Kandeh K. Yumkella, Former Chair

Kandeh K. Yumkella is Under Secretary-General in the United Nations and Chairman of UN-Energy, the coordination body of United Nations agencies dealing with energy related issues.

As Special Representative & CEO of the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative, Mr. Yumkella will seek to mobilize action toward a sustainable energy future and accelerate the implementation of the Secretary-General’s initiative as well as engaging with the leadership of relevant stakeholders in government, businesses, academia and civil society at the highest level to advocate for and promote sustainable energy for all.

From 2005 to 2013 he was the Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). From 1994 to 1995 he was Minister for Trade, Industry and State Enterprises of Sierra Leone.

He holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois, a M.Sc. Agricultural Economics, Cornell University; and a B.Sc. in General Agriculture, from Njala University College, Sierra Leone.

Olav Kjørven, Former Vice-Chair

Olav Kjørven became the Special Adviser to the UNDP Administrator on the Post-2015 Development Agenda in UNDP's Bureau for Development Policy in October 2013.

Before joining the United Nations, Kjørven worked for the Government of Norway, where he served as State Secretary for International Development since 2001. In this capacity, he was responsible for policy making and the overall management of Norwegian international development activities. Between 1997 and 2000, he was political adviser to the Minister on International Development and Human Rights.

Kjørven served as Director of International Development at the Centre for Economic Analysis from 2000 to 2001. He also worked for the World Bank as Environmental Specialist from 1992 to 1997.

Kjørven obtained his Master of Arts in International Affairs from George Washington University.

Ivan Vera, Secretary

Dr. Ivan Vera is the Secretary of UN-Energy and a Senior Sustainable Development Officer at the Division for Sustainable Development (DSD) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations.

Dr. Vera has over 25 years of professional experience. At DSD, Dr. Vera has managed projects and studies related to sustainable energy, technology transfer, climate change, green economy, rural energy access and sustainable development. Before joining DSD, he worked at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, the US Department of Energy in Washington DC and the Central Thermoelectric Plant of Venezuela.

Dr. Vera holds Ph.D. and MS degrees in Energy Management and Policy from the University of Pennsylvania; an MBA degree in the Management of Science, Technology and Innovation from the George Washington University; and a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan.