Climate Safe Learning Lab: Peer Learning for Climate Bankers

The Climate Safe Lending Network invites you to attend the next Climate Safe Learning Lab - a half-day virtual workshop for banking professionals to connect with peers while exploring the institutional, behavioural and cultural barriers to influencing bank climate action from the inside.

Got Zoom fatigue? This convening will feel very different to most online events. It is carefully designed as an intimate, honest, facilitated conversation between likeminded peers. We're interested in your human experiences more than your expertise. No corporate masks allowed.

To be eligible to participate you must be: employed by a bank or lending institution; be working to embed climate action within your institution; and, be willing to give and receive support from peers cross-institutionally.

This is a unique space curated to foster creativity, connection, and innovation. We have designed this participatory workshop to:

• Connect you with fellow bankers on the barriers you are facing at the organisational, behavioural and cultural levels in your efforts to influence climate action within your institution.
• Facilitate a peer coaching conversation focused on how you are experiencing your climate finance work now given the coronavirus pandemic, heightened awareness of social inequities and the economic impacts of the past few months.
• Surface collective intelligence about the opportunities and methods for advancing the climate finance agenda using systems thinking methodology.

We hosted the inaugural Climate Safe Learning Lab in New York City on 24 September 2019 during New York Climate Week and participants have been asking for more. Read the insights report from our last convening here.

Find out more about the Climate Safe Learning Lab initiative at www.climatesafelearninglab.org.

Why should I attend?

The urgent reality of our global climate crisis and the responsibility of the financial sector to rapidly act can feel like the context changes too fast, progress happens too slow and is exhausting for those at the leading edge. And those banking professionals without a sustainability mandate can struggle to see how to integrate this into their day job so that climate action becomes business as usual. The Climate Safe Learning Lab is designed to be a quiet harbour to put down anchor for a time in a confidential space and reflect on the current moment to gain clarity on the way forward.

Feedback on the 2019 Climate Safe Learning Lab includes:

• “It has had such an impact on me, and it changed my perspective as I think about moving my work forward on this issue.”
• "Fast trust, honesty, BS free conversation."
• "I would rather do this than attend a large conference full of talking heads."
• "Honest and authentic conversations, finding strength in numbers."

Who is hosting the event?

The Climate Safe Learning Lab is hosted by a collaborating group of climate finance practitioners and financial innovation experts who include: 

• James Vaccaro - Special Advisor, Triodos Bank
• Celine Suarez - Head of Corporate Sustainability and Reporting, Morgan Stanley
• Tjeerd Krumpelman - Global Head of Advisory, Reporting & Engagement, ABN AMRO Bank
• Amara Gossin - Vice President - Legal, Barclays
• Ivan Frishberg - First Vice President Sustainability Banking, Amalgamated Bank
• Becca Bartholomew - Co-Lead, Climate Safe Learning Lab
• Lydia Hascott - Head of Intrapreneurship, Finance Innovation Lab

Agenda

• Introductions: Connect with industry peers and understand what motivates them to act on climate change within their bank
• Systems thinking framework: Introduction to the Climate Safe Learning Lab methodology for influencing change within banks as complex human systems
• Panel discussion: Hear the honest stories of three pioneering colleagues in a confidential, pre-competitive setting. Speakers include: Celine Suarez, Head of Corporate Sustainability and Reporting at Morgan Stanley (US) and Rishi Madlani, Head of Sustainable Finance & Just Transition at Natwest Group (UK) and Keaton Smith, Commercial Relationship Manager at First Horizon Bank (US)
• Identifying leverage points: Workshop your current barriers and opportunities for influencing internal change using systems thinking tools
• Peer-to-peer coaching: Receive live coaching on an identified challenge using our peer coaching framework
• Collective intelligence: Synthesise the key insights that have emerged from the session

*This agenda is subject to minor changes.

Who is it for?

The Climate Safe Learning Lab is open to individuals who meet the following eligibility criteria:

1. You are employed by a bank or lending institution in Europe or North America.
2. You are actively influencing the climate agenda within your bank either formally or side-of-desk, with or without a mandate.
3. You would value support from like-minded peers across institutions through sharing learning and building new relationships in a high trust environment.

We aim to host a diverse group of participants from varied functional areas across banking. Previous participants have come from risk, legal, corporate strategy, relationship management and sustainability teams in banks at all stages of the climate finance journey. We encourage you to attend with a colleague where possible to help integrate the conversation back within your bank.

Note: The Learning Lab is structured as a confidential, pre-competitive environment. You must work for a bank or lending institution to be eligible for participation.

Supporting Partners

The Climate Safe Learning Lab is an initiative of the Climate Safe Lending Network – a collaborative of stakeholders working to align bank lending practices with a less than 2°C rise in global temperature by 2025. This convening is also supported by:

• Finance Innovation Lab (delivery partner)
• Green America Center for Sustainability Solutions (backbone organisation)
• Partners for a New Economy (funder)
• Hewlett Foundation (funder)

Contact

If you have any questions about the event--including inquiries about registration fee waivers--or would like to learn more about the Climate Safe Learning Lab please contact lydia@financeinnovationlab.org.