COP26 starts on the 31st October, bringing together international governments, businesses and representatives under the United Nation’s Climate Change programme.
The official conference spans two weeks in Glasgow, but with heightened global awareness of environmental issues, many companies are choosing to hold satellite events themed around climate change and ESG (which stands for environmental, social and corporate governance).
Alok Sharma and Boris Johnson are running the main conference programme in Glasgow on behalf of the UK Government, and are not available for paid speaking engagements. However there are a wealth of conference speakers you could consider, if you’re planning your own event with the theme of sustainability and climate change.
Here are some of our top-recommended keynote speakers on ESG / climate change:
From government and the public sector:
Mark Carney – the former Governor of the Bank of England is the PM’s Finance Advisor to COP26.
Amber Rudd – the former Home Secretary also represented the UK at the Paris climate change conference, as Energy and Climate Secretary.
Eliza Manningham-Buller – as Chair of the Wellcome Trust, Eliza presided over the medical research organisation’s response to COVID, as well as being at the forefront of scientific research and advice on climate change. She advises that our number one priority should be sustainability and achieving net zero. She’s also one of JLA’s very favourite keynote speakers, so you may already have heard about her from your account manager!
From business:
Paul Polman – the former CEO of Unilever has just published Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive By Giving More Than They Take. During his time at Unilever he pioneered a culture of responsible business and sustainable practices, and he’s now the co-founder of Imagine, a foundation aiming to engage international business leaders in working towards net zero.
Marga Hoek – business and sustainability speaker, and the author of The Trillion Dollar Shift.
Dale Vince – a serial green entrepreneur; the founder of Ecotricity (the world’s first green energy company) and Skydiamond, which creates lab-grown diamonds using renewable energy.
Leo Johnson – PwC’s Head of Disruption has been a champion of sustainability for nearly 20 years.
From academia and science:
Gabrielle Walker – a writer, strategist and consultant who considers the interconnected nature of science, technology, business and society with relation to climate change.
Leyla Acaroglu – designer and sustainability expert who explores how we can utilise innovative and creative thinking to do things better and smarter, to aid climate change.
High-profile campaigners:
Ade Adepitan – the Paralympian has presented Climate Change: Ade on the Frontline for the BBC, and is a member of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group.
Ellen MacArthur – after becoming the fastest person to sail solo around the world, Ellen has founded the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to examine and promote the circular economy.
Lewis Pugh – extreme swimmer and the UN’s Patron of the Oceans, who undertakes death-defying swims in Arctic and Antarctic waters to highlight the melting icecaps.
Bertrand Piccard – sustainable aviation pioneer who has completed the first-ever circumnavigation of the Earth by solar-powered flight.
These are just a few of the ESG and sustainability keynote speakers we work with, on climate change and environmental topics. Get in touch with your JLA account manager or via the [email protected] email address if you’d like to find out availability and fee guidelines for any of the keynote speakers mentioned above!