Gary Ruvkun
2024 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine | Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School | Co-Discoverer of microRNA
Andrew Winston
2023 Thinkers50 #1 Sustainability Expert | Bestselling Author, Net Positive & Green to Gold | Advisor to Fortune 500
Andrew Winston is the world's leading authority on sustainable business strategy, ranked #1 on the Thinkers50 list of global management thinkers. Co-author of Net Positive with former Unilever CEO Paul Polman, his work helps senior leaders turn environmental and social megatrends into competitive advantage. Audiences leave his talks with a clear, optimistic roadmap for building businesses that profit by solving the world's problems.
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Andrew Winston biography
Andrew Winston is a globally recognized expert on sustainable business strategy and one of the most sought-after voices on how companies can profit by contributing to a thriving world rather than depleting it. Educated at Princeton (BA, Economics), Columbia (MBA), and Yale (Masters of Environmental Management), he built his early career advising companies on corporate strategy at BCG before taking management roles in strategy and marketing at Time Warner and Viacom/MTV. That rare combination of consulting rigor, corporate experience, and deep environmental expertise forms the foundation of a body of work that has influenced boardrooms on five continents.
Sustainability speaker Andrew Winston is best known for his landmark books on business strategy and environmental leadership, which have collectively sold more than 250,000 copies across 15 languages. His debut, Green to Gold, was included in Inc. magazine’s all-time list of 30 books every manager should own. His most recent and most celebrated work, Net Positive, co-authored with former Unilever CEO Paul Polman, argues that the companies best positioned to win in the coming decades are those that leave people and the planet better off than they found them. The Financial Times named it one of the Best Business Books of the Year. His third major work, The Big Pivot, was selected as a Best Business Book of the Year by Strategy+Business.
Thinkers50 #1 and the Case for Courageous Business
Winston has been ranked #1 on the Thinkers50 list of the most influential management thinkers in the world — a recognition that reflects not only the reach of his ideas but their practical utility to senior leaders navigating an era of climate pressure, resource scarcity, and rising stakeholder expectations. He writes regularly for the Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review, including the HBR cover story “The Net Positive Manifesto” and the HBR “Big Idea” essay “Leading a New Era of Climate Action.” His views on strategy have been sought by the world’s leading companies, including 3M, DuPont, Johnson & Johnson, Marriott, PepsiCo, Unilever, and Walmart.
As a speaker, Andrew Winston brings both substance and optimism to the stage — a rare combination for a topic that can easily veer into alarm or abstraction. Having addressed hundreds of audiences across more than five continents, from board-level leadership retreats to large-scale industry conferences including the World Business Forum and TEDxAthens, he delivers what senior audiences consistently describe as a turning-point message: that the world’s challenges are not obstacles to business success, but its greatest commercial opportunity. His talks are known for sharp insight, real-world evidence, and a natural humor that keeps even skeptical executives engaged from opening to close.
Andrew Winston Speaking Videos
Meet Net Positive Co-author Andrew Winston
Andrew Winston
Andrew Winston Keynote Topics
The defining business question of this era is not how to manage sustainability risk — it is whether your company creates more value than it extracts. In this keynote, Winston builds the strategic case for Net Positive business: organizations that improve the lives of everyone they touch and profit from solving the world's problems, not from creating them. Drawing on research, case studies from global companies, and real boardroom decisions, he equips senior leaders with a practical framework for reorienting strategy around long-term value creation, stakeholder relevance, and resilience in a world of accelerating environmental and social pressure.
Climate change, resource scarcity, radical transparency, and generational shifts in workforce and consumer expectations are not peripheral risks — they are structural forces already repricing assets, redirecting capital, and changing the rules of competitive advantage. Winston maps these megatrends with precision and explores what they mean concretely for strategy, operations, and leadership. This keynote gives executive audiences a coherent, evidence-grounded picture of the world they are navigating and the strategic pivots most likely to determine who wins in the next decade.
Based on his acclaimed book with Paul Polman, this keynote challenges leaders to move beyond sustainability reporting and minimum compliance toward a fundamentally different model of business purpose. Winston outlines the principles and practices of Net Positive companies — including Unilever, IKEA, and Patagonia — that are already demonstrating that profitability and positive impact are not in tension but mutually reinforcing. Practical, provocative, and grounded in real business experience, this session is designed for leadership teams ready to ask harder questions about what their company is for.
In an era when some companies are retreating from sustainability commitments in response to political pressure, Winston makes the opposite case: that backpedaling on ESG is a strategic mistake, and that the organizations positioning themselves for the next twenty years are doubling down. Drawing on deep research and candid client experience, he outlines why companies that treat climate and social challenges as core business problems — not PR exercises — consistently outperform on talent, innovation, and long-term shareholder value.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Andrew Winston
Why Andrew Winston?
Booking Andrew Winston means bringing the world's #1-ranked sustainability management thinker — according to Thinkers50 — to your leadership event. At a moment when ESG pressure, climate regulation, and resource constraints are reshaping strategy across every sector, Winston offers something rare: a speaker who translates the complexity of environmental megatrends into clear, commercially grounded decisions that executives can act on. He speaks the language of business, not activism, and his message of practical optimism resonates across industries — from energy and manufacturing to consumer goods and financial services. His clients include 3M, DuPont, Marriott, PepsiCo, Unilever, and Walmart. Through Aurum Speakers Bureau, he is available for keynotes, leadership team sessions, and executive workshops globally.
What is the "Net Positive" concept Andrew Winston talks about?
Net Positive is the idea — developed in his book of the same name with former Unilever CEO Paul Polman — that the most resilient and profitable companies of the coming era will be those that give back more than they take: creating net positive impact on the climate, communities, and economies they touch. Rather than minimizing harm, Net Positive companies actively improve the world through their core business model. Winston argues this is not philanthropy but strategy: companies that solve problems at scale attract better talent, stronger customer loyalty, more favorable regulation, and lower long-term risk than those that optimize purely for short-term profit.
Has Andrew Winston spoken at TED?
Yes. Winston has spoken at TEDxAthens and has been featured at the World Business Forum, among other high-profile global stages. His talks on sustainable business strategy, the role of corporations in addressing climate change, and the commercial case for Net Positive thinking have been viewed widely online. He is also a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review, where his essays on climate leadership and corporate responsibility reach a global executive audience.
What topics does sustainability speaker Andrew Winston cover?
Winston speaks on sustainable business strategy, megatrends reshaping corporate decision-making, the economics of climate action, Net Positive leadership, and how companies can build competitive advantage by addressing environmental and social challenges. His keynotes are tailored for C-suite and senior leadership audiences and are particularly well-suited to events focused on strategy, innovation, ESG, corporate responsibility, or organizational transformation. For booking availability and program options, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Andrew Winston as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Andrew Winston as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Andrew Winston's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Andrew Winston or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Andrew Winston speaking fee?
Andrew Winston speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Andrew Winston to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Andrew Winston.
How can I contact Andrew Winston?
We only work with Andrew Winston on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Andrew Winston and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Andrew Winston speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Andrew Winston for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Andrew Winston for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Andrew Winston is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Andrew Winston for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
