Financing Nature & Resilience: How to Structure Bankable Deals

Jean-Marc is Managing Director at Seneca Impact Advisors, where he leads all aspects of the firm’s work, including strategy, business development, and project origination. He works closely with governments, development finance institutions, and global organizations to design and implement capital solutions that support biodiversity, climate resilience, and sustainable livelihoods.

He works across Asia-Pacific and is expanding the firm’s presence in Africa through partnerships with governments, funders, and implementation partners. His current focus is on developing new finance models that blend public and private capital, enable local implementation, and support scalable outcomes. He brings a strong emphasis on ecological integrity and ensures that nature and biodiversity remain central to how impact is defined, delivered, and sustained.

Before founding Seneca, Jean-Marc dedicated seven years to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). In his capacity as Head of Bankable Nature Solutions for Asia-Pacific, he developed and scaled pipeline projects across the region. He set up and led the Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD) in Asia-Pacific, and also led the finance work for WWF’s global Freshwater Practice, supporting the development of financing solutions for river basins and wetlands. He was also instrumental in co-establishing the Climate Impact Asia Fund, a long-only equity fund.

Jean-Marc’s earlier career spanned 17 years in the financial industry, working across capital markets and investment banking. He began his career in 1997 with Merrill Lynch in New York. Since 2004, he has been based in Hong Kong, with significant time in Tokyo and Singapore, working with institutions such as BNP Paribas and Jefferies in senior client-facing roles.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, and is based in Hong Kong.

Tom is Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Vana, a nature based solutions developer focused on bankable community forest restoration projects in Southeast Asia, and Development Finance Asia, a sustainable finance platform. Tom co- founded R2O, the largest rural NBFI/financial inclusion platform in Myanmar with over 750,000 clients. Tom also served on the Investment and Executive Committees as consultant to an IFC (World Bank) backed Asian investment platform, and has worked extensively with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Mongolia.

Tom sits on several Boards across Emerging Asia including companies focused on financial services, real estate, logistics and FMCG. He is an advisor to The Nature Conservancy in Mongolia and on the board of the Alliance for Responsible Forest Management.

Previously Tom was Managing partner at Cube Capital in Hong Kong, where he built and managed the Asia business with a focus on China asset backed lending, Vietnam real estate, Myanmar, Mongolia and event trading. Tom started his career at J.P. Morgan in New York, London, Singapore and Tokyo.

Tom has a BA from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, and an MSc from the University of Oxford in sustainable development.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

1. Hong Kong be a leader in blended finance for nature based solutions for developing countries in Asia;
2. Hong Kong create innovative financing structures and incentives to conserve nature.

Ritesh Thakkar has 20 years of experience in financial services, development finance, management consulting and advancing public-private partnerships in the Asia and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) region. In his role at Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI), he worked extensively with governments, central banks, private sector and multi-lateral development banks towards advancing SDGs and Green finance policy development to foster enabling ecosystems towards a net-zero transition. Ritesh was part of the core team for the Asia Asset Management practice at McKinsey & Co. He has served clients across variety of key topics including Market entry, Growth strategy, Digital and Distribution strategy. He has also worked with ING Investment Management and ICICI Prudential Asset Management building Institutional Partnerships with Central Banks, Pension Funds, SWFs, Life Insurance Companies and Banks in the Asia region to deliver tailored ESG integrated Investment management solutions and was a founder of an NGO in India which provided a platform to the youth to serve the under privileged section of the society. Ritesh holds a Masters of Business Administration from Asian Institute of Management and completed a Sustainable Finance course from University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

Audrey is Business for Nature Specialist at ADM Capital Foundation in Hong Kong. Her work focuses on the intersection of nature and finance, specifically elevating nature considerations within the finance community and providing tools and resources to integrate nature and biodiversity into financial institutions’ operations. She works closely with the sector to understand the current status and challenges of nature integration and implementing solutions such as the TNFD and has supported the TNFD-aligned disclosures of ADM Capital. On the conservation and education side, Audrey oversees grants to scientific research organizations advancing knowledge of the natural world, with a focus on biodiversity hotspots in Southeast Asia. Before joining ADMCF, Audrey led the impact assessment function at venture capital fund Loyal VC, which funds start-ups with positive environmental and social impacts. Audrey holds an MBA from INSEAD and dual BA degrees from American University and is a certified anti money laundering specialist (CAMS).

Ms. Zoe Jiang currently serves as Senior Vice President of Sustainability Strategy at Bank of China Hong Kong, with extensive experiences in sustainable finance.

At BOCHK, Zoe has led a number of strategic initiatives, including the 5-Year Sustainability Plan, the BOCHK Greater Bay Area CTB Index and ETF, etc. She is currently responsible for the driving the Bank’s Net Zero Transition Planning Project. In addition, she has strong expertise in sustainability research. She has published articles in industry journals such as the International Finance Magazine, and co-authored HKEX’s first published book in green and sustainable finance, From Vision to Market Practice.

Zoe obtained her B.A. degree from Fudan University, M.A. in Strategic Public Relations from University of Southern California, and MBA from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder.