The Centre for Climate Engagement plays a unique role in bringing leading academic research and expert practitioner insights to board directors, lawyers and policymakers, accelerating climate leadership across the private and public sectors.
We draw on academic expertise from the University of Cambridge and the wider research community, alongside independent insights from business leaders and legal professionals, to inform governance and policy decisions.
Our work supports emerging research in climate law, governance, and organisational change, providing evidence-based analysis tailored to decision-makers. This research is conducted both directly by postdoctoral researchers and through collaborations with academic and industry experts.
Our mission is to accelerate the race to net zero emissions and climate resilience by curating, translating and transferring expert insight in law, policy and governance.
Our Story
The Centre was launched in 2018
The Centre was set up in 2018 as part of The Bridge initiative at Hughes Hall which leverages the College’s multi-disciplinary perspective, international nature and external focus to bring the research and expertise of its academic community to solve real world problems.
Founders of CCE, Dr Ron Zimmern and Julie Baddeley, recognised a gap in boardroom engagement with the climate agenda, particularly among listed companies. While some boards were actively addressing the issue, many had yet to prioritise it, and in some cases, climate discussions had not taken place at all.
The Centre was established to provide general guidance and toolkits for boards and non-executive directors while intentionally avoiding consultancy services or direct educational activities. This has allowed for successful partnering and collaboration with academics, business networks and increasingly, law firms and policy-makers.
Chapter Zero was launched in 2019 and the Centre became the secretariat for the Climate Governance Initiative from 2020 to 2025.
Chapter Zero was launched in 2019 and became one of the first networks of chairs and non-executive directors supporting increased awareness and understanding of climate change. Working closely with the World Economic Forum, it helped to spur a global movement.
Between 2020 and 2025, CCE hosted the Climate Governance Initiative. Having grown into a thriving global network supporting board-level climate action, CGI was ready to expand further as an independent organisation. This transition reflects CCE’s role in developing and accelerating impactful initiatives. We continue our collaboration as knowledge partners.
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