The founder of New Energy Finance, Michael Liebreich, might run for the mayor of London. Recently, when asked about his intentions he said, “I will declare if I am persuaded Londoners want me to.” Some bookies have said he may have a better chance of winning than several conventional politicians. The next mayoral election in London will be in 2016.
There are green representatives in Parliament, so it seems plausible to consider there could also be such an energy conscious mayor in London.
One of the more startling facts of this case is that being ‘green’ is no longer a fringe perspective in some countries. Consider that current London mayor Boris Johnson, a conservative, is also an avid cyclist. He has even been accused of being too insistent about cycling:
There is now a growing chorus of voices who say that the cycling revolution has been going too fast and that we should somehow get all these cyclists off the roads and people look at me in an accusing way. This analysis grossly exaggerates my messianic abilities. I am a passionate cyclist, but I am not some kind of Pied Pedaller. People go by bike because they love to go by bike.
Johnson also advocated for new diesel-hybrid buses that create less air pollution. So, it seems that Liebreich’s enthusiasm for clean energy should not hold him back if he decides to run. Also, it is not unheard of that one might consider the office of London mayor to be a springboard in running for Prime Minister. If he should run and win, serving as mayor for such a major city might help pave the way to a campaign for PM.
Michael Liebreich Key Facts
- Founded New Energy Finance in 2004, which was acquired by Bloomberg in 2009.
- London’s Imperial College Energy Futures Lab visitor professor
- Former CEO of BNEF, Bloomberg Energy Finance, now is Chairman of Advisory board.
- Harvard Business school graduate, with an undergraduate degree from Cambridge in Nuclear engineering, fluid dynamics, mechanics and thermodynamics.
- 3-time finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
- His Twitter stream is full of posts about energy.
Member of:
- UN Secretary General’s High Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Energy for All
- World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the New Energy Architecture
Former member of:
- Advisory board to the Clinton Global Initiative’s Energy and Climate Change working group
Featured photo credit: Screen capture from “Energy All-Stars: Michael Liebreich” video
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