TOP 10 Most Read Future Thought Leaders

Enjoy our 2023 Thought Leader rankings on Climate Change, Carbon, Social Responsibility, Energy and Overall

At illuminem, we take pride in calling ourselves the “home of sustainability” and in providing a global platform for promising Future Thought Leaders. These passionate & talented young authors are the rising voices who tackle and constructively debate the most pressing challenges of our time.

Please help us congratulate our TOP 10 Future Thought Leaders! 


1️⃣ Aaron Benjamin - UK & Europe Lead, Direct Air Capture Coalition and Policy Advocate, The OpenAir Collective
Country: UK 
Latest Thought Piece: How Direct Air Capture can help solve Kenya's energy access problem 
Profile: Aaron Benjamin is the UK and Europe Coalition Lead at the Direct Air Capture Coalition, which aims to serve as the connective tissue for the emerging sector. He is responsible for driving forward growth and connectivity within the UK and European DAC ecosystem across policy, research, and finance. Additionally, he works as a Program Manager for the Global Carbon Removal Partnership, dedicating his efforts to exploring the prospects of direct air capture in Kenya. Aaron's professional journey commenced in academic publishing, where he served as a Journal Specialist at Frontiers in Climate.


2️⃣ Laxmi Haigh - Journalist & Lead Editor, Circle Economy 
Country: Netherlands 
Latest Thought Piece: Material (mis)management: could the global economy thrive with one-third fewer materials? 
Profile: Laxmi Haigh is an environmental writer and the Lead Editor at Circle Economy. In addition to her role, she serves as a journalist and columnist for CNS and Renewable Matter magazine. Her primary focus lies in circular economy, sustainability, climate science, packaging, food systems, nutrition, culture, and anthropology. Her contributions have earned her recognition as one of LinkedIn's Top 10 Green Voices in Europe. Her writing has been featured in publications such as the Guardian, BBD, and the World Economic Forum, among others. She is also a lead author of the Circularity Gap Reports.


3️⃣ Mariel Ferragamo - Assistant Copy Editor & Writer, Council on Foreign Relations and fmr. Communications Coordinator, The Energy for Growth Hub
Country: US 
Latest Thought Piece: The EPA’s new social cost of carbon is much higher — especially depending on where you live 
Profile: Mariel Ferragamo is Assistant Copy Editor & Writer at the Council on Foreign Relations. She was engaged in energy and climate communications at The Energy for Growth Hub, where she held the positions of communications coordinator and podcast producer. Alongside her work in communications, she has an interest in journalism, politics, and policy. She earned her B.A. in Environmental Policy from Colby College. During her academic years, Mariel also worked as an intern in both the United States Senate and the US House of Representatives. 


4️⃣ Kedar Balasubramanian - Product Owner, gridX and Podcast Producer, Insider’s Guide to Energy 
Country: Germany 
Latest Thought Piece: The Dunning Kruger effect and climate change 
Profile: Kedar is a Product Owner at gridX and Podcast Producer at Insider’s Guide to Energy. He holds a Master Degree in Power Engineering from Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus-Senftenberg. Earlier in his career, he was an intern at Siemens Energy. He worked also as a Product Owner at bloXmove and Energy Podcast Co-host at YES-Europe. 


5️⃣ Bowie Yin Sum Kung - Co-creator, Trueque_Intercambios and Freelance Author 
Country: Costa Rica 
Latest Thought Piece: Sustainability vs. regenerative explained by 5 graphics 
Profile: Bowie Yin Sum Kung is the Co-creator of Trueque_Intercambios and a Freelance Author. Previously she held the position of Senior Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company. Her main interests include exploring alternative economies and ways of living, with a focus on regeneration, dismantling coloniality and neo-colonialism, and improving social welfare above the bottom line. 


6️⃣ Ronny Castillo - CEO, Gaia Impact 
Country: Costa Rica Belarus
Latest Thought Piece: Exponential technologies and agenda 2030 
Profile: Ronny Castillo is the CEO of Gaia Impact. In addition, he currently serves as a Trade Financial Executive at Euro Exim Bank. His expertise extends to designing derivatives and innovative investment strategies for a diverse range of projects, encompassing both non-profit and for-profit ventures, as well as impact investments, public-private partnerships (PPPs), and wealth management institutions.


7️⃣ Alex Chyzh - Independent Oil & Gas researcher and fmr. Senior Research Analyst, IHS Markit
Country: Belarus 
Latest Thought Piece: How to stop worrying: a case for carbon capture and storage 
Profile: Alex Chyzh is an independent Oil & Gas analyst and decarbonization researcher. He previously held the roles of Senior Analyst at S&P Global and Senior Research Analyst at IHS Markit. His primary areas of interest revolve around the Oil & Gas industry, energy security, and industry policy.


8️⃣ Garrett Guard - Carbon Specialist, C-Capsule 
Country: US 
Latest Thought Piece: Removing carbon is just half the battle - we need to store it too 
Profile: Garrett Guard is a Carbon Specialist at C-Capsule. Previously, he worked as a Research Analyst at BeZero Carbon and the Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy. During his work at these organizations, he dedicated his efforts to enhancing the representation of carbon removal technologies in integrated assessment models. 


9️⃣ Basundhara Dutta - Climate Analyst, HSBC 
Country: UK 
Latest Thought Piece: Quantifying the role of seaweed as a nature-based carbon capture and storage solution to reach net zero emissions 
Profile: Basundhara Duta is a Climate Analyst at HSBC. Her past work involved various areas, such as climate analytics, nature-based solutions (including algae and CCUS capacity), ESG in asset management, sustainability consulting, research on energy transitioning plans and policy, international chemical and waste management, and energy management. Additionally, she gained experience as an Environmental Affairs Intern for the SAICM Secretariat at the UN Environment Programme.


🔟 Christine Wenzel - Research Assistant, S-3 Research and Master’s Degree Student, George Washington University 
Country: US 
Latest Thought Piece: Private Companies are Buying Water Rights and Betting on Scarcity in US West 
Profile: Christine Wenzel is currently pursuing a Master's in Public Administration at The George Washington University. Her professional focus revolves around global health and climate justice. She is also a Research Assistant at S-3 Research and worked as an Administrative Assistant at Global Action Research Center. 

Check out our previous rankings on Carbon, Climate Change, ESG, Hydrogen, Mining and Metals, Power and Utilities, Renewables, Sustainable Business, Sustainable Governance, Biodiversity and Overall.

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