CT100 The people in cleantech and climate change that mattered in 2017 - Future

Elon Musk

Co-Founder of Tesla and the cleantech person that needs no introduction

Hans-Josef Fell

Hans-Josef Fell has long been a champion of renewable energy and a proponent of the imperative need to transition away from fossil fuels as soon as possible. Father of the Energiewende.

German-born, New York-based Cyrill Gutsch is on a mission to help save the oceans, but doing it with style and in style. Made impressive leaps in 2017 with buzzy ocean initiatives and impeccable marketing.

Michael Bloomberg

During his tenure as Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, billionaire businessman and philanthropist Michael Bloomberg flexed his environmental muscle with a series of plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight global warming.

Al Gore

Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Vice President Al Gore is possibly the most famous environmental activist of all time.

Bernie Sanders

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is widely regarded as a man who fights for equality and justice and is seen as a progressive on many issues.

Logan Green and John Zimmer

From its launch in June 2012, ride sharing service Lyft has grown to provide around 1 million rides a day and currently has a valuation of $11.5 billion.

Olafur Eliasson

As well as being one of the world’s foremost installation artists, Icelandic-Danish Olafur Eliasson also spreads the power of solar worldwide.

Banksy

Simultaneously anonymous and super-famous, the street artist Banksy has been using his global reach to highlight climate issues for years.

Bren Smith

At a time when the oceans are being ravaged by the effects of climate change and overfishing, Bren Smith is fighting back.

Philipp Schröder

After working for a two-year stint at Tesla, Philipp Schröder returned to sonnen in 2015 like the proverbial prodigal son.

Navina Pernsteiner

Munich-based startup Sono Motors are the first company to create a solar-powered electric car – the Sion

Thomas Gottschalk

The success of Mobisol could almost be described as meteoric, with more than 500,000 people in Africa now benefiting from electricity provided by the innovative company.

Stella McCartney

She might be the daughter of one of the most famous musicians of all time, but she is not living in his shadow.

Carlos Ghosn

The CEO and Chairman of Renault has earned a place on this list through the virtue of having the foresight and guts to invest more than $5 billion so that Renault and Nissan could develop a range of electric cars.

Richard Branson

The billionaire entrepreneur and Virgin founder has had his fingers in countless pies throughout the course of his business career, and recently he has been doing so with an environmental conscience.

Alexander Zosel

As one of the co-founders and the Chief Innovation Officer of Volocopter, Alexander Zosel is helping to power the dream of electric flying cars.

Ion Yadigaroglu

As the founder of Capricorn Ventures, the largest cleantech VC in the world, Ion Yadigaroglu is one of the strongest champions of the power of green technology.

Joe Romm

Long recognised as a treasure to the environment, American author, blogger and climate expert Joe Romm has been battling on the frontlines of climate change advocacy for decades.

Jeremy Rifkin

The American economist, writer and activist has been incredibly influential in shaping political thought and action in respect of climate change and moving away from a carbon-dependent economy.

Katherine Lucey

The founder and Chief Executive Officer of Solar Sister, Katherine Lucey originally worked in the banking sector for 20 years

Patricia Espinosa

Patricia Espinosa had been chosen by Ban Ki-moon to be the UN’s new climate chief in May of 2016.

James Hansen

A fierce climate change activist that has even been arrested on more than one occasion for his protest activities.

Sylvia Earle

American Oceanographer Sylvia Earle was named as Time Magazine’s Hero of the Planet back in 1998, cementing her credentials as a true force for good in the world.

Ryan Popple

Proterra is fast emerging as a leading light in the transition from fossil fuel powered mass transit vehicles to fully electric vehicles.

Bill McKibben

Author and educator Bill McKibben is the founder of 350.org, a non-profit organisation that is focussed on using grassroots initiatives,

Max Viessmann

As the Digital Director of the international heating system manufacturer Viessmann, Max Viessmann is tasked with charting the illustrious family company’s journey in this digital age.

Kirsten Dunlop

Previously the Executive General Manager Strategic Innovation at Suncorp Australia, Kirsten Dunlop joined Climate-KIC in January of 2017 as the Chief Executive Officer.

Laura Stachel

A staggering 300,000 women die each from complications resulting from childbirth, and the vast majority (99%) happen in underdeveloped countries.

Neha Misra

As co-founder and Chief Collaboration Officer of Solar Sister, and as a Solar Suitcase Ambassador for WeCare Solar, Neha Misra is an integral part of the process of empowering women

Allyson Kapin

Founded in 2008 by Allyson Kapin, Women Who Tech is a US-based nonprofit organization that advocates for women in the technology and startup industry.

Sandra Kwak

As the founder and CEO of 10Power, Sandra Kwak has built up a company that helps developing nations gain access to clean, renewable energy in a way that is focused on creating an environment of self-reliance.

Erica Mackie

Along with co-founder Tim Sears, Erica Mackie established the non-profit organization GRID Alternatives in 2001 as a response to the California energy crisis.

Emily Kirsch

Every business needs a home, and when that home is also filled with like-minded souls then great things can be accomplished

Nancy Pfund

World-changing environmental ideas are often unable to see the light of day unless they have the right investment and backing.

Wang Chuanfu

From his modest background as the child of a family of poor farmers, Wang Chuanfu has built up his own BYD company from its founding in 1995 to become one of the leading and fastest growing tech companies,

Satoshi Nakamoto

Of course, no one is really sure who the founder of bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, really is, or if it is just one person or rather a group of people, but their impact is undeniable.

Michael Liebreich

Founded in 2004 as New Energy Finance, the company was acquired by Bloomberg L.P. in 2009 and renamed Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Peter Rawlinson

Currently the Chief Technology Officer of electric car company Lucid Motors British engineer Peter Rawlinson, might actually be best known for his stint at Tesla Motors.

Richard Thorpe

From his background as an industrial engineer working for motor racing giant McLaren, Richard Thorpe was inspired to develop an electric bike that was in tune with an F1 design and build.

Storm Sondors

Storm Sondors might sound like the name of a Bond super villain, but he is actually the founder of SONDORS, a company that was founded in 2015 with the aim of providing high quality electric bikes at more affordable price points.

Chris Bangle

The American automobile designer Chris Bangle first made a name for himself as Chief of Design for BMW, where his work arguably reshaped the design of all modern cars.

Dawn Lippert

In 2017 Energy Excelerator rebranded itself as Elemental Excelerator to reflect the fact that as well as working across energy systems, it also works with the fields of transportation, agriculture, water and more.

Padmasree Warrior

Starting her career at Motorola in 1984, Padmasree rose through the ranks during her 23 year tenure to eventually become Corporate Vice President and general manager of Motorola’s Energy Systems Group.

Renate Egan

With a career spanning 25 years, Renate Egan’s work in solar energy has taken in not-for-profits, education and industry.

Lisa Ann Pinkerton

A master of media of all forms, Lisa Ann Pinkerton has brought clean tech related issues to print, radio, web and television, as well as working in the inner machinations as a publicist, marketer, producer and more.

David Wallace-Wells

American journalist David Wallace Wells’ article ‘The Uninhabitable Earth’ in New York sparked widespread and necessary debate on climate change.

Vitalik Buterin

2017 was the year that cryptocurrencies really broke into the mainstream, thanks to the incredibly price surge of Bitcoin resulting in extensive media coverage everywhere.

Billy Parish

The co-founder and CEO of Mosaic, Billy Parish, has a long-history of being involved in environmentalism in a highly active capacity.

Louie Psihoyos

The Greek-American photographer and documentary filmmaker Louie Psihoyos first made a serious name for himself with the award-winning 2009 documentary on the Japanese dolphin hunting practices, The Cove.

Jeff Orlowski

In 2017 Jeff Orlowski followed up his influential and award-winning documentary Chasing Ice with Chasing Coral.

Fisher Stevens

Fisher Stevens has had an accomplished career as an actor, director writer and producer that has taken in four decades.

Suzanne Lee

New York-based fashion designer Suzanne Lee is the founder of Biocouture and Biofabricate.

David Moseley

As Director of Powertrain, CAE Crash & Safety for electric vehicle startup Lucid Motors, David Moseley is right at the centre of the exciting transition from the IC vehicles to EV counterparts.

Richard Swanson

The founder of solar photovoltaic cell manufacturer Sunpower might be retired now, but his legacy continues to live on.

Colin Kaepernick

American football quarterback Colin Kaepernick is a man who is unafraid to stand up for what he believes and to rail against injustice.

Lynn Jurich

San Francisco based Lynn Jurich is the co-founder of residential solar electricity and solar power service company SunRun.

Maxine Bédat

Former lawyer Maxine Bédat made the switch from a legal career to one devoted to sustainable fashion after becoming aware of the effect that the fashion industry has on the environment.

Saúl Lliuya

Peruvian farmer Saúl Lliuya’s story is akin to a modern day David and Goliath.

Tom Steyer

American billionaire and hedge fund manager Tom Steyer built his fortune through the investment firm Farallon Capital he founded in 1986.

Chamath Palihapitiya

Sri Lankan-born and Canadian-raised venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya joined Facebook when it was less than a year old, and during his time there started making investments on the side.

Ilwad Elman

You could say that activism is in the DNA of Somali-Canadian Ilwad Elman.

Mariéme Jamme

An ardent champion of women’s empowerment, she helped establish the JJiguene Tech Hub in Senegal to support young women studying science, technology, engineering and maths.

Hend Riad & Mariam Sherif

Hend Riad and Mariam Sherif are the co-founders of Reform Studio, an award-winning design studio based in Cairo.