James Belmont

At a glance:

Joined Baringa in
2014

Works across
Climate risk and financial services

Favourite book
The Uninhabitable Earth

In detail:

Six years ago, James had “a light bulb moment” – or rather three. The Governor of the Bank of England raised the challenge of climate risk for the world's economies. This made James realise three things. First, transitioning to Net Zero would call for massive changes to the economy. Second, he could combine personal and professional passions. And third, Baringa was perfectly placed to make a difference, with energy and financial services expertise to help clients see what climate change could mean for their lending and investment strategies. Today, as Climate Risk lead, James works with 100 Baringa experts doing just that.

He found his career passion quite early in life. Having studied maths, financial services fit naturally with his interest in modelling and data analysis.  Then, there was the strategy side of it – the science behind investment decisions – that fascinated him. James had spent a decade in the financial services industry before joining Baringa. He was drawn by the idea of meeting lots of different clients and connecting the dots – not just within an organisation, but between different organisations and different parts of the economy. 

James thanks David Wallace Wells’ book, The Uninhabitable Earth, for helping to awaken his personal passion for climate change. It made him realise the magnitude of the challenge facing us. Galvanised, he applied his analytical skills to the problem, helping clients allocate their assets in ways that could make a difference. To do that, he learned how to be a storyteller – listening to TED talks on his morning commute, learning from seasoned speakers about how to engage an audience by turning information into a story. 

When he’s not working, James loves exploring the world, traversing the European continent by rail with his wife and two teenage children. Taking the train across Asia to Japan is high on his wish list. His favourite place in the world (so far) is Norway – the crispness in the air and the freshness of the food. He’d love to see it in the winter, and experience that unique Scandinavian concept: hygge.