- London / New York
Desiree Fixler Keynote Speaker
- Leading ESG and DEI Critic
- Champion of Free Enterprise and Free Speech
- Thought Leader in Corporate Governance Reform
Desiree Fixler's Biography
Desiree Fixler is a leading expert in the field of sustainable finance and investment banking with over 25 years of experience in innovating and shaping financial markets. Once a champion of ESG from within, she is now one of its fiercest critics. Renowned for exposing the dark side of Net Zero and DEI, she is a sought-after keynote speaker, media contributor and advisor.
She serves as a trusted advisor to financial institutions and regulators, including the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority and the Monetary Authority of Singapore. In addition to guest lecturing at leading universities, she captivates audiences with her rare insider perspective and unapologetic truth-telling — all in pursuit of restoring trust in financial markets.
In a defining moment during her tenure as Group Sustainability Officer at Deutsche Bank’s asset manager, DWS, Desiree exposed material greenwashing at the company- huge disparities between public ESG claims and internal statements and actions. When her concerns as well as her job were dismissed by the C-suite and Board, she decided to speak out publicly. Subsequent investigations by US and German authorities resulted in a dramatic series of events, including a federal police raid, the removal of the top executives and the largest SEC and German prosecutor greenwashing fines to date.
Desiree’s whistleblowing action sent shockwaves throughout the finance industry, catalyzing efforts to tackle greenwashing. She poignantly shares this cautionary yet inspirational story that goes beyond the call for clearer ESG disclosures to emphasize the power of speaking up to drive meaningful change.
Prior to DWS, she has held senior roles at JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank and Zais Group, where she built and managed ESG investing and structured credit businesses. Desiree has also served as a senior advisor to both BlueOrchard and responsAbility Investments to scale blended finance transactions in the institutional capital markets. Her track record of product innovation includes several award-winning and market transformational products, including the development of the iTraxx and CDX indices, as well as a series of impact securitizations.
Desiree holds a BSc Economics (Hons) from the London School of Economics and is a former member of the World Economic Forum’s Future Council
Desiree Fixler's Speaking Topics
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ESG Exposed: Unmasking the Multi-Trillion Dollar Greenwashing Scam
A deep dive into how ESG has become a branding gimmick— not a performance metric. Learn how misleading ESG scores and glossy reports conceal risk, misallocate capital, and deceive investors. Desiree shares her personal DWS whistleblowing story, pulling back the curtain on how companies greenwash and game sustainability claims.
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Whistleblowing and the Speak-Up Culture
Speaking up nearly cost Desiree everything. She breaks down the real risks whistleblowers face — and what it takes to build a culture where truth can survive inside powerful institutions.
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The Fractured Regulatory Environment: U.S. vs EU/UK
The world is divided on ESG and climate rules, with conflicting standards emerging across regions. Desiree breaks down the gaps, contradictions, and political agendas to help organizations cut through the noise, reduce risk, and defend capital in an era of regulatory fragmentation.
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Inside the Davos Agenda: A View from the Elite
An unfiltered insider’s take on the World Economic Forum and its detachment from economic reality. Desiree critiques the growing disconnect between the global elite and the citizens they claim to serve, challenging the legitimacy of the Davos top-down agenda and its erosion of democratic values.
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Net Zero’s Economic Destruction
Beyond the slogans: how Net Zero mandates are driving energy instability, economic distortion, and widening inequality. A provocative look at the unintended consequences of top-down climate policy.
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How ESG Undermines Capitalism and Democracy
When corporations substitute politics for performance, both markets and liberal democracies suffer. This talk exposes how ESG, DEI, and stakeholder capitalism erode transparency, accountability, and freedom.
Why Book Desiree Fixler as a speaker?
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She brings rare insider authority as a former ESG leader turned whistleblower, exposing greenwashing at the highest levels and reshaping how regulators and markets approach sustainable finance.
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She translates complex ESG, Net Zero and DEI claims into hard financial reality, helping leaders distinguish genuine value creation from reputational and regulatory risk.
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She connects Europe’s past and present with rare clarity, combining deep expertise on the Soviet legacy and Eastern Europe with sharp insight into Russia’s war on Ukraine and the wider contest for the democratic world.
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She draws on more than 25 years in investment banking and product innovation to show how markets can restore credibility while still financing growth and transition.
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She challenges audiences to lead with integrity and courage, demonstrating how speaking up can drive systemic change, rebuild trust and strengthen long-term market outcomes.
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