Financing the scale-up of Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Sustainable aviation fuel – or SAF – is one of the key levers for the decarbonisation of the global air transport sector. The nascent SAF industry continues to show promise, with the number of offtake agreements rising in the past two years as airlines demonstrate their commitment to the fuel and new projects boost production capacity. But hurdles remain, namely scarcity of supply, competition for resources, and a lack significant capital flow towards projects. This event will explain the challenges and next steps to financing the scale-up of SAF, as well as the potential rewards.

Agenda

Registration & Networking

13:30 – 14:00

Welcome Remarks

14:00 – 14:10

Anne Munaretto
Global Climate Change and Sustainability Services Leader, Aerospace, Defense and Mobility, EY

Julie Rault
Relationships Manager France, BloombergNEF

Aviation’s net-zero pathway

14:10 – 14:20

A look at the overall path to net-zero and the role of the different levers of mitigation available to aviation.

Haldane Dodd
Executive Director, ATAG

SAF: State of the Market

14:20 – 14:30: Nikolas Soulopoulos
Head of Commercial Transport, BloombergNEF

Panel: challenges and opportunities to SAF scale-up

14:30 – 15:30

Environmental regulations and fiscal policies have already affected the SAF market in Europe, North America and elsewhere. The industry has been growing and the production project pipeline implies a tenfold increase in SAF capacity by 2030.

However, as new announced projects look more like small startups than big oil, financing is more important than ever. All eyes are on long-term offtakes, and take-or-pay guarantees, but are airlines in a place to commit? Can traditional project financing models adapt, and what needs to turn proposed projects into production.

This panel will discuss the challenges and opportunities investing in SAF and what is needed to grow the industry to the level required to meet emissions reduction targets.

Moderated by Nikolas Soulopoulos, Head of Commercial Transport, BloombergNEF

Julien Manhes, Head of Sustainable Aviation Fuels and CDR, Airbus

Kathleen Wight, Vice President, World Energy Services

Margaux Thoyer – Rozat, SAF Procurement Manager, AirFrance

Ryan D Faucett, Vice President, Global Sustainability & Partnerships, Boeing

Francesco Bonini, Vice President, Sustainability & Low Carbon Transition, BBVA

Networking Break

15:30 – 15:50

Breakout Roundtable Discussions

15:50 – 16:30: Event participants will be divided into discussion groups. Each group will be allocated a specific question related to financing the scale-up of SAF.

Roundtable discussions: Feedback

16:30 – 16:40

A spokesperson for each roundtable will be invited to provide a summary of the topic discussed.

Fireside chat: The Road to Belém

16:40 – 17:00

This conversation will consider how opportunities for SAF production in Brazil and the wider Latin American landscape could progress ahead of the upcoming COP30 meeting.

Haldane Dodd, Executive Director, ATAG
Pedro Brancante, Head of Energy & Mining Affairs, Embassy of Brazil in Paris

Closing Remarks

17:00 – 17:10: Nikolas Soulopoulos
Head of Commercial Transport, BloombergNEF

Networking Reception

17:10 – 19:00

Speakers

Haldane Dodd

Executive Director

Air Transport Action Group (ATAG)

Haldane Dodd is Executive Director at Air Transport Action Group (ATAG). This organisation, the only global grouping of players from across the aviation industry, brings together airports, airlines, air navigation service providers, aircraft and engine manufacturers and SAF producers to agree common goals.

He previously served as Head of Communications and Advocacy at ATAG and as Communications Manager at Airports Council International, focusing on environment, security, and airport economics.

Francesco Bonini

Vice President, Sustainability & Low Carbon Transition

BBVA

Francesco joined BBVA in 2024 as part of the Sustainability & Low Carbon Advisory Group based in Paris. He brings 10 years of experience in sustainability advisory and investment banking. At BBVA, he supports the firm’s advisory capabilities with a strong focus on clients in the aviation, metals & mining, and industrial sectors.

Prior to joining BBVA, Francesco worked in the ESG Solutions Group at TD Securities in New York and Toronto, where he advised North American clients on ESG strategy, sustainable finance, and equity capital markets, including pre-IPO ESG positioning. Earlier in his career, he was a Senior Associate at AccountAbility, a sustainability consulting and standard-setting firm, where he focused on sustainability strategy, implementation, and reporting in alignment with key global standards and frameworks.

Julien Manhes

Head of SAF and Carbon Dioxide Removal development

Airbus

Julien Manhes is Head of SAF and Carbon Dioxide Removal Development at Airbus, where he leads efforts to scale sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) deployment and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) solutions in support of the industry’s Net Zero 2050 goal.

He joined Airbus in 2005 and has held roles in A380 Marketing, Product Strategy, data analytics, and aircraft pricing. He also served as Executive Assistant to the Chief Commercial Officer, supporting commercial operations during the COVID crisis.

Julien began his aviation career at SAFRAN Nacelle in 2002. He holds an aerospace engineering degree from ISAE and a Master’s in Project Management from HEC Paris.

Kathleen Wight

Vice President

World Energy Services

Kathleen Wight is Vice President at World Energy Services, where she leads corporate partnerships to reduce emissions from business travel, freight, and logistics by accelerating access to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), renewable diesel, and green hydrogen. With over a decade in the energy sector, she brings global experience and a strong commitment to advancing a clean, equitable energy future.

Previously, Kathleen led business development for RMI’s hard-to-abate industries practice, working with top corporations to scale sustainability solutions across sectors such as aviation, shipping, trucking, mining, and oil and gas.

Nikolas Soulopoulos

Head of Commercial Transport

BloombergNEF

Nikolas Soulopoulos leads the commercial transport analysis at BloombergNEF. His research team covers low-carbon technologies, economics, policies and business strategies in trucking, aviation and maritime transport. Prior to that, he focused on environmental regulations in the automotive sector and the manufacturing economics of electric vehicles. Before joining BNEF, Nikolas worked as a post-doctoral researcher at Imperial College London, where he also completed a PhD in Fluid Mechanics.

Ryan Faucett

Vice president of Environmental Sustainability

The Boeing Company

Ryan Faucett is Vice President of Environmental Sustainability at Boeing, leading global efforts to support airline sustainability, shape policy, and advance initiatives in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR).

Previously, he served as Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability, guiding Boeing’s SAF strategy and industry engagement. Over his career, he has held leadership roles in corporate strategy, market intelligence, and environmental integration—including early work on sustainable aviation biofuels and chairing the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group.

Ryan is a board member of the International Aerospace Environmental Group (IAEG) and holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson and a Bachelor of Business from the University of Washington.

When & Where

Thursday, June 19, 2025

14:00 – 21:00

EY HQ
La défense FR, Tour First, 1 Pl. des Saisons
92400
La Defense, France

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