Discover also our 2024 rankings of the Most Read Thought Leaders in Carbon, Climate Change, Energy, Energy Transition, Environmental Sustainability, ESG, and Social Responsibility. 

We are proud to present the most-read Thought Leaders of the year in Sustainable Finance 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 advance sustainable finance, drive investments in green initiatives, and promote financial solutions that support a more sustainable and resilient global economy.

Please help us congratulate the TOP 10 Sustainability Thought Leaders of 2024 in Sustainable Finance!

1️⃣ Philippe Benoit - Senior Scholar of Columbia University and fmr. Manager of International Energy Agency and World Bank
Country: United States 🇺🇸
Most-Read Thought Piece: Women biomass producers: energy’s largest and largely invisible workforce
Profile: Philippe Benoit is the managing director of Global Infrastructure Advisory Services 2050. He also served as division head of the International Energy Agency's Energy Environment and Energy Efficiency Divisions, and as energy sector manager of World Bank. In addition, Philippe previously worked as an investment banker and corporate lawyer focusing on energy.

2️⃣ Robert W.van Zwieten - Founding Partner of Route17 and fmr. President of Emerging Markets Private Equity Association
Country: Poland 🇵🇱
Most-Read Thought Piece: Route17 (III/IV): the mobilizing private capital equation
Profile: Robert W. van Zwieten is a founding partner of Route17, an independent blended finance advisory firm. He is a research fellow of the Transition Investment Lab at NYU Stern School of Business Abu Dhabi, and a former adjunct professor in Finance with the Asian Institute of Management. He previously worked in senior executive positions at Emerging Markets Private Equity Association, Asian Development Bank, Singapore Exchange, General Electric and Amsterdamsche en Rotterdamsche Bank.

3️⃣ Paul Boeffard - Founder of Leavit and fmr. Sustainability Consultant of Deloitte
Country: France 🇫🇷
Most-Read Thought Piece: SBTi policy and lessons from the 2023 redd+ controversy
Profile: Paul Boeffard is an entrepreneur in the sustainable finance sector, focusing on innovative climate finance solutions. As the founder of Leavit, he's dedicated to supporting oil-producing nations transition to low-carbon economies, drawing from his experience managing €305 million in sustainable projects and spearheading climate initiatives in Paris. He also served as sustainability consultant of Deloitte.

4️⃣ Patricia Scotland - Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations
Country: Dominica 🇩🇲
Most-Read Thought Piece: The Ocean Commonwealth: a sustainable future through marine protected areas
Profile: The Right Honourable Patricia Scotland King's Counsel is the secretary-general of the Commonwealth of Nations, a position she has held since April 2016. Born in Dominica, she is the first woman and the second individual from the Caribbean to serve in this role. Prior to her appointment, she had a distinguished career in law and public service, including serving as the attorney general for England and Wales.

5️⃣ Romie Goedicke - Co-Head of Nature of the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative
Country: The Netherlands 🇳🇱
Most-Read Thought Piece: The future is green – trends to watch in 2024
Profile: Romie Goedicke co-heads the nature thematic at the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative. She also leads the work on nature-related risk and disclosure and manages the work on mainstreaming and capacity building. Romie is an experienced senior program manager, with a demonstrated history in managing programs on nature and finance in Asia and Africa.

6️⃣ Robert Rubinstein - Chairman and Founder of TBLI Group and Executive Board of Climate Force
Country: The Netherlands 🇳🇱
Most-Read Thought Piece: Wealth management's dark secret: manipulated data hurts family office returns
Profile: Robert Rubinstein is the chairman and founder of TBLI Group and executive board of Climate Force. He has worked on creating consciousness for sustainable values and has led money flows in ESG and impact investments over the past 25 years. He has been instrumental in championing Sustainable and IMPACT investment dedicated to solving social issues.

7️⃣ Pierre Abadie - Group Climate Director of Tikehau Capital
Country: France 🇫🇷
Most-Read Thought Piece: How strategic financing can help navigate the climate transition
Profile: Pierre Abadie is group climate director of Tikehau Capital and co-head of the Group's private equity energy transition and decarbonisation practice. He has over 20 years of experience in the energy and energy transition sectors. Pierre previously worked at TotalEnergies for 16 years, most notably in the Gas and Renewables division, before joining Tikehau Capital and becoming Co-head of Tikehau Capital's Energy Transition private equity fund, which was launched in 2018.

8️⃣ Sarah Argoubi - EU Affairs Advocate for NGOs in Sustainable Finance
Country: France 🇫🇷
Most-Read Thought Piece: ESRD: A quantum leap towards climate-ready business governance
Profile: Sarah Argoubi embraces a rich and broad experience in sustainability with a passion for fostering positive cross-sector synergies. She is a seasoned practitioner in EU affairs advocacy for NGOs in sustainable finance. She also has a corporate track record in climate adaptation as a senior risk manager and lawyer at EDF Renewables and in insurance in emerging and advanced markets. She serves on the board jury for the HEC Paris MBA seminar and research project on AI and Ethics.

9️⃣ Gabriela Herculano - CEO and Co-Founder of iClima Earth and fmr. Executive Director of GE Capital’s Energy Financial Services
Country: Brazil 🇧🇷
Most-Read Thought Piece: A new catalyst for the Chinese economy: the green dragon
Profile: Gabriela Herculano is CEO and co-founder of iClima Earth. She has over 25 years’ experience in finance and in energy. She formerly served as an executive director of GE Capital’s Energy Financial Services team in London. She started her career in equity research, covering the Latin American electric utility sector at Lehman Brothers.

🔟 Patrick Odier - Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Lombard Odier Group
Country: Switzerland 🇨🇭
Most-Read Thought Piece: Finance leaders rally for sustainable future at Building Bridges 2024
Profile: Patrick Odier is the chairman of the Supervisory Board of Lombard Odier Group, where he has held leadership roles for over four decades, including Senior Managing Partner and Chairman of the Board. He is also the president of Swiss Sustainable Finance and Chairman of Building Bridges.

To the most read sustainability thought leaders in sustainable finance, 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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