Sustainable Finance Expert | Environmental Geoscientist | National Geographic Explorer | Photographer | MSc, BSc, FRGS

Hello! My name is Sergiu Jiduc, and I am a trained environmental geoscientist, sustainable finance professional and photographer. Since 2012, I have designed and coordinated environmental research and consultancy-style project delivery across four continents, focusing on water resources management, energy resilience and access, disaster risk management, climate change policy, green bond standards development, and sustainable infrastructure finance. I am also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a National Geographic Explorer. 

As a child, I grew up in Transylvania, Romania, where I developed a strong appreciation of the natural world and an interest in studying it through mountaineering. My passion for geography and the outdoors led me to study Environmental Geoscience at the University of Edinburgh, followed by a Master of Science in Environmental Technology at Imperial College London. 

My professional career spans over a decade at the intersection of environmental science, sustainable finance, and infrastructure policy. I began my career as a consultant at Ricardo Energy and Environment, where I provided technical expertise in water resource management, international climate policy, and air quality initiatives. I then joined the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI), where I played a key role in developing green definitions and sector-specific criteria for sustainable finance, including protected agriculture, electrical transmission and distribution, and climate adaptation and resilience.

Building on this expertise, I worked as an independent consultant with the World Energy Council, designing a research framework on energy resilience to inform policy recommendations for climate adaptation in the energy sector. I also supported the Carbon Trust in conducting a mid-term review of the UK’s Transforming Energy Access (TEA) programme, assessing its impact in accelerating access to clean energy for developing economies.

I also led WWF’s Sustainable Infrastructure Finance Programme in Asia, driving strategic ‘greening finance’ and ‘financing green’ initiatives across infrastructure sectors and sustainability themes such as energy transition finance, nature-positive infrastructure, and ESG integration best practices in investing and lending decision-making.

I currently lead the global coordination of FAST-Infra Group, a public-private initiative created by Meridiam, HSBC, IFC, OECD, CPI, and GIF to scale sustainable infrastructure as an investable asset class. I oversee the international deployment of the FAST-Infra Label to strengthen ESG integration in infrastructure finance, convene global investors, MDBs, and policymakers on innovative and blended finance, and represent the initiative across major international platforms. I also drive strategic partnerships, donor engagement, and the delivery of the annual work program.

My field research endeavours span the natural and social sciences, with a broad focus on understanding how climate change threatens the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus in glaciated catchments. Some of my flagship projects explored trigger mechanisms and quantified glacier surge dynamics, assessed the risk of glacial lake outburst floods, evaluated policy and technological solutions to help mountain communities adapt to glacial hazards, and explored the barriers and enablers to adopting and diffusing agricultural technological innovation in remote communities.

I am also an accomplished climber, having completed numerous ascents across four continents, ranging from high-altitude alpine climbs in the Himalayas and Karakoram mountains to technical ascents in the Andes and Caucasus ranges. I am one of the youngest Eastern European climbers to have reached the summits of a series of mountains, including Khan Tengri (7010m) in the Tian Shan Mountains of Kazakhstan. As a result, I have gained considerable project and expedition management experience in difficult terrain. 

In addition to my scientific and mountaineering interests, I am an accomplished science communicator, having worked for the Edinburgh International Science Festival and delivered several talks at events such as TEDx, Flood Expo, Royal Geographical Explorer Seminars and others. I am also an aspiring landscape photographer and film director. 

Professionally, I am trained in applying science-based greenhouse gas reduction methods, environmental impact assessment, qualitative and quantitative research techniques, and science communication. My key strengths include creative problem-solving, inductive and deductive reasoning, a strong eye for detail, strong investigative skills, and a proven ability to communicate effectively and draw evidence-based inferences. I am a self-starter who thrives in fast-paced, dynamic environments, with resilience, pace, and interpersonal flexibility, and a proven capacity to work across a range of cultural and socio-economic contexts.