Paul served as the Executive Secretary of South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Paul also co-founded the International Centre for Transitional Justice, an organization that works in over 40 countries that have endured massive human rights violations under repression conflict. Paul is also a co-founder and CEO of Maiyet, an ethical luxury fashion brand that cultivates traditional design and culture by partnering with global artisans. Most recently, Paul co-founded The Conduit, which serves as a home for those committed to improving the world by harnessing the power of creativity and entrepreneurship. The Conduit serves as a home for a diverse community of people passionate about social change. 

In January 2022, Alan joined the Wellcome Trust to lead its ambitious new strategy that aims to put health at the heart of global climate change action.    

Alan was previously based at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine for twenty years, where he was a Professor of Food and Nutrition for Global Health and Director of the Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health.  Alan led an interdisciplinary team working on the interconnections between environmental change, food systems and health.    

Familiar working in national and international fora, Alan was an Expert Advisor to the Environmental Audit Committee of the UK Parliament and a Senior Research Fellow at the UK Department for International Development. 

Dr. Mahmood is a medical professional with over 20 years of experience in health crises, disaster response, and conflict settings. She is Professor and founding director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health in Malaysia.  Prior that that, she served as Special Advisor to Malaysia’s Prime Minister on Public Health, Under Secretary General for Partnerships at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and led the World Humanitarian Summit Secretariat at the United Nations. She also founded MERCY Malaysia, an international humanitarian organization in 1999, and served as the independent Chair of Oxfam International. 

Sophie is a Senior Policy Adviser in Green Alliance’s low carbon futures theme. She works on climate policy covering health, transport, adaptation and energy. Sophie leads Green Alliance’s health programme, having published two reports on adaptation to extreme heat and the mental health impacts of extreme weather in the UK and worked with the Wellcome Trust to host a climate and health conference in 2024. She also represents Green Alliance in the Healthy Air Coalition.

Laura holds an MA in German and Russian from Cambridge University and a MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics. She is married with three children. 

Dr Saul Johnson has worked in healthcare in Africa for over 30 years.  He is the Partner in charge of the Health Practice at Genesis Analytics. Saul is a qualified doctor, with further degrees in public health and epidemiology. His areas of expertise include behaviour change communication, epidemiology, research, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), health system improvement, organisational development and change management. Since much of his focus has been on infectious diseases like HIV and TB, Saul was deeply involved in responding to the Covid pandemic, and is reviewing interventions to mitigate the impact of climate change on health systems. Saul started his own consulting company in 2002, Health & Development Africa, which he grew into a 60 person organisation. He sold this company in 2010 to Mott MacDonald, where he worked for another 4 years. He joined Genesis in 2016 to start up a Health Practice there. Saul also has a degree in coaching, and is passionate about passing on his experience to others. 

Glyn is Bupa’s Group Director of Sustainability and member of Bupa's Strategic Development Forum. Bupa's purpose is helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world. 

Reporting into Bupa’s Chief Sustainability and People Officer, Glyn is responsible for the design and implementation of Bupa's global sustainability strategy, which recognises the intersection between, and interdependence of, human health and the health of the planet, and is focussed on creating healthier societies through delivering preventative care, increasing access through digital innovation, making communities healthier through cities and nature, and reducing the impact of healthcare delivery. Glyn also directs delivery of Bupa’s science-based targets and net zero commitments and solutions delivering on Bupa’s climate, health and nature ambitions. 

Glyn previously held roles in strategy and legal teams at Bupa, and was admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales in 2009 (although is not currently practicing law). 

He is fluent in English and German and has worked in Africa, Asia and Europe. 

Laura is a determined optimist driven by the need for positive change in the world. She is committed to addressing the greatest challenges facing our planet - the climate and environmental crises.  

Laura joined ClientEarth in September 2022, after two decades in public policy, and in diplomatic roles across Africa, Asia and Europe.   

She has worked extensively on climate, environmental and sustainability issues throughout her career, and brings a deep understanding of global policy issues and international relations, alongside extensive senior leadership and partnership-building experience, all of which are critical as we expand our impact globally.  

Laura was British High Commissioner to New Zealand, and Governor of the Pitcairn Islands, from January 2018 – July 2022, and High Commissioner to Samoa from March 2018 – December 2019.  As British High Commissioner, she worked to strengthen the UK - New Zealand relationship, including through the negotiation of a standard-setting Free Trade Agreement, co-operation with New Zealand and the South Pacific during the UK’s COP26 Presidency, and work on international security. She also enhanced the UK’s relationship with New Zealand Māori:  both by acknowledging the wrongs of the past, and in building forward-looking co-operation on trade, culture and climate. 

In her role as Governor of the Pitcairn Islands she was responsible for the governance and sustainability of the Islands, and efforts to maximize the benefits of its Marine Protected Area – the fourth largest in the world.  

She has worked across the gamut of global policy issues, while living and working in Berlin, Brussels, London, South Africa and New Zealand.  She gets her energy from other people, and in building relationships and collaborations to drive the change we need to see.    

During her career as a diplomat she was Head of the South Asia Department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and Government Coordinator for India;  Political Counsellor in Pretoria, South Africa; Chief of Staff to the Minister for Europe; and worked on Sudan, Yemen and EU Justice and Home Affairs.  Her early career was spent in the British Parliament, as Group Co-ordinator of the All-Party Parliamentary Sustainable Waste Group, and in DG Enlargement of the European Commission.     

Laura holds an MA in German and Russian from Cambridge University and a MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics. She is married with three children. 

Hiten Patel is the Head of Strategy, Greener NHS, part of the England’s National Health Service initiative to decarbonise the healthcare systems. Hiten was part of the NHS team that developed and co-authored the world’s first net zero healthcare strategy, Delivering a Net Zero National Health Service. Hiten leads on strategy and policy of the NHS’ net zero strategy across the NHS in England. Hiten has experience of working across government and within the NHS in England. 

Gary White is a globally recognized expert in the water and sanitation sector with more than 30 years of experience working to solve the global water crisis. As CEO and Co-founder of Water.org, WaterEquity, and WaterConnect, he has been at the forefront of developing sustainable, scalable solutions that have empowered millions of people with lasting access to safe water and sanitation. 

Gary is a trusted advisor to global organizations, including Inditex, Reckitt, Amazon Web Services, Bank of America, and the Water Resilience Coalition, offering strategic guidance on solving the water crisis. His work has earned him accolades such as the Fulbright Prize for International Understanding, inclusion on the TIME100 list, and the Forbes 400 Lifetime Achievement Award for Social Entrepreneurship. 

Gary holds three degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Missouri University of Science & Technology. 

Fiona is an award-winning journalist, documentary-maker and podcaster. Fiona worked at the BBC for 22 years and is now Global Health Editor at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. At the Bureau, she leads a team focused on investigating the wrongs that put people’s health at risk, holding those in power to account and making the journalism impactful to drive improvements in global health.  This includes climate and health, antimicrobial resistance and access to medicine.  As an investigative reporter, she has reported for BBC Panorama and other BBC documentary series. 

Peter leads all areas of work at Impact on Urban Health. 

Peter has been the Executive Director for Impact on Urban Health since 2023. 

Peter brings together our programmes’ funding and partnerships, as well as the work of our data, evidence and innovation teams in support of our urban health work. Peter brings a range of experience in senior leadership roles, in organisations including the Youth Endowment Fund and The Social Innovation Partnership. He also previously served as a Councillor in Southwark Council and as Chair of Blagrave Trust. 

Dimple Rana is an environmental physics engineer with a focus on urban heat, microclimate, and climate resilience. At Arup, she leads work helping cities better understand and respond to rising temperatures. Dimple developed the UHeat Tool, which applies academic models to real-world scenarios to analyse urban heat risks and solutions. She has helped cities like London and Auckland identify heat-vulnerable areas and created strategies to reduce the impacts of extreme heat on their populations. Her work brings together climate science, urban design, and systems thinking to support more heat-resilient places.

Lina Liakou is the Global Director of the Resilient Cities Network, where she leads engagement with 101 member cities worldwide and directs the organization’s strategy and resilience practice. Her work focuses on advancing urban resilience by operationalizing knowledge, enabling peer-to-peer learning, and building the capacity of city practitioners. A recognized expert in urban governance and resilience, Lina brings decades of experience in shaping inclusive, adaptive, and future-ready urban systems. 

Before R-Cities, Lina served as Deputy Mayor and Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Thessaloniki, Greece. In that role, she spearheaded strategic partnerships with the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, and the World Bank. Earlier in her career, she was Chief Executive of the Metropolitan Development Agency of Thessaloniki, where she oversaw the coordination of national and international urban development projects. 

Lina is trained as an architect and urban designer at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London and was named a Marshall Memorial Fellow (2015) by the German Marshall Fund of the United States. 

Jeannette Ickovics is the Samuel and Liselotte Herman Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Professor of Psychology at Yale University.  Dr. Ickovics’ research, funded with >$40 million from NIH, CDC, and private foundations investigates the interplay of complex factors that influence individual and community health, especially for those traditionally underserved. She is author of nearly 250 publications in maternal health, mental health, and community health. Her newest work focuses on global climate resilience, health, and equity in collaboration with the Resilient Cities Network and the Sustainable Markets Initiative.  At the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health, she is Director of the Program on Climate Change and Urban Health. Dr. Ickovics is the recipient of numerous awards for research and mentorship.  She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association where she also serves as Chair of the Board of Scientific Affairs, and an elected member of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research. 

Francesca Racioppi is the Head of the World Health Organization European Centre for Environment and Health in Bonn, Germany.

Francesca has more than 30 years of international experience in environment and health policies and science. Her work experience includes sustainable and healthy transport and urban policies and interventions, the promotion of “health in all policies” approaches, climate change, One Health, health impact assessment, violence and injury prevention, and consumer safety.

In 2018 she was awarded a Honorary Doctorate by the Swedish School of Sport and Health Science in Stockholm, Sweden, for her leading engagement in environmental health and active transport.

Alice has over fifteen years’ experience as a campaign strategist working to persuade governments to protect our climate and environment. She is currently Head of Fossil Fuels Campaigning at Global Witness, which exposes how the industries fuelling the climate crisis profit from destruction and stands with the people fighting back. Previously Alice worked at the non-profit Transparency International, where she worked with a global team based across Latin America, Africa and Asia to ensure climate finance was reaching those who needed it most. She began her career as a news writer at Deutsche Welle, Germany’s state broadcaster.

Vanessa is a climate justice activist from Uganda, dedicated to raising awareness about the impacts of the climate crisis – especially on the African continent – and advocating for climate justice.

As the author of A Bigger Picture, Vanessa aims to bring a new African voice to the climate crisis and taking opportunities to contribute her skills and knowledge to work with frontline communities and drive positive change in climate action.

Vanessa is the Co-founder of the Tard Foundation.

For the last five years, Ava has built and led a team of investigators, researchers, advocates and comms specialists working to combat some of the biggest harms caused by Big Tech companies.

This has included exposing how Meta’s job advertising algorithm discriminates along gender lines, breaching equalities legislation, and a series of investigations that have demonstrated how companies including Meta, TikTok, X and Youtube are unprepared to deal with incitement to genocide and violence (in Myanmar and Ethiopia), and are equally unprepared to deal with serious electoral misinformation ahead of significant elections (including in the US, Brazil, Kenya, UK, South Africa, Ireland and India). For the last year, she has also headed up a climate disinformation unit - with work including exposing a bot network supporting Azerbaijan’s COP presidency. Her team’s work has been featured across all of the major wires and top-tier publications, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the BBC, AP, PA and AFP.

Alejandro is C40’s Head of Breathe Cities, the global initiative supporting cities around the world to cut their air pollution and climate emissions. In this role, Alejandro oversees the delivery of C40’s main lines of work in the Breathe Cities partnership, working closely with our partners, funders, and across the multiple C40 teams engaged in this programme. 

Alejandro has over ten years of experience in delivering air quality, climate and environmental sustainability action across the public and private sectors. Prior to joining C40, Alejandro was the Head of Air Quality in the Environment and Energy team at the Greater London Authority (GLA) under Mayor Sadiq Khan. As part of this role, he has overseen the development and implementation of large and complex air quality programs, including the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), and its expansion London-wide in August 2023. In previous roles at the Greater London Authority, Alejandro played a central role in the development and implementation of the city’s Green New Deal (GND) programme, leading the programme’s external and internal engagement and partnership activities. 

Prior to joining the GLA, Alejandro was awarded a Fulbright scholarship which helped him kickstart his career centered around his passion for environmental justice, which he continued after graduation with a set of international professional experiences ranging from working with a community-based organisation in New York City, to intergovernmental experience at the World Health Organization in Geneva, to working at a European environment think tank based in London and Brussels. Alejandro holds a Master’s degree in environmental sustainability from the University of Edinburgh and a Master’s degree in environmental justice and public policy from the University of Michigan. 

Jane Burston founded and leads Clean Air Fund. Before setting up the organisation Jane worked as Head of Climate and Energy Science in the UK Government, where she was responsible for the UK greenhouse gas inventory and a £45m science programme. Previously, as Head of Energy and Environment at the National Physical Laboratory she managed a team of 150 scientists working in air quality, greenhouse gas measurement and renewable energy. 

Jane has a background in social enterprise and management consulting and a first-class degree in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge. 

Jane has spoken at Davos and the UN General Assembly. She has been interviewed about air pollution and the movement for clean air by the New York Times, BBC, Times Radio and for numerous podcasts. In January 2021, Jane delivered a Letter to the 21st Century on BBC Radio 4. In 2020, Jane was profiled as one of WIRED’s changemakers of tomorrow. She was named as a ‘Young Global Leader’ of the World Economic Forum, as one of the ‘40 under 40 European Young Leaders’ by Friends of Europe and was previously a UK Social Entrepreneur of the year. 

Jane is also a trustee of Parkinson’s UK and a keen triathlete. 

Marina is the Executive Director of the Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change, an independent and multi-disciplinary research collaboration between almost 100 academic centres around the world, and headquartered at University College London’s Institute for Global Health. She is also a member of the UK's Climate Change Adaptation Committee, and is one of the seven global experts selected to refine the Global Goal on Adaptation indicators for health under the Paris Agreement. Marina trained as a clinical biochemist in the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and holds a PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of Cambridge. Her research background spans from toxicology through to environmental health and climate change, and before joining the Lancet Countdown she carried out her research in the Instituto Tecnologico de Buenos Aires, the University of Cambridge, and the Francis Crick Institute in London, UK.

Agnes Agyepong, a maternal health advocate and former Head of Engagement at a national charity, is founder and CEO of Global Child and Maternal Health, and the first-of-its-kind study Black Child Clean Air and Black Child SEND.

Her work has been recognised by Beyoncé, and was one of ten organisations in the UK and Europe to be awarded $10000 USD from Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD foundation. Her work on Clean Air has received wide national support from the Mayor of London, the president of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the wider environmental community.

A member of the Nursing and Midwifery Council and key contributor to NHS England's Maternity Transformation Programme, Agnes plays a crucial role in shaping policy and practice in the healthcare community. She sits on the NIHR ARC Maternity and Perinatal Mental Health PPI (patient and public involvement) strategy committee. She is a founding member of the Maternity Mental Health SEL steering group and the Service User Voice Representative (Patient and Public Voice - PPV - Partner) for the UK’s Maternity Transformation Programme. Agnes has published and spoken extensively about the need for maternal health research to become more diverse and inclusive.

As a key speaker, her credits include the British Medical Association, The Royal College of Midwifery, Royal Society of Medicine, NHS and the Westminster Health Forum. She is a named author on the Babies in Lockdown Report and supported the UK government on the flagship Early Years Healthy Development Review, a review into improving health and development outcomes for babies in England.

Elliot Treharne is a specialist in urban, transport and environmental policy and is currently Assistant Director for Connectivity, Air Quality, Transport and Infrastructure at the Greater London Authority. Elliot leads on the development and delivery of the Mayor's policies relating to these areas in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office, Transport for London (TfL), the UK Government and other partner agencies and providers. Elliot was previously Head of Air Quality with responsibility for London’s air quality, transport decarbonisation and green transport programmes including the Ultra Low Emission Zone. Elliot’s career started with the United Nations, with placements in New York and Tanzania. Following these Elliot joined Transport for London developing London’s congestion charging scheme. In 2015 he also undertook a six-month secondment working as Clean Air Advisor in the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. 

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

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

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

Paul served as the Executive Secretary of South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Paul also co-founded the International Centre for Transitional Justice, an organization that works in over 40 countries that have endured massive human rights violations under repression conflict. Paul is also a co-founder and CEO of Maiyet, an ethical luxury fashion brand that cultivates traditional design and culture by partnering with global artisans. Most recently, Paul co-founded The Conduit, which serves as a home for those committed to improving the world by harnessing the power of creativity and entrepreneurship. The Conduit serves as a home for a diverse community of people passionate about social change. 

Janice Li is a curator at Wellcome Collection (London, UK) and has curated exhibitions such as Thirst: In Search of Freshwater (2025-26), The Cult of Beauty (2023-24) and The Healing Pavilion (2022-23). Her work is seen internationally at institutions such as the Victoria & Albert Museum, MoMu Antwerp, London Design Biennale, Milan Design Week and Venice Design. She advocates for transdisciplinary practices across the arts, humanities and sciences as agents of change, particularly in relation to ecology and intersectionality. By connecting fields of study such as visual and material cultures, archaeology, and anthropology, to include research into health, data science and philosophical ethics, she nurtures more comprehensive ways of understanding environmental and social justice.

Karan Shrestha is an artist based in Kathmandu and Delhi. His artistic practice includes drawings, sculpture, photographs, films and texts that speak to the complex, entangled relations of Nepal’s recent history. Shrestha’s works are an archive of the terrain, political histories and transient memories, and a speculative world that suspends reality, to question ideas of progress while drawing connections to the ecological, cultural and socioeconomic dimensions of Nepali life. Shrestha has presented work in numerous regional and international institutions. 

Love Ssega is a musician, performer and current Southbank Centre Associate Artist. He is also the founder of collaborative Black-led Clean Air movement LIVE +BREATHE, which uses art, culture and outdoor activities to raise under-represented voices through creative agency and joy. His wide-ranging artistic career has seen him perform at Glastonbury, exhibit at MoMA PS1, be commissioned by the National Gallery and was Artist-in-Residence for Philharmonia Orchestra. He is a Trustee of Brian Eno-led charity EarthPercent and is writing a debut fiction novel.

Paul served as the Executive Secretary of South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Paul also co-founded the International Centre for Transitional Justice, an organization that works in over 40 countries that have endured massive human rights violations under repression conflict. Paul is also a co-founder and CEO of Maiyet, an ethical luxury fashion brand that cultivates traditional design and culture by partnering with global artisans. Most recently, Paul co-founded The Conduit, which serves as a home for those committed to improving the world by harnessing the power of creativity and entrepreneurship. The Conduit serves as a home for a diverse community of people passionate about social change.