BIOGRAPHY
Christiana Figueres is an internationally recognised leader on global climate change.
She was Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 2010-2016. Assuming responsibility for the international climate change negotiations after the failed Copenhagen conference of 2009, she was determined to lead the process to a universally agreed regulatory framework. Building toward that goal, she directed the successful Conferences of the Parties in Cancun 2010, Durban 2011, Doha 2012, Warsaw 2013, and Lima 2014, and culminated her efforts in the historical Paris Agreement of 2015.
Throughout her tenure, Ms. Figueres brought together national and sub-national governments, corporations and activists, financial institutions and communities of faith, think tanks and technology providers, NGOs and parliamentarians, to jointly deliver the unprecedented climate change agreement. Christiana Figueres has been credited with forging a new brand of collaborative diplomacy through her work.
Since then Christiana Figueres has continued to accelerate the global response to climate change. Today she is the co-founder of Global Optimism, co-host of the podcast “Outrage & Optimism” and is the co-author of the recently published book, “The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis”. She is a member of the B Team, non executive Board member of ACCIONA and non executive Board member of Impossible Foods.
After graduating from Swarthmore College, Christiana Figueres went on to achieve a Master’s Degree in Anthropology from the London School of Economics and later a certificate in Organisational Development from Georgetown university.
Her illustrious career started within public service as the Minister Counselor at the Embassy of Costa Rica in Germany in 1982. Along her journey she has received honorary doctorate degrees from 10 universities across the USA and UK.
Christiana Figueres has received recognition from Germany, France, Costa Rica, The Netherlands, Japan and Chile spanning across her career so far, the first being the Great Cross of the Order of Merit of Germany in 1985.
For more information about Christiana Figueres’ speaking topics and availability, contact Leo von Bülow-Quirk at leo@vbqspeakers.com.
CHRISTIANA FIGUERES: KEYNOTE SPEAKER
A world renowned diplomat and campaigner, Christiana. Figueres is at the forefront of the global movement to bring climate change under control before it’s too late.
An extremely charismatic and compelling speaker, she brilliantly articulates the political and economic challenges we must overcome if we are to avoid catastrophic damage to our environment and civilisation.