Dr. Naoko Ishii and Dr. Arunabha Ghosh Join ClimateWorks Foundation’s Board of Directors

SAN FRANCISCO – ClimateWorks Foundation, a leading global platform for climate philanthropy, today announced the appointments of Dr. Naoko Ishii and Dr. Arunabha Ghosh to its Board of Directors. Dr. Ishii and Dr. Ghosh bring decades of experience working at the intersection of climate, international development, and public policy to their roles at ClimateWorks.

“Dr. Ishii and Dr. Ghosh are exceptional leaders in their fields and bring first-hand experience in understanding, designing, and implementing solutions to sustainable development policies,” said Sue Tierney, chairperson of ClimateWorks Foundation’s Board of Directors. “We’re thrilled for them to join the ClimateWorks Board of Directors. Their insight and guidance will be a vital asset as the organization accelerates its work to advance large-scale, global climate solutions.”

Dr. Naoko Ishii is a professor and executive vice president at the University of Tokyo, where she is also the inaugural director for the Center for Global Commons, whose goal is to secure a sustainable future for humans and the planet. Before joining the University of Tokyo, Dr. Ishii was CEO and chairperson of the Global Environment Facility, where she focused on the transformation of key economic systems. Dr. Ishii spent over 30 years at Japan’s Ministry of Finance, including two years as the deputy vice minister of finance.

“It is a privilege to join this extraordinary institution at this exceptional time when we are deciding the future of our planet and its people,” said Dr. Ishii. “We must exercise our leadership to steward the global commons, including our stable climate system. This requires a very different kind of governance mechanism for which ClimateWorks Foundation is uniquely suited to help support.”

Dr. Arunabha Ghosh is the founder and CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water, a renowned policy research institution in Asia. Dr. Ghosh helped create the International Solar Alliance and has worked at leading institutions worldwide, including Princeton University, Oxford University, the United Nations Development Programme, and the World Trade Organization. A sought-after expert, Dr. Ghosh has been appointed to roles on the United Nations Committee for Development Policy and the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Clean Air.

“I am deeply honored to have been asked to join the Board of ClimateWorks Foundation,” said Dr. Ghosh. “For more than ten years, the Foundation has invested in climate solutions and institutions, gaining a formidable reputation. The decade ahead will be even more transformational with the speed and scale at which climate actions must unfold. ClimateWorks is ideally positioned to catalyze that change, and I look forward to contributing to its success.”

ClimateWorks’ Board of Directors includes global leaders from the philanthropic, academic, civil society, and business institutions active in tackling climate change. Its Board is currently overseeing a global search for ClimateWorks’ new chief executive officer following the departure of its longtime CEO and President Charlotte Pera to help lead the Bezos Earth Fund. Chris DeCardy, a former executive with the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, has been appointed acting CEO and is working closely with ClimateWorks’ executive team and Board to support the organization’s ongoing work to increase climate progress at the speed and scale needed to end the climate crisis.

About ClimateWorks Foundation

ClimateWorks Foundation is a global platform for philanthropy to innovate and accelerate climate solutions that scale. We deliver global programs and services that equip philanthropy with the knowledge, networks, and solutions to drive climate progress. Since 2008, ClimateWorks has granted over $1 billion to more than 500 grantees in over 40 countries.