Hydrogen Council leaders convene at Global CEO Summit with unified call to deliver by 2030
More than 200 CEOs and senior leaders convene at the Hydrogen Council’s CEO Summit 2025 in Seoul to push for global hydrogen deployment by 2030. (Image: Hydrogen Council)
The Hydrogen Council’s Global CEO Summit 2025 brought together more than 200 CEOs and senior executives with a unified call: lead, build, deliver.
The Summit convened in Seoul, South Korea last week to discuss concrete steps to accelerate global deployment. The result: a unified call to deliver by 2030.
The Summit saw leaders endorsing Hydrogen 2030: Lead. Build. Deliver., a joint communiqué outlining the steps needed to accelerate deployment within the decade: reaffirm commitment, demand policy shifts, and utilise government partnerships.
Ivana Jemelkova, CEO of the Hydrogen Council, said: “As the world’s largest and only CEO-led hydrogen alliance, the Hydrogen Council is proud to have convened top global hydrogen leaders at this key moment.
“What stood out the most at the CEO Summit, was the collective focus on delivery – building projects, working hand-in-hand with governments to implement enabling policies, and forging stronger collaborations to continue hydrogen’s growth.”
What does the communiqué say?
François Jackow, CEO of Air Liquide and Co-Chair of the Hydrogen Council, said: “To successfully achieve our 2030 milestones, we must relentlessly focus on three things: building faster, establishing harmonised global standards to level the playing field and foster demand for low-carbon products, and ensuring bold coordinated public-private action to accelerate deployment.”
The communiqué lays out ten steps for achieving these milestones:
- Reaffirm commitment to clean hydrogen solutions.
- Note a clear shift in the industry from ambition to delivery – a $35 billion increase in global capital commitments to clean hydrogen energy compared to last year.
- Acknowledge attrition as an inevitable result of project pipelines maturing.
- Recognise global dynamics as China takes the lead – total volume of investment from China is $33 billion, followed by North America at $23 billion.
- Highlight a message of confidence and urgency – 8 out of 10 global CEOs expect the sector to continue to grow.
- Recognise demand as the next big test for the sector.
- Call for action on policy, standards and infrastructure.
- Applaud focused market activation initiatives – for example, the Global Hydrogen Mobility Alliance (GHMA).
- Appreciate strong partnerships with governments – particularly those involved in the International Hydrogen Trade Forum.
- Reaffirm Hydrogen Council’s leading role in the industry.
What is the Hydrogen Council?
The Hydrogen Council is the world’s largest and only CEO-led hydrogen alliance, and brings together 140 companies across more than 20 countries.
Representing $9 trillion in market capitalisation, the Council aims to align global strategy by unifying leaders across the world.
The Council acts as a market catalyst and key voice of industry, and this couldn’t be clearer than in this recent communiqué. Over 200 leading voices in the hydrogen market came together to emphasise a need for advancement.
In conclusion
Jaehoon Chang, Vice Chair of Hyundai Motor Group and Co-Chair of the Hydrogen Council, outlined the Global CEO Summit: “This CEO Summit underscored a decisive shift for the hydrogen industry, moving beyond ambition to action as leaders aligned on practical steps to unlock demand, scale infrastructure and accelerate global collaboration.
“The message from Seoul is clear: with solid policy support and strong public-private collaboration, the industry will deliver real impact.”
