Siya Sauka has more than 10 years of experience in the fields of climate change, natural (and water) resource management and environmental sustainability. She has focused on research, analysis and advisory in both the public and private sector, and has also worked closely with national governments, research institutions, multinational corporations, and international development finance institutions.
Prior to C40, Siya worked as an Engagement Manager at Pegasys (a development focused management consultancy), and as a Climate Researcher at the South African Institute of International affairs (an international affairs think tank). She has worked extensively on climate research and climate resilience. Her expertise also includes disaster risk assessment and reduction, carbon and water accounting, renewable energy, and promoting a green, inclusive and circular economy. Recently, she developed an interest and focus on the integration and use of data and information for effective decision-making in climate adaptation, particularly in developing countries.
Siya holds an MSc in Geography from the University of the Witwatersrand (dissertation focused on a Flood risk assessment for the Crocodile River, Mpumalanga), and is in the process of finalising her PhD application (focused on Analytical Approaches for Climate Adaptation and Decision-Making in the Face of Uncertainty).
Smrithi Prasad is the Manager, Urban Planning – India, within the Region and Mayoral Engagement team at C40. She brings extensive experience in sustainable urban mobility and planning, with a strong focus on climate action and inclusive urban development.
Before joining C40, Smrithi worked with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP). In Guidance Tamil Nadu, she supported the implementation of the state’s Electric Vehicle Policy. Additionally, she led coordination with over 45 cities and 70 startups across India for the Transport4All (T4A) Digital Innovation Challenge, an initiative of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India. This scheme aimed to improve public transport systems.
She has previously worked with GIZ, supporting state-level experts in Tamil Nadu on GIS-based master planning for AMRUT cities. She also contributed to the review of the Tamil Nadu Development Control Regulations (DCR).
Based in Chennai, Smrithi leverages design thinking and strategic planning to foster the development of low-emission, resilient cities. Her work centers on sustainable mobility, urban planning, and policy implementation to advance effective climate strategies across cities.
Snigdha Garg serves as the Head of Adaptation Research and Performance. In this position, she is responsible for managing adaptation research projects of C40 and mainstreaming adaptation across C40’s projects and programmes. Before joining C40, Snigdha graduated from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies with a Master in Environmental Management. She previously worked with ICLEI South Asia for three years on building climate resilience strategies, disaster risk reduction, developing climate change mitigation and adaptation plans for cities, and bench-marking basic services against national standards for South Asian cities. She has experience in sustainability consulting, project management and urban resilience. In addition, she also holds a Master of Environmental Studies from TERI University, India and a Bachelor of Science from Delhi University, India.
Solophina is the Manager, Food, Waste, Energy & Buildings and her role is to support both the Food & Waste and Energy & Buildings teams in the overall coordination and delivery of their work plans and to manage the reporting and communications to share lessons learned and make compelling narratives for cities and senior leadership across C40.
Before joining the CSN team, Solophina served as the City Advisor for the Urban Climate Action Implementation program at the City of Tshwane, South Africa. In this capacity, she spearheaded the city-level implementation of high-impact actions across the energy and waste sectors. She also facilitated mainstreaming climate action into city policies and strategic documents.
Prior to joining C40, she worked with ICLEI Africa, where her role involved working closely with city officials and key stakeholders in African cities on planning and implementation of key urban systems thematic areas such as food systems, renewable energy and energy efficiency. She has also worked with architectural practices such as Local Works in Uganda and Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Italy on sustainable building projects.
Solophina holds a Master of Architecture (Sustainable and Energy Efficient Cities) from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. As a practitioner in futures and foresight, she is dedicated to applying these methodologies to foster inclusion, reflection, and strategic forecasting in sustainable urban development.
Stefania oversees C40’s Food Strategy as part of the Climate Solutions & Networks Initiative. Before joining C40, Stefania worked as a policy advisor and project manager at the Mayor’s Office of Milan (2011-2015), where she focused on the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact and overall Food Policy for the city. In particular, Stefania helped design measures and liaised with local and international stakeholders. Stefania also worked as a World Health Organization (WHO) consultant for policy alignment and aid coordination in the health sector in Moldova (2011-2014) and Tajikistan (2006-2009). She has a PhD in Institutions and Policies from UCSC, Milan, and an MSc in Political Economy of Late Development from the London School of Economics.
Stelios Diakoulakis joined C40 in April 2018 and he is based in Athens. He is the Deputy Regional Director for Europe and closely works with the Regional Director in providing support to European member cities regarding their overall participation in C40 activities ensuring they benefit from their membership – both at political and technical level – and also comply with C40 Participation Standards. He is responsible for the delivery of projects of strategic importance for C40 such as the cities’ commitment to ambitious climate targets as well as the development and implementation of Deadline 2020 compliant climate action plans. Prior to joining C40, Stelios worked as Senior EU Policy and International Affairs Advisor to the Mayor of Athens. He has significant experience in European policies and institutions having offered his services for many years in the European Parliament and the Greek Foreign Ministry while he has also worked as a consultant at a private company specialised in the development of strategic regional programs and impact assessments in the EU Cohesion Policy framework. He has studied Economics at the Athens University of Economics and Business and holds a master’s degree in European Studies from the University of Reading, UK. He speaks English, French and Greek.
Stephani serves as GCoM’s Senior Manager, Data Systems, Regions and Partnerships. She manages and operationalises key workstreams related to regional engagement and partnership coordination for the GCoMxC40 joint Tech and Data programme.
With over 15 years of experience, Stephani specialises in strategy, outreach, stakeholder engagement, and digital tools for sustainable development.
She previously served with the UNEP-hosted Green Growth Knowledge Partnership, where she led the creation of digital community platforms and engagement strategies to support the green economy. Her background also includes a tenure at CityNet, where she coordinated climate action and urban development initiatives for over 100 cities across the Asia-Pacific. She began her career in journalism at the BBC, reporting on diverse topics from business to social issues.
As Head of Head of Global Events & Special Projects, Stéphanie is responsible for organising innovative and inspiring global events (in–person, hybrid and virtual) that showcase the work of C40 and the leadership of its mayors in taking climate action. She has more than 20 years of professional experience in the fields of strategic project management and international events organisations.
In her previous roles, Stéphanie served for 10 years as the Chief of the Cabinet of the President of the French Tennis Federation, where she oversaw the directorate of the President’s office, international and institutional relations, as well as the Presidential box and all related events during the French Open and the ATP Paris Masters 1000 tennis tournaments. She also worked as a project manager at the French National Olympic Sport Committee and took part in Winter and Summer Olympic & Paralympic Games, first covering editorial management roles before developing VIP hospitality programmes.
Stephen is C40’s Head of Energy Strategy and Implementation. He has been working on urban clean energy and climate change response for more than 12 years, and also has several years of experience as an independent consultant, coach and facilitator. Stephen originally joined C40 as the City of Cape Town’s climate change adviser in 2018, and supported the city to develop its first-ever Paris-aligned Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. He then joined C40’s global team, where he supported C40 cities in all regions with their greenhouse gas inventory reporting and climate action plan development.
Since 2025, Stephen has been leading C40’s grid decarbonisation and fossil fuel phase-out work, enabling our cities to achieve a just and inclusive clean energy transition. Before working in the cities space, Stephen was a researcher at the Energy Research Centre in Cape Town for 4 years, where he lectured in energy and climate change topics, and led several research projects on residential energy efficiency and behavioural change. He has also designed and facilitated numerous multi-stakeholder engagements related to clean energy and climate change.
Stephen has a Master’s degree in Operations Research from the University of Cape Town and a degree in Statistics and Actuarial Science from the University of the Witwatersrand. He also holds certificates with the World Bank’s City Climate Planner Program and with the Centre for Appreciative Inquiry as a coach and facilitator. In his spare time, Stephen can be found rock climbing or running around his local mountains, and diving in the Great African Sea Forest.
Stephen Green serves as the Senior Manager of IT Systems & Projects at C40. His focus is to identify and research important technology projects for the organization and then develop and execute related plans. Additional responsibilities include reviewing IT inventory needs, facilitating weekly IT training sessions and monitoring and proactively managing the organization’s computers and phones. Stephen also supports implementing and maintaining security procedures as well as departmental processes and policies.
Prior to joining C40, Stephen worked at the Genius Bar for Apple for nearly six years and was a Genius in the London Covent Garden store for nearly two years. After Apple Retail, Stephen joined an Apple Mac-managed service provider in London, where he supported and serviced the IT of a dozen different businesses across central London, both remotely and on-site. Stephen graduated from the University of Portsmouth with a BA in Film Studies and Entertainment Technology.
Suriya serves as Grants and Contracts Manager for C40’s Corporate Services. Before joining C40, Suriya was Grant Coordinator for the Tropical Rainforest Conservation and Research Centre Malaysia, coordinating budgets and teams across South East Asia for the EU-funded Sustainable Use of Peatland and Haze Mitigation in ASEAN projects working towards collective actions and enhanced cooperation among non-state actors to improve sustainable peatland management. Before that, Suriya was the Project Development Officer at the USAID-funded Malaysia Reform Initiative, encouraging civic participation in Malaysia’s democracy and governance.
She previously worked in construction consultancy in Malaysia and Singapore, specialising in public sector projects. At Arcadis, Suriya provided cost and contract management for public sector housing in Singapore. Suriya holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the National University of Singapore and a Bachelor’s degree in Quantity Surveying from Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Sweta serves as the Head of Governance within the C40 Legal Team, where she oversees and manages governance frameworks across various entities under C40. With over 12 years of experience in governance and compliance, Sweta brings deep expertise in ensuring regularity adherence, strengthening organisational accountability, and supporting strategic decision-making processes.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law and is a qualified Company Secretary, registered with the Institute of Company Secretaries of India.
Tenele Ndlovu serves as C40’s Project Manager – Zero-Emission Buses within the Transport Team. In this capacity, she is instrumental in supporting the delivery and implementation of our Zero-Emission Buses programme, contributing to the global transition to zero-emission buses in various C40 cities.
Tenele is based in Pretoria, South Africa, and brings valuable experience from her previous role at GIZ, where she worked in the Climate Support Programme (Phase IV), specializing in mitigation and monitoring & evaluation, and previously at the Department of Environmental Affairs (now called the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment) in South Africa.
Her dedication to climate mitigation and the environment is evident through her professional journey. Tenele holds an Environmental Management undergraduate degree and an Environmental Management (Honours) degree.
Thomas Maltese serves as Senior Manager for C40’s Zero Emission Bus Rapid-deployment Accelerator (ZEBRA) project, led by C40 Cities and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). Working across different teams in C40 and partner organisations, Thomas will support C40 cities plan, finance and deploy electric buses. This will be initially done by working with Medellin, São Paulo and Mexico City, as well as the region’s leading city in this sector, Santiago, by creating best practice sharing opportunities for bus electrification in Latin America.
Prior to joining C40, Thomas kickstarted his career in the field of climate action at The Climate Group, as EV100 Project Coordinator, managing amongst other things relationships with EV100 members. EV100 is a global initiative bringing together companies committed to accelerating the transition to electric mobility from within their own operations.
Half-Italian and half-British, Thomas grew up in Italy and later graduated in Political Science from the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium.
Tia Schwab is the Senior Manager of US Food Systems at C40, working with a cohort of US cities to improve food procurement and reduce food waste.
Prior to joining C40, Tia was a policy advisor at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Food Policy, managing the city’s Good Food Purchasing initiative and supporting the climate and environment portfolio. Before that, she worked in Washington, DC, advancing campaigns for nutrition security at the Center for Science in the Public Interest and supporting strategic communications and development at Grantmakers In Health.
Tia holds a Master’s degree in food and agriculture law and policy from Vermont Law School and a Bachelor’s degree in human biology focusing on food systems and public health from Stanford University.
Toby serves as Data Analyst for Climate Action and Air Quality, within the Measurement and Planning Team. In this role, he helps to build and operate models that allow cities to measure the greenhouse gas, air quality and health impacts of climate action and related initiatives. Previously Toby worked as an intern at C40, where he helped to build project-level emissions analysis methods and also supported C40 cities with a variety of data collection efforts. Prior to joining C40, he worked in France, Spain and the UK as an English Language Teacher. Toby has an MSc in Environment and Sustainability from Birkbeck College (University of London) and a BSc in Zoology from the University of St. Andrews.
Urmila Sudhindra is the C40 Regional Officer for the South and West Asia region, and is based in Bengaluru. Urmila joined C40 after working as a Reporting and Documentation officer at Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled where she was responsible for the education department. She has also worked with other organisations like Medecins Sans Frontieres and KHUSHII. She has a Masters and Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Stirling and Birmingham. She is passionate about community well-being. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, cooking, trying new hobbies and spending time with her family.
Vanesa is Senior Finance Manager, Government Grants at C40, with a particular focus on supporting programme teams working with GIZ, the German government’s development agency. Her experience also extends to grants from the UK and Danish governments, as well as international organisations and philanthropies.
Vanesa’s career in the environmental sector is marked by a consistent dedication to the field, beginning with her BSc in Ecology, Conservation and Environment from the University of York, followed by an MSc in Environmental Decision Making from the Open University. Her professional experience includes roles with NGOs such as Waste Watch and Pro Bono Economics; Quiet Revolution, a renewables firm specialised in urban vertical axis wind turbines and Trillion Fund, an equity crowdfunding platform, which helped finance renewable energy projects through lending-based crowdfunding and community shares. She has also worked with a graphic design and an architectural and engineering firm.
In her free time Vanesa enjoys travelling, hiking, photography and reading.
Vanessa is C40’s Grants and Subgrants Manager, responsible for managing a strategic grant portfolio and closely supporting our Brazil Multilevel Implementation Programme, CHAMP.
With over a decade of international experience in programme and project management, multilateral partnerships, and cross-cultural leadership, she has built bridges between the public, private, and third sectors to advance and scale the Science, Innovation, and Sustainable Development agendas. She has secured and managed multimillion-dollar funding and led multisectoral projects in the fields of climate science, mobility, smart cities, health, and international development/human rights.
Before joining C40, Vanessa worked for UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the British Council, and as General Manager of SAFEWATER, a consortium of renowned funders, governments, universities, and INGOs based in Europe, the Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia, created to support the United Nations in addressing WASH challenges.
Vanessa holds an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA), two professional certificates in Paradiplomacy and Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Development, and a BSc (Hons) in International Relations.
Originally from Brazil, Vanessa has lived for several years in the UK and Switzerland. In her spare time, she has (in her own words, quite randomly) conceived and co-produced a documentary on Brazil–Haiti military interventions and, despite her height, represented Northern Ireland in the Beach Volleyball Olympic qualifiers.