People

Veronica Sabino has joined C40 as the Campaigns Project Manager in the Inclusion and Global Leadership department. She has extensive experience in project design, management and coordination, working in multicultural and complex global environments. She is based in London.

Prior to C40, Veronica worked at Amnesty International for 8 years, providing project management support across several departments. In her last role as Senior Executive Coordinator, she was responsible for coordinating, advising and enabling the strategic and operational agenda of the Secretary General and Leadership Team, as well as advancing critical projects of organisational priority. 

Originally a sinologist with a background in Chinese language and culture, Veronica holds a MA in International Studies and Diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies, with a focus on international relations and human rights. 

Victoria Cerullo serves as Director of Urban Engagement at The New York Climate Exchange. She most recently served in roles across New York City government as Senior Advisor to the First Deputy Mayor, Deputy Director of Strategic Partnerships, and Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice. Vicki began her career in the Bloomberg Administration, first as a Director in the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit, Legislative Representative in the Office of City Legislative Affairs, and Chief of Staff to the NYC Parks Commissioner.

Victoria was also part of a team assembled by Mayor Bloomberg to manage Superstorm Sandy recovery. Her roles in philanthropy and the private sector have spanned sustainability, news, financial products, operations, and government innovation. Victoria received her MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Victoria Gonsior (“Vicky”) serves as Senior Manager for Climate Action Planning. In this position, she manages the data pillar of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Joint Programme and supports, in collaboration with GCoM, CDP and various internal and external partners, the development of streamlined data access and tools for cities – particularly those with limited capacities – to enable and accelerate their path along the climate action journey.

Vicky is not new to C40, having previously worked as the City Advisor for Freetown in Sierra Leone, where she supported the city in developing its first CAP, with limited resources available. Before that, she was the C40 Focal Point and Policy Advisor to the Mayor of Freetown. Most recently, Vicky worked for The World Bank, supporting the development of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Country and Climate Development report by providing insights on urban climate action in cities.

She also has years of experience in various organisations and consultancies at the intersection of research and practice in international cooperation and sustainability, with a strong focus on the public sector and the subnational level. She has MSc and BSc degrees in economics, has been published in academic journals and with renowned publishing companies and is a trained and certified systemic coach. A number of additional training on mindfulness techniques and action and experienced-based learning methodologies enrich the skillset with which she delivers her work. She is based in Cologne, Germany, and surfs along the world’s coastlines, whenever an opportunity presents itself.

Vinicius Macário serves as Senior Manager for City Finance in the Brazil Multilevel Implementation Program. He leads the delivery of the finance workstream, aiming to strengthen the capacity and access of Brazilian cities to financial resources for urban climate projects. His focus is on fostering a cooperative approach among technical and financial institutions to mobilise these resources.

From 2016 to 2022, he worked at the São Paulo City Hall, focusing on strategic planning and monitoring projects related to urban policies and services. Prior to his role at C40, he led the Economic Advisory Office at the Municipal Finance Department, where he significantly contributed to the city’s Fleet Electrification Project.

Vinicius holds a degree in Social Sciences and a Master’s in Public Administration. 

Viola leads the Urban Nature portfolio within the Climate Resilience team at C40 Cities. In this role, she manages the Urban Nature Accelerator. This programme supports cities in scaling up nature-based solutions to enhance climate resilience, promote biodiversity, and improve public health, especially for vulnerable urban communities. She works closely with city officials, technical experts, and partner organisations to develop data-informed, equitable green infrastructure strategies.

Outside of C40, Viola is the lead researcher for The Green Pill, a pilot project investigating the cognitive and emotional benefits of walking in urban green spaces by using insights from neuroscience and environmental psychology. Conducted in Milan, the study offers actionable data on how urban nature positively impacts mood, attention, and stress reduction, making the case for investing in biodiversity-rich, inclusive green space as a public health intervention. This project exemplifies her commitment to translating scientific evidence into practical tools and policies for city leaders.

Viola is a passionate science communicator and public advocate for greener, healthier cities. She is the speaker of the TEDx Talk “Nature and Neurons: How Greenery Improves Mental Well-Being in Cities”, which explores the relationship between nature and brain health, and how cities can integrate these insights into planning and design.

She also plays a leading role in the award-nominated documentary series The City of the Future (Le Città del Futuro), which explores urban climate solutions across four themes: energy, waste, pollution, and mobility. In the series, Viola travels across Europe, meeting frontline experts, policymakers, and activists to understand how cities are preparing for a more sustainable future.

Vittoria Beria is Head of International Affairs for the City of Milan. In this role, she advises the Mayor on international affairs, manages the City of Milan international partnerships and projects and city diplomacy activities. Vittoria supports the Mayor in his role as C40 Vice Chair and coordinates the activities undertaken to fulfil C40 commitments, as well as the participation in C40 programmes and initiatives. Previously, Vittoria coordinated international partnerships at the World Expo 2015 and served as a United Nations officer for over a decade. Vittoria holds a Degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Catholic University of Milan and an MSc in Development Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science

Vivian serves as the Technical Head of Breathe Cities, Southeast Asia, and Senior Advisor, Air Quality and Health. As part of the Air Quality team’s technical assistance program, Vivian is responsible for coordinating in-house modelling, analysis, report writing, and public communication in support of the cities’ air quality planning and policy development, as well as strengthening connections within C40 and with key C40 partner stakeholders.

Vivian is an air pollution epidemiologist with over 13 years of research experience, focusing on air pollution/environmental health, urban health, chronic diseases and well-being, and “big data” quantitative research methods. Before joining C40, she worked at Vital Strategies, a global public health organization, where she made the case for addressing air pollution from a public health perspective, increasing commitment and capacity of key stakeholders to strengthen air quality management to promote public health, and informing the public about the risks of air pollution. She also has hands-on public health experience, working as an epidemiologist at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in Boston, USA, and as a Principal Scientist at the National Environment Agency in Singapore. 

She holds a BSc in Biology from the University of Washington (Seattle, USA), a Masters in Public Health from Boston University (Boston, USA), and a PhD in Public Health from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (China). She is currently based in Singapore.

Vrilly Rondonuwu serves as City Adviser for Jakarta, Indonesia. In this role, she is one of the key parts of the Regional and Mayoral Engagement team to engage the city in the implementation of the climate action plan and the fulfilment of C40’s Leadership Standards, including supporting C40 as required during the transition of city administrations, representing C40, and liaising with external partners working with the city on relevant issues.

Vrilly has over ten years’ experience, both in the government and non-government environment from project planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation. Her extensive professional work on climate started with assisting the Chair of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Implementation in the year of 2009, working with various people and organizations.

Before joining C40, Vrilly worked as a consultant in the fields of environment, resource efficiency, and climate change at various international organizations e.g., as a short-term consultant to support the coordination and data collection for the ASEAN Resource Panel at UNESCAP; as a national short-term consultant at World Bank Indonesia for the Climate Change Institutional Assessment project; as an RECP policy expert and networking coordinator at ICPC for the RECP Indonesia project supported by UNIDO; on the coordination desk on behalf of the Foundation for Sustainable Development as part of the Consumer Information Programme for SCP–UNEP; and as a technical officer/policy adviser at GTZ for their Climate Change programme.

She completed her Master’s of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling at Jakarta Theology Seminary, and earned a BSc in Quality Performance Management and Information Technology at Marquette University in Milwaukee, USA.

Wanjiku Ngare is a Senior Manager in the City Finance Programme at C40. She is responsible for overseeing a portfolio of special projects and partnerships, supporting sectoral finance staff, program management, and supporting internal team strategy development and operations.

Wanjiku is a passionate urbanist with experience in management consulting and project finance. Prior to this role, she was an operations senior associate at Instiglio Inc and an associate management consultant at Dalberg Advisors. She worked on cross-sectoral projects for diverse clients, including large foundations, multilateral development banks, and bilateral development finance institutions. Her work spanned from identifying and addressing barriers in scaling the deployment of pico to microgrid solar in East African countries; to identifying key constraints to economic development in Kosovo. She began her career as a Project Finance Analyst at Sol Systems LLC, a leading renewable energy financier and developer in the United States.

Wanjiku holds a Bachelor’s in International Affairs from Georgetown University and a Master’s in Urban Planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Wenwen Chen serves as Operations Manager, China Office. In this role, she is responsible for managing the Corporate Services deliverables within China.

Prior to joining C40, Wenwen worked as a Program Operation Manager for Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management. Before that, Wenwen served as Vice Director for the International Cooperation Department of the Dragon Design Foundation, where she led the Sino-EU collaborations and activities on sustainable design and green technology. She also worked for the first local Fair Trade organisation in China earlier in her career.

Wenwen holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture and Ecology from South China Agriculture University and an International MBA from Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management, including one semester exchange programme at ESSEC Business School.

Will works as Data Scientist within the Analytics team. In this role, he is responsible for C40’s data warehouse, a cloud-based database for managing C40’s quantitative data. He supports C40 teams in promoting good data practices and works with them to maintain, improve and innovate processes. Outside these core roles, Will expands the role of data and statistics in what C40 does, including economics and co-benefits such as health.

Will has a scientific background, studying Physics and then a data-driven PhD in computational neuroscience. Before joining C40, Will served as an analyst at Green Alliance, a UK environmental policy-focused think tank, where he worked on industrial and energy transformation.

Based in London, Will loves making music – playing piano and singing in a jazz choir, and using his body – an avid yogi, runner and cyclist.

William serves as Senior Manager for C40’s Green and Healthy Streets Declaration. In this role, William coordinates C40 support towards Green and Healthy Streets Declaration signatories and tracks the implementation of the Declaration in cities, helping to accelerate implementation and achieve effective, ambitious and measurable outcomes on decarbonising transport in cities.

Prior to his current role, William was Benefits Research Officer in the Knowledge and Learning Directorate, where he supported cities with making the case for climate action through demonstrating the wider social and economic benefits. He also supported on a number of additional research projects, including The Case for a Green and Just Recovery released by the C40 Global Mayors COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, and Coal-free Cities: The Health and Economic Case for a Clean Energy Revolution.

Xian Zhou serves as the Regional Officer in C40’s China office. In this role, she helps coordinate and facilitate the delivery of the Central East Asia regional team covering member cities across the specified regions.

Xian has rich experience in working in a multi-cultural and cross-functional environment, including diplomatic missions and representative offices of foreign government agencies in China. Before joining C40, Xian worked as a Senior Immigration Officer for the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, where she built cooperative relationships with internal and external stakeholders to develop trust and mutual understanding of relevant policies and procedures. Before that, she worked for Lesotho Embassy to China focusing on partnership development and executive support. Xian also planned and managed high-profile events at China World Trade Center. Xian holds a Master’s Degree from Beijing Institute of Technology.

Yana serves as Senior Project Manager within C40’s Ports and Shipping team. She leads C40’s work on Green Shipping Corridors, aimed at catalyzing the shipping transition through innovative multi-level cross-value chain partnerships.

Before joining C40, Yana worked in an environmental non-profit in Brussels, lobbying the EU to adopt ocean protection legislation. For many years, her work in Europe was centred around EU and French advocacy, campaigning, as well as citizen empowerment and mobilization. She is the co-author of 3 studies on eco-anxiety.

Yana holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and a Master’s in European Affairs. She speaks English, French and Russian.

Yasar is the Knowledge Manager for the C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF), a joint initiative of C40 and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), which facilitates access to finance for climate change mitigation and resilience projects in cities in the Global South. In his role, Yasar delivers workshops on financing sustainable and equitable infrastructure projects for city officials, such as the CFF’s flagship City Academy on Finance and Equity (CAFE). He also oversees the CFF’s work on embedding social inclusion in cities’ infrastructure projects and manages the development of knowledge products related to CFF partner cities’ work in specific sectors.

Yasar joined C40 in 2022 as a Climate Action Implementation intern and served as Knowledge Officer at CFF from 2023 to 2026. Yasar holds a BA in History from the University of Oxford and an MPhil in World History from the University of Cambridge. He is currently studying for a Postgraduate Diploma in Law at the University of Law.

Yasmin serves as a Programme Officer for the C40 x GCoM Joint Programme, a collaborative initiative funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. In this role, Yasmin provides vital project management support, facilitates effective communication, and ensures the tracking of key programme data and monitoring and evaluation efforts.

Prior to joining C40, Yasmin worked on the Rooted in Trust project for Internews, a global USAID-funded program that responded to rumours and misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic in traditional communities in the North of Brazil. As a Project Officer, Yasmin focused on M&E and reporting, stakeholder liaison, and logistics and event organization. Previously, she also contributed to GEF-funded projects related to sustainable development while working at the UNDP in Brazil.

Yasmin holds a double degree in International Relations and Political Science, as well as a double Master’s degree in International Development and Risk Management from the University of Coimbra in Portugal and Sciences Po Bordeaux in France. Her Master’s thesis provides a historical analysis of the neocolonialist logic in French cooperation towards former colonies in Africa.

Yerim is a City Finance Manager, supporting the delivery of sectoral finance activities across the C40 x Global Covenant of Mayors Joint Program, and the Lowering Organic Waste Methane (LOW-M) initiative.

In her role, Yerim manages the waste pillar of C40’s finance work, coordinating inputs into the LOW-M coalition and helping cities access support for methane mitigation through research, partnerships, and finance solution tools. She also contributes to finance-focused engagements across adaptation, energy, transport, and ports sectors – including investor roundtables, finance academies and tools that enable cities to unlock climate finance. Yerim works closely with the wider team to strengthen programme delivery systems, monitoring, and planning processes.

Previously, Yerim was part of C40’s Inclusive Climate Action (ICA) team, where she supported monitoring, evaluation, and learning, researched climate migration and loss and damage, and helped cities embed equity into their climate action through the ICA Fund and Forum.

Yerim holds a Master’s in Urban Development Planning from University College London. Before joining C40, she worked in public relations and strategic communications across Seoul, Ho Chi Minh City, and Mysore – including leading external relations and co-organising an inter-Korean orchestra project under a UN peacebuilding initiative. She is passionate about climate justice and is committed to making climate finance more inclusive, particularly in underfunded areas like waste and methane abatement.

Ms. Ying Gao is the Head of Regional Coordination and Partnerships, China. She will take the lead to engage with Chinese cities, support the development and delivery of our China strategy and coordinate from both operation and city engagement perspective to build cross-team synergy to support C40 cities in China. Ying has over ten years of experience in the field of sustainable development, on government partnership development, project management and organizational operation. Prior to joining C40, she worked at Ellen Macarthur Foundation to lead the food initiative in China. She also worked for Chinese Foundation – the Qiaonyu Foundation as well as WWF China where she supported the CEO and Chief Conservation Officer in strategic partnerships development, strategy development, social impact investment, projects management and provided trainings on project management for both internal and external colleagues. She holds a Master’s degree from ESC Rennes School of Business. She is also a member of Conservation Coaches Network.

Yuping Qiu is a Programme Officer, C40 China Buildings Programme, supporting the development and implementation of ambitious citywide building energy efficiency initiatives. Prior to joining C40, Yuping worked as an Advisor at the Danish Energy Agency, part of the Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate, where she focused on collaboration with the Chinese government supporting UN sustainability goals. Based in the Department for Global Cooperation, Yuping was in charge of energy policy monitoring, report drafting and policy analysis. In addition, she brings experience from the Royal Danish Embassy in China, where she worked with consular affairs. Yuping holds a master’s degree in International Studies from Aarhus University, Denmark.