Bain & Company delegation to inform global leaders at COP29 in Azerbaijan

Held in Azerbaijan next month, the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) will bring together leaders from business, politics and governments to discuss some of the world’s most pressing climate and environmental topics. Among the attendees will be a senior delegation from Bain & Company.

Following editions in Glasgow, Sharm el-Sheikh and Dubai, the world’s most important climate conference is soon coming to Azerbaijan, to be held from November 11 to 22 in the country’s capital city Baku. Around 50,000 delegates, including representatives from about 200 countries, will attend the high-profile business meeting.

In the run-up to the event, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said that the nation is looking forward to play its part in advancing the critical climate change agenda. While COP28 in Dubai resulted in a deal to transition away from fossil fuels – burning them is the main driver of climate change – the UN has repeatedly warned that more needs to be done to keep temperatures from rising over the key 1.5 degrees threshold agreed in the Paris Agreement of 2015.

Meet Bain & Company’s delegation

At COP29, strategy consultancy Bain & Company will play an important role in informing discussions and decision-making. Headlined by Jenny Davis-Peccoud, Global Leader of its Sustainability & Responsibility practice, the firm’s delegation further comprises (senior) partners from around the world, including Wissam Yassine, Onur Candar and Volkan Kara from the Middle East team.

Other delegation members confirmed by Bain & Company are Cate Hight and Torsten Lichtenau from the US offices, and Roberto Prioreschi, who is a Europe-based regional leader at the firm.

Highlights of Bain & Company’s contribution will include serving as knowledge partner of the World Green Economy Organization (WGEO), a Dubai-headquartered organization that leads the charge towards a low-carbon economy. At the COP29 conference, WGEO will be present with a Pavilion in the Blue Zone and will host workshops, panel discussions, and more.

As its knowledge partner, Bain & Company will contribute to a number of these information sessions.

In addition, Bain & Company will organize and moderate panel discussions at COP29, including ‘Circular Transformation of Industries’. On this session, Davis-Peccoud said: “Embracing circularity within industries not only mitigates environmental impact but also enhances economic efficiency and business growth. Our panel session aims to showcase session how circular economy models can create enduring value and contribute to a sustainable future.”

The session ‘Materiality as a Lever to Accelerate Sustainability’ will meanwhile focus on how setting the right priorities can help leaders make the most impact for their businesses and stakeholders. “Focusing on material topics that are the most relevant for a given business and disclosing performance on those topics is a key lever to drive sustainability transformation,” explained Yassine.

Reflecting on its contribution to COP29, Bain & Company states on its website: “With this year's theme ‘In Solidarity for a Green World’, the event underscores the critical need for collective, bold action to drive global environmental progress. COP29 provides Bain & Company a unique platform to connect with world leaders, innovators, and experts, exchange insights, and take meaningful steps toward shaping a sustainable future for everyone.”