Ethical Finance Global 2025: Retreat, Recalibrate or Revitalise?
To mark 10 years, Ethical Finance Global 2025 returned to the city centre on Wednesday 17 September 2025 to take place in the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh.
As the world grapples with intensifying crises, from economic uncertainty and geopolitical instability to the accelerating climate emergency, financial institutions face a pivotal moment. We asked whether these mounting challenges will conspire coupled with anti ESG sentiment to force a retreat, causing institutions to step back from sustainability commitments and rethink their purpose? Or does the sustainability industry need some genuine recalibration addressing excessive legislative burden and unrealistic targets? Or will this pressure serve as a catalyst, revitalising the industry with select institutions digging deep demanding sustainability KPIs are met and driving real, systemic change? Ethical Finance Global 2025 explored these critical questions, and brought together global leaders to debate the future of ethical finance in an era of unprecedented disruption.
This milestone edition formed part of the inaugural Edinburgh Finance Festival, a wider programme of events between 15 and 26 September, discussing topics across finance and hosted in Edinburgh, a leading global financial centre.
Testimonials
Speakers
Lord Alderdice FRCPsych
Founding Fellow, Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict (CRIC), University of OxfordAs Leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, Lord Alderdice played a significant role in negotiating the 1998 Good Friday Agreement
Kate Forbes MSP
Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and GaelicKate Forbes is the Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic.
Dame Susan Rice
Chair, GEFI Global Steering GroupDame Susan Rice is the Chair of the UK's Banking Standards Board and the GEFI Global Steering Group.
Chris Hayward
Policy Chairman and Political Leader of the City of London CorporationChris is a leading local government politician and commercial property investment specialist.
Saker Nusseibeh CBE
Chief Executive, Federated Hermes LimitedSaker is Chief Executive of Federated Hermes Limited and is also a member of the Federated Hermes, Inc. Executive team.
Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad
Former Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, Malaysia.Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad is a Member of Parliament for Setiawangsa and Former Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability.
Councillor Irem Yerdelen
Managing Partner, Sustainability & Climate Solutions in Northern Europe, ERM
Humza Yousaf MSP
former First Minister of ScotlandHumza Yousaf is the former First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the SNP
Hans Stegeman
Chief Economist, Triodos Bank
Madelena Mohamed
Assistant Governor, Bank Negara Malaysia
Andrew Mitchell
Founder and Senior Advisor to Global Canopy, Vice Chair of the Stewardship Council of TNFD and founder of Equilibrium FuturesAn international thought leader on natural capital finance and tropical forests with forty years’ experience in conservation.
Rafe Haneef
Group CEO, MBSBRafe Haneef is the Group CEO of MBSB.
Sarah Kemmitt
Secretariat Lead, Net-Zero Banking Alliance
Dr William Sabandar
COO, Indonesian Business Council
Claire Dorrian
Head of Sustainable Finance, Capital Markets, London Stock Exchange Group
James Close
Head of Climate Change, NatWest Group
Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar
Chairman, INCEIF UniversityAzman was previously the Managing Director for Khazanah Nasional Berhad, Malaysia's strategic investment fund for over 14 years
Simon Rawson
Executive Director, TISFD
Arnaud Cohen Stuart
Head of Business Ethics, ING BankArnaud is Head of Business Ethics at ING Bank
Eva Cairns
Head of Responsible Investment, Scottish Widows
David Chollet
Partner, Accuracy
Hannah Simons
Head of Sustainability, Lloyds Corporate MarketsHannah joined LCM in 2023 as Head of Sustainability.
Shan Saba
Founder Scotland Against Modern Slavery, Director Brightwork Recruitment, Board Member Refugee Survival Trust
Amanda Young
Senior Advisor, GEFI
Lord David Pitt-Watson
Visiting Fellow at Cambridge Judge Business SchoolDavid is a leading thinker & practitioner in responsible investment and a former Chair of UNEP FI.
Julie Malzac
Director, AccuracyJulie Malzac is a director at Accuracy
Amy Clarke
Non Executive Director & Strategic Advisor, Tribe Impact Capital
Omar Shaikh
Managing Director, GEFIOmar is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Global Ethical Finance Initiative (GEFI), and is a Chartered Accountant by profession.
Dr Sarah Ivory
Author
Fiona Donnelly
Director of Sustainability, ICASFiona Donnelly CA is Director of Sustainability at The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) since 2023.
Paul Chandler
Director of Stewardship and Head of Environmental Issues, PRIPaul Chandler is an experienced professional in environmental stewardship and responsible investment.
Gail Hurley
Co-Director of the Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
Gyöngyvér Fekete-West
Regional Council Member, TISFD
16 September 2025
SDG Hive
Agenda (1030 - 1400)
Alongside Ethical Finance Global 2025, in the Edinburgh Futures Institute, the SDG Hive programme hosted a series of private, deep-dive, sessions on the ‘Trump Effect’ and ‘Policy and Regulation’.
- The Trump Effect - unpacking the global market reactions to tariffs and the anti ESG sentiment emanating from the US.
- Policy and Regulation - has regulatory burden gone too far and have politicians been too exuberant in setting unachievable net zero targets? This session will explore the recalibration and latest developments in the policy landscape.
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