2026 Speakers

Simon Stiell was appointed Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in August 2022. From 2013 to June 2022, he served in a number of ministerial roles in the Government of Grenada, including as Minister for Climate Resilience and the Environment for five years. He also served as member of Grenada’s Upper House of Parliament, the Senate, where he was Leader of Government’s Business throughout this period. Prior to his return to Grenada, Simon had a successful career spanning fourteen years within the technology sector, holding senior executive positions in several industry leading companies.

Former Vice President Al Gore is the founder and chairman of The Climate Reality Project, a nonprofit devoted to solving the climate crisis, a founding partner and chairman of Generation Investment Management, and a co-founder of Climate TRACE. He is also a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a member of the World Economic Forum’s board of trustees, and a past member of the board of directors at Apple.

Gore was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976, 1978, 1980, and 1982 and to the U.S. Senate in 1984 and 1990. He was inaugurated as the 45th vice president of the United States on January 20, 1993, and served eight years.

André Aranha Corrêa do Lago was born in 1959 and holds a degree in Economics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). He joined the Brazilian foreign service in 1982. As a career diplomat, he has held functions in different areas at headquarters, in Brasília: international organizations, trade promotion, protocol and energy. As adviser at the Office of the President, between 1991 and 1992, he worked in the organization of the Earth Summit (Rio-92). Abroad, he has been posted to the Brazilian Embassies in Madrid, Prague, Washington, Buenos Aires and to the Brazilian Mission to the EU in Brussels. Corrêa do Lago has been engaged in the sustainable development agenda since 2001. He was the director of the Energy Department (2008-2011) and of the Environment Department (2011-2013) at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was Brazil´s chief negotiator for climate change and for the Rio+20 Conference. He was the Brazilian ambassador to Japan (2013-2018) and to India (2018-2023). In March 2023, he was appointed Vice-Minister for Climate, Energy and Environment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a position he held until January 2025, when he was designated COP30 President. Corrêa do Lago is the author of several books and articles on sustainable development and climate change, as well as on architecture. He is married and has four children.

Peter Bakker is a distinguished business leader, who since 2012, has led the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) as the President & CEO. WBCSD is the premier global, CEO-led community of over 240 of the world’s leading sustainable businesses working collectively to accelerate the system transformations needed for a net zero, nature-positive, and equitable future. Prior to WBCSD, Peter was the CEO of TNT NV, the global transport, postal and logistics company.

TIME Magazine recently named Peter as one of the Top 100 Climate Leaders in Business. He was also a recipient of the Clinton Global Citizen Award (2009), the Sustainability Leadership Award (2010) and the Prix Voltaire International (2023). He received the royal order Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau in 2018 in recognition of his long-lasting commitment to engaging business in tackling global sustainability issues.

Peter holds several corporate sustainability advisory board positions, including as Co-Chair of the Business Commission to Tackle Inequality, Board Member of GenZero, Advisory Board Member for Integrity and Sustainability at Mercedes-Benz Group, Supervisory Board Member for the Capitals Coalition and High-Level Advisory Board Member for the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UN FSS+4).

Deborah is a business leader, author and is well known for her role as an investor on Dragons Den which she joined in 2006.

Deborah supports ethical, fair practice both in business and in life believing that taking care of the environment and wildlife is essential for our future security and wellbeing. She is actively involved in a carefully selected group of environmental charities; is a fellow of the WWF, a trustee of Tusk Trust, an ambassador for the Marine Conservation Society, World Horse Welfare and recently the RSPB amongst others. She has become a CIWF Compassion Visionary.

In early 2022 Deborah co-hosted the first series of The Big Green Money Show with Felicity Hannah, looking at company impact on the planet as well as how sustainability can be viewed as an opportunity or an inconvenience. It instantly became one of the UKs biggest Business podcasts.
In July 2023 her book ‘Why Money Matters’ was published; an accessible guide to the world of money for 6 to 9 year olds and became an instant best seller.

In June 2024 her book ‘Talks Money’ was published; the empowering introduction into money and finance for 12-16 year olds and also became an instant best seller.

Helen is an experienced leader on international climate and humanitarian issues, with over 25 years in government and corporate engagement. Under her leadership, Climate Group has created coalitions of over 650 ambitious companies through initiatives such as RE100, EV100, 24/7 Carbon-Free Coalition, ConcreteZero, and SteelZero, which are crucial in sending demand signals to markets and policy-makers to drive the energy transition, as well as building the Under2 Coalition of state and regional governments, and Climate Week NYC. Helen sits on the board of the We Mean Business Coalition , and the Sustainable Development Capital Energy Efficiency Income Trust. Helen was awarded an OBE in 2022 for services to the climate and was included in The Independent’s Climate 100 List 2025.

Eva Riesenhuber, who joined Siemens in 2012 after working as a finance lawyer in New York and various positions within Siemens ranging from M&A, venture capital to investor relations, currently serves as Global Head of Sustainability, leading the company’s sustainability transformation across businesses and regions. Her unique background combines expertise in law, finance and capital markets with a deep passion for sustainability, which she leverages to integrate sustainability into Siemens’ business activities, technology roadmap, investment decisions, operations, and governance.

Fiona Harvey, environment editor at the Guardian newspaper, is an award-winning journalist who has worked on the environment beat for more than 20 years, reporting from as far afield as the Arctic and the Amazon, and attending 18 UNFCCC Cops. She covers all aspects of the environment, with a special focus on policy, and her interviewees include Antonio Guterres, John Kerry, Sir Keir Starmer and Sir David Attenborough, and her numerous awards and recognitions include the global Society of Environmental Journalists outstanding beat reporting award, a Covering Climate Now award and two Foreign Press Association awards.

Lucy is an award-winning technologist, venture builder and policymaker. She has over twenty years’ experience building, scaling and leading consumer-facing and deeptech ventures in AI, energy, and mobility; and developing tech policy and regulation in the UK and internationally. She is CEO at Centre for Net Zero, Octopus Energy Group’s open energy research institute; UK Govt’s AI Champion for Clean Energy; and chair of the board at Wikimedia UK.

Solitaire is a renowned sustainability expert who works with the world’s most influential organizations to activate positive and optimistic change. Her ‘solutionist’ vision of solving climate change is desperately needed in our gloomy world. She is Co-founder & Chief Solutionist at Futerra (Edie’s 2023 Consultancy of the Year) and Trustee of the Solutions Union charity. In 2023, she was named both a ‘Leader of the Year’ at Adweek’s Sustainability Awards and also UNGC’s ‘Sustainable Development Goals Pioneer’ for the UK. She was also named by Vogue Business as one of their 100 Innovators. Additionally, she sits on the United Nations Committee for Entertainment and Culture in Climate Action. Solitaire holds master’s degrees in both Sustainability and Shakespeare, she lectures at Imperial College and the Cambridge University Institute for Sustainability Leadership. She has a popular mainstage TED talk (with 1.8 million views), Forbes column, and an award winning book – The Solutionists: How Businesses Can Fix the Future.

Mike Umiker is a seasoned executive and passionate ambassador for energy efficiency, with over 15 years of international leadership experience in the industrial sector. As Managing Director of the Energy Efficiency Movement, co-founded by ABB and Alfa Laval, he leads a global platform driving collaboration, innovation, and C-level engagement to accelerate energy efficiency. His career spans from P&L roles to global strategic roles in marketing, sales, and digital transformation across Switzerland, Germany, and the UAE. Mike is a frequent keynote speaker at global forums including the International Energy Agency or Climate Week NYC. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Marketing Management from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland and is currently obtaining a Certificate of Advanced Studies in General Management from the University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Edward Davey is Head of WRI Europe’s UK office, where he represents WRI (including its 70 UK-based staff) to the UK government, philanthropies, private sector, NGOs, and WRI’s Royal Patron, HM King Charles III. Edward also serves as a Senior Advisor (previously Country Director and Partnerships Director) to the Food and Land Use Coalition, and as an Advisor to the New Economy for the Amazon and Congo Basin. He worked on secondment for the UK Government’s Cabinet Office on COP26, including the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests and Land Use, and as an Advisor to the UAE COP28 Presidency on the COP28 Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action.

Prior to WRI, Edward worked for The Prince of Wales’ International Sustainability Unit as a Senior Programme Manager and speechwriter, and for the Colombian Presidency as a Lead Adviser on Environment. He started his career at Oxfam and the UN Human Development report, and also worked for the AMAR Foundation — a humanitarian organization in the Middle East — and the London-based children’s charity, Kids Company.

Anita is the Co-founding Executive Director of FfB Foundation. With over two decades of sustainability experience, she leads efforts to mobilise financial institutions to reverse nature loss. Prior to the Foundation, Anita worked for banks and insurers as an asset manager and an impact investor. Throughout her career, she has been a driving force behind initiatives aimed at addressing climate change that lead to commitments and collaboration within the finance sector. Anita started her career in public policy and green politics, working in both the European Parliament and the Dutch Parliament.

Tony has been CEO of the TNFD since its inception in 2021, driving the strategy of the TNFD, coordinating support to its 40 Taskforce members and building a global network of partnerships that has supported the development of the TNFD recommendations and guidance. For over two decades, Tony advised government, financial sector and philanthropic leaders on a range of strategic challenges at the intersection of business, finance and public policy. He began his career in the Australian diplomatic service before moving into the private sector, first in investment banking where he focused on infrastructure project financing and then advising national government leaders on strategy and SDG challenges in strategy consulting and as an adviser through the World Bank Group. In 2024, he was named a TIME 100 Climate Leader by TIME Magazine.

Andrew Mitchell is the Founder of Global Canopy, an NGO in Oxford and has spent a lifetime at the frontline of tropical forest conservation and sustainable finance. He is Senior Adviser on Nature and Climate Finance to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Co-founder and Senior Adviser to the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosure (TNFD). As an international thought leader on sustainable finance, climate change and forests, he advises governments and the finance sector on risks and opportunities related to transitioning the global economy towards a nature positive future.

Alexandra is an environmental economist who has focused most of her career on finance for nature and biodiversity, and on supporting the financial sector’s role as a key lever for the transition to a thriving planet, society, and economy. She has worked in civil society, academia and the private sector, helping shed a light on what nature loss can mean for countries and their investors, design landscape transitions, investment pipelines and financial modelling, convening investors to engage in biodiversity related issues and more recently, leading Global Canopy’s work to shift the narrative from nature as a source of risk to nature as the foundation for a thriving planet, economy and society.

Sara is EMEA Climate Policy Editor at Carbon Pulse, based in London. She has 15 years experience in journalism, mostly covering energy, climate change, and environmental news. She has also worked as a strategic communications advisor for climate campaigns, and reported on energy and climate for Politico Europe, Climate Home, the Financial Times, and other news outlets.

Joanna is the Water Security Lead at Oxfam GB, with extensive experience in water governance, safe water management and strengthening resilience to water-related risks. She works across policy, research and practice to address challenges of climate induced water insecurity with a focus on fragile and conflict contexts. She works with partners, financing mechanisms and locally led solutions to achieve impact at scale in neglected or marginalised areas. Joanna believes that collective action is essential to shift the dial to achieve water security for people and communities living on the frontline of the climate crisis.

Laurence Tubiana is CEO of the European Climate Foundation, Special Envoy for COP30 to Europe, and Co-Chair of the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force. A key architect of the Paris Agreement, she served as France’s Climate Change Ambassador and Special Representative for COP21, and was later appointed UN High-Level Champion for Climate Action.

Laurence has worked at the intersection of climate, energy, and sustainable development for decades, engaging across government, academia, NGOs, and international institutions. She regularly contributes to international media including Le Monde and the Financial Times, and is in frequent dialogue with political leaders, academic peers, and civil society actors.

She previously advised French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin on environmental policy and created the Directorate for Global Public Goods at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2019 to 2020, she co-chaired the governance committee of France’s Citizens’ Climate Convention, helping ensure the independence and ambition of this participatory democratic initiative.

Laurence is the Dean of the newly established Paris Climate School within Sciences Po and is currently a Professor of Democratic Studies at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. She founded and directed the Institut du Développement Durable et des Relations Internationales (IDDRI) and has held senior academic roles in France and the United States. She has received numerous national and international honours, including France’s Légion d’Honneur in 2024.

Thomas is an experienced professional with deep expertise in environmental economics, finance, and policymaking. He has worked for the Bank of England, HM Treasury, the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), and Aviva.

Thomas is currently Nature Strategy Lead at Aviva. He leads the setting of Aviva’s nature ambition and oversees the prioritisation, development, and implementation of activities across investment, insurance, and operational areas of the business to deliver on this ambition. Thomas is also an independent member of both the UK’s Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) College of Experts and the UK Statistics Authority National Statistician’s Committee for Advice on Standards for Economic Statistics (NSCASE).

Thomas was previously Head of Capacity Building and Regulatory Engagement for the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). Prior to joining TNFD, he worked at the Bank of England, where he developed and led the Bank’s initial approach and strategy on nature-related financial risks, and co-authored a range of NGFS and UN SIF foundational publications on this topic. Thomas also served as an Economic Advisor to the UK Government’s The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review.