Jules Kortenhorst is the Chief Executive Officer of Rocky Mountain Institute. He is a recognized leader on global energy issues and climate change. His background spans business, government, entrepreneurial, and nonprofit leadership.
Since 1982, Rocky Mountain Institute 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 on the Energy Transition Commission, and is the co-chair of the WEF Future Council on Energy. 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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A net-zero global economy is technically and economically possible by the middle of this century. The technologies and business solutions needed to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero are already available or close to being brought to market. That is the encouraging conclusion of the latest report, Making…
At RMI we believe that corporate leadership on the climate crisis can help accelerate progress toward a carbon-free future, and have been inspired by leadership from corporations that have helped prove out the business case for clean energy. Among these leaders, Google has consistently set the standard for clean energy;…
At RMI, we are deeply saddened to learn of Ted Halstead’s tragic death from a recent hiking accident in Spain, where he often spent time with his family. Ted was a visionary leader in addressing the climate crisis, bringing together people from across the United States and around the world…
At Rocky Mountain Institute, it is not often that we agree with major players in the oil and gas industry, including BP, Equinor, Exxon, and Shell. However, today we must forcefully support the industry in condemning the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to end methane…
Having lived the last seven years in the United States, I am still Dutch and European at heart. During the past few months, I have watched with growing excitement as Europe has been gathering momentum around the European Green Deal. Europe’s progressive politics, buffeted by mass social movements across the…
We live in times of great uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought suffering, indescribable loss, and suffering all around the world. It also has shown us just how quickly our whole world can change, but it is not the only big change that we are facing in the early 21st…
Dear RMI community, friends, As the situation with the coronavirus quickly evolves, please know that we have taken proactive steps to protect our staff and partners, and the communities where we live and work globally. We have a team dedicated to our response during this challenging time, and we are…
BP made headlines earlier this week, announcing ten new climate ambitions to bring both its business and the economy it serves toward net zero emissions by 2050, the goal post science dictates is needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. As one of the world’s largest oil…
That the world is engaged in a profound transition in the way we use energy is undeniable. The era of carbon-intensive energy derived from the burning of fossil fuels is coming to an end, and a cleaner, more reliable energy future based on renewables like wind and solar will be…
This blog post was originally published in Health and Climate Solutions Blog: George Mason University. Rocky Mountain Institute, the nonprofit I lead, has been a part of the community of Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley since its founding 37 years ago. Our Innovation Center headquarters is there, and the people…
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