By Corey Dade

WSP, an engineering and professional services consultancy that offers sustainability and ESG (environmental, social and governance) services, has acquired Climate Finance Advisors (CFA), a climate and finance consultancy based in Washington, D.C. CFA will enhance WSP’s expertise in helping clients address climate change. CFA accelerates climate-aligned investment through capabilities such as climate risk assessments for projects and portfolios, net-zero and climate-resilient planning and investment, optimizing climate strategies to meet stakeholder expectations, and applying a climate finance lens to project and infrastructure offerings as well as investments and acquisitions.

The acquisition strengthens WSP USA’s market position in end-to-end climate finance and environmental services, as more corporations, investors, government agencies and other organizations seek help to assess and address climate-related financial and operational risks and opportunities. “Every sector and industry will be transformed by climate change, and financing the net-zero, resilient transition is critical, as is delivering on the global goal to meet this target by 2050 – a commitment which WSP has joined,” adds Lou Cornell, WSP USA chief executive officer. “CFA’s reservoir of in-depth policy, financial, technical and international development expertise will be deployed in conjunction with our sustainability strategy and resilient infrastructure capabilities to build competitive advantages for our clients worldwide.”

CFA will join WSP USA’s Climate, Resilience and Sustainability (CRS) team, bolstering the CRS cross-company mission and multi-national collaboration to expand WSP’s full suite of advisory, engineering, and consulting services for Environment, Energy, Property and Buildings, Transportation and Water clients, as well as those in the financial sector. “Since our founding, our team of finance practitioners has worked with a broad range of clients to integrate climate considerations across strategy, investment products and risk management,” says Stacy Swann, CEO and founding partner of Climate Finance Advisors. “Through this partnership with WSP, we are excited to help more clients enhance and protect value and transition to the net-zero and climate-resilient future with greater speed and scale.” Swann will join WSP in a broader executive role, working with Tom Lewis, WSP USA national business line leader for CRS. She will work with colleagues in Canada and other countries as well as with WSP’s Global ESG Committee.

WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world’s largest engineering and professional services firms. The form serves local communities with engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors, and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water, and environment markets with more than 12,000 employees in 200 offices across the United States.

Founded in 2015, CFA is a women-owned consulting and advisory firm whose work is at the nexus of private investment and climate change. CFA specializes in helping clients develop climate finance strategies, appraise and structure climate-aligned investments, channel public and private capital to sustainable investment, and integrate climate considerations into investment decisions, financial products and services, and policies.