Heather Buchanan
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Heather has extensive experience advising Government, trade bodies and civil society on the commercial relationship between banks and their customers. Since COP26, Heather has been tireless in her efforts to focus on the role of finance and banking in supporting the real economy in a just transition. She was thrilled to see this work culminate with B4NZ taking to a global stage as a core partner of the UK Pavilion at COP28. In 2024 Heather was recognised as one of the twenty Trailblazing Women in Climate (Reuters) and shortlisted as Sustainability Leader of the Year (Business Green).
Hannah Cool
Chief Operating Officer
Hannah has over a decade of experience with the Big4 leading major transformation programmes and for the last 5 years has worked with executive leadership teams and boards, advising on ESG and sustainability strategy. Hannah has worked with major cross sector organisations, focussing on climate change and risk management. In doing this Hannah has been compelled to work with market coalitions and initiatives which define the future ecosystem where finance can flow with ease and organisations demonstrating the right sustainable behaviours are financially rewarded. The challenges of facilitating the flow of capital to the real economy and working across innovative market solutions is what lead Hannah to join B4NZ.
Elliot Cyriax
Head of Strategy & Programmes
Elliot is responsible for leading the organisation’s key strategic and operational functions, including overseeing the development of our three sectoral workstreams (SMEs, the Built Environment and Emerging Markets) and managing our relationships across industry and civil society. Elliot was recognised by edie in their 30 Under 30 in their 2023 cohort of bold, innovative young sustainability professionals.
Elena Pérez Celis
Head of Policy & Public Affairs
Elena leads B4NZ’s approach to policy and regulation as well as the delivery of its public affairs strategies. She is responsible for crafting our policy positions, leading our government consultation responses, and working alongside civil society, academia, and industry to support the development of policies that enable the flows of capital towards net zero. Before joining B4NZ, Elena worked as a consultant in a public affairs firm where she provided tailored advice to clients on policy and regulatory issues that could impact their businesses. Prior to that, Elena worked at a think tank analysing policy issues across different sectors. She also worked at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs where she supported the activity of several United Nations Agencies, funds, and programmes. Elena holds an International Relations degree and a Public Policy master’s degree from King’s College London and outside of work she enjoys swimming and travelling.
Francesca O’Neill
Head of Corporate Engagement
Francesca is responsible for Brand, Marketing and Communications across all channels, Member Engagement and Events. She joined B4NZ in 2022 after graduating from Durham University with a first-class honours in Physical Geography – with specific interests in climate change, natural disasters and urban resilience. Since joining the team, Francesca has strengthened the current membership base, whilst working to expand the ecosystem to include further financial institutions and corporates. A large part of this engagement has been achieved through spearheading the organisation’s communications and leading on national and international climate events including COP29, WEF, LCAW and NYCW.
Hattie Turner
Head of Government Affairs
Hattie leads Government Affairs and Parliamentary Engagement at B4NZ, collaborating with parliamentarians, civil service and third sector organisations, as well as various All-Party Groups and sustainability initiatives in Parliament. Originally from East Yorkshire, she holds a degree in BA Politics from the University of Sheffield and a Master’s degree in Environmental Sustainability from Edinburgh University. Since 2015, Hattie has worked for multiple MPs, including Government Ministers and a Secretary of State. She has also worked with Facebook’s Politics & Government team and volunteered for an organisation to host tours and events for parliamentary researchers. Passionate about sustainability, Hattie believes in the power of small actions to drive behaviour change on a mass scale. Aside from work, Hattie is a keen cyclist and loves cooking!
Aidan Murley
Operations Lead
Aidan joined B4NZ in 2024 and supports work across our workstreams, operations, communications, and events. He holds a BSc in Politics and International Relations from the University of Bath. He has previously worked in Parliament as a researcher working with the APPGs on Fair Business Banking and Anti-Corruption & Responsible Tax.
Will Thorn
Project Officer
Will is our Project Officer at B4NZ, helping to support and coordinate projects across our workstreams. Having started in 2024, he is the newest member of our team, joining us for his placement year at the University of Bath, where he studies International Development with Economics. With a lifelong passion for sustainability, Will is particularly excited about the prospect of a just green transition, harnessing the opportunities that climate action will unlock across the globe. Outside of work, Will is a keen runner and rugby podcast host who enjoys going to live music as much as possible.