Ann Mettler

At Breakthrough Energy – an organization founded by Bill Gates in 2015 – Ann is working with European partners to accelerate clean tech innovation in the pursuit of a more resilient and competitive energy system.

Previously, Ann served as director-general at the European Commission where she ran the internal strategy department, reporting directly to the president. In this capacity, Ann also served as chair of the European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS), an inter-institutional process aimed at strengthening the EU’s foresight capacity and anticipatory governance.

An entrepreneur at heart, Ann set up her own think tank which she ran for more than a decade. Her career started at the World Economic Forum where she led the Europe department. She holds an M.A. degrees in political science and European law and economics, and graduated with distinction from the University of New Mexico, USA and Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University in Bonn, Germany.