WSGESD-2025

Patrick Crehan is the Brussels based founder of CKA, a firm that provides support topublic and private entities,on the design and execution of strategies for future growth.Earlier work ranged over Information technologies, networking and social media, food and agriculture, energy, mobility and the built environment. His main current interest is the de-fossilisation of aviation and maritime transport, based on the use of sustainable biofuels from agricultural and urban waste. Over the years, his approach to enabling growth has shifted. Where he used to talk about innovation and change, he now talks about transformation. Where he used to talk about technology, he now focuses on transition finance. His goal is to help clients accelerate their transition to net zero. A challenge which requires wholesystem thinking. Patrick considers that the fundamental problem of transition finance is to mobilize project finance for very large numbers of small, technical projects, subject to unfamiliar risks such as extreme weather events. Techniques exist for reducing the transaction costs to manageable levels, but they require working with local governments, development banks and NGOs, as well as private investors. He is currently working on the creation of a bio-fuel fund specialized in upstream supply chain development for the production of biofuels and biocommodities in India.