about | Boccaletti

About Giulio Boccaletti

For the last 20 years, my work has been at the intersection of geophysical and ecological science, public policy, and business strategy. Water security and our relationship with Earth's climate are particular interests of mine.

I started out as a scientist, working on climate dynamics and physical oceanography at Bologna University, Princeton University, where I was a NASA Earth Systems Science Fellow, and MIT.

I then went into business, working for global consultancy McKinsey & Company, where I ultimately became a partner, one of the leaders of its Sustainability and Resource Productivity practice, and the co-founder of its Water practice.

While at McKinsey I worked on dozens of private, not for profit, and public sector projects across multiple industries, from health to finance.

During my time there, I also produced several public reports on key sustainability issues, including carbon and water security strategies for countries, the role of ICT sector in the climate transition, the economics of climate adaptation, and the economics of water security.

After my experience in the private sector, I joined the Nature Conservancy, one of the largest conservation organisations in the world, first as its Global Managing Director for Water, then as its Chief Strategy Officer.

For my work on water, the World Economic Forum nominated me a Young Global Leader in 2014. I have been a member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Water and Global Futures Council on Natural Resource Security. I have also served on the OECD-WWC High Level Panel on Infrastructure Financing for a Water-Secure World. I am an Honorary Research Associate of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University.

My book Water: A Biography, a history of the relationship between society and water, was released by Pantheon Books in September 2021. The Economist rated it one of the best books of 2021. It has been translated into 8 languages. I divide my time between speaking and writing on sustainability, working with documentary makers, advising organisations, and as the co-founder of a venture-backed tech startup, Chloris Geospatial. When I don't work on sustainability, I play music as a member of the G.O.B., the pre-eminent ocarina group in the world.

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