Kate Simmonds

Senior Manager, Climate Resilience

Kate is the Senior Manager, Climate Resilience at the Investor Group on Climate Change. She is responsible for uplifting investor understanding and action on physical risk, advocating for effective adaptation policy, and supporting opportunities for private investment in resilience.

Kate has also worked within IGCC’s Corporate Engagement team, where she focused on the political, economic, and technical challenges of decarbonising the Australian gas sector. She also supported international projects, such as the Climate Action 100+ Sector Strategies and Net-Zero Company Benchmark.

Previously, Kate worked in the insurance sector as a Senior Climate Analyst for WTW. She led the development of their Australia and New Zealand climate change strategy and built their first physical climate risk models, covering bushfire, flood, and cyclone. She was a member of the Insurance Council of Australia’s Climate Change Action Committee and contributed to the Climate Measurement Standards Initiative.

Kate has a Bachelor of Science (Advanced) from the University of Sydney, a First Class Honours in Climate Science from the University of New South Wales and has recently submitted her PhD at the University of Melbourne.

Beyond Risk to Building Resilience

Report | Kate Simmonds, Fergus Pitt | 13 October 2025

The Investor Expectations of Companies on Physical Risk and Resilience report outlines what investors want to see from companies in assessing, managing, and disclosing physical climate risks. It provides practical guidance for boards and executives to strengthen climate resilience — outlining investor expectations on governance, strategy, and transparency to help safeguard long-term value and support a well-managed transition from risk to resilience.

Download

Australia’s First National Climate Risk Assessment and Adaptation Plan: What Investors Need to Know

19 September 2025

Australia’s first National Climate Risk Assessment and Adaptation Plan set a new benchmark for physical risk. IGCC’s climate resilience and policy team unpacks what this means for portfolios — from infrastructure and supply chains to health, nature and mandatory disclosures.

National Climate Risk Assessment is Much Needed Bad News

15 September 2025

IGCC's response to the release of the National Climate Risk Assessment and National Adaptation Plan

Submission to the Senate Climate Risk Assessment Inquiry

Submission | Fergus Pitt | 9 September 2025

Covering IGCC’s policy priorities on the National Climate Risk Assessment and the National Adaptation Plan, and responses to the inquiries specific terms of reference.

Download

Physical Climate Risk Assessments of Infrastructure Assets

Report | Marwa Curran, Kate Simmonds and IGCC's Real Assets Sub Working Group | June 2025

This report synthesises the Phase 2 results of the Real Assets Sub-Working Group, comprised of investors in real assets and convened by the Investor Group on Climate Change. In 2024, the group focused on the challenges related to assessing the physical climate-related risks to and resilience of infrastructure holdings.

Download