Co-Chair of RIAA's First Nations Peoples' Rights Working Group and Senior Sustainable Investment Analyst
,
Mercer Australia
Co-Chair of RIAA's First Nations Peoples' Rights Working Group and Director (various)
,
Director, First Nations and Public Affairs
,
Clean Energy Finance Corporation
Associate Director, Natural Capital
,
Clean Energy Finance Corporation
RIAA's Nature Working Group is an initiative to support members in their stewardship responsibilities to protect nature and biodiversity in their business operations and their portfolio of companies.
The Nature Working Group has a three-fold purpose:
- Supporting members to identify and address nature-related investment risks and opportunities including impacts and dependencies
- Supporting members to consider nature in the stewardship of their assets;
- and Finding and sharing the most impactful local and international research and regulatory developments on nature for responsible investors.
The above purpose should be fulfilled with the understanding of the connectedness of this work with Indigenous People and Local Communities, Human Rights and Climate.
This meeting will open with insights from the Co‑Chairs of RIAA’s First Nations Peoples’ Rights Working Group, who will share perspectives on the synergies between our respective work programs. This will be followed by a presentation from the CEFC’s Yolande Pepperall, Director, First Nations and Public Affairs, and Marion Duquesnoy, Associate Director, Natural Capital, on their investment in the Tiwi Islands forestry project.
Aligned with our workplan—which recognises the interconnectedness of Nature and First Nations—this session will provide an opportunity to explore a case study of finance flowing into First Nations‑led nature restoration. The meeting will conclude with industry updates.
How to log into Zoom from Glue Up/registration link.
View RIAA's Privacy Collection Statement here.
Nature working group principal partner
Co-Chair of RIAA's First Nations Peoples' Rights Working Group and Senior Sustainable Investment Analyst
,
Mercer Australia
Will Leak is a Senior Associate in Mercer’s Investments business, based in Sydney. As part of the investment management team, his role as Senior Sustainable Investment Analyst sees him focused on integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations within the investment process, including selecting and monitoring investment managers, a range of stewardship activities, plus analysis and implementation related to exclusions and thematic topics like climate change. Will has a passion for the intersection of First Nations Peoples and traditional investment markets is involved in a number of First Nations industry bodies, including as Co-Chair for the Responsible Investment Association Australasia's (RIAA) First Nations Peoples Working Group and a member of the Reconciliation Action Plan Taskforce plus the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute’s First Nations Reference Group.
Co-Chair of RIAA's First Nations Peoples' Rights Working Group and Director (various)
,
Phil is a professional Director, Adviser and private investor with sector experience covering sustainable finance and impact investing, credit markets, education, health, the not-for-profits and early stage investing. He is currently a Director of Futurity Investment Group, the Stroke Foundation, Environmental Defender’s Office and B Lab ANZ. He also works with numerous early-stage companies in the renewable, clean tech and fintech sectors as an investor and mentor. Phil was previously CEO and Managing Director of Australian Ethical Investment and Group Executive with Perpetual Limited in charge of their Corporate Trust and Securitisation business.He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and of the Australian Superannuation Funds Association.
Director, First Nations and Public Affairs
,
Clean Energy Finance Corporation
Yolande is Director of First Nations and Public Affairs at the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, leading the organisation’s policy work and relationships across First Nations matters and opportunities and supporting the CEFC Natural Capital team. Yolande has almost 20 years of experience across government and finance, including external affairs, policy work, strategy, asset management and transaction analysis and development. At the CEFC, Yolande has previously worked within the Investment team on deal origination and analysis and within the Portfolio Management team responsible for relationships with financiers and banks for CEFC co-finance programs. Prior to joining the CEFC, Yolande worked at Westpac Banking Corporation within the Institutional and Commercial divisions in business development and relationship management.
Associate Director, Natural Capital
,
Clean Energy Finance Corporation
Marion Duquesnoy is an Associate Director in the investment team at the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, focusing on agriculture and forestry transactions. Marion works across deal origination, strategy, structuring, and execution to drive sustainable initiatives and foster responsible investments. Marion has experience across equity investments, unlisted funds, merger and acquisitions, and project finance transactions in various sectors including natural capital and renewable energy. Marion holds a Master of Science from EDHEC Business School (France) with a double major in Finance and Management.
