Career
In the period 1982- 2014 he was Director General, Deputy Permanent Secretary of State, in the Ministries responsible for energy issues in Denmark. He took leave from this position in 1994-2002, after his appointment to Organization of European Cooperation and Development-Director. He was in that period responsible for Energy Efficiency, Renewable energy and for Research, Development and Deployment in The International Energy Agency of Organization of European Cooperation and Development in Paris (Institute of Economic Affairs/Organization of European Cooperation and Development).
Koch has been one of the leading voices in international, intergovernmental collaboration on energy for decades.
In the last decade, Hans Jørgen Koch was one of the founding fathers of The International Renewable Energy Agency. In that capacity he was the Vice Chairman of the intergovernmental Final Preparatory Conference for the International Renewable Energy Agency International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) held in 23–24 October 2008 in Madrid, Spain, and the Founding Conference held in Bonn on 26 January 2009.
He was also one of the final candidates for the position as the first Director General of IRENA.
