Melanie Nakagawa

Chief Sustainability Officer of Microsoft, Former Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for Climate & Energy at the White House

  • Former Director of Climate Strategy for Princeville Capital
  • Former Non-Residential Fellow of the Center on Global Energy Policy
  • Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Transformation for the US Department of State
  • Former Member of the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff for the US Department of State
  • Former Senior Energy & Environment Counsel for the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee

When Melanie Nakagawa is booked for events, they are known to discuss the following speaking topics:

Climate Resilience
Aligning Investment, Technology, and Policy to Address Climate Change
Impact Investing
Climate Change

Melanie Nakagawa is an individual who has a wealth of knowledge and experience on climate change and sustainability strategies and has become one of the world-leading minds in the battle to fighting climate change. She is most known for her roles under President Joe Biden as the Specialist Assistant to the President of the United States and Senior Director for Climate and Energy, and for becoming the second ever Chief Sustainability Officer for Microsoft. During her talks she is able to draw on her many different experiences gathered during her coveted career as an environmental sustainability expert which spans nearly two decades.

At University, Melanie earned a BA from Brown University, an MA in International Affairs from American University’s School of International Service and then went on to earn a JD from American University Washington College of Law. This path originally took her down the law route, having become an attorney at the Natural Resources Defence Council. Melanie’s first role within the governmental sector was as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and soon became a member of the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff under John Kerry. During this time, she led a number of portfolios and provided guidance for climate change and the key environmental issues.

Having built an impressive reputation in the climate change battle, in 2015 Melanie then became Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Transformation. Her work was vital in committing to the global shift towards a more sustainable future, ensuring global security and economic development. She was responsible for assisting other countries in their goals towards working towards a sustainable future. Having a successful career in the governmental sector, Melanie then became the Director of Climate Strategy for Princeville Capital – an investment firm which partners with start-up technology companies that are determined to have a climate positive impact. Under President Biden, Melanie was appointed as the Specialist Assistant to the President of the United States and Senior Director for Climate and Energy and she has successfully helped the U.S return to the Paris Agreement.

Melanie’s work is going to affect generations to come, her leading skills have helped shape climate change on a global scale. Arguably her most challenging role, in January 2023, Melanie became the Chief Sustainability Officer for the tech giant Microsoft. Melanie’s work be vital in the corporate’s vision of becoming more sustainable and reaching their goal of becoming carbon negative by 2030, and further remove their historical carbon emissions by 2050. If you are looking for a sustainability speaker who is at the forefront of developing climate control strategies, look no further than Melanie Nakagawa – her knowledge is second-to-none and she will be an asset at any event.

To enquire about Melanie Nakagawa for your event or corporate function, simply contact us via agent@sustainability-speakers.com or call a booking agent on 0207 1010 553.