Lily Tomson

Lily is an Intellectual Forum Senior Research Associate.

Lily is leading a feasibility study into the development of a 1.5°C-aligned corporate bond index, a project which focuses on debt markets as the most significant source of fossil fuel expansion financing (which is out of line with the scientific and policy consensus). She argues that debt markets must play a big role in a just and orderly transition, but are poorly understood by most responsible investors. She looks at debt issued by fossil fuel companies (the suppliers), utilities (major sources of demand), and banks (leading facilitators of fossil fuel financing).

Lily was previously Head of Networks at the responsible investment NGO ShareAction. She built and supported communities of asset owners (charitable foundations, higher education institutions, and occupational pension schemes) to develop ambitious responsible investment approaches. She led a project hosted by the Department for Work and Pensions to launch the Occupational Pensions Stewardship Council, a community of UK pension schemes sharing knowledge and practice on stewardship. She also launched the ‘Responsible Investment Network - Universities’. Alongside this, her team spanned ShareAction’s work with individuals and with civil society organisations, working on policy and shareholder engagement across Europe. 

She is a trustee with specialist interest in finance and investing at John Ellerman Foundation, and a non-executive director at the money and banking advocacy and research group Positive Money and the new economy charity NEON.

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