Matt Townsend
A&O Shearman
Alongside acting as global co-head of A&O Shearman’s environmental and sanctions practice, Matt Townsend is also one of the founding members of the firm’s global ESG group. With nearly 30 years of experience in environmental and climate law, Townsend is a leading advisor on a wide range of sustainability and regulatory matters, spanning climate change, carbon trading, supply chain risk management, and circular economy programmes. Recently, he played a key role in advising credit providers on the financing of the NEOM Green Hydrogen Project in Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s largest commercial-scale green hydrogen facilities.
His leadership in sustainability matters extends beyond his client work. He serves on multiple industry and advisory bodies, including the City of London Law Society’s environmental working group and the Financial Markets Law Committee’s ESG working group. He is also a member of the Legal Sustainability Alliance’s executive committee and an advisory board member for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on ESG guidelines for the CEE region. A regular commentator on emerging climate and sustainability trends, Townsend remains an influential voice in shaping global ESG standards.