SeasonS3
SeasonS3

Building Bridges 2025: Innovative Solutions & Investment Opportunities in Sustainable Finance

Complexity
3 episodes
Oct-Nov 2025
# Asset Managers
# Corporate Leaders
# Fund Managers
# Institutional Investors
# New Investors
# Policymakers
# Venture Capital
Building Bridges aims to shape the global sustainable finance agenda by leveraging the unique ecosystem of international Geneva and Switzerland.

At the core of the initiative, launched by Swiss public authorities, the finance community, the United Nations, NGOs, and other international actors, is the recognition that the scale and complexity of the sustainability transition require “building bridges” between private and public stakeholders.

Season Hosts

Introduction by Luka Biernacki
Introduction by Luka Biernacki

Executive Producer

Karen Hitschke
Karen Hitschke

CEO, Building Bridges Foundation

Patrick Odier
Patrick Odier

Chairman, Building Bridges Foundation, President of Swiss Sustainable Finance

EpisodeE1

Unstoppable: The Next Chapter of Sustainable Finance

Complexity
Released 22 Oct 2025

Season 3 opens with a frank look at the state of sustainable finance. John Kerry, former U.S. Secretary of State and Co-Executive Chair of Galvanize, and Rhian-Mari Thomas, CEO of the Green Finance Institute, join Patrick Odier, Chairman of Building Bridges, to discuss political headwinds, shifting narratives, and the credibility gap between ambition and investable pipelines. It’s a candid exchange on ESG’s polarisation, record investment in clean energy, and the urgent need to channel capital into early-stage solutions and emerging markets.

 

This episode is available as a special video edition — watch the full conversation on YouTube (Link in Resources) or listen below or on any major podcast platform.

“Something as morally compelling as saving the planet has been tarnished under the label of ‘wokeism’. The truth is, this isn’t about ideology — it’s about economics. New technologies beat old commodities. You can make money, do much better, and build a cleaner, safer world at the same time”

— John Kerry

Episode guests

John Kerry
John Kerry
Former U.S. Secretary of State and Co-Executive Chair, Galvanize
Rhian-Mari Thomas
Rhian-Mari Thomas
CEO, Green Finance Institute (GFI)
USD 386 billion
In the first half of 2025, global investment in new renewable energy projects hit a record USD 386 billion, an increase of about 10% year-on-year. (BloombergNEF)
USD 2.2 trillion
The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that global energy investment will total USD 3.3 trillion this year, of which around USD 2.2 trillion will be directed to clean energy technologies (renewables, grids, storage, electrification).
80%
A 2025 survey from The Conference Board found that 80% of sustainability executives are reworking their ESG strategies in response to shifting political conditions, with over half (52%) adjusting how they communicate sustainability. (The Conference Board)
EpisodeE2

Beyond Returns: Fiduciary Duty in the Age of Sustainability

Complexity
Released 5 Nov 2025

Fiduciary duty has long meant maximising financial returns. But as climate, nature and social risks reshape markets, that definition is shifting. In this episode, David Blood, Co-Founder and Senior Partner at Generation Investment Management, and Emmanuel Jaclot, Executive Vice-President and Head of Infrastructure and Sustainability at La Caisse, join Patrick Odier, Chairman of Building Bridges, to explore what fiduciary duty means in 2025.

 

They discuss how sustainability is becoming central to fiduciary responsibility, the balance between short- and long-term value, and whether ignoring sustainability could now be seen as a breach of duty.

 

This episode is available as a special video edition — watch the full conversation on YouTube (Link in Resources) or listen below or on any major podcast platform.

"If you don't include sustainability in your investment process, you are not fulfilling your fiduciary duty"

— David Blood

Episode guests

David Blood
David Blood
Co-Founder & Senior Partner, Generation Investment Management
Emmanuel Jaclot
Emmanuel Jaclot
Executive Vice-President and Head of Infrastructure and Sustainability, La Caisse
73%
73% of individual investors globally believe that ESG investing can bring higher returns in the long term. (Morgan Stanley, 2024)
77%
77% of individual investors globally believe that ESG investing can balance financial returns while focusing on sustainability. (Morgan Stanley, 2024)
88%
88% of institutional investors globally have increased their use of ESG information over the past year. (EY, 2024)
EpisodeE3

Nature in Finance: From Global Standards to Data Innovation

Complexity
Released 19 Nov 2025

Carbon data is now deeply embedded in financial analysis. Nature and biodiversity, however, remain far more complex to measure, price, and integrate into decision-making — even as their material risks become increasingly evident. Because economic activity is fundamentally dependent on ecosystems, exposure to biodiversity loss reaches far beyond what many investors recognise.

 

Advances in data and analytics are now making these dependencies visible, while frameworks such as the TNFD are laying the groundwork for consistent disclosure across markets.

 

Hosted by Karen Hitschke, CEO of Building Bridges, this episode brings together Vian Sharif of NatureAlpha and Tony Goldner of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) to explore how innovation and global standards are helping bring nature into mainstream finance — and what this means for investors managing risk and identifying new opportunities for resilience and long-term value creation.

Coming Soon

Episode guests

Tony Goldner
Tony Goldner
CEO, TNFD
Vian Sharif
Vian Sharif
Founder & President, NatureAlpha