Candice Stevens

CEO & Founder at Sustainable Finance Coalition

Speaker

Candice Stevens is the Founder and CEO of the Sustainable Finance Coalition and the Co-Chair of the IUCN WCPA Sustainable Finance Specialist Group. Candice is a visionary in green finance and sustainable solutions and leverages her expertise to develop innovative and impactful finance solutions for preserving our natural landscapes and seascapes.

In her regional and global roles, she collaborates with industry leaders and diverse stakeholders to bridge Africa's nature finance gap. Her ground-breaking work in innovative finance has garnered prestigious recognition, including the UN Pathfinder Award, EcoLogic Awards, Greening the Future, and Mulago Foundation Fellowship.

With a strong background in law, commerce and tax, Candice has extensive experience in protected and conserved area financing, environmental law and policy-making on financial incentives. She is represented on numerous national, regional and international committees focused on financing, resourcing and area-based conservation including the Advisory Task Force on Financial Reporting to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Notably, Candice's partnership with the Government of South Africa led to the introduction of the world's first effective biodiversity tax incentive within the South African protected areas network, earning her a Pathfinder Award Special Commendation for this pioneering global innovation.