Key Conversation: Sustainability Reporting and Transition Plans

Caroline Corbett-Thompson leads ESG at Wise. With a background in social entrepreneurship and systems change, she now navigates the complex regulatory and environmental risks facing the global fintech sector.

Cassie McGoldick is the Manager of Primary Markets Policy at the FCA, which is responsible for the FCA's Listing Rules, Prospectus-related requirements, and ongoing transparency obligations for issuers on regulated markets. Before joining the FCA Cassie spent 8 years at HM Treasury where she led on a number of financial services files including the wholesale markets review and the UK’s first Green Finance Strategy. During her time at HMT, Cassie spent over two years on secondment to the FCDO where she was posted to Dubai as HMG’s  ‘Regional Director of Financial Services for the Gulf’ and has worked on international financial services agreements with the EU, Switzerland, Hong Kong and China. 

Khadija Ali is the Group Director for Sustainability and Responsible Business at Lloyds Banking Group. 

Before joining Lloyds, Khadija spent 19 years at Ernst & Young in various roles. She was the UK’s Climate Change and Sustainability Services Leader for Financial Services, where she built a market-leading practice in supporting a number of global financial institutions across both advisory and assurance services. 

She has worked globally across a number of locations, including Canada, US and the UK. Her expertise includes climate change and nature, which she complements with her background in finance and risk. 

Khadija is a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). 

Marcellina Ehimhen is a senior financial services leader specialised in ESG strategy, execution and risk management. With more than 17 years of experience in financial services, spanning banking and consulting, she specializes in the development and implementation of ESG risk frameworks and risk‑based strategies. Her work strengthens organizational resilience, ensures compliance with regulatory standards, and fosters sustainable long-term value creation.

Marcellina is a Senior Manager, ESG at the National Wealth Fund, leading the Fund’s approach to identifying, managing and reporting environmental, social, resilience and governance risks and opportunities. Her work has reshaped how ESG is embedded in investment decisions, introducing a risk‑based approach that safeguards long‑term value and supports broader positive impacts on growth and the transition to net zero.

Before joining the National Wealth Fund, Marcellina led ESG due diligence in consulting, helping tier one private‑equity firms and corporate clients ensure financially material ESG risks were properly priced into asset valuations and decision making. With extensive experience in commercial banking outside the UK, Marcellina served as Head of Sustainable Banking, leading ESG strategy and integrating ESG across lending, operations, external reporting and client engagement. She established a full ESG function and management system that became a catalyst for industry recognition and positioned the bank to deliver its first ISSB-aligned report in 2024, placing it among the top three early adopters in the Nigerian banking sector. 

Marcellina holds an MSc. in Financial Services, Risk and Operations from Glasgow Caledonian University and a BSc in Finance and Banking. She is also certified in Sustainable Investing (CFA) and Sustainability and Climate Risk (GARP) and is an ISO 14001 Senior Lead Implementer.

Oliver Withers is Head of Nature at Standard Chartered and leads the Nature Finance innovation hub, working with colleagues across the group to further integrate biodiversity and nature considerations into the firm's business activities and decision-making. He was previously Global Head of Biodiversity at Credit Suisse, working on transactions such as the world’s first wildlife conservation bond, the rhino bond, and on sovereign debt for nature swaps. Before this, Oliver was the Head of Conservation Finance and Enterprise at the Zoological Society of London with responsibility for delivering biodiversity impact across both the blue and green economies. Oliver began his career in financial services, where he ultimately became the head of asset management for a pan-African investment bank before pursuing a career in sustainability and nature finance. Oliver has an MSc in Finance from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London and a BCom in Economics from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, which is where he was born. He has dual South African and British citizenship with experience working and living in both Africa and Asia, although he is currently based in the UK. He is a Fellow of the Zoological Society of London.

Raza is a Partner in Linklaters’ Financial Regulation Group, and widely regarded as a specialist in a number of financial services regimes including ESG, MiFID, Brexit, PRIIPs, AIFMD and UCITS.

Raza has also led on and contributed to a number of trade associations, industry forums and Linklaters roundtables / briefings on these topics. Asset management and sustainable finance are a core part of his regulatory practice, and he has helped buy-side clients across a range of ESG matters ranging from the structuring of ESG products, drafting product and entity level ESG disclosures, as well as the creation of sustainable finance and ESG risk management frameworks.

He also works closely with the broader Linklaters practice areas, providing regulatory coverage in areas such as derivatives, structured products, funds and employment matters.

Sophie is a senior climate and sustainability leader with over 15 years’ experience delivering net zero, energy and carbon reduction strategies across finance, telecoms and retail. During her time at Coventry Building Society, she has delivered 50% emission reductions in 4 years, achieved carbon neutrality, secured B Corp status and delivered £10M+ investment in renewable energy & efficiency. Achieving the award for ‘Carbon reduction program of the year 2024’ at the National Sustainability Awards due to these efforts.

From January 2025, she has led the environmental integration and sustainability strategy for the CBS Group following its acquisition of The Co-operative Bank, embedding net zero ambitions across the enlarged organisation.

Valerie leads market engagement on the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) in the UK for the GFI. She works closely with senior leadership of UK companies to build a strong business case for taking action on nature, from disclosure to nature transition planning and execution, and coordinates the TNFD’s UK Consultation Group. Valerie joins from the CANA Collective, where she was a contractor with a focus on natural capital accounting. Previously, she was a Director at Pollination, where she supported clients with nature risk assessments and strategy development, due diligence as part of carbon market transactions, and coalition-based policy advocacy for scaling environmental markets. Prior to this, she was an Associate Program Officer at the Robertson Foundation, making strategic grants to address climate change, protect ocean health, and deliver landscape-scale restoration projects.

Ian leads the delivery of UK Finance’s sustainability strategy, working with UK and international regulators to shape the sustainable finance and net zero policy landscape. He has held policy advisory roles in the UK Government and European Commission, including head of international sustainable finance at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and senior advisor to former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney for the COP26 climate conference. He was previously a commodities and environmental markets analyst, covering Asian and European markets.