Claire O’Neill is a global authority on sustainability and decarbonisation, recognised for her deep policy expertise, advocacy of practical action, and focus on the private sector’s pivotal role in scaling climate solutions.
She was a UK Member of Parliament from 2010 and, from 2017, served as Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth. In that role, she was instrumental in rapidly accelerating the UK’s national decarbonisation strategy and laying the foundations for the UK’s successful COP26 Presidency. Since leaving politics, Claire has focused on global business leadership in climate action – first as Managing Director at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) from 2020-22 and now through an extensive portfolio of board and advisory roles. She co-chairs the WBCSD Global Imperatives Advisory Board, holds Non-Executive Director positions at the Singapore Stock Exchange and Oxy Petroleum, and is Chair of the Board at Climate Impact X. She also advises the Climate Investment group and is a Senior Global Advisor to McKinsey & Company.
Educated at Brasenose College, Oxford (BA Geography) and Harvard Business School (MBA), Claire began her career in consultancy and finance before entering politics. She is a member of the UK Privy Council, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Energy Institute, and a Business Fellow at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University.