TOP 10 Most Read Thought Leaders of 2022 in Sustainable Business

Discover also our 2024 ranking of the Most Read Thought Leaders in the Sustainable Business, or enjoy our Thought Leader rankings of 2022 on Biodiversity, Carbon, Climate Change, Energy, Energy Transition, Environmental Sustainability, ESG, Power & Utilities, Renewables, Sustainable Governance and Overall.

At illuminem, 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.

Sustainable business practices are a crucial cornerstone of our fight against climate change and a vital component of building a prosperous, equitable future. By balancing economic success with environmental responsibility, sustainable businesses are leading the charge toward a more resilient world. Today, we are honored to recognize and thank the most-read experts and change-makers who are shaping the debate on sustainable business, corporate social responsibility, ethical governance, and related themes on illuminem.

Please help us congratulate our TOP 10 Thought Leaders in Sustainable Business!

1️⃣ Georg Kell - Founder, United Nations Global Compact and 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.

2️⃣ Sheri R. Hinish - Global Sustainability Innovation & Ecosystem Leader, EY
Country: US
Latest Thought Piece: Humanizing the Climate Emergency and Equity for All with Sustainable Supply Chains 
Profile: Sheri currently holds the position of Principal and Global Sustainability Innovation & Ecosystem Lead at EY. She previously served as Consulting Global Leader for Sustainability Services, Alliances and Strategy at IBM. Her contributions have been recognized through various industry awards, including the Top 100 Women in 2023 by March8 Magazine, the 2021 #1 Supply Chain Leader by Supply Chain Digital, and a 2022, 2021, 2020 & 2019 Supply & Demand Chain Executive "Pro to Know" award.

3️⃣ Torsten Lichtenau - Senior Partner & Global Head of Carbon Transition Impact Area, Bain & Company 
Country: UK 
Latest Thought Piece: Decarbonization in a downturn
Profile: Torsten Lichtenau is a Senior Partner at Bain & Company, where he also serves as the global leader for the Carbon Transition Impact Area, driving initiatives related to sustainability and corporate responsibility, energy and natural resources, and advanced manufacturing and services. With over fifteen years of consulting expertise across diverse industries, Torsten focuses primarily on the energy and industrial sectors. He is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader from the class of 2016

4️⃣ Andrea Bonime-Blanc - Founder & CEO, GEC Risk Advisory LLC and fmr. SVP Global Corporate Responsibility, Verint
Country: US 
Latest Thought Piece: ESGT: Exponential technology requires exponential responsibility (Part 2: Use cases and future proofing) 
Profile: Andrea Bonime-Blanc is the CEO and Founder of GEC Risk Advisory, an advisory firm focusing on governance, risk, ethics & cyber strategies. She was previously SVP for Global Corporate Responsibility & Risk Management at Verint, as well as Founding Global Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer at Bertelsmann. She currently serves on various boards and advisory boards, including Athena Alliance, WireX, Cyber Future Foundation, and NACD NJ Chapter. She is also an accomplished author, having written "Gloom to Boom" (Routledge 2020) and the annual "The ESGT Megatrends Manuals" (Diplomatic Courier 2021, 2022, 2023).

5️⃣ Antoine Rostand - President & Co-Founder, Kayrros and fmr. President & Founder, Schlumberger Business Consulting
Country: France 
Latest Thought Piece: It's time for leaders to learn the hard lessons
Profile: Antoine is the President and co-founder of Kayrros, an innovative intelligence company that leverages satellite imagery and machine learning to offer environmental insights. Antoine also serves as a Board Member of the A.T. Kearney Energy Transition Institute, previously known as the Schlumberger Energy Institute, which he established in 2007. Prior to launching Kayrros, Antoine founded Schlumberger Business Consulting in 2004 and successfully transformed it into the largest management consulting firm specializing in the energy sector. 

6️⃣ Daniel Christian Wahl - Author, Consultant & Public Speaker
Country: Spain 
Latest Thought Piece: Why sustainability is no longer enough, yet still very important, on the road to regeneration
Profile: Daniel Christian Wahl is a prominent figure driving the Regeneration movement and is the author of the book "Designing Regenerative Cultures." He operates as a consultant, educator, and activist, collaborating with NGOs, businesses, and governments. His work focuses on regenerative design and salutogenic design, two emerging fields with a focus on sustainable and healthy systems. Daniel was awarded the prestigious Royal Society of Arts Bicentenary Medal in 2021, acknowledging his application of design in service to society.

7️⃣ Ana Struna Bregar - CEO, CER - Sustainable Business Network
Country: Slovenia 
Latest Thought Piece: Innovate or disappear: why businesses stuck in the past won't survive the climate revolution 
Profile: Ana Struna Bregar is the CEO of CER Sustainable Business Network, a leading coalition of forward-thinking companies and organizations in Slovenia that are actively promoting the shift to a Net Zero economy. Ana Struna Bregar has a background in architecture ad design. Prior to her role at CER, she founded and directed Open House Slovenia, the biggest Slovene architectural festival and online platform for sustainable Slovene architecture.

8️⃣ Praveen Gupta - Advisory Board Member, Sanctuary Asia and fmr. MD & CEO, Raheja QBE General Insurance Co
Country: India
Latest Thought Piece: ESG - climate of inequality 
Profile: Praveen currently serves as Advisory Board Member for Sanctuary Asia, a leading biodiversity conservation foundation in India. He was previously Managing Director & CEO of Raheja QBE General Insurance Company Ltd. Praveen is a certified Chartered Insurer and holds Fellowships from both the Chartered Insurance Institute (UK) and the Insurance Institute of India. He frequently shares his knowledge and insights at leading national and international conferences and has made significant contributions to renowned publications, authoring more than 250 papers.

9️⃣ Nadia Ameli - Principal Research Fellow, University College London's Institute for Sustainable Resources
Country: Italy 
Latest Thought Piece: Disclosure isn’t enough: It’s time to tax high-carbon investment 
Profile: Nadia Ameli currently serves as a Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Sustainable Resources at University College London, where she combines her expertise in research with practical experience in policymaking. She focuses on sustainable energy systems, energy policy, and climate finance. Her contributions have supported the initiatives of various international public policy institutions, including the OECD, the European Commission, and the United Nations.

🔟 Sylwia Zieba - Research Director, Russell Reynolds Associates & fmr. Head of North America, S&P Global
Country: US 
Latest Thought Piece: The EBITDA of Decarbonization
Profile: Sylwia holds the position of Global Research Director for Sustainability at Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA), where she assists clients by providing market insights and recruitment support for executive-level sustainable leadership across various industries. Before joining RRA, Sylwia worked at S&P Global as the Head of North America for ESG Client Engagement. In this role, she aided global financial institutions in integrating ESG data and analytics into their investment decision-making processes. Previously Sylwia also served as the Director of Communications for Columbia's Sustainable Finance Professionals Network (CSFPN). 

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

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