Valerie Smith is an advisor and spokesperson on sustainable finance, Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), stakeholder engagement, and human rights. Appointed as Citi’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, Val Smith has helped grow sustainability efforts at Citi since 2004, where she oversees Citi’s Sustainability & ESG team, leading the bank’s priority initiatives and Sustainable Progress Strategy, including the $1 Trillion Sustainable Finance Goal and Citi’s Net Zero Emissions by 2050 plan.

She began her career with the United States Peace Corps as an environmental specialist in Honduras, and later worked in the environmental sector for over a decade, including the National Audubon Society, Brainerd Foundation, and the Houston Advanced Research Center.

Valerie earned her MBA from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and her BA in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia.