We are very pleased to announce the new leadership team of the LEDS GP Steering Committee for the next 2-years. Our Steering Committee chairs are:

Private Sector Chair:
Alexia Kelly, Director for Sustainability Solutions at Engie Impact  

Philanthropic Community, International Institution and Developed Country Chair:
Rebecca Collyer, Director for International Clean Energy at the Europe Climate Foundation

Developing Country Chair: 
Francisco Maciel, CEO of Cioeste Consorcio Intermunicip 

Click here for a full list of Steering Committee members.

Welcome words from our Chair Alexia Kelly

For nearly a decade the LEDS GP has played a leading role in supporting, celebrating and advancing developing country leadership on climate resilient, low emissions development. We started the LEDS GP in 2011, as a place where developing country leaders could learn from one another, lift each other up and build support networks across the globe to accelerate the pace and scale of action on global climate change. Our work to mobilize blended capital, green bonds, and supportive policy and regulatory frameworks under the LEDS GP Finance Working Group has further underscored the potential and power of this network and platform to bridge the divide between the public and the private sectors.

I am humbled and honored to serve as the first co-chair of the LEDS GP dedicated to accelerating private sector action and partnership with governments to build the zero-carbon economy of the future, while advancing the goals of self-determination and equity for all countries and peoples. 

Our Chair´s interview

In light of the global climate crisis and COVID-19 pandemic, what is your key message to the LEDS GP members on green recovery?

As governments move to respond and rebuild from COVID-19 the world faces an unprecedented opportunity. Using much needed economic stimulus and response dollars to build the infrastructure and jobs of the new zero carbon economy offers a path to a more just, secure and sustainable world. The technology is ready, the science is clear, now we need to get to work. 

What do you see as the role of the LEDS GP in addressing climate change as well as social and economic priorities?

The LEDS GP should be a force multiplier for good. Good policy, good finance and good leadership. We have spent nearly a decade refining the approaches that are most effective for accelerating exchange and learning across and among governments – both developed and developing – on effective climate change action and economic development strategies. Bringing groups of governments together with the private sector on specific sectors and topics to problem solve, learn from each other and collectively advance solutions has proven to be a powerful formula. Creating a safe space to share, exchange and learn among countries was a revolutionary idea in 2011, and it remains a powerful force for change today.

What is one key message you want to pass on to LEDS GP members on the value you see of the Partnership to advance and raise ambition of climate and development goals?

Leadership. Leadership is key to addressing climate change. The LEDS GP has, and will continue to, advance country-level leadership and action on climate change by empowering local leaders with the networks, resources and knowledge needed to drive change in their countries. Building systems and “blueprints” for action that build on the best of what’s come before to serve as a force multiplier will continue to be the focus of the LEDS GP’s work. 

As Private Sector co-chair of the LEDS GP, my work will focus on building the next generation of public and private partnerships to advance equitable, inclusive and just climate change action through targeted financing and capital mobilization tools. 

What is your professional experience concerning women working in the private sector on low emissions and how can your experience in this field contribute to the LEDS GP network?

Over the course of my career I have worked in government, the private sector and the non-profit sectors. Since leaving the State Department in 2016, I have worked to bridge the divide between the public and private sectors in a variety of roles and have seen first-hand the power of women to lift each other up, advance shared visions and values and link hands with our brothers to build a more equitable and inclusive transition to the zero carbon economy of the future. 

Coming from the private sector, what role do you see for women’s engagement in SDGs and women entrepreneurship in the energy sector?

Women and minorities, particularly those from developing countries, face significant challenges – and yes, discrimination – in starting, building and existing successful businesses across the low carbon economy value chain. I know that businesses that are led by and grounded in the communities and people they serve are more likely to be successful. I encourage donors and funders to do more to look at implicit and hidden biases when funding organizations and to build programs and support systems that enable local entrepreneurs and businesses to thrive. There are millions of business ideas that never get off the ground due to lack of access to capital, capacity and growth opportunities. The LEDS GP can and should help change that.

About Alexia Kelly

Alexia Kelly has worked at the intersection of policy and finance to accelerate the transition to the low carbon economy for government, nonprofits and the private sector for nearly 15 years. She currently serves as a Director of Sustainability Solutions at Engie Impact, Engie’s newest business unit focused on delivering scaled decarbonization solutions for government and corporate partners and clients. At Engie Impact, Alexia leads the group’s work on environmental attribute commodities and its emerging Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) implementation and finance practice. 

Prior to Engie Impact, Alexia was the founder and CEO of Electric Capital Management (ECM), a boutique climate finance advisory firm. From 2017-2020, she served as the co-chair of the LEDS Global Partnership Finance Working Group. Prior to founding Electric Capital Management in 2017, Alexia was a partner at Allotrope Partners, a private equity investment firm in California, where she designed and led the organization’s work on public private partnerships for distributed clean energy.

From 2010-2016, Alexia served as a Senior Climate Change Advisor and Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. In this role, she directed the State Department’s initiative on Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS) across 25+ countries, 10 federal agencies, and more than $800 million in climate change mitigation funding on behalf of the Special Envoy for Climate Change. She conceived of and co-founded the LEDS Global Partnership in 2011, now a network of practitioners around the globe working to advance low emissions development. She also served as the lead U.S. negotiator on emissions trading to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and represented the U.S. to multiple World Bank funds, including the Partnership for Market Readiness (PMR). 

We look forward to her guidance based on her vast experience and see the LEDS GP benefit greatly from her leadership on the path forward!