Brussels Metropolitan Area
Ann Mettler brings over 25 years of experience in public policy, specializing at the nexus of technology, innovation, investment, and industrial policy. She has served as senior adviser to global leaders, including Bill Gates and Jean-Claude Juncker, former President of the European Commission (2014–2019). Currently, Ann is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, as well as an adviser to Kinnevik, a leading European investment fund. She also serves on the board of the European Innovation Council and as President of Catalyse Europe. From 2020-2025, Ann was Vice President for Europe at Breakthrough Energy, an organization founded by Bill Gates to accelerate the clean energy transition. Prior to that, from 2014-2019, she served as Director-General and Head of the European Political Strategy Centre (EPSC), the European Commission’s in-house think tank. Under her leadership, the EPSC was named “Best New Think Tank” by the Global Go-To Think Tank Index in 2016, and ranked among the world’s top 10 government-affiliated think tanks in 2017–2019. While at the Commission, Ann chaired the European Strategy and Policy Analyses System (ESPAS), the EU’s inter-institutional process for strategic foresight and global trends. She is widely credited with elevating the role of foresight, anticipation and preparedness in EU policymaking. In recognition of her contributions, Ann was named one of Europe’s Top 100 Women in Startups and Venture Capital in 2025. In 2019, Politico listed her among the top five women shaping Brussels. Earlier in her career, Ann co-founded The Lisbon Council, a Brussels-based think tank focused on the knowledge economy, which she led as Executive Director for over a decade. Between 2000 and 2003, she worked at the World Economic Forum, most recently as Director for Europe. Ann is a frequent speaker at high-level international forums and has been widely published and quoted in leading media outlets such as the Financial Times, Politico, The Economist, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times. She has also provided expert commentary on CNBC, Bloomberg TV, and the BBC. A dual citizen of Germany and Sweden, Ann has lived and worked in Greece, the US, Switzerland and Belgium. She holds Master’s degrees in Political Science and European Law & Economics, graduating with distinction from the University of New Mexico and Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University in Bonn. In 2016, she completed the executive education program 'Innovative Technology Leader' at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
The European Innovation Council (EIC) oversees the EU’s deeptech funding strategy, with a budget of €10bn.
Catalyse Europe works to accelerate Europe’s clean energy transition, operating at the intersection of security and resilience, competitiveness, and industrial strength.
The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University develops evidence-based research to help address the world's most challenging energy and climate problems through research, education, and dialogue.
Kinnevik is a leading Swedish growth investor, active owner and operational partner, providing patient capital to challenger technology-enabled businesses in Europe and the US.