2026 Jon Goldstein Memorial Lecture: An Evening with Richard Sandor

We are honored to present the 2026 Jon Goldstein Memorial Lecture featuring Richard Sandor, widely recognized as the "father of financial futures" and a visionary architect of environmental financial markets. This special evening will take the form of an intimate fireside chat, where Dr. Sandor will discuss his latest work, Carbon Hunters: Reflections and Forecasts of Climate Markets in the 21st Century.

Our Speaker: Dr. Richard Sandor 

Richard L. Sandor (Ph.D., Dr. sc. h. c.) is an entrepreneur and economist who invents markets. He is currently Chairman and CEO of Environmental Financial Products (EFP). EFP specializes in inventing, designing and developing new financial markets. EFP was established in 1998 and was the predecessor company and incubator to the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), the European Climate Exchange (ECX), the Chicago Climate Futures Exchange (CCFE), the Tianjin Climate Exchange (TCX) and the American Financial Exchange (AFX), of which Dr. Sandor also serves as Chairman Emeritus.

Among Dr. Sandor’s academic roles, he is currently the Aaron Director Lecturer in Law and Economics at the University of Chicago Law School and an honorary Professor at the School of Economics at Fudan University and the University of Hong Kong. He formerly taught at graduate and undergraduate levels at several universities throughout the United States and lectures widely throughout Europe and Asia.

His civic honors include recognition from the City of Chicago as the “Father of Financial Futures.” In 2002 he was named by TIME Magazine a “Hero of the Planet.” In 2007 as one of the magazine’s “Heroes of the Environment” for his work as the “Father of Carbon Trading.” And in October 2013, Dr. Sandor was awarded the title of Chevalier dans la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honor) in France, for his accomplishments in the field of environmental finance and carbon trading.

Among his board appointments, Dr. Sandor is a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Financial Stability, a member of the Advisory Board of the Digital Dollar Project, a senior Fellow of the Milken Institute and a member of the Advisory Committee of the Ronald Coase Centre for Property Rights Research at the University of Hong Kong. He formerly served on the boards of leading commodity and futures exchanges in the U.S., such as the CME and ICE, and in London and China, as well as North America’s largest utility company, American Electric Power Company (AEP), and several philanthropic and non-for-profit organizations.

He authored and co-authored numerous academic and popular press publications including: “Good Derivatives: A Story of Financial and Environmental Innovation;” “Environmental Markets: A New Asset Class,” published by the CFA Institute Research Foundation; “Sustainable Investing and Environmental Markets: Opportunities in a New Asset Class,” “How I Saw It: Analysis and Commentary on Environmental Finance (1999–2005),” and “Electronic Trading and Blockchain: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” published by World Scientific. His books have also been translated in Chinese by People's Oriental Press. His latest book, “Carbon Hunters: Reflections and Forecasts of Climate Markets in the 21st Century,” was also published by World Scientific in September 2025. 

His educational milestones include an earned Bachelor of Arts degree from the City University of New York, Brooklyn College, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Minnesota. In addition, he holds an honorary degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa, from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH).

Professor Tom Holmes will guide the conversation, exploring Dr. Sandor's insights on the past, present, and future of climate markets, the lessons learned from decades of environmental trading, and the innovations needed to meet the climate challenges ahead. The evening will conclude with an opportunity for audience members to engage directly with Dr. Sandor during an open Q&A session.

Join us for this thought-provoking dialogue as we continue the tradition of the Jon Goldstein Memorial Lecture in bringing together leaders and innovators to address the most pressing issues of our time.