Speakers WSDS 2023
Mr. Naseer Ahamed
Minister of Environment,,
Ministry of Environment, Sri Lanka
A professionally qualified Engineer, having graduated with honors from the prestigious King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Honorable Naseer Ahamed was re-inducted into the cabinet of ministers to the portfolio as Minister for Environment, which portfolio he held under the premiership of Hon. Mahinda Rajapaksha for a brief period with additional charge of investment promotion in strategic economic sectors.
Previously, Minister Ahamed had the distinction of serving as the Chief Minister of the Eastern Provincial Council, where he held, in addition, the charge of Finance and Planning, Law & Order, Local Government & Regional Administration, Rural Development, Tourism & Environment, Building & Construction, Transport, Rural Industries and Housing.
Mr. Manish Bapna
CEO and President,
Natural Resources Defense Council
Manish Bapna is president and chief executive officer of NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), one of the nation’s most influential environmental groups, which works to ensure the rights of all people to clear air, clean water, and healthy and equitable communities. 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, a leading global research organization focused on the environment and development, for more than 14 years. As NRDC’s new president and CEO, Bapna joins the 51-year-old nonprofit of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates around the globe to tackle the biggest environmental issues we face today.
Mr. László Borbély
State Counsellor to the Prime-Minister,
Government of Romania
László BORBÉLY is a politician who has significantly contributed to the democratic development of Romanian society, both as one of the most well-known leaders of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania and through the different high ranking functions held in the Romanian Parliament and the Romanian Government in the field of International Affairs, Environment and Sustainable Development, Regional Development and Infrastructure. László BORBÉLY held the position of Minister of the Environment, was Minister of Regional Development Public, Works and Housing, state secretary at Ministry of Public Works and Territorial Planning, Minister Delegate at the Ministry of Transport as well as Chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee at the Romanian Chamber of Deputies. At international level, László BORBÉLY served as Chairman of the United Nations (UN) Commission on Sustainable Development, position which he has fulfilled with a rigorous professionalism, yielding important results.
Dr. Rajiv Chhibber
Vice President,
Sahajanand Medical Technologies Ltd
Dr Rajiv Chhibber is a Senior Corporate Affairs, Public 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, External Affairs at Sahajanand Medical Technologies, a global developer and manufacturer of minimally invasive coronary and vascular systems. He is a member of various key industry associations where he is heading committees / sub-committees in areas of Public Health Advocacy, Pharma & Medical Devices, Environmental Health, and Climate Change issues playing a stewardship role in creating the roadmap for India’s MedTech and healthcare system, assisting the governments vision to achieve India’s Health and Sustainable Goals.
Mr. 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 service professional with 27 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 the world, jointly promoted by Tata Capital Ltd and International Finance Corporation (IFC). During his tenure to date, the company, starting from scratch, has funded over 300 projects in Clean-tech sector saving 16.9 tons of CO2 annually, executed several marquee advisory assignments, and tied up with some global climate investors like GCF, FMO, CDC amongst others to channelise low-cost funds to the Clean-tech sector in India. In November 2018, the company was chosen as the “Best RE Financier of the Year-NBFC” at the 2nd Edition of the Green Finance Awards. In Sept 2019 year, it was inducted in the Global Green Bank Network recognising the pioneering role being played by it in mainstreaming climate finance in India. In June 2022 the company won Earth Care Award sponsored by Times of India Group, for enterprise in Renewable Energy.
Manish is a Mechanical Engineer from IIT, Rookee and an MBA from Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University. In Feb 2020 he was presented “100 Top-most Influential BFSI Leaders” award by World BFSI Congress. 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. Apart from this he also chairs working group on G 20 climate finance formed by Gateway House and is member of CII Net Zero Council.
He is an avid runner with a number of long distances run to his credit.
Ms. Helen Clarkson
CEO,
Climate Group
Helen joined 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 , is on the board of the Sustainable Development Capital Energy Efficiency Income Trust, and is on the Mission Council for Pukka Herbs.
Prior to joining Climate Group, Helen worked at Forum for the Future, Médecins Sans Frontières, and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte.
Mr. Jon Creyts
CEO,
Rocky Mountain Institute
Jon Creyts is the CEO of RMI. He is an internationally recognized leader on global energy issues and climate change.
Jon served as a senior leader at RMI for nearly a decade before assuming the role of CEO. While chief program officer, he helped grow the institution more than tenfold in size. He has extensive knowledge and practical experience applying market forces like finance, policy, data, and technology to support the rapid decarbonization of infrastructure and industries globally. He oversees and steers all RMI’s global programs and operations and advises the organization’s global network of market affiliates.
Prior to joining RMI, Jon was a partner with McKinsey & Company where he spent 11 years in the global energy practice. Before that, he was a designer in the energy and aviation industries and is an alumnus of Lockheed Martin’s renowned Skunk Works prototyping facility.
Chairman, Governing Council
The Energy and Resources Institute - TERI
Mr. Nitin Desai
Chairman, Governing Council,
The Energy and Resources Institute - TERI
Mr. Nitin Desai was a national and international civil servant. He joined the Planning Commission as an Adviser in 1973, served as Secretary of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and went on to become Secretary and Chief Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Finance in 1988.
At the international level he was a Senior Adviser to the Brundtland Commission. He joined the UN in 1990 as Deputy Secretary General for the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and was appointed as Under Secretary General at the UN in New York in 1993 and stayed in that post till 2003. During this period, he led the work on sustainable development and in other economic and social areas.
After his retirement in he has been involved in a variety of public policy activities nationally and internationally. He is the Chairman of the Governing Council of The Energy & Resources Institute (TERI).
Mr. Nitin Desai
Chairman - Governing Council,
The Energy and Resources Institute
Mr Nitin Desai is a distinguished economist and a well-known voice in public policy for a nationally and internationally, especially in the sustainable development sector. He was in the Planning Commission (1973-88) and later served as the Chief Economic Adviser and Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, in the Ministry of Finance (1988-90). He also served as Senior Economic Adviser for the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission) where he introduced the concept of sustainable development. He was the Under Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs in the UN, where his major contributions included the organization of a series of global summits, notably the Rio Earth Summit (1992), the Copenhagen Social Development Summit (1995), the Monterrey Finance and Development Summit (2002) and the Johannesburg Sustainable Development Summit (2002). He oversaw the creation of the Commission on Sustainable Development in the UN, and was the first Under Secretary General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development.
Dr. 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. She is a task force member of a number of committees of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), the Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL) etc.
She is currently serving as Adjunct Professor, Consul General South Asia Partnership, Michigan State University. She has successfully completed a number of international assignment such as co-ordinator for the Asia Pacific Consortium on Agriculture Biotechnology (APCoAB); Advisor to Director General, The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT); and Deputy Director, Research Partnerships & Co-ordination with the Borlaug Institute for South Asia. She has served on the boards of prestigious organizations in India and overseas including Jawahar Lal Nehru University, Ambedkar University, Ayurvet Foundation and Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI).
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.
She is the winner of Indian Women Achievers Sammaan 2017 by NRI Achievers; Women Leadership Agriculture Award 2016 by the Indian Council of Food & Agriculture; First Biotech Product and Process Development and Commercialization Award of the Department of Biotechnology in 2000, the Kamal Kumari National Award for Science and Technology and the first All India Biotech Association (AIBA) award in 1998.
She has authored 6 books and over 50 publications.
Ms. Bahar Dutt
Associate Professor,
Shiv Nadar University
Award winning journalist Bahar Dutt is trained as a conservation biologist- and has worked as an Environment Editor with India’s leading English newschannel CNN-News18 and has won over 14 national and international awards for her reportage on green issues. She is the author of the book ‘Green Wars- Dispatches from a Vanishing World by Harper Collins in 2014 and Rewilding in India with Oxford University Press in 2019. She is currently Associate Professor at the Shiv Nadar University in New Delhi.
Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo
Vice President of Guyana,
Government of Guyana
Bharrat Jagdeo: Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo’s life, from humble origins, reflects the successes of passions pursued – great international inroads for Guyana and a unity of the peoples and potential of his country, Guyana.
Armed with a Master's in Economics from the Peoples Friendship University of Russia, in May 1995, Dr. Jagdeo was named Guyana’s substantive Finance Minister. Dr. Jagdeo went on to becoming President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, on 11 August 1999.
During his tenure as President (1999-2011) major economic and social reforms were undertaken in Guyana. By the time he relinquished office as President, Guyana was one of the fastest growing economies in South America and the Caribbean, recording several years of consecutive growth even through the global financial crisis of 2007-2008.
Dr. Jagdeo was selected as one of the young global leaders by the World Economic Forum in 2005. Time Magazine had named President Jagdeo a 2008 ‘Hero of the Environment. The United Nations, in 2010, declared President Jagdeo, as one of its ‘Champions of the Earth Awardees’.
He currently serves as Vice President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.
Ms. Deepali Khanna
Vice President,
The Rockefeller Foundation
Ms. Deepali Khanna is Vice President, Asia for The Rockefeller Foundation and leads the Foundation’s initiatives here to build strategic collaborations to maximize impact and influence. As a part of the senior leadership team at the Foundation, she contributes to the Foundation’s efforts to make opportunity universal and sustainable. With over three decades of experience in the development sector, working with organizations such as MasterCard Foundation, Plan International, and UNICEF, she yields immense technical expertise and leadership across strategic planning, grant-making, policy advocacy and thought leadership and cultivating strong working relationships with varied stakeholders.
Vice Chair
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - IPCC
Ms. Thelma Krug
Vice Chair,
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - IPCC
Thelma Krug is a former researcher at the Earth Observation Coordination at the National Institute for Space Research in Brazil, under the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communication (MCTIC). She is Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the Sixth Cycle of Panel, after having been co-chair of the IPCC Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories from 2002 until 2015. She served as Deputy National Secretary for Policies and Programs of Science and Technology at MCTIC and National Secretary for Climate Change and Environmental Quality from the Ministry of the Environment. For more than 15 years she represented Brazil in the negotiations at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Her main areas of interest are climate change and the role of deforestation, forest degradation and land-use change; and national greenhouse gas inventories.
Mr. Saurabh Kumar
Head (GEAPP India),
Global Energy Alliance for People & Planet
Mr. Saurabh Kumar is an Indian Revenue Service officer of 1992 batch. He joined Indian Revenue Service as Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax and worked as Deputy Commissioner in various sensitive intelligence assignments. After IRS he joined the Union Ministry of Power, Government of India as Deputy Secretary in charge of the Budget and Finance wing with the task of appraising large power projects for government investments. He was part of the government structure that was responsible for taking investment decisions in large power projects. Saurabh has also worked in various capacities in the Income Tax Department, Ministry of Power, and Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). On the completion of the GRIPS Young Leaders Program in 2006, Saurabh was appointed as Secretary of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) during 2007-2010, the nodal central body for promoting energy efficiency in India & also the core agency for the implementation of the National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency under the Ministry of Power. One of the key projects implemented under his leadership is one of the world’s largest CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) based efficient lighting projects.
Ms. Heeta Lakhani
Founder & Director,
The ClimAct Initiative
Heeta Lakhani is the Founder & Director of the ClimAct Foundation. She has a Masters of Science in Environmental Studies and Resource Management from TERI University, India. She is a firm believer in the power of youth participation in grassroots and international processes and strives to create change-makers who combat the climate crisis with knowledge-based action. Heeta was introduced to the world of the United Nations Climate Change process at COP21 in 2015 and was the Global Focal Point for YOUNGO for 2020-21. She also co-founded the Youth Negotiators Academy, which focuses on training youth to be effective negotiators in the UN intergovernmental processes.
Prof. Iain Martin
Vice-Chancellor,
Deakin University
Professor Iain Martin is Vice-Chancellor and President of Deakin University in Australia.
Prior to this, he was Vice-Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic at the University of New South Wales.
Professor Martin grew up in the United Kingdom and attended the University of Leeds where he completed his medical degree, Doctorate and Master of Education.
Professor Martin spent 12 years at the University of Auckland in New Zealand with positions including Professor of Surgery and Deputy Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for external and strategic partnerships. He was appointed to a number of government roles in New Zealand and has worked extensively with the Australian Medical Council in the assessment and accreditation of medical schools and specialist colleges.
In April 2021, he was appointed Chair of the Australian Technology Network of Universities and has served as Chair of the Victorian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee since January 2022.
Dr. Ajay Mathur
Director General,
International Solar Alliance
Dr Ajay Mathur is the Director General of the International Solar Alliance. He earlier headed The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), and the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), and was responsible for mainstreaming energy efficiency in houses, offices and industries through a number of innovative initiatives. He was a leading climate change negotiator, and was the Indian spokesperson at the Paris climate negotiations. He served as the interim Director of the Green Climate Fund during its foundational period. At TERI, he has spearheaded the move to accelerate action towards a low-carbon and cleaner economy through the adoption of renewable energy in the Indian electricity sector, enhancing efficiency in buildings and industry, and promoting environmental quality through recycling of material wastes and biotechnology-based solutions. He was also member of Indian Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change and co-chairs of the global Energy Transitions Commission.
Dr. Vinod B Mathur
Bureau Member,
UN Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
After serving for 33 years at the prestigious Wildlife Institute of India including as the Dean (2005-2014) and subsequently as the Director (2014-2019) Dr. Vinod B. Mathur worked as the Chairperson of the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) from 1st September, 2019 to 31st August, 2022. Dr. Mathur obtained his doctorate degree from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom in1991. He has been the Regional Vice-Chair of the IUCN-World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA-South Asia) from 2011-2021. Dr. Mathur has been actively contributing on biodiversity research-policy interface issues and has been the Regional Vice-Chair (Asia-Pacific Region) of United Nations Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (UN-IPBES) Multi-disciplinary Expert Panel (MEP) (2014-2018). He is currently the UN IPBES Bureau member (2019-2023) & Vive Chair (Asia-Pacific Region).
Dr. Purvi Mehta
Director- Global Growth and Opportunities,
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Dr. Purvi Mehta is the Deputy Director, Global Growth and Opportunities division at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and currently also leads the climate adaptation programs globally. She has her formal education, up to PhD, from M.S. University, India, Tokyo University, Japan and North Carolina State University- USA. Dr. Mehta has worked with leading international organizations like the CGIAR, as head of Asia for the International Livestock Research Institute and as head of South Asia Biosafety program (IFPRI, USAID), and brings a blend of Asia and Africa experience. She is on board of several organizations, including, International Alliance for Ecology and Health, International Centre for Rural Agriculture, Independent Director on Board of National Commodity Derivatives Exchange Ltd (NCDEX), Advisory Council- World Food Prize etc. She is honorary professor at Amity University-India and visiting faculty at Cornell University
Associate
Green Climate Fund - GCF
Mr. Peter Mwandri
Associate,
Green Climate Fund - GCF
Peter Mwandri, Associate Data Analyst - Data Modeling pmwandri@gcfund.org
Peter is an Associate Data Analyst - Data Modeling at the Independent Evaluation Unit of the Green Climate Fund, where he provides analytical and operational support for collecting high-quality evidence and analysis for the IEU’s evaluations. He has over six years of experience in research, data management and evaluation. Prior to the IEU, he worked at In-depth Consulting as a Data Analyst. He holds an M.Sc in Statistics from Hallym University (South Korea) and a B.Sc in Statistics from Dodoma University (Tanzania).
Ms. Jayashree Nandi
Environment/Climate Correspondent,
Hindustan Times
Jayashree Nandi is Hindustan Times’s environment and climate correspondent. She primarily covers climate science and negotiations; environmental issues in India such as air and water pollution; forests and wildlife among others. With 14 years of experience in writing on environment, she has worked with The Times of India in the past before joining Hindustan Times in 2018. 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 the 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."
Dr. Bruno Oberle
Director General,
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Dr Bruno Oberle assumed office as Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in July 2020.
He brings over 40 years of experience to IUCN at a time when redefining humanity’s relationship with nature is more urgent than ever. Before joining IUCN, Dr Bruno Oberle served in some of Switzerland’s most prestigious positions related to the environment. Between 2005 and 2015, as State Secretary for the Environment and Director of the Federal Office for the Environment for Switzerland, he represented Switzerland in leading international institutions and international negotiations, playing a key role in the Global Environment Facility and in the establishment of the Green Climate Fund.
Dr Oberle is a leading expert in the fields of sustainable resource management and green economy and has explored and shaped the interface between environmental policy, economic development and social equity from the perspective of state regulator, entrepreneur and scientist.
Prior to joining IUCN, Dr Oberle served as Chair of the Green Economy and Resource Governance programme at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) from 2016, where he also headed the International Risk Governance Centre. Since 2019, he has chaired the Global Tailings Review, which aims to establish an international standard for the safe management of tailings storage facilities that can be applied to dams around the world. He was also the lead author of the Global Resources Outlook 2019, written in his capacity as an active member of the International Resource Panel, which he joined in 2015.
Preceding his academic and government roles, Dr Oberle founded and managed companies in the fields of environmental consulting and environmental management, using the expertise gained from his doctorate in environmental sciences at ETH Zurich.
Ms. Damilola Ogunbiyi
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer,
Sustainable Energy for All
Damilola Ogunbiyi is the CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy. She is a global leader and advocate for the achievement of SDG7 – universal access to reliable, affordable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030.
She is one of the Commissioners for the Global Commission to end energy poverty, an initiative driven by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and The Rockefeller Foundation. She is the Co-Chair of the COP26 Energy Transition Council, established ahead of COP26, and will continue at least until COP30, to bring together leaders in the power sector across politics, finance and technology to speed up the transition from coal to clean renewable energy in developing countries.
Mr. Amit Prothi
Director General,
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
Mr. Prothi brings a wealth of international experience and expertise on climate and disaster resilience issues. He is an international expert with nearly 25 years of progressive leadership in the fields of urban planning and resilient infrastructure, with experience across more than 15 countries in North America, Asia and Europe. He has managed multidisciplinary teams on thematic topics that relate to climate change mitigation and adaptation including environmental planning, urban policy, land use and transportation planning, natural resource management, flood management, disaster resilient infrastructure, housing, and community development.
Recently, at the Atlantic Council's Arsht Rock Resilience Centre and previously at the Resilient Cities Network (and its predecessor 100ResilientCities), he engaged directly with cities, national governments, private sector partners, funders and technical experts.
Mr. Prothi has a Bachelors in Architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi and a Masters in Regional Planning from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Dr. Nurul Quadir
Secretary and Former Negotiator,
Society of Experts on Environment and Development
Dr Nurul Quadir, a former civil servant, earned Ph.D from UK and MSc in Urban Environment Management from AIT, Bangkok, Thailand. He served Bangladesh Government for about 30 years including eight years in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Currently Dr. Quadir is teaching at North South University as a Faculty (part time) in the Department of Environmental Science and Management.
Dr. Quadir is a Member of the LDC Elders Group and advise/support the group as and when required by the group. Dr.Quadir is very much involved in the climate change negotiation process. He was the executive committee member of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage of the UNFCCC. He was also the Alternate Member of the CDM Executive Boad of UNFCCC/KP. Currently, Dr. Quadir is the General Secretary of the Society of Experts on Environment and Development (SEED)
Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - UNESCO
Ms. Gabriela Ramos
Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences,
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - UNESCO
Gabriela Ramos is the Assistant Director-General for the Social and Human Sciences of UNESCO, where she oversees the institution's contributions to building inclusive societies. Her mandate includes tackling economic inequalities of income and opportunity, and promoting social inclusion and gender equality. She also oversees the youth support agenda, promotion of values through sport, fight against racism and discrimination, and ethics of science, including of neurotechnology and the internet of things. She has overseen the development and adoption of the first global instrument to promote the ethics of artificial intelligence, adopted by acclamation in 2021 by UNESCO's General Conference. She also launched the Global Forum against Racism, to catalyse the political support that member countries have given to this cause. On gender, she has advanced several initiatives, particularly to combat gender stereotypes and biases, including in new technologies.
Previously, Gabriela Ramos worked as Cabinet Director and Sherpa for G20/G7APEC at the OECD, contributing to increasing the OECD's global impact and leading key initiatives such as "Inclusive Growth", "New Approaches to Economic Challenges", "Climate Change and Growth", the gender strategy and work on well-being and children. At the G20, she contributed to the international reform of tax systems; the adoption of the gender quota (to reduce the labour gap) and the establishment of the W20; and the adoption of the principles of artificial intelligence, among others. She also oversaw Global Relations and the OECD's membership enlargement process.
Prof. Jeffrey Sachs
President UN SDSN,
Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University
Jeffrey D. Sachs is University Professor and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, where he directed the Earth Institute from 2002 until 2016. He is President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Co-Chair of the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition, Commissioner of the UN Broadband Commission for Development, academician of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican, and Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah Honorary Distinguished Professor at Sunway University. He has been Special Advisor to three United Nations Secretaries-General, and currently serves as an SDG Advocate under Secretary General António Guterres. He spent over twenty years as a professor at Harvard University, where he received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees. Sachs has received 41 honorary doctorates, and his recent awards include the 2022 Tang Prize in Sustainable Development, the Legion of Honor by decree of the President of the Republic of France, and the Order of the Cross from the President of Estonia. His most recent books are The Ages of Globalization: Geography, Technology, and Institutions (2020) and Ethics in Action for Sustainable Development (2022).
Dr. Claudia Sadoff
Executive Managing Director,
CGIAR
Dr Claudia Sadoff, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research), is a globally recognized leader in water management for international development. She served as the Director General of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), a CGIAR Center working globally to find water solutions for sustainable, climate-resilient development. Prior to joining IWMI, she spent over 20 years at the World Bank where she held multiple positions, including Lead Economist and Global Lead for Water Security and Integrated Water Resource Management. She served as a Member of the Scientific Group of the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit.
Mr. Ovais Sarmad
Deputy Executive Secretary,
UNFCCC UN Climate Change secretariat
Mr. Ovais Sarmad joined the United Nations Climate Change secretariat (UNFCCC) on 1 September 2017. Mr. Sarmad advises the Executive Secretary on a range of issues relating to the intergovernmental affairs and strategic planning of the UNFCCC process. He provides oversight to the overall operations of the UNFCCC covering human and financial resources as well as organizational development.
Previously he served as Chief of Staff/Chef de Cabinet at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Geneva. Mr. Sarmad worked in several management and policy
capacities in IOM over a period of 27 years. Prior to IOM, he worked in the private and public sectors in London, where he qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). He graduated from Osmania University in Hyderabad, India, as a Bachelor of Commerce.
Ms. Prachi Shevagaonkar
Founder & CEO,
Cool The Globe
Prachi Shevgaonkar is a Climate Entrepreneur and the founder of Cool The Globe - An app for climate action with users from 100+ countries. Prachi was awarded by the finance minister of India as the 'Young Change- maker of the year.' Prachi is the first Indian citizen to be appointed on the advisory board of Climate Leadership Coalition, alongside the former Prime Minister of Finland. She was selected by the Ministry of Environment and UNICEF to represent India at COP27 climate summit in Egypt, where she received COP27 Young Scholar Award from Hon. Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav. Prachi spent months covering stories of youth, farmers, and waste-picker communities, to understand the impact of climate change in day-to-day lives of people. She has been mobilising citizens to tackle climate change through technology, advocacy and grass-root action. She firmly believes that when ordinary citizens come together, miracles can happen.
Mr. Erik Solheim
6th Executive Director,
UNEP
Erik Solheim is a well-known global leader on environment and development as well as an experienced peace negotiator.
He served as Norwegian minister of Environment and International Development from 2005-2012. During that period, he initiated the global program for conservation of rainforests and brought through game changing National legislation - among them the Biodiversity Act and legislation to protect Oslo city forests. He brought Norwegian development assistance to 1%, the highest in the world.
He led the peace efforts in Sri Lanka from 1999-2009 as the main negotiator of the peace process and played a vital role in peace efforts in Nepal, Myanmar and Sudan.
Erik was the Executive Chair of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (the main body of world donors) from 2012-2016 and Executive Director of UN Environment from 2016 to 2018.
Currently he is Senior Adviser at World Resources Institute.
Erik is Chief Mentor of Global Alliance for Sustainable Planet and Chairman of the Board of Afroz Shah Foundation & Youth of India Foundation. He is adviser to April, the world ́s largest paper and pulp company in Indonesia, to Aker Horizons, Norway’s leading green industry corporation and to Norwegian electric battery company Morrow.
He serves as chairman of the development roundtable in Green Hydrogen Organization and as a board member of International Hydropower Association.
Mr. Achim Steiner
UNDP Administrator,
United Nations Development Programme
Achim Steiner became UNDP Administrator on 19 June 2017 following the confirmation of his nomination by the United Nations General Assembly. Mr. Steiner is the Vice-Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group, which unites 40 entities of the UN system that work to support sustainable development.
Over nearly three decades, Mr. Steiner has been a global leader on sustainable development, climate resilience and international cooperation. Prior to joining UNDP, he was Director of the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford. Mr. Steiner has served across various international organizations, looking at global challenges from both a humanitarian and a development perspective. He led the United Nations Environment Programme (2006-2016), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (2001 – 2006) and the World Commission on Dams (1998 – 2001).
Prof. Kazuhiko Takeuchi
President,
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
Kazuhiko Takeuchi is President of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and a Project Professor at the Institute for Future Initiatives (IFI), the University of Tokyo. He served as Senior Vice-Rector of the United Nations University (UNU) and currently holds a position as Senior Visiting Professor at UNU Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS). He has served, inter alia, as Acting Chair of the Central Environment Council; and Chair of the Nature Conservation Committee of the Central Environment Council, Government of Japan, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Sustainability Science (Springer Nature), and Distinguished Chair, Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies, University of Nairobi.
He specialises in landscape ecology, landscape planning, and sustainability science.
He engages in research and outreach activities on creating eco-friendly environments for a harmonious coexistence of people and nature, especially focusing on Asia and Africa.
Mr. Adair Turner
Chairman,
Energy Transition Commission
Lord Turner chairs the Energy Transitions Commission, a global coalition of major power and industrial companies, investors, environmental NGOs and experts working out achievable pathways to limit global warming to 1.5C by 2040. In addition, he is Chairman of Chubb Europe and on the Advisory Board of Envision Energy. Lord Turner has held high profile roles in public policy: he was Director General of the Confederation of British Industry (1995-2000); chairman of the Pensions Commission (2003-2006); chairman of the Climate Change Committee (2008-2012) an independent body to advise the UK Government on tackling climate change, and chaired the UK’s Financial Services Authority during the financial crisis of 2008, where he played a leading role in the post crisis redesign of global banking and shadow banking regulation.
Director - Environment Directorate
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - OECD
Ms. Jo Tyndall
Director - Environment Directorate,
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - OECD
Jo Tyndall is Director, Environment Directorate at the OECD where she oversees the implementation of the Directorate’s programme of work, covering a broad range of environmental issues, including: green growth; climate change; biodiversity; quality of ecosystems; eco-innovation; circular economy; and, resource productivity. She was, most recently, New Zealand High Commissioner (Ambassador) to Singapore from February 2019 to September 2022. Prior to that, Jo served as New Zealand’s Climate Change Ambassador, commencing this role in June 2010. From 2016 to December 2018, she also co-chaired the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA). As Climate Change Ambassador, she was head of delegation to the United Nations climate negotiations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Mr. Rasmus Valanko
Managing Director,
We Mean Business Coalition
Rasmus Valanko is the Managing Director for Systems Transformation at We Mean Business (WMB). He works to implement systemic change by working with companies and partner organizations on climate change. Rasmus brings a wealth of knowledge on sustainability from private, public and NGO sectors and believes in the power of collaboration to find innovative solutions to some of the most complex challenges faced by society today.
Mr. Arne Walther
Independent Adviser and Former Diplomat,
Norway
Ambassador Arne Walther is currently an independent adviser on government relations, geopolitics and international energy affairs through his company “Walther International Consulting”. He has served as Norway's Ambassador to India, Japan, Austria and the UN Organizations in Vienna. He has been Chairman of the Governing Board of the International Energy Agency (Paris) and the founding Secretary General of the International Energy Forum (Riyadh). He has served as Special Adviser on International Affairs for former Norwegian Prime Minister Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland. Ambassador Walther is a member of the International Steering Committee for TERIs World Sustainable Development Summit
Minister of Environment,
Ministry of Environment, Sri Lanka
Mr. Naseer Ahamed
Minister of Environment,,
Ministry of Environment, Sri Lanka
A professionally qualified Engineer, having graduated with honors from the prestigious King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Honorable Naseer Ahamed was re-inducted into the cabinet of ministers to the portfolio as Minister for Environment, which portfolio he held under the premiership of Hon. Mahinda Rajapaksha for a brief period with additional charge of investment promotion in strategic economic sectors.
Previously, Minister Ahamed had the distinction of serving as the Chief Minister of the Eastern Provincial Council, where he held, in addition, the charge of Finance and Planning, Law & Order, Local Government & Regional Administration, Rural Development, Tourism & Environment, Building & Construction, Transport, Rural Industries and Housing.
CEO and President
Natural Resources Defense Council
Mr. Manish Bapna
CEO and President,
Natural Resources Defense Council
Manish Bapna is president and chief executive officer of NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), one of the nation’s most influential environmental groups, which works to ensure the rights of all people to clear air, clean water, and healthy and equitable communities. 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, a leading global research organization focused on the environment and development, for more than 14 years. As NRDC’s new president and CEO, Bapna joins the 51-year-old nonprofit of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates around the globe to tackle the biggest environmental issues we face today.
State Counsellor to the Prime-Minister
Government of Romania
Mr. László Borbély
State Counsellor to the Prime-Minister,
Government of Romania
László BORBÉLY is a politician who has significantly contributed to the democratic development of Romanian society, both as one of the most well-known leaders of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania and through the different high ranking functions held in the Romanian Parliament and the Romanian Government in the field of International Affairs, Environment and Sustainable Development, Regional Development and Infrastructure. László BORBÉLY held the position of Minister of the Environment, was Minister of Regional Development Public, Works and Housing, state secretary at Ministry of Public Works and Territorial Planning, Minister Delegate at the Ministry of Transport as well as Chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee at the Romanian Chamber of Deputies. At international level, László BORBÉLY served as Chairman of the United Nations (UN) Commission on Sustainable Development, position which he has fulfilled with a rigorous professionalism, yielding important results.
Vice President
Sahajanand Medical Technologies Ltd
Dr. Rajiv Chhibber
Vice President,
Sahajanand Medical Technologies Ltd
Dr Rajiv Chhibber is a Senior Corporate Affairs, Public 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, External Affairs at Sahajanand Medical Technologies, a global developer and manufacturer of minimally invasive coronary and vascular systems. He is a member of various key industry associations where he is heading committees / sub-committees in areas of Public Health Advocacy, Pharma & Medical Devices, Environmental Health, and Climate Change issues playing a stewardship role in creating the roadmap for India’s MedTech and healthcare system, assisting the governments vision to achieve India’s Health and Sustainable Goals.
Managing Director
Tata Cleantech Capital Ltd.
Mr. 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 service professional with 27 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 the world, jointly promoted by Tata Capital Ltd and International Finance Corporation (IFC). During his tenure to date, the company, starting from scratch, has funded over 300 projects in Clean-tech sector saving 16.9 tons of CO2 annually, executed several marquee advisory assignments, and tied up with some global climate investors like GCF, FMO, CDC amongst others to channelise low-cost funds to the Clean-tech sector in India. In November 2018, the company was chosen as the “Best RE Financier of the Year-NBFC” at the 2nd Edition of the Green Finance Awards. In Sept 2019 year, it was inducted in the Global Green Bank Network recognising the pioneering role being played by it in mainstreaming climate finance in India. In June 2022 the company won Earth Care Award sponsored by Times of India Group, for enterprise in Renewable Energy.
Manish is a Mechanical Engineer from IIT, Rookee and an MBA from Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University. In Feb 2020 he was presented “100 Top-most Influential BFSI Leaders” award by World BFSI Congress. 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. Apart from this he also chairs working group on G 20 climate finance formed by Gateway House and is member of CII Net Zero Council.
He is an avid runner with a number of long distances run to his credit.
CEO
Climate Group
Ms. Helen Clarkson
CEO,
Climate Group
Helen joined 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 , is on the board of the Sustainable Development Capital Energy Efficiency Income Trust, and is on the Mission Council for Pukka Herbs.
Prior to joining Climate Group, Helen worked at Forum for the Future, Médecins Sans Frontières, and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte.
CEO
Rocky Mountain Institute
Mr. Jon Creyts
CEO,
Rocky Mountain Institute
Jon Creyts is the CEO of RMI. He is an internationally recognized leader on global energy issues and climate change.
Jon served as a senior leader at RMI for nearly a decade before assuming the role of CEO. While chief program officer, he helped grow the institution more than tenfold in size. He has extensive knowledge and practical experience applying market forces like finance, policy, data, and technology to support the rapid decarbonization of infrastructure and industries globally. He oversees and steers all RMI’s global programs and operations and advises the organization’s global network of market affiliates.
Prior to joining RMI, Jon was a partner with McKinsey & Company where he spent 11 years in the global energy practice. Before that, he was a designer in the energy and aviation industries and is an alumnus of Lockheed Martin’s renowned Skunk Works prototyping facility.
Mr. Nitin Desai
Chairman, Governing Council,
The Energy and Resources Institute - TERI
Mr. Nitin Desai was a national and international civil servant. He joined the Planning Commission as an Adviser in 1973, served as Secretary of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and went on to become Secretary and Chief Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Finance in 1988.
At the international level he was a Senior Adviser to the Brundtland Commission. He joined the UN in 1990 as Deputy Secretary General for the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and was appointed as Under Secretary General at the UN in New York in 1993 and stayed in that post till 2003. During this period, he led the work on sustainable development and in other economic and social areas.
After his retirement in he has been involved in a variety of public policy activities nationally and internationally. He is the Chairman of the Governing Council of The Energy & Resources Institute (TERI).
Chairman - Governing Council
The Energy and Resources Institute
Mr. Nitin Desai
Chairman - Governing Council,
The Energy and Resources Institute
Mr Nitin Desai is a distinguished economist and a well-known voice in public policy for a nationally and internationally, especially in the sustainable development sector. He was in the Planning Commission (1973-88) and later served as the Chief Economic Adviser and Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, in the Ministry of Finance (1988-90). He also served as Senior Economic Adviser for the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission) where he introduced the concept of sustainable development. He was the Under Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs in the UN, where his major contributions included the organization of a series of global summits, notably the Rio Earth Summit (1992), the Copenhagen Social Development Summit (1995), the Monterrey Finance and Development Summit (2002) and the Johannesburg Sustainable Development Summit (2002). He oversaw the creation of the Commission on Sustainable Development in the UN, and was the first Under Secretary General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development.
Director General
The Energy and Resources Institute
Dr. 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. She is a task force member of a number of committees of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), the Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL) etc.
She is currently serving as Adjunct Professor, Consul General South Asia Partnership, Michigan State University. She has successfully completed a number of international assignment such as co-ordinator for the Asia Pacific Consortium on Agriculture Biotechnology (APCoAB); Advisor to Director General, The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT); and Deputy Director, Research Partnerships & Co-ordination with the Borlaug Institute for South Asia. She has served on the boards of prestigious organizations in India and overseas including Jawahar Lal Nehru University, Ambedkar University, Ayurvet Foundation and Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI).
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.
She is the winner of Indian Women Achievers Sammaan 2017 by NRI Achievers; Women Leadership Agriculture Award 2016 by the Indian Council of Food & Agriculture; First Biotech Product and Process Development and Commercialization Award of the Department of Biotechnology in 2000, the Kamal Kumari National Award for Science and Technology and the first All India Biotech Association (AIBA) award in 1998.
She has authored 6 books and over 50 publications.
Associate Professor
Shiv Nadar University
Ms. Bahar Dutt
Associate Professor,
Shiv Nadar University
Award winning journalist Bahar Dutt is trained as a conservation biologist- and has worked as an Environment Editor with India’s leading English newschannel CNN-News18 and has won over 14 national and international awards for her reportage on green issues. She is the author of the book ‘Green Wars- Dispatches from a Vanishing World by Harper Collins in 2014 and Rewilding in India with Oxford University Press in 2019. She is currently Associate Professor at the Shiv Nadar University in New Delhi.
Vice President of Guyana
Government of Guyana
Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo
Vice President of Guyana,
Government of Guyana
Bharrat Jagdeo: Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo’s life, from humble origins, reflects the successes of passions pursued – great international inroads for Guyana and a unity of the peoples and potential of his country, Guyana.
Armed with a Master's in Economics from the Peoples Friendship University of Russia, in May 1995, Dr. Jagdeo was named Guyana’s substantive Finance Minister. Dr. Jagdeo went on to becoming President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, on 11 August 1999.
During his tenure as President (1999-2011) major economic and social reforms were undertaken in Guyana. By the time he relinquished office as President, Guyana was one of the fastest growing economies in South America and the Caribbean, recording several years of consecutive growth even through the global financial crisis of 2007-2008.
Dr. Jagdeo was selected as one of the young global leaders by the World Economic Forum in 2005. Time Magazine had named President Jagdeo a 2008 ‘Hero of the Environment. The United Nations, in 2010, declared President Jagdeo, as one of its ‘Champions of the Earth Awardees’.
He currently serves as Vice President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.
Vice President
The Rockefeller Foundation
Ms. Deepali Khanna
Vice President,
The Rockefeller Foundation
Ms. Deepali Khanna is Vice President, Asia for The Rockefeller Foundation and leads the Foundation’s initiatives here to build strategic collaborations to maximize impact and influence. As a part of the senior leadership team at the Foundation, she contributes to the Foundation’s efforts to make opportunity universal and sustainable. With over three decades of experience in the development sector, working with organizations such as MasterCard Foundation, Plan International, and UNICEF, she yields immense technical expertise and leadership across strategic planning, grant-making, policy advocacy and thought leadership and cultivating strong working relationships with varied stakeholders.
Ms. Thelma Krug
Vice Chair,
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - IPCC
Thelma Krug is a former researcher at the Earth Observation Coordination at the National Institute for Space Research in Brazil, under the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communication (MCTIC). She is Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the Sixth Cycle of Panel, after having been co-chair of the IPCC Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories from 2002 until 2015. She served as Deputy National Secretary for Policies and Programs of Science and Technology at MCTIC and National Secretary for Climate Change and Environmental Quality from the Ministry of the Environment. For more than 15 years she represented Brazil in the negotiations at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Her main areas of interest are climate change and the role of deforestation, forest degradation and land-use change; and national greenhouse gas inventories.
Head (GEAPP India)
Global Energy Alliance for People & Planet
Mr. Saurabh Kumar
Head (GEAPP India),
Global Energy Alliance for People & Planet
Mr. Saurabh Kumar is an Indian Revenue Service officer of 1992 batch. He joined Indian Revenue Service as Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax and worked as Deputy Commissioner in various sensitive intelligence assignments. After IRS he joined the Union Ministry of Power, Government of India as Deputy Secretary in charge of the Budget and Finance wing with the task of appraising large power projects for government investments. He was part of the government structure that was responsible for taking investment decisions in large power projects. Saurabh has also worked in various capacities in the Income Tax Department, Ministry of Power, and Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). On the completion of the GRIPS Young Leaders Program in 2006, Saurabh was appointed as Secretary of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) during 2007-2010, the nodal central body for promoting energy efficiency in India & also the core agency for the implementation of the National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency under the Ministry of Power. One of the key projects implemented under his leadership is one of the world’s largest CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) based efficient lighting projects.
Founder & Director
The ClimAct Initiative
Ms. Heeta Lakhani
Founder & Director,
The ClimAct Initiative
Heeta Lakhani is the Founder & Director of the ClimAct Foundation. She has a Masters of Science in Environmental Studies and Resource Management from TERI University, India. She is a firm believer in the power of youth participation in grassroots and international processes and strives to create change-makers who combat the climate crisis with knowledge-based action. Heeta was introduced to the world of the United Nations Climate Change process at COP21 in 2015 and was the Global Focal Point for YOUNGO for 2020-21. She also co-founded the Youth Negotiators Academy, which focuses on training youth to be effective negotiators in the UN intergovernmental processes.
Vice-Chancellor
Deakin University
Prof. Iain Martin
Vice-Chancellor,
Deakin University
Professor Iain Martin is Vice-Chancellor and President of Deakin University in Australia.
Prior to this, he was Vice-Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic at the University of New South Wales.
Professor Martin grew up in the United Kingdom and attended the University of Leeds where he completed his medical degree, Doctorate and Master of Education.
Professor Martin spent 12 years at the University of Auckland in New Zealand with positions including Professor of Surgery and Deputy Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for external and strategic partnerships. He was appointed to a number of government roles in New Zealand and has worked extensively with the Australian Medical Council in the assessment and accreditation of medical schools and specialist colleges.
In April 2021, he was appointed Chair of the Australian Technology Network of Universities and has served as Chair of the Victorian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee since January 2022.
Director General
International Solar Alliance
Dr. Ajay Mathur
Director General,
International Solar Alliance
Dr Ajay Mathur is the Director General of the International Solar Alliance. He earlier headed The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), and the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), and was responsible for mainstreaming energy efficiency in houses, offices and industries through a number of innovative initiatives. He was a leading climate change negotiator, and was the Indian spokesperson at the Paris climate negotiations. He served as the interim Director of the Green Climate Fund during its foundational period. At TERI, he has spearheaded the move to accelerate action towards a low-carbon and cleaner economy through the adoption of renewable energy in the Indian electricity sector, enhancing efficiency in buildings and industry, and promoting environmental quality through recycling of material wastes and biotechnology-based solutions. He was also member of Indian Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change and co-chairs of the global Energy Transitions Commission.
Bureau Member
UN Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
Dr. Vinod B Mathur
Bureau Member,
UN Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
After serving for 33 years at the prestigious Wildlife Institute of India including as the Dean (2005-2014) and subsequently as the Director (2014-2019) Dr. Vinod B. Mathur worked as the Chairperson of the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) from 1st September, 2019 to 31st August, 2022. Dr. Mathur obtained his doctorate degree from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom in1991. He has been the Regional Vice-Chair of the IUCN-World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA-South Asia) from 2011-2021. Dr. Mathur has been actively contributing on biodiversity research-policy interface issues and has been the Regional Vice-Chair (Asia-Pacific Region) of United Nations Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (UN-IPBES) Multi-disciplinary Expert Panel (MEP) (2014-2018). He is currently the UN IPBES Bureau member (2019-2023) & Vive Chair (Asia-Pacific Region).
Director- Global Growth and Opportunities
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Dr. Purvi Mehta
Director- Global Growth and Opportunities,
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Dr. Purvi Mehta is the Deputy Director, Global Growth and Opportunities division at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and currently also leads the climate adaptation programs globally. She has her formal education, up to PhD, from M.S. University, India, Tokyo University, Japan and North Carolina State University- USA. Dr. Mehta has worked with leading international organizations like the CGIAR, as head of Asia for the International Livestock Research Institute and as head of South Asia Biosafety program (IFPRI, USAID), and brings a blend of Asia and Africa experience. She is on board of several organizations, including, International Alliance for Ecology and Health, International Centre for Rural Agriculture, Independent Director on Board of National Commodity Derivatives Exchange Ltd (NCDEX), Advisory Council- World Food Prize etc. She is honorary professor at Amity University-India and visiting faculty at Cornell University
Mr. Peter Mwandri
Associate,
Green Climate Fund - GCF
Peter Mwandri, Associate Data Analyst - Data Modeling pmwandri@gcfund.org
Peter is an Associate Data Analyst - Data Modeling at the Independent Evaluation Unit of the Green Climate Fund, where he provides analytical and operational support for collecting high-quality evidence and analysis for the IEU’s evaluations. He has over six years of experience in research, data management and evaluation. Prior to the IEU, he worked at In-depth Consulting as a Data Analyst. He holds an M.Sc in Statistics from Hallym University (South Korea) and a B.Sc in Statistics from Dodoma University (Tanzania).
Environment/Climate Correspondent
Hindustan Times
Ms. Jayashree Nandi
Environment/Climate Correspondent,
Hindustan Times
Jayashree Nandi is Hindustan Times’s environment and climate correspondent. She primarily covers climate science and negotiations; environmental issues in India such as air and water pollution; forests and wildlife among others. With 14 years of experience in writing on environment, she has worked with The Times of India in the past before joining Hindustan Times in 2018. 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 the 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."
Director General
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Dr. Bruno Oberle
Director General,
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Dr Bruno Oberle assumed office as Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in July 2020.
He brings over 40 years of experience to IUCN at a time when redefining humanity’s relationship with nature is more urgent than ever. Before joining IUCN, Dr Bruno Oberle served in some of Switzerland’s most prestigious positions related to the environment. Between 2005 and 2015, as State Secretary for the Environment and Director of the Federal Office for the Environment for Switzerland, he represented Switzerland in leading international institutions and international negotiations, playing a key role in the Global Environment Facility and in the establishment of the Green Climate Fund.
Dr Oberle is a leading expert in the fields of sustainable resource management and green economy and has explored and shaped the interface between environmental policy, economic development and social equity from the perspective of state regulator, entrepreneur and scientist.
Prior to joining IUCN, Dr Oberle served as Chair of the Green Economy and Resource Governance programme at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) from 2016, where he also headed the International Risk Governance Centre. Since 2019, he has chaired the Global Tailings Review, which aims to establish an international standard for the safe management of tailings storage facilities that can be applied to dams around the world. He was also the lead author of the Global Resources Outlook 2019, written in his capacity as an active member of the International Resource Panel, which he joined in 2015.
Preceding his academic and government roles, Dr Oberle founded and managed companies in the fields of environmental consulting and environmental management, using the expertise gained from his doctorate in environmental sciences at ETH Zurich.
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer
Sustainable Energy for All
Ms. Damilola Ogunbiyi
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer,
Sustainable Energy for All
Damilola Ogunbiyi is the CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy. She is a global leader and advocate for the achievement of SDG7 – universal access to reliable, affordable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030.
She is one of the Commissioners for the Global Commission to end energy poverty, an initiative driven by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and The Rockefeller Foundation. She is the Co-Chair of the COP26 Energy Transition Council, established ahead of COP26, and will continue at least until COP30, to bring together leaders in the power sector across politics, finance and technology to speed up the transition from coal to clean renewable energy in developing countries.
Director General
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
Mr. Amit Prothi
Director General,
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
Mr. Prothi brings a wealth of international experience and expertise on climate and disaster resilience issues. He is an international expert with nearly 25 years of progressive leadership in the fields of urban planning and resilient infrastructure, with experience across more than 15 countries in North America, Asia and Europe. He has managed multidisciplinary teams on thematic topics that relate to climate change mitigation and adaptation including environmental planning, urban policy, land use and transportation planning, natural resource management, flood management, disaster resilient infrastructure, housing, and community development.
Recently, at the Atlantic Council's Arsht Rock Resilience Centre and previously at the Resilient Cities Network (and its predecessor 100ResilientCities), he engaged directly with cities, national governments, private sector partners, funders and technical experts.
Mr. Prothi has a Bachelors in Architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi and a Masters in Regional Planning from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Secretary and Former Negotiator
Society of Experts on Environment and Development
Dr. Nurul Quadir
Secretary and Former Negotiator,
Society of Experts on Environment and Development
Dr Nurul Quadir, a former civil servant, earned Ph.D from UK and MSc in Urban Environment Management from AIT, Bangkok, Thailand. He served Bangladesh Government for about 30 years including eight years in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Currently Dr. Quadir is teaching at North South University as a Faculty (part time) in the Department of Environmental Science and Management.
Dr. Quadir is a Member of the LDC Elders Group and advise/support the group as and when required by the group. Dr.Quadir is very much involved in the climate change negotiation process. He was the executive committee member of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage of the UNFCCC. He was also the Alternate Member of the CDM Executive Boad of UNFCCC/KP. Currently, Dr. Quadir is the General Secretary of the Society of Experts on Environment and Development (SEED)
Ms. Gabriela Ramos
Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences,
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - UNESCO
Gabriela Ramos is the Assistant Director-General for the Social and Human Sciences of UNESCO, where she oversees the institution's contributions to building inclusive societies. Her mandate includes tackling economic inequalities of income and opportunity, and promoting social inclusion and gender equality. She also oversees the youth support agenda, promotion of values through sport, fight against racism and discrimination, and ethics of science, including of neurotechnology and the internet of things. She has overseen the development and adoption of the first global instrument to promote the ethics of artificial intelligence, adopted by acclamation in 2021 by UNESCO's General Conference. She also launched the Global Forum against Racism, to catalyse the political support that member countries have given to this cause. On gender, she has advanced several initiatives, particularly to combat gender stereotypes and biases, including in new technologies.
Previously, Gabriela Ramos worked as Cabinet Director and Sherpa for G20/G7APEC at the OECD, contributing to increasing the OECD's global impact and leading key initiatives such as "Inclusive Growth", "New Approaches to Economic Challenges", "Climate Change and Growth", the gender strategy and work on well-being and children. At the G20, she contributed to the international reform of tax systems; the adoption of the gender quota (to reduce the labour gap) and the establishment of the W20; and the adoption of the principles of artificial intelligence, among others. She also oversaw Global Relations and the OECD's membership enlargement process.
President UN SDSN
Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University
Prof. Jeffrey Sachs
President UN SDSN,
Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University
Jeffrey D. Sachs is University Professor and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, where he directed the Earth Institute from 2002 until 2016. He is President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Co-Chair of the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition, Commissioner of the UN Broadband Commission for Development, academician of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican, and Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah Honorary Distinguished Professor at Sunway University. He has been Special Advisor to three United Nations Secretaries-General, and currently serves as an SDG Advocate under Secretary General António Guterres. He spent over twenty years as a professor at Harvard University, where he received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees. Sachs has received 41 honorary doctorates, and his recent awards include the 2022 Tang Prize in Sustainable Development, the Legion of Honor by decree of the President of the Republic of France, and the Order of the Cross from the President of Estonia. His most recent books are The Ages of Globalization: Geography, Technology, and Institutions (2020) and Ethics in Action for Sustainable Development (2022).
Executive Managing Director
CGIAR
Dr. Claudia Sadoff
Executive Managing Director,
CGIAR
Dr Claudia Sadoff, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research), is a globally recognized leader in water management for international development. She served as the Director General of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), a CGIAR Center working globally to find water solutions for sustainable, climate-resilient development. Prior to joining IWMI, she spent over 20 years at the World Bank where she held multiple positions, including Lead Economist and Global Lead for Water Security and Integrated Water Resource Management. She served as a Member of the Scientific Group of the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit.
Deputy Executive Secretary
UNFCCC UN Climate Change secretariat
Mr. Ovais Sarmad
Deputy Executive Secretary,
UNFCCC UN Climate Change secretariat
Mr. Ovais Sarmad joined the United Nations Climate Change secretariat (UNFCCC) on 1 September 2017. Mr. Sarmad advises the Executive Secretary on a range of issues relating to the intergovernmental affairs and strategic planning of the UNFCCC process. He provides oversight to the overall operations of the UNFCCC covering human and financial resources as well as organizational development.
Previously he served as Chief of Staff/Chef de Cabinet at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Geneva. Mr. Sarmad worked in several management and policy
capacities in IOM over a period of 27 years. Prior to IOM, he worked in the private and public sectors in London, where he qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). He graduated from Osmania University in Hyderabad, India, as a Bachelor of Commerce.
Founder & CEO
Cool The Globe
Ms. Prachi Shevagaonkar
Founder & CEO,
Cool The Globe
Prachi Shevgaonkar is a Climate Entrepreneur and the founder of Cool The Globe - An app for climate action with users from 100+ countries. Prachi was awarded by the finance minister of India as the 'Young Change- maker of the year.' Prachi is the first Indian citizen to be appointed on the advisory board of Climate Leadership Coalition, alongside the former Prime Minister of Finland. She was selected by the Ministry of Environment and UNICEF to represent India at COP27 climate summit in Egypt, where she received COP27 Young Scholar Award from Hon. Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav. Prachi spent months covering stories of youth, farmers, and waste-picker communities, to understand the impact of climate change in day-to-day lives of people. She has been mobilising citizens to tackle climate change through technology, advocacy and grass-root action. She firmly believes that when ordinary citizens come together, miracles can happen.
6th Executive Director
UNEP
Mr. Erik Solheim
6th Executive Director,
UNEP
Erik Solheim is a well-known global leader on environment and development as well as an experienced peace negotiator.
He served as Norwegian minister of Environment and International Development from 2005-2012. During that period, he initiated the global program for conservation of rainforests and brought through game changing National legislation - among them the Biodiversity Act and legislation to protect Oslo city forests. He brought Norwegian development assistance to 1%, the highest in the world.
He led the peace efforts in Sri Lanka from 1999-2009 as the main negotiator of the peace process and played a vital role in peace efforts in Nepal, Myanmar and Sudan.
Erik was the Executive Chair of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (the main body of world donors) from 2012-2016 and Executive Director of UN Environment from 2016 to 2018.
Currently he is Senior Adviser at World Resources Institute.
Erik is Chief Mentor of Global Alliance for Sustainable Planet and Chairman of the Board of Afroz Shah Foundation & Youth of India Foundation. He is adviser to April, the world ́s largest paper and pulp company in Indonesia, to Aker Horizons, Norway’s leading green industry corporation and to Norwegian electric battery company Morrow.
He serves as chairman of the development roundtable in Green Hydrogen Organization and as a board member of International Hydropower Association.
UNDP Administrator
United Nations Development Programme
Mr. Achim Steiner
UNDP Administrator,
United Nations Development Programme
Achim Steiner became UNDP Administrator on 19 June 2017 following the confirmation of his nomination by the United Nations General Assembly. Mr. Steiner is the Vice-Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group, which unites 40 entities of the UN system that work to support sustainable development.
Over nearly three decades, Mr. Steiner has been a global leader on sustainable development, climate resilience and international cooperation. Prior to joining UNDP, he was Director of the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford. Mr. Steiner has served across various international organizations, looking at global challenges from both a humanitarian and a development perspective. He led the United Nations Environment Programme (2006-2016), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (2001 – 2006) and the World Commission on Dams (1998 – 2001).
President
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
Prof. Kazuhiko Takeuchi
President,
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
Kazuhiko Takeuchi is President of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and a Project Professor at the Institute for Future Initiatives (IFI), the University of Tokyo. He served as Senior Vice-Rector of the United Nations University (UNU) and currently holds a position as Senior Visiting Professor at UNU Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS). He has served, inter alia, as Acting Chair of the Central Environment Council; and Chair of the Nature Conservation Committee of the Central Environment Council, Government of Japan, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Sustainability Science (Springer Nature), and Distinguished Chair, Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies, University of Nairobi.
He specialises in landscape ecology, landscape planning, and sustainability science.
He engages in research and outreach activities on creating eco-friendly environments for a harmonious coexistence of people and nature, especially focusing on Asia and Africa.
Chairman
Energy Transition Commission
Mr. Adair Turner
Chairman,
Energy Transition Commission
Lord Turner chairs the Energy Transitions Commission, a global coalition of major power and industrial companies, investors, environmental NGOs and experts working out achievable pathways to limit global warming to 1.5C by 2040. In addition, he is Chairman of Chubb Europe and on the Advisory Board of Envision Energy. Lord Turner has held high profile roles in public policy: he was Director General of the Confederation of British Industry (1995-2000); chairman of the Pensions Commission (2003-2006); chairman of the Climate Change Committee (2008-2012) an independent body to advise the UK Government on tackling climate change, and chaired the UK’s Financial Services Authority during the financial crisis of 2008, where he played a leading role in the post crisis redesign of global banking and shadow banking regulation.
Ms. Jo Tyndall
Director - Environment Directorate,
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - OECD
Jo Tyndall is Director, Environment Directorate at the OECD where she oversees the implementation of the Directorate’s programme of work, covering a broad range of environmental issues, including: green growth; climate change; biodiversity; quality of ecosystems; eco-innovation; circular economy; and, resource productivity. She was, most recently, New Zealand High Commissioner (Ambassador) to Singapore from February 2019 to September 2022. Prior to that, Jo served as New Zealand’s Climate Change Ambassador, commencing this role in June 2010. From 2016 to December 2018, she also co-chaired the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA). As Climate Change Ambassador, she was head of delegation to the United Nations climate negotiations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Managing Director
We Mean Business Coalition
Mr. Rasmus Valanko
Managing Director,
We Mean Business Coalition
Rasmus Valanko is the Managing Director for Systems Transformation at We Mean Business (WMB). He works to implement systemic change by working with companies and partner organizations on climate change. Rasmus brings a wealth of knowledge on sustainability from private, public and NGO sectors and believes in the power of collaboration to find innovative solutions to some of the most complex challenges faced by society today.
Independent Adviser and Former Diplomat
Norway
Mr. Arne Walther
Independent Adviser and Former Diplomat,
Norway
Ambassador Arne Walther is currently an independent adviser on government relations, geopolitics and international energy affairs through his company “Walther International Consulting”. He has served as Norway's Ambassador to India, Japan, Austria and the UN Organizations in Vienna. He has been Chairman of the Governing Board of the International Energy Agency (Paris) and the founding Secretary General of the International Energy Forum (Riyadh). He has served as Special Adviser on International Affairs for former Norwegian Prime Minister Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland. Ambassador Walther is a member of the International Steering Committee for TERIs World Sustainable Development Summit