Background
  • The United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released its sixth report (Sixth Assessment Report – AR6) in a series of reports that assess scientific, technical, and socio-economic information concerning climate change​
  • The report highlights that human influence has warmed the climate at a rate that is unprecedented in at least the last 2,000 years. Key findings include:​
    • In 2019, atmospheric CO2 concentrations were higher than at any time in at least 2 million years, and concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide were higher than at any time in the last 800,000 years​
    • Global surface temperature has increased faster since 1970 than in any other 50-year period over a least the last 2,000 years​
    • Global mean sea level has risen faster since 1900 than over any preceding century in at least the last 3,000 years​
    • Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are responsible for approximately 1.1°C of warming between 1850 and 1900​
    • Averaged over the next 20 years, the global temperature is expected to rise by 1.5°C or more
Company details and current scenario
  • ExxonMobil is one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world​
  • ExxonMobil has invested in green/clean energy, most notably in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), where it is the global leader and significantly ahead of competition​
  • However, ExxonMobil has also received criticism for not doing enough in this area: https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/features/oil-companies-renewable-energy/
Problem statement
  • Following the publication of the AR6 report and in the backdrop of the COP26 – Glasgow conference, hypothetically, ExxonMobil has now decided to make a major push into clean/renewable energy and to reduce its carbon footprint through an investment of US$30 billion in the next three years​
  • They have hypothetically hired your team to help them create an investment roadmap
Key Objectives (based on the above hypotheses)

The aim of the investments are twofold:​

  • Derive a greater share of revenues from clean/green energy and reduce their carbon footprint​
  • Drive growth and profits from these investments 
Key decisions to be made
  • Which areas of clean/green energy should ExxonMobil focus on, e.g., CCS, solar, wind, nuclear, etc.?​
  • In which countries should it invest to take maximum advantage of the eco-friendly regulatory environment?​
  • What should the nature of its investments be – organic or inorganic?​
  • Where, how, and at what pace should it invest the $30 billion over the next three years?​
  • Are there any feasible innovative / outside-the box ideas that can provide exponential growth or profit while still being related to clean energy and carbon footprint reduction?
Submission Process
  • MS PowerPoint deck, with supporting Excel, if needed​
  • The deck should be designed assuming that you are an Everest Group analyst making a presentation to the senior ExxonMobil management team, including the Chief Executive​
  • Deck structure​
  • Cover slide: select a team name with two members in each team; include the team name and team member names on the cover slide​
  • Slide 2: executive summary – key recommendations on the case solution​
  • Four to five pages of detailed content supporting your findings
Evaluation Criteria
  • Good structuring with sufficient breadth and depth to the solution​
  • Clarity of thought with frameworks and numerical analysis, if and where necessary​
  • Quality of executive summary (ability to succinctly cover key points)​
  • Feasible outside-the-box / innovative ideas​
  • Visual layout (a deck worthy of presenting to the CXO level)​