Dr. John Tobin De La Puente

Biography

John Tobin is a corporate lawyer and tropical ecologist with decades of finance industry experience. His career in finance shifted towards the growing area of corporate sustainability, where he became managing director and global head of sustainability at Credit Suisse. In this position, he pioneered a variety of initiatives and policies aimed at improving environmental and social risk management in the banking industry, addressing the growing demand for sustainable investment products and services. In 2016, he transitioned to a faculty position at Cornell University, where he teaches corporate sustainability and environmental finance to undergraduate and graduate students in business and public affairs. His research focuses on using financial tools to generate non-financial returns such as biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Tobin consults widely on matters of sustainability strategy, reporting, disclosure, environmental and social risk management, stakeholder relations, and reputational risk for financial institutions, corporates, and civil society organizations. Additionally, he engages actively with industry and civil society to develop financial solutions for sustainability challenges, chairing the board of directors for the International Union for Conservation of Nature-United States (IUCN-US) and co-founding the Coalition for Private Investment in Conservation (CPIC). He has extensive leadership experience at the governance level, particularly in environmental, science, and education sectors. Tobin holds a PhD in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University, a JD from Harvard Law School, and a BS in Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards