John Elkington Keynote Speaker

Author of 'Green Swans -The Coming Boom In Regenerative Capitalism' (2020)
Named fourth most influential global figure the CSR Top 100
Regarded as the Godfather of Sustainability in business and management,

John Elkington's Biography

John Elkington is a world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development. He is a writer, thought-leader, serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker and, at heart, a committed environmentalist. Described as the “Godfather of Sustainability,” he has now written or co-authored 20 books, including the million-selling Green Consumer Guide series.

Otter books include ‘The Zeronauts: Breaking the Sustainability Barrier‘ and ‘Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of the 21st Century Business.’ The latter brought the term ‘triple bottom line’ to a wider audience and popularized the concept. Elkington also serves as a columnist and blogger for a number of different publications.

In 2020, John published ‘Green Swans: The Coming Boom in Regenerative Capitalism‘. The book draws on John’s experience working with some of the world’s largest companies. He optimistically argues that our species does its best work when backed into a corner. He sees hope in a combination of private and public solutions to pressing problems such as plastics, obesity, antibiotic resistance, climate change, and space junk. The book was shortlisted for the FT & McKinsey Book of the Year Award 2020

He is the co-founder of SustainAbility, Environmental Data Services (ENDS) as well as the founding partner and executive chairman of Volans, a consultancy working at the intersection of the sustainability, entrepreneurship, and innovation movements.

In 2008, The Evening Standard named John as one of the ‘1000 Most Influential People’ in London, describing him as a ‘true green business guru’ and an ‘evangelist for corporate social and environmental responsibility long before it was fashionable’. In 2009, a CSR international survey of the Top 100 CSR global leaders placed John fourth behind Al Gore, Barack Obama, and the late Anita Roddick of the Body Shop.

Over the years, John has also served on over seventy boards and advisory boards, advising companies, non-profits and policy-making organizations. He is a visiting professor at the Cranfield School of Management, as well as at Imperial College London and University College London (UCL).