Dr Chantal Naidoo specialises in finance within a transitions context, with more than 25 years experience across several finance disciplines, including climate finance and academia across the African region and abroad. Her work on climate finance with the Green Climate Fund (GCF) offered a unique understanding of developing country needs, challenges in accessing finance, and need for strategic approaches to climate finance. She developed pioneering structures and policies such as the Green Fund at the Development Bank of Southern Africa, led climate finance policy research for the Government of South Africa, and contributed towards designing the GCF’s Readiness Programme. She authored the UNFCCC’s first chapter on Article 2.1c in the 2020 Biennial Assessment on climate finance flows. During 2022, she served as Lead Researcher on the Presidential Climate Finance Task Team, and its work on South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Partnership and Investment Plan. Her PhD, from the University of Sussex, focused on role of financial sector in sustainability transition processes. She founded Rabia in May 2021. Chantal also serves as a non-executive Director of the Development Bank of Southern Africa.
