Anmay Dittman, Managing Director and Head of the Climate Finance Partnership at BlackRock: on Blended Finance, Emerging Markets & Redefining Risk in Climate Infrastructure | Season Nine, Episode Eight

Welcome to Season Nine of Conversations in Cleantech!

 

This season, we’re going behind the scenes of transition infrastructure - speaking with the investors shaping how, where and why climate capital flows. From decarbonisation and energy security to technology maturity and policy gaps, we’re unpacking what it really takes to fund the systems that underpin a net-zero future.

 

In this episode, our host Jenny Gladman is joined by co-host Isabella Rova to speak with Anmay Dittman, Managing Director and Head of the Climate Finance Partnership at Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), part of BlackRock - a leader redefining what’s possible in blended climate finance.

 

At the helm of one of the fastest fundraises in BlackRock’s history, Anmay has mobilised over $700 million to accelerate renewable infrastructure in emerging markets - from Kenya’s landmark Lake Turkana wind farm to a growing pipeline of solar and storage investments across Africa and beyond.

 

In this conversation, they explore what it really takes to deploy climate capital where it matters most: how blended finance can de-risk high-impact projects, why local engagement is the key to lasting success, and where the next frontier of opportunity lies - from energy access to data centres powering the digital future.

 

Expect a candid deep-dive into innovation, inclusion and ambition, and how reimagining risk can unlock not just investment returns, but real-world resilience.

 

01:09 - Introduction to Anmay
03:08 - Can you tell us a bit about your story so far?
05:20 - What drew you into climate finance?
06:29 - Raising hundreds of millions in under a year during COVID is incredible - what made that possible, and who were the investors behind it?
09:50 - The Lake Turkana project stands out as one of Africa’s largest wind farms - what lessons did it teach you about managing risk and delivering community impact?
12:00 - Have you been there yourself?
13:00 - Emerging market investing comes with challenges like currency volatility - how do you approach FX risk in places where hedging isn’t affordable?
15:55 - Your pipeline shows a shift from wind toward solar - what’s driving that, and is storage becoming investable at scale?
17:55 - How do you identify the biggest opportunities in Africa’s mining decarbonization space, from both an impact and investment perspective?
19:29 - Can you share a personal moment or story that shows why this mission matters to you?
21:40 - If you could change one market condition tomorrow to accelerate private capital into emerging markets, what would it be?
23:50 - Looking five years ahead, what do you think will be the most exciting development in climate infrastructure across emerging markets?
25:20 - Who inspires you, whether peers or key figures, to keep pushing forward and doing what you do?

Connect with your hosts, Jenny Gladman and Isabella Rova, on LinkedIn.

Find your guest, Anmay Dittman, on LinkedIn.

Thanks for listening to Conversations in Cleantech brought to you by Brightsmith.

This is a Loaded Hype production.