Meet 30 rising stars fighting climate change at work

These 30 climate leaders are driving change at some of the world’s largest organizations internationally.

Every year, at the annual GreenFin sustainable finance and investing event, a roster of “30 under 30” highlights the rising stars of sustainability. These climate leaders are driving change, at scale, at some of the world’s largest organizations internationally, reports GreenBiz which selects the group.

The reasoning is pretty obvious: GreenBiz notes that younger adults lead other generations in seeking purpose-driven work. A large majority of Gen Z (86%) and Millennial (89%) workers say that having a meaningful mission is important in their career, according to a Deloitte survey of 22,800 younger workers. They’ll even “climate quit” if their employers renege on sustainability commitments.

What’s more, says GreenBiz, “they’re doing hard, difficult work that often goes unsung, like electrifying truck fleets and home appliances, embedding circularity into food and textiles, and installing renewable energy sources at companies that previously burned oil. It’s important work, and it’s just beginning.”

We agree. Here are four examples from GreenFin 24. For the full list, click here. –The editors.

• Vincent Gauthier’s groundbreaking research with the Environmental Defense Fund helps agricultural banks understand how climate risks like extreme temperatures affect the loans banks give to farmers and ranchers.
• Nicoline Good is part of a team that manages BlackRock’s multimillion-dollar operational emissions reductions. In 2023, she developed BlackRock’s guidelines for carbon and sustainable aviation fuel credits and onboarded a new team of ESG data controllers at the $10 trillion investment management company.
• Ngozi Chukwueke verifies that Starbuck’s suppliers in East Africa are selling beans sourced ethically from farms that meet environmental and economic equity standards.
• Dan Dinh drives green chemistry, ingredient transparency and packaging sustainability for Estée Lauder. She tracks product sustainability data across its product portfolio and works with the $44 billion company’s brands, which include Aveda, Clinique and Origins, to identify levers to eventually reduce Scope 3 emissions and packaging waste.

This article originally appeared on GreenBiz.com as part of our partnership with GreenBiz Group, a media and events company that accelerates the just transition to a clean economy.