Beyond Credible Transition Planning to Transactions: Executing Transition Finance in the Real Economy

Jenny Lee is Deputy Secretary General of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association (HKGFA), where she leads multi-stakeholder engagement and advances sustainable finance initiatives across the public and private sectors, regulators, and government. She contributes to capacity building, data analytics, and transition planning under Hong Kong’s Cross-Agency Steering Group’s Green and Sustainable Finance Centre, and is actively involved in global platforms including UNFC4S, the Global Capacity Building Coalition (GCBC). Jenny convenes regional bi-lateral sustainable finance dialogues, co-convenes the Hong Kong chapter of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and has advised on key Hong Kong green fintech initiatives, and proof-of-concept funding support scheme.

After a 20-year career in investment banking at Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, and JPMorgan, Jenny transitioned into sustainability. She is committed to driving positive change and impact, integrating finance, technology, and nature, and is a life-long learner, holding certifications from the CFA Institute in Climate Risk, Valuation and Investing, CFA Sustainability Investing and MIT Sloan Management in Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

Advancing cross-sector collaboration and pratical application of sustainable and transition finance

Stephanie Clement de Givry has over 30 years of experience. She began her career at Societe Generale in Mexico after joining from The Chase Manhattan Bank in 1996. In 2000, Stephanie relocated to Paris, where she held various roles within Commodity Finance across the EMEA region. From 2006 to 2014, she moved to Asia (Shanghai and Hong Kong) to establish the Natural Resources, Energy, and Infrastructure Finance activities. From 2014 to 2022, she served as the Global Head of Mining, Metals & Industries Finance.

Based in Hong Kong since January 2022, Stephanie is the Head of Global Banking and Advisory for Asia Pacific. In addition to growing the Bank’s financing and advisory franchise in the region, she has played a pivotal role in driving sustainable and positive impact finance. Currently, she oversees client coverage, structured finance, sustainable finance, investment banking, distribution and credit solutions, as well as credit portfolio management, leading teams across eight markets.

Dr. Calvin Lee Kwan is a senior leader with 20 years of experience across APAC, helping organizations navigate the risks and opportunities that will define the next decade of business performance — acting on them before they reach the balance sheet.

Commercially grounded and cross-sector in scope, he has convened industries around emerging frameworks — bringing together financial services for green finance and insurers and brokers for sustainability-linked insurance — mobilizing over USD 30 billion in sustainable finance. At the international level, he has led initiatives at the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative and the Principles for Responsible Investment, shaping market standards and best practice.

Recognised as a thought leader in Asia Pacific real estate and named EY Greater China’s 2024 Outstanding Individual in Sustainability Excellence, he is trusted by boards, investors, and regulators to turn complex and emerging risks into decisive business action.

He holds a Doctorate in Environmental Science and Engineering from UCLA, an Executive MBA from Kellogg/HKUST, and a Juris Doctorate from The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Elaine is Associate Director in the International Affairs and Sustainable Finance team at the Chief Executive Officer’s Office of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong. Her work focuses on international regulatory cooperation and the implementation of sustainable finance policies relevant to Hong Kong’s capital markets.

Elaine supports the SFC’s senior management in engaging with international regulators and standard‑setting bodies, including IOSCO and the Financial Stability Board, and contributes to policy discussions on sustainability disclosures, transition finance and market integrity. In Hong Kong, she is closely involved in cross‑agency work under the Green and Sustainable Finance Cross‑Agency Steering Group, with a focus on sustainability disclosures, transition and adaptation finance, and supporting market infrastructure such as data, assurance and capacity building.

Before joining the SFC in 2020, Elaine worked at MSCI in Hong Kong for over eight years and has more than 20 years of private sector experience in the financial services industry. Her background includes investment risk management, product development, client consulting and implementation. She moved into ESG work in 2015, supporting asset owners and asset managers in integrating ESG and sustainability risks into investment processes across Asia ex‑Japan.

Elaine holds a Master of Science in Applied Finance from Singapore Management University and a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from the National University of Singapore.

John Willis is Senior Director of Corporate Performance & Accountability at WBCSD, where he helps businesses embed sustainability into financial valuation and capital allocation to drive long-term value and competitiveness. With over 30 years in sustainable finance, including senior roles at the Tracker Group (home of Carbon Tracker and Planet Tracker), Sustainable Insight Capital Management, and Deutsche Asset Management (DWS), as well as Global Head of Equity Research at Deutsche Bank Securities. He brings financial market expertise to the challenge of making sustainability performance a genuine business advantage.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

1. Demonstrate sustainable business strategies can pay, by driving competitiveness, resilience and value.
2. Make sustainability strategies investible by translating them into the language of capital markets.
3. Highlight credible transitions which turn ambition into corporate action.