Max Studennikoff, the visionary Founder and Chairman of Climate Change Forum (CC Forum) offers a compelling insight into the Forum’s mission to address global sustainability challenges in this exclusive interview. The XI edition of CC Forum, held in Paris this December with Chic Icon as the Official Media Partner, unfolded amidst a turbulent political backdrop, sparking renewed debates on the future of climate action.
Studennikoff shares how CC Forum stands apart by focusing on practical innovations and mobilizing global investment for sustainable solutions, positioning itself as a transformative force in the climate conversation. In this interview, he discusses the Forum’s objectives, its role in shaping impactful outcomes, and his personal commitment to creating a better future for generations to come.
What are the main objectives for The Paris 2024 edition of CC Forum, and how does it aim to influence the global conversation on climate change?
XI edition of Climate Change Forum which took place on 4-7 December in Paris was held in an extraordinary global political context. Only a couple of weeks prior, Donald Trump got re-elected for the second term of presidency. With him having long been known as a maverick climate change denier, this immediately sent ripples of uncertainty and unpredictability not only across business communities not only in his home country, but the world at large. Rumors of his intention to leave the Paris Agreement (again!) set about spreading alongside his purported amending of the whole of the sustainability doctrine by his predecessor. Trump’s re-election is clearly a major blow to global collective efforts of curbing climate change. However, against this unique backdrop CC Forum Paris’ main objective was reconfirming the commitment by the institutional and private investors to abide by the course of action agreed by the UN and the works leaders. Ironically, it was during the exact dates of CC Forum that the President-elect descended on Paris in person alongside with a string of other heads of state to attend the reopening of Notre Dame. This tinged the Paris edition with a very particular context.
CC Forum often attracts a diverse audience, from policymakers to celebrities. How do you ensure meaningful engagement and actionable outcomes from such a varied group of participants?
I think there can only be one criterion of success when it comes to an economic event such as the CC Forum – the amount of deal flow. We are entirely apolitical as a conference. We left it to the big guys at COP to pontificate and work out political frameworks which are, as we all know, easier to establish than to implement, so there are no sweeping political statements at our editions. In my opinion, the whole idea of flying 200+ heads of state and thousands of dignitaries and figureheads and getting them “brainstorm” for over a fortnight at almost a fistfight over the verbiage of a final statement along the lines of “Humanity should start transitioning from fossil fuels” like it was in Dubai is preposterous. To me it is a complete waste of time, and with a massive carbon footprint into the bargain. In Azerbaijan, another petrostate, the same thing continued, only here policymakers were agreeing on setting up a salvage fund to mitigate the worst impact of climate change on vulnerable nations, and again I did not see it as fit for purpose – instead of patching up the gushing hole in our scuttled boat, collectively and decisively, they are now distributing life vests! What we are doing at CC Forum is the polar opposite. We showcase and highlight the practical solutions capable of making a difference in front of global investors, and help these projects to get funded. This has been at the heart of CC Forum’s concept. The event is a melting pot of ideas, projects, and business opportunities. And of course, we do involve all the auxiliary means at our disposal, so to speak including senior dignitaries, royalty, celebrities, and media.
With technology playing a significant role in sustainability, what emerging innovations were spotlighted at CC Forum’s global editions?
I have always believed that it is through innovation and implementing new, ground breaking technologies that humanity can potentially bootstrap itself from the fine mess we are in, largely self-provoked as we might have gone the wrong way in our development when we began to tread the path of industrial revolution. However, paradoxically, technology can be the magic wand for us on this occasion. I am proud that a whole plethora of revolutionary innovations have been spotlighted or even globally launched at our editions. Examples are: turning food waste into an alternative to diesel fuel, storing CO2 like nuggets of black gold, growing rice in the desert, extracting energy from invisible to the human eye photovoltaic particles, massive reforestation projects, etc. One of the highlights of the Paris edition was the global launch of Sunified, the project encompassing two asset classes – solar PV and battery storage and having the potential of growing into a trillion-dollar worth investment opportunity.
Since its inception, Climate Change Forum has evolved significantly. What is your long-term vision for the forum, and how do you see its role in achieving global sustainability goals?
Indeed, we have so far pulled off as many as eleven global editions in various parts of the world. It is safe to assume that by now CC Forum has evolved to be one of the most prominent gatherings of impact wealth. But our ambition is to make CC Forum a number one investment platform laser-focused on sustainability. We are hoping to achieve it, God willing, over the next few years.
What are the future global destinations of CC Forum?
We are to host our XII edition in Switzerland next year. Every effort will be made to make it the most significant gathering of family offices, LPs, GPs, VCs, and angels with the view of mobilising private wealth. Also, we are set to host our Brazil edition in San Paolo back-to-back COP30 in Belem, which is already being referred to as the investment arm of COP or its investment-oriented precursor. Lastly, we are determined to bring the forum in 2026 to the black continent and to host a Pan-African edition of the CC Forum in one of the key African countries and we are conducting relevant discussions with the governments.
As the founder of CC Forum, what inspired you to create this platform? How has your personal journey shaped the forum’s development and its focus on sustainability?
I have to admit that I am rather selfish in what I am doing:). I am doing this for my kids as well as hopefully their kids and their generation. This is what drives me at a personal level. The decisions and actions we talked about today will shape the lives of future generations. I am keen to contribute to preserving the world as we know it today for those coming after us. It is not too late to rewrite the history.
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