who we are

Jim Walker has more than 20 years in leadership roles with a focus on climate change and adjacent challenges.  He has worked to build and manage ground-breaking organizations, teams and programs, including as co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of The Climate Group and founding CEO of the We Mean Business coalition. Both initiatives played central roles in mobilizing the private sector around climate action.

At Sustainable Energy for All, the initiative established by the United Nations Secretary-General to drive action on energy poverty, he led partnerships, strategy and fundraising efforts, leading to the strongest funding position for the organization since its establishment.  He previously worked in corporate sustainability consulting where he developed environmental risk models for brownfield site redevelopment and M&A due diligence, and conducted stakeholder consultations around sustainability performance. He has worked with leading organizations including IKEA Foundation, the Netherlands Postcode Lottery, Nike, WWF International, BP and HSBC

A two-time Olympic athlete for Team GB in rowing, Jim holds a Masters’ degree in Environmental Technology from Imperial College, London, where he also earned his Bachelor's degree and conducted research into the epidemiology of zoonotic diseases.  Originally from the United Kingdom, he is currently based in Durham, North Carolina.