Jana Platau-Wagner is the head of CSRD Policies and Engagement at Zurich Insurance Group, managing regulatory reporting functions across many entities within the business, ensuring timely implementation and alignment with regulations, and coordinating group-wide sustainability compliance and engagement efforts.
As well as her day-to-day, however, Platau-Wagner is also the joint chapter head for the Climate Cocktail Club, a platform that seeks to connect changemakers, impact leaders, and inspirational individuals, and drive meaningful actions on climate and nature.
“The Climate Cocktail Club is an event series for people who are a bit tired of trade fairs and large-scale sustainability events,” she says. “Of course, they have their time and place, but in these settings there’s not always the space to discuss the different layers and activities involved in climate action. The most interesting discussions, in many cases, happen outside of that realm.
“So, with that in mind, the Climate Cocktail Club was established to convene the same crowd but in a less formal setting — a relaxed environment that encourages conversation to flow.”
Reviving the Climate Cocktail Club
The Climate Cocktail Club was founded in Dublin, Ireland, in 2018, gradually gaining momentum before the pandemic put a brake on proceedings. This enforced hiatus is what prompted Platau-Wagner to get involved, as she explains.
“My Climate Cocktail Club story starts with a ticket I was unable to use,” she says. “Before the pandemic, there was a Climate Cocktail Club event scheduled – I was pregnant at the time, and I wasn’t feeling well, so I didn’t go. Little did I know, it was going to be the last Climate Cocktail Club for a very long time. I really regretted it.
“So, when the pandemic ended, I reached out to Tom (Popple, CEO and founder) about three or four times – pestering him a bit, to be honest – about bringing it back, and offering to get involved. Eventually, we met for coffee, and we decided to bring it back.”
Sharing ideas
Since its return, each Climate Cocktail Club event has been a full house, with the sustainability community now viewing it as a valuable resource. The club provides a space for people to reconnect, reflect, and explore future opportunities beyond just corporate reporting.
“When we decided to start it up again, there was so much focus on compliance, and reams and reams of standards, that there wasn’t a lot of space for remembering ‘why I love doing this’, you know?” Platau-Wagner adds. “The club is all about honesty – the real honesty that people are bringing about their ideas and whatever they’re working on. And with that comes huge motivation, and a lot of enthusiasm. It’s actually infectious.”
As she notes, since its foundation, the Climate Cocktail Club has helped build strong networks and connections among people from different sectors, such as research, corporate, NGOs, and law firms, which in turn have led to partnerships, sponsorships, and new causes being supported.
“It starts with friendship,” she says. “A lot of people have developed really good networks and really interesting connections with others that are driving climate action. Also, given that it’s a really diverse crowd, these are people that wouldn’t necessarily meet.”
Future expansion
While based in Dublin, the club has expanded to Galway and Cork, and is also introducing a one-day festival at Ballintubbert House, County Laois, in September, featuring speakers and new ideas aimed at bringing innovation and fresh perspectives to sustainability conversations. The club also recently announced a strategic partnership with Thinkhouse, to enhance its marketing presence.
Further afield, the establishment of a new chapter in London, and interest from Amsterdam, New York and San Francisco, hints at the creation of a potential global network for the concept.
“We have received queries from all over the world from volunteers that would like to run their own Climate Cocktail Club,” says Platau-Wagner, “and that’s what we’re working on at the moment – how to translate this into a scaleable platform that can be implemented in different countries.
“I’m quite excited to see what comes out of that, because I think a void has been created in this space, due to the regulatory changes taking place. That creates a lot of opportunity, however.”
Information on future Climate Cocktail Club events can be found here.
