Event Details

The Women's Infrastructure Network are pleased to present the Who's Holding the Purse Strings? Women in Sustainable Finance event on Wednesday 3 July, hosted by Jacobs. Doors open at 4:30pm and the event will kick of from 5:15pm. 

Aotearoa New Zealand is facing a significant pipeline of new and upgraded infrastructure but there is a financing gap if we rely on traditional funding models.  This event will bring together leaders from the infrastructure and financial sectors to discuss alternative funding mechanisms and sources of financing and decision-making frameworks that promote environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations. 

Importantly, we will explore the pivotal role women play in shaping sustainable finance strategies and investment decisions across Aotearoa New Zealand and ask them how we can attract more impact investors and sustainable finance to fund critical community infrastructure.

We welcome Hon. Nicola Willis as a keynote speaker, followed by a panel discussion where you'll get to hear from a diverse range of leaders in this space and participate in a Q&A session. There will also be plenty of time for networking before and after the speakers.

Presenter Details

Hon. Nicola Willis

Nicola Willis is the Minister of Finance, Minister for the Public Service, Minister for Social Investment and Associate Minister of Climate Change. Prior to becoming an MP, Nicola held a number of senior management roles at New Zealand dairy co-operative Fonterra. She also served on the boards of Export NZ and policy think-tank the New Zealand Initiative. Nicola is a graduate of Victoria University of Wellington with a first-class Honours degree in English literature. She grew up in Wellington, and today she lives there with her husband Duncan and their four children.

Louise Tong - Executive Director, Sustainability, Risk & Funding at Morrison

Louise works for Morrison, focused primarily on sustainability for the listed infrastructure investment company, Infratil. She has responsibility for developing and delivering Infratil's sustainability strategy and sustainability and climate disclosures. Morrison is a global infrastructure investment company, founded and headquartered in Wellington, that now has over $40 billion of funds under management. Central to Morrison and Infratil’s approach is their aligned purpose, to ‘invest wisely in ideas that matter’. Louise has a degree in Civil Engineering and a Masters in Applied Finance, and has had a career spanning finance, capital markets, sustainable finance, energy and sustainability. She has held governance roles with the Auckland Council’s Treasury and the finance industry body, INFINZ. 

Helen Robinson

With a 30-year track record leading innovative technology companies, Helen is an entrepreneur driven by the mission to 'do good at scale'. Her diverse interests span sustainability, finance, consumer goods, and cutting-edge technologies like AI and aerospace. Notable roles include spearheading environmental market transparency as the former Managing Director of Markit Group's Environmental Registry, and founding Organic Initiative Ltd, a company dedicated to eliminating single-use plastics and toxic chemicals from hygiene products. Helen currently chairs sustainable investment entities like Kara Technologies (AI for accessibility) and Astrix Astronautics (powering satellites and earth from space), while serving on boards of organisations like Generate KiwiSaver, Local Government Funding Agency and NZTech. Her commitment to sustainable innovation and creating positive impact has earned her numerous accolades, including being named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM).

Jo Kelly -  Chief Executive Centre for Sustainable Finance: Toitū Tahua

Jo likes building interesting organisations.  In 2021 she helped establish the New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Finance where she is currently the Chief Executive. Jo helped establish the B Team under Sir Richard Branson.  She co-founded Harbour Cancer Centre and was a Senior Manager at Deloitte NZ. She’s been a non-Executive Director of New Zealand’s impact investing network and the Australasian arm of B Lab, the global non-profit that certifies B Corps. 

Moderator: Pene Ferguson - Principal, Jacobs

Pene Ferguson is a Principal, Climate Response and ESG with the Strategic Consulting team at Jacobs.  Pene provides advisory services to public and private sector clients on climate adaptation, nature-based solutions and meeting ESG requirements of investors.  Pene has recently joined Jacobs from the World Bank where she provided environmental risk analytics for investments in infrastructure in South East Asia and the Pacific.  Pene knows first hand what a difference reliable infrastructure, like water and electricity, makes to the social and economic wellbeing of a community and how a sustainability lens to finance can support multiple, positive outcomes beyond the pumps and pipes.