Hussain AlmahmoudiChief Executive Officer
Sharjah Research Technology & Innovation Park
Hussain Almahmoudi
Chief Executive Officer,
Sharjah Research Technology & Innovation Park
H.E. Hussain serves a dual role as the CEO of American University of Sharjah Enterprises (AUSE) and as the CEO of Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SRTIP). Both these entities were established through royal decree by the Ruler of Sharjah, who also directly appointed H.E. Hussain to these responsibilities in order to create collaborative long-term relationships between industry, academia and the public sector, fostering an ecosystem of enterprise and innovation.
Previously, H.E. Hussain served as the Director General of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a Member of the UAE Chamber Federation, and GCC Chambers for 8 years. He was responsible for the overall management and operations of the Chamber including the provision of services to its members. In this role, he launched several strategic economic initiatives for Sharjah such as the SME Act, Sharjah Export Centre, Sharjah Commercial Arbitration Centre, and the Sharjah Business Forum.
H.E. Hussain has held leadership roles at leading regional and international companies such as the Royal Dutch Shell Group, Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), and several Dubai Holding entities. He currently serves as honorary board member of both, the Tatweer Forum and of Maastricht University in the Netherlands, and as chairman of the Emirates Business Council for Sustainable Development. He also serves as a board member of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa).
H.E. Hussain possesses an MBA from the American University of Sharjah and a BA in Economics and Communications from Seattle Pacific University in the US
Manish BapnaPresident and CEO
Natural Resources Defense Council
Manish Bapna
President and CEO,
Natural Resources Defense Council
Manish Bapna joined NRDC as president and chief executive officer in August 2021, taking the reins of this environmental organization of more than 700 attorneys, scientists, advocates, and policy experts at a pivotal time in history.
During his 25-year career, Bapna’s leadership roles have focused on designing sustainable development strategies that are equitable, durable, and scalable. Most recently, he served as executive vice president and managing director of the World Resources Institute (WRI) for more than 14 years. During Bapna’s tenure, WRI greatly increased its impact and reach, with staff and budget expanding sixfold. A strong believer in global collaboration, Bapna played the lead role in establishing WRI offices in Brazil, China, and India and was a key architect of several influential, multi-stakeholder initiatives, such as the Global Commission on Adaptation, NDC Partnership, New Climate Economy, and the International Research Forum on the Sustainable Development Goals.
Xiye BastidaCo Founder
Re-Earth Initiative
Xiye Bastida
Co Founder ,
Re-Earth Initiative
Xiye Bastida is a teenage climate activist based in New York City and one of the starters of Fridays For Future in NYC. Xiye was born and raised in Mexico as part of the Otomi-Toltec Indigenous Peoples. She trained youth over the summer of 2019 for the Climate March that mobilized over 300,000 people in NYC. On April 22, 2020 she launched Re-Earth Initiative with volunteers from the five continents to expand the climate justice movement and educate on how and why pledge for personal and systemic change. Since 2018 she has spoken at the 9th UN World Urban Forum, American Renewable Energy (AREDay), COP25, COP26, Earth X, the Inter Parliamentary Union, the Biden Climate Summit and Global Citizen. Her message in interviews, op-eds and books is about the intersectionality of climate justice and the role of indigenous peoples in protecting ecosystems and bioregions.
Suman BerySenior Visiting Fellow
Centre for Policy Research
Suman Bery
Senior Visiting Fellow,
Centre for Policy Research
Mr Suman Bery is Senior Visiting Fellow at Centre for Policy Research. He also serves as a Global Fellow in the Asia program of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington DC. and a Non-resident Fellow of Bruegel, Brussels.
From 2012 to 2016 Suman was Chief Economist of Shell International, based in The Netherlands and advised the Board and management of Royal Dutch Shell on global economic and political developments While at Shell he led a collaborative project with Indian think tanks to apply scenario modelling to India’s energy sector.
Suman had earlier served as Director-General (Chief Executive) of the NCAER in New Delhi.
His professional writing includes contributions on the political economy of reform, financial sector and banking reform, and energy trends and policy. His graduate degree in public policy was at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs, following an undergraduate degree (in Philosophy, Politics and Economics) at Magdalen College, University of Oxford.
Michael R. BloombergUN Special Envoy for Climate Ambition & Solutions, Founder of Bloomberg LP
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Michael R. Bloomberg
UN Special Envoy for Climate Ambition & Solutions, Founder of Bloomberg LP,
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Mike Bloomberg is an entrepreneur and three-term mayor of New York City whose innovations in business, government, and philanthropy have made him a pioneering leader on critical global issues.
Bloomberg LP, the technology and media company he launched in 1981, revolutionized the investment industry and now employs some 20,000 people.
Elected mayor just weeks after the attacks of September 11, 2001, Bloomberg led New York City’s resurgence – spearheading the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan, cutting carbon emissions, increasing New Yorkers’ life expectancy by three years, and spurring record job growth.
His foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, works on initiatives in public health, education, the environment, government innovation, and the arts, as well fighting COVID-19. He has given away more than $11 billion.
Bloomberg serves as UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions and as WHO Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Business School.
Tony CaponDirector
Monash Sustainable Development Institute
Tony Capon
Director,
Monash Sustainable Development Institute
Tony Capon directs the Monash Sustainable Development Institute and holds a chair in planetary health in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University. A public health physician and authority in environmental health and health promotion, his research focuses on urbanisation, sustainable development and human health. Tony is a former director of the International Institute for Global Health at United Nations University (UNU-IIGH), and has previously held professorial appointments at the University of Sydney and Australian National University. He is a member of the Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on Planetary Health that published its report Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch in 2015, and the International Advisory Board for The Lancet Planetary Health.
Vikram ChandraFounder
Editorji Technologies Pvt Ltd
Vikram Chandra
Founder ,
Editorji Technologies Pvt Ltd
Vikram is the founder of Editorji Technologies - a start-up that seeks to transform video news through innovation in user experience, using artificial intelligence. Provides personalised video newscasts on mobile phones and can be downloaded at editorji.com/download.
In his earlier avatar, Vikram was one of India's best- known TV news anchors, presenting "The Big Fight", 9 o’clock News, Gadget Guru, Cleanathon, Greenathon and “Save our Tigers”.
Vikram has been named ‘Global Leader for Tomorrow’ by the World Economic Forum in Davos and has won Indian Television Academy Award, Hero Honda and Teacher’s Achievement Award for "Best Anchorperson” for Talk shows.
Rajiv ChhibberVice President
Sahajanand Medical Technologies Ltd
Rajiv Chhibber
Vice President,
Sahajanand Medical Technologies Ltd
Dr Rajiv Chhibber is a Senior Corporate Affairs, Policy, Communications & Media Strategist with experience across several industries including Pharmaceuticals/Medical Devices and has worked in the past in the Development Sector in the key areas of Healthcare, Climate Change, Energy and Sustainable Development. Dr Chhibber is currently Vice President of External Affairs at Sahajanand Medical Technologies, a leading developer and manufacturer of minimally invasive coronary stent systems.
Dr Chhibber holds a master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Delhi University. He has a post-graduate diploma in Newspaper and Feature writing (Montgomery College, University of Maryland, USA) and pursued a Public Health Leadership in-professional course in NCDs from Emory University, Atlanta USA (2014-15) and a Communications Development Programme in Public Health Engagement by Wellcome Trust, UK at the London School of Hygiene and Topical Medicine (LSHTM), UK, (March 2016). He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Aztec’s University (UNESCO), Mexico in the year June 2019 the field of " Global Public Health Communication and Policy".
He is a member of various industry associations committees / sub-committees in areas of public health advocacy, Pharma, Medical Devices, NCDs, nutrition, tobacco control, and climate change where he plays a stewardship role in creating the vision for India’s MedTech and healthcare system, assisting the governments vision to achieve India’s Health Goals.
Manish ChourasiaManaging Director
Tata Cleantech Capital Ltd
Manish Chourasia
Managing Director ,
Tata Cleantech Capital Ltd
Profile of Mr Manish Chourasia
Managing Director, Tata Cleantech Capital Ltd
Mr Manish Chourasia is a financial services professional with over 25 years of experience in origination, credit risk assessment and syndication in the Asia- Pacific Region. As part of the above-mentioned functional categories, he has handled various products covering project finance, trade finance, and investment banking.
Since July, 2015, he has been working in Tata Group as managing director of Tata Cleantech Capital, which is the first private sector Green Investment Bank in emerging markets, jointly promoted by Tata Group and International Finance Corporation (IFC). During his tenure till date, the company, starting from scratch, has funded over 250 projects in Clean-tech sector saving 15.8 million tons of CO2 annually, executed a number of marquee advisory assignments, and tied up with a number of global climate finance investors to channelize low-cost funds to the Clean-tech sector in India. The company is rated “AAA” by CRISIL, an S&P Global company primarily driven by its top-class asset book of USD 850 million, as on March 31, 2021. In Sept 2021, the company became first Indian entity to be inducted in Global Green Banking Network comprising National Green Banks across the world.
Manish is a Mechanical Engineer from IIT, Rookee and an MBA from Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University. In 2012 he completed his CFA and since then has been active volunteer with CFA Institute, USA. In Feb 2020 he was presented “100 Topmost Influential BFSI Leaders” award by World BFSI Congress. Recently in June 2021 he was made one of the 3 co-chairs of Global High-level Taskforce formed by ISA for mobilizing USD 1 trillion towards deployment of solar energy technologies and expand solar markets in member countries.
Manish is an avid runner with several long-distance runs to his credit.
Helen ClarksonChief Executive Officer
Climate Group
Helen Clarkson
Chief Executive Officer,
Climate Group
Helen ?joined the Climate Group in 2017 as its Chief Executive Officer.?In addition to leading the growing Climate Group team, Helen sits on the board of the?We Mean Business Coalition?,?chairs the Finance & Audit Committee for?the Sustainable Development Capital Energy Efficiency Income Trust, and is on the Mission Council for?Pukka Herbs.?
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Prior to joining the Climate Group, Helen worked at?Forum for the Future,?Médecins Sans?Frontières, and qualified?as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte.?
Vincenzo de LucaAmbassador of Italy
Embassy of Italy
Vincenzo de Luca
Ambassador of Italy,
Embassy of Italy
Vincenzo De Luca, Born in Naples on 7th November 1959, took office on 1 February 2016 as Director-General for Cultural and Economic Promotion and Innovation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Italy, after having served in the same Directorate General as Deputy Director-General and Principal Director for the Internationalisation of the Italian Economic System (since January 2014).
He has been a career diplomat since 1989 and has been given several assignments at the Foreign Ministry and at the diplomatic representations in Khartoum, Tunis, Paris (at the permanent Representation at the OECD) and in Shanghai. He has a long-standing expertise in the internationalisation of the economic system of the public and private sector, both in Central Offices, in the capacity of Diplomatic Advisor of the Ministries of Industry, Transports and Economic Development, and in large corporations like ENI and ENEL, where he served as Vice President for Institutional International Relations. During the past few years, he played a relevant role in the organisation of the EXPO Milano 2015 as President of the Foreign Ministry’s Task Force, capitalising on his experience as Consul General in Shanghai. He is serving as the Ambassador of Italy to India and Nepal since December 2019.
Vibha DhawanDirector General
The Energy and Resources Institute
Vibha Dhawan
Director General,
The Energy and Resources Institute
Dr. Vibha Dhawan is associated with The Energy and Resources Institute since 1985. She also served as the Vice-Chancellor of TERI School of Advanced Studies from 2005-2007. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India. Dr. Dhawan is actively involved in research as well as policy development, both at the national and international level. Dr Dhawan as a researcher was instrumental in the establishment of the highly successful Micropropagation Technology Park at TERI. Her other major achievements includes developing e-contents for the post-graduate programme in biotechnology for the University Grants Commission. Her recent research interests are in the area of biofuels. She is currently the coordinator of the DBT-TERI Centre on Integrated Production of Advanced Biofuels and Biocommodities. She was Advisor, Bio-resources & Biotechnology, to the Late Tarun Gogoi, the former Chief Minister of Assam.
Bahar DuttAssociate Professor
Shiv Nadar University
Bahar Dutt
Associate Professor,
Shiv Nadar University
Bahar Dutt is trained as a conservation biologist- and has worked for the last twenty years in India and abroad on key environmental issues. She has worked as an Environment Editor with India’s leading English newschannel CNN-IBN and has won over 12 national and international awards for her reportage on green issues. Her reportage has helped move environment reportage from an obtuse segment on television to prime time news space. She worked for ten years with a community of snake charmers on a project initiated by her helping them find alternate livelihoods that were not in conflict with wildlife laws. She is the author of a recent book ‘Green Wars- Dispatches from a Vanishing World by Harper Collins and ‘Rewilding in India’ for Oxford University Press.
Patricia EspinosaExecutive Secretary
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Patricia Espinosa
Executive Secretary,
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Ms. Espinosa is the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Ambassador of Mexico to Germany since 2012 and from 2001 to 2002, Ms. Espinosa was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico from 2006 to 2012, bringing over 30 years of experience at highest levels in international relations. As Chair of the Third Committee of the UNGA (1996), she played a key role in the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action. Ambassador of Mexico to Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia and the UN in Vienna (2002-2006), Chief of Staff to the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs (1989-1991) and responsible for economic issues at the Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva (1982-1988).
Yasmine FouadMinister of Environment
Ministry of Environment, Arab Republic of Egypt
Yasmine Fouad
Minister of Environment,
Ministry of Environment, Arab Republic of Egypt
Dr. Yasmine Fouad was appointed Minister of Environment of the Arab Republic of Egypt on 18 June 2018. She was previously Assistant Minister of Environment since 2014.
Dr. Fouad holds MSc in Environmental Science and PhD in Political Science - Euro Mediterranean Studies. She has more than 20 years’ experience in Environment and International cooperation, working in Government, UN organizations, NGOs and Universities.
Dr. Fouad’s work paved the way to the creation of environmental sensitive practices among current and future generations. She led designing, developing and launching several environmental initiatives that aim at raising awareness and ensuring youth involvement, such as the presidential initiative “Live Green” for three years (2020-2023).
Dr. Fouad has clear milestones at the international level. She has played a crucial role in advancing the biodiversity Agenda, and leading the development of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, in her capacity as the President of the 14th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP14) since November 2018. To this connection, she has initiated the Egyptian Initiative, - adopted at the CBD-COP14 in November 2018 – that aims at ensuring synergies among the three Rio Conventions (Climate Change, Biological Diversity and Desertification) - to ensure sufficient financial resources to tackle those related challenges. For Climate Change, she co-led the climate finance negotiation track during UNFCCC COP 24 (Katowice, Poland, December 2018), that resulted in developing the finance part of the Paris Agreement Work Programme successfully.
At the Academic level, she has been selected as a lead author to chapter four of the IPCC Special Report on “Climate Change, Desertification, Land Degradation, Sustainable Land Management, Food Security and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Terrestrial Ecosystems” in 2017.
Steven GuilbeaultMinister
Environment and Climate Change, Canada
Steven Guilbeault
Minister,
Environment and Climate Change, Canada
Hon. Steven Guilbeault was elected the Member of Parliament for Laurier—Sainte-Marie in 2019. He was appointed Minister of Canadian Heritage on November 20, 2019.
Steven Guilbeault is a prominent advocate in the fight against the climate crisis, and has been leading the charge from Laurier—Sainte-Marie for years.
In 1993, Steven Guilbeault co-founded Équiterre, the largest environmental organization in Quebec. He also worked for Greenpeace, Cycle Capital Management, a Canadian fund dedicated to the development of clean technologies, Deloitte & Touche as well as Copticom, a consulting firm specializing in the green and social economy, and transportation.
As an activist and strategic advisor for dozens of governments and businesses in Canada and abroad, Steven Guilbeault is a pragmatist who works to make a difference by building bridges and relationships.
In his first year as Minister of Canadian Heritage, he supported the arts and culture sector, which was hard hit by the pandemic. He is also active in regulating the web giants, to ensure greater equity with creators and media organizations, and allow a safe online environment.
An avid cyclist and sportsman, he has been riding his bike 12 months a year for the last 30 years.
Steven Guilbeault is a father of four and stepfather of two.
Pema GyamtshoDirector General
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
Pema Gyamtsho
Director General,
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
Dr. Gyamtsho brings to the position Cabinet-level leadership experience in environmental management in government and at ICIMOD. He served the Royal Government of Bhutan for over three decades in areas deeply relevant to ICIMOD working at the science-policy-practice interface in natural resources management and planning; rural development; agriculture; forestry; livestock and food production; rangeland management; livestock development; participatory approaches; research and extension institutional building; climate change and environmental protection; biodiversity conservation; and organic farming.
In his previous role as Minister of Agriculture and Forests, he led over 4000 personnel working in agriculture, livestock, forestry and environment sectors. His significant roles range from the senior most level of decision making in Bhutan where he was involved and often led the enactment of over 60 pieces of legislation to the grassroots level where he has overseen the formation of over 400 farmers’ groups and cooperatives.
Between 2002 and 2006, he served at ICIMOD, initially leading efforts in policy and partnerships and then for our regional rangeland management work.
Dr. Gyamtsho holds a PhD in Natural Science from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
Kate HamptonChief Executive Officer
The Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)
Kate Hampton
Chief Executive Officer,
The Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)
Kate became CEO of the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation in March 2016, having run CIFF’s Climate Change team since 2009.
Current voluntary board and advisory roles include the European Climate Foundation, Observer Research Foundation (India), the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), the China Advisory Group on Global Climate Governance, the Open Political Economy Network (OPEN), We Protect Global Alliance, Friend of COP26, and Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan Advisory Council.
Kate’s career spans roles in government, finance, consulting, a think tank and NGOs, including at Climate Change Capital, where she was Head of Policy. She has also advised policy makers in several roles, including as Senior Policy Advisor for the United Kingdom’s G8 and EU presidencies in 2005.
In 2008, Kate was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. She holds a BSc from the London School of Economics and a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Vidar HelgesenExecutive Director
The Nobel Foundation
Vidar Helgesen
Executive Director,
The Nobel Foundation
Vidar Helgesen is Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation since 2021, prior to which he was Norway's Special Representative for the Ocean 2018-20. He has served as Norway's Minister for Climate and Environment 2015-18, Minister of European Affairs 2013-15, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs 2001-05. He was Secretary-General of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 2006-13. An international lawyer by training, he lives in Stockholm and is married with two daughters.
Mercy KarundituDeputy Executive Director
The Green Belt Movement
Mercy Karunditu
Deputy Executive Director,
The Green Belt Movement
I am a graduate from Kenyatta University where I graduated with MSc in Agroforestry and Rural Development, Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and a certified manager from Kenya Institute of Management (KIM). Currently as DED, I provide visionary and strategic leadership to GBM programs in order to maximize the effectiveness and impact of GBM’s contribution to the communities’ livelihoods and environmental conservation.
Arun KrishnamurthyFounder
Environmentalist Foundation of India
Arun Krishnamurthy
Founder,
Environmentalist Foundation of India
Arun Krishnamurthy is an Indian environmental activist who has initiated the campaign of cleaning various lakes across India. He is known for founding the Environmentalist Foundation of India 2011 based in Chennai which has its branches in 15 states and other cities such as Hyderabad, Delhi and Coimbatore. Arun Krishnamurthy was chosen to receive the prestigious Rolex Awards for enterprise. Arun was awarded in the year 2012 at Geneva. He was the youngest to win the award. The award was in recognition of Arun's work towards lake restoration in India Arun worked at Google but later quit to start his own company. Arun has stated that environment and wildlife has always attracted him, but the degradation of the urban greenery had motivated him to protect it. Krishnamurthy had founded an internationally recognized organization, EFI which was founded in 2007. Their main projects include lake restoration, beach clean ups, urban afforestation.
Steffi LemkeFederal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection
Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, Germany
Steffi Lemke
Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection,
Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, Germany
Steffi Lemke is Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection. She was born in Dessau on the Elbe and grew up there. She began studying agricultural sciences in Berlin in 1988. In 1989, Steffi Lemke helped found the party die GRÜNE (the Green party) of the GDR. From 1994 to 2002, she served as a member of the Bundestag for BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN (the Greens). During the last four years of this period, Lemke was Parliamentary Secretary. In 2002, her party elected Steffi Lemke to the office of federal party manager, which she held until 2013. Since the federal elections of 2013, she has been a member of the Bundestag. Up until 2021, Lemke was Parliamentary Secretary and Nature Conservation Spokesperson of the Greens parliamentary group. In December 2021, Steffi Lemke was appointed Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.
Ajay MathurDirector General
International Solar Alliance
Ajay Mathur
Director General,
International Solar Alliance
Dr Ajay Mathur is the Director General of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). At ISA, his focus is on enhancing solarization of the world, and convincing leaders of the world that solar is the energy supply choice of preference. Towards this end, ISA provides, advocacy; analysis of policy; financial capacity strengthening; and solar project preparation in LDCs and SIDs. 100 countries are today members of the ISA. ISA is the only international organization headquartered in India, and was created by PM Modi of India and President François Hollande of France at the Paris Climate Negotiations in 2015.
Dr Mathur was earlier in the Bureau of Energy and The Energy and Resources Institute as its Director General.
Katie McGintyChief Sustainability and External Relations Officer
Johnson Controls
Katie McGinty
Chief Sustainability and External Relations Officer,
Johnson Controls
Kathleen “Katie” McGinty is Vice President and Chief Sustainability and External Relations Officer for Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings technology. In this capacity, Katie serves on the Executive Committee of the company and helps drive JCI’s top tier sustainability performance including recognition as one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations, the CDP Leader Band, EcoVadis Gold, and MSCI AAA rating. Katie and her team also work toward government policies to tackle climate change, encouraging smart buildings and energy efficiency. Katie has over 25 years of public and private sector experience, and she is a recognized innovator in clean energy and environmental protection. Katie champions technology development, sustainability, and creative policies to solve tough environmental problems. Her public sector career includes serving as Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality and as Deputy Assistant to the President (1993-1998), as Pennsylvania Secretary of Environmental Protection (2003-2008), and as Chair of the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (2004-2008).
María MendiluceChief Executive Officer
We Mean Business Coalition
María Mendiluce
Chief Executive Officer,
We Mean Business Coalition
María Mendiluce is the CEO of the We Mean Business Coalition and has 25 years of experience in sustainable development, energy and climate action. The Coalition brings together seven leading international organizations: BSR, The B Team, CDP, Ceres, CLG Europe, Climate Group and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Together, they catalyzes business leadership and policy ambition to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon economy.
As chief executive, María is leading on flagship net-zero initiatives encompassing companies of all sizes and several sectors. She sits on the Executive Board of The Science Based Targets initiative that has over 2,000 companies engaged. She actively took part in the founding and is a member of the Board of the Mission Possible Partnership that works to develop decarbonization roadmaps for seven hard-to-abate sectors including cement and steel. María co-founded the SME Climate Hub that is building a one-stop-shop for smaller companies for their net-zero commitments.
Himanshu Shekhar MishraSenior Editor (Political & Current Affairs)
New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV India)
Himanshu Shekhar Mishra
Senior Editor (Political & Current Affairs),
New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV India)
Himanshu Shekhar Mishra works as Senior Editor (Political & Current Affairs) in New Delhi Television (NDTV). He was part of Prime Minister's official entourage to United Nations’ Annual Session in New York (September, 2003) and Indo-Turkish Summit held in Ankara and Istanbul (2003) respectively. He has covered Prime Minister’s official visits to Pakistan (January, 2004) and Afghanistan (August, 2005) as a TV news journalist. He has also reported and researched on climate-related disasters, legal rights of disaster victims, threats posed by climate change to sustainable development and disaster journalism.
His paper on unprecedented floods in Jammu and Kashmir in September, 2014 was selected for presentation at the 3rd United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan in March, 2015. Till date, he has five published research papers in international volumes on Disaster Management. He holds a Master of Philosophy degree from the Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). He did his post-graduation in Political Science from JNU (1995-97).
Vanessa Nakate Climate Justice Activist and Author of A Bigger Picture
Rise up movement
Vanessa Nakate
Climate Justice Activist and Author of A Bigger Picture ,
Rise up movement
Vanessa Nakate is a climate justice activist from Uganda and the Author of "A Bigger Picture".
Jayashree NandiAssistant Editor
Hindustan Times
Jayashree Nandi
Assistant Editor,
Hindustan Times
Jayashree Nandi is an assistant editor at Hindustan Times. She primarily covers climate science and negotiations; environmental issues in India such as air and water pollution; forests and wildlife government policies on the environment and their impact. With over 13 years of experience in writing on environment, she has worked with The Times of India in the past before joining Hindustan Times about two years ago. Jayashree won the Centre for Media Studies Young Environment Journalist of the Year award in 2019. She also won the merit award for sustained environmental reporting on environment at fourth Asian Environmental Journalism Awards (AEJA) in 2015. She has taken up a number of journalism fellowships including Biodiversity Media Initiative fellowship of the Earth Journalism Network. Jayashree has authored a picture eBook for 4- to 6-year-olds on this year's Uttarakhand flood disaster titled "Saving Raini."
Sanda OjiamboCEO and Executive Director
United Nations Global Compact
Sanda Ojiambo
CEO and Executive Director,
United Nations Global Compact
Sanda Ojiambo of Kenya was appointed CEO & Executive Director of the UN Global Compact in June 2020. As the world grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Ojiambo launched an ambitious new UN Global Compact strategy to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. During her tenure, she has also promoted stronger business engagement with UN partners to deliver and finance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Ms. Ojiambo brings to the UN Global Compact more than 20 years’ experience in the public, multilateral and private sectors. Throughout her career, she has cultivated and managed relationships with key business entities and civil society organizations and led the implementation of several public-private partnership initiatives.
Shonali PachauriResearch Group Leader
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
Shonali Pachauri
Research Group Leader,
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
Dr. Shonali Pachauri is Research Group Leader of the Transformative Institutional and Social Solutions (TISS) Research Group in the Energy, Climate, and Environment (ECE) Program at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria. Her research explores policy pathways for achieving universal access to basic services and technologies and assesses the wider impacts of this for sustainable development. She served as Adjunct Professor at the Yale School of the Environment in Fall 2016. She is a Lead Author for the IPCC WGIII AR6 report, serves on the Science Advisory Panel of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), and on the Advisory Group of the International Network on Gender & Energy (ENERGIA).
Barbara PompiliMinister for the Ecological Transition
French Government
Barbara Pompili
Minister for the Ecological Transition,
French Government
Ms Barbara Pompili is graduated from Lille Institute of Political Studies (Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Lille, IEP Lille).
She successively held the position of communication officer at the National Secretariat of the Ecological party « les Verts » (2000-01), press counsellor for Mr. Noël Mamère presidential campaign (2002), parliamentary assistant to Mr. Yves Cochet, Member of Parliament for Paris (2002-07), and Deputy Secretary General of the Democratic and Republican Left group in the National Assembly (2008-12).
She was elected as a Member of Parliament of the Somme département (2012-16), where she was Co-chair of the Ecologist group at the National Assembly (2012-16) and Secretary of the Cultural Affairs and Education Committee of the National Assembly (2014-16).
Ms Barbara Pompili was appointed Minister of State for Biodiversity in 2016.
She was reelected in 2017 as Member of Parliament of the Somme département (2017-2020) and became President of the National Assembly's Sustainable Development and Regional Planning Commission (2017-20).
Ms Barbara Pompili was appointed Minister for the Ecological Transition in 2020.
Janez PotocnikPartner, Co-Chair
Systemiq, UNEP IRP
Janez Potocnik
Partner, Co-Chair,
Systemiq, UNEP IRP
Dr. Janez Potocnik (1958) graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana (Ph.D. in 1993). After holding several positions in the Slovenian Ministries, he joined the European Commission, in 2004, as Shadow Commissioner for Enlargement. He was then Commissioner responsible for Science and Research and Commissioner for Environment. In November 2014, he was appointed member and Co-Chair of the International Resource Panel which is hosted by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). In the same month, he was also appointed as a Chairman of The Forum for the Future of Agriculture and RISE Foundation and as a Member of the European Policy Centre’s Advisory Council. He is partner in SYSTEMIQ and from 2019 also President of ThinkForest.
Manjeev Singh PuriDistinguished Fellow
The Energy and Resources Institute
Manjeev Singh Puri
Distinguished Fellow,
The Energy and Resources Institute
Mr Manjeev Singh Puri is Distinguished Fellow, Earth Science and Climate Change. Manjeev Singh Puri joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1982 and has served as Ambassador of India to the European Union, Belgium, Luxembourg, Nepal and as Ambassador/Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the UN. In addition, he has served twice in Germany (in Bonn and Berlin), in Cape Town, Muscat, Bangkok and Caracas. From 2005 to 2009, he headed the UN-Economic & Social Affairs- Division in the Ministry of External Affairs of India and led the Indian delegation for the first meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development in Brussels in July 2007 and the presentation of various reports by India at the Human Rights Council. During 2011-2012, when India served on the Security Council, he was a senior member of its delegation. Major areas of his experience and professional focus relate to the environment, in particular climate change and sustainable development. He was a lead negotiator for India at the UN on issues relating to the post 2015 development agenda, Sustainable Development Goals and at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 2012. He was a key member of India's delegation at various Climate Change negotiations, including the Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC in Copenhagen in December 2009 and before that at Montreal, Bali, Bonn and Poznan. Furthermore, he was closely involved with India's participation in the G8-G5 Summits from 2005 and he was the points-person on the Indian side at the Major Economies Forum. Puri has a Masters degree in Management and did his BA (Honours) in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi.
James K SangmaCabinet Minister for Forests & Environment, Health & Family Welfare, Information & Public Relations
Government of Meghalaya
James K Sangma
Cabinet Minister for Forests & Environment, Health & Family Welfare, Information & Public Relations,
Government of Meghalaya
A champion of environmental governance, James K Sangma is a legislator belonging to the hill state of Meghalaya. He is currently serving as Minister to various Departments including Forests & Environment, and Health & Family Welfare. His critical thinking skills and an impact-based problem solving approach grew under the political aegis of his father Shri PA Sangma, an eminent personality of Indian politics who is known for his exemplary public service. Taking after his father, a core ideal of governance that remains central to James Sangma is the social inclusion of the ‘disenfranchised and marginalised’ in the mainstream socio-political fabric of the country.
Aminath ShaunaMinister
Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Maldives
Aminath Shauna
Minister,
Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Maldives
H.E. Aminath Shauna was sworn in as the Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology on May 5, 2021. Her portfolio includes, protecting the natural environment, action and advocacy on climate change, science and technology development, and the implementation of policies on energy, telecommunications, water, and waste management. She also provides policy direction to the Ministry’s affiliated agencies, namely, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Biosphere Reserve Office. Prior to her appointment Shauna served as the Policy Secretary to H.E President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Previously, Shauna served as Under Secretary at the Policy Office of the President’s Office from 2008-2012, where she was responsible for the coordination of all government policy matters, including climate change. She oversaw the secretariat of the Climate Change Advisory Council, the expert body providing climate change policy advice to the President.
Mahendra SinghiManaging Director & CEO
Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd.
Mahendra Singhi
Managing Director & CEO,
Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd.
Mr. Mahendra Singhi is an affable and cheerful person. He is designated as Carbon Pricing Champion by the World Bank Group, COP 26 Business Leader by UN COP 26 Presidency and recognised as Climate Defenders by the BBC World.
Mr. Singhi is Managing Director and CEO of Dalmia Cement, a prominent cement manufacturing group in India ranked no.1 globally by CDP on Low Carbon Economy Transition and appreciated by the UN Secretary-General on climate innovation. Dalmia Cement has already committed, in 2018, to become a carbon-negative cement group by 2040. It follows the business philosophy of Clean and Green is profitable and sustainable while having one of the lowest carbon footprints in global cement sector. Dalmia Cement is one of India's most promising fourth-largest cement companies, with over 30 Million Tonnes of installed cement capacity.
Mr. Singhi also serves the following organizations and commissions in India and abroad:
1. Carbon Pricing Champion, CPLC, World Bank Group
2. COP 26 Business Leader, United Nations COP-26 Presidency
3. Commissioner, Energy Transitions Commission (ETC), London, U.K.,
4. Director, Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), London. The U.K.
5. Director, World Cement Association (WCA), London
6. Chair, Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), India,
7. Member, Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, World Economic Forum,
8. Co-Chair, TERI Council for Business Sustainability (TERI-CBS), India
9. Member, Climate Change Council in Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), India
10. Immediate past President of Cement Manufacturing Association (CMA) India,
11. Immediate past Chairman - National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCCBM) India,
In the past, Mr. Singhi headed Shree Cement Ltd. For 20 years. During his tenure, Shree Cement was adjudged as New Sustainability Champion by World Economic Forum in 2012. Mr. Singhi has represented the business and cement sector globally in the most recognized, multi-country platforms such as the UN Climate Ambition Summit 12th Dec. 2020, Climate Action Summit of UN General Assembly; Paris Climate Agreement Ceremony; Global Climate Action in COP-24; and High-Level Govt.-Business dialogues of French Presidency.
Mr. Singhi has 43 years of experience in the cement sector and inculcates happiness for a productive, flexible and resilient workplace.
Mr. Singhi is Science & Law Graduate & Chartered Accountant (21st Rank).
Youba SokonaVice-Chair
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Youba Sokona
Vice-Chair ,
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Prof SOKONA, with over 40 years of experience addressing energy, environment and sustainable development in Africa, has been at the heart of numerous national and continental initiatives. He is currently a Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change after serving as Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group III following being a Lead Author since 1990. He has a proven track record of organisational leadership and management, for example as Inaugural Coordinator of the African Climate Policy Centre and as Executive Secretary of the Sahara and the Sahel Observatory. He is affiliated with numerous boards and organisations, including, as Honorary Professor at the University College London, Member of The World Academy of Sciences and the African Academy of Sciences, Science Advisory Committee of the International Institute for Applied System Analysis. In short, Prof SOKONA is a global figure, with deep technical knowledge, extensive policy experience and an unreserved personal commitment to African led development.
Erik SolheimGreen Politician, Advisor and inspirational speaker on green business, peace and development
Morrow Batteries, Aker Horizons, Green Hydrogen Organisation - GH2, Chairman of Advisory Board
Erik Solheim
Green Politician, Advisor and inspirational speaker on green business, peace and development,
Morrow Batteries, Aker Horizons, Green Hydrogen Organisation - GH2, Chairman of Advisory Board
Erik Solheim was the Sixth UN Environment Executive Director and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. From 2007 to 2012, Mr. Solheim held the combined portfolio of Norway’s Minister of the Environment and International Development, and from 2005 to 2007 served as Minister of International Development.
In addition to his role in Government and International development, Mr. Eric Solheim has also received a number of awards for his work on climate and the environment, including UN Environment’s Champions of the Earth award, TIME Magazine’s Hero of the Environment, and an honorary doctorate from TERI University in Delhi, India. He is known for his sustainability initiatives and is a veteran in Disaster and Conflict Management.
Will SteffenEmeritus Professor
Australian National University
Will Steffen
Emeritus Professor,
Australian National University
Will Steffen is an Earth System scientist. He is a Councillor on the publicly-funded Climate Council of Australia that delivers independent expert information about climate change. He is also an Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University (ANU); Canberra, a Senior Fellow at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Sweden; and a member of the Anthropocene Working Group. From 1998 to mid-2004, Steffen was Executive Director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, based in Stockholm. His research interests span a broad range within Earth System science, with an emphasis on sustainability and climate change.
Bambang SusantonoVice President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development
Asian Development Bank
Bambang Susantono
Vice President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development,
Asian Development Bank
Dr. Bambang Susantono is the Vice-President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He is a distinguished thought leader on sustainable development, published author and active researcher. He has also taught at several universities and leading research institutes. Dr. Susantono is responsible for managing knowledge in ADB and coordinating research and studies on various topics such as energy, transport, water, education, health, finance, digital technology, urban; and cross-cutting nexus themes such as climate change, environment, governance, gender equality, social development, rural development and food security, and regional cooperation. He holds a PhD in Infrastructure Planning, as well as Master’s degrees in Transportation Engineering, and City and Regional Planning from the University of California Berkeley. Prior to this, Dr. Susantono was a former Vice-Minister of Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation and Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Petteri TaalasSecretary General
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Petteri Taalas
Secretary General,
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Professor Taalas Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)for a mandate running from 2016 to 2019 and re-elected for a second term in June 2019.
Director-General of the Finnish Meteorological Institute 2002-2005, 2007-2015 (National weather, Climate and marine Institute).
Held positions in International development and scientific/environment fields:
Director of Development and Regional Activities Department of WMO, Geneva 2005-2007
Research professor on Remote Sensing/FMI 2000-2002
Senior scientist/scientist at the FMI 1986-1999
? Member of WMO Executive Council 2008-2015
? Chairman of EUMETSAT Council 2010-2014
European Meteorological Satellite Organization
? Chairman of EUMETNET Council 2003-2005
(EUMETNET is a network of 31 European National Meteorological Services based in Brussels
? Member of ECMWF Council 2002-5, 2007-2015,
(The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts is an independent intergovernmental organisation supported by most of the nations of Europe and is based at Shenfield Park, Reading, UK)
? Principal Delegate of Finland to IPCC 2007-15 (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
? Member of American Meteorological Society 2007-2014
? Honorary Doctor, Teri University, India (2016)
? Honorary Member 2015, China Meteorological Association
? Chairman of the Board of University of Eastern Finland (2009-2015)
? Member Board of Directors of Fortum Energy Company (2013-2015)
• Global Commission on Adaptation, Commissioner 2019. Co-led by Emeritus UN Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon and World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva
• Ex-patriot of the Year 2019/Finland. Elected by the Parliament of expats of Finland
• High-level Climate Action Summit for the heads of state by UN Secretary General, Steering group
member and Chair of the Science Advisory Group, 2019
• Nominated as the European of the Year by Reader`s Digest Magazine, 2021
Yasuo TakahashiExecutive Director
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
Yasuo Takahashi
Executive Director,
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
Mr. TAKAHASHI Yasuo graduated from the Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, and in 1983, he joined the Environment Agency of Japan (the current Ministry of the Environment). He held key positions at the Ministry including Director of the Climate Policy Division, Director General of the Headquarters for Environmental Restoration of Fukushima, Director General of the Environmental Management Bureau, and Vice-Minister for Global Environmental Affairs. After retiring from the Ministry in 2019, he was appointed Senior Advisor for the Ministry, and joined IGES in January 2020 as Special Policy Advisor. He has served as Executive Director of IGES since November 2020.
Frans TimmermansExecutive Vice-President for the European Green Deal
European Commission
Frans Timmermans
Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal,
European Commission
Frans Timmermans began his career at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1987. After taking part in the junior diplomat training programme, he worked at the European Integration Department of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Moscow. He later worked for Hans van den Broek, European Commissioner for External Relations, and Max van der Stoel, High Commissioner on National Minorities for the OSCE.
In 1998, Frans Timmermans was elected as a member of the House of Representatives for the Dutch Labour Party (PvdA), where he dealt principally with foreign affairs. In the fourth Balkenende government, from February 2007 to February 2010, Mr Timmermans was Minister for European Affairs. In 2010, Mr Timmermans returned to Parliament as the Labour Party's spokesperson on foreign policy.
On 5 November 2012, Mr Timmermans became Minister of Foreign Affairs in the second Rutte government. Two years later, on 1 November 2014, he became First Vice-President of the European Commission, responsible for better regulation, interinstitutional relations, sustainable development, the rule of law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Since 1 December 2019, he is the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, responsible for the Green Deal.
Laurence TubianaChief Executive Officer
European Climate Foundation
Laurence Tubiana
Chief Executive Officer,
European Climate Foundation
Laurence Tubiana is CEO of the European Climate Foundation (ECF) and a Professor at Sciences Po, Paris. Before joining ECF, Laurence was France’s Climate Change Ambassador and Special Representative for COP21, and as such a key architect of the landmark Paris Agreement. Following COP21 and through COP22, she was appointed UN High Level Champion for climate action.
Laurence brings decades of expertise and experience in climate change, energy, agriculture and sustainable development, working across government, think tanks, NGOs and academia. From 1997 to 2002, she served as Senior Adviser on the Environment to the French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. From 2009 to 2010, she created and then led the newly established Directorate for Global Public Goods at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE). In 2013, she chaired the French National Debate on the Energy Transition. She founded in 2002 and directed until 2014 the Paris-based Institute of Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI).
Adair TurnerChairman
Energy Transitions Commission
Adair Turner
Chairman,
Energy Transitions Commission
Lord Turner chairs the Energy Transitions Commission, a global coalition of power and industrial companies, investors, environmental NGOs and experts working out achievable pathways to limit global warming to below 2°C by 2040.
He is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for New Economic Thinking, Chairman of insurer group Chubb Europe and an on the Advisory Board of Envision Energy (Shanghai)
His career in public policy has included chairing the UK’s Financial Services Authority (2008-2013), and playing an influential role in the redesign of global banking regulation; he was Director General of the Confederation of British Industry (1995-2000); chairman of the UK Low Pay Commission (2002-2006); chairman of the Pensions Commision (2003-2006); and chairman of the Climate Change Committee (2008-2012). He became an independent member of the House of Lords in 2006.
He has also held senior positions in business: McKinsey&Co (1982-1995); Merrill Lynch Europe (2000-2006) and Standard Chartered plc (2006-2008).
He writes for Project Syndicate, and is an honorary fellow of The Royal Society
Mark WilliamsProfessor, School of Geography, Geology and the Environment
University of Leicester
Mark Williams
Professor, School of Geography, Geology and the Environment,
University of Leicester
Mark Williams is a geologist at Leicester University. He studies the evolution of life on Earth over hundreds of millions of years and has been a long-time member (and former Secretary) of the Anthropocene Working Group. The major focus of his recent work is understanding the impact of humans on the biosphere and trying to devise relationships with nature that are mutually beneficial for both humans and non-humans. He has co-authored popular science books with Jan Zalasiewicz on climate change, ocean evolution, and the story of life on Earth, and with Jan and Julia Thomas he co-authored The Anthropocene: A Multidisciplinary Approach. His new book with Jan is called ‘The cosmic oasis: the remarkable story of Earth’s biosphere’.
Jan ZalasiewiczGeologist
University of Leicester, UK
Jan Zalasiewicz
Geologist,
University of Leicester, UK
Jan Zalasiewicz is Emeritus Professor of Palaeobiology at the University of Leicester, previously of the British Geological Survey. He chairs the Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy of the International Commission on Stratigraphy and is a member of its Anthropocene Working Group. A field geologist, palaeontologist and stratigrapher, interests include Early Palaeozoic fossils and rocks, the Quaternary Ice Ages and the geology made by humans. He is a co-editor of The Anthropocene as a geological time unit: a guide to the scientific evidence and current debate (2019). Books he has written include The Earth After Us (2008), The Planet in a Pebble (2010), and (with Mark Williams) The Goldilocks Planet (2012), Ocean Worlds (2014), Skeletons (2018) and Cosmic Oasis (2022).
