Transforming Austria’s Financial Sector for a Climate-Neutral Future

Observer Group

The Observer Group of the Green Finance Alliance offers interested stakeholders the opportunity for closer engagement with the initiative. Institutions, companies, NGOs, or associations that are not members of the Green Finance Alliance or the Advisory Council can become part of the Observer Group. Observers can participate in webinars and bilateral deep-dives and are kept up to date via a dedicated newsletter. The Observer Group is not part of the governance structure and has no decision-making authority within the Green Finance Alliance. Participation is free of charge.

Participation Options:

• Observers can take part in webinars and bilateral deep-dive sessions, where GFA experts are available to answer questions and share insights.
• Observers receive a dedicated newsletter to stay informed about the latest developments within the Green Finance Alliance.
• Observers have the opportunity to share their expertise and experiences on relevant topics with the GFA.

Target Stakeholder Groups:

• Consulting firms, rating agencies and environmental reviewers
• Interest groups, industry-associated associations and societies
• Interested financial companies (that are not members of the Green Finance Alliance)
• International initiatives
• NGOs
• Specialized institutions in the financial sector
• Government and EU institutions
• Representatives of other stakeholder groups who are interested in current developments in the Green Finance Alliance

How to join: If your organization or institution would like to join the Observer Group, please refer to the Terms of Reference for detailed information. The completed participation form should be sent to: greenfinance@bmluk.gv.at Observer Group Participation Form

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee is responsible for key decisions, including:

• Assessing the evaluation results from the annual monitoring process
• Accepting new members into the Green Finance Alliance
• Expelling members from the Green Finance Alliance
• Determining the composition of the Advisory Council
• Amending and/or revising the list of criteria

Members of the Steering Committee:

• Jürgen Schneider, Director General of the “Climate and Environment, BMLUK
• Andreas Rajchl, Head of Directorate VI/3 - Green Finance and Environmental Economics, BMLUK
• Caroline Vogl-Lang, Directorate VI/3 - Green Finance and Environmental Economics, BMLUK
• Angelika Schlögel, Deputy Head of Directorate III/4 - Financial Markets and Supervision of Financial Market Authority, BMF

The Steering Committee is staffed by representatives from the BMLUK and, if necessary, by other experts, such as staff from the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) or other ministries.

Coordinating Office (Helpdesk)

The Coordinating Office is managed by the team of experts at Environment Agency Austria (Umwelt-bundesamt). The office is responsible for operational implementation, coordination, and serves as the main contact point (help desk) for all member inquiries. The Coordinating Office provides professional support for members and facilitates bilateral exchanges, workshops, webinars, and working groups.

Team of the Coordinating Office:

• Pedram Payami
• Nina Meyer
• Paul-Simon Glade

Contact – Green Finance Alliance Helpdesk:
gf-alliance@umweltbundesamt.at
Contact person: Pedram Payami

Advisory Council

The Advisory Council consists of national and international experts in the field of green finance, real economy, academia, and civil society. The Council supports the Steering Committee and the Coordinat-ing Office in the scientific and methodological advancement of the Green Finance Alliance. Employees of member companies cannot be appointed to the Advisory Council. The Advisory Council has an exclu-sively advisory role and does not possess any decision-making authority.

Members of the Advisory Council include:

• Nate Aden, Finance Lead, Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)
• Angélica Afanador, Executive Director, Partnership Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF)
• Jesica Andrews, Head of Climate Accountability and Associate Climate Team Lead, United Nations Environment Programme – Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)
• Andreas Breitenfellner, Lead Economist, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB)
• Claudia Florowski, Net Zero Sector Pathways and Engagement Lead Consultant, UNEP FI
• Irene Monasterolo, Professor of Climate Finance, Utrecht University
• Matthias Pastl, Senior Vice President Group Environment, voestalpine
• Keywan Riahi, Director of the Energy, Climate and Environment (ECE) Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
• Franz Rudorfer, Division Chairperson Banks and Insurance, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO)
• Silvia Ruprecht, Project Lead Climate and Financial Markets, Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU)
• Nancy Saich, Chief Climate Change Expert, European Investment Bank (EIB)
• Lisa Simon, Team Leader Climate Protection & Sustainable Financial Market , WWF
• Jakob Thomä, Co-Founder and Research Director, Theia Finance Labs
• Andreas Wollein, Head of Group Finance and Investor Relations, VERBUND