Prof. Geoffrey Lipman, Brussels, Belgium
Professor Geoffrey Lipman is Creative Disruption Architect and Director of greenearth.travel, a global think tank network promoting green growth & travelism (travel & tourism) and specializing in strategy, innovation & funding.
Prof. Lipman is an Adjunct Professor of Victoria University Australia; Visiting Professor of Hasselt University BE; Visiting Professor of Oxford Brookes University UK; Senior Tourism Research Fellow, George Washington University US; and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council. He has written/lectured widely on tourism strategy, sustainability, and liberalization. In 2012, he launched at the Rio+20 Earth Summit a new compendium of leadership ideas from 50 of the best thinkers inside and outside the sector – “Green Growth & Travelism: Letters from Leaders.”
Lipman was Executive Director IATA, first President of the WTTC, and Assistant Secretary-General for UNWTO. He has served on public and private sector boards in Africa, Europe, the Middle East & Canada, and on the EU Commissions on Airline Liberalization and on Tourism Employment. He is the President of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP).
Lipman is currently leading the SUNx – Strong Universal Network – a new system for tourism destinations and stakeholders to build Climate Resilience in line with the targets of the Paris Agreement through Climate Friendly Travel. It is managed by the Belgian-based not-for-profit Green Growth & Travelism Institute (GGTI).
Lipman said:
“I’m pleased to be part of this community: though hardly deserving – having learned over 3 happy careers as Executive Director in IATA, President of WTTC, and Assistant Secretary General for UNWTO that the best path to safety and security is to listen to the real experts and help the sector go with the mainstream flow.
“I have been fortunate to have as a friend and mentor for 25 years the incredible Maurice Strong who was a primary architect for over half a century for today’s global UN Sustainability Framework… notably, the SDGs with their 2030 Targets and the Paris Accord with its 2050 existential hard stop.
“This why in my last phase of the lifecycle, I am so committed to SUNx Malta (Strong Universal Network – a legacy for Maurice) with our Climate Friendly Travel credo ~ Low Carbon: SDG linked: Paris 1.5 trajectory.
“We believe that every company in the massive Travel & Tourism ecosystem can deliver on Climate Friendly Travel with 2030 and 2050 as strategic planning markers. And we are not just preaching: we are providing tools – a Climate Friendly Travel Diploma for Distance Training and a Registry of Climate Neutral & Sustainabilty Ambitions as a tracking guide. Our goal is to inspire 100,000 STRONG Climate Champions across all UN States by 2030.
“I am grateful also to my friend Leslie Vella of the Malta Tourism Authority for having the vision to share this last journey with me and Olly Wheatcroft. We are taking it for our grandkids.”