Councilors

Alice Madden

Alice Madden, Wirth Chair, University of Colorado
In January of 2011, Ms Alice Madden was appointed Wirth Chair at the School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado.  The Wirth Chair is committed to helping governments, businesses, non-profit groups and community organizations form sustainable development partnerships that carefully balance economic, environmental and expanded social welfare objectives and strategies. First elected in 2000, Ms Madden served four terms as a Colorado State Representative.  Recognized as the architect of the stunning victories for progressives in 2004 and in 2006, Ms Madden’s tenure also included four years (2004 – 2008) as State House Majority Leader. Two key accomplishments include taking Colorado to a 30% renewable energy standard by 2020, the 2^nd most aggressive standard in the nation, and overseeing the implementation of the groundbreaking ‘Clean Air Clean Jobs Act’ that will lead to the early retirement of over 900MWs of coal power, and replace it with cleaner burning fuels such as natural gas, wind and solar. Ms Madden is a graduate of the University of Colorado’s School of  Law.

Anders Eldrup

Anders Eldrup, Fmr. CEO, DONG Energy
From 2001-2012 Mr. Anders Eldrup was the CEO of DONG Energy, one of Northern-Europe’s leading energy companies. After joining DONG Energy, Mr. Eldrup spearheaded the growth strategy that in 2006 led to the merger of six Danish energy companies into the integrated energy company DONG Energy. To prepare the company for a future of low-carbon energy and green growth, Anders Eldrup has put forward the 85/15 strategy. In 2006, 85 per cent of DONG Energy’s power and heat production was based on fossil fuels and 15 per cent on renewable energy. DONG Energy is changing its energy portfolio so that by 2040, 85 per cent of the power and heat production will be based on renewable energy. After graduating in 1972 he joined the Ministry of Finance where he in 1991 became Permanent Secretary of State. He holds several positions of trust and is Chairman of Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster and a member of the board of Lindoe Offshore Renewables Center and the Technical University Denmark. Mr. Eldrup holds a Master of Political Science from Aarhus University.

Anthony Giddens

Lord Anthony Giddens, Professor, London School of Economics
Lord Anthony Giddens is a Fellow of King’s College Cambridge and Emeritus Professor at the London School of Economics (LSE). He was Director of LSE from 1997 to 2003, and was made a member of the House of Lords in 2004. Lord Giddens has honorary degrees or comparable awards from 21 universities. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Russian Academy of Science and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and was the BBC Reith Lecturer in 1999. He was awarded the ‘Spanish Nobel Prize’, the Prince of Asturias Award, in 2002. Lord Giddens’ textbook Sociology has sold over a million copies and according to Google Scholar, Lord Giddens is the most widely cited sociologist in the world. His many books include ‘The Constitution of Society’, ‘Modernity and Self-Identity’, ‘Beyond Left and Right’, ‘The Third Way and Europe in the Global Age’. His most recent major work is ‘The Politics of Climate Change’. Lord Giddens’ books have been translated into more than 40 languages.

Bjarke Ingels

Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, B.I.G.
Mr. Bjarke Ingels started Bjarke Ingels Group BIG) in 2005 after co-founding PLOT Architects in 2001 and working at OMA in Rotterdam. Through a series of award-winning design projects and buildings, he has created an international reputation as a member of a new generation of architects that combine shrewd analysis, playful experimentation, social responsibility and humor. Recently completed projects include the 8 House, the Mountain, and the Danish National Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo in 2010. BIG is currently designing West 57th, a 600-unit residential project in Manhattan, the Danish Maritime Museum, and a waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen that will double as a ski slope. Alongside his architectural practice, Mr. Ingels has been active as a visiting professor at Harvard University, Columbia University, and Rice University.

Bjoern Haugland

Bjørn Kj. Haugland, Group Chief Technology & Sustainability Officer, DNV

Ditlev Engel

Ditlev Engel, Chief Executive Officer, Vestas Wind Systems
Ditlev Engel has been a member of the Executive Management of Vestas since May 2005. Former positions include Vice President of Hempel Hong Kong Ltd. and Hempel Hai Hong Ltd. (Hong Kong), President of Hempel Norge AS (Norway) and of Hempel Hai Hong Ltd. (China). Honorary Offices include memberships of The General Council of the Confederation of Danish Industries, The Industrial Policy Committee of the Confederation of Danish Industries and The Committee of Representatives Topdanmark. Ditlev Engel has a background in Business Economics (Copen­hagen Business School) and General Management (INSEAD, France). Vestas is the world’s lead­ing supplier of modern energy solutions. They have installed more than 40, 000 wind turbines in 65 countries on five continents

Erik Rasmussen

Erik Rasmussen, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Monday Morning
As founder and Chief Executive Officer of Scandinavia’s largest think tank, Monday Morning, Mr. Erik Rasmussen is a leading figure in the public debate and media in the Northern countries. This is partly due to the fact that Monday Morning has its own weekly media, Monday Morning Weekly, an intellectual journal directed at decision makers across the political world, in business life and in knowledge institutions. Concurrently, Monday Morning has positioned itself internationally with the establishment of Monday Morning Weekly in Norway and projects in Sweden and other European countries. In October 2006, the World Economic Forum appointed Mr. Rasmussen one of the world’s 100 most influential journalists. Mr. Rasmussen is a former member of the prestigious International Media Council, IMC, established by the World Economic Forum. Through his many years as head of various media houses, Mr. Rasmussen has exerted great influence on business, politics, and the public debate in Denmark. An impressive number of prominent business leaders, politicians, and experts have in recent decades been engaged in one or more of the many networks, innovation projects etc. which Mr. Rasmussen has established in striving to challenge society’s leaders to rethink and change.

Flemming Borreskov

Flemming Borreskov, CEO, Realdania
Mr. Flemming Borreskov is the CEO of Realdania which is a strategic foundation created with the objective of initiating and supporting projects that improve the built environment and subsequently improve the quality of life for the common good. In 2009, Realdania distributed grants of approx. EUR 60 million and the net capital of the foundation amounted to approx. EUR 2.5 billion. Prior to his current position, Mr. Borrskov was the Executive Director at Realkredit Danmark and PKA. Mr. Borreskov holds several board positions including Chairman of the Board, Realdania Byg A/S; Chairman of the Board, Realdania By A/S; Vice Chairman of the Board, DAC: Danish Architecture Centre; Vice Chairman of the Board, Danish Property Fund; Board member, Danish Property Investor; Governing Council Member of the European Foundation Center; and President for IFHP (International Federation for Housing and Planning). Mr. Borreskov holds a Masters degree in Economics (M.Sc.).

Frank Jensen

Frank Jensen, Lord Mayor, Copenhagen
Lord Mayor Frank Jensen has a special focus on transforming Copenhagen into a vibrant testbed for green urban solutions with large investments and partnerships with the private sector. Mr. Jensen is eager to support growth by attracting international companies and employees to Copenhagen. Frank Jensen was elected Lord Mayor of the City of Copenhagen in January 2010.  In 1987 he was elected into the Danish Parliament and soon held several important positions. From 1994 to 2001 he was Minister of Research and after that Minister of Justice. In 2008 he left the Parliament to take up a business career, but returned to politics in 2010. Mr. Jensen holds a degree in economics.

Jacqueline McGlade

Dr. Jacqueline McGlade, Professor and Executive Director, European Environment Agency
Dr. Jacqueline McGlade is Executive Director of the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen since 2003; she is on leave from her post as Professor in Environmental Informatics in the Department of Mathematics at University College London. Until 2003, she was a Board Member of the Environment Agency of England and Wales with responsibility for the Thames Region, Navigation and Science. Formerly Dr. McGlade was Director of the NERC Centre for Coastal and Marine Sciences, Professor of Biological Sciences at Warwick, Director of Theoretical Ecology at the Forschungszentrum Juelich and Senior Scientist in the federal government of Canada. Her research has focused on the spatial and nonlinear dynamics of ecosystems, with particular reference to marine resources, climate change and scenario development. In her non-academic life Dr. McGlade is Director of a software development company and has written and presented a range of radio and television programs.

James L. Sweeney

Dr. James L. Sweeney, Professor at Stanford Institute for Economic Policy
Dr. James L. Sweeney, Professor; Senior Fellow at Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research Director of the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center; Professor of Management Science and Engineering; Senior Fellow of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, Revolution and Peace; Senior Fellow of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies; and Senior Fellow of the Woods Institute for the Environment. Dr. Sweeney served as Chairman of the Stanford Department of Engineering-Economic Systems and chairman of the Department of Engineering-Economic Systems and Operations Research. Dr. Sweeney’s professional activities focus on economic policy and analysis, particularly in energy, natural resources, and the environment.

Jeffrey Heller

Jeffrey Heller, President and Founder, Heller Manus Architects
Mr. Jeffrey Heller, FAIA is president and founder of Heller Manus Architects. Since its beginning in 1984, the firm has established a reputation for influencing architecture and urban design in the Bay Area and internationally. Mr. Heller’s experience covers a broad range of professional endeavors. He is a leader in the profession and sustainable movement with some of the first leading sustainable architecture and large scale urban planning projects in the US and China. Mr. Heller is Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and has been recipient of several awards and honors. He is particularly proud of receiving the National AIA Honor Award, ‘Citation for Excellence in Urban Design’, for his participation with a team of architects who performed volunteer urban design work in Soviet Armenia after the 1988 Spitak earthquake. Mr. Heller has been guest lecturer and speaker at various academic and professional venues for more than 20 years, and has been published in various newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Shanghai Daily and Urban Land Magazine.

Dr. John Zysman

Dr. John Zysman, Professor of Political Science and Co-Director of BRIE, University of California, Berkeley
Dr. John Zysman’s writing has focused on corporate strategy and public policy. Dr. Zysman has served on a variety of public and private boards and served as a consultant to governments and companies in Europe, Asia, and the United States. His most recent book is ‘How Revolutionary Was the Digital Revolution: National Responses, Market Transformations, and Global Technology’. Dr. Zysman has been heading the team of researchers from The Pathways Project at UC Berkeley, that has been writing the two studies on green growth commissioned by Green Growth Leaders. Dr. Zysman received his B.A at Harvard University and his Ph.D. in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Katherine Richardson

Dr. Katherine Richardson, Chairman, Danish Commission on Climate Change Policy & Professor and Vice Dean, Copenhagen University
Dr. Katherine Richardson is Chair of the Danish Commission on Climate Change Policy. She is also Vice-Dean at the Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen and Professor in Biological Oceanography and has been active both as a member and Chairman of several national and international research committees and advisory bodies. In addition to this, Dr. Richardson was the chairman of the Danish government’s ‘Karakterkommission’ (commission for examining the marking scale used in the Danish education system) and of the Advisory Group to the Danish Education Minister on the reform of upper secondary education. She was also the Vice Chairman of ‘Wilhjemudvalget’ (committee to propose to the Danish government an action plan for meeting the commitments of the Biodiversity Convention). The focus of her research is how biological processes in the ocean affect the uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere. Dr. Richardson was chairman of the Scientific Steering Committee for the international scientific congress “Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions”, held as part of the preparations for the COP15 summit in Denmark in late 2009.

Michael K. Rasmussen

Michael K. Rasmussen, Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategic Initiative Sustainable Living, The VELUX Group
Mr. Michael K. Rasmussen is Senior Vice President of the VELUX Group, one of the strongest brands in the global building material industry. Founded on the vision of bringing daylight and fresh air into people’s homes through the roof, the VELUX Group is a dedicated advocate for using the sun as a natural source of energy. Through experimental projects the VELUX Group is testing how it is possible to reduce CO₂ emissions, improve liveability and limit the use of energy in future buildings. Mr. Rasmussen has been part of this movement since he joined the company in 1992. In his position he is responsible for the corporate strategic project Sustainable Living. This project is a pivotal point for driving business, developing the brand and exploring new ways of interacting with different stakeholders. Prior to his current position, Michael K. Rasmussen was in advertising. He is also board member of Junckers Industrier as well as guest lecturer at Copenhagen Business School.

Plutarchos Sakellaris

Dr. Plutarchos Sakellaris, Vice President, European Investment Bank
Dr. Sakellaris is Vice President of the European Investment Bank (EIB). His responsibilities on the EIB’s Management Committee include supervising financing operations in Denmark, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and South Africa. Dr. Sakellaris is also responsible for the EIB’s activity reflecting its energy policy and the Bank’s Economic and Financial Studies division. Prior to joining the EIB, Dr. Sakellaris held the positions of Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers at the Hellenic Ministry of Economy and Finance and Professor in the Department of Economics of the Athens University of Economics and Business. He was the Greek representative at the Economic and Financial Committee of the European Union and acted as Deputy at the Eurogroup and ECOFIN Councils, as well as Alternate Governor for Greece at the World Bank. Besides his professional activities in the financial sector Dr. Sakellaris has taught for eleven years in the Department of Economics at the University of Maryland, USA, the University of Ioannina (Greece), Central European University (Budapest), University of Munich and Yale University and has presented seminars at numerous Universities and international conferences

Ranbir Saran Das

Ranbir Saran Das, Founder & Managing Director, Fairwood Group of Companies – India & Singapore
Mr. Ranbir Saran Das has worked in 11 countries in Europe, Africa, & Asia over the last 37 years. He has designed or implemented over 400 projects in many diverse fields such as agri-business, industry, infrastructure, technology, energy, urbanization and development planning. During Mr. Das’ career he has designed or created the largest new city project in the world, the largest single inland waterways project in the world, and the first urban Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) in the world. Mr. Das founded the Fairwood Group, consisting of 9 companies – one of the largest project service providers in India, with current projects spread across India and in several countries of SE Asia. The Fairwood Group is currently involved in developing several new projects such as clean urban transportation, solar energy, waste-to-energy by plasma gasification and low cost housing.

Ray Pinto

Ray Pinto, Government Affairs Director for Environment, Microsoft Europe, the Middle East and Africa
Mr. Pinto works with an international team focused on Microsoft’s role and contribution in the area of the environment and energy efficiency. Mr. Pinto’s primary role is engaging with governments, partners and non-governmental organizations to learn more on how the information and communication industry can help resolve difficult issues and raise awareness of climate change. Mr. Pinto represents Microsoft as a Co-Chair within the ICT4EE Forum’s working groups launched late February 2010. He also leads TechAmerica Europe’s Sustainability Task Force and delegation to the United Nation’s Climate Change Conferences. The company’s goals are to reduce the impact of the operations by encouraging employees to travel less by using online conferencing tools in investing in new engineering solutions to implement power saving options into the default settings of the products and seeking new ways to reduce the impact on the environment by their data centers.  Microsoft is committed to working with many organizations who are challenging them to design innovative solutions such as the European Environment Agency and the Climate Disclosure Project.

Sean Randolph

Dr. Sean Randolph, President, Bay Area Council Economic Institute in California
Dr. Sean Randolph is President & CEO of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, a public-private partnership of business, labor, government and higher education that works to foster a competitive economy in California and the Bay Area, including San Francisco, Oakland and the Silicon Valley. Prior to the Institute, he served as director of international trade for the State of California, and as International Director General of the Pacific Basin Economic Council, a 15-nation international organization of leading U.S., Asian and Latin American corporations. Dr. Randolph’s  professional career also includes extensive experience in the U.S. Government, including U.S. Congress- and White House staff. From 1981-85 he served in the U.S. State Department on the Policy Planning Staff, as Special Adviser for Policy in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and as Deputy/Ambassador-at Large for Pacific Basin affairs. From 1985–88 he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs. Dr. Randolph holds a JD from the Georgetown University Law Center, a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts and Harvard Universities), a B.S.F.S. from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, and studied at the London School of Economics.

Dr. Soogil Young

Dr. Soogil Young, Chairman, The Presidential Committee on Green Growth
A senior Korean economist, Dr. Soogil Young has been President of the National Strategy Institute, an independent think tank on economic reform and national governance, in Seoul, since March 2006. Concurrently, he serves as Chairman of the Korean National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation, and on the Presidential Committee on Green Growth in Korea. He is also the founding Chairman of the Green Investment Forum Korea. Dr. Young served as Korea’s Ambassador to the OECD in Paris during 1998-2000. He has written extensively on trade, development and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific with focus on the challenges facing Korea. His recent papers include “G20 Meeting in Korea: Asian Agenda of Structural Reform for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth of the Global Economy” (2009), which he co-authored with Peter Drysdale and Hadi Soesastro. Dr. Young earned his B.Sc. in chemical engineering from Seoul National University and his Ph.D. in economics from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, United States.

Yvo de Boer, Special Global Advisor, Climate Change and Sustainability, KPMG
Mr. Yvo de Boer is responsible for thought leadership on strategy development, driving the development of KPMG’s Sustainability Service and acting as KPMG’s global ambassador. Prior to joining KPMG, Mr. de Boer was Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), the body responsible for a multi-lateral response to the climate change challenge. He has helped to prepare the position of the European Union in the lead-up to the negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol, assisted in the design of the internal burden sharing of the European Union and has since led delegations to the UNFCCC negotiations. He has actively sought broad stakeholder involvement on the issue of climate change. To that end, he launched an international dialogue on the clean development mechanism and has partnered international discussions with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development, aimed at increasing private sector involvement. Mr. de Boer has served as Vice-President of the Conference of Parties to UNFCCC and as Vice-Chair of the Commission on Sustainable Development.