Nigel Topping was appointed UK High Level Champion for Climate Action in January 2020. His role involves bringing together different stakeholders in the #racetozero. His vision is to create a bigger role for non-state actors within the climate conversation, which he successfully managed in the Paris Agreements.  

Between 2015 and 2019 Nigel was the CEO of We Mean Business, a coalition of businesses working to accelerate the transition to a zero carbon economy. He has also held leadership positions at CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) for 7 years.  

Before focusing on climate action, he worked in the private sector for over 20 years in manufacturing and supply chain. His career has taken him all over the world, including emerging economies like Brazil, India, and China.  

Nigel holds a BA in Mathematics from Cambridge University and an MSc in Holistic Science from Schumacher College.

Further reading:

Nigel Topping’s Official Bio

https://unfccc.int/climate-action/marrakech-partnership/actors/meet-the-champions

Nigel Topping appointed UK High Level Climate Action Champion (January 2020)

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nigel-topping-appointed-uk-high-level-climate-action-champion

We need to green the economy while restarting it – Nigel Topping’s Ted Talk (June 2020)

https://www.ted.com/talks/nigel_topping_we_need_to_green_the_economy_while_restarting_it

How to turn climate ambitions into reality: Q&A with Nigel Topping (January 2021)

https://news.mongabay.com/2021/01/how-to-turn-climate-ambitions-into-reality-qa-with-nigel-topping/

Race to Zero Campaign

https://racetozero.unfccc.int/