FP Virtual Climate Summit

Jacinda Ardern is the Prime Minister of New Zealand and the Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party.

Born in Hamilton, Jacinda grew up in rural Waikato and attended Morrinsville College, before graduating from the University of Waikato with a Bachelor of Communications Studies in International Relations and Professional Communication. She joined the New Zealand Labour Party at age 18.

After university, Jacinda worked in a variety of roles across government and business, including as an advisor to Prime Minister Helen Clark, and in the Government Cabinet Office in London. She was elected to Parliament in 2008, becoming the MP for the Mt Albert electorate in 2017 and the Leader of the Labour Party later that year. She became Prime Minister in September 2017, and in 2018, she gave birth to her daughter, Neve.

During her time in Parliament, Jacinda has been a strong advocate for children, women and the right of every New Zealander to have meaningful work. She was responsible for the landmark Child Poverty Reduction Act, and has taken a lead on climate change through initiatives like the establishment of the Zero Carbon Act and the ban on future offshore oil and gas exploration in New Zealand.

As well as Prime Minister, Jacinda holds the roles of Minister for National Security and Intelligence, and Minister for Child Poverty Reduction, an issue particularly close to her heart. She is also the Minister Responsible for Ministerial Services and Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage.

Carlos Alvarado took office on May 8, 2018, with the commitment to modernize Costa Rica and lead towards a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable future, with better security, health and education, and greater respect for human rights. He has three university degrees, one in Communication Sciences and another in Political Sciences from the University of Costa Rica, and the third from the University of Sussex in the UK, where he studied Development Studies. Before taking office as president, he was a parliamentary adviser and the youngest member of the cabinet of former President Solís Rivera. As executive president of the Joint Institute for Social Assistance (IMAS), he was Minister of Human Development and Social Inclusion, where he promoted the Bridge to Development strategy to combat extreme poverty. Knowing up close how the Executive and Legislative powers work is complemented by his managerial experience in private companies: he was the leader of commercial initiatives for Latin America in a transnational company. Speaking three languages ​​(Spanish, English and French) and having lived in France, England and Panama add other interesting elements to the curriculum of this middle-class son of Costa Rica, whose father is an engineer, mother a housewife and working-class grandparents. Carlos Alvarado has been married for several years to his childhood sweetheart, the architect Claudia Dobles, who leads the Executive branch on issues related to the modernization of public transport, the promotion of electric mobility, land use planning and management with local governments. Together, they have a young son named Gabriel.

Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah focuses on education, cross-cultural dialogue, and finding innovative solutions to the world’s greatest challenges. In addition to her role as the wife of His Majesty King Abdullah II and a mother of four, Queen Rania works hard to improve the lives of Jordanians by supporting efforts to create opportunities for their advancement.

Within Jordan, she is committed to promoting education, empowering women, and driving innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship through society. Internationally, Queen Rania is an advocate for tolerance, compassion, and promoting empathy between people of all cultures and backgrounds. She is also a global voice for children’s universal access to quality education and a champion for refugees’ rights and wellbeing around the world.

Through her position on their boards, Her Majesty contributes to the work of the United Nations Foundation and the World Economic Forum. She is also UNICEF’s first Eminent Advocate for Children, a member of the International Rescue Committee Board of Advisors, and a member of the environmental Earthshot Prize Council, launched by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.

In recognition of her work, Her Majesty has received a number of prestigious local, regional, and international awards. These include the Foreign Press Association’s Humanitarian Award; the Andrea Bocelli Foundation Humanitarian Award; the World Childhood Award, granted by Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden; the Walther Rathenau Award; the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award; and the Vital Voices Global Trailblazer Award.

On January 20, 2021, John F. Kerry was sworn in as our nation’s first Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and the first-ever Principal to sit on the National Security Council entirely dedicated to climate change. President Biden announced Kerry would have a seat at every table around the world as he combats the climate crisis to meet the existential threat that we face. In recent years, Kerry was the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s first ever Visiting Distinguished Statesman, following his four years as the 68th United States Secretary of State. As America’s top diplomat, he guided the Department’s strategy on nuclear nonproliferation, combating radical extremism, and the threat of climate change. His tenure was marked by the successful negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris Climate Agreement. From 1985 to 2013, he served as a U.S. Senator representing Massachusetts, and was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2009 to 2013. Secretary Kerry served in the U.S. Navy, completing two combat tours of duty in Vietnam for which he received a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Combat V, and three Purple Hearts. He received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his law degree from Boston College Law School. Secretary Kerry is the best-selling author of A Call to Service, This Moment on Earth with his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry, and his 2018 memoir, Every Day Is Extra, which The New York Times described as “a bittersweet reminder of what the country once demanded of its leaders.” Secretary Kerry was the Democratic Party’s nominee for President of the United States in 2004.

In April 2019, Mr. Ban was elected as the Chairman of Presidential National Council on Climate and Air Quality (NCCA) (2019-2021). In April 2018, Mr. Ban was elected as the Chairman of Boao Forum for Asia. In January 2018, Mr. Ban, along with former President of Austria Mr. Heinz Fischer, were inducted as Co-Chairs of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens in Vienna, Austria. Mr. Ban Ki-moon was also elected as Chairman of IOC Ethics Committee in September 2017. Currently, he is the Distinguished Chair Professor and Honorary Chairman at the Institute of Global Engagement & Empowerment at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. In February 2018, he was elected and has been serving as the President of the Assembly & Chair of the Council of Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).
Prior to these appointments, Mr. Ban served two consecutive terms as the Secretary General of the United Nations (2007-2016).
Throughout his tenure at the UN, Mr. Ban strove to be a bridge builder, to give voice to the world’s poorest and the most vulnerable people, and to make the Organization more transparent and effective. He successfully pressed for action to combat climate change - an effort that culminated in the adoption and rapid entry into the landmark Paris Agreement in 2016. Mr. Ban worked closely with member states of the UN to shape the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to establish UN Women, which has been advancing the Organization’s work for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Mr. Ban also launched major efforts to strengthen UN peace operations, to protect human rights, to improve humanitarian response, and to prevent violent extremism and to revitalize the disarmament agenda.
At the time of his appointment at the UN, Mr. Ban was the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea. His 37 years with the Ministry included postings in New Delhi, Washington D.C., and Vienna, and responsibilities for a variety of portfolios, including Foreign Policy Adviser to the President, Chief National Security Adviser to the President, Vice Minister, Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and Director-General for American Affairs. Mr. Ban has also been actively involved in issues relating to inter-Korean relations by serving as Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization.
Mr. Ban received a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Seoul National University in 1970. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1985.

Sadiq Khan was first elected Mayor of London in May 2016, winning the largest personal mandate in the history of British politics by securing the support of 1.3 million Londoners. Sadiq was elected for a second term in May 2021, following a delayed election as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Prior to becoming Mayor, Sadiq was the Member of Parliament for Tooting in South London for 11 years. During this time, he attended Cabinet and served as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice from May 2010 and Shadow Minister for London from 2013. Before becoming an MP, Sadiq had a successful career as a partner in a law firm, specialising in human rights. Sadiq was born in London and has lived here all his life. He was state-school educated in Tooting before studying Law at the University of North London.

In 2021, at COP26 in Glasgow Sadiq was elected chair of C40 cities, a global network of almost 100 megacities committed to addressing climate change. Sadiq was the first Mayor of a megacity to declare a climate emergency as one of the biggest threats we face. He is taking bold action to electrify London’s transport network, accelerating climate action including a commitment to bring forward London’s net zero target from 2050 to 2030 and introduced the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone which has helped reduce air pollution in central London by nearly half and CO2 emissions by 6 per cent in just two years. He is committed to a Green New Deal for London, combining a strong economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic with actions necessary to tackle the climate emergency, and create jobs and opportunities for all Londoners.

Mary Robinson is Adjunct Professor for Climate Justice in Trinity College Dublin and Chair of The Elders. She served as President of Ireland from 1990-1997 and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997-2002. She is a member of the Club of Madrid and the recipient of numerous honours and awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from the President of the United States Barack Obama. Between 2013 and 2016 Mary served as the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy in three roles; first for the Great Lakes region of Africa, then on Climate Change leading up to the Paris Agreement and in 2016 as his Special Envoy on El Niño and Climate. Her Foundation, the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice, established in 2010, came to a planned end in April 2019.

A former President of the International Commission of Jurists and former chair of the Council of Women World Leaders she was President and founder of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative from 2002-2010 and served as Honorary President of Oxfam International from 2002-2012. She was Chancellor of the University of Dublin from 1998 to 2019.

Mary Robinson serves as Patron of the International Science Council and Patron of the Board of the Institute of Human Rights and Business, is an Ambassador for The B Team, in addition to being a board member of several organisations including the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and the Aurora Foundation. Recently she became joint Honorary President of the Africa Europe Foundation. Mary’s memoir, ‘Everybody Matters’ was published in September 2012 and her book, ‘Climate Justice - Hope, Resilience and the Fight for a Sustainable Future’ was published in September 2018. She is also co-host of a podcast on the climate crisis, called ‘Mothers of Invention’.

Sameh Shoukry is Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2014, and is the President Designate of COP27. He brings a wealth of experience in global security issues and multilateral diplomacy being Egypt’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva (2005-2008) and Ambassador to Austria (1999-2003), where he was Egypt’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Governor of Egypt on the board of the IAEA, Chairman of the Group of 77 & China to international organizations in Vienna (2001-2002), and Head of Egypt’s delegation for the Negotiations on the International Treaty to Combat Transnational Organized Crime in Vienna (2000). He was Egypt’s Ambassador to the United States (2008-2012), and served throughout his diplomatic career at Egypt’s embassies in London, Buenos Aires, as well as Egypt’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. He was Sherpa to the 2014 Hague Nuclear Security Summit and the 2014 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit.

Adriana Erthal Abdenur is a Brazilian policy expert and the co-founder and Executive Director of Plataforma CIPÓ, an independent, women-led institute based in Brazil and dedicated to issues of climate, governance and peace in Latin America and across the Global South. She is also a Senior Policy Fellow at the United Nations University Center for Policy Research (UNU-CPR), where her work focuses on global governance innovation around forests. She is currently serving a second term in the UN ECOSOC Committee on Development Policy (CDP). Dr. Abdenur is also a member of the Climate Governance Commission and the Strategic Advisory Board of the Weathering Risk initiative. She has published widely on the UN system, South-South cooperation,and peacebuilding. She is the co-editor of Climate and Security in Latin America and the Caribbean (iCS, 2019) and Emerging Powers at the UN (Routledge, 2015). Abdenur earned her Doctorate from Princeton University and is the mother of two.

Ravi Agrawal is the editor in chief of Foreign Policy. Before joining FP, Agrawal worked at CNN for more than a decade, including his most recent position as the network’s New Delhi bureau chief and correspondent. Previously, he served as a senior producer in CNN’s New York and London bureaus, receiving a Peabody Award and three Emmy nominations for his work. Agrawal is the author of India Connected: How the Smartphone Is Transforming the World’s Largest Democracy. He is a graduate of Harvard University.

Dr. Mayesha Alam is Vice President of Research at FP Analytics, Foreign Policy’s independent research and advisory division. She helped establish and served as deputy director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, and previously also worked with the UN, World Bank, OSCE, and various NGOs. Dr. Alam is the author of two books and numerous reports on conflict, climate change, gender, democracy, and development. Her commentary has featured in CNN, NPR, The Washington Post, and Newsweek, among others. A Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research, Dr. Alam has taught at Georgetown University and New York University. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from Yale University.

Inger Andersen is Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.
Between 2015 and 2019, Ms. Andersen was the Director-General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Ms. Andersen has more than 30 years of experience in international development economics, environmental sustainability, strategy and operations. She has led work on a range of issues including agriculture, environmental management, biodiversity conservation, climate change, infrastructure, energy, transport, and water resources management and hydro-diplomacy.
Between 1999 and 2014, Ms. Andersen held several leadership positions  at the World Bank including Vice President of the Middle East and North Africa; Vice President for Sustainable Development and Head of the CGIAR Fund Council. Prior to her 15 years at the World Bank, Ms. Andersen worked 12 years at the United Nations, first on drought and desertification, beginning with the UN Sudano-Sahelian Office. In 1992, she was appointed UNDP’s Water and Environment Coordinator for the Arab Region.
Ms. Andersen holds a Bachelors from the London Metropolitan University North and a Masters in Development Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Dr René Arnold is Vice President Public Affairs Strategy at Huawei Technologies. He develops thought leadership insights on how digitalization can help to combat climate change for Huawei. Early-on in his career, René was involved in developing and applying sustainability certifications in Germany. Prior to joining Huawei, he spent ten years working at high-profile think tanks in Germany (German Economic Institute and WIK) and Brussels (Bruegel) where his research focused on platform economy, internet policy and digital sustainability. He has (co-)authored more than 100 conference papers, journal articles and white papers and is a frequent speaker at both academic and industry events.

An internationally-recognized energy expert, Dr. Benson serves as Deputy Director for Energy & Chief Strategist for the Energy Transition at Office of Science and Technology Policy. Trained as an earth scientist and engineer, she is an expert on wide variety of topics related to energy and the environment. For the past 25 years, she has focused on deep decarbonization of the global energy system. She comes to OSTP from Stanford University where she is the Precourt Family Professor of Energy Resources Engineering, in the School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences. During her time at Stanford, she was also the Director of the Global Climate and Energy Project, a research program focused on discovering and developing new technologies for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from the energy system. Prior to joining Stanford University, she was at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where she held many positions, including Earth Sciences Division Director, Associate Laboratory Director for Energy Sciences, and Deputy Director for Operations. She has been a coordinating lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and a member of several National Academies of Sciences studies related to energy and the environment, most recently the study on Negative Emissions Technologies and Reliable Sequestration.

Tyler Booth is a Chevening Scholar for 2021/2022 and is studying towards a MSc in Climate Change and Environmental Policy at the University of Leeds. She holds a BSc and BMedSci (Hons) from the University of Cape Town (UCT). In 2021, Tyler co-lead a team of young people in developing the first ever South African Youth Climate Action Plan (SA YCAP). This built on her prior experience as a lead drafter of the Joburg Youth Climate Action Plan, an innovative youth policy engagement process which was formally included in the City of Johannesburg’s Climate Action Plan. As the previous focal point for the Youth Policy Committee Climate Change Working group, she headed the development of multiple youth statements on climate change, just transitions, green recovery and the Nationally Determined Contributions. She has represented her alma mater, UCT, to the U7+ Alliance of World Universities as a speaker in their Intergenerational Roundtable Series and again in U7+ events at COP26. Tyler has represented the youth of South Africa as part of the country’s national delegation to COP25 and COP26, where she followed the both the Gender and Agriculture negotiations and hosted several youth-centered side events at COP26.

Allison Carlson is the Managing Director of FP Analytics, Foreign Policy’s independent research and advisory division, and FP Events. She oversees FPA’s cross-cutting research at the intersection of policy, technology, and global markets, as well as Foreign Policy’s global dialogues and convenings. Prior to these roles, Ms. Carlson led FP Analytics' energy and technology team for over a decade, evaluating evolving climate and emissions policies and identifying opportunities for advanced technology deployment internationally. She received her Master's Degree from The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in International Relations and International Economics. An avid public speaker, she has presented her work at a range of international conferences and before the United States Senate.

Adam is Uber's global lead on sustainability policy. He’s based in San Francisco.

Sustainability and cross-disciplinary engagement are running themes throughout his work experience in the nonprofit, government, and for-profit sectors. Prior to joining Uber, he worked for five years helping investors build impact investing portfolios with positions at Goldman Sachs Wealth Management, Imprint Capital (a boutique investment advisory firm acquired by Goldman), and the Global Impact Investing Network (a research and advocacy nonprofit). Before impact investing, he spent seven years engaged in efforts to commercialize zero emission vehicle technologies with positions at the California Fuel Cell Partnership (a public-private partnership), the California Air Resources Board, and UTC Fuel Cells (a United Technologies Company). He holds an MBA from NYU Stern, an MPA from NYU Wagner, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and materials science from UC Davis. Adam is proud to sit on the board of Veloz, a nonprofit dedicated to accelerating the shift to electric cars through public-private collaboration, public engagement and education.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi assumed office on 3 December 2019.

Mr Grossi is a diplomat with over 35 years of experience in the field of non-proliferation and disarmament. In 2013, he was appointed Ambassador of Argentina to Austria and Argentine Representative to the IAEA and other Vienna-based International Organizations.

In 2019, Mr Grossi acted as President Designate of the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and from 2014 to 2016 he served as president of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, where he was the first president to serve two successive terms. In 2015, he presided over the Diplomatic Conference of the Convention on Nuclear Safety, securing unanimous approval for the Vienna Declaration on Nuclear Safety – a milestone in international efforts in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.

From 2010 to 2013, he served as Assistant Director General for Policy and Chief of Cabinet at the IAEA. Previously, he held several senior positions in the Argentine Foreign Service, including as Political Affairs Director General from 2007 to 2009.

Mr Grossi was Chief of Cabinet at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague from 2002 to 2007. Prior to this, he held several positions within the Argentine Foreign Ministry after joining in 1985, including Chief of Embassy in Belgium and Luxembourg from 1998 to 2002, and Argentine representative to NATO from 1998 to 2001 and Argentine Alternate Representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. Ambassador Grossi led several UN Groups of Governmental Experts on Conventional Arms.

Ken Hartwick is OPG’s President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Ken joined OPG in March 2016 as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President - Finance. He was appointed President and CEO in April 2019. Under Ken’s tenure, OPG has released its first-ever Climate Change Plan, advanced its electrification efforts through the Ivy charging partnership and PowerON subsidiary, launched a Reconciliation Action Plan, and is currently leading the development of Canada’s first Small Modular Reactor. The company is also undertaking multi-billion dollar overhauls of its hydroelectric and Darlington Nuclear generating stations. The four-unit Darlington refurbishment, one of Canada’s largest clean energy infrastructure projects, remains on time and budget. Ken is currently leading OPG’s commitment to be a global leader in ED&I best practices and one of Canada’s best diversity employers. Ken joined OPG from Wellspring Financial Corporation, where he was CFO and Treasurer. He held various senior positions in the energy sector, including interim President and CEO of Atlantic Power Corporation, CFO and CEO of Just Energy Corporation, and CFO of Hydro One. Ken previously held senior positions at Capgemini and was a partner at Ernst & Young LLP. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant with an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Trent University and serves on a number of boards. Originally from Norwood, Ontario (near Peterborough), Ken now lives in Milton with his wife. He has three grown children.

Stacy Kauk, P.Eng. is the Head of Sustainability at Shopify and joined in January 2020. She also serves on the advisory board of the Carbon Management Research Initiative (CaMRI) at Columbia University. Prior to joining Shopify, Stacy was head of the Ozone Layer Protection Program at Environment and Climate Change Canada. Previously, Stacy worked on several chemicals management regulatory initiatives and represented Canada as a member of delegations for the Stockholm Convention and Montreal Protocol.

Stacy began her career as a practicing engineer designing environmental protection measures and pollution prevention controls for a variety of industry sectors. She has worked for the City of Ottawa, Morrison Hershfield, and Golder Associates. Stacy holds a Bachelor of Engineering and Masters in Public Administration from Carleton University.

Maria Korsnick is NEI’s president and chief executive officer.
Drawing on her engineering background, hands-on experience in reactor operations and a deep knowledge of energy policy and regulatory issues, Korsnick aims to increase understanding of nuclear energy’s economic and environmental benefits among policymakers and the public.
Before joining NEI, she was senior vice president of Northeast Operations for Exelon Corp., responsible for overseeing operation of the Calvert Cliffs 1 and 2, R.E. Ginna, and Nine Mile Point 1 and 2 nuclear power plants.
Before Exelon, Korsnick served as chief nuclear officer (CNO) and acting chief executive officer at Constellation Energy Nuclear Group. She began her career at Constellation in 1986 and held positions of increasing responsibility, including engineer, operator, manager, site vice president, corporate vice president and CNO.
Korsnick holds a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Maryland and has held a senior reactor operator license.

David Kovatch serves as the Director for Energy Transformation in the National Security Council’s Climate and Energy Directorate where he advances clean energy and energy security initiatives as key pillars to U.S. foreign policy and national security. David previously served as the Department of Energy (DOE) Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, where he advanced U.S. clean energy policy priorities with the Mexican government.  He has also served as the inaugural DOE Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in London and as a DOE Senior Advisor for Western Hemisphere energy issues. Prior to his career in energy, David managed international nuclear nonproliferation projects and served as a staff assistant to the Deputy Administrator in the National Nuclear Security Administration.

David holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of
International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is an Americorps alumni and speaks Spanish and Swedish.

Maggie Lake is a veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering business, technology, politics, and international affairs. She started her career at Reuters, where she worked in both the New York and London bureaus covering economics and global finance. In 2001, she joined CNN International, where she served as a correspondent and anchor for the network’s flagship business shows. Over the course of her career, she has interviewed the world’s top CEOs, celebrities, and politicians and has been a consistent champion of economic inclusion and sustainable development. She has served as a weekly contributor for NPR and moderated events for the United Nations, World Bank, Council on Foreign Relations, and Global Citizen. She now runs the communications consultancy Maggie Lake Media and is a founding board member of the newly created Rutgers University Center for Women in Business.

Dr. Hani S. Mahmassani holds the William A. Patterson Distinguished Chair in Transportation at Northwestern University, where he is Director of the Northwestern University Transportation Center, and Director of the US-DOT Center of Excellence on Telemobility. Prior to Northwestern, he served on the faculties of the University of Maryland and the University of Texas at Austin. He has over 40 years of professional, academic and research experience in the areas of intelligent transportation systems, freight and logistics systems, multimodal systems modeling and optimization, pedestrian and crowd dynamics and management, traffic science, demand forecasting and travel behavior, and real-time operation of transportation and distribution systems. He is past editor-in-chief of Transportation Science, senior editor of IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, founding (past) associate editor and current scientific board member of Transportation Research C: Emerging Technologies, Distinguished Advisory Board Member of Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, and associate editor of Transportation Research Record. He is a past president of the Transportation Science Section of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, a past President of the International Association for Travel Behavior Research, and the Convenor-elect of the ISTTT International Advisory Committee. He was the recipient of a Distinguished Alumnus Award of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture of the American University of Beirut in 2006, the Intelligent Transportation Systems Outstanding Application Award of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 2010, the Transportation Research Board (TRB)’s Thomas Deen Distinguished Lectureship in 2016, TRB’s Roy Crum Award for Distinguished Service in 2022, and a Distinguished Engineering Alum of Purdue in 2022. He was elected Emeritus member of TRB committees on Telecommunications and Travel Behavior (2006), Transportation Network Modeling (2007), and Traveler Behavior and Values (2008). He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2021 “for contributions to modeling of intelligent transportation networks and to interdisciplinary collaboration in transportation engineering”. Mahmassani received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in transportation systems and MS in transportation engineering from Purdue University.

Jeffrey (Jeff) Morrison is vice president, GM Global Purchasing and Supply Chain (GPSC), a position he has held since April 2022.

Morrison is responsible for the strategic direction of GM’s worldwide purchasing, supply chain and logistics operations. He is focused on managing GM’s $75* billion annual supply chain spend. Morrison’s team collaborates with more than 13,000* global suppliers to deliver exceptional vehicle quality, innovation and value to GM customers, along with a commitment to achieve long-term sustainability and accelerating diversity and inclusion in the supply base. Under Morrison’s direction, GM is building a strong, resilient and scalable EV supply chain to support GM’s goal to lead the industry in electrification.

In the most recent North American OEM-Tier 1 Supplier Working Relationship Index, a widely recognized benchmark, GM saw a 20-point increase year-over-year and demonstrated continuous improvement in key areas, including OEM Communications and OEM-Supplier Relationships. Additionally, GM was the first automotive OEM to establish a Supplier Diversity program in 1968. Since then, GM has spent more than $100 billion with Tier 1 diverse suppliers.

Prior to this role, Morrison was Executive Director, Global Electrification & Battery Systems, where he was responsible for GM’s global electrified vehicle hardware development, which includes overall electric vehicle propulsion calibration and driving performance.

Morrison has over 25 years of experience in the global automotive industry and has worked for GM since 2006. He has led global engineering, procurement and logistics organizations for GM in the U.S. and Germany. His previous assignments include executive roles in Electrical Systems and Advanced Technology, Strategic Planning, Chassis Systems and Global Logistics.

Prior to joining GM, Morrison spent 10 years in various engineering, commercial and consulting roles across the auto industry, leading strategic projects for global OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers and financial investors on a wide range of technical and business issues. He began his career in 1996 at the Chrysler Corporation. He also spent time at Federal-Mogul, a leading Tier 1 powertrain supplier, and Ricardo Strategic Consulting.

Morrison holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

William Neale is Adviser on Circular Economy and Green Growth for the European Commission’s Environment Directorate General. He is currently mostly occupied with preparation of the Sustainable Products Initiative and Digital Product passport, the Sustainable Finance Taxonomy, and the circular economy in relation to digital policy, employment policy, and European funding. He served 11 years as a Member of Cabinet of 2 European Commissioners; firstly for Janez Potočnik as Commissioner for Science and Research, then as Commissioner for Environment; then for Karmenu Vella as Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. In cabinets he variously held responsibility for relations with the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers, planning, resources and budget, and advised Commissioners on circular economy, resource efficiency, sustainable production and consumption, environmental technologies, eco-innovation, waste policy, transport, aeronautics, research infrastructures and external relations. Mr. Neale started his career in public service working for 7 years in the European Commission's Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry (now DG GROW). He previously spent 13 years in the private sector in the fields of international banking, retail, social enterprise and management consultancy. He holds a B.A.(Hons) degree in economics and history, and an M.A.(Econ) both from the University of Manchester (UK).

Robert Niven is the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of CarbonCure Technologies, the global leader in carbon dioxide (CO₂) removal technologies for the concrete industry. Rob founded the company in 2012 with the simple goal of making concrete sustainability both profitable and easy for industry. With Rob at the helm, CarbonCure and its partners are achieving their mission to reduce 500 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually by 2030.

Under his direction, CarbonCure has won numerous international awards honouring leadership in sustainability, innovation and technology development including the $20M NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, Cleantech Group's 2020 North American Company of the Year, the BloombergNEF New Energy Pioneers Award and recognition as one of the Top 100 Global Cleantech Companies for seven consecutive years.

Featured as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 for his leadership in CO₂ utilization, Rob holds an MSc in Environmental Engineering from McGill University and a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Victoria, British Columbia. In his spare time, Rob is an avid outdoors enthusiast and devotes his time to nature conservation and environmental community events.

Reena is a television journalist who has worked as a White House correspondent, foreign reporter, and news anchor for ABC, CBS, and Fox News. She has reported around the world from India to Israel, Libya to Lebanon. She was the anchor, most recently, of the CBS evening news on Saturday nights. She is the founder of Good Trouble Productions, a media company focused on creating content with purpose.

Dr. Ould-Dada is currently Deputy Director in the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome. Before joining FAO, he worked as Head of Technology Unit at UNEP in Paris for 5 years. Prior to that, he worked for the British Government for 15 years holding several senior positions at Department of Energy and Climate Change; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Food Standards Agency; Environment Agency; and Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. He also worked for the French Government on international climate change during France Presidency of the European Union in 2008.
His 23 years international work experience covers a wide range of fields including climate change; energy policy; technology and innovation; agriculture and food security; environmental policy; radiation protection; and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.
Dr. Ould-Dada is renowned internationally for his strong diplomatic and moderating skills and ability to build collaborative partnerships. His international responsibilities include UK Lead Negotiator on technology and Chair of climate change negotiations under the UNFCCC; Chair of European Union Expert Group on Technology; Chair of IRENA’s Policy and Strategy Committee; Member of International Energy Agency’s Renewable Energy Working Party; Member of UN Inter-Agency Task Team for implementation of Technology Facilitation Mechanism under the 2030 Agenda; and Member of UN Inter-Agency Task Team to develop a UN System-wide Approach to Climate Action for the UN Secretary General’s Climate Action Summit 2019.
Dr. Ould-Dada has a BSc in Environmental Engineering from Institut Universitaire de Technologie, Perpignan, France; Master Degree in Environmental Management and Planning, Université de Rennes, France; and PhD in Radiation Protection from Imperial College, London, UK.

Annelise Riles is Northwestern University’s Associate Provost for Global Affairs, the Executive Director of the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, and a professor of law and anthropology. Her scholarship spans a wide range of substantive areas including human rights, managing and accommodating cultural differences, and the regulation of the global financial markets. Dr. Riles has conducted legal and anthropological research in China, Japan and the Pacific and speaks Chinese, Japanese, French, and Fijian. She is also the founder and director of Meridian-180, a multilingual forum for transformative leadership. She received an AB from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, a MSc in Social Anthropology from the London School of Economics, a JD from Harvard Law School, and a PhD in Social Anthropology from University of Cambridge.

Susan Sadigova is Foreign Policy’s Vice President of Strategic Development. She is responsible for developing long-term institutional partnerships with public and private sectors through FP Magazine, www.foreignpolicy.com, FP Analytics, and FP events. She is also in charge of developing custom programs tailored to specific client challenges. Susan has more than 10 years of business development and international government relations experience with US federal agencies, foreign governments and the private sector. Prior to joining FP, she ran an American non-profit with 55+ member companies focused on Eurasia-US relationships, assisting with market entry, partner identification, financing and investment, contracts and proposals. Prior to that, she spent two years with British Embassy in Baku as a Manager for Government Relations on behalf of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Susan also has extensive event management and public speaking experience. She is fluent in English, Russian, Turkish and Azerbaijani. Susan holds a Master’s degree in International Public Policy from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University.

Tony’s Chocolonely exists to revolutionize the chocolate industry and make 100% slave free the norm in chocolate. Not just their own chocolate, but all chocolate worldwide. As Impactus Prime, Paul is first in line to make change happen: leading Tony’s impact strategy and heading up the Impact team.
On the surface, Impact is all about outcomes and effects. But at its heart, it’s all about relationships. From collaborating with the cocoa farmers who supply Tony’s – including all programs and activities involving partner cooperatives in Ghana and Ivory Coast — to working with governments, NGOs and certifiers to accelerate change in the industry. Including working to get legislation in place that holds companies accountable for human rights violations in their supply chains.
Paul and his team also measure the impact of Tony’s 5 Sourcing Principles (100% traceable beans, paying a higher price that enables a living income, strong farmers, long-term relationships and quality & productivity). Not just reporting on progress, but improving on it by using the data to do things better.

When he’s not shaking up the cocoa industry, Paul is usually running, camping or making his own furniture.

Veronica Scotti was appointed Chairperson, Public Sector Solutions in July 2018. Public Sector Solutions is committed to helping national, provincial and municipal governments, public entities as well as international organisations develop innovative risk transfer solutions to strengthen societal resilience, both in advanced and developing economies. It promotes financial inclusion by improving access to insurance for risk-exposed low-income communities. Veronica joined Swiss Re in 1999 in London through the group acquisition of Fox-Pitt Kelton, a boutique investment bank. She gained her reinsurance experience following her move to Zurich in 2002, with roles in asset management, strategy, risk management and products. From 2007 she held client-facing positions in Zurich, as Head of Business Development EMEA and Key Account Manager Globals, before moving in 2013 to New York to become Client Executive, MD, with global responsibility for some of SwissRe’s largest clients.In 2015 Veronica was appointed President and CEO of Canada and the English Caribbean based in Toronto. Prior to joining Swiss Re, Veronica worked in investment banking in the UK, Switzerland and Italy with Banque Paribas, Union Bank of Switzerland and Bancodi Napoli. She holds an MBA from the SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, and a master's degree in International Commerce from the Naval University Institute, Naples, Italy.

WRI Distinguished Senior Fellow Frances Seymour is one of the world’s foremost authorities on sustainable development whose extensive research, leadership and management experience has given her a deep understanding of the environment-related opportunities and challenges facing developing countries. Her current work focusses on harnessing the potential of forests to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, including mobilizing REDD+ finance, understanding non-carbon pathways through which forests affect climate, ending commodity-driven deforestation, and cultivating awareness among urban constituencies of forest benefits to cities. She is an active participant and frequent speaker in international policy arenas related to forestry, agriculture, and climate change.  Other areas of expertise include development finance and environmental procedural rights.

Andrew Sollinger is Foreign Policy’s Publisher and CEO. He joined FP in March 2018 to oversee all revenue generating efforts through subscriptions, sponsorships, advertising, events, podcasts and new ventures. Most recently at Business Insider as EVP – Subscriptions, Andrew previously ran the business side of Politico’s Capital New York acquisition (now Politico New York), was Managing Director – Americas at the Financial Times, and helped build and sell the digital startup Money Media to FT. He started his media career as a journalist at Institutional Investor, and was based in New York, London and Hong Kong. He has extensive experience in management, product development, digital and subscription sales, research, and in setting strategy.

Kimberly Marion Suiseeya is an environmental social scientist with expertise in environmental justice, global environmental politics, environmental governance, Indigenous politics, and interdisciplinary, community-driven research. Her research examines how Indigenous communities shape and are impacted by multilateral environmental agreements like the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. She is a Commission Member of the IUCN’s Commission on Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy, a Research Fellow with the Earth System Governance project, and a member of the Earth System Governance project’s Planetary Justice Taskforce. Dr. Marion Suiseeya is also an experienced policy practitioner who has worked and conducted research in Guyana, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and the US. She received a BA from Scripps College, a MA in International Environmental Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Affairs, and a PhD in Environment from Duke University.

Frank Terhorst serves as Head of Strategy and Sustainability for the Crop Science division. He is Based in Monheim, Germany, he leads efforts to drive a long-term strategy that builds value for farmers worldwide.
Frank has worked at Bayer for over 25 years in the agriculture industry, bringing deep experience in crop strategy, crop protection, seeds and traits, strategic business initiatives, business modeling, mergers and acquisitions, licensing and lifecycle crop management. After beginning his career in crop protection in Germany, Terhorst held various positions in global portfolio management, marketing and controlling, as well as Managing Director/Country Head roles based in the Netherlands and Italy. In 2011, he served as Head of Strategy for Fruits and Vegetables and Insecticides in Germany before becoming Global Head of Seeds.
In Frank’s role as Head of Strategy and Sustainability for the crop science division he works to ensure that sustainability continues to be embedded further into the heart of our business. He is committed to enabling farmers, both large and small scale, to have the tools and know-how they need to provide food security and create a more sustainable future for agriculture.
Terhorst is married with one son. He enjoys running, diving, golf and traveling. Terhorst speaks five languages: German, English, Italian, Dutch and Spanish.

Carolina Urrutia has more than 20 years of experience working on environmental and sustainability issues, most recently as the Bogotá's Secretary of the Environment. Prior to this post, she was the director of Parques CómoVamos, an alliance between NGOs to advocate for Colombia’s National Park System. She has previously also led the environmental unit at Colombia’s National Planning Department.

Carolina Urrutia holds a master’s in public policy (MPP) from Harvard’s Kennedy School.

Fiona has over 20 years’ experience in multinational oil and gas and resources companies, ranging from frontline operational management to corporate strategic development across a variety of countries and businesses. Born in Liverpool, UK, she holds a degree and PhD in Chemistry from the University of Edinburgh. She joined BHP in 2010 as Senior Manager, Environment and was successfully appointed to the role of Vice President, Environment and Climate Change in February 2013. In April 2016, she was appointed to a new role as Vice President, Sustainability and Climate Change. She now leads the design and implementation of BHP’s climate change strategy. She began her career with oil and gas major BP in Aberdeen, UK. She worked for several years in various operational roles in upstream exploration and downstream refining businesses, before taking a corporate environment and climate change policy role at BP's headquarters in London. Fiona also holds several Board positions, including as a Director of IETA, which aims to build international policy and market frameworks for reducing greenhouse gases at lowest cost, represented BHP at the International Council of Mining and Metals and is Deputy Chair of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute. In December 2015, she was appointed to the Financial Stability Board’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, reporting to the G20. The Task Force released its recommendations in June 2017 (www.fsb-tcfd.org) which serve as a template for how financial and non-financial companies should disclose climate-related information to ensure financial risk can be better measured and managed.

Nudhara Yusuf is facilitator of the Global Governance Innovation Network (GGIN), as well as Global Youth Coordinator at the Coalition for the UN We Need, and Research Assistant with the Global Governance, Justice & Security Program at the Stimson Center. She is also honorary advisor to the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY. Nudhara previously worked with the UNDP’s SDG Integration Team and the Regional Bureau for the Asia Pacific Strategic Foresight Unit and is a Dean’s list graduate of Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University College London. She further spent time at Yale University as a youth Scholar researching the 2030 Agenda, and recently presented on behalf of youth and civil society at the President of the General Assembly’s Our Common Agenda Dialogues. Founder and trustee of several grassroot NGOs and CSOs across the India and UK, her research and advocacy primarily focuses on the role of globalization and development in shifting the multilateral architecture and engaging youth in governance.