FP Climate Summit 2023

Gillian serves as the Chief Climate Officer and is responsible for directing and overseeing all climate and environment work across the agency. She also serves as Deputy Assistant Administrator, overseeing DDI’s Center for Environment, Energy, and Infrastructure and the Office of Environmental and Social Risk Management.   Ms. Caldwell has worked to protect human rights and the environment throughout her career. Prior to joining USAID, she served as the CEO of Global Witness, which has a focus on tackling climate change and deploys investigations into corruption and natural resource extraction to drive systems change worldwide. From 2007-2010, she launched and led 1Sky, a highly collaborative cross-sector campaign with over 600 allied organizations to pass legislation in the U.S. to address the climate crisis. Gillian also has extensive experience consulting in the areas of strategic planning and organizational development with over 70 non-profits, foundations, and universities.   Ms. Caldwell has a B.A. from Harvard University and a J.D. from Georgetown University, where she was recognized as a Public Interest Law Scholar. She has received a series of awards recognizing her work as a leading global Social Entrepreneur.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 4 February 2020 the appointment of Selwin Hart of Barbados as Special Adviser to the Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General of the Climate Action Team.
 
Climate change remains at the top of the Secretary-General's priorities and one of the core priorities of the Decade of Action to Deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.  In ensuring enhanced levels of ambition on climate change within the Decade, the Special Adviser, leading the Climate Action team will focus on Member State support, coalition-building, UN system engagement and public mobilization necessary to implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and achieve a successful 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, United Kingdom in 2020.  The Special Adviser will ensure delivery of the Secretary-General’s priorities on climate change, from enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), fossil fuel and coal phase-out, ensuring public and private finance shifts and the transitions necessary to shift the world’s energy, transportation, land and natural systems in alignment with the goals of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.
 
Mr. Hart is currently the Executive Director for the Caribbean region at the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).  He was previously the Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States for Barbados and Director of the Secretary-General’s Climate Change Support Team, leading the team’s delivery of the 2014 Climate Summit and the Secretary-General’s engagement in the process leading to the signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
 
Throughout his career, Mr. Hart has served in several climate change leadership positions, including as a Climate Adviser for the Caribbean Development Bank, Chief Climate Change Negotiator for Barbados as well as the Coordinator and Lead Negotiator on Finance for the Alliance of Small Island Developing States (AOSIS), a coalition of 43 Islands and low-lying coastal states in the Caribbean, Pacific, Africa, Indian Ocean and South China Sea.  He was a member of the Kyoto Protocol Adaptation Fund Board from 2009 to 2010 and was elected by the United Nations General Assembly to serve as Vice-Chairman of the 2nd Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (Economic and Financial) during its 60th Session.

On January 20, 2021, John F. Kerry was sworn in as our nation’s first Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and the first-ever Principal to sit on the National Security Council entirely dedicated to climate change. President Biden announced Kerry would have a seat at every table around the world as he combats the climate crisis to meet the existential threat that we face. In recent years, Kerry was the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s first ever Visiting Distinguished Statesman, following his four years as the 68th United States Secretary of State. As America’s top diplomat, he guided the Department’s strategy on nuclear nonproliferation, combating radical extremism, and the threat of climate change. His tenure was marked by the successful negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris Climate Agreement. From 1985 to 2013, he served as a U.S. Senator representing Massachusetts, and was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2009 to 2013. Secretary Kerry served in the U.S. Navy, completing two combat tours of duty in Vietnam for which he received a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Combat V, and three Purple Hearts. He received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his law degree from Boston College Law School. Secretary Kerry is the best-selling author of A Call to Service, This Moment on Earth with his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry, and his 2018 memoir, Every Day Is Extra, which The New York Times described as “a bittersweet reminder of what the country once demanded of its leaders.” Secretary Kerry was the Democratic Party’s nominee for President of the United States in 2004.

Dr. Hoesung Lee is Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), elected since October 2015, and Endowed Chair Professor at Korea University Graduate School of Energy and Environment, Seoul, Korea. His research encompasses the economics of climate change, energy and sustainable development. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Korean Academy of Environmental Sciences, and chair of the Asian Development Bank President’s Advisory Board on Climate Change and Sustainable Development. Lee was the founding president of the Korea Energy Economics Institute — a government agency for national energy policy development. He was Distinguished Research Fellow at the Korea Environment Institute, senior adviser to the Minister of Energy and Resources and the Minister of Environment, senior fellow at the Korea Development Institute and economist at Exxon Company USA. He served as the president of the International Association for Energy Economics, president of the Korea Resources Economics Association, member of the International Advisory Board of the Battelle-Pacific Northwest National Lab, USA, the Board of Directors of Hyundai Corporation and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan, and council member of the Global Green Growth Institute. He was Co-Chair of the IPCC Working Group III (the socio-economic dimensions of climate change) for the Second Assessment which provided a scientific basis for the UNFCCC’s Kyoto Protocol. He served as Vice-Chair of IPCC 2008-2015, and lead author and review editor for the various IPCC assessments. He has served on many national and international committees addressing climate change and energy. He received his B.A. from Seoul National University and Ph.D. in economics from Rutgers University, USA. He was named to the 2019 TIME 100 Most Influential People in the world.

As Oregon’s U.S. Senator, Jeff’s goal is to make Washington work for working Americans. He is fighting to create good jobs for working Oregonians, protect consumers from predatory practices, and ensure that all Oregonians have access to high-quality, affordable education.   Jeff is the son of a millwright and the first in his family to attend college. Born in the timber town of Myrtle Creek, Oregon, Jeff has spent his career fighting to increase opportunities for working families.   After earning an undergraduate degree from Stanford and graduate degree in Public Policy at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Merkley worked as a national security analyst at the Pentagon and at the Congressional Budget Office.   In 1991 Jeff returned to Oregon to lead Portland's Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit that empowers low-income families through homeownership. Jeff went on to serve as president of the World Affairs Council in Portland before entering the Oregon House of Representatives in 1998. He became Speaker of the House in 2007.   As Oregon's House Speaker, Jeff led the most productive legislative session in decades. The legislature increased education funding, expanded access to affordable prescription drugs, passed landmark environmental and energy legislation, established domestic partnerships, cracked down on predatory payday and title lending, and created Oregon's first ever Rainy Day fund.   In the U.S. Senate, Jeff continues to stand up for working families. He fights to create living- wage jobs and to push back on unfair trade policies that ship Oregon’s jobs overseas. He has worked to make college more affordable and make retirement more secure for seniors. A true reformer, he led an historic coalition to fix the broken Senate by breaking up the gridlock, making it more responsive to the concerns of working families.   Jeff serves on the Senate Committees on Appropriations; Environment and Public Works; Budget; and Foreign Relations.

Senator Sherry Rehman is Pakistan’s Federal Minister of Climate Change, Vice President of the UNEA, and founding chair of the Jinnah Institute, an Islamabad think tank committed to building inclusion in national security policy. Rehman has served as Pakistan Senate’s first woman Leader of the Opposition as well as Parliamentary Leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the Senate and holds a political portfolio as the party’s Vice-President.

Ranked on the Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People of 2023 and Financial Times list of the 25 most influential women of 2022, Rehman currently features on the Forbes 50 Over 50 List for women achievers for 2023 in Asia, while the Washington Post named her one of the top ten global movers and shakers to watch at COP27 for her climate diplomacy.

Sherry Rehman has also served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States and Federal Information Minister, while holding three additional portfolios as Minister for Health, Women and Culture.

As a fourth-term Parliamentarian, diplomat, journalist, and civil society activist who has received Pakistan’s highest civil award, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz. Rehman is also founding chair of the Senate Parliamentary Caucus on Climate Change and has served as Chair of Pakistan Red Crescent.

As former editor of the “Herald” newsmagazine based in Pakistan, Rehman is also an award-winning journalist with 20 years of experience in both the broadcast and print media. Rehman has received several awards including the title of Democracy’s Hero; The Freedom Award for her work for media independence; the International Peace Award for Democrats; and the Jeanne Kirkpatrick Award for Women. Identified as one of the Top Global Thinkers of 2011 by Foreign Policy magazine, she was cover-titled by Newsweek Pakistan as “Pakistan’s Most Important Woman”.

Her latest book, ‘Womansplaining” navigates modernity, politics and activism in Pakistan through the prism of 22 women activists, leaders and academics speaking in their own voices. She has also co-authored the book ‘Five Hundred Years of The Kashmiri Shawl’ with Naheed Jafri, which was published in 2006 and was awarded the prestigious R. L. Shep Ethnic Textiles Book Award from the Textile Society of America.

Cobie Smulders is a Canadian-American actress and producer. Within her two decades of industry experience, Smulders has worked in film, television, stage and podcasting, bringing emboldened and complex female characters to life. Smulders is a proud Save the Children Ambassador, supporting the global organization’s efforts in early childhood education, food security, emergency response and addressing the climate crisis. As a lifelong environmental activist, Smulders uses her platform to raise awareness for the impact of climate change and advocates for ocean preservation and sustainable manufacturing practices. 

Sheldon Whitehouse has earned a reputation in the Senate as a fierce advocate for progressive values and a thoughtful legislator capable of reaching across the aisle to achieve bipartisan solutions.    Senator Whitehouse has been at the center of bipartisan efforts to pass laws overhauling federal education policy, rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, reforming the criminal and juvenile justice systems, protecting Americans from toxic chemicals in everyday products, and addressing ocean plastic waste.    Recognizing the devastating toll of addiction in Rhode Island and across the nation, Whitehouse authored the first significant bipartisan law to address the opioid crisis, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act.    Representing the Ocean State, Whitehouse plays a key role in crafting policies addressing climate change, environmental protection, and a price on carbon.  He passed into law a dedicated fund to support ocean and coastal research and restoration and bipartisan legislation to confront the crisis of marine plastic and other waste polluting our oceans.  He has worked to enact bipartisan measures to reduce carbon pollution and boost America’s clean energy economy.   Whitehouse has stood as a staunch defender of Social Security and Medicare, and has made improving care and reducing costs in our health care system a hallmark of his career.  To counteract the corrosive effects of special interests in our democracy, Whitehouse has championed efforts to root out dark money from our elections and make Congress and the courts accountable to the American people.   “While fighting in Washington against corporate interests and their influence on the political process,” wrote the Providence Journal, “Senator Whitehouse has not forgotten the people back home.”   A graduate of Yale University and the University of Virginia School of Law, Sheldon served as Rhode Island’s U.S. Attorney and state attorney general before being elected to the Senate, where he is Chairman of the Budget Committee, and serves on the Finance Committee, the Judiciary Committee, and the Environment and Public Works Committee.   He and his wife Sandra, a marine biologist and environmental advocate, live in Newport.  They have two grown children.

Ali Zaidi serves as Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor. In this role, he leads the White House Climate Policy Office, which coordinates policy development and President Biden’s all-of-government approach to tackle the climate crisis, create good-paying, union jobs, and advance environmental justice.  Zaidi is a longtime advisor to President Biden, having provided counsel and leadership on climate policy development, legislation, and executive action from day one of the Administration and on the Biden presidential transition and campaign.  Before his current role, he served as Deputy National Climate Advisor.   During his time in the Biden-Harris Administration, Zaidi has led on efforts to re-establish U.S. climate leadership, set a national target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52 percent by 2030; deliver robust executive actions, including regulatory, investment, and procurement-based initiatives; and secure the largest legislative wins on climate in U.S. history, through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.  Together these efforts have advanced the largest annual deployment of solar, wind, and batteries; brought together the U.S. auto sector around an all-electric future; tackled super-pollutants like methane and HFCs; bolstered domestic adaptation and resilience; and centered U.S. climate action around workers and communities, prioritizing good-paying union jobs and the critical work of environmental justice.  Zaidi joined the Biden-Harris Administration after serving as the state of New York’s Deputy Secretary for Energy and Environment and Chairman of Climate Policy and Finance, where he led the state's efforts on climate change — driving investment into infrastructure and innovation, empowering workers and communities, and boosting economic and environmental resilience.  Zaidi also taught graduate courses on technology policy and studied the fiscal and financial impacts of climate change as an adjunct professor at Stanford University.  During that time, Zaidi also co-founded Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy, a Stanford-coordinated initiative that equips sustainability-focused startups with pro bono legal services. Zaidi brings the cross-sector and multi-disciplinary experience needed to deliver a whole-of-government response to the climate crisis.  During the Obama-Biden Administration, Zaidi served as Associate Director for Natural Resources, Energy, and Science for the Office of Management and Budget and as Deputy Director of Energy Policy for the Domestic Policy Council — helping to design and implement a wide range of domestic and international policies.  Zaidi has advised non-profits, including as a Trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council, and counseled the private sector, as an attorney who helped launch a sustainable investment practice. Zaidi immigrated from Pakistan and grew up outside Erie, Pennsylvania. He received an A.B. from Harvard University and J.D. from Georgetown University.

Ravi Agrawal is the editor in chief of Foreign Policy, a role he assumed in November 2020 after two years as the magazine’s managing editor. Before joining FP, Agrawal worked at CNN for more than a decade in full-time roles spanning three continents, including as the network’s New Delhi bureau chief and correspondent. Agrawal has shared a Peabody Award and three Emmy nominations for his work as a TV producer, and his writing for FP was part of a series nominated for a 2020 National Magazine Award for columns and commentary. Agrawal is the author of India Connected: How the Smartphone Is Transforming the World’s Largest Democracy. He is a graduate of Harvard University. Agrawal hosts FP’s Global Reboot podcast and is a frequent commentator on world affairs on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and the BBC.

Dr. Mayesha Alam is vice president of research at FP Analytics where she oversees the research team and leads research development for clients and partners. She previously helped establish and served as deputy director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, and has also worked with the United Nations, World Bank, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and various nongovernmental organizations. Dr. Alam is the author of two books, Women and Transitional Justice and, with Robert Egnell, Women and Gender Perspectives in the Military, as well as reports on conflict, climate change, health, and gender. Her commentary has appeared in the Washington Post, CNN, NPR, Newsweek, and elsewhere. A nonresident senior fellow of the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research, Dr. Alam has taught at Georgetown University and New York University, and holds a Ph.D. from Yale University.

As Vice President of ACC’s Plastics Division, Joshua oversees strategic programs to advance a science-based policy agenda, national outreach, and sustainability initiatives on behalf of America’s leading plastics makers. He encourages better understanding of plastics’ advantages in key markets, such as automotive, building and construction, and packaging, and innovations that are helping to address some of our world’s greatest sustainability challenges. Joshua also leads industry initiatives and fosters multi-stakeholder dialogue around helping to end plastic waste by creating a more circular economy.   He previously led public affairs at the American Beverage Association (ABA), where he oversaw the launch of a new plastics sustainability initiative and helped advance community-based recycling projects.   Prior to joining ABA, Joshua served as a managing director at Marathon Strategies and senior vice president at DDC Public Affairs. In both capacities, Joshua directed strategy and implementation of multi-channel issue advocacy and public affairs campaigns on behalf of Fortune 100 companies and leading trade associations. In 2018, Joshua led the defeat of the Border Adjustment Tax on behalf of the retail industry, which was recognized as PR Week’s 2018 global crisis campaign of the year.   He began his career working on Capitol Hill for former U.S. Representative Heather Wilson and as the National Coalitions Director for U.S. Senator Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. Joshua has a Master of Arts in Government and Political Communications from The Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Texas Tech University. 

Dr. Annalise Blum is a hydrologist with expertise in climate, water, and national security policy.  She serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the U.S. Department of the Interior working closely with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Reclamation. Previously, she served at the U.S. Department of Defense as Senior Advisor for Climate Policy and an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellow, for which she was awarded the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. Blum has over a decade of experience leading multi-disciplinary research focused on water security, extreme events, and the impacts of climate change. She has served as a lecturer in Environmental Sciences and Policy and as the Pim Postdoctoral Fellow in Global Change at Johns Hopkins University. Blum has also worked at the National Academy of Sciences, the American Meteorological Society, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She holds a Ph.D. in environmental and water resources engineering from Tufts University, M.S. from UNC-Chapel Hill, and B.S. from Stanford University.

Allison Carlson is the Executive Vice President of FP Analytics & Events at Foreign Policy. She oversees FPA’s cross-cutting research at the intersection of policy, technology, and global markets as well as Foreign Policy’s global dialogues and convenings. Prior to these roles, Carlson led FP Analytics’ energy and technology team for more than a decade, evaluating evolving climate and emissions policies and identifying opportunities for advanced technology deployment internationally. Before joining FP, she led the Latin America program for a boutique consulting firm assisting European companies on investing in emerging markets’ energy and financial sectors. Carlson has presented her work at a variety of international conferences and before the U.S. Senate. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, where she received a master’s degree in international relations and international economics.

Todd is currently the global lead for public policy and government relations for Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) and leads the sustainability function across FFI and the Fortescue Metals Group (FMG). Todd started with Fortescue in August 2020. Todd was a member of the pioneering FFI team with Chairman Dr. Andrew Forrest that visited over 40 countries during COVID in 2020/2021 to establish early-stage green hydrogen projects. Todd played a leading role in establishing FFI in a number of countries including Namibia, Jordan, Kenya, United States, and Cameroon. Prior to his role at Fortescue Todd worked for 15 years in a variety of executive roles in the resources sector in Panama, Mongolia, and Papua New Guinea. Before that he worked in the Australian government including roles as senior policy adviser to the NSW Premier, and speechwriter to the President of the Australian Senate. Todd holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning both from the University of Sydney as well as a Masters of Public Administration from Harvard University. Todd is an Australian citizen and lives in McLean, VA with his family. 

Landon Derentz is Senior Director and Richard L. Morningstar chair for global energy security at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. Under his leadership, the Global Energy Center devises pragmatic solutions to the geopolitical, sustainability, and economic challenges of the changing global energy landscape. Prior to the Atlantic Council, Landon was Director for Middle Eastern and African Affairs in the Office of International Affairs at the US Department of Energy where he managed the Department’s bilateral and regional engagement with international partners, while also advising the Department’s leadership on world energy market developments and related policy responses. Landon has deep experience building diverse coalitions across governments, the private sector, and civil society; having led US efforts to establish the Net-Zero Producers Forum and as the US executive board member for the East Mediterranean Gas Forum. Landon also served as the US representative and vice chairman of the International Energy Agency’s standing groups on emergency questions and the oil market. Landon previously served as Director for Energy on the National Security Council and the National Economic Council at the White House. In this capacity, he coordinated progress on all facets of U.S. international energy policy, including ensuring the National Security Advisor and the National Economic Advisor remained informed on how market dynamics impacted U.S. national security, economic, and foreign policy interests. Landon previously worked as an Energy Policy Advisor in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Energy Resources and served as a Presidential Management Fellow in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy. Additionally, Landon was an officer in the United States Air Force. Landon graduated with a Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law, a Master of Public Policy from the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at The George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Southern California. 

Dr. Andrew Deutz is the Managing Director of Global Policy, and Conservation Finance at The Nature Conservancy. He is an expert in international environmental law, policy and diplomacy. He directs the TNC’s global policy work spanning the areas of biodiversity, sustainable development and conservation finance, as well as overseeing relationships with international organizations, multilateral development banks and foreign aid agencies. Prior to joining TNC, he served in several leadership roles with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and has also served as the acting Lead Forest Negotiator for the US State Department and as Forest Policy Advisor to the World Bank. He holds a doctorate in International Environmental Law from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Laurent Kimman is Principal, Finance & Transparency, at Minderoo Foundation’s Plastics initiative. He supports the Foundation’s work to close critical gaps in data and information across the plastics supply chain and is co-author of the Plastic Waste Makers Index. Mr. Kimman also co-leads Minderoo’s strategic impact investments that align with Plastics' twin goals of ending plastic pollution and accelerating the transition to a circular economy for plastics.

John Kotek is NEI’s Senior Vice President of Policy Development and Public Affairs. He is responsible for providing policy and public affairs leadership on financial, economic, tax, electricity market and environmental issues related to the nuclear energy industry. Kotek was appointed in January 2015 to the position of principal deputy assistant secretary for the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) and was nominated by President Obama in October 2015 to serve as assistant secretary for nuclear energy. In that role he was responsible for DOE’s research efforts on current and future nuclear energy systems, maintaining the government’s nuclear energy research infrastructure, establishing a path forward for the nation’s spent nuclear fuel and high-level nuclear waste management program and a host of other national priorities. Prior to his appointment, Kotek was the managing partner of the Boise office of Gallatin Public Affairs. He advised energy, natural resources and other clients facing complex communication and government relations challenges. From 2010-2012, Kotek served as staff director to the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, which recommended a new strategy for managing nuclear waste in the United States. He led the development of the commission’s final report to the Secretary of Energy, engaged in regular communications with congressional and White House staff and served as media spokesperson. From 2003-2006, Kotek was deputy manager of the DOE’s Idaho Operations Office. He was responsible for development and management of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) contract and interface with the INL cleanup effort. Before joining DOE in July 2003, Kotek worked for Argonne National Laboratory where he directed Argonne’s participation in the Generation IV technology road mapping project, an international effort focused on evaluating and developing a next-generation of nuclear energy systems. In 2002, Kotek was the American Nuclear Society’s Glenn T. Seaborg Congressional Fellow. He served in the Office of Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Kotek started his career with DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology. He held several positions during his nine years with DOE-NE, including associate director for technology, associate director for management and administration and chief of staff. Kotek holds a Bachelor of Science in nuclear engineering from the University of Illinois and a master of business administration from the University of Maryland.

Maggie Lake is a veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering business, technology, politics, and international affairs. She started her career at Reuters, where she worked in both the New York and London bureaus covering economics and global finance. In 2001, she joined CNN International, where she served as a correspondent and anchor for the network’s flagship business shows. Over the course of her career, she has interviewed the world’s top CEOs, celebrities, and politicians and has been a consistent champion of economic inclusion and sustainable development. She has served as a weekly contributor for NPR and moderated events for the United Nations, World Bank, Council on Foreign Relations, and Global Citizen. She now runs the communications consultancy Maggie Lake Media and is a founding board member of the newly created Rutgers University Center for Women in Business.

Rachel Kyte is the 14th dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University. Kyte is the first woman to lead the United States' oldest graduate-only school of international affairs, which attracts students from all corners of the world and at all stages of their careers. Prior to joining Fletcher, Kyte served as special representative of the UN secretary-general and chief executive officer of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL). She previously was the World Bank Group vice president and special envoy for climate change, leading the run-up to the Paris Agreement. She was also vice president at the International Finance Corporation responsible for ESG risk and business advisory services. In her UN role and as CEO of SEforAll, a public-private platform created by the UN and World Bank, Kyte led efforts to promote and finance clean, reliable and affordable energy as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She served as co-chair of UN Energy. In the 2020 UK New Year Honours, Rachel was appointed as CMG for her services to sustainable energy and combating climate change. Kyte is a member of the UN secretary-general’s high-level advisory group on climate action and an advisor to the UK presidency of the UN climate talks. Kyte is co-chair of the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI), and chair of the FONERWA, the Rwanda Green Fund. She serves on the boards of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), the Climate Policy Institute and CDP. She advises investors, governments, and not-for-profits on climate, energy, and finance for sustainable development. A British citizen, Kyte earned ​her undergraduate degree from University of London and ​a Master of Arts in International Relations (GMAP)  from The Fletcher School. She is a regular contributor on global media. Kyte has received numerous awards for leadership in climate and sustainable development and was named by Time magazine as one of the 15 women that were leading climate action.

Winnie Lau, Ph.D., is a project director with Pew’s preventing ocean plastics project, which aims to propose strategies to reduce the global ocean plastic pollution problem. She has also worked on Pew’s international conservation unit, developing new projects, and partnerships in Asia. Before joining Pew, she was the climate change science and technology adviser with the U.S. Agency for International Development’s mission to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. She also managed the Marine Ecosystem Services Program at Forest Trends and was a science and technology policy fellow for the American Association for the Advancement of Science at the U.S. State Department. Lau holds a bachelor’s degree in integrative biology and environmental sciences from the University of California, Berkeley and a doctorate in oceanography from the University of Washington.

Jake Levine serves as Chief Climate Officer of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, where he leads the agency's climate team, and is responsible for setting the vision for and implementing DFC's climate finance agenda. He also serves on DFC's Risk Committee, and works closely with DFC's Public Board agencies—the U.S. Departments of State, Treasury, Commerce, and the U.S. Agency for International Development—to coordinate administration policy in climate finance. Mr. Levine is an attorney by training, and has represented clients in various climate, clean energy, and clean air matters. Mr. Levine previously served in government in the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change, where he developed innovative energy policies, including the most stringent fuel economy standards ever set and the first-ever greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks, and later as Senior Counsel to California State Senator Fran Pavley, where he led the successful campaigns to draft, design, and enact SB 32 (Pavley) and AB 197 (Garcia)—landmark California climate and environmental justice legislation. Mr. Levine also served as Chief of Staff to the President of Opower, a software firm (now Oracle Utilities) that uses big data and behavioral science technology to help consumers save energy. Mr. Levine sits on the Board of Grid Alternatives of Los Angeles, a non-profit focused on creating jobs in the clean energy transition, and is an advisor to the California Climate Action Corps, a statewide service corps focused on climate resilience in underserved communities, which he helped to design and launch as a consultant to Governor Newsom. Mr. Levine holds a B.A. from Harvard College and a law degree from Harvard Law School.

Robin Millican is Senior Director of U.S. Policy and Advocacy at Breakthrough Energy, a network of entities and initiatives founded by Bill Gates which include investment funds, philanthropic programs, and policy efforts linked by a common commitment to scale the technologies we need to achieve a path to net zero emissions by 2050.     Robin oversees the U.S. policy team within the U.S. Policy and Advocacy program at Breakthrough Energy. In this role, she manages a team of experts who develop the organization’s long-term strategies to advance federal and state policy priorities across sectors including power, industry, buildings, transportation, and agriculture. Her team works closely with policymakers, business, academia, and the non-profit community to cultivate new ideas and form partnerships to advance shared policy goals. Her team is also responsible for philanthropic giving to partner organizations. Robin is based in Breakthrough Energy’s Washington, DC office. Prior to assuming this role with Breakthrough Energy, Robin led the clean energy innovation policy portfolio at Gates Ventures, the private office of Mr. Gates. Robin has over a decade of experience in energy, science, and technology policy, including as a senior strategy consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton and as a legislative aide in the U.S. Senate. She holds a Master of Public Policy degree from Duke University, and B.A. in International Studies from Southern Methodist University.

Geoffrey R. Pyatt, a career member of the Foreign Service, class of Career Minister, was sworn in as Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources on September 19, 2022. Ambassador Pyatt served as U.S. Ambassador to Greece from 2016 to 2022 and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine from 2013 to 2016.  Among other recognitions, he received the State Department’s Robert Frasure Memorial Award in recognition of his leadership of the U.S. response to Russia’s invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine in 2014. Previously, Ambassador Pyatt was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs from 2010-2013. He was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to the International Organizations in Vienna, Austria from 2007 to 2010. He also served three times at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, as Deputy Chief of Mission from 2006 to 2007, Political Counselor from 2002 to 2006, and Political Officer from 1992 to 1994.  Ambassador Pyatt was Economic Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong from 1999 to 2002 and Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Lahore, Pakistan from 1997 to 1999.  Since joining the Foreign Service in 1989, he has also served on the National Security Council staff, on the staff of Deputy Secretary Strobe Talbott and at the U.S. Embassy in Honduras. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he worked with The Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank that brings together leading citizens of the Americas. Ambassador Pyatt grew up in La Jolla, California and holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Yale and B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine.

The Honourable Lisa Raitt joined CIBC Capital Markets in January 2020, having previously worked in both the public and private sectors. Ms. Raitt’s current focus is on senior client coverage and business development with clients in the energy, infrastructure and industrial sectors, which align closely with her deep expertise.  Prior to her current role, Ms. Raitt was the President and CEO of the Toronto Port Authority. She was elected into the House of Commons in 2008, where she went on to hold three senior portfolios serving as Minister of Natural Resources, Minister of Labour, and Minister of Transport. Most recently, Ms. Raitt was the Deputy Leader of the Official Opposition and the Conservative Party of Canada.  Ms. Raitt holds a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Francis Xavier University and a master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Guelph. She possesses an LL.B from Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the Ontario bar in 1998. In 2020 Ms. Raitt was named a Woodrow Wilson Center Global Fellow of the Canada Institute.

Janti Soeripto is President and CEO of Save the Children US, a role she assumed in 2020 as the international humanitarian organization began its second century partnering with families in the US and around the world.   Before leading Save the Children US, Janti served as deputy CEO of Save the Children International for eight years. She oversaw market growth and guided strategy as Save the Children transformed into an integrated international body after decades as a decentralized alliance of national organizations.   Janti began her global career in the private sector. For over 15 years, she held senior positions at corporations including Kimberly-Clark and Unilever, working in her home country of the Netherlands, as well as Indonesia, the United Kingdom and Singapore.  Janti holds master’s degrees in Economics and Finance, speaks Dutch, English, Indonesian and German, and is half-Indonesian, half-Dutch. She is a parent of two children and lives in Connecticut, USA.  

Andrew Sollinger is the publisher and CEO of Foreign Policy, which he joined in 2018. Previously, he was executive vice president at Business Insider, executive director of Capital New York (now Politico NY) and managing director of the Financial Times Americas. Sollinger was part of the executive team that built Money-Media, a digital news startup focused on the fund management industry, and sold it to the FT. A former reporter and editor for Institutional Investor magazine's newsletter division, Andrew has lived in London, Hong Kong and New York. He is a graduate of Clark University, where he was executive editor of The Scarlet.

Sera Young is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Global Health and a fellow at the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. She has dedicated her career to understanding how mothers, especially in low-resource settings, cope to preserve their health and that of their families. Professor Young’s current research is focused on quantifying human experiences with problems with water, and unpacking their consequences for nutrition, health, and well-being (www.WISEscales.org). High-resolution, globally comparable, gender-disaggregated data have been helpful in other sectors, e.g. the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Insecurity Experiences Scale. However, experiential data have not existed for water. To fill this gap, Dr. Young led a large multi-disciplinary team to develop the first cross-culturally equivalent way of measuring water access and use at the household and individual levels. These scales have been used by organizations in more than 50 countries. She has co-authored more than 140 peer-reviewed publications; awards include the Margaret Mead Award, an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship, and a Leverhulme Visiting Professorship.