MANAGING DIRECTOR

Belinda is the Managing Director of Climate Sigma, where she pioneered the “climate leases” model for valuing property under climate change. In 2017, she coined the term “insurance retreat,” a concept that has shaped discussions on climate risk. She has also been developing the “loss of design life” model, addressing the implications of climate change on infrastructure resilience. Her research focuses on the impact of extreme events on infrastructure, real estate, banking, and insurance.

Belinda serves as a Director of the State-Owned Enterprise AsureQuality and previously held a directorship at Pamū/Landcorp. She is also a member of the Ministry for the Environment’s Independent Reference Group on Adaptation Framework. Belinda provides advice to the Reserve Bank.

Her past contributions include work with the Ministry for the Environment’s Managed Retreat Expert Working Group and the External Reporting Board (XRB)’s External Advisory Panel on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. Additionally, Belinda has provided expert advice on property and construction sector scenario development for the New Zealand Green Business Council.

Belinda holds an MBA in Finance from Columbia University, New York, and a Master’s degree in Disaster Risk from the University of Canterbury. She is set to receive her PhD in Economics in 2025.

Previously, she was Managing Director of Whakahura: Extreme Events and the Emergence of Climate Change, a five-year, $10 million research programme funded by MBIE. She was also the Programme and Engagement Coordinator for the Resilience to Nature’s Challenges’ Extreme Weather Research Platform. 

In May 2022, Belinda was honored as Wellingtonian of the Year for Science and Technology, on recognition of her groundbreaking work in pricing climate risk.

PROJECT MANAGER

Nienke is the Project Manager for Climate Sigma. Since she joined Climate Sigma in 2020, she has been the Project Manager for the Extreme Weather Research Platform and Whakahura: Extreme Events and the Emergence of Climate Change, a 10 million five-year MBIE-funded research programme. Nienke has extensive project management experience in large complex research programmes involving different universities, organisations and stakeholders. She is an experienced and forward-thinking sustainability professional interested in developing innovative solutions to corporate social responsibility and sustainable business models. In a past role at the business school of Erasmus University Rotterdam, she helped organisations integrate sustainability into the core of their business strategy and translating scientific knowledge into practical business tools. Nienke has a Bachelor of Science and a Masters of Arts, both in Cultural Anthropology.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANT

Libby is the Technical Assistant for Climate Sigma and joined the company in 2023. Libby is also a third-year student at Victoria University of Wellington, working towards a conjoint LLB/BA degree in Law and English Literature.