The Business Case for Nature: A Leadership Breakfast on Risk & Opportunity

Nature is increasingly being recognised as a material issue for business.

From water availability and land degradation to evolving disclosure requirements like Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the ways in which companies depend on natural systems are becoming more visible. These are not just environmental issues; they have real implications for supply chains, risk exposure and corporate reporting.

Join Barclays, Aviva and Environment Bank for a high-level breakfast discussion during London Climate Action Week. This session will explore how companies are starting to treat nature as essential infrastructure, and how nature-related investments are beginning to play a role in supporting resilience, compliance and long-term value.

We will examine how businesses are responding to emerging frameworks such as TNFD and Science Based Targets Network (SBTN), and what practical steps leaders can take today to address nature-related risks and opportunities.

Panellists will share insights on:

· How nature-related risks and dependencies are influencing operational and financial decision-making

· The shift from traditional CSR towards science-based approaches to nature investment

· How verified ecological data can support TNFD, CSRD and SBTN-aligned reporting

· What credible, forward-looking business action on nature looks like, and why timing matters

Industry-leading panellists include:

– Naomi Kerbel (Host)
A communications expert with deep experience in broadcast, including Bloomberg, Sky News and CNBC.

– Vicky McAllister (Sustainability Director, Barclays)
Vicky has an extensive career in finance and sustainability, with a specific focus on nature. In her current role as Director of Nature Strategy and Policy at Barclays, she leads work on nature risk and impact management as well as working closely with Sustainable Finance colleagues to determine how Barclays can participate in the growing nature finance agenda and engage clients on this topic.

She has over twenty years’ corporate sustainability experience, twelve of which have been at Barclays working on climate change, human rights, client due diligence and reputation risk. She represents Barclays at industry groups and events such as the Sustainable Markets Initiative Financial Services Taskforce and COP16. Prior to joining, Vicky spent ten years working in sustainability consulting and research across a variety of different industry sectors and has a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Biology.

– Thomas Viegas (Group Nature Lead, Aviva)
An expert in economics, finance, and policy with extensive experience at the Bank of England, HM Treasury, TNFD, and shaping UK and global macro-financial policy at Aviva.

– Emma Toovey (Chief Land & Nature Officer, Environment Bank)
Instrumental in developing the Biodiversity Net Gain policy and the voluntary biodiversity market product, Nature Shares, in England.

This breakfast event is aimed at senior-level business leaders. While it is open to all interested in nature alignment for businesses, we may need to decline registrations from those outside these parameters if capacity is reached.