Jochen Flasbarth Appointed as Next CEO of the European Climate Foundation

6^th of October 2026

The Supervisory Board has appointed Jochen Flasbarth as the European Climate Foundation’s next Chief Executive Officer. Jochen has accepted the role, and the necessary arrangements relating to his transition from German public service are now being finalised. Subject to completion of that process, he is expected to join ECF on 1 February 2027, succeeding Laurence following a planned leadership transition.

Jochen brings nearly four decades of experience across environmental policy, climate action, international development and civil society, including more than 20 years in senior public leadership roles working for ministers across the political spectrum.

He currently serves as State Secretary in Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, a position he previously held from 2013 to 2021. Before returning to the ministry in May 2025, he served as State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, where his work included Germany’s international development partnerships and climate finance. His previous roles also include President of the Federal Environment Agency and Director-General for Nature Conservation and Sustainable Use of Nature at the federal environment ministry.

Jochen began his career in environmental civil society and served as President of NABU, one of Germany’s largest environmental organisations, from 1992 to 2003. He has played a leading role in international climate and biodiversity diplomacy, including at the COP21 negotiations that led to the Paris Agreement, and has continued to represent Germany in international climate processes.

He has also held senior governance and advisory roles across international development, energy and environmental policy. These include Chair of the Supervisory Board of GIZ and Governor of the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

Laurence Tubiana has led ECF since 2017, during a period of significant growth and impact for the organisation and its wider ecosystem. During her tenure, ECF and its grantee network have contributed to pioneering European climate policies, helped advance innovative international approaches to climate action, and supported efforts to phase out coal globally. The ecosystem has nearly quadrupled in size, while ECF has expanded its work with new and non-traditional partners and strengthened place-based strategies rooted in a people-first approach. The appointment follows an extensive international search and rigorous selection process led by ECF’s Supervisory Board.

ECF’s mission, commitments and partnerships will continue throughout the transition. More information about Jochen is available in his official biography.

“Following a thorough international search that began in March 2026, the Board is delighted to appoint Jochen Flasbarth as ECF’s next CEO. Jochen has an impressive leadership record, working for ministers across the political spectrum at the forefront of policy making and delivery. Jochen shares ECF’s commitment to civil society, our sense of urgency and a people-centred understanding of the climate transition.

He is convinced that Europe has a central role to play in building a better life for its citizens – with cleaner air, more affordable and secure energy, more resilient economies and stronger communities – while also acting as a climate champion globally.

I look forward to welcoming Jochen and would also like to express my deep gratitude for Laurence Tubiana’s extraordinary leadership and her commitment to enabling such an orderly transition.”
Kate Hampton, Chair of ECF’s Supervisory Board

“I’m honoured to be joining ECF at such an important moment. The task ahead for Europe is to maintain and strengthen support for climate ambition across societies in every member state and beyond.

ECF’s colleagues and partners bring the political insight, local knowledge, and practical experience needed to achieve this. I look forward to learning from them and building on what Laurence and the organisation have created together. It is an enormous privilege to follow Laurence as CEO, having led ECF so successfully over the past decade.”
Jochen Flasbarth, future CEO of ECF

“I am very happy to welcome Jochen Flasbarth to ECF. He will inherit an exceptional team, strong partnerships across Europe and beyond, and an organisation well placed to keep driving progress in a more difficult political landscape.

Leading ECF for a decade has been an immense privilege. I have seen the organisation grow and change enormously, increasingly driven by the conviction that climate action can only succeed when it is done with and for people.

I believe more than ever that Europe has a central role to play in showing that this transition can work for people and in sustaining international cooperation. That makes ECF’s mission more important than ever, and I am confident that Jochen is the right person to lead the organisation through the years ahead.

His past focus on adaptation as a defining area for the future, together with his expertise in biodiversity, will be valuable assets as ECF enters its next chapter.”
Laurence Tubiana, CEO of ECF

For more information, please read the press release.