Meet the Team
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MANAGING DIRECTOR
Demetrio is a senior expert in climate finance and climate change adaptation with over 20 years of international experience. He spent more than a decade at the Green Climate Fund (GCF), serving in multiple strategic roles, including Manager of the GCF Project Preparation Facility (PPF) and lead for flagship initiatives such as the Simplified Approval Process (SAP) and Enhancing Direct Access (EDA).
During his tenure at the GCF, Demetrio also served as Adaptation Coordinator and Senior Agriculture and Food Security Specialist, leading the appraisal of numerous climate projects globally. As Task Manager, he successfully brought over 20 GCF proposals to Board approval, mobilizing more than USD 1.5 billion in climate finance across projects submitted by a wide range of international and direct access entities.
Prior to his time at the GCF, Demetrio worked extensively across Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa on the implementation, formulation, and evaluation of climate adaptation projects and programmes with various UN agencies, the World Bank, and private sector organizations.
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STRATEGY AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Katherine is a highly experienced climate finance and sustainable development expert, with over eight years of professional experience, including five years at the Green Climate Fund. She specializes in capacity building, stakeholder engagement, and the development of climate change projects. Katherine holds a Master’s degree in Climate Change, Development, and Policy from the University of Sussex and brings a strong interdisciplinary background in climate science, policy, and development.
While at GCF, Katherine played a pivotal role in the implementation of the Simplified Approval Process (SAP) funding modality, focusing on capacity building support for GCF NDAs and AEs. Her contributions include leading in-person and virtual trainings and workshops, developing GCF’s first e-learning course on accessing climate finance through the SAP, and spearheading the creation of the SAP Technical Guidelines Series, providing comprehensive resources for stakeholders throughout the project development cycle.
Beyond her work at GCF, Katherine has supported a range of international organizations, governments, and development agencies in accessing and mobilizing climate finance. Her experience includes project development, the development of climate finance strategies and frameworks, conducting baseline assessments, and the creation of tailored training and capacity building materials.
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OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
Rocío is a climate change and sustainability specialist with a background in law and political science, and over 7 years of experience supporting low-emission, climate-resilient transitions across Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region. Her work spans multilateral climate funds, policy advisory, and institutional capacity strengthening.
Rocío held a pivotal role at the Green Climate Fund (GCF) at the Simplified Approval Process (SAP) initiative, where she supported strategic engagement with national designated authorities and direct access entities, contributing project origination efforts. During her tenure, she developed core competencies in policy writing, capacity development, data analysis and management, project design, and project management.
In addition to her work at the GCF, Rocío has collaborated with UN agencies, development banks, and NGOs to design adaptation and mitigation initiatives. Her recent consulting roles have included developing funding proposals and strategic frameworks for FAO, the Ministry of Finance of Antigua and Barbuda, as well as leading climate finance advisory work for Mercy Corps in Asia.
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Dr. Keith Bettinger is a climate change adaptation and finance specialist with over 20 years of experience across Asia, the Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East. Holding a PhD in Geography from the University of Hawai’i and a Master’s in International Affairs from George Washington University, he has built expertise in climate policy, finance, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable development. Keith has demonstrated leadership in capacity building and institutional strengthening related to climate finance including delivering over two dozen training programs on GCF project development. As a Lecturer and Technical Advisor at the University of the South Pacific, he developed and taught a graduate course on climate finance and project preparation, strengthening institutional capacity in the Pacific region.
In leadership roles with DAI and DT Global, Keith has shaped climate finance strategies and project development for public and private sector initiatives. His expertise extends to environmental and social safeguards, gender integration, and institutional capacity-building for GCF accreditation. A published researcher, Keith has authored peer-reviewed articles, policy guides, and technical reports on climate adaptation and governance. With deep knowledge of climate resilience, project structuring, and finance, he continues to support organizations and governments in navigating climate finance and project execution.
Our Experts
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Daniel is an environmental engineer with more than 25 years of experience in water systems and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Daniel was honoured in 2024 as an International Member of the US National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for his ‘distinguished contributions to engineering, the advancement of wastewater treatment technologies and the adaptation of treatment processes to climate change’.
Daniel is a Fellow and former Vice President of the International Water Association (IWA) and a Fellow of the Water Environment Federation.
He is also a Fellow of the Water-Energy Nexus Center at the University of California, Irvine, where he contributes to research and innovation in the field.
Daniel was also the Chair of the Independent Technical Advisory Panel of the Green Climate Fund where he reviewed over 200 funding proposals.
Daniel holds a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Buenos Aires, an M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering from McMaster University (Canada) and an MSc in Technology Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Daniel is a certified Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) in Ontario, Canada. He has co-authored 12 books and over 100 technical articles.
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David is an expert on climate and nature finance policy, blended finance and sustainable investing. He advises philanthropies, governments, and international organizations, including the UNFCCC on climate finance and multilateral development banks on designing and implementing climate and environmental finance solutions. David previously served as Senior Vice President at the World Wildlife Fund, covering climate and nature finance, US government relations and global partnerships. Prior to that, he was Climate Programs head at the Asian Development Bank, overseeing annual investments of $3 billion. He worked in academia and consulting as well as for the US Agency for International Development on related topics, with a focus throughout on the Asia-Pacific region. He currently serves as climate finance advisor to the Global Environment Facility and to the Climate Investment Funds as Co-Chair of its Independent Expert Group on Nature, People and Climate. He holds a PhD in resource economics from the University of Hawaii, East-West Center, with undergraduate training in environmental policy and meteorology.
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Manuel Bueno is a senior executive with over 15 years of experience in climate finance and impact investment in emerging markets. His expertise spans rural finance across multiple sectors and geographies, covering agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and manufacturing across Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia. He has designed and implemented innovative private investment vehicles that mobilize blended capital for development and has a strong track record in structuring, deploying, and supervising private debt and mezzanine finance. Manuel has also advised numerous banks, private investors, corporations, and SMEs, helping them navigate complex climate finance landscapes to drive sustainable growth.
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Andrea Maggiani is a climate tech expert, angel investor, and founder of Carbonsink—Italy’s leading climate consultancy, acquired by SouthPole in 2021. With over 15 years of experience in carbon markets, sustainability, and decarbonization, he has led and scaled transformative climate initiatives, including more than 40 carbon projects across Africa. Andrea has managed green asset portfolios exceeding €200 million and has shaped climate finance strategies for corporate and institutional stakeholders worldwide.
A recognized industry leader, Andrea is a founding member of ICROA and a frequent speaker at global climate and policy forums, including the G7, UNFCCC, OECD, TEDx, UNGC, and the World Bank. He currently advises international organizations, companies, and climate startups on carbon markets, Article 6, and decarbonization pathways—bridging on-the-ground experience with strategic innovation in climate tech.
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Colleen Green is a Senior Executive with 20+ years of experience in sustainable development, innovative finance, and private sector engagement. Her technical expertise spans financial inclusion, financial services and financial sector development, blended finance, and climate finance, alongside small and medium enterprise (SME) development, gender lens investing, and livelihoods. She has worked with governments, financial institutions, DFIs, community groups, and the private sector in 26 countries, predominantly in Africa and Eastern Europe.
Her work has included leading or contributing to studies, analyses, and evaluations of investment ecosystems, sustainable finance mechanisms, and service delivery aimed at improving resilience for vulnerable communities, working with USAID, FCDO, World Bank, IFC, Financial Sector Deepening programmes, and the Gates Foundation. The former Vice President for Economic Growth in DAI’s Development Innovations Unit, Colleen oversaw the design and technical delivery of DAI’s economic growth portfolio. This included managing a team of 30 DAI technical specialists to support 35+ USAID- and World Bank-funded programs, and leading the strategy, execution, and win of more than $2.2 billion including new sustainable economic growth initiatives aimed at greening the private sector, especially SMEs, improving market access, enhancing access to finance, mobilizing private capital for climate adaptation and mitigation, and boosting low-carbon economic growth.
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Sashi Jayatileke is a senior blended finance specialist, formerly with USAID’s Climate Finance Team where she led the design of catalytic financing initiatives to unlock private investment for climate action. She managed USAID's Climate Finance portfolio and has worked extensively across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, advising on investment strategies that align commercial returns with development impact. Her expertise spans deal structuring, risk-sharing instruments, and financial innovation to expand access to capital in underserved markets. She is a trusted advisor to donors, DFIs, and investors seeking scalable, market-based solutions for development challenges. Sashi holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and a BA from Vanderbilt University.
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Jessica Thompson is an expert in renewable energy, clean technology, public-private climate finance, and business management. With over 20 years of expertise in climate and energy analytics and finance, she has served in senior consulting roles with firm Navigant (Guidehouse) on its International Energy team, and with the Inter-American Development Bank’s Office of the VP of the Private Sector as their lead representative to the Climate Investment Funds. She has led due diligence and analytics for numerous large utility-scale generation projects and energy tech startups, and managed IDB’s full portfolio of projects with the CIFs, from planning and structuring to execution, including financings exceeding $500M, as well as contributing to early governance development of the Climate Investment Funds.
Ms. Thompson currently serves as an international senior consultant specializing in climate finance across energy, infrastructure, forestry, nature-based-solutions and biodiversity projects, with a particular focus on public-private funding and strategic support to climate organizations. Her clients have included analytics firms, private and multilateral banks, funds, multilateral orgs, utilities, NGOs, and corporations. She also founded and runs a successful green consumer hardgoods company, ranked #1 in its niche. Jessica holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins University specializing in emerging market economics and finance.
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Juan Chang is currently the Head of Technical Operations of Permian Global, a private sector company dedicated to investing in in tropical forest conservation in Colombia, Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia. Previously he led the forest and land use sector at the Green Climate Fund (GCF) promoting and overseeing a portfolio of forest conservation and restoration projects of more than 1.3 billion USD in more than 30 countries. Before that, he was the Forests and Climate Change Senior Specialist of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) based in Washington DC. Before joining IDB he worked as Forestry GreenHouse Gas Auditor accredited by the UNFCCC and the voluntary carbon standards, responsible for assessing projects in more than 20 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. He started working for several years in biodiversity conservation and protected areas management in the Peruvian Amazon, accumulating more than 20 years of vast experience across the globe.
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Ralph Chami has over 32 years of experience as a financial economist, with 25 years at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He has also served as a consultant for the World Bank and for the private sector. He is the Co-founder and CEO of Blue Green Future and Rebalance Earth, and holds visiting professor position at Williams College. He is an expert in a range of macro-financial topics including remittances, fragile states, financial inclusion, financial market development, banking regulation and risk management.
Ralph is currently working on climate change and nature and biodiversity loss, developing a new framework for valuing natural capital, fauna and flora, to build an equitable and nature-positive economy. He has developed the new field "Science-Based Finance℠,” and is leading and advising on projects around the globe, working with SIDs, indigenous peoples in South Pacific and Native American tribes in the US, as well as governments in the Bahamas, Indonesia, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, among others.