Past Summits | 2011 North America Speakers

JIGAR SHAH

A renowned visionary committed to renewable energy, Jigar Shah launched SunEdison in 2003 based upon a business plan he developed in 1999 for a university class. That plan became the basis of the SunEdison business model: Simplify solar as a service. This model changed the status quo, allowing organizations to purchase solar energy services under long-term predictably priced contracts and avoid the significant capital costs of ownership and operation of solar energy systems. Under Shah’s guidance, SunEdison pioneered the solar power services agreement (SPSA) model, which has turned solar services into a multi-billion dollar industry. SunEdison now has more solar energy systems and megawatts under management than any other company.

PETER BOYD

Peter Boyd brings to the Carbon War Room over 15 years of experience in strategy, marketing, operations, and business development. Peter serves as COO, joining the War Room as Director of Operations for the Carbon War Room (CWR) in February 2009, following over ten years in the Virgin Group. Peter was integral in starting CWR, he served as the Launch Project Director, when the initial concept was first instigated in Necker Island in 2008.

PETER BYCK

Peter Byck has over 20 years experience as a director and editor. His first documentary "Garbage" won the South by Southwest Film Festival. (It screened in scores of festivals in the U.S. and Europe and played at the Museum of Modern Art and Lincoln Center).

In addition, he has edited documentaries for Peter Jackson's last two films, "Lord of the Rings" and "King Kong." Peter has also worked as an editor or director for documentaries and promotional shorts for Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox, MTV, Vh1, BBC, Disney and MGM, for shows and movies including "The West Wing," "The Matrix," "Scrubs," "er" and many more.

In 1986, Peter received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from California Institute of the Arts.

Peter has presented Carbon Nation for Boeing, Nike, Google, Microsoft, Walmart.com, SC Johnson, Stonyfield, Carbon War Room, Shell, White House CEQ, CarbonTrade Ex, NetImpact, Social Venture Network. AREDAY, Metcalf Institute @ U of R.I., PEW-BICEP, Prince Charles’ B.E.P. program @ Cambridge University, R.I.S.D., Art Center (Pasadena),Yale University, Conservation International, Louisville Fund for the Arts & many other universities, companies and high schools across the country and internationally.

JOSE MARIA FIGUERES

As President of Costa Rica, José Maria Figueres created a comprehensive national sustainable development strategy, combining sound macroeconomic indicators, strategic human development investments, and a strong alliance with nature. In the international arena, President Figueres has pioneered the linkage between sustainable development and technology. He helped create and lead the United Nations ICT Task Force as its first Chairperson.

RIC FULOP

Ric Fulop is a Partner at North Bridge Venture Partners. Mr. Fulop joined the firm in September 2010, following 15 years as an entrepreneur. He is interested in disruptive solutions to improve the world’s carbon cycle, particularly clean energy technologies. Before entering the venture capital business, Mr. Fulop founded six technology companies in diverse industries. Most recently, in 2001, he co-founded A123 Systems to commercialize technology developed at the Material Sciences and Engineering Department of MIT. From the company’s inception, Mr. Fulop was in charge of all marketing and business development activities.

He currently serves as a Member of Venture Board and was a Board Member of the Electric Drive Transportation Association. Mr. Fulop has been a key contributor to the advancement of hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric powertrains, as well as the adoption of digital energy storage systems on the grid. His entrepreneurial experience spans energy storage, software, semi- conductors and wireless communications. During Mr. Fulop’s business career he raised more than $350 million in venture capital and $600 million in non-dilutive government grants and financing. Mr. Fulop holds an M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he was a Sloan Fellow.

MICHEL GELOBTER

Most recently, Michel Gelobter served as the Chief Green Officer for Hara, the leading enterprise energy and environmental management software startup, and Chairman/Founder of Cooler (www.climatecooler.com), a company whose mission is to connect every purchase to a solution for global warming. Prior to that, he led Redefining Progress in designing the world’s most aggressive climate legislation (signed into California law in August of 2006 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger), was a Congressional Black Caucus Fellow with the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee; Director of Environmental Quality for the City of New York, and founder and director of the Environmental Policy Program at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

MARC GUNTHER

Marc Gunther is a leading thinker, writer and speaker about business and sustainability. All of his work is animated by his belief that companies that make the world a better place – by serving their customers, their workers and their communities – will deliver superior results to their owners in the long run.

Marc is a contributing writer to FORTUNE magazine and the author of Faith and Fortune: How Compassionate Capitalism is Transforming American Business(Crown Business, 2004). He is conference chair of Brainstorm: Green, FORTUNE’s conference about business and the environment.

MICHAEL HAAS

Michael Haas is the Founder and CEO of Orion and Co-Founder of Renewable Development Company Ltd. (RDC), pioneers in delivering low cost renewable energy around the world. In 2009, Mr. Haas founded Alliance for Climate Education (ACE), which educates high school students on the science behind global warming and inspires them to take action. In its first 18 months, ACE educators presented to over 650,000 students in schools across the US.

GARY HIRSHBERG

Gary Hirshberg is husband of Meg Hirshberg, and the father of three little yogurt eaters. He is President and CE-YO of Stonyfield Farm, the leading manufacturer of all-natural and organic yogurt in the US. Gary has overseen the company’s growth from infancy to its current $150 million annual sales level with distribution in all 50 states, often leading with an innovative marketing edge that combines the social, environmental, and financial missions of the company.

In the early days of the company, Gary wore many hats - from yogurt-maker to bookkeeper. He even doubled as Director of the Rural Education Center, the small organic farming school from which Stonyfield was spawned. Prior to Stonyfield, Gary served as the Executive Director of The New Alchemy Institute, an ecological institute devoted to organic agriculture, aquaculture and renewable energy systems. Among other prior positions, he was a water-pumping windmill specialist and author, a manager of environmental tours to the Peoples Republic of China and an environmental educator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A New Hampshire native, Gary was among the first graduates of Hampshire College in Amherst, MA and he has received three honorary doctorates. He serves on several corporate and non- profit boards including Honest Tea, and O’Naturals, a new natural fast foods restaurant of which he is a co-founder and Chairman. Gary was also Co-Chair from 1993-97 of The Social Venture Network and is the Founder of the Social Venture Institute, a boot camp for entrepreneurs.

Gary has won numerous awards for corporate and environmental leadership such as the 1999 Global Green USA’s Green Cross Millennium Award, inspired by Mikhail S. Gorbachev, for Corporate Environmental Leadership. Gary was named Business NH Magazine’s “Business Leader of the Year” and the U.S. Small Business Administration’s “NH’s 1998 Small Business Person of the Year “.

RICHARD KAUFFMAN

Richard Kauffman is the Chief Executive Officer of Good Energies. Good Energies is one of the largest independent investors in renewable energy, with over $7 billion in value invested in solar and wind assets (goodenergies.com).

Richard Kauffman was previously a Managing Director of Goldman Sachs where he was chairman of the Global Financing Group, a member of the firm’s Partnership Committee, Commitments Committee, and Investment Banking Division Operating Committee. During his long career, Mr. Kauffman has had broad experience in capital markets and corporate finance. Before joining Goldman Sachs, he was vice chairman of Morgan Stanley’s Institutional Securities Business and co-head of its Banking Department. Prior to assuming this position, Mr. Kauffman was vice chairman and a member of the European Executive Committee of Morgan Stanley International.

Mr. Kauffman has been a lecturer in finance and financial accounting at the Yale School of Management and a Teaching Fellow in foreign policy at Yale College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Stanford University, a master’s degree in international relations from Yale University, as well as a master’s in public and private management from the Yale School of Management.

He is on the board of Q-Cells, The Brookings Institution, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Levi Strauss & Co., the New York Philharmonic, the Foreign Policy Association, the Yale School of Management Board of Advisors, The New School, and the French-American Foundation. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

DR. VLADAS LASAS

Vladas Laaas studied, lectured and did research on Computer Vision at Kaunas University of Technology. He holds doctorate in Computer Science. He presented results of his research at conferences in Japan, USA, Germany, Russia and other countries. He is co-founder and/or co-owner of several companies in Lithuania, including: UPS Authorised Service Contractor in LT - Skubios siuntos UAB, Elinta UAB - Industrial and Power Plant Automation, Elinvision UAB - Computer Vision R&D, and Globaltus UAB - Global e-Commerce.

Vladas is a TED Conference member and one of the 32 TED Patron's worldwide. He is an investor in sustainable & renewable energy projects in Europe through GRE Holding. His area of interest includes innovation in technology, education and society. He actively take part in projects run by AmCham, The British Council, Save The Children, Rotary Club, universities and other organisations. He likes jogging, trekking, bicycling and adventure.

RAY MABUS

Ray Mabus is the 75th United States Secretary of the Navy. As Secretary, he leads America’s Navy and Marine Corps and is responsible for an annual budget in excess of $150 billion and almost 900,000 people.

In June 2010, President Obama asked Secretary Mabus to prepare a long-term recovery plan for the Gulf of Mexico in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. After extensive travel and many meetings, his report “America’s Gulf Coast: A Long-Term Recovery Plan After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill” was released in September 2010. The report was met with broad bi-partisan support.

Secretary Mabus is a native of Ackerman, Mississippi, and received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Mississippi, a Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University, and a Law Degree from Harvard Law School.

He has been awarded the U.S. Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award, the U.S. Army’s distinguished Civilian Service Award, the Martin Luther King Social Responsibility Award from the King Center in Atlanta, the National Wildlife Federation Conservation Achievement Award, the King Abdul Aziz Award from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Mississippi Association of Educators’ Friend of Education Award.

STRIVE T. MASIYIWA

Strive T. Masiyiwa is founder and Executive Chairman of South African- based, diversified international telecommunications group Econet Wireless. Under his leadership and guidance, Econet Wireless has developed, since its formation in 1993, into a global telecommunications enterprise with operations and investments in more than 14 countries in Africa, Europe and the East Asia Pacific Region. The company operates in the core areas of mobile cellular telephony, fixed public networks, internet and satellite services.

Mr. Masiyiwa is a well-known international business leader who has won international recognition and numerous awards for business excellence. In 1999, he was named by the Junior Chamber International (Jaycees) as one of the “Ten Most Outstanding Young Persons of the World.” In 2003, he was chosen as one of the “15 Global Influentials of the Year” in a CNN/Time Magazine poll.

Over the years, Mr Masiyiwa has served on many international boards and foundations, and has also been involved in numerous initiatives to promote entrepreneurship and social development in Africa. In 2003, he joined the Rockefeller Foundation Board of Trustees. He also serves on the board of AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Agriculture), an initiative chaired by former Secretary General of the UN Mr Kofi Annan.

SHELLY MEYERS

Shelly has over 20 years of financial and investment experience. She is Founder and President of Palisades Management LLC, a Registered Investor Advisor (RIA) that provides investment management services to high net-worth individuals and institutions, including certain family accounts.

Prior to founding Palisades Management, Ms. Meyers served as Executive Vice President for Pacific Global Investment Management Company (PGIMC), where she played an integral role in launching PGIMC’s high net worth management business. Ms. Meyers also managed the Pacific Advisor Funds’ Multi- Cap Value Fund from inception (April 2002) to a five-year record that beat the S&P 500 on an annualized basis, and which ranked the Fund in the top 10 per cent in its five-year Morningstar peer group.

Ms. Meyers founded Meyers Capital Management and the Meyers Investment Trust in June 1996, and managed the Trust’s Meyers Pride Value Fund from inception in June 1996 to September 2001. The Fund was awarded a five-star ranking by Morningstar under her management, and in 2001 the Fund was recognized as the #1 large-cap value fund in the United States by Morningstar with Ms. Meyers as manager. The Meyers Value Fund was sold to Citizens Funds in September 2001 with Ms. Meyers serving as sub-advisor until October 2002.

Ms. Meyers has often addressed national audiences on investing issues, with regular appearances on CNBC’s Power Lunch, CNN, and Bloomberg TV. She’s also been featured in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Investor’s Business Daily, USA Today, Washington Post, Mutual Fund Magazine and Business Week. In 1998, Ms. Meyers was named to the Board of Trustees for E*Trade Funds, serving until September 2006.

Ms. Meyers received her MBA from Dartmouth College’s Amos Tuck School of Business Administration. She received her BA with a major in Political Science and minor in Economics from the University of Michigan. Ms. Meyers was issued a CPA license by the state of California in 1990.

MARIEKE VAN SCHAIK

Marieke van Schaik holds a degree in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam. She worked as a project manager in DOEN Foundation before joining the newly set up charity department of the Dutch charity lotteries (Nationale Postcode Loterij, BankGiro Loterij, VriendenLoterij) in 2000. In the department she held various positions before becoming head of department in 2006. In 2009, Marieke became one of the three Managing Directors of the Dutch charity lotteries, with charities, communications and finance in her portfolio.

LORI WIGGLE

Lorie Wigle leads Intel’s Eco-Technology effort which is focused on the sustainable manufacturing and usage of Intel’s products. This corporate-wide function drives Intel’s market position across energy efficient performance and design for the environment. In this capacity Lorie also drives external programs related to client, server and data center efforts including Intel’s participation in The Green Grid and Climate Savers Computing Initiative.

Prior to this position, Lorie was the Director of Server Technology and Initiatives Marketing for Intel. In that role, she and her team were responsible for Intel Virtualization Technology offerings as well as Intel Dynamic Power Technology and other advanced platform capabilities. Her organization also drove industry engagement on memory and I/O for server platforms. Lorie has been with Intel for 23 years in a wide variety of Marketing and Product Planning roles and was the General Manager of Intel’s Internet Imaging Services group. She has an MBA from Portland State University and a BA degree from the University of Oregon.

ANDREW WINSTON

Andrew Winston, founder of Winston Eco-Strategies, is the author of Green Recovery, a strategic plan for using environmental thinking to survive hard economic times. He is also the co-author of Green to Gold, the best-selling guide to what works – and what doesn’t – when companies go green. Andrew is a globally recognized expert on green business, appearing regularly in major media such as The Wall Street Journal, Time, BusinessWeek, The New York Times, and CNBC. Andrew is dedicated to helping companies both large and small use environmental strategy to grow, create enduring value, and build stronger relationships with employees, customers, and other stakeholders. His clients have included Bank of America, Bayer, HP, Pepsi, Boeing, and IKEA. Andrew also sits on the Sustainability Advisory Board of Kimberly-Clark Corporation.

Today, Andrew is a highly respected and dynamic speaker, reaching audiences of thousands of people around the world and acting as a practical evangelist for the benefits of going green. He also writes extensively on green business strategy, including a weekly column for Harvard Business Online, regular pieces on Huffington Post, and a monthly strategy e-letter, Eco-Advantage Strategies. For his efforts, Andrew was recently named a “Planet Defender” by Rock the Earth. Andrew received his BA in Economics from Princeton, an MBA from Columbia, and a Masters of Environmental Management from Yale. He lives in Riverside, CT with his wife Christine and two young sons.