María Mendiluce is the CEO of the We Mean Business Coalition and has 25 years of experience in sustainable development, energy and climate action. The Coalition brings together its seven founding partners: BSR, The B Team, CDP, Ceres, CLG Europe, Climate Group and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Together with more than 40 implementation partners, the Coalition catalyzes business leadership and policy ambition to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon economy.

As chief executive of the Coalition, María is working with her team and partners to provide the north star for ambitious climate action and to guide companies though their journey to net zero. The Coalition, to date, has mobilized 13,000 companies, big and small, that have committed to reducing emissions aligned with the Paris Agreement. It has also brought the business voice to G7, G20 and UNFCCC to provide confidence to policy makers to put in place ambitious climate policies.

María is leading on flagship net-zero initiatives encompassing companies of all sizes and several sectors. She sits on the Executive Board of The Science Based Targets initiative. She actively took part in the founding and is a member of the Board of the Mission Possible Partnership that works to develop decarbonization roadmaps for seven hard-to-abate sectors including cement and steel. María also co-founded the SME Climate Hub that is building a one-stop-shop for smaller companies for their net-zero commitments.

Formerly being the Managing Director and member of the Senior Management Team at WBCSD, María established transformative industry projects in energy, climate, transport, plastics and circular economy. She has also held senior positions at the Economic Bureau of the Spanish Prime Minister, in the CEO’s office of Iberdrola and at the International Energy Agency.

Maria has a PhD in energy economics. She is a Commissioner on the Energy Transitions Commission, a board member of the Centre for International Environmental Studies (CIES) in the Graduate Institute in Geneva and she is part of several companies’ sustainability advisory councils. In 2023, María has been featured in TIME's inaugural list of the 100 most influential climate leaders in business.

María is Spanish, has three kids and lives in Geneva.