Leadership for Inclusive Industrial Transition.
On 10 June 2025, LeadIT hosted its first-ever Global Business Leader Summit, titled “Leadership for Inclusive Industrial Transition,” bringing together senior industry executives, innovators, and institutional partners from across regions and sectors. In a moment of heightened geopolitical turbulence, the Summit created a critical space for industry leaders to engage on how business can drive green industrial transformation.
As global power dynamics shift, the message from the Summit was clear: the path forward must be shaped not in isolation but through cross-border collaboration, shared technology development, and bold industrial leadership.
In her keynote address, Tariye Gbadegesin, CEO of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), framed the challenge ahead with urgency and opportunity. She underscored how LeadIT and CIF share a vision of transformational change — one rooted in practical action, shared risk, and innovative financial and technology partnerships.
Industry is ready to abate. Green industrial products represent a two trillion dollar opportunity by 2030 and early movers can reap significant rewards. You'll all here because you are leaders, and I hope that in today's discussion you pool expertise, create connections that are inspired by the latest cutting edge developments and find common ground for lasting change.
Tariye Gbadegesin
CEO, Climate Investment Funds (CIF)
The following discussions explored how cooperation between competitors, supply chain integration, and ecosystem partnerships can accelerate the transition. From industrial clusters to just transition finance, the dialogue emphasized the role of trust, innovation, and leadership at every level. Participants in the Summit were:
- Claes Kollberg, CTO, Cemvision
- Martin Pei, Senior Advisor, SSAB
- Prabodha Acharya, Chief Sustainability Officer, JSW
- Lina Jorheden, CEO, SaltX Technology
- Hundessa D Demsash, Chemical Industry Cooperation, Mugur Cement
- Axumawi Ebuy, CEO, East African Mining Company
- Anupam Badola, Dalmia Cement
- Jyotin Kutty Sastabhavan, Vice President & Chief Sustainability Officer, Tata Motors
- Sohanjeet Randhawa, Director, Group Communications & Sustainability Affairs, Volvo Group India
- Alok Verma, Head Corporate Strategy & ESG, Ashok Leyland
A key announcement during the event was LeadIT’s new partnership with WIPO GREEN, a global platform from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) that supports green technology diffusion.
The Summit closed with a forward-looking discussion on research and policy being developed by SEI, in partnership with LeadIT. This research focuses on techno-economic options for decarbonising commercial vehicles, as well as the role of green industrial policies that can foster competition and create equitable inclusion for emerging and developing economies (EMDEs).
Future steps
This Summit built on the ongoing collaborations within LeadIT, and the discussions will help shape a clear, action-oriented message from business ahead of key international milestones in 2025, including Climate Week New York and COP30 in Brazil.
WATCH the Business Summit here