John Kerry

68th U.S. Secretary of State & Executive Co-Chair, Galvanize Climate Solutions

Secretary John Kerry is co-executive chair at Galvanize, where he focuses on expanding the resources and reach of the firm’s investment strategies, originating differentiated opportunities, and leveraging firsthand knowledge as to how technology, policy, and geopolitics are shaping the energy transition. 

In 2021, Secretary Kerry was sworn in as the United States’ inaugural Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and the first-ever Principal to sit on the National Security Council entirely dedicated to climate change. In that role, he negotiated successful restoration of US-China climate cooperation, helped galvanize $11.3 billion dollars in Athens to protect oceans, and helped shape the commitment of almost 200 countries embracing the UAE Consensus at COP28 to transition the world away from fossil fuels. 

In 2013, he was sworn in as the 68th Secretary of State of the United States, becoming the first sitting Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman to serve as Secretary in over a century. 

As America’s top diplomat, he guided the Department’s strategy on nuclear nonproliferation, combating radical extremism, and the threat of climate change. His tenure was marked by the successful negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris Climate Agreement, and the elevation of global environmental issues including the oceans within the framework of civilian security. 

From 1985 to 2013, he served as a U.S. Senator representing Massachusetts, and was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2009 to 2013. In the Senate, he worked closely with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to make peace with Vietnam and begin normalization of relations. 

In 2024, President Biden awarded Secretary Kerry the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his lifetime commitment to public service, saying simply, “the son of a foreign service officer, diplomacy is in his DNA.” 

As a young man, Secretary Kerry served in the U.S. Navy, completing two combat tours of duty in Vietnam for which he received a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Combat V, and three Purple Hearts. 

Secretary Kerry is the best-selling author of A Call to Service, This Moment on Earth with his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry, and his 2018 memoir, Every Day Is Extra, which The New York Times described as “a bittersweet reminder of what the country once demanded of its leaders.” 

He received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his law degree from Boston College Law School. 

Emmanuel Faber

Chair, International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)

Emmanuel Faber was appointed as the inaugural Chair of the International Sustainability Standards Board in December 2021, effective 1 January 2022. He is well-known for his passion for sustainability and his leadership positions at multi-national food products company Danone for the past 20 years. He joined the company in 1997 as Chief Financial Officer, Strategy, and served as its Chief Executive Officer from 2014, as well as Chair of the Board from 2017 until 2021. He became a partner at Astanor Ventures in October 2021.

Faber has lived and held senior leadership positions in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe. He has founded and chaired several international organisations and initiatives, including the One Planet Business for Biodiversity coalition and the G7 Business for Inclusive Growth coalition―co-chaired with the OECD Secretary General. He initiated Danone Communities, a social business initiative providing funding to bring nutrition and water access for vulnerable communities, as well as the Livelihoods Venture, which provides funding for ecosystem restoration and the development of sustainable farming in emerging economies.

Prior to joining Danone, he held roles as Chief Financial Officer and later Managing Director at Legris Industries. He also has experience from investment banking at Baring Brothers and as a consultant at Bain & Company.

He holds a Master’s degree in business administration from HEC Paris, France.

Tariq Fancy

Lecturer in Management, Stanford Graduate School of Business & founder of Rumie

Tariq Fancy is a successful investor, turnaround specialist, and entrepreneur, and has a unique perspective and voice on a critical challenge for global capitalism today : how to merge sustainability and social imperatives with traditional business models focused purely on profit.

Sarah Kapnick

Global Head of Climate Advisory, JP Morgan

Dr. Sarah B. Kapnick is the Global Head of Climate Advisory at J.P. Morgan. In this role, she advises the bank's clients on climate, energy, biodiversity and sustainability topics. Responsible for overseeing the Firm’s climate thought leadership strategy, Dr. Kapnick leverages extensive technical and scientific expertise to drive content strategy and advise clients at the intersection of finance, climate science, commerce and national security.

Prior to her current role, she served as Chief Scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), appointed by the President, responsible for guiding the programmatic focus of NOAA’s science and technology priorities. In this capacity, Dr. Kapnick oversaw the development of critical scientific strategies for emerging topics such as climate intervention, greenhouse gas monitoring, marine biodiversity, climate macroeconomics, and climate security.

Dr. Kapnick engaged with Congress on legislation, education, and budget priorities, and served as an advisor to the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Federal Government on R&D design, technology transfer, and public-private partnerships.  She also acted as a senior strategic advisor to various government working groups and advisory committees on climate security, climate macroeconomics, climate intervention, weather and ocean technology, space commerce sustainability, and water, including the Water Subcabinet. 

Previously, Dr. Kapnick was a Senior Climate Scientist and Sustainability Strategist for J.P. Morgan’s Asset & Wealth Management division, where she produced thought leadership on climate and environmental issues and advised clients. 

Dr. Kapnick has also served as Deputy Division Leader and Research Physical Scientist at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), NOAA, where she led R&D efforts in seasonal to decadal variability and predictability and collaborated with various U.S. states and agencies on climate change and infrastructure planning. Her earlier roles include Research Physical Scientist at GFDL, Visiting Researcher at the University of Hamburg and Max-Planck Institute for Meteorology, and NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Princeton University.

Dr. Kapnick earned a Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and a Leaders in Sustainability Certificate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as an A.B. in Mathematics with a certificate in Finance from Princeton University. She presently serves on the nonprofit boards of Climate Central and the Woods Hole Oceanagraphic Institution. Additionally, she serves on the scientific advisory panels for the World Meteorological Organization and Food Security Leadership Council.