ENVIRONMENTAL MARKETS CONFERENCE 2025
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ENVIRONMENTAL MARKETS CONFERENCE 2025
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Listen to Carbon Markets Panel
Global-Vision-Together

Driving progress for meaningful environmental outcomes.

This global summit connects voluntary, regulatory, and program-driven markets across carbon, water, biodiversity, and finance around the world.

IMG_0023_ce5dfd29-e3fc-43f8-b4cf-b0f4bb39c1bc-min

Find your path forward

Discover Nature-based Solutions (NbS) across industries and resource agencies in carbon, water and biodiversity.

Gain insights on how to leverage private and blended finance.

Learn about current market mechanism trends, risks and rewards.

Understand applications of technology and data across multiple markets and the measuring of environmental outcomes.

Hear about successful models that translate across markets.

Find solutions for carbon, water, biodiversity, ESG and/or investment goals.

Gain clarity in developing and implementing practical policy.

Find your path forward

IMG_0023_ce5dfd29-e3fc-43f8-b4cf-b0f4bb39c1bc-min

Environmental markets operate because of you.

These markets are innovative private sector approaches to leverage scale and funding with economic and social benefit to preserve, protect, conserve, mitigate or restore the earth’s natural assets.
Connecting across three main market types.

Connecting across the markets for these primary classes of natural assets.

People

EMF connects high-level leaders of change and implementation in sustainability, climate, resiliency, and other function areas that involve carbon, water, biodiversity, and finance.  Learn More

"Habitant facilisis proident! Modi irure, modi blanditiis culpa! Soluta magnam maiores augue rutrum quia accumsan torquent venenatis. Facilis vel harum aspernatur orci, sit eleifend praesent, cupiditate, dignissimos sit proident, possimus proident distinctio wisi, odio quo."
ALITA SUNDERLANDVISITOR
ALITA SUNDERLAND
"Habitant facilisis proident! Modi irure, modi blanditiis culpa! Soluta magnam maiores augue rutrum quia accumsan torquent venenatis. Facilis vel harum aspernatur orci, sit eleifend praesent, cupiditate, dignissimos sit proident, possimus proident distinctio wisi, odio quo."
GEORGE WILLINGTONVISITOR
GEORGE WILLINGTON
"Habitant facilisis proident! Modi irure, modi blanditiis culpa! Soluta magnam maiores augue rutrum quia accumsan torquent venenatis. Facilis vel harum aspernatur orci, sit eleifend praesent, cupiditate, dignissimos sit proident, possimus proident distinctio wisi, odio quo."
ALISON WHITEVISITOR
ALISON WHITE

Discover Nature-based Solutions (NbS) across industries and resource agencies in carbon, water and biodiversity.

Gain insights on how to leverage private and blended finance.

Learn about current market mechanism trends, risks and rewards.

Understand applications of technology and data across multiple markets and the measuring environmental outcomes.

Hear about successful models that translate across markets.

Find solutions for carbon, water, biodiversity, ESG and/or investment goals.

Gain clarity in developing and implementing practical policy.

OPENING KEYNOTE

EDWARD B. BARBIER

Author & University Distinguished Professor

FEATURED SPEAKERS

AMY BOURNE

Director, Global Sustainability, Marriott International

DAVID HILL

Chairman, The Environment Bank, UK

MATHEW NESPECA

Head of ESG and New Business Models, Envu

LAURA GRANT

Biodiversity Net Gain Market Policy Lead, UK Defra

KATIE WU

Director, Global Impact, KKR

CHARLES BEDFORD

Chief Impact Officer, Carbon Growth Partners

JODY BICKEL

Chief Executive Officer, Creekbank Associates

ELLIOTT BOUILLION

Founder and Vice Chairman, Resource Environmental Solutions (RES)

BRETT BOVEE

President, WestWater Research

ANGELA BRICMONT

Chief of Finance, Denver Water

VIEW ALL SPEAKERS

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Edward B. Barbier

Author and University Distinguished Professor

Edward B. Barbier is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Economics, Colorado State University and a Senior Scholar in the School of Global Environmental Sustainability. His main expertise is environmental and resource economics as well as international environmental policy. He has consulted for a variety of national, international and non-governmental agencies, including many UN organizations, the World Bank and the OECD. He has authored over 300 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, written or edited 27 books, and published in popular journals and social media. Barbier is a Fellow of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists and is a highly cited scholar on global environmental and sustainability issues.

His latest book is Economics for a Fragile Planet, Cambridge University Press. 

www.edwardbbarbier.com

Amy Bourne

Director, Global Sustainability, Marriott International

Amy Bourne is the Director, Global Sustainability, at Marriott International. In this role she develops and manages global programs in areas such as responsible sourcing, food waste reduction and climate action for 8,300+ hotels in 130+ countries. Previously, Amy managed sustainability programs for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the General Services Administration (GSA) where she focused on high performance and healthy buildings, sustainable building operations and waste diversion. Amy holds an MA in Energy and Environmental Analysis from Boston University and earned Certified Energy Manager (CEM), LEED Green Associate and TRUE Zero Waste Advisor credentials.

David Hill

Chairman, The Environment Bank, UK

With a doctorate in ecology from the Department of Zoology at Oxford, David brings an abundance of ecological expertise to the table. A passionate conservationist, he was a founding member of Natural England, a member of the Government’s Ecosystem Markets Taskforce, and a Commissioner with the independent Food Farming and Countryside Commission. When it comes to implementing BNG, there’s nobody better. In fact, he introduced the concept to the UK in 2006 and his unparalleled work has now been embedded into the Environment Act.

Mathew Nespeca

Head of ESG and New Business Models, Envu

Matt Nespeca works for Envu as the head of ESG and New Business Models, with a focus on delivering global solutions related to environmental and social outcomes.  Matt previously worked as the global marketing manager for Vegetation Management for Bayer Environmental Science, which includes segments such as industrial vegetation management, forestry and range & pasture.  Before he took the global role, Matt Nespeca spent 8 years launching and managing the US Vegetation Management business for Bayer.  In previous years, Matt held marketing, sales and technical service positions with Nufarm, BASF and American Cyanamid, mainly working in industrial vegetation, forestry and aquatics markets.  Matt also spent 4 years working as a project manager for the South Carolina Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, where he worked on land conservation and invasive plant control projects.  Matt has an MS from Virginia Tech in Forest Biology, and a BS from Auburn University in Forest Resource Management.  Currently, Matt lives in Raleigh, NC with his wife and two children.

Laura Grant

Biodiversity Net Gain Market Policy Lead, UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

Laura Grant is the policy lead for the biodiversity net gain (BNG) market and statutory credit scheme at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). She works to resolve barriers and encourage growth in the BNG market which is due to ‘go-live’ in November. She manages a team responsible for landowner and developer engagement, guidance and comms. Laura joined Defra from the House of Commons where she worked for 4 years as a policy specialist for the Environmental Audit Committee and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee scrutinising policy and legislation including the Environment Act. Laura spent 9 years working at the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management as a senior policy adviser working on a range of policy and public affairs issues. Laura holds an MSc in Sustainability, Environmental Consultancy and Project Management.

Katie Wu

Director, Global Impact, KKR

Katie Wu (New York) joined KKR in 2022 and is a member of the Global Impact team. Prior to joining KKR, Ms. Wu spent eight years at HRS Management, a prominent NYC family office, where she helped build the direct private equity practice and was actively involved in many of the firm’s investments in the industrial, media, and financial services sectors. Previously, she worked at Apollo Global Management and in the M&A advisory group at The Blackstone Group. Ms. Wu received a B.S. in Economics and a B.S.E. in Chemical Biomolecular Engineering, summa cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania.

Charles Bedford

Chief Impact Officer, Carbon Growth Partners

Charles is an attorney with more than 25 years’ global conservation and climate experience and is a founder at CGP. He is also a Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Charles previously served as Regional Managing Director for The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Asia Pacific Region where he led the advancement of climate, marine, freshwater and land conservation projects.

He has also served as director of the Colorado State Land Board, overseer of 3 million hectares of state lands, was Legal Counsel to Colorado Governor Roy Romer and practiced law with the firm of Kutak Rock. He graduated from Georgetown University and holds a JD from the University of Colorado School of Law.

Jody Bickel

Chief Executive Officer, Creekbank Associates

Jody’s experience spans more than 25 years in ecosystem services and a lifetime of work involving environmental conflict resolution, natural resources management, and the development of environmental markets. She has successfully led teams and guided stakeholders in natural asset ventures at varying scales. Her work spans the demand and supply of ecosystem services, driving compliance, voluntary, and sustainability outcomes to deliver on internal and external performance objectives. Now, as head of Creekbank Associates, Jody coaches change agents to achieve their green initiatives and deploys expertise from a hand-picked professional team to innovate best outcomes for clients across multiple industries. Her focus is on finding opportunity where it is sometimes unseen, negotiating with diverse stakeholders and building bridges to create real-world solutions for those who seek success in the form of an integrated bottom line. Jody serves as an advisor to the Global Environmental Markets and Finance Summit and is a member of the Soil and Water Conservation Society, the Society for Ecological Restoration, the International Society of Sustainability Professionals, the Ecological Restoration Business Association, the American Chemical Society, the American Exploration and Mining Association and other industry specific organizations.

Elliott Bouillion

Founder and Vice Chairman, Resource Environmental Solutions (RES)

As Founder and Vice Chairman, Elliott continues to advance RES’ role and capabilities in the ecological restoration industry. Building on a 15-year tenure as President and CEO, Elliott is focused on expanding the positive impacts RES can bring to the environmental challenges facing our society as the industry takes on not only large scale mitigation, but an expanded range of water resource, coastal resiliency, and large public works projects.

Over the past decade, Elliott created a dynamic and unique business model for RES, helping pioneer the emerging environmental mitigation industry. During Elliott’s tenure as CEO, RES grew from a small firm based in Louisiana to a national restoration provider with nearly 500 employees. Elliott is proud to have assembled a team of professionals known for responsible environmental stewardship in all aspects of ecological solution delivery.

Elliott earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1979.

Following his first successful entrepreneurial effort, Bouillion joined Landmark Graphics Corporation, culminating his 12-year tenure in the role of corporate Vice President and General Manager, where he managed various technology and service divisions in Houston and London. Landmark completed an IPO and was acquired by Halliburton in July 1996.

Elliott has been both an active angel investor and an active participant on the board of directors of several growth companies, including FRx Software (acquired by Microsoft), Ischemia Corporation (acquired by Inverness Medical Innovations), Object Reservoir (acquired by Halliburton) and Anark Corporation.

As a private equity investor, Elliott was a general partner with Murphree Venture Partners. He was a founding sponsor and board member of the Houston Technology Council Energy Incubation and Acceleration Program. He served as a board member of the Houston Private Equity Association (HPEA), where he is a Past President.

Elliott has served on the board of directors for several companies and organizations, including the Gulf of Mexico Foundation. In 2015, he was named to the Executive Committee of the Committee of 100 for Louisiana, participating in economic development and fiscal reform initiatives. In 2019, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette named Elliott to its Alumni Wall of Honor.

Brett Bovee

President, WestWater Research

Brett Bovee is the President and Principal for WestWater Research based in the Fort Collins office. Brett brings close to 20 years of experience conducting a variety of engineering, economic, and water rights studies across the Western states. Many of these projects have been focused on water resources management and water development concepts in the pursuit, protection, and utilization of water rights. Since joining WestWater, Brett has performed dozens of focused water right valuation studies and broader economic and water market analyses. Brett brings a unique perspective to projects, combining a background in water resources engineering with a developed knowledge of water rights and economics.

Brett has performed water right investigations for Federal, Tribal, and private clients, and has completed a variety of studies focused on water valuation, comprehensive water planning, irrigated agriculture, scenario modeling, and water project feasibility. In the course of water rights litigation and dispute resolution, Brett has prepared expert witness and technical reports, completed hydrographic surveys of water use, and reviewed settlement agreements. He has also participated in several technical working groups for multi-stakeholder negotiations.

Brett holds B.S. and M.Eng. degrees in biological and environmental engineering from Cornell University, with a focus in water resources. He is a licensed professional civil engineer in five western states and is also a recognized hydrologist. Prior to joining WestWater, Brett worked for NRCE managing and assisting with water rights projects across the Western U.S.

Angela Bricmont

Chief of Finance, Denver Water

Angela Bricmont is the CFO of Denver Water. She manages the financial resources of the Board of Water Commissioners, a 100+ year-old water utility serving 1.5 million customers in the City of Denver and surrounding suburbs. Angela is responsible for accounting, financial planning and performance, enterprise project management, treasury, rates, and customer care in addition to the retirement plan. Since joining Denver Water in 2010, Angela has overseen a credit rating upgrade to AAA, implementation of a new water rate structure, issuance of Green Bonds, and funding a lead line removal program at no direct cost to customers.

Prior to Denver Water, Angela worked for several consulting firms focused on financial planning and rates for public utilities. Angela also served as Vice President of Rates and Regulatory Matters for Comcast. Angela has a bachelor’s degree in finance and an MBA from the University of Denver. The mayor of Denver appointed Angela to serve on the Denver Urban Renewal Authority Board, and the head of EPA appointed her to serve on its Environmental Financial Advisory Board.