Nature Calls – Working with Business to Build Back Biodiversity

Andy Cornish grew up in Hong Kong, and completed a Ph.D on reef fishes at The University of Hong Kong in 2000. He spent 16 years working for the world’s largest conservation organisation WWF, first as the Conservation Director for WWF-Hong Kong, and then as the leader for a global marine conservation program for WWF International.

He subsequently founded Cornerstone Strategies, a boutique consultancy that provides tailored strategic planning support to charities, foundations and corporations in Asia Pacific and beyond. Andy has extensive experience in strategic planning, fundraising, people development, communications and building collaborations, and a firmly results-driven approach.

My Sustainability Goals for 2024:

• Nature conservation and restoration being mainstreamed into Hong Kong’s planning processes
• Renewable energy becoming available to consumers in Hong Kong

Katie works on BEC’s Policy & Research team where she contributes to the development of policy positions on Hong Kong’s existing and emerging environmental challenges and drives the delivery of impactful projects to embed sustainability into business strategy and the city’s broader climate transition. Katie currently leads the team’s nature-related work to narrow the gap between business and nature, incorporate biodiversity considerations into local policy and business decision-making, and supports other sectoral decarbonisation initiatives, such as the aviation sector through sustainable aviation fuel.
Prior to working in Hong Kong, Katie worked in the UK to deliver analysis and thought leadership to impact investors and sustainability-minded corporates on climate change policy, the blue economy, biodiversity and nature conservation. Katie is a Geography graduate of King’s College London.

My Sustainability Goal for 2024:

• Mainstreaming biodiversity protection into Hong Kong’s business decision-making and policy landscape.
• Engage key stakeholders and facilitate collaboration to bring about positive and impactful industry change for nature, biodiversity, and the broader environment.

Billy holds a PhD in forest ecology from The University of Hong Kong (HKU). With a focus on ecological restoration, particularly in degraded tropical East Asia, he is recognized as a terrestrial ecologist and conservationist. In 1998, BILLY founded the Native Tree Nursery of the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) to promote the use of native plant species in forest restoration efforts. Additionally, he is the principal investigator of a 20 ha long-term forest monitoring plot in Hong Kong’s Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve which is part of the Center for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS) – Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO) program. ForestGEO monitors and predicts forest responses to climate change on a global scale. His research currently focuses on carbon sequestration by native trees and forests in Hong Kong. He is also an expert in urban biodiversity and has been helping the public and private sector in promoting biodiversity in urban areas.

My Sustainability Goals for 2024:

I wish to see:

• Major commitment from the Hong Kong Government in reforesting the extensive degraded hillsides on Hong Kong.
• A new Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan in Hong Kong which would halt major loss of wetland and other important habitats in Hong Kong.
• The integration of nature-based solutions in policy making in Hong Kong.

Patrick is responsible for formulating and executing the Sustainable Development 2030 Strategy for Swire Properties’ global operations across Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland and U.S.A. portfolios. Through engaging stakeholders, setting science-based targets and developing action plans, he leads a team to manage the full spectrum of the Company’s environmental, social and economic impact and to integrate ESG considerations into every facet of the Company’s business.

My Sustainability Goals for 2024:

• Guided by the Sustainable Development 2030 Strategy, continue to pioneer sustainable business practices, adopt cutting-edge technologies and innovation, and actively share best practices with the business community.
• Engage actively with all stakeholders in HK and the region to foster partnerships and develop collective solutions for the net-zero transitions.

A structured finance professional with 30yrs of experience in commercial banking, Kate specialised in identifying financial risks and pricing and structuring hedging solutions to mitigate these risks for infrastructure projects and corporates. She also initiated and set up the derivatives sales and coverage desk for Financial Institution & Investor relationships in her last role at SMBC Capital Markets (Asia) Limited.

Certified in Green & Sustainable finance by the Chartered Banker Institute and having completed Sustainability Leadership at Imperial Business School, she is working as a sustainability consultant, helping companies in Asia to identify their material ESG business risks and opportunities and develop Environmental and Social Management Systems (ESMS).

Kate is currently undertaking a research paper on how Hong Kong can innovate financing for marine conservation for ADM Capital Foundation with the purpose of stimulating more conversation and focus in the public and private sectors on preserving our oceans .