James Vaccaro

James has spent 25 years working at the intersection of finance, sustainability and systems change — not just talking about it, but helping build some of the most pioneering institutions in the field.
He was Group Director of Strategy at Triodos Bank — Europe's leading sustainable bank — where he helped shape how the institution invested across the continent. He was one of the founding architects of the UN Principles for Responsible Banking, now signed by over 300 banks representing half of global banking assets. He has advised GFANZ — the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero — and served on the UK Government's Transition Plan Taskforce. Today he runs RePattern, a consultancy focused on systems innovation and regenerative business design, and is a Senior Associate at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. But perhaps what defines him most is a simple and uncomfortable question he keeps asking: it's not enough to add green products at the margin — we need to change the system itself.