Mr. Anshuman
Director,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Mr Anshuman is Director of the Water Resources Division, TERI. His work spans across areas such as integrated water resource management, water use efficiency, and water quality & quantity assessment.

Dr. Hans Adam
Senior Research Scientist,
Norwegian Institute for Water Research

Hans Nicolai Adam is an economist by training with a PhD in Development Studies (2015) at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Presently, Hans is working as a senior researcher at the section of International Environment and Development with the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) in Oslo, Norway. His research interests encompass a variety of interdisciplinary themes that concern  plastic pollution, climate change, science-policy interphase, knowledge politics and urban governance. Hans has published widely in this field and has a keen interest in furthering North-South collaboration.

Mr. SMH Adil
Director,
GEED Simulations Pvt Ltd

About SMH Adil: Mr Adil is a built environment simulation specialist. Having over 19 year of experiance in performance based design through computer simulation. He uses these techniques both in mass rapid transit and building infrastructure development. His core areas of expertise are smoke venting and energy efficiency. He is involved in most of the underground metros,  road tunnel and airport design for these verticals in India. He is also supporting various mission involving Ministry of power, ministry of urban housing for various government based energy policy development work. He is an ardent programmer and uses his specialisation in conventional engineering solution development with a touch of data analysis. He has an M.Tech from IIT Delhi. His notable recent design are work for NCRTC, DMRC, UPMRC, CMRL, MMRC, JMRC, Metro rail Kolkata, KMRCL and GMRC. Beside his professional engagements, He is currently serving president of International  Building Performance Simulation Association India chapter. Through this he advocates use of performance based designing and digital twining for performance monitering activities.

Ms. Smita Agarwal
Head Education,
Tata Steel Foundation

Smita Agarwal hold the position of Head Education at Tata Steel. With over 9 years of service at Tata Steel, her journey is a testament to her commitment to advancing education and community development. In her capacity as Head Education at Tata Steel, Smita spearheads transformative initiatives that bridge educational gaps and brings about positive change. Her leadership and dedication have significantly impacted Jharkhand, India, where she is based. 

Prior to her role at Tata Steel, Smita's impact extended through key positions. As Director of Education at American India Foundation and her tenure as Chief Consultant for Pedagogical Improvement at the District Primary Education Project, Government of India, reflected her commitment to enhancing the quality of education at a systemic level. 

Mr. Sanjeev Aggarwal
Chairman,
Hexa Climate

Sanjeev is the Chairman of HEXA Climate. Sanjeev is a serial entrepreneur and also the Founder, Ex-Managing Director of Amplus Solar (acquired by Petronas). Sanjeev is a 1995 batch qualified MBA from IIM Ahemdabad and holds extensive years of industry experience in power industry.

Prof. Ashish Aggarwal
Professor,
Indian Institute of Management Lucknow

Prof. Aggarwal has been working on issues related to sustainable management and public policy for more than fifteen years. During this period, he has worked with academic and policy research organisations like University of Manchester; IIED, London and The Energy and Resources Institute. He has successfully completed several research projects sponsored by World Bank, UNFF, JICA, DFID, GIZ, Government of India, various state governments and multinational and public sector companies.

He has advised central and state governments and corporates on sustainable development, climate change and corporate social responsibility issues in India. He is a reviewer of sixth assessment report and contributing author to fifth assessment report of Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Prof Aggarwal has a PhD from University of Manchester and an MPhil from University of Cambridge, UK

Dr. Shailesh Agrawal
Executive Director,
BMTPC

Name​Dr. Shailesh Kr. Agrawal

Date of Birth​​Nov. 6, 1965; Moradabad (UP)

Educational Qualification​Ph.D. (Earthquake Engg.), 2001 (IIT Roorkee)

Master of Science (S&T), 1990 (BITS Pilani)

M.Tech. (Structural Engg.)- Topper of the Group, 1988 (IISc Bangalore)

B.Tech.(Civil Engg.) - Silver Medalist, 1986 (GB Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar)

Place of work​Building Materials & Technology Promotion Council(BMTPC), New Delhi (an apex inter-ministerial organisation under the aegis of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Govt. of India) w.e.f. 17th January 2008.

Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee (a constituent establishment of CSIR and a premier research Institute involved in R & D in the area of Building Science & Technology) from 8th June 1988 – 16th January 2008.

Present Designation​Executive Director of BMTPC

Felicitations​

➢ Felicitated by The Institution of Engineers (India), Roorkee Local Center for outstanding services to nation on 25th day of April 2008.

➢ Felicitated by Centre of Excellence in Disaster Mitigation and Management, IIT, Roorkee for significant contributions in Disaster Mitigation & Preparedness on 19th Day of March 2010.

➢ Felicitated by The Institution of Engineers (India) as Eminent Engineering Personality in recognition of his services to the society in the field of infrastructure construction related to Civil Engineering Society on 12thOctober 2012.

➢ Felicitated as Outstanding Public Officer in the 8th CIDC Vishwakarma Awards 2016 by Construction Industry Development Council on 7th March, 2016.

Professional Experience​

➔ As Executive Director of BMTPC since 2008, working towards the mandate of Affordable Housing for All through Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY)-Urban by promoting & transferring emerging housing technologies for faster & sustainable development at the grass root level for the common people of India. 

➔ The current areas of work are (a) alternate building materials & construction technologies, Disaster Mitigation & Management, Skill development & Capacity Building and Project Management & Consultancy (b) Transplanting best construction systems from the globe for faster delivery of quality, sustainable & affordable houses across India (c) Vulnerability Atlas of India

➔ Prior to this assignment, devoted 20 years to provide S&T backup in the area of building science & technology in the capacity of scientist at CSIR-CBRI with special emphasis on earthquake engineering., structural dynamics, distressed structures, repair & rehabilitation, computer aided structural analysis & designthrough continued R&D with quality objectives in applied research, societal based R&D programmes, resource generation, and publications

➔ Published around 100 research papers in journals, conferences, five books and a few dissemination & training CDs.

➔ Avid speaker in the area of alternate technologies & disaster resistant construction

➔ Widely travelled in India and abroad for various national and international missions

Current Assignments​

➔ Running Technology Submission of PMAY (Urban) scheme under MoHUPA for Sustainable Technological Solutions for Faster & Cost Effective Construction of Houses suiting to Geo-Climatic and Hazard Conditions of the Country

➔ Identify, evaluate, certify and adaptation of new emerging technologies for facilitating their speedy introduction in the construction sector for mass housing 

➔ Catalysing the market for affordable housing through online courses & capacity building, handholding, exhibitions, awareness programmes. 

➔ Acting as a national resource center for capacity building of ULBs /states in EQ resistant construction, good construction practices & innovative construction systems

➔ (i) Vulnerability Atlas of India (ii) Earthquake Hazard Atlas of India for NDMA

➔ Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC)-India for (a) Empanelling appropriate established technologies from across the globe, and inducting them in the Indian market through lighthouse projects & (b) Supporting domestic technology developers byproviding incubation, acceleration, and market development assistance

Mr. Rajnish Ahuja
Head - Transport and Urban Development,
Agence Francaise de Developpement

Development Banking Professional

Mr. Taukeer Alam
Sanctuary Asia Young Naturalist Awardee, 2019,
Nature Science Initiative, Dehradun

Mr. Taukeer Alam is a self-taught bird expert, community leader, citizen scientist, who is currently a field assistant with the Nature Science Initiative, Dehradun. He is  one of the top birdwatchers of Uttarakhand and is recipient of  Sanctuary Asia Young Naturalist Awardee, 2019.  He is the author and compiler of the first-ever written four books about the Van Gujjar Nomadic tribe and translated more than 150 children's short story books in Van Gujjari Language.
 

Mr. Amit Anand
Chief Executive Officer,
Carbon Check (India) Private Limited

Amit Anand is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Carbon Check (India) Pvt. Ltd. He has over 18 years of experience of working in Carbon Market in different capacities. During his professional career he has worked as consultant for 06 years and was involved in development of GHG avoidance projects and for the last 12 years he has been involved in validation & verification of GHG avoidance and removal projects in CDM/VERRA/ Gold Standard for the Global Goals (GS4GG) and plastic waste reduction projects under VERRA. 

He has a degree in Environmental Sciences (graduation) from University of Delhi and a degree Environment Management (post-graduation) from Forest Research Institute, Dehradun.  At present with he is involved in validation and verification of CDM project activities.

He is a qualified lead auditor (team leader) and internal technical reviewer for offset projects under CDM, VERRA, GS4GG and Social Carbon. He has been actively involved in the validation, verification, and internal technical review of GHG avoidance and removal projects in CDM/VERRA/GS4GG and plastic waste reduction projects under VERRA. He has been actively involved in the validation, verification, and internal technical review of more than 400 offset projects in various GHG mitigation standards.

He also has delivered lectures on:

Speaker in International Workshop on Capacity Building Project for MRV of GHG Emission Reductions in Africa, Latin America, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe organized by Ministry of Environment, Japan – 13 to 14 February 2012 – Tokyo, Japan

Delivered a lecture on “Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies In Agriculture, Forestry, Biodiversity” in the Short Term Certificate Course on Youth & Climate Change organised by Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences (University of Delhi) in association with LAKSHYA-A Society for Social And Environmental Development (16/10/2021).

Delivered a lecture on “Energy Systems - Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of GHG Emission Reductions” in training program titled  "Energy Systems & Carbon Neutral Economy" as a part of course titled "International Training Programme on Calculating the Carbon Footprint of Energy" Systems, Carbon Trade and Market" organised by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and hosted under the umbrella of Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme of Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India (16/11/2021).

Delivered a lecture on “Sustainable Community Based Solution for Climate Change” as a part of Responsible Business Webinar Series (RB Event 09) organized by Bala Vikasa International Centre, Hyderabad (11/02/2022).

Delivered a lecture “Role of youth in climate change as future leaders” under Indo-Pacific International Seminar Series organized by Bala Vikasa PDTC, Warangal and supported by US Consulate General, Hyderabad (19/02/2022).

Participated as a panelist on “Vision for Assurance” discussion at Grow to Zero, the Gold Standard Conference in London on 26/06/2023.

Participated as a panelist on “Agroecological Transition Challenges – Are we making this transition tough for farmers to adapt?” discussion at AGLIBERTE2023, organized by Krishnamurthi International Agriculture Development Foundation (KIADEF) in Coimbatore on 05/08/2023.

He is also a member of:

“Expert Committee” for the Board of Studies (BoS) of M.Sc. Environment Management of Forest Research Institute (Deemed to be) University, Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education (ICFRE), 

Expert committee for preparation of a draft on establishment of Domestic Forestry Carbon Market in India, Biodiversity & Climate Change Division of Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education (ICFRE).

At present he is leading a team of around 60 people (full time and part time) spread across the globe involved in validation, verification and certification of GHG mitigation, avoidance and removal project activities as well as plastic credit projects.

Mr. Perumal Arumugampillai kalyani
Manager,
UNFCCC

At UNFCCC, heads the implementation of the Markets and non-markets related work under the Paris agreement, and oversees the intergovernmental negotiations process on all international co-operative and market related instruments under the convention, Kyoto Protocol and the Paris agreement (Article 6), regulatory development for centralized mechanism, review of the cooperative approaches under Article 6, stakeholder interaction and capacity building.He is a representative of UNFCCC participated in Indian G20 process related to climate and development working groups, working group member of the CORSIA implementation aspects in the International civil aviation organization (ICAO) process covering issues like alternative fuels for aviation and carbon offsets. He is also the observer to follow Integrity council for voluntary carbon markets initiatives (ICVCMI) board. Prior joining the UNFCCC, consecutively for four years elected from the Asia pacific region as expert member to support four technical bodies under the CDM – Executive Board in areas of development of quantification methodologies to measure GHG impacts by mitigation activities, assessment of GHG mitigation (CDM) projects and performance evaluation of independent auditors (DOE) under the CDM

Mr. Perumal Arumugampillai Kalyani
Manager,
UNFCCC

At UNFCCC, leads the implementation of the Markets and non-markets related work under the Paris agreement, and oversees the intergovernmental negotiations process on all international co-operative and market related instruments under the convention, Kyoto Protocol and the Paris agreement (Article 6), regulatory development for centralized mechanism, review of the cooperative approaches under Article 6, stakeholder interaction and capacity building. working group member in the International civil aviation organization (ICAO) process covering issues like alternative fuels for aviation and carbon offsets towards carbon neutral growth 2020 in aviation sector.

Mr. Arun Awasthy
President & Managing Director,
Johnson Controls India

Arun Awasthy is the President and Managing Director for Johnson Controls India, based in Gurgaon, Haryana.

In this leadership role Arun leads the India P&L for APAC business, working with other Johnson Controls teams in the region.

He has over 35 years of experience and the past 18 years he has worked in strategic management roles leading India and regional P&Ls. Prior to Johnson Controls Arun worked in multiple industries in leading companies like APTIV, Indus Towers, GE and Hero Honda where he built an illustrious career driving organizations’ business objective and growth. Arun has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and has completed Leadership Excellence Program from Harvard Business and Executive Leadership Program from IIM Kolkata.

Mr. Mukhtar Babayev
Minister,
Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources

Mukhtar Babayev was born on October 16, 1967 in Baku. He graduated from high school in Baku in 1984 and served in the military between 1986-1988. In 1991, he graduated from Moscow State University, Faculty of Philosophy, majoring in political science. In 1994, he received bachelor degree in Foreign Economic Relations of Azerbaijan State University of Economics. In 2000, he graduated from the specialty in World Economy of All-Russian Academy of Foreign Trade.

Mr. Atul Bagai
Head,
UNEP

Shri. Atul Bagai is the Country Head for United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) India Office. UNEP is UN's leading global environmental body that sets the global environmental agenda.  

After UNEP established its footprint in India in 2016, Shri. Bagai has decisively led from the front to fulfil its mandate across Climate Change; Chemicals, Waste and Air Quality; Environmental Governance; Resource Efficiency; Environment under Review; Healthy & Productive Ecosystems and Resilience to Disasters and Conflicts. 

Previously, as a career diplomat Shri. Bagai rose to be the Director (Ozone) in MoEFCC, Government of India. He worked on various senior positions in the State of Uttar Pradesh and the Central Government. As a UN veteran he has spent over two-decades spearheading challenging assignments in regions across South and Southeast Asia & the Pacific Islands.

Dr. Nupur Bahadur
Associate Director,
TERI

Dr. Nupur Bahadur is Senior Fellow & Associate Director, NMCG-TERI CoE on Water Reuse, Environment and Waste Management Division, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi. She obtained Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2005 from Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee and her 23 years of work experience involves R&D, Innovation, IP, Technology Development & Demonstration, Teaching, Policy, Advocacy, Capacity Building & Consultancy. Her areas of expertise involve Nanotechnology, Material Science, Advanced Oxidation Photocatalysis (AOP) for Wastewater Treatment, ZLD & Water Reuse, Solar Disinfection, Circular Economy, Decarbonization, Micropollutants, Microplastics, GHG emission & mitigation in wastewater sector. She is Vice-Chairman, IWA-India; Member, Consultative Group of Experts Committee of CPCB, MoEFCC, GoI for the preparation of BREF/COINDS Document for Textile Sector in India; Member of FICCI Water Mission Committee and Working Groups on Reuse, Recycle and Recovery, Corporate Water Stewardship and Water & Agriculture, IWA Project Innovation Awards Jury 2021 and Programme Committee of Singapore International Water Week (2019-2022). Team Lead, World Bank Consultancy Project for BWSSB in wastewater management; Adjunct Faculty, TERI School of Advanced Studies.

Mr. Sanjay Bajpai
Executive Director (Strategic Planning, Distribution Logistics and Customs),
Container Corporation of India Ltd. (CONCOR)

Mr. Sanjay Bajpai is holding the position of Executive Director (Strategic Planning, Business Development & Customs). An IRTS Officer of 1989 exam batch, he had performed various assignments in Indian Railways, Department of Fertilizers & CONCOR in different capacities. He has Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru Vishvavidyalaya focused on Sociology of Development.He has experience in the field of Railways Procedures & Multi Modal Logistics Operations, Project Planning, Commissioning etc. In his tenure in Department of Fertilizer, he spearheaded first initiative in partial decontrol of Urea. He was involved in the study on Business Plan of DFC with World Bank. He played a key role in development of : Vision 2020 document as is closely associated with Planning, Execution & Monitoring of various Mega Projects. He was instrumental for the development of Container Depots at various strategic locations which contributed towards attracting higher market share.

Dr. Manjushree Banerjee
Gender Expert,
Gender Expert

Dr. Manjushree Banerjee has an experience of about 20 years in Energy Access. Her work primarily focused on clean cooking and electricity in rural locations through various models and technologies. Dr. Banerjee was associated with TERI for about a decade, where she led a few projects, such as assessing the suitability of induction stoves in rural India, renewable energy for livelihood generation in rural locations, skills and expertise in renewable energy, solar microgrids for powering rural health centres, and market dissemination of improved cookstoves. Her PhD revolved around renewable energy policies and private sector investments in Grid-Interactive Renewable Power. Dr. Banerjee has published her work in peer-reviewed journals including Elsevier and Springer publications. Presently, she writes opinion pieces and engages as an Independent Researcher

Ms. Ipshita Nandi Banerjee
Communications and Engendering Lead,
United States Energy Association (USEA)

Ipshita Nandi Banerjee, Communications and Engendering Lead, United States Energy Association (USEA) ibanerjee@usea.org Ipshita Nandi Banerjee is a leader in strategic communications, engendering and partnerships with close to two decades working in multi-disciplinary environments. She is a motivated storyteller and problem solver creating cohesions between energy practitioners’ initiatives and development program goals in the clean energy, climate and gender nexus. Currently she is engaged by the United States Energy Association for gender program development and communications for two ongoing projects with USAID and the U.S. Department of State. She has long-standing experience in working directly with, national and sub-national governments and diplomats in India and overseas. She has served for over six years as a media and digital media specialist for the U.S. Consulate in Kolkata, for East and Northeast India and has supp

Mr. Manish Bapna
President and CEO,
NRDC

Manish Bapna joined NRDC as president and chief executive officer in August 2021, taking the reins of one of the world’s largest and most influential environmental organizations. With more than 700 attorneys, scientists, advocates, and policy experts on staff, as well as three million supporting members, NRDC is confronting the interlocking climate, health, nature, and inequity crises facing the world today.

During his 25-year career prior to joining NRDC, Bapna’s leadership roles have focused on scaling solutions at the intersection of the environment and human development. Most recently, he served as executive vice president and managing director of the World Resources Institute (WRI). Over his 14-year tenure, WRI increased its impact and reach, with staff and budget expanding sixfold. Bapna played the lead role in establishing WRI offices in China, India, and Brazil 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. He also helped launch WRI’s programs on cities, energy, finance, and adaptation.

An economist by training, Bapna became the executive director of the Bank Information Center (BIC) in 2003, a nonprofit that works to protect the rights of local communities and the environment from the negative impacts of projects and policies financed by development banks. He was inspired to join BIC after serving as a senior economist at the World Bank for seven years, where he designed and implemented water, forestry, and rural development projects in Asia and Latin America. Several of these projects received international recognition and were highly rated in independent evaluations. Prior to joining the World Bank, Bapna was a strategy consultant for McKinsey & Company in the financial services and technology industries.

Bapna has testified before Congress on international sustainability issues and holds affiliations with international environmental bodies, including China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, Meridian Institute, and Natural Resources Governance Institute. 

Bapna was born outside of Chicago. He holds master’s degrees in business and political and economic development from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from MIT. His wife, Geeta, works for the International Rescue Committee, and they live in Maryland with their two children, Laila and Arav, and their exuberant dog, Finley. 

Mr. Ranjit Barthakur
Founder Forester,
Balipara Foundation

Ranjit Barthakur As the Founder & President of the Balipara Foundation, an organization focused on Eastern Himalaya (India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar & Nepal), he has worked towards achieving ecological neutrality and building knowledge on the region. Through his role as Chairman of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) Northeast Advisory Council, he has contributed to the growth and development of the Northeast India. He has been instrumental in developing a series of five volumes of Naturenomics™ defining the interdependence between ecology and economics. In September 2023 he has been instrumental in launching Great People’s Forest and Planet India. Ranjit Barthakur is an ardent social entrepreneur, with a special interest in improving health and education, and preserving culture and environment across the Eastern Himalayas. He is the chief architect of the vision behind NaturenomicsTM - develop

Ms. Rebecca Berry
Second Secretary, Climate & Energy Policy Officer,
British High Commission New Delhi

Ms. Berry is the Second Secretary, Climate & Energy Policy Officer at the British High Commission, New Delhi

Ms. Suruchi Bhadwal
Senior Fellow and Programme Director,
TERI

Ms Suruchi Bhadwal, Senior Fellow and Programme Director, Climate Change and Air Quality, TERI, leads research activities in the area of climate change, focusing mainly on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation assessments and works in close association with communities. She has been with TERI since October 2000 and has contributed to several projects. Some of the key projects she has worked on include a study on vulnerability to climate change in the Indian agricultural sector in the context of economic globalization, (supported by CIDA and the Government of Norway), contributions to India's first and second national communications submitted to the UNFCCC and World Bank supported study on vulnerability to climate variability and change through an assessment of issues and options for adaptation.

Ms Bhadwal is also listed as a UNDP regional roster of expert on vulnerability and adaptation. Furthermore, she has been identified as a Member by the Planning Commission as part of a Working Group on Climate Change and Environment for the XIIth V Year Plan (2012-2017).

She has also been closely associated with the International Human Dimensions Programme attending numerous open meetings and Institutes organised by them. At COP events she has been actively involved, as an observer, organizer and contributor. She has published several papers on related issues and has contributed as a Lead Author for the IPCC AR4 WGII Report. She is also a Review Editor for the IPCC AR5 WG II Report and the IPCC Special Report on Extreme Events. Ms Bhadwal has a Masters in Environmental Sciences from Hissar in Haryana.

Ms. Suruchi Bhadwal
Director,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Ms Bhadwal leads research activities in the area of climate change, focusing mainly on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation assessments and works in close association with communities.  

She has been with TERI since October 2000 and has contributed to several projects. Some of the key projects she has worked on include a study on vulnerability to climate change in the Indian agricultural sector in the context of economic globalization, (supported by CIDA and the Government of Norway), contributions to India's first and second national communications submitted to the UNFCCC and World Bank supported study on vulnerability to climate variability and change through an assessment of issues and options for adaptation.  

Ms Bhadwal is also listed as a UNDP regional roster of expert on vulnerability and adaptation. Furthermore, she has been identified as a Member by the Planning Commission as part of a Working Group on Climate Change and Environment for the XIIth V Year Plan (2012-2017). She has also been closely associated with the International Human Dimensions Programme attending numerous open meetings and Institutes organised by them. At COP events she has been actively involved, as an observer, organizer and contributor.  

She was a Lead Author in the IPCC WG 2 AR 4 report. She was a Review Editor for the IPCC AR5 WG II Report and the IPCC Special Report on Extreme Events. She is also the Lead Author in the recent IPCC AR 6 WG II Report to be released contributing to the chapter on Key Risks.   

Ms Bhadwal has a Masters in Environmental Sciences from Hissar in Haryana.

Dr. Girija Bharat
Managing Director,
Mu Gamma Consultants

Dr Girija Bharat is the Managing Director of Mu Gamma Consultants, Gurgaon. She is an international expert with over 30 years of experience in Water Resource Management, Water Supply and Sanitation, Chemical Pollution Control (Persistent Organic Chemicals),
and Environmental Management.
She was a Presidential Scholar at George Mason University, USA. She has over 120 publications to her credit. She has been a Research Council Member of CSIR-NEERI, Technical expert of NITI Aayog, NIUA, NMCG, QCI, IIT Dhanbad, Board member of Alluvium International, KIIT, Bhubaneswar, and several other research and technical institutions.
She is a member of Iota-Sigma-Pi - an Honor Society for Women in Chemistry in the US and is the recipient of several awards including the Glory of India 2021, Women Transforming India Award by NITI Aayog 2021.

Dr. Alka Bhargava
Senior Policy Advisor TEEB AgriFood India,
United Nations Environment Programme

Dr Alka Bhargava is Senior Policy Advisor for the UNEP hosted TEEB AgriFood India project being implemented in Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to assess impacts of programmes supporting agroforestry and organic farming. This is a subset of “The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB)”, a global initiative hosted by UNEP to make Nature’s values visible. 

Before joining UNEP, she belonged to the Indian Forest Service of 1987 batch. Her 34 years as a civil servant were spent as a field forester in Assam and policy formulation and  pan India programs while on deputation in Ministries of Environment & Forests, Human Resource Development and as Additional Secretary in Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Intersectoral experience led to the conviction that sustainable agriculture and agroforestry can boost both livelihoods of communities and conservation of Nature. She was a Hubert Humphrey (Fulbright) Fellow in 2013-14 at Michigan State University USA.

Mr. Satyajit Bhatkal
CEO,
Paani Foundation

Mr. Satyajit Bhatkal is the CEO of Paani Foundation, whose mission is to create an ecologically and economically prosperous rural Maharashtra, via a people's movement. Between 2016 and 2019, over 6,000 villages trained with the foundation to create over 550 billion litres of water storage capacity. Currently, they work with over 40,000 farmers in Maharashtra to improve livelihoods at scale via sustainable agricultural practices. Before setting up the foundation, Mr. Bhatkal created and directed ‘Satyamev Jayate’, a globally acclaimed TV show on social issues, hosted by actor Aamir Khan. He has also directed the National Award-winning documentary, ‘Chale Chalo’ and has been actively involved in furthering social causes for the last 30 years. 

Dr. Yash Veer Bhatnagar
Country Representative,
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Dr Yash Veer Bhatnagar is the Country Representative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) India office. He brings over three decades of work experience in conservation science and practice and in program development and management nationally and internationally. He has led and facilitated multi-stakeholder partnerships across India with government agencies including the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MOEFCC) and state forest departments, NGOs, universities, and private-sector organizations.

He has served as a scientist with the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, an autonomous body under the MOEFCC. He joined the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), Mysore, as a Senior Scientist where he served as the Country Programme Director for the Snow Leopard Trust (SLT) India. He joined the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Programme Secretariat in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic as Landscape Management Planning Coordinator.

Dr Bhatnagar holds a PhD and master’s in wildlife science from Saurashtra University/WII, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in agriculture from G. B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, India.

His primary interests are in enabling science-based, participatory conservation at scale that effectively involves all stakeholders, including the community, government, and private sector.

Mr. Biswadeep Bhattacharjee
Vice President and Head of Green Steel India,
Primetals Technologies Private Limited, A Group Company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Biswadeep Bhattacharjee is Vice President & India Head of Decarbonization / Green Steel portfolio of Primetals Technologies, a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group Company.

He is also member of Ministry of Steel, Govt. of India’s Green Steel Task forces on Carbon Capture & Utilization, Green Hydrogen & Energy Efficiency.

He has overall industry experience of 26+ years with 12 years exclusively in metallurgical industry mainly in the areas of Decarbonization, Energy Efficiency & Environmental Solutions.

Formerly he was Head of Strategy for Siemens Industry - Metals Technologies.

He is a distinguished alumnus of Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India (Electrical Engineering) and also of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIMC) (MBA in Marketing and Finance).

He is an IRCA Certified Energy Management Lead Auditor.

He holds the PRINCE 2 Practitioner in Project Management.

Mr. Souvik Bhattacharjya
Associate Director,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Mr Souvik Bhattacharjya is engaged with the Resource Efficiency and Governance Division of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) as its Associate Director. Besides his capacity as an Associate Director, Mr Bhattacharjya is also a visiting faculty at the TERI School of Advanced Studies, a Member of the BIS committee on environment management, and the co-ordinator of the South Asia Regional Centre of Excellence (RCoE), for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) of UNEP.

With over 18 years of rich experience in the field of resources, energy and environmental research and consulting, Mr Bhattarcharjya’s area of research includes resource efficiency and circular economy, greening of infrastructure, life cycle assessments, economics of environmental goods and services, andtrade in environment and resources.

An expert of data analytics and economic models that help to capture energy-resource and economy interactions, he is the recipient of the Young Global Economic Fellowship (2011) by the Kiel Institute of Global Economy, Kiel, Germany.

A post graduate in Economics (with specialization in World Economy) from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Mr Bhattacharjya is pursuing his doctoral from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow.

Prof. Amar Bhattacharya
Senior Fellow,
Brookings Institution

Amar Bhattacharya is Senior Fellow at the Global Economy and Development Program at Brookings Institution and Visiting Professor in Practice at the London School of Economics. His focus areas are the global economy, sustainable finance, global governance, and the links between climate and development including on the role of sustainable infrastructure. He co-led the Independent Expert Group on Climate Finance commissioned by the UN Secretary General. He is currently serving as the Executive Secretary of the High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance launched by the COP26 and COP27 Presidencies. From April 2007 until September 2014 he was Director of the Group of 24, an intergovernmental group of developing country Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. Prior to taking up his position with the G24, Mr. Bhattacharya had a long-standing career in the World Bank. His last position was Senior Advisor to the President on the Bank’s international engagements and Head of the International Policy and Partnership Group. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Delhi and Brandeis University and his graduate education at Princeton University.

Prof. Amar Bhattacharya
Senior Fellow,
Brookings Institution

Amar Bhattacharya is Senior Fellow at the Global Economy and Development Program at Brookings Institution and Visiting Professor in Practice at the London School of Economics. His focus areas are the global economy, sustainable finance, global governance, and the links between climate and development including on the role of sustainable infrastructure. He co-led the Independent Expert Group on Climate Finance commissioned by the UN Secretary General. He is currently serving as the Executive Secretary of the High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance launched by the COP26 and COP27 Presidencies. From April 2007 until September 2014 he was Director of the Group of 24, an intergovernmental group of developing country Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. Prior to taking up his position with the G24, Mr. Bhattacharya had a long-standing career in the World Bank. His last position was Senior Advisor to the President on the Bank’s international engagements and Head of the International Policy and Partnership Group. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Delhi and Brandeis University and his graduate education at Princeton University.

Mr. Andreas Bjelland Eriksen
Minister of Climate and Environment,
Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment

H.E. Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen has served as Norway’s Minister of Climate and Environment since October 2023, representing the Labour Party.

Previously, he was appointed State Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister in Oct 2021. In Aug 2022 was also appointed State Secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. Between 2020-2022 he served as political advisor to the Labour Party in the Standing Committee on Business and Industry in the Norwegian Parliament.

From 2017-2020 Bjelland Eriksen worked for the Norwegian Energy Regulatory Authority at the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE).

Bjelland Eriksen has an MSc in Economics and Business Administration from NHH Norwegian School of Economics and Università Bocconi (2012-2017).

He was born in Stavanger, Rogaland in 1992.

Mr. Kundan Burnwal
Senior Advisor,
GIZ

Kundan Burnwal is currently working as a Senior Advisor – Climate Change at GIZ (German Development Cooperation) India and is leading the work on carbon markets, climate change mitigation and forestry. He is a climate change mitigation policy and carbon market expert with more than 17 years of experience and a comprehensive knowledge on development, implementation and evaluation of projects on climate change, carbon markets, MRV and sustainability. Kundan is also the Speaker of the Environment Working Group of the TUEWAS (Transport, Environment, Energy and Water in Asia) Sector Network established in Bonn, Germany, as a platform for regional professional exchange and cooperation between GIZ experts in Asia and Globally. He has authored and led the development of an internationally approved REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) methodology, first from South Asian region, and several Clean Development Mechanism and Voluntary Carbon Market projects in various sectors. In 2013 he authored a book titled ‘Air Pollution Abatement Through Trees and Subsequent Greenbelt Development’. He has earlier worked with Amity Institute of Global Warming and Ecological Studies and at National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI). He has a master’s degree in Environmental Management from Asia's premier Forestry Institute, the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, India.

Dr. Malancha Chakrabarty
Senior Fellow and Deputy Director (Research),
Observer Research Foundation (ORF)

Dr Malancha Chakrabarty is currently working as a Senior Fellow and Deputy Director (Research) at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), New Delhi. She holds a PhD in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Her PhD thesis explored the nature and impact of Chinese trade, investment, and development cooperation in three Sub-Saharan African countries - Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia. Her current research focuses on India’s development partnerships with African and South East Asian countries, the institutional architecture of India’s development cooperation, and climate change, famines, and food security. She has published widely in academic journals and newspapers like the Telegraph, Hindustan Times, DNA etc.

Prof. Paromita Chakraborty
Professor & Head,
Centre for Research in Environment, Sustainability Advocacy and Climate CHange (REACH) Directorate of Research SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur-603203 Tamil Nadu, India

Dr. Paromita Chakraborty is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at SRM Institute of Science and Technology. She earned her PhD with a full-term scholarship from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, focusing on the fate, transport, and remediation of organic contaminants in various environmental matrices. Leading the "Environmental Science and Technology Laboratory" at SRM, she has received prestigious awards such as the Aqua Foundation's Excellence Award 2020 and the Hiyoshi Environmental Award 2020. Dr. Chakraborty is an editorial board member for various environmental science journals and has an extensive publication record with over 90 research papers, numerous book chapters, and editorship for books by Elsevier and Springer. She serves as the principal investigator for multiple externally funded projects from organizations including the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in India, the Research Council of Norway, and SWASTI, The Health Catalyst.

Mr. Subhash Chandra
ADG, CEO & MS- National CAMPA, GOI,
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)

Subhash Chandra is an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer of 1988 Batch of AGMUT cadre. Currently, he is serving as Chief Executive Officer & Member Secretary (CEO & MS), National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) with additional charge of the Director General of Forests & Special Secretary (FN) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), New Delhi. Earlier he served as the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Mines.  He has been the Deputy Inspector General of Forests, Forest Policy in the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India.  He has also been the Director of Horticulture (in charge of Urban Greens of New Delhi) at New Delhi Municipal Council.  Chandra has been a Govt. Nominee Director of National Aluminium Co. Ltd. since October 20, 2016. He has been a Government Nominee Director of Hindustan Copper Limited since October 20, 2016 as well.

Ms. Archana Chatterjee
Programme Manager,
IUCN

Ms. Archana Chatterjee is leading the  IUCN India Programme as Programme Manager . Her portfolio includes initiatives such as Himalaya for Future, Mangroves For the  Future (MFF), Ecosystems for Life: A Bangladesh-India Initiative, Sustainable Agriculture, Water Governance among others.  At IUCN she also led a study on Gender and Climate Change in Indian Himalaya to prepare a Policy Brief, supported by Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) and has been supporting IUCN HQ on International Conventions and policy processes.     Archana has more than twenty five years of experience with non governmental and UN organizations.  Before joining IUCN, she was working with the UNESCO- New Delhi Office as National Project Coordinator, World Heritage Biodiversity Programme and Head Regional Programme at WWF-India. She has progressively worked at the interface of conservation and development at multiple levels and stakeholders.

Ms. Chandrima Chatterjee
Secretary General,
Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI)

Ms Chandrima Chatterjee is the Secretary General of the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), New Delhi.

Ms. Chandrima Chatterjee with her 24 years of experience of research, policy, advocacy and trade facilitation.

Besides working on trade facilitation and competitiveness issues for the textile value chain, she has been associated with skilling, sustainability and responsible business initiatives, recognizing the growing role of these as competitiveness tools.

Having worked on domestic and export sector and dealt with issues of the entire textile value chain through her earlier stints at AEPC, CITI and national bodies like ASSOCHAM, she will be lending her expertise for an overall growth of the textile value chain, in line with CITIs vision of a strong textile industry in India.

Dr. Ashish Chaturvedi
Head, Action for Climate and Environment,
United Nations Development Programme

Ashish Chaturvedi is the Head of the Environment, Energy, and Resilience at UNDP India.

Ashish has been working on the topics of environment, climate change, and circular economy in India for 17 years. His core expertise is in community-based adaptation, waste management, sustainable consumption and production, and environmental policy. He has worked in the past with research institutions, consultancies and most recently as the Director of Climate Change and Circular Economy with the GIZ, the agency responsible for implementing Indo-German technical cooperation. He has been involved in drafting policies and guidelines at the sub-national and national levels and supported the implementation of major schemes and programmes of the Government of India. Ashish is an avid action researcher and has published extensively in books, journals, and general interest magazines. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, and his academic training has been in the field of political economy

Dr. Akanksha Chaurey
Director,
IT Power Private Limited

Dr. Akanksha Chaurey is an expert on renewable energy technologies and markets and has led several projects dealing with technology assessment, market analysis, development of business models, capacity building, etc. She has 35 years of experience in renewable energy sector with specialization in decentralised and distributed generation and has worked in more than 20 countries.  She has held the positions of Director in TERI till 2012 and subsequently, CEO of IT Power Private Limited till 2023.   Akanksha completed her graduation in Physics from St. Stephens College, Delhi and then pursued her M.Sc. in Physics and M.Tech in Metallurgical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, India. In 2011, she was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree by IIT Delhi. She has the lifetime membership of Solar Energy Society of India and has been serving several expert committees and task forces on solar energy and distributed generation. Akanksha has experience as Board director in for-profit and not-for profit organizations.

Dr. Rajiv Chhibber
Vice President,
Sahajanand Medical Technologies Ltd (SMT)

Dr Rajiv Chhibber, PhD – Vice President External Affairs, Government, CSR & ESG Sahajanand Medical Technologies Ltd. (SMT)   Dr Rajiv Chhibber is a Senior Corporate Affairs, Policy, Communications and Media Strategist with experience across Pharmaceuticals/Medical Devices Industry, Healthcare,Environment, Power and the Development Sector.   At SMT Dr Chhibber is responsible for driving strategic priorities and business vision with the Central and State governments, Regulatory agencies, Industry bodies, NGOsand Associations in addition to advising on policy matters, advocacy, managing complex reputational issues, Outreach and stakeholder engagement for the adoption of portfolio products while working closely with the senior management and global leadership.    He is a member of various government committees/sub-committees in areas of Public Policy.

Mr. Manish Chourasia
COO - Corporate & Cleantech Finance,
Tata Capital Limited

Manish is a financial services professional with over 25 years of experience in origination, credit risk assessment, risk management, syndication, and business transformation in the Asia-Pacific region. Within the mentioned functional categories, he has handled various products, including infrastructure finance, structured finance, trade finance, and investment banking. From July 2015 to December 2023, he served as the managing director of Tata Cleantech Capital (TCCL), the world's first private sector Green Investment Bank, jointly promoted by Tata Capital Ltd and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). During his tenure, the company, starting from scratch, funded/syndicated over 350 projects in the clean-tech sector. Additionally, the company executed several marquee advisory assignments and partnered with global climate finance investors to channelize low-cost funds into 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 September 2019, it was inducted into the Global Green Bank network, comprising Green Banks from countries like the US, UK, Japan, and Australia. In June 2021, TCCL won the Earth Care Award sponsored by Times of India under the category of Enterprise in the Renewable Energy Space. For two consecutive years, in February 2019 and February 2020, Manish was presented the “100 Top Most Influential BFSI Leaders” award by the World BFSI Congress, recognizing the contribution made by TCCL in the war against climate change. Starting January 1st, 2024, TCCL has merged with Tata Capital Ltd. In the merged entity, Manish will be designated Chief Operating Officer, Corporate & Cleantech Finance, with responsibilities to oversee Cleantech Finance, Large Corporate, Mid Corporate, and Emerging Corporate Verticals

Mr. Dipak Dasgupta
Distinguished Fellow,
TERI

Mr Dipak Dasgupta is engaged with the Earth Science and Climate Change Division of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) as its Distinguished Fellow. He is also serving as a Visiting Fellow at the Council for Social Development, and is an adviser to multilateral institutions and governments in India and other countries.

An economist, specializing in climate change and finance, macroeconomics, agriculture, and economic development, Mr Dasgupta is member of the core writing team, Synthesis Report of the Sixth Assessment IPCC, and a Lead Author of its Working Group III (mitigation) report.

He was a founding Board Member of the Green Climate Fund (2012-2015), the largest dedicated global climate fund, and chair-facilitator of its Investment Committee. Prior to his stint at TERI, Mr Dasgupta was a Principal Economic Adviser to the Government of India, Ministry of Finance (2010-2013), where he headed its Climate Finance unit and finance negotiations at the Conference of Parties. He has also worked in a senior capacity at the World Bank Group for three decades on economic policies and investment programs in several regions and countries, including India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, China, and other countries in East Asia and Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & North Africa regions.

He is also a recipient of the Adam Smith Prize in economics at Cambridge and the AMEX Bank review award for finance in Singapore.

Dr. Divya Datt
Deputy, UNEP India Office,
UNEP

Divya is an economist with over 20 years of professional experience in environmental policy research and advocacy. At UNEP, she manages the India programme, overseeing a wide-ranging agenda- covering climate change, pollution, resource efficiency, ecosystems,
and biodiversity. Prior to joining UNEP, she worked with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) as the Director of the Integrated Policy Analysis Programme, where she led a multi-disciplinary team to deliver evidence-based policy on key environmental issues. She has published articles and co-edited books on issues related to energy, environment, and resource federalism. Divya has a PhD in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, and is recipient of the Chevening Fellowship of the Government of UK.

Dr. Arindam Datta
Senior Fellow,
The Energy and Resources Institute

I am honored to hold the title of Fulbright scholar and Associate of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) in India. I conducted post-doctoral research at highly esteemed institutions such as CSIR-National Physical Laboratory in New Delhi, Ohio State University in the USA, and the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom. My research focus is on the vital matter of carbon and nitrogen dynamics in soil, especially the emissions of greenhouse gases from cropland. I have the privilege of being involved in several prominent initiatives, including the national-level greenhouse gas measurement program in India, India-NATCOM, NitroEurope, the International biochar initiative, four per thousand etc.

I have been proudly contributing my expertise to TERI for the past decade and presently involved in several bilateral, national, state-level and non-governmental projects at TERI.

Prof. Binay Dayal
Professor,
IIT(ISM) Dhanbad

Graduate in  Mining Engineering form IIT ISM Dhanbad in 1983 and Post Graduation ( MBA)  from BIT Mesra Ranchi 1990. Joined Coal India in 1983 as Graduate Trainee worked in various capacities as Mining Engineer in CCL, CMPDI and SECL. Has working experience of Coal Industry more than 38 years. Worked as Regional Director RI-V Institute of CMPDI Bilaspur unit, Headed Project & Planning and Forest Division of South Eastern Coalfield Ltd.(SECL) . Served as Director (Technical),Planning & Design of CMPDI and subsequetly elevated to the post of Director (Technical) of Maharatna PSU Coal India Ltd . Has also served as Chairman of Talcher Fertilizer Limited and Vice Chairman on the Board of HURL(Hindustan Urvaral Limited).

Mr. Nitin Desai
Chairman,
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.

Ms. Sabina Dewan
President and Executive Director,
JustJobs Network

Sabina Dewan is Founder and Executive Director of the JustJobs Network, which she co-founded with John Podesta in 2013. She is also a Non-Resident Fellow at the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire. Before this, Ms. Dewan served as a Senior Fellow and Director for International Economic Policy at the Center for American Progress in Washington DC.  Ms. Dewan’s research focusses on strategies for job creation and workforce development. Within this domain, her research examines how technology, climate change, the energy transition, and the restructuring of trade into value chains, are upending traditional employment models and the differential impacts of these forces on women and different socio-economic groups. Ms. Dewan works closely with governments, businesses, multilateral, and grassroots organizations, providing critical labor market insights to inform policy and economic governance.

Prof. Sagnik Dey
Institute Chair Professor,
IIT Delhi

Prof. Sagnik Dey is Institute Chair Professor at the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, IIT Delhi. His research interests are to understand 'air quality, climate change and health nexus' and 'remote sensing of the Earth's climate system'. He has published more than 130 peer-reviewed research articles. He is an international collaborator of NASA's MAIA satellite mission and served as an expert member of WHO Global Platform on Air Quality and Health. He is a collaborator of the Global Burden of Disease Study. Prof. Dey has been awarded the Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professsional Excellence Fellowship for 2017-18. Prof. Dey is the coordinator of Centre of Excellence for Research on Clean Air (CERCA), IIT Delhi. He is a member of WHO Southeast Asia non-communicable diseases Regional Technical Advisory group and co-convener of CAPHER-India network. He is serving as Deputy Editor of the Journal of Health and Pollution (NIH journal), Associate Editor of Atmospheric Environment (Elsevier journal) and of Heliyon (Cell press), and Editorial board member of GeoHealth (AGU journal), Scientific Reports (Nature journal) and Earth System Dynamics (EGU journal). He is serving as a member of the scientific advisory committee of the ICMR National Institute for Research in Environmental Health, Bhopal and the National Institute of Occupational Health, Ahmedabad and of the Academic COunil of TERI School of Advanced Studies

Mr. Shubhashis Dey
Director,
Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation

Shubhashis Dey provides strategic planning, leadership and guidance to Shakti’s Climate Policy and Climate Finance Programmes. Shubhashis is a climate change and energy efficiency professional with twenty years of experience in advising government, multilateral, bilateral organisations and business in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Jordan, Mauritius and United Kingdom on projects related to energy efficiency and climate change policy in sectors such as industry, transport, forestry, water, urban infrastructure and buildings. Prior to joining Shakti in September 2016, Shubhashis was working with Ernst & Young as Manager–Climate Change & Sustainability Services. Shubhashis hold a Post Graduate degree in Energy Management from the Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management (IISWBM) and BE in Electronics Engineering from RCOEM, Nagpur University.

Mr. Jagdeep Dhankhar
Hon'ble Vice President of India,

 Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, Hon'ble Vice President of India

Dr. Vibha Dhawan
Director General,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Dr Vibha Dhawan’s long association with The Energy and Resources Institute dates back to 1985. During 2005-2007 she led TERI School of Advanced Studies in the capacity of Vice-Chancellor. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India and is currently also serving as an Adjunct Professor, at Consul General South Asia Partnership, Michigan State University. Being driven by a deep academic and research interest, Dr Dhawan has authored 6 books and over 50 publications, which have added immense value in scientific research.

Dr Dhawan’s thought leadership and engagement in research as well as policy development, both at the national and international level is widely acknowledged. She is currently a task force member of National Committees with the Department of Biotechnology, the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, and the Biotech Consortium India. Dr Dhawan is currently a member of the Networks Strategy Council that advises Sustainable Development Solutions Network – a global initiative for the United Nations and was previously the Co-Chair of the T20 Task Force 4 on Refuelling Growth: Clean Energy and Green Transitions. Under her able leadership, the National Centre of Excellence in Green Port & Shipping, in collaboration with Indian Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, was established at TERI campus.

She played a pivotal role as Co-ordinator for the Asia Pacific Consortium on Agriculture Biotechnology (APCoAB); as Advisor to the Director General, The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) as well as 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 was instrumental in establishing the highly successful Micropropagation Technology Park at TERI. Her other major achievements include 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 was the key lead for the DBT-TERI Centre on Integrated Production of Advanced Biofuels and Biocommodities. Her role as an advisor to the Late Tarun Gogoi, the former Chief Minister of Assam specifically in the field of Bioresources and Biotechnology is worth placing on record.

The honour bestowed upon Dr Dhawan as one of Game-Changers from India by H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Bin Mabarak Al Nahayan, a respected Cabinet Member and the Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence in the UAE is another feather in her cap. She has been also conferred with the Woman in Agriculture Award, and Social Impact Leadership Award in 2023. Several other awards Dr Dhawan won include 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.

Dr. Vibha Dhawan
Director General,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Dr Vibha Dhawan’s long association with The Energy and Resources Institute dates back to 1985. During 2005-2007 she led TERI School of Advanced Studies in the capacity of Vice-Chancellor. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India and is currently also serving as an Adjunct Professor, at Consul General South Asia Partnership, Michigan State University. Being driven by a deep academic and research interest, Dr Dhawan has authored 6 books and over 50 publications, which have added immense value in scientific research.

Dr Dhawan’s thought leadership and engagement in research as well as policy development, both at the national and international level is widely acknowledged. She is currently a task force member of National Committees with the Department of Biotechnology, the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, and the Biotech Consortium India. Dr Dhawan is currently a member of the Networks Strategy Council that advises Sustainable Development Solutions Network – a global initiative for the United Nations and was previously the Co-Chair of the T20 Task Force 4 on Refuelling Growth: Clean Energy and Green Transitions. Under her able leadership, the National Centre of Excellence in Green Port & Shipping, in collaboration with Indian Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, was established at TERI campus.

She played a pivotal role as Co-ordinator for the Asia Pacific Consortium on Agriculture Biotechnology (APCoAB); as Advisor to the Director General, The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) as well as 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 was instrumental in establishing the highly successful Micropropagation Technology Park at TERI. Her other major achievements include 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 was the key lead for the DBT-TERI Centre on Integrated Production of Advanced Biofuels and Biocommodities. Her role as an advisor to the Late Tarun Gogoi, the former Chief Minister of Assam specifically in the field of Bioresources and Biotechnology is worth placing on record.

The honour bestowed upon Dr Dhawan as one of Game-Changers from India by H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Bin Mabarak Al Nahayan, a respected Cabinet Member and the Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence in the UAE is another feather in her cap. She has been also conferred with the Woman in Agriculture Award, and Social Impact Leadership Award in 2023. Several other awards Dr Dhawan won include 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.

Mr. Saurabh Diddi
Director,
Bureau of Energy Efficiency

Saurabh Diddi is working as Director in Bureau of Energy Efficiency. He is Mechanical Engineer with Masters in Business Administration in Finance. In Bureau of Energy Efficiency, he is in-charge of Energy Efficiency in Buildings and Transport Sector. Earlier, he was in-charge of Standard & Labeling programme, Awareness, International Cooperation and also he was instrumental in development of Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) mechanism in Bureau.

He is having fifteen years of professional experience combining intellectual and managerial experience in the field of energy efficiency, climate change, green growth and global carbon market. As Director in Bureau of Energy Efficiency, India, his primary responsibilities are to provide strategic, technical, and operational guidance for the Bureau’s knowledge and policy program in the energy sector. He formulated and managed “National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE)” under National Action Plan for Climate Change, India. The NMEEE plan targeted to unleash investment worth US$12 billion on Energy Efficiency in India.

Mr. Nathaniel Bhakupar Dkhar
Sr Research Scientist,
MGC

Nathaniel has done his post-graduation on Water Resources Management from TERI University, New Delhi and he is a Bio-technology graduate from St. Anthony’s College, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong.

Prior to joining Mu Gamma Consultants Pvt. Ltd. he had worked with TERI for almost 13 years where he was working on various issues related to water and climate change. He is a UGC NET qualified (Environmental Science) professional and has taught courses at TERI University. He has been involved in a number of projects related to water and wastewater management, integrated water resources management (IWRM), water-energy -climate nexus, river basin management, cryosphere research, WASH, aquaculture, systems thinking, capacity building, water use efficiency, water audit and analyzing the impacts of climate change on water resources. He is an experienced glaciologist and has conducted research related to climate change impact on Himalayan cryosphere.

Mr. Pyush Dogra
Senior Environmental Specialist,
The World Bank

Mr. Pyush Dogra, a Civil and Environmental Engineer by training is currently working as Senior Environmental Specialist in the World Bank Group Delhi office. Mr. Dogra has applied his technical knowledge in leading the safeguards work on hydropower and water resources for the India program, and has contributed to the Bank’s dialog on the core sectors of energy, water resources, forestry and environmental management. Currently, he is leading three operations in India on Natural Resource Management, Water resources and forestry and is also contributing towards regional technical assistance on sediment management in hydro sector through green initiatives. Mr. Dogra is a resource on green issues in India and has supported bank operations in Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

Dr. Lokesh Chandra Dube
Senior Manager (Standards Development and Innovation),
Gold Standard

Dr. Lokesh Chandra Dube is Senior Manager for Standards Development and Innovation at The Gold Standard Foundation, one of the leading standards in the carbon market and sustainable development space. At Gold Standard, he looks after the development of standards and methodologies in Energy as well as Land-Use and Forestry sectors.

Lokesh has more than 17 years of first-hand experience on Climate Change. Prior to joining Gold Standard, he was working in the National Communications Cell of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India where he was instrumental in preparing India’s Biennial Update Reports to the UNFCCC. He has also worked as a carbon market consultant with Emergent Ventures and as a lead greenhouse gas auditor with TUV NORD.

Lokesh holds a Ph.D. on carbon markets from TERI School of Advanced Studies after completing M.Sc. in Environment Management and M.Phil. in Energy and Environment. A Fellow of International Society for Tropical Ecology and a recipient of Aquaguard Young Scientist Award from Eureka Forbs, Lokesh is also on the Roster of Experts to the UNFCCC for review of national greenhouse gas inventories. He also serves as a member on a Working Group of the ICVCM and on the Expert Committee on Voluntary Carbon Market constituted by International Financial Services Centres Authority, Government of India.  

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 teaching undergraduate students at the Shiv Nadar University in New Delhi

Dr. Pierrick Fillon-Ashida
Science Counsellor,
The EU Delegation in New Delhi

Pierrick Fillon-Ashida works at the European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, International Cooperation Affairs, in charge of the relations with ASEAN and India. He has been working for more than twenty-five years within the EU Institutions, as Head of Science and Technology (S&T) Section at the Delegation of the European Union to Japan where he was involved in international negotiation agreements, in particular in relation to large infrastructure projects such as International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) on nuclear fusion. Earlier careers at the Commission included the Directorate-General Information Society and Media (DG INFSO) in the field of health and telecom (telecom and environmental technologies respectively.

Mr. Gohul Deepak G N
Executive Director,
Glazing Society of India

Executive Director of Glazing Society of India for the last 14 years, involved in various initiatives in the areas of building technical infrastructure, standardization, testing, certification, capacity building for research, testing and skills for Architectural Glass, Profiles, Glazing Systems (façade and fenestration) in India. Established three research and testing facilities for glass and glazing in india in partnership with the respective institutions (IIT Madras, CSIR - CGCRI and CEPT). Member of various technical committees of BIS and BEE and actively involved in the development of 21 New Standards for glass and glazing and 3 major codes. Electrical and Electronics Engineer with Masters in Business Administration (International Business) and Corporate Law and has 22 years of overall experience in Techno Commercial and Top Management roles. 

Mr. Eric Garcetti
Ambassador,
U.S. Embassy, New Delhi

H.E Mr Eric Garcetti is the U.S. Ambassador in India. After serving twelve years as a Los Angeles city councilmember, Garcetti was elected as the 42nd Mayor of the City of Los Angeles in 2013

Ms. Vibhuti Garg
Director, South Asia,
Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis

Vibhuti Garg is Director, South Asia with the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. Vibhuti’s focus is on promoting sustainable development through influencing policy intervention on energy pricing, adoption of new technologies, subsidy reforms, enhancing clean energy access, access to capital and private participation in various areas of the energy sector.   Vibhuti has over 19 years of experience. Her work includes enhancing national and international understanding of India’s progress; and helping inform governments, regulators, policy makers and financial institutions globally about the pace and opportunities of reforms in India; accelerating more finance into clean energy solutions to achieve decarbonisation of the energy sector in a more social and equitable manner and to help achieve the goals of energy security, self reliant India.   

Mr. Rohit Garg
Regional Director,
South Pole Carbon Asset Management Ltd.

Rohit is a Regional Director in South Pole and looking after South Asia, Middle East and Central Asia region. He has over 11 years of experience in developing climate change projects in LDCs and developing countries with a particular focus on Nature Based Solution, renewable energy, energy efficiency and community-based projects. He has worked on various projects of Swiss Agency for Development and Corporation (SDC), Ministry of Urban Development (India), World Bank, UNDP and UNFCCC. He also worked on multiple new methodology development topics like plastics recycling, Biochar and Carbon Capture and Storage.

Mr. Nilanjan Ghose
Project Manager,
Indo-German Energy Programme, GIZ

Nilanjan is a development practitioner. He has worked in the areas of energy access, productive use of renewable energy for agriculture and water governance. He has been with GIZ since 2011. Nilanjan is, at present, responsible for leading a bilateral programme titled “Promotion of Solar Water Pumps” in GIZ. He holds a Master’s Degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. 

Dr. Prodipto Ghosh
Distinguished Fellow,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Prodipto Ghosh is involved in research and teaching at the interface of science, economics, philosophy, and public policy. Currently, he is Distinguished Fellow at TERI. He is concurrently member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Cabinet, and Governing Council of the Indian Council of Social Science Research. He has earlier been member of the National Security Advisory Board, PMs Council on Climate Change, G 20 Advisory Group of the Ministry of Finance, and the CAGs Audit Advisory Committee. He is Adjunct Faculty at the Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh (where he lectures on Indian macroeconomic policy and public finance), TERI University (where he teaches a post-graduate course on Normative Ethics), and Visiting Fellow at the Smith College, Oxford (with whom he is engaged in collaborative policy research).

He was a member of the IAS from 1969 to 2007, when he retired as Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests. He has also held the positions of Economic Advisor and Additional Secretary to the PM, Additional Secretary at the DEA, and Senior Environment Specialist at the Asian Development Bank, Manila. He was a member of India's negotiating team at the UNFCCC climate change negotiations from 2001 to 2012. He is the author of a number of peer reviewed research papers, and several newspaper articles.

He has a Ph.D and M.Phil in Economics and Policy Analysis from the Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, and a B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering from IIT Delhi, and has received Alumni Achievement Awards from both institutions. He is also the recipient of the BP Pal Centenary Memorial Award.

Dr. Prodipto Ghosh
Distinguished Fellow,
TERI

Prodipto Ghosh is involved in research and teaching at the interface of science, economics, philosophy, and public policy. Currently, he is Distinguished Fellow at TERI. He is also Member of the Task Force on Inter-linking of Rivers, and Task Forces of other bodies including FICCI, etc. He was earlier Member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Cabinet, Governing Council of the Indian Council of Social Science Research, Indian Resource Panel, PMs Council on Climate Change, Advisory Committee on G-20 matters of the Ministry of Finance, and member of the National Security Advisory Council. He was Adjunct Faculty at the Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh (where he lectured on Indian macroeconomic policy and public finance), TERI SAS  (where he taught post-graduate courses on Normative Ethics, Microeconomics and Regulation, and Climate Change and Policy), and Visiting Fellow at the Smith College, Oxford (with whom he engaged in collaborative policy research). He was an external examiner for M.Phil. and Ph.D dissertations in the Department of Philosophy, Delhi University, and Ph.D dissertations in the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi, and Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, besides TERI SAS.

He was a member of the IAS from 1969 to 2007, when he retired as Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. He has also held the positions of Economic Advisor and Additional Secretary to the PM (during which he was Member-Secretary of the PMs Economic Advisory, and Trade and Industry Councils, as well as co-Executive Secretary of the Indo-US Economic Dialogue), Additional Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, and Senior Environment Specialist at the Asian Development Bank, Manila. He was a member of India’s negotiating team at the UNFCCC climate change negotiations from 2001 to 2012. He is the author of a number of peer reviewed research papers, and several newspaper articles.

He has a Ph.D in Economics and Policy Analysis from the Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, and a B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering from IIT Delhi, and has received Alumni Achievement Awards from both institutions. He is also the recipient of the BP Pal Centenary Memorial Award. 

Dr. Anju Goel
Associate Director,
TERI

Dr. Anju Goel, a Fellow at Earth Science and Climate Change Division, TERI, India obtained her Bachelor of Engineering degree from Delhi College of Engineering in 2008, Master of technology degree in Energy and Environment Management from IIT Delhi in 2012. She is a commonwealth scholar and have obtained my Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Surrey, UK in 2017. She has been working for the last 14 years in air quality management, developed strong interpersonal skills and leadership qualities. She has knowledge of air quality management, starting from emission inventory analysis and air quality monitoring to developing air quality management plans. She is currently leading the Clean Air Project (CAP India) project supported by the Swiss Agency of Development and Cooperation and the technical Assistance on NCAP supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Each of these projects is worth more than 900 million Indian rupees, and a team of 15 research professionals is working on these projects. In addition to the research professionals from TERI, researchers from IITK, NEERI, ARAI, EPFL, and PSI are also working on the CAP India project under a consortium led by her. She has developed strong relationships with government departments, academic institutions, NGOs, and industries. In addition, she has conducted several capacity building and awareness programs for relevant stakeholders on the city and national scale. Her experience in air quality management has led the TERI to achieve an institute of repute (IOR) for acting as a technical partner for the City of Lucknow, Surat, and Delhi to implement NCAP. As a leader, she is dedicated to fostering effective and positive relationships between team members, developing talent through mentorship and coaching, and providing space in which everyone can feel motivated and valued.

Ms. Saloni Saran Goel
Director,
Religare

Ms Saloni Saran Goel, Director, Religare New Delhi

Ms. Sugandha Gopal
Partner,
JSA Advisors & Solicitors

Sugandha Gopal is a Partner at Jyoti Sagar Associates focusing on aspects of legal, regulatory, policy, commercial, strategy, and compliance-related issues arising in power and infrastructure projects.

Ms. Urmi Goswami
Assistant Editor,
The Economic Times

A senior journalist, Urmi writes on environment, climate change, sustainable development, and transition to a net-zero economy. She has attended and reported on international negotiations on climate and environment since the 2009 Conference of Parties (COP15) in Copenhagen, Denmark, the United Nations Environment Assembly from 2014 and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). An UNFCCC Complus fellow (2011-14), Urmi is on the newspaper's edit team, where besides environment she focuses foreign policy, education, health, labour. She has previously reported on beats like education, industry associations, politics, rural development, energy sector.  She regularly participates in discussions on climate change, environment and sustainability on Indian and foreign radio and television. She has written a book for children "Pollution Solutions: For a Cleaner Greener Earth" (TERI Press, 2022) and is contributing author to Beat Reporting and Editing: Journalism in the Digital Age (eds Surbhi Dahiya and Shambhu Sahu).

Mr. Dinabandhu Gouda
Scientist F and Director,
Central Pollution Control Board

Mr. Dinabandhu Gouda is Scientist-F and Director at Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Govt. of India.

Having 20 years combined experience in Pollution Control both at SPCB and CPCB in implementing and developing environmental norms. He is the Divisional Head of Industrial Pollution Control (IPC) Division-I and is responsible for all works related to Chemical Industries including Oil Refineries, Fertilisers, Chlor-alkali, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, pesticides, etc.

Mr. Tim Gould
Chief Energy Economist,
International Energy Agency (IEA)

Tim Gould was appointed the Agency’s Chief Energy Economist in 2021. As Chief Energy Economist, he provides strategic advice on energy economics across a wide range of IEA activities and analysis. Mr Gould is also Head of the Division for Energy Supply and Investment Outlooks, in which capacity he co-leads the World Energy Outlook, the IEA’s flagship publication, and oversees the Agency’s work on investment and finance, including the World Energy Investment report.
Mr Gould joined the IEA in 2008, initially as a specialist on Russian and Caspian energy, and in recent years has designed and directed the World Energy Outlook together with the IEA’s Chief Energy Modeller while contributing to the Outlook as a principal author. Prior to joining the IEA, Mr Gould was Senior Advisor to the Secretary General of the Energy Charter and has ten years of experience in Eastern Europe, primarily in Ukraine. He graduated from Oxford University and has a post-graduate diploma from the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University.

Mr. Tim Gould
Chief Energy Economist,
International Energy Agency

Tim Gould was appointed the Agency’s Chief Energy Economist in 2021. As Chief Energy Economist, he provides strategic advice on energy economics across a wide range of IEA activities and analysis. Mr Gould is also Head of the Division for Energy Supply and Investment Outlooks, in which capacity he co-leads the World Energy Outlook, the IEA’s flagship publication, and oversees the Agency’s work on investment and finance, including the World Energy Investment report.

Mr Gould joined the IEA in 2008, initially as a specialist on Russian and Caspian energy, and in recent years has designed and directed the World Energy Outlook together with the IEA’s Chief Energy Modeller while contributing to the Outlook as a principal author. Prior to joining the IEA, Mr Gould was Senior Advisor to the Secretary General of the Energy Charter and has ten years of experience in Eastern Europe, primarily in Ukraine. He graduated from Oxford University and has a post-graduate diploma from the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University.

Mr. Varun Grover
Associate Fellow,
TERI

Varun is an Associate Fellow with the Land Resources Division in The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). He works with the Centre for Forest Management & Governance area and is the Area Convener for Sustainable Services Management, Bengaluru. He has more than 6 years of experience in working on projects related to natural resource management, development of voluntary carbon market projects, due diligence, forest certification and other voluntary sustainability standards,  stakeholder engagement, monitoring & evaluation, forest landscape restoration, trees outside forests, etc. He is a member of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Biodiversity Sectional Committee, SSD 20. He has worked with various organisations like MoEF&CC, State Forest Departments, GIZ, PEFC, Climate Impact Partners, NABCB, ReNew, etc. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal.

Dr. Neha Gupta
Senior Fellow and Area Convenor,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Dr. Neha is a visionary professional known for her innovative thinking, strong client rapport, and effective team collaboration. She holds expertise in environmental awareness, strategic behavior change communication, and sustainability. With a PhD in reclaimed municipal wastewater use and water sustainability, she has championed numerous impactful initiatives across her two-decade career. Dr. Neha's achievements span conceptualizing and leading projects to foster pro-environmental attitudes, behavioral shifts, and skill development. Her impactful engagements encompass government bodies, corporates, multilateral/bilateral organizations, foundations, and educational entities, both nationally and internationally. Furthermore, she has pioneered the creation of educational games, authored 50+ books, and contributed to articles and research papers. 

Mr. R P Gupta
Managing Director,
SECI

Sh. R.P. Gupta is retired IAS Officer of 1987 Batch, Gujarat Cadre. He joined as Chairman & Managing Director of the Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) on 15th June 2023. Before joining SECI, he worked in the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change as Secretary, Govt. of India. He has also worked with NITI Aayog, Ministry of Coal and has experience in corporate management, economics, statistics planning and program implementation. His areas of expertise are energy, environment, climate change, decarbonization strategies, carbon market & trading, sustainability, resource efficiency and material recycling, forest and wildlife. He graduated in Aerospace Engineering from IIT, Kanpur. He began his career in Rajkot and subsequently worked in Gandhinagar, Bhavnagar, Dangs, Kutch, Mahesana, and Vadodara. SECI is a Miniratna CPSU under the aegis of Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) and is the only CPSU dedicated to the renewable energy sector. SECI is one of the nodal agencies designated by the Govt. of India for implementation of schemes related to RE capacity addition in the country. SECI has ‘AAA’ rating and has a Category-1 power trading license. SECI is playing key role in India’s Renewable Energy growth.

Mr. Deepak Gupta
Executive Vice President, Carbon Business,
ReNew Private Limited

With over two decades of experience in the clean energy and environment sector, Deepak is a seasoned professional specializing in carbon mitigation. His expertise spans renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste management, air pollution control, and global climate policy. Throughout his career, Deepak has excelled in various roles, including clean energy, carbon markets, business development and corporate decision-making for climate investments. Actively engaged in India's clean energy community, he has collaborated with the government and global organizations like ClimateWorks Foundation, Hewlett &  Packard Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Oak Foundation, and Bloomberg Philanthropies. Deepak's significant contributions include shaping initiatives like "India's Wind Potential Re-assessment Committee," "Renewable Energy Roadmap 2030," "India Lab for Green Finance," and "Green Power Market Development Group." A certified energy auditor and alumnus of prestigious institutions, Deepak currently spearheads Green Credit Business at ReNew. His multifaceted role involves key decision-making, community-based and nature-based solutions, and collaboration with government policymakers, showcasing his impactful contributions to India's clean energy landscape

Mr. Ankit Gupta
ITC,
ITC

Mr Gupta works with the ITC Group

Mr. Vineet Handa
CEO,
Kaizzen

Vineet Handa is a visionary entrepreneur and the driving force behind the success of Kaizzen, a leading communications organization that has evolved under his astute leadership. As the Founder and CEO of Kaizzen, Vineet has transformed Kaizzen from a humble homegrown venture into a global powerhouse with operations that span globally.

Vineet’s leadership philosophy places strong emphasis on social impact work, leveraging the power of communication to make a positive difference in the community. Kaizzen not only focuses on ESG consultations; Kaizzen Care, the CSR wing of Kaizzen also works with different NGOs on initiatives that goes beyond conventional business goals.  For his lifelong work in the field, Exchange4Media named Vineet as the PR and Communications Maestro for 2023.

A career with over 25 years of journey Vineet had served a two years term as Associate Director, The Energy and Resource Institute- Delhi, and held various senior positions at India’s leading communications companies before starting Kaizzen.

In addition to Kaizzen, Vineet has also founded OFactor and Craftsman Solutions; and took lead in a study project with EY on Sports development and its impact on livelihood in North Eastern Indian states.

Hailing from a small town Chinndwara in Madhya Pradesh from where he completed his elementary and higher education today Vineet is the complete package of marketing prowess, dynamic personality and a poised, confident attitude that makes for an efficient leader.

Dr. Alejandro Hernández
Director, India and Global Opportunities program,
The Regulatory Assistance Project & Former Head, Renewable Integration and Secure Electricity Unit, IEA

Alejandro Hernandez oversees RAP’s work advising Indian central and state authorities and coordinates RAP’s engagement with multilateral initiatives and other jurisdictions beyond the organization’s core regions.

Before joining RAP in 2022, Hernandez was the head of the Renewable Integration and Secure Electricity Unit at the International Energy Agency, leading the agency’s work on electricity market design, decarbonization strategies for the power sector and electricity security. A significant part of this work was to provide sound analysis and advice to policymakers in IEA association countries, including Brazil, China, Thailand and India.

Previously, Alejandro Hernandez served in the Mexican government from 2013 to 2017 as managing director at the Energy Ministry, where he was part of the core team designing and implementing an ambitious reform for the power sector. The effort resulted in the opening of the Mexican wholesale electricity market and in a significant deployment of renewable energy in the country.

Hernandez’s career in the Mexican government also included positions as senior advisor to the finance vice minister from 2011 to 2013 and as deputy chief economist at the Mexican antitrust authority, COFECE, from 2007 to 2011.

He holds a master’s and a doctorate in economics from Toulouse School of Economics in France and a bachelor’s degree, also in economics, from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México.

A native of Mexico, Alejandro Hernandez speaks fluent Spanish, English and French

Mr. Roel Hoenders
Head of Air Pollution and Energy Efficiency,
IMO

Mr. Roel Hoenders is Head of Climate Action and Clean Air in the Marine Environment Division of the IMO Secretariat. In that capacity he is overseeing IMO’s regulatory agenda on the decarbonization of maritime transport and the reduction of air pollution from ships. Prior to that role, Roel worked in the IMO Secretariat as technical officer supporting Governments with ratification and implementation of IMO’s environmental instruments.

Roel holds a law degree, with specializations in international environmental and maritime law, complemented by postgraduate studies in environmental sciences and business sustainability.

Dr. Rachel Hurley
Researcher,
Norwegian Institute for Water Research

Dr Hurley has been active in the field of plastic pollution research for the past decade. Her background is in geography and fluvial geomorphology with a PhD in Physical Geography from the University of Manchester. Today, she focuses on developing a process-based understanding of macro- and microplastic pollution, specialising in plastic pollution dynamics in freshwater and soil environments. This includes investigating the fate and transport of macroplastic litter in rivers and microplastic particles in agricultural soil systems. She has experience coordinating Norwegian and EU research projects and works in a multinational team to address effectively reduce plastic pollution in South and South East Asia.

Dr. Md Saddam Hussain
Senior Research Associate,
Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy

Md Saddam Hussain has a background and expertise in transportation planning, facility design and optimization, mobility and choice modeling, environmental impact assessment, and road safety assessment. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from NIT Patna in 2015. Afterward, he pursued an M.Tech in the Infrastructure Design and Management Department at IIT Kharagpur. During his Ph.D., Md Saddam Hussain focused on transportation planning, specifically working on improving pedestrian safety in urban mixed transport environments through design and policy interventions. His research aimed to develop strategies to enhance the safety of pedestrians and reduce accidents in urban areas. In addition to his academic pursuits, Md Saddam Hussain has been actively involved in various government and non-government projects with interdisciplinary topics. 

Mr. Abhinav Jain
Deputy Team Lead,
GIZ

Working with Energy Cluster in GIZ

Mr. Sachin Jain
Secretary,
Network for Certification and Conservation of Forests (NCCF)

Mr Sachin Jain is a sustainability professional with over 10 years of experience in directing various projects on Forest Certification, Sustainability, Life Cycle Assessment, LEED v4 Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), Starbucks Ethical Sourcing, Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI) FloorScore® certification, BIFMA level® certificate, Climate Change Adaptation, Monitoring & Evaluation, Afforestation, Ecotourism, Sustainable Housing, Fisheries, and Ecology & Biodiversity Assessments. He is an active member of many national and international associations and think tanks working in the area of Natural Resources Management and Sustainable Development. Mr. Jain is one of the founding members of NCCF and currently serves as Secretary & Convener in the Governing Body of NCCF.

Mr. Padmanabhan Raja Jaishankar
Managing Director,
India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited

Mr. Padmanabhan Raja Jaishankar, Managing Director India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited New Delhi. With his rich experience of around 35 years in Development Banking and Financial domains, Mr. P. R. Jaishankar is presently serving as the Managing Director of IIFCL and is the Chairman of IIFC (UK) Ltd, IIFCL Asset Management Company Ltd (IAMCL) and IIFCL Projects Ltd (IPL). Before his current position, Mr. Jaishankar has held various key positions such as Executive Director of National Housing Bank, Director & CEO of IIFCL Projects Ltd. (IPL), Chairman (Board of Trustees) of IAMCL, and Director of the India Mortgage Guarantee Company (JV of NHB, Genworth, IFC and ADB) He has been actively engaged in assisting the Government in its various Committees on sectoral policies, which includes leading the initiative for the First Dedicated Credit Enhancement Company for the infrastructure sector.

Ms. Sugandha Jayaswal
Resident Executive,
Tata Steel

Ms Jayaswal is a Resident Executive - Corporate Services at Tata Steel.

Ms. Ingrid Sidenvall Jegou
Project Director,
Global Maritime Forum (GMF)

Ingrid Sidenvall Jegou is the Project Director of the Getting to Zero Coalition at the Global Maritime Forum, an international not-for-profit organization committed to shaping the future of global seaborne trade to increase sustainable long-term economic development and human wellbeing.

Ingrid has previously worked in the public, private and not-for profit sectors in Sweden, Geneva, Brussels and Copenhagen, always with a focus on sustainable development. Trained in the USA, France and Sweden, she has holds a Masters of Economics and Politics from Lund University and a Global Master of Arts in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Boston."

Mr. Antony John
Innovation Hub Director (Asia, Oceania & The Americas),
Schueco India Pvt Ltd

28 years in Facade and Fenestration industry with experience across the spectrum from product development, testing, deciphering and writing codes, design, estimation, production, project management and operations in India, Middle East and USA.

Member of Glazing committee of Bureau of Indian Standards for the National Building Code of India 2016. Convenor for BIS code on Specifications for Doors, Windows and Sliders.

Dr. Veena Joshi
Senior Advisor, Energy,
Embassy of Switzerland

Prior to retirement, she worked in different capacities at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), a bi-lateral cooperation arm of the Government of Switzerland in New Delhi. She joined SDC, India in 1994 to develop its Energy and Environment programme in India. In the 20 years with SDC, she participated in developing and managing several programmes in the international frameworks for climate change and ozone depletion. A special feature in most of these technical interventions was its human and institutional dimension.
Prior to joining SDC, she was a researcher at the Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) for ten years. There she developed and led projects in the areas of Rural Energy Research and Extension, and Energy-Environment Interface. She was part of the senior management team. Over the ten years at TERI, she developed a commitment to conducting/supporting interdisciplinary research and program development to support policy and practice relevant to solving problems that face the underserved sections of society.

Ms. Pamela Jouven
Director,
SME Climate Hub

As Director of the SME Climate Hub, Pamela works with international partners, multinational companies and governments to accelerate a global movement and develop a one-stop-shop platform mobilizing small and medium-sized enterprises to take climate action on net zero. Pamela previously served as Head of City Business Climate Alliances at C40, where she was responsible for expanding C40’s service offering to member cities relating to the acceleration of climate solutions with local and global businesses. Her experience also includes initiating and leading multi-partner programmes focused on innovation and sustainability for Virgin Unite, the non-profit arm of the Virgin Group, and University of the Arts London.

Dr. Chitrarekha Kabre
Professor,
School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi

Dr Chitrarekha Kabre, Professor at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi earned her PhD from the University of Queensland, Australia, Master of Building Engineering & Management from SPA, New Delhi and Bachelor of Architecture from Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal. She has 31 years of professional experience at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal, D C R University of Science & Technology, Murthal and a Fulbright Professor at North Dakota State University, Fargo, USA. She has authored more than 40  international and national research papers and three books ‘Synergistic design of Sustainable Built Environment’ by Taylor and Francis, USA, ‘Sustainable Building Design: Applications using Climatic Data in India’ by Springer, Germany and ‘Energy Efficient Design of Buildings and Cities’ Germany-India.

Dr. Livleen K Kahlon
Associate Director,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Dr Livleen K Kahlon is Associate Director, Environment Education and Awareness at TERI. She is actively involved in strategic execution of various models of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) to achieve transformative impact amongst several sections of the society.

Dr. Vijay Kalantri
Chairman, World Trade Center Mumbai; Board Member, World Trade Centres Association, New York and President,
All India Industries Association

Dr. Vijay Kalantri, is a tireless, visionary entrepreneur with vast knowledge and experience.  Just in his early 70s, he is very agile and active mentoring Indian MSME sector in many ways since 1956.  He leads several prestigious enterprises through investments in several Industrial ventures in the areas like Infrastructure, Port Services, and Industry Associations. Since 1984, he is the Founder Chairman of one of India’s leading Infrastructure Corporations M/s. Balaji Infra Projects Limited handling key infrastructure projects, exports and import of merchandise and services across the globe.

Highly versatile, Dr. Kalantri holds several honorary positions such as The Honorary Consul to Uzbekistan in Mumbai, Chairman of the Honorary Consular Corps Diplomatique Mumbai, Senior Vice Chairman of the Honorary Consular Corps Diplomatique of India.  He also holds governing positions in many Industry Associations in India.

Dr. Kalantri is associated with the Industry actively, besides his own ventures.  He is the founder Chairman of one of India’s oldest Trade Association All India Association of Industries (AIAI) which he formed in 1956 well before he set up his own corporate ventures in 1984. Besides this own mission, he shares his experience with many Indian and overseas Industry bodies such as Indian Council of Foreign Trade (ICFT), Indo-Polish Chamber of Commerce & Industry (IPCCI), Indo Mauritius Chamber of Commerce, All India Manufacturers Organization (AIMO), Association of Machinery & Textile Spares Manufacturing (AMSTM) and Chairman - Indo Arab Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Vandana Kalia
Scientist F,
DSIR, MoST

A scientist by profession who has 20 years of experience in private and public sector with profile spanning from bench scientist at Ranbaxy Research Labs, India to a group leader at Daiichi Sankyo India contributing in anti-infective  drug discovery to a science manager at DSIR, Ministry of Science and Technology promoting scientific infrastructure and activities in the country.

Ms. Pallavi Kalita
Asia Lead,
Business for Nature

Pallavi Kalita- Asia Lead, Business for Nature, Singapore:

Pallavi is the Asia Lead at Business for Nature, where she leads the organization's advocacy efforts and its engagement with partner organizations and businesses in Asia to drive credible business action on nature. Prior to that, she worked as a Trade Policy Analyst for the Delegation of the European Union to India, where she focused on international trade policy research and advocacy to further the commercial and economic policy interests of the EU in India. She also served as a Trade Policy Advisor to the British High Commission, New Delhi, where she provided trade-related analysis and policy support to the UK Government in line with its trade-related objectives in India. 

Dr. Tejal Kanitkar
Associate Professor,
National Institute of Advanced Studies

I am an Associate Professor in the Energy, Environment, and Climate Change Program, in the School of Natural Sciences and Engineering, at NIAS. I am a mechanical engineer by training and have worked in the area of energy and climate studies since 2006. My research interests lie in trying to integrate perspectives from the natural sciences, engineering, and social sciences to understand the interconnected aspects of energy production, environmental constraints, and economic development, with a perspective that prioritizes equity in the era of acute environmental crises such as climate change. 

Mr. Amit Kapur
Joint Managing Partner,
JSA Advocates & Solicitors

Amit Kapur is a Partner with J. Sagar Associates since 2000. He has anchored the Firm’s  Infrastructure practice since 1997 with focus on Regulatory & Policy Practice. He served as Senior Partner of JSA since 01.04.2017, on 01.01.2019, Amit  was elected and is at present serving as the Joint Managing Partner of the Firm. His practice focusses on dispute resolution and transactions in Energy;  Transport; Communications; and Developmental projects. He regularly argues matters at various fora and is consulted on Infrastructure, Regulatory and PPP issues by ministries/bodies of Centre and States, and corporates like Tatas, Adanis, Birlas, Vedanta, Reliance, McQuaire. 

Dr. Arvind Kapur
Distinguished Fellow,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Dr Arvind Kapur is engaged with the Sustainable Agriculture Division of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) as its Distinguished Fellow.

Prior to joining TERI, Dr. Arvind Kapur was General Manager of Proagro- PGS, a joint venture of a leading Biotechnology Company in Europe, held the position of Managing Director of Nunhems India and started the operations of vegetable seeds of the Global company of Netherlands, also held the position of Managing Director of Acsen HyVeg P Ltd where he started the operation of cereals in HyVeg brand and established operations.

Dr Kapur has diverse experience of over 35 years in the vegetable seed sector with a thorough understanding of the agricultural trends and challenges. He has been conferred with the prestigious award from IEDRA - The Bhartiya Udyog Ratan Award in 2006 and 2015 and has many other awards and certifications to his credit.

Mr. Deependra Kashiva
Director General,
Sponge Iron Manufacturers Association

Mr. Kashiva is an engineering graduate in Metallurgy and has experience of more than 50 years in the steel sector.  After working in different positions in several private sector steel plants, he joined Ministry of Industry, Government of India and was engaged in the development of metallurgical industries. Thereafter, he joined Ministry of Steel.   In 2010, he superannuated as Additional Industrial Advisor. He has vast experience in sponge iron and steel production, resource management, production planning, adoption of cost competitive and energy efficient technologies.

After his tenure in Ministry of Steel, he joined UNDP-GEF Steel Project. Since 2011, Mr. Kashiva has been working in Sponge Iron Manufacturers Association as Director General.  Presently, his focus areas are resource efficiency and reduction in carbon footprints in the Indian sponge iron and sponge iron-based steel industry.

Dr. Shailly Kedia
Senior Fellow and Associate Director,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Dr Shailly Kedia is a policy researcher who is an Associate Director and Senior Fellow with the Centre for Sustainable Development Research and Leadership at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). Since 2021, she is also the Curator of TERI’s flagship initiative - the World Sustainable Development Summit. Dr Kedia has been with TERI since 2009 and is a multidisciplinary research professional with over 17 years of experience in policy research, outreach, and capacity building. Her areas of expertise include green budgeting, sustainable development policy, green growth, green public procurement, sustainable consumption and production, international organization, finance, and the interface between traditional and non-traditional security. She has pioneered the policy innovation of green budgeting.

In the past, Dr Kedia has worked with the Sustainable Development Network of the World Bank in Washington, DC; and with the Center for Climate Systems Research at Columbia University and NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. A Board Member of World Sustainable Development Forum, she is a Co-chair of the Taskforce on Sustainable Lifestyles of the Think-20, an Engagement Group of the G20. She has also been Member of the Taskforce on Greening Rural Development of the Ministry of Rural Development; Member of the Indo-German Expert Group on Green and Inclusive Economy; and Co-chair of the Green Growth Knowledge Platform Research Committee on Inclusiveness. Dr Kedia has a doctoral degree in International Organization from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Master of Business Administration (Finance) from University of Stirling, Scotland, and Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical Engineering) from the National Institute of Technology, Surat. She has pursued a Post-baccalaureate Elective in International Development from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and completed an Executive Programme on Leadership from Harvard Business School.

Ms. Neha Khanna
Senior Manager,
Climate Policy Initiative

Neha is a green and sustainable finance expert with 13 years of financial advisory and risk consulting professional experience, working with multinational corporations, banks, DFIs, foundations, and multilaterals in India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Tanzania, and the United States. Neha’s expertise includes financial risk management, strategy consulting, development consulting, financial inclusion, and climate-related financial risk, with a focus on banking, capital markets, and insurance.

Her research areas and interests are in climate finance, green finance, sustainable finance, financial inclusion, and gender-lens investing. She delivers lectures and trainings on green finance and climate-related financial risks and opportunities to private and public financial sector experts. Neha is also a Sustainability Climate Risk (SCR) Task Force member with Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) and a steering committee member of Greening of Finance by Women (GroW) Network.

Neha is an engineering graduate of Jaypee University of Information Technology and holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras.

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. Palak Khanna
Research Associate,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Ms Palak Khanna is Research Associate at Centre for Sustainable Development Research and Leadership, TERI. Her work spans areas including agriculture, gender, extension and green policies like green budgeting and green public procurement. She is coordinator of TERI’s flagship event – World Sustainable Development Summit.

Ms. Aarti Khosla
Founder Director,
Climate Trends

Aarti Khosla is a communications professional and founder of two start-ups. In her over 23 years of professional experience, she has managed, led, and driven several high impact initiatives around strategic communications and creative campaigns to bring greater focus on issues of environment, development and conservation. She has previosuly worked at TERI and WWF.

She set up Climate Trends, a research and communication agency, and Carbon Copy, a knowledge platform on everything climate, in 2017. Aarti holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Studies and a Bachelors in Zoology from Hansraj College, Delhi University. 

Mr. Ban Ki-moon
Former Secretary-General of the UN,
Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future

Biography: Mr. Ban Ki-moon

Chairman of Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future

8th Secretary-General of UN

Mr. Ban served as the Chairman of the Presidential National Council on Climate and Air Quality (NCCA) (2019-2021). In 2018, Mr. Ban was elected as the Chairman of Boao Forum for Asia. Mr. Ban, along with former President of Austria Mr. Heinz Fischer, was inducted as Co-Chairs of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens in Vienna, Austria. Mr. Ban is the Chair of the Global Center on Adaptation, an international organization hosted by the Netherlands. Mr. Ban Ki-moon was also elected as Chairman of the IOC Ethics Committee in September 2017. Mr. Ban served as the Honorary Chairman at the Institute of Global Engagement & Empowerment at Yonsei University (2018-2022). In February 2018, he was elected and has been serving as the President of the Assembly and chair of the Council of Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).

Currently, he is the chairman of Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future and the Distinguished Chair Professor and Honorary Chairman of the Future Strategy Institute at Seoul National University. 

Before these appointments, Mr. Ban served two consecutive terms as the Secretary General of the United Nations (2007-2016).

Throughout his tenure at the UN, Mr. Ban strove to be a bridge builder, to give voice to the world’s poorest and the most vulnerable people, and to make the Organization more transparent and effective. He successfully pressed for action to combat climate change - an effort that culminated in the adoption and rapid entry into the landmark Paris Agreement in 2016. Mr. Ban worked closely with member states of the UN to shape the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to establish UN Women, which has been advancing the Organization’s work for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Mr. Ban also launched major efforts to strengthen UN peace operations, to protect human rights, to improve humanitarian response, and to prevent violent extremism and to revitalize the disarmament agenda.

At the time of his appointment at the UN, Mr. Ban was the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea. His 37 years with the Ministry included postings in New Delhi, Washington D.C., and Vienna, and responsibilities for a variety of portfolios, including Foreign Policy Adviser to the President, Chief National Security Adviser to the President, Vice Minister, Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and Director-General for American Affairs. Mr. Ban has also been actively involved in issues relating to inter-Korean relations by serving as Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization.

Mr. Ban received a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Seoul National University in 1970. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1985.

Dr. Jagdish Kishwan
Asia Pacific Regional Coordinator,
Coalition for Rainforest Nations

Dr. Jagdish Kishwan, an internationally acclaimed Climate Change & Forestry specialist, and REDD+ Asia Pacific Region Policy Expert at the Coalition for Rainforest Nations.

With an illustrious career in the Indian Forest Service and armed with a Ph.D. in Forestry, Dr. Kishwan has held important assignments such as the Head of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Chancellor of the Forest Research Institute University, and Head of Forest Force, Jammu and Kashmir State.

Dr. Kishwan was the Lead Negotiator from India in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on the subjects of Forestry and LULUCF from 2006 to 2014. He has been a pivotal figure in the evolution of REDD+ initiatives, having led the transformative shift from REDD to REDD+ at the pivotal Bali COP in 2007, with the support of Coalition for Rainforest Nations. His expertise is invaluable in advocating for the effective implementation of UNFCCC REDD+ strategies across the Asia Pacific region.

His tenure as a member of the Expert Group of the Indian Planning Commission on Low Carbon Development Strategy from 2009 to 2013 showcases his commitment to sustainable development. In 2015, he chaired an Expert committee of Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change that contributed significantly to India's Reference Document for REDD+ and the subsequent National REDD+ Strategy and Safeguard Information System (SIS).

Dr. Priyanka Kochhar
CEO,
The Habitat Emprise

Dr Priyanka Kochhar, currently the chief executive officer of The Habitat Emprise, New Delhi, has nearly 20 years of experience as a researcher and is committed to advancing sustainability in built environment through research, education, industry engagement and advocacy. In this capacity, she is Technical Advisor to UN-Habitat, Advisor to RTI (Research Triangle Institute International–India office in New Delhi) and Visiting Faculty at School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. 

Mr. Vijay Kumar
Managing Director,
Swan Environmental Pvt. Ltd.

Ch. Vijay Kumar is the Managing Director of Swan Environmental Pvt. Ltd.

Swan Environmental was established in 1988 by qualified and experienced professionals from various fields of environmental science. We believe in providing technology solutions for the customer's need to monitor and measure the quality of the ambient environment.

SWAN has been the market leader in this industry for over three decades because of our strength in providing our customers with the best equipment from worldwide companies. We also serve as the one-stop shop for all kinds of pollution monitoring needs. To meet the diversified requirements of customers, Swan was branched into four different companies to serve the industries and institutions efficiently in a focused manner.

Mr. G Asok Kumar
IAS, Director General,
National Mission for Clean Ganga, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India.

Mr. G Asok Kumar, IAS belongs to the Telangana Cadre 1991 batch. At present, posted as the Director General for the National Mission for Clean Ganga, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India.

He has worked extensively in the water sector. Before joining NMCG, he served as the Mission Director for National Water Mission where his inspiring work in “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain” campaign, led him to receive the popular moniker-“the Rain Man of India”.

Mr. Kumar is the recipient of several awards such as the SKOCH Award for Public Service 2021, Jal-Mitra award from the Government of Andhra Pradesh, and the first Telangana Excellence Award by the Government of Telangana for outstanding work done in Public Administration.

Mr. Alok Kumar
Former Secretary,
Ministry of Power, Government of India

AIok Kumar did his B.E.(Civil) from llT Roorkee in year 1983 and later has acquired MBA in Finance. He has held senior positions in UP Government and Government of India. Before joining as Union Power Secretary in February' 2021, he was Additional Chief Secretary, Industrial Development and lT & Electronics in Government of Uttar Pradesh. He has acquired widely recognized expertise in policy and regulatory affairs of India’s electricity sector, while working for more than seven years in the sector at national level and about three years at state revel in Uttar Pradesh.  He has been CEO of various public enterprises in transport and electricity sectors. He has also worked in the areas of skill development, handcraft based micro enterprises, apprenticeship programmes and National Career Services. He has authored a book on policy and regulation of electricity industry in India which was published by Oxford University Press in year 2012. 

Mr. Saurabh Kumar
Vice President- India,
The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet

Mr. Saurabh Kumar, Vice President- India, The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet

Ms. Neha Kumar
Head, South Asia Programme,
Climate Bonds Initiative

Neha has over fourteen years of experience working on public policy and industry action in India on sustainability and responsible financing. In her stint at GIZ India (German Development Agency) before she joined Climate Bonds, she steered projects that led to a regulation on ESG disclosures by the Indian market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India; and the development of financial sector led Responsible Financing Guidelines. She was also responsible for conceptualising and over-seeing successful Indo-German public-private alliances, EU co-financing grants and building multi-stakeholder alliances on mainstreaming sustainability practices in large and small businesses. Prior to that, she consulted national and international businesses on environmental and political risks in extractive and infrastructure sectors with operations and investments spread across India. 

Neha has joined Climate Bonds as India Programme Manager and is based in Delhi. Neha drives the policy and partner programmes in the country to scale up the green bonds market and take on active advocacy with the media, issuers and investors and the government. She also contributes to business development for Climate Bonds. 

Dr. Satyendra Kumar
Director,
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India

Mr. Satyendra Kumar, Director, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India

Mr. Rajesh Kumar
Chief Engineer (Energy Storage System Division),
Central Electricity Authority, Ministry of Power

Shri Rajesh Kumar (DoB: 01/07/1976) is holding the post of Chief Engineer (Energy Storage System Division) in Central Electricity Authority, Ministry of Power since July 2023. He belongs to the 2001 batch of Central Power Engineering (Group-A) Services.

He did his graduation in B.E. (Electrical) from Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology (erstwhile Madan Mohan Malaviya Engineering College), Gorakhpur (UP). He is also having the degree of MBA in Financial Management from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Delhi.

He is having a versatile experience of over 20 years of service in Central Government, mainly in power sector, and prior to that 2 years of service in U P Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL), a State Public Sector Undertaking. During his services in power sector, he has worked and contributed in the areas of Grid Operation; Energy Accounting; Power System Planning; Inspection of Central Government Electrical Installations and Electrical Accidents; Annual Publication on Electricity Tariff & Duty and Average rates of Electricity Supply in India; Financial and Commercial Appraisal of Power Projects; Government Policies and Plans related to power sector such as Tariff Policy, National Electricity Policy, National Electricity Plan; Renewable Technology & Integration issues; National framework for promotion of Energy Storage; Preparation of Standard Bidding Documents, etc.

He is also having the experience of working in Administration as well as Finance wing of Government during his central deputation tenure of 5 years in Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India at New Delhi. He handled there the portfolio of General Administration, Recruitment, Promotion, Entitlement and Financial Appraisal of Scientific Research Projects.

Dr. Kartik Kumar
Centre Director,
Saint Gobain R&D India

Kartik is Centre Director of Saint Gobain R&D. He joined Saint Gobain in 2018. Prior to this, he has worked in Unilever R&D for 12 years, AkzoNobel R&D for 3 years and Reckitt Benckiser R&D for 4 years. He has B.Tech in Electrochemical Engineering and Technology from CECRI, Karaikudi, M.S. in Chemistry and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, both from RPI, New York, USA.   He has  worked across diverse product development teams of skin cleansing & care, fabric cleaning, wall paint, wood coating, pest control products and now in materials innovation teams. Sustainable innovation has been core to his research. He holds 6 patents and 2 scientific journal publication. 

Mr. Bhuvnesh Kumar
Product Lead-Climate Technologies,
Pluss Advanced Technologies Ltd.

I am  an innovative and solution focused professional with a blend of creativity, technical and business experience of 6 years in the domain of clean technologies and its adoption.

I am currently working with Pluss Advanced Technologies, which is pioneer in the field of thermal energy storage technologies and materials. He leads the product design and development and has vast experience in solar thermal, building HVAC, pharmaceutical cold-chain and temperature controlled last-mile delivery.

Ms. Prajakta L. Verma
Joint Secretary,
Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India.

Ms. Prajakta L. Verma is Joint Secretary at Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India. And heads the following division 

1.Fibre Division
(a) Fibre I (Cotton )
(b) Fibre II (Silk and Wool)
(c) Fibre III (Jute) including other allied Fibres like Hemp etc.
2. Textile Machinery and Technology (TM&T) including Sustainability
3. CMD, NTC

Ms. Heeta Lakhani
Founder & Director,
ClimAct Foundation

Heeta Lakhani is a climate educator and entrepreneur dedicated to empowering vulnerable groups in intergovernmental decision-making and taking climate action.
As Founder & Director of the ClimAct Foundation and with a Masters in Environmental Studies from TERI University, she is dedicated to nurturing change-makers who combat the climate crisis with knowledge-based action. Heeta was introduced to the United Nations Climate Change (UNFCCC) process at COP21 in 2015 and served as the Global Focal Point for YOUNGO during 2020 & 2021, playing a pivotal role in elevating youth voices on the global stage. She has co-founded the Youth Negotiators Academy in 2022, to promote inclusivity in national delegations by training youth to be effective negotiators in the UN intergovernmental processes.

Mr. Amrit Lal Meena
Secretary,
Ministry of Coal, Government of India

Shri Amrit Lal Meena is an IAS Officer of 1989 Batch from Bihar Cadre. He has 34 years of experience at the Centre & State Levels. He is Electrical Engineer from MNIT, Jaipur.

In Bihar State, he has rendered his services as District Magistrate in 5 districts over 9 years, Secretary, Principal Secretary, and Additional Chief Secretary. He has handled PWD, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Urban Development, Agriculture, Co-operative, Mine & Geology and Labour Resources Departments.

In the Centre, he has rendered his services as PS to Cabinet Minister in the Ministry of Rural Development and JS in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. He worked as Additional Secretary & Special Secretary (Logistics) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry and has been instrumental in implementation of PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan & National Logistics Policy.

Presently, he is working as Secretary, Ministry of Coal and playing a crucial role to ensure an uninterrupted supply of affordable & indigenous coal for energy security of the Nation.

Ms. Temina Lalani Shariff
Regional Director South Asia,
CGIAR

Temina Lalani-Shariff is Regional Director, South Asia, CGIAR, and a trusted leader who brings over 20 years of diverse management and business development experience in the research and innovation industry, energy, tech, telecommunications, non-profit and government sectors. She is an adaptable leader and team-builder, deeply committed to fostering an environment of creativity, inclusion, and innovation where people can do their best work. After having established and grown a boutique public relations firm, she joined the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) where she served as Director of Global Advocacy and Brand for the past five years. Here, she has led the development of an institution-wide advocacy strategy to increase and diversify IRRI’s profile and supporters as well as intensify support for broader global issues of climate change adaptation and mitigation, nutrition security and equitable access to technology. In each role, she has generated support for the organization’s mission from governments, private funders and stakeholders. She is passionate about the potential of knowledge to transform communities. This has led her to work with the Aga Khan University in Pakistan, Bow Valley College and the University of Calgary in Canada, as well as research institutions, development organizations and professional associations in South and Central Asia, East Africa and North America. An avid community volunteer, she has served on the Board of the Calgary Public Library and Ten Thousand Villages. She holds joint MBA degrees from the Kellogg School of Management and Schulich School of Management, an MA in Communication Studies from the University of Calgary and a BA in International Political Science from the University of Alberta.

Ms. Beate Langset
Counsellor,
Embassy of Norway

Ms. Langset is the Councellor for Environment and Climate at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi

Mr. Ashok Lavasa
Former Finance Secretary,
Government of India and Former Vice President (Private Sector & PPP), ADB

Election Commissioner of India since 23rd January, 2018. Retired from Indian Administrative Service in Oct 2017 as Union Finance Secretary. Earlier, worked as Union Secretary Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change and also Ministry of Civil Aviation.   Rich leadership experience of over 37 years.Known for contribution to good governance and policy reform initiatives taken while in service in Government. Experienced international negotiator having led the Indian team during the PARIS AGREEMENT on Climate Change in December, 2015 besides the Montreal Protocol, the Conventions on Biodiversity and Desertification. Was Finance Secretary, when many reforms like GST and merger of Railway Budget with General Budget, were undertaken. As Environment Secretary initiated far reaching and wide ranging policy and procedural reforms in environmental regulation.

Dr. Hoesung Lee
Special Ambassador for Carbon free Energy,
Carbon Free Alliance

Dr. Hoesung Lee is the former Chair of the IPCC 2015 – 2023. He is a Special Ambassador for Carbon Free Energy, Republic of Korea, and the President of the Carbon Free Alliance – a public-private coalition launched in 2023 by the Korean Government to advance carbon-free energy globally. He is an economist in the fields of climate change and energy. Dr. Lee was named to the 2019 TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World. He received the 2021 Outstanding Contributions to the Profession Award from the International Association for Energy Economics. He was named to the 2021 Bloomberg 50 List.

Ms. Steffi Lemke
Federal Minister,
German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection

I was born in Dessau on the Elbe and grew up there. I began studying agricultural sciences in Berlin in 1988. In 1989, I helped found the party die GRÜNE (the Green party) of the GDR. From 1994 to 2002, I served as a member of the Bundestag for BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN (the Greens). The last four years of this period, I was Parliamentary Secretary. In 2002, my party elected me to the office of federal party manager, which I held until 2013. Since the federal elections of 2013, I have been a member of the Bundestag. Up until 2021, I was Parliamentary Secretary and Nature Conservation Spokesperson of the Greens parliamentary group.

Key professional and political dates

1974 to 1984: attended Dessau polytechnical secondary school

1984 to 1986: training as an agricultural technician in a dairy

1986 to 1988: worked as a postal carrier

1986 to 1988: evening school and university entrance qualification in Dessau

1988 to 1993: studies in agricultural sciences at Humboldt University, Berlin

1989: founding member of the Green party in the GDR

1993 to 1994: member of the Saxony-Anhalt Greens state executive committee

1994 to 2002: member of the Bundestag

2002 to 2013: federal party manager of the Greens

since 2013: member of the Bundestag

2013 to 2021: Parliamentary Secretary and Spokesperson for Nature Conservation of the Greens parliamentary group and member of the Committee on the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety

2017 to 2021: member of the Council of Elders, member of the Commission on Buildings of the Council of Elders and chair of the parliamentary group “Frei-fließende-Flüsse” (free-flowing rivers)

Since December 2021Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection

Ms. Nidhi Madan
Associate Director,
Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation

Nidhi leads Shakti's Modelling Low-carbon Pathway and Sub-National on Climate Change Programmes. A climate change and sustainability professional, Nidhi has over fourteen years of experience in climate change adaptation, natural resource management, sustainable development, climate finance, policy research, knowledge management, and environmental impact assessment. Before joining Shakti in March 2021, Nidhi worked with GIZ as a Technical Expert. 

Ms. Sherry Anne Madera
CEO,
CDP

Sherry Madera is a prominent thought leader on sustainability, with a focus on sustainable finance, environmental data and public policy. As CEO, Sherry manages a global leadership team and staff across the UK, Europe, North America, Singapore, Japan, China and Latin America.

Prior to joining CDP, Sherry was Chair of the Future of Sustainable Data Alliance (FoSDA), a global organization focused on supporting data requirements to drive success in sustainable finance. As Senior Vice President, Public Policy for Mastercard, Sherry led on identifying trends and issues that are a priority for governments, industry and regulators for strategic engagement.

A unique combination of former investment banker and diplomat, Sherry has held roles at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), the City of London and the British Embassy in Beijing, as well as Non-Executive Director Roles at Sondrel Limited and the University of Nottingham.

Sherry speaks regularly in global forums on topics including sustainable finance, FinTech, international trade, data policy and geopolitics. She is also author of the upcoming book, Navigating Sustainability Data: How Organizations can use ESG Data to Secure Their Future, set for publication in January 2024.

Ms. Madhuparna Maiti
Research Associate,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Ms Madhuparna Maiti is Research Associate at Centre for Sustainable Development Research and Leadership, TERI. Her work spans around climate; SDGs; food systems; and green growth mechanisms like green budgeting. She is coordinator of TERI’s flagship event – World Sustainable Development Summit.

Ms. Heena Makhija
Associate Fellow,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Heena Makhija works as an Associate Fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and is also a coordinator for the Summit. Prior to joining TERI, she was a Guest Lecturer at Hindu College, University of Delhi and has worked with several think tanks including Council for Strategic and Défense Research (CSDR) and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF). Heena has recently submitted her PhD thesis to the Centre for International Politics, Organisation, and Disarmament, Jawaharlal Nehru University and specialises in the study of United Nations, Multilateral Organisations, and Global Norms. She is coordinator of TERI’s flagship event – World Sustainable Development Summit.

Mr. Ajai Malhotra
Distinguished Fellow,
TERI

Ambassador Ajai Malhotra holds an M.A. in Economics from Delhi School of Economics. He was a member of the Indian Foreign Service from 1977 till retiring as Ambassador of India to the Russian Federation on November 30, 2013.

He served with High Commission of India, Nairobi, from 1979-1982 handling bilateral relations with Kenya and Seychelles and serving as Focal Point for India to UNEP and UN-HABITAT. From 1989-1993, he worked at the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, initially as Deputy Secretary looking after Human Rights and International Environmental Issues and then as Director of the UN Division, handling all multilateral work except disarmament. He was Counsellor at the Embassy of India, Moscow, from 1993-1996, returning to the Ministry of External Affairs as Director in 1996. From 1999-2003, he was Minister (Commerce) at the Embassy of India, Washington DC, additionally serving from 2002-2003 as Chairman, International Cotton Advisory Committee, Washington DC.

From 2003-2005, he was India's Ambassador to Romania, concurrently accredited to Albania and Moldova. From 2005-2009, he was Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, New York. He was India's Ambassador to Kuwait from 2009-2011 and to the Russian Federation from 2011-2013.

Ambassador Malhotra is a Distinguished Fellow with TERI since April 2014. He is also presently Chairperson and Managing Trustee of CHIKITSA and SHIKSHA (NGOs providing free primary health care, education and vocational training to the underprivileged); Chairperson, Nehru Trust for the Indian Collections at the Victoria & Albert Museum; Chairperson, NAB Centre for Blind Women and Disability Studies; and President, Kiwanis Club of New Delhi.

Ms. Yeshika Malik
Climate Change Specialist,
The World Bank

Yeshika Malik is a Climate Change Specialist with the World Bank’s South Asia Disaster Risk Management & Climate Change team based in New Delhi. She has over 9 years of experience in facilitating policy change through policy advocacy and implementation; and the ability to create and manage multi-stakeholder engagements (with policymakers, corporates, development partners, multilateral, and bilateral agencies, etc.). She has been working with the World Bank on the Climate change corporate commitments, Climate Finance, Post Disaster Needs Assessments, supporting DRM operations, and technical assistance activities related to climate change such as the roadmap for achieving India's NDC pledge, discussions on Article 6, India's mid-century strategy, SAPCC implementation, South Asia Climate Roadmap, implementation of the National Cooling Action Plan, and the Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) for India. Before joining the World Bank, Yeshika worked with the Center for Study of Science Technology and Policy (CSTEP) as a Research Economist in their Climate Change and Sustainable Development practice and NITI Aayog, Government of India as a Consultant in their Energy and Climate Division. Yeshika holds a Master’s degree in Economics from The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Outside of work, she enjoys taking road trips, hiking, and being close to nature.

Mr. Sourabh Manuja
Waste Management Advisor (Technical),
GIZ

Mr. Sourabh Manuja, GIZ 

Dr. Ritu Mathur
Consultant (NITI Aayog),
Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (Deputed to Niti Aayog)

Dr Ritu Mathur is currently camped as Senior Energy Economist at NITI Aayog (deputed from Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation). She is coordinating the India Climate and Energy Modeling Forum and assisting in strengthening the analytical frameworks for evidence based decision making within the Energy Vertical at NITI Aayog. With 3 decades of experience in research, consultancy and teaching in the areas of Sustainable Development, Energy Policy, Climate Mitigation, Energy, Economy & Environment Modeling at TERI and TERI-School of Advanced Studies, Dr Mathur has also been associated with the IPCC process as Lead author and reviewer, and has several publications in the Low Carbon Development & Energy Policy space to her credit.

Dr. Ajay Mathur
Director General,
International Solar Alliance

Dr. Ajay Mathur is the Director General of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The ISA is a treaty –based inter-governmental organization with 116 member countries, which aims to make solar energy the energy-of-choice in its member countries. Dr. Mathur has spearheaded the implementation of solar energy projects and capacity building projects in many developing countries, and of the publication of annual progress reports on solar technology, markets and investments. Recently, the ISA has embarked on the creation of a Solar Facility to mitigate the risks associated with solar investments in African Countries, and launched a programme to identify and strengthen solar startups in that continent. Prior to joining ISA, Dr. Mathur was Director General of the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and a member of the Prime Minister of India’s Council on Climate Change. He was co-chair of the global Energy Transitions Commission and the Clean Cooling Initiatives of the One Planet Summit. He earlier headed the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency and was responsible for its foundational programmes, which mainstreamed energy efficiency through initiatives such as the Star Labeling program for appliances, the Energy Conservation Building Code, and the Perform, Achieve & Trade program for energy-intensive industries. 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. Dr Mathur was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He was appointed a Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Merite by the President of France in recognition of his outstanding commitment to preserving the environment and coping with energy related challenges. Dr Mathur received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the (then)
University of Roorkee and a Master’s and PhD degrees from the University of Illinois. He has also received the Distinguished Alumnus Awards from both his alma maters.

Mr. Jayant Moreshver Mauskar
Visiting Distinguished Fellow,
Observer Research Foundation ( ORF), Delhi, India

Mr J M Mauskar is a former member of yhe Indian Administrative Service, with experience at senior levels of tribal developement, trade, petroleum and environment sectors. He has been closely associated with climate change negotiations since 2006. He is  a member of the PM's Council on Climate Change and was Governing Body member of Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. He is Advisor, Observer Research Foundation, a prominent Think Tank, on Energy and Climate Change.

Dr. Purvi Mehta
Senior Advisor,
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Dr. Purvi Mehta is the Senior Advisor of the Global Growth and Opportunities division at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and also lead 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. She 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 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 , Advisory Council- World Food Prize etc. She is honorary professor at Amity University-India and visiting faculty at Cornell University.

Dr. Sumi Mehta
Vice President,
Vital Strategies

Dr Sumi Mehta has worked at the intersection of global health and sustainable development for over two decades, with a focus on child health and non-communicable disease. She has expertise in epidemiology, exposure assessment, comparative risk assessment, and cost-effectiveness analysis. Sumi has extensive field experience in South, and Southeast Asia, and has also worked in Africa, East Asia, and Latin America. She is currently Vice President, Environmental and Climate Health of Vital Strategies, a global health organization that partners with governments to rapidly design and implement public health initiatives that bridge the gap between public health needs and solutions, especially in low- and middle- income countries. Previously, she served as the Senior Director of Research and Evaluation at the Clean Cooking Alliance (formerly the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves), a public-private initiative of the United Nations Foundation to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women, and combat climate change by promoting universal adoption of clean household energy. Prior to joining the United Nations Foundation, she was the lead scientist

and program manager for the Health Effects Institute’s Public Health and Air Pollution in Asia Program, and a health policy analyst in the Evidence and Information for Policy group of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Ms. Vaishali Mishra
Director,
Communications and Advocacy- Asia

Vaishali Mishra leads communications and advocacy for Asia at the Global Energy Alliance for People & Planet (GEAPP). Vaishali has been instrumental in developing communications products for GEAPP, including the “Flip The Switch” podcast and the “Green the Gap” campaign. More recently, she has spearheaded ENTICE - Energy Transitions Innovation Challenge and the first edition of GEAPP's annual event, The Energy Transition Dialogues (TETD).

She has worked in capacities ranging from project management to communication and marketing in organizations such as the Commonwealth Secretariat and the World Bank. Previously, she led communications at Smart Power India, a subsidiary of the Rockefeller Foundation. Prior to that, she led communications and marketing for Micro Finance Institutions Network, the regulatory body of RBI for microfinance companies. Here she developed the first-ever digital microfinance customer app.

Vaishali holds a Master’s degree in International Journalism from the City University of London, UK, and a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and Media from the University of Delhi. She also is a Commonwealth Chevening scholar.

Mr. Himanshu Shekhar Mishra
Senior Editor (Political & Current Affairs),
New Delhi Television Ltd. (NDTV)

Himanshu Shekhar Mishra works as Senior Editor (Political & Current Affairs) in NDTV. He covers Government and Politics. He was part of Prime Minister's official entourage to the United Nations General Assembly Annual Session in New York (September, 2003) and to the Indo-Turkish Summit held in Ankara and Istanbul (2003) respectively. He covered Prime Minister’s official visits to Pakistan (January, 2004) and Afghanistan (August, 2005) as a TV news journalist.

He has also extensively reported and researched on Climate-related disasters, legal rights of disaster victims to seek compensation, SDGs, COVID-19 Pandemic and Disaster Journalism. He has ten published research papers in international volumes on Disaster Management and COVID-19 Pandemic. He is co-author of a book titled “Stop Predicting--Revisit Life:Lessons from COVID-19” published by Bloomsbury (2022). He holds an M.Phil degree from SIS, JNU. 

Dr. Smita Mohanty
Director & Head (Principal Scientist),
Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET)

Top 2% of the Global Scientists as per the study by Stanford University USA, 9th National Award 2020 by Govt. of India for Technology Innovations in Petrochemicals and Downstream Plastics Processing Industry, Outstanding Research Faculty Award 2017-18 in Materials Science discipline through Scopus by Careers 360, 6th National Award - 2016 by Govt. of India for Technology Innovations in Petrochemicals and Downstream Plastics Processing Industry. Author of more than 300 International Publications, Editor/Authors of 10 nos. of Books / Book Chapters with leading International Publishers, 16 nos. of Patents (Granted/Filed). Completed more than 50 nos. of Projects & 100 nos. of Consultancies from various Govt. as well as Industries.

Mr. Promit Mookherjee
Associate Fellow,
Observer Research Foundation

Promit Mookherjee is an Associate Fellow at the Centre for Economy and Growth in Delhi leading much of the institutions work around energy and climate action. His primary research interests include techno-economics of low carbon energy transitions, climate finance and just transitions.

https://www.orfonline.org/people-expert/promit-mookherjee

Ms. Jennifer Morgan
State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action,
Federal Foreign Office

Jennifer Morgan has been State Secretary and Special Representative for International Climate Policy at the Federal Foreign Office since March 2022. Born April 21, 1966 in Ridgewood, New Jersey, she studied Political Science and International Relations at Indiana University, Bloomington and received her Master’s Degree in International Affairs at The American University in Washington, D.C.
In her professional career, Jennifer Morgan held various leadership positions, including Director of the Global Climate Campaign of WWF International and Director of the Climate Program of the think tank World Resources Institute (WRI). She was also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the Council for Sustainable Development of the Federal Government. Before her assignment to the Federal Foreign Office, from 2016 to 2022 she was Managing Director of the environmental organization Greenpeace International (GPI). Jennifer Morgan lives in Berlin and has the German citizenship.

Ms. Charlotte Morton
CEO,
World Biogas Association

A practising lawyer for 10 years, Charlotte Morton studied for her MBA at London Business School before setting up a car club business. Asked to establish the business side of ADBA in 2009, she saw the potential of an industry that can deliver huge potential and value to the UK. Given the even bigger global potential, which must be achieved if the Paris Climate Change targets and UN Sustainable Development Goals are to be met, Charlotte played a pivotal role in establishing the World Biogas Association in 2016 to promote and increase the rate of uptake of biogas globally. Charlotte was awarded an OBE in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours for her services to the biogas industry.

Mr. P. Mudalige
Director General (Planning),
Ministry of Environment, Sri Lanka

• Mr P. Mudalige, Director General (Planning), Ministry of Environment, Sri Lanka

Mr. P. Mudalige
Director General (Planning),
Ministry of Environment, Sri Lanka

Mr P. Mudalige, Director General (Planning), Ministry of Environment, Sri Lanka

Mr. Deb Mukherjee
Managing Director,
Cenergist Energy Pvt. Ltd.

By qualification a lawyer, Deb Mukherjee has been a serial entrepreneur with over 40 yrs work experience in diverse business domains. For last 20 yrs has worked in energy, water and sustainability services business and was Executive Chairman of Eaga India (subsidiary of Eaga plc UK FTSE 250 company) until 2012.

Currently is Managing Director of Cenergist India (wholly owned subsidiary of Eneraqua Technologies plc, UK Green Economy marked services company) and also is an inward investor in the UK. Served as President of Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry in year 2020-21.

Has strongly advocated and promoted industry-academia partnership in India & the UK and has served on the Editorial Board of Springer publication on “Sustainable Energy Technology & Policies – A Transformational Journey".

Mr. Arupendra Nath Mullick
Area Convenor,
The Energy and Resources Institute

With 15 years of professional experience, Arupendra Nath Mullick leads inter-disciplinary research teams to undertake varied initiatives pertaining to sustainable development, corporate social responsibility and climate change for Indian businesses. His role extends beyond project management and includes knowledge sharing, networking and communications. As the Area Convenor of TERI Council for Business Sustainability, Mr Mullick develops sustainability roadmaps and steer CXO level engagements for Fortune 500 companies to articulate the business case of sustainability. He has led development of several collaboration and partnership for the Institute. He has trained mid-level corporate sector executives, Railway Officers, government officials and CAG Auditors on varied subjects viz. GHG accounting, waste management, climate financing etc. He has led development of first-of-its kind sustainability dashboard for a NSE-listed chemical sector client to align sustainability goals with its business objectives and measure progress of sustainability performance. He has led development of DMRC’s sustainability roadmap enabling them earn advantage points in the benchmarking conducted for the CoMET network. He delivers training sessions on Environmental Management Systems confirming to the requirements of ISO 14001:2004 and on Sustainability Reporting as per GRI G3.1 and G4 guidelines. In addition, he has several research papers and presentations at various national and international fora to his credit, pertaining to business sustainability and mainstreaming environmental management. Mr Mullick holds a MBA degree with specialization on Environment Management from Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management (IISWBM) and advanced certificates on “Strengthening Urban Management in India” and "Public-Private Partnership" from World Bank Institute, Washington DC and UNDP, Johannesburg & IHE, Netherlands respectively.

Mr. Santhosh Muzumdar
Director of Government Relations and Sustainability,
Johnson Controls

Santhosh Muzumdar leads Government Relations and Sustainability for Johnson Controls India. He is also a board member of a Johnson Controls entity in India. Orchestrating Johnson Controls’ efforts to tailor the best of decarbonisation technologies and business models from across the globe to India’s needs is one of his key focus areas. He has more than 23 years of multi-industrial and wide geographical experience. His on-ground and layered engagements across countries from US, Europe, Middle East and Asia brings in a unique combination of technical, commercial and regulatory expertise. With a focus on safety, security and sustainability in the buildings sector, Santhosh works with  World Economic Forum’s Net Zero Carbon Cities in emerging markets, CII’s Net Zero Council, AMCHAM energy committee, BIS standards committees among others.

Ms. Chetna Nagpal
Senior Associate,
RMI India

Chetna Nagpal is a Senior Associate at RMI, where her primary focus is on advancing sustainable transportation solutions to combat climate change. She supports the Shoonya – Zero Pollution Mobility Campaign and collaborates with both public and private sector stakeholders to accelerate the shift towards zero-emission freight and passenger vehicles. Before joining RMI, Chetna worked with the Electric Mobility Initiative at Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation.

Mr. Jiwesh Nandan
Distinguished Fellow,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Shri Jiwesh Nandan has retired from the Indian Administrative Service. He has a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Delhi and a Masters’ degree in Development Management from Asian Institute of Management, Manila, Philippines. He has worked in various capacities in the State Government of Uttar Pradesh and in the Central Government.

Sri Nandan has extensive experience in the Power sector, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. He worked with GTZ (now GIZ), the bilateral international cooperation organization of Germany, under Indo German Energy Programme, IGEN. He steered initiatives in the field of energy efficiency, decarbonization and climate change. In the Ministry of Power Sri Nandan was involved in finalizing the tariff structure of transmission in the country. He drafted a policy paper for promoting private investment in transmission and tariff-based competitive bidding guidelines for transmission services.

Mr. Nandan has extensive experience of Renewable Energy, having served as Principal Secretary, New and Renewable Sources of Energy in the Government of UP. Under his stewardship, the Solar Energy Policy of UP State was announced for the first time along with tariff- based bidding documents for setting up large Solar Power projects. It was for the first time that the Bucket Filling method was used for 150 MW solar Power and Solar Power Plants were set up in UP in 2014.

Post superannuation he was associated with National Productivity Council as Senior Advisor in their ESG initiative. Presently, He is Senior Advisor with the Global Green Growth Institute and Distinguished Fellow with TERI. He is also a Government of India nominated Member of a bench of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Ms. Jayashree Nandi
Climate and Environment Correspondent,
Hindustan Times

Jayashree Nandi is environment and climate correspondent at Hindustan Times. She primarily covers climate science, UN climate negotiations; climate and weather science and environmental policy. She also covers issues surrounding air and water pollution; forests, wildlife, environmental litigation and people’s stories. With over 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. Jayashree has taken up a number of journalism fellowships including the Biodiversity Media Initiative fellowship of the Earth Journalism Network.

Ms. Shloka Nath
CEO,
India Climate Collaborative

Shloka Nath is the CEO of the India Climate Collaborative, a non-profit focused on mobilising philanthropic capital to accelerate climate action in India. The ICC connects funders to high-impact solutions that restore our planet and build a healthy and equitable future for all, while continuing to help India meet its development goals. 

Prior to this, she led the Sustainability and Policy & Advocacy portfolios at the Tata Trusts, one of India’s leading philanthropic foundations. She also co-founded and was the Managing Partner of Sankhya Women Impact Funds, a gender lens fund with a focus on sustainability. She started her career as a journalist, with a decade of experience at the BBC in London, as a news anchor with NDTV and a Principal Correspondent with Forbes in Mumbai. She is currently a Trustee at the CSMVS, formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum of India, the Vice President of the Bombay Natural History Society, a board member of IIT Madras’ Energy Consortium, and Climate Catalyst, Alliance magazine’s Editorial Advisory Board, and a member of the Advisory Board to IUCN’s Nature-based Recovery initiative, among numerous other positions. 

Shloka received an MPP from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a BSc in Government from The London School of Economics and Political Science. She is also the author of the book, “Hidden India: Journey to Where the Wild Things Are” (April 2018), a compendium of photographs and writing about Indian wildlife and landscapes. 

Ms. Suravee Nayak
Associate Fellow,
Sustainable Futures Collaborative

Suravee Nayak is an Associate Fellow with the Sustainable Futures Collaborative (SFC) in Delhi, India. At SFC, her work focuses on coal transitions, energy and labour, and ‘just transition’ in India. She holds an MPhil in applied economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi and is completing her PhD at Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum. Her research has appeared in peer-reviewed journals, edited books and on digital media.

Mr. Mohammad Amin Nayyar
Director,
ANA Design Studio Pvt Ltd

Graduate from Schook of Plannign and Architetire, New Delhi, 1995, Been in private practice since. Leading a multidiciplinary Architectire and Engineering team, delivering gih performance buildings across India, West Africa and West Asia.

The project delivires span from Insia's largest Industrial Research Laboratory complex in Navi Mumbai, Campuses for the Kashmir Uiniversity in Leh, Kargil, Srinagar, Kupwara, Anantnag and Jammu, Indials first green field IOT and POE bilding in Karjan, Gujarat and currnetly the redevelopment of Chanidigarh Railway Station.

Dr. Gillian Nelson
Director, Policy,
We Mean Business Coalition

Dr. Gillian Nelson is Director of Policy at the We Mean Business Coalition, a global non-profit working with the world's most influential businesses to catalyze business and policy action to halve emissions by 2030 and accelerate an inclusive transition to a global net zero economy by 2050. She has over 15 years of experience working on international climate policy, including with intergovernmental organizations, think-tanks and civil society.

Ms. Zeenat Niazi
Sr. Vice President and Chief Knowledge Officer,
Development Alternatives

Zeenat guides research on public policy and programmes focused on local, national, and global concerns of sustainable consumption and production, green and inclusive circular economy, and climate change resilience. 

She is a member of many national and international bodies, Viz. Steering Committee of the Green Economy Coalition, Strategic Steering Committee of the UNEP-PAGE Programme in India, Steering Group of the Future Earth Urban Knowledge Action Network, Chair of the Working Group on Rural Housing of CED 51- Committee of the BIS. In the past, she has been a member of the SBC Programme of UN’s One Planet Network, Co-Chair of the Board of Climate Action Network South-Asia, member of Taskforce on Rural Housing, MoRD, GOI and NITI Aayog’s Sub-Committee on C&D waste management.

She is researching nature-based solutions for urban resilience as a Ph.D. scholar at TERI-SAS.   She teaches Sustainability and the Built Environment at Anant National University, Ahmedabad

Mr. Nihal Nizar
India Policy Advisor,
IETA

Mr Nihal Nizar, India Policy Advisor, IETA

Ms. Damilola Ogunbiyi
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, and Chief Executive Officer for Sustainable Energy for All, Co-Chair UN-Energy,
Sustainable Energy for All

Damilola Ogunbiyi is the CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (UN SRSG) for Sustainable Energy for All, and Co-Chair of UN-Energy. With Mrs. Ogunbiyi at the helm, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) has entered into working relationships with over 200 partners, supported over 90 countries globally, and secured commitments of more than $600 billion in energy finance. This has been achieved through programmes such as Universal Energy Facility, Powering Healthcare, Women and Youth at the Forefront, Cooling for All, and Clean Cooking; and innovative initiatives such as UN Energy Compacts, Energy Transition Plans, Universal Integrated Energy Plans, the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI), and the Africa Renewable Energy Manufacturing Initiative (AREMI) among many others.

Mr. Viral Oza
Chief Marketing Officer,
Mahindra Lifespace Developers Limited

Viral Oza is the Chief Marketing Officer for Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd. and a Marketing professional with over 30 years’ experience across FMCG, Telecom, Media, and Real Estate. His passion for businesses that make a difference to consumers started early with his experience in Unilever and became stronger with senior roles in Nokia and Microsoft.

His extensive experience spans Asia, Africa, and Middle East, with roles in brand launches, category development, and business revitalization, resulting in impactful brands. At Microsoft, he was Director of Global Go-To-Market for Windows 10 launch on Lumia Phones. As Marketing Director at Nokia India, he led launches of Lumia and Asha product lines and established services like Nokia Music. At Unilever, he played a key role in Deodorant business, launching & establishing Axe Deodorant in India, and leading Axe's marketing across Asia. He also managed Skin Care across Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey.

Dr. Ash Pachauri
Co Founder and Senior Mentor,
POP (Protect Our Planet) Movement

Dr. Ash Pachauri holds a PhD in decision behavior and a master's in international management. His impactful journey spans the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UN, CDC, POP Movement, World Sustainable Development Forum, and the Center for Human Progress. As a technical adviser to the World Health Organization, he guides global self-care guidelines. Recognized for his leadership, he has conducted +20,000 workshops globally, advocating for climate action. An Associate Fellow of WAAS, he serves on boards globally, including the Climate Change Coalition and the Global Union of Scientists for P

Dr. Saroj Pachauri
Director and Climate-Health Mentor at the POP Movement, USA,
POP (Protect Our Planet) Movement

Dr. Pachauri, a dedicated public health physician, has dedicated her career to extensive research in family planning, maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, HIV and AIDS, poverty, gender, and youth issues. Serving as Regional Director, South and East Asia, at the Population Council from 1996 to 2014, she earned the title of Distinguished Scholar in 2011. With a rich history at institutions like Ford Foundation and Family Health International, Dr. Pachauri is a seasoned professional who has authored seven books, contributed to numerous others, and published extensively in peer-reviewed journals.

Ms. Pradnya Paithankar
Head of Unit, Climate Change, Resilient Food Systems and DRR,
United Nations World Food Programme

Working in the development sector for over 20 years, Pradnya has expertise in the field of sustainable food security and nutrition, with focus on policy advocacy, programme design and management, vulnerability assessments, emergency needs assessments, large scale evaluations and research with passion to work with communities. She has worked across multiple sectors ranging from health, nutrition, Agriculture and food security, climate change bringing-in technological innovations. Working in one of the world’s largest humanitarian organization in the world, WFP, Pradnya is currently providing leadership to WFP India’s efforts in bringing the sustainable food and nutrition security to the forefront of development agenda. Contributing to enhance resilience and adaptative capacity among small holder farmers and their collectives - especially in changing climate. As Head of Resilient Food Systems, Climate change and DRR, she is contributing to leverage WFP’s expertise globally to strategically support government systems to design, monitor and implement approaches towards achievement of 2030 agenda. Her work involves climate adaptation, support to transforming food systems to make them climate resilient and encourage local action through empowered communities and facilitate scale-up.

Mr. DMR Panda
General Manager (Renewable Energy-Hydrogen),
NTPC

Currently heading Hydrogen Energy vertical of NTPC Limited as Chief General Manager and Mr Panda is responsible for conceptualizing and implementation of Green hydrogen  projects across the company. He also heads Quality Assurance and Planning & Systems of Renewable Energy vertical of NTPC.

He has a rich experience of over three decades in commissioning,  operation and performance monitoring and improvements of power plants,  training, TQM, Renewable Energy.

To NTPC’s credit, one Green Hydrogen-PNG Blending project is operational since Jan 2023 while two Hydrogen filling stations in GreaterNOIDA and Leh are under construction with 10 hydrogen buses are being delivered. Hydrogen storage and Green Methanol projects are under various stages of execution.

Mr. Madhuban Pandey
Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer,
SCORE Livelihood Foundation

Madhuban is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of SCORE Livelihood Foundation and Secretary of ILO’s SIYB Association of India. He has 18+ years of experience in the development sector specifically in livelihood, micro-enterprise development, and local economic development. He is an alumnus of the US State Department - a professional fellow in local economic development with the University of Oklahoma and XLRI Jamshedpur. 

Before founding SCORE, Madhuban had worked with leading not-for-profit organizations, corporations, and bilateral agencies. 

He is well versed in the community development processes, creates innovative sustainable solutions, and engages various stakeholders for triple-bottom-line impacts.

Dr. Suneel Pandey
Director,
TERI

Dr Suneel Pandey is engaged with the Environment and Waste Management Division of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) as its Director. He is also an Adjunct Faculty at the TERI School of Advanced Studies.

An expert in municipal, industrial and hospital waste management with over 30 years of research and consultancy experience, Dr Pandey’s areas of expertise include air, water and soil quality monitoring, site assessments, and the performance evaluation of effluent treatment plants (ETPs).

He is also the Chairman on the expert committee on circular economy in e-waste management constituted by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Prior to his stint at TERI, Dr Pandey served as a Consultant for ERM India on projects related to hazardous and hospital waste management, environmental site assessments and institutional strengthening and capacity building.

A post graduate in Analytical Chemistry from the Banaras Hindu University, Dr Pandey also holds a doctorate in hazardous waste characterization from Nagpur University.

Mr. Vinod Pandey
General Manager (Environment),
CMPDI Ltd.

1. Post Graduate in Environmental Engineering & Sanitation from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

2. Working as General Manager (Env) at CMPDI, Ranchi.

3. Looking after the environmental management aspects of coal and mineral mining, handling policy issues and international conventions

4. Research and development in coal mining

5. Preparated eco-restoration plan of Aravali Hills that was referred and appreciated by Hon'ble Supreme Court and published by Central Pollution Control Board.

6. Presently working on sustainbale mine closure, restoration of mine affected land in meghalaya and securing the livelihood of affected community.

Mr. Virender Pankaj
Chief Executive Officer,
Aseem Infrastructure Finance Ltd.

Virender Pankaj comes with over 3 decades of rich experience in the Project, Corporate and Structured Finance. He has been associated with Aseem Infrastructure Finance Limited (AIFL) as Chief Executive Officer since inception in FY 2021. In less than 3 years of time, AIFL has established itself as one of the fastest growing infra finance company, with an asset book of more than INR 13,000 Crore, with Green Energy assets contributing to ~50% of the book.

Prior to joining AIFL, he was associated with L&T Infrastructure Finance Limited and State Bank of India in project finance, project appraisal, working capital, corporate and structured finance. In his previous assignment, he managed an asset book of ~ 50000 Crore in areas of Infrastructure Finance, Structured Corporate Finance and Supply Chain Finance and built a leadership position in green energy financing.

Mr. Pranay Pasricha
Brand Head,
CHUK

Mr. Pranay Pasricha, CHUK

Mr. Varghese Paul
Deputy Director for Environment,
USAID/India’s General Development Office

With a master’s degree in forestry, Mr. Varghese Paul has 25 years of experience in Environment and Natural Resource Management (ENRM). He is currently the Deputy Director for Environment at USAID/India’s General Development Office. At USAID, he oversees programs related to forestry, biodiversity, air pollution, plastic pollution, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

In the past, he has worked with leading environmental think tanks in India and led the Forestry and Biodiversity Group at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi. Mr. Paul was a faculty visitor to the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University in 2008. Mr. Paul has done transformative work on forest management in India, developing solutions to address climate change and water scarcity.

Mr. Avinash Persaud
Special Advisor,
Inter-American Development Bank

Mr Avinash Persaud is Special Envoy to the Prime Minister of Barbados. He has been appointed as Special Advisor on Climate Change to Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). 

Mr. Joseph Phelan
Executive Director, Asia Pacific,
WBCSD

Joe is Executive Director, Asia Pacific and a Member of the Extended Leadership Group for the World Business Council for Sustainable    Development (WBCSD). WBCSD is the global, CEO-led community of the world’s leading sustainable  businesses working together to realize a net-zero, nature-positive, more equitable future.

Joe is responsible for the engagement of ambitious companies from across Asia and Australasia in the World Business Council. He has supported collective action projects by business with demonstrable outcomes in areas such as climate change, energy transition, water risk, mobility and more resilient agriculture.

Prior to joining WBCSD, Joe held senior roles with the Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum. Highlights included a series of special reports with the Financial Times on business and sustainable development, the development of the World Business & Development awards with the United Nations and International Chambers of Commerce, and delivery of programs in skills, inclusive business, and anti-corruption.

Born and educated in the UK, Joe has worked in Asia since 2009. He plays cricket and lives in Singapore with his wife, a writer, and their daughter.

Mr. Mark Anthony Phillips
Prime Minister,
Prime Minister of Guyana

Brigadier Mark Anthony Phillips was sworn in as the 9th Executive Prime Minister of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana under President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali on August 2, 2020 and also serves as the First Vice President of Guyana. Under the current administration, Brigadier Mark Phillips holds responsibility for the Energy Secor, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), The Information Sector and the Telecommunications Sector under his portfolio and also sits on the Defence Board of Guyana. The Prime Minister served in the Guyana Defence Force and retired as Brigadier and Chief of Staff in October 2016, having served for over 36 years. He is a recipient of the Military Service Star (MSS), the highest national military award in Guyana. Immediately following his retirement in October 2016, Brigadier Phillips was inducted into the  International Hall of Fame of the United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC), Kansas, USA. This 

Mr. Golo J. Pilz
Advisor Renewable Energy,
Brahma Kumaris

Golo J. Pilz is of German origin and  joined in 1984 the Brahma Kumaris. He is  an experienced meditation teacher who lectures on a wide range of spiritual and environmental topics and has travelled to more than 75 countries. In 1990 Golo moved to India and founded the Brahma Kumaris Solar Department. He is currently the advisor for renewable energy of the Brahma Kumaris. With technical and financial collaboration from the Indian and German Governments, Golo has initiated various innovative solar research projects focused on rural adaptation. In 2009, Golo became a founding member of the Brahma Kumaris Environment Initiative and, each year since, has participated and lectured at the UN climate change conferences. From 2010 to 2017, Golo has coordinated the design and construction of India One, a 1MW solar thermal power plant at the Shantivan Campus of the Brahma Kumaris.

Dr. Pablo Benitez Ponce
Senior Environmental Economist,
World Bank

Pablo Benitez Ponce is a Senior Environmental Economist working for the Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) Global Practice at the World Bank. He joined the World Bank from Marbek Resource Consultants in Canada, where he served as Chief Economist and led a variety of environmental economic analysis projects for government and private sector clients. Previously, he worked as an economist for the Ministry of Environment of British Columbia, the International Institute of Applied System Analysis (IIASA) in Austria, the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands, the German Agency for Technical Cooperation in Ecuador, and the Ministry of Environment in Ecuador. Pablo holds a PhD degree from Wageningen University (The Netherlands) in Environmental Economics.

Dr. Omkar Powar
Innovations Manager (Innovation Hub - Asia, Oceania & The Americas),
Schueco India Pvt Ltd

First ever "Wind-Façade Structural Engineer" in India, with doctoral research work focusing on the wind tunnel evaluation of the surface pressure distributions on Tall Building Façades. Currently responsible to tap the innovative-technological advancements in various interdisciplinary fields and harness their potential to apply in the domain of facades & building envelopes. Have shouldered the responsibilities (for 5+ years) of performing the proof-checks for various façade design projects. Member of the working group for (BIS/CED57 on Cyclone Resistant Structures) contributing towards the New Indian Standard for Façades. Have been a resource person for numerous ‘Skill-Development Workshops’ and ‘Train the Trainers Program’ on Use of Glass and Glazing System in Indian Buildings as per National Building Code and IS-16231 (2016). Recipient of “AWSAR Award -2018” from Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India for the article “Glass: Superhero in the World of Construction Materials”.

Ms. Nidhi Prabha
Gender and Social Inclusion Advisor (GESI),
USAID’s SAREP

Nidhi Prabha is the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Advisor for the USAID-funded South Asia Regional Energy Partnership (SAREP) at RTI International. A political scientist and alumna of Lady Sri Ram and Jawaharlal Nehru University, her PhD focused on gendering public transport systems in Delhi & Mumbai. With a career spanning academia and the development sector, Nidhi has contributed as a consultant to multiple projects for government stakeholders, research organizations, and multilateral entities like the World Bank, Greater Chennai Corporation, BMRCL, ADB etc. In her current role, she integrates GESI as a cross-cutting theme in SAREP's initiatives across six South Asian countries, promoting clean energy and economic growth. 

Ms. Vaishnavi Prabhakaran
Head - Sustainability,
Tata Power

Vaishnavi Prabhakaran serves as the Head of Corporate Sustainability at Tata Power and has been part of Tata Power for over a decade and a half. Throughout her tenure, she has demonstrated versatility by undertaking diverse roles in Business Development, Strategy, Branding & Communications, and Sustainability. Vaishnavi's dynamic and multi-faceted approach brings robust techno-managerial expertise to the realm of Sustainability.

In her impactful leadership role, Vaishnavi has spearheaded the transformative journey of Tata Power, steering the organization towards achieving ambitious Climate Action commitments. This includes attaining Carbon Net Zero before 2045, Water Neutrality, and Zero Waste to Landfill by 2030, as well as ensuring No net loss to Biodiversity. Under her guidance, Tata Power has further strengthened its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) focus by committing to initiatives such as SBTi, TCFD, and early adoption of disclosure norms like BRSR.

An ardent nature enthusiast, Vaishnavi has championed biodiversity conservation causes, overseeing significant projects such as Mahseer conservation, Elephant conservation, grassland ecosystem conservation, and large-scale indigenous afforestation. Her commitment to environmental sustainability extends beyond her professional role.

Recognizing the importance of innovation, Vaishnavi played a pivotal role in establishing Innovation Councils at Tata Power. She actively mentors young talents within the organization, fostering an environment conducive to reaching their full potential. As part of the transformation journey, she has contributed to enhancing Diversity & Inclusion, implementing Human Rights Assessment, and facilitating a common language of Sustainability through comprehensive training interventions.

Vaishnavi has been an integral part of the CII Climate Change Council and has made valuable contributions to the Global power sector roadmap in collaboration with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Vaishnavi holds an MBA (PGDBM Marketing) from SPJIMR and a B.Tech (Instrumentation & Electronics) Degree from CET.

Ms. Khushbu Prajapati
Manager,
Tata Steel Foundation

Khushbu Prajapati is a Manager at Tata Steel Foundation. With a Master's in Habitat Policy and Practice from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, her expertise encompasses sustainable development, analytical acumen, program evaluation, and fundraising. With a commendable 9 years of service at Tata Steel Foundation, she oversees a diverse range of projects focused on education, spanning improvements in government schools, environmental education, IT and English learning, and education initiatives for street and homeless children. Her keen ability to monitor ongoing initiatives and develop new projects underscores her commitment to fostering positive change. 

Mr. Ghanshyam Prasad
Chairperson,
CEA

Shri Ghanshyam Prasad is presently holding the post of Chairperson and Ex-Officio Secretary to the Government of India, Central Electricity Authority, Ministry of Power from 15th July 2022. He is also the Member, ex-officio, of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission. Prior to this he was holding the post of Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Power from 1st June 2020. He has served in the Ministry of Power for around 9 years in various capacities, i.e. Director (OM, Transmission) and Chief Engineer. He did his graduation in B.Tech (Electrical Engineering) for IIT/BHU, Benares Hindu University. He holds an M.Tech in Energy and Environment Management from IIT, Delhi and also a MBA (Finance) from IGNOU, Delhi. He has served 30 years in power sector and three years in the Bokaro Steel Plant, SAIL. During 30 years in power sector, he has worked and contributed in the areas of generation including the RE, transmission, distribution, power market

Ms. Nameeta Prasad
Joint Secretary,
MoEFCC

With around 20 years in the field of environment and its audit, Nameeta Prasad currently holds the position of Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Government of India, with a diverse array of charges like carbon markets, green credit program, biodiversity conservation, non-formal environment education, capacity building and livelihood issues. She is the chief negotiation for India on Article 6 issues and has negotiated issues related to carbon markets at COP 27 and 28. Before her stint with the Ministry, she was involved with environment audit at the central and state level, auditing environment issues like waste management, water pollution, biodiversity, clean energy projects, air quality etc. She has also been India’s representative on the Working Group on Environmental Auditing. Further, as the Director of the International Centre for Environment Audit and Sustainable Development, (iCED) she was part of the team which set up iCED in Jaipur. She has also served as the main faculty for national and international training programs in environment audits on topics like biodiversity, climate change, forests, waste management, water pollution etc. As a Fulbright scholar, at the University of Washington, she holds a master’s degree in environmental sciences. She also has a PG diploma in environment law from National Law School, Bangalore. As a student at Delhi University, she has also earned a master’s degree in psychology.

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

Amit Prothi is the Director General of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). Mr. Prothi brings a wealth of international experience and expertise on climate and disaster resilience issues. He has demonstrated 25 years of progressive leadership in the fields of urban planning and resilient infrastructure, with experience across more than 15 countries including the USA, China, India, Greece, Mongolia, and Mauritania. Mr. Prothi served as Director of Sustainable Planning at AECOM, one of the largest global infrastructure advisory firms, was a consultant to the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank and worked with global thinktanks and philanthropic organizations including the Rockefeller Foundation supported 100 Resilient Cities program.

Mr. Prothi holds a bachelor’s in architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi, and a dual Masters in Regional Planning and Landscape Architecture from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has also pursued doctoral studies in urban studies and planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mr. Manjeev Puri
Distinguished Fellow,
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

Ambassador Manjeev Puri is a Distinguished Fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). Prior to becoming India's Ambassador to Nepal in 2017, he has served as Ambassador of India in Brussels from 2014-2017 and as Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the UN in New York from 2009 to 2013.

Dr. Manas Puri
Senior Professional, IEO,,
New Development Bank

Manas Puri is a Senior Professional who joined IEO in October 2023. He is from India and previously worked for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a specialist in conceptualizing and evaluating energy and climate change projects. Over the past decade, Manas has worked on various projects in several countries in Central and South Asia, as well as North and East Africa regions. Manas holds a Ph.D. in economics and management, as well as a bachelor's degree in physics. He has also authored multiple academic papers, synthesis reports, and project completion reports.

Dr. Dhruba Purkayastha
India Director,
Climate Policy Initiative

Dhruba Purkayastha is the India Director at Climate Policy Initiative, working on Green Finance, Climate Finance and Energy Transition. Dhruba set up and led the US-India Clean Energy Finance Facility (USICEF) and the Center for Sustainable Finance in India to mainstream sustainability and sustainable finance in academic courses. He has over 30 years of experience in credit rating, management consulting, investment banking, engineering industries and international development financing. As an ex-World Bank Group staff and at IFC, Dhruba has worked in private and financial sector development, infrastructure and clean energy financing, public-private partnerships, banking & capital market reforms and technical assistance in improving the investment climate in India. Earlier Dhruba worked with Moody’s ICRA Limited and has been a significant contributor to India’s Infrastructure PPP initiatives.

Dr. Sunita Purushottam
Head of Sustainability,
Mahindra Lifespaces

Dr. Sunita Purushottam Head of Sustainability at Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd.

IGBC AP, Fellow of Royal Met Society, London, Certified GHG emissions quantifier, CSA America, Certified GRI professional, CII Assessor

Member of the Mahindra and Mahindra CSR Council

Chair of Board, Global Building Performance Network, France

Dr. Sunita Purushottam has over 25 years of cross sectoral and global work experience in the field of Sustainability.  She heads Sustainability and CSR at Mahindra Lifespaces. She chairs the board at Global Building Performance network (French Non profit), which helps adopt building energy policies that decarbonise the buildings sector, reduce global warming and achieve sustainable development goals. She is a public speaker, author of several white papers and scientific publications, collaborative research works. She is instrumental in formulating, launching and leading the Decarbonisation Business Charter which is a voluntary business charter with six priority action areas that will facilitate the process of transitioning to the net-zero building and construction sector.

Sunita is a recipient of IGBC Fellow in recognition of her efforts for establishing India’s Net Zero Energy Building (Multifamily Residential high rise) buildings- Mahindra Eden. She has been recognised as a formidable force leading sustainability transformation in the built environment through her collaborative approach focused on science, innovation, technology and stakeholder engagement. She is equally comfortable in academic and corporate circles for her vision for a better world based on science.

Sunita is a recognized subject matter expert is wide areas of sustainability and has executed over fifty engagements in sustainable business strategy, sustainable development and corporate social responsibility across the UK, United States, Mexico, South Africa, and India. She has a deep understanding of environmental risks and opportunities in varied areas of air, waste, water pollution, biodiversity, GHG emissions, climate change mitigation and adaptation and has driven sustainability strategies for companies in the construction, real estate, banking, telecom, automotive, steel and IT sectors.

During her career spanning 25+ years, she has served in Infosys, SENES Consultants and Casella Stanger; and as founding member of Treeni a startup in Sustainability Tech Solutions – and was instrumental in development of ReSustain ESG tech platform. 

Sunita holds a Masters Degree in Physics and a Phd in Env Science and Engineering from IIT Bombay.

In her spare time, Sunita likes to bake, read, or tend to her garden. She is a perpetual cleaner and nature lover and is actively involved in community work pertaining to environment. Her personal mission is to spread environmental awareness and push for right environmental action.

Mr. Martin Raiser
Vice President,
The World Bank

Mr. Martin Raiser became the World Bank’s Vice President for the South Asia Region on July 1, 2022. 

As the Regional Vice President for South Asia, Mr. Raiser manages Bank relations with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, and oversees a portfolio of projects, technical assistance, and financial resources worth almost US$55 billion. 

Before joining the region, Mr. Raiser was the World Bank’s Country Director for China and Mongolia, and Director for Korea since March 1, 2019. He led a team that managed an evolving partnership with China, a growing program of support to Mongolia, and a deepening knowledge partnership with Korea focused on innovation and technology. 

Mr. Raiser holds a doctorate degree in Economics (summa cum laude) from the University of Kiel, Germany, and degrees in Economics and Economic History from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences. Mr. Raiser worked for the Kiel Institute of World Economics and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, where he was Director of Country Strategy and Editor of the Transition Report. Since joining the World Bank in 2003, Mr. Raiser held positions as the Country Manager in Uzbekistan, Country Director for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, Country Director for Turkey, and Country Director for Brazil. 

Mr. Raiser, a German national, is married and has four children. He has published numerous articles in refereed economic journals and authored several books. 

Ms. Shivangi Raj
Project Associate,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Shivangi Raj works as a Project Associate at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and is a coordinator for TERI’s flagship event – World Sustainable Development Summit.

Mr. Amit Raj
Director,
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Mr Amit Raj is the Director of Climate Change Division at the Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change, Delhi. 

Mr. Rajiv Ranjan Mishra
Chief Advisor and Chairman, Strategy & Policy,
National Institute of Urban Affairs

Rajiv Ranjan Mishra (IAS, Retd)  is Chief Advisor and Chairman of Strategy & Policy Unit at the National Institute of Urban Affairs in India, and additionally acts as an advisor for the Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kanpur. He is the former Director General for the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), during which he transformed the Namami Gange programme into an integrated, multi-sectoral model framework for river rejuvenation in India. As Additional Secretary for India’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, he steered several policies in housing sector, urban SDGs, New Urban Agenda and sustainable technologies, and played a pivotal role in the enactment of the landmark Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Act, 2016-RERA. 

Dr. Sissel Ranneklev
Norway,
Norwegian Institute for Water Research

For the past 18 years, Sissel has worked with aquatic environmental monitoring, and the last 9 years she has mainly worked with pollutants, organic and inorganic, in biota, sediments and water. Sissel has been the coordinator for a larger EU project and project manager for several small and large projects for different sectors in Norway. In the EU, she has worked as a project co-worker for a number of different projects for the European Environmental Agency (EEA, Topic center, Copenhagen), and contributed to reports on pollutants in water and sediments, and evaluated other countries' management plans in the EU Water framework directive. Sissel has a broad environmental background and has published articles and technical documentation in the fields of soil microbiology/chemistry, microbiology, agriculture/horticulture, acid rain, pollutants in sediment/water/biota (fresh water and costal water), microplastics, and limnology. In NIVA's EU Water Framework Directive group, she has pollutants as her area of responsibility. During the industrial operational monitoring that was implemented in 2014, she has been one of NIVA's core personnel in relation to internal training and contact with the Norwegian Environmental Agency and the industry. Sissel is the leader of the seminar committee in the Norwegian Water Association. During the last 5 years Sissel has been given lectures yearly about the EU Water Framework Directive at the University of Oslo and the University of South-Eastern Norway.

Mr. Ivan Ransom
Sustainability Ambassador and Youth Mentor,
The Protect Our Planet Movement

Ivan Ransom has a BSc in Biology from UNAM, and specialized in Sustainable Development at the University of St Andrews. As a climate advocate, Ivan has been raising awareness about environmental issues and solutions for over 10 years, and as an independent consultant, Ivan has won public and private sector competitions. Moreover, he is the co-author of two research papers and did cancer research at the University of Aberdeen. Ivan is also the Co-Founder of Resilience 2020.

Dr. Vasanti Rao
DG,
CMS

Dr (Ms) Vasanti Rao is the Director General of CMS (Centre for Media Studies) -  a research based think tank in India - www.cmsindia.org She also directs CMS VATAVARAN – Asia’s largest international film festival and forum on environment & wildlife - www.cmsvatavaran.org Vasanti has her PhD in Media Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University and has double Masters degrees in Psychology and Management.  Vasanti specializes in strategy development, designing, researching and evaluating development programs communication initiatives. She is the IUCN CEC Regional Vice Chair for South & South East Asia & Steering Committee Member.

Dr. Sridevi Rao
Landscape architect,
Independent consultant

Sridevi Rao is a Landscape Architect residing in Hyderabad, India. She received her Master's degree in Landscape Architecture in 1981 and Ph.D. degree in 2003 from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. She has 40+ years of experience in the profession, consulting for projects all over India. She has also been teaching students of Architecture in Hyderabad. She is the author of the book entitled 'A Measure of Community: Public Open Space and Sustainable Development Goal 11.7' published in 2016. She has presented her work at various conferences. She has reviewed Papers and Books for journals. She has won the first prize in an international design competition and other local awards. She was the President of the Indian Society of Landscape Architects (ISOLA) which is affiliated to the International Federation of Landscape Architects. Currently she practices as an independent consultant for industries to reduce land, water and air pollution through nature-based solutions. She is also pursuing independent research on public housing and livelihoods.

Mr. R R Rashmi
Distinguished Fellow,
TERI

Shri R R Rashmi is Distinguished Fellow of the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), a leading think tank in the field of environment and sustainability in India. He works in the area of climate change policy and strategy and brings over 35 years of experience as member of the Indian Administrative Service in shaping and handling public policy. He has been involved with climate change policy making in India in the run-up to and after the Paris Agreement. He has held the position of Special Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change in the Government of India and was India's principal negotiator under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change for several years.

Besides writing and commenting on issues of sustainability, he is engaged with developments in voluntary and compliance carbon markets in India. He is a member of the Technical Advisory Body of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on CORSIA.

Mr. R R Rashmi
Distinguished Fellow,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Shri R R Rashmi is Distinguished Fellow of the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), a leading think tank in the field of environment and sustainability in India. He works in the area of climate change policy and strategy and brings over 35 years of experience as member of the Indian Administrative Service in shaping and handling public policy. He has been involved with climate change policy making in India in the run-up to and after the Paris Agreement. He has held the position of Special Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change in the Government of India and was India's principal negotiator under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change for several years.

Besides writing and commenting on issues of sustainability, he is engaged with developments in voluntary and compliance carbon markets in India. He is a member of the Technical Advisory Body of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on CORSIA.

Mr. Vatimi Tidara Tuinasakea Kaunitawake Rayalu
Minister,
Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways, Fiji

Mr. Rayalu is the Minister for Agriculture and Waterways, Fiji. He was appointed to Cabinet as Minister on December 24th 2022.

He started off his career in 1988 as a Junior Field Officer at the Fiji Sugar Corportation, Lautoka Mill, Fiji.

In 1991 to 1995 he served as an Agriculture Assistant with the Ministry of Agriculture under the Research Division at 3 different Stations in Fiji.

In 2008, he became the Principal Agricultural Officer and later was promoted as Director Land Resource Division in the Farm Management Team.

He later ascended the position of Director of Crop Extension in 2014 before he became the Chief Economist. He was then appointed as Deputy Secretary Corporate Services.

The Honorable Minister holds a Master in Business Management and Bachelor of Agriculture from the University of the South Pacific.

Mr. Vatimi Tidara Tuinasakea Kaunitawake Rayalu
Minister,
Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways, Fiji

Mr. Rayalu is the Minister for Agriculture and Waterways, Fiji. He was appointed to Cabinet as Minister on December 24th 2022.

He started off his career in 1988 as a Junior Field Officer at the Fiji Sugar Corportation, Lautoka Mill, Fiji.

In 1991 to 1995 he served as an Agriculture Assistant with the Ministry of Agriculture under the Research Division at 3 different Stations in Fiji.

In 2008, he became the Principal Agricultural Officer and later was promoted as Director Land Resource Division in the Farm Management Team.

He later ascended the position of Director of Crop Extension in 2014 before he became the Chief Economist. He was then appointed as Deputy Secretary Corporate Services.

The Honorable Minister holds a Master in Business Management and Bachelor of Agriculture from the University of the South Pacific.

Dr. Farran Mack Redfern
Secretary,
Ministry Of Infrastructure & Sustainable Energy

1 Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, (2017). 


2 Master of Science (MSc) in Earth Science, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand (Honors) (2006) 


2.Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Environmental Science, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji (2000)

Ms. Maria Teresa Ribera Rodriguez
Deputy Prime Minister of The Government Of Spain And Minister For The Ecological Transition And The Demographic Challenge,
Ministry For The Ecological Transition And The Demographic Challenge

Prior to that, Ms Ribera was Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) from 2014 to 2018, and enabled the Institute to play a key role in the negotiation of the Paris Climate Agreement and the transition towards sustainable development. She served as the Spanish Secretary of State for Climate Change and Biodiversity from 2008 to 2011, responsible for environmental and climate policies, as well as the National Meteorological Agency. A public official from the Senior Corps of State Civil Administrators, she has also taught at the Autonomous University of Madrid.

Mr. Ashim Roy
General Secretary,
Hind Mazdoor Kisan Panchayat (HMKP)

Ashim Roy has over 30 years of experience in the trade union movement and rich association with social, political and human rights movements. He has been a founding member of many national and international organisations/  networks and at present is the General Secretary of Hind Mazdoor Kisan Panchayat (HMKP) . Roy has been also involved from the very inception in the Trade Union for Energy Democracy (TUED), a global coalition of  unionist shaping the union perspective on climate change and  policy advocacy for fair transition and energy democracy. He has written and talked at various forums on these issues . 

Mr. Sourav Roy
CEO,
Tata Steel Foundation

Sourav leads the corporate social responsibility efforts of Tata Steel which is among the oldest, largest and most diverse societal development efforts of India Inc. He anchors a team of more than 600 colleagues which works closely and constantly with communities to co create solutions to the most underserved issues of the least visible groups, reaching more than a million and a half lives annually across India.   He joined the Tata group, as part of the Tata Administrative Services, in 2007 and his experience spans CSR, sustainability and corporate finance / M&A across a range of sectors. In his last engagement, Sourav anchored the sustainability strategy work of the Tata Sustainability Group (TSG) and worked with Tata companies to integrate social and environmental aspects within their approaches to business. He has also worked on setting up disaster response frameworks for the Tata group while managing post disaster relief and l

Mr. Manoj Kumar Rustagi
Chief Sustainability & Innovation Officer,
JSW Cement Limited

Manoj is a senior business leader, and has significantly contributed to the strategic initiatives, new business development and capex projects resulting in sustainable growth in Cement and Steel sectors in his 30 years of professional career. As Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer (CSIO), he is spearheading initiatives in Sustainability and R&D, and new Business development for JSW Cement Limited (JSWCL), India. JSWCL is a leading green building materials company in India with business interests in Cement, GGBS, Constructions chemicals and Ready-Mix concrete, and has lowest carbon intensity per tonne of cementitious product. He is whole time director & CEO of Shiva Cement Limited (subsidiary of JSW Cement). He is also a director on the board of Global Cement & Concrete Association (GCCA) India chapter. He is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from BITS Pilani, India and an MBA from Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, India.

Mr. Mohammad Saad
Senior Engineer Research,
Geed Simulation

Senior research Engineer in Geed Simulation Pvt Ltd. Has Done Mtech in machine Design frpom jamia Millia Islamia , A central University in New Delhi

Prof. Jeffrey Sachs
University Professor,
UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and the Center for Sustainable Development

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 42 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. Dipankar Saharia
Senior Director-,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Dr Dipankar Saharia heads TERI’s Administrative Services Division, TERI's Regional Centres and guides a few other research Divisions; earlier he was heading TERI’s North-Eastern Regional Centre. He was with the Government of Assam as an officer of the Assam Civil Services. He held the positions of Assistant Commissioner and later Officer on Special Duty at the Personnel Department and Science & Technology Department, Government of Assam from 1997 to 2009 and was also on deputation to TERI. Dr Saharia also worked with TERI from 1995 to 1996 for the Tissue Culture Pilot Project (now MTP) before joining Assam Civil Service.

Dr Saharia has a Masters in Science and Ph.D. from Guwahati University. His expertise lies in the areas of biotechnology, natural resource management and rural development where he has undertaken several projects and studies in the fields of watershed management, Micropropagation, Renewable Energy and Biofuels. Currently, he is a Board Member of ONGC TERI Biotech Ltd (OTBL). He has been the PI of several mission mode projects for the North-Eastern Region, including the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) Mission for Quality Planting Material Production and Utilization for the North East, DBT's Jatropha Micro Mission, DNA Club (DBT’s Natural Resource Awareness Programme Club) in North-Eastern Region and Mini Mission I under Horticulture Mission, ICAR.

Dr. Dipankar Saharia
Senior Director- Administrative Services & Regional Centres,
TERI

Dr. Dipankar Saharia heads TERI's Administrative Services Division and Regional Centres. He also leads the Social Transformation and CSR Division, Environment Education and Awareness Division, and a few other research Divisions and he is a Director in the Board of ONGC TERI Biotech Ltd (OTBL). He was as an officer of the Assam Civil Services, holding various positions from 1997 to 2009, including Assistant Commissioner and Officer on Special Duty at the Personnel Department and Science Technology Department and was also on deputation to TERI. Earlier he with TERI from 1995 to 1996 for the Tissue Culture Pilot Project (now MTP) before joining Assam Civil Service. Dr. Saharia holds an M.Sc. and a Ph.D, having expertise in biotechnology, natural resource management, rural development, and the projects undertaken include in the fields of Natural Resources and Watershed management, Micropropagation, Renewable Energy, Biofuels and Carbon Finance.

Dr. Santosh Saini
Senior Research Associate,
AEEE

Dr. Santosh Kumar Saini is a Senior Research Associate at AEEE, contributing to the ongoing efforts in the field of sustainable cooling and cold chain. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, his research primarily focused on energy-efficient refrigeration technologies and the analysis of potential refrigerants for various Refrigeration, Air Conditioning, and Heat Pump (RACHP) applications. Santosh has played key roles in various national and international projects, proposing energy-efficient refrigeration technologies for optimal seafood storage and handling.

Ms. Abanti Sankaranarayanan
Chief Group Public Affairs Officer & Member of the Group Executive Board,
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd

Abanti Sankaranarayanan is the Chief Group Public Affairs Officer and Member of the Group Executive Board of the Mahindra Group. In her role, Abanti leads Public Policy & Regulation, Sustainability, Risk and Economist functions for the Mahindra Group. Abanti serves as Director on the Board of various Group companies of Mahindra. She is also Member of the Executive Council of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and Chair, CII Working Group for Transportation. She is also the Co Chair of the FICCI Committee on Environment & Climate Change for 2024   Prior to joining Mahindra, she was the Chief Strategy and Corporate Affairs Officer for Diageo India and a member of its Executive Committee.  Prior to Diageo, Abanti served as a member of the Tata Administrative Service (TAS) cadre since 1992  

Prof. Celeste Saulo
Secretary-General,
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

First woman and first Latin American to be elected as Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in June 2023, Prof Celeste Saulo obtained her “Licenciatura” in Meteorology from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). She obtained her Ph.D. from UBA in Atmospheric Sciences. In 1988, she began her academic career at the Department of Atmosphere and Ocean. She served as Associated Full-time Professor from 2017 up to 2023. She has authorship of more than 60 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles and book chapters. From 2009 to 2013, she was elected for two consecutive periods as the Director of the Department of Atmosphere and Ocean Sciences at the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, UBA. In July 2014, Professor Saulo was appointed as the Director of the Argentinean National Meteorological Service and served for two other terms. She has also served as Permanent Representative of Argentina with the WMO.

Ms. Sunaina Saxena
Editor-in-Chief, Vasundhara Magazine,
TERI School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi

Currently a graduate student pursuing M.Sc. Economics at TERI School of Advanced Studies, I possess a profound interest in applying economic research and econometric modeling to practical concepts. Proficient in Advanced Excel, R, Python (Intermediate), STATA, and EViews, my academic focus revolves around applied econometrics, environmental economics, development economics, and quantitative economics. Beyond the academic realm, I am a trained Kathak Dancer, showcasing my dedication to the arts. Complementing my artistic pursuits, I am also actively engaged in social work, merging analytical skills with a commitment to community impact. As a graduate student with diverse interests, my aim is to contribute meaningfully to both academic and societal spheres.

Mr. A K Saxena
Senior Fellow and Senior Director,
TERI

Mr. A. K. Saxena currently heads the Electricity and Renewables Division in The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). He has over 40 years of experience in the power sector in India.  He has worked with the Central Electricity Authority, Ministry of Power and Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC). Post retirement from Government service in 2016, he is with TERI where he leads various projects in the Power Sector.   Key areas of focus of his work at present include Energy Transition, Just Transition, Smart Distribution with Energy Storage, E-mobility, Demand Side Management, Smart Grid, Cross-border Electricity Trade etc., which involve a strong interaction with power utilities in the country as well as leading organisations/institutes in India and other countries.  He was Chair/Member/Convenor of Committees set up by CERC.  Mr. Saxena holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and MBA.  He is a Fellow of Institution of Engineers (India) and he is a member of IEEE

Mr. Sanjay Seth
Senior Director - Sustainable Infrastructure Programme,
The Energy and Resources and Institute

Sanjay Seth is a Senior Director of the Sustainable Infrastructure Programme with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). His work covers a range of activities from City to Building Level Interventions includes policy analysis, sustainable urban planning, mainstreaming of sustainable habitats in the built environment, promoting low carbon and sustainable transportation, capacity building and knowledge creation.

He is also the Vice President & Chief Executive Officer of GRIHA Council which administers the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) Council. GRIHA is an independent organization jointly setup by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India to promote and administer green buildings in India.

Prior to joining TERI & GRIHA, he worked with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power, Government of India and led the vertical on Building Energy Efficiency. He was also the interim Secretary of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency and responsible for the administration and financial management of the organization.

Mr. Sanjay Seth
Senior Director - Sustainable Infrastructure Programme,
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

Sanjay Seth is a Senior Director of the Sustainable Infrastructure Programme with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). His work covers a range of activities from City to Building Level Interventions includes policy analysis, sustainable urban planning, mainstreaming of sustainable habitats in the built environment, promoting low carbon and sustainable transportation, capacity building and knowledge creation.

He is also the Vice President & Chief Executive Officer of GRIHA Council which administers the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) Council. GRIHA is an independent organization jointly setup by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India to promote and administer green buildings in India.

Prior to joining TERI & GRIHA, he worked with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power, Government of India and led the vertical on Building Energy Efficiency. He was also the interim Secretary of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency and responsible for the administration and financial management of the organization.

Mr. Girish Sethi
Senior Director-Energy Program,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Girish Sethi is Senior Director of the Energy Program at TERI, having more than 37 years of experience in the field of energy, environment and sustainable development. His direct responsibilities at TERI include providing strategic direction and coordinating the activities related to industrial energy efficiency, renewable energy, fuels and electricity including demand side management. He is presently coordinating a new initiative at TERI that looks at options for deep de-carbonization in harder-to-abate industrial sectors like steel and cement in the longer term, including options for use of hydrogen. He has represented TERI in various national and international forums on different aspects related to energy and environment. He is a Chemical Engineer and holds Master’s Degree in Energy Studies from Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi.

Mr. Girish Sethi
Senior Director-Energy Program,
The Energy and Resources and Institute

Girish Sethi is Senior Director of the Energy Program at TERI, having more than 37 years of experience in the field of energy, environment and sustainable development. His direct responsibilities at TERI include providing strategic direction and coordinating the activities related to industrial energy efficiency, renewable energy, fuels and electricity including demand side management. He is presently coordinating a new initiative at TERI that looks at options for deep de-carbonization in harder-to-abate industrial sectors like steel and cement in the longer term, including options for use of hydrogen. He has represented TERI in various national and international forums on different aspects related to energy and environment. He is a Chemical Engineer and holds Master’s Degree in Energy Studies from Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi.

Dr. Meenesh Shah
Chairman and Managing Director,
National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)

Dr Meenesh Shah is the Chairman and Managing Director of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). He has illustrious and multi–faceted career exceeding 38 years in Dairy Sector championing the cause of small and marginal dairy farmers by bringing about efficiencies, effectiveness and sustainability across the dairy value chain. Dr Meenesh Shah is also the Chairman of IRMA, Mother Dairy, IDMC, Anandalaya, Indian Immunologicals, NDDB Dairy Services, MRIDA, CALF & National Cooperative Organics Ltd. and is on the Board of International Dairy Federation, Vidya Dairy, NCDFI, Foundation for Ecological Security, Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Sangh Ltd. He is the recipient of the prestigious Dr. Kurien Award of IDA and Prize of Excellence Award of International Dairy  Federation.

Ms. Priya Shankar
Program Manager,
Bloomberg Philanthropies

Priya Shankar works with the Climate and Environment Program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, where she leads the program’s work in India, on air quality, and on international subnational climate action. She also contributes to work on international climate diplomacy, clean energy, and climate finance issues. She previously worked with the Government Innovation Program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, where she led the India Smart Cities Program. She has more than 17 years’ experience in climate, policy research, international, and urban affairs including at LSE Cities, Deutsche Bank’s Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft and the think tank, Policy Network. 

Ms. Priya Shankar
India Director – Climate and Environment Program,
Bloomberg Philanthropies

Priya Shankar works with the Climate and Environment Program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, where she leads the program’s work in India, on air quality, and on international subnational climate action. She also contributes to work on international climate diplomacy, clean energy, and climate finance issues. She previously worked with the Government Innovation Program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, where she led the India Smart Cities Program. She has more than 17 years’ experience in climate, policy research, international, and urban affairs including at LSE Cities, Deutsche Bank’s Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft and the think tank, Policy Network. 

Mr. Ajay Shankar
Distinguished Fellow,
TERI

He has rich and varied experience in public service for over forty years as a member of the Indian Administrative Service.  He has served in the Government of India in key policy making positions in the areas of industry and energy.  He has been Secretary, DIPP (Department of Industrial, Policy and Promotion) in the Government of India as well as Member Secretary, NMCC (National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council).

He had earlier worked in the Ministry of Power for many years and held the posts of Special Secretary, Additional Secretary and Joint Secretary. He played a key role in piloting the reform legislation, the Electricity Act 2003 and the major programme for completing the universalization of electricity access launched in 2005 to electrify 1,25,000 villages. Village electrification has now been completed. He was closely involved in the design of the National Solar Mission at the time of its inception.

He writes on policy issues and his articles have been appearing in the national economic papers.

Ms. Pratibha Sharma
Project Analyst,
UNDP

Pratibha Sharma, based in New Delhi, DL, IN, is currently a Project Analyst at UNDP in India, bringing experience from previous roles at UNDP in India, GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives) and SWaCH. Pratibha Sharma holds a 2010 - 2012 MSW in Women Centered Social Work @ Tata Institute of Social Sciences. With a robust skill set that includes Business Development, Microsoft Word, Data Analysis, Research, Microsoft Excel and more, Pratibha Sharma contributes valuable insights to the industry.

Dr. Sumit Sharma
Programme Officer,
UNEP

Dr. Sumit Sharma is working with the United Nations Environment Programme in India, as Programme Officer. He is a PhD in environmental sciences from Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, and has more than 18 years of experience in the areas of environment and natural resource management. He has worked on more than 70 projects related to environmental quality management, involving scientific research assessments, policy advocacy, outreach, capacity building, and awareness generation. Before UNEP, he has worked as Director at TERI and has worked with a wide range of environmental and sustainability issues including air pollution, waste management etc. He has several peer-reviewed publications to his credit.

Dr. Jagmohan Sharma
Director,
Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA)

Dr. Jagmohan Sharma, an officer of 1990 batch of Indian Forest Service, presently serving as Director, Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun. His professional journey includes key roles, notably as the Director General, Environmental Management & Policy Research Institute (EMPRI), Bengaluru, Joint Director (Wildlife), Joint Director (Delhi Zoo), and Assistant Inspector General of Forests (Externally Aided Projects).

Dr. Sharma's academic credentials are impressive, featuring a Ph.D. in Climate Change & Forest Vulnerability from the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, a Master of Management Studies in Public Policy from IIM Bengaluru, and an MSc in Forest Ecology & Management from the University of Edinburgh, U.K among many others. His accomplishments extend to numerous awards and medals, including a Gold Medal for his Ph.D. Thesis, the Elizabeth Sinclair Irvine Prize from the University of Edinburgh, the titles of Top Trainee & Best All-Rounder Wildlifer from the Wildlife Institute of India, Best All-Rounder Probationer from IGNFA, and the Modi Rubber Prize from IIT Kharagpur. Dr. Sharma has also made significant contributions to various publications.

Dr. Jitendra Vir Sharma
Senior Director, Land Resources Division,
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

Dr. Sharma holds a doctorate degree in economic valuation of forest ecosystems. He has nearly 45 year’ experience in leading, coordinating and managing projects and activities in the forestry sector. 

Dr Sharma started his career with the Indian Forest Services in 1983 and retired as a Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Uttar Pradesh and throughout his career he has worked on multiple policy assignments in relation to sustainable development of forests, biodiversity and wildlife conservation, mitigating climate change and poverty alleviation of forest fringe villages.

He is associated with TERI since 2011 and has led various projects relating to climate financing models, the economic valuation of the forest ecosystem, changes in forest governance, combating land degradation, carbon financing and the enhancement of the livelihoods of forest communities and has worked for a multitude of clients, including the Government of India, various state governments, national and international agencies, the private sector and not for profit enterprises.

His roles include strategic development, project formulation, raising project funding, project implementation and monitoring, institutional and capacity building, networking and negotiating with government representatives and funding agencies.

He also has an extensive expertise in global forest policy and international negotiations and has been a negotiator on behalf of Government of India to the United Nations under the UNFF process.

Dr Sharma is an avid and published author and has had various research papers published in national and international publications. He is also a keen speaker at events for climate change, forestry and other domain specific events and has addressed both domestic audiences and international audiences.

He was a faculty member of the Natural Resource Management Department of TERI School of Advanced Studies and guided various PhD students on Forest governance, Climate Change and Natural Resource Economics.

Mr. Parag Sharma
Founder & CEO,
O2 Power

Parag Sharma is the Founder and CEO of O2 Power, a renewable energy platform established in November 2019. The company raised $500 million from investors EQT and Temasek to develop renewable energy projects in India. Parag previously served as COO at ReNew Power and has over 25 years of experience in the power sector. He holds an MBA from IIT Delhi, LLB from Delhi University, and an Electrical Engineering degree from AMU. Parag is also involved in industry associations, serving as Chairman at CII and President at WIPPA.

Mr. Shombi Sharp
UN Resident Coordinator,
United Nations

Mr Shombi Sharp, a national of the United States of America, is the UN Resident Coordinator for India since November 2021. Mr. Sharp has devoted more than 25 years of his career to promoting inclusive and sustainable development internationally, bringing experience he has acquired at the United Nations and externally to this new position.

Within the Organization, he most recently served as United Nations Resident Coordinator in Armenia, after holding several leadership positions at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), where he was Resident Representative in Armenia, Deputy Resident Representative in Georgia, Deputy Country Director in Lebanon, Regional HIV/AIDS Practice Team Leader for UNDP Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States in the Russian Federation, Programme Manager for the Western Balkans in New York and Assistant Resident Representative in the Russian Federation.

Prior to joining the United Nations, Mr. Sharp began his career in development with the international non-profit CARE International in Zimbabwe.  He is a published author of works in health economics and was a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) “Policy Champion” as well as a nominee for the UNDP Administrator’s Award.

Mr. Sharp holds a postgraduate diploma in HIV/AIDS management from the National Medical University of South Africa and Stellenbosch University, in South Africa; a master’s degree in economics from the University of Colorado, in the United States; and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Kansas, United States.

He is fluent in English and Russian.

Mr. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
Union Minister,
Ministry of Jal Shakti

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is the current Minister for Jal Shakti and is a two-term Member of Parliament. His trajectory, marked by a transition from student leadership to overseeing the implementation of the flagship Jal Jeevan Mission and many initiatives on water. 

Ms. Prachi Shevgaonkar
Founder & CEO,
Cool The Globe

Prachi is a Climate Innovator and the founder of an award-winning app for climate action called Cool The Globe with users from 110 countries. She leads the United Nations NextGen Fellowship in India, facilitating the role of youth in solving global challenges.  Prachi is the youngest & first Indian Citizen to be appointed on the advisory board of Climate Leadership Coalition, along with the former Prime Minister of Finland. Prachi represented India at COP27 where she received ‘COP27 Scholar Award’ from the Environment Minister of India Bhupender Yadav. She was awarded as Young Change-maker of the year by the Finance Minister of India Nirmala Sitaraman.  Google made a TV campaign inspired by her journey of building Cool The Globe App. She is also serving as Climate Change Advisor to Tata Power and all its subsidiaries.  

Mr. Kurt Shickman
Advisor,
Cool Roof Rating Council

Kurt is a Board Member and advisor to the Cool Roof Rating Council, a U.S. non-profit organization that provides testing, rating, and labeling services for roofing and exterior wall products.  He is the founder of KS Advisory, a consulting practice providing insights to cities, companies, and civil society organizations as they approach the challenge of extreme heat and climate resilience. Prior to launching KS Advisory, Kurt was the Director of Extreme Heat Initiatives at the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center.   In 2011, Kurt launched the Global Cool Cities Alliance and built it into a global network of over 70 cities focused on implementing passive cooling solutions to combat rising urban heat.  He is the lead author of World Bank’s Primer for Cool Cities and has led projects for the Department of Energy, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, the United Nations, and the Clean Energy Ministerial. 

Ms. BK Shivani
Rajyog Teacher,
Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organisation

BK Shivani is a practitioner of Rajyog Meditation of the Brahma Kumaris for over 25 years. Her practical application of spiritual principles on the TV programme 'Awakening With Brahma Kumaris', for over 15 years has empowered people to overcome issues of emotional distress, depression and relationship conflicts.  In March 2019, she was awarded the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskaar, the highest civilian honor for women in India, for her role in transforming human behaviors. Since 2017 she has been appointed as Goodwill Ambassador by the World Psychiatrist Association. She is an electronics engineer from Pune University. 

Dr. Manish Kumar Shrivastava
Associate Director,
The Energy and Resources and Institute

Dr Manish Kumar Shrivastava's research interests include theories and practices of justice with a particular reference to the interaction of energy, technology, and environmental policy in multi-level governance and fragmented society contexts. He has more than 15 years of experience in teaching and research. His current research focuses on financing and governance of decarbonization and just transition in India, the role of sub-national and non-state actors in scaling up climate action in developing countries; market-based mechanisms, mainstreaming gender justice in mitigation, and the role of frugality in sustainable development governance. He is an Associate Editor of the journal 'Climate Action'.

In the past, he was also associated with the TERI School of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, and the Council for Social Development. He holds Ph.D. and M.Phil. Degrees in Science Policy and a Masters Degree in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Mr. Gagan Sidhu
Director - Centre for Energy Finance,
Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)

Gagan is Director of the Centre for Energy Finance at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) a leading independent policy research institute. His work at CEEW is focused on advancing the energy transition in India as well as in other emerging economies. Prior to joining CEEW, he was CFO of GMR Renewable Energy, and before that, he worked in the investment banking industry across multiple geographic locations, including Tokyo, Singapore, London, and Dubai. Gagan holds a BA (Hons) degree in Economics from Delhi University’s Shri Ram College of Commerce and an MBA from Duke University.

Mr. Pankaj Sindwani
Chief Business Officer,
Tata Capital

Pankaj Sindwani is the Chief Business Officer, Cleantech Finance at Tata Capital. He helped set up India's first, and only private sector green bank delivering industry-leading financial and climate returns. Besides Business, he has also been responsible for co-creating an ecosystem of alliances and partnerships with domestic and Global stakeholders for Clean Technology Finance in India.
A distinguished Speaker, Pankaj has represented India at prominent global events and forums. In addition, he has been mentoring numerous Start-ups, in the Clean Technology space.
Pankaj has held various important positions in past both within and outside Tata Group and his previous responsibilities include roles in Sales & Marketing, Manufacturing Operations and Corporate Strategy. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Technology from BITS Pilani and an Executive Masters in International Business from IIFT, New Delhi.

Mr. Santosh Singh
Partner and Managing Director,
Intellecap

Santosh is a Partner and Managing Director at Intellecap and leads its Agriculture and Climate Solutions practices. He has more than 20 years of experience in scaling up market based solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation. He has led several initiatives in shaping up energy access financing, carbon markets and sustainable finance interventions across Asia and Africa.

Before joining Intellecap, Santosh worked with the World Bank (South Asia Region) where his work focused on developing affordable clean cooking/energy access solutions, and climate finance interventions for various sectors. Previously, he has worked as a Technical Expert for GIZ and led the Rural Market Insight program at the Institute for Financial Management and Research. He has also advised Tata Trusts, CLEAN, GIZ and several social enterprises on energy access, result based financing and last-mile distribution models.

Santosh has authored several publications on climate change, energy access, climate finance and presented his work to practitioners and academic audiences globally. He is a Mathematics graduate and has a postgraduate degree from Indian Institute of Forest Management.

Mr. Chhatrasal Singh
Additional Member (Traffic Transportation),
Ministry of Railways (Railway Board)

Shri Chhatrasal Singh is presently working as Additional Member (Traffic Transportation) in the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board), New Delhi. Shri Chhatrasal Singh belongs to the Indian Railway Traffic Service Cadre 1988 Batch and joined the Railway Service in December 1989. He has done BE (Electrical) from IIT/Roorkee.  In Indian Railways, he has worked in various capacities and gained vast experience in South East Central Railway, North Central Railway, North Western Railway & Northern Railway in Operations, Commercial, and Safety Departments. He has also worked as Director (Computerisation and Information Systems), Railway Board.  Besides this, he has also worked as General Manager in the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), New Delhi.  Before joining as Additional Member (Traffic Transportation), the Railway Board, he was posted as Principal Chief Operations Manager, South East Central Railway, Bilaspur, and Divisional Railway Manager, Chakradharpur Division of South Eastern Railway.

Mr. R.K. Singh
Hon'ble Cabinet Minister (Power, New & Renewable Energy),
Government of India

Shri R.K. Singh has been the Minister for the Ministry of Power and New and Renewable Energy- from 5th September 2017 to 7th July, 2021 as Minister of State and thereafter as the Cabinet Minister. Shri Singh is Member of Parliament from Arrah (Bihar). He has degrees in English Literature, Law and Management. He joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1975. He was the Home Secretary of Bihar; the Principal Secretary, PWD (Roads) of the State; Secretary Department of Defence Production of the Government of India and the Home Secretary of India. In 2014 he contested election to the Parliament and was elected. He was re-elected in 2019. As Member of Parliament he was Member of various Parliamentary Committees and was also a Member of Standing Committee for Peace and Security of International Parliamentary Union.

Mr. Abhijeet Singh Bal
Senior Manager - Environment & Social,
Cube Highways and Transportation Assets Advisors Pvt. Ltd.

I, Abhijeet Singh Bal, bring over 9 years of experience to my role as Senior Manager - Environment & Social at Cube Highways. Focused on ESG initiatives, I drive environmental sustainability through EHS implementation, adherence to laws, and statutory compliances. My expertise extends to ESDD transactions, showcasing my commitment to responsible business practices and sustainable development.

Mr. Manjeev Singh Puri
Distinguished Fellow,
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

Ambassador Manjeev Puri is a Distinguished Fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). Prior to becoming India's Ambassador to Nepal in 2017, he has served as Ambassador of India in Brussels from 2014-2017 and as Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the UN in New York from 2009 to 2013.

Mr. Satish Sinha
Associate Director,
Toxics Link (TL)

Satish Sinha is the Associate Director of Toxics Link. Satish has been associated with this research-based policy advocacy organisation since 2003 and has been leading a team trying to effect change both at the policy and grassroots levels. His knowledge and expertise on environmental issues, especially in areas of municipal, hazardous & medical waste management, food safety & chemicals, and POPs, has helped in taking these critical issues forward in the country.

He has worked extensively on the policy and legal aspects of E-waste and has also co-authored “E-Waste” published by TERI. He has in-depth knowledge of the informal recycling sector in India. Before joining Toxics Link, he held an important assignment as of Director, the FICCI-CARE Gujarat Rehabilitation project post the Gujarat earthquake of 2000. He brings along rich and diverse management experience with him having served with the Indian Air Force for over 20 years in various responsible positions.

Ms. Vaishali Sinha
Co-Founder, ReNew, Chairperson, Sustainability,
ReNew

Vaishali Nigam Sinha is Co-founder of ReNew, a leading decarbonisation solutions company listed on NASDAQ under the ticker ‘RNW’. As Chairperson Sustainability, Vaishali has been responsible for ReNew’s emergence as a global ESG trailblazer, advancing the Net-Zero agenda, and delivering outcome-driven ESG strategies with top global rankings. Vaishali is also the Founding Chair of ReNew Foundation—the company’s philanthropic arm—driving the ReNew India Initiative for pathbreaking work in corporate social responsibility. Initiatives led by Vaishali have had an impact in the remotest corners of India, positively shaping more than 1 million lives across 250 villages in the country. 

Mr. Sumant Sinha
Chairman & CEO,
ReNew

Sumant Sinha is  Founder, Chairman and CEO of ReNew, one of the world’s leading clean energy companies which is listed on Nasdaq. ReNew currently has a portfolio of 14 GW of wind and solar power capacity, with approx. 8.5 GW already commissioned. The company contributes almost 2% to India’s power generation capacity and helps avoid 1.1% of the emissions from the power sector. ReNew provides end-to-end solutions across the decarbonisation spectrum including renewable energy, energy storage, green hydrogen and carbon credits - areas that are integral to addressing climate change. Sumant is an alumni of IIM Calcutta and a B. Tech from the IIIT, Delhi. He also holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University and is also a qualified Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Mr. Virginijus Sinkevičius
Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries,
European Commission

Virginijus Sinkevičius is the present Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, at the European Commission. Mr Sinkevičius was from 2017 to 2019 Minister of Economy, and before he was leading the Committee of Economy at the Parliament of Lithuania. Mr. Sinkevičius was elected to the Parliament in October 2016. Prior, he was a Team Lead for Regulatory Affairs at Invest Lithuania. Mr. Sinkevičius holds BA in Economics and Social Sciences from Aberystwyth University and Master‘s degree in European Studies from Maastricht University.

Prof. Jim Skea
Chair,
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Jim Skea was elected IPCC Chair for the Seventh Assessment cycle in July 2023. He was Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group III for the 6th Assessment Cycle. From 2009 to 2023, Jim Skea was Professor of Sustainable Energy at Imperial College London. He has research interests in energy, climate change and technological innovation. He was Research Director of the UK Energy Research Centre 2004-12 and Director of the Policy Studies Institute 1998-2004. He was a member of the UK Committee on Climate Change from 2008 until 2018, and Chair of Scotland’s Just Transition Commission from 2018 to 2023.

Mr. Erik Gudbrand Solheim
6th Executive Director,
UNEP

Erik Solheim is a distinguished global leader in environmental and developmental issues and an experienced peace negotiator. He served as Norway's Minister of Environment and International Development from 2005 to 2012, initiating significant environmental programs and legislation, including the Global Program for the conservation of rainforests. His role in international peace efforts spanned from 1999 to 2009, notably in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, and Sudan. Erik was the Executive Chair of the OECD Development Assistance Committee and the Executive Director of UN Environment. Presently, he holds several influential positions, including Vice President of the Belt and Road Green Development Coalition in Beijing, International Environment Adviser to the President of Sri Lanka and a member of the Climate Council of Chief Minister MK Stalin in Tamil Nadu, India.

Mr. Narayankumar Sreekumar
Associate Director – Electric Mobility,
Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation

Narayankumar Sreekumar is an energy professional, working across sustainable transport, electricity regulatory commissions, policymakers, & development organizations and holds a unique balance on various aspects of energy sector. Currently, he leads electric mobility initiatives of Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF). Prior joining SSEF he led the power division at TERI for preparation of DSM action plans and energy efficiency roadmaps across Indian subcontinent and market research and control group experiments to implement Demand Response and IoT-based energy management systems. He assisted World Bank and Government of Punjab to implement India’s debut Direct Benefit Transfer for Electricity scheme. With over a decade of experience, he has worked extensively with electricity regulatory commission, multilateral & bilateral funding organisations.

Ms. Ishita Srivastava
Capstone Researcher,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Ishita Srivastava works as a Capstone Researcher at The Energy and resources Institute (TERI) and is a coordinator for TERI’s flagship event – World Sustainable Development Summit

Dr. Christoph von Stechow
Deputy Head of Division, Policy Cooperation with South Asia,
German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

Dr. Christoph von Stechow is the Deputy Head of the Division for Policy Issues of Cooperation with South Asia with a focus on the cooperation with India at the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Previously, Dr. von Stechow worked in the Federal Ministry’s Division for Climate Policy, where his work focused on climate resilience and the UNFCCC process. Before joining BMZ, he worked in the field of applied sustainability science as a fellow at the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change in Berlin and as a scientist in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change dealing with mitigation of climate change.

Dr. von Stechow holds a PhD in Economics from the Technical University of Berlin and was a doctoral researcher at the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).

Mr. Achim Steiner
Administrator,
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Ms. May-Elin Stener
Ambassador,
Royal Norwegian Embassy

May-Elin Stener is currently Ambassador of Norway to India.  Since 2020, she has been Deputy Director General of the Regional department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, covering Africa, Asia, Latin -America and the Middle East, as well as peace and reconciliation issues. Until 2020, May-Elin headed the section for Horn of Africa and West-Africa. She has been Norway’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations headquarter in New York (2014-2018) as well as Deputy Head of the Norwegian Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa (2007-2011). She has worked for the Norwegian Foreign Service since 1995, and has extensive diplomatic experience multilaterally, with a focus on humanitarian affairs. She has also been posted to the UN offices in Geneva and has headed the Section for Humanitarian Affairs in the Ministry.

Stener is a lawyer by training.

Mr. 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.

Mr. Shalabh Tandon
South Asia Head of Operations & Climate,
IFC (World Bank Group)

Shalabh is Regional Head of Operations & Climate Change.  He has over 25 years of experience as a development banking professional at IFC and has held several leadership and management positions across both investments and advisory across several sectors. Prior to his current role, he managed IFC’s South Asia new business and portfolio in infrastructure including managing large equity funds and equity exits. He has also been the Asia Head of IFC’s power and energy business and has spearheaded several marquee power sector investments in Asia. Prior to joining IFC, Shalabh has worked with BNP Paribas, Arthur Andersen, and ICRA-Moody’s. He holds a B. Tech in Computer Science from IIT, Delhi; MS in Computer Science from UC Davis; and an MBA from Tulane University, USA. He has been sponsored by IFC to participate in several executive programs at Harvard Business School, Stanford, Columbia, University of Cambridge, and Harvard Kennedy School.

Dr. Suranjali Tandon
Associate Professor,
NIPFP

Suranjali Tandon is an Associate Professor at National Insitute of Public Finance and Policy and Senior Visiting Fellow at Grantham Research Insitute on Climate Change and Environment at LSE.

Mr. Shailesh Ganeshrao Tembhurnikar
PCCF & HoFF, Maharashtra Forest Department,
Maharashtra Forest Department

Shailesh G Tembhurnikar, an officer of 1987 batch of Indian Forest Service, presently serving as PCCF and Head of Forest Force, Maharashtra State. Prior to this, Shri Tembhurnikar has held important assignments such as Chief Executive Officer of Maharashtra State CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority), APCCF (Conservation), Regional Director of Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) and Assistant Director in Social Forestry Department. He has also served as Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF) in East Melghat and in Buldhana.

Shri Tembhurnikar has attended various Training Programmes such as Mid-career Training at Maxwell Institute, Syracuse University, New York in 2014, Training Program on Facilitation in FIJI Islands sponsored by National Productivity Council New Delhi in 2006, ʻTraining of Trainersʼin University of Wolverhampton, U.K. in 2000.

Shri Tembhurnikar has coordinated important projects such as World Bank aided Maharashtra Forestry Project. He has bagged many awards and medals at state, national and international levels for his contribution in the field of forest and wildlife conservation. He received Gold Medal for Forest Protection by Govt. of Maharashtra in 2006, appreciated by Govt. of India for his efforts in water Conservation for IWMP Arvi, District Wardha.

Mr. Himal Tewari
CHRO & Chief Sustainability & CSR, Tata Power,
Tata Power Company Limited

Himal Tewari serves as the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) for Tata Power Group since 2019, concurrently overseeing Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. With over 28 years of diverse experience in large conglomerates and global consulting, Himal brings a wealth of expertise in HR domains. He chairs the Tata Power Community Development Trust (TPCDT) and has played key roles in organization effectiveness, leadership, and change across various industries. Before assuming the CHRO role, Himal served as Vice President – Human Resources at Tata Sons from 2014, responsible for leadership acquisition, board effectiveness, and HR research. Himal began his career in leadership consulting and executive search, previously as an Executive Director at Russell Reynolds Associates. He has completed Master’s in Change Management from INSEAD and holds an  MBA in International Business from Delhi School of Economics and is an alumnus of the Advanced Management Program at IIM Ahmedabad. Himal also holds a bachelor's and Master’s degree in Physics from the University of Delhi.

Dr. Amit Kumar Thakur
Associate Director,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Dr Amit Kumar Thakur has been associated with The Energy and Resources Institute since 2006. He is currently engaged with the organisation as the Associate Director of the Social Transformation and CSR division at TERI. A Ph.D. in Sustainability Management, Dr Thakur is a CSR, Business Sustainability and Sustainable Development expert. An Engineering Graduate with a background in Management, Dr Thakur also holds Masters degree in Social Work, Intellectual Property Rights Law, Environment and Sustainable Development.

A development and research professional with over 20 years of experience, Dr Amit Kumar Thakur has worked directly in more than 30 CSR and energy programs of diverse natures and themes as a Project Investigator. During this time, he worked closely working with Public Sector organisations, the government, foundations, global institutions, and private sector companies to provide sustainability solutions to achieve different SDGs.

He has established Centre of Excellence on CSR, Sustainability, SDGs, ESG, Climate and Environment with Indian Chambers of Commerce and chairs CCI – TERI corporate CSR and Sustainability program. Furthermore, he has authored three books and over 25 publications.

Dr Amit Kumar Thakur is a recipient of several awards recognising his contribution towards the CSR, Education, Environment, Sustainability and Sustainable Development field.

Mr. Rajiv Tikoo
Consulting Editor - Sustainability,
Outlook Group

Rajiv Tikoo is a senior journalist, editor and development communication expert with extensive experience of working with media houses, UN agencies, government organisations, corporates and the development sector.

He is presently working as Consulting Editor – Sustainability with the Outlook media group. He also hosts the first and only show on

Mr. Mukesh Kumar Tiwari
Chief General Manager,
GAIL

Mukesh Kumar Tiwari, Chief General Manager at GAIL (India) Limited, brings over 32 years of diverse experience to the forefront of steering GAIL’s ambitious transition towards a Net Zero and Green Energy future. His mool mantra of “Profitability through Sustainability” was vital to successfully develop the mega transition plan for Net Zero and Green Energy future of GAIL.

Holding a degree in Electrical Engineering from MNNIT, Allahabad, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Guidance and Counselling from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Mr. Tiwari has demonstrated his leadership in various capacities.

In his past stint as the Managing Director of Bhagyanagar Gas Limited, a joint venture of GAIL and HPCL, he played a pivotal role in stabilizing and fostering growth within the company, resulting in 2.8 times improvement in performance metrics of the company. As the head of the Regional Pipeline Headquarters in Gujarat, he was instrumental in development & execution of the unit’s long-term strategy with a view to create shareholder value, executing day to day management decisions and for implementing company’s long & short-term plans.

Various Strategic Stakeholder Engagement Models like PEHAL (Progressive Environment Health Achievement Learning), EAGLE (Empathy Apology Gasify Learning and Enjoy), POEM (Process Owners Engagement Model) focusing on fostering connections among employees and facilitating self-target-based assignment were the brain-child of Mr. Tiwari.

Currently spearheading GAIL's Sustainability and Renewable Energy Department, he is leading from the front to drive GAIL’s ambitious Net Zero plan, showcasing his commitment to sustainability and renewables.

Mr. Willie Tokataake
Honorable Minister,
Ministry of Infrastructure & Sustainable Energy

Previous Positions: 1975 1980: Merchant Seaman, South Pacific Marine Services 1982 – 1984: Bosun, Azuma-Maru (Fish Carrier), Te Mautari Ltd Jan 1985 – Aug 1988: Manager, Robert Louis Stevenson Hotel, Abemama Island Jan 1989 – 1990: Center Manager, Outer Island Fisheries Project (OIFP), Butaritari island; Counterpart Project Manager, OIFP 1994:  Minister for Education 1996:  Minister for Natural Resources Development 1998 – 2002: Minister for Transport and Communications 2003:  Minister of Finance & Economic Planning Member of CPA Executive Committee Member of Parliament for Abemama – 1994 -1998; 1998 – 2002; 2003 – 2007; 2007 – 2011; 2011 -  to date 2003 – 2015: MP for Abemama Island Opposition 2016 – 2020: Minister for Information Communication Transport and Tourism Development 2020 - 2024:  Minister for Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy

Ms. Ammi Ruhama Toppo
Chief Engineer (Integrated Resource Planning),
Central Electricity Authority

Ammi Ruhama Toppo presently posted as Chief Engineer in Central Electricity Authority, obtained her Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Electronics and Telecommunications from Govt. Engineering College, Jabalpur and MBA from IIT Delhi.  She started her career in BHEL and thereafter joined Central Electricity Authority in the year 2000.

She has acquired vast experience in the field of Generation Expansion Planning studies, demand forecast, policy formulation, demand supply justification, allocation of power from Central Generating Stations etc. She is actively associated with formulation of National Electricity Plan and Optimal Generation Capacity Mix studies for the year 2029-30.

Mr. Kenichiro Toyofuku
Director,
Suzuki R&D Center India Limited (SRDI), Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) and Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA)

Kenichiro Toyofuku is a Director of Suzuki R&D Center India Limited (SRDI), Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) and Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA). He has stationed in India for 18 years to serve for three organization, Embassy of Japan New Delhi, Government of India, and World Bank before joining Suzuki.

In 18 years, he has designed the concept and implemented industry-driven regional development projects in India based on the 13 years’ experience of projects development and industrial policy design in the Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI), Japan.

Dr. Andrew Singh Tukana
Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways, Fiji

Dr Andrew Singh Tukana, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways, Fiji

Mr. Adair Turner
Chair,
Energy Transitions Commission

Lord Turner chairs the Energy Transitions Commission, a global coalition working to achieve a net zero economy by 2040. In addition, he is Chairman of insurer group Chubb Europe; on the Advisory Board of Board of Shanghai energy group Envision and a board member of Envision AESC, the battery production company headquartered in Japan. More recently, he was appointed advisor to the board of Watershed Technologies Inc. and Chairman of Oaknorth Bank Ltd . His public policy roles include chairing the UK Financial Services Authority (2008-2013); being the first chairman of the Government advisory Climate Change Committee (2008-2012); and chairing the Pensions Commission (2003-2006), and the Low Pay Commission (2002-2006). He was Director General of the Confederation of British Industry (1995-2000)

Mr. Saif Uddin
Manager- Climate Policy and Sustainability,
M/s Global Evolutionary Energy Design

Mr Saif Uddin is a Energy Engineer by Qualification and Building Policy Expert By Profession having more than 8 yrs experience in the domain of Energy Conservation Building Code, Eco-Niwas Samhita implementation with Government of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan & Bihar. Building Energy Simulation for ECBC , ASHRAE 90.1 and general energy optimization is his key expertise. He is a certified IGBC Associate professional and GRIHA Certified Professional as well as a IBPSA India Member.
He has been also involved in the development of ENS Tool and ECBC App developed by Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power for Commercial & Residential Buildings.

Mr. Mannu Upadhyay
Director,
Ministry of Jal Shakti

Mr Mannu Upadhyay is Director of Bureau of Water Use Efficiency, National Water Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti

Ms. Neha Upadhyay
Founder,
Guna Organics

Neha Upadhyay founded Guna whose vision is to empower women farmers through vertical integration of organic farming and solar technology for postharvest management and rural electrification.

Prof. Ravi Vaish
Professor in Architecture,
DCR UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND Technology

Professor in Architecture

Deptt. of Architecture

Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, Sonipat

Ms. Tiffany Vass
Energy Analyst,,
International Energy Agency

Ms. Tiffany Vass, Industry Analyst, IEA

Ms. Neha Verma
Director,
Ministry of Steel

Ms. Neha Verma, Director, Ministry of Steel

Mr. Ramesh Kumar Verma
Deputy Secretary,
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)

Sh Ramesh Kumar Verma, Deputy Secretary in Logistics Division, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade in Ministry of Commerce and Industry. He is the member of Technical Support Unit (TSU) within the framework of PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, overseeing overall coordination of TSU activities. In addition, his responsibilities extend to various areas, including implementation and execution of National Logistics Policy (inter-alia Development of SPEL, EXIM logistics, National Committee on Trade Facilitation, Standardization of Logistics related assets, Green logistics initiative, and Services Improvement Group meetings). He has also collaborated with multinational entities such as G20, SCO, BRICS, SASEC, and Ministerial forum of GSCR. He is an officer of Indian Trade Service with experience in EXIM related issues and devoted reader of Hindi literature, coffee lover, and travel enthusiast. 

Mr. Arne Walther
Ambassador,
Walther International Consulting

Ambassador Arne Walther is currently an independent adviser on government relations, geopolitics and international energy affairs. A former Norwegian diplomat, he has served as 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 was 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

Mr. Prashant S. Widge
Head-Public Affairs, South Asia,
MAERSK

Capt. Prashant has over 22 years of accomplished purpose-led generalised-specialist experience across geographies in the maritime, shipping, transport and logistics industry and has been one of the youngest officers to command a fully laden gas tanker. He stepped ashore over a decade ago and has for the past seven years spearheaded Maersk's flagship sustainability and ESG shared-value responsible ship recycling programme. He is energised by strategic leadership roles that link industry to the community and society elevating organisational efficiency while optimising resources and increasing revenue in an evolving multipolar world order.
In a fast-evolving geo-political and macro-economic landscape globally, with increased and changing stakeholder expectations, Maersk aspires to strengthen its business in South Asia, particularly India. Earlier in 2023, he embarked to lead this strategic initiative – conceive Maersk’s strategy based on the value at stake, define our value proposition, narrative and priorities and build impactful partnerships.

Dr. Priyantha Wijayatunga
Senior Director, Energy Sector Office,
Asian Development Bank

Dr. Priyantha Wijayatunga is currently the Senior Director, Energy at the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Priyantha has over 35 years of professional experience including 15 years in ADB. He served as the Director, South Asia Energy Division and Chief of Energy Sector Group prior to assuming the current position in June 2023.  Before joining ADB, he served as the founder Director General of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka and a Senior Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Moratuwa.  He has extensively contributed in the areas of energy policy and regulation, energy planning and clean energy development.

Priyantha holds a Doctorate in Power Systems Economics from the Imperial College London had been a regular Academic Visitor at Imperial College London during the period 1993-1998.  He was a Chairman of the South Asia Forum for Infrastructure Regulators (SAFIR) and was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Ceylon Electricity Board and Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority.  He was an Advisory Board member of the Melbourne Energy Institute at the University of Melbourne. 

He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka, a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), a Chartered Electrical Engineer and a Member of the Institute of Engineering Technology (IET), UK. He is a Past President of the Sri Lanka Energy Managers Association.

Dr. Priyantha Wijayatunga
Senior Director, Energy Sector Office,
Asian Development Bank

Dr. Priyantha D.C. Wijayatunga is currently the Senior Director of the Energy Sector Group, Sectors Group of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Priyantha has over 30 years of professional experience including 14 years in ADB. He was the Director, South Asia Energy Division prior to assuming the current position in August 2021.  Before joining ADB, he served as the founder Director General of the Public Utilities Commi Priyantha holds a Doctorate in Power Systems Economics from the Imperial College London had been a regular Academic Visitor at Imperial College London during the period 1993-1998.  He was the Chairman of the South Asia Forum for Infrastructure Regulators (SAFIR) in 2006/07 and was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Ceylon Electricity Board and Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority.  He was an Advisory Board member of the Melbourne Energy Institute at the University of Melbourne during 2016-2019.  H

Mr. Tobias Winter
Director,
IGEF

Mr. Tobias Winter was born in East Berlin, Germany and holds a degree in Business Administration of the Rhine-Westphalia Institute of Technology Aachen (RWTH Aachen University). During his career, Mr. Winter has gained professional experience in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects and the corresponding legislation in Germany, India, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. He first came to India in 2005 to develop a solar water desalination project with TERI Bangalore. He then worked in Argentina implementing solar energy solutions in the highland region Puna. From 2009 to 2014 he has been the Director of the Competence Center in Renewable Energies for the German Chambers Network in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. In 2015 he came back to India, since then leading the Support Office of the Indo-German Energy Forum, to promote cooperation in energy security, energy efficiency, renewable energies, investments in energy projects and collaborative research and development with participation from India and Germany.

Mr. Sanjeev Kumar Yadav
Technical Head,
Shudhvayu Technologies Pvt Ltd

Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, working as technical Head and handling new product developments to combat air pollution. 

Shudhvayu has developed a technology/solution for cleaning ambient air. I am working on new products to tackle this problem(Air Pollution).

Shudhvayu is looking potential contacts and platform to present this solution.

Mr. Bhupender Yadav
Minister,
Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Labour & Employment, Govt. of India

Hon’ble Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Labour & Employment, Govt. of India