Climate Conference 2022

Business Leadership on the Path to Net Zero

Friday, April 29, 2022
8 a.m.–12 p.m. ET

Avoiding catastrophic climate change will require a rapid and sustained reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. While more than 1,000 companies with combined revenue over $10 trillion have already pledged to reduce emissions to net zero, there is no clear path for effectively reaching this goal. The 2022 "Climate Business & Investment Conference" will hear from leading academics and practitioners on the latest net zero business strategies and the implications for climate change.

This conference — a joint effort by the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise at Columbia Business School and Columbia Climate School — brings together climate academics and business leaders to understand how new advances in research and practice can inform investments in specific sectors of the global economy. The forum explores topics that address the value and opportunity of using a science-based approach to inform and guide business and investment decisions.

Participants will include leaders from the investment community, a range of business sectors, and academia.

This event is invitation only, and in-person tickets are non-transferable. In-person space is limited. If you are interested in being added to the invitation list, please email us.

Agenda

8:00–8:30 a.m.

Breakfast and Networking

   
8:30–8:35 a.m.

Welcome Remarks

 Costis Maglaras

Costis Maglaras
Dean
Columbia Business School

 
8:35–9:15 a.m.

Opening Keynote on Net Zero: Opportunities and Challenges

 Rich Lesser

Rich Lesser
Global Chair
Boston Consulting Group

 Mark Gallogly

Mark Gallogly ’86 (moderator)
Co-founder
Three Cairns Group

9:15–9:35 a.m.

Business Leadership by Example

 Marissa McGowan

Marissa McGowan
Chief Sustainability Officer
L'Oreal North America

 
9:35–10:25 a.m.

Research on the Business Transition to Net Zero

 Vanessa Burbano

Vanessa Burbano
Sidney Taurel Associate Professor of Business
Columbia Business School

 Shiva Rajgopal

Shiva Rajgopal
Roy Bernard Kester and T.W. Byrnes Professor of Accounting and Auditing
Columbia Business School

 Luisa Palacios

Luisa Palacios
Senior Research Scholar
Center on Global Energy Policy

 Geoffrey Heal

Geoffrey Heal
Donald C. Waite III Professor of Social Enterprise
Columbia Business School

10:25–10:40 a.m.

Coffee Break

   
10:40–11:30 a.m.

Climate Solutions on the Horizon

 Nili Gilbert

Nili Gilbert ’03
Vice Chairwoman
Carbon Direct

 Ryan Orbuch

Ryan Orbuch
Partner
Lowercarbon Capital

 Julie Gosalvez

Julie Gosalvez
CMO
Climeworks

 Gernot Wagner

Gernot Wagner
Visiting Associate Professor of Business
Columbia Business School

11:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

Closing Keynote on Scaling Climate Solutions

 Ethan Brown

Ethan Brown ’08
Founder and CEO
Beyond Meat


 

 Bruce Usher

Bruce Usher (moderator)
Co-director
The Tamer Center for Social Enterprise;
Elizabeth B. Strickler ’86 and Mark T. Gallogly ’86 Faculty Director,
and Professor of Professional Practice
Columbia Business School