Tom Herbstein

Tom is the Insurance Prosperity Specialist at the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT). He works at the overlap between the UK's international development, and trade agendas. His specific areas of focus include financial services technology, disaster risk financing, and climate resilience. Tom co-leads Tech for Growth, a cross-government programme aimed at enhancing the role of technology in deepening access to financial services across emerging economies.

Prior to DIT, Tom led ClimateWise - hosted by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership -the global insurance industry network on climate change.

Tom holds a PhD on insurance and climate development from the University of Cape Town. He has worked at the interface between the public, private and non-profit sectors for most of his career and has worked extensively across both developed and developing markets.