People

Veronica Ayzaguer is the Chief Programs Officer and Head of Corporate Programs of the Emerging Markets Investors Alliance (EMIA)

At Agroempresa Forestal (AF), Veronica serves as Fund Manager, Impact Investing. Previously, she was Head of US Equity Sales at LarrainVial. She has experience in the analysis and valuation of financial and corporate names in Latam, as well as experience in special and distressed situations in the Andean region. She was formerly leader of the first corporate credit team established in LarrainVial's Sell-Side Research Department. Prior to joining LarrainVial, Veronica was a buy-side credit risk analyst with Principal Financial Group Chile.

Veronica earned a Master's Degree in Finance from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile and a B.Sc. from Universidad Catolica del Uruguay in Management.

Meghna has experience in impact investing and sustainable finance through her work with the Emerging Markets Investors Alliance, where she conducted research on sustainability-linked bonds and ESG best practices for investors, issuers, and financial institutions. She has also worked in energy policy, AI infrastructure RD&D, and environmental justice, including at the Bipartisan Policy Center and as a legislative project lead advancing North Carolina energy market reform.

Meghna recently graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with a B.A. in International Comparative Studies and a certificate in Energy & Environment.

Marilyn currently leads Capital for Sustainability (C4S). She previously led the climate finance portfolio at the Hewlett Foundation (and Climate Finance Fund), the energy practice at Village Capital, energy modeling as a senior research fellow at Project Drawdown, and innovation projects at Orano and Framatome (formerly AREVA). Author of Sustainability at Work: careers that make a difference and contributing editor at ImpactAlpha, Marilyn’s writing has been featured in outlets such as the Financial Times, Le Monde, and the Boston Globe. She holds a Master’s Degree with distinction in Engineering for Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering, magna cum laude, from Princeton University. She serves on multiple boards and investment committees, including Climate First Bank. 

Marilyn founded the Global Climate Finance Forum.

UNA MAY GORDON, MSc, is an accomplished environmental professional with extensive experience at the intersection of policy formulation, programme development, and climate action. She is committed to enabling impact by bridging finance, policy, and practice, leveraging strong technical communication and stakeholder engagement to advance climate adaptation, mitigation, and disaster risk reduction.

Highly networked and collaborative, she has a proven track record of building sustainable partnerships and delivering transformative outcomes. UnaMay excels at convening and facilitating dialogue among governments, private sector leaders, civil society, and youth organizations at national, regional, and international levels. Her work spans engagement with public institutions, SMEs, women’s groups, youth organizations, and producer networks—strengthening capacity, supporting innovation, and fostering inclusive development.

She holds a Master of Science in Environmental Sciences from Wageningen University and a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Agronomy from the University of the West Indies. She has also been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws for her contributions to rural development across the Americas.

Jessica Silva is a Brazilian executive leader, board member, and impact investor working at the intersection of capital markets, governance, and regenerative economic systems.

She currently serves as Co-CEO of Sistema B Brasil, part of the global B Corp Movement, where she leads efforts to strengthen a business ecosystem that integrates profit, socio-environmental impact, and accountable governance.

Jessica brings 18 years of experience across consulting, venture capital, impact investing, and impact management. She previously served as a partner at VOX Capital, one of Brazil’s pioneering impact investment firms, where she developed and led the firm’s impact management and measurement strategy. Earlier in her career, she was Operations Manager at PwC.

She serves on the board of Centre for Exponential Change and served for five years on the ESG Committee of Grupo Fleury, contributing to initiatives that advance sustainable finance, innovation, and long-term governance.

Jessica has also mentored founders through initiatives such as BNDES Garagem and Google for Startups’ Black Founders Fund.

She has been recognized six times by LAVCA as one of the most influential women in venture capital in Latin America and named one of the 100 most innovative women in Brazil by Época Negócios.

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/jess_ssilva

Dr. Xu Hu is the Head of Research at the Chinese Academy of Financial Inclusion (CAFI) and the Secretary General of the International Forum for China Impact Investing (IFCII).

In his role at IFCII, Dr. Hu has been actively involved in building the impact investing ecosystem in China and coordinated the effort for the forum to become the China National Partner of GSG Impact. At CAFI, Dr. Hu leads research on sustainable and inclusive finance, with a focus on impact investing, inclusive green finance, financing for SME sustainability, and blended finance.

Dr. Hu has published research on impact accounting methodologies and contributed to the development of the International Foundation for Valuing Impacts (IFVI) methodologies. He served as a member of the Technical Working Group on Conceptual Foundations for the Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD).

Before joining CAFI, Dr. Hu was the Deputy Head of Research at Ping An Digital Economic Research Center, where he led the team to provide AI and Big Data driven macroeconomics and investment research. He began his career in academia as an Assistant Professor of macroeconomics and international finance at Fudan University.

Nidhi Ralhan is a senior development professional with over 16 years of experience working on programmes related to food systems, renewable energy, climate resilience, nutrition, and sustainable livelihoods. Her work centers building networks and coalitions that bring together policy, private sector actors, and development partners to support more sustainable and inclusive development pathways.

Ralhan is currently Principal Strategist at Forum for the Future and Programme Manager for the Food Systems Collaboration Network (FSCN), where she leads initiatives such as Growing Our Future (Madhya Pradesh), a subnational programme focused on sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems. She also convenes senior industry leaders under the Responsible Energy Initiative to advance responsible renewable energy practices and support a just and equitable transition.

Previously, Ralhan worked with the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), hosted by the World Resources Institute, as well as with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit and UNESCO. She holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex.

Sammy Malaki is an enterprise finance and sustainable investment leader with over 15 years of experience across asset management, banking and impact investing in Africa and Asia.

He currently serves as Head of Sustainability & Social Impact at Equity Bank (Kenya) Ltd, where he leads the bank’s sustainable finance agenda, integrating ESG and climate risk into credit and lending decisions while developing innovative financing solutions in partnership with DFIs and institutional investors.

Previously, Sammy held senior leadership roles at Mirova (a Natixis Investment Managers affiliate) and SIMA LLC, overseeing financial strategy, governance and renewable energy and inclusive finance investments across global markets.

Beyond his executive roles, Sammy is active in Rotary leadership, having served as Finance Chair across a four-country region.

A CPA and MBA (University of Derby), he combines board-level governance expertise with a practical track record of translating sustainability strategy into measurable financial performance.

Lebogang Mokgabudi is an Independent Board Director and Digital Innovation Specialist with over 15 years of experience advancing digital financial services and financial inclusion across Africa. She serves as a Board Director at the Principles for Responsible Investment, an Independent Specialist Trustee at the Government Employees Pension Fund, and an Investment Committee Member at Linea Capital.

She has also served as South Africa Country Manager for Catalyst Fund and sits on the board of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, supporting payments integration and intra-African trade.

A recognized thought leader in fintech and inclusive growth, Mokgabudi has delivered keynote addresses and facilitated global dialogues on digital innovation, payments, and the future of finance. She is committed to leveraging technology to drive inclusive growth, gender equality, and economic transformation.

Mokgabudi holds an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of the Witwatersrand.