The awards, which were established in 2012, are delivered in partnership by ICAEW, Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) and Deloitte. The ceremony took place at Banqueting House in London, with some international participants joining remotely.

Mary Schapiro was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of her contribution to advancing a more integrated approach to finance and reporting that reflects the interconnected challenges facing the economy, society and the environment. She is Vice Chair of Global Public Policy at Bloomberg LP and former chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Previously, she led the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures from its inception until its remit was fulfilled in 2023. The initiative’s work culminated in the adoption of the ISSB Standards as the global baseline for climate-related reporting. Currently she chairs the Climate Data Steering Committee and the Global Capacity Building Coalition, helping build institutional capacity in emerging and developing markets to support sustainable finance.

ICAEW Chief Executive, Alan Vallance said: “On behalf of ICAEW, I am honoured that tonight we recognise the people and teams leading the transition to a more sustainable resilient economy, and I extend our heartfelt congratulations to all our winners. I would particularly like to congratulate Mary Schapiro on her award and her leadership in this area.”

Jessica Fries, A4S Executive Chairman, said: “Mary's leadership encapsulates everything that the Finance for the Future Awards stand for: visionary thinking, lasting impact, innovation and sustained excellence over time. Her commitment helped to move sustainability from the margins into the mainstream of global finance.”

Veronica Poole, Vice Chair, Deloitte UK, said: “Congratulations to Mary on this Lifetime Achievement Award. As a former SEC Chair and through her role at Bloomberg, Mary has been pivotal in advancing an understanding of climate as a financial risk to capital markets. Her leadership through the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) enhanced transparency on climate-related financial risks and opportunities to support investors, lenders and insurers in pricing them appropriately. The subsequent transfer of this work to the International Sustainability Standards Board has enabled a standards-based system solution that is now being adopted worldwide.”

The winners in each category were:

Changemaker of the Year: Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI)

Judges’ comments: “TPI exemplifies what change looks like when industry, academic rigour and real world application come together. The panel was impressed by TPI’s clear focus on behaviour change among investors and its emphasis on transition – recognising that changemaking is ultimately about outcomes, not just data. With methods that are open, credible and “not a black box”, TPI’s tripartite model brings the power of co creation to life, bridging industry, finance, and academia. In challenging headwinds, its global outreach, engagement with future leaders show what is possible when intellectual chemistry meets action.”

Highly commended: Solas Capital AG

Judges’ comments: “The panel was struck by Solas’ strong focus on targeting under-served markets – demonstrating clear additionality using finance and technical expertise together to unlock projects that would not otherwise happen. Their work demonstrates how a highly skilled and motivated team can drive meaningful change across economic, social, and environmental outcomes, delivering tangible results on the ground. Judges also valued the way Solas is helping to elevate the profile of the whole sector, building partnerships and confidence in energy efficiency as an investable opportunity.”

Team of the Year: Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC)

Judges’ comments: “It was clear to the judges that sustainability is embedded into strategy and decision making at MPIC, with clear evidence that risks and opportunities directly inform investment, capital allocation and performance management. Integration across the operating model, strong governance and board oversight, and the alignment of incentives across all employees set this entry apart. Crucially, the organisation demonstrated how the finance team is integral to the delivery of tangible sustainability outcomes and robust financial performance both at headquarters and operational level.”

Highly Commended: DHL Supply Chain

Judges’ comments: “The judges commended DHL Supply Chain’s focus on data as a critical enabler of better decision making. The finance team’s ownership of this agenda, combined with the advanced use of ESG dashboards, has supported meaningful change across the business. The emphasis on education and capacity-building further reinforced the impact of this work.”

Highly Commended: Japfa

Judges’ comments: “The judges recognized Japfa’s leadership within its region and sector, particularly in reshaping perceptions of sustainability. The work demonstrates how a focused and context-specific approach can drive meaningful change and influence broader market understanding. The passion and leadership shown from the top were also strongly commended.”

Financial Services Innovator of the Year: Rebalance Earth

Judges’ comments: “Rebalance Earth stood out for its bold thinking and its ability to turn that thinking into something practical, investable, and scalable. This organisation is redefining nature as infrastructure – creating a model that links financial returns directly to environmental outcomes and resilience. The judges were particularly impressed by the clarity of the model and its potential to unlock investment at scale.”

Highly Commended: Schroders

Judges’ comments: “This year, the judges were particularly impressed by Schroder’s approach that is helping bring nature into the heart of investment decision-making. This organisation has developed a powerful model that translates complex nature-related risks and opportunities into clear, actionable insights for investors. It’s an important step forward in making nature relevant at scale across portfolios and engagement.”

Rising Star: Haide Scatamacchia, Banco BV

Judges’ comments: “Haide stood out for her exceptional passion and drive in delivering institutional-scale impact from an analyst role in one of the world's most challenging and critically important natural capital markets. Her multi-disciplinary expertise and bold, purpose-led leadership are already extending the conversation beyond Brail, and the judges are excited to see where that ambition takes her.”

Highly Commended: Alex Hume, Finance Earth

Judges’ comments: “Alex impressed the judges with his clear vision for scaling natural capital initiatives and his skill in navigating complex, multi-stakeholder environments despite significant industry headwinds, a testament to his leadership potential and resilience. His passion for embedding natural capital into financial systems, and his ambition to drive that change at scale, make him a highly commended recipient.”

CFO of the Year: Silvia Vilas Boas, Natura 

Judges’ comments: “The judges were struck by Silvia’s commitment to challenging conventional financial thinking. Her introduction of new financing mechanisms, her leadership on impact measurement and monetisation, and her ability to influence banks and investors demonstrated boundary pushing at an extremely high level. This was finance being used boldly to reshape expectations and drive change.”

Nature and biodiversity leadership award: Everpure (formerly Pure Storage); First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB)

Judges’ comments: “The judges were inspired by the collaborative, system-wide approach taken by the team at Everpure. Working across R&D, supply chain, real estate and customer functions, the organisation is addressing broader environmental impacts both internally and externally. The emphasis on innovation, incubation and knowledge-sharing demonstrates a commitment not only to progress internally, but to enabling wider change across the industry.”

Judges’ comments: “The panel recognised FAB as a genuine “regional pace setter”, demonstrating credible leadership through action rather than aspiration alone. The issuance of the Middle East’s first blue bond was highlighted as a landmark innovation, helping to shape new market expectations around nature positive finance. Judges also noted the Bank’s board level commitment, alongside its focus on investing in people through training and capability building. Acting as a convenor, FAB continues to think proactively about collaboration, credibility, and long-term impact – qualities the judges identified as central to effective leadership on nature and biodiversity.” 

Climate impact leadership award: Maria Ferraro, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer, Siemens Energy

Judges’ comments: “The judges were particularly impressed by Maria’s leadership on climate, especially her work on supplier engagement and Scope 3 decarbonisation. Her ability to combine ambition with realism, and to address difficult trade offs in a growth environment, demonstrated credible and authentic climate leadership from the finance role.”

Social impact leadership award: Eva Andriani, Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures

Judges’ comments: “Eva stood out for her personal and pragmatic approach to co-designing financial literacy and sustainability tools for street vendors and micro-entrepreneurs, driving meaningful community-level behavioural change. Her ability to work across local governments, NGOs, and village councils, combined with a community-led model, shows potential to drive systemic change across emerging markets at a much wider scale.”

Communicating integrated thinking leadership award: Harmit Singh, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial and Growth Officer, Levi Strauss & Co.; Vodafone

Judges’ comments: “The judges valued how Harmit communicates integrated thinking through core finance processes, investor discussions and capital allocation decisions. His clear, no nonsense use of financial language makes long term value creation tangible and credible and demonstrates how sustainability can genuinely shape everyday business decisions.”

Judges’ comments: “The judges were impressed by Vodafone’s disciplined use of robust data to inform decision making and underpin its communications. Across a wide range of disclosures and channels, there was a clear and consistent articulation of purpose and strategy, supported by credible, data-driven insights. This strong linkage between narrative and evidence set the entry apart.”
 
ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. For more information, visit www.financeforthefuture.org 
2. Photos of the winners are available upon request.