John Baimba Sesay is the Senior Manager, Communications, for the C40 Cities Freetown Co-Chair’s Office. In this role, John plays a critical role within C40’s Governance and Communications teams, in showcasing the climate leadership of the C40 co-chair nationally and internationally.
John joined C40 in June 2024. Before that, he was with the United Nations Population Fund’s Sierra Leone Country Office where he was responsible for managing all media and communication-related work. John’s background in information dissemination, cultural diplomacy, and media relations enables him to oversee content creation for print media, broadcast media, and digital media and facilitate high-level media engagements.
John served as the Information Attaché for the Sierra Leone Embassy in the People’s Republic of China for six years. John holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree both in Mass Communications from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone.
Jonathan is the Strategic Communications and Engagement Manager for the Ports and Shipping programme at C40 Cities. He manages Ports and Shipping communications, campaigns, and external engagements.
Previously, Jonathan was Senior Communications and Events Officer at the International Growth Centre and a Research and Programme Officer at the LSE Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa—both at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He has also worked for GIZ and the Munich Climate Insurance Initiative.
His thematic interests include participatory urban planning, climate adaptation and mitigation, political ecology, and decolonial approaches to development. Jonathan has a BA in Social Sciences from Jacobs University Bremen and an MSc in Environment and Development from the LSE.
Jophillene serves as C40’s City Advisor, Climate Change Mitigation for Dar es salaam City in Tanzania. His role involves engaging city officials in implementing the Climate Action Plan, focusing on Mitigation/GHG reducing actions and fulfilment of C40 Leadership Standards.
Prior to C40, he worked with Climate Action Network (CAN) Tanzania striving to engage the private sector, marginalized groups, civil society organizations, the national government and relevant stakeholders to advocate for climate actions in Tanzania. Recently, as a member of several National technical committees, Jophillene ensured reflection and alignment of climate change related international frameworks while developing the National Climate Change Response Strategy (NCCRS) 2021-2026; National Five Years Development Plan 2021-2026; the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and the Bagamoyo District Renewable Energy Action Plan (2020-2025).
For more than 11 years, Jophillene worked with various organizations in Tanzania and Sub-Saharan countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia, Togo, Namibia, DRC, Djibouti and Zimbabwe to articulate social and environmental sustainability aspects. Jophillene holds a MSc. (Environmental Science and Engineering) from the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology and a BSc. (Wildlife Science and Conservation) from the University of Dar es salaam.
Ricardo Cepeda-Márquez serves as C40’s Technical Lead for Waste and Water, where he is the senior expert covering the areas of solid waste, materials management, and urban water management, bringing attention and organizational coordination to the opportunities in GHG emission reduction in these sectors, including the importance of upstream interventions around prevention and reduction of waste, accelerating the transition of cities towards a sustainable materials management vision, the urgency to address methane emissions from landfills and wastewater and the importance of integrated urban water management in cities. Previously, Ricardo served as Head of the Waste & Water Initiative at C40. Before joining C40, Ricardo led the development of the Closure and Landfill Gas Utilization Project at Bordo Poniente, the now-closed Mexico City Landfill, a project that is estimated to reduce more than 20 M tons of GHG emissions in the next 25 years. Ricardo also worked as a Lead Engineer performing hydraulic safety analysis for oil pipeline systems for the Mexican Oil industry – PEMEX, and developing statistical analysis tools for rainfall and drought prediction for municipal planning.
Joselyn is C40’s Transport Project Manager, Zero Emission Freight program in Latin America. She has more than 10 years of experience working as an expert in the design and evaluation of public policies, with emphasis on urban and transportation planning, women’s empowerment, and social impact.
Before joining C40, she held several positions in non-governmental organizations including WRI, the Iberoamerican University, and the federal government of Mexico. She has assisted several Latin American cities in their transition to electric public transportation by participating in the planning of projects like the BRT and cable car systems, which were financed by international agencies like the World Bank and GIZ.
Joselyn holds a PhD in Public Policy from the Center of Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE), a Master’s in Urban Studies from the College of Mexico (COLMEX), and graduated as a Sociology major from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
Joshua West is a Project Officer for C40’s Zero Emission Freight programme, working to help cities overcome barriers to electrifying and decarbonising the freight sector.
Joshua supports city-business collaboration, good, green jobs, and electrification and management of 2 and 3-wheelers, and more widely contributing to the strategy and work plan for the Zero Emission Freight programme in North America and Europe.
He brings over seven years of experience, having held senior sustainability positions across micro-mobility, non-profit partnerships, and higher education institution sectors.
He led TIER’s involvement in the UK government-funded e-bike programme ‘Making Cycling E-asier’ in 2023 and has previously delivered initiatives aligning to air quality, healthy streets, freight, and active travel themes for Cross River Partnership, such as ‘Clean Air Villages’ on behalf of the UK government, and ‘Healthy Streets Everyday’ on behalf of the Mayor of London.
Joshua has a BSc in Conservation Biology from the University of Plymouth and currently resides in Manchester, UK.
As Senior Manager for Inclusive Climate Action (ICA) Forum and Fund, Josu is responsible for the delivery of the ICA Forum peer-to-peer learning mechanism, offering tailored support to member cities as they tackle some of the most difficult and controversial climate and social barriers to deliver a fair and just transition. Josu also oversees the ICA Fund, which provides cities with resources to pilot new and innovative approaches to inclusive climate action that deliver urban innovation for frontline communities.
In his previous roles at C40, Josu led C40’s Global Green New Deal pilot in Europe, providing technical support to Athens, Barcelona, Lisbon, Milan, Paris, and Warsaw to address the current energy crisis and tackle energy poverty. He also served as a City Adviser to Barcelona as part of the first phase of the Global Green New Deal pilot.
Before joining C40, Josu worked for Cuso International as the Inclusive Value Chains Regional Program Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean. Earlier in his career, Josu served as Homelessness Partnering Strategy Project Officer in Vancouver at Vancity Community Foundation, and as a Social Researcher at Simon Fraser University and Pere Tarres Foundation.
Josu completed his BA in Sociology at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and holds a Master’s in Sustainable Community Development from Simon Fraser University, as well as a Master’s in Citizen Participation and Sustainable Development from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
Juan Felipe Caicedo serves as Urban Planning and Design Project Manager in Latin America for C40’s Green and Thriving Neighborhood Programme. His role is to support cities across the region to identify and implement neighbourhood-scale projects with clear climate and well-being benefits.
Before joining C40, Juan spent eight years working with Financial Institutions, National Governments and Cities throughout Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. During this time, he developed his expertise in formulating urban planning policies and structuring sustainable urban infrastructure projects in key sectors such as urban mobility, urban public space, water and sanitation.
Juan holds a degree in Political Sciences and a master’s in Urban Governance from Sciences Po Paris. He is passionate about Latin American culture and speaks Spanish, French, English and Portuguese. In his spare time, you can find him on his bike, exploring the mountains around Bogotá.
Julia serves as Policy, Data and Analysis Senior Manager, delivering data analysis projects for the Inclusive Climate Action team. Previously, Julia worked in the Knowledge Management team at C40, expanding C40’s data and analysis work, externally and internally, with analytics partner Qlik.
Prior to joining C40, Julia worked at the Spanish Medicines Agency. She also contributed to environmental and sustainable development projects with international non-profit organisations, such as Action Against Hunger and Greenpeace.
Julia has an MSc on Environmental Management at London Kingston University, focused on climate change, and holds a Degree in Pharmacy and a Diploma in Public Health.
Julie Ciardullo is the Head of Joint Programme Strategy, where she is responsible for driving strategic development and implementation of the C40 x GCoM Joint Programme. Before joining C40, Julie spent 10 years working for the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, where she was most recently appointed the Director of Climate Resilience. Prior to that, she was a Senior Policy Advisor and the Director of the Office of the C40 Chair during Mayor Eric Garcetti’s term as Chair of C40.
Julie began her career as an attorney, practising corporate law at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP in New York City, and later, served as a fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. She received her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from UCLA.
Julieta is C40’s Executive Office Project Manager for the C40 Inc Board, its Finance and Audit Committee and the UK Board, working on the C40 Internal Communications strategy and various special projects requiring coordination from the Executive Office. Julieta initially joined C40 supporting the 2022 C40 World Mayors Summit delivery and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Her work experience is related to sustainability, working for the City of Buenos Aires with a special focus on healthy mobility, city development and the implementation of cooperation projects with international organisations and strategic stakeholders in the public and private sectors.
She holds a degree in International Relations (USAL – Buenos Aires) and is working on a Master’s Degree in Urban Economics (UTDT – Buenos Aires).
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.
Kate Johnson serves as the Head of US Federal Affairs at C40 Cities. In this role she works with C40 member cities and partners to advance US federal policy that supports cities in achieving their climate goals and support C40’s overall engagement with partners in Washington DC.
Prior to joining C40, Kate served for eight years at the Washington D.C. Department of Energy and Environment where she led an interdisciplinary team charged with achieving D.C.s goal to be carbon neutral and climate resilient.
Prior to her government service, Kate worked for the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy where she launched a program focused on affordable housing and helped to create the City Energy Efficiency Scorecard. Earlier in her career, Kate held a variety of roles advocating for national climate policy at the Sierra Club and Environment America. Kate holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Ekaterina (Katya) Guryeva serves as Team Delivery Officer, Climate Solutions & Networks, at C40. As a key part of her role, she supports CSN teams in coordinating and delivering workshops, webinars, study tours and other core services to C40 cities. Prior to this, Katya was an Events intern at C40, supporting the delivery of the 2022 World Mayors Summit.
Before joining C40, Katya served as Research and Analyst intern at IDeA Foundation Armenia, where she researched the development and financing of urban green space in Yerevan. She has also worked on social impact projects in Russia and Armenia, including co-founding the youth arts camp Caucasus Connect.
Katya holds a BA in European Social and Political Studies from UCL, specialising in Urban Planning, Danish and Spanish. As part of her degree, she also spent a year at the University of Copenhagen studying Landscape Architecture and Urbanism at Master’s level.
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.
