TOP 10 Most-Read Thought Leaders of 2024 in Sustainable Business

See our 2026 ranking of the Most Read Thought Leaders of the Year in Sustainable Business

Discover also our 2024 rankings of the Most Read Thought Leaders in Carbon, Climate Change, Energy, Energy Transition, Environmental Sustainability, ESG, Green Tech, Nature, Social Responsibility, and Sustainable Finance and Overall. Explore how this year’s leaders compare to the most influential sustainable business voices of 2022!

We are proud to present the Most-Read Thought Leaders in Sustainable Business 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 foster sustainable business practices, encourage responsible corporate growth, and promote strategies that drive long-term environmental and social impact.

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

1️⃣ Hilde Merete Aasheim - Fmr. President and CEO of Norsk Hydro
Country: Norway 🇳🇴
Most-Read Thought Piece: Why transparency in manufacturing is the game changer for the green transition
Profile: Hilde Merete served as CEO of the aluminium & renewable energy company Norsk Hydro from 2019 t0 2024. She joined Hydro in 2005 and has held several leading positions in the company. As CEO, Hilde Merete works tirelessly to lead Hydro to change the game for how we produce materials by pioneering the green aluminium transition, powered by renewable energy, to enable true decarbonization of society.

2️⃣ Letizia Magaldi - Executive Vice-President of Corporate Development and Global Marketing of Magaldi
Country: Italy 🇮🇹
Most-Read Thought Piece: Decarbonising industrial heat, the ready-now opportunity for Europe’s net-zero push
Profile: Letizia Magaldi is executive vice-president of Corporate Development and Global Marketing of Magaldi, where she oversees organizational, financial, and strategic initiatives. She is a censor advisor at the Bank of Italy and president of the Economic Association of Mexico in Italy. Letizia serves as president of Kyoto Club, president of CaMexItal, and is the president of the Filiberto and Bianca Menna Foundation for Contemporary Art Studies.

3️⃣ Oxana Saimo - Leader of the World Economic Forum’s Initiative on Transitioning Industrial Clusters
Country: France 🇫🇷
Most-Read Thought Piece: How to harness the collaborative potential of industrial clusters
Profile: Oxana Saimo is leading the World Economic Forum’s initiative on Transitioning Industrial Clusters. Her pivotal work centers on fostering collaboration and cultivating a shared vision among co-located companies within industrial clusters, governments, and the broader industrial ecosystem. Oxana strategically focuses on spearheading the energy transition, job creation, and economic growth in the dynamic landscapes of China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and India.

4️⃣ Luca Buzzotta - CEO and Founder of Naturnova Agrotech
Country: Hong Kong 🇭🇰
Most-Read Thought Piece: 7 modern and efficient ways to protect crops from pests and diseases
Profile: Luca Buzzotta is the founder of Naturnova, a company focused on promoting sustainable agriculture through innovative, environmentally friendly solutions. He advocates for the use of technology and fertilizers that improve crop yields while minimizing environmental impact.

5️⃣ Samir Saci - Supply Chain Expert Consultant of LogiGreen Consulting and fmr. Data Scientist of DHL 
Country: France 🇫🇷
Most-Read Thought Piece: What greenwashing is, and how we can use analytics to detect it
Profile: Samir Saci is a French engineer and a supply chain and analytics consultant of LogiGreen Consulting, with extensive experience in supply chain optimization. He has worked in Asia and Europe, focusing on data analytics to enhance logistics, sustainability, and productivity. Saci has contributed to the open-source community and authored articles on sustainable sourcing and green inventory management. He holds degrees from École Centrale de Lille and Tsinghua University.

6️⃣ Neeti Mahajan - Consultant of Climate Change and Sustainability Services of EY
Country: India 🇮🇳
Most-Read Thought Piece: Cocoa and sustainability: a bittersweet edition
Profile: Neeti Mahjan is a geo-informatics engineer, currently working as consultant for Climate Change and Sustainability Services of EY. She also earned a Master of Business Administration in Sustainability Management from the TERI School of Advanced Studies. In addition she served as India Chapter Lead of World Youth Alliance.

7️⃣ Samuele Tini - Host of the Sustainability Journey Podcast and Director of 3E (Environment, Entrepreneurship, Energy)
Country: Kenya 🇰🇪
Most-Read Thought Piece: Sustainable business in Africa IV/VI: Bees with purpose — Upendo Honey
Profile: Samuele Tini is the host of the Sustainability Journey, where he leads important conversations with top innovators, addressing the critical issues of today. He champions ethical and sustainable practices through his involvement in the B Corp movement, board member at B Academics, and director of 3E (Environment, Entrepreneurship, Energy). Committed to impact, Samuele has led transformative projects across Africa, empowering entrepreneurs and fostering environmental conservation.

8️⃣ Simon Gupta - Founding Partner of Broadpeak
Country: Germany 🇩🇪
Most-Read Thought Piece: The Agriculture Trilogy: Food security
Profile: Simon Gupta is the founder of Broadpeak, a Swiss-based Advisory Company specialising in Impact Finance. He has 20 years of experience in development finance in Latin America, Africa and Asia. He is also a partner of investment firm Investment Associate AG, where he leads social and environmental impact investing. Simon has been involved in the set-up of multiple blended finance structures on the Limited Partner side as well as the General Partner side.

9️⃣ Rob Karpati - Partner and Senior Advisor of The Blended Capital Group
Country: Canada 🇨🇦
Most-Read Thought Piece: Artisanal mining - formalization for safety
Profile: Rob Karpati is a multinational finance leader, currently serving as partner and senior advisor of The Blended Capital Group. His focus is on delivering significant positive social and environmental impact through the definition and delivery of paradigm altering approaches to the global artisanal mining sector based on commercially realistic formalization methodologies.

🔟 Claudio Pedretti - Founder and President of The Club of Florence and CEO and Founder of Green Climate Ventures
Country: Italy 🇮🇹
Most-Read Thought Piece: Bridging worlds: The silk road of ideas and Edgar Morin's vision of complex humanity
Profile: Claudio Pedretti is the founder and president of The Club of Florence, where he leads global discussions on climate action, finance, and sustainability through the principles of Renewed Humanism. He is CEO and founder of Green Climate Ventures and a board member of various private companies and nonprofits, leveraging his expertise in renewable energy and rural electrification. Claudio has worked extensively in developing countries, particularly in Africa and Asia, and has chaired the Alliance for Rural Electrification.

To the most read sustainability thought leaders in sustainable business, 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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