Top Women Consultants Leading Sustainability Initiatives in the Energy Sector

Today, sustainability increasingly finds itself as a powerful buzzword, and the women consultants have become decisive catalysts for change. These leaders, working across renewable energy, clean technology, carbon management, and policy advisory fields, combine technical acumen with a passionate environmental conscience. However, their role has grown beyond offering advice on decarbonisation strategies and sustainable supply chains. Also, these consultants steer companies through the complex sets of multi-dimensional trade-offs to meet their net-zero objectives. With these women consultants, innovation meets impact, where they sustain the energy projects' profitability and ensure that they gain long-term ecological benefits under a data-driven, policy-based framework with strong stakeholder engagement. It is to say that designing renewable infrastructure investments and community-driven energy programs for these women is testimony that sustainable development is more about vision and leadership than technology. In this article, we highlight the top women consultants working on the global stage to create a cleaner and resilient energy sector.

1. Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer, Google –
   Kate Brandt, Google's Chief Sustainability Officer, is responsible for formulating the company's worldwide sustainability strategy for operations, products, and supply chains. Since beginning at Google in 2016, her work has ranged from longer-lasting initiatives for energy-efficient data centers to more sustainable product design. Before joining Google, Brandt was the first Federal Chief Sustainability Officer in the United States and oversaw sustainability across 360,000 buildings, 650,000 vehicles, and $445 billion worth of procurements per year. Henceforth, Brandt has received the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award and has also been recognized as one of Fortune's 40 Under 40. She remains among the leading forces implementing top-down transformation on impact and sustainability initiatives in energy.
    

2. Rebecca Marmot, Chief Sustainability Officer, Unilever – 
Rebecca Marmot has been embedding sustainability into global operations, products, and partnerships at Unilever since 2007. She oversees big programs, including the development of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the campaign for a Global Plastics Treaty. Marmot operates in a highly collaborative fashion toward driving Unilever's aspirational targets for water stewardship and biodegradability, and has also influenced the shaping of environmental responsibility in global policy.
 

3. Gauri Jauhar, Executive Director, Energy Transition & Cleantech Consulting, S&P Global Commodity Insights –
Gauri Jauhar is the Executive Director of the Energy Transition & Clean Tech Global Consulting team at S&P Global Commodity Insights, with over two decades of experience in energy, applied economics, and finance across multiple regions. She works with clean fuels integration into energy systems, ESG in energy transitions, market entry strategies, and policy development. From the end of S&P Global, Gauri has participated in forums such as the US-India Hydrogen & Gas Task Forces, advising governments and corporations worldwide in driving sustainable energy adoption and shaping strategies toward a low-carbon future.
 

4. Christie Burley, Vice President at BlackRock and Co-Founder at ReWorld –
Christie Burley is the Vice President at BlackRock and Co-Founder at ReWorld, and she brings finance into resonance with environmental stewardship as she works with conservation organizations to broaden their impact and support restoration efforts worldwide. Among others, she has over a decade of experience in institutions such as IATA, IAG, and LSE, where she nurtured aviation decarbonization through electro-fuels solutions. Being a Climate Pact Ambassador and an active member of worldwide sustainability networks, she is acknowledged as the driver for impactful solutions where finance, climate action, and conservation converge.
 

5. Maryam Golnaraghi, Director of Climate Change & Environment, The Geneva Association –
Maryam Golnaraghi, a seasoned Sustainable Energy Consultant and the Director of Climate Change & Environment at The Geneva Association, leads climate change-related activities in the global insurance industry. With 25 years of experience in the UN system, the private sector, and entrepreneurship, she has been instrumental in setting the stage for novel risk management solutions that promote industrial decarbonisation and make extreme weather risks more insurable. Named one of the 20 Leading Women on Climate Tech and Innovation by Climate Insider (2024), Maryam works alongside CEOs, policymakers, and cross-sector partners to mainstream climate resilience and sustainable finance as a core part of the business strategy around the world.
 

6. Deanna Zhang, CEO, V1 Climate Solutions –
Deanna Zhang, through V1 Climate Solutions and Node, works tirelessly to bridge the FOAK gap for climate tech companies via strategic fundraising, financial advisory services, and ecosystem building. Over the past decade, she has worked in various capacities in energy technology investment banking and capital strategy, assisting with the navigation of startups through the critical first-asset stage. Thus, her great passion for sustainable infrastructure, entrepreneurial energy, and industry expertise combine to accelerate climate innovation and bring about change through projects.
 

7. Sneha Shanbhag, Co-Founder, Carboform Inc. –
Sneha Shanbhag, PhD, is an environmental engineer trained at Carnegie Mellon and with 15 years or more into clean tech innovation. Her expertise is in energy storage, water treatment, bioplastics, and bio-derived chemicals. With her company Carboform, she hopes to decarbonize the chemicals industry by turning biomass waste into low-carbon aromatics, which can then be formulated into sustainable aviation fuel with emissions that are 80% less than those of conventional fuel.
 

8. Clementine Chambon, Co-Founder & Director, Oorja Development Solutions –
Clementine Chambon, the Co-Founder and Director of Oorja, is a clean energy entrepreneur with a vision of scaling solar-powered irrigation infrastructure for smallholder farmers in India. Her work helps in the decentralization of over 260 projects, bringing benefits to 40,000 people. She brings technical know-how in renewable energy to support her global organizational advisory activities. An alumnus of Imperial College London, Clementine has been recognized on many fronts for her transformative work in rural electrification, including being named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and the MIT Innovator Under 35 list.
 

9. Lisa Malmquist Ekstrand, Head of Sustainability, Vestas –
At Vestas, under Lisa Malmquist Ekstrand, Head of Sustainability, the strategy and implementation for the carbon-neutral target by 2030 are laid forth. Lisa has garnered more than 16 years of experience with Vestas across sustainability, public affairs, and policy, making her a powerhouse within the industry as an active driver for renewable energy adoption. She promotes innovation and inter-sector energy collaboration and solutions; by doing so, she assists in positioning Vestas as a global pioneer in sustainability while simultaneously speeding up the energy transition.
 

10. Darshana Ubl, CEO, ReNew Power –
Darshana Ubl, as CEO of ReNew Power, is a well-rounded entrepreneur oriented to building tremendous and value-driven businesses. With an educational background in economics, advertising, and PR, she is the spirit behind MayfairSilk and Verve Rally, where she combined luxury, sustainability, and social impact. She is also a speaker and media voice for issues such as women in business, ethical leadership, and environmental stewardship, while using the Verve Charity Gala to back charitable initiatives.

In conclusion, in an era where the energy sector faces urgent transformation, these women consultants stand as visionary leaders shaping a resilient, low-carbon future. Their expertise spans technology, policy, and finance, and as leaders from top sustainability consulting firms, their impact lies in uniting innovation with purpose. By steering complex transitions through Sustainability Strategy Consulting, Energy Efficiency Consultants, and Renewable Energy Consultants approaches, they prove that sustainability is as much about leadership as it is about solutions.