Executive Director
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
Mark Watts is Executive Director of C40 Cities, a network of the mayors of nearly 100 of the world's largest and most influential cities, dedicated to delivery science-based and inclusive climate action. C40 cities represent 25% of global GDP and hundreds of millions of residents.
Mark was appointed in 2013 by then Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, and has subsequently served the mayors of Rio, Paris, Los Angeles and, currently, Sadiq Khan - Mayor of London, in their capacity as elected Chairs of C40. Under Mark’s leadership, C40’s team has grown from 30 to over 300, with a focus on showing through city leadership how the world can halve global carbon emissions by 2030, while creating millions of good green jobs and reducing inequality.
Prior to joining C40, Mark was a director at the radical design and engineering firm, Arup, and before that was transport and climate adviser to the Mayor of London., in which capacity he was described by the London Evening Standard as “the intellectual force behind Ken Livingstone’s drive to make London a leading light of the battle against global warming.” Outside of work he can usually be found running up a mountain, or getting excited about a new band.