Daniel Litvin

Daniel is Founder of Critical Resource, Senior Advisor to the Executive Committee of ERM, and author of Empires of Profit: Commerce, Conquest and Corporate Responsibility.

Background 

Daniel founded Critical Resource in 2006, and grew it to be a leading advisor to energy and mining firms and their investors on sustainability, ‘ESG’ and geopolitical risks. Critical Resource was acquired by ERM, the world’s largest pure-play sustainability consulting firm, in 2020. Daniel is now Senior Advisor to the Executive Committee of ERM.

Prior to Critical Resource, Daniel was a consultant and advisor to leadership at McKinsey & Company on ‘business in society’ issues. He was also a policy advisor to Rio Tinto, where he developed the company’s internal guidance on human rights and anti-corruption. He has also been a senior research fellow at Chatham House in London, specialising in the geopolitics of energy.

Daniel started his career at The Economist, where he worked as the magazine’s environment and resources correspondent, jointly winning the Wincott Award for young financial journalist of the year. His book Empires of Profit: Commerce, Conquest and Corporate Responsibility is a history of the political challenges facing big corporations, from the East India Company onward. Daniel holds an MSc in anthropology and development from LSE, and a BA in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford University.

Research interests

• Sustainability and geopolitical challenges associated with natural resource development
• Corporate strategies on climate change and ESG 
• Social and political pressures facing large corporations