Adam James is a Partner at Energy Impact Partners, where he leads the firm’s Customer Experience team and the Impact and Sustainability team. Adam joined EIP from Tesla where he worked on global business operations. Prior to Tesla, he was the Deputy Director at SolarCity, supporting global market expansion including business development, M&A, and utility partnerships. Adam previously held roles with GTM Research and at the Center for American Progress. Adam is also a Board Member at the Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI), a nonprofit dedicated to developing the next generation of energy leadership, which he co-founded in 2013.
Energy Impact Partners, or EIP, is a purpose-built investment platform. It is a collaborative strategic investment firm that invests in energy companies. They bring together brilliant entrepreneurs and some of the world’s most influential corporations to help transform the global economy towards a sustainable future. EIP is committed to setting standards on ESG reporting, transparency, and measurement, as a member of the Initiative Climate International, a subgroup of UNPRI specifically formed to work on reducing carbon emissions of private equity-backed companies and securing sustainable investment performance by recognizing and incorporating the materiality of climate risk.
Show Notes:
[2:29] - Adam shares what initially sparked his motivation in this field and how it has evolved over time.
[7:56] - Adam describes some of his experiences in the early days of his career.
[10:16] - Climate change is a really unique problem because it requires a multi-disciplinary approach.
[12:53] - In building an organization, there are several first steps to take. Adam explains some of the critical steps that he took at the start.
[16:17] - It is apparent in the climate field how generous and collaborative people are.
[19:15] - Scaling things up in an organization has been an exciting part of the work for Adam.
[21:50] - What can be learned after years of experience and data? How can there be improvement?
[23:24] - It is a complex political environment. In general, no matter what is going on, corporations have a business objective.
[26:14] - Compared to years past, there is more progress and good news regarding climate change coming everyday.
[28:03] - Adam describes some of the things he is most excited about when it comes to emerging technologies.
[31:32] - Adam shares advice to those who are entering the field.
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