Lord Deben has today announced Matthew Bell as the new Chief Executive of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC).
Matthew will start his appointment in November, taking over from David Kennedy who stepped down earlier this year to take on a new role at the Department for International Development.
Matthew has been at Frontier Economics since 1999 and a Director since 2012 looking after Frontier’s Public Policy Practice. He brings to his new role sixteen years of experience in the use of economics to support policy decisions. This includes a secondment to the Prime Ministers’ Strategy Unit and advising the Environmental Audit Committee.
Matthew was also amongst the earliest advisers to the CCC – working on its approach to transport and the environment. He has led numerous projects for the Environment Agency, Defra, DECC, the Carbon Trust, including leading the team of advisers that provided input into the First National Adaptation Programme.
Lord Deben, Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change, said:
“I am very pleased to welcome the appointment of Matthew Bell as Chief Executive. From a strong list of applicants he was selected unanimously and I look forward to working with him. He has the analytical qualities and determination to maintain and enhance the CCC’s international reputation for robust science and careful judgment.
I thank Adrian Gault for stepping up to the role of Chief Executive in the interim, during which he was instrumental in finalising and launching two major reports.”
Matthew Bell, said:
“I am honoured to have been chosen for this important role. Following many years at Frontier Economics this is the one opportunity that I could not turn down. I am very much looking forward to working with the broad range of people and organisations involved in the debate about climate change and how we respond to it.
We are living in challenging times. Everyone is looking closely at their budgets and expenses, and businesses are focusing on their competitiveness. The CCC has established itself as the independent authority on climate change issues and I look forward to my new role heading up this authoritative body as it takes on these and other challenges in its advice to Government and Parliament.”
The Committee on Climate Change is an independent statutory body bringing together expertise from the fields of climate science and policy, economics, business competitiveness and financial management. It draws on information and undertakes its own analysis to provide expert advice to Ministers.