Mikko Venermo has over 30 years of hands-on and diverse operational experience in environmental and social and risk management, sustainable finance including capital markets, as well as ESG and impact investing and reporting.

Mikko is currently acting as Lead Financial Officer at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Controller Department, operating as a lead technical expert and advisor in sustainability impact, risk and opportunities, sustainable finance and sustainability reporting, including EU sustainability reporting regulatory framework (SFDR, CSDR, ESRS, etc.), IFRS/ISSB Sustainability Reporting standards and GRI, and other globally recognized sustainability reporting frameworks. In his previous role at IFC, Mikko was Senior Manager in the Environmental and Social Policy and Risk (CES) Department, which acts as the custodian and guardian of IFC’s Environmental and Social (E&S) policies and standards and an independent “regulator” of IFC's E&S risk management. Mikko led a team that is responsible for managing IFC’s E&S policies, standards and procedures, and the development of E&S knowledge & learning and E&S systems and tools.

Prior to joining IFC in 2020, Mikko was at the EBRD for over 21 years, acting as a core member of the Environment and Sustainability Department's (ESD) senior management team, operating at a strategic level to implement EBRD’s sustainability mandate. He was managing EBRD's E&S Policy framework and overseeing its implementation, leading E&S risk oversight function and troubleshooting the project pipeline and portfolio E&S risks on projects across sectors, linking sustainability considerations to the project risk, institutional reputation risks and the clients’ bottom line. He played an instrumental role in identifying opportunities for sustainability investments, developing the first Green Economy Transition approach to promote impactful, green and sustainable finance involving Green, Social and Sustainability Bonds, E&S impact reporting, impact investing, Sustainable Development Goals and sustainability initiatives. Mikko was at the core of bridging E&S sustainability with other departments and functions across EBRD as well as with external stakeholders and partners, including, MDBs, DFIs, shareholders and civil society organizations.