The team
Thomas O'Neill
Director
Thomas founded Universal Owner Initiatives to develop the financial logic for investors to justify real-world climate impact. Previously in 2015, he co-founded the market-leading climate lobbying think tank, InfluenceMap, to help institutional investors and civil society challenge the corporate capture of climate change politics. Thomas has worked internationally in Canada and Germany and has a degree in Politics and an MSc in International Security and Global Governance from Birkbeck, University of London. He is on the Forbes under 30 list for Europe Law and Policy.
Louis Fletcher
Senior Research Fellow
Louis Fletcher is the lead researcher. He has worked for Universal Owner Initiatives for two years and led on the writing of several of its reports. Louis has a deep understanding of how to harness social science to tackle real-world problems. He has won awards on existential risk and climate change from the University of Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute and The Guardian. He has a PhD from the University of Edinburgh in Politics, and an MPhil from the History Faculty of the University of Cambridge.
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Chryssi Chorafa
Advisor, Technical & modelling expert
Chryssi has founded StarLiX that provides end-to-end compliance transparency in cross-border payments enabling financial inclusion of developing countries. She has previously worked for the FCA, NBG, FIS as a consultant for blue chip companies. She a thought leader in the payments industry, and has been recognised as a Senior Leader and Rising Star in the Women in FinTech Powerlist 2020 and 2021 respectively. Last year, she won the Women in Payments EMEA Symposium Innovation Award 2021. Chryssi formerly lectured at London Institute of Banking and Finance (LIBF) specialising in Digital Technologies and FinTech. Over two years, Chryssi participated as a Subject-Matter-Expert, participant and mentor at the UK FCA’s first Data Sprint and Digital Sandbox in 2020, Women’s Economic Empowerment Tech Sprint, Sustainability Tech Sprint and Digital Sustainability Sandbox in 2021, and finally Sustainability Policy Sprint in 2022. She is also a member of the BSI and ICO committee in Sustainable Finance.
Kate Mackenzie
Advisor, Strategic communications
Kate Mackenzie is an independent consultant who advises organisations pursuing the Paris Agreement goals on climate change, particularly in relation to finance and economics, strategy, and communication. She is also a regular contributor for Bloomberg Green, where she writes the "Stranded Assets" column. Kate was formerly director of Finance, Policy and Decision Metrics at Climate-KIC Australia. Prior to that, she worked as a financial journalist at the Financial Times in London and Sydney. She is a member of the stakeholder advisory committee for the NESP Hub, an Australian science research network, and a fellow at the Centre for Policy Development, an independent, research-focused thinktank.
Yingtong Fang
Analyst
Yingtong Fang is a committed Climate Finance Analyst at Universal Owner Initiatives (UOI), specialising in conducting thorough research and analysis in the field of climate finance. With her strong passion for ESG investing, Yingtong actively contributes to UOI's research and reports, collaborating closely with the team to ensure well-informed decision-making. Drawing upon her expertise, she excels in identifying and effectively addressing potential risks. Yingtong's dedication and collaborative approach make her a valuable asset to UOI's mission in promoting sustainable and responsible investment practices.
Sam Brown
Consultant
Sam’s work has focused on investor engagement around the coal sector in Southeast Asia. He has previously worked in research positions at various national newspapers, and has recently conducted a policy placement at NATO Allied Command Transformation in the US. His research interests lie at the intersection of climate, health, and global security. Sam holds a BA and MPhil from the University of Cambridge.
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Paul Dickinson
Advisor, Organisational development
Paul founded CDP in 2000 with an ambition of creating a global economic system that operates within sustainable environmental boundaries and prevents dangerous climate change. Paul previously co-founded Rufus Leonard Corporate Design and EyeNetwork. Paul is Chair of the Trustees of the NGO ShareAction as well as a Trustee of the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland where he has established a program of seminars and retreats now used by the responsible investment community as well as emerging social businesses.