A speaker at the 2007 World Bio Markets Congress, few have had a bigger impact than former Vice President Gore, he stood out against huge entrenched interests and stood by science when it was far from fashionable to do so.

He lent his considerable platform to declaring that biofuels could be part of the solution to Africa’s development and that food and fuel could not be dealt with in isolation.

The former leader of the Enel Green Power division he successfully turned the division into the blueprint for a new utility, developing excellent renewable energy projects across the globe he has positioned Enel brilliantly in terms of the energy transition. Something painfully lacking in many of his “peer” European utilities who have all belatedly followed his blueprint.

Hermann Scheer was a magnificent speaker, his powerful oratory got things done and he led the legislation for the first “Feed In Tariffs” in Germany. He was fully aware that this could lead to future economies of scale and fall down the Wright Curve. He was fully vindicated and humanity owes Herr Scheer a deep debt for his vision. Without him and the first German feed in tariff then decarbonization within a 2 degree limit would be absolutely impossible.

An instrumental figure in the energy transition and speaker at multiple Green Power events. Michael and his team of analysts at New Energy Finance were key in derisking and increasing the volume of clean energy investment with their clear forecasts for decreasing “Wright curve” costs of renewables. Always ahead of their peers. Never short of an opinion, Michael continues to have a big impact as host of the Cleaning Up podcast, advisor, multiple board member and keynote speaker.

As author of the book the Carbon War, that Green Power founder, Nadim Chaudhry read in 2003, Jeremy is therefore the unofficial company “Grandfather” as he had a indirect impact on the founding of Green Power Global). A speaker at multiple Green Power events Jeremy has always presented excellent overviews of the status of the energy transition and he is now engaged in nature based carbon sequestration with the Highlands Rewilding project.

A speaker at our Carbon Markets events when representing her native Costa Rica, Christina rose to fame as the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC who successfully secured the historic 2015 Paris Agreement. A founder of the Global Optimism group and co-host of the popular Outrage and Optimism podcast.

A fearless former speaker at our Carbon Markets Brasil events where she lambasted the Brazilian government of the day (in a country where environmentalists are murdered). Marina has now twice returned as the Minister of Environment under the Lulu governments. One of the single most important people for defending the Amazon rainforest from deforestation.

Jigar Shah, an accomplished engineer, gained fame through his financial engineering skills at SunEdison. He later founded Generate Capital and currently serves as the Director of the Loans Programme Office for the Department of Energy under the Biden Administration, overseeing a $40 billion portfolio.

It is hard to remember that the IEA was a laggard in renewables, (indeed a reason the rival IRENA was formed). Much of that is down to Fatih’s own conviction on the energy transition and the economic opportunity that the clean energy transition presents 

A speaker at the World Bio Markets congress, Lord Browne played a key role in the initial attempt for BP to transition to renewables. Although the position was arguably retreated in subsequent returns to fossils it at least set the tone for an oil major to look “beyond petroleum”.

A speaker at both the World Bio Markets and World Hydrogen North America Congress, General Clark has always had a sharp analysis of the real world of geopolitics and energy. A world that has become very real following the Ukrainian war. Gen. Clark founded Renew America Together, a nonprofit organisation designed to promote and achieve greater common ground in America by reducing partisan division and gridlock.