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Stephen Ross
Honorary Chair, Advisory Group, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable
Cities; Board Member, WRI
Chairman and Founder, Related Companies
Stephen M. Ross is the Chairman and Founder of Related Companies.
Formed in 1972, Related is one of the largest owners of affordable
housing in the country and was recently named one of the 50 Most
Innovative Companies in the World by Fast Company Magazine. Ross has
received numerous honors for his business, civic, and philanthropic
activities. He is a director on the board of World Resources Institute
(WRI) and established WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. Ross
serves in many capacities such as Executive Committee and trustee of
Lincoln Center, trustee of both New York-Presbyterian Hospital and the
Guggenheim Foundation, director on the board of the Jackie Robinson
Foundation, and chairperson emeritus of the Real Estate Board of New
York (REBNY). He is frequently recognized by peers and industry
associations for his leadership. In 2013, he pledged to give more than
half of his estate to philanthropic causes and charitable
organizations through the Giving Pledge, a long-term global initiative
created by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates that aims to
inspire deeper engagement in philanthropy and increase charitable
giving globally. Mr. Ross graduated from University of Michigan with a
Bachelor of Business Administration, Wayne State University Law School
with a Juris Doctor degree and from New York University School of Law
with a Master of Laws in Taxation. In 2004, University of Michigan
renamed its business school the Stephen M. Ross School of Business and
in 2011 the university awarded Mr. Ross an honorary degree, Doctor of
Laws.
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Carolina Tohá
Former Mayor of Santiago, Chile
Carolina Tohá presides over the Fundación Instituto Ciudad (City
Institute Foundation), of which Carolina is the founding member, a
recently formed civil society organization dedicated to the promotion
of urban policies centered on people and emphasizing equality and
sustainability. From 2012 to 2016, she served as the Mayor of
Santiago, Chile. During her term, she actively encouraged policies in
favor of a sustainable transit system, prioritizing public transport,
pedestrian and cycling schemes. Tohá also acted as Co-Chair of the
High Level Advisor Group on Sustainable Transport, convened by the
ex-United Nations General Secretary, Ban Ki-moon. Before becoming
mayor, she worked as Minister of the Government’s General
Secretary under the first Michelle Bachelet’s government (2009),
as a Member of Parliament from 2002 to 2009, as Government’s
General Under-Secretary during the Ricardo Lagos government
(2000-2001), and as President of the Partido por la Democracia (PPD)
from 2010 to 2012.
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Clay Nesler
Vice President for Global Sustainability and Industry Initiatives
at Johnson Controls; Interim President of the Alliance to Save
Energy
Clay Nesler is the Vice President, Global Energy and Sustainability
for Johnson Controls, where he chairs the company’s global
sustainability and regulatory affairs councils. He also serves as
interim president of the Alliance to Save Energy. Since joining
Johnson Controls in 1983, Clay has held a variety of leadership
positions in research, product development, marketing, strategy,
innovation, manufacturing and sustainability in both the United States
and Europe. Nesler serves on the board of American Council for an
Energy Efficient Economy, the executive group of the US DOE/EPA SEE
Action network, the GSA Green Building Advisory Committee, the
International Energy Agency Energy Efficiency Industry Advisory Board
and helped establish the Sustainable Energy for All Building
Efficiency Accelerator. Clay received BS and MS degrees in Mechanical
Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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Dirk Messner
President, German Environment Agency (UBA)
Prof. Dr. Dirk Messner assumed the office of President of the German
Environment Agency (UBA) in January 2020. He is also the Co-Director
of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg / Centre for Global Cooperation Research
at the University of Duisburg-Essen. Previously, he served as Director
of the Institute for Environment and Human Security of United Nations
University (UNU-EHS) in Bonn. Messner is an internationally recognized
expert on globalization/global governance, transformation pathways to
sustainability, decarbonization of the global economy, sustainability
and digital change, and international cooperation and societal change.
He combines his research interests with teaching activities and is
currently professor of political science at the University of
Duisburg-Essen. In his scientific career, Messner has chaired various
different international research initiatives and is currently
co-coordinator of “The World in 2050”, a global research
consortium on the implementation of the Agenda 2030. He has also been
a member of a number of high-ranking policy advisory councils,
including co-chairing the German Advisory Council on Global Change
(WBGU), the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Germany and the
Science Platform Sustainability 2030. He has served as a member of the
World Bank’s Global Knowledge Council and the China Council for
International Cooperation on Environment and Development. Prior to
becoming Director of UNU-EHS in October 2018, Dirk Messner had been
Director of the German Development Institute since 2003. Under his
leadership, the institute developed an excellent reputation for its
scientific and policy-relevant research on global sustainable
development.
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Francois Bausch
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Minister for
Mobility and Public Works, Luxembourg
Following the legislative elections of 20 October 2013, François
Bausch joined the government as Minister for Sustainable Development
and Infrastructure on 4 December 2013 in the coalition government
formed by the Democratic Party (DP), the Luxembourg Socialist
Workers’ Party (LSAP) and the Green Party (déi gréng). After the
legislative elections of 14 October 2018, Bausch was appointed
Minister of Defence, Minister for Mobility and Public Works and
Minister for Internal Security on 5 December 2018 in the coalition
government formed by the DP, the LSAP and déi gréng. On 11 October
2019, after Félix Braz’ resignation due to health issues,
François Bausch was appointed Deputy Prime Minister while keeping his
other ministerial portfolios. On 23 July 2020, François Bausch
transferred the portfolio of Internal Security to Henri Kox while
keeping the Defence as well as the Mobility and Public Works
portfolio. A member of the Green Party since 1986, Minister Bausch was
elected to Parliament for the first time in 1989 as a candidate
for the Green Party in the constituency of the Centre. He served as
Member of Parliament until 1992, before being re-elected from 1994 to
2013.
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Frannie Léautier
Chief Operating Officer, The Eastern and Southern African Trade and
Development Bank
Dr. Léautier, Senior Partner at SouthBridge Group and CEO of
SouthBridge Investments has long-standing global experience leading
and transforming organisations in the private, public and
non-for-profit spheres. She was Vice Chair of the Board, before
becoming first Chief Operating Officer and leading the Asset
Management business of TDB Group. Dr. Léautier had an illustrious
career at the World Bank Group (WBG), including Chief of Staff to the
President, and Vice-President. She was Senior Vice President at the
AfDB. She has a track record n operational turnaround,
transformational leadership, working with complex multi-constituency
governance structures, and engaging high levels of government. Her
work contributes to attracting innovative financing to Africa. Dr.
Léautier founded two companies, is member of the WEF’s Regional
Advisory Group for Africa, and is on boards of UN Foundation, Orca
Explorations, AZA Finance, Norsad Finance, Institute for Security
Studies (ISS), and previously AERC, Uongozi Institute, and Nelson
Mandela Institute for Science and Technology. She has authored several
books and articles and lectured at Sciences Po, MIT, Harvard, and
University of Tokyo. She holds a Masters of Science in Transportation,
and a PhD in Infrastructure Systems from MIT. She also holds a
doctorate in Humane Letters from North Central College and a doctorate
in Law from Lancaster University, honoris causa. She is a jury member
for the WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities.
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Gino Van Begin
Secretary General, ICLEI – Local Governments for
Sustainability
Gino Van Begin is the Secretary General of ICLEI, the leading global
network of more than 1,750 cities, towns and regions committed to
building a sustainable future. He has been with the organization over
20 years. In his roles as Regional Director for Europe (since 2002),
Deputy Secretary General (since 2007) and Secretary General (since
2013), he has consistently worked towards ensuring ICLEI’s
quality as a not-for-profit, responsible and forward-looking local
government organization serving its members worldwide. He’s had
the privilege of seeing cities respond to increased challenges by
looking for local solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change,
to increase their resilience, to become less dependent on fossil fuels
and, overall, to increase their sustainability. In his position as
Secretary General of a global network of cities, towns and regions,
Gino ensures that ICLEI takes every opportunity to decisively
influence global negotiation processes and increase local
governments’ presence on the global stage, in order to promote
the sustainability agenda at all levels. Gino Van Begin graduated from
the University of Brussels as a lawyer. Before joining ICLEI, Gino
worked in Russia for seven years as an advisor and as Team Leader at
the EU-funded Environmental Centers for Administration and Technology
in Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg. Prior to that, he worked in
Brussels for five years at the European Commission, DG Environment.
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Harini Nagendra
Professor of Sustainability, Azim Premji University (India)
Harini Nagendra is a Professor of Sustainability at Azim Premji
University. Her recent book "Nature in the City: Bengaluru in the
Past, Present, and Future" (Oxford University Press India, 2016)
examines the transformation of human-nature interactions in Bangalore
from the 6th century CE to the present, addressing the implications of
such change for the urban sustainability of fast-growing cities in the
global south. Prof. Nagendra is an ecologist who uses methods from the
natural and social sciences - satellite remote sensing, biodiversity
studies, archival research, GIS, institutional analysis, and community
interviews, to examine the sustainability of forests and cities in the
global South. She completed her PhD from the Centre for Ecological
Sciences in the Indian Institute of Science in 1998. Since then, she
has conducted research and taught at multiple institutions, and was
most recently a Hubert H. Humphrey Distinguished Visiting Professor at
Macalester College, Saint Paul, Minnesota in 2013.
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Jamshyd N. Godrej
Chairman of the Board, Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company
Limited
Jamshyd N. Godrej is the Chairman of the Board of Godrej & Boyce
Manufacturing Company Limited. His leadership positions also include:
Chairman & Trustee of Ananta Centre, President of World Wide Fund
for Nature – India, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of
Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, India Resources Trust and
Council on Energy, Environment and Water. He is a Director of World
Resources Institute, USA and a Trustee of the Asia Society, USA. He is
the Past President of Confederation of Indian Industry as well as Past
President of the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association.
Godrej and Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. manufactures and markets refrigerators;
washing machines; air conditioners; office furniture; home furniture;
security equipment for banks; locks and latches, forklift trucks and
warehousing equipment; process equipment. The Godrej group are leaders
in home appliances, consumer durables, office equipment, industrial
products, consumer products and services. Godrej is an ardent yachting
enthusiast and has done extensive cruising along the west coast of
India, the Baltic & North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and in the
Mediterranean Sea. A special honor, the President of India conferred
on Mr. Godrej the “Padma Bhushan” on 3rd April 2003.
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Jeff Olson
Architect, Planner, Author & Principal, Alta Planning +
Design
Jeff Olson is an architect, planner, entrepreneur and author who has
been involved in greenways, open space, active living, and alternative
mobility projects for more than 30 years. He has had a diverse career
with national, international, and local experience in the public,
private, and non-profit sectors. His major projects include the Grand
Canyon Greenway, the Empire State Trail, the White House Millennium
Trails Program and the NW Arkansas Razorback Greenway. Jeff was one of
the co-founders of Alta Bicycle Share, which launched Citi Bike in New
York and operated systems in San Francisco, Chicago, Washington DC,
Boston, Toronto and other cities. Jeff started America’s first
university course in bicycle and pedestrian planning at UAlbany, and
is a frequent inspirational speaker at conferences, public meetings
and other events. His trailblazing work in the field of active
mobility was recognized in 2014 by the Association for Pedestrian and
Bicycle Professionals with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Jeff’s
unique vision and leadership ability are important assets to projects
ranging from large scale regional plans to site-specific projects and
programs
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Lauren Faber O’Connor
Chief Sustainability Officer, Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric
Garcetti
Lauren Faber O’Connor is the Chief Sustainability Officer for
the City of Los Angeles. In her role, she is driving the
implementation of LA’s Green New Deal, a global model for local
action to confront the climate crisis. L.A.’s Green New Deal is
guided by four key principles: a commitment to uphold the Paris
Climate Agreement; a promise to deliver environmental justice and
equity; a plan to ensure every Angeleno has the ability to join the
green economy; and a determination to lead by example within City
government. To deliver accelerated leadership on sustainability,
Lauren also builds collaboration including through C40, an
international network of cities raising the bar on climate action
chaired by Mayor Garcetti and Climate Mayors, a coalition of over 400
US Mayors committed to US leadership on climate change that was
co-founded by Mayor Garcetti. Prior to joining the Garcetti
Administration, Lauren served for four years as the West Coast
Political Director for the Environmental Defense Fund in San
Francisco. In 2010 Lauren was appointed Assistant Secretary for
Climate Change Programs at the California Environmental Protection
Agency, where she was dedicated to the design and implementation of
California’s landmark Global Warming Solutions Act, AB 32. Prior
to her work at CalEPA, Lauren served as senior director for Lighthouse
Consulting Group in Washington, D.C. From 2005-2009 Lauren served at
the British Embassy as Senior Policy Advisor for climate change and
energy.
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Li Xiaojiang
Former President, China Academy of Urban Planning and Design
Li Xiaojiang is a professor-level senior urban planner and an expert
of the State Council who enjoys special government allowance. He was
previously president of the China Academy of Urban Planning and
Design. Li was deeply involved in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei
collaborative development strategy study; long-term study of the Pearl
River Delta region; and planning and construction work for cities such
as Guangzhou and Shenzhen. He presided over the completion of Beijing,
Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and other mega-city master
plans and strategic planning studies; as well as urban agglomeration
planning works including for the Pearl River Delta. He has won 6 gold,
silver and bronze awards for national excellence in engineering survey
and design, and 12 first-class awards for national excellence in
planning and design. In recent years, he directed and participated in
Chinese Academy of Engineering reports: "Study on the Development
Strategy of New Urbanization with Chinese Characteristics,"
"Study on the Urbanization of Chinese Counties" and
"Study on the Sustainable Development Strategy of China's
Urban Construction.” For the China Finance Office: "Study
on the Policy and Model of New Urbanization.” Internationally,
he has led major reports and consulting projects such as the China
Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development
(CCICED) Special Policy Studies "Urbanization of Ecological
Civilization" in cooperation with the Netherlands and Germany,
and “The Major Green Technology Innovation and Implementation
Mechanism” (Phase I and Phase II) with World Economic Forum, and
the Energy Foundation's "Study on the application of green
energy-saving technologies in China's urban renewal."
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Mark Watts
Executive Director, C40 Cities Cities Climate Leadership Group
Mark has served as Executive Director of C40 Cities since December
2013, during which time the organization has grown from 63 to 97 of
world's greatest cities, and from 40 to over 250 staff across the
globe. From inception, C40’s mission has been to be a high
ambition leadership group, driving the world to avoid a climate crisis
through the actions and leadership of the mayors of the world’s
leading cities. In 2016, C40 became the first major organization to
insist that a 1.5-degree target was essential rather than aspirational
(through our Deadline 2020 program). Prior to joining C40 Cities, Mark
was Director at pioneering engineering and design firm, Arup, and
before that was a senior adviser to the Mayor of London, in which role
the London Evening Standard described him as “the intellectual
force behind Ken Livingstone’s drive to make London a leading
light of the battle against global warming. He reports to C40
Chairperson and Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, and C40 Board
President, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. He believes that work should be
fun, and that there is always time for music, narrowboats, and places
you can get to by bicycle.
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Martha Delgado
Vice Minister for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, Mexican
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ms. Delgado Peralta is the Vice Minister for Multilateral Affairs and
Human Rights at the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She is a
nationally and internationally recognized environmental leader. Ms.
Delgado has 29 years of professional experience in various areas of
the Mexican public administration, and leading non-profit
organizations dedicated to environmentalism and human rights.Ms.
Delgado’s work from 2006 to 2012 as Minister of Environment in
the government of Mexico City stands out, where she led important
projects in environmental matters that gave the City global
leadership. She was also an independent Congresswoman in the local
Mexico City’s Congress from 2003 to 2006. Vice Minister Delgado
is currently the President of the first UN-Habitat Assembly
(2019-2023).
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Mitch Jackson
Vice President, Environmental Affairs and Chief Sustainability
Officer at FedEx
As Vice President, Environmental Affairs and Chief Sustainability
Officer for FedEx Corporation, Mitch Jackson leads the strategic
direction and provides vision for all aspects of the company’s
sustainability initiatives and environmental innovations and
technologies. Jackson helped envision and pioneer the implementation
of hybrid and electric vehicles in the FedEx fleet, and ultimately in
commercial vehicles. He was also instrumental in successfully securing
first-ever national fuel economy standards and greenhouse gas
requirements for commercial vehicles, He championed the first FedEx
solar energy system in 2005, with it being California’s then
largest corporate rooftop array. He was also the key driver for the
establishment of the first FedEx sustainability goals and has
responsibility for current and future goals. In 2012 the British
newspaper The Guardian named him as one of the top 15 sustainable
business executives on Twitter. He was named one of the Top 100
Thought Leaders by Trust Across America for four consecutive years. In
2014 Green Fleet Magazine named Jackson a Sustainability All Star for
his contributions to environmental sustainability. And, in 2009
Ethisphere Institute named Jackson as one of the 100 Most Influential
People in Business Ethics. Jackson is currently a member of the
Keystone Policy Center’s Board of Trustees, executive committee
and Energy Board, and a board member of Shelby Farms Park Conservancy.
He has also served as environmental juror for the Heinz Awards.
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Parks Tau
Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs,
South Africa; President, UCLG
Mpho Franklyn Parks Tau is the Deputy Minister of Cooperative
Governance and Traditional Affairs for South Africa. He has more than
20 years in portfolios in local government. Some of these portfolios
include: Member of the World Resource Institutes and Coalition for
Urban Transition, President of United Cities and Local Governments
(UCLG), President of the South African Local Government Association,
Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Member of the Mayoral
Committee of the City of Johannesburg, Chairperson of the South
African Cities Network, Chairperson of the Urban Development
Committee, of the then Southern Local Metropolitan Council (SLMC),
Council Member of the City of Johannesburg. Deputy Minister Tau was
born and raised in Orlando West, Soweto, and became active in student
politics. In the 1980s, he played a leadership role as SRC President
at Pace Commercial College and President of the Soweto Youth Congress.
His introduction into resistance politics coincided with the height of
government repression and he was repeatedly detained during the
national state of emergency. Academically, he completed his studies in
Public Management at Regenesys Business School and holds a University
of London Master's Degree in Public Policy and Management. Tau has
served in the African National Congress' (ANC) Provincial
Executive Committee since 2009 and was elected as the Chairperson of
the Greater Johannesburg Region in October 2011. Tau continues his
commitment to South Africa as an equitable, nonracial, prosperous,
non-sexist, and just home for all – particularly its youth and
women – through the ongoing implementation of all developmental
programs.
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Rohit T. “Rit“ Aggarwala
Head of Urban Systems, Sidewalk Labs
Rohit “Rit” is Head of Urban Systems at Sidewalk Labs, as
well as Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs at
Columbia University. He recently chaired the Regional Plan
Association’s five-year effort to develop a Fourth Regional Plan
for the New York metropolitan area. Previously, Rit spent five years
at Bloomberg Philanthropies. He headed the sustainability consulting
practice at Bloomberg Associates, serving city governments. He was
Special Advisor to Mayor Bloomberg, Chair of C40 Cities Climate
Leadership Group, and led its transformation to become a global
leader. He also inaugurated Bloomberg Philanthropies’
environment program. From 2006 to 2010, Rit served as Director of New
York City’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability,
creating and implementing “PlaNYC: A Greener, Greater New
York.” Prior to joining City Hall, he was a management
consultant at McKinsey & Company. Rit holds a BA, MBA, and PhD
from Columbia University, and an MA from Queen’s University in
Ontario. Rit was a featured speaker with the World Resources Report
Seminar Series, discussing Sidewalk Labs and the Fourth Urban
Revolution: how big data and new technologies can help shape cities.
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Roberto Claudio Rodrigues Bezerra
Mayor of Fortaleza, Brazil
Roberto Claudio is a physician. He graduated from the Federal
University of Ceará and holds Master's and PhD Degrees in Public
Health from the University of Arizona (USA). His main interest in the
administration of Fortaleza has been planning and promoting public
policies that can improve citizens access to quality education, health
and mobility with a focus on reducing social inequality in the city.
He was first elected mayor of Fortaleza for a four-year term in 2013,
when all of Fortaleza’s primary care units were refurbished. In
2016, he was re-elected. Urban mobility, education, health care and
early childhood education have been flagships of his administrations,
gaining national and international recognitions. Mr. Bezerra was also
elected State Representative between 2006 and 2012.
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Robin Chase
Co-Founder and Former CEO, Zipcar
Co-Founder, Veniam, and
Founder, NUMO
Robin Chase is a transportation entrepreneur. She is co-founder and
former CEO of Zipcar, the world’s leading carsharing network; as
well as co-founder of Veniam, a network company that moves terabytes
of data between vehicles and the cloud. She has recently co-founded
her first nonprofit, NUMO, a global alliance to channel the
opportunities presented by new urban mobility technologies to build
cities that are sustainable and just. Her recent book is Peers Inc:
How People and Platforms are Inventing the Collaborative Economy and
Reinventing Capitalism. She sits on the Boards of the World Resources
Institute and Tucows, and serves on the Dutch multinational
DSM’s Sustainability Advisory Board. In the past, she served on
the boards of Veniam and the Massachusetts Department of
Transportation, the French National Digital Agency, the National
Advisory Council for Innovation & Entrepreneurship for the US
Department of Commerce, the Intelligent Transportations Systems
Program Advisory Committee for the US Department of Transportation,
the OECD’s International Transport Forum Advisory Board, the
Massachusetts Governor’s Transportation Transition Working
Group, and Boston Mayor’s Wireless Task Force. Robin lectures
widely, has been frequently featured in the major media, and has
received many awards in the areas of innovation, design, and
environment, including the prestigious Urban Land Institute’s
Nichols Prize as Urban Visionary, Time 100 Most Influential People,
Fast Company Fast 50 Innovators, and BusinessWeek Top 10 Designers.
Robin graduated from Wellesley College and MIT's Sloan School of
Management, was a Harvard University Loeb Fellow, and received an
honorary Doctorate of Design from the Illinois Institute of
Technology.
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Sam Parker
CEO, Shell Foundation
Sam has been CEO of Shell Foundation since February 2015. An alum from
Oxford University, Sam worked for six years in the agrochemical
industry focusing on Latin America. After volunteer work helping
street children in São Paulo, Sam spent 11 years with UK commodity
trading company, ED&F Man Holdings, becoming Managing Director of
Asian business in 2001. In 2002, Sam returned to the development
sector as Organizational Development Manager at International Save the
Children Alliance. In 2006, Sam became Water & Sanitation for the
Urban Poor’s (WSUP) first CEO. A non-profit, private sector-NGO
hybrid, WSUP empowers local providers of water and sanitation services
to reach low-income urban consumers on a commercially viable basis.
Sam was instrumental to leveraging private sector know-how to provide
sustainable benefits to the underserved. In his tenure with Shell
Foundation, Sam works closely with WRI Ross Center’s teams in
Africa, Mexico and China regarding road safety, transportation, air
quality and finance. He facilitated WRI Mexico and IDB’s
collaboration to jointly establish the Innovation for Mobility project
in Mexico. Sam’s team partnered with WRI Ross Center to
co-organize workshops in Nairobi and New York to connect
mobility-focused investors and entrepreneurs.
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Sameh Wahba
Global Director, Urban Disaster, Risk Management, Resilience and
Land Global Practice, World Bank
Sameh Wahba is the Global Director for the World Bank’s Urban,
Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and Land Global Practice, based
in Washington, D.C. The Global Practice, which also covers territorial
development, geospatial and results-based-financing issues, has a
portfolio of close to $30bn in commitments in investment project,
program-for-results and development policy lending. Wahba previously
served as Director for Urban and Territorial Development, Disaster
Risk Management and Resilience at the World Bank Group’s Social,
Urban Rural, and Resilience Global Practice. He oversaw formulation of
the Bank’s global level strategy, design, and delivery of all
lending, technical assistance, policy advisory activities, and
partnerships. He has over 25 years’ experience in urban
development, land and housing, infrastructure and sustainable
development, and has led Bank programs focused on Africa, Brazil, the
Caribbean, Latin America, and Middle East. Prior to joining the Bank
in 2004, he worked at the Institute of Housing and Urban Development
Studies in Rotterdam and at the Harvard Center for Urban Development
Studies. Wahba holds a Ph.D. and Master’s degree in urban
planning from Harvard University, and a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in
Architectural Engineering from Cairo University. He speaks Arabic,
French, English, and Portuguese. He co-authored the World Bank’s
flagship publications on “Regenerating Urban Land: A
Practitioner’s Guide to Leveraging Private Investment” and
“The Hidden Wealth of Cities: Creating, Financing, and Managing
Public Spaces”, and the “Culture in City Reconstruction
and Recovery” Position Paper jointly with UNESCO. He is a member
of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Cities
and Urbanization.
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Shirley Rodrigues
Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, London
Shirley Rodrigues was appointed as London Deputy Mayor for Environment
and Energy in October 2016. Previously she oversaw a global climate
change grants portfolio at the Children’s Investment Fund
Foundation (CIFF) developing their cities and climate strategy, and
has devised and delivered new environmental policies and programmes in
London, nationally and internationally. She is now working to deliver
the Mayor’s vision of making London greener, cleaner and
healthier through implementing his London Environment Strategy. This
includes ambitious programmes to reduce air pollution across London
including the implementation of the world’s first Ultra Low
Emission Zone, tackle the climate and ecological emergency and help
the capital become a zero-waste city. A key focus is on ensuring
London’s economic and social recovery from the impacts of
Covid-19 is a green and fair one.
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Vera Rodenhoff
Head of Division, Environment, Nature Conservation Building and
Nuclear Safety
Vera Rodenhoff is Head of Division in the German Federal Ministry for
the Environment, Nature Conservation Building and Nuclear Safety. She
leads a team responsible for international cooperation on environment,
energy and cities as well cooperation with non-European OECD-Countries
and the OECD. As part of the division’s international
cooperation on cities, Vera and her team engage a wide range of
international partners and stakeholders on aligning climate and
environmental protection with urban development; they support climate
friendly and sustainable development of cities and communities through
developing projects, funds and high level initiatives with partners.
Vera’s previous Ministry positions include Head of Cabinet to
the Federal Minister of Environment, Head of Division of International
Affairs and Protocol in the Minister’s staff, Personal Secretary
to the Minister as well as Policy Advisor on International Legal
Affairs. Before entering the Ministry in 2005, Vera worked as an
associate for the think tank Ecologic Institut and as a lawyer
advising the German Government on European and international
environmental law and policy issues. She was a researcher for
international public Law and EU law at the Humboldt University,
Berlin. Prior to that she worked in the private sector for an
international law firm and as a consultant for UNESCO in Paris. Vera
holds a doctorate in international and European environmental law from
Humboldt University Berlin, focusing on the role of the EU and its
member states in international environmental regimes, as well as a
Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the London School of Economics and
Political Science (LSE) and the German first and Second State Exams in
Law.
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