Hong Kong, 20–23 January 2026: The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) hosted the fourth edition of its Heads of Climate Base Camp in Hong Kong, marking both the program’s first edition in the Asia-Pacific region and its first time in the city. Sponsored by Swire Pacific, the Base Camp brought together 15 Heads of Climate and Chief Sustainability Officers from leading companies across seven countries in the region.
Building on the strong foundations of previous editions, the APAC Base Camp was designed as an intensive, outcomes-focused program combining peer exchange, expert input, and facilitated working sessions. The agenda emphasized practical approaches to navigating climate complexity, enabling participants to exchange concrete experiences, test ideas with peers, and identify actions that can be embedded into business strategy and decision-making within the regional context.
From Technical Expertise to Strategic Leadership
Heads of Climate occupy a uniquely demanding position within their organizations, requiring both deep technical expertise to manage emissions reductions and strategic insight to engage executive leadership and boards. Throughout the Base Camp, participants emphasized the value of the collective experience in the room, particularly the opportunity to learn from peers facing similar challenges across diverse Asian markets.
Discussions highlighted how climate leadership in Asia often differs from Europe and the United States and participants explored how to translate global net-zero ambitions into regionally relevant strategies, while maintaining credibility, momentum, and internal buy-in.
The base camp provided an avenue for peer-sharing and new mental models for scaling impact.
Turning Insight into Action
A core focus of the Base Camp was enabling participants to work through their own company-specific challenges in facilitated, results-oriented sessions. Key themes included building skills, confidence, and effectiveness within sustainability and adjacent teams; integrating climate considerations into core business decision-making; and managing internal relationships to scale impact across functions and geographies. These conversations supported participants in developing personalized and targeted roadmaps, outlining concrete milestones, enablers, and stakeholder considerations to advance their organizations toward net zero.
This Base Camp was genuinely impactful for me. The peer-group discussions were particularly powerful – open, honest, and grounded in real-world challenges, which made the learning deeply relatable. Kudos to the WBCSD team for curating and designing such a thoughtful and well-structured session. It created the right balance between reflection and action, and left me with both clarity and renewed motivation.
Science, Standards and Systemic Change
The program was enriched by contributions from leading voices in climate science and standards-setting. Dr. Hoesung Lee, former Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), shared reflections on the evolving science-policy-business interface and the critical role of corporate leadership in driving systemic change. Professor Alexander Bassen, Chair of the Independent Standards Board of the GHG Protocol, provided insights into the future of corporate greenhouse gas accounting and the implications for business decision-making.
Participants also engaged in two dedicated masterclasses focused on Actions and Market Instruments, as well as Building Adaptation and Resilience, further strengthening their understanding of practical levers available to companies for climate action and adaptation.
The Base Camp included a field visit to New Life Plastics, Hong Kong’s largest food-grade-ready plastic recycling facility, offering a tangible example of circular economy solutions in action. A networking reception co-hosted with BEC brought together representatives from 14 leading companies in Hong Kong, reinforcing connections between global frameworks and local business leadership.
I learnt a lot. Very useful to now be part of this community and I look forward to continuing the conversation.
A Growing Community of Climate Leaders
As with previous editions, the APAC Base Camp fostered a strong sense of trust, openness, and community. By the end of the program, participants reported renewed clarity on their leadership role, greater confidence in navigating internal complexity, and a strengthened network of peers to draw on as they continue their journey.
With the successful conclusion of its first APAC edition, the WBCSD Heads of Climate Base Camp continues to grow as a community for empowering climate leaders to drive meaningful, business-integrated transformation.
Stay tuned for updates on future editions of the WBCSD Heads of Climate Base Camp and how you can be part of this growing community. For more information on upcoming events and WBCSD’s Climate Action initiatives, contact climate@wbcsd.org.
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