WSDS 2026 Theme

Mr. Mattias Frumerie
Climate Ambassador,
Swedish Ministry of Climate and Enterprise

Mattias Frumerie is Sweden's Climate Ambassador and Head of Delegation to the UNFCCC. Previous roles in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs include Head of Strategic communications, Head of EU single market, Head of EU policy as well as postings in Budapest and Brussels. Ambassador Frumerie has also served as EU advisor in the Prime Minister's Office. 

Mr. Srivatsan Iyer
Global CEO,
Hero Future Energies

Srivatsan Iyer is the Global CEO of HFE. He last worked for Braskem, the largest petrochemical company in the Americas, based in São Paulo, Brazil, as their Vice President of Strategy & Planning and Innovation & Technology. He joined Braskem in 2010 and worked in various roles from Strategy, M&A, R&D, Finance, Planning, Procurement, and IT. Previously, he was the CEO and General Manager of Braskem Europe, where he managed Braskem's European business, based in Frankfurt, Germany. Prior to joining Braskem, he spent 5 years with McKinsey & Company, where he served a variety of clients in the Energy and Chemicals sector, on a range of topics including Strategy and Operations. Before that, Srivatsan spent 8 years working with ExxonMobil Chemical in several roles, starting his career in R&D and Technology Development. Srivatsan holds a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Madras, MS in Chemical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.

Ms. Neelima Jain
Director of Policy,
India Energy and Climate Center, UC Berkeley

Neelima Jain is a senior energy professional with over two decades of experience at the intersection of clean energy, industrial strategy, and public policy across India, the UK, and internationally. At UC Berkeley’s India Energy & Climate Center, she works on green steel, clean tech trade, and power sector policy research, with a focus on turning technically viable solutions into competitive, scalable strategies.

Her perspective is grounded in hands-on delivery. She helped design and implement some of the world’s largest energy efficiency programs, including India’s UJALA initiative, which replaced conventional bulbs with LEDs in over 200 million households. She later established and led the UK subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), serving on its board after the Ministry of Power’s first-ever overseas acquisition, where she built partnerships with governments, investors, and industry.

Her work has also spanned climate finance, smart meter deployments, and demand-side management regulations. She has served on IEA’s Energy Efficiency Industry Advisory Board and represented India at COP21 in Paris. She has been quoted by the Financial Times, Bloomberg, and other leading outlets, and was recognized among the 100 Most Influential in UK–India relations.

Mr. Bob Keefe
Executive Director,
E2 (Economy+Environment)

Bob Keefe is executive director of E2, a US-based organization of more than 11,000 business leaders who advocate for policies that are good for our economy and good for our environment. Named by TIME Magazine as one of the world's most influential climate leaders, Bob speaks regularly about the economic costs of climate change and the economic benefits of clean energy and climate action. He has testified before the US Congress and numerous state legislatures and is regularly quoted in media outlets globally. Bob is the author of two books on the economics of climate change, "Climatenomics: Washington Wall Street and the Economic Battle to Save our Planet" (2022) and "Clean Economy NOW: Stories From the Front Lines of an American Business Revolution (2024). Before joining E2 in 2011, Bob spent more than 20 years as a journalist, covering business, politics, technology and environmental news.

Dr. Yoshinori Kodama
Principal Fellow,
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan

Yoshinori KODAMA (Mr)

Education:

Bachelor of Law (Tokyo 1990).

Master of Laws (Cambridge 1992).

Doctor of Philosophy (Legal Studies, London 1999).

Professional Careers:

1990- Entered the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

1990- GATT Division.

1991- Treaties Division.

1993- Second Secretary, Embassy of Japan to the United Kingdom.

1995- UN Law of the Sea Convention Ratification Office.

1996- OECD Division. Vice-Chair, OECD Trade/Environment Expert Group (1997-98).

1998- Head of Legal Unit, Foreign Minister’s Secretariat.

2002- First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Japan to the OECD, Paris.

IEA Energy Emergency Inspector to the UK & Portugal.

2005- Counsellor, Embassy of Japan to the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Co-chair of the Inter-governmental Support Group for the Khmer Rouge Trials.

Chief Coordinator of the 2007 Cambodia Election International Observer Mission.

2007- Executive Assistant to the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office.

2009- Director, Japan/Korea Economic Affairs Division.

Senior Policy Coordinator for the Korean Peninsula.

2011- Director, European Union Division.

2012- Director, Pacific Region Division.

2014- Minister, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Japan to Malaysia.

Co-chair of the ASEAN Regional Forum Workshop on Counter Radicalisation (March 2015).

2017- Minister, Embassy of Japan to the Kingdom of Belgium.

2018- Minister, Mission of Japan to NATO, Brussels.

2020- Minister, Deputy Head of Mission, Mission of Japan to ASEAN, Jakarta

     Coordinator for the ASEAN/QUAD Disaster Relief Experts Group. (2022-23)

2023- Consul General in Honolulu.

     Visiting Research Scholar at the William S Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaii at Manoa (2023-2026).

     Co-coordinator for the Friends of Japan/Hawaii Maritime Sector Cooperation (2025-).

2025- Principal Fellow, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Kanagawa, Japan.

Honourary Adviser, The Energy and Resources Institute, India.

Principal Publications:

- Local Governments: Non-Tariff Impediments or Cooperative Counterparts? Asian Law and Policy Journal (TBC, 2026).

- Judicialisation in and around the South China Sea, Indonesian Journal of International Law (October 2023).

- Tackling Non-Tariff Measures through International Arrangements: The Development of Free Movement of Persons in the European Union and Response to its Trade/Investment Distorting Effects (Japanese language), Tokyo Review of International Law (2022).

- The Implications of International Rescue and Relief Operations for Domestic Regulatory Regimes, Lessons from the 2011 East Japan Earthquake, Journal of International Humanitarian Action (2021).

- The Use of Military Units and Personnel for International Rescue and Relief Operations: Pertinent Issues Related to the 2011 East Japan Earthquake, Asia Pacific Journal of International Humanitarian Law (2021).

- For Judicial Justice and Reconciliation in Cambodia, Reflections upon the Establishment of the Khmer Rouge Trials and the Trials’ Procedural Rules 2007, Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals (2010).

- Asia Pacific Economic Integration and the GATT/WTO Regime (Kluwar 2000).

- Dispute Settlement Procedures of the Draft OECD Multilateral Investment Agreement, Journal of World Trade (1999).

- A Multilateral Investment Agreement and Newly Developing Economies, Journal of World Trade (1998).

- Development of Inter-State Cooperation in the Asia Pacific Region, Consideration for Regional Trade Compacts, NAFTA Law and Business Review (1996).

- Asia-Pacific Region: APEC and ASEAN, International Lawyer (1996).

Dr. Ash Pachauri
Director,
POP Movement

Dr. Ash Pachauri is a globally recognized behavioral scientist, author, and sustainable development strategist with 20+ years of experience advancing climate action, youth leadership, and public health worldwide. He is Co-Founder and Director of the POP Movement and Treasurer of the World Sustainable Development Forum. Dr. Pachauri has led major programs with the UN, WHO, and the Gates Foundation across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and has authored over 60 international publications. Honored with awards including the Oxford Union Society’s Mind Health Global Ambassador Award, the GlobalMindEd Inclusive Leader Award, the Presidential Service Award, the Humanitarian Plantinum Leadership Award, and recognition as a Top International Speaker 2025, he is committed to empowering youth and integrating behavioral science into climate action for a sustainable future. 

Prof. Anand Patwardhan
Professor,
University of Maryland, College Park

Anand Patwardhan is Professor in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park. Anand has a BTech (Electrical Engineering) from IIT-Bombay and a MS (Civil Engineering) and PhD (Engineering and Public Policy), both from Carnegie Mellon University. Anand’s research focuses on mitigation and adaptation responses to climate change in the context of sustainable development, and science, technology and innovation policy. He has been a coordinating lead author for the IPCC, and a member of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility. He currently serves as co-chair of the Science Committee of the World Adaptation Science Program (WASP), co-chair of the Adaptation Research Alliance (ARA) and co-lead of the Methodology Advisory Group of the Race to Resilience.

Mr. Amit Prothi
Director General,
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

Amit Prothi is the Director General of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), a global partnership headquartered in Delhi that brings together over 50 countries and international organisations to advance climate and disaster-resilient infrastructure. Under his leadership, CDRI has significantly expanded its global membership, scaled up technical assistance and capacity-building programs, and strengthened advocacy to address the growing risks communities face from natural hazards and climate change. Prior to CDRI, Mr. Prothi held leadership roles at AECOM in the United States, consulted with the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, and collaborated with global think tanks and philanthropic organizations, including the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities initiative. He has worked in over 15 countries—including the USA, China, India, Greece, Mongolia, and Mauritania—bringing deep internati

Mr. Tom Rivett Carnac
Founding Partner,
Global Optimism

Tom Rivett-Carnac is a political strategist, author and podcaster. He has spent more than 20 years working to address the climate and ecological crises. Tom co-founded Global Optimism with Christiana Figueres after they left the UN in 2016. The organisation inspires individuals and builds transformative partnerships that tackle the climate crisis with the conviction, scale and speed that science demands.  His responsibilities at Global Optimism include strategic roles across the philanthropic, non-profit and private sectors. ‍Tom is also the co-author of the international bestseller The Future We Choose and co-host of the award-winning weekly podcast Outrage and Optimism. Tom was Senior Political Adviser to the Executive Secretary of the UN Climate Change Convention from 2013-2016, a position from which he helped co-develop the strategy that led to the landmark Paris Climate Agreement.

Ms. Frauke Roeser
Managing Director,
NewClimate Institute

Frauke Roeser has over two decades of experience in climate policy, energy transitions and sustainable development. Her work focuses in particular on the just and clean transition agenda, international cooperation and diplomacy and climate finance. She has extensive experience directing and supporting projects in many parts of the world, collaborating with government and non-government stakeholders, civil society, business and research partners. Frauke co-founded NewClimate Institute in 2014 and in that function assumes various management roles in the organisation. Prior to NewClimate she worked for many years for international consultancies, and in the private and public sectors in Germany, the UK and Argentina. Frauke holds an MA in Literature and Political Science and an MSc in Environmental Strategy. 

Ms. Luisa Salgueiro
Mayor,
Câmara Municipal de Matosinhos

Luisa Salgueiro holds a Law degree and a postgraduate qualification in Environmental Law. Before being elected Mayor in 2017, she practiced law, namely as a Legal Consultant. She was elected Councilor at Matosinhos City Council for three terms, from 1997 to 2009, served as a Member of the National Parliament for four terms, and was Vice‑President of NATO’s Parliamentary Committee on Energy and Environmental Security. She has chaired the Board of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities from 2021 to 2025 and presently she is the Chair of the General Council. She is currently President of the Assembly of the Eixo Atlântico Association; Vice‑President of the Board of the Association for the Collaboration of Ports and Port Cities; Vice‑President of RETE – Association for Ports and Port Cities, President of the Coordinating Council of Cities for Climate; Vice‑President of the Regional Executive Committee of ICLEI

Ms. Dechen Tsering
Regional Director,
United Nations Environment Programme

Dechen Tsering | UNEP - UN Environment Programme

Ms. Katherine Urbáez
Executive Director,
Health Diplomacy Alliance

Founder and Executive Director of the Health Diplomacy Alliance, she guides the strategic work to link health with foreign policy and governance. She sets the organisation’s direction, leads core programmes, and oversees the Diplomatic Task Force to advance health priorities in international cooperation.

A former diplomat of the Dominican Republic, her public service career began at the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development, followed by the Ministry of Agriculture, and later senior roles in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Her postings included the WTO Mission, the Commercial Office in Hong Kong, the UN Mission in Geneva, and the Embassy to Switzerland.

She also served as focal point for key trade and regulatory commissions, chaired the 2016 CELAC presidency in Geneva, and coordinated her country’s membership in the WHO Executive Board.