Our Team

Jakob Thomae is Managing Director of 2° Investing Initiative Deutschland. He co-founded the 2° Investing network in New York and Berlin and manages the think tank’s research on climate scenario analysis and stress-tests for financial institutions and companies, as well as its supervisory and governmental partnerships.

Jakob led the development of the first climate scenario analysis tool for financial portfolios, applied by over 1,000 organizations around the world running about 600 portfolio tests a month. The tools are used by one third of the largest 75 banks, and the Japanese, European, and California financial supervisory authorities. He authored the first COVID-19 stress-test scenarios, informing the regulatory response of supervisors in Europe and the United States to the crisis.

Jakob also leads the organization’s partnerships with a number of financial supervisors and governments in Europe, including as Advisor to EIOPA, Special Research Fellow to the Japanese Financial Services Agency, and previously as Academic Advisor to the Bank of England. He holds a PhD in Finance from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers. Jakob is also Senior Fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, where he teaches a Green Finance course.

Constanze joined 2DII in September 2018. She is working from the Berlin office.

Constanze works on data infrastructure and processing at 2DII, supporting the engineering team. She is also involved in the retail investor project, contributing to the platform database, data analysis and visualization.

Prior to joining the 2DII, Constanze served in the data department of Scout24 and worked as a journalist.

Constanze holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Humboldt University in Berlin.

Catarina joined 2DII in October 2020 and is based in the Berlin office. She is working on the PACTA 2020 initiative that aims to measure the alignment of financial flows in nine European countries with the Paris agreement.

Prior to joining 2DII, Catarina worked across the banking sector in Brazil and also at the United Nations Office at Geneva and the European Central Bank.

Catarina holds a BSc. Economics from the Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Sao Paulo (Brazil) and an MSc. Economics of Development from the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in International Development Studies (GLODEP) between the University of Clermont-Auvergne (France), Palacky University (Czech Republic), and University of Pavia (Italy).

Andreas joined 2DII in October 2019. Based in the Berlin office, he manages coordinated climate alignment assessments with several European countries as part of the PACTA 2020 project.

Before joining 2DII, Andreas worked as a researcher on mass scale solar cell fabrication at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, where he developed a massive open online course for the University of Freiburg. In cooperation with the company SunBrush, he developed a cloud-based analysis tool for heat images of solar power plants and he worked as a scientific consultant for a German MP.

Andreas studied Mathematics (Bac.) and Physics (Diplom) at the University of Freiburg (Germany) and Granada (Spain). He holds a PhD (Hons) in Micro-Systems Engineering. In addition to his technical education, Andreas studied Design Thinking at the d-school of the HPI Potsdam.

Frederick joined in February 2020 and works as an analyst in the Berlin office. He is responsible for data analysis on climate alignment and sustainability aspects of portfolios as well as stress testing model development. Frederick has a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in politics from Zeppelin University

Monika joined 2DII's Berlin team as a Data Visualization Analyst in October 2020. Her role is focused on creating informative and engaging data graphics for PACTA and other 2DII initiatives. She is based in Amsterdam.

Prior to joining 2DII, Monika worked as a Quantitative Modelling Analyst in various Dutch financial institutions, both on the risk management as well as the front office side. She also has experience in data analysis, consulting and ESG-related research.

Monika holds a Masters of Science degree in Quantitative Finance from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam concluded with a Master Thesis on the Dutch Payments Network written at the Dutch Central Bank. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan.

Klaus joined 2DII in February 2016 and is working from the Berlin office. He is overseeing the development of the website platform for the retail investor project, including elements such as metric development and data preparation. Additionally, he is coordinating 2DII’s contributions to the FinanceMap project and technical implementation of the target setting module, as well as supporting other projects such as PACTA methodology for corporate lending.

Prior to joining 2DII, Klaus served as solar cell and module researcher at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems and Bosch Solar Energy.

Klaus holds a master’s degree in Renewable Energy Management from Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg and a bachelor’s degree in physics from RWTH Aachen.

Jackson is working on the prototype phase of the climate scenario analysis of banks’ corporate lending portfolios. He joined 2DII in June 2019 and is working from the Berlin office. Prior to joining 2DII, Jackson served as a researcher in Cosmology at the University of Toronto. He holds a BSc. in Physics from McGill University.

Vincent Jerosch-Herold joined 2DII in March 2019. He is working from the Berlin office as an analyst.

Prior to joining, Vincent work as a sustainability intern at Bank J. Safra Sarasin and as a research intern at DIW, Berlin in the Department of Energy, Transportation, and the Environment.

Vincent holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Global Economics from Jacobs University.

Jacob joined the Berlin team as an analyst in June 2020, where he is focused on running the stress testing and PACTA projects.

Before joining 2DII, Jacob worked in various data roles at the Berlin startup Civey, specializing in representative web surveys. There, he developed the theoretical outlines of the main product and the technical MVP in R and later managed additional data products, such as target group analyses and the recommender system. Jacob holds an M.Sc. in Economics from Freie Universität Berlin.

Nicola joined 2DII in October 2019. He is responsable for a retail investor project to empower citizens and financial institutions with the right tools to incorporate non-financial preferences in their investments.

In addition to his role at 2DII, Nicola also works as an independent sustainability consultant and analyst. His focus points lie in the field of sustainability strategy, management and campaigning. Furthermore, he is Managing Director at Generation Why, a sustainability network for students and young professionals to achieve the SDGs.

Nicola holds an M.A. in International Politics, Administration and International Relations from Zeppelin University, where he specialized in different interfaces of sustainable development. He also completed a bachelor’s degree in International Economics and Development at the University of Bayreuth.

Catherine joined 2DII in July 2019, where she leads communications strategy and implementation. Prior to joining 2DII, she worked for communications and public affairs consultancies in France and the United States, where she led campaigns for clients including UN agencies, international organizations, and governments. She has additional experience working in research, analysis, and competition law for the OECD and the US Federal Trade Commission.

Catherine holds an MA in International Public Management from Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs and a BA in History and French from Trinity College.

Clare joined 2DII in February 2017, where she leads the development of portfolio scenario analysis and company reporting. This has ranged from automation of scenario reporting to the creation of our online platform for scenario analysis.

Prior to joining 2DII, Clare worked in Chile conducting applied research into the incorporation of solar thermal energy into industrial processes with Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy in Germany and Chile. Prior to that, she worked as a mechanical engineer for Mining Development in Australia.

Clare holds a Master of Science in Renewable Energy Management from the University of Freiburg, Germany and a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) from the University of Queensland, Australia.

Daisy joined the Berlin team as an analyst in June 2020. She is focused on the implementation of PACTA analysis projects in emerging markets.

Before joining 2DII, Daisy worked at the Central Bank of Colombia as a Senior Analyst in Financial Stability. In this position, she analyzed and monitored Colombian household credit risk and conducted research projects related to financial inclusion, microcredit and financial vulnerabilities of households in Colombia. She was also in charge of monitoring the development and growth of Colombian financial conglomerates in other emerging economies and the calculation of a systemic risk index.

Daisy holds a masters degree in Public Policy from the Hertie School in Berlin.

Anne joined 2DII in 2020 and is based in the Berlin office. She manages projects for the long-term risk management research program, which aims to integrate long-term risks into financial markets and supervisory practices.

Prior to joining 2DII, Anne worked as a research assistant at SOAS University of London in the area of decarbonising monetary policy. She also has experience in public sector organizations, including at Orphoz, the ifo Institute, GIZ, and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Anne holds a M.Sc. in International Finance and Development from SOAS University of London, where she specialized in sustainable finance and monetary policy. She has a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Economics from the University of Bayreuth.

Fiona joined 2DII in 2019 and is based in the Berlin office. She is working on the PACTA 2020 initiative that aims to measure the alignment of financial flows in nine European countries with the Paris agreement. She is also supporting work on data management and quality.

Prior to joining 2DII, Fiona worked at the Mercator Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change in Berlin and the Institute for New Economic Thinking in Oxford as a student research assistant.
Fiona studied Physics (MSc) and also holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford.

Sarah joined 2DII in December 2019 and works in the New York office. Sarah is focused on project management, impact and fundraising.

Previously, Sarah built programs in the US, Middle East and Africa with a focus on water access and environmental management. As a researcher with Ben-Gurion University, she identified the first known cases of electronic waste burning in the Middle East. While leading a water, sanitation and hygiene NGO, Sarah developed a mobile monitoring system to evaluate performance against key performance indicators. More recently, she consulted on blockchain and other innovative technology initiatives.

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin and a Masters of Science in Water Management from McGill University.

Alex joined 2DII in November 2019 and is working as a data scientist in the New York office. Prior to joining 2DII, he served as a Data Scientist for the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, and as a Data Engineer for a contractor to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Alex holds a B.S. in Physics from Purdue and is finishing a M.S. in Data Science from Indiana University in Spring 2020.

Mauro implements software solutions to help researchers work in an efficient, transparent, and reproducible way. He often contributes as a developer or teacher to popular open software projects or communities (https://maurolepore.github.io/).

Prior to joining 2DII in July 2019, Mauro served as a software developer for ForestGEO, based at the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

He holds a PhD in ecology, conservation biology and geochemistry from The University of Queensland, Australia, and a Licentiate degree from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Taylor is working from the New York office as a Data Engineer, where he oversees work on data infrastructure and engineering. He manages many of the data sources our research relies on, ensuring that they consolidated, cleaned, and readily available for our analysts to use.

Prior to joining 2DII, Taylor served as an engineer and consultant at MAQ Software designing business intelligence solutions.

Taylor holds a Bachelor’s in Applied Mathematics from the University of Washington.

Gabrielle joined 2DII in January 2018 and is based in the Paris office. She is director of 2DII's French entity and UK office, in addition to overseeing administrative matters, grants, and financials for the organization.

Prior to joining 2DII, Gabrielle served as loan officer for five years in an NGO, helping entrepreneurs to start small businesses. Gabrielle also worked on various projects at the UNESCO New York Office and the Positive Planet Tel Aviv office.

Gabrielle holds a Master in Sustainable Development and Microfinance from the Paris Dauphine University and the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management as well as a Research Master’s in environmental science from the University Paris VII.

Yoni joined 2DII in March 2020, where he manages HR and administrative responsibilities from the Paris office and supports the 2DII global network.

Prior to joining, Yoni served 7 years as both Office Manager and Senior Recruitment Consultant for an International Executive Search Agency in Life Sciences. He has helped customers around the globe and placed over 90 senior Executives across five continents. He also used his deep understanding of multicultural organizations to support the construction of international teams both internally and for clients.

Yoni holds a Master in American Studies from the Paris Sorbonne University as well as a BSc. in Finance and Management from the CNAM-INTEC.

Riwan joined 2° Investing Initiative in June 2020 as an intern in the Paris office and was promoted to analyst 6 months later. He engages in research and consultancy work regarding climate scenario alignment and climate-related risks. He also conducts research on how to channel retail investment towards the financing of the ecological transition.

Riwan holds a Master's in International Affairs & International Economics (Sciences Po Lyon, University Paris-Dauphine) and in Management (ESSEC Business School). Previously, he worked in international development, as an apprentice for the French Ministry of the Economy, and as a consultant on environmental crime for the World Bank. He is very interested in addressing systemic barriers to the ecological transition and is contributing to civil society organisations advocating for a renewed and sustainable economy.

Thibaut joined 2DII in March 2020 as Senior Manager for the Paris office team. He is in charge of the Finance ClimAct project which aims to align the French and European action plans on sustainable finance and to strengthen France positioning on this topic.

Prior to joining 2DII, Thibaut was Manager in the Sustainable Development team of PwC France, in charge of Green Finance and Climate Change consultancy projects. Before that he was an ESG Analyst for Astorg, a private equity management company.

Thibaut graduated from AgroParisTech and holds a MSc in Sustainable Development from HEC Paris.

Ruiqi joined 2DII in March 2020 and works as a junior analyst and project assistant.

Her activities include policy, data, and market trends analysis across various projects. She also assists the Country Director and Office Manager with project monitoring and governance management.

Previously, Ruiqi interned at the OECD, where she worked on policy analysis and international coordination on the topic of humanitarian finance. Ruiqi holds an MA in Public Policy from Sciences Po Paris and a BSc in Communication Science in Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Soline joined 2° Investing Initiative in September 2018 and is working from the Paris office. She co-developed 2DII's climate stress-testing methodology in 2019 and is now working on a research program aiming at developing a framework to measure the contribution of financial instruments and portfolios to the real economy.

Soline graduated from AgroParisTech and holds a master's degree in Environmental Economics and Macroeconomic Modelling from Université Paris Saclay.

Laura joined 2DII in February 2016 and is working from the Paris office as Head of Emerging Markets. She coordinates projects in emerging markets that aim at providing scenario analysis tools and policy research to financial institutions, industry associations, supervisory authorities and governments. As part of this role, she is leading 2DII’s outreach and project implementation in Latin America. In addition, Laura provides technical support in the development of ISO 14097, the new standard on financial institutions’ climate action impact.

Previously, Laura was Project Officer on Sustainability Reporting at the French Ministry of Environment, Energy and the Sea.

Laura holds a master’s degree in Economics and Finance from Tübingen University in Germany.

Thierry joined 2DII in July 2019 and is based in the Paris office. He works on retail investing projects in the French market (qualitative and quantitative surveys, mystery shopping, and more).

Prior to joining 2DII, Thierry worked as a digital project manager in the cultural sector. He holds a Master’s in Marketing Communications from Paris VIII.

David Cooke serves as a Policy Manager at 2° Investing Initiative and joined in 2019. His work involves monitoring and coordinating 2° Investing Initiative’s input to sustainable finance policy initiatives globally (with a particular emphasis on the EU Sustainable Finance Action Plan). He is a UK qualified lawyer, and previously worked at ClientEarth focusing on the application of corporate and financial law to climate change and broader environmental, social and governance issues. While there he engaged with UK and EU financial regulators, supervisory authorities and government departments to increase regulatory oversight of climate-related financial risk and helped draft recommendations on regulator implementation of a comprehensive sustainability disclosure framework for the Green Finance Taskforce report to the UK Government: Accelerating Green Finance.
As well as being a qualified lawyer, David holds a BSc Physics and Philosophy from the University of Bristol and a MSc Sustainable Development from the University of Surrey.

George joined 2DII in October 2019, where he is working on PACTA for corporate lending and metrics-related projects.

Prior to joining 2DII, George interned at a sustainability consultancy, where he worked on their offerings around the TCFD.

George holds an MSc in Climate Change, Management, and Finance from Imperial College Business School and a BSc in Environmental Geoscience from the University of Bristol.

Maarten Vleeschhouwer joined 2DII as Head of PACTA in August 2020. Previously, he worked as a seconded national expert at the European Commission’s DG FISMA, where he assisted in the implementation of the Commission Action Plan on Financing Sustainable Growth. Prior to that, he worked at the Dutch National Bank, which was one of the first central banks to use the PACTA scenario analysis tool.

Maarten acts as strategic lead for PACTA, including managing stakeholder relations, partnerships development, and policy-related work.