Top 15 Sustainability Speakers for Events

Sustainability speakers are more important than ever. Companies face real pressure from regulators, investors, and customers to demonstrate commitment to the environment and society. Yet moving from sustainability goals to real action remains one of the biggest challenges organisations tackle today.

At Kruger Cowne, we know that choosing the right sustainability speaker changes how your audience thinks. They move people from simply knowing about sustainability to actually doing something. They help teams think differently, question assumptions, and find new solutions.

We’ve curated 14 world-class sustainability experts – environmental pioneers, business leaders, activists, and thought leaders – who bring real experience and powerful stories to every event. Whether you’re hosting a corporate conference, industry summit, leadership retreat, or online event, we can match you with a speaker whose expertise fits your goals and will inspire your audience to take action.

What Are Sustainability Speakers?

The Role of a Sustainability Speaker

A sustainability speaker does more than share data. They drive change. They push organisations to rethink how they work, how they measure success, and what they stand for. Sustainability speakers cover everything from climate action and circular economy to corporate responsibility, supply chains, and regenerative business.

They bring expertise from different backgrounds: marine scientists studying ocean health, fashion entrepreneurs building sustainable brands, energy experts advising governments, urban planners, and people who have overcome difficult challenges. They explain complex sustainability ideas in ways that resonate with boards, teams, and emerging leaders. They show the gap between what companies say and what they actually do. They also offer practical, achievable plans for organisations ready to lead on sustainability.

Why Sustainability Matters to Modern Businesses

Simply put, sustainability is critical for business survival. Companies that ignore climate risk, resource scarcity, and supply chain problems put themselves in danger. But organisations that make sustainability central to their strategy – not just to follow rules, but to innovate – beat competitors, attract talent, get better access to investment, and build loyal customers.

A sustainability keynote speaker helps your audience see this clearly. They show leaders that sustainability isn’t a cost –  it’s a competitive advantage. They explain how circular economy ideas reduce costs. How employees work harder when they believe in the company’s purpose. How investors now favour companies with real sustainability plans. And most importantly, how your organisation can stop planning and start making real impact in months.

Top 15 Sustainability Speakers to Book in the UK

1. Dr. Asha de Vos

Dr Asha de Vos was Sri Lanka’s first deep-sea explorer. She studied blue whales in the Indian Ocean and founded Oceanswell, the region’s first marine conservation research and education organisation. Her work has changed how governments, businesses, and communities understand ocean health. She studied at Oxford and the University of Western Australia. The UN Secretary-General invited her to join his Scientific Advisory Board. Dr de Vos is a sustainability keynote speaker who talks about climate change, environmental leadership, the 4Cs of Sustainability, and why protecting oceans is good business. Her message is clear: protecting our oceans isn’t charity – it’s survival.

2. Dr. Rosa Vasquez Espinoza

Dr Rosa Vasquez Espinoza connects science with traditional knowledge. Raised between the Peruvian Andes and rainforest, she founded Amazon Research Internacional and achieved something remarkable: the world’s first legal recognition of an insect’s rights. Her work has helped indigenous communities prosper while protecting ecosystems. She increased native honey value by over 500%. The BBC named her one of 100 Most Influential Women (2024). She’s a sustainability motivational speaker who talks about climate action, biodiversity, ESG, and how regenerative economics creates business opportunity. 

3. Bear Grylls OBE

Bear Grylls is known worldwide for resilience, innovation, and high performance. He was a SAS soldier and one of the youngest people to climb Everest. He hosts more adventure television shows than any other broadcaster in history, including MAN VS WILD, RUNNING WILD (with guests like President Obama and Roger Federer), and Emmy-winning interactive shows. He’s sold 20 million books and influences 55 million young people globally as Scout Chief. His sustainability keynote talks on climate action, innovation, and leadership work because they’re based on experience and survival. Audiences leave feeling energised, challenged, and ready to tackle big goals.

4. Paul Rosolie

Paul Rosolie’s bestselling book “Junglekeeper: What it Takes to Change the World” (Penguin Random House, 2026) is his story: how a kid from Brooklyn became one of the world’s biggest voices for protecting the Amazon. He’s spent 20+ years in tropical rainforests, recording hidden ecosystems, exposing illegal wildlife trafficking, and co-founding Junglekeepers with indigenous naturalist Juan Julio Durand. Together they’ve raised $15 million to protect 150,000+ acres. His documentary “An Unseen World” won a UN award. Even Jane Goodall praised him. Paul is a sustainability inspirational speaker who talks about climate action, environmental leadership, storytelling, and how people move from scepticism to taking action. His key point is that we know how to protect the planet. We just need to choose to do it.

5. Cher

Cher isn’t known mainly as a sustainability speaker, but her power to influence environmental and social causes is real. She has nearly 4 million Twitter followers and uses her voice to push for environmental protection, animal welfare, LGBTQ+ rights, and social justice. Through her support of Free the Wild, she’s backed initiatives to protect endangered species and their habitats. Her activism has lasted decades and reaches people that typical sustainability messages never touch. She’s an Oscar-winning actress, Grammy-winning musician, and cultural icon. When she speaks about climate action or protecting species, people listen – not to a scientist, but to someone they trust. As a sustainability motivational speaker, Cher delivers keynotes that mix personal stories, humour, and real passion. She helps audiences see sustainability not as politics but as something that matters to all of us.

6. Lucy Shaw

Lucy Shaw wants to make energy cheap, plentiful, and clean. She grew up on Borneo and saw firsthand what happens when there’s no power and forests are cut down. She studied mechanical engineering, worked in oil and gas, then changed direction. She advised energy leaders across Latin America and Africa at Boston Consulting Group, then led infrastructure investment at Blackstone (the world’s biggest alternative asset manager). She has an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School (graduated in top 5%) and an MBA from Harvard Business School on a Fulbright scholarship. Lucy writes a column called “Slow Burn” and co-hosts a podcast called “Power Plays.” She’s writing a book called “Coal Blooded: Breaking Our Addiction to the World’s Dirtiest Fuel.” She’s a sustainability keynote speaker who talks about climate policy, energy transition, and business strategy.

7. Dr Gunhild Stordalen

Dr Gunhild Stordalen is one of the world’s top voices on sustainable food systems. She’s a doctor who co-founded the Stordalen Foundation (2011) and started the EAT Initiative with Stockholm Resilience Centre. When the Wellcome Trust joined in 2016, EAT became the global leader in food system transformation. She now chairs the UN Food Systems Advisory Group and the WEF Stewardship Board on Food Systems, and she chaired Action Track 2 for the UN Food Systems Summit (2021). She’s won awards from WWF, the WEF, the UN Foundation, and ELLE magazine. Dr Stordalen is a sustainability keynote speaker who talks about food and climate action, health and sustainability, and ESG. Her message is clear: transforming food systems is the fastest way to fight climate change. Leaders who act on this now will be the ones shaping the next decade.

8. Carlos Moreno

Carlos Moreno has changed the way cities are built and run. Born in Colombia, he’s a scientist, university professor, and Knight of the French Legion of Honour. He created the “City of 15 Minutes” and “Territory of 30 Minutes” – ideas now guiding city planning in Paris, Barcelona, Seoul, and dozens of other cities. He was a pioneer in robotics and AI, founded the tech company Sinovia, and advised GDF SUEZ. He started the “Live in a Living City” forum and the City Protocol Society. He’s won awards from the Academy of Architecture (2019), the Obel Award (2021), and World Smart Cities (2021). Carlos is a sustainability keynote speaker who talks about sustainable cities, digital transformation, ESG, climate action, and innovation. His message is clear and hopeful: cities can be redesigned in a decade to be better to live in, fairer, and more resilient. The 15-minute city isn’t a dream – it’s a practical blueprint.

9. Emma Lewisham

Emma Lewisham is a new-generation entrepreneur who refuses to separate profit from purpose. At 37, she’s built one of the world’s leading luxury beauty brands that rivals famous names while pioneering a circular, carbon-positive model. She studied commerce at Otago University and business at ESADE Barcelona. She worked eight years in senior roles at global tech companies before founding Emma Lewisham Skincare in 2019. The brand quickly became a leader, winning the Best Emerging Business Award at the 2021 Westpac Auckland Business Awards and securing her a keynote slot at Vogue Codes Australia (2023). She sits on the board of Second Nature Charitable Trust and advocates loudly for women’s inclusion and economic empowerment. Emma is a sustainability motivational speaker who talks about circular economy, carbon-positive business, female entrepreneurship, and how business can do good.

10. Amanda Wakeley OBE

Amanda Wakeley OBE is one of Britain’s most respected fashion designers. She’s won the British Fashion Award three times and designed for Diana, Catherine, Meghan, queens, and celebrities worldwide. In 2010, King Charles III gave her an OBE for her contribution to British fashion and for founding Fashion Targets Breast Cancer (1996). In 2022, she launched the Amanda Wakeley Style DNA podcast, which got great reviews and now plays on British Airways flights and tops the UK documentary charts. Amanda talks about fashion design, personal branding, entrepreneurship, female leadership, and creativity. Her keynotes show how design, real purpose, and meaning connect. She helps people see that lasting brands – in fashion or anywhere else – work because they stand for something bigger than themselves.

11. Juan Verde

Juan Verde is a Spanish entrepreneur and political strategist who has advised Presidents Obama and Biden, as well as Hillary Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, and Senator John Kerry on strategy, trade, and sustainability. He was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Department of Commerce (2009–2011), where he led efforts to solve trade problems and build economic ties. During the 2012 and 2020 campaigns, he served as International Co-chair, bringing millions of Americans living abroad into the campaigns. He has a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School and a BA in Political Science and International Relations from Boston University. Juan founded Alamo Solutions, a company advising governments and corporations on market expansion, strategy, and sustainability, and The Advanced Leadership Foundation, which trains the next generation of global leaders. He’s a sustainability keynote speaker who talks about business strategy for sustainability, the move to green economy, globalisation, and market expansion. His key message is that the shift to sustainable business is coming. Leaders who move now get ahead. Those who wait will fall behind.

12. Krishna Thapa

Krishna Thapa, called the Warrior Monk, is one of only two Gurkhas who passed selection into the British SAS, where he led the Mountain Troops. He fought on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan, then became a world-class mountaineer with nine world-first records. But his most important work may be humanitarian: he’s guided amputees, blind people, Parkinson’s sufferers, and veterans with PTSD on expeditions across Africa, Europe, and the Himalayas – including a world-first trek to Everest base camp with a double above-knee amputee. He’s also a meditation teacher and spiritual guide who brings Eastern philosophy into modern leadership. He’s a sustainability motivational speaker who talks about adventure, climate action, ESG, exploration, health, and high performance. His core message: people can do far more than we think. Leaders who understand this get extraordinary results from themselves and their teams.

13. Morvarid Sahafi

Morvarid Sahafi’s life shows how personal strength and working for justice go together. Born in Bandar Abbas during the Iran-Iraq War, she fled Iran as a small child with her family to Afghanistan, then the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and finally Sweden. Her childhood was marked by war, displacement, and living in controlled systems. She studied design at Parsons School of Design in Paris and philosophy at Goldsmiths in London, looking at how power works and how systems oppress people. For over ten years, she ran a fashion production company between London and India that helped women fleeing violent situations gain financial independence. Today she works as a psychotherapist in London, helping people who have experienced trauma, displacement, and injustice. As a sustainability inspirational speaker, Morvarid talks about human rights, female leadership, resilience, social change, mental health, and personal development.

14. Bosh! (Henry Firth & Ian Theasby)

Henry Firth and Ian Theasby grew up together in Sheffield and co-founded BOSH!, now the world’s biggest vegan social media brand. Since June 2016, they’ve reached 26 million views per month and over 2.5 billion views total, with 3.1 million followers. They’ve written five Sunday Times bestselling cookbooks (over 1 million sold globally in 64 countries and 8 languages) – including the UK’s bestselling vegan cookbook ever – and won two British Book Awards. They star on ITV’s Living on the Veg and have BOSH! products in all major supermarkets. Their goal is to get more plants on plates. They reach people that typical sustainability speakers don’t: food isn’t just about nutrition, it’s about identity, pleasure, and choice. They’re sustainability keynote speakers who talk about sustainable food systems, plant-based innovation, circular economy, and business change. Their message: eating for the planet isn’t about giving things up. It’s delicious too.

Compare the Best Sustainability Speakers in the UK

What Can Sustainability Speakers Teach Your Audience?

Climate Change and Environmental Action

Climate change is now a business imperative. Sustainability speakers help your audience understand the risks and why acting now matters. They offer practical guidance on measuring your carbon footprint, setting targets, and communicating progress. Speakers like Dr Asha de Vos and Lucy Shaw show that climate leadership is smart business.

Sustainable Business Strategies

Sustainability is now core to how business operates. Leading organisations embed sustainability into strategy, operations, and culture. Your audience will learn how circular economy principles reduce costs, how regenerative practices build loyalty, and how supply chain resilience protects profit. Speakers like Emma Lewisham and Juan Verde show that companies designed around sustainability outpace legacy competitors.

ESG and Corporate Responsibility

ESG is now central to investor and stakeholder decisions. Your audience will learn how to measure ESG impact authentically, communicate strategy credibly (avoiding greenwashing), and attract capital and talent. Speakers like Bear Grylls, Dr Gunhild Stordalen, and Lucy Shaw provide the frameworks for authentic ESG strategy.

Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency

The linear economy is obsolete. The circular economy – design waste out, keep materials in use, regenerate nature – is the future. Your audience will learn how circular design reduces costs and creates competitive advantage. Speakers like Emma Lewisham and Bosh! show circular economy in practice: profitable and sustainable.

Sustainable Leadership

Leaders committed to sustainability inspire innovation, attract purpose-driven talent, and build organisational resilience. Your audience will learn how to lead authentically on sustainability: setting ambitious targets while remaining credible, maintaining focus through volatility. Speakers like Krishna Thapa, Morvarid Sahafi, and Amanda Wakeley demonstrate how to lead when stakes are high.

Sustainability Speaker Topics for Conferences and Events

• Climate Strategy & Transition: Net-zero pathways, emissions reduction, climate-resilient operations, carbon pricing, climate finance, supply chain decarbonisation.
• Regenerative Business: Circular economy design, waste elimination, material stewardship, regenerative agriculture, nature-based solutions, ecosystem restoration as business strategy.
• Energy & Resources: Clean energy transition, renewable energy economics, energy efficiency, resource scarcity, water security, sustainable resource management.
• Food & Agriculture: Sustainable food systems, plant-based innovation, regenerative agriculture, food security, nutrition, supply chain resilience.
• Urban Sustainability: Sustainable cities, 15-minute city design, urban biodiversity, green infrastructure, climate-resilient communities, smart cities.
• Biodiversity & Conservation: Ecosystem protection, species preservation, ocean health, forest conservation, rewilding, nature-positive business, World Ocean Day Activities.
• Female Leadership & Social Impact: Women’s empowerment, diversity and inclusion, human rights, social justice, equitable supply chains, community partnership.
• ESG & Stakeholder Capitalism: ESG strategy, stakeholder governance, transparency, impact measurement, greenwashing prevention, investor relations, stakeholder engagement.
• Innovation & Entrepreneurship: Sustainable innovation, circular design, impact investing, social enterprise, scaling impact, technology for sustainability.
• Resilience & Personal Transformation: Leadership resilience, organisational adaptability, personal purpose, trauma and recovery, mindset for change, high-performance culture.

   

Key Benefits of Sustainability Talks for Businesses

Build Environmental Awareness

Your team cannot act on what they don’t understand. Sustainability speakers translate complex environmental science into accessible language. They help your organisation see environmental responsibility not as a regulatory burden, but as a clear understanding of risk and opportunity.

Strengthen Employee Engagement

Employees want to work for organisations that stand for something. A sustainability speaker moves this desire from aspiration to action, helping your team see how their work connects to purpose. Organisations with engaged, purposeful teams outperform competitors on innovation, retention, and customer loyalty.

Support Sustainable Decision-Making

Sustainability requires difficult trade-offs. Sustainability speakers help leaders navigate complexity by providing decision-making frameworks and examples of successful transitions. They help your leadership team move from intention to action.

Encourage Innovation

Sustainability is the innovation frontier. A great sustainability motivational speaker shows how constraints spark creativity. Speakers like Paul Rosolie, Emma Lewisham, and Bosh! inspire audiences to reimagine products and business models. Organisations solving sustainability challenges win customers, attract talent, and build competitive advantage.