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 renowned Thought Leaders to address & constructively debate the most pressing challenges of our time.

Public governance plays a crucial role in advancing sustainability by establishing policies, regulations, and frameworks that guide sustainable practices at a societal level. By integrating sustainability principles into public governance structures, governments can foster long-term planning, resource management, and decision-making processes that prioritize the well-being of current and future generations. Today we are honored to recognize and thank the most-read experts and change-makers who are shaping the debate on Public Governance, Corporate Governance and Ethical Governance.    


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


1️⃣ David McEwen - Director, Adaptive Capability
Country: Australia 
Latest Thought Piece: The Prisoner's Dilemma – Why is Australia (Still) Backsliding on Climate Action? 
Profile: David McEwen is a Director at Adaptive Capability. His main spheres of work are CFD-aligned climate risk, and net-zero emissions (NZE) strategy, program, and project management. He previously served as Director at Colliers International. He is the author of the book “Navigating the Adaptive Economy", which was published in 2016. He is a proud alumnus of the Victoria University of Washington.


2️⃣ Patricia Scotland - Secretary General, Commonwealth of Nations and fmr. Attorney General, UK Government
Country: Dominica
Latest Thought Piece: We must shift the global financing system in the age of climate change 
Profile: Patricia Scotland is the Secretary-General for The Commonwealth of Nations, which acts as the governing body for 56 states and represents an impressive 2.5 billion individuals. Prior to her role in the Commonwealth, she held notable ministerial positions within the UK Government as a member of the British Labour Party, including serving as the Attorney General for England and Wales and as the Advocate General for Northern Ireland. During her tenure in that position, Patricia gained recognition as a prominent global champion for climate justice.


3️⃣ Ilkay Demirdag - Strategic Board Member, Avanea and Nominee Director, International Finance Corporation 
Country: Turkey 
Latest Thought Piece: Achieving the green transformation: the case of Türkiye 
Profile: Ilkay Demirdag is a Strategic Board Member at asset manager AVANEA. Among others, she also serves as Advisor at Spin Ventures and Sente Ventures, in addition to her role as Nominee Director at the International Finance Corporation. She previously served as Head of Investor Relations at Enerjisa, Turkey's leading player in the electricity sector. Her expertise is highly recognized in the fields of sustainable finance, impact investing, sustainable economic development and investor relations.


4️⃣ Joel B. Stronberg - fmr. Advisor, Columbia University and Founder & Principal, JBS Group
Country: US 
Latest Thought Piece: Climate change policy: the way it has to be 
Profile: Joel B. Stronberg is the founder & President of The JBS Group, a Washington DC-based consulting firm, where he mostly focuses on policy analysis, lobbying, development of white-papers & position papers for clean & renewable energy companies. Previously, Joel also served as Advisor and Peer-Reviewer to the Columbia University's Sabin Center on Climate Change, specifically on the "Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States" project aimed at US policymakers.  


5️⃣ Evelyn Dan Epelle - Board Member, Pan Africana Strategic and Head of Department, KAFTAN TV 
Country: Nigeria
Latest Thought Piece: Climate Change Justice for Africa 
Profile: Evelyn Dan Epelle is a Journalist and the Head of Department at KAFTAN TV as well as a Board Member at the Pan African Strategic and Policy Research Group (PANAFSTRAG). Additionally, she serves as a Communications Researcher at Baobab Consulting. With a specific focus on media, education, technology, and public policy interventions, Evelyn's work encompasses both the African continent and the diaspora, often referred to as Africa's 6th region.


6️⃣ Alessio Terzi - Economist, European Commission and Adjunct Professor, HEC Paris, Sciences Po Lille 
Country: Belgium 
Latest Thought Piece: The power and limits of radical activism against climate change 
Profile: Alessio is an Economist at the European Commission specializing in the questions of sustainable growth, macroeconomic policy, and structural reforms. More recently, he has had a particular focus on the broad economic strategy underlying the European Green Deal. Alessio also serves as Adjunct Professor at Sciences Po Lille and HEC Paris. He is an economist and the author of 'Growth for Good: Reshaping Capitalism to Save Humanity from Climate Catastrophe' (Harvard University Press 2022) - a book, reflecting on capitalism and the climate change fight.


7️⃣ Galit Palzur - Board Member, Israeli Energy Forum and Board member, Forum Dvorah
Country: Israel
Latest Thought Piece: To achieve our climate targets it's time to revive the use of bans 
Profile: Galit Palzur is an economist, specializing in risk management of natural disasters, sustainability and climate change. She holds multiple Board Member positions, including at the Kessler Projects, which focuses on regenerative smart carbon plantations, and at the Israeli Energy Forum. Among others, she previously served Chairman of the Bureau of the OECD Working Party on Climate, Investment and Development. 


8️⃣ Osama Rizvi - Oil Analyst, OilPrice and Analyst, Primary Vision Network
Country: UK 
Latest Thought Piece: The imperative of economic development in energy transitions  
Profile: Osama Rizvi is an Oil Analyst at OilPrice and an Analyst at Primary Vision Network. He focuses on examining the complex dynamics and imbalances between developed and developing nations, particularly in relation to their economic development, energy transitions, and policymaking processes. In his previous roles, Osama has represented the youth of his country as a Youth Delegate to China. He has also contributed his expertise as a member of the Outcome Document for the United Nations' 68th Civil Society Conference.


9️⃣ Carlos Terol - Founder, Good Ripple and Founder, Terol Engineering
Country: UK
Latest Thought Piece: Democracy and systemic change: why we have more power than we think 
Profile: Carlos Terol is the Founder of Good Ripple, a networking platform for sustainability professionals aimed at empowering individuals committed to fighting climate change. He also founded started Terol Engineering, a civil engineering consultancy boutique. Prior to his current venture, Carlos served as a Senior Engineer at Jacobs, a large infrastructure & engineering consultancy firm.


🔟 Brad Zarnett - Co-Founder, CliMobilize and Founder, Toronto Sustainability Speaker Series
Country: Canada
Latest Thought Piece: How To Stop Lying To Our Kids About Climate Change 
Profile: Brad Zarnett is the Co-Founder of CliMobilize, a non-profit organization aimed at building and channeling public awareness and electoral power to realign and reunite political action with the interests of the public and the environment. Brad also founded the Toronto Sustainability Speaker Series, a platform to share the stories of companies that have found economic advantages by integrating sustainability into their corporate strategy. Brad is also a writer and speaker dedicated to raising awareness about the urgent need for systemic change to avert the climate crisis.

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

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