Green, Social, and Sustainability Bonds

Mary Leung, CFA, is the head, standards and advocacy, Asia Pacific, at CFA Institute. She is responsible for the development, maintenance, and promotion of capital markets policy perspectives in the APAC region. She also oversees the promotion and development of CFA Institute professional standards in the region. Mary has over 20 years of experience in the global financial industry, having worked in corporate finance, wealth management advisory, and fund management. Previously, she was with Coutts & Co, where she was director of Business Development and Management for North Asia. Prior to that she was executive director at UBS AG, where she led the Corporate Advisory Group in Hong Kong. With experience in both the buy- and sell-sides, Mary has a strong understanding of the drivers and dynamics of different investor groups, including institutional investors, corporates, family offices, asset owners, and high-net-worth individuals. Mary graduated from Peterhouse, Cambridge with a degree in Engineering. She is a CFA charterholder and speaks English, Putonghua, and Cantonese.

Mervyn Tang is a Senior Director and Global Head of ESG Research in Fitch Ratings’ Sustainable Finance division, based in Hong Kong. Mervyn oversees a global research team of 5 which primarily focus on thematic and cross sector ESG research. Mervyn re-joined Fitch Ratings in March 2019 from MSCI Inc., where he was Head of Fixed Income in their ESG Research department, based in Hong Kong. Mervyn has worked with fixed income investors globally supporting them on integrating ESG into their investment process. Prior to joining MSCI in 2017, Mervyn was a Director in Fitch’s Sovereign Group, with the Asia-Pacific team. Mervyn has also worked as an international economist at the Bank of England in London, a diplomat at the British Embassy in Washington DC, and an equities analyst at Citigroup. Mervyn earned an MSc in Economics with distinction from Birkbeck College, University of London, and a BA in Economics and Management from Oxford University. He is a CFA Charterholder.

Kenneth is in charge of the HKMA’s efforts to enhance Hong Kong's competitiveness as an international financial centre. Prior to joining the HKMA, Ken was a senior manager at the Investment Products Division of the Hong Kong Securities & Futures Commission (SFC), specialising in regulatory policies on retail funds and innovative retail investment products. During his time at the SFC, Ken was seconded to the Secretariat of the International Organization of Securities Commissions, where he was responsible for global OTC derivatives reforms.

Giorgio Valente currently heads the Hong Kong Institute of Monetary and Financial Research (HKIMR), the research arm of the Hong Kong Academy of Finance. He is also a Fellow of the Asian Bureau of Finance and Economic Research (ABFER) and Associate Fellow of the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). Previously, Giorgio held academic positions at, among others, the University of Warwick, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and City University of Hong Kong. His work has been published in leading journals in finance and economics. He served as co-Editor of Applied Financial Economics and Applied Financial Economics Letters and he is currently on the editorial board of the Pacific Economic Review and the Journal of Financial Studies. Over the years, and prior to his current role, he visited and consulted for several institutions including the US Federal Reserve, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Bank for International Settlements.

Sean Kidney is CEO of the Climate Bonds Initiative, an international NGO, working to mobilize global capital for climate action. Projects include a green bond definitions and certification scheme with $34 trillion of assets represented on its Board; working with the Chinese central bank on how to grow green bonds in China; market development programs in Brazil, Mexico, ASEAN and Africa; and market tracking services for the green bonds industry. He is a member of the European Commission's Platform on Sustainable Finance, and was a member of its predecessors, the 2017 EU High Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance and the EU Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance. He is also a member of green finance committees in China, India, Mexico and Khazakhstan. Sean is also a Professor in Practice at SOAS University of London.