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

Metals and other rare earth materials enable the clean energy revolution, powering technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles. The growing demand for these technologies drives up metal production, making sustainable mining practices a must for a successful transition to renewable energy and to reduce the environmental and social impact of this critical sector. Today, we are honored to recognize and thank the most-read experts and change-makers who are shaping the sustainability debate on Mining & Metals, and other related topics on illuminem.com.

Please help us congratulate our TOP 10 Mining and Metals Thought Leaders of the year!

1️⃣ Philippe Benoit - Senior Scholar, Columbia University & Fmr. Head of Energy Environment, IEA
Country: United States of America
Latest Thought Piece: Early Coal Retirement: How about a Global Auction​
Profile: Philippe Benoit is a Senior Scholar at Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy and the Managing Director for Energy and Sustainability at Global Infrastructure Advisory Services 2050. He previously served as the Head of the IEA's Energy Environment (Climate Change) Division. Philippe has also worked at the World Bank for over 20 years where he has served as its Energy Sector Manager. Philippe is globally recognized for his contributions to energy, development, and climate policy.​

2️⃣ Greg de Temmerman - Managing Director, Zenon Research & Fmr. Coordinating Scientist, ITER Organization
Country: France
Latest Thought Piece: Ever more energy, is sky the limit?
Profile: Greg De Temmerman is a physicist by training, specializing in plasma physics and materials science, but currently serves as the Managing Director of Zenon Research, a think tank that analyzes the emerging trends of technological innovations required to reach net-zero. Greg is also an associate researcher at MINES ParisTech. From 2014-2020 Greg was a major contributing scientist at the ITER Organization where he advanced the research and applications of plasma and fusion energy, a potentially revolutionary renewable energy source.

3️⃣ John Calabrese - Professor, American University
Country: United States of America
Latest Thought Piece: China Prioritizes Short-Term Energy Security: Implications for Sino-Middle East Relation
Profile: Dr John Calabrese is a professor at American University in Washington DC, where he teaches US foreign policy. He is the author of “China's Changing Relations with the Middle East and Revolutionary Horizons: Iran's Regional Foreign Policy”, and serves as the book review editor of The Middle East Journal. He has edited several books and has written numerous articles on the international relations of the Middle East, especially on the cross-regional ties between the Middle East and Asia.

4️⃣ Linda Zeilina - CEO and Founder, International Sustainable Finance Centre (ISFC) & Advisory Board Chair, Czech Sustainable Investment Forum
Country: Czech Republic
Latest Thought Piece: Time to bust the illusion that Eastern Europe doesn’t matter: Ukraine is systemically important
Profile: Linda Zeilina is the Founder and CEO of the International Sustainable Finance Centre (ISFC), an independent and impact-driven think tank that focuses on sustainable finance topics. Linda is a Fellow at the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) in London, and an advisory board member of the Romanian Sustainable and Finance Association (RoSIF). Previously, Linda was a Director at RE-DEFINE, a boutique consultancy and think tank in London where she served for 7 years. Much of her advisory work includes working with senior management to rework business strategies to integrate sustainability and people strategies with the aim of increasing both long-term profitability and fostering innovation.

5️⃣ Adnan Mazarei - Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics & Fmr. Deputy Director, International Monetary Fund
Country: United States of America
Latest Thought Piece: Who controls the world’s minerals needed for green energy?
Profile: Adnan Mazarei is a Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Adnan previously served as the Deputy Director at the International Monetary Fund’s Middle East and Central Asia Department where he helped prepare the Santiago Principles that established best practices and guidelines for managing sovereign wealth funds. Mazarei earned his PhD in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.

6️⃣ Ann Dom - Senior Policy Advisor, Seas at Risk & Fmr. Head, European Environment Agency
Country: Belgium
Latest Thought Piece: Europe should aim to leave metals in the ground – and in the deep sea
Profile: Ann Dom is Senior Policy Advisor and Deputy Director at Seas At Risk, a European association of environmental NGOs working to protect the marine environment of the European seas. Ann’s work focuses on ocean governance, the blue economy, and deep-sea mining. Before joining Seas At Risk in 2012, Ann worked at the European Environment Agency and the Environment Directorate General of the European Commission.

7️⃣ Veena Sahajwalla - Professor and Director of the Sustainable Materials Research & Technology Centre, University of New South Wales
Country: Australia
Latest Thought Piece: Electrifying the world the Australian way
Profile: Veena Sahajwalla is Professor at the University of New South Wales, where she also directs The SMaRT Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology. She also heads the Australian Government’s new National Environmental Science Program Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub Veena previously served as a Commissioner at the Australian Climate Commission. As recognition for her work, Veena has been named the '2022 NSW Australian of the Year’.

8️⃣ Mohan Yellishetty - Professor, Monash University
Country: India
Latest Thought Piece: Australia has rich deposits of critical minerals for green technology. But we are not making the most of them … yet
Profile: Mohan Yellishetty is an Australian Endeavour Fellow and Chartered Mining Engineer with an established teaching and research profile in the field of mining and environmental engineering. Mohan currently serves as an Associate Professor of Resource Engineering at Monash University in Australia. He has been recognized as one of the leading global experts in the area of ‘Sustainable Mineral Resources’ and ‘Life Cycle Assessment’.

9️⃣ Adrien Concordel - Graduate Researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Country: France
Latest Thought Piece: Is clean energy sustainable?
Profile: Adrien Concordel is a Graduate Researcher at MIT at the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR). Adrien previously worked as an energy consultant in the Middle-East where he participated in designing Iraq’s long-term energy strategy and power sector reform. His interests and research focus on long-term economic impacts of the energy transition in a context of increasing resources scarcity.

🔟 Irene Pérez Beltràn - Environmental Policy Master, Sciences Po & Fmr. Director, King’s Think Tank
Country: Spain
Latest Thought Piece: EU accountability for Lithium extraction in Latin America
Profile: Irene Pérez Beltrán is an Environmental Policy Master's student at Sciences Po. She is also the former Director of the Energy & Environment Policy Center at King's Think Tank and the co-lead of the Global Youth Statement for the UN Conference of Youth at COY16. Irene’s main interests include sustainable food systems, biodiversity conservation, environmental justice and how to help the private sector move towards a circular economy.

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