UN climate change chief Yvo de Boer, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

UN climate change chief Yvo de Boer, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, has been poached by Big 4 accounting firm KPMG. De Boer was termed "the crying Dutchman" after he broke down in tears at the end of the Bali UN climate conference in 2006. now he can cry all the way to the bank, to borrow the famous line from Liberace!

The former Dutch civil servant who has been in the UN post for four years, was said to have been exhausted after the Copenhagen climate change summit last December.

In a telephone interview given to Associated Press, the UN official said he was announcing his retirement to allow UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to find a successor well before November when 192 countries meet in Mexico to conclude climate talks. He will leave officially in July.

De Boer said that he was not quitting the key UN Framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC) post because the Copenhagen climate talks in December were widely seen as a failure. "We were about an inch away from a formal agreement. It was basically in our grasp, but it didn't happen. So that was a pity," he said.

De Boer said today: “Concerns over energy prices, energy security and climate change are driving a new agenda for sustainable economic growth.

Sustainability is high on the agenda of investors, companies and governments alike. This demands new partnerships that foster strong economic growth, while respecting the need to protect the environment.

“Although it is the role of governments to provide the necessary policy frameworks, I have always maintained that business will deliver the necessary innovation and solutions, providing the right conditions are created. With KPMG, I now have a chance to help make that happen.

“Working with my colleagues at the UNFCCC Secretariat has been a tremendous experience. After the Copenhagen climate conference, countries responsible for 80 percent of energy related CO₂ emissions have submitted national plans and targets to address climate change.”

KPMG’s Global Head of Advisory Alan Buckle said: “We are delighted and proud to welcome Yvo De Boer to KPMG. He is bringing with him enormous knowledge and experience of climate change, sustainability and environmental policies.

“These issues are becoming increasingly important for all organizations – and many business leaders acknowledge that climate will affect the way they do business in the future.

“At KPMG, our member firms are building teams that have in-depth insight and skills, which can open up new opportunities for their clients and help them with an increasingly complex web of corporate governance and reporting, emerging regulation and taxes.

”Yvo De Boer will have a key role in developing a sustainability framework for our firms’ clients, and will – without question – bring our insights to a new level.”