Update on Search for New SEforALL CEO

The global search for the next CEO of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) is well underway, with the SEforALL Administrative Board having taken several key steps in the recruitment process, including selecting a search firm, which has begun advertising the position.

In April 2019, Rachel Kyte, current CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on SEforALL and UN Energy co-chair, announced she will be stepping down at the end of September to become Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

“As part of its commitment to ensuring a smooth transition process, the Board moved swiftly to establish its own Selection Committee to oversee the recruitment,” said Antonio Mexia, Chair of the Administrative Board. “One of the Committee’s first actions was to identify a search firm with a strong track record of executive-level recruitment for international organizations similar to SEforALL in terms of their engagement at the highest diplomatic levels.”

The selected search firm is SRI Executive, which has already developed the recruitment profile and is advertising the role through the SRI Executive Website, the company’s extensive global networks and the Economist.

Candidates have until 5 July 2019 to formally apply for the role. After applying, candidates will be reviewed against the key selection criteria and, if aligned, will undergo an interviewing process with SRI Executive.

Following this first round of interviews with the search firm, a long list of candidates will be presented to the Board’s Selection Committee, which will then identify a short list for their own interviewing. A final decision will be made in due course by the Selection Committee in order to have a new CEO in place for October 2019.

Candidates or those looking to recommend potential candidates may confidentially contact Seamus McGardle, Managing Director of SRI, smcgardle@sri-executive.com.

Meanwhile, given SEforALL’s close working relationship with the UN, the Selection Committee is in close contact with the Secretary-General to provide updates on the search and garner input on candidates. The new CEO will lead SEforALL’s ambitious workplan, which is devoted to ensuring the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 7—universal access to sustainable energy by 2030—becomes a reality.

The position is based in either New York City, to support collaboration with UN institutions, or Vienna, Austria, where SEforALL is headquartered. There will also be regular contact with SEforALL’s satellite office in Washington, DC.