Shaping Solutions for Climate, Communities, and Biodiversity
Funders from different sectors dive into what's crossing their desks right now. Each shares the types of forestry projects they're seeing, what draws them to specific opportunities, and at what stage they typically get involved and why. The session provides practitioners and funders a real-time picture of where different types of capital are looking, what gaps exist, and what the current appetite for reforestation investment actually looks like across the funding landscape
Founder CEO & CIO, Terra Global
Leveraging 20 years of experience in the financial industry, Leslie Durschinger founded Terra Global in 2006 to attract private-sector capital to NbS. She is a recognized innovator in aligning development values and financially viable approaches to NbS. Under Durschinger’s leadership, Terra has become a leader in GHG quantification and financing commercially viable NbS programs that generate multiple-benefit emission reductions/removals. She launched an investment fund that provides that finances a diverse portfolio of NbS programs in developing countries. Durschinger is on the IETA Council, Verra VCS Program Advisory Group, and served on the REDD+ SES Committee and Verra VCS JNR-Expert WG.
Chief Operating Officer, NO.17 Foundation
Saurabh Gaidhani is the Chief Operating Officer of NO.17 Foundation, a member of TPC (Tsao Pao Chee) Group. Saurabh has 15+ years of experience in the international development and philanthropy sector. During which, he has advised clients from the public, private, and philanthropy sectors on diverse topics such as climate change, circular economy, net-zero, energy transitions, decarbonization, nature-based solutions, urban development, inclusive growth, environmental degradation, and ESG frameworks. Saurabh has an Executive Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts from the National University of Singapore and Executive Education in Public Policy and Sustainable Finance from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and the University of Cambridge, respectively. Before joining TPC (Tsao Pao Chee), Saurabh was Regional Head at Resilient Cities Network and Associate Director at Rockefeller Foundation, leading the organization’s strategic engagement, programs, and partnerships in the Asia Pacific region.
MODERATOR
Vice President for Development and Partnerships, Terraformation
Samantha Taylor is VP of Development at Terraformation, where she leads global fundraising and strategic partnerships to mobilize capital for high-integrity, native, biodiverse reforestation. She was formerly VP of Development at Emergent Climate and Managing Director at Bozell Worldwide, and served as Senior Advisor to American Forests, The Nature Conservancy, and Safe Water Network. A native of London and raised in Kenya, Samantha brings more than two decades of international leadership building the partnerships and resources needed to turn ambitious environmental solutions into impact at scale.
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