Christopher Knowles

Independent Non-Executive Director (NED) & Senior Advisor

Chris has over 45 years’ experience in projects, infrastructure and environmental finance and economics, much of it at the European Investment Bank (“EIB”), heading its infrastructure and environmental investment funds business from 2005 to 2017 (clean energy, energy efficiency, carbon finance and natural capital).

From 2000 to 2005 he led EIB’s financing in the transport and infrastructure sectors in Spain, then Europe’s largest national infrastructure programme, much of it in public-private partnership form. He spent the 1980-90s in similar jobs elsewhere in Europe and in Africa. Prior to EIB he worked for the Lesotho National Development Corporation, the European Commission and Lazard Brothers.

Chris currently serves as a NED on several private and public equity and debt funds pursuing ESG and impact strategies globally. He is a member of various advisory and advocacy initiatives, including the Climate Bond Initiative and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) Centre for Green Finance & Investment. He also mentors early stage fund management teams pursuing sustainable investment strategies and serves on various fund manager incubators.

Chris holds degrees in Economics and Management from the University of Durham.