Entrepreneur and sustainability guru John Elkington (UK)

He has been called "the godfather of sustainability" and "an evangelist for corporate social and environmental responsibility long before it became fashionable". Now entrepreneur and author John Elkington can be experienced in the Queen's Hall. Throughout his long career, Elkington has revolved around a central theme: How can we shape an economic system that can create growth in a responsible and sustainable way? In that process, he has launched new concepts such as "green growth", "green consumer" and "environmental excellence".

People, planet, profit

Elkington's latest book Green Swans: The Coming Boom In Regenerative Capitalism is a manifesto for a system change that better serves Elkington's three P's: People, planet & profit. The book draws on his own experiences across a wide range of the world's most significant boards and think tanks.

Part of the solution is the 'green swans' – innovative, often technological, solutions that can lift us exponentially far away from the exponentially harmful problems we face as a society. In Green Swans, Elkington takes us on a trip through the newest and often most outlandish technological ideas – the “ugly ducklings” – that may turn out to be tomorrow's most beautiful green swans.

John Elkington

John Elkington is an entrepreneur, author and consultant who has worked with sustainable development throughout his career. At the age of 28, he co-founded Environmental Data Services and a few years later published his first book, The Green Consumer Guide. Since then, it has resulted in 20 books and more than 20 chairman and ambassador positions on the boards of some of the world's leading players for sustainable development, including SustainAbility and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

In 2009, CSR International ranked him fourth on their list of the world's top 100 most socially responsible leaders, surpassed only by Anita Roddick, Barack Obama and Al Gore.