Green skills for the future: why younger generations are central to the net zero transition

Emma is Global Climate Leader at PwC UK.

I am a partner in PwC UK's Energy Practice, acting as a Strategy Advisor in the Energy Sector and Part of PwC's UK Energy Leadership Team.

I began in the sector working in energy markets, specialising in supply, demand and competition in the downstream oil sector, covering macro markets, refining, trading, distribution and retail, and working globally, but particularly in Europe and S America.

I then went upstream with Schlumberger, working in E&P and the services sector, before joining Arthur D Little as a strategy consultant in global energy.

I joined PwC in 2009 to work in the Strategy team, covering corporate strategy, government and markets works, as well as extensive work in M&A. I became a partner in Strategy&/PwC in 2017.

I now work cross-industry and across a wide range of competencies as one of PwC's Energy leads.

In terms of sectors, my day to day work is dominated by the challenges of delivering the Energy Transition, helping the global economy decarbonise and get to Net Zero in an affordable, secure manner.

I remain involved in oil and gas, dealing with the pressures and volatility of the Energy Transition, where my work as a market economist and deep sector expert give me a key role in helping players, investors and government navigate what has become an extremely challenging planning environment.

But as my sector evolves, so has our practice, meaning that in recent years I have worked in gas and power, LNG, wind, geothermal, energy storage, batteries and gigafactories, as well as EV infrastructure and charging.

In terms of types of work, this is equally varied. My core work remains strategy and M&A advice, working for energy sector players, PE and Infra Funds. Alongside this I often take on a role as the Energy Lead where our clients need support alongside other services, in particular in international restructuring, insolvency, government and regulatory advice.

I love the sector, and am excited about the energy transition. The variety and excitement of the challenges we are dealing with means I can be part of a team making a meaningful contribution to a cleaner global economy ... and a team which is always learning and innovating.

Paul is a Labour Migration Specialist at ILO

"I have 14 years' experience working in the international sector on international migration, sexual and reproductive health and rights, HIV/AIDS and demographic issues.  I have global and regional experience in the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific regions. I have successfully run research projects; coordinated and written reports and research papers; organized intergovernmental meetings, workshops, and meetings of experts; supported the creation of and helped coordinate interagency processes; and supported programme development and monitoring and evaluation."

Marie is Sustainability Executive - Strategic Engagement at Baker Hughes.

Dana Shukirbayeva is ESG Professional and Impact Entrepreneur, Founder of Climate Action Initiative Central Asia NGO, Climate Adviser and Sustainability Consultant.

Dana is Forbes 30 under 30, UN Youth Advisory Board Member and the winner of COP28 Women Climate Entrepreneurs Pitch Competition, she is the alumna of Cartier Women's Initiative Academy 2023, WiSER (Masdar Initiative) Pioneer 2024 and Curator of Global Shapers Hub in Astana, Kazakhstan (World Economic Forum Initiative).

She has graduated Lomonosov Moscow State University’s Faculty of Geography with a degree in Ecology & Environmental Management in Moscow and has a Master’s Degree in Urban Development and Spatial Planning from National Research University Higher School of Economics.

In addition to the core education process, she also took courses of Sustainable Urban Development from Delft University of Technology, Management of Urban Infrastructures from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, etc. and took executive education course of Sustainable Capitalism and ESG from Berkeley Law Executive, The University of California. She is GRI Certified Sustainability Professional and also completed courses on Climate Law & Governance Specialization at the University of Dubai and University of Cambridge.

From 2016 she regularly leads private and public research projects for city authorities, developers, international organisations, industrial companies, universities.

Since 2021, Dana started to develop her business in Kazakhstan and founded consulting bureau ESG KZ, which provides services in the field of ESG, reporting and sustainable development of territories.

In 2023 she founded the first Central Asian ClimateTech startup FOREST HERO, AI-based Platform for Responsible Forest Management and UrbanTech startup QALA AI, building products for resilient urban development. In 2023 she founded Climate Action Initiative Central Asia NGO and presented it at COP28 in Dubai.