The Earthshot Prize has named Jesper Brodin, the former chief executive of IKEA, as its incoming Chair of the Board.
Mr Brodin, widely recognised as a leading figure in corporate sustainability, succeeds Christiana Figueres in the role.
Ms Figueres will transition to a position on the Prize Council.
The appointment comes as the environmental initiative reaches the halfway mark of its decade-long mission to identify and support innovative solutions for planetary restoration.
The Prince of Wales, who founded and serves as President of The Earthshot Prize, expressed his gratitude to the outgoing chairperson
|GETTY
Prince William, who founded and serves as President of The Earthshot Prize, expressed his gratitude to the outgoing chair.
He said: "I am deeply grateful to Christiana for her outstanding leadership, unrivalled expertise and unrelenting optimism in inspiring action.
“The Earthshot Prize embodies these values, and Christiana has played a pivotal role in shaping the Prize and championing the solutions of our Finalists."
Welcoming his successor, the royal added: "Jesper has shown how business can drive prosperity for our planet, which will be invaluable to our Earthshot community."
The Prize has supported 75 Finalists to date and distributed £25 million in funding, whilst helping to generate more than $500 million in additional investment.
The Prize has supported 75 Finalists to date and distributed £25 million in funding, whilst helping to generate more than $500 million in additional investment.
|GETTY
These backed initiatives have safeguarded over one million square kilometres of land and ocean, diverted 250,000 tonnes of waste from landfill, and reduced carbon emissions by 4.8 million tonnes.
This November, Mumbai will host the sixth annual Awards ceremony, where five new winners will each receive £1 million alongside a global platform to expand their environmental solutions.
Last month, Mumbai was selected to host The Earthshot Prize 2026 at a special event held during the Indian city's first-ever Climate Action Week.
Prince William founded the prize in 2020 to encourage urgent environmental action and optimism.
Prince William expressed his enthusiasm for the choice of host city, stating: "We must continue to look to the future with urgency and optimism, which is why I am delighted that Mumbai will host The Earthshot Prize 2026."
|GETTY
Mumbai's selection reflects India's growing prominence in climate and nature efforts, with the country demonstrating that protecting the environment can simultaneously fuel economic development.
Prince William expressed his enthusiasm for the choice of host city, stating: "We must continue to look to the future with urgency and optimism, which is why I am delighted that Mumbai will host The Earthshot Prize 2026."
The royal highlighted India's significance in the global environmental movement, describing the nation as "one of the world's most important forces for climate and nature" and noting that successful initiatives there could "inspire progress everywhere."
He also pointed to India's demographic advantage, remarking: "With the largest population of young people in the world, there is a real sense of momentum to not only imagine a better future, but to inspire change and make it a reality."
The prince emphasised the collective goal of repairing and restoring the planet by 2030.
The Earthshot Prize draws its inspiration from President John F. Kennedy's 1962 "Moonshot" challenge, which aimed to put a man on the moon within a decade.
Prince William launched the initiative in 2020 to generate a similar collective ambition for environmental causes.
This year's competition will highlight 15 pioneering environmental solutions across five categories: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean our Air; Revive our Oceans; Build a Waste-Free World; and Fix our Climate. These categories were developed with input from leading environmental experts.
Five years into what organisers call the "Earthshot decade," the prize has uncovered more than 5,600 emerging environmental innovations from 156 countries.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter