Ivo de Boer, chief of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has said he will step down as of July 1 to pursue opportunities in the private sector and academia.

The announcement comes two months after the Copenhagen climate change conference, which drew 120 world leaders but failed to reach a legally-binding treaty that would secure deep global cuts in carbon emissions. De Boer has denied that his decision to quit was a result of Copenhagen, but his disappointment with the outcome of the conference has not be secret.

“Copenhagen wasn’t what I had hoped it would be,” he told the Associated Press some time ago. “[Copenhagen] did not provide us with a clear agreement in legal terms, but the political commitment and sense of direction to a low-emissions world are overwhelming.”

He added: “This calls for new partnerships with the business sector and I now have the chance to help make this happen.”

De Boer will become a consultant on climate and sustainability issues for global accounting firm KPMG and will be associated with several universities.

“Working with my colleagues at the UNFCCC Secretariat in support of the climate change negotiations has been a tremendous experience,” said de Boer in his resignation statement. He has led the organization since September 2006.