Mercedes
Sanchez Varela

Mercedes Sanchez Varela is a Senior Advisor, specialising in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), Climate Reporting, and EU Green Deal policy developments.

Mercedes brings a wealth of expertise in advising private and public organisations on EU climate policies, translating the complex challenges into sustainable strategies. She has a strong track record as a public speaker on the many EU Green Deal challenges and opportunities and has been advising on climate governance, energy and taxation policies, digital transformation, and ESG reporting.

Currently serving on the board of Chapter Zero Brussels (here), a World Economic Forum spin-off addressing climate governance issues at the board level, Mercedes drives high-level discussions with EU policy makers on the journey towards more sustainable business practices. She also holds a board position at the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP, here), a prominent EU sustainability think tank in Brussels.

Mercedes's professional career includes tenure as the Head of the EU Office in Brussels and a partner responsible for EU relationships and large EU frameworks at KPMG. Prior to this, she also worked in consultancy roles for EU, WB, and EBRD and for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in West Africa. Additionally, she serves as a Non-Executive Director on various Not-for-Profit boards.

With great insider knowledge of how Brussels operates, Mercedes combines this expertise with over 25 years of international consultancy experience.

Mercedes has studied International and European law in Paris and in Madrid, and speaks English, French and Spanish fluently and some Dutch, Italian and Portuguese.