Speakers WSDS 2026

Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo
Vice President of Guyana,
Government of Guyana

Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo’s life, from humble origins, reflects the successes of passions pursued – great international inroads for Guyana and a unity of the peoples and potential of his country, Guyana.

Armed with a Master's in Economics from the Peoples Friendship University of Russia, in May 1995, Dr. Jagdeo was named Guyana’s substantive Finance Minister. Dr. Jagdeo went on to becoming President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, on 11 August 1999.

During his tenure as President (1999-2011) major economic and social reforms were undertaken in Guyana. By the time he relinquished office as President, Guyana was one of the fastest growing economies in South America and the Caribbean, recording several years of consecutive growth even through the global financial crisis of 2007-2008.

Dr. Jagdeo was selected as one of the young global leaders by the World Economic Forum in 2005. Time Magazine had named President Jagdeo a 2008 ‘Hero of the Environment. The United Nations, in 2010, declared President Jagdeo, as one of its ‘Champions of the Earth Awardees’.

He currently serves as Vice President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.           

Mr. Bhupender Yadav
Minister,
Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Govt of India

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Mr. Rasmus Abildgaard Kristensen
s Denmark’s Ambassador to the Republic of India and non-resident Ambassador to Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives.,
Embassy of Denmark

Rasmus Abildgaard Kristensen (born 1974) is Denmark’s Ambassador to the Republic of 
India and non-resident Ambassador to Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives. 
Ambassador Kristensen assumed his position in February 2025.
As Ambassador, he leads a team of experienced diplomats and public servants at the 
Embassy of Denmark in New Delhi. He is responsible for overseeing Denmark's 
engagement with India on a broad range of political, economic, commercial, consular, and 
other matters that shape the bilateral relationship.
Ambassador Kristensen has had a distinguished career in the Danish Foreign Service, 
acquiring extensive experience through overseas assignments and other international roles. 
Notably, he served as Denmark’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New 
Guinea, and ASEAN from 2017 to 2020, and was also posted to China from 2009 to 2013.
Throughout his career, Ambassador Kristensen has specialized in international climate 
and energy policy. He served both as Head of Department for Green Diplomacy and 
Climate at the Danish Foreign Ministry and Head of the International Department at the 
Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities.
In addition to his diplomatic career, Ambassador Kristensen has held a senior position in 
the private sector as Vice President and Head of Group Public Affairs at Danfoss, a 
multinational cleantech company based in Denmark. He has also served on the boards of 
multiple organisations. 
Ambassador Kristensen holds several university degrees, including a Master of Science 
(with distinction) in Climate Change and Development from the School of Oriental and 
African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London.
Ambassador Kristensen was appointed Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog by Her 
Majesty the Queen of Denmark in 2019. He is married with two children and enjoys 
golfing and playing tennis in his spare time.

Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal
Union Cabinet Minister for Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways,
Government of India

Shri Sarbananda Sonowal is the Union Cabinet Minister for Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India. A senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, he has held several key responsibilities in both state and national politics.

Shri Sonowal holds degrees in law and communication from Dibrugarh University and Gauhati University. He has served as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha and as Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs & Sports and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.

He served as the 14th Chief Minister of Assam from 2016 to 2021. As Union Cabinet Minister since 2021, he leads India’s maritime sector, advancing port modernisation, inland waterways development, and sustainable shipping initiatives to strengthen the nation’s logistics and blue economy framework.

Dr. Anjali Acharya
Managing Director,
The Nature Conservancy

Dr. Anjali Acharya is the Managing Director of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) India. She leads a dynamic team advancing science-based, partnership-driven solutions in freshwater conservation, landscape restoration, regenerative agriculture, renewable energy, and climate adaptation. TNC India aligns closely with national and state priorities to deliver scalable conservation and climate impact. Previously, Dr. Acharya spent over 25 years at the World Bank, where she held senior leadership roles across Latin America, East Asia, and South Asia. With field assignments in Hanoi, Singapore, and New Delhi, she led analytical work, shaped strategic partnerships, and contributed to major investment and policy lending operations. She holds a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University, a master’s degree from Duke University, and a bachelor’s (honors) degree from St. Stephen’s College.

Dr. Anjali Acharya
Managing Director ,
The Nature Conservancy India

Dr. Anjali Acharya is the Managing Director at the Nature Conservancy in India (Nature Conservancy India Solutions).  She is leading a dynamic team that drives towards innovative solutions in freshwater conservation, landscape restoration, regenerative agriculture, renewable energy and climate adaptation. TNC in India works through a science-driven approach and works through partnerships, aligns with India’s national and state priorities in conservation and climate.

Prior to this role, Dr. Acharya had an accomplished tenure at the World Bank, where she held several senior positions leading and coordinating environmental initiatives across Latin America, East Asia, and South Asia for more than 25 years. With field assignments in Hanoi, Singapore, and New Delhi, she oversaw advanced analytical work, facilitated client dialogue and strategic partnerships, and contributed to the design and execution of significant investment and policy lending operations.

Dr. Acharya holds a Ph.D. in international environmental health from Johns Hopkins University, a master’s degree in environmental economics from Duke University, and a bachelors (honors) degree in economics from St. Stephens College, Delhi University.

Dr. Hans Nicolai Adam
Senior Research Scientist,
Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA)

Hans is an economist by training with a PhD in Development Studies (2015) at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Presently, he is working as a senior researcher with the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) in Oslo, Norway. His research interests encompass a variety of interdisciplinary themes that concern climate change adaptation, science-policy interphase, knowledge politics and environmental governance. He has also been leading and been a research member of several international research collaboration projects (EU/Norway, India and Myanmar) that engage with building capacity and partnerships on issues of coastal governance, marine pollution and climate change.

Mr. Vinit Adarkar
Vice-President and Head - Interior and Exterior Modules,
Mercedes Benz Research and Development India Pvt. Limited

Vinit holds a Graduate Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Pune and a Post Graduate Diploma in Operations Management from Symbiosis International University, complemented by certifications in Leading with Data Analytics and Lean & Agile methodologies. His 16+ years at MBRDI have seen him in various leadership roles across Mercedes-Benz Cars, Vans, and AMG, specializing in Seating, Interior, Exterior, Body-in-White, Tolerance Management, and Full Vehicle Integration. Currently, he oversees multiple Centers of Competence with global functional release responsibilities for Interior and Exterior commodities, CAE, Thermal Energy Management, Thermal Comfort, and the Design (Styling) studio. He also serves as the Site/Location Head for MBRDI in Pune. 

Mr. Vivek Adhia
Chief Sustainability Officer,
UltraTech

Chief Sustainability Officer at UltraTech, Aditya Birla Group

Mr. Naveen Ahlawat
President and Head–Sustainability & Decarbonization,
Jindal Steel Limited

Naveen currently leads the Decarbonisation & Sustainabilityvertical at Jindal Steel Limited, overseeing key initiatives such as Green Steel, Green Hydrogen, and CCUS across the group. With over 13 years of experience in various sectors, including the manufacturing of specialty chemicals, coal gasification projects,co-products marketing, and integrated steel plants (both brown and greenfield), Naveen has built a distinguished career in the industry. Beginning as a process engineer at Jubilant Organosys Limited, he went on to serve as Manager of Operations in the Petrochemical division at Reliance IndustriesLimited. Notably, Naveen was part of the executive team that played a pivotal role in establishing the world's first coal gasification-based DRI plant in Angul, Odisha.

Naveen also holds key positions in global energy andsustainability initiatives, serving as a member of the UN Council of Engineers for Energy Transition (CEET), an advisory boardmember of ET Now's Supply Chain Management Council, and as a representative on the technical committee for Oman Climate Week and the CHEMTECH Nuclear Energy AdvisoryCouncil.

Naveen holds a degree in Chemical Engineering with honors from the Government Engineering College, Thrissur, Kerala, and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.

Mr. Deepak Ajwani
Editor,
The Economic Times Digital

Played leadership roles across digital, television and print. In the 25 year career till now, I have been responsible for setting up and leading editorial operations, worked with teams in planning and executing strategic projects for reader growth & revenue, and driven operational improvement processes across the media businesses I have been associated with.     Conceived and co-founded India's premier business media subscription business 'ETPrime' at The Economic Times. Led the launch of www.forbesindia.com and its iPad edition way back in 2008. Earlier ran India’s largest selling consumer tech magazine Digit. Edited India’s first consumer technology website www.techtree.com, and was anchor of a Tech show on a Business TV channel.    

Mr. Deepak Ajwani
Assistant Vice President,
The Economic Times

Mr. Ajwani is a senior media leader with over 25 years of experience across digital, television, and print journalism. He has played key leadership roles in establishing and scaling editorial operations, driving reader growth, revenue strategy, and operational transformation across leading media organisations. He co-founded 'ETPrime' at The Economic Times and led the launch of Forbes India's digital platform, while previously heading prominent technology publications including Digit and Tech Tree. With international experience across the UK and Switzerland, he brings deep expertise in technology, media, and business ecosystems, offering valuable perspectives on public discourse, institutional reputation, and sustainability communication

Dr. Lukas Ambühl
CEO and Co-founder,
Transcality

Lukas Ambühl is CEO and co-founder of Transcality, an ETH Zurich spin-off developing digital twins for transportation. He received a doctoral degree in traffic engineering from ETH Zurich, focusing on data-driven urban traffic analysis and simulation. With over 20 publications and collaborations with institutions including UC Berkeley, the University of Lyon, and NYU Abu Dhabi, he bridges academic research and real-world mobility implementation. In this spirit, Transcality develops simulation-based digital twins that enable cities and infrastructure operators to test, evaluate, and optimize mobility strategies before implementation.

Mr. Anshuman Anshuman
Director, Water Resources Division,,
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

Mr. Anshuman, Director, Water Resources Division of TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) has been working in the field of water sector since last 28 years. His key qualifications include M. Tech. in Energy & Environmental Management from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), New Delhi (India).

His expertise in the water sector lies in the areas related to integrated water resource management, water use efficiency, water conservation, wastewater management, water quality & quantity assessments where he has carried out several comprehensive scientific research studies, policy analysis and ground implementation work in context of the source (surface water, groundwater), issues (water scarcity, pollution, use efficiency etc.), sectors (irrigation, domestic & industrial) and stakeholders (Central/state Governments and local communities). His focus work areas include integrated water resources management (IWRM); Water use efficiency (Industry, agri-irrigation and domestic); Water neutrality/positivity; Water audits & water footprints; Urban & rural water supply & demand management; Water conservation (rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, water bodies rejuvenation etc.); Watershed management; Climate change & water security; Drinking water & Sanitation, Wastewater recycle, reuse & resources recovery; Regulatory legislations, ESG, Training & capacity building in water & environmental management; EIA studies etc.

He has been member of several advisory committees earlier and currently is Member of the Working Group-6 "Water Use Efficiency Group setup by the Department of Water Resources, RD & GR under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Govt. of India; Member of National Task Force for Integrated Water Resources Development and Management (NTFIWRDM)-2024 setup by the Department of Water Resources, RD & GR under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Govt. of India; Member of two “Task Force” of National Bureau of Water Use Efficiency (NBWUE) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Govt. of India; Expert Reviewer for the upcoming Seventh Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7), the flagship report under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); Member, Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions Network under UN DESA (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs); Member, Inter-Ministerial committee for the project "Implementation of an EAP for conservation and Restoration of the Catchment Area of the Barak river" under Ministry of DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region); Member of CSIR Monitoring Committee for FTT/FTC projects under Ecology, Environment, Earth & Ocean Sciences and Water (E3OW), Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India; Member of several committees of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) including Drinking Water Supply, Wastewater and Storm water (SSD 14, ISO/TC 224), Water Use Efficiency & Water Audit (SSD 14/WG 01) and Sectional Committee for Water Quality for Industrial Purposes (CHD 13); Erstwhile Member, Task Force on the Urban 20 priority, Ensuring Water Security, under India’s G20 Presidency; Erstwhile Member of Committee for National Water Awards, Ministry of Jal Shakti (Govt. of India); Erstwhile Member of Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) (Under Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India); Member Advisory Board of Water Digest Pvt. Ltd. & Jury Member, Water Digest Water Awards, Organised by Water Digest and UNESCO.

He has executed several related projects, presented several papers at national and international fora and has several relevant national & international publications.

Dr. A Nambi Appadurai
Director and Strategy Head of the Climate Resilience Practice,
World Resources Institute (WRI)

Dr. A. Nambi Appadurai is the Director and Strategy Head of the Climate Resilience Practice at World Resources Institute (WRI) India. With over two decades of experience, he focuses on building community-based climate resilience, climate-proofing development plans, and improving access to climate finance in Asia and Africa.

Ms. Chetna Arora
Programme Associate ,
Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)

Chetna is a Programme Associate in the Low-Carbon Economy team at CEEW. Her research focuses on energy transition and its socio-economic impacts using the integrated assessment modelling framework of GCAM. She works on developing national, sectoral, and state-level net-zero pathways. She holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Ms. seema Arora
DDG,
Confederation of Indian Industry

Ms. Seema Arora, Deputy Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry Ms. Seema Arora pioneered the creation of services on Sustainable Development within CII. Her journey with CII began with engaging Indian Industry towards the run up to the Earth Summit in 1992. Seema Arora works with industry to build evidence & the business case for industry to invest in Sustainability and Climate Action. She works with Industry and Government to develop policy instruments and curate collaborative initiatives across sector and stakeholders. She has created and incubated innovative alliances such as India CEO Forum on Clean Air, CII Climate Action Charter, India Plastics Pact, India Business and Biodiversity Initiative, and India Business and Disability Network etc. Her portfolios in CII include Sustainable Development, Climate and Energy Transition, Circular Economy, Diversity, and inclusion. Seema Arora has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Delhi University. She is a part of the Asian Impact Leaders Network co-created by AVPN & Rockefeller Foundation. She has thirty plus years of experience in the field of Sustainable Development

Mr. Sushil Kumar Awasthi
Director General of Forest & Special Secretary,
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)

Mr. Sushil Kumar Awasthi is a senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer of the 1991-batch, Uttar Pradesh cadre, currently serving as the Director General of Forests & Special Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India.

Appointed to this apex position on December 23, 2024, his elevation to Director General of Forests & Special Secretary was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, reflecting the Government’s confidence in his leadership and expertise in forestry and environmental management.

Before assuming this role, Mr. Awasthi served as Additional Director General of Forests (Wildlife) in the MoEFCC, where he was responsible for key initiatives in wildlife conservation, policy implementation, and sustainable forest management. Over his distinguished career, he has also held significant positions including leadership roles in forest training and administration, and as Chief Conservator of Forests in various capacities.

As the highest-ranking officer in the Indian Forest Service at the central level, Mr. Awasthi plays a pivotal role in shaping national policies on forests, biodiversity conservation, wildlife protection, and climate change mitigation, contributing to India’s environmental governance and sustainable development objectives.

Dr. Andrea Baccarini
CTO,
Aerospec

Andrea is the CTO of Aerospec SA, driving scientific innovation to improve air quality monitoring globally. A former EPFL scientist, he holds a PhD from ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute, where he specialized in polar aerosols with expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica. His research has been recognized with the ETH Medal and the 2022 Prix de Quervain

Ms. Dipa Singh Bagai
Country Head,
NRDC INDIA

A member of the Indian Administrative Services (1983 batch), Dipa comes with over 30 years of experience and substantive technical specialization in public policy, institutional strengthening and public sector reform. Having worked at the international, regional and sub-national levels, Dipa has provided capacity development support, vision and leadership to complex programs while leading and mentoring multi-cultural and diverse teams.

Mr. Sreyamsa Bairiganjan
Chief Executive Officer,
Energiva Ventures Private Limited

Sreyamsa Bairiganjan is the Chief Executive Officer of Energiva Ventures Private Limited and a global expert in energy and climate finance, impact investment, and clean energy access. He brings over 20 years of experience across institutions such as the World Bank, World Resources Institute, and Arc Finance, where he led large-scale renewable energy and climate finance programs across Asia and Africa. His work has mobilized significant investments in solar, storage, and decentralized energy solutions. A TEDx speaker and World Bank award recipient, Sreyamsa focuses on advancing innovative finance models and scaling inclusive, sustainable energy solutions to accelerate the global energy transition.

Mr. Nitin Bajpai
Consultant,
NITI Aayog

Nitin currently works at energy modeling team at NITI Aayog and was part of the core team for recent report series by NITI Aayog on Scenarios towards Viksit Bharat and Net Zero. Nitin holds an M.Tech in Energy Engineering with experience across renewable energy, buildings, power, transport, industry, and biofuels sector. He specializes in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to support informed, integrated sustainability decision-making, and currently working on LCAs of ethanol, mobility technology, and also leveraging LCA as a tool to tap export markets for Indian products in view of changing consumer preferences globally.

Mr. Ambrish Bansal
Senior Vice President, Management Consulting & ESG Advisory,
Llyod's Register

Ambrish Bansal is a global ESG and management consulting leader with deep expertise in strategy, business transformation, and sustainable growth. As Senior Vice President – Management Consulting & ESG Advisory at Lloyd’s Register, He advises executives and boards on how to embed sustainability into corporate strategy, drive transformation, and deliver outcomes that align performance with purpose.

Mr. Ranjit Barthakur
Founder Forester,
Balipara Foundation

Ranjit Barthakur is a business leader with over five decades of experience, now deeply engaged in grassroots initiatives across environment, community development, healthcare, education and agriculture. His work is rooted in the Eastern Himalaya, advancing nature-based, community-led conservation and sustainable livelihoods, guided by the principle of ecological neutrality. He pioneered Naturenomics™, exploring the interdependence of nature and economics, and through the Balipara Foundation incubates solutions for forests and indigenous communities in North East India. He also leads initiatives such as River Journeys and Bamboo Civilization, and serves as Chairperson of Rajasthan Royals (IPL) and SAGA, Government of Assam.

Ms. ita Barton Kettleborough
Partner and Director,
Systemiq & ETC

Ita is the Director of the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC). Together with the ETC Commissioners, Ita advocates for the technologies, investments and policies required to deliver climate commitments. Ita leads the ETC Secretariat provided by Systemiq. She oversees the delivery of the ETC's analytical, international, and communications programmes, whilst also supporting the ETC members.   In her role as Partner of the Energy Platform at Systemiq, Ita brings a deep understanding of the clean energy landscape to help clients in the UK and internationally. Her recent work includes the 2025 publication of a report on the UK Continental Shelf Transition.   Prior to this, Ita was a Manager at Bain & Company working with business executives to address strategic challenges in the UK, Europe, and the USA. 

Ms. SHABNAM BASSI
DEPUTY CEO & SECRETARY,
GRIHA COUNCIL

Ms. Shabnam Bassi is a Deputy CEO & Secretary with the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) Council and Director– Sustainable Buildings Division at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). 

Prior to joining GRIHA Council/TERI, she has worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for nearly 5 years as Assistant Project Manager. 

She has worked with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) for 5 years and was associated with the scheme related to promotion and implementation of energy efficiency in commercial buildings through adoption of the Energy Conservation Building Code in the built environment. 

Ms. Nidhi Batra
Biodiveristy Conservation and Blue Economy Portfolio Manager,
French Development Agency AFD

Nidhi Batra is the Sector Portfolio Manager for Biodiversity Conservation and Blue Economy at AFD New Delhi. With over 17 years of experience in sustainable development, ecological design, nature-based solutions, participatory planning, and green jobs, she brings a multidisciplinary and action-driven approach to her work.

Trained as an architect and environmental urban designer, and holding a postgraduate diploma in environmental law and policy, Nidhi has collaborated extensively with international organizations like The World Bank, the ILO, and WRI, and is the founder of the Sehreeti Foundation, a non-profit working on sustainable urban development and environmental education.

Previously, she led international collaboration and strategy at the National Skill Development Corporation, focusing on building global partnerships for skills and green jobs.

Beyond her professional work, she is deeply involved in urban design and public space transformation, serving as the Regional Head of Placemaking India and Chairperson of the Institute of Urban Designers India – DNCR Chapter.

Passionate about integrating ecological restoration with social and economic resilience, Nidhi engages closely with policymakers, practitioners, and communities to advance sustainable, nature-positive solutions.

Mr. Ajay Kumar Bhalla
Governor,
Government of Manipur

I am a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1984 Assam-Meghalaya cadre, i have served as Union Home Secretary of India from August 2019 to August 2024, handling major national issues including internal security, the COVID-19 response, and policy implementations. Held key roles such as Secretary in the Ministry of Power and Director General of Foreign Trade, reflecting his extensive experience in public administration. Presently I am serving as the Governor of Manipur and Nagaland.

Dr. Anshu Bharadwaj
Programme Director (Energy, Green Transition & Climate Change) ,
NITI Aayog

Anshu Bharadwaj is a senior policy expert serving as Programme Director (Energy, Green Transition & Climate Change) at NITI Aayog, where he leads initiatives on clean energy, sustainability, and India’s long-term energy security, including work on India Energy Security Scenarios (IESS) 2047. He also coordinates with the Government of Rajasthan as Nodal Officer for institutional support to the Rajasthan Institute of Transformation and Innovation (RITI). A former IAS officer (1992 batch, Karnataka cadre) and ex-CEO of Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, he holds a PhD in Engineering & Public Policy and Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, a PGDM from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, and a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.

Dr. Girija Bharat
Managing Director ,
Mu Gamma Consultants

Dr Girija K Bharat, Managing Director, Mu Gamma Consultants is an international expert with 35 years of experience in conducting research and capacity building activities in India on Emerging contaminants, Water Resource Management, Climate Action and Environmental Management. 

She started her career as a Scientist in Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Govt. of India and was a Presidential Scholar at George Mason Univ, USA. She has worked with many institutions including USAID, The World Bank and TERI. She has 136 national and international publications, including the Global Sustainable Development Report, 2015 and 16 and has drafted the National Framework of India on Safe Reuse of Treated Wastewater. She has been a Technical Expert of NITI Aayog, CSIR-NEERI, Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) and is a Board member of several Indian and international organizations

She is a Ph.D. in Chemistry (Water Quality) and is the recipient of several awards including the Women Transforming India Award 2021 by NITI Aayog and United Nations.

Mr. Mohit Bhargava
Country Director,
India Energy & Climate Centre UC Berkeley

Country Director, IECC

Ms. Somya Bhatt
Project Specialist,
UNDP

Somya Bhatt is a climate change adaptation and resilience specialist working at the intersection of policy, finance, and institutional transformation in the international development sector. As Project Specialist at UNDP India, she leads support to the MoEFCC in developing India’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and while advancing adaptation planning, public finance integration, and climate investment frameworks with NITI Aayog and a range of other public and private stakeholders. She has expertise in national and international climate finance frameworks and in structuring and implementing projects supported by global climate funds, including the GCF. Her work focuses on embedding climate resilience into public systems by linking risk analytics with planning, budgeting, and investment decisions, and by enabling pathways to mobilise public and private adaptation finance.

Mr. Souvik Bhattacharjya
Senior Fellow and Director ,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Souvik Bhattacharjya is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Resource Efficiency and Governance Division at TERI, with over 18 years of experience in resources, energy, and environmental research and consulting. He previously worked with Accenture Management Consulting and as a Project Fellow at the Centre for Development and Environment Policy, IIM Calcutta.

He holds a Master’s degree in Economics (specializing in Resource and Environmental Economics) from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and is pursuing a PhD at IIM Lucknow. His research focuses on resource efficiency and circular economy, greening of infrastructure, life-cycle assessment, environmental economics, and data analytics for energy-resource-economy interactions.

He is a Young Global Economic Fellow (Kiel Institute, Germany), a UNEP GEO Fellow, Coordinator of UNEP’s South Asia RCoE on Sustainable Consumption and Production, Visiting Faculty at TERI School of Advanced Studies, and a member of several national expert committees.

Mr. Narendra Bhooshan
Additional Chief Secretary,
Energy Department, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh

Narendra Bhooshan, an IAS officer of the 1992 batch belonging to the Uttar Pradesh cadre, was born on 12/03/1969. He holds a B.E. in Electronics & Communications. Currently serving as the Principal Secretary at the Department of Additional Sources of Energy

Prof. Frank Biermann
Professor,
Utrecht University

Frank Biermann is a political scientist and professor of Global Sustainability Governance at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. He is the founder and inaugural chair of the Earth System Governance Project, a global, transdisciplinary research network of over 600 scholars. Biermann recently completed a 2.5 million EUR project on the impacts of the Sustainable Development Goals, funded by the European Research Council. His current work focuses on establishing the International Panel on Earth System Governance, a new science assessment network. Biermann is the author or editor of 22 books and over 200 journal articles and book chapters. His contributions have been recognized among others with the Volvo Environment Prize, for “defining new pathways for international environmental governance in a period of global change”, and the Distinguished Scholar Award in Environmental Studies from the International Studies Association.

Dr. Arvind Bodhankar
Chief Sustainability Officer,
Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel Ltd

Dr Arvind Bodhankar Chief Sustainability Officer

Dr. Arvind Bodhankar
Chief Sustainability Officer,
Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel India

I work as a Chief Sustainability Officer with Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel who is the first and only integrated plant in India having certified for Green Steel by Ministry of Steel

Mr. Amlan Bora
Chief Representative South Asia,
Port of Rotterdam Authority

Currently the Chief Representative South Asia for the Port of Rotterdam, Amlan Bora is an experienced global supply chain professional having worked in major multinationals like Siemens, Philips, Diageo in progressively senior positions. Prior to his current position Amlan Bora was the Chief Representative and Trade & Investment Commissioner of the Netherlands Business Support Offices (NBSO) in India. The NBSOs are trade offices managed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Dutch Government.

Ms. Virginia Boris Gorsevski
Vice President, Nature Based Solutions,
Conservation International

Virginia manages the nature based solutions team in the Moore Center for Science and Solutions at Conservation International.  She has nearly thirty years of experience working at the intersection of environment and development. She has previously worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Agency for International Development and most recently for the Global Environment Facility Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel on issues ranging from biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation and international waters.  Virginia holds a PhD in geographical science.

Mr. Shrikant Budholia
Senior Manager,
Xynteo

Shrikant is a strategy consultant with a decade of experience at the intersection of business development, strategy, and decarbonisation. At Xynteo, he leads the Build Ahead coalition, working with built environment leaders to embed low-carbon solutions across the construction value chain. He has designed and implemented strategies for sustainability, demand activation, and embodied carbon measurement, including the development of the Build-Better tool, a digital platform for assessing embodied carbon of buildings. Shrikant has also authored and co-authored several papers on carbon labelling, green premiums, climate finance, and green public procurement, contributing to the knowledge base on decarbonising the built environment. With a strong track record in stakeholder collaboration, sustainability, low carbon construction, and coalition-building, he brings deep insights into how our choices today directly influence the future of low-carbon construction.

Mr. Kundan Burnwal
Deputy Project Director,
GIZ India

Kundan Burnwal is a Deputy Project Director and Senior Advisor at GIZ India, where he leads the Indo-German bilateral cooperation project “RECAP4NDC”, which focuses on restoring, conserving, and protecting forest and tree cover to support India’s NDC implementation. With over 19 years of experience in climate change mitigation, climate policy and sustainable development, he specializes in Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF), carbon markets, MRV (Measurement, Reporting and Verification), and project development and evaluation. At GIZ India, he steers forest landscape restoration and carbon market initiatives and coordinates with government agencies, civil society, the private sector, and academia to advance nature-based solutions and carbon market instruments. 

Prof. Paromita Chakraborty
Professor and Head,
REACH - SRM Institute of Science and Technology

Dr. Paromita Chakraborty is a Top 2% Most Cited Researcher and the Professor and Head of REACH at SRM Institute of Science and Technology. Her research domains include multimedia transport of legacy and new persistent organic pollutants, the bioavailability of organic contaminants, environmental chemistry, transformation and remediation of endocrine-disrupting compounds and other emerging contaminants. Dr. Chakraborty has worked extensively on many Indian riverine ecosystems, including the transboundary rivers of Ganga and Brahmaputra. She is a big proponent of wastewater based epidemiology for disease outbreak preparedness and has successfully completed several projects on developing an early warning system for SARS-CoV-2. She has over 116 journal publications till date and has published several book chapters. Dr. Chakraborty has also edited 4 books by Springer and Elsevier, on POPs.

Mr. Anuj Chandak
Deputy Secretary,
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Mr. Anuj Chandak serves as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). He oversees matters related to Mission LiFE, the ARIVESH Portal, and the Sustainable Coastal Management Division (SCMD). He also heads the Office of the Deputy Secretary (Anuj Chandak).

Ms. Suman Chandra
Director,
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)

Ms Suman Chandra is a distinguished IAS officer of the 2010 batch, borne on the Maharashtra cadre. With specialized training in Environmental Policy and Climate Science from Yale University  & Fulbright Fellow, she brings a global perspective to her work. She has held various leadership roles across Maharashtra before joining the Government of India in the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy. As part of the National Negotiations teams under the UNFCCC, she has represented India on key issues such as mitigation, carbon markets, and technology. Passionate about the intersection of science and policy, Suman is dedicated to advancing national progress through innovative and sustainable solutions. 

Dr. Ashish Chaturvedi
Head- Action for Climate and Environment,
UNDP

Dr Ashish Chaturvedi

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

Mr. Madhav Prasad Chaulagain
Hon.Minister,
Ministry of Forests and Environment ,Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport

Hon.Minister Madhav Prasad Chaulaigain : Mr. Madhav Chaulagain, Minister of Forests and Environment,  Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transportation, Government of Nepal Mr. Madhav Chaulagain brings over two decades of professional experience across governance, development policy, and large-scale program management. He holds postgraduate degrees in Arts (Rural Development) and Public Health (M.A., M.P.H.) and has worked extensively in organizational development, strategic information systems, research, surveillance, and evidence-based planning. Prior to his ministerial role, Mr. Chaulagain served in senior leadership positions, leading the design and implementation of multi-year, large-scale projects in Nepal’s community development, health, and development sectors. His work spans project management, monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), policy formulation, research design, and statistical analysis.

Mr. Moez Cherif
India Energy Lead,
World Bank

Moez Cherif leads the World Bank’s India energy team with a focus on scaling up energy security, affordability and sustainability through support to investments, government programs and analytics. Prior to that he coordinated the World Bank’s energy and infrastructure engagement in North Africa as Program Leader, focusing on power sector reform, green energy and infrastructure, and regional integration. He has been with the World Bank Group since 2005, based in Washington and in several country offices.

Ms. Kanmani Chockalingam
Senior Fellow,
McKinsey Global Institute

Kanmani Chockalingam is a Senior Fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute, McKinsey’s business and economics research arm. Her research focuses on climate resilience, including how climate hazards are affecting people today, how these risks may evolve in a warming world, and what it will take to protect lives and livelihoods. She also studies human potential and skills—how individuals build human capital, and how companies can strengthen workforce development, as well as the performance, potential, and challenges facing small businesses. She is a frequent speaker on these topics at leading conferences and industry forums. Her research is widely cited in the media, and she contributes to articles and op-eds in major publications such as Mint, Financial Times, Project Syndicate, and The Harvard Business Review.

Mr. Lakshay Choudhary
Mission Director ,
UNCIF

Beyond united nation, as a Advisor & Auditor , we have to build 1 Million Great institutions to impact 1 Billion people and we need 1 Million Frontliners to activate 1 Billion lives 

For this our organization establish Green Skills & Applied AI skills Centers , Incubation cell & AI Hundred Council 

Mr. Sandeep Choudhury
Co-Founder and Director,
Value Network Ventures

Sandeep Roy Choudhury is the Co-Founder and Director of Value Network Ventures (VNV), a leading global project developer mobilizing carbon finance to drive community-rooted climate adaptation at scale. Under his leadership, VNV mobilizes markets to drive high-integrity, community-powered climate action—reaching over 7 million households and restoring more than 5 million hectares across 19 countries.​

With over 20 years of experience in climate finance, Sandeep advises public and private sectors on driving community-based climate action—particularly for smallholder farmers and coastal communities in the Global South.

He serves on the Board of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) and is a member of the expert advisory groups for both the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) and the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM).

Mr. Vaibhav Chowdhary
Director - ACPET,
Ashoka University

Vaibhav Chowdhary comes with more than 18 years of experience in the field of energy, climate, and sustainability. He served at various leadership positions across governments, impact consulting, philanthropies, and think tanks, in India and abroad. He currently works as a Director at Ashoka Centre for People Centric Energy Transition and is also serving as a Professor of Practice (V) at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.

Prior to this role, Vaibhav was instrumental in establishing Clean Air Fund in India, wherein he designed and managed large scale air pollution mitigation programs in partnership with various central and state departments, Multi/Bi-lateral agencies etc , partner philanthropies, think tanks, NGO’s and CSO’s etc. Vaibhav had also served as a Director at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC), an empirical research institute focussed on energy and environment issues around the world. Prior to UChicago EPIC, Vaibhav served as the National Energy Adviser to the Government of UK, at a joint team of UK DFID and FCO, wherein he designed and delivered multiple low carbon growth initiative in India and beyond. Vaibhav had been a management consultant at i.e PricewaterhouseCoopers, in the earlier days of his professional journey.

Vaibhav is a Certified Energy Auditor with a bachelor's in Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering. He holds an MBA (with honors) in Power Management and is also an Executive Management professional from the Booth School of Business at UChicago, USA. Vaibhav holds multiple post graduate diplomas in areas of energy and sustainability, IPR, Cyber law, Financial Derivatives etc from premier institutes in India and abroad.

Ms. Zorica Crisolli
Project director,
GIZ

Zorica Crisolli has been working with GIZ since 2006 as an advisor and project manager on various initiatives related to the energy-agriculture nexus. With a background as an environmental engineer, she has led multiple projects within the German Development Cooperation, including setting up and managing the Agrivoltaics Project in Namibia. Since January 2025, she has been leading the Indo-German Cooperation on Agrivoltaics, accelerating agrivoltaics adoption by integrating solar power with sustainable farming in India.

Mr. Muhammed Danish
Chief Business Development Officer,
Technology Innovation in Exploration & Mining Foundation (TEXMiN)

Muhammed Danish is mechanical & mining machinery engineer who post graduated from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. Danish has been involved in various projects in the mining industry for more than 10 years, both on the services, consulting, and lately, digital transformation side. He is an international sales & business development professional. At TEXMiN, Danish is responsible for Business Development. This involves business development cyclic process involving lead generation, understanding the buyer, sales process, closing and prospecting finding various applications of the “end-to-end”, enhancing digital workflows and the efficiency of operations.

Dr. Piyali Das
Associate Director and Senior Fellow,
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

Dr Piyali Das is an Associate Director and Senior Fellow at TERI in Advanced Biofuel Division and an adjunct faculty in TERI School of advanced studies (TERI SAS). She is also leading the Project on alternative green fuel adoption in Maritime Sector as PI under National Centre of Excellence on Green Port and Shipping (NCoEGPS) in TERI set up by India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW).

She has obtained PhD in Energy Systems Engineering from IIT Bombay and has 2.6 years of cumulative post-doctoral research experience in the University of Southern California, USA; University of Trieste (Italy); and IIT Bombay, apart from over 19 years of research experience in technology development and process sustainability in Advanced Biofuel domain in TERI. She is leading research activities in liquid biofuel through thermochemical conversion route and developed technologies related to pyrolysis, biodiesel, bio jet fuel, green methanol, green carbon pellets and carbon nanomaterial based H2 & CO2 storage to name a few and also working in sustainable fuel policy domain.

She has been TASK force member of sub-committees like ‘Biomass to Drop-in Fuel & Biomass to Bio Crude for Co-Refining” under Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gases, “BIS Standard for “Hydrogen derived fuels(Methanol, Ammonia and Hydrogen)  for maritime applications”, Pyrolysis Oils” & BIS Principal Committee member of “Automotive Vehicles Running on Non-Conventional Energy Sources” under Ministry of Power, Govt of India. She has over 8 patents granted to her credit as lead inventor, few under process, over 20 papers in international journals, and 8 book chapters.

She has been awarded Bioenergy-Awards for Cutting Edge Research (B- ACER) Fellowship (2016-2017) by Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF), TERI’s Role of Honor” in 2015, IRCC Research Award (IIT Bombay Best Research Paper Award 2013) based on highest ranking and best citation on Scopus database, ICS-UNIDO fellowship for post-doctoral research in Biofuels and Chemicals from Bioresources in Trieste, Italy (2008), "Best Paper" Award in the National Renewable Energy Conference 2000 & Recipient of "National Merit Scholarship".

Areas of Interest

• Bio & Green/e- Fuel Policy
• Pyrolysis technology development and bio-oil co-refining
• Alternative green fuel technology development, Green Methanol and DME
• Renewable Activated & Nano Carbon for Hydrogen and CO2 storage
• Bio Plastics
• Renewable/green chemicals

Mr. Dipak Dasgupta
Distinguished Fellow,
TERI

Mr Dipak Dasgupta is Distinguished Fellow, TERI. He has served on the Scientific Council to COP30 Presidency, and is Chair, Green Finance Hub Eastern India (under preparation). He has been a Core Scientific Author, Climate Change 2023, IPCC. He is Former Principal Economic Adviser, Government of India, Finance Ministry, Former Founding Board Member, Green Climate Fund and First Head of its Investment Committee. He has been educated at Calcutta, Delhi and Cambridge Universities. He has won Adam Smith Prize & Medallion, Amex Bank Review Award in Finance, and Gulbenkian Prize (as scientic member IPCC). He has over 16,000 citations in Google Scholar.

Mr. Alekhya Datta
Director,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Mr. Alekhya Datta is an Electrical engineer with Postgraduate Masters and having more than 14 years of research-cum consulting experience in the area of renewable energy, distributed energy resources, smart grids, energy storage, and electric vehicles. He has undertaken various power system related modelling studies including integrated resource planning both at national and state-levels for high renewable energy pathways. He has actively engaged with many of the power distribution utilities, implementing agencies and other key stakeholders for implementation of new emerging smart distribution technologies and solutions.   Mr. Datta has closely worked with diverse set of stakeholders including state departments, nodal agencies, central ministries, various international, bilateral, and multilateral agencies, and philanthropic organizations for policy advocacy, fund raising and technical assistance support.

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.

Mr. Anil Devli
Chief Executive Officer,
Indian National Shipowners' Association (INSA)

Anil Devli has a rich professional background in the shipping industry, with extensive experience in container shipping, wet bulk, dredging, and offshore supply services. He has held senior management roles in companies such as Mercator Lines Limited, Shreyas Shipping & Logistics Ltd, and Global Offshore Services Limited. Currently, he serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Indian National Shipowners’ Association and is associated with Ocean Sparkle Limited as its independent director. 

Mr. Shubhashis Dey
Founding Partner,
SOSUL LLP

Shubhashis Dey is a climate policy expert with over 22 years of experience in climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience. He has advised key national and international bodies, including SEBI’s ESG Advisory Committee, NITI Aayog’s Climate Finance Working Group and Energy Modelling Forum, the Department of Economic Affairs’ Sustainable Finance Task Force, and the Mitigation Action Facility (MAF). A Certified Energy Auditor, Australian Government’s Canberra Fellow-2023, US Government’s SABIT alumnus and was named Asia’s Energy Innovator of the Year by the Association of Energy Engineers, USA. Shubhashis has contributed towards shaping landmark initiatives such as India’s Net Zero pledge, the National Carbon Market, the Green Hydrogen Mission, the India Cooling Action Plan, and the Green Taxonomy.

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

Dr. Vibha Dhawan is the Director General of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Chancellor of the TERI School of Advanced Studies (TERI SAS). A distinguished academician and researcher, she is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, and currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Consul General South Asia Partnership, Michigan State University. Driven by a passion for advancing scientific knowledge, Dr. Dhawan has authored six books and over 70 publications, significantly contributing to research and innovation.

Recognized for her thought leadership, Dr. Dhawan has made notable contributions to both research and policy development at national and international levels. She is a member of key national committees under the Department of Biotechnology, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, and Biotech Consortium India. She also serves on the Networks Strategy Council of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, a global initiative for the United Nations, and was the Co-Chair of the T20 Task Force 4 on "Refueling Growth: Clean Energy and Green Transitions."

Under her visionary leadership, TERI established the National Centre of Excellence in Green Port & Shipping in collaboration with the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways. She also played a crucial role in founding the DBT-TERI Centre on Advanced Biofuels, fostering cutting-edge research in sustainable energy solutions.

Dr. Dhawan's extensive career includes serving as Coordinator of the Asia Pacific Consortium on Agriculture Biotechnology (APCoAB), Advisor to the Director General of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and Deputy Director for Research Partnerships and Coordination with the Borlaug Institute for South Asia. She has been a board member of several prestigious institutions, including Jawaharlal Nehru University, Ambedkar University, Agriliv Research Foundation, and the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI).

One of her significant achievements includes establishing the Micropropagation Technology Park at TERI, a successful initiative in plant biotechnology. She has also contributed to the development of e-learning content for postgraduate biotechnology programs under the University Grants Commission.

Dr. Dhawan's recent research focuses on biofuels, further cementing her commitment to advancing sustainable energy solutions. Her work continues to inspire and shape transformative change in science, policy, and education. Dr Dhawan has joined the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Energy Technology Frontiers for the 2025-2026 term as a council member. Dr Dhawan has also joined the Governing Council of the United Nations Global Compact Network India (UN GCNI) in September 2025.

Ms. Neha Dhingra
Director,
CLASP

Neha Dhingra is the Director of the India program at CLASP. With 14 years of experience in energy efficiency and clean energy access across India, Southeast Asia, and West Africa, she specializes in appliance efficiency standards and labeling. Her expertise includes policy and regulatory analysis, compliance policy design, and institutional capacity building. Neha fosters key partnerships with governments, civil society, donors, and international organizations to implement ambitious appliance energy efficiency policies.

Dr. Ruchika Drall
Deputy Secretary to Government of India,
MoEFCC

Ruchika Drall is a Deputy Secretary in the Climate Change and International Cooperation divisions of Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change since 2021. At the ministry, she has been working on issues related to climate adaptation, loss & damage, climate finance, industry transition, multilateral cooperation on climate change and blue economy like G20, BRICS, SCO, BIMSTEC, etc, bilateral international cooperation on environment and climate change. She anchored the Blue Economy priority under the Environment & Climate Sustainability Working Group during the Indian G20 presidency. She has been representing India in international negotiations under United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

She has over 17 years of experience in the field of climate change, sustainability and renewable energy. Before joining MoEFCC she was an Environment Officer at Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), where she looked after environmental and social safeguards for the renewable energy projects funded by IREDA.

She was recognised as one of the Asia’s most influential women leaders in renewable energy in 2020. She is also a certified Lead Auditor for ISO 14001: 2015 on Environmental Management Systems. She holds a Master’s degree in Energy Systems from University of Petroleum & Energy Studies with Bachelor’s in Physics from Hindu College, Delhi University.

Ms. Ulrike Ebeling
Country Director,
GIZ

Since 2026, Ulrike Ebeling has served as Country Director of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in India. In this role, she oversees a portfolio of around 100 cooperation projects in the thematic areas of energy, urban and industrial development, environment, natural resource management and climate change, as well as social and private sector development. She previously held leadership positions as Country Director in Senegal, Mongolia, and Mauritania, and led the Business Liaison Department at GIZ headquarters in Berlin.

As a political scientist with over 20 years in international cooperation, Ulrike Ebeling brings extensive operational expertise, strategic management skills, and leadership experience across multiple regions.

Mr. Jochen Flasbarth
State Secretary,
German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection

Mr Jochen Flasbarth has served as State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety since May 2025. He previously served as State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development from 2021 to 2025.

Between 2013 and 2021, he held successive State Secretary positions at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. From 2009 to 2013, he was President of the Federal Environment Agency. Earlier, he served as Director-General for Nature Conservation and Sustainable Use of Nature at the Environment Ministry (2003–2009).

From 1994 to 2003, he was full-time President of the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU). He studied economics, political science and philosophy in Münster and Bonn, graduating in economics.

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

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

Ms. Patricia Fuller
President & CEO,
International Institute for Sustainable Development

Patricia Fuller became President and CEO of IISD in 2024.  She has more than 30 years of experience in public policy and diplomacy, with a focus on climate change, energy, and trade policy.  She was Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change from 2018 to 2022, and her diplomatic career has also included representing Canada as Ambassador to Chile and to Uruguay. In Ottawa, she headed the Office of Energy Efficiency at Natural Resources Canada and was Director General of Economic Development and Chief Economist at Global Affairs Canada. Earlier in her career, she managed trade policy disputes under the NAFTA and World Trade Organization agreements. Patricia was a Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa from 2022 to 2024 and holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics. 

Ms. Tanvi Garg
Joint Secretary,
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Ms. Tanvi Garg has been appointed as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. She is a 2009 batch IAS officer of the UT cadre.

She oversees the Sustainable Coastal Management Division (SCMD), international cooperation, and engagements related to the G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Her responsibilities also include work pertaining to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), environment policy and law, and the amalgamation of environment laws.

In addition, she supervises the Legal Monitoring Cell, including the allocation of work to Government Counsels and the overall monitoring and supervision of cases. She will also be responsible for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) projects, specifically those under the Climate Change focal area, and matters pertaining to the Office of Joint Secretary (TG).

Mr. Kanv Garg
Chief of Unit – Resource Mobilization,
International Solar Alliance

With almost 20 years of work experience he is a seasoned leader, evangelist, and strategist in the energy and mobility sectors. He is passionate about international development, leveraging the role of private sector for public good, leveraging catalytic finance , stitching partnerships, motivating teams, and addressing CXO issues on the transition to sustainable and profitable business models. Currently, he is the Chief Investment Officer at the International Solar Alliance, a treaty-based multilateral organization focused on clean energy development in the Global South. His core competencies include public-private partnerships, go-to-market strategy, ecosystem development and partnerships, investment design and portfolio management, strategic business development, and stakeholder management and policy advocacy.

Mr. Tarun Garg
Principal,
RMI India Foundation

Tarun Garg holds the position of Principal/Director at RMI India Foundation, where he spearhead the built environment team dedicated to mitigate urban heat, decarbonize the material use and cooling demand and ensure grid interactive buildings. 

Dr. Jürg Germann
CEO and Co-Founder,
inverto earth

I am a scientist and engineer by training, and an entrepreneur focused on solving real-world environmental challenges at scale.

Over the past 12 years, I have developed and deployed drone technologies globally, translating innovation into impact, from dengue control in Fiji and Colombia to tuberculosis diagnosis in Nepal and HIV medicine delivery in Uganda and the Philippines.

In 2022, I founded Inverto Earth, a Swiss nature-tech company building the leading technology platform for blue carbon restoration. We help our clients design, implement and monitor large-scale restoration with high data integrity and carbon credibility. We work with some of the largest mangrove restoration projects worldwide to make coastal ecosystems measurable, investable and scalable.

When I am not restoring ecosystems, you will find me outdoors.

Mr. Animesh Ghosh
Senior Fellow ( Lead- CRM & CE),
ACPET

Animesh leads the CRM & CE portfolio at ACPET, Ashoka University, driving research on critical mineral demand-supply, circularity, and clean energy security. He served as Knowledge Partner to NITI Aayog's February 2026 report - Scenarios Towards Viksit Bharat and Net Zero: Critical Mineral Assessment - Demand and Supply (Vol. 10) - and contributed to a NITI Aayog working group on "Reducing Land-Intensity of Solar Power through Innovation & Technologies". He is a founding lead of 3C-SET — a national consortium of CSOs, academia, and industry advancing critical minerals and circular economy solutions.

He holds a PhD in Circular Economy from IIT Kharagpur, a Master's from TISS Mumbai, and a B.Tech from WBUT. His widely cited peer-reviewed work in Sustainability, Journal of Cleaner Production, and Annals of Operations Research covers circular business models, critical mineral mapping, and circular consumption. He brings 15+ years of experience spanning policy, clean energy, and grassroots development with UN Women, UNICEF, NIRDPR, and the Ministry of Rural Development.

Dr. Sonali Ghosh
Field Director,
Kaziranga

Dr. Sonali Ghosh, an eminent Indian Forest Service officer, possesses over 25 years of distinguished service in forestry and wildlife governance. She has adeptly administered two UNESCO World Heritage Sites—Kaziranga and Manas National Parks—holding pivotal positions at both state and central government levels. Presently, she spearheads rhino conservation efforts, directs robust anti-poaching operations, and fosters community-driven biodiversity protection initiatives. A PhD graduate, a natural world heritage expert and UN-IPBES scholar, Dr. Ghosh exemplifies the fusion of scholarly excellence and administrative acumen. In 2025, she was honored with the prestigious IUCN-WCPA Kenton Miller Award for exemplary protected area governance. She steadfastly advocates that forest-fringe communities, particularly women, are instrumental in achieving climate resilience.

Ms. SALONI GOEL
Sr. Director, ESG Value Creation & Commercialization,
Coca Cola India & SW Asia

Saloni Goel has a vast breadth of experience in policy, large-scale project management, and consultancy in Sustainability, Climate Change, ESG, Circular Economy and Sanitation. She is currently Senior Director, ESG Value Creation and Commercialisation at Coca Cola India & SW Asia. In various capacities she has served in the government (NITI Aayog, MoEFCC, Government of UP), in multilateral agencies (UNDP and UNEP), and in the private sector.  She holds a masters from the London School of Economics and an engineering degree from IIT Delhi.  She led development of the Indian Government’s strategy for COP 26, including Net Zero 2070, to emerge as the global climate leader and voice of the global south. She conceptualised and successfully executed the ground-breaking “Clean Kumbh” in 2019, which registered a Guinness Record, and won her the IIT Delhi Alumni of the Year Award. 

Prof. A K Gosain
Emeritus Professor, Founder & Director,,
INRM Consultants (An IITD Incubated Company)

Dr. A K Gosain, is an Emeritus Professor in the area of Water Resources Engineering and GIS Technologies, in the Civil Engineering Department, IIT Delhi. Prof. Gosain pioneered the climate change impact assessment on Indian water resources that was incorporated in the NATCOM I & II – two National Communications made to the UNFCCC. He has also been reviewer for AR4 and AR5 of IPCC. Prof. Gosain contributed to the formulation of the Ganga River Basin Management Plan (GRBMP), of which he was the Team Leader of the Water Resources Management group. He has also formulated the Drainage Master Plan of NCT of Delhi for the Delhi Government. He is part of the expert committees appointed by the National Green Tribunal to suggest solutions to deal with the ever increasing pollution levels in Ganga and Yamuna. Prof. Gosain has to his distinction the formulation of the Ganga Act on behalf of the Ministry of Water Resources as a member of the

Mr. Indranil Goswami
Partner and Lead Clean Energy,
Energiva Ventures

Experienced Leader with a demonstrated history of working in the oil & energy industry, adept in Change Management, Ardent reader & an Avid Learner. Skilled in Negotiation, Business Planning, Market Research, Project Coordination, Proposal Management, Growth Campaigns and Contract Management. Strong program and project management professional with a Post Graduate Diploma in International Business focused in International Business from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.

Mr. Abhishek Gupta
Head- Appliances & International ,
Energy Efficiency Services Limited

Mr. Abhishek Gupta is a seasoned leader in energy efficiency and renewable energy with over 25 years of experience. He has held pivotal roles, including Director assignments at various international entities, where he has driven transformational initiatives such as the 10 million Energy Efficient Fan program, high efficiency cooling solutions, IE-4 energy-efficient motors etc. He has passion to work in the domain of Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, Sustainable cooling, carbon neutrality and women empowerment. He has published various articles in these fields and features regularly on various forums with the aim to enhance energy literacy level amongst the people to bridge the gap between technology and masses. He has conceptualized and played a key role in developing the first of its kind e-commerce portal eeslmart.in, which is an exclusive marketplace for energy efficient solutions.

Ms. Sujata Gupta
Director, Energy, South Asia,
Asian Development Bank

Ms. Sujata Gupta is the Director of the South Asia Team, Energy Sector, Sectors Department 1 of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). She joined ADB in 2003 and has worked on the public and private sectors of ADB as well as for resource mobilization from development partners.

Sujata has a PhD from the London Business School, University of London and Master’s and Bachelor’s from the University of Delhi.

Before joining ADB, Sujata was Senior Fellow and Director of the Policy Analysis Division, at TERI (then the Tata Energy Research Institute), New Delhi. She has also worked as a visiting researcher at the International Institute of Applied System Analysis in Austria.

She was a member of United Nations (UNFCCC) CDM Methodologies for Baselines and Monitoring Panel (2002–2005), and a co-coordinating lead author for the Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Dr. Rashi Gupta
Managing Director,
Vision Mechatronics Private Limited

Dr. Rashi Gupta, fondly known as the “Batterywali of India,” is a pioneering force in Advanced Cell Chemistry and Energy Storage. As Founder and Managing Director of Vision Mechatronics Pvt. Ltd., she conceptualized and developed the “World’s Smartest Lithium Battery” in India, redefining clean energy innovation. Recognized globally, she has been honored as Asia’s Most Influential Woman in Renewable Energy (2020), Visionary CleanTech Disruptor (Tony Seba Distinction, 2022), and Technology Trailblazer (WRI, 2024). A Council Member of the Council of Engineers on the Energy Transition (CEET) at the United Nations, Dr. Gupta champions energy justice and gender equality through initiatives such as rural school electrification. She holds key roles across BIS, IEC, FICCI, and ISGF, driving policy and standards in energy storage and e-mobility. Her journey, now a case study at Harvard Business School, continues to inspire a sustainable and equitable energy future.

Dr. Pema Gyamtsho
Director General,
ICIMOD

Dr. Pema Gyamtsho is the Director General of ICIMOD and the first from the region it serves. He served the Royal Government of Bhutan for over three decades, including as Minister of Agriculture and Forests, bringing extensive experience in natural resources, rural development, and policy leadership. He holds a PhD in Natural Sciences from Zurich.

Mr. Sandeep Hamilton
Founder and Chairman,
Critical Minerals Association (India)

Sandeep Hamilton is a seasoned exploration professional with over 15 years of leadership experience in the discovery and development of critical and strategic mineral resources. His expertise spans Rare Earth Elements (REE), lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, as well as nuclear minerals. He has led multi-disciplinary teams across diverse geological domains, contributing to the discovery and proving of commercially viable deposits, five of which are now operational mines. His work includes integrated uranium deposit modelling for optimized production, feasibility assessment, exploratory mining transitions, and tender evaluation for large-scale mining projects. He has also played a key role in environmental baseline assessments, mine plan approvals, and drafting of mining regulations. He has been conferred with the Group Achievement Award (2017), as the Team Leader for Excellence in Science, Technology, and Innovation, by the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India.

Ms. Nandita Hazarika
Consultant-NRM & Environment, NER Regional Advisory Committee Member,
Consultant

My work experience of over three decades has focussed on natural resources management, wildlife conservation, renewable energy and environment issues, ecotourism, capacity building, and environment education. In the past I have worked with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and WWF-India on rural energy and environmental issues. Was instrumental in establishing TERI’s North-east Centre.

Between 2005-2018, I was engaged with the Assam Haathi Project (AHP) on human-elephant conflict mitigation. A collaborative community conservation initiative between Chester Zoo, UK, and EcoSystems-India, AHP was implemented in over 50 villages in select districts of Assam. My involvement included project planning and management, mobilization of affected communities, dissemination of mitigation of interventions, elephant movement dynamics, implementation of outreach activities and capacity building.  In addition, I have been associated with conservation programmes for some highly endangered species such as the pygmy hog and greater adjutant stork.

As an independent consultant, since 2007, I have been involved in environmental and social safeguard planning, monitoring, and evaluation of development and community conservation projects. Currently engaged as a Member of Supreme Court appointed Segur Plateau Elephant Corridor Inquiry Committee.

Ms. Valerie Hickey
Group Director for Environment,
The World Bank

Valerie Hickey is the Group Director for Environment at the World Bank Group. In this role, she leads a global team that leverages data, knowledge, and partnerships to ensure that the WBG’s public and private sector investments in nature, natural resource management, pollution management, and the circular economy generate more and better jobs, in more places, putting another nail in the coffin of poverty. This work centers on scaling proven solutions to achieve greater impact and to build a better future for communities, companies, and countries.

Prior to that she was the Global Director for Climate Change and the Global Director for Environment at the World Bank following a decade managing the World Bank’s public sector portfolios on climate and environment in Latin America and in Europe and Central Asia. In those roles she managed cross-sectoral teams that invested in countries and communities on issues related to climate change, sustainable forest management, integrated conservation and development, integrated coastal zone management, fisheries and aquaculture, pollution management and environmental health, environmental economics and environmental risk management.

Valerie joined the World Bank in 2003 as a specialist in East Asia and the Pacific, working on environment and rural development projects in Cambodia, China and Lao. Valerie has since worked across the Bank’s regions providing design and implementation support to a variety of operations, including in fragile states, where she led the Bank’s environment portfolio in Haiti following the earthquake in 2010. She has also led analytical work and technical assistance on frontier issues related to the blue economy, biodiversity and wildlife crime. Valerie focuses on solving problems and deploying the World Bank Group’s capital, convening services and analytical powers to unlock healthy nature as an engine of jobs and GDP, ensure healthy environments set communities, companies, cities and whole countries up to succeed, and build green, inclusive and resilient economies. Before joining the World Bank, Valerie worked for World Wildlife Fund, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the US National Park Service where she worked on invasive species programs in Lake Mead, the reservoir to the Hoover Dam. Valerie holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Policy from Duke University.

Dr. Rachel Hurley
Researcher,
NIVA

Dr Rachel Hurley is a researcher specialising in plastic pollution researcher. She has over a decade of experience working on plastic (micro-, macro-) fate in rivers and soil environments.

Dr. Mallika Ishwaran
Chief Economist,
Shell

Mallika is Shell’s Chief Economist. She advises on macroeconomic issues, economic  trends, and related policy matters to shape Shell’s long-term scenario outlooks. She  leads strategic engagements on energy transitions with national and city governments  across the world, notably a multi-year collaboration with the Chinese government.  Mallika also advises on Shell’s strategic policy and advocacy approach to support the  company’s energy transition strategy. She sits on a range of external advisory boards. Prior to joining Shell, she was Deputy Director at the Department for Environment, Food  and Rural Affairs responsible for evidence and analysis across the environment, food,  and green economy portfolio. She has held senior positions across the UK government,  including at the Cabinet Office as Head of Policy Analysis for the 2009 G20 London  Summit. 

Mr. Shankar Iyer
Director VBU - Transportation, Smart Cities and Sustainable Infrastructure,
M/s. Johnson Controls India

Collective experience of over 30 years with diverse set of multinational companies: Titan Industries – Product and Customer Service Group, Diageo - Sales, Marketing and Operations, Coca- Cola India – General Management and Bottling Operations, Hutchison Essar (Vodafone) – Head - Sales and Marketing Operations, Paramount Airways - Business Head – Bharti Infratel Limited – Regional Operations Head, Indus Towers Ltd - Regional Director & Chief Sales and Marketing Officer and currently serves Johnson Controls as Director VBU - Transportation, Smart Cities and Sustainable Infrastructure.

AMP (Advanced Management Program) Alumni of the Wharton School - University of Pennsylvania and Sustainability for Indian Businesses- Indian Institute of Technology - Madras 

Mr. Shyam Jagannathan
Director general,
Directorate General of Shipping

Shri Shyam Jagannathan, IAS

Brief Profile

Shri Shyam Jagannathan, a 1997 batch IAS officer of the Assam Meghalaya cadre, assumed office of the Director General of Shipping under Ministry of ports, Shipping and Waterways, Govt. of India on 03rd July, 2023. He has earlier served as Zonal Development Commissioner, Santacruz Electronic Export Processing Zone (SEEPZ), Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Mumbai under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt. of India at Mumbai.

         In his earlier assignments with the State Government of Assam, Shri Shyam Jagannathan has served as Commissioner & Secretary, Finance Department and Commissioner, North Assam Division.

Shri Shyam Jagannathan has also served as Commissioner, Commercial Taxes, Chairman Civil Supplies Corporation, Department of Food & Civil Supplies, Department of Finance, Government of Kerala and separately as District Magistrate of West Garo Hills in Meghalaya, thereby giving him the diverse exposure of the three States of Assam, Kerala and Meghalaya.

He has domain knowledge in the core areas of public finances, export promotion, prospective planning, public policy analysis and sectoral exposure to Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Rural development and judicial processes. 

Presently, in the assignment of D.G. Shipping, an attempt is being made to leverage technology-based solution to computerize end to end the work flow process of the Directorate General of Shipping and the Examination Reforms for the compliance to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW).

Mr. Sven Jaggi
Innovation Associate ,
Swissnex in India

Sven Jaggi is an Innovation Associate at Swissnex in India, the Consulate General of Switzerland’s platform for international collaboration in education, research, and innovation. Based in Bengaluru, he works at the intersection of sustainability, innovation diplomacy, and market access, supporting Swiss startups and research institutions in engaging with Indian partners across climate, infrastructure, and environmental technologies. He currently coordinates the Sustainability Cohort India 2026, facilitating collaborations between Swiss climate-tech startups and Indian public, research, and industry stakeholders. Sven holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Zurich and previously worked with UNCTAD on development and trade-related research.

Mr. Anil Kumar Jain
Chairperson,
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board

Dr. Anil Kumar Jain is former member of the Indian Administrative Service of the 1986 Batch and is presently posted as Chairperson, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board. He has a long administrative experience at the field and policy formulation levels with nearly two decades in energy and environment sectors. He has served as Secretary in the Ministry of Coal and Ministry of Mines where he led reforms in sustainable mining and market development. In his earlier stint in Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Jain looked after the work relating to Montreal Protocol, environment clearance and management of wastes. He led the teams that wrote the India Cooling Action Plan and Draft Resource Efficiency Policy. As a Director and later Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, he was responsible for the upstream segment. He has authored two books on natural gas, the second one being published in 2022. During 2012-17, as Head of the Energy Division of the NITI Ayog, he led several initiatives including integrated modeling tool, namely the ‘India Energy Security Scenarios, 2047 (IESS)’. He also led the team that drafted the National Energy Policy (2017-2040). Dr. Anil Jain holds a BA (Honours) in Economics, an MBA and a Diploma from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. Dr. Jain has done his Ph.D on the topic - “Exploring the role of natural gas in India’s energy mix in 2030”.

Mr. Rishabh Jain
Fellow,
Council on Energy, Environment and Water

Rishabh leads the Technology Futures  programme at The Council. His expertise revolves around critical minerals and renewable energy deployment, supply chain, and manufacturing. Through his work, he has influenced policy design, reform, and adoption. His core strength lies at the intersection of technology and sustainability with a focus on advancing the scale-up of RE projects whilst collaborating with company CEOs, senior government bureaucrats, and leading stakeholders. He has also been supporting various Indian Ministries for the G20 Energy Transition Working Group. Some of Rishabh's recent work includes studies on scaling up solar manufacturing, building resilient renewable energy supply chain, tracking green bonds, framing decarbonisation strategies, drafting bioenergy strategies, and developing frameworks for managed (EV) charging to support utilities. Rishabh completed his bachelor's in mechanical engineering from Birla Inst

Mr. Labanya Prakash Jena
Director,
Climate and Sustainability Initiative

Labanya has over 20 years in financial services, green finance, and international development. He is a Director at the Climate and Sustainability Initiative (CSI). Additionally, he serves as a Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He previously worked with the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW), the Climate Policy Initiative, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the UNDP, the World Resources Institute, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Labanya is an avid writer on climate and green finance. He co-authored a book, “Net-Zero Trio: Synchronizing Technology, Business, and Policy for Green Transition,” published by Bloomsbury.

Ms. Teena Jha
Senior Anchor,
Sansad TV

Teena Jha is a Senior Anchor with Sansad TV, Parliament of India. In her current role, she moderates high-level panel discussions featuring eminent experts on issues of national and global significance. Her work spans a wide range of subjects including public policy and governance, foreign affairs, defence and strategic affairs, contemporary regional and global developments, as well as environment and sustainability.

She also hosts in-depth podcasts and one-on-one conversations with distinguished personalities from diverse fields, bringing nuanced perspectives to complex issues.

A Journalism graduate from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi, Teena brings over 15 years of rich experience across television and print media.

Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman
CEO,
Anusandhan National Research Foundation

Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).   Former Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Energy Industry, Asia at Microsoft, and an alumnus of IIT Madras and Ohio State University.  Key Recognitions: IEEE Fellow (2010), Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (2015), ACM Distinguished Scientist (2010), Microsoft Gold Club Member (2024), and Technology Review TR100 Young Innovator (1999).  ANRF's Role: As an apex body established under the National Education Policy (NEP), ANRF aims to seed, grow, and promote research and development (R&D), foster innovation, and strengthen collaborations between industry, academia, and government.  Leadership Goals: Under Dr. Kalyanaraman&rsq

Mr. ALOK KANSAL
FORMER GENERAL MANAGER,
INDIAN RAILWAYS

Shri Alok Kansal, Retired General Manager, Indian Railways, is an illustrious alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (formerly University of Roorkee). He earned his B.E. (Civil Engineering) in 1983 and M.E. (Structural Engineering) in 1985, receiving the Best Student Award, Vice-Chancellor’s Gold Medal, and Chancellor’s Gold Medal.

Over nearly four decades, he held leadership roles across CR, NR, SECR, WR, RVNL, and the Ministry of Railways, serving as Divisional Railway Manager and General Manager. He executed infrastructure projects exceeding ₹1 lakh crore, advanced semi-high-speed corridors, and strengthened safety, electrification, and modernization initiatives. He led over 2.5 lakh personnel and ensured uninterrupted services during COVID-19.

Post-retirement, he mentors professionals and serves as Chief Administrative Officer of a Rotary school educating 300 underprivileged children. His career reflects integrity, innovation, nation-building, and distinguished public service.

Mr. Amitabh Kant
Chancellor,
NIIT University

Amitabh Kant is a governance reformer and a public policy change agent. He was recently G20 Sherpa to the Prime Minister of India. As India's Sherpa to the G20 during India's Presidency of G20 in 2022-23, he navigated the challenging geopolitical waters, steering the G20 towards a consensus on a decisive and action-oriented New Delhi Leaders' Declaration, an essential document that outlined a clear path for addressing pressing global issues. Beyond his G20 role, Amitabh Kant's illustrious career spans key senior positions in the Government of India, where he spearheaded initiatives that reshaped the nation's economic landscape. His journey in public service includes serving as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) with Prime Minister of India as its Chairman. His tenure also saw him at the helm of the Department for Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in India and CEO of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC) and Secretary, Tourism Government of Kerala. In these capacities, he demonstrated an unwavering commitment to pursuing reforms, driving economic growth and innovation in India.

Amitabh Kant is a true thought leader and has been a driving force behind numerous reforms and initiatives that have revolutionized India's landscape. Initiatives like Startup India, Make in India, Incredible India, Ease of Doing Business reforms and the Aspirational Districts Program and Production Linked Incentive (PLI) have left an indelible mark on the nation. His books, including "Made in India," "Incredible India 2.0," and "Branding India - An Incredible Story," have helped shape India's narrative. He has edited The Path Ahead: Transformative Ideas for India. Beyond India's borders, Amitabh Kant has been a member of the Steering Board of the "Shaping the Future of Production Systems" initiative at the World Economic Forum (WEF). He's also a Champion of the EDISON Alliance of the WEF, which focuses on deepening digital inclusion in areas such as health, education, and finance for developing nations worldwide. His contributions extended to the Management Board of the International Transport Forum (ITF), a unique inter-governmental agency for global transport. He received the prestigious Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship, conferred by the Prime Minister of New Zealand, is a Chevening Scholar and recipient of One Globe Award for leadership in Transforming Governance for the 21st Century. In the dynamic and ever-changing realm of global governance, Amitabh Kant stands as an unwavering beacon of leadership, innovation, and transformative change, not only for India but for the world. His journey is a testament to the power of visionary leadership and public policy in shaping the future of nations and the global community.

Dr. Sangita Kasture
Scientist G and Advisor,
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

Dr. Sangita Kasture is working as Scientist ‘G’ / Adviser in Ministry of New and  Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India and Heading R&D and HRD Divisions,  promoting innovations and skill development in RE Sector. Recently she is also holding  additional charge of Director General of Sardar  Swaran  Singh  National  Institute  of  Bio- Energy   (SSSNIBE),   Kapurthala.  Dr. Sangita is a pivotal figure in advancing India's  Renewable Energy, specifically Bioenergy, Small Hydro Power Program under MNRE.

Ms. Mehar Kaur
Solar Waste Expert,
ISA

As a waste expert, Mehar is supporting ISA in advancing solar and battery waste management initiatives across member countries through policy, partnerships, and community-of-practice networks. As a technical advisor she has supported The Resource Efficiency Circular Economy (RECE) cell in The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change-GOI to further India’s implementation of UN’s Sustainable Consumption and Production (SDG-12) agenda and has enabled regional network development between Bangladesh, India, and Viet Nam for implementation of digital skills in higher educational institutes. She has co-led various projects to incorporate circularity, RE&CE along the value chain through policy-led solutions and designing appropriate & relevant institutional frameworks, including India’s 1st state level strategy on RECE (Goa).

Dr. Gurleen Kaur
Technology & Solar Specialist,
International Solar Alliance

Dr. Gurleen Kaur is a Technology & Solar Specialist, co-leading the Technology Roadmap and Policy Unit at the International Solar Alliance (ISA). With a distinguished academic background, including a PhD from the National University of Singapore and post-doctorate fellowship at École Polytechnique and IPVF, France, Dr. Kaur has been instrumental in developing industry relevant innovative solar cell architectures and advanced PV technologies. She has worked across the entire PV value chain—from laboratory innovation to industrial manufacturing and now global program leadership—giving her a rare 360° perspective on solar technology development and deployment. Recognized globally, Dr. Kaur has been named as the Green Changemaker- Champion of Change (2025), 40 Under 40 Renewable Energy Leaders (2025), Rising Star - France (2023), among others Dr. Kaur is committed to advancing affordable, sustainable, and inclusive&

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

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

Ms. Ita Kettleborough
Partner,
Systemiq

Ita is the Director of the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC). Together with the ETC Commissioners, Ita advocates for the technologies, investments and policies required to deliver climate commitments. Ita leads the ETC Secretariat provided by Systemiq. She oversees the delivery of the ETC's analytical, international, and communications programmes, whilst also supporting the ETC members.   In her role as Partner of the Energy Platform at Systemiq, Ita brings a deep understanding of the clean energy landscape to help clients in the UK and internationally. Her recent work includes the 2025 publication of a report on the UK Continental Shelf Transition.   Prior to this, Ita was a Manager at Bain & Company working with business executives to address strategic challenges in the UK, Europe, and the USA. Ita worked across industrial, consumer products and heavy transport sectors, in addition to advising central government

Mr. Ashish Khanna
Director General,
International Solar Alliance

Mr Ashish Khanna has over twenty-six years of experience leading energy sector development in the private and public sectors in more than fifteen developing countries in South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa. He has unique experience working in the solar sector across the entire value chain, ranging from project conceptualisation to resource mobilisation, financing, bid process management, and project implementation.

As the former Head of the World Bank’s West and Central Africa Program, he led the Mission 300 for energy access to 300 million people in Africa by 2030. He has also worked as the Program Leader in the Middle East and North Africa, leading the program that enabled private sector investment of USD 20 billion in the energy sector for the first time in Egypt. In India, as the Lead Energy Specialist at the World Bank, he worked with the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy on policy and regulatory reforms to enable private sector engagement in solar. Born and raised in India, he has experienced first-hand the basic human need for energy access and the constraints of developing countries in achieving the same. He believes that the success of the International Solar Alliance requires a strengthened organisation with the right skills and accountability framework to earn the respect and trust of countries and their agencies in designing and implementing solar pathways for energy access and transition.

Mr Khanna has dual post-graduate degrees in Management and Public Administration. While pursuing his master's in public administration, he was recognised as a Littauer Fellow for Global Leadership Potential at Harvard Kennedy School.

Ms. Neha Khanna
Associate Director,
Climate Policy Initiative

Neha Khanna is an Associate Director at Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), leading the organization’s green and sustainable finance practice. She has over 15 years of experience in financial advisory and risk consulting, working with banks, DFIs, multilaterals, and regulators across Asia and Africa. At CPI, Neha established the Center for Sustainable Finance and advises on transition finance, climate risk, and sustainable finance roadmaps. She also serves on expert groups with GARP, GroW, and SBTi. Neha holds a Bachelor’s in Engineering and an MBA from IIT Madras.

Mr. Ashish Khanna
Director General,
International Solar Alliance

Mr Ashish Khanna has over twenty-six years of experience leading energy sector development in the private and public sectors in more than fifteen developing countries in South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa. He has unique experience working in the solar sector across the entire value chain, ranging from project conceptualisation to resource mobilisation, financing, bid process management, and project implementation.   As the former Head of the World Bank’s West and Central Africa Program, he led the Mission 300 for energy access to 300 million people in Africa by 2030.Mr Khanna has dual post-graduate degrees in Management and Public Administration. While pursuing his master's in public administration, he was recognised as a Littauer Fellow for Global Leadership Potential at Harvard Kennedy School.

Mr. Ashish KHANNA
Director General,
International Solar Alliance

Mr Ashish Khanna has over twenty-six years of experience leading energy sector development in the private and public sectors in more than fifteen developing countries in South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa. He has unique experience working in the solar sector across the entire value chain, ranging from project conceptualisation to resource mobilisation, financing, bid process management, and project implementation.

As the former Head of the World Bank’s West and Central Africa Program, he led the Mission 300 for energy access to 300 million people in Africa by 2030. He has also worked as the Program Leader in the Middle East and North Africa, leading the program that enabled private sector investment of USD 20 billion in the energy sector for the first time in Egypt. In India, as the Lead Energy Specialist at the World Bank, he worked with the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy on policy and regulatory reforms to enable private sector engagement in solar. Born and raised in India, he has experienced first-hand the basic human need for energy access and the constraints of developing countries in achieving the same. He believes that the success of the International Solar Alliance requires a strengthened organisation with the right skills and accountability framework to earn the respect and trust of countries and their agencies in designing and implementing solar pathways for energy access and transition.

Mr Khanna has dual post-graduate degrees in Management and Public Administration. While pursuing his master's in public administration, he was recognised as a Littauer Fellow for Global Leadership Potential at Harvard Kennedy School.

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

Mr Yoshinori Kodama is a senior Japanese diplomat, legal scholar, and international policy expert with over three decades of experience in global governance, trade, and environmental diplomacy. He holds a Bachelor of Law from Tokyo, a Master of Laws from Cambridge, and a PhD in Legal Studies from London. Since joining Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1990, he has served in key legal, economic, and multilateral roles, including postings in the United Kingdom, OECD, Cambodia, Malaysia, Belgium, NATO, and ASEAN. He has contributed to major international initiatives such as the Khmer Rouge Trials, ASEAN–QUAD disaster relief coordination, and OECD trade and environment negotiations. Currently Consul General of Japan in Honolulu, he is also a Visiting Research Scholar at the University of Hawaii. Mr Kodama serves as Principal Fellow at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and Honorary Adviser to TERI, with widely published work on international law, trade, and humanitarian cooperation.

Mr. Jaimes Kolantharaj
Principal Energy Specialist,
Asian Development Bank

A Principal Energy Specialist at ADB, currently serving as the country focal for energy sector operations in India and Sri Lanka. With an extensive experience in both project processing and implementation, he is actively engaged in a diverse portfolio of energy sector projects across South Asia, including renewable energy, conventional generation, power transmission, distribution and digitalization.

Mr. Sanjay Krishen
Regional Director - IT@Intel,
Intel Corporation

Sanjay Krishen (Jay”) is a Regional Director for IT@Intel. As part of the Office of the CIO, he covers the Asia Pacific region with additional focus on Middle East and Africa. Jay holds a degree in Electrical Engineering and MBA from Monash University, Australia.  He has over 25 years of experience in the IT industry and has played a variety of roles including Business Analyst, Project Manager, Program Manager and First, Second level IT Management at Intel. He has worked across multiple Intel locations - India, Russia, Costa Rica and Japan. As technology evangelist, Jay has spoken at numerous Industry events and shared Intel IT’s best practices with a specialization in Sustainability. He has also written various whitepapers for Intel.

Prof. Dheeraj Kumar
Deputy Director,
IIT (ISM) Dhanbad

Prof. Dheeraj Kumar is a Professor (HAG) at the Department of Mining Engineering, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, and holds administrative positions as Dy. Director of IIT (ISM) Dhanbad and Directors of TEXMiN and ACIC (the Mining Technology Innovation Hub of DST & the Community Innovation Hub of NITI Aayog). Prof. Kumar did his M.Tech. from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad and PhD from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur. He has 21 years of experience in Academic, Research, Outreach activities, and Administration in various positions, including Dean (Innovation), Dean (International Relations & Alumni Affairs), Assoc. Dean (Infrastructure), and academic positions. His areas of expertise include Mine Digitization & Mining 4.0 and Geospatial Technologies. Prof. Kumar has guided 20+ PhD Scholars and 50+ M. Tech students on Digitization, Automation, Remote Sensing, and GIS. He has organized several Professional Development Programmes (PDP) from one week to 14 weeks and trained 700+ mining professionals in Mine Digitization, Monitoring, and Digitalization. Prof. Kumar has developed and commercialized indigenous mining technologies for safe, intelligent, and sustainable mines. Prof. Kumar has mentored several startups and innovators and completed industrial projects on Mine Digitization, Monitoring, and digitalization. Prof. Kumar founded the Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) in “Mining Technology,” the TEXMiN for developing technologies, innovation, and startup ecosystems in mining and earth science domains with substantial contributions from both Govt. and Industries. Prof. Kumar also founded the ACIC (A Section 8 company under NITI Aayog) for community innovations.

Mr. Tanmay Kumar
Secretary,
Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Govt of India

Mr Tanmay Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India, is a 1993-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre. He brings over three decades of administrative experience across state and central government.

An engineer by training, he holds a B.Tech in Civil Engineering and an M.Tech in Foundation Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. Over the course of his career, he has handled diverse assignments in governance, public administration, and policy implementation.

As Secretary, MoEFCC, Mr Kumar leads India’s efforts in environmental protection, forest conservation, climate action, and sustainable development. He plays a pivotal role in shaping national environmental policies and advancing India’s commitments under global environmental and climate frameworks.

Dr. Sachin Kumar
Vice President and Lead,
Energiva Ventures Private Limited

Dr. Sachin Kumar is Vice President – Mitigation strategies at Energiva Ventures. Prior to this, Dr. Kumar served as Director at Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, New Delhi, where he led the Industry, Buildings, and Cooling programme. He has more than 25 years of experience in advancing energy efficiency and environmental improvement in the industrial sector. Dr. Kumar is closely involved in several initiatives supporting the decarbonisation of India’s industrial sector and has provided strategic advisory services to a range of industry sub-sectors in the areas of energy efficiency and sustainable development. He has published numerous papers focusing on energy and environmental aspects of the industrial sector. Before joining Shakti in December 2021, he worked with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) as Senior Fellow & Area Convenor (Industrial Energy Efficiency). Dr. Kumar holds a Ph.D. from TERI University, an M.E. in Environmental Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, and a B.Tech in Civil Engineering from REC Hamirpur.

Dr. Parveen Kumar
Program Head - Sustainable Batteries,
WRI India

Dr. Parveen Kumar is a Program Head-Sustainable Batteries at WRI India under the Cities and Transport program. He has previously worked at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, and has received a Ph. D. from JMI, New Delhi. He has more than 19 years of post-PhD experience in science, technology, and policy research.
His research concentrates on the technology and policy need assessment related to clean technologies, which include Energy Storage, Electric Vehicles, Solar Energy, and Rare Earths. He has worked in the solar energy domain, leading the SEI (Solar Energy Integration) thrust of the SERIIUS (Solar Energy Research Institute for India and the United States) project. He has published several peer-reviewed papers in reputed international journals and has also published a book chapter, reports, and articles in leading magazines.

Dr. Sushil Kumar
Chief Scientist,
CSIR-National Physical Laboratory

Dr. Sushil Kumar, PhD in Electronics Engineering from IIT-BHU working as Chief Scientist & Honorary Professor AcSIR at CSIR-NPL, India and there heading PV Metrology & Advanced Materials Divisions.  He also worked at CNRS Lab., France for one year.  He has over 200 publications in journals, book chapters & proceedings, 10 patents and guided 11 Ph.D students. He is steering committee member of PTB, technical committee member for TC20 of IMEKO, Germany and participating in an ICIRN project of Australian Government for integrating EoL Solar Panel Waste in Circular Economy Model. He is expert member of committees of solar PV in the country and chairman of PMC for NCPRE, IIT Bombay. His notable contribution is early initiation of work in the country towards recovery of materials from EoL solar panels as a sustainable circular economy approach and first among globe to grow ingot using recycled silicon from EoL solar panels.

Mr. Sameer Kwatra
Senior Director, India, International,
NRDC

Im Sameer Kwatra from NRDC based is a Washington, D.C.- and leading NRDC's India program across clean energy, transportation, public health, and climate solutions. With over 25 years of global experience and specializes in environmental policy and energy efficiency. My career includes work with the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy on building energy efficiency, and with ICICI Prudential in rural India, where I developed a deep commitment to climate justice for vulnerable communities. I holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Finance (MBA), and Environmental Management from NIT, IIM, and Yale respectively.

Ms. Mahek M
Head of Climate Finance ,
British High Commission

Currently: Climate Finance Lead, British High Commission, Delhi

Previously: FCDO’s policy lead on the Asian Development Bank, Head of Clean Energy and Advanced Economies in the joint FCDO-BEIS International Energy Unit,, and represented UK at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Interdisciplinary environmentalist interested in energy, food systems and innovative climate finance solutions. I speak four different languages, having worked or researched in the following countries: India, France, Sierra Leone and the Netherlands.

Ms. Nidhi Madan
Partner,
Energiva Ventures Pvt. Ltd.

Nidhi works closely with the Government of India on India’s net-zero pathway, contributes to the Energy Modelling Forum, supports the Green Hydrogen Mission, and informs policies such as Technology Needs Assessments. Her work with sub-national governments focuses on aligning net-zero strategies, developing EV, green hydrogen, and renewable energy policies, and integrating climate action into development planning. She also partners with city governments on Healthy Air Zones to develop finance-ready projects.
Prior to joining Energiva, she served as Associate Director at Shakti Sustinable Energy Foundation and Technical Expert at GIZ, where she supported state governments in developing State Action Plans on Climate Change and preparing proposals to access climate finance.

Nidhi holds an M.Tech in Energy and Environment Management degree from IIT Delhi and a B. Tech degree in Environment from IP University.

Mr. Umang Maheshwari
Managing Director,
Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP)

Umang is the Managing Director, Grids of The Future at the Global Energy Alliance (GEA). In this role, he collaborates with GEA’s global teams to deploy innovative technology solutions and data tools to accelerate energy transition and grid modernization in the global south markets. Currently, he spearheads the development of scalable business models for deploying grid-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) and grid digitization, working alongside philanthropic, public and private sector stakeholders.

With over 18 years of experience in the clean energy and social impact sectors, Umang has successfully led business development initiatives for organizations such as Smart Power India, d.light, and Greenway Grameen Infra. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Pune University and is a Fellow of the Uncharted Institute, USA.

Ms. Saumya Malhotra
Policy Fellow ,
LSE

Working at CETEx, LSE as a Policy Fellow 

Mr. Saurav Malhotra
Managing Director, South Asia,
Conservation International

Saurav Malhotra is Managing Director for South Asia at Conservation International. As a Lui-Walton Fellow, he co-designed the Mountains to Mangroves initiative — one of the largest conservation efforts in the Eastern Himalayas. Spanning Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, the initiative aims to restore and protect 1 million hectares by 2030, working with national NGOs to safeguard biodiversity and strengthen climate resilience.

Previously, Saurav served as CEO of the Balipara Foundation, where he led large-scale forest restoration programs with Indigenous communities in northeast India and pioneered the Rural Futures model, linking ecosystem restoration with resilient livelihoods.

He holds a master’s degree from the University of Manchester and is a fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, Acumen, and Ashoka. Saurav also serves as Honorary Special Adviser (Asia-Pacific) to the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance, founded by King Charles III, advancing nature-based solutions in economic development.

Dr. Ritu Mathur
Senior Fellow and Director,
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

Dr Ritu Mathur is a climate and energy policy expert at the The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). For the last 2 years she was camped as a consultant at NITI Aayog tasked with setting-up and leading a Modelling and Integrated Assessment Unit to strengthen integrated evidence-based decision making in the Energy-Climate domain and coordinating the activities of the India Climate & Energy Modeling Forum (ICEMF) at NITI Aayog. Over the last 3 decades, her work has contributed to national policymaking through inputs for formulation of India’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets, delineating Low Carbon Strategies for Inclusive Growth and influencing decision making through involvement as Expert in Working Groups across Ministries. She has also been involved as a Lead Author in the IPCC Working Group Reports and is a member of various National and International Steering Committees on Integrated Modeling & Climate Po

Dr. Abhinav Mathur
Advisor to the Board,
Attero Recycling Pvt Ltd

Dr. Abhinav Mathur is an Advisor to the Board at Attero Recycling India's largest and the world most advanced electrical, electronics, and lithium ion battery waste recycler. and a passionate advocate for sustainability and circularity of critical materials through advanced recycling of e-waste and lithium-ion batteries. A former Senior Advisor to the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, he has played a key role in shaping national initiatives on technology, innovation, and sustainability. With a strong entrepreneurial background in building and scaling multiple deep-tech ventures, he continues to bridge innovation with impact. Dr. Mathur holds a PhD from IIT Delhi, an MBA from IIM Lucknow, and a B.Tech from NSUT.

Mr. Naveen Mathur
Chief Executive Officer,
Maithri Aquatech

Naveen Mathur is a Business and Strategy Expert with about three decades of rich experience across various industries. He has worked earlier both in India and overseas markets in global corporates such as Nokia, Whirlpool, Electrolux and WaterHealth. He is a distinguished professional revered for his growth strategies coupled with a deep understanding of cross-functional organizational methodologies and strong triple bottom-line orientation.   He nurtures a strong emotional connection with nature and humanity that drives a very noble cause of water sustainability and preservation. Mr Naveen is the Chief Executive Officer of Maithri Aquatech, a company formed under the ‘Make-In-India’ initiative of the government of India with the vision to build ‘Water from Air’ as a new scalable and sustainable category of water while preserving crucial ground and surface water resources. 

Mr. J M Mauskar 
Former Special Secretary MoEFCC and Member, PM Council on Climate Change.,
Observer Research Foundation

Curriculum Vitae of Mr. J M Mauskar (Mr)

Mr. J. M. Mauskar has served for more than 34 years in the Indian Administrative Service, acquiring extensive practical experience in international trade, investment promotion, overseas investments, international contracts, the petroleum sector, and environmental issues, with a special focus on climate change.For over 15 years until 2012, he played a significant role in shaping major policy and regulatory initiatives in the areas of trade, energy, and environment while holding senior positions in the Ministries of Commerce, Petroleum & Natural Gas, and Environment & Forests. He also served as Chairman of the Central Pollution Control Board from 2006 to 2009.Following his retirement, Mr. Mauskar has remained actively engaged in climate change matters, including serving as a Member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change since 2014. He was also a Member of the Governing Council of IITM, Pune (2012–2021) and an Independent Director on the Board of SAIL from 2013 to 2016.

Ms. Shikha Mehra
PCCF DEVELOPMENT,
Rajasthan Forest Department

Shikha Mehra, a 1993-batch Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer of the Rajasthan cadre, serves as Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Development in the Rajasthan Forest Department. She is a senior forestry professional with extensive experience in forest administration, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management, contributing significantly to sustainable forest governance in the state.

Ms. Aarti Mehra
Deputy Country Director, India Resident Mission,
Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Ms Mehra joined ADB in 2019 and is currently the Deputy Country Director at ADB’s India Resident Mission. In India, ADB is engaged in projects across transportation, energy, urban development, agriculture and nature-based rural development, human and social development, public sector management / governance and the finance sector. She has vast experience in the private sector and prior to her current role she was the Country Lead for Private Sector Operations and Cofinancing for India. Ms Mehra holds an MBA from the Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University and a BA (Hons) in Economics from St Stephen’s College, Delhi University.

Ms. Dia Mirza
Actor, Producer, Eco Investor, UNEP Goodwill Ambassador,
& UN Secretary General’s Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals

Dia Mirza is an Award winning Actor, United Nations Environment Programme Goodwill Ambassador, United Nations Secretary-General’s Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals, Ambassador Wildlife Trust of India, Eco Investor and Film Producer. 
 

Mr. Debal Mitra
Senior Manager,
CPI

Debal Mitra is a Senior Manager at Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), a global non-profit research and advisory institution engaged in the field of climate action. He leads the enabling capital practice with a focus on unlocking finance for underserved climate-positive sectors. He has also contributed to CPI’s work on green banks and carbon ratings. Debal comes with over 28 years of experience across varied domains of financial services— like infrastructure project finance, credit rating, and climate finance— and consulting across infrastructure, energy, and process industries. His prior engagements include leading the North India operations at a premier rating agency, supervising the Risk function at an infrastructure finance company, and leading research in metals and mining as a publishing analyst at a multinational bank.   Debal is a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Delhi and holds a PGDM from IIM Calcutta.

Dr. Muaviyath Mohamed
Minister of State,
Ministry of Tourism and Environment of the Republic of Maldives

Dr. Muaviyath Mohamed earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. His research expertise lies in “Energy Constraint and Adaptability”, with a special emphasis on renewable energy applications tailored for small islands. He has several articles published in his areas of interest, which includes Energy Constraint and Adaptability: Focus on Renewable Energy on Small Islands. NERI, National Energy Research Institute, New Zealand, Solar and Wind Energy for Small Island Electrification: A Maldivian Case study, UKERC, UK Energy Research Centre, Voluntary demand participation (VDP) for security of essential energy activities in remote communities with case study in Maldives, Energy for Sustainable Development, International Energy Initiative.

He holds a Master’s degree in Marine Technology from The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and BSc. Honors from the Islamic University of Technology (Dhaka, Bangladesh). He earned his MBA in 2021.

With over 20 years of experience in the education sector, Dr. Mohamed served as the former Deputy Vice Chancellor of The Maldives National University (MNU) from 2015 to 2019. In this capacity, he successfully oversaw critical divisions including Administration, Finance, Human Resources, and Project Planning/Development and implementation. Prior to this he was the Dean of Faculty of Engineering Technology at MNU.

Dr. Smita Mohanty
Pr Director & Head,
CIPET SARP-LARPM

Pr Director & Head Sr Pr Scientist CIPET SARP-LARPM  Bhubaneswar. 22 years of Research experience in the field of Polymers. Research expertise includes Biopolymers,  blend and Nanocomposites,  Recycling & waste Management.  Author of 9 Books and more than 200 International Publications 

Mr. Piyush Mohapatra
Senior Programme Coordinator,
Toxics Link

Piyush is working as the Sr. Programme Coordinator (Chemical and Health Program) at Toxics Link. He joined Toxics Link in the year 2006. He was coordinating on Environmental Equity and Justice Partnership ( EEJP ) supported by Ford Foundation to collaborate and implement the project on waste and chemicals across the country. He was also coordinating the International PoPs Elimination Network (IPEN) activities for the South Asia program. Piyush has authored many research reports on issues of chemical safety primarily on POPs, heavy metals, and Endocrine Disruptive chemicals ( EDCs)., concerning India and South Asia. He has represented various national-level and inter-ministerial meetings and international conventions on the issues of chemical safety and waste. He has deep expertise in the Stockholm Convention on POPs., Basel Convention, Rotterdam Convention, and Minamata Convention on Mercury, and developments on Strategic Approach to International Chemical Management (SAICM). He is now looking after the chemicals and health program of Toxics Link focusing on the research and policy aspects of chemical management in the context of health.

Piyush Mohapatra has done M.Sc. in Botany with a specialization in Environmental Toxicology from Berhampur University, Odisha. After completing his post-graduation, he was associated with some grassroots organizations on biodiversity issues in the tribal districts of Odisha. Later, he moved to Delhi to pursue his LLB from Campus Law Centre, Faculty of Law, Delhi University. After a brief stint in a corporate law firm, the former moved to the development sector and worked with Gene Campaign for three years. During his tenure at the Gene campaign, he was involved in various policy issues concerning intellectual property rights and Genetically Modified (GM) technology. Piyush is the recipient of the prestigious International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) of the US Govt, “Department of State” in 2011

Mr. Deb Mukherjee
Managing Director,
Cenergist Energy Private Limited

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 and also is an inward investor in the UK. Served as President of Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry in year 2020-21 and currently serves as Chair of The Delhi Council of BCCI.

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" amongst other publications.

Ms. Ranjini Mukherjee
Director - Research, Knowledge Management & Capacity Development,
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

Ranjini heads the research, knowledge management, and capacity development portfolio in CDRI. With over 20 years of experience in disaster risk reduction at national, regional, and local levels in India, she offers extensive technical expertise and policy insight to support CDRI’s objectives.

Before joining CDRI, Ranjini held leadership roles with UNDP India, UNDRR, and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, India. She managed large-scale disaster risk reduction programmes, shaped national policy discussions, and provided technical support in the development of the 2023–27 UN-GOI Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.

She has expertise in the area of post-disaster recovery and reconstruction planning, earthquake risk management, urban resilience, disaster risk governance, post-disaster needs assessments, and capacity building.

Ranjini holds a M.Sc. in Geography and a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from CEPT University. She is passionate about bridging evidence and action, translating policies into practice, and fortifying infrastructure resilience through strategic engagement, learnings, trainings and knowledge exchange.

Prof. Benito Müller
Managing Director,
Oxford Climate Policy

Professor Müller is Managing Director of Oxford Climate Policy (OCP), a not-for-profit company aimed at capacity building for developing country climate change negotiators, and Director of the European Capacity Building Initiative (ecbi), an international initiative for sustained capacity building in support of international climate change negotiations. At the University of Oxford, he serves as Convener of International Climate Policy Research at the Environmental Change Institute and holds a Fellowship at Wolfson College.

He received his doctorate (D.Phil.) in Philosophy from the University of Oxford. He has a Diploma in Mathematics from the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) in Zürich.

His publication list can be found at: https://oxfordclimatepolicy.org/ocp-members-publications/benito-muller

He has published extensively on the OCP blog: https://blog.oxfordclimatepolicy.org/

Mr. Kamalakkannan Muthusubramanian
Director,
Emerson Electric Co.

Ms. Leena Nandan
Distinguished Fellow,
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

Ms Leena Nandan is engaged with the Earth Science and Climate Change Division of TERI as Distinguished Fellow. At TERI, Ms Nandan plays a key role in strengthening and advancing initiatives focused on sustainable development strategies and climate action.

A retired officer of the Indian Administrative Service (1987 batch, Uttar Pradesh cadre), Ms Nandan is an expert in administration and governance, with a particular focus on public policy in the areas of climate change, infrastructure, and environmental sustainability. Her distinguished career spans thirty-seven years, during which she has demonstrated outstanding leadership and strategic vision in both state and central government roles.

Ms Nandan has served in various senior capacities within the Government of India. From May 2020, she served as Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs, before assuming charge as Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on January 1, 2022. During her tenure as Secretary until her superannuation in December 2024, she was instrumental in guiding national policy on forest conservation, climate resilience, and environmental management.

A student of English literature with a keen interest in writing, Ms Nandan holds a degree in English Honours from Patna Women’s College and has three books to her credit. She is also a management graduate, holding a Master’s Degree in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management, Manila.

Ms. Leena Nandan
Distinguished Fellow,
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

Ms Leena Nandan is engaged with the Earth Science and Climate Change Division of TERI as Distinguished Fellow. At TERI, Ms Nandan plays a key role in strengthening and advancing initiatives focused on sustainable development strategies and climate action.

A retired officer of the Indian Administrative Service (1987 batch, Uttar Pradesh cadre), Ms Nandan is an expert in administration and governance, with a particular focus on public policy in the areas of climate change, infrastructure, and environmental sustainability. Her distinguished career spans thirty-seven years, during which she has demonstrated outstanding leadership and strategic vision in both state and central government roles.

Ms Nandan has served in various senior capacities within the Government of India. From May 2020, she served as Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs, before assuming charge as Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on January 1, 2022. During her tenure as Secretary until her superannuation in December 2024, she was instrumental in guiding national policy on forest conservation, climate resilience, and environmental management.

A student of English literature with a keen interest in writing, Ms Nandan holds a degree in English Honours from Patna Women’s College and has three books to her credit. She is also a management graduate, holding a Master’s Degree in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management, Manila.

Mr. Kuldip Narayan
Joint Secretary (HFA),
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India

Shri Kuldip Narayan (IAS), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India is looking after its flagship programme of ‘Housing for All’ Mission since Oct 2021. He is Government’s Director in National Housing Bank (NHB), National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), Urban Mass Transit Company Ltd (UMTC) and Patna Metro Rail Corporation Limited (PMRCL). Earlier, he worked as CMD of Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) & MD of NCRTC as additional charge. 

Long associated with Local Government and Urban Issues, Shri Narayan has worked as Chairman of Bihar State Bridge Corporation, Managing Director of Bihar State Water Board, Patna Municipal Commissioner etc. in Bihar. 

Shri Narayan is a Mechanical Engineering - IIT Kanpur and joined Indian Administrative Service in 2005. He received the Satyendra Dubey Memorial Award from IIT Kanpur in 2015 for promoting probity and transparency in public service and for his exemplary professional integrity.

Dr. Charles Ogilvie
Executive Director,
Ocean Energy Pathway

Dr Charles Ogilvie OBE is the Executive Director and a Co-Founder of OEP. Since the start of 2023, he has led the organisational design and build, working with the senior team and OEP’s governance board to secure scale up of funding and to shape policies, processes, and priorities during a phase of rapid growth.

Charles comes from a background as a strategist and entrepreneur working in the energy and climate sectors. As Director of Strategy for COP26 at the UK Cabinet Office, he had a key role in delivering the UK’s successful COP Presidency. He joined the Cabinet Office following on from his role leading on climate and energy policy as a Special Advisor in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy during the period that Britain became the first country in the G7 to legislate for Net Zero, and agreed a landmark sector deal with the Offshore Wind Industry.

Ms. Anne Orquiza
Senior Public Management Officer (Disaster Risk Management),
Asian Development Bank

Anne Orquiza, Senior Disaster Risk Management Officer, is collaborating with ADB’s member countries across Asia and the Pacific to strengthen climate and disaster resilience and post-disaster recovery. Anne currently leads the application of climate information and early warning systems to sector investments and plays a key role in capacity development of ADB staff on disaster risk management and resilience. Previously, Anne advanced disaster risk reduction, environment and climate change integration for the Australian Government, managing a USD200 million portfolio that introduced risk analytics and risk-informed planning, and built local and community resilience, as well as humanitarian assistance to the Philippines. With extensive experience spanning the UNEP, JICA, GIZ and the Philippine government, Anne brings expertise in disaster risk management, climate adaptation, environment, public sector management and governance, and regional and local development. Anne also serves as a Board Trustee for a humanitarian iNGO. Anne holds an MSc in Environmental Science, post-graduate degrees in Urban Planning, Government, and Humanitarian Leadership, and a BSc in Agriculture from the Deakin University and University of the Philippines.

Ms. Martina Otto
Head of Secretariat,
Climate and Clean Air Coalition @UNEP

Martina Otto is a senior UN leader with over 25 years of experience driving global environmental action at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). She heads the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Secretariat, steering international efforts to cut short‑lived climate pollutants.

She has shaped UNEP’s work on cities, buildings, energy, and transport, and established and expanded several major multi-stakeholder partnerships. Her work is grounded in a systems perspective: building bridges between public policy, business actors, cities, and citizens, and connecting climate, nature and pollution agendas with broader socio-economic development.

She is a lawyer specialized in international environmental law.

Dr. Ash Pachauri
Director,
POP Movement

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

Mr. Sandeep Paidi
Partner & Lead - Health, Human & Social Services,
KPMG

Sandeep Paidi is a seasoned public policy professional with over 22 years of experience in the consulting industry, across firms such as KPMG in India and Accenture. He is currently a Partner with the Government & Public Services (G&PS) practice at KPMG and leads the Health, Human & Social Services (HHSS) practice. His portfolio spans sectors such as Healthcare, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH), Social & Rural development and Natural Resources Management. Sandeep also serves as the Office Managing Partner (OMP) for KPMG in Hyderabad region. He is a computer science engineer and has a postgraduate degree from the London School of Economics and an MBA from the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad.

Mr. Manish Pandey
National Coordinator,
TERI - SGP

Mr. Pandey has over 16 years of experience working with grass root level institutions for clean energy access and livelihood enhancement. As a Fellow and Area Convenor of the Centre for Rural Action, which also hosted TERI’s flagship energy access program, Lighting a Billion Lives (LaBL) campaign, Mr Pandey was responsible for partnership development with state and central government offices, CSR, bilateral and multilateral institutions. He has also been responsible for project planning and coordination as well as capacity building of different stakeholders including NGOs, CBOs and local energy entrepreneurs, for the effective implementation of energy access interventions. He was responsible for initiatives focusing on energy access, designing business models with different stakeholders and empowering community institutions. Mr. Pandey had led several research activities in the fields of renewable energy, resource efficient technology applications, cooking technologies etc. In association with Bihar Rural Livelihood Promotion Society (BRLSP) he has implemented clean cooking and lighting projects for 50,000 women SHG members. This is one of its kind of model where the issue of clean energy has been addressed through empowering self help group women in Bihar. Over his stint of almost 12 years, he has collectively implemented projects related to clean energy covering lives of more than 4 million people across different state of India and countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In year 2022, he has taken a new role as a National Coordinator (NC) UNDP – GEF Small Grants Program. The program aims to provide technical and financial support to grassroot institutions. As a NC, he is responsible for building capacities of grass root organizations who can work on several aspects of environmental conservations, restoration of degraded land, improving agroecology practices and climate change across the country. He is also responsible to coordinate with different stakeholders, UNDP and Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change for smooth execution of the Small Grants Program in India. In almost 3 years as a NC, he has supported around 60 Non – government organizations in initiating projects on the broader issue of environment conservation through community participation. He has published articles and research papers on the issue of clean energy. In 2014, he was selected to represent India at the Future Energy Leadership Program during the World Energy Congress organized at Daegu, South Korea. He has represented TERI in several national and international level conferences on the issue of clean energy and community led intervention for environment conservation.

Mr. Indra Mani Pandey
Secretary General,
BIMSTEC

Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey is a distinguished diplomat who joined Indian Foreign Service in 1990. He currently serves as Secretary General of BIMSTEC. Earlier, Ambassador Pandey had served as Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador of India to the Sultanate of Oman as well as Deputy Ambassador to France and Consul General in Guangzhou, China. He also held diplomatic positions in Cairo, Damascus, Islamabad, Kabul and Geneva. At India’s Ministry of External Affairs, he was head of Disarmament & International Security Affairs Division and served at the desks dealing with West Asia and North Africa, consular matters and India’s 4 neighbours. Ambassador Pandey attended the Foreign Service Programme at Oxford University and the National Security Course at the National Defence College of India. He has extensive diplomatic experience, including multilateral diplomacy.

Dr. Deep Narayan Pandey
Senior Consultant,
The Nature Conservancy India

Dr. Deep Narayan Pandey is an officer of the 1988 batch of the Indian Forest Service (now retired) and is former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force), Rajasthan. He is regarded among the world’s leading managers and scientists in the management and restoration of tropical forests.

He has received training at all three levels — as a Range Forest Officer, in the State Forest Service, and in the Indian Forest Service — and has earned a Doctorate in Forestry. He has extensive professional experience working with institutions such as the World Bank (Washington, D.C.) and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor, Indonesia, among others.

He has published several research papers in the world's leading journals, and several books. Among the many awards he has received, the Government of India’s prestigious “Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Award, 1994” in the field of forestry is notable. For his outstanding contribution to Ayurvedic research, he was also awarded the “Dhanvantari Award” by the Department of Ayurveda and Indian Medicine, Government of Rajasthan, in 2015.

Dr. Ruchi Pant
Head-Climate Adaptation, NRM and Biodiversity,
UNDP

Ruchi Pant is a leader in climate change, resilience, and chemicals management at UNDP. Their expertise encompasses natural resource management, biodiversity, and policy analysis, cultivated through diverse roles within international organizations.

At UNDP, Ruchi has held positions of increasing responsibility, including Natural Resource Management & Biodiversity Head and Programme Manager. In these roles, they focused on biodiversity conservation and natural resource management, supporting civil society organizations in areas such as wildlife conservation, land and water management, and climate change. Earlier in their tenure with UNDP, Ruchi served as a Programme Analyst, contributing to public policy and local governance, including access to justice initiatives. They also served as Team Leader.

Prior to their work with UNDP, Ruchi served as a Policy Analyst at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), an organization focused onsustainable development. They also worked as a Policy Consultant for Wateraid, contributing to efforts to address the global water crisis. Ruchi's background includes a Visiting Environmental Law Fellowship at Boalt Hall School of Law.

Ruchi's academic foundation includes a Doctor of Philosophy from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, a Bachelor’s of Law from Delhi University, and a Diploma from the Centre for Environmental Law, World Wildlife Fund, India. Their educational background complements their professional experience, demonstrating applied knowledge of environmental law and policy.

Dr. Dammika Patabendi
Minister of Environment,
Government of Sri Lanka

Dr. Dammika Patabendi (b. 3 July 1969) is the Hon. Minister of Environment of Sri Lanka, serving in the Cabinet since November 2024. A medical doctor by training, he graduated from the Medical Faculty, University of Colombo, before entering public life with a strong commitment to environmental protection and sustainable development. Elected to Parliament from the Kegalle District as a member of the National People’s Power, he blends scientific insight with policymaking to tackle climate change, plastic pollution, and biodiversity loss. As Minister, he champions green innovation, circular economy approaches, and international cooperation for resilient ecosystems. He also serves as President of the Sri Lanka–Iran Parliamentary Friendship Association, strengthening bilateral engagement on sustainable development goals.

Mr. Sudhir Pathak
Chief Science and Technology Officer,
Hero Future Energies

Sudhir joined Hero Future Energies in 2018 and is currently serving as “Chief Science and Technology Officer (CSTO). He has completed his Electrical Engg. from IIT (BHU) Varanasi. He has 29+ years of extensive Design & Engg experience in Power Sector of all forms from Thermal, Hydro, Solar, Wind, Hybrid, FDREs & has successfully bidded more than 8GW of RE till date. He has worked with various organizations, namely, Tata motors, NTPC, Lanco, Welspun (Now Avaada) & ACME. He has written several articles & papers.

Mr. CHETAN PATHAK
Director- Strategy & Growth, India Energy Storage Alliance ,
India Energy Storage Alliance

Chetan is a seasoned professional with 14+ years extensive experience in renewable energy, regulatory strategy, and business growth, the current role involves driving strategic initiatives at Customized Energy Solutions and India Energy Storage Alliance. Focus areas include renewable energy, battery energy storage solutions (BESS), green hydrogen, and critical minerals supply chain ( upstream and downstream), with a strong emphasis on policy advocacy and market intelligence to advance sustainable energy solutions. 

Has served in previous leadership roles at Reliance, BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd., Azure Power, Gensol Group and honed expertise in policy advocacy, regulatory frameworks, and government business across renewable energy and emerging technologies.

Mr. Amit Patjoshi
CEO,
Palladium India

Mr. Amit Patjoshi, a distinguished leader contributing to India's journey towards social and economic transformation. With a robust career in renowned firms such as E&Y, KPMG, and PwC, Amit brings over two decades of invaluable experience in government advisory roles, collaborating with prestigious entities like FCDO, IFC, UNDP, World Bank, ADB, USAID, and multiple State Governments in India. As the CEO of Palladium India, Amit envisions positioning Palladium as the most impactful firm globally, leveraging their unique space in designing, developing, and implementing their projects. His approach prioritizes impact-driven projects, emphasizing the need for hands-on implementation and showcasing tangible results on the ground. With a focus on key sectors including Agriculture, Economic Growth, Climate, Health, and Disaster Risk Management, Amit's aim is to bring about substantial and meaningful changes that are crucial for India. 

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

Anand Patwardhan is Professor in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park. He holds a BTech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Bombay, and an MS in Civil Engineering and a PhD in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University. His research focuses on mitigation and adaptation responses to climate change in the context of sustainable development, as well as science, technology, and innovation policy. He has served as a Coordinating Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and as a member of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Science Committee of the World Adaptation Science Program, Co-Chair of the Adaptation Research Alliance, and Co-Lead of the Methodology Advisory Group of the Race to Resilience.

Ms. Seema Paul
Program Director,
Sequoia Climate Foundation

Seema Paul is a Program Director at Sequoia Climate Foundation, where she leads the India grantmaking portfolio. Prior to joining Sequoia, she led the launch of two environmental organizations in India: Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation and The Nature Conservancy. She has also worked with philanthropic start-ups focused on climate change, including the United Nations Foundation and ClimateWorks Foundation, and with international organizations such as UNAIDS. Seema is a Lead International Fellow of the Rockefeller Foundation and an Alfred Friendly Press Fellow. She completed the International Executive Program at INSEAD and holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Delhi. Her writing has appeared in global and Indian media, including Time, The Dallas Morning News, and The Times of India, as well as in peer-reviewed journals.

Prof. Deo Prasad
Scientia Professor,
University of New South Wales, Sydney

Professor Deo Prasad is among the internationally recognised Australian experts in the field of environment and sustainability with a focus on net zero carbon innovations. His experience covers practice as a consultant, long standing experience as a thought leader and a distinguished academic, significant leadership and governance expertise, all with notable recognition from all levels of government and professions.  His expertise is very much in science and evidence-based approaches with a very high level of understanding of the innovation processes, the energy and carbon ecosystem with a high level of understanding of the human behaviour and social change dimensions.   These all influence not only technologies and design elements of driving net zero economy but also the people side including attracting talent and education and capability issues.

Ms. Nameeta Prasad
Joint Secretary,
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Nameeta Prasad has around 20 years in the field of environment and its audit. She is currently posted in the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Government of India as Joint Secretary, with a diverse array of charges like mountain division, green credit program, biodiversity conservation, non-formal environment education, Awareness, Capacity Building and Livelihood issues.

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. As Director in International Center for Environment Audit and Sustainable Development, (iCED) she was part of the team which set up iCED in Jaipur. She 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 from 2018-20, she earned a master's degree in environmental sciences. Her grad work consisted of study in the areas of climate change, sustainability, GIS mapping and its use in environmental sciences, forest management, water resources/pollution, landscape ecology, ecosystem services as well as quant analysis. She also has a PG diploma in environment law from National Law School, Bangalore. As a student in Delhi University, she also earned a Masters degree in Psychology.

Mr. R Raghu Prasad
Inspector General of Forest,
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Mr. R. Raghu Prasad is the Inspector General of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in India. He is responsible for overseeing the implementation of various environmental laws and policies in the country. He has more than 25 years of experience in the field of environmental management and conservation. He has also been involved in several international initiatives and collaborations on environmental issues.

Ms. NAMEETA PRASAD
Joint Secretary,
Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change

Ms. Nameeta Prasad is a senior environmental leader with over 20 years of experience in environmental governance, auditing, and sustainability, currently serving as Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Government of India. In her present role, she oversees key areas including biodiversity conservation, the Green Credit Programme, environmental awareness, capacity building, and mountain ecosystem management. She has extensive expertise in environmental auditing across critical domains such as waste management, water pollution, air quality, biodiversity, and clean energy, and has represented India in international forums on environmental audit. Ms. Prasad holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Washington, along with a postgraduate diploma in environmental law from the National Law School of India University, and a Master’s degree in Psychology from the University of Delhi. Her distinguished career reflects a strong commitment to advancing sustainable development, strengthening environmental governance, and building institutional capacity at national and global levels.

Mr. Shishir Priyadarshi
President,
Chintan Research Foundation (CRF)

Shishir Priyadarshi is President of the Chintan Research Foundation (CRF), a policy think tank focused on translating strategic reflection into actionable ideas for people-centric development, particularly across climate change, energy transition, energy affordability, with a string thrust on private sectors participation in renewable energy. Earlier he served as Director at the World Trade Organization (WTO), where he worked on global trade governance, development negotiations, and policy coherence, with a strong emphasis on developing-country and Global South perspectives. He has also spent over two decades in the Indian Administrative Service, holding senior positions at state and central levels, including roles linked to economic management, industry, finance, and inter-ministerial coordination. He holds an MA in Economics from the University of Reading, UK and an MSc in Nuclear Physics from Delhi University, earning gold medals in both. 

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

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

Mr. Subrahmanyam Pulipaka
Chief Executive Officer,
National Solar Energy Federation of India INSEFI)

Subrahmanyam Pulipaka, is the Chief Executive Officer of National Solar Energy Federation of India. Subrahmanyam, who is BITSAA Global 30 Under 30 Award recipient, is an alumnus of BITS Pilani in Electrical & Electronics Engineering and is one of the youngest winners of BRICS young scientist award - 2018. Well known Speaker at various Solar and RE events in India,Pulipaka represented India in various scientific and technology platforms worldwide including United States, China, Russia and Rwanda. With a research background in reliability of solar PV modules, he has published around 15 research articles in internationally acclaimed journals. He is also the founding chairman of India Africa Youth Energy Forum, a platform dedicated to nurture future energy leaders in the Indian subcontinent and African continent.

Mr. Sharad Pungalia
Country Head,
Gentari, India

Mr. Sharad Pungalia is the Country Head of Gentari, India, leading integrated operations across Renewable Energy, Green Hydrogen, and Green Mobility. With over 20 years in the power and energy sector, he is driving Gentari’s mission to accelerate India’s clean energy transition. Previously, as MD & CEO of Amplus, he scaled its portfolio to over 2.4 GW and expanded offerings to include storage, hybrids, and green hydrogen. Sharad brings deep expertise in project development, commercial strategy, and regulatory navigation, with a proven track record of delivering customer-focused, scalable energy solutions.

Mr. Manjeev Puri
Former Ambassador to the European Union,
Distinguished Fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute

Manjeev Singh Puri joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1982 and has served as Ambassador of India to the European Union, Belgium, Luxembourg, Nepal and as Ambassador/Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the UN. In addition, he has served twice in Germany (in Bonn and Berlin), in Cape Town, Muscat, Bangkok and Caracas.

From 2005 to 2009, he headed the UN-Economic & Social Affairs- Division in the Ministry of External Affairs of India and led the Indian delegation for the first meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development in Brussels in July 2007 and the presentation of various reports by India at the Human Rights Council. During 2011-2012, when India served on the Security Council, he was a senior member of its delegation.

Major areas of his experience and professional focus relate to the environment, in particular climate change and sustainable development. He was a lead negotiator for India at the UN on issues relating to the post 2015 development agenda, Sustainable Development Goals and at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 2012. He was a key member of India's delegation at various Climate Change negotiations, including the Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC in Copenhagen in December 2009 and before that at Montreal, Bali, Bonn and Poznan. Furthermore, he was closely involved with India's participation in the G8-G5 Summits from 2005 and he was the points-person on the Indian side at the Major Economies Forum.

Puri has a Masters degree in Management and did his BA (Honours) in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. He is a Distinguished Fellow and on the Advisory Board of TERI.

Mr. Susanta Kumar Purohit
Chairman,
V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority

Susanta Kumar Purohit is the Chairman of V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority (VOC Port, Tuticorin). An IRSEE (1996) officer with over 30 years of experience, he previously served as Joint Secretary in the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals and held senior roles in the Government of India. Under his leadership, VOC Port launched India’s first port-based green-hydrogen pilot and laid the foundation for a green-methanol bunkering facility. Mr. Purohit graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical Engineering) from Sambalpur University and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations (HRM) from Andhra University.

Mr. Kishore kumar PVN
Senior Manager,
CLASP

Kishore kumar is a Senior Manager at CLASP with over 15 years of international expereince in energy efficiency, climate action, and renewable energy. At CLASP, he leads high impact initiatives advancing appliances efficiency and supporting national climate goals. Previously, he worked with United Nations Development programme (UNDP) and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in India. Kishore has contibuted to over 30 appliance efficiency policies across India and global south, driving market transformation, strengthening compliances systems, and supporting implmentation efforts in India and South Asia countries. He works closley with India's Ministry of Power, BEE, Philanthrophic organizations and leading  manufacturers to acclerate sustainable energy transitions. He holds Master degree in Energy System and Bachelor's degree in Electricial and Electronics Engineering. 

Ms. Huma Saif Qazi
Lead Strategy and Advisory,
auctusESG

Huma Saif Qazi is a sustainability and climate policy strategist with over a decade of experience leading high-impact initiatives at the intersection of environmental policy, financial regulation, and sustainable development. She has held roles with CDP Worldwide, UNDP, and the Ministry of Finance (India), where she shaped sustainable finance architecture, advanced ESG disclosure standards, and drove decarbonization projects across sectors. A former co-chair of the T20 Task Force on ESG Metrics during Brazil’s 2024 G20 Presidency, Huma has advised climate policy at multilateral forums including the G20 SFWG, UNFCCC, GEF, GCF, and IPSF. She brings deep expertise in strategic communications, policy innovation, and stakeholder engagement across Asia and global platforms.

Mr. Navaneeth Raghu
Lead Sustainability,
Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI)

Navaneeth Raghu brings over a decade of experience driving sustainability initiatives across India’s urban ecosystem.

He currently serves as the Sustainability Lead at Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI), where he leads and advises the Sustainability Governance Board. In this role, Navaneeth oversees initiatives spanning Sustainable Digitalization, Sustainable Materials, and Environmental Sustainability, and has been instrumental in publishing MBRDI’s first annual Sustainability Report. He also played a key role in strategizing and rolling out MBRDI’s India decarbonization roadmap toward 2030. Navaneeth’s work involves close collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, including government bodies, corporates, non-profits, and academic institutions, to enable sustainable change at both local and global levels.

He played a pivotal role in bringing the Global Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Dialogue to India—an important platform that convenes thought leaders and experts to deliberate on pressing sustainability challenges. Additionally, he conceptualized the Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Garage, an initiative focused on developing and scaling industry-oriented solutions for broader societal impact.

Navaneeth also pioneered and led an industry–academia collaboration that received the British Council’s Going Global Grant. The project brought together industry and university partners from India and the United Kingdom to research and develop approaches for integrating sustainability into technical higher education in India.

Further, he contributed significantly to the design and execution of a pioneering “Sustainable Transitions” framework, supporting startups in India to align their business strategies with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles.

Navaneeth is an alumnus of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), having completed The Business & Sustainability Programme. Holding a Master’s degree in Social Work, Navaneeth has developed expertise in conceptualizing and implementing projects that address sustainability challenges. Additionally, he is a certified lead auditor for ISO 14064 and ISO 150001 standards. Beyond his professional pursuits, he enjoys playing rhythm instruments and is the founder of Harakol, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting classical and indigenous music and related research.

Ms. Aishwarya Raj
Senior Specialist, Global Infrastructure Resilience Report,
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

Aishwarya Raj is a Senior Specialist at the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), where she is part of the team working on its flagship publication, the Global Infrastructure Resilience (GIR) Report. Her expertise spans climate change, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (DRI).

Previously, Aishwarya worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as part of the core team responsible for delivering the inaugural edition of the GIR Report. She anchored several key components, including financing for resilience and coordination of the high-level advisory board, among other essential elements central to the report.

Before that, she was at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), managing a diverse portfolio focused on climate and environmental policy across international, national, and sub-national levels. Her work supported the implementation of India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, explored synergies between NDCs and SDGs, and contributed to global mechanisms under Articles 13 (Transparency Framework) and 14 (Global Stocktake). She also played a key role in advancing State Action Plans on Climate Change in India and strengthening the technical capacities of state governments for greenhouse gas (GHG) inventorization.

Aishwarya holds academic qualifications in Political Science, East Asian Studies, and Global Governance. She completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science, followed by a specialization in Chinese Studies through the East Asia Area Studies programme in India, after which she obtained a second postgraduate degree in Global Governance and Ethics from University College London (UCL)

Mr. Rajat Sindhu Rajat Sindhu
Programme officer, India and SEA,
Oak Foundation

Lead for India and SEA portfolio 

Mr. Rajnath Ram
Adviser (Energy),
NITI Aayog

A driving force behind India’s energy transformation, Shri Rajnath Ram leads national initiatives across oil & gas, power, renewables, and coal at NITI Aayog. ​From shaping data-driven policy through the energy data management system to establishing the energy modelling unit, he’s turning numbers into national strategy. ​An alumnus of IIT (ISM) Dhanbad and FMS Delhi, he blends technical depth with policy acumen. Earlier, as joint adviser (Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board), he set safety and technical standards for India’s energy infrastructure and led international energy dialogues.

Mr. Mukundan Ramakrishnan
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer,
Tata Chemicals Limited

Mr R. Mukundan, Managing Director & CEO of Tata Chemicals Limited, joined the Tata Administrative Service in 1990, after completing an MBA from FMS, Delhi University.  He is a distinguished alumnus of IIT, Roorkee, a Fellow of the Indian Chemical Society and an alumnus of Harvard Business School.  He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration by XIM University, Bhubaneswar.  With over 30 years of experience at the Tata Group, he has held various responsibilities across the Chemical, Automotive and Hospitality sectors of the Tata Group.  He serves industry forums and impact organisations.  He is currently President–Designate CII for FY 2025-26.

Dr. Bhavani Rao
Dean, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences,
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University)

Bhavani Rao R. is the Dean of the School of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. She is also the Director of two Research Centers: Amrita Multi-Modal Applications using Human Computer Interactions (AMMACHI Labs) and the Center for Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality.

Mr. Rajani Ranjan Rashmi
Distinguished Fellow,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Curriculum Vitae of Rajani Ranjan Rashmi (Mr)

Mr. R. R. Rashmi is Distinguished Fellow at the Energy and Resources Institute, Delhi where he works on climate change policy, low emission growth and carbon market issues.

Mr Rashmi is a senior retired IAS officer of 1983 batch from Manipur Cadre with over 35 years’ experience of public service. He held the position of Special Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Govt of India and later the Chief Secretary, Govt of Manipur. He was India’s key climate negotiator for several years and was involved with climate change policy making in the run up to the Paris Agreement.

Mr Rashmi is a member of the national steering committee on carbon markets and the Technical Advisory Body of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on CORSIA. He is also part of the Environment Advisory Group of the National Human Rights Commission

Mr. Rajani Ranjan Rashmi
Distinguished Fellow,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Mr. R. R. Rashmi is Distinguished Fellow at the Energy and Resources Institute, Delhi where he works on climate change policy, low emission growth and carbon market issues.

Mr Rashmi is a senior retired IAS officer of 1983 batch from Manipur Cadre with over 35 years’ experience of public service. He held the position of Special Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Govt of India and later the Chief Secretary, Govt of Manipur. He was India’s key climate negotiator for several years and was involved with climate change policy making in the run up to the Paris Agreement.  

Mr Rashmi is a member of the national steering committee on carbon markets and the Technical Advisory Body of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on CORSIA. He is also part of the Environment Advisory Group of the National Human Rights Commission.  

Mr. Brij Mohan Singh Rathore
Former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Madhya Pradesh,
CSAR Regional Advisory Committee Chairperson

Mr. Brij Mohan Singh Rathore is a senior Indian Forest Service officer with over 40 years of experience in participatory forestry, eco-development, and landscape-based conservation. He has served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change; Chief Policy Advisor at ICIMOD; and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Madhya Pradesh. He is a recipient of the national “Indira Priyadarshini Vraksha Mitra” award and the State Government’s Gold Medal for excellence in forestry. Post retirement, he and his wife are engaged in regenerative agriculture, farm-based hospitality, nature walks, and environmental education in a rural setting.

Mr. Tom Rivett Carnac
Founding Partner,
Global Optimism

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

Ms. Frauke Roeser
Managing Director,
NewClimate Institute

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

Ms. Anaclaudia Rossbach
Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director,
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)

Anacláudia Rossbach (Brazil) is the Executive Director of UN-Habitat and an economist with over 20 years of experience in housing, informal settlements, and urban policies. She was appointed Executive Director of UN-Habitat at the Under-Secretary-General level by the General Assembly, following nomination by the UN Secretary-General on 7 June 2024.

Prior to this role, she was the Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and served as Regional Manager for Cities Alliance, where she
founded the Urban Housing Practitioners Hub. Prior to that, with the World Bank, she oversaw the development and implementation of Brazilian housing and slum-upgrading
policies. Ms. Rossbach has actively contributed to global urban policy discussions and has a strong academic presence in the field. She took office on 12 August 2024.

Mr. Ramkumar S
Secretary,
Government of Meghalaya

Ramkumar has worked in Meghalaya for the past decade. He has worked in various field level postings apart from a half a decade experience in Health Sector. He has also been actively involved in reducing emmissions in Health Sector which is one of the most polluting sectors. This involves almost saturating all the Sub Centres and Primary Health Centres through Decentralised Solar plants. He is also Executive Director of Meghalaya Basin Development Agency which is actively involved in many environment and restoration related projects. 

Prof. Veena Sahajwalla
Scientia Professor and Founding Director,
Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology, The University of New South Wales

Professor Veena Sahajwalla is an internationally recognised materials scientist, engineer, and inventor revolutionising recycling science. She is renowned for pioneering the high temperature transformation of waste in the production of a new generation of ‘green materials’ at the UNSW Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre, where she is Founding Director. Professor Veena is the inventor of polymer injection technology, known as green steel, an eco-friendly process for using recycled tyres in steel production. In 2018, Veena launched the world's first e-waste MICROfactorieTM and in 2019 she launched her plastics and Green Ceramics MICROfactoriesTM, a recycling technology breakthrough.

Professor Veena is the director of the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for ‘microrecycling’, a leading national research centre that works in collaboration with industry to ensure new recycling science is translated into real world environmental and economic benefits. Professor Veena has also been appointed hub leader of the national NESP Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub. In 2021, Professor Veena featured in the ABC’s Australian Story and she was named the 2022 NSW Australian of the Year in recognition of her work. Professor Veena was named the 2022 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes winner for the Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science and was also awarded the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) Clunies Ross Innovation Award. She was also named a finalist for the NSW Woman of Excellence Award at the 2022 Women of the Year Awards.

In 2023, Professor Veena was awarded the Engineering Australia Chemical College Chemical Engineer Achievement Award and the Good Design 2023 Women in Design Award. In 2025, Professor Veena was awarded the ‘Officer of the Order of Australia’ (AO) for distinguished service to science, sustainable materials research and technology and waste management on Australia Day. Professor Veena won the prestigious Excellence in Sustainable Innovation (Industrial) Award at an event honouring trailblazing and visionary women as part of the Vogue Codes Summit 2025.

Dr. Dipankar Saharia
Senior Director,
TERI

Dr. Dipankar Saharia leads TERI’s Social Transformation and Strategic Alliance Programme, which includes divisions like Social Transformation and CSR, Environment Education and Awareness, Knowledge Resource Centres and a few other research Divisions. He also heads TERI's Administrative Services Division and Regional Centres. He is also the Managing Director of ONGC TERI Biotech Ltd (OTBL). He served in the Assam Civil Services from 1997 to 2009, holding roles such as Assistant Commissioner, Officer on Special Duty in the Personnel Department and Science & Technology Department, and was on deputation to TERI. Earlier, he worked with TERI (1995–1996) on the Tissue Culture Pilot Project (now MTP). Dr. Saharia holds an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. with expertise in biotechnology, natural resource management, rural development, and projects spanning watershed management, micropropagation, renewable energy, biofuels, and carbon finance.

Ms. Supriya Sahu
Additional Chief Secretary to Government,
Environment, Climate Change & Forest Dept., Govt. of Tamil Nadu

Ms. Supriya Sahu, an officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), currently serves as Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Tamil Nadu in the Department of Environment, Climate Change, and Forests. With over three decades of experience in public service, she has worked across diverse sectors, including health, broadcasting, environment, climate change, wildlife, and biodiversity conservation.

In recognition of her leadership in ecosystem restoration, sustainable cooling, and climate governance, Ms. Sahu was selected as a recipient of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Champions of the Earth Award, 2025, the United Nations’ highest environmental honour.

Under her leadership, the State has launched mission-driven initiatives focused on restoring degraded forests, protecting wetlands, coastal ecosystems, and strengthening climate governance. These include the plantation of more than 108 million native trees, massive expansion of mangroves in 14 coastal districts, increase in Ramsar wetland sites from 1 to 20, notification of 8 new wildlife sanctuaries, and targeted conservation programs for lesser-known species such as the Nilgiri Tahr, Dugong, and Slender Loris.

Her approach has emphasized both ecological and social outcomes, involving local communities and stakeholders in implementation, to build a structured and replicable model for environmental action. Her work is driven by data and scientific evidence, participatory planning, and attention to social equity. Her efforts reflect a coordinated, systems-based approach to forests, ecosystem restoration, and climate governance, with a strong emphasis on aligning state action with national and global commitments.

Ms. Sahu has played a key role in setting up a not-for-profit, special purpose vehicle, the Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company (TNGCC), India’s first climate company. This institutional mechanism coordinates efforts across afforestation, wetland protection, coastal restoration, and climate adaptation through four dedicated missions:

1. Tamil Nadu Coastal Restoration Mission (TN-SHORE) – Launched in 2024 with World Bank support, TN-SHORE is one of India’s most ambitious coastal resilience projects.
2. Green Tamil Nadu Mission (GTM) – Aims to increase green cover from 23.69% to 33% by 2030.
3. Tamil Nadu Wetlands Mission – Mapping and restoring wetlands while securing new Ramsar sites.
4. Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission (TNCCM) – Mainstreaming climate literacy and climate adaptation.

Her leadership has placed Tamil Nadu at the forefront of species recovery and ecosystem restoration, including Project Nilgiri Tahr and large-scale mangrove conservation initiatives.

Ms. Sahu’s hallmark is her emphasis on people-centric conservation through initiatives such as Village Mangrove Councils, Mahout Villages, Trek TN, and the Endangered Species Fund.

Ms. Luisa Salgueiro
Mayor,
Câmara Municipal de Matosinhos

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

Mr. Vivek Saraf
Founder & CEO,
SunSeed APV

Mr Vivek Saraf is a CEO & Co-Founder of SunSeed APV. He did his Engineering from  IIT Kanpur and MBA Thunderbird, USA. He has 20+ years experience Solar Business and Finance.

Mr. Santosh Kumar Sarangi
Secretary,
MNRE

He is a civil servant with an extensive administrative experience across diverse sectors, including science and technology, international trade, education, tourism, mining, and tribal affairs. He holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Delhi and a Master’s in Public Policy from Duke University, USA. His career includes grassroots administrative roles as District Magistrate in three districts, as well as several prominent national-level postings. These include Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Chairman of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Chairman of the Tea Board, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Education, and Chairperson of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).

Mr. Ovais Sarmad
Independent Adviser on Sustainability & Innovation | Vice Chair of GHG Protocol Steering Committee,
GHG Protocol

Vice Chair – Green House Gas Protocol (GHG-P) Steering Committee | Former Deputy Executive Secretary / ASG at UNFCCC | Former IOM Chief of Staff & Director of Cabinet. Ovais Sarmad served the United Nations Climate Change secretariat (UNFCCC) – COP23 to COP 27 (2017 to 2023) during which he managed the secretariat operations, advised Executive Secretaries on a range of issues relating to the strategic operations planning and development of the organization.  He contributed to and spoke at various fora at the global level on climate change, migration and multilateralism and engaged in public policy discourse and development. his other areas of focus include engaging with and supporting activities and organizations around the world (a) that promise to innovate and accelerate sustainable development and growth; (b) to contribute to public policy discourse and development; (c) to empower youth through quality education

Mr. A K Saxena
Senior Director,
The Energy and Resources Institute (TEI)

Mr. A. K. Saxena leads the Electricity and Renewables Division of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) as its Senior Director.

Mr. Saxena has over four decades of experience spanning the power and renewable energy sectors.

Before joining TERI in 2016, Mr. Saxena worked in the Central Electricity Authority, Ministry of Power, and Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC). He also served as the Chair/Convenor of various committees set up by CERC.

He possesses technical, policy, and regulatory experience.  His expertise lies in the areas of grid management, energy transition, just transition, smart distribution with energy storage, e-mobility, demand side management, smart grids, cross-border electricity trade, etc. 

Mr. Saxena holds a master's degree in electrical engineering and a master's in business administration. He is also a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (India) and a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a member of the Global Energy Prize International Award Committee.

Mr. David Schenkel
Head of Product,
RERO20

David Schenkel is Head of Product at REOR20, a Swiss startup training AI systems in computational fluid dynamics to improve flood forecasting and risk modeling. REOR20 is a European Space Agency Business Incubator alumni founded in 2019.

David holds an MSc in Geography and Remote Sensing from the Remote Sensing Laboratories at University of Zurich. He has worked as a senior Product Manager at Swiss Re prior to joining REOR20.

Mr. SANJAY SETH
SENIOR DIRECTOR - SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAMME,
THE ENERGY AND RESOURCES INSTITUTE (TERI)

Mr. Sanjay Seth is a highly experienced professional with over 40 years of expertise in the power sector, spanning both the supply & demand sides. He currently serves as the Senior Director-Sustainable Infrastructure Programme, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), where his work covers range of activities from City to Building Level interventions.

In addition to his role at TERI, Mr. Sanjay Seth is also the Vice President & Chief Executive Officer of Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) Council, which recognized as the ‘National Rating System for Green Buildings in India’ established by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in support with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India. 

He is also on the Board of Directors of ONGC-TERI Biotech Limited (OTBL).

His prior experience includes serving as ‘Secretary’ for the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) within the Ministry of Power, Government of India. 
 

Dr. Kashif Shaad
Director, Freshwater Science and Sustainability,
Conservation International

Dr. Kashif Shaad's core expertise is applying tools of informatics (mathematical models, geospatial data, statistical analysis, to name a few) to issues of water, especially freshwater ecosystems extending from here to the often-intertwined issues of water governance, biodiversity, carbon and community-engagement.

Kashif sits within Conservation International's Science Division, with his work focused on the question of how right information, provided the right time, can tip the balance in favor of improved protection, restoration, and management of freshwater and linked terrestrial ecosystems.

While with his research interests, he tinkers in building mathematical models and geospatial analysis to better understanding the flow of water in our natural systems -- his work is rooted in applying these approaches for improved water security of communities and conservation of our critical freshwater ecosystems.

Ms. Mansi Devesh Shah
Sr Coordinator ,
Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA)

Mansi Shah has been associated with Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) since over 15 years as a Senior Coordinator in Rural Economic and Development sector.

She has closely assisted Ms. Nanavaty, SEWA's director in drafting the strategy for SEWA’s “Clear Skies Campaign” – a campaign to build resilience of SEWA members against the increasingly frequent climate shocks and to bring visibility to their climate action. 

Dr. Shashank Shah
Director,
NITI Aayog

Dr. Shashank Shah is Director and Senior Specialist (Higher Education and Viksit Bharat Perspective Planning and Visioning), NITI Aayog, Government of India, working at the intersection of higher education reform, governance and long-term national development strategy. He has played a key role in shaping multi-sectoral visions under the Viksit Bharat and Viksit Rajya frameworks, aligning institutional priorities with India’s broader development agenda. His current work spans a variety of areas, including higher education financing, internationalisation, research, innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems, among others. He has been a JN Tata Trust Scholar at Harvard Business School, Chevening Gurukul Fellow at the University of Oxford, and has over 200 publications and several books to his credit. His expertise offers a strategic perspective on embedding sustainability and net-zero pathways within governance frameworks of higher education institutions.

Mr. KAMRAN SHAIKH
DIRECTOR,
BUREAU OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Mr. Kamran Shaikh is a seasoned professional and strategic leader with over 15 years of extensive experience in the Energy Efficiency sector. He has a strong track record in driving sustainable solutions, optimizing energy performance, and implementing large-scale efficiency programs across diverse industries. With deep expertise in policy implementation in Standard & Labelling programme he has successfully led multiple high-impact projects focused on reducing energy consumption. His leadership style combines technical expertise with strategic vision, enabling organizations to achieve measurable and long-term results. Known for his integrity, innovation, and commitment to sustainability. Mr. Kamran Shaikh continues to play a key role in advancing energy efficiency initiatives and promoting environmentally responsible business practices.

Mr. Ajay Shankar
Distinguished Fellow,
TERI

Mr Ajay Shankar

Distinguished Fellow

Ajay Shankar has had rich and varied experience in public service for many years, primarily in the fields of energy, and industry. He joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1973. After retirement, he has been Distinguished Fellow in TERI since 2016.

He was Joint Secretary, Additional Secretary, and Special Secretary in the Ministry of Power. He played a key role in the enactment of the Electricity Act, 2003, and Rules and policies under it. This created a new liberal framework for the development of the power sector and was one of the major pieces of reform legislation at that time. He was also instrumental in promoting private sector participation in the Power Sector including the Ultra Mega Power Projects. He played a crucial role in the conceptualization and the launch of the national program for completing rural electrification which was launched in 2005. This programme laid the basis for the completion of village and household electrification in the country.

He headed a Committee set up by the MNRE for the design of the implementation programme of the National Solar Mission when it was launched in 2010. The approach of inviting bids for setting up of solar power projects and the creation of a competitive industry structure were key recommendations which contributed to the success of the Solar Mission.

He was Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion in the Government of India. He played a crucial role in putting together the stimulus packages at the time of the global economic crisis of 2008 which enabled the Indian economy to recover in a short time and again grow at over 8%. The plan for the ambitious Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project was developed under his stewardship. The FDI policy was further liberalized and rationalized. He was the Chairman of the National Productivity Council and of the Quality Council of India and gave greater momentum to their activities. He initiated the setting up of Invest India.

He was later Member Secretary of the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC), an advisory body comprising leading Captains of Industry, key Secretaries of Government and eminent Academics. Some of the major recommendations of NMCC were  taken up for implementation by the Government including the National Skill Mission, Facilitating Start-ups, Reform of Labour Laws and reducing the Regulatory burden on enterprises. Sector specific recommendations for breakthroughs in manufacturing in Electronics and IT Hardware, Defence Manufacturing, Civilian Aircraft, Shipbuilding, Electric Vehicles, Steel and Textiles were evolved.

He also served

Ms. Priya Shankar
India Director, Environment Program,
Bloomberg Philanthropies

Priya Shankar works with the Environment Program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, where she leads the program’s work in India and global portfolio on air quality. She also works on issues of clean energy development, climate finance, and subnational action. She previously worked with the Government Innovation Program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, where she led the India Smart Cities Program. She has more than 18 years’ experience in policy research, international, and urban affairs including at LSE Cities at the London School of Economics, 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 serves as the India Director for the Environment and Climate Program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. She is a prominent voice on climate action, sustainability, and green energy transitions in India.Her work involves accelerating the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and addressing climate change and pollution challenges. She has represented Bloomberg Philanthropies at major forums, including the ENERGYNOW SDG7 Action Forum in 2024 and the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS). Before her current role, she was the India Lead for Urban Age, a program organized by LSE Cities at the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Alfred Herrhausen Society. 

Mr. Nandan Sharalaya
Program Lead,
Climate Catalyst

Over the last decade, Nandan has worked in varied roles across impact investing, consulting, non-profits, academia and politics, with organisations like India Climate Collaborative, Omidyar Network India, Purpose, FTI Consulting, Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung etc.

At Climate Catalyst, he is supporting the build and implementation of policy and government engagement strategies for the India Green Steel Network.

Dr. Jitendra Vir Sharma
Senior Director,
The Energy and Resources Institute

Dr. Sharma holds a doctorate degree in economic valuation of forest ecosystems. He has nearly 40 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.

At TERI, Dr Sharma 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.

Ms. Divya Sharma
Deputy Head of International Cooperation in India,
Embassy of Switzerland

Divya Sharma is working as the Deputy Head of Cooperation with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), in India. SDCs work in India focuses on offering Swiss expertise in Climate Change, Environment and Disaster Risk Management for innovative actions and capacity building in mountain and urban landscapes. 

Divya has more than 25 years of development cooperation experience, working in the field of climate change adaptation, DRR, natural resource and environmental management.

Dr. Divya Sharma
India Executive Director,
Climate Group

Divya is a climate leader with more than two decades of experience in urban development, climate resilience, and policy-driven climate action. As the India Executive Director of Climate Group, she engages businesses, governments, and civil society in sustainability transformation, with a focus on achieving net zero emissions across industry, transport, energy and food systems. Previously, she played a key role in ensuring that urban climate resilience is integrated into national and sub national agendas. Divya also sits on the advisory boards of Good Cities Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative, USA. She’s on the Board of Directors of Transition Research, and a Member of Global Covenant of Mayors on Climate and Energy in India

Dr. Aruna Sharma
Advisor,
Self employed

Instrumental to draft Steel Policy 2017 and was Secretary Steel GoI

Mr. Siddharth Sharma
CEO,
Tata Trusts

Mr. Siddharth Sharma is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tata Trusts, one of Asia’s oldest and largest philanthropies, which are committed to making a positive and irreversible impact on millions of lives through their interventions in areas such as health, education, nutrition, livelihood, sustainability, urban habitat, sanitation and hygiene. Apart from providing administrative leadership to the Trusts, he also sits on the Boards of various not-for-profit organizations and Section 8 Companies. Prior to his appointment as the CEO of Tata Trusts, Mr. Sharma was the Group Chief Sustainability Officer at Tata Sons, where he spearheaded the Tata Group’s sustainability agenda, including crafting the Group’s ambitious ‘Net Zero by 2045’ agenda. He was, in that capacity, also the Chair of the Tata Group Sustainability Council, the apex sustainability body of the Tata Group. He started his career in October 1992 as a civil servant and spent more than two and half decades in key Ministries and Departments of Government of India, including as the Financial Advisor to the 13th and 14th Presidents of India before transitioning to the Tata Group in February 2019.

Mr. Shreyas Shende
Senior Research Associate,
Net Zero Industrial Policy Lab, Johns Hopkins

Shreyas Shende is a Senior Research Associate at the Net Zero Industrial Policy Lab. His research focuses on industrial policy, South Asian security, and India's energy and public policy landscape. He worked with the US-India team at the Centre for Strategic & International Studies in Washington DC, United States, and with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace India in New Delhi, India. In previous roles, he authored policy documents, organized Track 1.5 dialogues, and helped expand Carnegie’s presence in India working closely with the senior leadership. He has written on South Asian security for Lawfare, The Diplomat, The Print, The Wire, and more. He has co-authored a working paper on India-Afghanistan ties for Carnegie India, and a book chapter on the Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW, India’s external intelligence agency) in an Oxford University Press edited volume on India's security institutions. He writes Indialog, a regular India-focused newsletter on security and policy issues. He holds a Master’s in International Relations from the University of Chicago and a Diploma and Bachelor’s in Political Science and International Relations from Ashoka University. 

Dr. Rajendra Shende
Founder Director ,
Green TERRE Foundation

Dr Rajendra Shende, IIT Bombay alumnus and former Director of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is globally recognized for orchestrating implementation of the Montreal Protocol across 146 developing countries, enabling recovery of the Earth’s life-saving ozone layer that saved the humanity on the panet .

As Coordinating Lead Author of the IPCC’s 2007 Nobel Peace Prize-winning report, he received the Nobel Prize Citation. At UNEP, he pioneered cross-boundary environmental diplomacy, including SolarChill—an open-source, solar vaccine cooling technology endorsed by WHO and UNICEF and hailed by President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. His contributions earned honours from the United Nations, Harvard University, and multiple governments. Currently, as Founder of Green TERRE Foundation, he leads the Smart Campus Cloud Network spanning 560+ universities in 16 countries, advancing Net Zero campus and SDG-skilled youth in the univer

Mr. Mingma Tempa Sherpa
Commissioner cum Secretary,
Planning & Development Department

Shri Mingma T Sherpa, IAS Commissioner cum Secretary, Planning &  Development Department, Government of Sikkim is M A (History) and has done executive courses in  IIM, Ahmedabad, University of West London and Sydney Institute of Technology and has also undertaken tailored made training in MASHAV Israel. He joined State Civil Service in the year 1991 tand got inducted in All India Service with allotment year 2011. He has in the past served in Departments; namely Urban Development, Land Revenue, Horticulture, besides district postings.

Ms. Devashree Shetye
Administrative Associate,
CLASP

I work as an Administrative Associate at CLASP, supporting the India portfolio on Events and Programmatic Work. 

Ms. Prachi Shevgaonkar
Founder,
Cool The Globe

Prachi Shevgaonkar is a climate innovator and founder of Cool The Globe, a global climate-action app with users across 147+ countries. Awarded Young Change-maker of the Year by India’s Finance Minister. Prachi serves as Climate Change Advisor to Tata Power, won a deal on Shark Tank India, and was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia.

She represented India at COP27, is the youngest Indian on the advisory board of the Climate Leadership Coalition, and a founding member of a Global Youth Council alongside Juan Manuel Santos. Her campaigns have reached 25M+ people, helping communities save 8 M kg of emissions. Prachi mobilizes citizens through technology, advocacy, and grassroots action, believing that when ordinary people unite, extraordinary change follows.

Ms. Monika Shrivastava
Head Sustainability,
JSW Cement

Monika Shrivastava is a passionate advocate for sustainability, currently leading the sustainability division at JSW Cement, where she spearheads initiatives and oversees ESG disclosures. With over 19 years of extensive experience in sustainability, her expertise spans Climate Action, Circular Economy and also social sustainability aspects human rights, supply chain integrity, and stakeholder engagement. An alumini from TERI University.Prior to joining JSW Cement, she worked at Holcim and ACC Limited for over 14 years. At Holcim's Switzerland office, she collaborated with WBCSD and IUCN on biodiversity projects and was also selected for the WBCSD’s Future Leaders Team in 2012.Her dedication and leadership were recognized with the 'Best Team Lead' award at the CII-ITC Sustainability Awards 2022, underscoring her impactful contributions to sustainable development. She recently has been selected as a member of Greenhouse

Ms. Priti Shukla
Portfolio Manager,
Energiva Ventures Private Limited

Priti Shukla manages the Critical Raw Materials Portfolio at Energiva Ventures Private Limited, supporting India’s clean energy transition. She previously served as Programme Manager in the Electric Mobility vertical at Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, where she advanced initiatives to accelerate clean transport adoption nationwide. With over six years of experience in the development sector, she has contributed to major national programmes, including the National Electric Bus Programme with Convergence Energy Services Limited and e-FAST (Electric Freight Accelerator for Sustainable Transport – India) led by NITI Aayog.

Earlier, at the National Institute of Urban Affairs, she worked with the National Capital Regional Transport Corporation on Transit-Oriented Development and financing strategies for the Delhi–Meerut RRTS. She holds a Master’s in Urban Planning from the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi and a Bachelor’s in Architecture from Navrachana University.

Ms. Raina Singh
Lead Specialist - Capacity Development ,
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

Raina Singh comes with more than 15 years of progressive experience in policy advisory, technical assistance and capacity building in the domain of climate action and disaster resilience. Over the span of her career, Raina’s work has focused on supporting national and sub-national governments towards mainstreaming climate action and disaster resilience in urban planning and infrastructure governance frameworks. She is currently Lead Specialist, Capacity Development at the CDRI Secretariat where she also steered the development of the latest Global Infrastructure Resilience 2025 report that was recently released at COP30 in Belem, Brazil. Before joining CDRI, Raina has worked with international organizations, government, civil society, research and academic institutions including C40 Cities, India's National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). As part of these engagements, she has contributed to the development and implementation of key national and international initiatives in 100+ cities across South and Southeast Asia. These include the Rockefeller Foundation’s Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network and 100 Resilient Cities initiatives, and the Government of India’s Smart Cities Mission to name a few. She also supported the development of Government of India’s National Mission on Sustainable Habitat 2021-2030. Raina is a Chevening Gurukul Fellow with St Cross College, University of Oxford and holds a master's degree in urban environment planning from the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Delhi. She has several published articles and research papers to her credit and has delivered teaching assignments at SPA Delhi and TERI School of Advanced Studies.

Dr. Swati Singh
Head of Regional Standards, South Asia,
UL Standards and Engagement

Dr. Swati Singh is an accomplished trade policy and standards expert with over 17 years of experiencespanning in policy advocacy, research, international negotiations, and industry capacity building. She currently serves as the Head of Regional Standards, South Asia at UL Standards & Engagement, where she leads strategic initiatives to advance the development, harmonization, and adoption of safety standards across the South Asian region. Her work focuses on strengthening regulatory ecosystems, fostering stakeholder collaboration, and enhancing regional preparedness for emerging technologies and safety challenges.

Prior to joining UL Standards & Engagement, Dr. Singh worked as a Director in the International Trade Policy Division at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). In this role, she steered policy advocacy and research in key areas including Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), Standards and Technical Regulations, Global Value Chains (GVCs), MSMEs, and Gender in Trade. She led multiple research projects, authored several reports and research papers on India’s trade policy and FTAs, and provided critical policy recommendations on India’s bilateral and regional trade negotiations.

Her academic contributions include a book chapter and several research publications in internationally recognized journals on international trade, e‑governance, and trade facilitation. Dr. Singh is also deeply engaged in industry capacity building, delivering training programs and workshops on FTAs, MSME export competitiveness, trade and sustainability, supply chain integration, and broader trade policy issues.

Before her tenure at CII, Dr. Singh served as a Consultant (Trade) at the Centre for Regional Trade (CRT), Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India. She was part of India’s negotiating team for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), contributing specifically to the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) chapters.

Dr. Singh brings a strong blend of analytical depth, policy influence, and regional leadership to her work, with a sustained commitment to advancing inclusive and globally competitive trade and standards ecosystems.

Dr. Dr. Ashok Kumar Singh
Ex- VC-IARI,
Ex- VC-IARI

Dr. Ashok Kumar Singh (born July 1, 1962) is a distinguished Indian agricultural scientist and former Director/Vice-Chancellor of the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. He has over three decades of experience in plant genetics and breeding, specifically focusing on rice improvement. His research in marker-assisted selection helped develop popular aromatic rice varieties that boosted India's rice exports.Alumnus of Banaras Hindu University (Bachelor's and Master's) and completed his Ph.D. in Plant Breeding from IARI.Awarded the Padma Shri in 2026 for his contributions to agricultural science and farmer prosperity.

Mr. Sanjay Singh
Director- Strategy & External Relations,
Jindal Steel Ltd.

Mr. Sanjay Singh is the Director of Strategy and External Relations at Jindal Steel Ltd., where he also oversees the areas of Sustainability & Skilling. He has over 36 years of experience in Policy, Management, Administration, Project Implementation, and Strategic Planning. He has served as a civil servant of Indian Administrative Service at the Central and State Governments, where he held leadership roles in sectors including Steel, Telecommunications, Research Management, Human Resource Development, and Information Technology.
As Secretary in the Ministry of Steel, Government of India, he contributed to the formulation and implementation of a long-term vision for the sector, focusing on sustainability and the adoption of Industry 4.0. In Telecommunications, he played a key role in the successful rollout of BharatNet, a project to provide rural broadband connectivity, connecting 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats across India.

Dr. Amit Kumar Singh Parihar
Lead,
Energiva Ventures

Energy and environment professional with over 20 years of experience leading climate and energy initiatives across India and South Asia. He has been at the forefront of driving power sector decarbonization and advancing clean energy transitions, alongside work spanning climate mitigation, sustainable supply chains, air quality, energy access, skilling, and livelihoods. His work has been undertaken in partnership with corporate leaders, bilateral agencies, and global foundations to support national and international climate commitments and the Sustainable Development Goals.

He currently leads the Strategic Insights Unit, where he steers research, strategy development, and high-impact initiatives to accelerate scalable climate action across the South Asia region. He brings deep expertise in program strategy, implementation, policy engagement, stakeholder partnerships, and capacity building.

Dr. Shaleen Singhal
Professor,
TERI School of Advanced Studies (TERI SAS)

Dr. Singhal is a professor and Director of the Emerson Centre of Excellence for Sustainability Studies at TERI SAS. Through extensive experience in sustainability research, policy, and academic leadership, he focuses on adoption of knowledge co-production approach for sustainability solutions and for net-zero transition pathways. His recent works have been with The World Bank, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Jal Shakti, TNC, UNEP and UNESCAP. A former Fulbright Visiting Professor at Yale University and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK), he provides strategic leadership in embedding sustainability within institutional governance, research, and campus practices.

Mr. Mahendra Singhi
Member of Board of Directors & Strategic Advisor,
Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd.

Mr Mahendra Singhi has played a significant role in the growth and development of the cement sector in India over the past 43 years. He worked as the Managing Director and CEO of Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited, a major group in India, globally recognised for its low carbon footprint in cement production, water positive operations and bold ambitions and achievements on sustainability. Mr Singhi is continuing as the Director & Strategic Advisor to Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited and also serving as President of Cement Manufacturing Association (CMA), a leading body representing about 450 million tonnes of installed cement capacity in India.

A visionary and advocate of sustainability, Mr Singhi has been the driving-force in inculcating this concept in the objectives and operations of the cement companies he has worked with. Mr Singhi is a frequent speaker at various national and international events on climate protection and sustainability to highlight the business actions and ambitions. Mr Singhi represented the business and cement sector during COP and High-Level Government-Business Dialogues of French Presidency, Governments and United Nations.

A positive thinker and strong supporter of happiness culture in the organisation, Mr Singhi promotes innovative ideas and research. He deeply believes research has the potential to eradicate climate change impacts and create future opportunities unknown to businesses. Mr Singhi is a science & law graduate and a Chartered Accountant. He is very spiritual and an avid reader of behavioural psychology.

Mr. Sudhendu J. Sinha
Former Adviser [Infrastructure Connectivity (Transport) and Electric Mobility],
NITI Aayog, Govt. of India

An alumnus of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi did his Major in History. He has experience of over 32 years in Operations, Infra Planning, Coordination and Management at Field and Policy Making levels in Indian Railways with considerable success and appreciation. 

His performance has been recognised and awarded twice at the National level (NationalAward for e-Governance- 2019-20, for ‘Excellence in providing Citizen-Centric Delivery’ by Dept. of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Gol, ‘National Award for Outstanding Service’ Ministry of Railways Govt. of India -2006) and thrice at the Ministry (of Railways) level. 

He also served as Dean of the Indian Railway Institute of Transport Management (IRITM), Lucknow, and General Manager Web Applications at the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS),Delhi. 

He has training and enrichment from Japan (Railway Management), Malaysia (ICLIF - Advance Management), Singapore (INSEAD-Advance Management), Germany (UIC) and the US (Oracle). He has represented India at multiple International Sustainable Mobility Conferences - Glasgow, London, Amsterdam, Leipzig and Berlin, UC-Davis California, World Bank Washington DC, ADB Manila, Bangkok.

He was Adviser at the NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transformation of India), the apex ‘Think Tank’ of the Govt. of India. As the Mission Director for National Mission for Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage he was at the core of driving Electric Mobility forward through National Flagships Programs and Campaigns- NEMMP 2020 | FAME 1 | FAME 2 | PLI - Advance Chemistry Cell and Battery Storage | PLI - Automobiles and Automotive Components | Voluntary Vehicle-Fleet Modernization Program (V-VMP) or National Vehicle Scrapping Policy| Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme (EMPS) | PM E-DRIVE | Incentive Scheme for Trucks | Incentive Scheme for Charging Infra | Shoonya | eFAST| Shoony a Pathshala | Go Electric | Switch Delhi | e AMRIT etc.

Mr. Satish Sinha
Associate Director,
Toxics Link

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

Vaishali Nigam Sinha is the Co-Founder of ReNew, a leading decarbonisation solutions company listed on NASDAQ. As Chairperson Sustainability, she plays a pivotal role in positioning ReNew as a global ESG leader, spearheading the net-zero agenda and implementing strategies that have earned the company top international ESG rankings.

She is the Founding Chair of ReNew Foundation and leads the ReNew India Initiative, through which ReNew has reached remote regions, positively impacting over 1.5 million lives with CSR programs aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Under her leadership, ReNew led India’s energy sector in S&P Global’s 2025 Corporate Sustainability
Assessment—ranking in the 93rd percentile globally and among the top 10% of energy companies worldwide. In 2025, Vaishali was elected as President of the UN Global Compact Network India (UNGCNI). Vaishali is a member of the Governing Council of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), helping shape
the institution’s strategic vision.

Mr. Aniruddh Soni
Fellow and Area Convenor,
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

With over eight years of experience in environment and natural resource management, he brings strong expertise in ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development. As a Fellow and Area Convenor at the Centre for Forest & Biodiversity Conservation (CFBC) within TERI’s Land Resources Division, he has spent more than four years leading a wide range of projects focused on ecological restoration and policy impact.

His work covers ecosystem service valuation, biodiversity assessments, carbon finance in nature‑based solutions, land restoration, capacity building, and policy advocacy. He also leads the development of voluntary carbon market projects, particularly ARR (Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation) and REDD+, using standards such as VERRA and Plan Vivo. His analyses support sustainable land‑use planning and conservation decisions.

Prior to TERI, he worked with Ernst & Young as a Project Manager. He holds a Civil Engineering degree and a PGDFM in Environment Management from IIFM, Bhopal.

Mr. Manu Srivastava
Additional Chief Secretary,
Government of Madhya Pradesh

Manu Srivastava is in the IAS with 19 years of experience in energy sector, covering natural gas, electricity, and renewable energy. He holds B.Tech. & M.Tech. degrees in Electrical Engineering from IIT Delhi. He has lead path-breaking innovative projects in the field of solar energy. His 750 MW Rewa Project was the first project in the country to provide solar energy at rates lower than that of coal-based power. His recent Morena Solar-cum-4 hour Storage project has got an astonishingly low rate of ₹2.70/unit, the lowest rate ever achieved in India. His Solar Rooftop projects have established a new way of setting up solar rooftop projects in the country – zero investment by the beneficiary and savings for 25 years. He is engaged, both nationally and internationally, as an expert in renewable energy. His expertise is setting up projects that mitigate investor risk and enable lower price discovery.

Ms. May-Elin Stener
Ambassador,
Royal Norwegian Embassy

May-Elin Stener is currently Ambassador of Norway to India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives. Prior to taking up this position, from 2020-2023, she was the 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. May-Elin headed the section for Horn of Africa and West-Africa between 2018-2020. She was 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 married with one adult daughter and two adult stepchildren. She is a lawyer by training.

Dr. Ramesh Subramaniam
Global Director - Programmes and Strategy,
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

Ramesh oversees CDRI’s strategic planning and guides its global programmes, drawing on over 35 years of expertise in operational leadership, policy advocacy, and research across infrastructure and finance. Before joining CDRI, he spent 28 years at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), holding senior roles across the Asia-Pacific.

As Director General and Group Chief of ADB’s Sectors Group, he oversaw seven sectoral portfolios, including energy, water, transport, and social development, and played a key role in implementing the Bank’s climate, private sector, and innovation agendas under its new operating model.  

His leadership shaped ADB’s response to major disasters, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and the COVID-19 pandemic, while also advancing regional initiatives like the ASEAN Green Finance Hub and ASEAN Infrastructure Fund.

Ramesh brings a systems-thinking approach to resilience and is deeply committed to fostering inclusive and adaptive infrastructure solutions. Holding a Ph.D. in Development Economics, he has worked in more than 25 countries, driving policy reform, regional cooperation, and risk-informed investment.

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

I have been serving as the Chief Human Resources Officer of the Tata Power Group since 2019 and also lead the Sustainability and CSR portfolios. As Chairman of the Tata Power Community Development Trust, I guide the company’s social impact initiatives. With over 29 years of experience across conglomerates and global consulting firms, I specialize in organizational effectiveness, leadership development, change management, and board governance. Previously, I was Vice President – HR at Tata Sons and Executive Director at Russell Reynolds Associates. I began my career at Tata Motors and hold advanced degrees from INSEAD, Delhi School of Economics, and University of Delhi.

Mr. Ashok Kumar Thanikonda
Senior Program Officer,
Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)

Ashok Kumar Thanikonda is a Senior Program Officer at the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), where he oversees the Asia Low Carbon Buildings Transition project and leads sustainable finance work in India. Over the past 14 years, he has worked extensively at the intersection of clean energy, electric mobility, and the circular economy. Before joining GGGI, he managed Intellecap’s Circular Apparel Innovation Factory to advance climate-resilient, circular value chains in the global South. Earlier, he spent nearly a decade at the World Resources Institute’s Green Power Market Development Group, helping scale up renewables through transaction support, demand aggregation, policy advocacy, and innovative business models. He holds an M.Sc. in Natural Resources Management from TERI University and a B.Sc. in Microbiology, Genetics, and Chemistry from Osmania University.

Mr. Bishal Thapa
Chief of Strategy,
CLASP

Bishal currently serves as the Chief Strategy and Impacts Officer at CLASP. He brings more than 20 years of global experience working with a wide range of public- and private-sector partners across energy, climate, energy efficiency, environment, and sustainability.

Ms. D Thara
Additional Secretary (DT),
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MOHUA), Government of India

Ms. D. Thara, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Government of India, is a senior IAS officer of the 1995 batch. Since 1997, she has served extensively across Gujarat in Ahmedabad, Kheda, Rajkot, Vadodara, and Surendranagar, holding key roles in land revenue, district administration, and development management. She has worked as District Development Officer in Vadodara and Surendranagar, and as Collector in Kheda and Ahmedabad.

She also served as Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, where she contributed significantly to JNNURM projects and played a pioneering role in the BRTS initiative. As Chief Executive Authority of AUDA and GUDA, she led the preparation of major development plans, including the Second Revised Draft Development Plan 2021.

As Municipal Commissioner, she oversaw Smart City implementation with a strong focus on water management. She later served as VC & MD of GIDC before joining MoHUA as Joint Secretary in 2019.

Ms. Mansi Madan Tripathy
Chairperson, Shell Group of Companies in India & Senior Vice President,
Shell Lubricants APAC

Mansi is an accomplished business leader with over 25 years of extensive experience across various industries, business models, and markets. As Chairperson of the Shell group of companies in India,  Mansi overseas Shell's largest footprint globally with 13,000 employees and a turnover of $3  Billion in the country. Additionally, she is also responsible for managing a portfolio of $2.5 billion, 9 Blending Plants, and 1500+ employees in her role as Vice President for Shell Lubricants, Asia Pacific.

Mansi is actively engaged in co-creating pathways towards decarbonization and has a remarkable track record of building brands, growing profitable market share and nurturing talent.

As an exemplary leader, Mansi's contribution has also been recognized by the industry. This includes the Executive of the Year award at the Singapore Business Review Management Excellence Awards in 2022 and the Woman of the Decade award for Innovation and Enterprise at the Women Economic Forum (WEF) in 2018. She has served as a jury member of various international awards and has been a speaker and panelist for various reputed events.

Ms. Isabelle Tschan
Deputy Resident Representative,
UNDP

Isabelle Tschan Harada (Switzerland) has worked for 20 years in international development at the country, regional and headquarters levels in different regions in conflict, post-conflict, low and middle-income country contexts. Prior to taking up her assignment in India, she served as Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP Burkina Faso and as Governance and Peacebuilding Team Leader at UNDP Regional Hub for Europe and Central Asia in Istanbul (Turkey).

Isabelle also worked as Policy and Programme specialist with UNDP Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery in New York and at the Regional Center for West and Central Africa in Dakar (Senegal). She has programmatic and policy experience in a number of thematic areas, including gender equality, socio-economic development, resilience and livelihoods, energy and environment, governance, peacebuilding and rule of law. Before joining UNDP in 2009, Isabelle served as Assistant to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, as Human Rights Officer for the UN Peacekeeping Operation in Burundi (ONUB), and as Regional Coordinator for Sub-Saharan Africa with the Swiss Federal Office for Migration.

Isabelle Tschan holds Master's degrees in Human Rights and Democratization (E.MA, Venice, Italy and Raoul Wallenberg Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Lund, Sweden) and in International Relations (Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, Switzerland) and speaks German, English, French and Spanish. She likes arts, travelling, discovering and learning about various cultures, swimming and hiking.

Ms. Dechen Tsering
Regional Director,
United Nations Environment Programme

Ms Tsering serves as Director of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. She has held senior management and leadership roles within the United Nations system and brings over 33 years of experience across national governments and intergovernmental organisations. She has been closely engaged in intergovernmental climate negotiations as a key negotiator for least developed countries and has contributed to the Least Developed Countries Expert Group, the Least Developed Countries Fund, and the Green Climate Fund. She also has extensive experience managing complex development programmes. In 2017, Ms Tsering was appointed UNEP’s Regional Director and Representative for Asia and the Pacific. Prior to this, she served as Director of the Finance, Technology and Capacity-Building Programme at the UNFCCC secretariat, where she supported international cooperation on climate finance, technology development and transfer, and capacity building. Earlier, she was Deputy Regional Director of UNEP’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. She holds a PhD in forest economics and policy from ETH Zurich, a master’s degree from Georgetown University, and undergraduate degrees from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Annapurna Vancheswaran
Former Senior Director, TERI,
Former Managing Director, TNC-India

Dr Annapurna Vancheswaran is a sustainable development practitioner with over three and half decades of experience in the environment and education domain.  The focus of her work has primarily being in the area of global sustainable development. This covers activities  spanning interactions with international and Indian organizations’, government departments, NGOs, education and the private sector with particular application to the diverse problems of India and emerging economies. Her principal focus has been to mainstream sustainable development and practices among varied stakeholders. Among others, some of the significant work in this regard is with the Business sector for creating synergy and encouraging businesses to drive sustainability across all their operations. Addressing climate vulnerability of emerging economies, she supported the creation of a thought-leadership platform in 2001 at TERI, overseeing it for two decades. This platform continues to provide value additions to governments, business communities and societies at large. In 2023, the Government of India (GoI) nominated a four-member team that included Annapurna to the Inter-governmental panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

A PhD from the Indian Institute of Delhi, she dedicated over three decades to The Energy and Resources Institute until 2021 post which, she was the Manging Director of The Nature Conservancy (TNC)India from 2021 -2024. Currently, she resides in Coimbatore consulting with TNC India as a Senior Advisor.

Mr. Govind Vasishta
Senior Counsellor,
CII

M. Govind Vasishta is a Senior Counsellor at the CII - Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre (CII GBC), where he specializes in energy efficiency, sustainability, and industrial decarbonization initiatives.

A certified Energy Auditor he brings over 17 years of rich experience in the energy and utilities domain, with a strong focus on the steel sector and heavy industries.

Prior to joining CII GBC, he held key roles at leading steel organizations, including ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AMNS India) and Electrosteel Steels Limited (ESL), Vedanta Group, where he managed utility systems, engineering projects, and sustainability efforts.

Govind is passionate about driving practical energy conservation measures, supporting green transitions in Indian industry, and contributing to national goals for a low-carbon economy.

Dr. Anantha Nageswaran Venkatraman
Chief Economic Adviser,
Ministry of Finance

Dr. V. Anantha Nageswaran is the 18th Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India. Before being appointed CEA, he was a writer, author, teacher and consultant. He wrote a weekly column in Mint on Tuesdays from 2007 until 2022. He has co-authored books on Derivatives, Global Finance and the Indian economy. He earned his doctoral degree from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in 1994 for his work on exchange rate behaviour. In 1985, he received a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He worked in macroeconomic and financial markets research for international financial institutions in Switzerland and Singapore from 1994 to 2011.

Mr. Bhupesh Verma
Associate Director-Market Research,
Customized Energy Solutions

Bhupesh Verma works as Associate Director – Market Research at Customized Energy Solutions (CES) and leads battery manufacturing and supply chain initiatives at the India Energy Storage Alliance. He has over 13 years of experience in battery storage technologies, electric vehicles, and solar PV, with expertise in supply-chain analysis, techno-economic assessment, and sustainability-focused technology evaluation. His work has provided actionable inputs to policymakers and industry stakeholders across both the public and private sectors. He has authored journal articles, technical reports, conference papers, policy briefs, and opinion pieces to share research findings of public interest. Before joining CES, he worked at the Center for the Study of Science, Technology, and Policy (CSTEP), Bengaluru.

Dr. Kira Vinke
Deputy Research Director,
German Council on Foreign Relations

Dr. Kira Vinke is Deputy Research Director at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and Head of DGAP’s Center for Climate and Foreign Policy. She is also a member of the Advisory Board to the Federal Government for Civilian Crisis Prevention and Peacebuilding, which she co-chaired from 2018 to January 2025. From 2014-2022, she worked at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Before joining DGAP, she headed the East Africa Peru India Climate Capacities (EPICC) project there.

Until 2018, Vinke was a research analyst to the director of PIK. In this capacity, she worked from 2014 to 2016 as an analyst for the German Advisory Council on Global Change to the Federal Government (WBGU). She provided her expertise as a consultant for the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) and the Asian Development Bank. She has extensive field research experience in South Asia, the Pacific, and the Sahel.

Vinke completed her doctoral dissertation (summa cum laude) at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin on the subject of climate change and migration; her studies were funded by the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes. For her dissertation, she received the “Potsdamer Nachwuchswissenschaftler-Preis,” a prize for young scientists, from the city of Potsdam.

Vinke has been a member of the advisory board of Germany’s Federal Academy for Security Policy (BAKS) since 2022. She is also a member of the board of trustees of the German Climate Foundation (Deutsche KlimaStiftung) and of the World Vision Deutschland e.V. In addition, Vinke is a member of the German section of “Aktion gegen den Hunger” (Action Against Hunger), and the Development Service and Humanitarian Aid Committee of “Brot für die Welt” (bread for the world).

Dr. P. Viswakannan
Chief Conservator of Forests (Admn.),
Department of Forests and Wildlife, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi

Dr. P. Viswakannan, IFS, a 2003-batch officer of the AGMUT cadre, currently serves as Chief Conservator of Forests (Administration) and Nodal Officer for Forest Conservation. He has extensive experience in forest governance, conservation planning, and implementation of sustainable forest management initiatives, contributing to effective administration and strengthening forest conservation frameworks.

Mr. Vinayak Walimbe
MD,
Customized Energy Solutions

Vinayak is the Managing Director at Customized Energy Solutions (CES) India and India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA). IESA is an industry alliance engaged in policy advocacy, market research and skill development in energy storage, e-Mobility, green hydrogen, battery supply chain and recyling. His focus is on techno-commercial analysis of energy storage projects, strategy consulting, and investment analysis of emerging technologies.   

He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with extensive experience in financial modeling and advisory in the US and international markets.

Mr. Michael Walker
Chief Executive Officer,
STAX Engineering

Michael Walker has been CEO of STAX since 2019. During this time, he has overseen the expansion of the company from a single unit to the clear market leader in the emission capture and control market. With over 10 units in operation and treating globabl shipping lines like, Maersk, ONE, OOCL, NYK, KLine, Glovis, Shell, Chevron, and Olympus, STAX serviced over 30,000 hours last year effectively reducing 62 million cars worth of emissions. 

Michael has over 20 years of operations, management, and leadership experience in building companies, from the pre-commercialization start-up phase to successful market penetration and integration in environmental infrastructure markets. His financial acumen provides a solid foundation for STAX’s future expansion and ongoing operations.

Mr. Arne Walther
Ambassador (r),
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.

Dr. Aakriti Wanchoo
VP,
Iora Ecological Solutions

Dr. Aakriti Wanchoo is a plant scientist with over 12 years’ experience in the development of nature-based solutions and climate policies that bolster community and ecosystem resilience. At IORA she leads the Agriculture and Climate Change team, where she designs solutions for sustainable agriculture, advances policy reforms, conducts climate risk and vulnerability assessments and drives implementation of climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. Her technical expertise also extends to providing crucial support for IORA’s endeavours in landscape restoration, leading the organisations flagship initiative – MegCare. She is also a key member of the leadership team of IORA, supporting in strategic development and operational management.

Before her tenure at IORA, Aakriti worked at Vertiver, a behaviour change communications organisation, where she supported development of strategies for community engagement across the agriculture and waste management domains. Her academic journey includes attaining a Ph.D. from Rothamsted Research and The University of Nottingham in the UK.

Mr. Prashant Widge
Director Maritime and Executive Director India,
Smart Freight Centre

Ms. Emma Wright
Climate Change Adviser,
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), UK Government

Emma is a regional Climate and Environment Adviser at the British High Commission in New Delhi. Emma advises on Climate Action for a Resilient Asia (known as CARA), which is the UK's flagship adaptation and resilience programme for the Info Pacific region. Emma focuses on climate finance and regional hydro-meteorological and early warning systems work, and leads on projects with the Pacific countries and in India with the bilateral climate team. Emma is also interested in agroecology, ocean and nature-focused projects. 

Dr. Suresh Yadav
Co-Chair COP29 Presidency and Commonwealth Fund for SIDS,
The Commonwealth

Dr. Suresh Yadav is a senior official at The Commonwealth Secretariat in London, serving as Director for the Climate Change, Ocean, and Energy Directorate. He leads high-impact environmental resilience initiatives for small and vulnerable states, focusing on climate finance, clean energy, and natural capital. He also has extensive experience in AI, digital transformation, and international trade. 

Prof. Durwood Zaelke
President,
Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development

Durwood Zaelke is founder and President of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD) in Washington, DC and Paris, where he focuses on fast mitigation strategies, including reducing short-lived climate pollutants (HFCs, black carbon, methane, and tropospheric ozone), in order to limit the extent and duration of overshooting the 1.5°C guardrail of the Paris Agreement. In 2022, Zaelke was selected as one of the 16 most influential people in DC for climate policy as part of Washingtonian Magazine’s Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People. Also in 2022, four articles initiated and co-authored by Zaelke were identified among the 12 seminal publications that “formed the scientific foundation for the Montreal Protocol parties to take bold steps to phase down HFCs via the Kigali Amendment,” which remains the single biggest and fastest bite out of the climate threat, on track to avoid nearly 0.5°C of warming by end of century.