Patrick Verkooijen

Patrick V. Verkooijen (born May 21, 1969) is the CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) and the Chancellor of the University of Nairobi.

As CEO of GCA, he works closely with Ban Ki-moon, architect of the Paris Agreement as 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chairman of the Board of GCA. He also managed the Global Commission on Adaptation chaired by Ban and co-led by Kristalina Georgieva and Bill Gates. Prior to this role, he was the World Bank Special Representative for Climate Change.

Verkooijen serves as the Distinguished Chair of The Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies at the University of Nairobi, and as the Ban Ki-moon Chair on Climate Adaptation Governance at the University of Groningen.

In 2023 Verkooijen was asked to comment on events surrounding the Paris Climate Accords by The Guardian, submitted opinion pieces to The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reuters, Newsweek and CNN International, and has appeared on BBC, CNBC International and Sky News.