As of March 1, 2017, Laurence Tubiana is CEO of the European Climate Foundation (ECF). In addition to her role at ECF, she is the Chair of the Board of Governors at the French Development Agency (AFD), and a Professor at Sciences Po, Paris. Before joining ECF, Laurence was France Climate Change Ambassador and Special Representative for COP21, and as such a key architect of the landmark Paris Agreement. Following COP21, she was appointed High Level Champion for climate action.
Laurence brings decades of expertise and experience in climate change, energy, agriculture and sustainable development, working across government, think tanks, NGOs and academia: From 1997 to 2002, she served as Senior Adviser on the Environment to the French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. From 2009 to 2010, she created and then led the newly established Directorate for Global Public Goods at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE). In 2013, she chaired the French National Debate on the Energy Transition. In 2002, she founded and then directed until 2014 the Paris-based Institute of Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI). In the 80’s and early 90’s she founded and then led Solagral, an NGO working on food security and the global environment. She started her career as a Research Director for the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA).
Throughout the years, Laurence held several academic positions, including as a Professor and Scientific Director for the International Development and Environmental Studies Master degrees at Sciences Po, Paris; and Professor of International Affairs at Columbia University, New York. She was a member of numerous boards and scientific committees, including the Chinese Committee on the Environment and International Development (CCICED).