Penn State Smeal’s Shrivastava appointed as co-president of The Club of Rome | Penn State University

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Paul Shrivastava, professor of management and organization in the Penn State Smeal College of Business, has been appointed the co-president of The Club of Rome.

Shrivastava, the University’s former chief sustainability officer and director of the Penn State Sustainability Institute, was elected by The Club of Rome Executive Committee at the group’s recent annual general meeting in Winterthur, Switzerland.

The Club of Rome is a platform for leading scientists, economists, policy and business leaders to collaborate and promote leading-edge thinking. Its members identify holistic approaches to complex global issues and promote policy initiatives and transformative action to enable humanity to emerge from multiple planetary emergencies.

“After a 40-year career in sustainability management, I am motivated to create impact on a global scale. The Club of Rome is a valuable platform for this purpose,” Shrivastava said. “Our members are highly accomplished leaders from around the world, and working together we can continue to push for the systemic and urgent transformations needed for us to emerge from the current planetary emergencies.”

Shrivastava will serve in collaboration with Sandrine Dixson-Declève, the current co-president, who has served in that role since 2018 alongside Mamphela Ramphele, who is stepping down.

A member of The Club of Rome since 2018, Shrivastava has been involved in a number of activities including the conceptualization of the group’s five impact hubs: emerging new civilizations, planetary emergency, reframing economics, rethinking finance and youth leadership and intergenerational dialogues. He was also a key player in the establishment of The 50 Percent initiative, an international network of young people who believe that every young person, regardless of their economic, social or cultural situation, has the capacity to make a positive impact on the future.

“The Club of Rome is well positioned as a think-and-do tank, and it has consistently delivered innovative thinking. In the coming years I hope to continue to leverage this towards achieving more transformative change, specifically in policy and in the business and education sectors,” Shrivastava said. “I will strive to provide continuity in leadership of the organization, enhance participation of our membership and work together towards a future where we can all thrive within the limits of our planet.”

Shrivastava has held a number of prestigious positions, including the executive director of Future Earth, where he established its secretariat for global environmental change programs. That included a network of 50,000 sustainability scientists in five global hubs and four regional centers. He has extensive experience in working with scientists, policy makers and funders across the globe.