Ban Ki-Moon

8th Secretary-General of the United Nations and Co-chair of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens

Ban Ki-moon is a South Korean diplomat who was the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations (UNSG) from January 2007 to December 2016. Before becoming UNSG, Mr. Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. As the eighth UNSG, Ban Ki-moon's priorities were to mobilize world leaders around a set of new global challenges, from climate change and economic upheaval to pandemics and increasing pressures involving food, energy, and water. He led the efforts for the landmark Paris Climate Agreement and, under his leadership, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda were created. Ban Ki-moon currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens which seeks to empower youth and women to become active global citizens in creating a sustainable future for all. In addition, he currently holds over 20 positions, including the Presidency and the Chairmanship of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), and Chairmanships of the Global Commission on Adaptation, the Ethics Commission of the International Olympic Committee, and the BOAO Forum in Asia.

Dr. Tim Gregory

Nuclear Scientist, Speaker and Author of Going Nuclear: How the Atom Will Save the Word

Dr Tim Gregory is a nuclear chemist working in the heart of the British nuclear industry. His work takes him to the forefront of nuclear energy, net zero, nuclear medicine, and space power. Tim is also an author, TV presenter, and prolific public speaker. His books Going Nuclear: How the Atom Will Save the World and Meteorite: How Stones from Outer Space Made Our World were published to critical acclaim. In 2017, Tim surpassed thousands of applicants for a place in the six-part BBC2 series Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes? where he was put through the full rigours of astronaut selection and reached the final three. Since then, he has gone on to present on BBC4’s The Sky at Night and has made appearances on Steph’s Packed Lunch, BBC Bitesize, BBC Breakfast, BBC Look North, BBC Points West, Sky News Australia, Channel 4 News, and the Norwegian Broadcast Corporation. He frequently features on local and national radio. Tim loves nothing more than sharing his love of science. He frequently speaks to audiences of all sizes and ages – from schools, to corporates, to lecturing at the Royal Institution - on topics including nuclear science, chemistry, planetary science, and the importance of science in society. His enthusiasm is infectious and his deep knowledge shines through.

Christiana Figueres

Founding Partner of Global Optimism

Christiana Figueres is a Costa Rican citizen and was the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 2010 - 2016. During her tenure, Ms. Figueres brought together national and sub-national governments, corporations and activists, women’s groups, scientists and spiritual communities, financial institutions and NGOs to jointly deliver the historic 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Under this Agreement, 195 sovereign governments decided on a collaborative path to limit future global warming to well below 2°C, and strive for 1.5°C in order to protect the most vulnerable in every nation. For this achievement Ms. Figueres has been credited with forging a new brand of collaborative diplomacy and received multiple awards. Since then Ms. Figueres has continued to foster rapid action on climate change. She is the co-author of The Future We Choose, The Stubborn Optimist's Guide to the Climate Crisis (Penguin Random House 2019) and co-host of the popular podcast Outrage and Optimism. She is a graduate of Swarthmore College and the London School of Economics and has been awarded multiple honorary doctorate degrees from academic institutions such as Yale, University of Massachusetts, Georgetown and University of Edinburgh. After decades of living and working abroad, she has moved back to her beloved Costa Rica. She has two fantastic daughters, Naima and Yihana, fountains of much joy.

Nick Luff

Chief Financial Officer, RELX plc

Nick is Chief Financial Officer of RELX plc, the FTSE100 data and analytics company. Prior to joining RELX in 2014, he had been Group Finance Director of Centrica plc and CFO of P&O Princess Cruises plc. Nick is a qualified chartered accountant, having begun his career at KPMG. He is a non-executive director, and chair of the audit committee, of Rolls Royce Holdings plc.

Richard Horton

Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet

Richard Horton is Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet. He qualified in physiology and medicine with honours from the University of Birmingham in 1986. He joined The Lancet in 1990, moving to New York as North American Editor in 1993. In 2016, he chaired the Expert Group for the High Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth, convened by Presidents Hollande of France and Zuma of South Africa. From 2011 to 2015, he was co-chair of the UN's independent Expert Review Group on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's Health. In 2011, he was elected a Foreign Associate of the US Institute of Medicine and, in 2015, he received the Friendship Award from the Government of China. In 2019, he was awarded the WHO Director-General’s Health Leaders Award for outstanding leadership in global health and the Roux Prize in recognition of innovation in the application of global health evidence. In 2021, he received the Physicians for Human Rights Award in recognition of extraordinary leadership in advancing health and human rights. He now works to develop the idea of planetary health – the health of human civilizations and the ecosystems on which they depend. In 2020, he published The COVID-19 Catastrophe: What’s Gone Wrong and How to Stop It Happening Again. A revised, updated, and expanded second edition was published in 2021. As part of the UK’s 2023 Honours, Dr Horton was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition for services to Health and Medical Journalism.

Esther Stanhope

Keynote and TEDx Speaker, Author, Personal Impact Expert

Keynote and TEDx Speaker, known as “The Impact Guru,’ Esther Stanhope has interviewed and worked with Hollywood stars (Madonna, George Clooney) and other ‘big’ personalities (three British Prime Ministers) and knows exactly how to get the best performance out of talent. A former “Live” BBC producer, she knows how to help you shine on camera and in person. She uses her 28 years of ‘personal impact’ expertise to help global organisations (Deloitte, Barclays, A & Shearman, Allianz, the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge & Harvard USA) communicate better in business, win pitches, to increase their presence & impact. From London, she’s a mum of 2, (a cat) and married to feature film producer Adam Stanhope and plays the alto saxophone!

Elizabeth Corse

Founder, Discom

Elizabeth Corse is an event producer, facilitator, moderator and host specialising in cross-sector stakeholder engagement. Known as a super connector in climate and impact circles, she brings energy, enthusiasm and expertise to organisations of all sizes and sectors as they navigate a changing business landscape where resilience and sustainability increasingly take centre stage. With 15+ years in climate, startups and tech, including five years at Tech Nation at the heart of the UK climate tech ecosystem, Elizabeth has built a curated network of 3,000+ innovators, change champions, and business leaders, and has made 700+ professional introductions as a trusted super connector. She produces 50+ events annually across the UK and internationally, working with organisations from startups to corporates across multiple sectors. She founded DisCom in 2023 as a stakeholder engagement consultancy to help leadership teams secure buy-in for their business goals through facilitation and event production. While the business goal may not be related to sustainability, she leans on it as a universal bridge to connect different departments within organisations and bring together stakeholders across sectors. Her approach combines strategic thinking with hands-on implementation, delivering experiences that are accessible, entertaining and relevant.

Erica Gerretsen

Director of DG INTPA's Directorate F, European Commission

Erica Gerretsen holds a Master of Business Administration from Université Paris Dauphine and a Master of Urban Planning and Local Administration from Sciences Po, Paris. Since 1995, she has worked in various roles at the European Commission, focusing on external relations. She is a French and Dutch national. Her career includes postings in the EU Delegations in Slovenia before its accession and in Benin as an Economic Advisor. In 2003, she joined the Directorate General for International Development Cooperation (DG DEVCO), where she specialized in African affairs and was appointed Head of Unit in 2013. In 2016, she became Head of Unit for "Budget Support, Public Finance Management, and Domestic Revenue Mobilization" within DG DEVCO. As of 2021, she was the Acting Director for a newly established Directorate focusing on “Sustainable Finance, Jobs and Growth, and an Economy that Works for the People” in DG INTPA. From 2023 to 2026, she has been the Director of DG INTPA's Directorate G, overseeing Human Development, Migration, Governance, and Peace. She is currently Director of DG INTPA's Directorate F, responsible for the Green Deal and the Digital Agenda.

Justin Webb

Journalist & Broadcaster; Host of the BBC’s Today show

JUSTIN WEBB is the longest serving presenter of BBC Radio 4's flagship news and current affairs programme 'Today.' For the best part of four decades, he has been a voice on the airwaves or a presence on our TV screens. He joined the BBC in 1984 as a trainee, and has reported from around the world, as a war correspondent in the Gulf and in Bosnia, on the break-up of the former Soviet Union and the first democratic elections in South Africa. He was Europe Correspondent when the Euro was introduced, and for eight years he was the chief correspondent in Washington DC. Among his awards is Political Journalist of the Year, which he won for his coverage of the Obama presidential campaign. He's a regular columnist in The Times and presents the popular ‘Americast’ podcast.

Hugh Jones

Chief Executive Officer, RX

Every executive has to place bets in order for the value propositions to remain relevant to the customers, but not every bet has to work. That philosophy has served Hugh Jones IV well over the years since joining RELX in 2011, following the purchase of Accuity where he was Chief Executive Officer. In addition to leading Accuity to become one of the world’s largest and most significant companies in the payment routing and Anti Money Laundering sectors, Hugh has also led Fircosoft, NRS, I.C.I.S, Estates Gazette (EG) and Cirium; and before joining RX he was Global Managing Director within the Risk and Business Analytics Division.