Greening the Islands is excited to share that its founder Gianni Chianetta will be taking on the role of GTI Foundation Chair in a full-time position. After remarkable years for the global solar power industry, Chianetta will be concluding his CEO mandate at Global Solar Council and vice-Chair of the Global Renewables Alliance by the end of 2023. With more than two decades of working in the field of sustainability and renewable energy, Gianni Chianetta will focus on enhancing islands’ role as ideal laboratories for empowering the renewable energy nexus with other sectors such as water, agriculture, mobility, waste, tourism, and others, and originating solutions that can be replicated on the mainland. GTI will take into high consideration good governance and social inclusion as pivotal and transversal aspects of the sustainable transition.
“Islands represent valuable opportunities for all sustainable businesses and frontrunner institutions to create concrete best practices on sustainable development and climate solutions for the benefit of all. I will bring my experience and dedication in the global solar PV and renewables field to making Greening the Islands the global reference point for advocacy, knowledge, and cooperation on islands worldwide”, said Gianni Chianetta.
Cooperation between Gianni Chianetta and the Global Solar Council and several other members of the Global Renewables Alliance continues and strengthens as they have already joined the GTI Observatory.
Below follows the GSC press release of July 4.
Global Solar Council’s ad interim CEO Gianni Chianetta to conclude his mandate in 2023 after years of growth
The Global Solar Council (GSC) today announced that it is seeking a full-time CEO, as current CEO Gianni Chianetta approaches the end of his three-year tenure in 2023.
Chianetta will participate in the recruitment process, and continue to serve as CEO until the new leadership comes on board. He will then continue to serve as a Senior Advisor until the end of 2023, ensuring a smooth transition as the association gears up its advocacy efforts and membership growth towards COP28.
As Chianetta’s CEO mandate is coming to an end with the association entering a new growth phase, the GSC is now seeking a full-time CEO to hand over the baton and build upon the important initiatives established during his tenure.
“It has been an honor to serve as the GSC’s CEO over the past three years and help drive the impressive growth of the association and the solar PV industry. It’s been a rewarding experience, and I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish in such critical time, as the world urgently scales up solar power to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and achieve energy security”, said Chianetta. “I look forward to continuing the strong collaboration with the GSC chair Maté Heisz and supporting the new CEO as they take GSC’s impact to the next level.”
Leader of the Italian photovoltaic association since 2001, Chianetta founded the Network of National PV Associations (the NNPVA) in 2007, co-coordinating it until 2015 when he co-founded the GSC at COP21 in Paris.
Chianetta was elected Co-Chairman of the GSC from 2015 to 2018, Chair-elect in 2019, and served as Chair of GSC’s board in 2020, before being appointed CEO ad interim in 2021 on a part-time basis to lead the association during a three-year transitional phase.
During Chianetta’s term, the GSC has witnessed remarkable growth and achieved significant milestones, opening up new opportunities for the solar industry across the world.
The association increased its relevance and reach under his leadership through new initiatives such as: producing important reports and the global Empowering People with Solar PV campaign; establishing emerging market task forces in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia to support the growth of solar power in developing countries; establishing the GSC’s Annual Forum, and contributing to SolarPower Europe’s annual Global Market Outlook for Solar Power.
Chianetta also played a pivotal role in the creation of unprecedented alliances of clean energy leaders with the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA) and the Global Alliance for Sustainable Energy (GASE). He also worked towards deepening collaboration and catalyzing new initiatives between the GSC and other key climate and renewable energy organizations such as the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the International Solar Alliance, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), REN21, CAN International and Greenpeace.
Increasing the level of global cooperation has been critical in boosting the solar power industry’s voice in key international climate forums. These efforts have led to the GSC joining the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action and having its first ever pavilion in the blue zone at COP27 in collaboration with GWEC.
“On behalf of the GSC board, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Gianni for his dedication and vision throughout his tenure as CEO. As the world gears up for COP28 and strives to achieve net zero emissions, the role of the GSC in advocating for solar power as a key climate solutions has never been more vital. Working with both Gianni as Senior Advisor and the new CEO, we are looking to make the association and global solar industry stronger than ever to ensure the world achieves its climate goals”, commented Máté Heisz, Chair of the GSC.
The search for a full-time CEO to lead the association into this exciting new chapter has initiated, and more information can be found here: https://www.globalsolarcouncil.org/careers/
