Juvarya has dedicated nearly three decades to guiding public agencies through the complexities of climate transition. With extensive experience in sustainability and economic development, she has held key positions, including Chief of Strategy at InBC Investment, British Columbia’s $500 million impact investment fund, and Director of the Canada Climate Law Initiative at the University of British Columbia. Juvarya led the green economy and green jobs strategy for the City of Vancouver for ten years, working closely with cleantech entrepreneurs and local businesses. Her prior work focused on shaping municipal green building policies to achieve a zero-carbon built environment.
Currently, she serves as a Senior Advisor with C40 Cities, leading a global alliance of port cities to promote sustainable trade and greener supply chains. Additionally, Juvarya is a Board Director for Vancity Credit Union, Canada’s largest credit union, and an advisor to Realize Capital Partners, managing funds for the Government of Canada’s Social Finance Fund.
Juvarya holds an MBA in Finance from the University of British Columbia and a BA (Hons) in Economics and Sustainable Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. She has also studied International Business and Chinese at Capilano University, where she received the Alumni Award of Excellence for her contributions to climate change. She holds the Global Competent Boards (GCB.D) ESG designation and the Global Association of Risk Professionals’ certificate in Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR).
Originally from the UK and of Pakistani heritage, Juvarya grew up in Saudi Arabia. She currently resides in Squamish, Canada, on the traditional and unceded territories of the Coast Salish people, with her husband, two children, and two cats, Shmi Skywalker and Go Go Gamora.
Kaitlyn is Clean Construction Finance Manager, working on a programme to support a just and economically viable transition to a decarbonised construction sector in European cities. The programme pilots inclusive and innovative approaches to low-carbon construction in London, Madrid and Oslo, while building the case for wider transformation, e.g. through targeted research on socio-economic impacts including labour and costs.
Previously, Kaitlyn worked on the global coordination and management of C40’s UCAP Climate Action Implementation Programme, which delivers high-impact climate actions and mainstreaming in 15 cities in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Before C40, Kaitlyn worked for several years at ICLEI’s European Secretariat, working with local governments on sustainable construction, circular economy, and green public procurement. Her experience includes managing several EU-funded innovation projects, facilitating capacity building and knowledge exchange processes between cities, and engaging in advocacy for urban climate action in European policy fora. She previously worked as a researcher and project manager on equitable environmental planning, green infrastructure, and the right to housing in Latin America and Europe.
Kaitlyn is an Architectural Engineer (B.Sc. from the University of Texas at Austin) and has dual Erasmus+ Master’s degrees in International Cooperation & Urban Development from the Technical University of Darmstadt and the International University of Catalonia.
Kanupriya is Senior Manager, Engagement and Communications for South and West Asia. She works with different teams across C40 to plan and implement activities in the South and West Asia region.
Before Joining C40, Kanupriya worked at Edelman, a global PR firm, where she was the lead for Microsoft India. She comes with an extensive tech and corporate communications background. A few of her notable projects include Satya Nadella’s India Visit (2023), Cybershikshaa expansion, a Tech for Good initiative by Microsoft, and Brad Smith’s India Visit (2022). Some of her past clients include Qualcomm, Airbnb, smallcase, FDC, and ITC Hotels. She graduated from Delhi University and enjoys reading, visiting the various monuments peppered in Delhi, cooking and writing in her spare time.
Based out of Chennai, Karthik is an aspiring policy professional with a penchant for data. He specialises in research, data and communication and has 7 years of experience as a development professional working on multiple issues, mainly climate change, healthcare, education and livelihoods. Before joining C40, he worked with organisations such as The Barefoot College, Habitat Forum (INHAF), TRIF, Ministry of Home Affairs, NITI Aayog and the District Administration of Narayanpur in Chhattisgarh.
He has a bachelor’s degree in Planning from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. He is also an alumnus of the SBI Youth for India Fellowship and The Aspirational District Fellowship. In his free time, he is an avid automotive enthusiast, photographer and amateur Kirie artist.
Katya Guryeva serves as Water Safe Cities Programme Manager within C40’s Water, Heat and Nature team. She supports the delivery of the latest phase of C40’s Water Safe Cities Programme, which helps cities tackle the escalating challenges of flooding and drought by delivering water-safe solutions, mainstreaming multi-sector collaboration, and leading a global movement of city action on water resilience. Before stepping into this role, Katya worked across C40’s Climate, Solutions and Networks team after joining C40 in 2022.
Katya holds a BA in European Social and Political Studies from UCL, specialising in Urban Planning, Danish and Spanish. She is currently pursuing an MSc in the Economics and Policy of Energy and the Environment.
Kausar Khan supports city-scale energy transitions at C40 Cities, where she focuses on renewable energy initiatives in South African cities as a Knowledge Manager. Kausar is a seasoned renewable energy consultant with over a decade of experience developing and implementing high-profile renewable energy strategies across the public and private sectors. With a background in Mechanical Engineering and certifications in Project Management (PMP®) and Sustainable Energy (SCENE), Kausar is dedicated to advancing net-zero pathways and supporting clean energy transitions that benefit both people and the planet.
Kausar has successfully led multi-disciplinary teams in delivering ambitious climate action plans for municipalities and provided expertise on utility-scale solar, wind, and green hydrogen projects. She particularly focuses on addressing the unique financing and implementation challenges faced by cities and businesses. She has over 10 years of experience at Arup, a global engineering consulting firm. Among her most fulfilling achievements is the development of eThekwini Municipality’s Regional Hydrogen Strategy, which was launched at the 2023 eThekwini Energy Transformation Summit and subsequently adopted by the Council.
Currently serving on the Hydrogen Africa Board, Kausar has also contributed her expertise as a member of the KwaZulu-Natal Innovation Advisory Committee. A recent 2024 Mandela Washington Fellow, she completed a Leadership in Public Management program at Boise State University in the USA, representing South Africa among peers from 20 African countries.
Passionate about community engagement, mentorship, and promoting diversity in the engineering sector, Kausar co-created and piloted an early career support program for women of colour. She is also instrumental in developing DigiYard, a circular economy platform that diverts construction materials from landfills for second-life use, that has been recognized as a leading African solution, notably featured at the World Circular Economy Forum in Rwanda in 2022.
Kessica is the C40 City Adviser for Quezon City. In this role, she supports the city’s implementation of priority climate actions, helping to mainstream the actions into local governance, policies and structures. She has almost a decade of experience in managing disaster risk reduction and climate action projects. Throughout her career in the development sector, Kessica has focused on enhancing the resilience of cities and municipalities through inclusive and community-based approaches to capacity building, policy formulation, and network building.
Prior to joining C40, she worked for an international think tank and consultancy firm managing projects on design thinking and design sprint for international NGOs and international financial institutions. She also worked previously in the education department of the Philippine national government as part of the team that crafts disaster, climate resilience, and education in emergencies policies for the basic education sector. While working for local and international NGOs, she championed for the rights of children and persons with disability to be included in resilience planning and implementation.
Kessica graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration at the University of the Philippines – Diliman. She also completed a programme on Executive Masters on Disaster Risk and Crisis Management at the Asian Institute of Management.
Kevin Mutia is C40’s Senior Manager, Inclusive Climate Action and Knowledge within the Climate Action Implementation (CAI) Africa Programme. He is an urban professional specialized and committed to fostering sustainable and inclusive cities, and he collaborates with public and private sector stakeholders to drive impactful urban transformations across Africa. With extensive experience across various spatial scales and rapidly urbanizing environments, Kevin has contributed to several projects in Africa, working alongside community-based organizations, self-help groups, and local and international NGOs.
His expertise includes developing urban frameworks, advancing nature-based solutions and public open spaces, supporting policy formulation, and leading capacity-building initiatives. At the core of his work is a dedication to enhancing the quality of life for all urban residents, ensuring equitable and resilient urban development.
Khodani has extensive experience in climate change, low carbon transitions, policy advocacy and just transition in sectors such as mining, energy, manufacturing and cities. Prior to joining C40, Khodani worked for an international climate change consulting firm, where she managed energy access projects and was part of a technical team developing low carbon strategies for organisations. Khodani led the delivery of a just transition strategy as part of a global net zero mining roadmap.
Khodani coordinated the WWF’s One Planet City Challenge (OPCC), where she led the recruitment of African cities to participate in the challenge and to report on the CDP platform. She developed a youth engagement program as part of the OPCC, aimed at amplifying youth voices in African cities on issues related to climate change.
Khodani is passionate about integrating social inclusion and just transition in climate change work and amplifying youth voices on issues around climate change. She is a former co-chair and active member of Resilient40, a network of African youth working on climate change. She holds a Master’s degree in Climate Change and Development from the University of Sussex.
Khodani enjoys reading, home gardening, exploring indigenous foods and travelling. She has travelled Africa by reading books from each country and is currently on a mission to visit each country physically.
As Regions and Engagement Officer, Kiana supports the daily management of C40’s cross-regional work by way of stakeholder engagement, communications, and data analysis.
Before joining C40, she worked as a Graduate Consultant on environmental, social, and governance projects, with clients including the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce. She also worked in public affairs and communications as a trainee for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, where she helped manage the annual OECD Forum.
Kiana holds an MSc in Development Management from the London School of Economics and a BA in Political Science from the University of Toronto, including a year at Sciences Po Paris.
Kirsty serves as the Senior Technical Manager focusing on climate adaptation planning at C40. She is responsible for providing expert guidance and support to cities across the climate action planning process, with a particular focus on adaptation planning.
Drawing on just over a decade’s worth of experience in the climate change sector, Kirsty has a strong technical background in climate change adaptation. Her particular expertise focuses on supporting cities to plan and respond to climate change through the development and review of Climate Risk Assessments as well as Climate Action Plans. Kirsty has also written and reviewed several resources, guidelines and training modules to support cities in responding to the impacts of climate change.
Kirsty has a Master’s in Climate Change and Sustainability as well as an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and Politics.
Kriszti is the Technical Assistance Manager for the Inclusive Climate Action (ICA) Programme, providing technical advice and support to the work of the Global Green New Deal Pilot Programme. Prior to her current role, she supported Latin American and Southeast Asian cities in delivering inclusive Climate Action Plans, and also worked in the Green Economy & Innovation Forum and Corporate Services teams.
Before joining C40, Kriszti worked as a Trainee for the European Commission in Brussels at the LIFE Programme, supporting green businesses to launch their sustainable innovations, and at an environmental NGO in Hungary, coordinating an EU funded project on sustainable tourism and conducting research on ecosystem services mapping and assessment. Kriszti holds a Master’s degree in Socio-Ecological Economics and Policy from Vienna University of Business and Economics, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Corvinus University of Budapest. Her interests include urban political ecology, post-growth economics and urban commons as a way to increase social and spatial justice in cities.
Laura Isabel Berdugo Cañon serves as C40’s Project & Events Officer for The Climate Pledge Zero Emission Freight Partnership in Latin America. Laura is a Colombian internationalist from Rosario University who is deeply passionate about fighting climate change. With five years of experience working in various public, private, and international organizations, she has developed expertise in organizing events, creating communication materials, and managing projects. She began her career in The British Embassy in Colombia, where she played a significant role in designing and implementing programs. Notably, she made important contributions to programs such as the Newton Fund, The Prosperity Fund and the International Climate Fund. Recently, she dedicated over two years to the CCADI project in Transforma, overseeing budget management and leading efforts to promote gender and social inclusion in Green Finance.
Lauren is C40’s Policy Engagement Manager within the Inclusion and Global Leadership team, working with C40’s research and campaigns teams to make C40’s knowledge products more impactful for targeted outreach.
Lauren holds an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Environmental Science, Policy and Management. She conducted a research project on the landscape of Green New Deal advocacy in Europe to inform the Green New Deal Cities knowledge hub of the Global Center for Climate Justice. Her thesis focused on investigating the institutional capacity of a local council in the UK to deliver on the Green New Deal bill that had passed a council vote. Lauren holds a Biology BSc from The University of Sussex.
Lauren is the Director for London Coordination and Summit Delivery at C40. In this role, she is responsible for the successful delivery of C40’s World Mayors Summit in 2025 as well as ensuring that the priorities and vision of C40’s Co-Chair, the Mayor of London, are being realised.
Before joining C40, Lauren worked at the Greater London Authority in the Mayor of London’s international relations team, where she designed and implemented international programmes for the Mayor. She has also worked in the UK Parliament where she worked with overseas parliaments, focussing on issues such as sustainability, human rights and gender equality. Prior to this she worked at the Commonwealth Secretariat and at the charity Minority Rights Group International.
She holds an MSc. in Development Studies from SOAS and is a qualified Prince2 Practitioner.
Lebogang serves as the China-Africa Cooperation Manager within the Transport team at C40, where she leads initiatives to support African cities in transitioning to electric buses. Her role bridges collaboration between African and Chinese partners to advance C40’s strategy for clean, sustainable transport across the continent.
Based in Cape Town, Lebogang holds degrees in Architecture and City and Regional Planning, with expertise spanning the built environment, economic development, and technology and innovation.
Before joining C40, Lebogang worked as an interdisciplinary consultant, advising governments, businesses, and regulators on achieving both economic growth and social impact. She has extensive experience supporting emerging markets in Africa and the Middle East, where she partnered with public and private sector organizations to strengthen systems, enhance resilience, and promote inclusive growth.
Her passion for cities, transport, and technology drives her to leverage her design and systems-thinking expertise to solve complex challenges and create lasting impact for communities worldwide.
Lisa Kim is the Senior Manager of Learning and Development at C40, where she works on strategising and building all initiatives tied to skill development, learning and career development for a workforce located across 32 different countries. She also leads on C40’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and action plan to further foster an inclusive and diverse work environment and learning culture.
Before joining C40, Lisa taught high school English literature and writing in New York City. In addition to teaching, Lisa managed office administration and event planning for the nonprofit arts organisation, OrigamiUSA, and assisted the President at the literary agency, Sterling Lord Literistic.
Lisa has an MA in English Education from Columbia University and a BA in Journalism & Mass Communications and Sociology from New York University.
Lorena is the City Adviser for Lima, Peru, as part of C40’s UCAP Climate Action Implementation (CAI) Programme. Her role is to liaise with strategic city officials and map the city’s political priorities and needs for climate action implementation; to identify and coordinate the most appropriate C40 programmes, networks and projects to support local climate action implementation; and, to support the rollout of the regional sectoral programme, including identification of priority projects, engagement with political and technical level.
Prior to joining C40, Lorena worked in the Ministry of Environment of Peru’s public administration as a legal specialist on climate change mitigation and adaptation. Previously, Lorena has worked within the energy and the environmental regulator sectors, as a researcher of the climate emergency implementation in the United Kingdom local councils, and as a Fellowship Coordinator at Student Energy. She is a Professor of Sustainable Development and academic researcher at top universities in Peru, and co-founder of the Peru Young Energy Professionals network.
Lorena is a lawyer specialising in environmental law and natural resources from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration in Energy, Technology and Climate Policy from the University College London, UK and a Sustainable Environmental Management Certificate from the University of California, USA.
Lu serves as Head of the Climate Action Planning China Programme, within the Measurement and Planning Team. In this role, he is responsible for managing the delivery of a programme of technical assistance, guidance and training to C40 cities in China, with the aim of building technical capacity to develop climate action plans that are compatible with the ambitions of the Paris Agreement. Prior to joining C40, Lu worked on a PhD project in urban planning at the University of Copenhagen, where he also managed and coordinated international projects and proposals with a focus on sustainability. Lu holds a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Peking University in Beijing.