Over 70 CEOs have said they stand ready to work with leaders around the world to reduce emissions and make the transition to a net-zero future, confirmed the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Members of the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders signed an Open Letter championing public-private cooperation ahead of the G7 summit in order to supercharge net-zero commitments, polices and actions. The signatories are looking for governments to accelerate the transition to net-zero before the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow (on 1–12 November 2021 organised by the UK), to accelerate even more action from the private sector. The letter emphasises public-private collaboration as vital and welcomes transformative policy change.
“It is an important and significant move for this many CEOs to put their names forward for deeper collective collaboration,” said Dominic Waughray, Managing Director of WEF. “It sends a clear signal to policy-makers that many global business leaders are ready to make the transition to a net-zero future. As we move towards COP26, public-private collaboration will be key to unlocking investment, setting more ambitious targets to reduce emissions, and turning this ambition into action.”
BUSINESS TAKING ACTION
Many businesses are already stepping up, “recognising the urgency to act on climate change”, confirmed Waughray. “At least one-fifth of the world’s largest 2,000 public companies, many of which we lead, has now committed to meet net-zero targets by mid-century or sooner, and the number is growing fast. The Race toZero initiative championed by UNFCCC and COP26 is working with hundreds of companies and investors across the global economy to scale climate change solutions.”
In addition, the Alliance of global CEOs “is helping to accelerate the transition to a net-zero economy through credible cross-sector collaboration: our members disclose emissions, set aggressive emissions reduction targets, embrace the right policies towards a low carbon economy and take actions in their businesses while encouraging and collaborating with others to do the same”, added Waughray.
Waughray has called on all world leaders including those meeting at the G7 Summit this week to “deliver on our shared climate ambitions and enable a net-zero world; and additionally to work together with the private sector for bolder actions on shared ambitions within a clearer and more ambitious policy framework”.
The Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, hosted by WEF, is the only CEO-led community open to all companies worldwide that want to make clear commitments and work to transition to net-zero. Members believe the private sector has a responsibility to actively engage in global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to help lead the global transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy.
LIST OF CEO SIGNATORIES
The 79 CEO signatories include:
1. Søren Skou, Chief Executive Officer, A.P. Møller-Maersk
2. Björn Rosengren, Chief Executive Officer, ABB
3. Julie Sweet, Chief Executive Officer, Accenture
4. José Manuel Entrecanales, Executive Chairman, ACCIONA
5. Oliver Bäte, Chief Executive Officer, Allianz
6. Alan Belfield, Group Chair, Arup
7. Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, AstraZeneca
8. Thomas Buberl, Chief Executive Officer, AXA
9. Manny Maceda, Chief Executive Officer, Bain & Company
10. Martin Brudermüller, Chief Executive Officer, BASF
11. Werner Baumann, Chief Executive Officer, Bayer
12. Carlos Torres Vila, Chairman, BBVA
13. Michel Vounatsos, Chief Executive Officer, Biogen
14. Rich Lesser, Chief Executive Officer, Boston Consulting Group, Chief Advisor, Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders
15. Aiman Ezzat, Chief Executive Officer, Capgemini
16. Ion Yadigaroglu, Managing Partner, Capricorn Investment Group
17. Cees ‘t Hart, Chief Executive Officer, Carlsberg
18. Mahendra Singhi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dalmia Cement
19. Kim Fausing, President and Chief Executive Officer, Danfoss
20. Punit Renjen, Global Chief Executive Officer, Deloitte
21. Wendy Clark, Chief Executive Officer, Dentsu International
22. Frank Appel, Chief Executive Officer, Deutsche Post DHL
23. Francesco Starace, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager, Enel
24. Catherine MacGregor, Chief Executive Officer, Engie Group
25. Carmine Di Sibio, Global Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, EY
26. Poul Due Jensen, Chief Executive Officer, Grundfos
27. Helena Helmersson, Chief Executive Officer, H&M Group
28. Dolf van den Brink, Chief Executive Officer, HEINEKEN
29. Antonio Neri, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
30. Ignacio S. Galán, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Iberdrola
31. Pablo Isla, Chairman, Inditex
32. Salil Parekh, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Infosys
33. Steven van Rijswijk, Chief Executive Officer, ING
34. Jesper Brodin, Chief Executive Officer, Ingka Group, I IKEA, Co-Chair, Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders
35. Steve Demetriou, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Jacobs Engineering Group
36. Christian Ulbrich, Chief Executive Officer, JLL
37. George R. Oliver, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Johnson Controls International
38. Alex Liu, Managing Partner and Chairman of the Board, Kearney
39. Bill Thomas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, KPMG International
40. Tex Gunning, Chief Executive Officer, LeasePlan
41. Stefan Doboczky, Chief Executive Officer, Lenzing Group
42. Hak Cheol Shin, Chief Executive Officer, LG Chem
43. H.S.H. Prince Max von und zu Liechtenstein, Chairman, LGT
44. Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group
45. Alain Bejjani, Chief Executive Officer, Majid Al Futtaim
46. Jonas Prising, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Manpower Group
47. Mike Haigh, Chair of the Executive Board, Mott MacDonald
48. Mark Schneider, Chief Executive Officer, Nestlé
49. Tom Palmer, President and Chief Executive Officer, Newmont Corporation
50. Vas Narasimhan, Chief Executive Officer, Novartis
51. Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, Chief Executive Officer, Novo Nordisk
52. Ester Baiget, Chief Executive Officer, Novozymes
53. Philippe Knoche, Chief Executive Officer, Orano
54. Mads Nipper, Group President and Chief Executive Officer, Ørsted
55. Torben Möger Pedersen, Chief Executive Officer, Pension Denmark
56. Ramon Laguarta, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo
57. Robert E. Moritz, Global Chairman, PwC
58. Dimitri De Vreeze, Co-CEO, Royal DSM
59. Feike Sybesma, Honorary Chairman, Royal DSM, Founder and Honorary Co-chair, Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders
60. Frans van Houten, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Philips
61. Mark Benioff, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Salesforce
62. Christian Levin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Scania
63. Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Schneider Electric
64. Roland Busch, Chief Executive Officer, Siemens
65. Eric Rondolat, Chief Executive Officer, Signify
66. Dr. Ilham Kadri, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Solvay SA
67. Bill Winters, Group Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Bank
68. Takeshi Niinami, Chief Executive Officer, Suntory Holdings
69. Christian Mumenthaler, Group Chief Executive Officer, Swiss Re, Co-Chair, Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders
70. J. Erik Fyrwald, Chief Executive Officer, Syngenta Group
71. Christophe Weber, President and Chief Executive Officer, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company
72. Börje Ekholm, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ericsson
73. Michael W. Lamach, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Trane Technologies
74. Alan Jope, Chief Executive Officer, Unilever
75. Henrik Andersen, President and Chief Executive Officer, Vestas Wind Systems
76. Thierry Delaporte, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Wipro
77. Svein Tore Holsether, Chief Executive Officer and President, Yara
78. Wolf-Henning Scheider, Chief Executive Officer, ZF Friedrichshafen
79. Mario Greco, Chief Executive Officer, Zurich Insurance Company
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