Congress of Business (COB25) is back on 13 May 2025, during Glasgow Climate Week.
Building on the Glasgow Climate Pacts established at COP26, COB drives meaningful change by turning sustainable strategies into actionable results.
Bringing together some of the UK’s most prominent businesses alongside leading academics, COB sends a clear message – business and cities can and will play a leadership role in transforming our economy sustainably.
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COB drives collective action by uniting businesses on a global scale through the British Chambers of Commerce international network.
We foster peer-to-peer learning and empower SMEs for climate transition by equipping them with the skills and tools required to create impactful climate partnerships and progress.
COB aims to maintain climate focus between COP summits, sustaining high-level climate engagement and engaging senior leaders to ensures that climate action remains a key priority.
If you missed any of the speaker sessions or panel discussions, or simply want to revisit the day, all live content from COB24 is available on our YouTube channel.
HEAR FROM OUR COB24 SPEAKERS
Professor Greg Clark CBE FAcSS | Host, COB25
We are delighted to welcome back renowned urbanist and leading innovator, Greg Clark, to moderate and host COB25. Greg is chair of Connected Places Catapult and 3Ci (Cities Commission for Climate Investment) and a non-executive director for Transport for London.
He is an Honorary Professor at UCL STEaPP, a visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde, a senior fellow at the Urban Land Institute and a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.
Baroness Martha Lane Fox CBE | President,
British Chambers of Commerce
Martha is an entrepreneur, internet activist and, since March 2013, sits in the UK House of Lords as a crossbench peer. Martha was elected as President of the British Chambers of Commerce in October 2022. Alongside her Presidency of the British Chambers, Martha has served as Chancellor of Open University since 2014 and is the current Chair of WeTransfer. She is also a non-executive director of Chanel and, until its recent sale, Martha was a Director of Twitter.
From 2009 to 2013 Martha was Digital Champion for the UK and helped to create the Government Digital Service – this team launched gov.uk transforming government service delivery. In 1998 Martha co-founded Europe’s largest travel and leisure website, lastminute.com with Brent Hoberman. They took it public in 2000 and sold it in 2005.
Andrew G Haldane CBE | Chief Executive Officer,
Royal Society of Arts
Andrew Haldane is the Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Arts. He was formerly Chief Economist at the Bank of England and a member of the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee. He was the Permanent Secretary for Levelling Up at the Cabinet Office. Andrew is Founder and President of the charity Pro Bono Economics, Vice-Chair of the charity National Numeracy and Chair of the National Numeracy Leadership Council.
Andrew chairs the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre's Industrial Board and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Bradford Literature Festival and the South Yorkshire Mayor's Economic Advisory Council. He was formerly Chair of the Government's Industrial Strategy Council and the Levelling Up Advisory Council.
Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, MVO, MBA |
Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Markets Initiative
Jennifer Jordan-Saifi is Chief Executive Officer of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, a global organisation that mobilises the private sector to put sustainability at the heart of global value creation.
From 2018 to 2023, Ms. Jordan-Saifi served as Assistant Private Secretary to The King covering foreign affairs, the Commonwealth, and supporting His Majesty’s sustainability leadership on the world stage.
Working for the Government of Canada (2008-2018), Ms. Jordan-Saifi led on a wide range of foreign policy priorities and initiatives, including United Nations Strategic Policy and Reform and as negotiator for the Sustainable Development Goals.
Congress of Business 2025
will be held in partnership with
British Chambers of Commerce
Scottish Chambers of Commerce
University of Glasgow
On 12 May 2025, DYW Glasgow will host COB Futures in partnership with DYW West and DYW LED. This event is aimed at inspiring young people to choose a career that supports a sustainable future and will expose them to multiple different career paths. The event will take place at City of Glasgow College's Riverside Campus and young people will hear from a number of different businesses including Sustainable Pathways, COWI, O’Donnell Brown, McTaggart Construction, Balfour Beatty and Lush.
Watch highlights of COB Futures 2024
COB Inspires will serve the next generation of climate professionals looking to get their start in the sustainability space. Aimed at students and recent graduates, COB Inspires will feature talks, panels and workshops from industry leaders, all with the goal of shedding light on the unique opportunities and challenges of a career in sustainability. The event will take place on the afternoon of 12 May 2025 at creative co-working space Civic House, with featured businesses including Small99, Balfour Beatty and Sustainable Ventures.
Get in touch to find out more
