John Crowley
Understanding the challenges of ecological transition and the practical tools to achieve it
John Crowley is the President of the PHGD Group, which brings together various companies active in consulting on environmental and social transformations as well as in renewable energy solutions, notably the Flexeole project for reinventing small wind energy. The Group works closely with two associations chaired by John that deploy the same ideas within a framework of general interest: Catharsis and the French Committee of the Club of Rome. As a consultant, an internationally recognized expert in sustainable development, he carries innovative tools of trust and common health, serving both territories and businesses. An experienced speaker, equally comfortable in English and French, John offers both technical and general audiences a conceptual and practical understanding of the challenges of ecological transition. Before founding the PHGD Group in 2021, he spent 18 years at UNESCO, where he led the Research, Policy and Foresight Section from 2014 to 2021. He had previously been responsible for the ethics of science and technology and global environmental change. Before joining UNESCO, he worked as an economist in the oil industry (1988-95) and as a researcher at the National Foundation for Political Science in France (Center for International Studies and Research, 1995-2002). From 2002 to 2015, he was the editor-in-chief of the International Review of Social Sciences, published by UNESCO. He is the author of several books and about a hundred articles and chapters of academic works. As a speaker in his various fields of intervention, John emphasizes highlighting the connections between the frameworks of understanding the world - sometimes abstract, even unconscious - and the practical capacities to act within it. Climate change is exemplary: a prospective and probabilistic analysis framework, derived from highly complex interdisciplinary sciences, it is at the same time a subject of public debate and political controversy. It is important to grasp what it means, in both senses of the term: the meaning it has, and the consequences it implies. In line with his consulting practice, John extends this approach to all fields of ecological transition, emphasizing the necessity of thinking them in an integrated manner. Here is the list of conferences he has given in 2024-26, on ecological transition as well as on other subjects for which his expertise is internationally recognized. March 20, 2024, "The museum of the future", Apheleia Annual Meeting, Mação, Portugal July 13, 2024, "The path to a Culture Goal", Kaustinen Folk Music Festival, Finland September 20, 2024, "Science, technology and the human condition", University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China September 21, 2024, "Shadows of the past, shadows of the future", Congress of the 75th anniversary of the International Council of Philosophy and Human Sciences, Beijing, China October 24, 2024, "Traces of the South", University of Evora, Portugal February 27, 2025, "Generalizing Capital", Apheleia Conference Series (remote intervention) April 8, 2025, "Does culture need its own SDG?", Apheleia Annual Meeting, Mação, Portugal (master of ceremonies) June 16, 2025, Symposium "The butterfly effect - sustainable food", Boulogne-Billancourt (master of ceremonies) September 27, 2025, "The Culture Goal: from necessity to reality", Mondiacult Conference of UNESCO, Barcelona October 7, 2025, "The fluid dynamics of culture", Academy of the International Council of Philosophy and Human Sciences, Excelia School, Cachan October 29, 2025, "Open science in theory and practice", European Informatics Leaders Summit, Rennes January 12, 2026, "The SDG Culture: from necessity to reality", Meeting of the Canadian French Cultural Federation, Ottawa March 23, 2026, "Imagination and Possibility", Apheleia Annual Meeting, Mação, Portugal May 7, 2026, "Rethinking management education in the face of artificial intelligence", Excelia School, Tours May 12, 2026, "Ageing as a comprehensive social challenge", 9th Geriatrics and Gerontology Course, Ankara, Turkey (remote intervention)
Prices
- Conference : 2500 €
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My conferences
Measuring the Invisible to Succeed in the Ecological Transition
If the ecological transition appears costly - perhaps too costly in the eyes of some for them to be willing to engage in it - it is because its costs and benefits are poorly measured. Essential elements of economic calculation, particularly natural capital, are most often completely overlooked. Yet the tools exist, both technical and conceptual. And when we use them, we are better able to assess the costs and benefits of engaging in the ecological transition. To understand this, it is important to focus on four questions. 1. How, traditionally, do we integrate elements of natural capital into public and private accounting? Answer: we do not, just as we do not integrate human capital. 2. What tools do we have today to do better? Answer: powerful and technically sound approaches that allow us to appreciate the value, for example, of ecosystem services based on the human and technological costs they avoid. 3. How, in practice, do we use such tools? Answer: it is complicated, because we can only define something as "capital" if we assign someone the responsibility for its creation and maintenance. Taking the notion of natural capital seriously opens the complex and essential debate on the legal status of non-human entities. But fortunately, we can make concrete progress without having to solve everything. 4. Does assigning an economic value to non-human entities pose a problem? Answer: yes, if that is all we do. Indeed, economic value is only one dimension of value, which itself can only be understood through the values that make certain things appear important or precious to us. Fully thinking about the ecological transition means equipping ourselves with technical valuation tools, while never forgetting that they are just tools.
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Who am I?
What I did before becoming a speaker
I have always been a speaker: as a university researcher, as an international civil servant, today as an entrepreneur of ideas and technologies, public speaking and transmission have always been essential.
What excites me about working as a speaker
Listening to the reactions.
My memory of speaking in public for the first time
The astonishment of achieving it, despite the nerves, the pathological adolescent shyness, the lack of technical background.
The choice that most changed my trajectory
I have had three professional breaks, all chosen: from industry to university, from university to the United Nations, from the United Nations to entrepreneurship. None was natural; each enriched me.
What a normal day looks like for me
The management of my companies and associations: administration, strategy, team management, technical oversight...
The passions and interests that are part of my life
Sports, music, politics, literature.
What I'm reading, watching, or learning right now
I just finished Kolkhoze by Emmanuel Carrère. An author I really like, a book that marked me, as it resonates with many aspects of my own family history.
Positioning & expertise
What concrete problem I can help your audience solve
To capture all that is positive in the transformation of what prevents us from moving forward.
My specialty in one sentence
Understanding ecological transition as an essential human issue.
The field experience behind my message
The rare combination of industrial experience, research work, scientific diplomacy, and entrepreneurship closely tied to SMEs and local authorities.
Which types of organizations I'm the best fit for
All those who, in the face of emergencies, do not find the time to think.
The method, framework, or philosophy I stand for
As a consultant, I use methods and frameworks - such as the Trust Tree or common health. But I do not define myself by them and do not wish to be confined to their promotion. If I have a philosophy, it is deeply skeptical.
Results & credibility
Career highlights I want to emphasize
Direct experience in international negotiations - on climate, on scientific integrity, on the Sustainable Development Goals.
Clients and sectors that have trusted me
International organizations, universities, industrial SMEs, public administrations.
Speaking style
My energy on stage
Professor-like, but constantly attentive to the audience, always with humor.
Inspirational keynote vs hands-on workshop; improvisation vs tight structure — how I work
I do both, and I master the difference well. And it is because I have a precise structure that I can improvise, even if it means shaking up the planned structure. Every musician knows this.
How I customize content and how much I tailor to you
The content is completely customizable. I do not believe in ready-made speeches, and I never give exactly the same talk, even when the themes are very similar.
The emotion or mindset I want people to leave with
The desire to change, the confidence to experiment.
Format
On-site, remote, or hybrid: what I accept and prefer
I do a lot of remote work: I know its limits well, but also the advantage of reaching audiences that would otherwise be out of reach. I much prefer in-person events, but I have no red lines.
Limits & transparency
How I handle a difficult or low-energy audience
By inviting them to express themselves.
If tech fails: how I respond
I never rely on my aids and I know how to project my voice. A failure, we make it a shared joke.
How I handle tough questions and running over time
I am always ready to take the time. And no question is difficult as long as we accept not to have the answer. The unanswered question is an invitation to go further - together.
What can derail a session, in my view — and how I prevent it
Forgetting the audience. To guard against this, look at them, feel them, listen to them.
Logistics & organization
What technical setup I need on site
Nothing that is indispensable to me: I have been adapting to the most diverse contexts for 30 years. But preferably a microphone that doesn't occupy my hands and the ability to show images while controlling them with a remote.
My tech rider or logistics document
No. My needs are very modest and flexible.
How early I usually arrive before the event
It depends on the distance and the schedule. But I like to have two hours of leeway to prepare.
Whether I travel internationally and if I need an interpreter
Yes. I have a lot of experience traveling around the world. I am perfectly bilingual in French and English, and I manage quite well in German, Spanish, Russian... In China, however, I need an interpreter.
My slides, filming, and reusing recordings
Yes. It needs to flow.
My availability before/after, networking, meet & greet
Yes. It's quite sad otherwise: I also come to learn and discover. I prefer the discussion afterwards: it's nice to have a little bubble beforehand.
Working together
Why organizers like working with me
I am friendly and approachable, very reliable in my commitments (I would never cancel because I have a better offer), flexible in the face of technical and logistical constraints.