Enjoy our Thought Leaders of 2022 rankings on Biodiversity, Carbon, Climate Change, Energy Transition, ESG, Hydrogen, Mining and Metals, Power and Utilities, Renewables, Sustainable Business, Sustainable Governance, and Overall.

At illuminem.com we take pride in calling ourselves the “home of sustainability” and in providing a global platform for renowned Thought Leaders to address & constructively debate the most pressing challenges of our time. 

From energy transition and sustainable finance to sustainable marketing, we are proud to present you with the pieces that attracted the highest readership in April. Please help us congratulate our most-read Thought Leaders of the month!

1️⃣ Victoria Harvey - Co-Fonder, Clima & Climate Change PhD Researcher, University of East Anglia

Country: United Kingdom
Latest Thought Piece: Is advertising killing us?
Profile: Victoria Harvey is the Co-founder of Clima, a company which works closely with media organizations, helping them reach net zero. Additionally, she provides valuable advice to the advertising and production industry on how to implement eco-friendly practices. While pursuing a PhD at the University of East Anglia, Victoria's research centers around climate change and advertising, with a particular emphasis on sustainability and reducing carbon emissions in the media sector.


1️⃣ Victoria Hurth - Advisory Board Member, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership 

Country: United Kingdom
Latest Thought Piece: Is advertising killing us?
Profile: Dr. Victoria Hurth is an independent academic who has gained international recognition for her work in promoting sustainable practices within the business community. As a Fellow of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, she played a leading role in the five-year development of the world's first global ISO standard in Governance of Organizations. In addition, Victoria has provided guidance to the United Nations in creating a methodology for SDG 12.6.1, which relates to sustainability reporting.


3️⃣ Michael Barnard - Board Advisor, FLIMAX & Chief Strategist, TFIE

Country: Canada
Latest Thought Piece: Aerospace and aviation is a space flush with sexy nonsense, but there’s solid work being done
Profile: Michael Barnard is Chief Strategist at The Future Is Electric Strategy (TFIE), Advisory Board member of electric aviation startup FLIMAX, and co-founder of distnc technologies. He spends his time projecting scenarios for decarbonization 40-80 years into the future, and assisting executives, Boards, and investors to pick wisely today. Whether it's refueling aviation, grid storage, vehicle-to-grid, or hydrogen demand, his work is based on fundamentals of physics, economics, and human nature, and informed by the decarbonization requirements and innovations of multiple domains. He previously served as Advisory Board Member at Electron aviation and as a Strategic Advisor at Agora Energy Technologies.


4️⃣ Dr. Venera N. Anderson - Strategy Advisor and Author, Harvard Business Review Advisory Council

Country: United States of America
Latest Thought Piece: The US road sector: proactive adaptation as the solution to the impact of climate change 
Profile: Dr. Venera N. Anderson is a global strategy advisor on sustainability and climate issues. She creates and implements innovative solutions that address the world’s most pressing issues, such as climate change, economic development, and humanitarian challenges. She is a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council. Venera is a co-author of the "Touching Hydrogen Future" book (2nd edition). She is also an International Expert at Women in Green Hydrogen, a global network which strives to increase the visibility and amplify the voices of women working in the green hydrogen sector, and a Speaker at Tech Up for Women and the Wall Street Green Summit about her vision for coastal U.S. green hydrogen hubs.


5️⃣ Harald Walkate - Founder, Finding Ways Ahead & Senior Fellow of the Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth, University of Zurich

Country: Netherlands 
Latest Thought Piece: Blended Finance. Naturally.  
Profile: Harald Walkate is the founder of Finding Ways Ahead, an independent ESG and sustainable finance advisory. He is also the Founding Partner of Route17, a blended finance firm developing SDG-aligned investment strategies. Harald is also a Senior Fellow at the University of Zurich Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth. Previously he was the Head of ESG and member of the Executive Committee of Natixis Investment Managers, and the Global Head of Responsible Investment at Aegon Asset Management. As a hobby, Harald leads the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw which has been recognized for its world-class performances. 


6️⃣ Antoine Rostand - President & Co-Founder, Kayrros

Country: France 
Latest Thought Piece: It’s time for leaders to learn the hard lessons 
Profile: Antoine Rostand is the co-founder of Kayrros, an environmental intelligence firm that leverages satellite imagery, AI, and advanced geoanalytics techniques to generate valuable insights for governments, investors, businesses, and researchers. Prior to his work with Kayrros, Antoine established the Schlumberger Energy Institute, which has since been rebranded as the Kearney Energy Transition Institute. Before, he was a founder of Schlumberger Business Consulting and served as its president.


7️⃣ Georg Kell - Founder, United Nations Global Compact & Chairman, Arabesque 

Country: Germany 
Latest Thought Piece: How Do Sustainability, Finance, and Technology Connect? 
Profile: Georg Kell is a prominent figure in the field of sustainable business and corporate social responsibility. He is the founding Director of the UN Global Compact, the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative. He currently serves as the Chairman of Arabesque, a technology company that uses AI and big data to assess sustainability performance. Georg is also the spokesperson for the Volkswagen Sustainability Council where he plays an instrumental role in promoting the company's sustainability initiatives.


8️⃣ Mandira Bagwandeen - Senior Researcher, Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town (UCT)

Country: South Africa 
Latest Thought Piece: Leveraging green panda bonds for Africa’s energy transition  
Profile: Dr. Mandira Bagwandeeen is a Senior Research Fellow at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Her area of expertise lies in the fields of Africa's regional integration and industrialization, as well as China-Africa relations. Dr. Bagwandeen is associated with several international think tanks, serving as a Research Associate at France's Foundation pour la Recherche Stratégique and a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in the US, and a Research Fellow at the African Studies Centre (ASC) at the Metropolitan University Prague, the Afro-Sino Centre of International Relations in Ghana, and Nanyang Technical University-Singapore Business Federation (NTU-SBF) Centre for African Studies.


9️⃣ Alex Hong - Ambassador of Southeast Asia, Global Blockchain Business Council

Country: Singapore
Latest Thought Piece: Are Personal Carbon Allowances (PCAs) ahead of their time or are they the answer to equity in our sustainability ambitions?
Profile: Alex has 20+ years experience as a sustainability practitioner. He has been recognized as LinkedIn's Top Voices (Green) in Singapore for the year 2022. He serves as the Ambassador of Southeast Asia for the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC) and is a member of the Youth Networking Business Committee of Asia (YNBC). Alex is also an active member of his community, contributing as a mentor for a start-up incubator based in Singapore.


🔟 Cary Krosinky - Researcher and Lecturer, Brown University, New York University, Yale University, Columbia University in the City of New York 

Country: United States of America 
Latest Thought Piece: Implications of the Outperformance of Active Sustainable Investing
Profile: Cary Krosinsky is an expert in the areas of climate, energy, and sustainable finance who holds positions as a lecturer, author, and senior advisor. He imparts his knowledge at institutions like Brown, Yale, NYU, and Concordia. Additionally, he sits on the NYS Common Retirement Fund Decarbonization Advisory Panel and played a pivotal role in establishing the Sustainable Finance Institute (SFI) as its co-founder.

Check-out our previous rankings for February and March.

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