Benjamin Thomas is a Senior Analyst in CPI’s innovative finance team, where he works to support increased private investment in nature-based solutions and AFOLU sectors. His current focuses include a partnership with Conservation International focused on irrecoverable carbon landscapes as well the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance, where he supports the inaugural Philippines nature-based solutions stream as well as broader financial modeling across the program.

In previous Lab cycles, Benjamin supported the development of the Catalyst Climate Resilience Fund, a private equity fund specialized in African adaptation technology startups, as well as the Climate Smart Shrimp Fund, an innovative approach to shrimp farm intensification and mangrove restoration. He has also supported the Climate Public Private Partnership (CP3) through the development of a new methodology for assessing the program’s “demonstration effect”, completed research on gender-responsive financing approaches in agriculture, and contributed to CPI’s Global Landscape of Climate Finance.

Prior to CPI, Benjamin worked as an analyst on the capital markets and treasury teams at a residential solar financing company in the Bay Area, and has additional experience in rural development and conservation in East Africa and Indonesian Borneo. He holds a Master’s degree in Climate Change, Management, and Finance from Imperial College London and a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from New York University.