The Mission Possible Partnership (MPP), the go-to organization for supercharging industrial decarbonization in the world’s highest emitting industries is unveiling a heavyweight board who will help mobilize and guide multi-trillion dollar plans to decarbonize hard to abate sectors in the years ahead.
Joining MPP’s existing core partners, RMI, We Mean Business Coalition, ETC and WEF, the high-profile appointees announced today have deep expertise in sectors which currently represent 30% of total global CO2 emissions. Selected for the world-class expertise to catalyze climate action in industry the next decade or the contacts to lead systemic change to achieve MPP’s ambitious goals in the next decade – they include:
- Dick Benschop, the President and CEO of Royal Schiphol Group
- Dr. Martin Brudermüller, Chairman and CEO of BASF
- Sharan Burrow, the Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation,
- Randy Chen, Vice-Chairman Wan Hai Lines Ltd,
- Dr. Barbara Frei, Executive Vice President Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric
- Aditya Mittal, the CEO of ArcelorMittal,
- Charlotte Pera, the Vice President for strategy and programs at Bezos Earth Fund,
- Julia Reinaud, Senior Director, Breakthrough Energy,
- Dr. Dominik von Achten, Chairman of the Managing Board of HeidelbergCement
Commenting on this significant line-up, Chad Holliday, Co-Chair of MPP, said: “Getting to Zero in these heavy industries is a team sport. We need the best bench there is. This outstanding team from business and philanthropy can support critical sectors on the decarbonization journey. I am excited to be working with this highly motivated group to go faster on MPP’s shared vision and strategy to convert the Net Zero ambition into a winners’ game.”
“The transformation towards climate neutrality is a must that cannot be tackled by one company alone. Therefore, we need to translate climate targets into concrete measures. My company is already collaborating in the MPP supported Low-Carbon Emitting Technologies (LCET) initiative to jointly accelerate breakthrough technologies but I’m delighted to be joining some impressive colleagues on the MPP board to share my perspective – particularly when it comes to sharing technology and business risks in innovative ways to tackle the climate emergency.” Dr Martin Brudermüller, Chairman and CEO of BASF
“The Mission Possible Partnership has proved itself to be extremely valuable in tackling the challenges the hard to abate sectors have to decarbonize. In taking the time to really understand the intricacies of each sector individually, the MPP plans to publish a series of detailed reports that will help stakeholders understand how to unlock and accelerate progress in the coming decade and beyond. While there is no one size fits all model for the hard to abate sectors, collaboration across the value chain in addition to supportive policy and the availability of finance is a clear theme for all. I have been very impressed with the intellectual rigor of the partnership and am therefore happy to join as a governing board member.” Aditya Mittal, the CEO of ArcelorMittal
Nigel Topping, High Level Champion for Climate Action at COP26, added: “As all eyes turn to Glasgow and we enter a crucial decade of delivery, we must foster radical collaboration to drive transformational change in every sector of the economy. In a short space of time, the Mission Possible Partnership has already mobilized the entire value chain across some of the heaviest emitting sectors in industry and mobility. Sustaining this mobilization after COP26 will be essential to go from ambition to action, working in hand-in-hand with industry leaders to create the conditions for investment in a resilient, zero carbon future.”
They join core partners on the board including: María Mendiluce, CEO of We Mean Business Coalition, Jeremy Oppenheim, Special Advisor to ETC, Jules Kortenhorst, CEO of RMI and Jeremy Jurgens, Executive Director of WEF.
Board members from additional sectors will continue to be added.
Biographies:
Dick Benschop, President and Chief Executive Officer, Royal Schiphol Group
Dick Benschop is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Schiphol Group, the owner and operator of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Rotterdam The Hague Airport. He is a Non-Executive member of the Board of Directors of Brisbane Airport Corporation.
Previously, Benschop served as Senior Vice President in various roles at Royal Dutch Shell, including president of Royal Dutch Shell Netherlands. Before that he served as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for The Netherlands.
Dr. Martin Brudermüller, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE
Dr. Martin Brudermüller is the Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors for BASF SE, a German multinational chemical company and the largest chemical producer in the world.
Dr. Brudermüller has more than thirty years in the chemicals industry, first joining BASF in 1988.
Sharan Burrow, Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation
Sharan Burrow has been the Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) since June 2010. Prior, she served as the ITUC President since 2006 and President of International Confederation of Free Trade Unions since 2004.
Burrow has also served as a member of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation and is a member and ambassador of a number of international commissions on climate action, industrial transition and economic reform.
Randy Chen, Vice Chairman Wan Hai Lines Ltd
Randy Chen is the Vice Chairman Wan Hai Lines. He has been a member of the executive management team and served on the Wan Hai Lines Board of Directors since 2002. Prior to this, Randy was a member of the senior management team of the Central Trading & Development Group. He also has extensive experience in software and financial services.
Chen also represents Wan Hai in several industry forums including the Global Maritime Forum, World Shipping Council, the Asian Shipowners Association, and the UK P&I Club.
Dr. Barbara Frei, Executive Vice President Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric
Barbara Frei leads Schneider Electric’s global Industrial Automation Business and has served on the company’s Executive Committee since 2019. She joined Schneider Electric in 2016 as Country President of Germany, and expanded her scope to Zone President of DACH in 2017 (including Germany, Austria and Switzerland), then was appointed Executive Vice President for Europe Operations and a member of the Executive Committee.
Frei started her career as a development project manager for motors and drives at ABB Schweiz AG. She held various senior management positions in the ABB Group, including regional responsibility as Country Manager Czech Republic, Regional Manager for the Mediterranean in Italy, and leadership of the worldwide drives business.
Aditya Mittal, CEO of ArcelorMittal
Aditya Mittal is the Chief Executive Officer of ArcelorMittal. He sees climate change as ArcelorMittal’s top strategic issue and wants the company to lead the decarbonisation of the steel industry.
Aditya serves on the boards of ArcelorMittal, Aperam, HMEL and Iconiq Capital and is Chairman of ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India. He is also a trustee at Brookings Institution, an alumni of the World Economic Forum Young Global Leader’s Programme and a member of Harvard University’s Global Advisory Council.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with concentrations in Strategic Management and Corporate Finance from the Wharton School in Pennsylvania, United States. Adityaand his wife Megha have three children.
Charlotte Pera, Vice President for Strategy and Programs at the Bezos Earth Fund
Charlotte Pera joined the Bezos Earth Fund after serving for more than eight years as President & CEO of the ClimateWorks Foundation. At the Earth Fund she works closely with President Andrew Steer to build and lead the newly formed organization. Previously, she held executive leadership roles at the Energy Foundation and led engineering and policy projects at Acurex Environmental.
Pera serves on the supervisory board of the European Climate Foundation and the Stewardship Board for Environment and Natural Resource Security of the World Economic Forum.
Julia Reinaud, Senior Director, Breakthrough Energy
Julia Reinaud is a Senior Director for Breakthrough Energy. Reinaud joined Breakthrough Energy in 2018 and has been shaping and implementing the organization’s activities and partnerships in Europe. She has been working in the field of climate and energy for the past two decades, focused on decarbonizing the industry sector.
Prior to Breakthrough Energy, she served in a variety of leadership roles in the climate and energy sector – heading industry and energy innovation programs at the European Climate Foundation, ClimateWorks Foundation, and the Institute for Industrial Productivity. She started her career as an analyst at the International Energy Agency. She has worked internationally with projects in Europe, China and India.
Dr. Dominik von Achten, Chairman of the Managing Board of HeidelbergCement
Dominik von Achten has been the Chairman of the Managing Board of HeidelbergCement since February 2020 after having led the North America and Western and Southern Europe area within the company.
Prior to joining the Managing Board of HeidelbergCement in 2007, von Achten worked for The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) as Partner and Managing Director. In his 10 years, he led international assignments in the process, pharmaceutical and consumer goods industry.