John Elkington

John Elkington Speaker Biography

Known as “The Father of Sustainability”

John Elkington is a world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable capitalism, a bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, and keynote speaker.

Accolades

In 2008, The Evening Standard named him among the “1000 Most Influential People” in London, calling him “a true green business guru” and an early advocate for corporate social and environmental responsibility. In 2009, a CSR International survey ranked him fourth among the Top 100 CSR leaders, alongside figures like Al Gore, Barack Obama and Muhammad Yunus.

Books

A winner of numerous awards, John co-authored 20 books, including Cannibals with Forks which introduced the “Triple Bottom Line” concept (People, Planet, Profit) and Green Swans: The Coming Boom in Regenerative Capitalism where, using case studies, real-world examples, and profiles on emergent technologies, Elkington shows how the weirdest “Ugly Ducklings” of today’s world may turn into tomorrow’s world-saving Green Swans. His new book is Tickling Sharks, the story of his first 75 years, the first 50 years of the sustainability movement and why we will see more change in the next 15 years than in the last 50.

Consultant

Elkington also serves as a columnist and blogger for many different publications. As a Founding Partner and Chief Pollinator of his own consultancy working at the intersection of the sustainability, entrepreneurship, and innovation movements. John aims to bridge gaps in the sustainability industry and significantly amplify its impact as the company enters its second decade.

Advisory Boards

He is also a member of strategic advisory boards for 2degrees, Carbon Auditors, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, EcoVadis, Gaia Energy, the Global Reporting Initiative, Greenopolis.com, Physic Ventures, Polecat UK and the newly formed Cleantech Innovation Council, among others. John currently chairs  the Aflatoun Impact and Policy Analysis Steering Group and is a Visiting Professor at the Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility at the Cranfield School of Management.

Sustainability Keynote Speaker

John Elkington’s lectures are very interesting for business leaders in corporations great and small who want to help their businesses survive the coming shift in global priorities over the next decade and expand their horizons from responsibility, through resilience, and onto regeneration.