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 BwB Team

Chris Smith
Chris is Co-Head of Financial Advisory, Global Head of Sustainable Sovereign Finance, and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and Financial Advisory Leadership Team. Chris worked in the City of London for 15 years in a range of corporate, global markets, and institutional banking roles, including Head of Group Sustainability at Standard Chartered. In 2007, he was seconded by Standard Chartered to work at Clarence House as Chief Operating Officer of The Prince's Rainforest Project and Sustainable Development Advisor to The Offices and Household of HRH, The Prince of Wales. He then spent two years as a management consultant focusing on sustainable finance and ESG risk management. Since 2011, Chris has worked extensively across the Global South on sustainable finance transactional structuring and financial advisory. Over recent years, Chris has been an advisor to the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative, Asian Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the United Nations Development Programme. Chris sits on a range of Advisory Boards including for the Blue Bond Incubator of the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance.  Chris holds a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the University of Leicester.

Chris Smith

Managing Director

Lilian Macharia
Lilian is Africa Capital Hub Director. Lilian possesses deep expertise in blended and climate finance, with over 25 years of experience in designing and scaling innovative financial solutions across emerging markets. She specialises in creating catalytic investment frameworks that mobilise private capital for climate action, SME development, and sustainable infrastructure, while placing a strong emphasis on inclusive growth. During her tenure as Director of Portfolio Management at the Green Climate Fund, Lilian led a diverse global team in overseeing a US$10.8bn portfolio across 140 countries. She implemented systemic improvements that enhanced operational efficiency, transparency, and results-based management, while maintaining rigorous financial discipline. Her strategic leadership strengthened the fund's ability to deliver impactful projects that align with both development goals and investor expectations. A skilled consensus-builder, Lilian excels at navigating complex partnerships with governments, development finance institutions, private investors, and multilateral agencies. She is experienced in advising both public and private sector entities on optimising climate finance mechanisms and developing blended finance strategies to bridge critical funding gaps in emerging markets. Her advisory roles and board positions underscore her standing as an authoritative voice in development and climate finance policy and implementation. Lilian holds a bachelor’s degree in Education and an MBA in Financial Management from Kenyatta University.

Lilian Macharia

Executive Director

Djellil Bouzidi
A passionate supporter of sustainable finance with more than 20 years of experience in capital markets and economics, Djellil is at the forefront of innovative sustainable finance. As a thought leader, he co-wrote a book about green financial innovation setting the ground for Sustainability-Linked instruments. Djellil founded Emena Advisory in 2012 to pursue his passion and worked for several investment banks prior to that. He is also a member of several leading think tanks and contributed to the first report on positive economy for the French president and to several reports for the G20 and French policy makers. He graduated from Catholic University of Leuven and holds a M.Sc. in financial markets from Paris Dauphine University and a Ph.D. in industrial economics from Paris Sorbonne Nouvelle University.

Djellil Bouzidi

Senior Advisor

Heather Matson
Heather is Global Head of Nature & Biodiversity and Gender Finance and a member of the Financial Advisory Leadership Team. Heather develops innovative financing structures for high-impact, nature-focused projects, including those centred on nature-based solutions, focusing primarily on the Global South but also with experience in Europe-based initiatives. She also leads on incorporating gender considerations into the firm’s project frameworks and recommendations. She has extensive expertise in policy and regulatory change, gained through senior public and private sector roles with organisations such as the International Finance Corporation, the Canadian International Development Agency, Lehman Brothers, Nomura, Barclays, and Royal Bank of Canada. Heather holds an MBA from London Business School and a BA (Hons) from the University of Waterloo.

Heather Matson

Managing Director

Delphine Queniart
Delphine is Climate City Capital Hub Director, Head of Institutional Clients, and a member of the Institutional Banking Leadership Team. Delphine has 20 years of experience in lending, capital markets, global markets, and sustainable finance. Her specialist knowledge includes working on sustainable capital markets and blended finance transactions with development finance institutions, developing sustainability-focused investment solutions for institutional investors, and the financing and risk management of infrastructure and energy projects. Delphine's career has included commercial, technical, and leadership roles at BNP Paribas and Société Générale. Delphine holds an MPhil degree in Finance and Economics from Paris Dauphine University and a certificate in Positive Impact Business from the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

Delphine Queniart

Executive Director

Salome Warigah
Salome has close to two decades of experience in investment banking, corporate banking, and corporate finance, working in the dynamic and diverse financial markets of Africa. Her specialist expertise includes origination and structuring of equity and debt transactions in lending, private debt, private equity, capital markets, structured products, and project finance. She has held senior roles at various financial institutions, including most recently Head of Regional Corporates & Syndication for the East Africa Community at Ecobank Kenya Limited. Salome holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (Finance) from United States International University – Africa, a Certificate in Financing Agribusiness Value Chain Programmes from Strathmore Business School, and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Salome Warigah

Executive Director

Allison Lobb
Allison has extensive experience in capital markets, focusing on both listed and private equity capital across international markets, including strong fundraising expertise. Allison’s career includes roles at Lehman Brothers, Nomura, and, immediately prior to joining BwB, Royal Bank of Canada, where she ran the firm’s Sovereign Wealth Business and Equity Sales Business in the UK. She has advised many corporates and cities on their investment strategies and investor engagement. Her work at BwB includes leading the firm’s Adaptation Centre of Excellence, an initiative that aims to increase financing flows into global climate adaptation activity. Allison holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics, Politics and International Relations from the University of Warwick.

Allison Lobb

Executive Director

Jennifer Faust
Jennifer has nearly twenty years of institutional investment, development finance and international private equity experience. Jennifer currently also serves as an International Advisor to the United Nations/International Trade Centre's flagship program, the Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI). Previously, Jennifer was a Manager, Private Equity in the Investment Funds Department at the US's International Development Corporation (US DFC, formerly known as the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)) and was a Senior Vice President at 57 Stars (fka PCGI), an investment manager focused on partnership and co-investment in select private equity markets outside the United States. Jennifer started her career as a leading European equities analyst with SG Securities (SG Cowen) in London, England. Jennifer is also a regular speaker on private equity fund formation and marketing in addition to sustainability, ESG and impact investing. Jennifer holds a MSC in European Studies & EU Policy Making from the London School of Economics.

Jennifer Faust

Senior Advisor

Tenke Zoltani
Tenke Zoltani, Founder of Better Finance, is an expert in the field of impact investing, focusing on structuring, direct investments and portfolio integration of ESG principles. Tenke has over a decade of experience in the field of sustainable finance with a passion for the environment and sustainable living. Tenke founded Better Finance, a boutique advisory company to work with families and institutional investors to identify, design, implement and manage solutions to investing with impact from origination to execution. Tenke was also Director, Impact Investing at UBS where she built out the bank's impact advisory practice for UHNW individuals. Before joining UBS, Tenke was an Investment Manager at Islan Asset Management in Switzerland, advising global agribusiness Bunge, on direct investments, and implementing projects in frontier markets' food-water-energy sectors. Tenke built her expertise in London, consulting to governments and utilities on carbon finance and working alongside Lord Stern in climate research. Tenke holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Columbia University and a M.Sc. in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics and is a CAIA Charterholder for alternative finance. Tenke was selected as a 2013 Global Economic Symposium Fellow. Tenke is a former Committee Member for 100 Women in Hedge Funds and an Executive Committee member of Sustainable Finance Geneva.

Tenke Zoltani

Senior Advisor

George Ioulianos
George is the City Finance Specialist for Greek and Cypriot cities within the European Commission’s NetZeroCities Initiative. He has over 20 years of experience in the provision of financial advisory and management consulting services, with expertise in business analysis and planning, project and company valuation, financial management, and raising financing through private equity and funding programmes. He started his career at Deloitte & Touche and since 2019 he held his own consulting practice. George is the founder of the first citizen’s company in Limassol (COCO Collective Ownership Company Limassol Ltd) that aims to make citizens the owners and leaders of the transition to a sustainable future. George holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, a master’s degree in finance and economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and an MBA from the Cyprus International Institute of Management. He is also a certified professional with the Cyprus Securities & Exchange Commission.

George Ioulianos

Vice President

Yoana Charliyska
Yoana brings nearly 15 years of experience working in various areas of marketing, corporate communications and performance optimisation gained in England, Scotland, and Austria. Yoana has worked at large-scale international organisations like Red Bull Media House (Salzburg), Aberdeenshire Council (Aberdeen), the European Parliament, Weber Shandwick PR and the BBC. Most recently Yoana has moved to supporting the digital presence of green brands and companies in the digital space. Yoanna’s experience also includes work as a freelance translator supporting public sector organisations in the UK. Yoana’s achievements include public speaking and writing awards, academic honours, scholarships, and accolades. Yoana holds a Bachelor’s degree with honours and a scholarship-funded Master's degree in Marketing from Canterbury Christ Church University, UK.

Yoana Charliyska

Vice President - Marketing

Nuno Meira
Nuno is a multilingual agriculture and food systems expert with over 25 years of experience across three continents in both the private and public sectors. His specialist knowledge includes developing solutions around sustainable finance, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and agricultural risk management (insurance, reinsurance, and microinsurance). His career has included work for major international and national organisations such as the International Finance Corporation/World Bank, the International Labour Organization, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), CGIAR, and InsuResilience Solutions Fund. He has also been appointed by the Portuguese government as an expert for Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) assessments on biodiversity. Nuno holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering from Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro and various professional certifications from institutions such as the London School of Economics, the University of Cambridge, and the Porto Business School.

Nuno Meira

Senior Advisor

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