ICLEI Leaders

Secretary Generals

Founder and 1st Secretary General 1990-2000 - Jeb Brugmann

2nd Secretary General 2001 - Sean Southey

3rd Secretary General 2002-2012 - Konrad Otto-Zimmermann

4th Secretary General 2013-current - Gino Van Begin

Chairs and Presidents

During the period of the first governance scheme (1990-2003), the highest elected representative of ICLEI had the title "Chair of the Executive Committee".  

From 2003, following an overhaul of ICLEI's Charter, the highest representative of the association had the title "President".

1990-1993 - Chairman Sir John Chatfield, LGIB, UK

1993-1997 - Chairman Dr. Peter Heller, Freiburg, Germany

1998-2000 - Chairman Prof. Dr. G.N. Nicky Padayachee, CEO, Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council, South Africa

2000-2003 - Chair: Ms. Kaarin Taipale, General Director, Building Control Department, Helsinki, Finland

2003-2006 - President Mr. Amos Masondo, Executive Mayor, Johannesburg, South Africa

2006-2015 - President Mr. David Cadman, Councilor, Vancouver, Canada

2015-2018 - President Mr. Park, Won-soon, Mayor, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Republic of Korea

2018-current - President Mr. Ashok-Alexander Sridharan, Mayor, Bonn, Germany 

Executive Committees

Preliminary remark:

The lists of Executive Committee members for each term are based on information published by the organization. They have been edited with care; should a reader, however, discover a mistake or oversight, the  editors would appreciate being contatced so that a correction can be swiftly made.

The service of several Executive Committee members, esp. of elected politicians, was terminated early because their term of public office ended, mostly due to the outcomes of local elections. In these cases the Executive Committee usually appointed a successor upon proposal by the respective member local or regional government.

1990-1993

Chairman: Sir John Chatfield, Former Chairman, Local Government International Burreau, London, UK

  • Ms. Sallyanne Atkinson, Former Lord Mayor, Brsibane, Australia
  • Dr. Siegfried Brenke, Former Head of Urban Affaars Division, OECD, Paris, France
  • Dr. Noel J. Brown, Director, North American Regional Office, UNEP
  • Mr. Ranjt Chavan, Former Mayor, Baroda, India
  • Mr. Jakob Eng, Former President, Norwegian Association of Local Authorities, Oslo, Norway
  • Mr. Veikko Heino, Head of Department, Association of Finnish Cities, Helsinki, Finland
  • HE Abdul Qadir H. Koshak, Secretary General, Organization of Islamic Capitals and Cities, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 
  • Dr. Jaime Lerner, Former Mayor, Curitiba, Brazil
  • Mr. Dale Martin, Former Councillor, Metro Toronto, Canada
  • Mr. Douglas Tee Masuku, Town Clerk, Mbabane, Swaziland
  • Lic Fernando Menendez Garza, General Coordinator for Pollution Prevention and Control, Mexico City, Mexico
  • Mr. Michael Ndubiwa, Town Clerk, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
  • Dr. Janice Perlman, Executive Director, The MegaCities Project, New York, USA
  • Ms. Nancy Skinner, Former Councilmember, Berkeley CA, USA
  • Dr. Helena Ribeiro Sobral, Former Environmental Assistant to the Mayor, Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • Mr. Mikhail Stolyarov, Former Head, Soviet Sister Cities Association, Moscow, Russia
  • Dr. Costis Toregas, President, Public Technology Inc., Washington DC, USA
  • Mr. Luis Villafuerte, Former Governor, Camarines Sur, Philippines
  • Mr. Selahatin Yildirim, Secretary General, East Mediterranean and Middle East Section of IULA, Istanbul, Turkey

1993-1995

Chairman: Dr. Peter Heller, Deputy Mayor for Environment, Freiburg, Germany

  • Governor Ken Amano, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
  • Mayor Mamadou Diop, Dakar, Senegal
  • Mr. Dave Doering, Councilmember, Denver,CO, USA
  • Mr. Jakob Eng, Executive Board, Norwegian Association of Local Authorities, Oslo, Norway
  • Ms. Aydan Erim, Environmental Advisor to the Mayor, Ankara, Turkey
  • Lic Fernando Menendez Garza, General Coordinator for Pollution Prevention and Control, Mexico City, Mexico
  • Mayor Ta-Chou Huang, Taipei, Taiwan
  • Mr. Pekka Jalkanen, Department Head, Finnish Association of Cities, Helsinki, Finland
  • Mr. Teiji Hori, Director, Municipal Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, Kitakyuchu City, Japan 
  • Councillor Joan King, Metro Toronto, Canada 
  • Ms. Jadwiga Kopec, Head of Environmental Department, Gdansk, Poland
  • HE Abdulqadir H. Koshak, Secretary General, Organization of Islamic Capitals and Cities, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • Mr. Michael Ndubiwa, Town Clerk, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
  • Mr. Arlando Phillipi, Environmental Policy and Management Coordinator, Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • Ms. Nancy Skinner, Berkeley Environmental Commission, Berkeley CA, USA
  • Mayor Dr. Nurettin Sozen, Istanbul, Turkey
  • Dr. Costis Toregas, President, Public Technology Inc., Washington DC, USA
  • Mr. Jaime Valenzuela, Project Director, IULA Latin American Section, Quito, Ecuador
  • Ms. Luis Villafuerte, Former Governor, Camarines Sur, Philippines
  • Councillor Margaret Zziwa, Kampala, Uganda

1995-1997

Chairman: Dr. Peter Heller, Deputy Mayor for Environment, Freiburg, Germany

Vice Chairman: Mr. Michael Ndubiwa, Town Clerk, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

  • Mr. Abdul Aziz Yousif Al-Adsani, Secretary General, Arab Towns Organization, Kuwait
  • Mr. Rui Manuel de Carvalho Godinho, First Deputy Mayor, Lisbon, Portugal
  • Mr. Jakob Eng, Executive Board, Norwegian Association of Local Authorities, Oslo, Norway
  • Mr. Luis Guierrero Figueroa, President, Asociacion de Municipalidades del Perú (AMPE), Peru
  • Sir John Harman, Leader of the Council, Kirklees Metropolitan Council, UK
  • Mr. Guy Hascoet, Councillor, Communauté Urbaine de Lille, France
  • Ms. Joan King, Councillor, Metropolitan Toronto, Canada
  • HE Abdulqader H. Koshak, Secretary General, Organization of Islamic Capitals and Cities, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • Dr. Jatin Modi, President, All India Institute for Local Self Government, India
  • Prof. G.N. (Nicky) Padayachee, Chief Executive Officer, Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council, South Africa
  • Dr. Eduardo Palazuelos Rendon, Environmental Secretary, Mexico City, Mexico
  • Mr. Harvey Ruvin, Clerk of the Courts and County Commission, Dade County, USA
  • Mr. Erdem Saker, Lord Mayor, Bursa, Turkey
  • Ms. Mary Ann Smith, Alderman, Chicago, USA
  • Mr. Koichi Sueyoshi, Mayor, Kitakyushu, Japan
  • Dr. Costis Toregas, President, Public Technology Inc., Washington DC, USA
  • Mr. Yoshihiko Tsuchiya, Governor, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
  • Mr. Jamil Mahuad Witt, Mayor, Quito, Ecuador 
  • Ms. Margaret Zziwa, Councillor, Kampala, Uganda 
  • Mr. Alfredo Sirkis, Secretary for the Environment, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

1998-2000

Chairman: Prof. Dr. G.N. (Nicky) Padayachee, Chief Executive Officer, Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council, South Africa 

Vice Chairman: Mr. Harvey Ruvin, Clerk of the Courts and County Commission, Dade County, USA

  • Ms. Grethe Bjørlo, Politician, Larsgard, Norway
  • Dr. Rolf Böhme, Lord Mayor, Freiburg
  • Ms. Margit Conrad, Environmental Mayor, Saarbrücken, Germany
  • Mr. Rui Manuel de Carvalho Godinho, First Deputy Mayor, Lisbon, Portugal
  • Ms. Patricia Duran, Executive Director, FEMICA, El Salvador
  • Ms. Margaret Evans, Myor, Hamilton, New Zealand
  • Mr. Luis Guierrero Figueroa, President, Asociacion de Municipalidades del Perú (AMPE), Peru
  • Sir John Harman, Leader of the Council, Kirklees Metropolitan Council, UK
  • Mr. Omar Kadi, Secretary General, Organization of Islamic Capitals and Cities, Saudi Arabia
  • Ms. Joan King, Councillor, Metropolitan Toronto, Canada
  • Dr. Mauricio Lobo, Secretary for the Environment, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Dr. Jatin Modi, President, All India Institute for Local Self Government, India
  • Ms. Alice Muwanguzi, Councillor, Kampala, Uganda
  • Mr. Erdem Saker, Lord Mayor, Bursa, Turkey
  • Mr. Peter Said Siyovelwa, Chairman, Association of Local Authorities of Tanzania, Tanzania
  • Ms. Kaarin Taipale, General Director, Building Control Department, Helsinki, Finland
  • Mr. Yoshihiko Tsuchiya, Governor, Saitama Prefecture, Japan

2000-2003

Chair: Ms. Kaarin Taipale, General Director, Building Control Department, Helsinki, Finland

Vice Chairman: Mr. Harvey Ruvin, Clerk of the Courts and County Commission, Dade County, USA

  • Ms. Grethe Bjørlo, Politician, Larsgard, Norway
  • Ms. Margit Conrad, Environmental Mayor, Saarbrücken, Germany
  • Mr. Jeremy Harris, Mayor, Honolulu, USA
  • Mr. Omar Abdullah Kadi, Secretary General, Organization of Islamic Capitals and Cities, Saudi Arabia
  • Mr. Kang, Hong-bin, Vice Mayor, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • Mr. James Knight, Chief Executive officer, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Canada
  • Mr. Jesus Mario Lima de Almedia, Mayor, Betim, Brazil 
  • Dr. Mauricio Lobo, Secretary for the Environment, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Mr. Amos Masondo, Executive Mayor, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Mr. Takehisa Matsubara, Msyor, Nagoya, Japan
  • Mr. Jatin Modi, National President, All India Institute of Local Self Government, india
  • Ms. Alice Muwanguzi, Councillor, Kampala, Uganda
  • Mr. Akwasi Oppong Fosu, President, Afrcan Union of Local Authorities, Zimbabwe
  • Mr. David Risstrom, District Councillor, Melbourne, Australia
  • Mr. Mario Silva, Councillor, Toronto, Canada
  • Mr. Stefan Sofianski, Mayor Sofia, Bulgaria
  • Ms. Beate Weber, Lady Mayor, Heidelberg, Germany

2003-2006

President:  Mr. Amos Masondo, Executive Mayor, Johannesburg, South Africa

Vice President:  Mr. David Cadman, Councillor, Vancouver, Canada

  • Ms. Celia Cameron, Leader, Labour Group, Norfolk County, UK
  • Mr. Fernando Cordero Cueva, Mayor, Cuenca, Ecuador
  • Mr. Emilio D'Alessio, Deputy Mayor, Ancona, Italy 
  • Mr. Hajimu Fujii, Mayor Sendai, Japan (until September 2005)
  • Mr. Stephen Kabuye, Mayor, Entebbe, Uganda
  • Mr. Omar Abdullah Kadi, Secretary General, Organization of Islamic Capitals and Cities, Saudi Arabia
  • Mr. James Knight, Chief Executive officer, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Canada
  • Ms. Patricia Kranz, Environmental Consultant, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Mr. Julius Danile Landingwe, Executive Member of Planning & Environment, Cape Town, South Africa
  • Ms. Imma Mayol, Deputy Mayor, Barcelona, Spain
  • Ms. Margaret Pageler, Councilmember, Seattle, USA
  • Mr. Joe Pantalone, Deputy Mayor, Toronto, Canada
  • Ms. Hansa Patel, Executive Director, All India Institute of Local Self Government, India
  • Mr. David Risstrom, District Councillor, Melbourne, Australia (until September 2004)
  • Mr. Harvey Ruvin, Clerk of the Courts and County Commission, Dade County, USA
  • Mr. Pedro Sabat Pietracaprina, Mayor, Nunoa, Chile
  • Mr. John So, Lord Mayor, City of Melbourne, Australia (from April 2005)
  • Mr. Stefan Sofianski, Mayor, Sofia, Bulgaria
  • Ms. Kaarin Taipale, Senior Advisor, Helsinki, Finland (until December 2003)
  • Mr. Katsuhiko Umehara, Mayor, City of Sendai (from October 2005)
  • Ms. Margit Vestbjerg, Mayor of Environment and Planning, Kolding, Denmark
  • Ms. Beate Weber, Lady Mayor, Heidelberg, Germany
  • Mr. Yang, Yoon-Jae, Assistant Mayor for Environment Policy, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Republic of Korea

2006-2009

President:  Mr. David Cadman, Councilor, Vancouver, Canada 

Vice President: Mr. Stephen Kabuye, Mayor, Entebbe, Uganda

Immediate Past President: Mr. Amos Masondo, Executive Mayor, Johannesburg, South Africa

REGIONAL SEATS:

Africa:

  • Mr. Stephen Kabuye, Mayor, Entebbe, Uganda
  • Ms. Marian Jallron Nieuwoudt, Councillor, Cape Town, South Africa (from end-2008)
  • Mr. Themba Raymond Sikhutshwa, Councillor, Member of Mayoral Committee, Planning & Environment, Cape Town, South Africa (until 2008)

Eastern Asia:

  • Mr. Daisaku Kadokawa, Mayor, Kyoto, Japan (from end-2008)
  • Mr. Kim, Heung Kwon, Vice Mayor I for Administrative Affairs, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Republic of Korea (from autumn 2006 until December 2007)
  • Mr. Kim, Yong-seo, Mayor, Suwon, Republic of Korea
  • Mr. Yorikane Masumoto, Mayor, Kyoto, Japan (until 2008)
  • Mr. Ra Jin-Goo, Vice Mayor, Seoul Metropolitan Government (from June 2008)
  • Mr. Won, Sei-hoon, Vice Mayor I for Administrative Affairs, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Republic of Korea (until  June 2006)

Southern Asia:

  • Ms. Mary Jane Ortega, Mayor, San Fernando, La Union, Philippines (until Autumn 2007)
  • Ms. Hansa Patel, Advisor / Executive Director, All India Institute for Local Self Government, India
  • Mr. Buenaventura Geronimo “Jerry” P. Treñas, Mayor, Iloilo, Philippines (from Autumn 2007)

Oceania:

  • Mr. Nick Berman, Mayor, Hornsby Shire Council, Australia
  • Mr. Fraser Brindley, Councillor, Deputy Chair, Planning & Environment Committee, Melbourne, Australia

Western & Central Europe:

  • Mr. Emilio D’Alessio, Deputy Mayor, City of Ancona, Italy
  • Mr. Per Bødker Andersen, Mayor, Kolding, Denmark (from January 2007)
  • Ms. Imma Mayol, Deputy Mayor, Barcelona, Spain
  • Dr. Dieter Salomon, Lord Mayor, City of Freiburg, Germany
  • Ms. Margit Vestbjerg, Mayor of Environment & Planning, City of Kolding, Denmark (until end of 2006)

Eastern Europe, Caucasus & Central Asia:

  • Mr. Venelin Donchev Todorov, Deputy Mayor, Bourgas, Bulgaria

Latin America & Caribbean:

North Africa, Middle East and West Asia:

  • ---

North America:

  • Mr. David Cadman, Director, Greater Vancouver Regional District; Deputy Mayor, Vancouver, Canada
  • Ms. Margaret Pageler, Urban Sustainability Advisor, Seattle WA, U.S.A.
  • Mr. Joe Pantalone, Deputy Mayor, Toronto, Canada


2009-2012

President:  Mr. David Cadman, Councilor, Vancouver, Canada 

Vice President: Martha Delgado-Peralta, Secretary of Environment, Mexico City, Mexico

Immediate Past Vice President: Mr. Stephen Kabuye, Mayor, Entebbe, Uganda

REGIONAL SEATS:

Africa:

  • Ms. Marian Julian Nieuwoudt, Alderman, Cape Town, South Africa

East Asia: 

  • Mr. Daisaku Kadokawa, Mayor, Kyoto, Japan
  • Mr. Kim, Sang-bum, Vice Mayor, Seoul metropolitan Government, Republic of Korea (from March 2012)
  • Mr. Kim, Yong-Seo, Mayor, Suwon, Republic of Korea (until mid-2010)
  • Mr. Kwon, Young-gyu, Vice Mayor, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • Mr. Ra, Jin-Goo, Vice Mayor, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • Mr. Yeom, Tae-young, Mayor, Suwon, Republic of Korea (from September 2010)

Latin America and Caribbean:

North America:

  • Mr. Martin Chavez, Mayor, Albuquerque NM, USA
  • Mr. Stephen Mandel, Mayor, Edmonton, Canada
  • Mr. Patrick Hays, Mayor, North Little Rock, USA
  • Ms. Margaret Pageler, Urban Sustainability Advisor, Seattle WA, USA
  • Ms. Pam O'Connor, Councelor, Santa Monica CA, USA
  • Mr. Harvey Ruvin, Clerk of the Courts, Miami-Dade County FL, USA

Oceania:

Southern Asia:

  • Mr. Aniruddhe Mukerjee, Secretary of Transport and Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh, India 
  • Ms. Hansa Patel, Executive Director, Al India Institute for Local Self Government, India

Western and Central Europe:

  • Mr. Per Bødker Andersen, Deputy Mayor, Kolding, Denmark
  • Mr. Jürgen Nimpsch, Lord Mayor, Bonn, Germany
  • Mr. Jyrki Myllervirta, Mayor, Lahti, Finland
  • Dr. Dieter Salomon, Lord Mayor, Freiburg, Germany

2012-2015

President:  Mr. David Cadman, Councilor, Vancouver, Canada 

First Vice President: Ms. Martha Delgado-Peralta, Secretary of Environment, Mexico City, Mexico

Vice President: James Nxumalo, Mayor, eThekwini (Durban), South Africa 

Vice President: Mary Jane Ortega, Secretary General, CityNet

  • Mr. Frank Cownie, Mayor, Des Moines IO, USA
  • Ms. Cathy Oke, Councilor, Melbourne, Australia (until 2013)
  • Mr. Stephen Yarwood, Mayore, Adelaide, Australia (from 2013)
  • Mr. Eduardo Rivera Perez, Mayor, Puebla, Mexico (until 2014)
  • Mr. Jose Gali Fayad, Mayor, Puebla, Mexico  (from 2014)
  • Mr. Farhad Suri, Lead Councilor, South Delhi, India
  • Mr. Yeom, Tae-young, Mayor, Suwon, Republic of Korea
  • Mr. Park, Won-soon, Mayor, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Republic of Korea (from October 2012)
  • Mr. Marcelo Ebrard, Mayor, Mexico City, Mexico (until October 2012)
  • Mr. Troy Pickard, Mayor, Joondalup, Australia 
  • Mr. Pekka Sauri, Deputy Mayor Helsinki, Finland
  • Ms. Alexandra van Huffelen, Deputy Mayor, Rotterdam, Netherlands (until 2014)
  • Mr. Pex Langenberg, Deputy Mayor, Rotterdam, Netherlands (from 2014)

2015-2018

President:  Mr. Park, Won-soon, Mayor, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Republic of Korea

First Vice President: Mr. James Nxumalo, Mayor, Durban, South Africa

Vice President: Mr. Miguel Angel Mancera, Mayor, Mexico City, Mexico

Vice President: Mr. Pekka Sauri, Deputy Mayor, Helsinki, Finland

Source: ICLEI Corporate Report 2014, latest version as of May 2015, ICLEI e.V. 2015

2018-2021

President:  Mr. Ashok-Alexander Sridharan, Mayor, Bonn, Germany  

First Vice President: Ms. Cathy Oke, Councilor, Melbourne, Australia

Vice President: Mr. Frank Cownie, Mayor, Des Moines IO, USA

Vice President: Ms. Stephany Uy-Tan, Mayor, Catbalogan, Philippines

Source: ICLEI Corporate Report 2018-2019, ICLEI e.V. 2019; ICLEI website as of 26.09.2020