Meet the new Head of the CEM Secretariat, Jean-François Gagné
Jean-François Gagné has been appointed as the new Head of the Clean Energy Ministerial Secretariat, supporting international collaboration to promote policies and programmes that advance clean energy technology, to share lessons learned and best practices, and to encourage the transition to a global clean energy economy.
Upon his appointment, Jean-François said “I am greatly honoured to have the opportunity to contribute to the CEM’s mission, and look forward to working with CEM members and our international partners to accelerate the transition to a clean energy future”.
A Masters of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering graduate, Jean-François has over 20 years of experience in varying fields touching transportation, energy and environment protection.
He started his career in the aerospace industry, and then moved to the public sector to lead transportation, energy and environmental technology programmes. He provided technical and policy advice to the Canadian Armed Forces, the Canadian Coast Guard, the Department of Natural Resources, and managed multiple programmes supporting the sustainable development objectives of the Canadian Government. He then spent 5 years leading the International Energy Agency’s collaborative work programme on sustainable energy technologies, policies and strategies.
Before coming to the CEM Secretariat, JF was executive Director of International Affairs for Natural Resources Canada, developing and implementing Canada’s global energy engagement strategy, managing bilateral and multilateral collaboration mechanisms, and representing Canada as lead energy negotiator.