Rachel Kyte

{{Short description|British academic}} {{Use British English|date=September 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Rachel Kyte | honorific_suffix = CMG | image = Rachel Kyte.jpg | caption = | office = UK Special Representative for Climate | term_start = 21 October 2024-Present | term_start1 = November 2023 - Present | education = University of London (BA)<br/>Tufts University (MA) | office1 = Professor of Practice in Climate Policy, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford | term_end1 = | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1965}} | appointer = UK Government }}

'''Rachel Elizabeth Kyte''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rachel Kyte |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/rachel-kyte |access-date=2026-02-17 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Harvey |first=Fiona |date=25 September 2024 |title=Labour appoints Rachel Kyte to climate envoy role axed by Sunak |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/sep/25/labour-appoints-rachel-kyte-to-climate-envoy-role-axed-by-sunak |access-date=25 September 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> She is a Professor of Practice in Climate Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.<ref>{{cite web |date=30 November 2023 |title=Blavatnik School appoints Rachel Kyte as Visiting Professor of Practice as COP 28 begins |url=https://www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/news/blavatnik-school-appoints-rachel-kyte-visiting-professor-practice-cop-28-begins |access-date=5 February 2025 |website=Blavatnik School of Government |publisher=University of Oxford |language=en}}</ref><ref name="bio Blavatnik">{{cite web |date=25 September 2024 |title=Rachel Kyte |url=https://www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/people/rachel-kyte-0 |access-date=5 February 2025 |website=Blavatnik School of Government |publisher=University of Oxford |language=en}}</ref> and Dean Emerita<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-11-27 |title=Rachel Kyte {{!}} Blavatnik School of Government |url=https://www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/people/rachel-kyte-0 |access-date=2026-02-17 |website=www.bsg.ox.ac.uk |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name=dean>{{Cite web|url=https://now.tufts.edu/articles/rachel-kyte-named-fletcher-school-dean|title=Rachel Kyte Named Fletcher School Dean|date=8 April 2019|website=Tufts Now|language=en|access-date=30 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2023/06/breaking-rachel-kyte-steps-down-as-dean-of-fletcher-school |title=Rachel Kyte steps down as dean of the Fletcher School |website=tuftsdaily.com |date=22 June 2023 |access-date=12 August 2023}}</ref> 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.

== Early life and education == Kyte was born in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England in 1965,<ref name="Q&A">{{cite news |title=Rachel Kyte Q&A: “My carbon footprint is a source of deep discomfort” |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2021/12/rachel-kyte-qa-my-carbon-footprint-is-a-source-of-deep-discomfort |access-date=5 February 2025 |work=New Statesman |date=1 December 2021}}</ref> 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.<ref name=dean/>

== Career == Kyte has focused on affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy as the key to combating both poverty and climate change.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2015/04/18/raising-trillions-for-climate-finance|title=Mobilizing the Billions and Trillions for Climate Finance|access-date=17 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2015/04/09/closing-the-climate-finance-gap|title=Closing the $70 Billion Climate Finance Gap|access-date=17 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://print.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2015/04/18/89217|title=BB plans to launch green' bond, says Atiur {{!}} TRADE & MARKET {{!}} The financial express|access-date=17 August 2016}}</ref> 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.

Kyte served as dean of The Fletcher School from October 2019<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-04-08 |title=Rachel Kyte named Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University |url=https://www.seforall.org/news/rachel-kyte-named-dean-of-the-fletcher-school-of-law-and-diplomacy-at-tufts-university |access-date=2026-05-20 |website=Sustainable Energy for All {{!}} SEforALL |language=en}}</ref> to June 2023, after which she was named Dean Emerita<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rachel Kyte steps down as dean of the Fletcher School |url=https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2023/06/breaking-rachel-kyte-steps-down-as-dean-of-fletcher-school |access-date=2026-05-20 |website=The Tufts Daily |language=en}}</ref>. During her tenure, the school introduced the Master of Global Affairs Degree<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fletcher launches new Master in Global Affairs degree program |url=https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2021/11/fletcher-launches-new-master-in-global-affairs-degree-program |access-date=2026-05-20 |website=The Tufts Daily |language=en}}</ref>.

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.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=62866|supp=y|page=N4|date=28 December 2019}}</ref>

Kyte joined the advisory board of General Atlantic's climate change fund, BeyondNetZero, in July 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Karsh |first1=Melissa |title=General Atlantic Targets $4 Billion for New Climate Strategy |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/private-equity/general-atlantic-starts-new-strategy-to-pursue-climate-deals |publisher=Bloomberg Law |date=16 July 2021}}</ref>

On 21 October 2024, she was appointed UK Special Representative for Climate by the British Government.<ref name="bio GOV">{{cite web |title=Rachel Kyte |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/rachel-kyte |website=GOV.UK |access-date=5 February 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="appointed Special Rep">{{cite web |title=Rachel Kyte appointed as the UK's Special Representative for Climate |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/rachel-kyte-appointed-as-the-uks-special-representative-for-climate |website=GOV.UK |publisher=Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero |access-date=5 February 2025 |language=en |date=26 September 2024}}</ref> In June 2025, Kyte was criticised in the news for her carbon footprint.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MSN |url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/labour-climate-envoy-racks-up-76-000-air-miles-in-eight-months/ar-AA1GSEDF |access-date=2025-06-27 |website=www.msn.com}}</ref>

==See also== {{Portal|Biography|Environment|Climate change}}  {{div col|colwidth=20em|small=yes}} *Sustainable Development *Sustainable Development Goals *Sustainable Energy for All *Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy *United Nations *University of London *World Bank Group {{div col end}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.seforall.org/ Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)] *[https://twitter.com/rkyte365 Twitter]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyte, Rachel}} Category:Living people Category:World Bank people Category:United Nations officials Category:Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Category:The Fletcher School at Tufts University faculty Category:The Fletcher School at Tufts University alumni Category:Alumni of the University of London Category:British emigrants to the United States Category:1965 births