Ms. Priyasmita Biswas

Ms. Priyasmita Biswas is an economist, chartered accountant and sustainable development specialist with over twenty five years of international development experience. Since July 2015 she is a self-employed consultant specialising in programme design and impact monitoring - particularly in the infrastructure, housing and manufacturing sectors. Previously, Priya Smita Biswas was the Development Advisor for the Private Infrastructure Development Group (www.pidg.org), heading the PIDG results monitoring and development impact team from 2007 to 2015. PIDG is a global infrastructure focused poverty reduction programme aimed at encouraging private sector led infrastructure investment in the poorest developing countries. Prior to this, she was a Technical Director – Social Development at IMC Worldwide from 2003-2008 where she undertook social impact assessments and designed gender mainstreaming/livelihoods activities, especially for the infrastructure sector in selected countries of Asia and Africa. From 1997-2001, Priya Smita gained five years of grassroots experience in India working with a trade union of informal sector women workers (SEWA and MHT), supporting their micro finance (particularly infrastructure/housing finance) activities. During 1999, Priya Smita spent a year at the World Bank’s Water & Sanitation Programme (WSP), New Delhi, researching the potential of micro finance on urban infrastructure provision and the social and economic impacts of improved infrastructure on the lives of the informal sector poor. Priya Smita holds a Bachelors in Economics (2:1) and a Masters (with Distinction) in Social Policy & Planning for Developing Countries, both from the London School of Economics. She is a first time qualified Chartered Accountant, having trained with Ernst and Young, London between 1993-1996.

Nathanial Mattews

Nathanial Matthews is Chief Executive Officer of Planetary, a nature tech company that delivers a comprehensive end-to-end solution bringing together the private and public sector, scientists and local communities to protect biodiversity and build resilience. Nate has over 25 years’ experience managing, scaling, and monitoring resilience, water, ecosystem and agricultural programs in partnership with governments, NGOs, communities, and the private sector across more than 50 countries. This experience includes serving as CEO of the Global Resilience Partnership, and in leadership roles with the CGIAR, UNEP, various Non-profits, and the private sector. Nate’s expertise has been recognized through contributions to various global networks including as an Expert Integrity Council Member of Science Based Targets for Nature (SBTN), Lead Author in The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), an Obama Foundation Mentor, and a Munich Re Risk Award Judge. He holds numerous board and advisory council positions including as a Board member of the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation, the Climate Development Knowledge Network and Climate Resilience for All. He holds a Ph.D. in Geography, with certificates in finance from Yale and London Business School. He is a Visiting Professor at King’s College London, a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society and a Fellow of the Explorer’s Club. He has published two books and over 85 scientific papers and reports.

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