Nelson Switzer

Nelson Switzer – The Gigacorn Hunter

Nelson Switzer is an investor, business strategist, bestselling author and keynote speaker who believes the world's biggest problems represent some of its greatest financial opportunities. Known as The Gigacorn Hunter, he has spent more than two decades exploring how capital markets can address the challenges they helped create while generating extraordinary economic value.

His philosophy is straightforward: solve a meaningful problem, create value in the process and build something worth following.

For Nelson, decarbonization is a commercial opportunity waiting to be realized. He challenges the idea that environmental progress must come at the expense of profitability, arguing that the companies capable of eliminating major economic inefficiencies could become some of the most valuable businesses of this century.

His perspective is grounded in engineering, corporate leadership and investing. Whether addressing executives, entrepreneurs or investors, Nelson Switzer brings evidence, commercial insight and a conviction that data beats dogma every time.

From Environmental Engineering to Global Business Leadership

Nelson Switzer began his career as an environmental engineer, developing the analytical mindset that continues to guide his investment decisions. He holds a Master of Engineering in environmental engineering from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Science from the University of New Brunswick.

Early in his career, he pioneered environmental risk valuation for asset managers, helping financial institutions understand and price risks they had traditionally overlooked. This work demonstrated that environmental considerations could be understood through the language of financial value.

It also led him to develop the principle of the restoration economy: the idea that restoring natural capital is fundamental to lasting economic prosperity.

Nelson subsequently held senior positions at PwC, Centrica and RBC before serving as Chief Sustainability Officer at Nestlé, one of the world's largest companies. These roles gave him firsthand experience of how strategy, investment decisions and operational realities intersect within major global organizations.

Across a 25-year career, he has advised more than 150 corporations, asset managers, governments and investors operating in nearly every country and region worldwide. From Wall Street and Silicon Valley to established businesses on the High Street, Nelson has worked with decision-makers responsible for deploying and protecting significant capital.

Throughout these experiences, his ambition has remained consistent: helping people and the planet prosper together.

Climate Gigacorns – Where Profit Meets Climate Impact

In 2020, Nelson Switzer co-founded a venture fund focused on identifying and investing in businesses that solve pervasive economic inefficiencies while creating outsized financial value.

This investment philosophy places commercial opportunity at the center of climate action. Rather than treating carbon reduction as the initial objective, Nelson looks for businesses whose solutions are so economically compelling that deep emissions reductions become an inherent outcome of their success.

He calls these businesses climate gigacorns.

A climate gigacorn is a venture with the potential to achieve a billion-dollar valuation while removing more than a billion tons of carbon from the economy.

For Nelson, these companies demonstrate why financial returns and environmental progress can reinforce one another. By addressing inefficiencies in the way economies operate, innovative businesses can create substantial wealth while contributing to a lower-carbon future.

His approach offers a different perspective on sustainability. Instead of focusing primarily on the costs of transition, he encourages investors and business leaders to identify where economic incentives can accelerate meaningful change.

The Gigacorn Hunter – Seven Principles for Climate Investors

Nelson Switzer shares his investment philosophy in his bestselling book, The Gigacorn Hunter: Seven Principles for a Climate Investor.

Drawing on decades of experience across engineering, corporate strategy and financial markets, the book presents a practical framework for understanding the emerging climate investment economy.

Nelson explores how investors can recognize opportunities where solving systemic problems creates significant commercial value. His ideas challenge familiar assumptions about sustainability, encouraging readers to evaluate climate solutions through evidence, scalability and economic potential.

His central argument is that capital markets have the capacity to address problems they helped create, provided the financial incentives are strong enough to drive action at scale.

As a speaker, Nelson brings these principles to life through real-world experience, strategic thinking and accessible explanations of complex financial and environmental challenges.

An Engaging Keynote Speaker on Climate Investing and Innovation

Book Nelson Switzer for your event to give audiences a fresh perspective on the relationship between climate action, business innovation and financial prosperity.

An experienced educator and keynote speaker, Nelson has taught at leading universities and regularly appears in global media. His presentations combine the analytical discipline of an engineer with the commercial instincts of an investor and the practical experience of a global business executive.

Audiences appreciate his authentic, direct communication style and his ability to make complex ideas easy to understand. He presents ambitious ideas without losing sight of the financial and operational realities facing businesses and investors.

His keynote presentations offer valuable perspectives on:

• Climate investing: Identifying opportunities where environmental solutions can generate exceptional financial returns.

• Decarbonization and business growth: Understanding why reducing carbon emissions can become a competitive and commercial advantage.

• The restoration economy: Exploring how restoring natural capital contributes to long-term economic prosperity.

• Climate gigacorns: Recognizing businesses capable of creating billion-dollar valuations alongside substantial carbon reductions.

• Sustainable business strategy: Applying financial discipline, data and practical experience to environmental challenges.

• Leadership and innovation: Challenging conventional assumptions and building the confidence to pursue bold solutions.

Nelson's presentations are particularly relevant for corporate leadership teams, financial institutions, investors, entrepreneurs and organizations seeking a commercially grounded perspective on the future of sustainability.

Book Nelson Switzer for Your Next Event

Nelson Switzer brings an unusual combination of technical expertise, global corporate leadership and hands-on investment experience to the stage. He understands the challenges facing established organizations as well as the opportunities emerging for businesses willing to rethink how value is created.

Those who know him describe a sharp-eyed strategist with a bias for bold action and a straight-talking approach. Behind his professional ambitions, Nelson is also a husband and father, giving his work a personal connection to the future he hopes to help shape.

His message resonates with audiences looking for more than familiar sustainability arguments. Nelson makes the case for action through commercial logic, compelling evidence and the belief that some of the greatest opportunities lie in problems the market has yet to solve.

Book Nelson Switzer as your keynote speaker for an engaging and thought-provoking presentation on climate investing, decarbonization, innovation and the economic opportunities of a changing world. His philosophy leaves audiences with a clear challenge: solve the problem, create value while doing it and set an example worth following.