Thomas Van Viegen

Thomas Van Viegen has a particularly deep interest in the emerging nature-climate narrative as the next frontier in financial risk management; and how capital markets can behave and function as drivers for nature-positive, and climate-resilient futures. In 2005 Thomas founded EARTH.INC, an advisory consultancy working at the intersection of complex business socio-environmental arrangements; with a finance, mining and agriculture sectoral focus.

Since 2018 he has been supporting Global Canopy on the Exploring Natural Capital Opportunity, Risk and Exposure (ENCORE) project as lead for South Africa. He has been engaged in supporting the advancement of the nature-related finance disclosure ecosystem and how finance can further play a pivotal role in catalysing deeper organisational transformation through increased voluntary and mandatory reporting transparency. Separately he is advising the UNDP BIOFIN programme in the review of country readiness for nature-related financial disclosures. Thomas holds a BLArch in Environmental Planning and Design (University of Pretoria), and a PGD in Sustainable Development (Cum Laude) (Stellenbosch University). He is an alumni of the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership (CISL) Executive Programme, and holds a verified certificate in Planetary Boundary and Resilience Science from the SDG Academy / Stockholm Resilience Centre. He is a co-author of the Environmental Potential Atlas for South Africa book. He has extensive international project experience in excess of 24 countries throughout Africa, Small Island Development States, and the Middle East, spanning a career of 28 years.

He has an inordinate fondness for beetles, and has one named after him.