Marc Ottolini

It may sound like a cliché, but doing well by doing good is for me what business is all about. Responsible business is not a zero-sum game, where profit comes at the expense of people’s health or the environment. Instead, it should create value for all stakeholders.

What keeps me awake at night is humankind’s relentless drive towards the abyss, whether it is climate change, environmental deprivation or the erosion of people’s health by poisoning our waterways, airways and food chain. My mission is to turn new technologies into successful businesses that, through scale, make a noticeable positive contribution to our planet and people.

I am passionate about creating great products and the positive impact that technology and innovation can have on society and the environment, helping to make the world a better place. There is nothing more rewarding than playing an enabling role in this.

I have had the opportunity to run businesses at all stages of the lifecycle: start-up, acquisition, scaling-up, restructuring, cost cutting and divestment, thus generating a track record of leading business transformations and growth in a range of industries.

My current interests range from mobile EV charging infrastructure and PFAS (forever chemicals) destruction to GHG emission monitoring, cutting edge solar cells and carbon capture technologies. I am also putting my many years of experience to good use by advising early-stage technology startups. It’s also an honour and a great pleasure to be a mentor in the Breakthrough Energy Fellowship programme.