Meet Maia, a Sustainable Finance Researcher

I started on the help desk as a fixed income advanced specialist, a role I really enjoyed since it enabled me to learn a lot on the ground. Then, I became an account manager in London and Paris, focusing on fixed income and derivatives users. During that time, I also worked on Bloomberg’s Sustainable Finance solutions for Europe’s key banks. Today, I’m a sustainable finance researcher for BloombergNEF (BNEF), where I’ve been for the past 3.5 years.

How have you been able to innovate and give back in your role?

Writing research on sustainable finance requires innovative thinking on a daily basis, as you need to find solutions to new issues for which there have been no textbooks until recently. I wasn’t taught about sustainable finance in school – it didn’t exist at the time!

For me, sharing knowledge is the best way to give back. I’ve participated in mentoring programs at Bloomberg, and we sometimes host students at BNEF. We also try to make some of our key findings available to a wider audience — whether through blog posts, social media or conferences.

What is most exciting about the field you’re working in?

I’m very passionate about my area of research, so it’s hard to pick just one thing! I think that regulatory developments will help align our financial systems with wider societal goals such as mitigating climate change and promoting social justice. As such, I’m looking forward to seeing governments make finance become sustainable.

Where do you think you’ve added the most value?

I like to believe it’s in my research — when I help make complicated topics less complex so they can be turned into actionable insights. I’ve already had the opportunity to present my work to bankers, senior executives, NGOs, ministers, policymakers and fellow analysts, all of which I never thought I’d be able to do so early in my career.