standards, ASEAN Social Bond Standards and ASEAN Sustainability Bond Standards were issued during his tenure as Chair of the Deputies of the ACMF. In addition, he was a Co-Chair of the ASEAN Working Committee on Capital Market Development. Eugene represents SFIA as an observer to the International Capital Market Association’s Green Bond Principles, Social Bond Principles, Sustainability Bond Guidelines and Sustainability-linked Loans Guidelines Group. Eugene is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, Fellow of CPA Australia and a Chartered Accountant of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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Industry practitioners are a key source to understand the business and finance of the energy transition in Asia. In episode 37’s we have a conversation  is Robert McGregor. Robert is the Chief Corporate Development Officer of Gurīn Energy, a pan-Asia renewable energy company. He has a long, illustrious, and unique career in the energy industry first in the UK and then in Asia. We had a broad-based and in-depth conversation on key topics revolving around clean energy.  Robert shares his thoughts on the current state of the renewable energy industry in the region, about corporate strategies and the importance of corporate culture, about the state of financing and finally offers his outlook on the sector.

ABOUT ROBERT. Robert is the Chief Corporate Development Officer of Gurīn Energy, a pan-Asia renewable energy company. After a 17-year career in the UK energy industry, Robert moved to Asia in 1997 to undertake senior roles in investment banking (Hong Kong) and in private equity (Singapore). In the period from 1997 to 2014, Robert worked on transactions in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea, Australia, and also collaborated with Hong Kong and Japanese corporates. In April 2014, Robert relocated to the Philippines (where his family resides) to take up employment with the Aboitiz Group where he had a concurrent role overseeing business development, investments, and divestments in both the Aboitiz Equity Ventures and Aboitiz Power companies. Robert was the chairman of the Investment Committee and project-managed almost all of the Group’s significant capital deployments over the last nine years. Robert graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Applied Chemistry (1980) and an MBA (1994), both from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. He recently added an MLitt in Scottish Heritage (2022) from the University of Aberdeen. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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 Corporates all over the world are under immense pressure to address their carbon footprint.  They must worry about their own footprint as well as that of other companies their linked with, such as their suppliers. In this episode I chat with a specialist in this area, Albert Sutanto. Albert is the Southeast Asia Markets Manager at Mt. Stonegate Green Asset Management based in Taiwan. Albert shares his experience on how he helps corporates to identify and reduce their carbon footprints as well as raising their consumption of clean energy.  He discusses corporate decarbonisation strategies in Asia in general and in Southeast Asia in particular.  He also touches on the financing side of the equation.

ABOUT ALBERT: Albert is the Southeast Asia Markets Manager at Mt. Stonegate. He is a dynamic and results-driven business development professional, with a proven track record in the renewables and environment industry. Specialize in driving growth and market penetration for carbon credits and energy attribute certificates in the Southeast Asian market. Forge strategic partnerships, identify emerging market trends, and deliver innovative solutions to maximize sustainable impact. Successfully establish and expand business operations, leveraging strong stakeholder relationships. Committed to fostering collaboration and advancing sustainable initiatives for a greener future. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

Comments/ideas: ACFpod@outlook.com

Asia will account for 50% or more of global energy transition investments in the next three plus decades. Financing is of primary importance and is a challenge. In this episode, Andrew Kinloch, a leading infrastructure finance expert, discusses some of these challenges. He looks at financing renewable energy projects in general and then he discusses in detail some of the challenges such as how to address Asia’s young coal fired power plants fleet. He also has interesting thoughts about the role of multilateral banks financial institutions.

ABOUT ANDREW. Andrew Kinloch is a consultant on infrastructure finance in Asia and founder of the Logie Group. He has been Lead Arranging and advising on infrastructure finance for over 30 years.  In 2003, he set up in business as Logie Group to advise across the whole investment cycle namely: governments and public sector on policy; institutional investors on strategy; transaction preparation and advisory; and acting as an expert witness in arbitrations. Andrew is a member of the UNECE roster of PPP experts; acts as a peer reviewer for them; and is on IFC’s Nominee Directors database. He is a Fellow of the HKICPA, ICAEW and HKIoD; and a member of the HKSI, HKIB and APIEx. Andrew worked originally with KPMG then PWC in London, Hong Kong, and Sydney; he then switched to investment banking with Westpac in Sydney and project finance at Mizuho then UBS in London; he returned to Asia in 1998 as Head of Global Structured Finance, Asia Pacific for WestLB when it was a top five Lead Arranger of project finance globally.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

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The development of China's solar industry is key to the nation’s as well as the world’s net zero ambitions. Installed capacity was 392 GW in 2022 and is set to continue to grow further. In this episode, we speak to Frank Haugwitz who has been involved in the sector for over two decades. He is a Senior Advisor and China Representative of Apricum, a transaction advisory and strategy consulting company. We first briefly look at the history and background of the industry and identify the reasons behind the massive growth. We then look at the current state of the industry. Finally, we evaluate the future opportunities and challenges in the industry. 

ABOUT FRANK. Frank Haugwitz is Senior Advisor and China Representative of Apricum, a Berlin-based globally active transaction advisory and strategy consulting company dedicated to the cleantech industry. He is an industrial mechanic by profession and obtained a degree in Applied Business Languages (Sinology) and International Business Management. Frank worked in Beijing for over two decades through 2022. Originally from Germany, he has been working as a long-term expert on photovoltaic and renewable energy projects in China. He was supported by the German government and the European Union between 2002 and 2009 and in 2009 he jointly founded the Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association (APVIA) headquartered in Singapore. Since late 2009 he has been an independent solar energy consultant running a consultancy he founded, Asia Europe Clean Energy (Solar) Advisory Co. Ltd. (AECEA), from 2012 to 2022. He was Head of Intersolar's Global Conference Development, from 2010 to 2021. He also was the Vice-Chairman of the Renewable Energy Working Group of the European Chamber of Commerce in China from 2013 through 2016. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

Comments/ideas: ACFpod@outlook.com

Sustainability and green finance can be highly complex subjects as they comprise a multitude of disciplines. Recent years have seen the creation of a variety of advisor and consulting firms specialising on sustainability. In this episode, Wee Boon Siong, CEO of RHT Green which specialises in advising on sustainability and green finance, discusses how RHT Green helps corporates in their sustainability journey, something increasingly key to their operations and fund raising. Boon Siong provides insights on two aspects. He first discusses, the actual nuts and bolts of advising organisations in sustainable value creation strategies and also the partnering with clients to capture sustainability opportunities. He then focuses on the green finance aspect of the work, especially capital raising such as a Singapore-based green fund focused on SMEs.

ABOUT BOON SIONG. Wee Boon Siong has over 30 years’ experience in various industries, holding different responsibilities in research departments, user organizations and vendor service providers. In particular, he spent many years in insurance companies and is still closely associated with the industry as a partner. He is familiar with the regional markets having been in charge of the whole Asia Pacific region when he was with CallidusCloud, and has intimate knowledge of China, Indonesia, and Vietnam markets as he had direct responsibilities to set up offices and manage the operation there to support the regional expansion. In addition, he has some knowledge of several Asian languages. He spent several years in government service and hence understand both public and private sectors well. Boon Siong read mathematics at Cambridge University and graduated with triple first class honours in 1990. He also holds a diploma in auctorial science from the Institute of Actuaries. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

Comments/ideas: ACFpod@outlook.com

Carbon exchanges are an important component of sustainable finance as they enable the sale of carbon credits to reduce emissions. In this episode, we have Bill Pazos, Co-founder and Co-CEO of the AirCarbon Exchange (ACX), which won Environmental Finance’s Best Carbon Exchange award twice. The discussion starts with an overview of the role of carbon exchanges and Bill’s views on the current state of carbon markets and trading. We then delve into ACX's history, shareholders and stakeholders, operations, how carbon credits are organised on the platform, and other aspects.

ABOUT BILL.  Bill is a carbon market pioneer who has managed emerging market and high yield investments for more than 25 years and currently serves as director of Kuber Energy, a renewable energy and climate finance advisory company in Singapore.  Previously, he was a Managing Director at Standard Bank.  In this capacity he was the Global Head of Carbon origination and Finance, as well as a member of the board of Standard Merchant Bank Singapore.  As the CEO and founding partner of Ecoinvest Carbon S.A., a joint venture company with Bunge S.A., he built what became one of the world’s largest aggregators of carbon credits.  In his early career he was a bond trader at JP Morgan Chase (MHTCo.) in New York as well as a partner at Dartley a large Emerging Markets Fixed Income Fund.  He holds a Bachelor Degree in Economics with a concentration in Mathematics from The College of Wooster, Ohio, and an MBA in International Management from ASU’s Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management. 

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

Comments/ideas: ACFpod@outlook.com

A circular economy transforms goods nearing the end of their useful life into resources for reuse. It aids climate action in three ways. It complements decarbonization measures, it supports the sustainable scaling of the clean energy transition, and it enhances adaptation to a changing climate. The value creation opportunity is US$4.1 trillion, according to one estimate. Our guest, Ellen Martin from Circulate Capital, is greatly involved in investing in this space. In the podcast, she first provides some background on the circular economy in general and plastic circularity in particular, and how it ties in with climate action. She also describes the investable market as well as government policy and regulation. From the perspective of private equity, we then dive into the business and investment opportunities in the Asia region, including a discussion on the types of investors as well as some examples of Circulate Capital’s investments.
(Link to The Circulate Initiative's report referred to by Ellen: Plastics Circularity Investment Tracker)

Ellen Martin is Circulate Capital’s Chief Impact Officer. In her role, Ellen is responsible for driving impact and insights for the firm and managing ESG through the investment process. As a member of Circulate's leadership and investment teams, Ellen is focused on ensuring the firm's collective strategies, assets, and relationships deliver impact as it grows. She is also a senior advisor to Circulate Capital's mission-aligned non-profit, The Circulate Initiative. Prior to that, Ellen was Vice President for Impact and Strategic Initiatives at Closed Loop Partners where she led impact, research, and portfolio management for Closed Loop’s Infrastructure Fund. During her tenure, the Fund deployed $50M with $200M co-invested in projects in North America, resulting in avoidance of 2 million tons of GHG emissions in the first three years. Before she discovered her passion for the circular economy, Ellen was a strategy consultant at FSG, the social impact consulting firm, where she worked with Fortune 500 companies, philanthropic foundations, development banks, and nonprofit organizations to develop, implement and evaluate impact strategies. She is a regular speaker and contributor on the topic of investing in the circular economy.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

Comments/ideas: ACFpod@outlook.com

Asia's climate finance landscape is evolving rapidly. In our discussion, our guest,  KPMG's Ha Do, explores how Asian governments are shifting from policy ambitions to concrete implementation, the climate finance mechanisms proving most effective in mobilising capital, and why state-owned enterprises remain at mid-stage ESG maturity. We examine green public-private partnerships, regulatory convergence around global standards, and why Asia is increasingly positioned to shape, rather than follow, global climate finance architecture.

ABOUT HA: Ha leads the Government and Public Sector, and IDAS practice for KPMG in the Asia Pacific region. She specializes in advising central and local governments, NGOs including multilateral and bilateral development banks/agencies, state-owned enterprise groups, and relevant stakeholders (private enterprises, starts-up, etc) especially in projects and transformation across areas of infrastructure, healthcare and sustainability. Before assuming the regional roles, Ha was Senior Partner of KPMG Hanoi office, Head of Infrastructure, Government & Healthcare (IGH) Sector, Head of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Head of State-Owned Enterprises of KPMG Vietnam and Cambodia. She serves as a board director of Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC), an international business association that promotes cross-border trades. She also sits in the Asia Pacific Advisory Council for Global Infrastructure Project Financing Association (IPFA), a global organization for the infrastructure and energy financing industry. Ha has recently participated in the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP)’s Financing Energy Transition program as one of their Advisors. Ha has been a long-time Governor in the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Board of Governors in Hanoi. She is currently the Chairwoman of Women in Business Committee in AmCham. Ha has been a Board Member of Sustainable Finance Sector Committee (SFSC) under European Chamber of Commerce, working with various stakeholders to mainstream green business, abolish barriers, and create the conditions for green business to thrive. Ha was Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi Business Association for the period of 2017 – 2021, and she is actively involved in promoting business of Vietnamese private enterprises. She sits on various advisory boards for non-profit organisations and runs SympaMeals with her friends, a charity fund providing free meals to poor patients in Hanoi’s cancer and heart hospitals.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

Comments/ideas: ACFpod@outlook.com

Hundreds of billions of dollars in global assets follow ESG principles. The massive growth seen in the past few years is set to continue, estimate various investments banks. This means that ESG research has become one of the pillars of green finance, socially responsible investing, impact investing and the like and is becoming part and parcel of standard investment research. In this episode, one of the region’s most respected ESG analysts, Charles Yonts who heads Asian ESG Research at Macquarie Group, first discusses the basics of the research that he does including the approach and the challenges. We then take a deeper dive into some of the interesting issues including battery supply chains – especially cobalt and nickel, greenwashing, coal divestment and other hot topics.

ABOUT CHARLES. Charles Yonts has been working as the Head of Asian ESG Research at Macquarie since 2020. He has spearheaded ESG integration efforts for the team, rolling out proprietary corporate governance and sustainability scores alongside stock analysts around the region. Before joining Macquarie, Charles led the ESG and Power Research teams at CLSA, where he worked for fifteen years. He also directly covered Greater China climate tech stocks from 2004 and was the top-rated earnings estimator for Asian Utilities in both 2018 and 2019 according to StarMine. Charles has a BS in Finance from the University of Minnesota and studied Chinese language and economics at Fudan University in Shanghai.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

Comments/ideas: ACFpod@outlook.com

Offshore wind generation capacity is one of the fastest growing forms of green energy globally. It will rise 10-fold this decade – to 330 GW by 2030 from about 34 GW in 2020 –based on one estimate (Wood McKenzie) and will need tens of billions of dollars. Our guest, Mark Hutchinson is one of Asia’s leading veteran experts in the energy sector in general and clean energy in particular. In our conversation we first discuss the current state of the US and European offshore wind markets. We then deep dive into the current state as well as the outlook for offshore wind in some key jurisdictions around the region, including Japan and South Korea. As well as markets which are offering enormous potential including India, the Philippines, and Vietnam. In addition to the business opportunity, Mark also shares some interesting thoughts on financing trends.

ABOUT MARK. Mark Hutchinson has over three decades of energy sector experience, including over 25 years consulting and research experience in Asia. He has expertise in strategic advice, finance, M&A, contract negotiations and due diligence in the power and renewables, and the oil and gas sectors. He is the chair of the Southeast Asia Task Force for the Global Wind Energy Council. Mark works with the GWEC members in Asia and globally to represent the wind industry in policy and regulatory discussions across the region. GWEC convenes both in-person and virtual meetings with key stakeholders, providing fact-based analysis and guidance to help shape policies that affect the wind industry.

Note: Link to details on GWEC’s Global Wind Report Launch 2023

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

Comments/ideas: ACFpod@outlook.com

The Blue Economy’s annual turnover is US$3–6 trillion (UN), which some estimate will double by 2030, presents a growing opportunity for business and investment. In this episode, Dr Mike Abundo, CEO of OceanPixel, first offers a clear and detailed definition of the Blue Economy, its ecosystem, including ocean and marine clean energy, as well as the intersection with decarbonisation and the energy transition. Mike also discusses the data management and intelligence angle. We then move to OceanPixel as a case study in the Blue Economy with Mike offering three examples of projects the company has been working on. Finally, Mike shares his insights about the outlook of the Blue Economy opportunity.

ABOUT MIKE. Dr Michael Lochinvar Sim Abundo is a green (and blue) techno-preneur who specializes in Marine Renewable Energy (with pilot projects in small island developing states and ‘tropical’ solutions) and other technology-enabled, innovation-infused sustainability transitions. He has over 15 years of experience in various roles in the Innovation and Research, Development, & Demonstration (RD&D) Ecosystems of the Asia-Pacific Region working with academe, industry, and government. He has contributed to the inclusion Marine Renewable Energy into Southeast Asia’s Energy mix at various scales (e.g. energy harvesting, micro-grid, grid-tied/large scale) and for a spectrum of applications (e.g. vessel, ports, aquaculture, etc). Michael is handling R&D/Project collaborations between industry, academe, and government focusing on Digitalization, Data Processing and Management, Autonomous Vehicles (land, air, sea -surface and underwater), Internet-of-Things (IoT), Human Factors, etc in applications such as robotics, food security, resiliency, energy, defence, traffic management (air and vessel), sustainable operations, and the wider Blue Economy. He has successfully initiated, executed, and handed-over a community-based energy intervention programmes especially for accelerated post-disaster recovery with a sustainability plan involving various stakeholders (e.g. NGOs, Academe, Industry, local gov’t).

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli  |  MUSIC: The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka  |  FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

Comments/ideas: ACFpod@outlook.com

The global carbon markets are an important source for funding the decarbonisation needed to mitigate the climate crisis. The compliance and the voluntary global carbon markets amount to almost US$1 trillion or so. They are set to grow dramatically. The smaller of the two, the voluntary one, will grow five-fold by 2030 from US$2 billion in 2022, Shell and BCG expect. China will be a key player in the growth given it has the world’s largest carbon market. Julien Hage from CICC Asset Management first shares his thoughts on the basics of the carbon markets and trading, especially the EU Emissions Trading System. He then evaluates the current state of the markets in the EU and in China.

ABOUT JULIEN. Julien Hage is Managing Director and Head of International Business at CICC Hong Kong Asset Management. Julien started his career in asset management with AXA Rosenberg in London where he joined the trading desk and went on to act as deputy head of trading for Europe. He then spent the next 10 years in Hong Kong in investment banking, first with BNP Paribas then with Société Générale. There he held several roles including Asia Pacific head of cash equity execution and later as APAC head of trading and product management across cash equity and listed derivatives. In 2021, he moved back to the buy side, joining Rayliant asset management as head of derivatives trading. In 2022, he joined CICC Hong Kong AM as head of international business. Julien holds a master’s degree in computer science as well as a postgraduate degree in financial engineering from SKEMA business school in France.

This podcast episode and the information contained in it are for general information only and do not constitute financial, professional, investment or any other kind of advice in any way and shall not be considered as an offer or solicitation to deal in any investment products. Also, it shall not be regarded as an offer or solicitation of business in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to offer or solicit business in such jurisdictions. Although the information in this podcast has been obtained from sources which China International Capital Corporation Hong Kong Asset Management Limited (“CICCHKAM”) believes to be reliable, it does not guarantee the accuracy of such information and such information may be incomplete or condensed.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli  |  MUSIC: The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka  |  FEEDBACK: Email the Host.

HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi’s La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.