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Gareth Phillips
Climate and Environment Finance Manager
About Gareth Phillips
With over 30 years’ experience in climate and the environment, I specialize in raising public and private funds to invest in projects that promote low carbon and climate resilient development.
Current position:
I manage a team of 15 staff and consultants who access funds from GEF, CIF and GCF and manage the Africa Climate Change Fund. I am leading the development of several new initiatives designed to use public funds to leverage private sector investment.
Specific areas of responsibility:
• Leading the development of the Adaptation Benefits Mechanism
• Prime mover behind efforts to create a Commercial Forestry Fund to drive equity into the African plantation forestry industry
• Leading the development Green Banks and National Climate Change Funds in six countries in Africa
• Gender and climate issues including a study on a “Women Lead Plastic Recycling Economy” in Uganda and raising funds from Global Affairs Canada for projects in the area of women and climate.
Highlights of former positions:
Chief Climate Change Officer, Sindicatum Sustainable Resources: Raised USD 360 m to invest into emission reduction projects under the Clean Development Mechanism. I built a world class team climate change professionals responsible for developing the emission reduction aspects of clean technology projects in SE Asia.
Global Product Manager, SGS Climate Change Change Programme: During 10 years spanning a range of positions I undertook some of the earliest FSC Certification projects certifying plantation and natural forests against Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Forest Management; developed the buffering concept for accounting for carbon stored in forests; certified GHG emission baselines and annual inventories for major emitters in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS); obtained and managed SGS’s accreditation to UK ETS, the Clean development Mechanism and the EU ETS; submitted the first request for registration of a CDM project.