Dr. Brigitte Knopf is Secretary General of MCC. She is responsible for • Management and Strategy of MCC • Cooperation with Universities and Stakeholders from government, business and civil society • German and European energy and climate policy (Energiewende) Her recent work focusses on the implementation of the Paris Agreement at the German and international level. She is co-author of MCC-PIK's expertise on options for a carbon pricing reform in Germany, which was presented in the Climate Cabinet in July 2019. Since September 2020, she is a member and deputy chairperson of the new Council of Experts on Climate Change appointed by the German government. She was recently a member of the United Nations Scientific Advisory Group which was in involved in preparing the UN Climate Action Summit in September. She is lead author of the chapter on fiscal policies for the low-carbon transition of the UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2018. In the context of the G20 process, she develops strategies how carbon pricing could support not only climate change mitigation, but also finance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Christian Rynning-Tønnesen has been the CEO of Statkraft since 2010 and has previously held various positions in the company’s top management from 1992-2005. Statkraft is a leading company in hydropower internationally and Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy. Rynning-Tønnesen holds a Master of Science from the Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology and has previously worked with SINTEF, Esso Norge, McKinsey and from 2005-2010 as CFO and CEO in Norske Skog. He is actively engaged in energy and climate related topics.