Howard Bamsey

Executive Director, Green Climate Fund (GCF)

Howard Bamsey is the Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund. He was appointed by the GCF Board at its 14th meeting and took office on 10 January 2017. He is the second Executive Director of the Fund.

Howard Bamsey is the Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund. He was appointed by the GCF Board at its 14th meeting and took office on 10 January 2017. He is the second Executive Director of the Fund.

Ambassador Bamsey has spent most of his career in international diplomacy and public service. He is a widely recognized negotiator in the global response to climate change who co-chaired the United Nations ‘Dialogue on Long-term Cooperative Action on Climate Change by Enhancing Implementation of the Convention’. Mr. Bamsey’s role in this body helped shape a strategic approach to advance the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), including on adaptation and the use of technology and market mechanisms.

As a representative of the government of Australia, he served in main United Nations centres, including New York, Geneva and Vienna. During his 30 years in the Australian Foreign Service he also served as Special Adviser on Sustainable Development to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and as Special Adviser on Green Growth to AusAID. Earlier in his career, he was Australia’s Special Envoy on Climate Change, a function held at Ambassadorial level, as well as a Deputy Secretary in the Australian Public Service and CEO of the Australian Greenhouse Office. Before joining the Green Climate Fund, Howard Bamsey was Honorary Professor in the School of Regulation and Global Governance at the Australian National University.

Concurrently, he was Special Adviser to Baker and McKenzie and Special Representative for GNIplus, a consortium helping countries implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to climate action. Between 2013 and 2014, Mr. Bamsey was Director General of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) which, like the Green Climate Fund, is based in the Republic of Korea.