Prof Dr Pierre Dechamps – Short Biography

Pierre holds an electro-mechanical engineering degree from Liège University, a Master of Science from Cranfield University and a PhD from Liège University. 

He started his career as an assistant at Liège University, in the power generation department, from 1990 to 1995.

He then joined the industry, CMI, Cockerill Mechanical Industries, now John Cockerill, one of the world leading boiler manufacturers for power stations, where he quickly became the Head of the R&D Engineering Department. 

From 1998 to the end of 2007, he worked for 10 years for the European Commission Directorate General for Research as Project Officer for clean coal technologies and later on for CO2 capture and sequestration. 

From 2008 to the end of 2014, he was the Member for energy, climate change and the environment of the Bureau of European Policy Advisers to the Commission President J.-M. Barroso, directly advising the President on the developments of the 2020 energy and climate package, with dossiers like the ETS, renewables, and sustainability in the wider sense.

In January 2015, Pierre joined the Directorate General for Research and Innovation, as Policy Officer for climate action and more specifically for long term decarbonisation.

Pierre has been on leave from the Commission since 2019 and is now a consultant for energy and climate matters, based in Brussels. He also has several teaching commitments with higher education establishments throughout Europe on energy, climate and environment matters, notably with Cranfield University, with Ecole des Mines de Paris, the IFP School, SciencesPo Paris and with the Vistula University of Warsaw. 

Pierre also works for FTI Consulting as a Senior Advisor in their EMEA Energy and Resources practice.

Pierre was named Ambassador for the EU Climate Pact in 2021 by the European Commission.