Background: 

Z/Yen in partnership with DIFC, International Institute of Finance, and the Global Ethical Finance Initiative are hosting a webinar on 'Sustainable Finance: Moving The Finance Industry From Promises To Action'. Z/Yen's CEO, Mike Wardle, will chair a panel of experts discussing an action plan for sustainable finance. This includes the keynote speaker Sonja Gibbs, Managing Director, Institute of International Finance, as well as Omar Shaikh, Director and Co-founder of the Global Ethical Finance Initiative (GEFI), and Christian Kunz, Head of Group Strategy and Innovation at DIFC.

With COP28 on the horizon, we will explore the industry's expectations and how progress is being orchestrated in Dubai, along with insights into pioneering initiatives that are propelling the sustainable finance agenda.

Speakers:

Sonja Gibbs leads the IIF's work on sustainable finance and sovereign debt policy, focusing on research and advocacy for the Institute's global membership across the financial servicesindustry. Her research interests include the economic impact and financial market pricing of climate and ESG risks, sustainable investment and capital markets development in emerging markets. She oversees the IIF Weekly Insight, which offers a concise perspective on global financial markets with an ESG lens, and the IIF Global Debt Monitor, which looks across mature and emerging economies for debt-related vulnerabilities such as the rapid buildup in EM corporate debt levels. Her policy work on behalf of the IIF includes outreach and liaison efforts vis-à-vis the G20 and G7 countries, the multilaterals, global regulators and standard setters, and the Central Banks and Supervisors Network for Greening the Financial System, as well as the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero. She also serves on the boards of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market, and of Egypt's Regional Center for Sustainable Finance. Sonja has spent over 20 years in banking and financial markets, most recently with Nomura International in London, where she was Chief Equity Strategist. Earlier positions include stints as a U.S. economist and bank credit analyst in New York and Los Angeles. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst has an MBA and BA from the University of California, Berkeley. Sonja’s work is widely cited in the financial press; she is a regular speaker on sustainable finance and global debt issues at industry conferences and in the media. She and her team also host the popular series of IIF Transition Finance Workshops and ESG Webinars.

Omar Shaikh is the Director and Co-founder of the Global Ethical Finance Initiative (GEFI). A Chartered Accountant by profession, he specialises in ethical/responsible finance, Islamic finance and private equity. He has extensive experience in financial services, has advised multiple governments and regulators on financial inclusion policy and for over 15 years has been a leading advocate for ethical and responsible finance. His background includes working with EY London where he was former Head of Islamic finance. Omar launched the award-winning Edinburgh Ethical Finance Round Table series, a platform that led to the inception of the Ethical Finance Hub and GEFI. Through his work he has established a number of initiatives, including the Ethical Finance Summit (a major conference), the finance for nature project with UNDP creating innovative financing structures for the SDGs and the interfaith Edinburgh Finance Declaration. GEFI has recently launched the Path to COP26 campaign, bringing together stakeholders to advance climate finance ahead of the crucial 2021 Glasgow summit. Omar received a BAcc from the University of Glasgow, is a member of ICAS and holds select board advisory roles including with the Prince’s Trust Scotland and supporting Glasgow Museums on preserving South Asian Heritage in Scotland.

Christian Kunz is Head of Group Strategy and Innovation at DIFC, responsible for developing and continuously evolving the strategic agenda and initiatives of DIFC, in line with the UAE’s commitment to innovation and development of future economies. As part of this vision, Christian also furthers in developing DIFC’s core and future of finance proposition and leading a number of initiatives to move the innovation agenda towards a broader conversation about the future of finance. Christian’s previous experience lies at the intersection of financial services, technology and innovation. He led the Fintech and New (Digital) Business Building practice for McKinsey & Company in the Middle East. Besides developing future of finance strategies, Christian has built-up several digital FinTech ventures, following a build-operate-transfer model and applying Agile, Design Thinking and Lean Start-up principles. He has also led several digital and analytics transformations of large banks and insurance businesses across the Middle East and Europe.

Alya Al Zarouni is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the DIFC Authority (DIFCA), responsible for setting the strategic direction of DIFCA’s operations and client experience. She brings more than 20 years of experience in developing and delivering technology-driven business services and solutions, providing outstanding client service, and driving internal efficiency through policy, process and digital transformation. Prior to her appointment as the COO, Alya assumed multiple roles across different functions in DIFCA and has led the transformation of DIFC services since 2010. She has been serving as a board member of Hawkamah: The Institute for Corporate Governance for over three years and led the DIFC Academy since its inception until 2022. In terms of her education, Alya was at the top of her class and earned both her BSc in Computer Science and MBA from the American University of Sharjah. She has an LLM in International Business Law from the University of Paris II Pantheon Assas (Magna Cum Laude). She is a graduate of the prestigious Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development, completing both the Young Leaders Programme and the Dubai Leaders Programme.