Johannes Naimer-Stach

My academic background is in business administration and European political studies, studying amongst others at the University of Vienna, Jagiellonian University in Cracow, or Charles University in Prague. After initial steps as innovation consultant and carbon emissions trader, I took over the project lead for WWF Austria’s Climate Group in 2010. Working in diverse roles for WWF worldwide, I could contribute i.e. to the creation of the Science Based Targets initiative, I ran nationwide awareness raising campaigns and managed impact-driven partnerships with national and international corporates. From 2014 to 2016, I moved on to work as sustainability and innovation expert with BBG, the Austrian Federal Procurement Agency. Ever since leaving BBG I have been running my own boutique consultancy, called 288 Grad Consulting, with a major focus on climate action and innovation management for clients in the private and public sphere. In July 2018, I set up the Austrian branch of EIT Climate-KIC, Europe’s main climate innovation agency, which I was leading as its first national general manager until June 2024. During the pandemic, I co-founded a charitable association, called project ORCA, which acts as a not-for-profit incubator and launchpad for climate-related initiatives of all sorts. Our first spin-off, a climate action academy called Klimaschutzakademie, opened doors in early 2022 to offer consulting services, trainings and train-the-trainer formats - and more - for climate leaders, public and private organizations willing to become truly climate-neutral.