Dr. Laura-Marie Töpfer is the Chief Sustainability Officer for Microsoft Western
Europe and responsible for the Area's Sustainability business. With a combined background in technology investing, climate science and sustainability policy, Laura-Marie is committed to unlocking the power of technology
to show that fixing our planet is simply good business.
Before joining Microsoft, Laura-Marie was a Partner at investment firm Extantia Capital. There she led the firm’s Sustainable Investing strategy and spearheaded the capital-raise of the firm’s EUR 200m decarbonisation technology fund, which was awarded “Best Impact Investor of the Year” by Germany’s Sovereign Fund KfW. She was recognised for her work by Startup Basecamp’s list of the 20 Leaders driving the Future of Climate Tech. Laura-Marie previously served at Banco Santander and the World Economic Forum, where she was a founding team member of UpLink, a digital platform to scale the best sustainable innovations. With a PhD in Sustainable Finance from Oxford University, she has published several peer-reviewed articles on ESG integration for institutional investors and serves as a board member and advisor to investment firms.
Hall A (Level 2)
Elevating ESG
Global warming is on track to surpass the 2°C barrier, necessitating the urgent deployment of climate technologies to avert catastrophic consequences. These technologies, currently in early stages with long development cycles, require substantial support to reach maturity. Conventional financing often falls short in supporting mission-driven entrepreneurs who are committed to impact. How can we most effectively accelerate the development and widespread adoption of these crucial climate solutions?