Our Experts

Benjamin Simmons is Director of Sustainable Infrastructure and Director of the Nature-Based Infrastructure Global Resource Centre for IISD’s Economic Law and Policy Program. In these roles, Ben manages IISD’s work related to sustainable infrastructure, sustainable finance, and public procurement.

Liesbeth is an advisor in public procurement and works with the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology to make the case for sustainable infrastructure. She co-leads the NBI Global Resource Centre and provides strategic input to scale up the use of nature in infrastructure planning.

David leads IISD’s work on sustainable finance and works with financial stakeholders to demonstrate the business case for sustainable investments. He co-developed the SAVi methodology and leads its financial modelling component.

Andrea provides technical leadership for our qualitative and quantitative modelling. Specializing in the use of System Dynamics, he has implemented various customized (problem-driven and context-dependent) modelling approaches.
Andrea holds a Ph.D. and M.Phil. in System Dynamics, as well as a M.Sc. in Business and Economics. In addition to collaborating with IISD, Andrea is the CEO of KnowlEdge Srl, a sustainability consulting company, and holds research affiliations with the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa and the University of Geneva, Switzerland. Andrea is fluent in English, French and Italian.

Ronja conducts research and uses the SAVi methodology to write reports. She also manages the NBI Academy, planning and running the 5-week live program on the benefits of NBI, helping stakeholders to make the case for nature-based options over traditional grey infrastructure.
Previously, Ronja supported the team as a Policy Consultant and fellow of the Carlo Schmid program. She holds a master’s degree in environmental and infrastructure planning from the University of Groningen and a bachelor’s degree in urban planning from TU Dortmund University. Based in Germany, Ronja speaks English, German, and Spanish.

Michail helps to apply the SAVi methodology to NBI projects across the world, through modelling, writing and data sourcing for reports. He also liaises with local partners and stakeholders, as well as assisting with the NBI Academy.
Previously, Michail worked as a consultant at engineering firm Arup, where he developed models for transport projects and environmental impact assessments.
Michail holds a BA in Human Geography from King’s College London and a MSc in Urban Economic Development from University College London. He speaks fluent English, French, Spanish and Greek.

Edoardo specializes in sustainable finance, working on financing solutions for NBI. He develops economic and financial models for NBI projects.
Prior to joining IISD, Edoardo worked in retail financial protection at The European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users (BETTER FINANCE). Edoardo has a degree in Economics, Finance, and Management with Law from Sapienza University in Rome, plus a master’s degree in European Studies from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). He speaks fluent English, French, and Italian.

Georg conducts research, writes reports and provides training to partners. He is focused on developing new methodologies and tools to push the boundaries of conventional project analysis, through the integration of different modelling techniques, providing a more holistic view of infrastructure investments.

Georg is also a Project Manager at KnowlEdge Srl (KE). A trained systems modeler, Georg has studied and worked in Germany, Netherlands, Portugal and Norway. He speaks German, English, Dutch, French and Spanish.

Marco works with spatial models to map and value ecosystem services at different scales. He has previously worked for the Lombardy Foundation for the Environment, the European Parliament and the United Nations.
Marco holds an MSc in Environmental Management from the University of Stirling and a BSc in Biology from the University of Milan. Based in Valencia, Spain, Marco’s native language is Italian, but he is also proficient in English and Spanish and is conversational in French.

Nathalia is a system dynamics modeler with experience in sustainability assessments, ranging from projects on resources management (e.g. water and waste) and infrastructure (e.g. public transport and urban resilience).
Nathalia holds an M.Phil. in System Dynamics from the University of Bergen, Norway, and a B.Eng. in Industrial Engineering from Icesi University, Colombia.

Morten’s specific focus is on the economic and financial modelling of sustainable infrastructure projects. This includes developing and maintaining the spreadsheet-based modelling components of IISD’s Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) modelling framework.

Becca is the communications officer for the NBI Global Resource Centre. She works to communicate the benefits of NBI in meeting the needs of communities, helping climate adaptation and championing a natural approach to infrastructure problems.
Becca works with the team to launch reports, conduct media outreach, and create digital strategies to raise awareness around NBI. She holds an MA in Journalism from City, University of London and a BA in English Literature from University of York.

Flavia leads and manages the operational and administrative functions of IISD’s Economic Law and Policy Program. She provides project management expertise for the NBI Global Resource Centre.

Tristan is a Senior Project Manager in IISD’s Economic Law and Policy Program. He has a wealth of experience managing teams with diverse mandates to set and reach common goals.

Chizuru heads GEF’s strategy and representation in multiple global environmental agreements and leads GEF’s engagement with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Nathalie, LL.M, is Vice-President Global Strategies and Managing Director, Europe and directs the Economic Law & Policy Programme of the International Institute on Sustainable Development (IISD). In this role, she manages IISD’s work on international trade, investment, and finance. On a sectoral level, this work spans across sustainable agriculture, mining, and infrastructure. She also oversees IISD’s function as the Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) and the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED).She oversees the NBI Global Resource Centre.

Ákos has led UNIDO’s GEF/GCF/AF Coordination and Partnership Coordination Division since June 2021. He has held various positions in UNIDO’s Technical Cooperation Programmes and he coordinated UNIDO’s Programme on the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.

Holger is responsible for implementing MAVA’s strategy for Switzerland, as well as the Sustainable Economy Programme. He oversees all projects and partner relations for both programmes.

Motoko is the President of the Observatory for Sustainable Infrastructure and leads their work to promote sustainable, resilient, and human rights-compliant infrastructure projects with public benefits.

Dr Nana Ama Browne Klutse is a Lead Author and a member of the Task Group on Data Support for Climate Change Assessments at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Leonardo is a Development Economist who conducts applied economic and empirical research on a range of topics, from climate and the socio-economy to the dynamics of poverty, inequality, and growth.

Stelios leads GGGI’s work on analysing and modelling low emission pathways, assessing socio-economic impacts of low carbon policies and actions, and helping develop Long-Term Low Emissions Development Strategies.

Anne leads IISD’s Resilience Program, which works with different actors to manage climate- and conflict-related risks through better planning, more inclusive and equitable processes, and healthier ecosystems.

Craig has extensive experience in investment banking and corporate finance, including in arranging and underwriting large infrastructure, power and utility, energy, and natural resource and property projects.

Josephine has over sixteen years’ experience using system dynamics modelling to manage change and policy-related challenges related to the energy transition, green economy, and urban Africa energy issues.

Corinne is an expert in infrastructure and financial markets, specializing in financial engineering and funding large and complex projects, as well as dedicated infrastructure funds.