David Kennedy

David Kennedy is a leader in sustainability and net-zero with a career spanning over three decades working in over thirty countries around the world.

Prior to joining the SBTi as CEO, he was a partner at EY, where he led work on net-zero strategy and planning with over twenty major companies across food, infrastructure, manufacturing and banking.

As Director General of Food, Biosecurity and Trade at the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), David led on food strategy (including net-zero and nature), food security through Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, farming reforms for net-zero and nature, and food in trade deals with Australia and New Zealand. He also led on departmental transformation programmes, including strategy, governance, data and systems, and internal ways of working. He was chair of the Defra People Committee and Social Mobility Champion.

As Director General at the Department for International Development (DfID), he led design and implementation of a new approach to economic development in sub-Saharan Africa based on clean infrastructure, FDI and agriculture commercialisation. He was responsible for the UK’s interests in the World Bank and regional IFIs. He also developed the departmental vision and was Diversity Champion.

Prior to this he was the founding Chief Executive of the UK’s Committee on Climate Change (CCC). Under David’s leadership, the CCC designed sector pathways, carbon budgets, targets, metrics, milestones, and key policies (e.g. Electricity Market Reform, EV and renewable heat support).

Earlier David led on fundamental reform of the EU ETS and the economic assessment for nuclear new-build. He also played key roles at the World Bank and EBRD, leading on infrastructure strategy, policy reform and major investments. He has a PhD in economics from LSE.

He was awarded a CBE for services to climate change and a CB for public service during Covid.