Financing the Green Energy Transition & Low-Carbon Infrastructure

Upon graduating as a mechanical engineer from University College London in 2015, Kalsey commenced her professional career in the utilities sector in Seychelles, striving towards making utility services more energy efficient, affordable and accessible to all. Having gained experience working in a multilateral environment at the European Commission, Kalsey has recently joined the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank as a Coverage Officer, structuring Trade Finance and Project Infrastructure Finance facilities.
Alongside her professional career, Kalsey is determined to tackle global challenges and contribute towards the empowerment of youth. She is an active volunteer of the youth-led NGO, SYAH-Seychelles, which promotes sustainable development. Alongside her role as President of SYAH-Seychelles, she has coordinated 4 successful editions of the Blue Economy Internship Programme and pioneered the Seychellois Youth in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (SySTEM) Programme. To give Seychellois youth a voice, Kalsey also started a nationwide TV programme ‘Zenn Koze’ that provided a platform for youth to discuss and debate national policies, topical issues and challenges. In 2019, she undertook a 5-week expedition on the remote island of Aldabra where she and 11 other volunteers collected 25tons of marine debris and raised awareness on its impact on the environment.
Kalsey has been recognized as an Associate Fellow of The Royal Commonwealth Society and has served on the Blue Grants Fund Committee and the national Committee for Seychelles Vision 2033.

Geoff Sinclair is Camco’s Managing Director and has 25 years’ experience in clean energy and climate finance. He joined Camco in 2015 after 10 years working for Standard Bank, during which time he built and led the bank’s multi-award-winning international climate finance business. Geoff has completed transactions on over 1GW of renewable energy and efficiency projects across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, and has experience across a wide range of technologies and financing structures in both the primary and secondary markets.

A passionate, dedicated, good team player, client-oriented and strategic planner with more than 15 years of relevant experience. This includes 10 years of specific regional experience in climate finance analysis (using the Pacific Climate Change Finance Assessment Framework) and policy advice to Forum Leaders and Economic Ministers in the Pacific region and internationally (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties - UNFCCC COP negotiations on climate finance since COP18). Exsley has strong experience and familiarity with bilateral and multilateral climate funds, including the Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation Fund, the Global Environment Facility and the Climate Investment Fund. I have led multi-agency teams to undertake national climate finance assessments/reviews in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati and TA secondment on climate finance to the Government of Papua New Guinea. I also participated in similar assessments in Nauru and Tonga. Exsley completed leadership trainings in Fiji and Australia, and presented in a number of regional and international meetings on the climate finance context and trends in the Pacific. As Team Leader for the PIFS Climate Change and Resilience team, I oversee a team of 14 staff and a range of short-term consultants as well as a total budget of F$14 million. My scope of oversight include the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific (FRDP) and Pacific Resilience Partnership (PRP), private sector engagement in climate finance, disaster risk finance and governance, climate finance-public financial management and climate finance negotiations in the COP.

Tom Jacobs is IFC’s Country Manager for Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands. IFC is part of the World Bank Group and focusses exclusively on private sector development. IFC facilitates sustainable private sector development in the Pacific by financing private sector investment, mobilizing capital in the international financial markets, and providing advisory services to businesses and governments.

Tom’s responsibilities include overseeing IFC’s investment and advisory programs as well as maintaining key government and private sector partners in the region. He joined IFC in 2003 to manage a regional microfinance advisory project in Central Asia where he was based in Tajikistan. In 2004, Tom moved to Cairo where he spent the next 4 years helping to launch and manage IFC’s Access to Finance advisory practice in MENA focusing on leasing, credit reporting and microfinance, among others. Since 2008, Tom has led IFC’s activities in Lebanon and Syria while coordinating IFC’s climate business across the MENA region.

Before IFC, Tom helped launch a corporate finance group in London specialized in early-stage companies, and from 1996-1999, he led the operations of a developmental investment fund in Kyrgyzstan where he managed SME lending and equity portfolios. He has also worked in manufacturing and commercial banking in the United States.

Tom’s educational background includes a Masters of Arts in International Relations from The Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies and an MBA in International Business from Rutgers University.

Resourceful project executive with more than 20 years of success leading and executing infrastructure and environmental projects across three continents Africa, Asia and Europe. Highly successful background of contributing to over 78 major projects in more than 20 countries in a 14-year period.

Proven track record of environmental engineering, developing financial structures, and demonstrating expertise in environmental and social due diligence research for major global financial institutions. I have built a reputation as a specialist in contributing to solid policies and strategies for Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Climate Change at international, regional, and country levels. Most importantly, my colleagues tell me I am uniquely gifted with a talent for negotiating, nurturing, and managing productive partnerships with international institutions and investors to fund these action plans.