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.
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.
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.
Adarsh Aravind is C40’s Senior Manager for Inclusive Climate Action, India. With a foundation in climate action, international relations, DEI, public health, and sustainability, Adarsh Aravind has spent over a decade shaping policies, driving strategic initiatives, and building cross-sectoral partnerships to advance global climate goals. He has collaborated with global NGOs, international organisations including UNDP, UNFCCC, ECF, the Indian Army, and multiple national and subnational governments. His expertise spans climate action planning, stakeholder engagement, and supporting cities in aligning their climate goals with the Paris Agreement.
At the School of Policy and Governance, Adarsh designed various programs on just transition for MSMEs, sustainable infrastructure, Net Zero, and equitable cross-regional policy dialogues. As an Advisor at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), he contributed to climate, public health, and equity-focused policies, advising the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) and other government agencies. His work integrated social justice into sustainable development frameworks and has influenced urban mobility and zero-emission transport policies.
Adarsh has led teams to deliver business and policy advice, improving ESG ratings, managing risks, and advancing climate initiatives across public and private sectors. His expertise extends to inclusivity, social justice, gender, human rights, education, public policy, ESG reporting, and just transition.
He holds Master’s degrees in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (Victoria University of Wellington) and Geopolitics and International Relations (Manipal University), along with a Bachelor’s in Physics (Mahatma Gandhi University). His insights have been featured in multiple journals, media platforms, and websites, where he translates complex policy discussions into actionable solutions.
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.
Ahmed Mokgopo serves as Youth Engagement and Campaigns Manager at C40. In this role, Ahmed supports the development and implementation of C40’s Global Youth and Mayors Forum.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.