Chris Kyriacou

Chris is the chief of staff at Climate Lead, where he serves as a strategic thought partner to Climate Lead’s president, guides Climate Lead’s strategic planning process, and drives execution on a dynamic portfolio of cross-functional initiatives for Climate Lead’s board, funders, new climate philanthropists, and key partners.

Chris brings more than 15 years of experience in international development and organizational operations and strategy. At the Independent Diplomat and Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future, he advised governments, political groups, and NGOs at the United Nations and across the world, and helped launch the Water and Climate Coalition. He spent a decade building Aspire International as its CEO, developing high-impact teams to deliver game-changing development programs in the Middle East with a focus on equity and empowerment for women and girls. After relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2020, Chris served as the people operations manager at Philanthropy University, a certified Great Place To Work®. He played an integral role in the organization’s merger with OneValley, hyper-scaling the team and operations to supercharge the mission of empowering startups and nonprofits to innovate, accelerate, and scale to solve the world’s most pressing problems.

Chris holds a master’s degree in geography from Oxford University and a master’s of science degree in international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Away from work, he is an avid soccer player, competitive karaoke league veteran, and seeker of spectacular hilltop hikes with his wife and little ones, who reminds him each day of the importance of passing on a world in which future generations can flourish—inspired by the belief that “Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.”