Christiana Figueres is a Costa Rican citizen and was the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 2010-2016.
During her tenure at the UNFCCC, Figueres brought together national and sub-national governments, corporations and activists, financial institutions and NGOs to jointly deliver the historic Paris Agreement on climate change, in which 195 sovereign nations agreed on a collaborative path forward to limit future global warming to well below 2°C, and strive for 1.5°C in order to protect the most vulnerable. For this achievement Figueres has been credited with forging a new brand of collaborative diplomacy, for which she has received multiple awards. Since then she has continued to serve her "one and only boss" — the global atmosphere.
Christiana Figueres sits on multiple boards and is a founding partner of Global Optimism, Ltd., a purpose-driven enterprise focused on social and environmental change. She convenes Mission 2020 and co-chairs the Global Covenant of Mayors.