Our Team

Elyse is the Senior Programme Manager for Green Shipping and Ports, where she is responsible for engaging and promoting shipping and port decarbonization. She has experience working with both public and private stakeholders at the intersection of international collaboration, climate risk, and green shipping corridors.

Prior to joining the C40 team, Elyse managed decarbonization projects with the First Movers team at the Global Maritime Forum. She was a key contributor to the Zero-Emission Shipping Mission’s Blueprint for Future Ports Programme, and part of the team driving the Poseidon Principles initiatives.

Originally from the midwest US, Elyse now lives in Copenhagen, Denmark. She has a BA in Global Studies from Appalachian State University in North Carolina and an MSc in Security Risk Management and Environmental Governance from the University of Copenhagen.

is the Director of Climate Action Engagement. In this post, she works across the teams of Climate Solutions and Networks (CSN) and Climate Finance, Knowledge and Partnerships (CFKP) to maximise programme delivery and impact. Emilie also leads the Copenhagen office and oversees regional activities and relations.

Emilie has been with C40 since 2016 with various responsibilities in the Executive Director’s office and as Head of the C40 World Mayors Summit 2019. Prior to joining C40, Emilie worked on cities and climate action in the City of Copenhagen, Danish Ministries and in the Danish green think tank Monday Morning. Emilie is based in Copenhagen and has an MSc in Political Science from the University of Copenhagen and an MA in Cities/Urban Geography from Kings College London.

Emilie serves as C40’s Head of Finance Engagement and Partnerships for the C40 x GCoM Joint Programme. She has 20 years of experience in the fields of diplomacy, sustainable urban development policies and finance, including 13 years in the French national administration. She was previously the Deputy Executive Director and Director of Programmes of the Global Fund for Cities Development – FMDV, a global network of local governments dedicated to urban financing. She designed and managed the work program (€35 million) and led strategic partnerships and global advocacy. In this position, she played a leading role in designing the subnational component of the Finance in Common Initiative (gathering 500 Public Development Banks), as well as in obtaining the recognition of innovative solutions for cities’ climate finance in the climate COPs agenda.

At the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she initiated and negotiated Sustainable Development Goal #11 on sustainable cities, represented the French government in UN fora and managed urban programs in Africa. She has been an Advisor at the Cabinet of the French Minister in charge of Urban policy in deprived areas. She has also been Head of the Environment office at the Prefecture of Seine-Saint-Denis (gathering 40 cities in the Paris metropolitan area). In this position, she oversaw the environmental regulation of 4000 industrial sites, as well as major urban development projects – Olympic facilities, Grand Paris Express (new metro lines) and the rehabilitation of polluted industrial sites.

Emily is C40’s Senior Manager of Strategic Communications, Partnerships & Insights. In this role, she is responsible for developing and executing priority communications campaigns, growing C40’s partner portfolio, supporting the development of data-driven communications, and building the brand with a global audience.

Prior to joining C40, Emily worked at George Washington University, where she managed creative projects for university-wide initiatives and events. Before joining GW, Emily was the Marketing Manager at American Forests, a longstanding conservation organization that creates healthy and resilient forests across the U.S. In this role, she managed communications across various digital channels and worked with internal and external partners to build support for American Forests’ work.

Emily holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Strategic Communication from Ohio University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration with a focus on Nonprofit Management from George Washington University.

Emily serves as the Climate Solutions & Networks Team Officer where she manages the overall Climate Solutions & Networks team coordination. In this role, she supports and tracks communication and knowledge materials for the team. Before this position, Emily worked as the Communications & Events Intern for C40 where she has provided logistical and administrative support for the Global Youth and Mayors Forum, collected and organized content for the new c40.org, and collaborated on technical working groups.

Prior to joining the C40 team, Emily earned her Master’s degree at Columbia University in the Climate and Society program studying the intersection of climate science and communication. As a graduate research assistant, she worked for the Columbia World Projects, ACToday Senegal, to research the effects of climate variability and change on food security. Before graduate school, she worked in Angers, France with the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF) and spent two summers interning with the United States Forest Service. Emily has a BA in Global and International Studies with a focus in human rights and a BS in French and Francophone Studies.

Emily-Jayne serves as Global Events & Special Projects Officer at C40. Based in London, she supports the delivery of C40’s internationally recognised events and those by its mayoral global leadership.

Prior to joining C40, Emily-Jayne served as the Events and Operations Coordinator at the World Energy Council, where she helped to organise the Council’s flagship events, such as the World Energy Congress and World Energy Leader’s Summit.

Emily-Jayne has a degree in Earth & Environmental Science from Lancaster University, with a year spent at the University of Kentucky to focus on Natural Resources.

Emily serves as a Manager within the Business & Innovation team, working across both the City-Business Climate Alliance (CBCA) and the Sustainable Cities Impact Programme (SCIP). In this dual role, she facilitates the delivery of local and global city-business partnerships by conducting research, coordinating events and developing tools and guidance. Prior to this, Emily supported the Climate Action Planning Programme with internal coordination and communication, development of best practice and lessons learned from the different regional programmes as well as support in the development and dissemination of CAP resources. She also supported the C40 City Solutions Platform programme as an Intern in the Business and Innovation team. Emily has an MSc in Climate Change: Environment, Science and Policy from King’s College London, and previously completed a Bachelors in Natural Sciences at Nottingham University. During her degree, she worked as an Explainer at the Science Museum in London, was a presenter at BBC Eco Day in 2019 and completed an international climate entrepreneurship course with EIT Climate-KIC.

Emma serves as Senior Business Manager within the Inclusive Climate Action Team. In this role, she is responsible for the ongoing development, expansion and implementation of C40’s Inclusive Climate Action (ICA) Programme and its grants. This involves leading the management and implementation of the new ICA Cities Fund, leading the programme’s monitoring and evaluation, fundraising and funder relationship and budget management, and supporting the C40-wide priority of ICA mainstreaming.

Prior to the ICA team, Emma was part of the Measurement and Planning team, facilitating the delivery of the Climate Action Planning Programme, supporting communication and reporting to funders, procurement of consultancy services and general team coordination.

Prior to joining C40, Emma worked in science policy at the Royal Society where she supported the secretariat for several standing committees and the coordination of educational policy programmes and has gained experience within the environmental conservation and sustainability field from past internships, including a project development internship for Frontier – the Society for Environmental Exploration. Emma holds a first-class Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Exeter.

Emma believes urban planning is vital for creating green, resilient and thriving cities. In her current role as Senior Manager for Land Use Planning and former role as Manager for Urban Planning and Adaptation Integration, Emma works across C40’s Urban Planning and Design and Resilience teams to provide integrated technical support to C40 cities. Emma is responsible for working with cities and across C40 teams and programmes to mainstream climate adaptation through urban planning.

Prior to joining C40, Emma spent three and a half years at built environment consultancy Arup. There she developed her technical expertise in urban planning for adaptation (and mitigation) through projects working for municipal authorities and international development institutions in the United Kingdom and abroad. She is experienced in advising local governments on how to translate local climate objectives and global best practices into ambitious planning policies. 

Emma is an Associate of the Royal Town Planning Institute (AssocRTPI) and holds First-Class degrees from the London School of Economics (MSc Environment and Development) and the University of Oxford (BA Geography).

Erin MacDermott is the Writer and Editorial Manager for C40’s Knowledge Hub, where C40 captures and disseminates many of its key learnings, best practices, and unique insights into the political economy of climate change in cities.

Prior to joining C40, Erin worked at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) on research communications, media and policy, generating wider external engagement with research on inclusive trade, climate adaptation and digital inclusion in cities.

Previously Erin was based in Madrid, and worked at CrowdFarming, a start-up initiative supporting farmers to switch to more sustainable practices. She holds an MSc in Climate Change, Development and Policy from IDS, and a BSc in Economics and Politics from Bristol University.

Ernesto is the Communications Manager for the UCAP CAI Programme at C40. He coordinates communication activities and visibility strategies, working across the 15 cities supported by the programme and liaising with different teams across C40.

Before joining C40, Ernesto worked at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at the British Consulate in Rio de Janeiro, where he led strategic communications to climate diplomacy, science and innovation bilateral programmes in Brazil funded by the UK government. Prior to that position, he worked with international marketing tourism promotion of Brazil aiming at foreign consumer markets in Europe and in the US.

Ernesto graduated from the Federal University of Minas Gerais with a BA in Communication Studies, Journalism and TV/Radio Broadcasting, and holds a Postgraduate diploma in Tourism Business Management from the University of Brasilia. He is fluent in Portuguese, English and Spanish.

As Adaptation Research Manager, Euan is responsible for establishing the evidence base for adaptation and resilience in cities, helping them identify, target and respond to specific challenges and unlock action to existing and emerging climate risks.

Euan is an experienced international development and urban professional. He previously worked as a consultant on urban resilience projects in East Africa and Southeast Asia for organisations including the FCDO, UCLG and Mercy Corps. He was also involved in supporting country-level and regional urban programmes and projects at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic while working for UN-Habitat in the Asia-Pacific region.

He is passionate about the role of youth and local government in advancing the SDGs and climate justice, having been a Cities Working Group Representative for YOUNGO, the youth constituency of the UNFCCC.

Euan holds a Master’s Degree in Cities and Global Development from the University of Sheffield, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography from Lancaster University.

Fadhil is part of the Breathe Cities Regional Team, which advises and supports the city of Jakarta in implementing Breathe Cities on the ground and delivering ambitious priority air quality actions to meet clean air goals.

Fadhil is deeply passionate about promoting cleaner and healthier urban air quality. He earned his Master of Science in Air Pollution Management and Control from the University of Birmingham, UK. Before joining C40, Fadhil worked at World Resources Institute (WRI) Indonesia as a Senior Air Quality Research Analyst, and he was involved in the USAID’s Clean Air Catalyst programme and WRI’s own Southeast Asia Air Quality Community of Practice Projects, as well as was responsible within science workstream as well as regional engagement. Before that, he also served as the Chief Representative Officer for Indonesia in the Asia Pacific Air Quality Group (APAQ Group), where he was assigned to analyse project leads, identify business opportunities, and provide technical consultation and support to clients, involved in various projects on Air Quality Monitoring Station devices, from US-EPA reference method to indicative low-cost sensor instruments.

Fadhil lives in Jakarta with his wife and two adorable children. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies, playing badminton, and actively participating in scholarship alumni communities. On weekends, he cherishes spending quality time with family, either by taking walks or enjoying outings to the mall.

Fantu is C40 City Advisor for Addis Ababa, based in Addis Ababa.

Prior to joining C40, Fantu worked as Climate Change mainstreaming Team Leader and Senior Ecosystem/Biodiversity Researcher, Environmental pollution researcher and Project Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at Addis Ababa Environmental Protection Authority. In these roles, she coordinated the mainstreaming activities of climate change adaptation and mitigation actions into the city sector’s action plan, and delivered training for city officials in different departments and sectors.

Fantu is a focal person for C40’s air quality technical assistance programme, performing different researches on biodiversity and Environmental pollution. She has published research on the assessment of heavy metal accumulation capacity of selected plant species for phytoremediation along the little Akaki River, case of Addis Ababa. Fantu has worked on additional research to be published on impacts of climate variability on vegetable production nexus climate-smart agricultural technologies long the little Akaki river of Addis Ababa.

Fantu also served as Reform Officer at Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute and as a high school teacher in a private school in Addis Ababa. Fantu holds an MSc in Environmental and Climate Change Management from Civil Service University, a BSc in Biology from Addis Ababa University and a Diploma from Kotebe College of Teachers Education.

Fatmata Mary Kanyako serves as C40’s Administrative Assistant at the Freetown Co-Chairs office, in Freetown, Sierra Leone. She worked as Human Resource Manager in the hospitality industry and was later employed by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change to support the Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr for the past 6 years as Executive Assistant.

Fatmata is an experienced administrative professional with over a decade of experience supporting leaders in the climate service sector. She has a proactive and results-driven approach to her work, backed by an acute knowledge of office systems and procedures. She has excellent organizational and communications skills, ranging from updating and managing information materials to handling official correspondences in an increasingly technology-focused workforce.

Fatmata is dedicated and passionate about her work and is very supportive in achieving Mayor Aki-Sawyerr’s goal to Transform Freetown – Transforming Lives.

Felipe works as a Regions Delivery Officer in the Regions and Mayoral Engagement department, supporting the core global team on a day-to-day basis with the coordination of various activities, including cross-regional analysis and delivery tracking, as well as sharing regional information globally and vice-versa, helping the organisation to achieve its annual goals. Still at C40, Felipe also worked as a Research Officer in the Climate Finance, Knowledge and Partnerships department, supporting C40’s research team to develop and coordinate projects on different themes, such as healthy and efficient buildings, clean and renewable energy transition, and sustainable urban design and mobility.

Among other relevant previous experiences, Felipe served as a Regional Low Carbon Analyst at ICLEI, supporting the implementation and coordination of international cooperation projects related to sustainable urban development for local governments in South America. His work involved elaborating municipal GHG inventories, climate action plans and energy transition roadmaps.

Felipe holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the Federal University of Espírito Santo (Brazil) and an MSc in Environmental Management with emphasis on climate change from Kingston University (London), fully funded by Chevening Scholarships, the UK government’s global awards programme.

Fernanda serves as Programme Manager for the Climate Action Implementation team. In this role, she supports the design and delivery of the Accelerated Implementation strategy and facilitates internal coordination across global and regional teams. Previously, Fernanda acted as Programme Manager for the Climate Action Planning Programme in Latin America, supporting the 9 cities of the region in delivering Paris Agreement-compliant plans. Prior to joining C40, Fernanda worked as National Coordinator to the Governors’ Task Force for Climate and Forest in Brazil, supporting the nine states of the Brazilian Amazon in the international and national climate agenda. She also worked as Executive Secretary to the Conservation Finance Alliance. Fernanda holds a BA in International Relations from PUC-Rio and an MSc inDevelopment Studies from the London School of Economics.

Francesco is C40’s Senior Ecological and Wellbeing Economist, providing evidence and analysis for a progressive economic and policy narrative that supports the transformational change needed to achieve 1.5°C, equitable and resilient cities.

Prior to joining C40, Francesco worked as an economist for Homes England, the UK Government agency responsible for housing and urban regeneration, for PwC, a consultancy, and for the Mayor of London.

Outside of work, Francesco is a steering group member of the Finsbury Park and Stroud Green Neighbourhood Forum, helping to develop a design code and a Neighbourhood Plan for the local community.

Francesco has a MSc in Urban Economic Development from University College London and a BSc in European Economics from the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

Gabriel Lewenstein serves as Senior Manager for North American Communications and Public Affairs at C40. In this capacity, he works with mayors and cities to use communications tools to advance climate action. This includes liaising with mayoral communications teams, identifying opportunities for action and leadership, and highlighting case studies and stories on climate leadership by cities.

Before joining C40, Gabriel worked in city and state government, serving as Chief of Staff to a state legislator, where he managed a legislative portfolio addressing environmental issues, criminal justice reform, and LGBTQ rights. Prior to that, Gabriel worked at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, coordinating with cities around the globe to highlight and advance the creation of sustainable cities.

Gabriel graduated from Tufts University with a degree in International Relations and a focus on urban environmental issues. He is passionate about creating sustainable, equitable, and vibrant cities. In his spare time, he enjoys puns, board games, and baking, and has a lifelong passion for elephants.