Shell Ventures veteran Van de Wouw joins climate investment firm – – Global Venturing

 

Report on Strategic Leadership Transition in Climate Investment and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Executive Summary

This report details the appointment of Geert van de Wouw as Head of Portfolio Management and Value Creation at Just Climate, a climate-focused investment firm. Formerly the head of Shell Ventures, van de Wouw’s transition signifies a strategic shift towards scaling late-stage climate technologies critical for industrial decarbonization. His focus directly supports the achievement of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to climate action, clean energy, and sustainable industry.

2.0 Professional Transition and Background

Effective July 2024, Geert van de Wouw has assumed a senior leadership role at Just Climate. This appointment follows a distinguished tenure of over a decade as the managing partner of Shell Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Shell, which he led from 2012 until late 2024.

2.1 Career History

• Just Climate: Head of Portfolio Management and Value Creation
• Shell Ventures: Managing Partner
• Shell: General Manager for Enterprise Sellers & Business Development
• Fluor Corporation: Process Engineer & Head of New Business Development

3.0 Strategic Focus and Contribution to Climate Action (SDG 13)

Van de Wouw’s strategic vision centers on accelerating the impact of climate solutions by moving beyond early-stage experimentation to full-scale industrial deployment. He has identified that while renewable energy sources like solar and wind are maturing, the next critical phase involves decarbonizing “must-abate” or hard-to-abate sectors. This approach directly addresses SDG 13 (Climate Action) by concentrating capital and expertise on the most challenging sources of industrial greenhouse gas emissions.

3.1 Target Sectors for Decarbonization

The investment focus targets industries where electrification alone is insufficient for achieving net-zero emissions. These include:

1. Steel
2. Cement
3. Chemicals
4. Fuels
5. Agriculture

4.0 Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The mandate undertaken by van de Wouw at Just Climate demonstrates a strong alignment with a range of interconnected SDGs. The strategy recognizes that achieving climate targets requires systemic industrial transformation.

• SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy): The focus extends beyond established renewables to support the next generation of clean energy and fuel technologies, ensuring a comprehensive energy transition.
• SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): The strategy explicitly targets the need for “complex process- and manufacturing infrastructure.” This commitment to building resilient and sustainable industrial infrastructure is a core tenet of SDG 9, fostering innovation to upgrade industries for a sustainable future.
• SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): By investing in technologies to decarbonize materials like cement and steel, this work contributes directly to the development of sustainable construction and urban infrastructure.
• SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): The transformation of production processes in the chemical and agricultural sectors is fundamental to establishing sustainable patterns of consumption and production globally.
• SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): Van de Wouw’s career path, moving from a major energy corporation to a specialized investment firm, underscores the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships in mobilizing the capital and expertise needed to achieve the SDGs.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

• The article focuses on the “energy transition” and investments in “cleantech technologies.” It explicitly mentions that “solar and wind are well on their way to becoming mainstream energy sources,” directly connecting to the goal of increasing the use of clean energy.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

• The text highlights the need for investment in sectors like “steel, cement, chemicals, fuels, and agriculture.” It points out that these solutions require “complex process- and manufacturing infrastructure,” which aligns with the goal of building resilient infrastructure and fostering sustainable industrialization.

SDG 13: Climate Action

• The entire premise of the article revolves around climate action. Geert van de Wouw joins “Just Climate, a climate-focused investment firm,” to invest in “climate innovations” with the ultimate goal of achieving “net-zero.” This directly addresses the need to take urgent action to combat climate change.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• The article discusses mobilizing capital for climate solutions and mentions a “joint venture between Shell and China National Petroleum Corporation.” This exemplifies the partnerships between corporations and potentially public entities to achieve sustainable goals.

Specific SDG Targets Identified

SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

1. Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. The article supports this by stating, “solar and wind are well on their way to becoming mainstream energy sources,” indicating progress and continued focus on increasing the share of renewables.
2. Target 7.a: By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology… and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology. The work of Just Climate, as described, is to invest in and scale the “next wave of climate innovations” and “cleantech technologies.”

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

1. Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable… and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies. The article’s focus on investing in “must-abate sectors” such as “steel, cement, chemicals” to help them on the “journey to net-zero” directly reflects this target.

SDG 13: Climate Action

1. Target 13.a: Implement the commitment… to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually… to address the needs of developing countries… and implement measures to mitigate climate change. The article discusses the role of investment firms like Just Climate in mobilizing capital (“demands more than capital”) for climate solutions, which is central to this target.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

1. Target 17.7: Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies. The article discusses helping “technology get over the line into real impact” and scaling “cleantech technologies,” which is a form of technology diffusion.
2. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. The article provides a direct example of such a partnership by mentioning the “joint venture between Shell and China National Petroleum Corporation.”

Indicators for Measuring Progress

Implied Indicators

• Investment mobilized for climate and clean energy projects: The core function of “Just Climate” is to invest capital. The amount of funding directed towards “climate innovations” serves as a direct indicator of progress towards Targets 7.a and 13.a.
• Share of renewable energy in the energy mix: The statement that “solar and wind are well on their way to becoming mainstream energy sources” implies that the share of these sources is a key metric of the “energy transition” (Indicator 7.2.1).
• CO2 emissions from industrial sectors: The goal to get sectors like “steel, cement, chemicals” to “net-zero” implies that a key indicator is the reduction of their CO2 emissions (related to Indicator 9.4.1: CO2 emission per unit of value added).
• Number of scaled clean technologies: The article emphasizes that “cleantech technologies need to be scaled to size.” The number of technologies that move from experimentation to large-scale implementation is an implied indicator of impact.

Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs	Targets	Indicators Identified in Article (Mentioned or Implied)
SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy	7.2: Increase the share of renewable energy. 7.a: Promote investment in clean energy technology.	The increasing share of solar and wind as “mainstream energy sources.” Amount of capital invested in “cleantech technologies.”
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure	9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable.	Progress of “steel, cement, chemicals” on the “journey to net-zero.” Adoption of new “process- and manufacturing infrastructure.”
SDG 13: Climate Action	13.a: Mobilize financial resources to address climate change.	Capital mobilized by “climate-focused investment” firms.
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals	17.7: Promote the diffusion of environmentally sound technologies. 17.17: Encourage public-private partnerships.	Number of “cleantech technologies” that are scaled to size. Formation of joint ventures, such as the one between “Shell and China National Petroleum Corporation.”

Source: globalventuring.com