C40 - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Head of Youth and Civil Society Engagement / United Kingdom
Aaron Kiely is responsible for the development and implementation of C40's new flagship Global Youth Initiative, working with C40 mayors and young activists to create a Global Youth and Mayors Climate Forum capable of building a shared agenda to drive forward climate solutions, and engaging youth leaders in urban climate action.
Prior to joining C40, Aaron co-led Friends of the Earth's climate campaign in the UK. He worked to grow and empower a network of 200 activist groups to campaign for socially just climate action both locally and nationally. He was involved in the successful legal challenge to halt expansion of Heathrow airport, and has campaigned on air pollution and fracking. He played a leading role in organising the largest ever UK climate demonstration ahead of the Paris climate talks in 2015.
Previously Aaron was elected to represent 1 million students of African, Arab, Asian and Caribbean descent at the National Union of Students UK. Aaron organised inspiring and successful campaigns that dramatically increased the number of Black representatives in the student movement, effectively challenged racism and halted deportations of international students. Aaron also has experience in local government where he has served as an elected representative.
Aaron has a BSc in Sociology and Social Policy from London Metropolitan University.
Abigail is C40's Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Manager. She is responsible for C40's work in developing ED&I strategy through C40's programmes and workstreams and monitoring its progress within C40's internal workforce and culture. Prior to C40, she served on a special assignment as Programme Specialist for the G20 EMPOWER & Women20. Both groups focus on women's advocacy under the G20 Indonesia 2022 Presidency. An advocate for women's rights, she founded Girls Can Lead in her early 20s; a social initiative established to catalyze the growth of leadership skills among young women in Indonesia, especially those living in rural and conflict-prone areas. Through her work with GCL, she was chosen by the US State Department to join the Young Southeast Asia Leaders Initiative Academic Fellowship in Illinois and Washington D.C., USA. Abigail obtained her Master's degree in Public Policy from the University College London as a Chevening Scholar and spend one semester during her Bachelor's degree as a Temasek Scholar exchange student at the National University of Singapore. Abigail is currently based in Bali, Indonesia. In her spare time, she enjoys practising yoga, playing tennis & badminton, walking by the beach, as well as collecting books to satisfy her needs as an avid reader.
Job Titles:
- Senior Creative Manager / United Kingdom
Adam leads the design, development and commissioning of C40's creative assets and plays a central role in the brand's vision and future strategy. He is based in London as part of the C40 Brand, Creative and Digital team.
In 2013, Adam graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a MA in French and English Literature. He started his career in media and communications in men's fashion before moving into environmental technology and social impact.
Having completed Shillington Academy's integrated graphic design course in 2021, he joined a B Corp communications agency as creative director working with design and creative teams on rebrands and integrated digital campaigns for non-profits, membership organisations and public sector programmes.
Job Titles:
- Head of Climate Data and Analytics / United Kingdom
Adam is the Head of Climate Data and Analytics in the Business Planning and Reporting team.
He is responsible for leading our analysis of KPI data like emissions, mode share and air quality and working with colleagues to acquire and analyse new data in critical areas like resilience, equity and health benefits.
Having cerebral palsy, Adam is passionate about equality. He has co-chaired the National Disability Summit for the UK National Health Service (NHS), one of the biggest employers in the world. Subsequently, he is now part of C40's initiatives around Inclusive Climate Action.
Adam was previously a Mathematician and Statistician for the NHS, Founder and Research Director at Numeration Systems and a Hydrogeologist for the Environment Agency in England.
In addition to environmental data, he has 20 years of experience with health and equity data, producing peer-reviewed publications and presentations to audiences such as Yale and Public Health England. For example, he designed architecture to collate data to remodel health systems and preventative interventions to optimise system cost, emissions and patient outcomes.
Adam is based in Cornwall on the south coast of the UK. As well as enjoying the coast most weekends, Adam watches local rugby and the local music scene. Both his kids are now at university, giving him time to pursue these and new interests.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Managing Director, Climate Action Implementation / United States
Aditi Maheshwari has been addressing climate change from both a public and private sector perspective for over 20 years. She currently serves as the Managing Director for Climate Action Implementation at C40, where she leads new programme design and delivery and funder engagement for major urban climate action programmes spanning multiple regions and sectors. Her remit also covers the management of existing programmes, including the Cities Finance Facility, Laneshift and UCAP CAI.
She was previously part of the leadership team of IFC's Climate Business Department, where her areas of focus included sustainable cooling and decarbonisation of heavy industries. Prior to this appointment, she was the Director for Climate Action in the UN Secretary General's Executive Office. Aditi's role there was to lead stakeholder engagement to advance climate action in key sectors and deliver on coalitions and initiatives launched at the Climate Action Summit in 2019, prioritising energy and industry transition, cities, transport, resilience, and nature-based solutions.
Preceding this she was a Senior Operations Officer at IFC, mobilising private capital for climate investments in developing countries. She led initiatives to promote private sector investment aligned with national climate plans, and supported businesses to manage carbon risks and capitalise on opportunities. Her publication credits include co-authoring IFC's Green Buildings: A Finance and Policy Blueprint for Emerging Markets and leading IFC's flagship report on Climate Investment Opportunities in Cities. Aditi has held other climate and clean energy-related roles at the World Bank, DFID and the South African National Treasury while on an ODI Fellowship. She holds an MSc in Environmental and Resource Economics from University College London.
Job Titles:
- Director of CHAMP Global Strategy
- Director, CHAMP Global Strategy and Engagement / United Kingdom
- Strategist
Agathe is the Director of CHAMP Global Strategy and Engagement. She leads a global strategy and team to build political support and engagement in the CHAMP initiative as part of a joint partnership between C40 Cities and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.
Agathe joined C40 in 2017 as City Diplomacy Manager, moving a few years later into the role of Head of City Diplomacy and Advocacy. She was instrumental in leading C40's engagement in the COP process, the creation of Urban 20, whilst growing C40's diplomacy and advocacy expertise and team. Ahead of COP26, Agathe was seconded to the High-Level Climate Champions team to lead the cities action agenda and launch the Cities Race to Zero. Before her current appointment, Agathe was on secondment to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy: she led the International advocacy agenda and supported the COP28 Presidency and Bloomberg Philanthropies in the development and launch of CHAMP.
Agathe is a political strategist, climate policy, diplomacy and partnerships expert. She has over 10 years of experience spanning research, project management, advocacy and strategy for international organizations, NGOs, consultancies, local governments and research institutes in Europe, the US, Brazil and Bangladesh. Agathe holds an MA in Climate and Society from Columbia University and joint Master's in European Affairs and Urban Sustainable Development from Sciences Po Lille and Lille University of Science and Technology.
Agung is C40's Regional Adaptation Manager for East and Southeast Asia and Oceania (ESEAO), bringing extensive experience in policy research, stakeholder engagement, and program implementation. With a Master of Science in Environmental and Infrastructure Planning from the University of Groningen, Agung combines academic expertise with practical experience in driving climate adaptation strategies across complex governance landscapes. Before his current role, Agung served as a Program Officer for Climate Change and Urban Resilience Initiatives at Kota Kita Foundation, where he supported cities in developing community-based flood resilience plans. His work involved conducting vulnerability assessments, promoting climate mitigation strategies, and fostering collaboration among local governments, communities, and research institutions. His experience with the Global Center on Adaptation further enriched his understanding of international climate policies, particularly in addressing urban heat stress and advancing nature-based solutions. In addition to his climate-focused roles, Agung has a track record of influencing national policy. As a Substance and Research Coordinator at the Indonesian Ministry of Communications and Informatics, he played a key role in shaping digital transformation policies, leading research efforts on telecommunication strategies, and facilitating partnerships with global institutions such as Cornell University and the University of Cambridge. His ability to bridge policy research with real-world implementation makes him a valuable leader in the adaptation space.
Before joining C40, Ahmed worked as a Campaigns Specialist at 350.org where he led the South Africa teams fossil fuel finance and divestment campaigns. There, he managed 350.org's efforts in urging the City of Cape Town to commit to divest from fossil fuels. Following Cape Town's announcement to divest from fossil fuels in 2017, Ahmed headed up the development and implementation of a public finance campaign advocating for South African Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) to commit to policy that would exclude fossil fuel financing. The campaign enhanced 350's visibility amongst senior public finance officials through media, public mobilisation and direct engagement. Through this campaign, 350.org became a key partner in stopping the development of the Thabametsi coal fired power plant which was officially cancelled in November 2020.
Before 350.org, Ahmed was a research assistant at Itad an international development consultancy where he supported a global programme evaluating the role of markets in poverty reduction. Ahmed holds a Master's in Globalisation, Business and Development from the University of Sussex and a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Thriving Cities Initiative ( TCI ) Spain
Aida (they/she) is the Senior Manager for the Thriving Cities Initiative at C40. In this role, they support Barcelona's and Glasgow's efforts to foster new models that reduce harmful consumption while focusing on well-being and equity.
Aida has over a decade of experience working across sectors, cities and disciplines to address barriers that prevent people and communities from thriving. They have worked as an urban planner, community organizer, researcher and facilitator focusing on how cities can proactively address housing insecurity, unsustainable consumption, and barriers to transportation. They hold a Master's degree in Environmental Studies (Urban Planning) and Ecological Economics, and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Economics.
Aida is of Persian and Kurdish ancestry on their mother's side, and of Iberian ancestry (primarily Catalan) on their father's side. They enjoy travelling by train and bike, growing food, getting lost in dystopian sci-fi, and learning about places, people, languages and traditions.
Job Titles:
- Inclusive Climate Action City Adviser, Bengaluru / India
- Inclusive Climate Action City Advisor
Akshatha serves as the C40 Inclusive Climate Action City Advisor for Bengaluru. She is an architect and a landscape architect by training, a designer at heart, and enjoys solving problems with a social lens.
Akshatha is passionate about building inclusive partnerships between communities, donors, and not-for-profit organisations to achieve long-term social impact. Over the last eight years, as a development sector professional, Akshatha has successfully developed and implemented community programs and mobilised funding for organisations that work across sectors such as women empowerment, healthcare, education, and the environment. Her core competencies are partnership development, program development and management, strategic planning, impact monitoring and evaluation, and community engagement.
Akshatha enjoys practising simple yoga, reading, and gardening every day. She is fascinated by butterflies and elephants. Akshatha enjoys travelling, and as an ardent foodie, desserts are her go-to meal.
Job Titles:
- Head of Breathe Cities / United Kingdom
Alejandro is C40's Head of Breathe Cities, the global initiative supporting cities around the world to cut their air pollution and climate emissions. In this role, Alejandro oversees the delivery of C40's main lines of work in the Breathe Cities partnership, working closely with our partners, funders, and across the multiple C40 teams engaged in this programme.
Alejandro has over ten years of experience in delivering air quality, climate and environmental sustainability action across the public and private sectors. Prior to joining C40, Alejandro was the Head of Air Quality in the Environment and Energy team at the Greater London Authority (GLA) under Mayor Sadiq Khan. As part of this role, he has overseen the development and implementation of large and complex air quality programs, including the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), and its expansion London-wide in August 2023. In previous roles at the Greater London Authority, Alejandro played a central role in the development and implementation of the city's Green New Deal (GND) programme, leading the programme's external and internal engagement and partnership activities.
Prior to joining the GLA, Alejandro was awarded a Fulbright scholarship which helped him kickstart his career centered around his passion for environmental justice, which he continued after graduation with a set of international professional experiences ranging from working with a community-based organisation in New York City, to intergovernmental experience at the World Health Organization in Geneva, to working at a European environment think tank based in London and Brussels. Alejandro holds a Master's degree in environmental sustainability from the University of Edinburgh and a Master's degree in environmental justice and public policy from the University of Michigan.
Job Titles:
- Water Programme Officer / United Kingdom
Alejandro is an architect and urban planner with relevant experience setting resilience plans for vulnerable communities. As C40's Water Programme Officer, Alejandro is responsible for coordinating and managing the second phase of the Water Safe Cities Project delivery, which aims to reduce water-related climate risk.
Prior to joining C40, he lectured on slum upgrading strategies and developed several urban regeneration schemes in the Global South. His most recent work was setting up a Mobility Plan for Medellín city (Colombia), seeking to prioritize pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport in street design.
Alejandro studied architecture at two regional universities: Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (Colombia) and Universidad Catolica (Chile). Afterwards, he won a Chevening scholarship targeted at local leaders that allowed him to study for a Master's degree in International Planning and Sustainable Development at the University of Westminster (United Kingdom).
Alejandro enjoys sketching urban landscapes, practising yoga and visiting local markets.
Job Titles:
- Head of Campaigns ( Green Jobs and Green & Healthy Streets ) Italy
Alessio Baù serves as C40's Head of Campaigns. He is a campaign and communications expert focused on public engagement, grassroots organising, digital media, creative content and social innovation, with experience both in the public and private sectors. He is also a C40 LGBTQIA+ staff representative.
Prior to joining C40, Alessio worked as Social Media Editor-in-Chief for the City of Milan, as Content Strategist and Campaign Manager for the Airbnb Policy & Communications team, and as a consultant for agencies, firms, electoral campaigns, and non-governmental organisations.
Alessio has a Bachelor's degree in Humanities (University of Padova) and a first-level Master's in Plants, Social Innovation & Design (University of Florence). He is a published author with a background in journalism, a board member of the Milan LGBTQIA+ association and passionate about rooftop gardening and train travel.
Job Titles:
- Green Shipping Corridors Project Manager / United States
- Project Manager for C40 's Ports & Shipping Team
Alex Franco is Project Manager for C40's Ports & Shipping Team. He manages stakeholder engagement, policy development and day-to-day coordination for the Green Shipping Corridors workstream.
Alex is a public health advocate and joined C40 from the Environmental Defense Fund where he supported science aimed at reducing disparities in air pollution exposure and maximizing climate benefits. His experience spans a wide range across community engagement, PFAS exposure, GHG accounting, geospatial analysis and air quality science.
Alex holds an MPH in Environmental Health Sciences from UC Berkeley and a BS in Health and Human Sciences from Loyola Marymount University.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief of Staff and Head of the Executive Office / United Kingdom
Alice serves as Deputy Chief of Staff and Head of the Executive Office. In this role, Alice oversees the smooth functioning of the Executive Director's private office, his international engagement, and the coordination of C40's global leadership strategy which aims to use the collective voice and actions of C40's mayors and partners to help the world avoid climate breakdown. Alice has worked at C40 since 2019, working on various projects from leading the 2022 C40-Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards to coordinating C40's COVID-19 response and rapid response strategy.
Alice has a BA in Geography from the University of Manchester, including a year at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. She is currently studying for an MSc in Spatial Planning at UCL.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, U20 & G20 Engagement / United Kingdom
As Senior Manager in the External Engagement team, Alina is the C40 project lead for Urban 20, an initiative which brings cities together to elevate urban voices in the G20 ecosystem and beyond. Since leading the project in 2022, Alina has worked closely with Jakarta City Hall, Ahmedabad Municipality, and the city halls of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, as well as the G20 Indonesia, G20 India and G20 Brazil Presidencies. Before joining the U20 team, she managed the Cities Race to Zero campaign, a programme for cities committed to delivering climate action run by a coalition of not-for-profit partners.
Previously, Alina was Programme Coordinator with the Europe Programme at Chatham House, a leading international affairs think tank, where she supported the development and management of complex research projects. Her specific focus was on multi-partner initiatives. Among these, a project exploring the intersection of democracy and technology and a youth engagement project working to increase young people's understanding of key policy issues across Europe and Africa. Alina also has previous professional experience in Brussels, including at the Strategy unit of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) and at the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, a regional civil society organisation.
Alina graduated from King's College London with a degree in European Studies and holds an MSc in International Relations from the University of Edinburgh.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director of Ports
- Deputy Director, Ports and Shipping / United States
Alisa is Deputy Director of Ports and Shipping, working to connect port cities, ports, and related public and private sector stakeholders in sharing knowledge and developing and implementing policies and solutions that improve public health and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from ports and supply chains. Alisa has extensive experience working with engineering consultancies, power utilities, technology companies, and government agencies in the energy and maritime sectors.
Over the past 5 years, Alisa championed and managed a port efficiency programme for the US Department of Energy's Better Communities Alliance and supported the technical and advisory teams on the 2050 Masterplan for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Alisa also spent a part of her career in Southeast and South Asia with an international electric utility, where she was responsible for leadership, project direction, business planning and development of critical power and infrastructure projects.
She is also a co-founder of SolarSkyrise, a clean technology company that tackles the emissions challenge of large buildings and transforms the value of urban renewables.
Alisa holds a B.A. in International Relations and Political Science from Boston University, and an Executive Master in Urban Planning from the University of Southern California.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Regional Director for East, Southeast Asia and Oceania ( ESEAO ) Malaysia
Alissa serves as the Deputy Regional Director for East, Southeast Asia, and Oceania, supporting regional initiatives and maintaining strong relationships with C40 member cities.
Prior to her current role, she worked as the Senior Manager for Climate Action Planning as well as the City Adviser for Kuala Lumpur, where she facilitated the development of a Paris Agreement compatible Climate Action Plan for the city.
With a background in environmental sustainable design consulting, she contributed to optimizing building and masterplan designs for sustainable certification and carbon emission reductions in projects across Malaysia. She notably assisted in the development of Kuala Lumpur's Carbon Management Plan for council-owned assets. Her experience also includes corporate consulting, including sustainability strategy and reporting for locally listed companies.
Alissa holds a Bachelor's degree in Architectural Studies as well as a Master of Environments from the University of Melbourne.
Job Titles:
- Sustainable Investment Programme Officer / United Kingdom
Amaia is C40's Sustainable Investment programme Project Officer, where she works closely with the Head of Sustainable Investment as part of the Climate Finance, Knowledge and Partnerships team. In this role, she supports cities with their commitments to divest financial assets from fossil fuel companies and champion investments in climate solutions.
Before joining C40, Amaia was at the Birmingham City Council, focusing on various international projects with Birmingham's sister cities and EU-funded projects. She also supported partners within the Commonwealth networks. While at the Council's leading Brexit Programme, she collaborated closely with the UK Government's Home Office.
Amaia is passionate about working with cities and building global relationships with partners, and has rich experience with city governments, NGOs, universities and local authorities.
Job Titles:
- Regional Senior Programme Manager, Africa / Nigeria
- Senior Programme Manager
Amaka Agwu is Regional Senior Programme Manager for the Africa region at C40.
She is based in Abuja, Nigeria, with expertise in programme design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and has actively worked in the development sector over the years, processing proposals and designing theory of change by analysing the country's socio-economic situations, trends, needs and gaps.
Before C40, Amaka worked as Head of Programs, where she was supported in conducting research, gathering business and programme intelligence for the purpose of identifying new opportunities, and tracking and engaging with donors for funding.
Amaka has many skills in working with community and city structures and mobilising stakeholders using participatory approaches to secure buy-in and project ownership. She led the process for developing and approving the National Policy on SRHR of persons with disabilities in Nigeria. She has also led capacity building of government institutions, private organisations, and CSOs on gender and disability mainstreaming.
Job Titles:
- Head of Adaptation Implementation and Water / United States
Amanda Ikert ("Mandy") serves as Head of Adaptation Implementation at C40. In this position she is responsible for supporting cities as they work to meet their climate change adaptation and water management goals.
Before taking on this role, Mandy served as the City Director for Jakarta at C40 where she worked closely with the Governor and regional government of Jakarta to identify, develop and implement programmes and projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Before joining C40, Mandy was a city planner in New York, serving in both NYC's City Planning and Parks and Recreation departments.
She has a research background in urban and architectural history as well as international environmental programming, including projects with the Asia Foundation and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Mandy holds a Master of City Planning and a Master of Science in Architectural Studies from MIT and a BA in History from Wesleyan University.
Job Titles:
- Global Senior Manager, CFO Network for African Cities / United Kingdom
Amandla serves as the Global Senior Manager, CFO Network for African Cities - an initiative focused on engaging and empowering senior finance officials in C40 Cities' network to access climate finance, and implement evidence-based budgetary decisions and policy making in public financial management. Amandla is responsible for driving new strategic priorities, partnerships and programming to develop the network.
Amandla is currently based in the United Kingdom and has worked across a wide variety of areas within international development, including environmental sustainability, agribusiness management, private sector development, women's economic empowerment and innovation in Europe and Africa. Before joining C40 Cities, she was stationed in Nairobi, Kenya and worked as an internal consultant for One Acre Fund. Amandla has also consulted on a Horizon2020 climate change project to set up a twinning programme between European cities and African cities and municipalities to empower climate-vulnerable communities within Africa to develop and sustain nature-based solutions to climate change and inequitable exposure to air pollution. In addition, she has previously held project management positions at UK Research and Innovation and Connected Places Catapult.
Amandla holds an MSc in Public Policy and Administration from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a BA in Social Policy, Politics and Economics from the University of Birmingham.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager, Strategic and Co - Chair Communications / United Kingdom
As Project Manager, Strategic and Co-Chair Communications, Amelia spends her time supporting the Director of Communications to undertake various activities including working on media outreach, creating and executing communications activities, ensuring the delivery of key communications projects with other C40 teams and providing specific support to the Co-Chair's communications.
Prior to her current role, Amelia led Communications and Campaigns for a pro-EU organisation based in London and before this worked for the United Nations in Sydney, Australia where her work centred around implementing the Sustainable Development Goals on a city level.
Amelia graduated from the University of Manchester in 2019 with a BA in Geography. During her undergraduate degree she also spent a year studying at the University of Maryland, College Park, United States. Additionally she holds an MA in Gender, Society and Representation from University College London. Her academic research focused primarily on feminist geographies and gendered practices in public and private space.
Job Titles:
- Head of Urban Heat Programmes / Canada
Amy Buitenhuis is the Head of Urban Heat Programmes at C40. She leads a team that supports a network of global cities to identify, plan and implement projects to increase resilience to urban heat. She also leads C40's Urban Nature Accelerator.
Before joining C40, Amy spent almost a decade working at the City of Toronto on programs and policies related to resilience, housing, and COVID-19 response and recovery. During this time, she is proud to have delivered Toronto's first Resilience Strategy and led the City's 2020 hot weather response during the COVID-19 emergency (and hottest summer in 50+ years). She also designed and established a new apartment building quality standards program, regulated short-term rentals, and developed Toronto's plan for the future of its temporary COVID-19 shelters for people experiencing homelessness and on its journey toward recovery from the pandemic.
Amy holds an MA in geography from the University of Toronto and a BScE in engineering and BA in geography from Queen's University (Canada).
Job Titles:
- Fundraising Manager / United Kingdom
Job Titles:
- Head of Content & Editorial, C40 Knowledge / United Kingdom
Amy is the editorial lead for C40's knowledge management work. Principally, this means that Amy leads the editorial direction and oversight of the C40 Knowledge Hub, our platform on the design and delivery of urban climate action for city and climate professionals. She also works with C40 teams across the organisation to support the development of quality outputs that meet the needs of target audiences and contributes C40 knowledge of city examples and good practice to external processes.
Amy started at C40 in 2018 as the Knowledge Hub's Content Editor, writing and managing the library of content on the platform ahead of the platform's 2019 launch and in its first years. She has continued to build and oversee the Knowledge Hub since, aiming to ensure it captures the insights of leading cities as well as the most relevant resources from organisations around the world to deliver a comprehensive, practical platform for cities on climate issues. Amy also developed and manages an internal knowledge-sharing platform for C40 staff.
Prior to C40 Amy spent seven years at the Overseas Development Institute, first as part of the Climate and Development Knowledge Network and later as a researcher on climate risk and resilience. She holds an MSc in Disasters, Adaptation and Development from Kings College London, and a BSc in Geography from Sheffield University.
Job Titles:
- Regional Coordinator for Europe
- Regional Coordinator, Europe / Greece
Anais Alfieri is C40's Regional Coordinator for Europe. She plays a key role in supporting the regional team, overseeing the communication with European member cities, coordinating the delivery of projects across the region and ensuring the effective engagement of our cities.
Before joining C40, Anais worked as a project manager on urban development projects with diverse stakeholders. At the neighbourhood level, she creatively engaged citizens to better care for their local environment and public space, and at the municipal level, she worked on the concept of inclusive and smart cities, developing projects and supporting cities with their strategies through participatory processes. She is passionate about collectively transforming our modern urban world into a more sustainable future.
Anais holds a B.Sc. in Urban Planning from HCU Hamburg and a M.Sc. in Urban Design from the Technical University of Berlin. During her undergraduate degree, she also spent a year studying at ESTAV, Barcelona.
Job Titles:
- Head of Mobility, India
- TheC40 Head of Mobility
Anantha serves as theC40 Head of Mobility, in India, supporting electrification of freight and passenger transport, and inclusive climate action in cities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks.
Job Titles:
- Adviser for Mexico City for Breathe Cities
- City Advisor, Breathe Cities, Mexico City / Mexico
Andrea Bizberg serves as the City Adviser for Mexico City for Breathe Cities, supporting the city to implement the Breathe City strategy (2024-2026).
Prior to joining C40, Andrea has worked for more than five years on air quality, climate change and public health issues in several countries in Latin America and Europe, most recently working as an international consultant for the United Nations Development Programme to support the update of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).
Before this, she has worked from a public policy perspective across different sectors. With the NGO, the Nature Conservancy she has worked as a strategic consultant to increase the ambition of the NDCs of priority countries in LATAM, with the inclusion of Natural Climate Solutions (NCS). She has also contributed to the development of a green finance taxonomy in Mexico with the Green Finance Advisory Council of the Mexican Stock Exchange. Finally, she has provided policy research and technical advice to the Economist Intelligence Unit, Harvard University and the Mexican Ministry of Public Health regarding air quality and public health issues.
Andrea holds a Master in Environmental Policies from Sciences Po, a Master in Environmental Sciences from Sorbonne Université (Université Pierre et Marie Curie) and a Bachelor in Science, Technology and Health from the University Paris-Saclay (Université Paris-Sud XI).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Managing Director, Climate Finance, Knowledge and Partnerships / Colombia
Andrea Fernández serves as C40's Managing Director of Climate Finance, Knowledge and Partnerships. Andrea is responsible for overseeing C40's Climate Finance, Business Engagement and Knowledge and Learning programmes, as well as C40's engagement in the Urban Shift Programme. She also drives new strategic priorities and partnerships.
Previously, Andrea worked in the World Bank's Private Sector Development Department for five years, where she delivered investment appraisals and technical assistance for public enterprise reform and infrastructure projects in emerging economies. Andrea has a Bachelor's degree in International Business and Economics from Concordia University and an MBA with a finance specialisation from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.
Job Titles:
- Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, UCAP CAI Programme / United Kingdom
Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, UCAP Climate Action Implementation Programme - Andrea serves as Monitoring and Evaluation Manager to C40's UCAP CAI Programme. She works across teams to balance and respond to funder requirements, cities' priorities, and C40's existing KPIs. In doing so, her objective is to demonstrate the impact of C40 and its cities' work while enabling meaningful comparison and learning across programmes.
Prior to joining C40, Andrea worked as a Knowledge Transfer Manager on a UKAID programme that aimed to strengthen innovation networks between the UK, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. Before this, she gained progressive M&E experience consulting for UN-Habitat and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
She holds an MSc in Environment and Sustainable Development from University College London and a BASc in Sustainability, Science and Society from McGill University.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Net Zero Carbon Buildings Accelerator / United Kingdom
Andrew is the Manager of the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Accelerator, providing support to signatory cities implementing ambitious actions to decarbonise buildings. He is responsible for tracking the progress of signatory cities and coordinating with the C40 networks in assisting cities in overcoming barriers to implementation. This includes providing expertise on global best practice approaches to building decarbonisation policies, from supporting cities in C40's energy and buildings networks to assisting technical assistance programmes such as C40's UCAP Climate Action Implementation Programme.
He previously served as Advisor for New Buildings, providing direct technical assistance to cities supporting the development of policies and programs to improve new building codes. In this role, he also supported C40's Deadline2020 program delivering Climate Action Plans for cities across the network.
Before joining C40, Andrew was a Sustainability Consultant in a building services engineering consultancy, working in the UK development industry. Andrew was responsible for designing and implementing energy & sustainability strategies for a broad range of developments, including delivering low and zero-regulated carbon emission housing developments. He holds a BSc in Biology from the University of Sussex.
Job Titles:
- Analytical Executive Assistant / United Kingdom
Andrew works closely with the Head of Climate Data and leads various analytical projects. He is an active member of C40's Disability, Inclusion and Anti-Racism board and also ‘Enable'.
Andrew has a strong socio-economic background, joining C40 from Newquay Community Orchard, where he was the Social Programmes Manager and NHS liaison. Being passionate about promoting the use of nature in wellbeing (and as a preventative mental health measure), he became a Governor of Cornwall Partnership Foundation NHS Trust to further this cause.
With a keen interest in socio-economic deprivation, especially around food supply and sustainability, Andrew founded and runs End Hunger Cornwall and is the chair of the Cornwall Food Access Alliance, both published and regularly referenced in this field.
Outside work, Andrew's biggest hobby is playing the guitar, and he is well-known on the local music scene-everything from folk to heavy metal.
Job Titles:
- Clean Construction Senior Advisor / Norway
André serves a Senior Advisor for the Clean Construction Programme. Prior to joining C40, he worked at the Climate Agency for the City of Oslo where he primarily focused on Oslo's transition to zero-emission construction machinery and reducing indirect emissions from the buildings sector. He was also closely involved in developing Oslo's climate strategy to 2030. André has worked at the Norwegian Environment Agency where he led the unit responsible for implementing EU's Emissions Trading System in Norway. He has previously worked on climate change issues for over a decade at the International Energy Agency and the World Bank. André holds a Masters degree in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Co - Managing Director, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy / Belgium
Andy is the Co-Managing Director of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM).
Previously he held the role of the Director of Strategy and Operations at GCoM, guiding program delivery across multiple areas of activity. Immediately prior, Andy was Policy Coordinator for Climate Alliance, where among other projects, he was project technical coordinator for the series of EU Sustainable Energy Investment Forums.
Andy has worked for 20 years across a range of environmental protection issues focusing on climate change, energy and air quality in local, regional and central government, academia and NGOs. He has been part of and led major initiatives on city carbon reduction strategies, community energy, large-scale home retrofit financing, household energy-saving behaviour, and air pollution assessment and management.
Andy has a BSc in Geography and Environmental Studies from the University of Surrey Roehampton Institute and an MSc in Applied Meteorology and Climatology from the University of Birmingham.
Job Titles:
- Communications and Campaigns Manager for C40 's Zero Emission Freight
- Communications and Campaigns Manager, Zero Emission Freight, Latin America / Brazil
Anelise Gonçalves is the Communications and Campaigns Manager for C40's Zero Emission Freight programme in Latin America. She brings over six years of experience in journalism and communications, with a strong focus on crafting high-quality content, managing media relations, and developing strategic communication plans.
Before joining C40, Anelise worked at the British Mission in Brazil, acting in communication and marketing strategies. She also gained significant experience as a reporter at Folha de S.Paulo, one of the most important newspapers in Brazil, covering topics like economy, energy, and technology. Additionally, Anelise contributed to international marketing initiatives at Globo, one of the largest media companies in Latin America.
Anelise holds a Bachelor's in Social Communication - Journalism from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and is pursuing a Graduate Degree in Digital Journalism and Communication at the Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation (FAAP). Her academic background includes a summer course on Perspectives and Views on Digital Societies from the University of Cologne, Germany.
Her career highlights include interviewing Malala Yousafzai about her work in female education. Anelise is passionate about diversity, films, music, travelling, and cats.
Job Titles:
- Qlik Platform Manager / Mexico
Angel Monjarás is responsible for managing the Qlik data analytics platform, developing and maintaining analytic applications for internal use, and the C40 Knowledge Hub.
Prior to joining C40, Angel worked at two Qlik partner organisations and held many roles, including practice leader, solutions architect, training manager and product specialist.
Angel holds a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science and a Diploma in Business Intelligence. He is a part-time business intelligence teacher at ITAM (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México) in Mexico City, a 2024 Qlik Luminary, and a 2022, 2023, and 2024 Qlik Academic Program Ambassador.
Job Titles:
- Senior Grants Manager, Government Funding / United Kingdom
Anita serves as the Senior Grants Manager of Government Funding in C40's Corporate Services team, based out of the London office. She is responsible for funder relations, contracting, and procurement for C40's Climate Action Planning work in Latin America and Asia.
Before joining C40, Anita was the Regional Relationship Manager of global corporates for Standard Chartered Bank, South Africa. In this role, Anita provided banking solutions to blue-chip corporates across sub-Saharan Africa. Anita has over a decade of corporate and investment banking experience focusing on counterparty risk and client-facing functions from Canary Wharf to Johannesburg and safely through the financial crisis.
Anita graduated from the University of Stellenbosch with a Bachelor of Commerce (Financial Management).
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager of Engagement and European Public Affairs / Belgium
Anja serves as C40's Senior Manager of Engagement and European Public Affairs.
Her role focuses on implementing the C40 advocacy plan for the European Union, delivering the European elements of C40's mission-driven focus on ending fossil fuels, and addressing the impacts and injustices of climate breakdown.
Based in Brussels, she creates linkages with EU policies and initiatives and keeps relations with EU institutions and other Brussels-based stakeholders. She also supports the C40 cities in the European region to lead EU advocacy work and raise ambition for other cities to take bold and ambitious climate action.
Before joining C40, Anja worked for more than 10 years for a Brussels-based city network on a variety of European-funded projects and initiatives on sustainable urban development, especially on funding, innovative finance and procurement, and urban food.
Anja has a Master's degree in European studies and environmental management from Sussex University. Originally from Italy, she also speaks English, French and German.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Managing Director, Governance and Executive Engagement / United Kingdom
Anna serves as the Managing Director of Governance and Executive Engagement. Anna supports the Executive Director and oversees relationships with key C40 strategic funders. In particular, she provides support to the Executive Director in managing the Board of Directors, supporting the C40's Chair's Office functions and managing the Governance and Fundraising teams. Before joining C40 in 2015, Anna spent seven years living and working in East Asia, including Hong Kong, Beijing, and Chengdu. Prior, Anna worked in the Mayor of London's Office for the climate change and sustainable transport adviser, and was part of the team who developed London's first Climate Change Action Plan. Anna holds a BA in Philosophy and Political Science from the University of Birmingham, UK and is learning to speak Mandarin Chinese.
Anne Hidalgo has been Mayor of Paris since 2014 - the first woman to hold that office. She was reelected in 2020 for a second term until 2026. During her period as mayor, her policies have put Paris at the vanguard of the fight against climate breakdown in urban areas.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Food Systems - City Business Engagement / South Africa
Anri Manderson forms part of the Climate Solutions and Networks team. She supports the delivery of research on city business engagement in the food sector.
Before joining C40, Anri worked in food systems across southern Africa, specifically building resilience in smallholder farmer systems. She has extensive experience in community and natural resource governance, building local economies, regenerative agriculture, and youth and female empowerment.
Anri holds a joint PhD in food policy from the Universities of Antwerp and Stellenbosch and an MPhil degree in Sustainable Development Management and Planning and a BA in Visual Communication Design, both at Stellenbosch University.
Job Titles:
- Head of Environment Program, Bloomberg Philanthropies
Antha Williams leads the Environment Program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. Previously she was Senior Vice President at Corridor Partners, a donor advisory firm focused on climate and clean energy. Antha also worked as the Advocacy Executive at Atlantic Philanthropies, where she oversaw grants to support health care and comprehensive immigration reform. As Program Officer at Beldon Fund, Antha built support for environmental issues by policymakers through grassroots organizing at the state level.
Outside of philanthropy, Antha has worked as a campaigner and organizer, directing large scale voter protection efforts, and serving in leadership positions for five years with Green Corps, a training program for aspiring environmental organizers. Antha graduated from Dartmouth College and lives in New York.
Job Titles:
- Assistant to the Executive Director
- Senior Executive
- Senior Executive Assistant to the Executive Director / United Kingdom
Anya (Anna) Dorant-Hayes serves as Senior Executive Assistant to the Executive Director.
Based in London, Anya provides daily support to the Executive Director. She is responsible for diary and inbox management, international and domestic travel logistics, developing and coordinating the preparation of background material, and dealing with internal and external enquiries. She also works closely with the Deputy Chief of Staff on the delivery of special projects.
Anya has extensive experience of working in support roles for C-suite executives within the academia, publishing and charity sectors. She spent a large part of her career at Chatham House (The Royal Institute of International Affairs) as EA to the Chief Executive where she has deepened her interest in climate change and sustainability issues.
Anya graduated from Birkbeck College, University of London with a BA in Spanish and Latin American Studies. She speaks Polish, Spanish and English.
Job Titles:
- Knowledge Manager for Ports & Shipping at C40 Cities
- Knowledge Manager, Ports & Shipping / United Kingdom
Ariane is the Knowledge Manager for Ports & Shipping at C40 Cities, where she promotes the decarbonisation of the maritime sector. She is responsible for coordinating the delivery of engagement and knowledge products in collaboration with Green Ports Forum members. Her work also informs the future development of the Ports and Shipping programme, particularly for port cities in the Global South.
Before joining C40's Ports & Shipping team, Ariane contributed to C40's Women4Climate Initiative, pushing gender-inclusive climate action higher up the political agenda. Through her work, she has helped to strengthen the participation of women and people from marginalised communities in urban climate action. She also worked as a gender and climate policy intern with Women Engage for a Common Future Gender, where she supported gender and climate advocacy for COP26.
Ariane holds an Master's (Hons) in International Affairs from Sciences Po Paris, France, where she focused on feminist and people-centered approaches to global affairs. She was awarded the Advanced Certification in Gender Studies to recognise her academic work.
Job Titles:
- Head of Knowledge and Partnerships for the C40 Cities Finance Facility
- Head of Knowledge and Partnerships, CFF / United Kingdom
Aris is the Head of Knowledge and Partnerships for the C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF), a joint initiative of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and GIZ. The CFF facilitates access to finance for climate change mitigation and resilience projects in urban areas. In his role, Aris collects, manages and disseminates all knowledge generated in CFF-supported projects, which include cycling infrastructure in Bogotá, electric buses in Mexico City, and community-led ecosystem-based adaptation in Durban. Aris holds a MSc in Environmental Policy and Regulation from LSE and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of York and the University of California, San Diego. Prior to joining C40, Aris worked for Carbon Analytics, an environmental accounting start-up, and for ABC Trust, an Anglo-Brazilian NGO helping children in Brazilian cities.
Job Titles:
- Contracts Manager ( Southeast Asia ), UCAP CAI Programme
- Pratama Is the Contracts Manager for C40 's UCAP Climate Action Implementation ( CAI ) Programme in Southeast Asia
Based in Malang (East Java), Indonesia, Eras is a graduate of Brawijaya University Malang, where he majored in International Relations with a specific focus on Global Political Economy.
Previously, Eras worked at UNDP Indonesia for over three years and has accumulated more than six years of experience in the field of procurement and holds CIPS 3 certification (Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply).
In his leisure time, Eras enjoys engaging in adrenaline sports, reading books, and travelling.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Food Data and Research / Greece
Artemis manages C40's Food Data & Research within the Food Systems Team. She supports the team in refining and setting science-based targets for the programme's accelerators, developing data-driven solutions to support climate action in signatory cities - particularly in the areas of urban food consumption and food waste. She also leads on the team's KPIs and on identifying data needs, ensuring key gaps are addressed through strategic research and analysis.
Before joining C40, Artemis worked as Data Team Lead at Curio Labs, where she managed the data collection, transformation, and visualisation processes to ensure high-quality data for actionable insights. She has also served as Data Manager at Amnesty International, where she led projects to automate data flows and developed reporting tools to enhance the organisation's responsiveness to human rights issues.
Artemis holds an MSc in Data Analytics from Imperial College London and an MA in Human Rights from University College London. She is passionate about integrating qualitative and quantitative research methods to address global social issues and foster data-driven strategies for long-term impact.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Climate Budgeting / Norway
Astrid serves as C40's Senior Manager of Climate Budgeting, a programme supporting cities to improve their governance systems to operationalise and deliver climate targets. Astrid is seconded from the City of Oslo, where she previously worked for the Urban Environment Agency. She was responsible for following up the City of Oslo's Strategy for Reduced and Sustainable Consumption with its annually revised action plan. In this position, she led an inter-municipal consultation group that developed measures and collaborated with researchers to develop indicators within the field. Astrid worked closely with Oslo's Climate Agency to further develop the climate budget to include indirect emissions.
She also has experience from several environmental NGOs, working on circular economy projects in collaboration with businesses, civil society and academia, and international development projects and humanitarian work. Astrid holds a Master's in International Environmental Studies from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
Job Titles:
- Operations Officer
- Operations Officer / United Kingdom
Aura serves as the Operations Officer in C40's Corporate Services team and is based in the London office. She provides operations optimization and travel management support across C40, as well as support to the wider Corporate Services team. She manages projects required across C40's global operations. Previously, she interned for C40's Climate Action Planning and Innovation team and supported the delivery of technical assistance to help member cities align with international best practices.
Prior to joining C40, Aura worked with Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) to collect data and build a country-based model for energy transition. This project was in collaboration with the Energy Transition Council for COP27. Similarly, she collaborated on the production of the Raindance Film Festival for three consecutive editions.
Aura holds an MSc in Environmental Technology, specialising in urban sustainable environments, from Imperial College London. She also holds a BA in International Relations from King's College London.
Aura is fluent in Spanish, French and English.
Job Titles:
- Programme Coordination Manager - UCAP CAI Programme ( SEA ) Malaysia
Azura serves as Programme Coordination Manager for the UCAP Climate Action Implementation (CAI) Programme in Southeast Asia. She leads and supports programme management, strategic planning, and coordination across C40's Climate Action Implementation team and other global teams.
Azura has dedicated her career to revitalizing cities and creating impactful social programmes, focusing on partnerships and placemaking principles. She has worked closely with local councils, communities, and small businesses to deliver community-driven initiatives - including parklets, laneway improvements, and urban farms - to rejuvenate public spaces in the historic centre of Downtown Kuala Lumpur. In addition, she brings experience managing Digital Inclusion and Economic Impact programmes aligned with META's policy priorities across Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Philippines.
Azura holds a Master in Environmental and Sustainable Development from University College London (UCL) and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Kent.
Originally from Sarawak, Azura is currently based in Kuala Lumpur. She enjoys playing tennis, strength training, and scuba diving.
Job Titles:
- Technical Adviser, Energy and Buildings / India
As a Technical Adviser, Bandish supports C40's work in South and West Asian cities, specifically implementing high-impact actions decarbonising the energy and building sector.
Bandish has over a decade of experience in the urban climate space, having worked very closely with a variety of stakeholders including local communities, government officials at various levels, global think tanks and NGOs, academia and Urban Local Bodies in India.
He was recently associated with EMBER working on a coal mine methane mitigation project in India. Previously, he held the position of ‘Manager - Urban Climate Action' at Janaagraha, playing a key role in implementing the "Clean Energy Pathways for Low-Income Settlements" programme in cities of Odisha.
As a Research Associate on the multi-country OPTIMISM project, his work focused on promoting low-carbon transportation solutions in two Indian cities. At ICLEI South Asia, he spearheaded efforts towards driving climate action across various cities through initiatives like "Promoting Low Emission Urban Development Strategies in Emerging Economy Countries (Urban LEDS)", "SE4ALL Building Efficiency Accelerator program (BEA)", "Earth Hour City Challenge (EHCC)", "Rajkot Solar City Program" and "Development of Climate Adaptation Financing Guidebook".
Bandish has an MBA in Energy and Environment from Symbiosis Institute of International Business and a BA in Political Science and Economics. In his free time, he likes to read books, play badminton and has a keen interest in Ayurveda.
Job Titles:
- Adviser for Rio De Janeiro
- Senior Manager, Adaptation Finance / Brazil
Barbara Barros serves as City Adviser for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as part of C40 Climate Action Planning Programme. In this role, she is responsible for engaging internal and external stakeholders, and facilitating knowledge transfer across the Rio's City Hall, C40 network and C40 consultants, in order to provide high-quality tailored technical assistance to support locally-led efforts and strengthen the Rio's climate action.
Prior to joining C40, Barbara worked on the development of the Rio de Janeiro Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, in which she carried out a vulnerability assessment and an adaptation strategy for the Urbanization & Housing sector of the City by 2040. Later, she served as a Head of the Adaptation and Resilience Sector of the City Hall of Recife (Pernambuco - Brazil) to manage the Climate Change Adaptation Plan and low carbon urban development projects of the City. She also worked as a technical consultant for the Recife's Master Plan to advance climate change planning within the urban planning agenda for the next 10 years.
She holds a degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from Federal University of Alagoas (Brazil), and a Master's in Urban Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Her master's thesis analyses the integration of adaptation planning with urban planning across four megacities.
Job Titles:
- Urban Planning and Design Officer / Denmark
Benedetta is the Urban Planning and Design Officer at C40's Copenhagen office. As part of the Horizon Europe ReGreeneration project, she contributes to the design and adoption of innovative people-centred, nature-based solutions for neighbourhood revitalisation across 9 European cities.
Prior to joining C40, Benedetta collaborated closely with the City of Milan's Permanent Climate Assembly, developing an inclusive deliberative governance model for climate planning. In her experience as a Consultant at the World Food Programme she tackled the complex links between food security, political stability, and urban environments.
She holds a dual Master's degree from Sciences Po Paris and the London School of Economics, specialising in International Development with a keen focus on urban sustainability policies. Throughout her studies, she founded and led projects bridging policymakers, academia, and youth to foster dialogue on sustainability challenges.
Job Titles:
- Architect With a Double Master
- Head of Implementation / India
- Head of Implementation for South
Benjamin serves as Head of Implementation for South and West Asia, after working as C40 Senior Manager for Climate Implementation and C40 City Adviser to Chennai and Bengaluru. His work with Chennai and Bengaluru includes helping both cities prepare their climate action plans and further support the implementation of the city CAPs across various sectors like Energy, Transport, Land Use Planning etc. Before joining C40, Benjamin worked with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) where he focused on the preparation of the Master Plan of Delhi 2041. With Dutch consultancy firm Royal Haskoning DHV (RHDHV) Benjamin worked on the Revised Master Plan of Bengaluru 2031 as well as on greenfield urban extension master plans for Surat and Aurangabad.
By training, Benjamin is an architect with a double Master's in urban regional planning and urban design from CEPT, Ahmedabad. Over the last 12 years, his work has focused on strategic planning with outcomes focussed on mitigating climate change and improving quality of life. In his free time he likes cooking for his family and playing musical instruments.
Job Titles:
- Zero Emission Area Senior Manager / Denmark
Bianca is the Zero Emission Areas Senior Manager in the Transport team at C40 Cities. In this role, Bianca works with colleagues to deliver C40's Zero Emission Zones programme and support cities to meet their commitments under the Green and Healthy Streets Accelerator, helping to achieve effective, ambitious and measurable results in decarbonising urban transport.
Before this role, Bianca was Advisor to the Deputy Mayor for Mobility at Milan City Hall, where she coordinated events and stakeholder roundtables, and strengthened opportunities with European cities to ensure peer-to-peer learning.
Previously, she worked with the Politecnico University of Milan, helping cities design participatory processes for their air and climate plans. Bianca graduated in Chemistry from the University of Milan and specialised in Geography at University College London (UCL).
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- Project Manager, Climate Action Planning ( China )
Prior to C40, Bo worked in the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in China, where he worked on the implementation and management of Chinese Projects of Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances. He was also involved and coordinated in the national greenhouse gas HFCs phase-down strategy development.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Regional Director for East Asia
- Regional Director, East Asia ( China ) China
Boping is the Regional Director for East Asia (China) of C40. She is responsible for leading C40's work in China to support Chinese member cities to further advance their climate ambition and lead the transition towards an urban ecological civilization.
Before joining C40, Boping was the China Director of the World Future Council (WFC) and helped WFC to establish and develop its office in China. Previously, she was the Director of Policy and International Strategy of WWF China, leading WWF China's policy research and advocacy work to influence China's high-level policy framework for stronger environmental targets in its development policy. Earlier in her career, Boping had experience with both private sector and government programs. She provided consultancy on climate change and renewable energy for investments in China, served for Dexia bank on public and project finance and started her career with the EU-China Natural Forest Management Project under the State Forestry Administration of China, which inspired her to pursue a career in sustainable development.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Global Events & Special Projects / United Kingdom
Brendan serves as Senior Manager of Global Events & Special Projects.
In this role, Brendan draws on his project management skills to assist in the end-to-end delivery of world-leading international events, communication campaigns and initiatives that showcase the work of C40 Cities.
Prior to joining C40, Brendan worked for several years in different capacities within the music industry, specialising in events and venue management, primarily for VICE Media-owned and independent venues in London. He has also worked in the social care sector, for an educational NGO in Hong Kong, and has volunteered for several NGOs both in the UK and abroad, focusing on research, copywriting, data protection, and refugee participation in sports.
Brendan holds a Master's degree in Environment, Development and Policy from the University of Sussex and a Bachelor's degree in Music and Entertainment Industry Management from the University of Hertfordshire.
Job Titles:
- Helpdesk Technician / United States
- Helpdesk Technician in C40 's New York City
Brian Farrelly is a Helpdesk Technician in C40's New York City office, reporting directly to the IT Manager. In this role, he addresses the tech support needs of C40 team members by managing incoming helpdesk tickets, facilitating IT training sessions and serving as an on-site and remote support resource. Prior to joining the team at C40, Brian was an IT Support Specialist at Todd Street Productions, a marketing communications and event production company based in New York City. In this position, he was responsible for assisting staff and freelance members with their IT inquiries, new machine deployments and providing on-site support for corporate events and sales meetings. Before his position at Todd Street, Brian was in a similar IT support role at MJM Creative, which is a subsidiary of WPP, a British multinational advertising and public relations company. Brian graduated from the State University of New York, Albany with a BA in English.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Counselor
- Chairman of the Board of the Clinton Foundation
- Foundation in 2001 As General Counsel
Bruce Lindsey serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Clinton Foundation. Bruce joined the Foundation in 2001 as general counsel and became CEO in 2003. Bruce served as assistant to the president and deputy counsel to the president throughout President Clinton's two terms in office.
He had previously been a partner at Wright, Lindsey & Jennings, a law firm in Little Rock, where he is currently ‘of counsel.' Bruce received a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. from Rhodes College.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Engagement, C40 Cities Finance Facility / Denmark
Bryn joins C40 from the humanitarian aid sector and has worked in disaster risk reduction and humanitarian responses across East Asia, the Middle East and Africa. His most recent work has been with Save the Children in Syria, where he served as Director of Program Operations overseeing program implementation across the country.
Before joining the Climate Finance Facility, he worked with International Rescue Committee and Danish Refugee Council in developing city and municipality-led responses to forced migration and urban displacement. He supported the Greater Amman Municipality in developing and implementing their Amman Resilience Strategy to create a more prosperous and inclusive city for Jordanians, migrants and refugees alike. Earlier in his career, Bryn led community-driven development and local governance programming to support post-conflict reconstruction efforts in over 1,000 villages in eastern DR Congo.
He holds a BA in Political Science from Wilfrid Laurier University and an LLM in International Law and Forced Migration from the Brussels School of International Studies. Bryn is married and a father of two children, six and three, and is living in southern Copenhagen. Outside of work, he enjoys hockey, roller skating, writing and yoga.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Air Quality Solutions Exchange / Brazil
Camila Acosta Camargo serves as the Senior Manager, Air Quality Solutions Exchange at C40, supporting the Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange, with a focus on air pollution and low-cost sensors.
Camila is based in São Paulo and has extensive expertise in communications, advocacy, and project management. Her work has focused on urban mobility, waste management, and, most significantly, the intersection of health, climate, and air quality. Before this role, she advocated for Brazilian air quality regulations, monitoring, and standards. She also helped to create a coalition to foster air quality monitoring in the Brazilian Amazon area.
Camila holds a PhD and a Master's degree in Communication Sciences from the University of São Paulo, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Social Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations from the same institution. She also conducted research at the University of East Anglia (UK) and is a member of the Communication and Work Research Center (CPCT/ECA-USP). Her research was funded by the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education(CAPES).
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Walking and Cycling / Mexico
Camila is the Walking and Cycling Senior Manager in the Climate Solutions and Networks team, leading the active mobility network of 35+ cities in all continents and regions to foster walking and cycling solutions through peer-to-peer exchange and technical assistance.
Camila has been a cycling advocate in Mexico City. Prior to C40, she contributed to diverse programmes and projects for international organisations such as the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy in Mexico, the Inter-American Development Bank, and BYCS, as well as regional and local governments in Latin America. Her work has focussed on the intersection between cities and sustainable mobility, climate change, and gender.
Camila graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico with a BSc in International Relations and an MSc in Urban and Economic Geography from Utrecht University.
Job Titles:
- Manager for Urban Planning and 15 Minute City / Denmark
Camille serves as C40's Manager for Urban Planning and 15 Minute City. She is responsible for the Green and Thriving Neighbourhoods programme, which empowers and supports cities to implement the 15-minute city principles and ambitious net-zero neighbourhoods.
Prior to joining C40, Camille worked as an intern in the research team of the UCLG World Secretariat in Barcelona. She was involved in the publication of the 6th report of the Global Observatory on Local Democracy and Decentralisation (GOLD VI) on pathways toward urban and territorial equality. She also took part in the annual report for the UN High-Level Political Forum on the localisation of SDGs. She has experience working for architecture firms both in France and the United States as an intern.
Camille holds a Master's in Governance of Ecological Transitions from Sciences Po Paris, and a Master's in Architecture.
Job Titles:
- Special Advisor, CHAMP National Engagement / Colombia
Carolina serves as Special Advisor for CHAMP National Engagement within the C40 x GCoM Joint Program.
Before joining C40, Carolina held the post of Deputy Mayor for the Environment during Mayor Claudia Lopez's term as Mayor of Bogotá, between 2020 and 2023. She has worked on environmental and climate issues for over twenty years on the national, local and multilateral levels. She holds a degree in political science and public administration from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico and a graduate degree in public policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
Job Titles:
- Director, Transportation / United Kingdom
Caroline serves as Director for Transportation at C40. Previously, Caroline worked at environmental behaviour change charity Global Action Plan where, as a Partner, she led their Air Quality Portfolio. Working with local authorities, cities, and the NHS, Caroline designed and delivered programmes to protect health and reduce dangerous air pollution. Prior to this, Caroline was Strategy Manager at the Energy Saving Trust managing electric vehicle research and delivery programmes. At EST she worked with business fleets to increase uptake of low carbon vehicles, and chaired the Low Emission Vehicle Partnership car working group and the European Energy Network's Transport Working Group. Caroline has also worked as Policy Advisor in the UK's Environment Agency and as a Researcher to a Member of the UK Parliament. Caroline has a masters degree in Environmental Politics from Keele University.
Job Titles:
- Diplomacy Manager
- Intelligence and Diplomacy Manager
As Climate Politics, Intelligence and Diplomacy Manager, Casimir supports the City Diplomacy team through policy analysis, intelligence sharing, and engagement with external partners, including the International Climate Politics Hub and the 2050 Pathways Platform. Through this work, Casimir helps advance C40's diplomatic goals of promoting a green and just recovery from COVID-19, enhancing global climate ambition, and building a coalition of cities committed to the principles of the Global Green New Deal. Prior to joining C40, Casimir worked as a Policy Analyst Trainee with the Multilateral Organization Performance Assessment Network at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France, where he devised and piloted a new engagement strategy aimed at better understanding member states' multilateral aid priorities. Casimir holds joint Master's degrees in International Security and International Relations from Sciences Po's Paris School of International Affairs and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Managing Director, Climate Solutions and Networks / United Kingdom
Cassie is the Managing Director for the Climate Solutions and Networks team, leading the development and delivery of sector programmes and support to cities in energy and buildings, food and waste, transport, urban planning, air quality and climate resilience. Cassie started at C40 as the Director for Energy and Buildings, supporting cities to reduce energy consumed by existing buildings, ensure new buildings are efficient from the start, and clean up the energy supply to buildings and beyond.
Prior to joining C40, Cassie was at the Greater London Authority (GLA) where she was the project manager for the London Environment Strategy; launched in 2018, it is a world-leading strategy for environment ambition at the city level. She was also leading the climate adaptation and sustainable development team, working to manage London's climate risks and impacts and improve quality of life. Cassie has a wide range of technical experience in buildings and energy including developing new carbon scoring tools for national energy efficiency schemes and assessing new energy efficiency measures while working at the UK energy regulator Ofgem. She has also developed national government policy on smart energy systems.
Cassie graduated from Edinburgh University with a BSc in Environmental Geoscience and Newcastle University with an MSc in Clean Technology.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Managing Director for Inclusion
- Managing Director, Inclusion and Global Leadership / Italy
Caterina Sarfatti is C40's Managing Director for Inclusion and Global Leadership. As such, she oversees C40's inclusive climate action and external engagement teams and drives C40's work to build public support and social licence for climate action through programmes on equity, just transition and climate justice, global advocacy and campaigns.
She previously served as Director of C40's Inclusive Climate Action programme, which supports mayors and local administrations to plan, build consensus and deliver bold climate action that is equitable and beneficial for all. The programme deals with the links between the climate crisis and social justice in cities. Before joining C40, Caterina worked for the City of Milan as a policy advisor in the Mayor's Office. Caterina led EU projects and city diplomacy initiatives on climate, social innovation and social cohesion, migration and inclusion.
Before this, Caterina collaborated with human rights NGOs such as the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) in Paris and the Italian Council for Refugees (CIR) in Rome. Caterina is an ad honorem member of the Italian NGO CESVI and a former member of the Scientific Committee of the Italian Climate Network Association. She has a degree in Philosophy and a Master's in Political Theory from Sciences-Po Paris. She is the author of several articles and editorials on climate change, cities and human migrations. In love with the sea, Star Wars and Game of Thrones, she is a committed Inter FC supporter and proud feminist.
Job Titles:
- Senior Finance Manager - FCDO Climate Action Implementation / United Kingdom
Catherine is responsible for the financial administration and management of the FCDO Climate Action Implementation grant.
Catherine joined C40 after completing her Master's in international development at Reading University, whilst working part-time for the charities African Revival and before that at Mary's Meals.
Catherine decided to pursue her passion for international development after working as a qualified accountant at Thames Water for 23 years taking on various financial and project management roles. Catherine also volunteered as Treasurer for company fundraising for WaterAid.
Job Titles:
- Programme Manager for C40 's Zero Emission Freight
- Senior Programme Manager, Zero Emission Freight / United States
Catherine Ittner is Programme Manager for C40's Zero Emission Freight programme, working to help cities overcome barriers to electrifying and decarbonising the freight sector.
Catherine brings nearly a decade of environmental experience to the role, with several years at Environmental Defense Fund covering a wide range of areas including clean energy, clean air and transport. Catherine led strategic communications for the Breathe London pilot, an ambitious project to map and measure the capital city's air pollution in partnership with C40, the Mayor of London, Google and scientific experts. Her work also contributed to the passing of congestion pricing in New York City and Illinois' groundbreaking Future Energy Jobs Act. Most recently, Catherine worked to transform maritime shipping into a clean, zero-emission industry that supports the deployment of renewable energy and reduces the current disproportionate health burden caused by air pollution.
Originally from Houston, Catherine has lived in Buenos Aires, Austin and London and now resides in New York City. She has a BA in International Studies and Sociology from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and a PRINCE2 Practitioner certification.
Cathy Kerubo serves as Inclusive Climate Action and Mainstreaming Senior Manager, Africa under the UCAP Climate Action Implementation Programme. She supports seven African cities in mainstreaming climate action across all levels of governance and decision-making, as well as supporting vertical integration - coordination with federal and regional governments in an inclusive, equitable and just manner.
She has 10 years of experience working in development, stakeholder engagement and policy implementation with a focus on climate, urban safety governance and social inclusion. Before C40, she served as the Regional Coordinator at AMREF, leading a UN tri-partnership on the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development domesticated in 21 member states across sub-Saharan Africa. During this, she jointly scaled the accountability framework approach to drive policy implementation in countries signatory to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in sub-Saharan Africa with support from the Gates Foundation.
Cathy has co-developed and implemented policy recommendations with various levels of government across sub-Saharan Africa, UN agencies, and regional policymaking bodies such as the East Africa Community, African Union & Africa CDC funded by multiple development agencies. She has served on various boards and committees and is a Mandela Washington Fellow, Emerging Global Policy Leader, Youth Champion (2019) and ILFI (International Living Future Institute) Ambassador (2014), awarded by the U.S. Department of State, British Council, UN and ILFI respectively.
Job Titles:
- Head of Climate Budgeting / Norway
Catrin is Head of Climate Budgeting at C40, a new programme supporting cities to improve their governance systems to operationalise and deliver climate targets. Before joining C40, Catrin worked for the Climate Agency for the City of Oslo as the lead technical advisor on Oslo's climate budget. Prior experiences include national emissions inventories and impact assessments at the Norwegian Environment Agency. Catrin holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and a Master's degree in Economics, specialising in development and natural resource economics, from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
Job Titles:
- Technical Lead, Clean Construction / United Kingdom
Cécile Faraud is Technical Lead for Clean Construction, supporting cities in driving zero carbon construction by 2050, with a focus on reducing carbon from materials and machinery.
Before C40, Cécile managed the London City-Business Leaders initiative at CDP, aiming to align the city and businesses' climate ambitions and actions. The partnership comprises the Greater London Authority, 11 global companies operating in London such as Tesco, Sky, Siemens and Landsec, and NGO partners CDP, C40 and The B Team. She had previously shaped and led the Circular Economy programme for the city of Peterborough (UK), authoring blogs on the Circular Economy. When based in Bangkok, she has also worked on French and South-East Asian collaboration for sustainable development and cross-cutting regional issues.
She holds an MSc in Environment and Sustainable Development from University College London (UCL) and a Master's degree in International Relations and Geography from IRIS Sup' (France) and the Sorbonne respectively.
Job Titles:
- Urban Climate Resilience Manager / Spain
Celeste serves as Urban Climate Resilience Manager for the Adaptation team. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring coordinated management of a portfolio of activities and projects to achieve the overall objectives of the Climate Resilience programme within C40. Previously, Celeste served as Programme Officer for the Climate Action Implementation team, supporting programme management, planning and coordination across teams.
Before joining C40, Celeste was part of the UN-Habitat team in Lao PDR, where she contributed through project and programme management to expand the organisation's portfolio in the country. She engaged in several projects linked to addressing climate change impact through adaptation and mitigation strategies, working closely with the government, donors, and development partners.
Celeste holds a Degree in Architecture, with a specialisation in Urban Planning, and an MSc in International Cooperation from the International University of Catalonia, Spain.
Job Titles:
- Certified Energy Auditor
- Technical Adviser for C40 's UCAP Climate Action Implementation
- Technical Adviser, Energy & Buildings ( Southeast Asia ), UCAP CAI Programme
Charlton serves as Technical Adviser for C40's UCAP Climate Action Implementation (CAI) Programme in Southeast Asia. In this role, he provides expert assistance in refining climate actions that are appropriate to the local context of each participating C40 city in Southeast Asia. Before joining C40, he was the Technical Expert of the Austrian scientific association, GrAT Center for Appropriate Technology, leading professionals in the Philippines and Thailand in energy, water, and waste audits for an EU-funded sustainable tourism project.
Job Titles:
- Personal Assistant / United Kingdom
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager for Research and Communications / United Kingdom
As Senior Manager for Research and Communications, Chiara leads the further development of the C40 Centre for Urban Climate Policy and Economy. As a connecting point between the C40 Centre and the C40 Communications department, she helps equip mayors with the narrative and science they need to win the argument to stop climate breakdown.
Prior to joining C40, Chiara worked in communications for Amanda Levete Architects, the sustainability team at University College London and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's Forestry and Timber section.
Chiara has an MSc in Politics and Communications from LSE, an MPhil in Latin American Studies from the University of Cambridge and an MA in Spanish and English literature from the University of Edinburgh.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager
- Senior Manager, Knowledge and Policy, Breathe Cities / United Kingdom
Chloe is the Senior Manager, Knowledge and Policy, for Breathe Cities, a global initiative supporting cities worldwide to cut their air pollution and climate emissions. In this role, Chloe leads the initiative's knowledge-sharing activities, supporting cities within the programme to share lessons and best practices in air quality policy with each other and more widely, to help drive ambitious air quality action in cities across the world.
Before joining C40, Chloe was a Senior Policy Adviser at the Wellcome Trust, where she worked on climate and health policy, focusing on how health evidence can be used to strengthen climate action at the global level. Before this, she worked at the British Heart Foundation, where she worked to influence UK policy in areas including air quality and tobacco control to support people living with heart and circulatory diseases. Chloe holds a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from the University of Bristol and a Master's in Global Health from Maastricht University. She completed her Master's thesis on the connection between urban green space and health at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (IS Global).
Job Titles:
- Director of People and Culture / United Kingdom
Christina brings with her over 15 years of experience working within the International People, Culture and Transformation space within the not-for-profit sector, focusing on high-level recruitment, diversity and inclusion, talent/succession planning, change management and leadership. Christina has extensive experience working within a global remit and a track record of being able to provide efficient and creative solutions across countries and cultures. Outside of the office, Christina is a stylist for Smartworks (helping women get back into employment), a trustee for Mothers Uncovered, an Aspire mentor, a mum to two little girls and an advocate for feminist and inclusive leadership.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Manager / United Kingdom
Christina is a Senior Research Manager at C40. She oversees the delivery of a wide range of research projects which accelerate and drive policy innovation in how cities tackle climate change.
Prior to C40, Christina was an associate at leading international engineering and sustainability consultancy Arup. Part of the leadership team for a group of 20 consultants specialised in research and analysis on climate-related topics, she worked on climate policy, carbon analysis, climate mitigation and resilience strategies for public and private clients.
Christina has a BSc degree in Physics and Philosophy from Manchester University as well as an MA in International Affairs with a specialisation in Resources and Sustainability from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. Her Master's research on South Africa's national renewable energy policy was recently published in the Energy Policy journal.
Job Titles:
- Regional Officer for East, Southeast Asia and Oceania / Singapore
Christina is the Regional Officer for East, Southeast Asia and Oceania.
Prior to joining C40, Christina was the Operations Manager at Eco-Business (Singapore), where she supported overall operations in the organisation. She also managed events and global innovation challenges on topics surrounding climate change and sustainable development in APAC.
Christina holds a BSc in Life Sciences, specialising in Environmental Biology with a minor in Aquatic Ecology from the National University of Singapore.
Job Titles:
- Modelling and Evaluation Manager / United Kingdom
As C40's Modelling and Evaluation Manager, Christina is responsible for assessing and reporting the impact of cities' climate actions, including their wider economic, social, and health benefits.
Prior to joining, Christina was a public health researcher whose work focused on evaluating the impact of health policies at the intersection of urban design, sustainable transport, and physical activity promotion. In addition, she has worked as a consultant for local government and non-profit organizations, such as Sustrans and Impact for Urban Health. She also has experience as a health policy consultant within the Health Division of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Throughout her career, she has focused on issues at the intersection of health, environment, and climate change by assessing policies that promote both human health and environmental sustainability.
Christina holds a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Cambridge, a Master of Public Health from École des hautes études en santé publique, and a BA in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. She enjoys running and cycling, photography, discovering new recipes, and improving her blind wine-tasting skills.
Job Titles:
- Information and Knowledge Systems Manager / United States
Chris serves as Information and Knowledge Systems Manager at C40, where he aids in the development and maintenance of knowledge management platforms for the sharing of research, case studies, and best practices to foster C40's mission. Chris began at C40 in 2013 as a contractor to assist the launch of the C40 Exchange, a knowledge-sharing portal and community for member city officials and C40 staff. He has also managed C40's contact systems, which aim to improve member support and outreach. Prior to C40, Chris was Vice President of a family-run writing and publishing company that focused on producing biographies for business executives, and worked on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for a market specialist. Chris holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Richmond, with a Finance concentration and added major in Economics.
Job Titles:
- IT Manager / United States
Chris ‘Schmo' Schmalz serves as C40's IT Manager. This role is responsible for the internal information technology operations of the global organization. Primary areas of focus include managing support channels, implementing technology projects, monitoring systems and managing internal policies and processes. Prior to starting with C40, Chris worked for nearly seven years for Apple with a focus on account management and business sales to large organizations and not-for-profits. Chris has an extensive technology support background having worked for integrators and service providers before his career with Apple. Chris earned a BA in History from DePauw University in Greencastle Indiana.
Job Titles:
- Head, City Finance Programme / United States
Claire is Head of the City Finance Programme, a global initiative that supports investment in green infrastructure and adaptation projects.
Job Titles:
- Director of Business Planning and Reporting / United Kingdom
Claire Saville serves as Director of Business Planning and Reporting at C40. This role reflects the importance C40 attaches to monitoring, evaluation, reporting and learning as part of C40's ways of working, to maximise our impact. Claire has worked in M&E for over 10 years supporting organisations to improve processes and systems to enable more effective tracking, measuring and, importantly understanding of impact. Prior to joining C40, Claire worked at the Princes Trust, as Head of Performance and Reporting, a leading charity working to improve access for the young to education and employment. Before this, Claire worked at the Energy Saving Trust, where her Evaluation Team measured the impact of energy and climate change activities funded by the UK Government. Claire also did a brief stint at the UNDP Global Environment Facility in East Africa where she worked on evaluations to measure global climate change benefits through local community level projects. Claire holds a Masters in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Job Titles:
- Economist
- Managing Director of the C40 Centre for City Climate Policy
- Managing Director, C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy / Canada
David Miller is the Managing Director of the C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy.
Mr. Miller was Mayor of Toronto from 2003 to 2010 and served as Chair of C40 Cities from 2008 until 2010. Under his leadership, Toronto became widely admired internationally for its environmental leadership, economic strength and social integration. He is a leading advocate for the creation of sustainable urban economies.
Mr. Miller has held a variety of public and private positions and served as Future of Cities Global Fellow at Polytechnic Institute of New York University from 2011 to 2014. He has an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Waterloo in Environmental Studies and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from York University. He is the author of ‘Solved, how the great cities of the world are fixing the climate crisis‘, (University of Toronto Press).
David Miller is a Harvard-trained economist and professionally is a lawyer. He and his wife, lawyer Jill Arthur, are the parents of two children.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Executive Director
- Deputy Executive Director / United Kingdom
Dr Kevin Austin serves as C40's Deputy Executive Director. Kevin oversees all of C40's programme delivery, operations and finance functions as well as contributing to global thought leadership and innovation in urban climate change issues. Kevin joined C40 from the Greater London Authority where he was responsible for External Relations for the Mayor of London. His previous role at the GLA included Head of Olympic projects, leading the delivery of the major city-related elements associated with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games. Between 2002 and 2009 he served as Head of Transport, advising the Mayor of London on all aspects of transport policy. In earlier years he worked for a major consultancy advising clients on project implementation and economic appraisal He has a Masters in Transport Planning and a Doctorate in Civil Engineering from Leeds University.
Eduardo Paes has been the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro since 2008 and is currently in his third term. As mayor, Mr. Paes oversaw a cycle of great events in Rio de Janeiro, from the Rio+20 Conference in 2012, through the 2014 FIFA World Cup to the 2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, which accelerated major transportation, infrastructure and urban renewal projects in the city.
Mayor Paes served as Chair of the C40 Cities between 2013-2016, succeeding Mayor Bloomberg of New York City.
In 2023 he joined the Board of the Resilient Cities Network (R-Cities) and co-chairs the Urban SDG Finance Commission. He is currently the Vice-president of the Brazilian Conference of Mayors and its Special Envoy for Climate Change.
Eirik Lae Solberg represents the Conservative Party has been the Governing Mayor of Oslo since fall 2023. Governing Mayor Solberg is strongly committed to Oslo's adopted climate targets of 95% reduction in direct emissions by 2030, while ensuring that the city preserves nature and is resilient. International cooperation is essential in achieving this target.
Governing Mayor Solberg has an education in economics, political science, and history. Prior to becoming Governing Mayor, Solberg's career has been dedicated to leading positions in local and national politics and in the private sector.
As a member of the C40 Steering Committee, representing the innovator cities, Governing Mayor Solberg will be a strong voice for using climate governance tools such as climate budgeting and public procurement to accelerate climate action. Oslo is committed to sharing solutions with other C40 cities and to advocating for city leadership at national and international levels.
Federico Gutiérrez is serving as the Mayor of Medellín for the second time. and his recognition and popularity among the people of Medellín and many Colombians are the result of a life dedicated to public service.
Politics as a way to find solutions to social problems and public service as a tool to help people has been Mayor Gutiérrez's life project. He has never stopped walking the streets and studying the realities of the city and the country, listening to its citizens, gathering proposals from various social sectors, and thinking about how to contribute to the transformations demanded by today's Colombia. He wants to continue working for Colombia and its regions to seek peace for families and opportunities for progress for everyone through a governance model based on citizen trust, institutional solidity, and teamwork among the public sector, private sector, academia, and civil society, without class antagonisms or hatred.
Giuseppe Sala is the Mayor of Milan. He is C40 Vice Chair for Europe, and chairs the Mayoral Task Force on a Green and Just Recovery.
Throughout his professional life, he has held positions of responsibility in both the private and public sectors, gaining important managerial experience.
He was the Government Commissioner and CEO of the World Expo held in Milan in 2015.
His love for Milan and his willingness to make it a more sustainable, more international and fairer city led him to commit himself to politics.
He was elected Mayor in June 2016 and re-elected in October 2021.
Giuseppe Sala holds a Degree in Economics and Business Administration from Bocconi University.
He is the author of four books, including Milano e il Secolo delle Città (Milan and the Century of Cities) and Lettere dalle città del futuro: Costruiamo oggi il mondo di domani (Letters from the cities of the future: Let's build today the world of tomorrow).
Ibrahima Cissé (also known as Cissé Ibrahima Bacongo), is a lawyer, writer, teacher, and Ivoirian politician. He holds a Doctorate in Law, a Graduate Diploma in Business Law with an international option (DESS), and a Diploma of Corporate Counsel (DJCE).
Cissé was appointed Minister and Governor of the Autonomous District of Abidjan by the President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, His Excellency Mr. Alassane Ouattara in December 2023.
Ibrahima Cissé began his career as a lecturer at the Unit of Training and Research (UFR) in Legal, Administrative, and Political Sciences at the Faculty of Law at the University of Cocody. He joined the firm Conseils Associés in Africa as a permanent internal consultant in March 1993.
On March 13, 2012, he was reappointed Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research. In 2018, Ibrahima Cissé ran for and won a legislative election in the municipality of Koumassi, and was re-elected in 2023.
Job Titles:
- Regional Director for Latin America
- Regional Director, Latin America / Brazil
Ilan serves as Regional Director for Latin America, after having worked as Deputy Regional Director and C40 City Adviser to Rio de Janeiro, helping the city implement its climate action plan in multiple areas and setting the first sustainability office in Latin America. Ilan successfully launched the C40 Clean Energy Network, which now has over 30 cities from various C40 regions.
Ilan previously worked at the China-Brazil Center for Climate Change, where he worked with government agencies, energy companies and NGOs in bilateral projects related to biofuels, clean energy innovation policies, electric vehicles and carbon capture and storage.
Ilan holds a BA in International Relations from PUC-RJ and a Master's degree in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics.
Jennifer Musisi is a transformational leader with three decades of experience in turning around institutions and systems in challenging settings. She was the first Executive Director of Kampala, the Capital City of Uganda (a role comparable to mayor, chief executive or city manager). She has earned a global reputation for integrity, leadership, innovation, and building strong systems to overcome corruption, inadequate financing and dysfunction. She automated revenue management and service delivery systems and mobilized local and international finances to implement a wide range of sustainable development projects. Ms Musisi was appointed a UN Ambassador for Sustainable Development under Goal 11, and is also the City Leader in Residence at the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative.
Jesper Nygård is the former CEO of Realdania, a private member-based philanthropic association in Denmark with around 19,000 members. Since 2023, Realdania has supported philanthropic projects focused on sustainability in the built environment.
Job Titles:
- Corporate Services Managing Director
- Managing Director, Corporate Services / United Kingdom
Juliette Carter serves as Corporate Services Managing Director for C40 and is responsible for the effective running of the organisation through C40's finance, HR, legal and IT functions. Juliette previously worked at the Greater London Authority where she was the lead on HR and organisational development, supporting the organisation through two changes in political leadership. Whilst working in City Hall, she had accountability for HR, resourcing, internal communications, project management, learning and organisational development teams. Juliette also worked with C40 whilst on secondment from the GLA to develop the in-house HR function and support the implementation of the City Adviser programme. Before working at the GLA, Juliette was Director of HR and in a variety of HR roles in the National Health Service. Juliette completed her BA in Literature and French at King's College London. She has a Master in Human Resource Management and a postgraduate certificate in employment law.
Job Titles:
- Cities' Regional Director for Europe
- Regional Director, Europe / Spain
Júlia López Ventura is C40 Cities' Regional Director for Europe since 2015. Her work focuses on supporting top political decision makers to fight climate change in global megacities, from mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions to adaptation to the already present climate change effects, as well as the regional coordination of city diplomacy work to influence climate policy of supranational actors like the UN or the European Commission. Before joining C40, Júlia worked for over a decade for the city of Barcelona, including the IT International Office, which she headed from 2013-2015. She helped Barcelona develop collaborative relationships with institutions such as the European Comission and the World Bank, and she developed an international urban knowledge transfer strategy by co-leading Barcelona's candidacy for the first European Innovation Capital (which Barcelona won). Júlia has lectured at several universities, including the Polytechnich University of Catalonia Foundation in Barcelona and the IE Business School in Madrid, with courses on City Strategy and Governance. She is a fluent speaker of English, French, Spanish, Italian and Catalan and holds an MSc in Telecom engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and Master's Degree in Sociology from UOC in Spain.
Mayor Kate Gallego is the second elected female mayor in Phoenix history, and the youngest big city mayor in the United States. She graduated from Harvard University and earned an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Before being elected to Phoenix City Council, Mayor Gallego worked on Economic Development for local utility company, Salt River Project.
Job Titles:
- Regional Director
- Regional Director, North America / United States
Kate Johnson serves as the Regional Director for North America leading C40's work with cities in Canada and the United States. She joined C40 in 2022 and previously led C40's engagement with the US government and national partners. Kate is based in Washington, DC.
Prior to joining C40, Kate served for eight years at the Washington D.C. Department of Energy and Environment where she led an interdisciplinary team charged with achieving D.C.s goal to be carbon neutral and climate resilient.
Prior to her government service, Kate worked for the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy where she launched a program focused on affordable housing and helped to create the City Energy Efficiency Scorecard. Earlier in her career, Kate held a variety of roles advocating for national climate policy at the Sierra Club and Environment America. Kate holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of Communications for C40 Cities
- Managing Director, Communications / United Kingdom
Luke is the Managing Director of Communications for C40 Cities. He oversees the organisation's strategic communications, digital, brand and media activity. Prior to joining C40, Luke was Director of Communications for The Elders and has previously held senior communications and advocacy positions with international environment and human rights NGOs. Luke began his career as a journalist, working in Europe and West Africa. He holds a Master's in Post-Colonial Theory and a Bachelor's degree in Communications. He is based in Bristol and London.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director / United Kingdom
Mark's aim as Executive Director is to ensure that C40 Cities is equally focused on science-based climate action and political leadership for climate justice. C40 has grown dramatically in scope and ambition under Mark's tenure and its 300 staff now support nearly 100 of the world's leading cities, representing around 700 million residents.
Mark has been named one of the world's most influential leaders driving climate action as a ‘defender' by TIME as part of its inaugural TIME100 Climate list. Prior to joining C40 Cities, Mark was a director at pioneering engineering and design firm Arup; and previous to that role, he was a senior adviser to the Mayor of London. Outside of work, he can usually be found either up a mountain or proclaiming the discovery of a great new band.
Mayor Gallego has focused on three key policy areas during her time in office: diversifying the economy, strengthening infrastructure investment, and working to make Phoenix a leader in sustainability. Her record of proven results includes leading the campaign to pass Phoenix's citywide transportation plan through 2050, which was the largest local government commitment to transportation infrastructure in the country when it passed in 2015. She has led efforts on criminal justice reform and ensuring equal pay for equal work. Mayor Gallego is passionate about building a Phoenix that works for everyone and increasing the quality of life for all Phoenicians.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy
Mete Coban MBE is the Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy, overseeing the Mayor's world-leading climate action plan for the capital. Before becoming Deputy Mayor in July 2024, Mete was a Councillor and Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment, and Transport in the London Borough of Hackney, delivering a £61 million Green New Deal to tackle the climate crisis. He is best known for pioneering Hackney's Community Energy Fund, providing clean, green, community-owned energy to 39 not-for-profits. Mete is widely credited with making politics more accessible to young people as the Founder of the youth-led charity My Life My Say. He led the Give an X voter registration campaign, which resulted in over 488,000 newly registered voters ahead of the UK General Election in July 2024. In the New Year's 2020 Honours List, Mete received an MBE for services to young people, recognising his efforts to make politics and democracy more accessible to the younger generation. Mete also serves as a Trustee at the London Marathon Foundation and My Life My Say.
Job Titles:
- Founder of the Global Financial Data Services and Media Company
- President of the C40 Board, UN Secretary - General Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions, and 108th Mayor of New York City
Michael R. Bloomberg is the founder of the global financial data services and media company, Bloomberg LP.
Between 2002 and 2013, he served as Mayor of New York City and reduced the city's carbon footprint by 19 percent, revitalized the waterfront, implemented ambitious public health and anti-poverty programs, expanded support for arts and culture, and increased graduation rates and private sector job numbers to record highs.
As a philanthropist, Bloomberg has given over $3.3 billion in support of education, public health, government innovation, the arts, and the environment. In 2014, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon appointed Bloomberg Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change. In that role, Bloomberg works to highlight the climate work cities are doing and the critical role mayors can play in helping nations create ambitious carbon reduction commitments.
This builds on his role as president of the board of the C40 Climate Leadership Group, a network of megacities working to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Bloomberg also serves as a Co-Chair of Risky Business, an organization that is quantifying the economic risks American businesses face from climate change.
Job Titles:
- Head of Regional Coordination and Partnerships, China / China
Ms. Ying Gao is the Head of Regional Coordination and Partnerships, China. She will take the lead to engage with Chinese cities, support the development and delivery of our China strategy and coordinate from both operation and city engagement perspective to build cross-team synergy to support C40 cities in China. Ying has over ten years of experience in the field of sustainable development, on government partnership development, project management and organizational operation. Prior to joining C40, she worked at Ellen Macarthur Foundation to lead the food initiative in China. She also worked for Chinese Foundation - the Qiaonyu Foundation as well as WWF China where she supported the CEO and Chief Conservation Officer in strategic partnerships development, strategy development, social impact investment, projects management and provided trainings on project management for both internal and external colleagues. She holds a Master's degree from ESC Rennes School of Business. She is also a member of Conservation Coaches Network.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Chief Financial Officer / United Kingdom
Rachel serves as the Chief Financial Officer at C40, overseeing financial management, operations and compliance for C40, as well as the strategic financial planning process. As part of the Management Team, Rachel's role is to help optimise C40's impact by bringing data-driven, actionable insights to ensure the responsible use of funding to support our missions.
Before joining C40, Rachel held leadership roles in both the commercial and Not for Profit sectors in the UK and the US. Rachel has worked for organisations such as Diageo plc, Kao Corporation, Cambridge University and Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
CIMA qualified with over 15 years experience in senior finance roles at the global, European, and national levels, Rachel has also been an examiner and author for several Chartered Accountancy bodies.
Sadiq Khan was elected for a second term as Mayor of London in May 2021. He was previously an MP for Tooting, South London for 11 years and served as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice from May 2010 and Shadow Minister for London from 2013.
Mayor Khan has declared a climate emergency and described it as one of the biggest threats we face today. In response, he has set an ambition for London to be net zero by 2030. He has also committed to a Green New Deal for London and to ensuring that there is a just transition in the capital from fossil fuel intensive industries to climate solutions.
Job Titles:
- Head of Grants / United Kingdom
Sarah is C40's Head of Grants. She leads a team supporting the organisation to set up and maintain grant management processes that aim to enable C40 to successfully deliver on contracts with our partners and suppliers and to contribute to our vision of equity-rooted climate action.
Sarah has 12+ years of experience in non-profit management and leadership working in a variety of roles supporting teams that design, fundraise for, manage, implement, and monitor sustainable development programmes on gender justice/women's rights, climate justice, accountable governance, and conflict and fragility.
Having been on both the granting-in and granting-out ends of the funding spectrum, she has experience in setting up contract management systems that work to support the delivery of impact and at the same time uphold accountability to donors, regulators, as well as civil society partners and communities.
She has also authored and co-authored papers on social justice with a focus on gender equality and is passionate about racial justice and decolonisation.
Sarah is French and Lebanese. In her spare time, she loves reading, writing, learning new things, travelling, and eating her way through every city she finds herself in.
Job Titles:
- Research Manager / United Kingdom
Sarah serves as Research Manager, supporting the Executive Director with research projects, speeches, articles and blogs. Sarah joined C40 after completing an MSc in Sustainable Resource Economics, Transitions and Policy at University College London. Her dissertation focussed on city-level energy projects. She also holds a BA in Middle Eastern Languages from the University of Manchester and has lived and worked in a number of global cities, including Amsterdam, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Alexandria. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys hiking and reading.
Job Titles:
- Director of Implementation / India
Sarika is the Director of Implementation within the Regional & Mayoral Engagement team at C40 Cities.
Previously, she served as the Team Lead for the GEF7-funded UrbanShift Country Project at the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), a premier think tank for the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. At NIUA, she led the land, shelter, and transport sectors for the Master Plan for Delhi - 2041. She guided a team of planners in developing baseline assessments and strategic frameworks for sustainable, equitable, and inclusive urban growth. She also contributed to key policies, including the Land Policy, Transit-oriented Development (TOD) Policy, and Regeneration Policy for Delhi.
With nearly two decades of cross-sectoral experience in urban planning, transportation, and environmental sustainability, Sarika has worked with organizations such as UNICEF and NCRPB. She has also contributed to projects funded by multilateral agencies like the World Bank, JICA, and DFID.
An architect by training, Sarika holds a Master's degree in housing from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. Beyond her professional commitments, she enjoys outings with her family or simply unwinding in her free time.
Job Titles:
- Regional Technical Advisor, Air Quality, Southern Africa / South Africa
Seneca serves as C40's Programme Manager, Air Quality and Climate Action Planning. In this role, she works to integrate air quality and air pollution-related health considerations into the C40 Cities climate action planning process. As part of C40's Air Quality and Climate Action Planning Integration Project, she will be responsible for coordinating the technical air quality impact analyses for seven pilot city projects. Prior to joining C40 Cities, Seneca worked at South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) as a researcher in the Climate and Air Quality Modelling group, where she worked on projects in both the research and consulting arenas, with a focus on the air quality-climate change linkages that exist within cities and air quality management planning. Previously, Seneca worked as an air quality scientist at the South African Weather Service, where she was responsible for managing data from monitoring networks in South Africa' nationally declared air quality priority areas and reporting this information to South Africa's National Department of Environment, Forestries and Fisheries. She was involved in the development and operation of South Africa's Industrial National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory System. Seneca holds an MSc in Atmospheric Science and a BSc Honours in Geography from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Job Titles:
- Salesforce Platform Specialist / United Kingdom
Sheriff Sanusi has dedicated his professional experience to helping organisations meet their objectives by supporting them to build and make efficient use of Salesforce platforms. He is based in the United Kingdom but is originally from Nigeria, with a background in MSC Business Information Systems.
Prior to joining C40, Sheriff Sanusi previously worked within the financial sector, medical research industry and the agricultural sector (AGCO), where he helped to improve and enhance Salesforce platforms. Sheriff brings experience working on multiple Salesforce platforms, including sales cloud, service cloud and experience cloud.
Job Titles:
- Manager of Climate Implementation
- Manager, Climate Implementation / India
Shilpa serves as Manager of Climate Implementation at C40 and supports the cities in the South and West Asia region in implementing climate action plans and scaling up non-C40 engagements. Her role also encompasses supporting engagement, mainly with Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
Prior to joining C40, Shilpa worked with organisations such as Palladium Consulting India Pvt. Ltd., Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM), South Asia, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) supporting pivotal government initiatives focused on urban governance, innovation, and climate at the central and the local body level. With MoHUA and NIUA, she was part of the prestigious India Smart Cities Fellowship Programme, where she worked on various innovative initiatives for the Smart Cities Mission and supported the local urban bodies in the cities for climate action through the Climate Centre for Cities. Shilpa helped set the baseline for preparing the climate action plan for Pune city with GCoM. She also spearheaded and implemented various locally-led sustainable and climate initiatives with Palladium Consulting India for Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. Additionally, she has also volunteered with non-governmental organisations in the education and climate sectors.
Shilpa holds a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Anna University, Chennai, and a postgraduate degree in Advanced Construction Management from National Institute of Construction Management and Research (NICMAR), Pune. Outside of work, she enjoys taking early morning strolls, reading books, practising dance routines, exploring new smoothie recipes, and dabbling with some amateur painting.
Shirley Rodrigues is a member of the Board of C40 Cities, a global network of nearly 100 mayors united in climate action, and is Chair of the Breathe Cities Advisory Committee and an Our Common Air Commissioner, where she is working to reduce air pollution harmful to public health and climate.
Previously she was the London Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy between 2016 and 2024 where she headed world-leading initiatives to tackle the climate emergency, reduce air pollution and restore nature in London. This included delivering the Ultra Low Emission Zone, the world's largest clean air zone of its kind, as well as inclusive programmes and policies to make London a net zero carbon city by 2030 and more resilient to climate impacts.
Before then she oversaw a global climate change grants portfolio at the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), developing their first cities strategy and making grants to support climate action in China and Brazil and by international co-operation networks. She has held various executive positions in government including for three London mayors, is a trustee of the Artichoke Trust and is an expert advisor to the Earthshot Prize.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Waste and Methane / India
Shivani serves as C40 Senior Manager Waste and Methane based in Ahmedabad, India.
Shivani is an environmentalist with experience in Industry and Government Departments such as the Climate Change Department of the Government of Gujarat and the Gujarat Urban Development Mission. She was a part of the first Gujarat State Action Plan on Climate Change development team and has worked on NGT (National Green Tribunal) and NITI Aayog projects pertaining to the Urban Development Department viz., River Action Plan, Composite Water Management Index, etc. Worked with Smart and Amrut mission cities of Gujarat to monitor project progress, reforms, and other innovative initiatives. She has worked on projects by the Climate Change Department of the Government. of Gujarat, such as the calculation and report preparation of lifestyle-based carbon footprints.
Shivani has worked in academics as a visiting faculty member at Pandit Deendayal Energy University (PDEU), Gandhinagar, The M.S. University of Baroda and Gujarat University, Ahmedabad.
Shivani holds a Master's degree in Environmental Science from Visva-Bharti Central University, Santiniketan, West Bengal and a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from the M.S. University of Baroda.
Job Titles:
- Manager of Mobility at C40 Cities
- Manager, Mobility / India
Shreya Nair is the Manager of Mobility at C40 Cities, supporting cities in the South & West Asia region within the Laneshift Programme. This initiative focuses on developing a roadmap for electric highways connecting major metro cities in India. In her role, Shreya engages with business and industry stakeholders to advocate for targets and commitments toward transitioning their existing transport needs to zero-emission options.
Before joining C40, Shreya gained experience at organisations such as Mumbai First, BSAG McLarty Associates, and PRS Legislative Research. Her work encompassed governance, legislative research, policy advocacy, and stakeholder management across various levels of city, sub-national, and central government. She has also contributed to national election campaigns and served as a legislative research assistant to a member of the Indian parliament.
Shreya holds a Master's degree in Public Policy and Governance from Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from St. Xavier's College, India. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring parks and gardens around her city and developing new recipes to cook.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of Regions
- Managing Director, Regions and Mayoral Engagement, and Regional Director, South and West Asia / India
Shruti Narayan is the Managing Director of Regions and Mayoral Engagement. Shruti previously served as C40 Regional Director for South and West Asia. She is based in New Delhi, India, and works closely with city leadership to sustain and scale up C40's regional efforts.
Before this she was an Upstream Officer with the International Finance Corporation's (IFC, World Bank Group) Asia Pacific Cities Platform and has also led the IFC's Green Building programme in South Asia. Shruti has almost 20 years of global work experience specialising in energy efficiency and sustainability. Her work experience also includes Will Alsop Architects in London, Arup in San Francisco and USAID ECOIII in New Delhi, where she has worked with diverse clients such as corporates, developers, institutions, policymakers and donor agencies to identify, design, incorporate and implement sustainable solutions with the goal of reducing resource consumption and maximising efficiency.
In addition, she has also been a faculty member in sustainable design with educational institutions globally, such as Stanford University, USA, California College of Arts, USA, and the School of Planning and Architecture in India.
Job Titles:
- Communications and Strategic Engagement Senior Manager ( China ) China
- Senior Manager of Communications
Shuang serves as the Senior Manager of Communications and Strategic Engagement in C40's China office, to develop the communications function and strengthen the engagement with member cities. In this role, she advocates C40's impact on external partners and stakeholders, identifies communication opportunities and approaches, leverage two-way communications of cities' best practices between China and the global audience. Before joining C40, Shuang worked as Program Manager of Giti Group United in Diversity Foundation for 8 years.
She engaged cross-sector leaders to jointly step forward and take on sustainable development challenges through "Innovative Dynamics Education and Action for Sustainability (IDEAS)" leadership programmes with Chinese government, MIT Sloan and Tsinghua University. She also led communication and partnership engagement work from China side for major events hosted by the foundation, identify pathways for the foundation for pre-development of programmes, advocate programme outcomes to relevant government partners. Previously, Shuang worked in the WWF China office for policy research and advocacy, focusing on promoting the Ecological Footprint concept and Green Economy to policymakers as well as wide stakeholders. Shuang holds an MA in International Development from University of East Anglia and a BA from China Agricultural University.
Job Titles:
- Head of Global Leadership / France
As Head of the Chair's Office, Silvia works with the Chair of C40, Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, her team in Paris, and the C40 Executive Director team to set the Chair's strategic vision, implement the Chair's priorities and coordinate Steering Committee engagement. Silvia manages Chair-level external communications and leads the Women4Climate initiative, designed to advance and support the emergence of the next generation of female climate leaders in C40 Cities.
The former director of green Think Tank Fondation de l'Ecologie Politique-FEP (France), Silvia has worked for several years at the French WWF office as the Institutional Relations Manager, responsible for the National Energy Transition Bill. Silvia graduated in International Relations from the University of Trieste (Italy), and holds a Masters degree in Urban Sociology from the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences/EHESS-Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (Paris, France).
Job Titles:
- Technical Lead, Transport & Urban Planning / United Kingdom
Simon serves as Technical Lead for Transport at C40. In this role he provides technical expertise on transport and helps embed transport and urban planning programmes in cities' climate action plans.
Prior to joining C40 Simon worked within the Transport Strategy team at Transport for London (TfL) on the development of air quality and environmental policy for the Mayors Transport Strategy and London Environment Strategy. He led the policy development for the T-Charge, the early introduction and expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone, the Mayor of London's scrappage scheme for microbusinesses and charities, and TfL's Zero Emission Zone guidance.
Simon holds an MSc in Transport Planning and Management from the University of Westminster and a BA in History from the University of Warwick.
Job Titles:
- City Adviser, Dakar / Senegal
Simon Sambou serves as C40's City Adviser for Dakar. In this role, he is responsible for providing technical assistance in updating the city's climate action plan to deliver mitigation and adaptation outcomes and inclusive low-carbon development in line to the Paris Agreement.
Simon has previously worked as a lecturer at the Institute of Environmental Sciences (ISE) and Climate Action Facilitator at the Group of Action and Initiative for an Alternative Development (GAIA). He was responsible for carbon assessment and monitoring at the Project for Sustainable and participatory management of traditional alternative energies (PROGEDE 2). Simon has also worked with the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) as a Program Officer coordinating the USAID's Learning Agenda Project "Climate Information Services Research Initiative (CISRI)" in Senegal where he worked closely with local municipalities and as Climate Change Technical Advisor for the development of Green Climate Fund program. He holds a Masters degree in Geography, a MSc degree and PhD in Environmental Sciences from the Institute of Environmental Sciences of Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD).
Job Titles:
- Business, Planning & Reporting Team Assistant
- the Business Planning & Reporting Team Assistant
Sisekelo is the Business Planning & Reporting Team Assistant in the Business Planning, Measurement & Innovation Department. In this role, she is responsible for producing robust and compelling data and visualisations for C40 decision-makers as well as C40 member cities.
Siya Sauka has more than 10 years of experience in the fields of climate change, natural (and water) resource management and environmental sustainability. She has focused on research, analysis and advisory in both the public and private sector, and has also worked closely with national governments, research institutions, multinational corporations, and international development finance institutions.
Prior to C40, Siya worked as an Engagement Manager at Pegasys (a development focused management consultancy), and as a Climate Researcher at the South African Institute of International affairs (an international affairs think tank). She has worked extensively on climate research and climate resilience. Her expertise also includes disaster risk assessment and reduction, carbon and water accounting, renewable energy, and promoting a green, inclusive and circular economy. Recently, she developed an interest and focus on the integration and use of data and information for effective decision-making in climate adaptation, particularly in developing countries.
Siya holds an MSc in Geography from the University of the Witwatersrand (dissertation focused on a Flood risk assessment for the Crocodile River, Mpumalanga), and is in the process of finalising her PhD application (focused on Analytical Approaches for Climate Adaptation and Decision-Making in the Face of Uncertainty).
Job Titles:
- Senior Technical Manager, Adaptation Planning
Job Titles:
- Head of Adaptation Research
- Head, Adaptation Research and Performance / United States
Snigdha Garg serves as the Head of Adaptation Research and Performance. In this position, she is responsible for managing adaptation research projects of C40 and mainstreaming adaptation across C40's projects and programmes. Before joining C40, Snigdha graduated from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies with a Master in Environmental Management. She previously worked with ICLEI South Asia for three years on building climate resilience strategies, disaster risk reduction, developing climate change mitigation and adaptation plans for cities, and bench-marking basic services against national standards for South Asian cities. She has experience in sustainability consulting, project management and urban resilience. In addition, she also holds a Master of Environmental Studies from TERI University, India and a Bachelor of Science from Delhi University, India.
Job Titles:
- Head of Food Strategy / Italy
Stefania oversees C40's Food Strategy as part of the Climate Solutions & Networks Initiative. Before joining C40, Stefania worked as a policy advisor and project manager at the Mayor's Office of Milan (2011-2015), where she focused on the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact and overall Food Policy for the city. In particular, Stefania helped design measures and liaised with local and international stakeholders. Stefania also worked as a World Health Organization (WHO) consultant for policy alignment and aid coordination in the health sector in Moldova (2011-2014) and Tajikistan (2006-2009). She has a PhD in Institutions and Policies from UCSC, Milan, and an MSc in Political Economy of Late Development from the London School of Economics.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Regional Director, Europe / Greece
Stelios Diakoulakis joined C40 in April 2018 and he is based in Athens. He is the Deputy Regional Director for Europe and closely works with the Regional Director in providing support to European member cities regarding their overall participation in C40 activities ensuring they benefit from their membership - both at political and technical level - and also comply with C40 Participation Standards. He is responsible for the delivery of projects of strategic importance for C40 such as the cities' commitment to ambitious climate targets as well as the development and implementation of Deadline 2020 compliant climate action plans. Prior to joining C40, Stelios worked as Senior EU Policy and International Affairs Advisor to the Mayor of Athens. He has significant experience in European policies and institutions having offered his services for many years in the European Parliament and the Greek Foreign Ministry while he has also worked as a consultant at a private company specialised in the development of strategic regional programs and impact assessments in the EU Cohesion Policy framework. He has studied Economics at the Athens University of Economics and Business and holds a master's degree in European Studies from the University of Reading, UK. He speaks English, French and Greek.
Job Titles:
- Senior Technical Manager, Climate Action Planning ( Mitigation ) South Africa
Stephen joined C40 as the City of Cape Town's climate change adviser in March 2018. He has been working on clean energy and climate change for more than 10 years In between working as an independent consultant, coach and facilitator, Stephen most recently worked with Pegasys Strategy & Development on projects related to resilience, clean energy, and climate change mitigation, specialising in low-carbon urban development. Stephen also worked with ICLEI Africa where he provided technical and strategic support to the Urban Low Emission Development Strategies project. Stephen has assisted numerous cities and local governments in South Africa, Rwanda, Mozambique and Comoros with GHG emissions modelling, reporting and target setting, as well as capacity building, and with developing, monitoring, reporting and evaluating climate change strategies and action plans. He has designed and facilitated multi-stakeholder engagements related to clean energy and climate change. Prior to working in the low-carbon cities space, Stephen worked for 4 years as a researcher at the Energy Research Centre in Cape Town, where lectured in energy and climate change topics, and led several research projects on residential energy efficiency and behavioural change. Stephen has a Master's degree in Operations Research from the University of Cape Town and a degree in Statistics and Actuarial Science from the University of the Witwatersrand. He also holds certificates with the World Bank's City Climate Planner Program and with the Centre for Appreciative Inquiry as a coach and facilitator. In his spare time Stephen can be found running up and down mountains, and is a climber, semi-professional ultra-trail runner, and artisanal bread-baker.
Job Titles:
- Head of IT / United Kingdom
- Senior Manager of IT Systems & Projects
Stephen Green serves as the Senior Manager of IT Systems & Projects at C40. His focus is to identify and research important technology projects for the organization and then develop and execute related plans. Additional responsibilities include reviewing IT inventory needs, facilitating weekly IT training sessions and monitoring and proactively managing the organization's computers and phones. Stephen also supports implementing and maintaining security procedures as well as departmental processes and policies.
Prior to joining C40, Stephen worked at the Genius Bar for Apple for nearly six years and was a Genius in the London Covent Garden store for nearly two years. After Apple Retail, Stephen joined an Apple Mac-managed service provider in London, where he supported and serviced the IT of a dozen different businesses across central London, both remotely and on-site. Stephen graduated from the University of Portsmouth with a BA in Film Studies and Entertainment Technology.
Job Titles:
- IT Project Technician / United Kingdom
Steve Campbell serves as C40's IT Project Technician working behind the scenes to design, manage and roll out new IT projects, apps and services for C40.
Before joining C40, Steve was an IT Cloud Administrator for Ansys from August 2016 - August 2017. In this role, Steve gained experience setting up, testing and deploying various cloud-based solutions. Steve also served as a new student mentor at the University of Hertfordshire from October 2017 through May 2018.
Steve graduated from the University of Hertfordshire with a degree in IT Management. He likes staying active and in shape and enjoys many outdoor recreational activities.
Job Titles:
- Head of Global Events & Special Projects / France
- Head of Head of Global Events & Special Projects
As Head of Head of Global Events & Special Projects, Stéphanie is responsible for organising innovative and inspiring global events (in-person, hybrid and virtual) that showcase the work of C40 and the leadership of its mayors in taking climate action. She has more than 20 years of professional experience in the fields of strategic project management and international events organisations.
In her previous roles, Stéphanie served for 10 years as the Chief of the Cabinet of the President of the French Tennis Federation, where she oversaw the directorate of the President's office, international and institutional relations, as well as the Presidential box and all related events during the French Open and the ATP Paris Masters 1000 tennis tournaments. She also worked as a project manager at the French National Olympic Sport Committee and took part in Winter and Summer Olympic & Paralympic Games, first covering editorial management roles before developing VIP hospitality programmes.
Job Titles:
- Contracts and Procurement Manager for C40 's UCAP CAI Programme
- Contracts and Procurement Manager, UCAP Climate Action Implementation Programme / Malaysia
Suriya serves as Contracts and Procurement Manager for C40's UCAP CAI Programme. Before joining C40, Suriya was Grant Coordinator for the Tropical Rainforest Conservation and Research Centre Malaysia, coordinating budgets and teams across South East Asia for the EU-funded Sustainable Use of Peatland and Haze Mitigation in ASEAN project. Working towards collective actions and enhanced cooperation among non-state actors to improve sustainable peatland management. Prior to that, Suriya was the Project Development Officer at the USAID-funded Malaysia Reform Initiative, encouraging civic participation in Malaysia's democracy and governance.
She previously worked in construction consultancy in Malaysia and Singapore, specialising in public sector projects. At Arcadis, Suriya provided cost and contract management for public sector housing in Singapore. Suriya holds a Master's degree in Public Policy from the National University of Singapore and a Bachelor's degree in Quantity Survey from Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Job Titles:
- Technical Adviser, Waste ( Africa )
Tawanda serves as the Technical Adviser (Waste) for C40's UCAP Climate Action Implementation (CAI) Programme in Africa. In this role, he provides technical assistance to the C40 cities of Accra, Addis Ababa, Dar Es Salam, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi and Tshwane in implementing plans in line with the Paris Agreement.
Job Titles:
- Project Officer
- Project Officer, Zero - Emission Buses
Tenele Ndlovu serves as C40's Project Officer - Zero-Emission Buses within the Transport Team. In this capacity, she is instrumental in supporting the delivery and implementation of our Zero-Emission Buses programme, contributing to the global transition to zero-emission buses in various C40 cities.
Tenele is based in Pretoria, South Africa, and brings valuable experience from her previous role at GIZ, where she worked in the Climate Support Programme (Phase IV), specializing in mitigation and monitoring & evaluation, and previously at the Department of Environmental Affairs (now called the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment) in South Africa.
Her dedication to climate mitigation and the environment is evident through her professional journey. Tenele holds an Environmental Management (Honours) degree and is currently pursuing an MSc in Environmental Science, focusing on the implementation of climate change policy strategies.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager for C40 's Zero Emission Bus Rapid - Deployment Accelerator
- Senior Manager, Zero Emission Bus Rapid - Deployment Accelerator / United Kingdom
Thomas Maltese serves as Senior Manager for C40's Zero Emission Bus Rapid-deployment Accelerator (ZEBRA) project, led by C40 Cities and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). Working across different teams in C40 and partner organisations, Thomas will support C40 cities plan, finance and deploy electric buses. This will be initially done by working with Medellin, São Paulo and Mexico City, as well as the region's leading city in this sector, Santiago, by creating best practice sharing opportunities for bus electrification in Latin America.
Prior to joining C40, Thomas kickstarted his career in the field of climate action at The Climate Group, as EV100 Project Coordinator, managing amongst other things relationships with EV100 members. EV100 is a global initiative bringing together companies committed to accelerating the transition to electric mobility from within their own operations.
Half-Italian and half-British, Thomas grew up in Italy and later graduated in Political Science from the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager of US Food Systems
- Senior Manager, US Food Systems / United States
Tia Schwab is the Senior Manager of US Food Systems at C40, working with a cohort of US cities to improve food procurement and reduce food waste.
Prior to joining C40, Tia was a policy advisor at the NYC Mayor's Office of Food Policy, managing the city's Good Food Purchasing initiative and supporting the climate and environment portfolio. Before that, she worked in Washington, DC, advancing campaigns for nutrition security at the Center for Science in the Public Interest and supporting strategic communications and development at Grantmakers In Health.
Tia holds a Master's degree in food and agriculture law and policy from Vermont Law School and a Bachelor's degree in human biology focusing on food systems and public health from Stanford University.
Job Titles:
- Data Analyst for Climate Action
- Project Manager, Air Quality Policy and Analysis / United Kingdom
Toby serves as Data Analyst for Climate Action and Air Quality, within the Measurement and Planning Team. In this role, he helps to build and operate models that allow cities to measure the greenhouse gas, air quality and health impacts of climate action and related initiatives. Previously Toby worked as an intern at C40, where he helped to build project-level emissions analysis methods and also supported C40 cities with a variety of data collection efforts. Prior to joining C40, he worked in France, Spain and the UK as an English Language Teacher. Toby has an MSc in Environment and Sustainability from Birkbeck College (University of London) and a BSc in Zoology from the University of St. Andrews.
Job Titles:
- Group Management Accountant / United Kingdom
Job Titles:
- Urban Climate Resilience Manager / Spain
Celeste serves as Urban Climate Resilience Manager for the Adaptation team. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring coordinated management of a portfolio of activities and projects to achieve the overall objectives of the Climate Resilience programme within C40. Previously, Celeste served as Programme Officer for the Climate Action Implementation team, supporting programme management, planning and coordination across teams.
Before joining C40, Celeste was part of the UN-Habitat team in Lao PDR, where she contributed through project and programme management to expand the organisation's portfolio in the country. She engaged in several projects linked to addressing climate change impact through adaptation and mitigation strategies, working closely with the government, donors, and development partners.
Celeste holds a Degree in Architecture, with a specialisation in Urban Planning, and an MSc in International Cooperation from the International University of Catalonia, Spain.
Job Titles:
- Regional Officer for the South
- Regional Officer, South and West Asia / India
Urmila Sudhindra is the C40 Regional Officer for the South and West Asia region, and is based in Bengaluru. Urmila joined C40 after working as a Reporting and Documentation officer at Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled where she was responsible for the education department. She has also worked with other organisations like Medecins Sans Frontieres and KHUSHII. She has a Masters and Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Stirling and Birmingham. She is passionate about community well-being. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, cooking, trying new hobbies and spending time with her family.
Job Titles:
- Finance & Grants Officer / United Kingdom
Vanesa is responsible for the administration and management of restricted fund grants, ensuring that compliance is met and robust systems and processes are in place. Vanesa was recently Finance and Operations Manager at Pro Bono Economics, a charity helping other charities to understand and improve their impact. Prior to this she was Finance and Operations controller at Trillion Fund, a loan based crowdfunding platform for renewable energy projects. She has also worked at IDOM, a global architectural and engineering consultancy firm, Quiet Revolution, a vertical axis wind turbine firm and Waste Watch, a sustainability charity. Vanesa holds a BSc (Hons) in Ecology, Conservation & Environment from York University and an MSc in Environmental Decision Making from the Open University.
Job Titles:
- Campaigns Project Manager / United Kingdom
- the Campaigns Project Manager
Veronica Sabino has joined C40 as the Campaigns Project Manager in the Inclusion and Global Leadership department. She has extensive experience in project design, management and coordination, working in multicultural and complex global environments. She is based in London.
Prior to C40, Veronica worked at Amnesty International for 8 years, providing project management support across several departments. In her last role as Senior Executive Coordinator, she was responsible for coordinating, advising and enabling the strategic and operational agenda of the Secretary General and Leadership Team, as well as advancing critical projects of organisational priority.
Originally a sinologist with a background in Chinese language and culture, Veronica holds a MA in International Studies and Diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies, with a focus on international relations and human rights.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager for Climate Action Planning
- Senior Manager, Climate Action Planning / Germany
Victoria Gonsior ("Vicky") serves as Senior Manager for Climate Action Planning. In this position, she manages the data pillar of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Joint Programme and supports, in collaboration with GCoM, CDP and various internal and external partners, the development of streamlined data access and tools for cities - particularly those with limited capacities - to enable and accelerate their path along the climate action journey.
Job Titles:
- Senior Project Manager
- Senior Project Manager, UrbanShift / United Kingdom
Viola serves as Senior Project Manager in C40's UrbanShift team. She is responsible for many vital functions to support the tracking, coordination, budgeting, events and outcomes of C40's participation in UrbanShift.
Before this role, Viola was the C40 Projects & Events Officer for the Financing Sustainable Cities Initiative (FSCI). She supported FSCI academies, forums, communication and knowledge management, and assisted cities in accessing vital finance to make their Climate Action Plans a reality. Previously, Viola worked with the C40 Measurement & Planning team as an intern.
Viola holds a Master in Sustainable Cities from King's College London, where she focused her research on the benefits of urban nature on the human brain through neuroscience technology. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management.
Job Titles:
- Head of International Affairs for the City of Milan
- Head of International Affairs, Milan
Vittoria Beria is Head of International Affairs for the City of Milan. In this role, she advises the Mayor on international affairs, manages the City of Milan international partnerships and projects and city diplomacy activities. Vittoria supports the Mayor in his role as C40 Vice Chair and coordinates the activities undertaken to fulfil C40 commitments, as well as the participation in C40 programmes and initiatives. Previously, Vittoria coordinated international partnerships at the World Expo 2015 and served as a United Nations officer for over a decade. Vittoria holds a Degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Catholic University of Milan and an MSc in Development Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science
Job Titles:
- Technical Head of Breathe Cities, Southeast Asia & Senior Advisor Air Quality and Health / Singapore
Vivian serves as the Technical Head of Breathe Cities, Southeast Asia, and Senior Advisor, Air Quality and Health. As part of the Air Quality team's technical assistance program, Vivian is responsible for coordinating in-house modelling, analysis, report writing, and public communication in support of the cities' air quality planning and policy development, as well as strengthening connections within C40 and with key C40 partner stakeholders.
Vivian is an air pollution epidemiologist with over 13 years of research experience, focusing on air pollution/environmental health, urban health, chronic diseases and well-being, and "big data" quantitative research methods. Before joining C40, she worked at Vital Strategies, a global public health organization, where she made the case for addressing air pollution from a public health perspective, increasing commitment and capacity of key stakeholders to strengthen air quality management to promote public health, and informing the public about the risks of air pollution. She also has hands-on public health experience, working as an epidemiologist at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in Boston, USA, and as a Principal Scientist at the National Environment Agency in Singapore.
She holds a BSc in Biology from the University of Washington (Seattle, USA), a Masters in Public Health from Boston University (Boston, USA), and a PhD in Public Health from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (China). She is currently based in Singapore.
Vrilly Rondonuwu serves as City Adviser for Jakarta, Indonesia. In this role, she is one of the key parts of the Regional and Mayoral Engagement team to engage the city in the implementation of the climate action plan and the fulfilment of C40's Leadership Standards, including supporting C40 as required during the transition of city administrations, representing C40, and liaising with external partners working with the city on relevant issues.
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager in the City Finance Programme
- Senior Manager, City Finance Programme / United States
Wanjiku Ngare is a Senior Manager in the City Finance Programme at C40. She is responsible for overseeing a portfolio of special projects and partnerships, supporting sectoral finance staff, program management, and supporting internal team strategy development and operations.
Wanjiku is a passionate urbanist with experience in management consulting and project finance. Prior to this role, she was an operations senior associate at Instiglio Inc and an associate management consultant at Dalberg Advisors. She worked on cross-sectoral projects for diverse clients, including large foundations, multilateral development banks, and bilateral development finance institutions. Her work spanned from identifying and addressing barriers in scaling the deployment of pico to microgrid solar in East African countries; to identifying key constraints to economic development in Kosovo. She began her career as a Project Finance Analyst at Sol Systems LLC, a leading renewable energy financier and developer in the United States.
Wanjiku holds a Bachelor's in International Affairs from Georgetown University and a Master's in Urban Planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Job Titles:
- Operations Manager
- Operations Manager, China Office / China
Prior to joining C40, Wenwen worked as a Program Operation Manager for Peking University's Guanghua School of Management. Before that, Wenwen served as Vice Director for the International Cooperation Department of the Dragon Design Foundation, where she led the Sino-EU collaborations and activities on sustainable design and green technology. She also worked for the first local Fair Trade organisation in China earlier in her career.
Wenwen holds a Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture and Ecology from South China Agriculture University and an International MBA from Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management, including one semester exchange programme at ESSEC Business School.
William Andruga serves as C40's City Adviser, Waste and Methane, in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He has over 10 years of waste management experience in humanitarian, refugee/displaced people's settlements, municipalities and institutions. William is a civil engineer by training, with a BSc in Civil and Building Engineering and post-graduate studies in project management, waste and sanitation. William is now undertaking a research-based MSc in Environmental Engineering focusing on GHG emissions reduction and efficient nature-based solid waste treatment methods. William is excited by new ways to solve complex challenges including piloting projects for untested solutions to generate knowledge and understanding. Andruga is a team player, and team leader and enjoys meeting new people.
Job Titles:
- Declaration Manager, Green and Healthy Streets / United Kingdom
William serves as Declaration Manager for C40's Green and Healthy Streets Declaration. In this role, William coordinates C40 support towards Green and Healthy Streets Declaration signatories and tracks the implementation of the Declaration in cities, helping to accelerate implementation and achieve effective, ambitious and measurable outcomes on decarbonising transport in cities.
Prior to his current role, William was Benefits Research Officer in the Knowledge and Learning Directorate, where he supported cities with making the case for climate action through demonstrating the wider social and economic benefits. He also supported on a number of additional research projects, including The Case for a Green and Just Recovery released by the C40 Global Mayors COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, and Coal-free Cities: The Health and Economic Case for a Clean Energy Revolution.
Job Titles:
- Programme Officer ( Southeast Asia ), UCAP CAI Programme
Wyda is a Programme Officer for C40's UCAP Climate Action Implementation (CAI) Programme in the Southeast Asia team. She supports programme management, planning and coordination across the Climate Action Implementation team and with other global C40 teams. Wyda holds an M.Eng in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Gadjah Mada, Indonesia.
Job Titles:
- Officer
- Regional Officer, China / China
Xian Zhou serves as the Regional Officer in C40's China office. In this role, she helps coordinate and facilitate the delivery of the Central East Asia regional team covering member cities across the specified regions.
Xian has rich experience in working in a multi-cultural and cross-functional environment, including diplomatic missions and representative offices of foreign government agencies in China. Before joining C40, Xian worked as a Senior Immigration Officer for the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, where she built cooperative relationships with internal and external stakeholders to develop trust and mutual understanding of relevant policies and procedures. Before that, she worked for Lesotho Embassy to China focusing on partnership development and executive support. Xian also planned and managed high-profile events at China World Trade Center. Xian holds a Master's Degree from Beijing Institute of Technology.
Job Titles:
- Senior Project Manager
- Senior Project Manager, Green Shipping Corridors / United States
Yana serves as Senior Project Manager within C40's Ports and Shipping team. She leads C40's work on Green Shipping Corridors, aimed at catalyzing the shipping transition through innovative multi-level cross-value chain partnerships.
Before joining C40, Yana worked in an environmental non-profit in Brussels, lobbying the EU to adopt ocean protection legislation. For many years, her work in Europe was centred around EU and French advocacy, campaigning, as well as citizen empowerment and mobilization. She is the co-author of 3 studies on eco-anxiety.
Yana holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and a Master's in European Affairs. She speaks English, French and Russian.
Job Titles:
- Knowledge Officer, C40 Cities Finance Facility / United Kingdom
- the Knowledge Officer
Yasar is the Knowledge Officer in the C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF), a joint initiative of C40 and GIZ which facilitates access to finance for climate change mitigation and resilience projects in urban areas. In his role, Yasar is part of the delivery of the CFF's City Academy on Finance and Equity (CAFE) and other knowledge dissemination activities. Yasar joined C40 in November 2022 as an intern working across the Climate Action Implementation and CFF teams, where he supported coordination across the teams and the delivery of events. Before joining C40, Yasar completed his Master's degree in World History at the University of Cambridge, writing on Kwame Nkrumah and Pan-Africanism in post-colonial Ghana, and before that completed his undergraduate degree in History at the University of Oxford. Prior to C40, he worked with the Cambridge Refugee Resettlement Campaign and Starfish Greathearts.
Job Titles:
- Officer
- Program Officer, C40 X GCoM Joint Programme / Brazil
Yasmin serves as a Programme Officer for the C40 x GCoM Joint Programme, a collaborative initiative funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. In this role, Yasmin provides vital project management support, facilitates effective communication, and ensures the tracking of key programme data and monitoring and evaluation efforts.
Prior to joining C40, Yasmin worked on the Rooted in Trust project for Internews, a global USAID-funded program that responded to rumours and misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic in traditional communities in the North of Brazil. As a Project Officer, Yasmin focused on M&E and reporting, stakeholder liaison, and logistics and event organization. Previously, she also contributed to GEF-funded projects related to sustainable development while working at the UNDP in Brazil.
Yasmin holds a double degree in International Relations and Political Science, as well as a double Master's degree in International Development and Risk Management from the University of Coimbra in Portugal and Sciences Po Bordeaux in France. Her Master's thesis provides a historical analysis of the neocolonialist logic in French cooperation towards former colonies in Africa.
Job Titles:
- City Finance Projects and Events Officer
Yerim is the City Finance Projects and Events Officer, working across two programmes: UrbanShift and the broader finance portfolio under the C40 x Global Covenant of Mayors Joint Program. She supports the planning and delivery of key events, including the Green & Resilient UrbanShift Africa Forum, and provides city-facing capacity building and technical support to address municipal climate finance challenges across urban infrastructure sectors. Yerim also manages and coordinates overall programme activities.
Job Titles:
- Programme Officer
- Project Officer, C40 China Buildings Programme / China
Yuping Qiu is a Programme Officer, C40 China Buildings Programme, supporting the development and implementation of ambitious citywide building energy efficiency initiatives. Prior to joining C40, Yuping worked as an Advisor at the Danish Energy Agency, part of the Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate, where she focused on collaboration with the Chinese government supporting UN sustainability goals. Based in the Department for Global Cooperation, Yuping was in charge of energy policy monitoring, report drafting and policy analysis. In addition, she brings experience from the Royal Danish Embassy in China, where she worked with consular affairs. Yuping holds a master's degree in International Studies from Aarhus University, Denmark.
Yuriko Koike won Tokyo's gubernatorial election in 2016 to become the city's first female governor. She was re-elected in 2020 and is currently serving her second term. In 2018, her third year of office, she hosted the Tokyo Forum for Clean City and Clear Sky, which focused on the common challenges facing large cities-waste management, sustainable resource management and air pollution. There, she and representatives of major cities around the world shared knowledge and information about their best practices, and confirmed that they will maintain and strengthen their global partnerships. At the same time, she also held the first C40 East, Southeast Asia and Oceania Regional Meeting as a C40 vice chair. In May 2019, she hosted the U20 Mayors Summit. As an output of the summit, the views of the major cities of the world were prepared as a communiqué, which was delivered to the G20 by Governor Koike, representing the U20. At the U20 Mayors Summit, she also declared that Tokyo will become a "Zero Emission Tokyo" by 2050 to contribute to the world's net zero carbon emissions. Moreover, in January 2021, with a strong awareness of how crucial the actions taken over the next decade will be to achieve Zero Emission Tokyo, she announced that by 2030 Tokyo will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent over year 2000 levels. This was followed by a kickoff meeting in February to roll out a global movement for climate action under the slogan "Time to Act," with the aim to accelerate effective actions for decarbonization, and together with the participating mayors of major cities and experts, a joint message was sent out to the world. Governor Koike is also bringing changes to fields other than the environment. This includes empowering women, improving the parenting environment by resolving the issue of waitlists for daycare and introducing original programs to make daycare costs free, preventing secondhand smoke, and implementing administrative and fiscal reform. Calling for a sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, she is currently launching and implementing numerous projects for the realization of a sustainable society by addressing the climate crisis in addition to working for recovery of the economy, society, and people's spirits exhausted by the pandemic. A graduate of Cairo University, Egypt, after her return to Japan she worked as an Arabic interpreter and language instructor before becoming Japan's first female economic news anchor for a television program reporting on the world's economic issues. She was elected to Japan's House of Councillors in 1992, and to the House of Representatives in 1993, and has held key positions including the Minister of the Environment and Minister of Defense. She has always taken an active stance in addressing her concern for the environment. One leading example was her introduction of the Cool Biz campaign when she was the Minister of the Environment, which encouraged office workers to dress more casually during the summer to ensure comfort under higher room temperature settings.
Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE was Mayor of Freetown from May 2018 to February 2023 and was recently re-elected to serve for a second term. A finance professional with over 25 years of private sector experience in strategic planning, risk management consulting and project management, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr adopted an inclusive, data-driven approach to addressing challenges in the city. She championed the four-year Transform Freetown plan, which detailed 19 concrete targets across 11 sectors and covered issues ranging from tackling environmental degradation to facilitating the creation of jobs for youth. Annual Transform Freetown reports, which document progress made against targets, can be viewed here.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr's notable achievements include: the construction and operation of Freetown's first-ever wastewater treatment plant; the digitalisation and expansion of the city's property rate system, the creation of over 3,500 jobs for youth and women; the planting and tracking of over 800,000 trees as part of the #FreetownTheTreeTown 1 million trees target; and securing the ongoing feasibility study for the introduction of a cable car system for the city.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr's public sector engagement began with her work during the 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic and her subsequent role as Delivery Team Lead for the second phase of a multi-stakeholder programme to drive socio-economic recovery in Sierra Leone post-Ebola. Mayor Aki-Sawyerr was featured by Time Magazine in the Time100 Next 2021 List and by the BBC in the BBC 100 Women 2020 List. She is a Chartered Accountant with an MSc in Politics of the World Economy from the London School of Economics and a BSc Hons in Economics from Fourah Bay College. She is married with two children.
Job Titles:
- Director of the Food and Waste Programme
- Director, Food and Waste / United States
Zachary Tofias serves as the Director of the Food and Waste Programme at C40. His work supports C40 cities' transition toward regenerative resource management and reducing emissions through more sustainable consumption. The Food and Waste Programme is helping cities accelerate a worldwide transition to more effective municipal solid waste management, and the implementation of comprehensive solutions that reduce carbon emissions and increase resiliency throughout the urban food system.
Job Titles:
- Head of Implementation ( Africa ), UCAP CAI Programme / South Africa
Zarina serves as Head of Implementation in Africa, within the Regions & Mayoral Engagement Team, and leads in the region the C40's UCAP Climate Action Implementation (CAI) Programme. In this role she works with seven C40 African cities to develop ambitious and robust long-term climate action plans that are compatible with the ambitions of the Paris Climate Agreement.
Prior to this, Zarina worked as a C40 City Adviser to Durban, where she supported the City to develop their Climate Action Plan. Before joining C40, Zarina worked at the National Business Initiative (NBI) South Africa as a project manager for climate change mitigation, where she managed work on the CDP climate change and water programmes in South Africa. She also worked with companies to build capacity and provide best practice guidance on greenhouse gas reporting. Previously, Zarina also worked as a Programme Officer for environmental, water and energy projects at the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), where she managed a low-carbon cities project, focusing on the City of Durban.
Zarina holds an MSc in Environmental Science and a BSc Honours in Environmental Management from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Job Titles:
- Director of Strategic Communications and Media / United Kingdom
Zermina is the Director of Strategic Communications and Media. She is based in London, UK.
As part of her role, she oversees the strategic communications and media team. She also leads communications strategies for C40's key milestones and events.
Zermina is a key connection point between C40 and the London Mayor's Office. She leads on opportunities to further the reach and influence of the C40 Chair, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, raising his profile as a climate leader and showcasing the positive impact of his work as Chair.
Prior to joining C40, Zermina led communications teams in local and national government. She is fluent in four languages and holds an undergraduate degree in Law.
Job Titles:
- Zero Emission Vehicle Manager / United Kingdom
Zoe leads C40's Zero Emission Vehicle Network, which supports 20+ cities to accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles and roll out charging infrastructure, whilst still creating cities that prioritise walking, cycling and public transport. She also works closely with colleagues to deliver C40's Zero Emission Area programme and support cities to achieve their commitments under the Green and Healthy Streets Accelerator.
Before C40, Zoe has held roles in a variety of local non-profits, working on issues from healthy food provision, to refugee action, to domestic abuse support. She holds an MA in Conflict, Security and Development, specialising in sustainable development and environmental migration, and a BA in English, both from the University of Exeter, UK.
Job Titles:
- Technical Lead for Air Quality
- Technical Lead, Air Quality / United States
Zoë Chafe serves as Technical Lead for Air Quality at C40. In this role, Zoe provides technical guidance on air quality across C40 and leads C40's air quality technical assistance program. Zoë has deep experience at the intersections of air quality, climate change, and human health. She served as Chapter Scientist for the Human Health chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report, and as a lead author of the Global Energy Assessment. As a consultant for the World Health Organization, she led a report on the air quality and health impacts of home heating with wood and coal. At the City of Oakland, California, she evaluated potential health and safety risks associated with the proposed handling of coal at a bulk commodities terminal. She also served on the research and communications staff of the Worldwatch Institute in Washington, DC.
Zoë holds a PhD (Energy and Resources) and MPH (Master of Public Health) from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a bachelor's degree in human biology from Stanford University. Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the Young Scientists Summer Program at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), and the Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellowship in Sustainability at Cornell University.
Job Titles:
- Head of City - Business Engagement
Zöe is based in London and leads the City-Business Engagement team, supporting C40 Cities to engage with businesses at a local, regional, and global level to support the implementation of their climate action plans. The City-Business Engagement team leads the City-Business Climate Alliance programme and supports efforts to develop public-private collaboration.
Before joining C40, Zöe managed a capacity-building programme for the UK Government, providing technical support to national and local governments across 16 middle-income countries, raising climate ambition and reducing emissions. Prior to this, she led climate for the Urban Systems team at Innovate UK, bringing innovative businesses together with cities. She also worked on research and innovation policy for UKRI USA at the British Embassy in Washington DC. Zöe holds a BSc in Physical Geography from King's College London and also studied at the University of Chapel Hill in North Carolina.