Day 1 – Session C1: Innovative Finance for Nature-Based Solutions
Jennifer Romero-Torres, Principal Sustainable Finance Specialist, ADB
Jennifer Romero-Torres is the Head of Sustainable Finance Practice Team in the Finance Sector Office of the Asian Development Bank. She has over 15 years of professional experience. She has led investment projects, policy based lending operations, technical assistance and knowledge management across ADB’s developing member countries in South Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific involving crosscutting and innovative projects on sustainable, climate and green finance, private sector and capital market development, PPP and infrastructure finance, COVID-response program, and financial inclusion. Prior to ADB, she worked on corporate and structured finance, institutional banking, and management consultancy for major global banks and advisory firms in Australia. Jennifer is a national of Australia. She holds postgraduate degrees, including a Master of Applied Finance from the University of Melbourne (Australia).
Cherie Gray, Global Lead for Sustainability and Market Development, Swiss Re
Cherie Gray is currently the Global Lead for Sustainability and Market Development, with Swiss Re's Public Sector Solutions business.
Over the last few years in this role, Cherie has led innovative projects with governments, institutions, NGOs, and the insurance industry to create opportunities that support nature-positive action, the energy transition and broader sustainability practices. She has also been instrumental in the organisation's work on climate adaptation, affordability and resilience.
Cherie's previous roles have been predominantly in Strategy and Transformation, across the Asia region. She has also worked extensively in primary insurance, leading product development, sales and distribution, and claims. Before insurance, she spent a number of years in marketing and consulting.
Cherie has an MBA, is a qualified Executive Coach and graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Yoko Watanabe, Director Environment, ADB
Yoko Watanabe is the Director of Environment at the Asian Development Bank. She heads the environment and nature initiatives, including biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management, nature-based solutions, and air quality and circular economy.
She has over 30 years of professional experience working on biodiversity and natural resources management. She has strategically managed large teams and worked on environment projects and programs in over 130 countries. Before joining ADB, she directed the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme as its Global Manager at UNDP in New York. She also worked at the GEF Secretariat in Washington DC for over a decade and held key positions, including Regional Coordinator for the Asia Program, Coordinator on Social Inclusion and Gender, and Program Manager on Biodiversity. While at the World Bank, Yoko served at the Rwanda Country Office and managed its environment portfolio. Before that Yoko worked at the World Wildlife Fund as its Conservation Director in Mongolia and later as a Senior Advisor on Multilateral Relations in Washington DC. She started her development career at JICA in Tokyo, and later at UNDP as Environment Program Officer at Nepal and Mongolia Country Offices.
Jaclyn Dove, Managing Director, Sustainable Finance, Standard Chartered
Jaclyn is the Managing Director and Global Head of Sustainable Finance Strategic Initiatives in the Chief Sustainability Office at Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), based in Singapore. She combines over two decades of experience in banking, financial markets, and risk management with a strong commitment to advancing sustainability across the financial sector.
In her current role, Jaclyn is responsible for defining and implementing the sustainability frameworks that underpin SCB’s green, transition, social, and sustainable lending businesses. She has extensive experience across EMEA and Asia, with deep expertise in managing corporates, loan syndications, global subsidiaries, and financial institutional businesses, gained through leadership roles at JP Morgan, Barclays, and Standard Chartered.
A passionate advocate for capability building, Jaclyn has contributed to the upskilling of the financial industry by developing forward-looking learning curriculums aligned to the sector’s evolving needs, equipping professionals to embed sustainability into core banking and investment practices.
Leading a multi-disciplinary team across markets, she drives strategic initiatives that advance SCB’s strategy as a Global Cross-Border Affluent Bank with sustainability at its core.
Josephine Bellman, Sustainable Investing Research Analyst, Impact Lead, Invesco Ltd.
Josephine Bellman is a Sustainable Investing Research Analyst and Impact Lead at Invesco, based in London, UK. She produces company, sector, and thematic research with a focus on climate adaptation and biodiversity. Her work supports investment decision-making and provides insights that guide impact investing efforts in emerging markets.
Previously, Josephine served as ESG Client Strategies Communications Manager at Invesco, where she was responsible for client and industry engagement, strategic messaging, and ESG reporting. She holds a BA in Human Sciences from the University of Oxford and an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London. The research for her MSc thesis, conducted in collaboration with British International Investment, was published in a report examining the impacts of climate change on businesses and investors in emerging economies.
Josephine holds both the Investment Management Certificate (IMC) and the CFA Certificate in Impact Investing.