Matt Kennedy
About Matt Kennedy
Matt Kennedy is the Associate Director of Carbon and Climate at Arup and a member of the Horizon Europe Mission Assembly for Climate-neutral and Smart Cities at the European Commission. He has extensive experience in climate strategy, emissions reduction, and stakeholder engagement across various international organizations.
Title
Matt Kennedy holds the position of Associate Director, Carbon and Climate at Arup. He also serves as a Member of the Horizon Europe Mission Assembly For Climate-neutral and Smart Cities and an EU Climate Change Expert for the European Green Capital and Green Leaf Awards under the European Commission.
Professional Roles
Matt Kennedy currently works at Arup in London as Associate Director, Carbon and Climate. He is also involved with the European Commission in two capacities: a Member of the Horizon Europe Mission Assembly for Climate-neutral and Smart Cities and as an EU Climate Change Expert for the European Green Capital and Green Leaf Awards. Additionally, he holds the role of Head of Strategy and Business at the International Energy Research Centre (IERC) in Cork.
Previous Experience
Matt Kennedy has an extensive background in climate and energy roles. He has served as Chair of the UNEP and UNIDO Climate Technology Centre and Network at the United Nations, EU Lead Technology Negotiator at the European Commission, Chair of the RETD Technology Collaboration Programme at the International Energy Agency, and Chair of Programme Board at REEEP. Furthermore, he has been a member of the UNFCCC Technology Executive Committee and has held various positions with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), including Low Carbon Technologies Manager and Special Advisor.
Education and Qualifications
Matt Kennedy earned a Doctor of Philosophy from Trinity Business School, where he focused on Energy, Philosophy, and Environmental Engineering. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from University College Dublin in Business and International Economics. His educational background includes a Master of Arts from NUI Galway's J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the same institution.
Expertise and Engagement
Matt Kennedy has extensive expertise in technology needs assessments for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) across Africa, South East Asia, and the Middle East. He is knowledgeable about global climate financing architecture and climate resilience mainstreaming. His professional experience includes stakeholder engagement with various international organizations and developing climate transition strategies for emissions reduction and climate resilience. He collaborates with government bodies, NGOs, and financial institutions to formulate strategies for decarbonisation and circular economy solutions. Based in Dublin, Ireland, he is actively involved in private sector engagement within the sustainable energy and climate mitigation contexts.