THURSDAY 25 JUNE 2026, THE BREWERY, EC1Y 4SD, LONDON
The UK already has many of the solutions it needs to reduce flood risk. What’s missing is coordination, investment and scale.
Proudly part of the London Climate Resilience Finance Summit, The Water Resilience Investment Summit brings together the organisations best placed to change that - water companies, infrastructure operators, insurers, asset owners, landholders, funders and Government - to accelerate the shift from pilot projects to investable, catchment-scale resilience.
Hosted by the FloodAction Coalition, this action-focused gathering is designed to align capital, governance and delivery models so nature-based flood management can function as reliable national infrastructure.
This is where resilience moves from concept to coordinated action.
Why Attend
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Turn Proven Solutions Into Investable Infrastructure
Explore how nature-based interventions can deliver
long-term, measurable resilience across priority catchments.
Unlock Capital With Confidence
Engage with emerging funding models that link DevEx, CapEx and OpEx — giving buyers and funders clarity on value and returns.
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Unlock Capital With Confidence
Engage with emerging funding models that link DevEx, CapEx and OpEx — giving buyers and funders clarity on value and returns.
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Strengthen Governance & Co-ordination
Help shape practical governance models that align landowners, buyers and delivery partners at catchment scale.
Work With The People Who Can Deliver
Connect with senior leaders able to commit funding, policy support and operational capacity.
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Work With The People Who Can Deliver
Connect with senior leaders able to commit funding, policy support and operational capacity.

Lead The Next Phase Of UK Flood Resilience
Be part of a growing coalition building solutions that protect communities, infrastructure and the economy.
Agenda
The 2026 programme will focus on practical pathways to scale
Session 1
This session explores what it takes to turn nature-based water resilience into a functioning investment market.
Session 2
We'll bring the challenge to life through five emerging resilience projects currently being developed through the FloodAction Coalition accelerator programme.
12:00 - 12:10
Opening Remarks: From Concept to Delivery
Over five million properties in England face flood risk - and government cannot act alone. FloodAction is building the market architecture to make nature-based water resilience financeable and scalable. With priority catchments identified and a delivery pipeline live, we’ll explore the successes and insights of our first twelve months.
PAUL VAN ZYL
CEO and Co-Founder, The Conduit

Paul served as the Executive Secretary of South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Paul also co-founded the International Centre for Transitional Justice, an organization that works in over 40 countries that have endured massive human rights violations under repression conflict. Paul is also a co-founder and CEO of Maiyet, an ethical luxury fashion brand that cultivates traditional design and culture by partnering with global artisans. Most recently, Paul co-founded The Conduit, which serves as a home for those committed to improving the world by harnessing the power of creativity and entrepreneurship. The Conduit serves as a home for a diverse community of people passionate about social change.
CLAUDINE BLAMEY
Chief Sustainability Officer, Aviva and Chair, FloodAction Coalition

Currently Chief Sustainability Officer at Aviva. Claudine was previously the Director of Sustainability and Digital Strategy at Argent LLP for 3 years.
Claudine delivered the net zero carbon flights strategy at easyJet in her role as Director of Sustainability. Prior to this she set up the Group sustainability function at Sainsbury’s covering sustainable sourcing, operational waste and community activity as well as group charitable partnerships and overall development of group wide sustainability strategy and implementation.
Claudine was responsible for the sustainability strategy for The Crown Estate’s business. Claudine joined from SEGRO where she was Head of Sustainability. Prior to this she was Director of Corporate Responsibility at British Land where she was responsible for Group corporate responsibility policy, implementation and communication.
Before this Claudine was the Environment Manager at Honda (UK). Claudine is on the City Corporation Property Investment Board and was previously on the Board of Business in the Community (BITC) and the Mace Group Responsible Business Board and was Chair of the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (ICRS) from 2015-2017. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).
12:10 - 12:20
Government Keynote: Enabling the Market
This keynote explores the increasing urgency of flood and drought risk across the UK - and the role of FloodAction in creating a market for resilience, setting the stage for the wider Summit.
EMMA HARDY MP
Minister for Water and Flooding

Emma Hardy was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 9 July 2024. She was elected as the MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice in July 2024.
12:20 - 12:30
The Data Behind the Challenge
Drawing on the CCC's landmark May 2026 adaptation report, this session will set out why the scale of the challenge demands a fundamentally different response - and why the window for action is narrowing. This will frame the economic and physical realities that make investment in nature-based water resilience - working alongside hard infrastructure - not just desirable, but essential.
JAMES RICHARDSON
Director of Analysis, Climate Change Committee

James Richardson has been Director of Analysis at the Climate Change Committee since July 2023.
From 2016 to July 2023, he was Chief Economist at the National Infrastructure Commission, where he led on production of the UK’s first ever National Infrastructure Assessment, an in-depth assessment of the UK’s major infrastructure needs on a 30-year time horizon. He led net zero related work for the Commission’s second National Infrastructure Assessment, due to be published 18 October 2023.
Prior to this, James was Director, Fiscal and Deputy Chief Economic Adviser at HM Treasury from July 2012 to March 2016 and Director, Public Spending and Chief Microeconomist at HM Treasury from September 2008 to July 2012.
12:30 - 12:35
The System Challenge
Flood resilience is not constrained by a lack of capital or ambition - but by the absence of the structures needed to connect projects, buyers and investment into a functioning market. This is an introduction to the systemic barriers the Coalition is working to solve, and the four core market unlocks now being developed.
RACHEL MORGAN
Co-Director, Project Delivery and Accelerator, FloodAction Coalition

Rachel leads delivery of the Project Accelerator, progressing nature-based resilience projects from concept through to investment readiness. Alongside delivering investable pilots, she focuses on developing scalable models that can unlock future project pipelines.
Rachel co-founded Wild Natured, where she leads natural capital project development across water resilience and biodiversity net gain, working with infrastructure, public, and private sector clients including Network Rail, Defra, and Wildfarmed.
Previously, Rachel led multi-million-pound renewable investment cases across solar PV and hydrogen, building a strong track record in infrastructure investment and the development of emerging asset classes, experience she now applies to scaling nature-based climate resilience.
12:35 - 12:55
The Four Unlocks of a Water Resilience Market
What will it take to build a functioning market for water resilience in the UK? This series of rapid-fire presentations explores the four core conditions required to unlock investment and large-scale delivery: funding models, coordinated catchment delivery, market infrastructure, and trusted systems for data and verification.
Unlock 1: Funding Models
Exploring the development of long-term, outcome-based funding models capable of supporting large-scale deployment beyond fragmented grants and short-term public funding cycles.
ROBERT GARDNER
Founder and CEO, Rebalance Earth

Robert is on a mission to make Nature the world's next investible infrastructure class, much as renewables became two decades ago. Floods, droughts and pollution are already costing UK businesses billions, yet most boards have yet to price the risk. Unchecked nature loss could reduce UK GDP by up to 12%, making it one of the most underappreciated threats on the boardroom agenda.
Robert brings 25 years of institutional finance experience to this challenge. He co-founded Redington and previously oversaw £150 billion of assets as Director of Investments at St. James's Place. Today, he leads Rebalance Earth, backed by the West Yorkshire Pension Fund, restoring British ecosystems to reduce the flood, drought and water risks quietly accumulating on corporate balance sheets.
Unlock 2: Realising the Potential of Nature to Deliver Resilience
Exploring how buyers, landowners and delivery partners can align around shared water risks to unlock large-scale resilience outcomes across landscapes and catchments.
HARRY BOWELL
Director of Land and Nature, National Trust

Harry has been a key member of the National Trust’s Executive Team since 2018, serving first as Director of Operations and now as Director of Land and Nature. Over the years, he has held a range of senior roles within the Trust, including Assistant Director of Operations, and has led regional teams as Regional Director for both the Midlands and the North.
His deep understanding of conservation and land management has been integral to the Trust’s evolving approach to protecting nature across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Before joining the National Trust, Harry managed several RSPB reserves spanning the area between the Peak District and Scotland. For 10 years, he played a pivotal role in habitat restoration, species conservation, and the development of sustainable management practices. Prior to this, Harry worked as Reserves Manager at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, where he gained early experience in nature conservation and wetlands management.
A passionate environmentalist, Harry studied Environmental Science at the University of East Anglia and has become an expert in wetland design and management. His academic background and professional expertise have shaped his enduring belief in the importance of landscape-scale restoration. He is also a strong advocate for integrating nature back into urban spaces, recognising the profound impact that well-designed green areas can have on both wildlife and the well-being of local communities.
Harry’s commitment to conservation extends beyond his role at the National Trust. He has held numerous non-executive positions, including serving as Co-Chair of a Community Interest Company focused on revitalising wildlife habitats within Sheffield. This work has brought him closer to his goal of reconnecting people with nature in urban settings.
Living in Sheffield, Harry enjoys spending his free time exploring the nearby Peak District, whether through running, walking, or cycling. His connection to the natural world is both a professional pursuit and a personal passion, driving his ongoing efforts to create spaces where both people and wildlife can thrive.
Unlock 3: Delivery and Market Infrastructure
Exploring the governance, contracting and delivery structures needed to reduce friction, lower transaction costs and create repeatable models capable of being deployed across multiple catchments.
Unlock 4: Data, Evidence and Verification
Examining the work under way to create credible approaches for measuring, verifying and communicating water resilience outcomes - helping organisations quantify impact, assess risk and support long-term investment decisions.
ADAM ELMAN
Director of Sustainability, EMEA, Google

Adam is a sustainability leader with over 20 years of experience in driving positive transformational change for some of the world's most influential companies. As Google’s Director of Sustainability for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, he works at the intersection of the physical, digital, and natural worlds. He coordinates with Google's real-world and digital infrastructure teams, from real estate and supply chains to data centers and products, to ensure that the company is taking advantage of opportunities to strategically advance sustainability.
Previously, Adam held senior sustainability roles at Amazon, Marks & Spencer, and Klöckner Pentaplast , where he developed and delivered innovative sustainability strategies and programs that enhanced their environmental, social, and governance performance. He is a Chartered Environmentalist and a Fellow of both ISEP and ICRS, and an Executive Fellow at King’s Business School. He has been recognised as one of the UK's top 100 environmental professionals and among the top 50 sustainability thought leaders and influencers globally. He is passionate about creating a more sustainable and inclusive future for everyone.
12:55 - 13:30
Panel: Making the Case for Investment
Why are organisations beginning to engage seriously with water resilience - and what still needs to happen to accelerate participation? This cross-sector discussion brings together leaders from finance, infrastructure, insurance and land management to examine where momentum is building, what barriers remain, and why early engagement matters.
CLAUDINE BLAMEY
Chief Sustainability Officer, Aviva and Chair, FloodAction Coalition

Currently Chief Sustainability Officer at Aviva. Claudine was previously the Director of Sustainability and Digital Strategy at Argent LLP for 3 years.
Claudine delivered the net zero carbon flights strategy at easyJet in her role as Director of Sustainability. Prior to this she set up the Group sustainability function at Sainsbury’s covering sustainable sourcing, operational waste and community activity as well as group charitable partnerships and overall development of group wide sustainability strategy and implementation.
Claudine was responsible for the sustainability strategy for The Crown Estate’s business. Claudine joined from SEGRO where she was Head of Sustainability. Prior to this she was Director of Corporate Responsibility at British Land where she was responsible for Group corporate responsibility policy, implementation and communication.
Before this Claudine was the Environment Manager at Honda (UK). Claudine is on the City Corporation Property Investment Board and was previously on the Board of Business in the Community (BITC) and the Mace Group Responsible Business Board and was Chair of the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (ICRS) from 2015-2017. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).
STEPHEN ELDERKIN
Director of Environmental Sustainability, National Highways

Stephen joined National Highways in 2015 after a decade working in the central civil service where he was a member of the Government Economic Service. He has focussed on environmental policy and analysis, including leading the Government’s analysis for the Climate Change Act and setting the first 4 carbon budgets. At National Highways he has held the post of Chief Analyst, Project Director for a Tier 1 construction project and for the last 4 years has been Director of Environmental Sustainability. National Highways published their environmental sustainability strategy in May 2023, setting out their intention to be positive for nature, tackle local environmental pollution for the benefit of communities, and to make the transition to net zero highways by 2050.
ROHIT DAS
Climate and Environment Program Director, UBS Optimus Foundation

As Program Director for Environment, Rohit is responsible for managing UBS Optimus Foundation’s global portfolio of programs focusing on terrestrial ecosystems. Rohit supports UBS clients to scale up impact through their philanthropy through his subject matter expertise and sector experience.
His work spans across cross-cutting thematics in climate adaptation, sustainable agriculture, environmental conservation and water resources management in Asia, Africa, UK & Europe and southern America.
Rohit’s work also deepens UBS Optimus Foundation’s reputation as a thought-leader on impact topics that lie at the intersection of different thematics such as the intersection of climate and healthcare.
Prior to joining UBS, Rohit worked for the UK Environment Agency leading public policy and evidence work on financial mechanisms to support nature-based solutions. He previously worked for AtkinsRealis in the international development sector and advised major multilateral banks and donors on water management, agricultural and environmental grants and investments in Africa, Middle East and Asia.
ARCHIE STRUTHERS
CEO, Nattergal

Archie became CEO of Nattergal, the pioneering commercial Nature Restoration company, whose purpose is to make nature an investable asset class, in June 2023. He also oversees a small but well diversified rural family business in Argyll, Scotland and is an angel investor with a portfolio of private companies particularly orientated around sustainability/ESG and digital transformation themes.
In 2022, following nearly three decades working in large global asset management companies, Archie decided to refocus specifically on nature restoration and helping pioneer the emergence of nature as a new asset class. This allowed him to leverage all he has learned from the preceding two decades of global investment leadership roles: building and scaling investment businesses, innovating client solutions and leading high performing teams; while applying those skills to a vital, timely and inspiring purpose.
Archie started his professional investing career in 1995 as an equity analyst and fund manager at Mercury Asset Management in London. From 2000 he worked in the US, building and leading two investment businesses for Merrill Lynch before returning to London to co-create and build BlackRock’s multi-asset solution business in late 2006. In 2011 he moved back to Scotland, joining Lloyds Banking Group to build them an investment solutions business, which he subsequently sold to and merged into Aberdeen Asset Management before joining Standard Life Investments as Head of Investments in 2017. Post merger, he was responsible for investment governance and oversight across the whole global public and private assets investment platform of abrdn (aka Standard Life Aberdeen), reporting to the Group CEO. He was also in charge of leading the firm’s global pivot towards sustainability, until he left at the end of 2021. Simultaneously, Archie served as director of the UK FCA regulated management entities.
In addition, Archie occupied the role of Deputy Chair of the UK Investment Association’s Investment Committee until the end of 2021. During that time, he co-chaired a cross-industry initiative, on behalf of the UK Investment Association, alongside the chair of the UK Pension and Life Savings Association, which focused on how to better embed the UK Stewardship Code to improve the long-term relationship between asset owners and asset managers. The resulting report and recommendations were published in June 2022: Investment Relationships for Sustainable Value Creation. He has also been a strong advocate for the D&I agenda in asset management, including as a panellist/speaker at Women in Banking & Finance. In 2021 he led the CFA’s Ethical Leadership steering group that designed the subsequent eponymous program. Archie has a MA with Honours in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh.
Archie is married with 3 children and lives in Scotland. He has a healthy love of skiing and all country pursuits and a less healthy love of wine and the internal combustion engine in various guises. He is happiest out on the boat or up the hill, enjoying all that nature offers.
13:30 - 14:30
Lunch and Networking
14:30 - 14:40
Session Framing
DAVID CAYGILL
Co-Director, Programme Coordination and Commercial Strategy, FloodAction Coalition

In the Coalition, Dave leads coordination across workstreams, drives business and financial model development, and serves as the primary point of contact for the Steering Committee, ensuring alignment between strategy, delivery, and commercial viability.
David also serves as a trustee for the nature markets charity Ecosystem Knowledge Network, and he co-founded Wild Natured, leading natural capital projects and sustainable innovation programmes for organisations including the City of London, City of York, Cheshire and Cheshire West, SSEN, Unilever, Adidas, and the GLA. He brings decades of experience in designing scalable sustainability solutions and is a UK Design Council expert and Cannes Lions Innovation Award winner.
14:40 - 15:05
Project Showcase - Stage Presentations
A series of live project presentations from emerging catchment-scale resilience initiatives currently being developed through the FloodAction Coalition accelerator programme. Each project will present the challenge, the intervention model, the measurable outcomes, and the commercial proposition behind the work.
15:05 - 15:45
Project Investment Panel
An interactive discussion with project leads exploring the practical realities of developing investable water resilience projects. We'll cover commercial viability, delivery challenges, buyer demand and the conditions required to accelerate investment readiness.
PAUL VAN ZYL
CEO and Co-Founder, The Conduit

Paul served as the Executive Secretary of South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Paul also co-founded the International Centre for Transitional Justice, an organization that works in over 40 countries that have endured massive human rights violations under repression conflict. Paul is also a co-founder and CEO of Maiyet, an ethical luxury fashion brand that cultivates traditional design and culture by partnering with global artisans. Most recently, Paul co-founded The Conduit, which serves as a home for those committed to improving the world by harnessing the power of creativity and entrepreneurship. The Conduit serves as a home for a diverse community of people passionate about social change.
15:45 - 15:55
Buyer Perspectives
15:55 - 16:00
Close-Out: The Coalition Call to Action
A final reflection on the day’s discussions, key learnings and next steps for the Coalition, projects and participants - focusing on how organisations can engage, shape projects and contribute to the development of a scalable market for water resilience.
DAVID CAYGILL
Co-Director, Programme Coordination and Commercial Strategy, FloodAction Coalition

In the Coalition, Dave leads coordination across workstreams, drives business and financial model development, and serves as the primary point of contact for the Steering Committee, ensuring alignment between strategy, delivery, and commercial viability.
David also serves as a trustee for the nature markets charity Ecosystem Knowledge Network, and he co-founded Wild Natured, leading natural capital projects and sustainable innovation programmes for organisations including the City of London, City of York, Cheshire and Cheshire West, SSEN, Unilever, Adidas, and the GLA. He brings decades of experience in designing scalable sustainability solutions and is a UK Design Council expert and Cannes Lions Innovation Award winner.
Join The Coalition
Flood resilience is a shared opportunity. Join the organisations working together to build investable, scalable and enduring flood-resilience programmes across the UK.