BENCHMARK - Key Persons
Aarti believes that the private sector has a crucial role to play in advancing the SDGs, and benchmarking is a powerful tool in a way to measure and incentivise business impact towards a sustainable future. She is currently applying her vast research experience gained by leading the research and analysis for the Access to Seeds Index to the benchmarking work of the Food and Agriculture team.
Prior to joining WBA, Aarti has worked with several seed companies based in India and has the experience in providing market intelligence data for companies involved in Foods and Beverages, Seeds, Agricultural Commodities, and Agrochemical sector. She has comprehensive knowledge of Intellectual Property and Plant Variety Protection, Biosafety and Regulatory affairs and Agribusiness Consultancy. She holds a master's degree in Microbiology and has completed diploma courses in Patent Law and Business Management.
Job Titles:
- Strategic Fundraising Lead
Adam is responsible for implementing the fundraising strategy at WBA. Prior to WBA, Adam set up and led fundraising at the PRI Association, working on new initiatives which asked investors to act on climate change and other ESG issues. Prior to PRI, he headed up fundraising at the Rainforest Foundation UK, which works to secure the land rights of indigenous people in tropical forest environments.
Adam has over 25 years of experience in the non-profit sector and specialises in building impactful and enduing partnerships. He holds a BA in Human Geography from the University of Sheffield and teaches yoga in his spare time.
Job Titles:
- Institutional Engagement Lead
Ahmed joined WBA as a COP27 Project Lead and is currently an Institutional Engagement Lead. His responsibilities include helping set WBA's institutional narrative on corporate accountability in the context of sustainable development and fostering relevant institutional engagements with different stakeholder groups to close the corporate accountability gap.
As a sustainability and social impact professional, he is experienced in assisting organizations to adopting sustainability practices and reporting on their ESG impact. His areas of expertise revolve around sustainability reporting, sustainable finance, social impact assessment, project management, and research analysis. Ahmed's portfolio extends implementing sustainability projects across various sectors, including finance, food & beverage and energy. Ahmed holds a master's degree in sustainable development from the University of Sussex.
Job Titles:
- Food Systems Transformation Lead
Alejandro is the Food Systems Transformation Lead at WBA. He works with a team of researchers, communication, and engagement specialists to ensure that WBA insights and data are useful - and used - to assess the contribution of food and agriculture companies towards a fairer and more sustainable food system. Alejandro has worked on a broad range of food system issues including smallholder farmers' livelihoods, climate risk mitigation, and inclusion in global value chains; informal and traditional markets; nutrition and consumption; land use change and deforestation; and monitoring and assessing progress towards food systems transformation. Alejandro has experience in research, advocacy, and policy engagement at the global level and in countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe.
Before joining WBA in 2024, Alejandro led the food systems team at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in London for 8 years. Before that he was a senior researcher at the German Development Institute in Bonn, and a consultant for FAO. He has a PhD in geography from the University of California, Berkeley, and studied biology at the National University of Colombia.
Alex joined the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA) in December 2022 as Data and Technology Lead. He is responsible for ensuring that the organisation deploys technology in ways that reinforce our strategic goals and reflect our values. He spends his time managing our relationships with software partners, thinking about how we optimise our data collection and publication, and developing tools and processes which do just that.
In previous lives, Alex has worked across IT, software development and digital communications including positions at Microsoft, and WBA ally Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. He is passionate about the role of business in shaping our world, and the use of data to ensure that influence is used for the benefit of all.
Alice is the Engagement Lead for the Food and Agriculture Benchmark. Drawing from her experience in leading the engagement of the Access to Seeds Index, Alice works towards ensuring the benchmark becomes a key measurement and driver for companies to align their business models and operations with the UN SDGs through collaboration and partnerships.
She has a background working in private and international non-profit organisations focused on food security and poverty reduction in Rwanda. Her latest role was at One Acre Fund, a non-profit social enterprise financing rural East African smallholder farmers to access farm inputs, including improved seeds. She focused on building relationships with stakeholders and partners to distribute key agricultural inputs, coordinate farmer impact programs, and track sustainability performance. Alice completed her MBA at the University of Bath in the UK as a Chevening Scholar.
Job Titles:
- Research Analyst
- WBA in 2024 As a Research Analyst
Ambika joined WBA in 2024 as a Research Analyst in the Nature Benchmark.
Prior to joining the WBA, Ambika worked at the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) as a postdoctoral researcher working on various topics concerning decision-making on climate change adaptation in different rural and urban settings. She has a PhD in environmental economics from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), where her thesis focused on the economics of climate change adaptation and decision-making in cities worldwide. Ambika also holds a BSc in Environmental Science from the University of Manchester and an MSc in Economics and Policy of Energy and the Environment from University College London (UCL).
Ana is dedicated to building and strengthening connections between investors and investor-linked organisations to the work of WBA. She believes collective action, fuelled by research insights, is key to closing the corporate accountability gap and recognizes the pivotal role of the investment community in advancing towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Before joining WBA, Ana worked as ESG Commercial Director at Moody´s Analytics where she led the sales strategy for ESG services directed at corporates and governments in EMEA. Her working experience also includes several years at Vigeo Eiris in Latin America where she focused on advancing and developing the sustainable finance debt market in the region.
Ana holds an MSc in Chemical and Sustainable Processes from Politecnico di Torino, a BA in Chemical Engineering from Universidad Nacional de Córdoba and has attained a certificate on Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Stanford University.
Job Titles:
- Government Relations Lead
Ana is responsible for building effective government partnerships and developing and strengthening relationships with government representatives worldwide.
She has worked on projects with the Mexican public administration, international organisations, NGOs, financial institutions, think tanks, and academia. Her areas of expertise are better regulation and oversight, good governance, socially responsible finance, corporate social responsibility, and the UN SDGs. She has undertaken internships at United Nations in New York and Manchester's Whitworth Art Gallery.
Ana is a Doctor in Politics from The University of Manchester in England.
Job Titles:
- Alliance Manager for WBA and Previously Worked at Ranking Digital Rights
Anna Lee is an Alliance Manager for WBA and previously worked at Ranking Digital Rights (RDR), where she managed the relationship with external stakeholders interested in RDR's work. She has also spent some time in Dakar, Senegal during her time as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. Anna Lee holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Francophone Studies from Rhodes College in the U.S. and is currently based in Washington, D.C. She is excited to work with the Alliance in order to continue to develop a stronger, more global movement to hold corporations accountable.
Job Titles:
- Digital Transformation Research Lead
Anne is the Digital Transformation Research Lead. In this role, she is responsible for the delivery of actionable insights and research pieces, including the Digital Inclusion Benchmark. Anne is passionate about applying system thinking and behavioural economics concepts to improve digital inclusion. Prior to joining WBA, Anne worked at the GSMA where she led insights on the barriers to digital inclusion, with a focus on gender equality. She also spent many years as consultant and associate conducting qualitative and quantitative research as well as monitoring, evaluation and learning projects in fisheries & aquaculture, agriculture, food security, climate adaptation and gender. Anne worked in various countries across Sub-Sahara and South Asia. She holds a Master's Degree in Agricultural Economics and Sustainable Development from Université Montpellier I and a Bachelor in International Economics from Université Paris-Nanterre.
Job Titles:
- Strategic People & Learning Lead
Ashley is the lead and guardian of our Teal culture and ways of working together. Her mission is to create an environment where everyone is happy, engaged, and empowered to amplify their impact on the world.
Ashley joined WBA from Vivobarefoot, a regenerative organisation in the UK. She is a dynamic People & Culture Lead with over a decade of experience in driving transformative change within purpose-driven, fast-scaling organisations. As a certified coach and expert in regenerative leadership, Ashley specialises in building and nurturing Teal cultures that foster self-organisation, continuous learning, and holistic growth. She has also delivered impactful keynotes to international audiences, sharing insights on how organisational transformation is needed to support the journey to building a regenerative future.
Prior to joining WBA as Technology Lead, Augusto was the Data Engineer at Ranking Digital Rights. He believes that the Internet is a key enabler for a better world. Mathurin was CTO of Lyris IT, a start-up based in Argentina dedicated to digital transformation projects. He also co-founded Virtuagora, a digital platform for civic participation, and Embajadores de Internet, a platform that connects the Internet governance ecosystem to Spanish-speakers.
In 2017, he was selected as the Internet Society's 25 under 25 youth who were using the internet to make an impact in their communities and beyond. In 2019, Augusto started conducting research about the internet's routing security and BGP interconnection in Latin America as an external consultant in LACNIC. He was also a MANRS research fellow in 2020.
Mathurin completed his engineering degree at the Universidad Tecnologica Nacional Santa Fe (Argentina), where he also taught for six years. He completed his Master's degree in Public Policy and Management at the Universidad de Chile.
Job Titles:
- Research Analyst
- WBA in 2024 As a Research Analyst
Belén joined WBA in 2024 as a Research Analyst in the Nature Benchmark.
She holds a degree in Food Engineering from Universidad de la República in Uruguay and has two years of relevant work experience in the food industry. During this time, she worked to ensure compliance with rigorous quality standards and audits, which provided her with skills in team coordination, quality management, and industry compliance.
This experience inspired her to further her studies in sustainability, with the goal of steering her career in a direction that would allow her to contribute to the transition of sustainable development within organisations. She continued her studies in Switzerland, where she graduated with an MSc in Circular Innovation and Sustainability from the Bern University of Applied Sciences.
Job Titles:
- Research Analyst
- WBA As a Research Analyst
Benedita Santos is a Physical Geographer by the University of Lisbon; holds a PhD in Geography, Territorial Planning & Environmental Management, and two MSc degrees: one in Geography and a second in Energy Efficiency & Climate Emergency, by the University of Barcelona.
Benedita joined WBA as a Research Analyst in October 2024 after a long international trajectory. Before joining WBA, she worked in various Universities (UB - Barcelona, Spain, UdeC - Concepción, Chile) and Research Institutes (Eurac Research, CMCC, Italy). She got the opportunity to participate in several scientific projects with diverse nature such as the first European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA), CLIMATEFIT focusing on Climate Finance in 20 pilot European cities, AlpSnow analysing snow physical properties in the Alpine region through remote sensing, as well as assessing the Carbon Footprint in 4 Chilean cities (Huella Covid).
Besmira is an urban planning researcher, consultant and practitioner. She is passionate about exploring the role of land and property management in distributional and environmental justice in urban areas. She joined WBA in the capacity of Research Lead of the Urban Benchmark, keen to contribute to closing the corporate accountability gap in the urban realm.
Besmira holds a PhD in Built Environment from Northumbria University in Newcastle, UK. In her doctoral studies she researched land policy instruments which can mainstream the implementation of blue and green infrastructure in a socially equitable way in urban areas. Prior to joining WBA, she was a postdoc researcher in Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands, where she currently lectures part-time. Besmira has worked for several years as an urban planning practitioner and consultant for local authorities in her native Albania, whilst her work as a researcher spans across several countries including Turkey, Netherlands, UK, Brazil, Sweden and Spain.
Job Titles:
- Communications & Media Lead
Bosco is the Research Lead of the Nature Benchmark. He has a PhD in environmental economics from Osnabrück University and a master's degree in environmental economics and climate change from the London School of Economics. Prior to joining WBA, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Basque Center for Climate Change (BC3), where he conducted research on the relationship between the environment and human well-being. His focus was on designing environmental policies that are both environmentally effective and socially just. Bosco was also one of the authors of the IPBES Values Assessment, which explored the various ways in which nature is valuable to people and how to incorporate these values into decision-making. Bosco also has experience in environmental and strategy consulting.
In September 2024, Brian joined WBA as a Research Analyst.
Before joining WBA, Brian worked on research and advocacy at the GSMA, exploring the role of digital innovation in enabling urban resilience across Africa and Asia. He has also worked as a Princeton in Africa Fellow at Kupona Foundation and has prior experiences in consulting, impact investing and project design and implementation in Guatemala, the US and Uganda respectively.
Brian graduated from Duke University with a double degree in Public Policy and International Comparative Studies and a certificate in Markets and Management.
Carl-Hein joined WBA in April 2020 as a Finance Assistant. He will be involved in providing support to finance in the daily operations and assist with finance analysis.
Prior to joining WBA, Carl-Hein explored various fields ranging from investment analysis, logistics management and trading. He worked as an investment analyst where his primary focus was on accounting, project management and research support relating to agriculture. He then explored logistics where he was assigned a project to design the new logistics department in the automotive industry. He was the head of this department where his main focus was on planning, organizing, leading and controlling daily operations. Trading was the next big step where Carl-Hein gained experience in various arbitrage opportunities. He obtained a Bachelor's degree in Economics at the University of Pretoria in South Africa.His family comes from Germany and he grew up in South Africa.
Job Titles:
- Food Transformation Research Lead
- Senior Researcher at WBA
Carla is a Senior Researcher at WBA focusing on the Food and Agriculture Transition Benchmark. Her responsibilities cut across research for scoping, methodology development and analysis to stakeholder engagement. Carla is passionate to turn knowledge into action to unlock the huge potential of a healthy, sustainable and inclusive food system. Before joining WBA, Carla worked with FReSH, a joint program between EAT and WBCSD designed to accelerate transformational change in global food systems. Carla has nine years' experience as an economic and policy analyst and sustainability consultant with her latest focus being on advising forward thinking companies to assess and disclose their climate-related risks and opportunities in line with the TCFD recommendations. Carla is convinced that a sustainable strategy and innovation is not only vital to secure the future of any business but that of our lives on this planet.
Job Titles:
- People Operations Administrator
Most of Channary's career was spent in human resources, including recruitment and selection, compensation, remuneration, and business partnering. She is inspired by the knowledgeable, supportive, and enthusiastic colleagues at WBA and its Teal culture of being transparent, honest, sensible and inclusive. Another part of her excitement and joy at WBA is opportunities given by management to contribute to the success of WBA by providing consultation and support to People Leads and the overall team of WBA on people-related questions, processes, and administration so that they can focus on WBA strategic priorities and transformations, vision and mission. In addition, managing invoices, processing payments, payroll, reports and supporting finance team is another area of interest for Channary.
Charlotte leads global engagement efforts at moments, such as Davos, UNGA, HLPF and COPs, where the worlds most influential stakeholders gather to review and determine where progress needs to be made to deliver on the SDGs. Charlotte is responsible for setting WBA's ambition and building our influence at these, so that closing the corporate accountability gap becomes accepted, understood and advocated for by multiple stakeholders. She works across the transformation teams to ensure we build upon relationships and develop a compelling institutional narrative that positions WBA benchmarks as an accountability mechanism for the private sector.
Charlotte started at the WBA in 2018 as the Executive Assistant, before transitioning into an Engagement Manger role for the Food and Agriculture Transformation from 2019-2022. During this time she helped launch the first Food and Agriculture Benchmark alongside the UN Food Systems Summit, and lead on collective engagement initiatives including the G7 Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative and the regenerative agriculture Collective Impact Coalition. Previously Charlotte completed her Bachelors in Geography at Liverpool University, and Masters in Anthropology at Utrecht University, which she went on to teach at the Design Academy, Eindhoven.
Charmaine joined WBA in September 2021 and is based in Johannesburg, South Africa. As the Operations Director she is primarily responsible for the financial and risk management, governance, compliance, HR & IT management, as well as reporting and auditing of the organisation. Her role is to serve as a conscience of the organisation, ensuring resources are used for impact in a sustainable manner and aligned with what our donors and funders expect, as well as what we expect from the companies that we benchmark.
In the past fourteen years, Charmaine has worked in several roles including as Finance Lead within WBA, she was a Senior Audit Clerk while serving her articles for her qualification, a Project Commercial at Siemens South Africa, a Financial Manager at AFGRI and has held several non-executive board positions. She mentors Fellows of the Allen Grey Orbis Foundation, volunteers her time as the Treasurer of Gauteng Sports Aerobic and Fitness Federation (GSAFF), is a Golden Key Honour Society honorary member (2019 University of Pretoria chapter keynote speaker), holds a Bcompt Accounting Sciences Degree from the University of South Africa, as well as a CIMA Diploma in Management Accounting and is a member of the South African Institute of Charted Accountants, as an Associate General Accountant.
Her desire to make an impact through others and passion for self-empowerment & empowering others brought her to WBA, where she's found a good balance between doing what she's good at (Accounting & Finance) and what she's passionate about (empowerment, making a positive impact).
One quirky fact about her: She collects sweaters and hoodies
Quote she lives by: "True desire in the heart, for anything good, is God's proof to you, sent beforehand, to indicate that it is yours already. And anything that you want, that is good, you can have, so claim it! Work hard to get it! And when you get it, reach back, pull someone else up, each one teach one. Don't just aspire to make a living. Aspire to make a difference." - Denzel Washington
Job Titles:
- Research Analyst
- Research Analyst for the Digital Inclusion
In November 2022, Chin joined WBA as a Research Analyst for the Digital Inclusion Benchmark (DIB). Following DIB's publication in March 2023, she has also started working with the Food and Agriculture team while concurrently participating in the methodology review process of DIB. She is passionate about issues such as digital inclusion, climate change and sustainability.
Prior to joining WBA, Chin worked at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, where she explored the role of fintechs in enabling green and sustainable finance. She has also interned with the World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Singapore, the UNDP-Human Development Report Office, as well as the United Nations Economic and Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). Chin holds a Masters of Economics degree from the National University of Singapore.
Cindy joined WBA in January 2025 as a Research Analyst, driven by her passion for advancing climate action and supporting organisations in their sustainability journeys.
Prior to this role, she worked at a consulting firm, where she built a strong foundation in climate advisory. Her areas of expertise include GHG accounting, target setting, and decarbonisation strategies. Cindy has supported companies in managing their Scope 1-3 emissions, ensuring alignment with the GHG Protocol and SBTi criteria. She has also contributed to high-level work in carbon policy and carbon credit mechanisms, helping organisations navigate the complexities of the carbon market. Through her experience working with clients across various industries in the APAC region, Cindy has consistently delivered tailored, innovative solutions to meet their sustainability needs.
Earlier in her career, Cindy gained diverse industry experience through internships at think tanks, NGOs, and within the oil and gas sector, further broadening her perspective on environmental issues and climate action.
Cindy holds both a bachelor's and a master's degree in environmental engineering from Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia. Her bachelor's thesis focused on developing air pollution dispersion models using the AERMOD model, while her master's thesis examined emission factors for vehicles, contributing to the development of more accurate and comprehensive emission inventories.
Cynthia joined WBA in May 2024 as a Research Analyst on the Climate and Energy team. She is passionate about developing multi-disciplinary solutions to address climate challenges and her expertise lies in carbon reduction strategies for the building sector.
Before joining WBA, Cynthia was a doctoral researcher at the Delft University of Technology, where her research centered on the adoption of smaller, low-carbon, zero-energy housing in Europe as part of the transition to a zero-energy built environment. Her work examined the practical implementation of such housing by addressing institutional, social, and technical factors. This included investigating institutional barriers, distinguishing between actual and perceived obstacles identified by housing professionals, analyzing current housing preferences, and assessing the embodied carbon of smaller, zero-energy timber dwellings.
Cynthia holds an MSc in Environmental Design and Engineering from the Bartlett Faculty of University College London and a BEng in Civil Engineering from the Lebanese American University.
Daniel is a Research Analyst in the Nature Benchmark. He believes that sustainable development is the bridge that closes the gap between the private interest of companies and the need for societal public goods, so the right rules and incentives must be in place to promote this intersection.
He brings his years of experience in corporate communications and sustainability reporting, having worked as a consultant for major companies across different industries, and as an ESG analyst in the financial and the energy sector.
Daniel holds a MA in Globalisation, Business and Sustainable Development from the University of East Anglia, and a BA in Sociology from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, along with several post graduate studies in areas such as public policy, social research and communications.
Job Titles:
- Research Specialist
- WBA in 2023 As a Research Analyst
Danileen joined WBA in 2023 as a Research Analyst within the Food and Agriculture team. She has since transitioned to the Climate and Energy team, focusing on the Heavy Industries Benchmark. Her enthusiasm lies in utilizing data and models to narrate compelling stories and create a positive impact on society.
Danileen previously worked as a consultant at the Asian Development Bank. She served as an economist, lead researcher and sector specialist, providing technical support to governments in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Central West Asia. She was deeply involved in economic modeling and forecasting, policy formulation, and statistical capacity building of the various economies. Earlier in her career, she worked for the Philippine government as a Research Associate. She was involved in policy-relevant researches in a variety of areas including Agriculture, Poverty, Development, Education and Public Finance.
Job Titles:
- Research Analyst
- WBA As a Research Analyst
Dona joined the WBA as a Research Analyst on the Nature team in 2024. She holds an MPhil in Climate Change and Sustainable Development from the University of Cape Town, and an MSc in Urban Management and Development from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam.
Prior to joining WBA she spent most of her time in academia, with short stints as an intern at the High Conservation Value (HCV) Network, and as a research assistant at the Future Water Institute. She also has experience as a writer and journalist at Food for Mzansi. Her passions are focused on climate change, sustainability, and biodiversity in urban areas.
Originally from South Africa, she is now exploring the delights of Dutch cycling culture while living in Amsterdam. Outside of work she enjoys any and all outdoor activities, photography, and reading or writing about the world around her.
Job Titles:
- Data Solutions & Innovation Lead
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- Ocean Spotlight - Engagement Lead ( Maternity Cover )
Gaone Moetse is an Impact Researcher in the Impact, Learning and Development team at WBA and works on monitoring, evaluation and learning processes in the organization, focusing primarily on the Results Management Framework and Quarterly Impact Journey workstreams.
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- Financial System Engagement Lead
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- Ocean Benchmark Engagement Lead
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- Impact and Learning Researcher
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- Digital Transformation Lead
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- Nature Transformation Lead
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- Corporate Engagement Manager
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- Strategy and Development Lead
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- Strategic Communications Lead
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- Research & Digitisation Director
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- Engagement Lead, Civil Society Organisations
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- People Operations Administrator
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- Research Lead - Social Transformation
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- Institutional Research Lead
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- Social Transformation Lead
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- Engagement Lead - Digital Transformation
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- Stakeholder Transformation Lead
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- Strategic Technology Project Lead
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- Engagement & Communications Director
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- Research Lead - Financial System Transformation
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- Communications & Content Lead
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- Strategic Public Policy Lead
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- Digital Rights Spotlight Research Lead
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- Gender Spotlight Research Lead
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- Communications & Social Media Lead
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- Communications and Content Lead
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- Ocean Spotlight Research Lead
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- Research Analyst
- WBA in 2025 As a Research Analyst
Su-Mae Chua joined WBA in 2025 as a Research Analyst, focusing on the intersection of environmental justice, resilience, and critical development. At TU Delft's Resilience Lab, she previously examined the trade-offs in resilience thinking and implementation, with an emphasis on Global South and local perspectives.
Su-Mae holds a BA in Geography from University College London (UCL) and an MSc in Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management from the Erasmus Mundus Program. Her multicultural upbringing across eight countries has shaped her nuanced understanding of complex systems and global environmental challenges.
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- Urban Transformation Lead
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- Decarbonisation and Energy Transformation Lead