The Geneva Connection

Dr Ma Jun, President of the Institute of Finance and Sustainability and Chairman of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association, explores how China’s rapid expansion of renewables, electric vehicles and green finance is reshaping the energy transition, and what other markets can learn from that experience. Aurélien Hamelle, President, Strategy & Sustainability at TotalEnergies, brings the perspective of a global energy company, examining how security of supply, affordability, competitiveness and decarbonisation are reshaping long-term investment decisions. Together with host Patrick Odier, Chair of the Building Bridges Foundation, they discuss how policy, finance and corporate investment can support a pragmatic and economically viable energy transition. As geopolitical uncertainty, rising demand and accelerating electrification reshape the global energy system, energy security can no longer be considered separately from the transition. The discussion looks at China and Asia’s growing role in clean-energy deployment, the evolution of green and transition finance, and the capital and policy frameworks needed to build energy systems that are more resilient, affordable and fit for the future.   Part of The Geneva Connection podcast: the Building Bridges 2026 Edition, Investable Solutions to Global Challenges, created in partnership with Building Bridges.   Introduction by Luka Biernacki, Executive Producer.   Learn more: https://www.geneva-connection.com/  

Marc Palahí, Chief Nature Officer at Lombard Odier Investment Managers, explains why nature is now financially material and where opportunities are emerging across regenerative agriculture, sustainable forestry and circular bio-based value chains. Margaret Kim, CEO of Gold Standard, brings the integrity perspective, outlining how strong baselines, standards and verification make nature-based solutions credible and investable. Together with host Karen Hitschke, they explore how science, finance and governance can converge to build a nature-first economy grounded in measurable impact and long-term resilience. As nature becomes a central factor in economic stability and long-term value, investors are rethinking how ecosystem health shapes risk, resilience and growth. Rising disclosure expectations and mounting scientific evidence are pushing nature firmly into mainstream financial decision-making.   Part of Season 3: “Building Bridges 2025: Innovative Solutions & Investment Opportunities in Sustainable Finance“ created in partnership with Building Bridges.   Introduction by Luka Biernacki.   Learn more: https://www.geneva-connection.com/    

Featuring Linda Freiner of Zurich Insurance and Harrison Méan of Swissroc, and hosted by Karen Hitschke, this episode explores how climate and financial risks are reshaping the built economy — from individual buildings to entire cities. Extreme weather and rising insurance pressures are exposing structural vulnerabilities, pushing developers, investors, and insurers to rethink how resilience is designed, financed, and priced. Harrison Méan outlines what retrofitting, adaptability, and shifting usage patterns mean for the future of real estate. Linda Freiner explains how climate modelling, data, and early risk prevention are transforming insurance — and defining what remains insurable, and therefore investable. Together, they unpack how finance, design, and risk management can align to build assets and cities capable of withstanding the shocks ahead.   Part of Season 3: “Building Bridges 2025: Innovative Solutions & Investment Opportunities in Sustainable Finance“ created in partnership with Building Bridges.   Introduction by Luka Biernacki.   Learn more: https://www.geneva-connection.com/      

Hosted by Karen Hitschke, CEO of Building Bridges, this episode features Tony Goldner of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and Vian Sharif of Nature Alpha. Together, they explore how finance is adapting as nature moves from a peripheral concern to a central consideration in economic decision-making. While carbon data is now firmly embedded in financial analysis, nature and biodiversity remain far more complex to measure and integrate. Yet the material risks of ecosystem degradation are increasingly clear. Advances in data and emerging frameworks like TNFD are finally making nature visible to markets, redefining risk and uncovering new opportunities for long-term value creation.   Part of Season 3: “Building Bridges 2025: Innovative Solutions & Investment Opportunities in Sustainable Finance “ created in partnership with Building Bridges.   Introduction by Luka Biernacki.   Learn more: https://www.geneva-connection.com/    

Fiduciary duty has long meant maximising financial returns. But as climate, nature and social risks reshape markets, that definition is shifting. In this episode, David Blood, Co-Founder and Senior Partner at Generation Investment Management, and Emmanuel Jaclot, Executive Vice-President and Head of Infrastructure and Sustainability at La Caisse, join Patrick Odier, Chairman of Building Bridges, to explore what fiduciary duty means in 2025. They discuss how sustainability is becoming central to fiduciary responsibility, the balance between short- and long-term value, and whether ignoring sustainability could now be seen as a breach of duty.   Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGenevaConnection Part of Season 3: “Building Bridges 2025: Innovative Solutions & Investment Opportunities in Sustainable Finance “ created in partnership with Building Bridges.   Introduction by Luka Biernacki.   Learn more: https://www.geneva-connection.com/  

Season 3 opens with a frank look at the state of sustainable finance. John Kerry, former U.S. Secretary of State and Co-Executive Chair of Galvanize, and Rhian-Mari Thomas, CEO of the Green Finance Institute, join Patrick Odier, Chairman of Building Bridges, to discuss political headwinds, shifting narratives, and the credibility gap between ambition and investable pipelines. It’s a candid exchange on ESG’s polarisation, record investment in clean energy, and the urgent need to channel capital into early-stage solutions and emerging markets. Sustainable finance has evolved. What began as a moral imperative has become a financial reality — where economics, credibility, and scale now show the path ahead. Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGenevaConnection Part of Season 3: “Building Bridges 2025: Innovative Solutions & Investment Opportunities in Sustainable Finance “ created in partnership with Building Bridges.   Introduction by Luka Biernacki.   Learn more: https://www.geneva-connection.com/  

Blended finance is often promoted as a way to mobilise private capital for sustainable development, yet systemic barriers still constrain its scale and effectiveness. In this episode, Lisa Sachs, Director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), unpacks the 2025 report From Promise to Performance: Reforming Blended Finance for Scale. She outlines five structural challenges — transparency, risk pricing, liquidity, pipeline gaps, and additionality — and why addressing them is key to unlocking impact. The conversation also explores practical reforms and the roles of DFIs, donors, and rating agencies in making blended finance more efficient and effective.   Season 2 is produced in collaboration with the SDG Impact Finance Initiative (SIFI).   Hosted by Luka Biernacki.   Also available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGenevaConnection   Let’s Talk Finance! Let’s Talk Impact!

Scaling Impact investing in emerging markets still requires strategic use of catalytic capital. In this episode, Nicolas Muller, Managing Director of Blue Earth Capital explores how impact-focused investment strategies are structured to balance risk, returns, and outcomes. From the role of philanthropy in de-risking to practical insights on attracting commercial capital into high-impact deals, we look at what it takes to turn purpose into investible opportunity — and what’s still missing to bridge the gap at scale.  Season 2 is produced in collaboration with the SDG Impact Finance Initiative (SIFI). Hosted by Luka Biernacki. Also available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGenevaConnection Let’s Talk Finance! Let’s Talk Impact!

Impact investing plays a crucial role in closing the $4 trillion SDG financing gap, yet represents only 1.2% of global assets. How can we scale it to meet the world's needs? In this episode, Guillaume Bonnel, CEO of the SDG Impact Finance Initiative (SIFI), examines the barriers constraining impact investing — from liquidity challenges and misaligned risk perceptions to regulatory obstacles — and explores how blended finance can unlock private capital at scale. He discusses how concessional capital, platform approaches, and enhanced data standardization can align public and private interests, ensure genuine additionality, and channel investment flows toward emerging markets where both impact potential and growth opportunities are greatest.   Season 2 is produced in collaboration with the SDG Impact Finance Initiative (SIFI).   Hosted by Luka Biernacki.   Also available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGenevaConnection   Let’s Talk Finance! Let’s Talk Impact!  

Development is often framed as aid, but for Jeffrey Sachs, one of the world’s leading development economists, it’s first and foremost an investment challenge. In this opening episode, Professor Sachs explores why capital isn’t flowing to the countries that need it most, how risk perceptions keep private money out of poor economies, and what a new investment-led development model could look like by 2030.   The episode is part of Season 2 of The Geneva Connection — “Bridging the Gap: Financing the Future of Sustainable Development.” This four-episode season takes listeners inside the world of development finance: why capital isn’t flowing where it’s needed most, and how blended finance, catalytic capital, and impact investing can help close the $4.2 trillion SDG funding gap. From big-picture insights to practical solutions, we explore what it will take to turn ambition into investible impact.   Season 2 is produced in collaboration with the SDG Impact Finance Initiative (SIFI).   Hosted by Luka Biernacki.   Also available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGenevaConnection   Let’s Talk Finance! Let’s Talk Impact!