Discover also our 2024 rankings of the Most Read Thought Leaders in Energy, Energy Transition, and Social Responsibility. Explore how this year’s leaders compare to the most influential carbon voices of 2023 and 2022!

We are proud to present the most-read Thought Leaders in Carbon globally, as recognized by illuminem's ever-growing community of over 500,000+ readers.

The authors listed below are part of a distinguished group of over 1,500 Thought Leaders publishing on illuminem. They include business leaders, scientists, academics, activists and policymakers from every corner of the globe. While their perspectives may differ, they are united by a shared mission: to tackle emissions across scopes, champion low-carbon and negative-carbon innovation, shape transformative policy, and redefine carbon removal, capture, and utilisation for a sustainable future.

Please help us congratulate the TOP 10 Sustainability Thought Leaders of the Year in Carbon!

1️⃣ Alexia Kelly - Managing Director of High Tide Foundation and fmr. Director of Net Zero + Nature of Netflix
Country: United States 🇺🇸
Most-Read Thought Piece: What the heck is ‘intervention accounting’ and why should I care?
Profile: Alexia Kelly is the managing director of the Carbon Policy and Markets Initiative at the High Tide Foundation. She serves on the Board of the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets and the Advanced and Indirect Mitigation Initiative. Previously, she was the director of Net Zero + Nature at Netflix, leading their carbon reduction strategy. Alexia has been the director of sustainability solutions at ENGIE Impact, advising on net zero and decarbonisation strategies for Fortune 500 companies and non-profit organisations. 

2️⃣ Renat Heuberger - CEO of Terra Impact Ventures and co-founder of South Pole
Country: Switzerland 🇨🇭
Most-Read Thought Piece: The paradox of carbon credits
Profile: Renat Heuberger is an entrepreneur in sustainability and climate action. He co-founded and led leading climate firm South Pole, and is CEO and co-founder of Terra Impact Ventures, and former chairman of MPower. Renat was named Social Entrepreneur by the World Economic Forum's Schwab Foundation, is an elected member of the Innovation Council for the Swiss government, is a YPO Global Impact Award winner, and serves on various boards. He authored on illuminem a special guide on everything that matters about carbon in the most fun and engaging way: Carbon Paradoxes.

3️⃣ Leila Toplic - Chief Communications and Trust Officer at Carbonfuture
Country: United States 🇺🇸
Most-Read Thought Piece: Why the voluntary carbon market is key to scaling carbon dioxide removal and delivering net-zero
Profile: Leila Toplic is the chief communications and trust officer at Carbonfuture, which provides tools and services for high-quality, durable carbon removal. With over two decades of experience at the intersection of technology, ethics, and Sustainable Development Goals, Leila has held high-level positions at companies like Microsoft and NGOs such as NetHope. Recognised as one of the Top 100 Women in AI Ethics in 2021 and Bloomberg Green Champion in 2024.

4️⃣ Robert Höglund - CEO of Marginal Carbon 
Country: Sweden 🇸🇪
Most-Read Thought Piece: Carbon removal is not a finite resource
Profile: Robert Höglund is an advisor in carbon dioxide removal and climate impact. He manages the charitable Milkywire Climate Transformation Fund, co-founded the CDR market overview CDR.fyi. He also works with the NGO Carbon Gap, and writes reports and articles on carbon removal and corporate climate contributions. Member of the EU Expert Group on Carbon Removals and of the Science-based Target Initiative's Technical Advisory Group.

5️⃣ Sebastian Manhart - Senior Policy Advisor of Carbonfuture
Country: Italy 🇮🇹
Most-Read Thought Piece: The Carbon Removal Certification Framework: Europe's blueprint for net-zero
Profile: Sebastian Manhart is a senior policy advisor of Carbonfuture, founder of CDRjobs, chair of the Board at the Deutscher Verband für negative Emissionen, and founding director of the US Biochar Coalition. Across these roles, he advocates for progressive policy to scale durable carbon dioxide removal across Europe, the US, and beyond.

6️⃣ Wil Burns - Professor & Director at Northwestern University
Country: United States 🇺🇸
Most-Read Thought Piece: Marine biomass carbon removal and storage: sink it and forget it?
Profile: Dr. Wil Burns is a visiting professor in the Environmental Policy & Culture Program at Northwestern University. Wil has held several teaching positions in renowned universities. He was founder and co-director of the Institute for Carbon Removal Law & Policy at American University and the director of the Energy Policy & Climate program at John Hopkins University. Much of Wil’s career has been focused on advancing knowledge and understanding key environmental issues.

7️⃣ Venna Lepel - Chief Carbon Officer of Novocarbo
Country: Germany 🇩🇪
Most-Read Thought Piece: Why biochar as a permanent carbon sink is essential for achieving climate targets
Profile: Venna Lepel is chief carbon officer and chief marketing officer of Novocarbo, a biochar carbon removal company where she is responsible for the Carbon Credit Business Unit and everything carbon-related in the company. Venna is also a board member of the Negative Emissions Platform in Brussels, and has wide experience as a Strategic Planner and Consultant for companies like FCB Global, Meta Design, kleiner und bold, and Lepel Consult.

8️⃣ Eve Tamme - Managing Director of Climate Principles
Country: Estonia 🇪🇪
Most-Read Thought Piece: The EU’s 2040 Climate Target — context, scope and design 
Profile: Eve Tamme is a director of Climate Principles and senior advisor on climate policy. She is also a member of the Expert Group on Carbon Removals of the European Commission and chair of the Zero Emissions Platform. Her expertise covers the Paris Agreement, the EU Emissions Trading System, carbon markets, climate governance, and carbon removal.

9️⃣ Bashir Dan - CEO of Stack Carbon
Country: Uganda 🇺🇬
Most-Read Thought Piece: Carbon Markets 2.0: a new paradigm
Profile: Bashir Dan is the CEO of Stack Carbon, a pioneering company specializing in the development and management of carbon assets to support sustainable solutions and environmental conservation.He is a Founding Member of the Green Guild Foundation and serves on the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Youth Task Force, promoting global sustainability and ecosystem restoration.

🔟 Ted Christie-Miller - Director of Carbon Removal of BeZero Carbon
Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧
Most-Read Thought Piece: Biochar is booming: What are the risks?
Profile: Ted Christie-Miller is the director of Carbon Removal at BeZero Carbon, a carbon ratings agency committed to advancing transparency and accountability in the carbon market. Before joining BeZero, Ted founded and led the Getting to Zero climate policy program at the think tank Onward, where he worked on developing actionable policies to accelerate decarbonization and address climate challenges. 

To the most read sustainability thought leaders in carbon, congratulations on your well-deserved recognition. Your commitment to excellence has set a high standard for us all, and we are excited to see the continued growth and innovation that will undoubtedly define the future of sustainability initiatives in 2025.

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