The UK-China Green Finance Centre was launched in 2018 by the City of London Corporation and China Green Finance Committee to lead on much of the work of the long-established UK-China Green Finance Taskforce outlined at the UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue in December 2017.
The UK-China Green Finance Taskforce, which was formed in 2017, was co-chaired by the late Sir Roger Gifford, Chair of the City of London’s Green Finance Initiative and Dr Ma Jun, Chair of China Green Finance Committee. The Taskforce has been serving as a key platform to accelerate the growth of green economy and to encourage greater collaboration between the two markets on green finance since its establishment.
The City of London Corporation sadly lost Sir Roger Gifford in May 2021. Following this development, the City of London Corporation has now appointed the current Lord Mayor, Alderman William Russell as the co-chair of the UK-China Green Finance Taskforce to continue championing its work on green finance with China.
Alderman William Russell also serve as co-chair for the UK – China Green Finance Centre alongside Dr Ma Jun.
Alderman William Russell
Alderman William Russell took office as the 692nd Lord Mayor of the City of London on 8th November 2019.
William has over thirty years’ experience in the financial and business City including holding senior positions in the national and international Banking sector. In 1987 he went to work for First Boston Corporation before joining Merrill Lynch in 1992 as an Investment Banker in Institutional Equity Sales, working in Asia, New York and London. William is currently Chair of CDAM, a London based Asset Management business and Senior Advisor to STJ Advisors.
William served on the Board of Innovate Finance, the industry body for the UK based Fintech community and is also an educational entrepreneur, as the co-Founder and Chair of Knightsbridge School and a Director of Knightsbridge School International (KSI). He is a member of the Campaign Board for Durham Inspired, a landmark philanthropic campaign focused on ensuring Durham remains at the forefront of learning, research and education for generations to come.
Alderman Russell was born in London in 1965 and was educated at Eton College and Durham University.
Dr Ma Jun
Dr. Ma Jun is Chairman of China’s Green Finance Committee, Co-Chair of G20 Sustainable Finance Study Group, and Chair of Supervision Workstream of Central Bank Network on Greening the Financial System.
Ma Jun is also the Director of the Center for Finance and Development, Tsinghua National Institute of Financial Research, Special Advisor to the Governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), Member of PBOC’s Monetary Policy Committee, and Chairman of Green Finance Committee of China Society for Finance and Banking.
Before joining Tsinghua University, he was the Chief Economist at the Research Bureau of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) from 2014-17. Prior to that, he worked for 13 years at Deutsche Bank, where he was Managing Director, Chief Economist for Greater China, and Head of China and Hong Kong Strategy. From 1992-2000, he worked as public policy specialist, economist and senior economist at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. From 1988-1990, he was a research fellow at the Development Research Centre of China’s State Council.