Former US secretary of state John Kerry receives inaugural Impact Ireland Award
Business

Former US secretary of state John Kerry receives inaugural Impact Ireland Award

JOHN KERRY has been awarded the Impact Ireland Award at the inaugural Impact Ireland convention held in Dublin this month.

The former US Secretary of State was presented with his award by Taoiseach Simon Harris at the event held in the Mansion House on October 4.

With sustainability the overarching theme for the one-day convention, Mr Kerry was honoured for his “notable” leadership in environmental sustainability.

In 2015, he signed the Paris Agreement on climate change on behalf of the US.

In January 2021 he became the first person to hold the position of US special presidential envoy for climate, a role he held until earlier this year.

Kieran McLoughlin, John Kerry, Anne Finucane and Alan Foy at the inaugural Impact Ireland convention

In May he was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden.

The inaugural Impact Ireland event hosted lectures and sessions on topics including impact investing, decarbonisation and the transition to renewables and Ireland’s role as a global leader in sustainable finance.

Those in attendance included former Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who is chair of the Impact Ireland Global Advisory Council, Enterprise Ireland CEO Leo Clancy and U2 guitarist David Evans, better known as The Edge, who is the Chair of Endeavour Ireland, a non-proift organisation which helps entrepreneurs to upscale their business.