A Strong Advocate for Cities

The Chair is the elected leader of the organisation. A strong advocate for the role of cities in addressing climate change, the Chair brings both expertise and resources to bear on the work of the C40 organisation, strengthening the network of cities in pursuit of its common goals. The Chairmanship is a rotating position, which has been held to date by the following C40 City Mayors:

• London Mayor Ken Livingstone (2005-2008)
• Toronto Mayor David Miller (2008-2010)
• New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (2010-present)

Michael R. Bloomberg

Michael R. Bloomberg is the 108th Mayor of the City of New York.

He began his career in 1966 at Salomon Brothers, and after being let go from the firm in 1981, he began Bloomberg LP, a global media company which today has over 310,000 subscribers to its financial news and information service. 

As his company grew, Michael Bloomberg started directing more of his attention to philanthropy. He has sat on the boards of numerous nonprofit institutions, including Johns Hopkins University, where he helped build the Bloomberg School of Public Health into one of the world's leading institutions of public health research and training.

In 2001 he ran for mayor of the City of New York and, in a major upset, won the election. In office, Mayor Bloomberg has cut crime more than 35 percent and created jobs by attracting new investment and supporting small business growth. He has implemented ambitious public health strategies, including the ban on smoking in restaurants and bars, and expanded support for arts and cultural organizations. His education reforms have driven graduation rates up 40 percent since 2005.  

In 2007, Mayor Bloomberg addressed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bali, Indonesia in 2007.  In 2010, he was elected Chair of the C40 Climate Leadership Group, a network of large cities from around the world committed to implementing meaningful and sustainable climate-related actions locally that will help address climate change globally. Under his leadership C40 has adopted a new emphasis on accountability by using outcome-driven performance metrics. 

In 2011, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced a $50 million commitment over four years to the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign that will fuel efforts to clean the air and accelerate the transition to cleaner, cost-effective energy sources. This goal of the partnership is to effectively retire one third of the nation’s aging coal fleet by 2020, replacing it with clean energy. The partnership, announced July 2011, reflects Bloomberg Philanthropies' vision on climate change: that progress cannot wait for national governments and international bodies, but instead must come by immediate action at the city and local level. 

Michael Bloomberg attended Johns Hopkins University and received an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is the father of two daughters, Emma and Georgina.

Rohit Aggarwala 

Special Advisor to the Chair

Rohit T. “Rit” Aggarwala is the Special Advisor to the Chair of the C40 Cities and leads the environment program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. He represents the Chair in situations when Mayor Bloomberg cannot participate himself. On Mayor Bloomberg’s behalf, he serves as President of the C40’s legal Board of Directors and is responsible for the overall performance of the organization. As Mayor Bloomberg’s philanthropic advisor on environmental issues, he oversees the mayor’s major grants to the Sierra Club, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Pew Trusts, and other organizations, including C40.

From 2006 to 2010, Rit served as Director of New York City’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, was created to develop a long-term sustainability plan to ensure New York City’s continued prosperity, growth, and health through the year 2030. Hailed as one of the world’s best urban sustainability plans, PlaNYC has guided New York to a 12% reduction in its overall carbon footprint since 2005, while maintaining the strong support of both the business and environmental communities.

Rit was previously a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, where his practice focused on transportation and telecommunications clients. During the Clinton Administration, he worked at the Federal Railroad Administration; and is a member of the board of the Regional Plan Association of New York. He is the author of several articles on transportation policy and on the history of New York City, his home town.

Rohit holds a Bachelor’s degree, Masters in Business Administration, and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from Columbia University, as well as a Master’s degree from Queen’s College in Ontario. He teaches urban studies at Stanford University and lives in Palo Alto, California.