CEO Forum 2026
The world is at a critical juncture. Findings from the first Global Stocktake underline that current efforts are significantly misaligned with the ambition required to meet global climate and development goals. Achieving the temperature targets of the Paris Agreement demands a 43% reduction in global emissions by 2030, yet the implementation of existing nationally determined contributions is projected to deliver only a 2% reduction. Similarly, the mid-point review of the Sustainable Development Goals pains a sobering picture: of the 169 SDG targets, only 13% are on track, while 18% are not even being monitored. These realities point not only to gaps in implementation, but also to deeper systemic challenges relating to fragmented decision-making, short-termism, insufficient data, and misaligned incentives across institutions and markets.
The challenges confronting the world today are deeply interconnected, spanning climate change, economic volatility, social inequalities, and technological disruption. Addressing them requires transformational approaches that go beyond incremental action. Long-term vision is needed to anticipate risks and opportunities in an increasingly uncertain global landscape; diverse voices are essential to ensure that transitions are inclusive, credible, and grounded in real-world contexts; and strong values must anchor decision-making to principles of equity, responsibility, and resilience. It is within this context that the CEO Forum 2026 is being convened.
Building on TERI’s long-standing engagement with business leaders and sustainability practitioners, the CEO Forum 2026 will focus on the theme “Transformations: Vision, Voices, and Values for Sustainable Development.” The forum will bring together CEOs and senior leaders to reflect on what transformative leadership entails at a moment when the world is off track, and to explore how businesses can play a decisive role in driving systemic change aligned with global climate and development imperatives.
The CEO Forum has, over the years, evolved into a trusted platform for candid dialogue between business, policy and thought leaders. The 2025 edition, themed “Partnerships for Accelerating Sustainable Development and Climate Solutions,” underscored the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration to enable industrial decarbonization, build climate-resilient value chains, and unlock inclusive, low-carbon growth pathways. Reflections from these discussions continue to inform TERI’s work on policy engagement, coalition-building, and capacity development, and provide a strong foundation for the conversations planned for 2026.
To view highlights from the CEO Forum 2025.
Highlights from the business convenings at WSDS 2025
Looking ahead, CEO Forum 2026 will seek to move the discourse from ambition to action. It will challenge leaders to reimagine business models, governance structures, and partnerships that are fit for a rapidly changing world, and to consider how vision, voices and values can come together to accelerate climate action and advance sustainable development at scale. The deliberations from the forum will feed into TERI’s ongoing engagement with industry, government, and civil society, supporting actionable pathways aligned with India’s development priorities and global climate commitments.
Prof. Jim Skea
Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Making financial flows consistent with climate goals is as critical as reducing emissions. Mitigation and money must move together.
Mr Andrew Prag
Managing Director - Policy, We Mean Business Coalition
We need to move from a voluntary structure that champions leaders to a mandatory framework that raises the floor for everyone. That shift is essential to deliver transformation.
Dr Vibha Dhawan
Director General, TERI
The next decade will be decisive. If we are to meet our climate and sustainability goals, we must integrate policy with science, scale up innovations, and foster international partnerships that translate ideas into action.
Smt. Sushma Rawat
Chairperson, OTBL (ONGC – TERI Biotech Limited) & Director (Exploration), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC)
Sustainability cannot be an isolated effort. Industry, government, research institutions and local stakeholders must move together to reduce emissions at scale.
Ms Faustine Delasalle
CEO, Mission Possible Partnership; Executive Director, Industrial Transition Accelerator (ITA)
Near-zero emissions in heavy industry are technically feasible. The remaining challenge is making the business case work at scale. Mandates are a very powerful way of creating the demand that then underpins the business case.
Ms Aditi Jha
Board Director, Country Head – Legal and Government Affairs, LinkedIn India
The green transition will only succeed if we shift to skills-based hiring. The talent we need already exists - we must recognize and upskill it.
Mr Abdelkarim Sma
Country Director a.i., Asia and the Pacific Division, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Agriculture, MSMEs and bottom-of-the-pyramid consumers must be central to climate solutions if sustainability is to deliver real prosperity.
Mr Gulshan Bajaj
Vice President – Technical, Heidelberg Cement India Ltd
The challenge is not unique to one sector. Cement, steel and chemicals face similar decarbonization pathways, yet we still work in silos.
Ms U G Sujatha
Vice President - Global Partnerships & Net Zero, Invest India
Partnerships can accelerate transition while creating meaningful outcomes for both businesses and the economy.
Mr Sourabh Mukherjee
Executive Vice President, Clean Energy & Sustainability, Tata Projects Limited
Electrification, decarbonization and alternative fuels such as green hydrogen must move together to deliver a zero-emissions future.
Mr Narinder Goyal
President - New Initiatives/Ammonia, Avaada Group
Policy signals that stimulate demand for clean commodities are the most powerful enabler for accelerating sustainable industry transitions.
Prof. Jim Skea
Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
The science is clear on mitigation. The real question now is whether capital flows and policy signals align with what the science demands.
Mr Andrew Prag
Managing Director - Policy, We Mean Business Coalition
Ambitious and investable NDCs, tailored to national contexts like India's, can unlock much stronger business engagement.
Dr Vibha Dhawan
Director General, TERI
No single nation or institution can tackle today’s climate and energy challenges alone—technology, research, and collaboration must drive the transition.
Smt. Sushma Rawat
Chairperson, OTBL (ONGC – TERI Biotech Limited) & Director (Exploration), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC)
Bringing indigenous communities into the sustainability journey is not optional - inclusive development is central to India's climate pathway.
Ms Faustine Delasalle
CEO, Mission Possible Partnership; Executive Director, Industrial Transition Accelerator (ITA)
We've identified close to 40 commercial scale clean industrial projects in heavy emitting industry and transport sectors in India alone, which is really encouraging.
Ms Aditi Jha
Board Director, Country Head – Legal and Government Affairs, LinkedIn India
Globally, only one in six workers has listed one or more green skills on the platform. People with green skills are getting jobs at a 50% higher rate than people without green skills.
Mr Abdelkarim Sma
Country Director a.i., Asia and the Pacific Division, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Agriculture in India is probably the closest sector, to be a net zero. And I think they could really contribute significantly to the Indian pledge to reach the carbon neutrality by 2070. We need to talk about the 4P instrument producer-private-public partnerships.
Mr Gulshan Bajaj
Vice President – Technical, Heidelberg Cement India Ltd
Cross-sector knowledge sharing and stronger links between industry and academia are critical to developing indigenous solutions.
Ms U G Sujatha
Vice President - Global Partnerships & Net Zero, Invest India
Sustainability is no longer about convincing businesses why it matters. The real challenge now is how to scale it and make it attractive for investors.
Mr Sourabh Mukherjee
Executive Vice President, Clean Energy & Sustainability, Tata Projects Limited
Cross pollination of knowledge and sharing experiences are important. Lot more connect with academics and the industries is needed to come out with our own indigenous solutions.
Mr Narinder Goyal
President - New Initiatives/Ammonia, Avaada Group
The Indian government is taking a leadership position. We have demonstrated that renewable energy can be achieved at 3 cents, which I suppose no other country is able to achieve.