Meet the Team

Lisa Larsen

Lisa has a long track record of building, developing and leading high performing teams and social purpose organizations. Over the past 20 years she has worked in senior roles related to public service research and consultancy, including the Behavioural Insights Team, Accenture and the Nordic sustainability house, Ramboll.

She combines operational expertise with a deep understanding of what it takes to shape high performing teams and deliver social impact - from strategy to implementation; performance improvement; budget management; proposals and fundraising; thought leadership and market positioning; research and evaluation.

In addition to her role with the Climate Champions Team, Lisa leads a module in Health Policy Delivery, part of an MSc programme at Imperial College London.  She holds a Cand.Scient.Pol in Political Science from Copenhagen University.

Claire Duthuit

As part of the Senior Leadership Team, Claire supports and empowers the Strategic Communications and Events team, driving ambitious global climate action, showcasing real economy solutions and facilitating collaboration among diverse sustainability leaders worldwide. Claire and the team amplify the work of the Climate High-Level Champions and real economy leaders through strategic media engagement, dynamic social media outreach, compelling storytelling and engaging events.

Claire brings to the Champions more than 15 years’ international experience at the forefront of the global issues that matter most — from designing an award-winning climate campaign with a reach of three billion people for the UN Secretary-General, to developing new ways for nonprofits to up-level their success across Facebook, Instagram and the Metaverse. A decade working across 150 countries with the United Nations, experience partnering with the likes of Nike, H&M and Disney on effective ESG, and a role leading engagement strategy at Meta have allowed Claire to build a reputation for creativity, leadership with integrity and high-stakes brand management.

Claire holds Masters degrees in both Visual Media and Social Anthropology, as well as a University of Cambridge diploma in High Impact Sustainability Leadership.

Jen Austin

Prior to the joining the Climate Champions Team, Jen was the Policy Director for the We Mean Business coalition where she led the coalition’s global policy strategy, working with coalition partners and the world’s leading businesses to articulate a compelling business case for ambitious climate policy around the world. Prior to We Mean Business, Jen served as Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisor to the Special Envoy for Climate Change at the U.S. State Department. Jen has experience in international climate policy, economics, diplomacy, and strategic communications, having also worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and for both of President Obama's presidential campaigns. Jen's first jobs out of college were as a reporter for a daily newspaper in Uganda and with the International Rescue Committee in Liberia. Jen has a Masters in Public Administration in International Development from the Harvard Kennedy School where she wrote her thesis about global carbon markets, and got her undergraduate degree from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton. She is based in Washington, DC.

Ramiro Fernandez

Ramiro Fernández has more than 20 years working in sustainable development. In his previous role he worked as Climate Change Director the Avina Foundation. Since 2008 he has specialized in climate change and energy. With vast experience on participatory planning process on the energy sector and worked with national governments in the implementation of their commitments under the Paris Agreement. In 2014 and 2015 he acted as senior advisor to the Minister of the Environment of Peru, as President of COP 20, and member of the Steering Committee of the "Lima Paris Action Agenda" at COP 21. Ramiro is Vice-chair of the Advisory Council of the "Momentum for Change" initiative of the UNFCCC.

Emmanuelle Pinault

Emmanuelle previously led the Systems Transformation Team at Climate Champions, overviewing the delivery of the 2030 Breakthroughs, a set of clear, simple goals created to align the Energy, Transport, Industry, Buildings, Nature and Carbon Removals sectors around shared decarbonization 2030 targets, with the objective to halve emissions by 2030, enable net zero by 2050, and keep global warming to 1.5 degree.

Prior to joining Climate Champions, Emmanuelle was the Director of City Diplomacy of C40 Cities, a network of nearly 100 megacities working together to tackle climate change, where she led C40 engagement in UNFCCC and other UN processes, the G20 and IPCC, through key initiatives such as the Compact of Mayors, GCoM, Cities Race to Zero, CitiesIPCC and Urban20. Before that, she was an advisor to several governments on diplomacy, cooperation, climate change, sustainable development, culture and education.

Emmanuelle holds a Bachelor Degree in International Relations from Science-Po Lyon and a Master’s Degree in Sociology from the EHESS – Paris. Born and raised in France, she lived in seven different countries across Europe, Africa, Latin America and South-East Asia, and likes to define herself as a global citizen. She is the mother of three boys whom she proudly raises as feminists.

Jose Manuel Moller

Luciano Caratori

Luciano joins the Climate Champions team  from the Centre of Studies on Global Climate Change with Instituto and Fundación Torcuato Di Tella (ITDT/FTDT), Argentina.

His work with ITDT is focused on energy policy for the energy transitions, just transitions, and climate action planning, with two overarching themes: energy data and scenario planning.

Previously, Luciano served as Undersecretary of Energy Planning and National Director of Energy Information for Argentina’s Federal Government, as well as advisor to the vice chair of the Mining, Energy and Fuels Committee of his country’s National Senate.

Luciano represented Argentina in the G20 Energy Transitions Working Group (ETWG) and the Secretariat of Energy in the National Cabinet for Climate Change (GNCC).

His independent consulting practice included the valuation of energy assets and the assessment of transition risks faced by energy companies, as well as strategic advisory to local and national governments in energy planning.

Alfredo Redondo

Before joining the Climate Champions team, Alfredo was a Senior Advisor for Strategic Engagement and Partnerships at the World Resources Institute Ross Center for Sustainable Cities where he advised the executive management; developed their engagement strategy with aims to raising the organisation’s profile with a focus centered on people, climate, and nature; and coordinated the organisation’s presence at 3 consecutive climate COPs. Previously, Alfredo worked in other climate and cities organisations such as C40 Cities, the Global Covenant of Mayors and the Coalition for Urban Transitions, where he broadened his experience in strategic engagement; climate policy; diplomacy; research and innovation; and impact-driven partnerships. He studied International Relations in Argentina and a Masters in Public Policy in the UK as a Chevening Scholar.

Marcia Toledo Sotillo

Marcia Toledo leads Adaptation, Resilience and Human Development work at the Climate Champions team. Her work focuses on catalyzing action, mobilizing finance, and strengthening the policy ambition loop while fostering radical collaboration among businesses, investors, cities, regions, civil society, and local communities through a people-centered approach that champions diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Marcia joined the Climate Champions Team in 2022. She brings 30 years of experience in driving transformative action for a resilient, nature-positive, and net-zero world. She has built and led high-impact teams, shaped global adaptation strategies, and developed policies and partnerships that bridge climate action, biodiversity conservation, and resilient development. Originally from Peru, she is now based in Germany.

Sagarika Chatterjee

Sagarika is a sustainability professional with 15+ years’ experience in climate change and responsible investment. Led the PRI’s global climate change programme and UN-convened Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance secretariat co-head. Launched Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero with COP26 Private Finance Hub while seconded to the High-level Champions. From May 2022 she has been the Finance Department Director at the Climate Champions.

Her board positions have included: Director of the UK Sustainable Investment & Finance Association, Charity investment sub-committee and trustee experience, and UK-China Green Finance Task Force member.

Mohamed Hegazy

Mohamed HEGAZY is Transport and Industry Lead for the Climate Champions. He is also the founder and Director of Transport for Cairo (TfC) L.L.P. TfC provides strategic advisory consultancy services, data, tech and research to improve urban mobility in emerging cities. With TfC, I successfully led the completion of more than 40 projects in 5 countries in Africa.

With 8 years of experience in project leadership, I focus on data collection, data aggregation, data science & urban computing to transform ideas into practice. Academically trained in Economics, Sociology and Public Policy design, I specialize in solving real world problems around deep decarbonisation of transport, informal system change management and digitalisation of transport using data-driven methodologies.

Born in Cairo, Egypt and have cum laude degrees in Economics from the American University in Cairo (2012) and Governing the Large Metropolis from Sciences Po, Paris (2018). Received training at the Center for Sustainable Urban Development, Columbia University, New York (2018). Currently based in Cairo.

Nady Mahmoud

Nady is a nature and climate expert working at the science–policy interface. Before joining the Climate Champions Team, he contributed to global agendas on climate and nature, with a strong focus on land and forest restoration. His experience spans academia, international policy, and public institutions, including universities and the European Commission, where he managed ecosystem analysis projects across the Mediterranean region.

Nady has led and contributed to several global initiatives on land restoration and nature-based solutions, collaborating with organizations such as the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He has also supported governments in COP-related processes across both the climate and desertification agendas.

Nady was selected among ten as one of the young climate leaders in Germany.

He currently is the Nature-Based Solutions and Restoration Lead supporting the Head of Axis 2 with strategic and technical expertise on nature-based solutions and restoration agendas.

Maria Aguilar

Maria Alejandra Aguilar is a Colombian lawyer with over six years of experience in project management, advocacy, policy analysis, and research related to socio-environmental issues and climate change. She earned an MSc. in Sustainability from the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) and a joint diploma from the University of Tokyo, Japan.

Maria has worked in civil society organizations in the LAC region and globally, including positions such as Associate and Climate Justice Coordinator at the Colombian NGO Ambiente y Sociedad; Gender and Indigenous Peoples Specialist at the United Nations Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN). In 2022, she coordinated the Stop Financing Factory Farming Campaign (S3F), a global coalition of 7 NGOs, with Friends of the Earth U.S. as the Secretariat. During the same year, Maria was part of the Youth Fellowship of the Climate High-Level Champions as a Resilience Fellow.

Daniel Costa

Daniel Costa's work focuses on mobilizing climate-focused capital among non-state actors, with a special emphasis on the Latin America & Caribbean region. His role involves fostering pipelines of investable climate projects in developing countries and leveraging value creation opportunities to increase financial flows towards nature-based solutions.

He also serves as a Sustainable Debt Data Specialist at the Climate Bonds Initiative, working on data analysis and sustainable finance research, focusing on harnessing the power of debt markets to drive climate investments.

Previously, Daniel has held various positions in international organizations working on climate, science, technology, and innovation. His experience includes international cooperation in research and innovation with EURAXESS, research bridging science and policy at the Stockholm Environment Institute, and promoting Education for Sustainable Development with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network – Youth.

He holds an international master's in Global Markets and Sustainability from a joint program including the University of Glasgow, Uppsala University, and Universidad de los Andes, and degrees in International Relations and Economics and Sustainability Management from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).

Jen Austin

Prior to the joining the Climate Champions Team, Jen was the Policy Director for the We Mean Business coalition where she led the coalition’s global policy strategy, working with coalition partners and the world’s leading businesses to articulate a compelling business case for ambitious climate policy around the world. Prior to We Mean Business, Jen served as Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisor to the Special Envoy for Climate Change at the U.S. State Department. Jen has experience in international climate policy, economics, diplomacy, and strategic communications, having also worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and for both of President Obama's presidential campaigns. Jen's first jobs out of college were as a reporter for a daily newspaper in Uganda and with the International Rescue Committee in Liberia. Jen has a Masters in Public Administration in International Development from the Harvard Kennedy School where she wrote her thesis about global carbon markets, and got her undergraduate degree from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton. She is based in Washington, DC.

Daniela Lerario

Daniela is a biologist and mother of three, residing on an island in Southeast Brazil. With over six years of experience in climate change and action, she brings a strong background in pollution management, circular economy, and socioecology. Daniela serves as a council member of Sistema B Brasil and is actively involved with the boards of Instituto Talanoa, Instituto Oyá, Climate Ventures, and ProduBanco.

Her career began in the dynamic world of street waste pickers and cooperative work, which allowed her to develop a deep understanding of social and environmental challenges in underserved communities. Daniela holds an MBA in waste management and has worked in both the public and private sectors.

An advocate for resilient climate development, her work focuses on building bridges and aligning narratives to stimulate collaborative, science-based action led by non-state and subnational actors in the region. Daniela was also a member of The New Plastics Economy initiative with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and served as a panel expert for the influential study “Breaking the Plastic Wave” (Pew Charitable Trusts and SystemiQ). Since 2019, she has been a resident at the House of Beautiful Business.

Reitumetse Molotsane

Reitumetse Molotsoane is the Africa Director at the Climate Champions Team, where she leads efforts to accelerate climate action across the continent. She brings a wealth of experience from across the public and private sectors. Prior to joining the team, she led sustainability at RFG Foods, a major consumer packaged goods company, and advanced corporate climate action at the National Business Initiative, a coalition driving business leadership on sustainability. Her background also includes consulting roles with Camco, an impact fund manager focused on climate finance in emerging markets and overseeing climate change monitoring and evaluation at South Africa’s national Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment. Reitumetse holds a Master of Science in Applied Ecology from Imperial College London and Bachelor of Science in environmental sciences from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Nathan Cooper

Nathan Cooper is Director of Policy and Engagement Department for the Climate Champions. He leads the department which provides political and diplomatic advice to the High Level Champions, and which delivers strategic engagement to enhance radical collaboration between governments, business, cities and regions, civil society, and other Non-State Actors (NSA). Previously, Nathan led the World Economic Forum’s strategic climate partnerships, including working with world leaders – heads of state, ministers, global CEOs- to drive more ambitious global climate finance, mitigation, and adaptation action. Previously, Nathan held a series of posts in the UK Government, including at the Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and the UK Cabinet Office, where he led the business and industrial strategy for G7 and UN Climate Change Conference, COP26. Nathan writes on topics such as climate finance, business, and policy, including for The Independent, World Economic Forum Agenda, and the New European.

Braulio Díaz Castro

Braulio Diaz joins the Climate Champions team Chief of Staff to Dan Ioschpe & LAC Engagement Manager.

Braulio has worked for more than 12 years advising local and regional governments, and city networks in Latin America and Europe on issues related to climate change, sustainable development, governance, diplomacy and cooperation.

He has been consultant for UN agencies, EU programs, and before joining the CCT led the international relations and advocacy agenda at ICLEI South America.

Braulio holds a degree in international relations, a master in municipal development and postgraduate studies in political-strategic analysis, citizen participation and international cooperation.

A Mexican passionate on connecting people and local communities and traditions.

Naira Hatem

Currently based in Cairo, Naira holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Cairo University, excellent degree with honors. Naira is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Political Science from Cairo University. She was awarded a scholarship for an exchange year at the University of Chicago. Naira speaks English, Arabic and have some basic knowledge of French.

Her previous experience was with the United Nations Environment Programme, Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) as the MENA team intern, where she was a key player in several MENA activities. Naira assisted in the launch of the UN Reflective Cycle Report in English and French, and participated in the Arab Sustainable Development Week (ASDW).

During her undergraduate years, Naira interned with several ministries in Egypt as the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, and the Institute of Diplomatic Studies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She has also joined the UN Resident Coordinator office in Egypt (UNRCO) as an advocate for a UN initiative titled: SDGs Advocacy Programme where she sought to promote the SDGs amongst different communities in Egypt.

Shivi Dwivedi

Shivi leads stakeholder engagement at the Climate Champions team. Previously, Shivi worked with Leaders’ Quest (LQ), a social enterprise that helps leaders and companies align profit with purpose. At LQ, she helped build and deliver client programmes and experiential journeys in China, India, Israel, Palestine, the US and UK. Shivi originally joined LQ to help grow the Leaders’ Quest Foundation and its grassroots leadership development programme in India. She began her career studying finance, and worked as a consultant with a global audit firm.

In 2022, Shivi was part of an expedition to Antarctica curated by 2041 Foundation, an organization whose mission is to inspire youth and future generations to preserve Antarctica. Shivi is deeply passionate about driving sustainable and ethical change. Over the last decade, her global experience in the business and development sector has given her the ability to bring solutions to the table – in the conference room and on-the-ground. 

In addition to seeing herself as a lifelong dreamer, and a struggling pianist, Shivi loves travelling, reading, exploring underwater life, and animals. She dreams of opening an animal shelter with her partner one day!

Daniela Palma

Daniela has extensive experience as a sustainability consultant, having collaborated extensively with the private sector to guide their environmental practices in realms like climate adaptation, biodiversity preservation, water stewardship, and pollution mitigation. Her professional expertise lies at the intersection of nature and climate, where she specializes in guiding organizations to effectively reduce emissions. Committed to steering non-state actors to net zero and nature positive, Daniela is supporting the Race to Zero and Race to Resilience campaigns to measure and track progress to deliver a resilient and fairer zero carbon world.

Louisa Durkin

Louisa Durkin is an experienced sustainability professional with a background in climate and biodiversity data fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders. Louisa manages the Climate Action Data 2.0 community, convening experts to drive progress in open data and climate data stocktaking. She is an Entrepreneur in Residence at Climate Collective working to decode digital monitoring, reporting, and verification for climate and nature. Previously, she held the role of Director of Partnership and Impact at Open Earth Foundation. She also previously worked as a Biodiversity & Agrifood Systems Sustainability Consultant at Metabolic in Amsterdam where she worked on Science Based Targets for Nature and tracking biodiversity policies. Louisa holds a master’s degree in biodiversity systematics from the University of Gothenburg and a bachelor’s degree in molecular genetics from the University of Rochester.

Vugar Alahverdiyev

Vugar is the Communities & Youth Coordinator for the COP31 Climate High-Level Champion, Samed Ağırbaş

Douglas Ragan

Douglas is the Communities & Youth Coordinator for the COP31 Climate High-Level Champion, Samed Ağırbaş

Claire Duthuit

As part of the Senior Leadership Team, Claire supports and empowers the Strategic Communications and Events team, driving ambitious global climate action, showcasing real economy solutions and facilitating collaboration among diverse sustainability leaders worldwide. Claire and the team amplify the work of the Climate High-Level Champions and real economy leaders through strategic media engagement, dynamic social media outreach, compelling storytelling and engaging events.

Claire brings to the Champions more than 15 years’ international experience at the forefront of the global issues that matter most — from designing an award-winning climate campaign with a reach of three billion people for the UN Secretary-General, to developing new ways for nonprofits to up-level their success across Facebook, Instagram and the Metaverse. A decade working across 150 countries with the United Nations, experience partnering with the likes of Nike, H&M and Disney on effective ESG, and a role leading engagement strategy at Meta have allowed Claire to build a reputation for creativity, leadership with integrity and high-stakes brand management.

Claire holds Masters degrees in both Visual Media and Social Anthropology, as well as a University of Cambridge diploma in High Impact Sustainability Leadership.

Christine Luby

Christine Luby serves as the Head of Editorial for the Climate Champions team, driving global climate ambition through compelling storytelling and media engagement.

Drawing on more than a decade of experience as a journalist and speechwriter, Christine has provided counsel on messaging and thought leadership to heads of state, CEOs, and UN leaders. Her journalistic work has appeared in over 160 outlets worldwide.

Prior to her current role, Christine led communications and media strategy across various UN agencies. She most recently served as Senior Media Advisor for the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) partnership at UNICEF, where she spearheaded global media engagement and high-level advocacy efforts with governments, multilateral institutions, and civil society. She also led communications at COP28 and COP29 for over 70 partners under the Water for Climate Pavilion, and supported SWA’s climate policy team on their work with the UNFCCC and other key climate policy bodies.

Christine holds a Master of Advanced International Studies from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna and a BA in Journalism and German Studies from Washington & Lee University.

Sebastian Silva

Sebastian is a senior audiovisual strategist with over a decade of experience in digital storytelling, strategic communications, and audiovisual production. For the last years he has worked with the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development directing, multimedia content creation for global audiences. With a strong background in managing international teams and modernizing digital operations across diplomatic and the private sector, Sebastián brings to the Climate Champions a creative, purposeful approach to digital communication, rooted in a deep belief that climate action must be seen, heard, and felt.

Peshang Hama Karim

Peshang Hama Karim is completing his Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences, majoring in Hydrology. He brings a wealth of experience from the World Meteorological Organization and UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrological Program. He is a prolific writer and has contributed significantly to the scientific discourse on climate issues with many publications, and he has been a speaker at multiple events at COP27 & COP28. Co-founding the Jingedosty Environmental Organization reflects his commitment to local environmental action. His dedication extends to coordinating and organising programs and sessions at UN Conferences like COP26, COP27, COP28, RCOY APAC 2022, RCOY EE 2023, and the UN Water Conference, showcasing his commitment to shaping a sustainable future for the next generation.

Guilherme Larsen

Guilherme is a seasoned communications professional with solid expertise in creating campaigns and messages to engage international organizations, civil society, governments, the private sector, and the media about climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals. He joined the Climate Champions Team from the United Nations Development Programme, where he held several positions for almost a decade and had the opportunity to implement communications strategies at the national and global levels. His experience also includes a solid background in broadcasting, TV reporter, news producer, and press advisor for different public and private companies. Outdoor sports - particularly mountains-, reading, and spending time with his family are his passions.

Jan Kairel Guillermo

Jan is a passionate youth leader and driven climate change advocate, whose 2013 experience of surviving Super Typhoon Yolanda has greatly affected him. In his time as a government official, he focused on youth, legislation, culture and the arts and also led the Philippine delegation at several international events.

His professional history includes positions at Carnegie Climate Governance and the World Meteorological Organization, demonstrating his commitment to climate governance. Jan was instrumental in the development of the Water and Climate Youth Development Plan and Agenda and played a pivotal role in the 2023 UN Water Conference.

Jan graduated Arts Management at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Singapore, and he uses the arts to educate youth about the climate crisis. He has spoken at numerous global youth events and served as the 2020-2021 COY Liaison of YOUNGO and the lead of the 16th UN Climate Change Conference of Youth (COY16) Global Affairs Unit.

Fabio Scaffidi-Argentina

Fabio is a communications professional with experience translating complex research and technical content into accessible narratives for global audiences. He is skilled at shaping external communications around scientific, technical and policy topics. He is expert in storytelling, campaign strategy, multi-channel messaging and executive communications.

He previously coordinated the communications and production at the Outrage + Optimism podcast, and worked as a research assistant in international business at Henley Business School. At Chatham House, he was selected for the Policy Leadership School, engaging with senior experts on global policy, technology, and democracy.

Fabio obtained a MSc in Strategic Marketing at Imperial College London — where he currently guest lectures — and a BA in International Business with German at the University of Reading. He grew up around Europe and is multilingual. He enjoys the outdoors as well as sports, such as scuba diving and skiing.

Amanda Manuel

Susmita Mishra

Susmita Mishra holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies and a Bachelor’s in Economics and Sociology. She has efficiently led and coordinated multiple teams across diverse projects at national, regional, and international levels. During her previous experience at the World Meteorological Organization, she focused on administrative functions and forging partnerships for the youth pillar within the Water and Climate Coalition, demonstrating her dedication to empowering young voices in climate and water initiatives.

She has extensive experience in delegate relations and logistics management for six national conferences and seven youth events of various UN conferences, including COP26, COP27, and the UN Water Conference.

Amrita Menon

Amrita serves as Programme Manager and Executive for the Climate High-Level Champions' Engagement. Prior to joining the Climate Champions Team, she worked as a Legislative Assistant to an Indian Member of Parliament, where she supported her with policy research and analysis. She also worked as an associate at Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations, a foreign policy think tank based in Mumbai. She holds a Masters in Public Policy from the Hertie School in Berlin, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Sophia College for Women in Mumbai.