12 June 2025: Lindsay Hooper, Chief Executive of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), has been named Leader of the Year at the 2025 BusinessGreen UK Green Business Awards.
Judges praised her leadership in driving systemic change, advancing sustainability in business, and championing the role of education in shaping a sustainable future.
The award, presented at a ceremony in London, recognises Lindsay’s pivotal role in CISL’s evolution into a respected international institute. Under her leadership, CISL has supported hundreds of major organisations and thousands of leaders worldwide to align business performance with positive outcomes for society.
Appointed as permanent CEO in December 2024, Lindsay’s leadership has been widely welcomed across business, academia, and the NGO community.
Reflecting on the award, Lindsay said: “It is a real honour to be awarded Leader of the Year - but this recognition belongs equally to the many people working across CISL and our international network to accelerate the shift to cleaner, greener, fairer economies. True leadership in the year ahead will require honesty about the tough choices and necessary changes that lie ahead, and an ambitious, clear-sighted focus on accelerating real-world change to reshape economies and markets.
"This is not a time to wait and see how the politics play out, but a time to roll up sleeves and focus on practical progress, delivered in the right sequence, with realism and resolve.”
Over the past year, at a critical moment for the sustainability movement, Lindsay has used her platform to spark debate on leadership in an age of turbulence, the economic case for net zero, the urgency of action on nature, and the essential role of universities in addressing the climate crisis. Her insights have attracted significant media attention and have resonated strongly across CISL’s global network and the wider sustainability community.
Lindsay’s impact is reflected in CISL’s ambitious agenda: educating and inspiring thousands of leaders to drive market shifts towards nature-positive, net zero business models; playing an influential role in shaping UK and EU government commitments through its Corporate Leaders Groups; expanding CISL’s work across Africa; and supporting hundreds of sustainability-focused startups worldwide.
At the heart of her strategy is deep collaboration – building partnerships and identifying shared priorities to maximise impact.