25 under 25 to watch in sustainable business

This contest was conducted by 2degrees. The results are reprinted here with permission.

The age of 25 is an interesting one.

It is usually around this time, having dipped a toe in the world of work, that things start to click; you have more clarity as to who you are and what you want to do with your life.

I got my first job in environmental journalism just before my 25th birthday and things started to click right away. I realized that I’d fallen into a field that I adored and probably would spend many years involved with in some way, shape or form.

This realization was aided by a lively encounter with the late, great Interface legend Ray Anderson; my “Al Gore Moment,” as I call it, was complete.

Now, I’ve gotten the chance to engage with some of today’s brightest, most passionate and staggeringly brilliant under-25-year-olds as part of the inaugural 2degrees New Generation project — and I’m delighted to reveal our top 25.

We spent hours poring over the submissions of more than 70 young people currently making a difference in organizations across the planet. We read their blogs, scanned their LinkedIn pages and carried out a range of interviews. Most important, we asked for testimonials and recommendations about these wonderful people.

It’s been a fascinating process, and we were floored by the quality of the stories, passion, level of influence and results being achieved by this group; picking a top 25 was no mean feat.

But we made it, and here are the winners. For more information about each of them, visit this website:

Alice Jennison — The one getting directors out of the boardroom and volunteering

Environment advisor and community investment coordinator, Skanska

Stephi Brett — The one transforming communities around the globe

Vice president of international community affairs, BNY Mellon

Tarik Cheaib — The one driving human development via engineering

Sustainability and building physics engineer, Buro Happold

Chloe Dupont —The one monetizing water risks for companies around the globe

Development manager of water risks and opportunity, Veolia

Oliver Light — The one getting creative with Big Data

Consultant, Carbon Credentials

Lauren Ing — The one making cities better places to live and work

Consultant, Accenture

Michael Li — The one finding real solutions for sustainable buildings

ESD engineer, AECOM

George Young — The one who quit stockbrokering to work in energy efficiency

Bid coordinator, UK Energy Partners

Ragnar Martens — The one who calls it like it is

Co-founder and project coordinator, RootAbilitybr>

Hannah Hayward — The one who fast-tracked to regional manager in just 12 months

Regional sustainability advisor, BAM

Dee Wood — The one who does it all

Managing director, ItDoesTheJob.com

Philip Cocoman — The one who jetsetted to Atlanta and London

Procurement-supplier sustainability, Coca-Cola

Meaghan Krohn — The one who quit consulting, went traveling and landed a role as a climate fellow

Corporate sustainability fellow, EDF

Rachael Everard — The one that’s a driving force for Rolls Royce sustainability

Global sustainability analyst, Rolls Royce

Mollie Ruth — The one with the world-changing attitude

Environmental Engineer, TRC Solutions

Jen Hickling — The one who jumped from zoologist to carbon capture

Paradigm shifter & energy business analyst, Pale Blue

Amir Hossein Rahdari — The one making it happen in Iran

Researcher and consultant, CSR International

Connor Hill — The one making his way up the Plan A hierarchy

Sustainability manager, Marks and Spencer

Cassia Oliveira Moreas — The one connecting the dots between government, business and NGOs

Director, Columbia University Coalition for Sustainable Development

Jonathan Mitchell — The one boosting sales for ethical menswear

Founder and director, Brothers We Stand

Dhawal Mane — The one transforming India’s textiles sector

Assistant manager of sustainable initiatives, Pratibha Syntex

Robert Rosenberg — The one making sense of sustainability for financial services

Corporate sustainability supervising executive, EY

Ilan Havinga — The one developing products that are accessible for all

Responsible Business Executive, Sky

Claudia Szerakowski — The one making data analysis cool

Environmental & sustainability analyst, United Technologies Corporation

Lauren Rowe — The one normalizing green behavior

Sustainability engagement coordinator, UNITE Students