Ben Churchill

Since Mr Churchill joined WMO in 2020, he has focused on partnerships and innovation to increase his team’s capacity to better understand and support the 59 WMO Members in Region II (Asia) and Region V (South-West Pacific). Through proactive collaboration with regional counterparts from other United Nations agencies and implementing partners, the Early Warnings for All initiative is well advanced in the 11 priority countries in the two regions.

Mr Churchill brings to WMO more than 30 years of experience in strategic policy, multi-sector programmes, partnerships and stakeholder management over a diverse spectrum, from resource recovery, contaminated site remediation, sustainable land use and biodiversity conservation to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

Before joining WMO, Mr Churchill was a key figure in the international affairs team of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology where he coordinated Australia’s engagement with WMO and led bilateral partnerships with China, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom to co-design and share scientific and technical capabilities.

Prior to joining the WMO community, Mr Churchill worked in various government roles at international, national and state level on environmental policy and sustainable development. At Parks Victoria, he developed management plans for internationally significant wetlands listed under the Ramsar Convention, and implemented a strategic management framework for Victoria’s parks and reserves.

Mr Churchill has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design and Natural Resource Management from the University of Canberra, and is currently completing a Masters of Science, Sustainability in Practice at the University of Plymouth. His professional development includes leadership, environmental law, international relations, media, and incident management.