Alan Smith

Alan Smith is the First Church Estates Commissioner for the Church of England. The First Church Estates Commissioner chairs the Church Commissioners’ assets committee, a statutory committee responsible for the strategic management of the Church Commissioners’ £9.2 billion investment portfolio.

Alan was formerly senior advisor, climate and ESG risk management, HSBC.  He was a member of HSBC’s climate business council whose remit is to develop the group’s sustainable finance strategy; provide oversight and governance of climate initiatives on behalf of HSBC’s group executive committee; and facilitate implementation of climate risk management across businesses, functions and regions.  He also co-chaired the HSBC climate risk oversight forum which is shaping the group’s climate risk management framework and climate risk appetite statement.  Alan worked with HSBC for over 25 years in a variety of senior finance, risk, and capital management roles in London and in Saudi Arabia.  He is chair of the Systemic Resilience Forum of the Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment (https://resilientinvestment.org/).

Alan, a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, worked with KPMG London where he qualified as a chartered accountant with the ICAEW.