David Kennedy, formerly chief executive of the UK’s Climate Change Committee (CCC), will become the new CEO of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in the second quarter of this year. Kennedy, currently a Partner at ‘big four’ accounting firm EY, will succeed Sue Jenny Ehr, who has served as interim CEO since the departure of Luiz Amaral last July. Amaral stepped down following controversy over plans to allow use of carbon credits to offset Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) under the SBTI’s Corporate Net Zero Standard (CNZS). “I am excited at the prospect of working with the team and partners to advance the mission of the SBTi and deliver even more change at scale, supporting business to make its contribution to the global climate objective in the next crucial period,” said Kennedy, also previously Director General of Food, Biosecurity and Trade at the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. According to a statement, Kennedy joins the SBTi as it “evolves to support a wider range of companies around the world, ensuring it has the appropriate structures and technical capacity to deliver its ambitious workplan”. The SBTi develops standards, tools and guidance to help companies and financial institutions to set GHG emissions reduction targets in line with climate science and the goals of the Paris Agreement. Around 40% of global companies by market capitalisation have validated SBTi targets or commitments to set targets. First released in 2021, the SBTi intends to launch a consultation on its CNZS update this year, ahead of final release in early 2026. It consulted on an update to its Financial Institutions Net Zero standard last year, which is expected to be finalised this year. Kennedy was chief executive of the CCC from its foundation as an independent advisor to the UK and devolved governments, via the 2008 Climate Change Act, until 2014. Ehr, previously SBTI’s chief legal officer, will stay on for a period to help provide a smooth transition. The SBTi was founded by the UN Global Compact, the We Mean Business Coalition, the World Resources Institute and the World Wide Fund for Nature.
