E3G is pleased to announce the arrival of new Chief Operating Officer Dr Mike Cherrett.
Mike will be responsible for E3G’s operational excellence across our international network, ensuring it meets the needs of our funders and supporters. He will also be responsible for projects associated with growing our capabilities.
Mike joins E3G after the retirement of long-serving COO Martin Rands. Martin will now be on the E3G board as a non-executive member.
While Mike could not have foretold the different phases of his professional career upon leaving university in the mid-80s, in hindsight he tells us it has been built on a common thread, “to help develop ambition and translate this between the different languages within the public, private and knowledge sectors.” Mike thrives on working with teams from different cultures and diverse professional backgrounds and we look forward to welcoming the expertise he will provide.
While Mike has enjoyed working at the frontiers of technology and innovation, he believes we are “plenty smart enough already” to make great strides in climate action if we can apply what we know already in a smarter way. As he points out, “the blockages to this lay in outmoded institutional behaviours and entrenched sectorial and professional bias.” Mike is particularly interested in how sub-national, regional and economic identity can boost climate action – as this is often the neglected “poor relation” in the dialogue flipping from global, national and (sometimes overplayed) city perspectives.
Prior to joining E3G, Mike held leadership positions at EIT Climate-KIC, Europe’s largest climate innovation agency. While there his roles included Director of Operations and Director of European Affairs and External Partnerships where he established the Brussels operations and relationships with the EU13 countries. Before that, he was a diplomat in the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). He served in New Zealand as Deputy High Commissioner and the Republic of Korea where he was responsible for high-tech trade and investment as well as science and innovation. He also lead the Great Lakes Team in the Africa Directorate and oversaw a major change programme across the FCO’s global network. Mike started his career at the Royal Aerospace Establishment, where he spent 12 years working on aeroengine technology and business development.
Mike has a PhD from Imperial College and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering. He was awarded the Royal Aeronautical Society’s 1994 Feddon Award for his contribution to propulsion research. He is a Chartered Engineer, keen amateur musician, photographer and lapsed runner. Mike was born and brought up in South Wales.
