Rachel Kyte | |
|---|---|
| | |
| UK Special Representative for Climate | |
| Assumed office 21 October 2024-Present | |
| Appointed by | UK Government |
| Professor of Practice in Climate Policy,Blavatnik School of Government,University of Oxford | |
| Assumed office November 2023 - Present | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1965 (age 60–61) |
| Education | University of London (BA) Tufts University (MA) |
Rachel Elizabeth Kyte CMG (born 1965) is a climate diplomat,academic and international climate,energy and development policy expert currently serving as the UK Government's climate envoy [1] . [2] She is a Professor of Practice in Climate Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government,University of Oxford. [3] [4] and Dean Emerita [5] at The Fletcher School at Tufts University where she served from October 2019 to June 2023,the first woman to lead the oldest graduate-only school of international affairs in the United States. [6] [7] She previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Sustainable Energy for All,and as Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All.
Kyte was born in Aylesbury,Buckinghamshire,England in 1965, [8] and raised in Boston,Lincolnshire. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and politics from the University of London and a master's degree in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. [6]
Kyte has focused on affordable,reliable,and sustainable energy as the key to combating both poverty and climate change. [9] [10] [11] From 2016 to 2019,Kyte managed SEforALL's work to mobilise action towards its 2030 goals of ensuring universal access to modern energy services;doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency;and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. As Special Representative for the Secretary-General,she was also the point person in the United Nations for action towards the Sustainable Development Goal 7 on sustainable energy.
Kyte served until December 2015 as World Bank Group Vice-President and Special Envoy for Climate Change,leading the Bank Group's efforts to campaign for an ambitious agreement at the 21st Convention of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 21). She was previously World Bank Vice-President for Sustainable Development and was the International Finance Corporation Vice-President for Business Advisory Services.
On 8 April 2019,it was announced that Kyte would become the Dean of the Fletcher School,effective 1 October 2019. [12] Kyte stepped down from her position in June 2023,before her contract expired. There was controversy over her attempts to illegally rebrand the school from “The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy”(as required by the terms of its creation) to “Fletcher,The Graduate School of Global Affairs.” [13] The rebrand was rolled back after backlash from students and alumni. [14] Some opinion pieces and letters criticized her leadership style (e.g.,her communication and decision-making). [15] [16]
She was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to energy and combating climate change. [17]
Kyte joined the advisory board of General Atlantic's climate change fund,BeyondNetZero,in July 2021. [18]
On 21 October 2024,she was appointed UK Special Representative for Climate by the British Government. [19] [20] In June of 2025,Kyte was criticised in the news for her carbon footprint. [21]