Helen Clarkson believes that big brands can influence positive action from other companies and customers, accelerating the clean energy transition around the world. Clarkson joined The Climate Group in March 2017 as chief executive officer. In addition to leading the growing Climate Group team, Clarkson sits on the board of the We Mean Business Coalition and serves on the advisory board for the Global Climate Action Summit, leading the work on Healthy Energy Systems.

Prior to joining The Climate Group, Clarkson worked at Forum for the Future where she founded the organization’s U.S. office. At Forum, Clarkson led work with large U.S. corporations such as Target, Walmart, Nike, Gap, and Levi Strauss & Co. to solve complex sustainability challenges at both the organizational and broader systemic level. Clarkson joined Forum from Médecins Sans Frontières where she worked on humanitarian missions in countries including Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Pakistan and Nigeria. She qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte, and has an undergraduate degree in Philosophy from Cambridge University, and a master’s degree from Birkbeck College, University of London.