Blue Earth Summit

One per cent sounds small until thousands of businesses commit it year after year. Kate Williams is CEO of 1% for the Planet, the movement helping companies and individuals direct a share of revenue or income to vetted environmental organisations. She joined in 2014, became CEO the following year and has led its expansion across more than 100 countries and industries. By 2026, the network had certified over $900 million in environmental giving and was approaching the $1 billion mark. Kate previously spent more than a decade leading the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, giving her first-hand experience of the organisations those funds support. She holds degrees from Princeton and MIT Sloan and has served on nonprofit and advisory boards. Her leadership turns a simple commitment into durable collective action, especially when uncertainty makes environmental funding easiest to postpone.