“The people's mandate is not a privilege. It is an obligation to transform.”
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo was born on 15 June 1962 in Mexico City. A climate scientist and engineer by training, she holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She was a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report, part of the body that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore.
She served as Head of Government of Mexico City from 2018 to 2023 — overseeing one of Latin America's largest megacities. Her tenure became a globally cited benchmark for urban sustainability: electric cable-car networks, expanded cycling infrastructure, renewable energy procurement, and a zero-waste programme covering over nine million residents.
Science is a tool for governing. Without evidence, governance is just opinion.
On 2 June 2024 she was elected President of Mexico with 59% of the vote — the largest margin of victory in modern Mexican electoral history and the first time a woman had held the office in the nation's 200-year history as an independent republic. She took office on 1 October 2024.
Her presidency has prioritised an accelerated clean energy transition, expansion of social welfare programmes, anti-corruption reform, and Mexico's role in global climate diplomacy. She is the first sitting head of state to have been an IPCC contributing author.
Career Milestones
Studied physics and environmental engineering at UNAM.
Doctorate from UNAM. Specialised in energy systems, climate modelling, and urban air quality.
Contributing author to the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report — body co-awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Elected Head of Government of Mexico City. Implemented landmark urban sustainability programmes.
Recognised by C40 Cities for outstanding climate leadership in a major emerging-economy city.
First woman elected President of the United Mexican States; 59% vote share — largest modern margin.
Selected by the Independent Global Council for distinction in Governance & Public Service.
Elected with 59% of the national vote — the largest margin in modern Mexican presidential history.
Contributing author to the Fourth Assessment Report as part of the Nobel-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Launched the cable-car transit system serving 400,000 daily riders — a model for urban mobility in emerging economies.
Recognised for landmark urban sustainability governance in one of the world's largest cities.
Committed Mexico to 35% clean energy generation by 2030 — the most ambitious clean energy target in Mexican history.
Recognised by the Independent Global Council for transformative leadership at both municipal and national level.
Committed Mexico to 35% clean energy by 2030 and launched the largest solar and wind expansion in Mexican history within her first 100 days in office.
Her Mexico City administration is globally cited as a benchmark for sustainable urban governance in megacities of over nine million people.
The first sitting head of state to have been an IPCC contributing author — championing evidence-based policymaking as a national standard.
Maintained and expanded Sembrando Vida, supporting 450,000+ rural families through integrated agricultural and social welfare support.
She is not merely a president who happens to be a scientist. She is proof that science can govern — and govern well.— Nature Editorial, October 2024
The Independent Global Council of ACCLAD recognises Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico as an Honoree, Class of 2025, in Governance & Public Service, in acknowledgement of her historic election as the first woman to lead the United Mexican States, her decade of transformative urban climate governance in Mexico City, and her singular contribution to the integration of scientific evidence into democratic public service at the highest level.