IIED’s new executive director starts today

Dr Mitchell comes to IIED from Climate-KIC, where he spent several years as chief strategy officer, shaping an agenda on transformative innovation.

Before that he led the climate and environment programme at the Overseas Development Institute, supported UN policy on disaster risk reduction, and served as a coordinating lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Extreme Weather. Dr Mitchell has a PhD in climate and disaster risk management and has published widely on climate resilience.

Replacing outgoing director Andrew Norton, he joins IIED at a critical time for people and nature. The severe loss and damage caused by ongoing flooding in Pakistan only serves to highlight the seriousness of recent warnings that the opportunity to address climate change is rapidly disappearing.

Dr Mitchell said: "The need for urgent action on climate change, nature loss and inequality is abundantly clear with many of the trends still going in the wrong direction. Given this context, IIED, with its rich history of influencing policies and profound expertise on sustainable development, must challenge itself to do more and do things differently.  

"I am excited to have this opportunity to strive for social and environmental justice, and to build on the outstanding work that Andrew has done with IIED’s people and partners during some very turbulent times.”

• Read Norton’s final blog as director, charting the changing fortunes of sustainable development against the forces of global geopolitics during the last seven years