The Next Generation are Shaping a Greener Future!
This session provided attendees with the knowledge, confidence, and tools to champion sustainability within their organisations.
Key Contact
Karolina Pilcher › Senior Strategy and Research Manager, Jersey Finance
email › / profile ›
As part of our 2025 Sustainable Finance Summit, we were delighted to host Future Connect: Shaping a Greener Future, an engaging session designed to empower young professionals to become ambassadors for sustainable finance.
The event provided key insights from the summit, helping attendees understand the evolving landscape of sustainable finance and their role in driving meaningful change.
The workshop was led by Miguel Zaragoza, Senior Policy Advisor, Government of Jersey, Department for the Economy and Olivia Dakeyne, Associate Director of Insight at Themis, an anti-financial crime provider, where she leads financial and environmental crime research projects for the private and public sector, including for a number of governments across the world.
Throughout the session, Miguel walked attendees through the Jersey’s Sustainable Finance Action Plan and Olivia highlighted the impact environmental crime has on Financial Intuitions.
Driving a Sustainable Future
Jersey Finance is committed to its 2030 Sustainable Finance vision of becoming the leading sustainable international finance centre. This session emphasised building business capability, enhancing risk awareness and strengthening governance to future-proof the industry.
Attendees gained key insights from Jersey’s Sustainable Finance Action Plan, focusing on three main areas:
Jersey’s Sustainable Finance Action Plan provides a clear roadmap, positioning the island as a leader in responsible finance.
Useful Resources: Jersey's Action Plan
A key theme of the session was the growing risk associated with environmental crime. Olivia discussed how financial institutions play a vital role in tackling illicit financial flows linked to activities such as deforestation, waste crime, and illegal mining. With an estimated 50% of global GDP reliant on natural resources, the session underscored the economic instability caused by environmental degradation and the legal, regulatory and physical risks financial firms face.
Financial institutions have a crucial role to play in combating environmental crime and supporting sustainability initiatives. Key actions include:
- Enhancing Transparency – Strengthening ESG disclosures and promoting responsible business practices.
- Data-Driven Decision Making – Leveraging data and collaboration to identify and mitigate financial risks associated with environmental crime.
- Sustainable Investment Strategies – Supporting products and services that drive sustainable economic growth while reducing exposure to environmental harm.
Event Photos
Thank you to our event series sponsor
Grant Thornton Limited is a leading Channel Islands practice with offices in Guernsey and Jersey with a combined staffing strength of over 250 people. We are the Channel Island member of Grant Thornton International, one of the world’s leading international organisations of independently owned and managed accounting and consulting firms.
We have been offering practical and strategic advice to all the key sectors in the Channel Islands for many years, and work closely with our clients to understand the specific issues that they face, evidenced by the many long-standing client relationships that we have developed.
Connect with Grant Thornton:
Facebook:@GrantThorntonChannelIslands
Instagram: @grantthorntonchannelislands
Twitter: @GrantThorntonCI
LinkedIn: @GrantThorntonChannelIslands
