We Care,
Therefore We Dare
About
The JUTI Story
A seed was planted during the COVID pandemic... an audit of my life confirmed what I'd been feeling for a while in my gut: I no longer believed in the theory of change that I had been servicing my whole professional life. For two decades I had worked at the intersection of climate change and development – as an economist, diplomat, advocate, and coalition builder at some of the leading organizations at the vanguard of change – driven by and wholly committed to the idea that good ideas, backed with good data, put in the hands of powerful actors would lead to good outcomes. And the belief that was the path to conquering the interrelated crises of climate change, rampant environmental devastation, and widening inequality, and extending the reach of dignity to all.
The Just Transitions Incubator (JUTI) was born from the conviction that the path to a brighter future can only be blazed and paved by intrepid pioneers venturing beyond the bounds of today's known and normal, anchored in communities they serve and compelled by a vibrant vision of a better future to be had. To subvert Descartes, our driving motto at JUTI is: “We care, therefore we dare”. We are motivated by the conviction that it isn’t just more or faster action that is needed, but a different quality of action altogether.
We are committed to this new approach. One that, beyond technocratic solutions in a ‘climate box’, embraces and enables full-spectrum action across the whole of society in a green and inclusive transition. That instead of alleviating or remediating symptoms of a failing, extractive and exploitative economic model is oriented towards creating a regenerative economy that is inclusive, nature-positive and climate-safe by design. One that embodies the commitment to inclusion and diversity, holds space for localized expressions and experimentations and seeks to build trust, understanding and collaboration across cultures and silos. One that honours cultural heritage as a source of practical wisdom, works with what currently exists, believes in the ingenuity, agency and capability of local actors and is committed to strengthening local ecosystems driving bottom-up systems change. One that engages with powerful incumbents and helps them see themselves in a constructive way in the transition to a decarbonized and climate-resilient future. One that redefines ‘pragmatic’ as transformative change rather than a greener status quo and seeks to build consensus around a more desirable vision for development, that as a by-product delivers a decarbonized and climate-resilient economy.
Leo Horn-Phathanothai
Founder of JUTI
Our Mission
Our mission is to empower transformative action for a just transition to a inclusive, climate-safe future. We do this by nurturing local change agents and incubating local initiatives that demonstrate viable and equitable pathways to a regenerative society.
Our Values
Our values are our compass, they guide every decision we make and define our culture as an organization. We are committed to each not just as means - core to the way we work - but also as ends in themselves. They reflect the qualities needed for a just transition to a regenerative future.
Care
We aim to protect and improve the health and well-being of individuals, enhance community resilience and promote good stewardship of nature, while respecting local cultures and contexts. We believe in holistic action rooted in care, for each other and for nature
Courage
The urgency and high stakes of our work calls for bold action: we must dare to step beyond the bounds of the known and comfortable, commit to clear choices and aim for moonshots, and be ready to seize fleeting windows of opportunity as they open up. We are undaunted by risk, difficulty or resistance and build trust through integrity, openness and accountability
Creativity
Problem-solving to alleviate or remediate symptoms rather than address root causes only prolongs the structures that reproduce the bad outcomes we strive against. By defaulting to what we know, we are bound to recreate what we have. We see our climate, ecological and inequality crises not as problems to fix, but as invitations to imagine and to find better paths forward to a more desirable future
Collaboration
Fostering radical collaboration across silos and cultures is key to driving the quality of change we seek. We start by listening and are genuine about co-creation with others. We work to uplift partners and forge new constellations of action, strengthening ecosystems for sustained, locally-led change
Learning
We are thoroughly pragmatic, curious and non-dogmatic in our approach. We believe in iterative experimentation and learning from doing, evolving our practice and solutions in light of lessons learned and codifying and sharing these widely
Approach
We are radically inclusive in that we commit to enabling full-spectrum action and engagement across society: we work with partners to unlock the agency of economic, political, cultural actors in the region and localize ambitious climate action. We seek first to work with what exists, watering seeds of courageous local action and leadership. Our approach has three parts:
1) Support and equip high-potential local actors to grow and amplify their impact. This includes providing strategic advisory support, leadership development & coaching, creative visioning, organizational strengthening, fundraising support.
2) Orchestrate mission-based collaboration – bringing together key actors in an ecosystemic approach behind shared 'moonshot' missions (e.g. clean energy transition, clean air, green finance, sustainable industrialization, blue economy). This includes producing agenda setting thought leadership pieces that help crystalize and seed a mission idea, and co-creating cooperation, investment and policy roadmaps for action behind each mission.
3) Cultural production / narrative shift –including engaging and empowering creatives whose work: (a) increases the public’s sense of urgency; (b) reframes the challenge and the solutions; (c) changes how people think and feel about them. Help foster a new generation of creatives dedicated to environmental justice and the clean energy transition.
Our People
Founder
Leo is an author, strategist, ecosystem builder, and advocate working to accelerate green transitions in Southeast Asia. Leo was previously a Senior Director at the World Resources Institute (WRI) for 12 years, most recently heading the WRI UK office. He played an instrumental role in the organization’s rapid growth from 300 to >2,500 experts, expanding its global reach and impact to over 60 countries. Before that, Leo was an environmental economist at the United Nations, the World Bank, and the UK Government.
Adviser
Ingo is a Founding Partner of South Pole Group, a global market leader in the use of results-based/performance-based incentives systems to drive the transformation to the low carbon society world-wide, and as a means to facilitate cooperative actions among stakeholders and within supply chains. He is an optimist who believes that the world urgently needs and is full of transformative opportunities and business models to restore and create social and environmental capital at scale, affecting how we consume, feed ourselves, use energy, communicate and transact with each other positively.
Special Assistant
Apisara brings a unique blend of educational and administrative proficiency to her role. With a Bachelor of Education (English Major) from Silpakorn University, Apisara's academic foundation is complemented by her extensive professional experience. In her role as an academic program coordinator at Mahidol University, she demonstrated exceptional organizational skills. Additionally, Apisara has a beginner-level proficiency in German, further enhancing her ability to support diverse tasks within our team and ensure smooth administrative operations.
Engagement Lead
Connector, researcher and lifetime learner with experience in sustainability, climate, China's BRI and Chinese NGO going out Yuyin is a dedicated advocate with two decades experience advancing sustainable development. She is commited to fostering trust and collaboration among individuals from diverse nations. Her passion lies in connecting people, conducting research, and sharing innovative ideas and knowledge in the fields of environmental protection, gender equity, and social justice.
Transition Strategist
Sam is a cultural entrepreneur and community builder based in Southeast Asia, who has helped create and curate initiatives and communities like Seapunk, WisdomHaus, Regen Hub SEA, DAO Asia Summit, and the Digital Humanities Un-College.
He has previously consulted and collaborated with organizations like Samsung, Li & Fung, HSBC, LVMH, EdTech Asia, and Digital Asia Hub on projects involving innovation, strategy, design, deep human learning, and culture change.
Public Campaign & Strat Comms Lead
This could be you! We're hiring; reach out to apisara@strategy613.com to indicate interest.
Finance and Accounting
This could be you! We're hiring; reach out to apisara@strategy613.com to indicate interest.
Stakeholder Engagement Lead
This could be you! We're hiring; reach out to apisara@strategy613.com to indicate interest.
The Core Team behind Bangkok Climate Action Week