To address the twin climate and biodiversity crises, faster action and greater investment are needed on a global scale. New ideas and collaboration across borders will be vital to connect the dots of a fragmented ecosystem in order to transform the world’s economy and finance systemic change.

At Pollination, we draw on a global team to tackle a global issue. We have brought together a diverse and unique community of the brightest minds from different industries across the world to disrupt the status quo, with a mission to build a network capable of delivering the right solutions, faster.

In the first of new series of interviews from inside the Pollination community we talked to Gail Sucharitakul, an associate in our London team, about why she embarked on a career in climate change and what her role in the firm involves.

What led you to a career in climate change? 

I was very fortunate to spend my childhood growing up Thailand, where weekends were spent either in the mountains or in the ocean. Experiences like diving with manta rays, watching sea turtles, and observing the rainforest canopies inspired me from a young age. During my undergraduate studies I also undertook internships and volunteering placements in shark conservation in Fiji and Indonesia which really opened my eyes to the astonishing rate of environmental degradation. When you see coral bleaching and deforestation first-hand, it’s hard not to want to dedicate your career to fixing these problems! These experiences motivated me to undertake my studies in Natural Sciences and Environmental Economics, which has provided me with the skills and understanding for a career in climate change. Even now, whenever I feel like I need some inspiration, going for a walk outside in nature (or as per the Japanese mindfulness practice of forest bathing, shinrin-yoku) re-energises me and provides me with comfort knowing that we’re working towards making a positive impact in the world.

What does your role at Pollination involve? 

I’m an Advisory Associate in our London office, where I’m currently focused on climate finance and mobilising capital to emerging markets and developing economies. In this role, I work across projects with coalitions, private sector financial institutions, and development finance institutions to realise tangible catalytic climate finance solutions. It’s really exciting to be learning from incredible leaders and experts on topics such as blended finance and investing at the nexus of gender and climate. Beyond my client work, I’m also involved in other business development activities such as the planning for COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Pollination brings together an amazing pool of talent and expertise across a multitude of themes and sectors, creating endless learning opportunities. The combination of being relatively small and having a very open culture enables junior professionals to work directly leaders and experts, therefore providing lots of opportunities for growth. We’re never short of ideas to discuss and constructively debate. I also love working with my fellow Associates who are incredibly passionate and energetic about the work that we are doing. Despite being like-minded with regards to our passion for nature and climate, we’re all from different professional and educational backgrounds which gives us a lot of diversity of thought and allows us to work in a multidisciplinary manner.

In your opinion what makes Pollination different?

Pollination has real first-hand expertise in the projects we are working on, for example for climate finance, Gavin Templeton was a part of the team who set up the UK Green Investment Bank, the world’s first dedicated green finance institution. This deep expertise extends to all areas that we work in, and particularly in nature, natural capital, and carbon markets where we have a number of leaders who are shaping the thinking. Beyond the leadership levels, everyone I’ve worked with brings something unique to the table and has the opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way. Given this, Pollination is able to add value across all areas of our business: Advisory, Investments, and the Foundation. 

What do you hope to achieve in your career?

For me it’s all about where it began: home. As I mentioned, Thailand’s natural environment sparked my interest in nature and climate change, so eventually I hope to develop the experience and skillset needed to contribute to protecting and regenerating Thailand’s natural ecosystems, while enabling a just transition. I acknowledge there’s still a long way to go, and there’s so many different ways to contribute so I’m still figuring things out along the journey! While doing this I also hope to establish a sustainable career with a lot of balance in my life – as we all know, it’s a marathon!

What makes you optimistic about the future? The people driving the change! As highlighted by the IPCC reports, we have a steep hill to climb to do everything that we can to limit warming to global 1.5 degrees and protect our natural environments. Amidst all the sobering news it’s hard to stay optimistic, but when you work in this industry I believe that optimism is crucial to providing the motivation to drive real change (as well as a little outrage of course!). Meeting these targets is going to be a huge challenge, but I’ve met truly inspirational people who are going above and beyond. Recently I read Mary Robinson’s book ‘Climate Justice: A Man-Made Problem With A Feminist Solution’, which highlights incredible stories of women like Constance Okollet and Sharon Hanshaw who are doing exactly this. I don’t think you need to be a global leader or CEO to play a part, everyone can contribute.

We are recruiting. For more information about career opportunities at Pollination, please visit our LinkedIn job board at https://rb.gy/j1iktk or contact careers@pollinationgroup.com