Christopher Walker is a Senior Advisor and Director of the Alliance for a Climate Resilient Earth (ACRE) at Stimson. For two decades, Chris has been a catalyst for pioneering business partnership and market initiatives to address climate change and achieve Sustainable Development. He has experience in indentification and execution of market-based solutions via financial sector innovation and corporate pre-competitive coalition building.
Chris is currently leading work on Scaling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which includes engagement with the Asset Management/Investment, Insurance, Carbon Markets and Waste/Circular Economy industries. Projects include creating a climate resilience best practice collaboration, the integration of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) options into retirement plans of universities, serving in an advisory capacity to 3 carbon market companies and a novel (re)insurer led initiative to engage insurance underwriting in furthering the SDGs. In 2019, Chris was the inaugural Director, Invest NYC SDG project which focuses on financing SDGs driven business opportunities in New York City at the Center for Sustainable Business, New York University Stern School of Business.
For the prior 4.5 years, Chris served at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development as the Director, North America based in New York City. As part of this role, he managed the organization’s relationship with the 47 Fortune 500 companies with headquarters in North America. As part of WBCSD’s Redefining Value he led the Investor Decision making work which assists WBCSD members engagement on ESG issues with the Financial sector such as Aligning Retirement Assets of corporates with their sustainability values. He also created an unprecedented partnership of the top 6 soft commodities trading companies to tackle deforestation.
Prior to WBCSD, he worked in a variety of roles as a member of Ernst & Young LLP’s Americas Climate Change and Sustainability Services practice. He previously was the Executive Officer of the Carbon Trust, LLC, the US affiliate of the UK’s Carbon Trust. He has served on the National Academy of Science’s, congressionally mandated study “America’s Climate Choices” (July 2010) and as Executive Director for North America for The Climate Group where he conceptualized and implemented “Climate Week” as a pivotal annual event in NYC to engage global influencers.
Chris’ sustainability career started as a Managing Director for 12 years at Swiss Re’s Sustainability Business Development where he ran a unit responsible for developing commercial applications for the carbon markets (trading, investments, risk management tools) and for the company’s sustainability commitments as well as served as a spokesman and government affairs liaison on climate change/GHG emissions issues.
Prior to Swiss Re, he litigated asbestos and toxic torts. He is a graduate with a BA and JD from St. John’s University and attended the Institute on Comparative Political and Economic Systems at Georgetown.