Rebecca Henderson

Rebecca Henderson is a professor at Harvard Business School. Before that, she was a professor at MIT where she learned that anything is possible. Her research focuses on the role the private sector can play in building a more sustainable economy, particularly how purpose-driven firms can help rebalance capitalism. For several years she taught a course on capitalism that served as the basis for her book, Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire, which was recently shortlisted for the Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year. Despite the dire nature of the climate, she insists on remaining hopeful, quoting Howard Zinn: "To be hopeful in hard times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness." Henderson believes that we can and will solve climate change.