Vanessa Gomes, NACD, MFIN

Vanessa is the Executive Director and Sustainable Finance Lead for the Americas at Standard Chartered Corporate & Investment Banking, bringing over 17 years of experience across analytical, management, and client-facing roles spanning diverse sectors. Her expertise lies in strategy, corporate finance, business development, capital markets, corporate governance, and sustainable finance. Vanessa possesses a proven entrepreneurial mindset and has successfully overseen and led a broad spectrum of strategic and financial initiatives at leading firms including Standard Chartered Bank, S&P Ratings, HSBC, AB InBev, and BASF. Throughout her international career, Vanessa has developed skills in M&A integrations, deal making, P&L accountability, Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB) and both short- and long-term strategic planning.

She has guest lectured at esteemed institutions such as Columbia University, University of New York, University of Cambridge, Yale University, and Imperial College. She has been a featured speaker at numerous conferences and panel discussions. She is recognized for her exceptional communication skills, multicultural emotional intelligence, and strategic problem-solving abilities. Vanessa acts as advisory board member for GRI and Brazil Foundation.

Vanessa holds a Master of Finance from the University of Cambridge and a BSc in Economics from the University of Sao Paulo. She has earned certifications in Corporate Governance from National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), Corporate Sustainability and Professional Coaching from New York University (NYU). Vanessa is a corporate member of the Council on Foreign Relations and (NACD).

Fluent in English, Portuguese, and advanced in Spanish, Vanessa has lived in Brazil, the UK, Canada, and the U.S., and has travelled extensively to over 38 countries. She maintains a strong cultural and philosophical curiosity with a global mindset.