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.
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.
Korrin Davis is a Project Officer for C40’s Good Green Jobs programme, working to increase equitable, sustainable and secure employment opportunities throughout cities. She is responsible for supporting these efforts through coordination and research and contributing to knowledge projects.
Korrin received her B.S. in business management at San Diego State University and her M.S. in regenerative studies at California Polytechnic University, Pomona. Throughout her studies, she worked as a program coordinator for Tree San Diego, a nonprofit that works to increase the quantity and quality of urban trees equitably throughout San Diego County.
Most recently, Korrin was a California Sea Grant State Fellow for the California Coastal Commission, where she worked on projects relating to environmental justice, tribal affairs, public education, and offshore wind. She is passionate about implementing environmental justice considerations into all aspects of her work.
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.
As Senior Manager for C40’s Public Transport Network, Louise supports member cities in making the case for public transport investment and designing policies that prioritise, improve and enhance public transport. She is also collaborating with C40’s Campaigns team and the International Transport Workers’ Federation on The Future Is Public Transport campaign.
Prior to joining C40, Louise worked at WhereIsMyTransport, leading the company’s partnership strategy with multilateral development banks, philanthropic groups and private sector companies to support the delivery of sustainable urban mobility projects in developing cities, focusing specifically on informal transport systems. Before joining this mobility technology company, Louise worked as an economic development consultant, supporting public sector organisations across the UK to address their urbanisation challenges.
Louise holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the London School of Economics, and a Bachelor’s in Political Science and Management from McGill University.
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.
Lucy is responsible for C40’s Sustainable Investments Programme, including C40’s Divesting from Fossil Fuels, Investing in a Sustainable Future network and Accelerator: a group of global cities representing +US$500 billion of municipal and public pension fund assets committed to leveraging their climate leadership to divest money from fossil fuels and rapidly scale up investment in a greener, fairer future. The work also helps cities understand how they can attract private and institutional capital.
Previously Lucy led the Investment Leaders Group at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) – a network of asset managers and owners with +US$12 trillion AUM advocating for sustainable investment through applied research. Prior to CISL Lucy was Head of ESG for Savills Investment Management.
Lucy has an MSc from University College London in Environment and Sustainable Development. She has spent time in Freetown, Sierra Leone building capacity in local urban communities in response to flooding and intersecting climate crises.
Lucy Petty is a Climate Resilience Programme Officer in the Climate Solutions & Networks team at C40.
Before joining C40, Lucy worked as a Programme Management Associate at Chemonics International in London, where she supported a range of predominately UKAID-funded programmes in a project management capacity, including primary education in Syria, governance programmes in Mozambique and mobilising ESG finance in emerging markets.
Lucy joins us with a BA in Human Geography from Newcastle University, where she was awarded the Royal Geographical Society’s Developing Areas Research Group (DARG) prize for her dissertation exploring the viability of ‘Responsible Volunteering’ as a development solution in Zanzibar. She also holds an MSc in Development Studies from SOAS University, where she focussed on gendered vulnerabilities to the changing climate and adaptation solutions in small-holder farming communities across the ‘Dry Corridor’ region in Central America.
Outside of work, Lucy enjoys escaping London to the countryside, catching up with friends over a glass of wine and practising yoga.
Luisa Miranda Morel is the Inclusive Climate Action Senior Manager for Breathe Cities, working across C40 Cities’ Inclusive Climate Action (ICA) and Air Quality teams. In this role, Luisa is responsible for driving the integration of ICA through the design and implementation of local actions at the nexus between air quality, health, and social justice, in cities in Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia and Latin America. Luisa has been with C40 since 2019. Before joining C40, Luisa worked with several civil society organisations including CARE International, The Philippine Alliance and TECHO Colombia. Luisa holds a Master’s in ‘Building and Urban Design for Development’ from the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London (UCL).
Lusanda Madikizela serves as the Senior Programme Manager for the TUMI E-Bus Mission, supporting selected Deep Dive Cities with electric bus deployment, and ensuring readiness for 100 000 e-buses by 2025. Lusanda is an Urban Planner who has previously worked in various roles as a development planner, a property manager and as a transport planner.
In her longest role with a national government, she worked closely with different cities, supporting them with transport planning as well as the development and implementation of public transport plans and operations. Her experience also includes mega-event transport planning and management, as a previous project leader for transport operations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and working closely with transport operators, to establish a public transport operations company for Bus Rapid Transit.
Lusanda is a former non-executive Director of the Tshwane Housing Company, an affordable, social housing provider, and maintains a keen interest in the development and growth of this housing sub-sector in Africa. She has a BSc Hons in Urban and Regional Planning, a Master of Urban Studies: Urban Management, both from Wits University and a post-graduate Certificate in Executive Development. She enjoys travelling, viewing public/street art and architecture, and attending live music shows.
Majka Wankiewicz is the Programme Officer in C40’s Ports & Shipping team, where she supports the overall coordination and delivery of the programme, internal and external reporting, stakeholder engagement activities, and preparation of communications outputs.
Majka joined C40 in 2023 as the Europe region’s intern – a role in which she supported the Regional Director and Deputy Regional Director in facilitating climate action efforts and engagement of C40’s European cities, as well as C40’s work on EU advocacy. She then served as interim Urban Planning and Design Officer, supporting the UPD team in team coordination and work planning.
Originally from Poland, Majka currently resides in London, UK. She has a BA in International Relations from King’s College London, where she specialised in international political economy and EU policy.
Mallika serves as a Fundraising Assistant, based in London, where she is responsible for due diligence/prospect research on funder prospects, identifying fundraising leads and opportunities, and reporting on the philanthropic landscape.
Prior to joining C40, Mallika was a Research and Engagement Assistant at Consumers International in their sustainable food systems team, where she worked on projects that aimed to improve the accessibility, affordability and availability of safe, sustainable and healthy food across the world.
Mallika holds an MSc in Development Studies at SOAS University of London, where she was particularly engaged in units in agricultural development, feminist politics and postcolonial studies. She also holds a BSc in Economics and Management from the University of Bristol.