Visiting researchers
Visiting researchers provide expert knowledge and insights, helping to unlock the full potential of the Just Transition Finance Lab’s international network. Visiting Fellows allow the Lab to have a broad range of expertise on different geographies, sectors and the financial and impact aspects of the Lab.
Sophia Tickell
Sophia is a Visiting Professor in Practice at the Grantham Research Institute at LSE and Strategic Adviser to the Lab, including the Strategy Council. Sophia was the Co-founder and Director of Meteos Ltd (a not-for-profit think tank and strategy company). For 15 years she has worked to bring social equity and environmental considerations to the board rooms of global companies.
Isabel Blanco
Isabel Blanco is a Visiting Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute at LSE and the Head of Impact, Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Isabel led the design and launch of EBRD’s Just Transition Initiative. She is working on the Lab’s European and metrics programmes.
Suranjali Tandon
Suranjali is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute at LSE and Associate Professor at the National Institute for Public Finance and Policy in New Delhi. She has co-authored two reports with the Grantham Research Institute on financing a just transition. Suranjali is working on the India programme.
Katarzyna Szwarc
Katarzyna formerly worked with the Grantham Research Institute at LSE on just transition finance and is now a Visiting Fellow. She is currently the High Representative of the Polish Minister of Finance for Capital Market Development Strategy. She works with the Lab on its European programme.
Hans Peter Lankes
Hans Peter Lankes is a Visiting Professor in Practice at the Grantham Research Institute at LSE. Hans Peter was Vice President, Economics & Private Sector at the International Finance Corporation/World Bank Group. Hans Peter works with the Lab on emerging markets.
Simon Bond
Simon has over 35 years of experience in the investment industry and responsible investment, focusing on fixed income impact portfolios. He is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute at LSE and works with the Lab on the bonds programme.
Sandy Lowitt
Sandy is a Research Fellow at Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies in South Africa. She led the Just Transition Finance Roadmap project for South Africa and is working on a tracking framework for its Just Energy Transition Partnership (JET-P). She is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute at LSE and works with the Lab on emerging markets.
Vonda Brunsting
Vonda is Director for the Global Workers Capital Project at the Centre for Labor and a Just Economy in the Harvard Law School. Vonda has partnered with LSE for the past 5 years on just transition finance and is now a Senior Visiting Fellow. She works with the Lab on its strategies for investors.
Julie Segal
Julie works on financial regulation for climate and environmental justice. She leads a climate finance policy program at Environmental Defence Canada and previously managed a portfolio of impact investments at the McConnel Foundation. She is a Visiting Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute at LSE and works with the Lab on global policy.
Darian McBain
Darian is a Visiting Professor in Practice at the Grantham Research Institute at LSE and the CEO and Founder of Outsourced Chief Sustainability Officer Asia. Darian was the inaugural Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, making her the first CSO for a central bank globally. She works with the Lab on just transition finance in Asia-Pacific.
Michał Hetmański
Michał is the CEO and Co-founder of Instrat Foundation in Poland. He is an expert in public policy, energy and open data and a co-author of research and strategic documents on just transition in coal regions, data governance, public finance and taxation systems. Michał is a Visiting Fellow at the Just Transition Finance Lab and serves as a key regional link for the Lab in Central and Eastern Europe.
Colin Baines
Colin is responsible for the ESG and net zero transition stewardship at Border to Coast Pension Partnership, previously overseeing investment policy and stewardship at Friends Provident Foundation, and ethical policy, engagement and campaigns at the Co-operative Bank. Colin is a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Lab.
Sarah Gordon
Sarah is a Visiting Professor in Practice at the Grantham Research Institute at LSE, where she is leading a project on mobilising private capital at scale for economic, environmental and social priorities. Sarah was the founding chief executive of the Impact Investing Institute. She previously worked for 18 years at the Financial Times.
Annabel Ross
Anabel is a Visiting Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute at LSE and a Director in Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets, leading on client strategy for sustainability in capital markets financing. Prior to joining Lloyds, Annabel researched sustainable finance innovations for the banking sector. Previously she worked in the UK capital markets team at Deutsche Bank and has run a small business.
Prasad Modak
Dr Modak is Managing Director of Environmental Management Centre Pvt Ltd and Director of the Ekonnect Knowledge Foundation. Prior to this he was a Professor at Centre for Environmental Science & Engineering at IIT Bombay (1984-1994) and later as Professor (Adjunct) at the Center for Technology Alternatives in Rural Areas (CTARA) (2009-2017). Prasad provides advice on the India programme.
