Jules Kortenhorst is the Chief Executive Officer of RMI. He is a recognized leader on global energy issues and climate change. His background spans business, government, entrepreneurial, and nonprofit leadership.
Since 1982, RMI has advanced market-based solutions that transform global energy use to create a clean, prosperous and secure future. An independent, nonprofit think-and-do tank, RMI engages with businesses, communities and institutions to accelerate and scale replicable solutions that drive the cost-effective shift from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables.
Prior to RMI, Jules was the founding CEO of the European Climate Foundation, the largest philanthropic organization dedicated to policy development and advocacy on climate change in Europe. Before launching ECF, he served as a member of the Dutch parliament for the Christian Democratic Party.
During the first 20 years of his career, Jules worked in the business world. He was the CEO for International Operations of ClientLogic Corporation, a global leader in outsourced customer relationship management (CRM) solutions. He worked for almost 10 years for Royal Dutch/Shell, among others as managing director of Shell Bulgaria, and he began his career as an analyst at McKinsey & Co.
Jules currently serves as co-chair of the WEF Global Future Council for Net Zero. He also is a non-executive board member of the Energy Web Foundation and of Solidia Technologies, Inc. and an advisory board member of Land Life Company. Jules is married to Searl Vetter and has four children.
Masters of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, Baker Scholar
Masters in Economics, Erasmus University, Netherlands
Boulder, CO
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The UN Climate Change Conference (COP) has historically been a venue for international diplomacy and country-to-country negotiations. Countries were expected to arrive in Glasgow for COP26 with new nationally determined contributions (NDCs, otherwise known as pledges) that would meet the targets under the 2015 Paris Agreement. As in previous years,…
This article was first published on Project Syndicate For decades, we at RMI have argued that the transition to clean energy will cost less and proceed faster than governments, firms, and many analysts expect. In recent years, this outlook has been fully vindicated: costs of renewables have consistently fallen…
The emotional weight of the findings in the IPCC’s latest report is real and the conclusion is therefore unmistakable: we must double down and act without delay. We have known for many decades that at some point this day would come when the climate crisis was not a distant…
As we enter the decisive decade for the climate crisis, every effort to reduce emissions matters. That is why on this Earth Day 2021 we are calling for every day to be a day of action, for the next decade and beyond. We know that emissions must be reduced 50%…
During this decisive decade for the climate crisis, all CEOs must act with urgency to align their business with net-zero targets. As leaders of organizations with significant impact on emissions, CEOs have a particular responsibility to ensure rapid progress towards net zero. Those that fail to act will find themselves…
A review of the new Bill Gates book “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster”
Today, the inauguration of the Biden-Harris Administration begins a new chapter in history, with the opportunity to look toward the far horizon of potential progress. As one of his first executive orders, President Biden has recommitted the United States to the Paris Agreement. Federal leadership in Washington, D.C., will now…
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