It’s been announced that two Project Cygnus team members have been appointed as Members of the European Commission’s prestigious Platform on Sustainable Finance. The two are Professor Andreas Hoepner, and Dr Theodor Cojoianu from University College Dublin (UCD). At UCD, Prof Hoepner is Chair in Operational Risk, Banking & Finance and Vice President for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; Dr Cojoianu is Assistant Professor in Finance, Queen’s University Belfast.
Selected from over 500 applications based on expertise and ability to advise the Commission over the next two years, Andreas has been appointed in a personal capacity. Theodor is appointed as a representative of Agent Green, the most prominent biodiversity protection NGO in Eastern Europe.
The Platform on Sustainable Finance will advise the European Commission on the development of a robust list of screening criteria for the EU green taxonomy on sustainable finance policy as well as on the monitoring and reporting of sustainable investments in Europe.
Professor Hoepner commented:
“It is a great honour to have been selected to advise the European Commission’s Platform on Sustainable Finance. As leaders work to ensure that recovery from Covid-19 is as green as possible, this platform provides a unique opportunity for UCD to contribute its expertise but also for Project Cygnus to showcase the findings of its work.”
Dr Cojoianu said:
“I am incredibly pleased and honoured to be able to advise the Platform on Sustainable Finance and explore how leaders can make investment decisions that contribute to achieving net-zero.”
They have previously published a piece on impact investing that defines the concept, identifies the key players involved and draws comparisons with ESG investing. With Project Cygnus, they are looking to expand on this, assessing the pandemic’s economic impacts across green, red and white industries and laying the foundations for recommendations on how green recovery can be fostered by policymakers and financiers.
If you work in cities and regions committed to net-zero or if you are an asset manager interested in getting involved in Project Cygnus, please contact Michelle Brook, michelle.brook@icebreakerone.org. For more Project Cygnus and Icebreaker One updates, sign up for our newsletter.
If you’re interesting in our take on the EU taxonomy for green investment, please read this piece.