Advanced ESG strategies for climate-responsive financial systems: central bank roles, risk management, and sustainable innovation

Rianne Luijendijk is Team Lead Responsible investing at the Dutch Central Bank. She is responsible for the development and implementation of DNB’s responsible investing approach for the own-account portfolios. She also chairs the sustainable and responsible investment workstream in the Network for Greening the Financial System, in which central banks and supervisors collaborate to advance their efforts to further integrate sustainability considerations in central bank’s portfolio management. Since 2020, the workstream has published a number of reports to assist central banks in their adoption of sustainable and responsible investment practices.

Enrico Bernardini is Director at the Climate change and sustainability hub of the Bank of Italy. He is coordinator of the Bank’s contact group of experts and sustainability and climate-related topics. He’s a Bank’s representative in the workstream “Net Zero” of the Network for Greening the Financial System. He has contributed to the ESG integration into the Bank’s equity investment policy. He led the drafting teams for the Responsible Investment Charter and the first Report on sustainable investment and climate risks. Enrico has co-authored articles on the carbon transition risk of utilities’ investment, on machine learning for portfolio construction with ESG data and on central banking and sustainable finance. He was a member of the Bank’s Task Force on sustainable finance for the Italian Presidency of G20 in 2021. He has worked at the European Central Bank and at De Nederlandsche Bank. Enrico holds a PhD in Banking and Finance and a Msc in Asset Management.

Altin Tanku is the Director of the Research Department at the Bank of Albania. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. His research interests cover empirical studies in the field of monetary and international economics, as well as the econometric modelling of economic and financial phenomena. Altin serves as a member of the Monetary Policy Implementation Committee and the Foreign Exchange Reserve Investment Committee. As a director and economist, he is involved in several analytical and decision-making processes and is currently focused on the implementation of the Green Strategy and the Financial Education and Inclusion Strategy. He is the author and co-author of articles and studies focusing on monetary and international economics.

Altin has extensive experience at the Bank of Albania, starting in 1993 in the Monetary Policy and Statistics Department, where he held the position of Head of the Balance of Payments Sector until 2001. After completing his doctoral studies, he re-joined the Bank of Albania in the summer of 2006.

Karmendra Kohli is a cybersecurity leader with over 23 years of experience in information/cyber security and information risk management. As the CEO and co-founder of SecurEyes, Karmendra has transformed a two-person start-up into a global cybersecurity company, known for delivering cutting-edge security solutions tailored to complex sectors such as finance, government, and healthcare.

With a Master's in Computer Applications and advanced certifications including CISSP, CISA, CRISC, and CISM, he combines technical expertise with a deep understanding of strategic business needs.

Under Karmendra's leadership, SecurEyes has become a trusted partner for over 700 clients across 12 countries, including prominent names in both the public and private sectors. His focus on operational excellence and client-centered solutions has driven the company to conduct more than 14,000 security assessments and gain accolades for several global projects.

A recognised figure in cybersecurity, Karmendra regularly speaks at prominent conferences, sharing insights on the evolving cyber threat landscape and innovations in cyber resilience. He has also served as an advisor to senior management and boards of directors, helping organizations shape their cybersecurity strategies in the face of a rapidly changing threat environment.

Karmendra’s mission is to empower organisations with secure, adaptive, and compliant digital ecosystems. He is passionate about fostering a culture of digital trust and resilience, particularly in critical infrastructure sectors. Looking forward, he aims to further SecurEyes’ global reach, supporting enterprises and governments in their cybersecurity transformation journeys while developing future leaders in the information security industry. 

Valentina Bellesi is a Policy Analyst in the Green Finance and Investment team at the OECD Environment Directorate, where she leads and conducts research and analysis on green and clean energy finance and investment as well as on corporate transition plans and broader climate-related disclosures. Amongst others, Valentina co-authored the OECD Guidance on Transition Finance, which focuses on ensuring the credibility of corporate climate transition plans, and contributed to the work of the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG). Valentina also coordinates and manages the annual flagship OECD Forum on Green Finance and Investment. Prior to this, Valentina co-authored several publications on blended finance, impact investing and multilateral development finance, at the OECD Development Co-operation Directorate. She also has experience in impact evaluation, having worked at the Evaluation Department of the Council of Europe Development Bank and as an impact evaluation research assistant at the Institute of Latin American Studies. She holds a Master’s degree in International Development from Sciences Po Paris and a Bachelor in Economics and Finance from Bocconi University.

Eric Bouyé is Manager of the Product, Knowledge and Research team, which is responsible for supporting Treasury clients, including capacity building for the Reserve Advisory and Management Partnership (RAMP). He is a member of the leadership team of the Asset Management and Advisory Department, in charge of managing $70 billion assets and providing advisory and training for 75 clients consisting of central banks, public pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, trust funds, and other official institutions.

Eric has 22 years of asset management and capital markets experience. Prior to joining the Bank, Eric was Senior Strategist at the Fonds de Réserve pour les Retraites (FRR). He was previously Director, Investment Products and Strategies, and, Director, Structuring Team for Asia, based in Tokyo, at Sociéte Générale.

Eric holds a Ph.D. in Finance from Bayes Business School, University of London, a Magistere in International Economics and Finance from University of Bordeaux, and a MSc. in Banking and Finance from University of Birmingham. He has been Adjunct Professor in different universities, including Sorbonne, the University of Paris.

Marco Ruiz is the Manager of the Advisory & Partnership team within the Asset Management & Advisory Department. The team is responsible for managing the engagement with member institutions of the Reserve Advisory and Management Partnership (RAMP) and coordinating the delivery of training and advisory to improve asset management practices in official institutions. From 2018 to early 2023, Marco was a Senior Financial Officer in the team, managing the engagements with a group of RAMP members.

Prior to joining the World Bank in 2018, he worked for the Central Bank of Colombia for almost two decades, managing the country’s foreign reserves and sovereign wealth funds. He started his career as a portfolio manager, was promoted to Head of Portfolio Management, and later became Director of International Investment. In this last position, he received the Reserve Manager of the Year award from Central Banking Publications in 2014.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Universidad de los Andes in Bogota and a Master of Business Administration from New York University, and is a CFA charter holder.

Victor Smid is a Responsible Investment Expert at the Dutch Central Bank, where he is responsible for the development and implementation of responsible investment policies for the bank’s own funds. Currently, he is spearheading efforts focused on nature and biodiversity. Victor is also an active member of several international task forces on integrating responsible investing techniques, including for the NGFS and the Eurosystem. He previously worked at a Dutch corporate bank and an impact investment firm, and holds Master’s degrees from the Stockholm School of Economics and Leiden University.