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Chief Investment Officer, CleanCapital: The SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024 Awardee
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"Embracing boldness means committing to the broader vision of a sustainable planet, and acting persistently and persuasively to enact both simple and innovative changes toward that goal." - Julia Bell, Chief Investment Officer, CleanCapital, United States & The SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024 (#SustXGlobal50) Awardee
As Chief Investment Officer at CleanCapital, Julia Bell has been instrumental in advancing clean energy initiatives across the United States. Leading a fully integrated and diversified clean energy company, Julia oversees acquisitions, due diligence, and investment strategies, channeling over $1 billion into impactful solar and storage projects. Her bold approach in structuring, negotiating, and implementing CleanCapital's development strategies reflects her commitment to accelerating the clean energy transition and driving significant sustainability outcomes.
Before joining CleanCapital, Julia’s career path included roles as a project finance attorney at the global law firm White & Case LLP in New York and Mexico City. Her transition from energy law in the oil and gas sector to clean energy was driven by a desire to make a more positive environmental impact. Witnessing the effects of pollution firsthand while living in Mexico City, Julia pivoted her career to align with her passion for sustainability, tackling the steep learning curve head-on and immersing herself in clean energy practices.
Julia’s leadership extends beyond CleanCapital’s walls. She spearheaded the adoption of the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) for CleanCapital, establishing it as the company’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting standard. This initiative not only positioned CleanCapital at the forefront of the ESG sector but also created a robust framework for sustainability performance tracking, encouraging employees to take personal ownership of sustainability goals and fostering a culture of collective responsibility.
A significant highlight in Julia’s career was leading an innovative project in collaboration with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Through this partnership, Julia initiated a research project that integrates agrivoltaics—co-locating crops with solar arrays—at CleanCapital's Houston, Alaska site. By studying the productivity of various crops at high latitudes alongside solar panels, this project offers valuable insights into sustainable land use and energy production. The project’s impact was recognized with the Department of Energy’s prestigious FARMS grant, underscoring its transformative potential in clean energy and agriculture.
Julia’s bold approach to sustainability is defined by her willingness to think differently and foster an inclusive workplace. When building CleanCapital’s construction team, she prioritized diversity, hiring individuals who brought unique perspectives. Her dedication to gender equity is evident in her hiring practices, where her early decision to onboard female team members set a collaborative tone, further reinforcing CleanCapital’s commitment to inclusivity and diverse leadership.
Reflecting on her journey, Julia emphasizes the power of boldness and determination in breaking down barriers in the sustainability sector. She advises other women in sustainability to think big, embrace their voices, and leverage the industry’s dynamic growth. By taking risks, sharing ideas, and uplifting one another, Julia believes women can drive meaningful change in sustainability, reinforcing the sector’s capacity for innovation and equity.
Julia’s recognition as part of The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024 holds significant meaning for her and CleanCapital. Personally, it is a validation of her efforts to combat climate change through clean energy, while for CleanCapital, it reaffirms the company’s mission to lead in sustainable investment. Julia’s work not only exemplifies the impact of sustainability in finance but also sets a powerful example for women leaders worldwide. This award inspires Julia and her team to continue their bold pursuit of a sustainable and inclusive future, leveraging the power of clean energy to create lasting environmental change.
The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024
The SustainabilityX® Magazine proudly presents its third edition of the Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ for 2024. This annual recognition celebrates extraordinary female leaders who embrace boldness in their pursuit of groundbreaking sustainability initiatives, reshaping industries, and driving transformative change towards a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future.
This year also marks a broader strategic mission expansion for The SustainabilityX® Magazine, with a stronger focus on aligning with the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in addition to the original foundation of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This evolutionary expansion reflects the magazine’s ongoing commitment to advancing women's leadership in sustainability while championing social equity, environmental stewardship, and inclusive growth.
“Empowering women to lead in sustainability is at the heart of our mission,” says Supriya Verma, founder of The SustainabilityX® Magazine and one of Corporate Knights' Canada’s Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability Leadership and one of The Peak's Emerging Leaders. “These trailblazers are breaking barriers and redefining what sustainable leadership looks like—showing that it’s about more than policies and practices, but also about social justice, economic resilience, and a regenerative future.”
Rooted in the magazine's guiding pillars of environmental protection, economic prosperity, social inclusion, and ethical governance, The SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ showcases women from all sectors, industries, and regions, igniting crucial conversations on the intersection of gender equality and sustainable development.
Amidst global challenges and uncertainties, this year’s awards highlight the critical role of women in steering the world towards a more resilient, equitable future. With a continued digital format, the awards amplify voices across borders, bridging the gap between global sustainability efforts and local impact.
As Verma states, “The future of sustainability hinges on bold, inclusive leadership, and these women exemplify the courage and vision needed to transform our world. The SustainabilityX® Magazine remains steadfast in our mission to celebrate and elevate those who are shaping a future where every voice counts and every effort contributes to a thriving, sustainable world.”
View the full list: The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards 2024
Read the full press release: The SustainabilityX® Magazine Announces 3rd Annual Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ Under the Theme "Embrace Boldness"
About The SustainabilityX® Magazine
The SustainabilityX® Magazine is an award-winning, digital, female-founded, and female-led non-profit initiative bringing the environment and economy together for a sustainable future through dialogue, and now transforming the environment and economy for a sustainable future through the power of women's leadership. Founded on May 8, 2016, and inspired by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals by Canada's Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability Leadership awardee, Supriya Verma, the digital media initiative focuses on approaching the world's most pressing challenges with a holistic, integrated, systems-based perspective as opposed to the traditional and ineffective siloed approach with a single lens on interdisciplinary topics like climate and energy. This initiative ultimately seeks to explore how to effectively bring the environment and economy together through intellectual, insightful dialogue and thought-provoking discussion amongst individuals across sectors taking an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to untangling the intricate web of sustainability while championing women's leadership in sustainability.
The SustainabilityX® Magazine is built upon the four foundational pillars of sustainability: Environmental Stewardship, which emphasizes the importance of improving environmental health; Economic Prosperity, which promotes sustainable economic growth that transcends traditional capitalist models; Social Inclusion, which focuses on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) for BIPOC, LGBTQ, and other marginalized or vulnerable communities; and Just Governance, which highlights responsible leadership, the equal application of the rule of law, and the creation of fair systems for all.
As we expand our mission to align with the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), we continue to explore the diverse and interconnected factors that influence sustainability. By recognizing how these elements interact across local, national, and international levels, we aim to accelerate progress toward sustainability goals. In essence, this aligns with The SustainabilityX® Magazine's vision of integrating environmental and economic progress for a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future through thoughtful dialogue.
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The SustainabilityX® Magazine is a proud member of the Sustainable Journalism Partnership, serves as a cause-based media partner for various events such as WIRED Impact, and officially delivers remarks at international conferences such as UNESCO's annual World Press Freedom Day Conference.
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