Ann Mettler

Ann Mettler is a public policy strategist with more than 25 years of experience in technology, innovation, investment, and industrial policy. Mettler began her career at the World Economic Forum, where she served as director for Europe. She later co-founded The Lisbon Council in Brussels, a think tank focused on the knowledge economy, and led it as executive director for over a decade. During this period, Mettler also served as vice chair of the Global Agenda Council on Europe at the World Economic Forum and contributed to advancing digital economy and innovation policy across Europe. Her work at The Lisbon Council included co-authoring publications such as "Plan I(nnovation) for Europe: Delivering Innovation-Led, Digitally-Powered Growth."

Mettler's institutional leadership included her appointment as director-general and head of the European Political Strategy Centre, the European Commission's in-house think tank reporting directly to the Commission president. Under her leadership, the center was recognized by the Global Go-To Think Tank Index and ranked among the world's top government-affiliated think tanks. Mettler also chaired the European Strategy and Policy Analysis System, the European Union's inter-institutional process for strategic foresight and anticipatory governance, and contributed to strengthening foresight and preparedness in EU policymaking.

After her tenure at the European Commission, Mettler joined Breakthrough Energy as vice president for Europe, focusing on clean energy transition, clean technology investment, and policy. She spoke at international forums including COP27 and the Munich Security Conference, and provided expert commentary to Bloomberg, Financial Times, and BBC. Mettler also launched the Energy Resilience Leadership Group, co-chairing it with Christian Bruch, CEO of Siemens Energy, to highlight emerging clean technologies capable of replacing natural gas.

Mettler currently serves as president of Catalyse Europe, an organization she co-founded to advance energy security and clean technology innovation across the EU, UK, and Norway. She is a distinguished visiting fellow at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy and serves on the board of the European Innovation Council. Politico named her one of the top five women shaping Brussels, and she was recognized as one of Europe's Top 100 Women in Startups and Venture Capital. Mettler is a frequent speaker at international forums and has been published and quoted in media outlets including Financial Times, The Economist, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times.