Meet Global Women Asia Founding Advisory Member - Jo Huynh

Mother, Investor, Board Member

A mother of four and a daughter of Vietnamese refugees in Australia, Jo is an angel and seed investor in industries including climate change (mitigation and adaptation), AI, and biotechnology.?She sits on the board of companies and is a Chartered Secretary.

1. You’ve been quite involved in the regenerative economy. What is it??

The regenerative economy is about moving us away from extractive and exploitative business models to unlocking positive contributions for nature and society. We receive trillions of uncounted dollars each year in services from nature - carbon sequestration, clean air, clean water, and pollination. We have a responsibility not just to limit emissions but to make a positive impact by at least preserving and adding biodiversity for the future. There is so much undiscovered knowledge through nature's genomic data, and protecting and conserving future value enables us to continue to tap into nature's services for decades to come.

At Bioeconomy , founded by my husband and I, we look to use different approaches to channel rewards to conserve and improve natural habitats. For example, the work we do on wetlands stewardship for carbon sequestration and biodiversity is supported by carbon credits that provide vital conservation funding. We are also looking at new rewards for biodiversity that can be based on equitable sharing of genomic data.?

2. You are also involved in using blockchain technology to create securitized carbon credits. How does that work?

I sit on the Board of ACX (AirCarbon Exchange) , a trading platform for environmental markets, primarily carbon credits and sustainable aviation fuels. ACX is able to securitize?a carbon credit by creating a token that is backed by one equivalent tonne of CO2. Blockchain technology is used to?automate laborious manual processes and reduces settlement and clearing times by making the credit open, transparent, and liquid. I want to see a functioning and active marketplace for environmental assets, the same way traditional commodities are able to be traded with very little friction or public scrutiny.

3. You are a mother of four young children. What kind of future do you hope to create for them?

That’s all I’m thinking about. I grew up in suburban Australia and coming from an immigrant background, I was afraid to experience nature as the focus was on education and financial security. It was only when I had children did I realized how nourishing nature is for me physically and mentally. Open spaces. Mountains. Forests. Ocean.?I could write many doom and gloom statistics because of climate change but we cannot lose hope and optimism as we should always strive to find a way. I am optimistic about the climate adaptations and technologies, but I hope the children will still be able to experience the richness and biodiversity of our natural environment.

4. Anything else you’d like people to know about you?

I am a second-generation Australian. My parents were Vietnamese boat people and my family was lucky enough to choose Australia as their new home. As a child, I did not know how to express my cultural heritage as I was just trying to fit in. As an adult, I rediscovered my roots by studying Chinese and Asian Studies at university and moving to Singapore 11 years ago to further my professional career. I'm now raising a young family in Singapore and it is amazing to see that they are surrounded by diverse role models.?Outside of our environmental work, I am very passionate about maternal health and postnatal care. I like to keep active by doing pilates and jumping into the ocean when I am back in Australia.