Shannon is the Senior Events Manager for the C40 x GCoM Joint Program. In this role, Shannon oversees the seamless execution of world-leading international events that strategically advance the Joint Program’s mission.
Before joining C40, Shannon produced high-profile global events for organisations in the social impact and international cooperation spaces. Shannon holds a Master’s in Globalisation and Development from SOAS University of London.
Carolina serves as Special Advisor for CHAMP National Engagement within the C40 x GCoM Joint Program.
Before joining C40, Carolina held the post of Deputy Mayor for the Environment during Mayor Claudia Lopez’s term as Mayor of Bogotá, between 2020 and 2023. She has worked on environmental and climate issues for over twenty years on the national, local and multilateral levels. She holds a degree in political science and public administration from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico and a graduate degree in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Idan Sasson is a Senior Manager for the C40 x GCoM Joint Program, where he is focused on the Subnational Climate Action Leadership Exchange (SCALE). Prior to joining C40, Idan was responsible for global urban climate finance programs at CDP and the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance, advancing climate infrastructure projects towards implementation at scale.
Idan has worked extensively with cities around the world on urban sustainability and resilience issues, having worked at Rebuild by Design – 100 Resilient Cities, and the New York City Department of Park and Recreation on strategies for inclusive community and stakeholder engagement to address climate-related challenges. Idan holds a Master’s Degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science in Environment and Development and a B.A. from NYU’s Gallatin School in Sustainable Urban Development.
Luis Sáenz serves as Head of Finance Advocacy and Policy for the C40-GCoM Joint Programme. Based in London, he coordinates the finance advocacy strategy across the Climate Finance, City Diplomacy and CHAMP global teams.
Luis is an architect and geographer and, for the past 15 years, has worked in urban planning and policy, mainly in Latin America and particularly in Colombia. He holds an MSc in Urban Development Planning (’17) and an MSc in Public Administration (’23) from UCL, the former after receiving the Chevening scholarship.
Before C40, he served as Senior Researcher for the Council on Urban Initiatives (UCL/LSE Cities), and worked as a Senior Advisor for the Mayor of Bogotá on international urban policy and sustainable development. Earlier, he was the Director of the ‘Como Vamos’ Cities Network in Colombia and worked for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) as a Housing and Urban Development Specialist in Bogotá, Central America, and Washington D.C.
Bruno Bartholini is Senior Manager, Media Relations at C40 Cities & Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) Joint Program. He leads global press engagement and external communications around urban climate action, with a focus on multilevel partnerships (CHAMP Coalition), climate finance advocacy, and data-driven local climate solutions.
Before joining C40, Bruno worked for over a decade at Rio de Janeiro’s City Hall, where he coordinated communications for major urban interventions and events, including the revitalisation of the Port Region (Porto Maravilha), the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the introduction of the Light Rail Vehicle system, and innovative projects in concessions and public-private partnerships such as the city’s first municipal solar energy farm.
Bruno is a Brazilian journalist based in Innsbruck, Austria. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from PUC-Rio, a postgraduate degree in Public Administration from PUC Minas, and he is currently pursuing a Master’s in Media, Society and Communication at the University of Innsbruck.
Rafael Lisbôa is the Head of Communications for the C40 x GCoM Joint Program, where he leads strategic communications, media engagement, and advocacy for a global initiative focused on climate finance, multilevel partnerships, and data-driven climate action, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. He is a communications and journalism professional with over two decades of experience across media, public administration, and strategic communications.
Rafael began his career as a reporter and producer at Brazil’s largest TV network, TV Globo, before spending more than a decade as Communications Director at Rio de Janeiro City Hall. In this role, he oversaw communications for the city during major global events such as Rio+20, the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the 2016 Olympic Games. He also served as Partner and Executive Director of Communications at FSB Comunicação, Latin America’s largest PR agency.
In addition to his role at C40, Rafael serves as Special Advisor for Strategy and International Affairs to Eduardo Paes, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro and C40 Vice Chair for Latin America. He also teaches in the postgraduate program in Politics and Society at IESP/UERJ and at the General Archive of the City of Rio de Janeiro, focusing on paradiplomacy and the role of cities in global governance.
Rafael is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), an MBA in International Relations and Affairs from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), and a Master of Research in History, Politics, and International Relations, also from FGV. He was also a visiting scholar at Columbia University’s Institute of Latin American Studies.
Salomé is a City Finance Projects and Events Officer for the C40 x Global Covenant of Mayors Joint Program. In this capacity, she supports the coordination, delivery, monitoring, and reporting of finance activities.
Prior to joining C40, she worked at The Climate Reality Project, assisting nine Latin American governments in integrating youth and indigenous representatives into UNFCCC’s decision-making spaces through a capacity-building program.
Salomé completed a Master’s in Development Studies from the University of Sussex as a recipient of a Chevening Scholarship, writing on the intersections of justice, dependency, and multilateral climate finance distribution in Latin America. She also holds a Diploma in Sustainable Development and Human Rights from the University for Peace, and a BSc in Business Science from LEAD University in Costa Rica.
Julie Ciardullo is the Director, Multilevel Partnerships for the Joint Program Strategy, where she is responsible for driving strategic development and implementation. Before joining C40, Julie spent 10 years working for the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, where she was most recently appointed the Director of Climate Resilience. Before that, she was a Senior Policy Advisor and the Director of the Office of the C40 Chair during Mayor Eric Garcetti’s term as Chair of C40.
Julie began her career as an attorney, practising corporate law at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP in New York City, and later, served as a fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. She received her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from UCLA.
Marcus serves as Climate Finance Pipeline Development Manager for the C40 x GCoM Joint Program. He has a strong background in climate finance, having gained over five years of experience across roles in research and consulting. Most recently, he worked at E Co., a small consultancy based in London focused on all elements of project design. He has led the design and proposal development of multiple projects now approved by the Green Climate Fund across a broad range of sectors and geographies. He has previously worked at the Climate Institute, where he was responsible for producing research papers and policy briefs.
Marcus loves playing and watching all sports and is a long-suffering Arsenal fan.
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.
Emily-Jayne is Global Stakeholder Engagement Manager for CHAMP within the joint program between C40 Cities and the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM). In this role, she supports both organisations in delivering support for CHAMP, with a specific focus on their advocacy strategy. Emily-Jayne is responsible for managing strategic relationships and ways of working with the wider CHAMP partners.
Emily-Jayne has been part of C40 since 2021, serving in project management roles within both the Global Events and Governance teams. She has a degree in Earth & Environmental Science from Lancaster University, with a year spent at the University of Kentucky to focus on natural resources.
Lu serves as Head of the Climate Action Planning China Programme, within the Measurement and Planning Team. In this role, he is responsible for managing the delivery of a programme of technical assistance, guidance and training to C40 cities in China, with the aim of building technical capacity to develop climate action plans that are compatible with the ambitions of the Paris Agreement. Prior to joining C40, Lu worked on a PhD project in urban planning at the University of Copenhagen, where he also managed and coordinated international projects and proposals with a focus on sustainability. Lu holds a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Peking University in Beijing.
Georgina serves as Senior Business Manager at C40. She leads the operational support to the Management Team to ensure effective strategic and operational planning and decision-making. She supports the Deputy Executive Director across a range of activities, such as fundraising and partnership support, and manages select projects on his behalf. Gina has previously worked on the delivery of C40’s role in the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit, including the development of new sectoral declarations. Before joining C40, Gina worked for the Coalition for Urban Transitions supporting the development of new strategic partnerships and governmental diplomacy efforts and managing engagement activities, such as events at international conferences. Gina was formerly a corporate lawyer in the City of London, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions. She holds an MSc (Environmental Policy and Regulation) from the London School of Economics, postgraduate qualifications in law from BPP Law School and a BA Hons (English and French) from the University of Warwick.
Agathe is the Director of CHAMP Global Strategy and Engagement. She leads a global strategy and team to build political support and engagement in the CHAMP initiative as part of a joint partnership between C40 Cities and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.
Agathe joined C40 in 2017 as City Diplomacy Manager, moving a few years later into the role of Head of City Diplomacy and Advocacy. She was instrumental in leading C40’s engagement in the COP process, the creation of Urban 20, whilst growing C40’s diplomacy and advocacy expertise and team. Ahead of COP26, Agathe was seconded to the High-Level Climate Champions team to lead the cities action agenda and launch the Cities Race to Zero. Before her current appointment, Agathe was on secondment to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy: she led the International advocacy agenda and supported the COP28 Presidency and Bloomberg Philanthropies in the development and launch of CHAMP.
Agathe is a political strategist, climate policy, diplomacy and partnerships expert. She has over 10 years of experience spanning research, project management, advocacy and strategy for international organizations, NGOs, consultancies, local governments and research institutes in Europe, the US, Brazil and Bangladesh. Agathe holds an MA in Climate and Society from Columbia University and joint Master’s in European Affairs and Urban Sustainable Development from Sciences Po Lille and Lille University of Science and Technology.