Research Institute for
Sustainability | at GFZ

Lily Tomson

Lily Tomson

Fellow

E-Mail

lily [dot] tomson [at] rifs-potsdam [dot] de

Lily Macfadyen Tomson works at the intersection of sustainable finance, climate, and systems change. She is passionate about the potential of asset owners, as actors at the top of the investment chain, to address systemic crises at scale - and the role of deep research to unlock this potential. This interest sits at the core of her RIFS Fellowship. She is Senior Research Associate at Jesus College in the University of Cambridge, and Departmental Fellow at Finance for Systemic Change. She previously spearheaded the creation of the £550bn+ Occupational Pensions Stewardship Council in collaboration with the Department for Work and Pensions, as well as the Responsible Investment Network - Universities. Lily is also a trustee with specialist interest in finance and investing at John Ellerman Foundation, and a non-executive director at the money and banking research and network organisation Positive Money. A Cambridge graduate in Social Anthropology and History of Political Thought, Lily brings evidence-based approaches to facilitate collaboration between diverse stakeholders in developing effective sustainability-related interventions within the investment system.

Groups

Selected CV

  • John Ellerman Foundation (UK) - Trustee with specialist investment interest (2023-ongoing) - Coordinating grantmaking to organizations spanning environment, social action and arts, while jointly responsible for setting investment policy and strategy.
  • Jesus College, University of Cambridge (UK) - Senior Research Associate (2022-ongoing) - Leading a combined applied and research project to build an anti-greenwash corporate bond index contributing to limiting climate change to 1.5°C.
  • Department for Work and Pensions (UK) - Part-time secondment (2021-2022) - Launched the 'Occupational Pensions Stewardship Council', leading a project team spanning key UK government departments and regulators.
  • ShareAction (UK/Eur) - Head of Networks (2019-2022) - Built communities of 'learners and leaders' seeking a more responsible investment system, growing a team from 5 to 9 people with 100% organizational retention.
  • Academy of Executive Coaching - Coaching Skills Certificate (2019) - Obtained professional coaching qualification to enhance leadership and development capabilities.
  • Positive Money (UK, Eur, US) - Non-Executive Director (2018-ongoing) - Providing input and scrutiny on operations and delivery for this not-for-profit focused on transforming the money and banking sector.
  • King's College, University of Cambridge (UK) - BA Politics and Social Anthropology, 1st Class (2013-2016) - Received a first-class degree with interdisciplinary social science grounding, including fieldwork on freedom as a concept in co-housing projects.

  • Universal ownership / institutional asset ownership in a systemic risk context

  • Climate change and the role of private capital in the energy sector

  • Co-development of systemic interventions with asset owners

  • Intergenerational housing