The Sun Valley Forum Rises to Become the Sun Valley Summit
Where leaders don’t just convene, they act.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – KETCHUM, IDAHO, October 16, 2026 The Sun Valley Forum today announced it is now the Sun Valley Summit, a name that reflects its track record of action. Since 2015 more than 2,200 leaders from over 20 nations representing $12 trillion in assets have come together to act with ambition and urgency to protect and restore nature to ensure humanity’s security and wellbeing.
The results are tangible, from unlocking growth capital for early-stage nature tech companies to moving millions of dollars in public investment for wildfire resilience. Participants have included more than 575 international CEOs, 166 next-generation leaders, 20+ Indigenous leaders, 25+ government officials, and over 25 journalists to advance critical solutions for a resilient world. The 12th Summit will take place June 13-17, 2027 at the Sun Valley Resort.
The Sun Valley Forum has convened leaders across business, government, science, conservation, and philanthropy, including U.S. Senator Cory A. Booker, Patagonia President Jenna Johnson, renowned oceans leaders Dr. Sylvia Earle and Philippe Cousteau, National Audubon Society CEO Dr. Elizabeth Gray, Nez Perce Tribal Chairman Shannon Wheeler, youth climate leaders Xiye Bastida and Emmy Scott, as well as CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir and Bloomberg Climate and Environment Reporter Leslie Kaufman. Leaders from Microsoft, Accenture, The Nature Conservancy, Woodwell Climate Research Center and the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy have spoken on stage.
“Sun Valley Summit reflects who we are: a community of ambitious leaders who arrive with urgency to act for nature to ensure security and prosperity. We make the deals that matter,” said Aimée Christensen, founder and curator of the Sun Valley Summit. “The name also honors the place where we first gathered, surrounded by five mountain ranges that inspire us with their beauty and challenge us to reach new heights. In Sun Valley and at our convenings around the world, we share strategies, build collaborations, spark new initiatives and mobilize resources to scale impact together.”
“Exploring, protecting, and restoring the ocean has been my family’s calling for three generations and that mission only succeeds when it’s connected to the broader work for a livable planet. That takes the kind of bold, cross-sector collaboration the Sun Valley Summit has come to define.” – Philippe Cousteau, CEO and Co-Founder of Voyacy Regen.
The Sun Valley Summit is hosted by Christensen Global, a Ketchum, Idaho-based global sustainability advisory firm and attracts leaders and innovators from business, government, philanthropy, finance, art, education, and media to advance transformative solutions for the planet and people. The event highlights the strategies, technologies, business models and financing that can power the urgent transformation of our energy and food systems, restoration of nature and revitalization of communities across the globe.
Rooted in Idaho and with global reach, the Summit creates a space for local solutions to inform global priorities, and for resources and relationships to advance work in Idaho and around the world. The Sun Valley Summit is not just a place to exchange ideas, but an accelerator for collaboration, connecting the right people to take action.
The Summit’s Community Partnerships are the foundation for its year-round action, supporting gatherings from New York to Davos and funding the Summit’s new Youth Fellowship for leaders under 35 to access capital, convenings, and mentorship, including via the Summit’s Intergenerational Impact Hub, a virtual platform for exchanging resources to advance shared goals.
“We are honored that the inaugural Sun Valley Summit Community Partner is the National Audubon Society, an organization of global renown, with over 125 years of protecting nature, and one that – like the Summit – builds bridges between those from differing perspectives and experiences, which is so urgent at this moment,” said Christensen.
Join us for the 12th Sun Valley Summit | June 13-17, 2027 at the Sun Valley Resort
Learn more about becoming a partner at www.sunvalleysummit.org
Media Packet available here and Summit media passes are available.
About Christensen Global
Christensen Global is a sustainability advisory firm developing, accelerating, and scaling solutions to protect and restore nature for a more resilient world. At this time of urgency and opportunity for restoring our planet, our mission is to achieve collective well-being by building a just, resilient, and thriving world guided by vision and grounded by expertise, inspired by nature, leveraging the strength of story, building community and expanding empowerment. Christensen Global clients have included Duke Energy, the Global Ocean Commission, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, Microsoft, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, United Nations Foundation, and the Virgin Group. Founder Aimée Christensen is a Hillary Institute Global Laureate, an Aspen Institute Catto Fellow, and an Idaho Business Review Woman of the Year.
Contact: Aimée Christensen, Founder & CEO, Christensen Global & Host, Sun Valley Summit | 208-721-8619 | aimee@christensenglobal.com or Ella Slayton, Communications & Executive Engagement Lead, Sun Valley Summit | 978-701-3433 | ella@christensenglobal.com
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