Speaker Biographies
John Elkington, Co-Founder & Chief Pollinator, Volans
John Elkington, Co-Founder & Chief Pollinator at Volans, is one of the founders of the global sustainability movement, an experienced advisor to business, and a highly regarded keynote speaker and contributor, from conferences to advisory boards.
In 2008, The Evening Standard named John among the ‘1000 Most Influential People’ in London, describing him as “a true green business guru”, and as “an evangelist for corporate social and environmental responsibility long before it was fashionable”. In 2009, a CSR International survey of the Top 100 CSR leaders placed John fourth: after Al Gore, Barack Obama and the late Anita Roddick of the Body Shop, and alongside Muhammad Yunus of the Grameen Bank.
John has addressed over 1,000 conferences around the world. He was a faculty member of the World Economic Forum from 2002-2008. He has served on over 70 boards and advisory boards. John has won numerous awards and is the author or co-author of 19 books. The 20th book was published in April: Green Swans: The Coming Boom in Regenerative Capitalism (Fast Company Press).
Michael Goltzman, Vice President of Global Public Policy and Sustainability, Coca-Cola
Michael Goltzman joined The Coca Cola Company in September 1997 and spent more than 10 years working on international public policy and trade issues primarily in the Company’s Washington, D.C. office. He also worked in Hong Kong for the Company’s Asia Public Affairs Department. From mid-2009 until mid-2012, he served as the Director of Public Affairs & Communications for the Middle East & North Africa Business Unit, responsible for 33 countries, including the Middle East, North Africa, West Africa, as well as Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2012, he moved to Atlanta as Vice President of International Government Relations & Public Affairs, and in 2017 he was named Vice President, Global Policy & Sustainability.
Before joining the Company, he worked in France with U.S. Ambassador Pamela Harriman. Prior to moving to Paris, he received a Master Degree in Political Science at the Université de Bordeaux’s Institute for Political Studies. He also holds a M.A. in international law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of International Law & Diplomacy. He did his undergraduate work at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts.
He serves on the board of the Business Council for International Understanding, the International Tax & Investment Center, the US Council for International Business and the Pamela Harriman Foreign Service Fellowships at the College of William & Mary. He is also the co-chair of the International Food & Beverage Alliance (IFBA).
A French speaker, he and his wife, Chloée, have three children.
Zoe Whitton, Head of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Research team, Citi
Zoe Whitton leads Citi’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Research team in Asia, advising institutional investors globally on issues such as climate change. Her team has won numerous awards for research on the energy transition and climate risk.
Zoe has held previous roles at Credit Suisse and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, worked as an analyst at the Oxford Smith School and the Stockholm Environmental Institute, and served as a youth delegate to the UNFCCC. She serves on the Management Committee of the Investor Group on Climate Change, and on the board of the Centre for Policy Development. She is an observer to the Expert Coordinating Group of the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative, acts as a mentor and lecturer for the EnergyLab cleantech accelerator, and is a co-founder of Women in Sustainable Finance.
She holds first class Masters degrees in environmental policy and economics from Oxford University and the University of Queensland.
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