- Galavanize’s Co-Executive Chair, Secretary John Kerry joins hundreds of global business leaders to discuss the private sector’s growing role in the global energy and industrial transitions
- Participants underscored the need for more carbon-free baseload power, highlighting increased generation capacity from enhanced geothermal and nuclear, renewables plus advanced energy storage and efficiency improving grid flexibility
- Business leaders emphasized business strategy, competitive advantage and how decarbonization can drive efficiency and growth
- The economic fundamentals and rationale for the energy transition are seen to outweigh short-term macroeconomic turbulence, but shifting trade, supply chain and security dynamics will increasingly intersect with the business of decarbonization
March 2025 – Galvanize, led by Co-Executive Chair Sec. John Kerry, joined H.M. King Charles III as a strategic partner to the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) summit at Hampton Court Palace on March 10-11. The summit convened hundreds of CEOs, investors, and government leaders to take stock of the state of global energy and industrial transitions, and to collaborate on strategies that deliver attractive returns and mobilize capital at scale. Marking five years since King Charles III launched SMI, the event showcased the private sector’s expanding role in driving solutions to the world’s energy and sustainability challenges.
Amid a volatile geopolitical and economic backdrop, the summit’s tone was pragmatic: rather than lofty promises, leaders focused on concrete action plans, measurable outcomes, and harvesting affordable solutions today that save costs, expand profit margins, and enhance competitiveness for companies and governments alike.
Galvanize helped convene the gathering in close coordination with the Sustainable Markets Initiative. SMI was founded by His Majesty King Charles III in 2020, when he was Prince of Wales. Several Galvanize portfolio companies, including Octopus Energy, Watershed, Worldly, Pulsora, and Zhero were in attendance.
Next-Generation Clean Tech Gains Momentum
A notable theme was the surge of interest in next-generation clean technologies poised to complement traditional renewables. Participants highlighted the need for grid flexibility and advanced energy storage systems to better integrate intermittent solar and wind power. They also pointed to nuclear energy (especially small modular reactors) and enhanced geothermal projects as critical for providing reliable, carbon-free baseload power. By embracing these emerging solutions, companies aim to fill gaps in the current energy mix while gaining a competitive edge. Attendees argued that investing in such cutting-edge areas can drive the next phase of decarbonization and expand the clean energy toolbox beyond wind and solar.
From Rhetoric to Results
Another key takeaway was the private sector’s push for pragmatic climate action over more rigid traditional ESG frameworks and approaches. Instead of debating definitions of ESG, firms are focused on projects that cut carbon, save molecules and electrons, and generate returns. By reframing climate initiatives as a core business strategy, companies are making sustainability synonymous with efficiency and growth.
While environmental, social, and governance goals remain important, executives stressed that tangible outcomes must take priority, as well as “transition finance” and the importance of engaging with the sectors and companies that represent the largest opportunities for emissions reductions. Simply meeting reporting standards or improving sustainability ratings is no longer enough – businesses need to demonstrate real emissions reductions that are intertwined with growing enterprise value.
Trade, Supply Chains, and the Macroeconomic Context
Global trade dynamics and economic trends also featured prominently in climate investment discussions. Participants noted that resilient supply chains for critical clean-tech components – from batteries to rare earth minerals – have become essential to scale up solutions. Geopolitical tensions and shifting trade policies influence climate investment decisions, making diversification of suppliers a strategic priority
Attendees acknowledged macroeconomic headwinds like inflation and higher interest rates, which can raise the cost of capital for green projects. Even so, many noted that sustainable infrastructure remains a compelling long-term investment despite short-term cycles. They pointed out that recent policy moves (such as green industrial incentives and carbon pricing mechanisms) are reshaping markets in favor of low-carbon industries. The climate transition is tightly interwoven with global trade and economic conditions.
Investment Outlook After the Summit
Overall, the Hampton Court summit reaffirmed that the private sector is maturing its approach to energy and industrial transitions, in a way that represents a natural evolution toward more grounded and sophisticated strategies. Climate action is evolving into a mature, opportunity-rich arena driven by innovation and strategic execution, against a backdrop of a global energy market that is hungry for molecules and (especially) electrons that can be deployed quickly and cheaply. Next-generation solutions are moving from the fringe to mainstream portfolios. Companies are shifting from lofty pledges to embedding sustainability into their core operations. External factors – from supply chain resilience to macroeconomic signals – are integral to climate strategy. In an era when every industry is being reshaped by decarbonization, the SMI summit underscored that pragmatic leadership and smart capital allocation will determine who thrives in the transition to a sustainable future.