December 4, 2024 (Chicago)—The Paulson Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Simon Zadek as Senior Fellow. Simon brings a wealth of expertise in sustainable finance and nature-positive solutions that will support the Institute’s mission to address the global biodiversity crisis. His deep experience in advancing innovative financial strategies will further strengthen the Institute’s capabilities in tackling the critical challenge of closing the biodiversity financing gap.
Simon is a globally recognized leader in sustainable finance, known for his groundbreaking work aligning financial systems with environmental, climate, and broader societal objectives. Simon’s leadership has helped shape the global conversation on nature and finance, fostering innovative financing solutions to systemic challenges. He founded and was until recently the co-CEO of NatureFinance, a Swiss-based non-profit organization dedicated to aligning financial flows with equitable nature-positive outcomes, where he remains a Senior Advisor.
Simon is a Senior Advisor to the Task Force on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures and is a member of the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits. He was co-director of the ground-breaking UNEP Finance Inquiry. He served as the UN Secretary-General in steering the Taskforce on Digital Financing for the SDGs. He also ran the G20 workstream on green finance under the Chinese, German, and Argentinian presidencies. Simon has published extensively, including the award-winning book The Civil Corporation and, more recently, the Time to Plan for a World Beyond 1.5C pamphlet. He has held positions at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management, the University of South Africa, the Singapore Management University, and the Copenhagen Business School.
“We are delighted to welcome Simon Zadek to the Paulson Institute,” said Deborah Lehr, Vice Chairman and Executive Director of the Paulson Institute. “Simon’s expertise in sustainable finance will help us deepen our efforts to create innovative financial mechanisms that protect biodiversity and support sustainable economic growth. His leadership will be invaluable as we continue our work on initiatives like Financing Nature, which identifies solutions to close the global biodiversity financing gap.”
Simon commented on his appointment: “I am honored and excited to join the Paulson Institute and contribute to its critical work in shaping how finance can support positive nature and climate outcomes. The urgency to align global finance with the imperative to protect and restore our planet’s biodiversity has never been greater. I look forward to collaborating with the Institute and its partners to advance this mission.”
The Paulson Institute has long been at the forefront of addressing global biodiversity challenges. PI’s groundbreaking report, Financing Nature, outlines actionable solutions for mobilizing the financial resources needed to halt biodiversity loss worldwide. Simon Zadek’s expertise will bolster these efforts, ensuring the Institute remains a leader in the fight to protect our natural world.
Media Contact:
Kristin Gomez, Director of Communications and Strategic Initiatives
kgomez@paulsoninstitute.org
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About the Paulson Institute
Founded in 2011 by former Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr., the non-partisan Paulson Institute is based in Chicago, with offices in Washington and Beijing. The Paulson Institute is a non-partisan, independent, privately funded “think and do tank” dedicated to fostering a US-China relationship that serves to maintain global order in a rapidly evolving world. The focus on US-China is dictated by the reality that it is the most consequential bilateral relationship in the world. We operate at the intersection of economics, financial markets, and environmental protection by promoting market-based solutions to ensure green economic growth.