COP30 marked an important moment for global climate action, following the first calendar year in which global average temperatures exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The summit reinforced the urgency of action, while also highlighting the limits of what governments alone can deliver.
While COP30 made progress, including a commitment to triple adaptation finance by 2035 to support developing economies, it also exposed the constraints facing multilateral processes amid geopolitical tensions, fiscal pressures and divergent national priorities. In this context, businesses, financial institutions and civil society are increasingly expected to play a more active role in translating ambition into implementation.
Against this backdrop, BritCham is pleased to convene a timely discussion that brings together global, national and grassroots perspectives on climate action. John McCalla Leacy, Global Head of ESG at KPMG, and a prominent participant at COP30 in Belém, will open the seminar with a keynote address reflecting on the summit's outcomes and what they mean for companies navigating an increasingly complex sustainability landscape.
Building on this global view, Chen Xiaoting from Ellen MacArthur Foundation's China team and Hu Jiaojiao of Chinese NGO, Polar Hub, will provide a more China-focused perspective, examining how circular economy strategies and civil society action are supporting the delivery of China's climate goals. Drawing on joint research with Tsinghua University and on-the-ground glacier and cryosphere monitoring, respectively, they will highlight practical pathways to reduce emissions, strengthen resource security, and translate climate ambition into implementation.
Together, the speakers will explore the key takeaways from COP30, China's evolving role in the global sustainability transition, and how business, capital and broader societal actors can help bridge gaps left by governments.
*Event agenda is subject to change with further speakers to be added.
Agenda
- Registration
Registration
- Towards Net Zero: UK Government Perpsective
Alex Way
Alex Way
Counsellor for Net Zero and Sustainable Development at British Embassy in BeijingAlex is Counsellor for Net Zero and Sustainable Development at the British Embassy in
Beijing, leading the UK’s engagement with China on climate change, clean energy,
nature and international development.
Alex started his career in private sector consultancy before joining the UK Civil Service,
where he has led UK international climate finance-funded energy initiatives in the Horn
of Africa and HQ teams responsible for the UK’s international policy and approaches to
climate adaptation and resilience. Alex has previously served as Private Secretary to the
UK International Development Secretary of State, with responsibility for climate and
sustainability issues.
Alex holds a Master’s degree from the University of Oxford. Besides English, he speaks
Mandarin, French, German and Spanish.
- Keynote Speech
John McCalla-Leacy
John McCalla-Leacy
Global Head of ESG at KPMGJohn is the Head of Global Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) at KPMG International and Vice Chair for ESG, KPMG in the UK. He is responsible for embedding ESG practices into the firm’s strategy. He has held a number of senior UK, ASPAC region and global leadership positions at KPMG over the last 21 years, including:
- Elected member of the KPMG in the UK Board, which oversees the stewardship, accountability and leadership of the UK firm, providing clear sighted counsel on the firm’s strategic direction and alignment to its Vision, Values, and Purpose.
In addition to John’s leadership roles within the UK firm, he is a strong external advocate for the “S” in ESG, driving inclusion, diversity and social equality. Recent initiatives include:
- Prince's Trust – John sponsors and supports a number of initiatives with the Prince's Trust, including a national volunteering program which is focused on tackling regional inequality in the UK.
- Disability Confident Business Leaders Group (BLG) – John is the KPMG senior BLG representative, working with government and senior business leaders to develop and implement policies focused on increasing the number of disabled people in the workplace.
- International Business and Diplomatic Exchange (IBDE) – Vice Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group.
John is very experienced in leading rapid, complex change. He is a former senior leader within KPMG’s Global Centre of Excellence Mergers & Acquisitions team. To date, he has led both the overall and technology aspects of some of the largest multi-billion-dollar client mergers, acquisitions, and divestments that KPMG firms have ever supported across multiple sectors and geographies. Now John’s sole focus is on inspiring and driving rapid ESG-related change for KPMG firm clients.
- The Circular Economy: A ‘triple play’ solution for achieving China’s Climate objectives
Chen Xiaoting
Chen Xiaoting
Programme Manager at Ellen MacArthur FoundationChen Xiaoting brings a wealth of expertise to her role as Programme Manager at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (UK) Beijing Representative Office, where she leads the Foundation’s Plastic Initiative and Policy & Climate workstream in China. With a PhD in Sustainability Economy from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Chen possesses over 17 years of invaluable experience in the field of sustainability.
Prior to her current position, Chen served as the Global Coordinator for Greening the Belt and Road Initiative at WWF China, Senior Manager of the Strategic Corridor Program at KPMG China’s Global China Practice, where she played a pivotal role in shaping environmental strategies on a global scale and demonstrating her proficiency in crafting sustainable business solutions.
Chen started her career as the Project Manager at the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center of the Ministry of Environment and Ecology of China (FECO/MEE), where she facilitated the governmental bilateral and multilateral environmental exchanges and international projects management and implementation for 8 years.
Published academic publications on critical topics such as “The Study of the Carbon Budget Governance Mechanism”, “The scientific and political views of the carbon budget for global climate governance”, and “The Comparison of the 2050 Long-term Low Emission Development Strategies and their Implications”.
Through her multifaceted career and scholarly endeavors, Chen Xiaoting continues to drive and serve positive change in sustainability practices and policies both nationally and globally.
- Coffee Break
- Panel Discussion
John McCalla-Leacy•Chen XiaotingModerated by BritCham Vice Chair, Zhang Hong
John McCalla-Leacy
Global Head of ESG at KPMGChen Xiaoting
Programme Manager at Ellen MacArthur Foundation
- Lessons from Chinese NGO founders and Professional Glacial Explorers
Hu Jiaojiao•Wen Xu
Hu Jiaojiao
Founder of Polar HubExplorer, Founder of Polar Hub, a NGO dedicated to glacier protection and climate action.
Jiaojiao began her mountaineering journey in 2008 and joined the Access Water project in 2015, collaborating with female explorers from the United States, Norway, Israel, India, Chile, South Africa, and New Zealand to raise global awareness of water conservation among youth. Her deep engagement with nature has reinforced her belief that humans are only one part of the natural world, and that we must work toward a more inclusive and sustainable future by redefining the relationship between humanity and nature. After founding Polar Hub, she has focused on drawing attention to global climate change and cryosphere protection, while encouraging and supporting the participation of youth, women, and local communities in these efforts.
Born into a Yi ethnic family in Yunnan, China, her minority identity and extensive exploration experience have shaped her inclusive perspective. As a female leader of an NGO, she has gained recognition from society, the government, and the United Nations. She is committed to integrating the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau—representative of the “Third Pole”—into the global system of glacier and climate governance, and actively supports international initiatives such as the United Nations International Year of Glaciers and the Decade of Action for Cryosphere Science.
Wen Xu
Founder of Polar HubScientific Explorer, Pioneer of Chinese Antarctic Exploration, Doctor of Glacier Engineering
Director of Polar Scientific Exploration Committee of China Association for Scientific Expedition
Mr. Wen Xu is one of the few scientific explorers in China who has both glacier science and exploration backgrounds. He has 23 years of scientific exploration experience and has participated in many domestic and international glacier scientific expedition projects and served as the team leader. He launched the Below 2°C Initiative, a climate action crossing the three poles of the earth: climbing Mount Everest and measuring the thickness of the ice and snow on the peak; leading the first Chinese expedition team to cross Greenland; reaching the South Pole by solo, unsupported and unsupplied cross-country skiing, completing China's first scientific expedition to the Antarctic; crossing the Antarctic by solo kite skiing, setting a new record for the first solo kite skiing crossing the Antarctic in Asia.
Years of glacier and polar exploration experience have made Wen Xu deeply aware of the huge challenges that climate change brings to the natural environment. He founded the non-profit organization Polar Hub, focusing on the field of glaciers and climate change, and led the team to rescue ice core samples from mid- and low-latitude glaciers, and called on the public to pay attention to climate change and take climate action through citizen science and other methods to pursue a sustainable future.
