Bruno Oberle
Director General, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Director General, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Dr. Bruno Oberle assumed office as Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in July 2020. He brings over 40 years of experience to IUCN at a time when redefining humanity’s relationship with nature is more urgent than ever.
Dr. Oberle is a leading expert in the fields of sustainable resource management and green economy and has explored and shaped the interface between environmental policy, economic development and social equity from the perspective of state regulator, entrepreneur and scientist.
Before joining IUCN, Dr. Oberle served in some of Switzerland’s most prestigious environmental roles. Between 2005 and 2015 he was State Secretary for the Environment and Director of the Federal Office for the Environment for Switzerland. In these roles, he represented Switzerland in leading international institutions and international negotiations, playing a key role in the Global Environment Facility and in the establishment of the Green Climate Fund.
From 2016, Dr. Oberle served as Chair of the Green Economy and Resource Governance programme at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), where he also headed the International Risk Governance Centre.
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme
Director of the Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Chief Communications, Brand and Sustainability Officer and Member of AXA’s Management Committee
Oceanic Volcanism – Research Division “Dynamics of the Ocean Floor”, GEOMAR - Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Secretary-General of the United Nations
Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), United Kingdom
Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, South Shore – St. Margarets, Canada
Deputy Director for Climate and Environment, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Former MEP, Chair National Committee for the UN Decade Ocean Science for Sustainable Development
Chancellor of Germany
Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO