Announcing the 2025 TD Walter Bean Professor in Environment
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The University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Environment is proud to welcome Sir Andrew Steer, KCMG, PhD, as the TD Walter Bean Professor in Environment for 2025.
This fall, Sir Andrew Steer will visit campus to deliver two lectures that speak to our moment: how we as leaders, innovators, and citizens must respond to the defining environmental challenges of our time. His lectures will explore the intersections of climate, nature, and global development, and will spark critical dialogue on how we shape a more sustainable future locally and globally.
Sir Andrew brings decades of global leadership on climate and sustainability. He is the former President of the Bezos Earth Fund, a $10 billion initiative to address climate change and nature loss, and previously served as President and CEO of the World Resources Institute. He held senior roles at the World Bank and was Director General at the UK Department for International Development, with over a decade of experience shaping sustainable development policy in East Asia.
Currently, a Distinguished Professor of Economics and Sustainability at both the London School of Economics and Georgetown University, he is also co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Innovative Financing for Nature and Climate, a member of the UK Foreign Policy Board, and serves on the board of BRAC, the world’s largest development NGO.
In 2024, Sir Andrew was knighted for his contributions to sustainable development and named by Forbes as one of the 50 most impactful climate leaders.
His visit aligns closely with Waterloo’s growing efforts through the Future Cities Institute Founded by CAIVAN and our commitment to Waterloo at 100 and the Global Futures initiative through Environment 2035, which seeks to address the complex, interconnected challenges of urbanization, sustainability, and climate adaptation. His insights will help advance the Faculty and University’s mission to connect world-leading knowledge with real-world impact.
The TD Walter Bean Professorship brings outstanding international and national leaders and researchers to Waterloo to deepen our collective capacity to address pressing environmental issues. The Professorship was established in honour of Walter Bean’s enduring legacy of community leadership, environmental stewardship, and dedication to youth and education. We thank TD Canada Trust for their generous support and shared commitment to a sustainable future.
