Rachel serves as the Chief Financial Officer at C40, overseeing financial management, operations and compliance for C40, as well as the strategic financial planning process. As part of the Management Team, Rachel’s role is to help optimise C40’s impact by bringing data-driven, actionable insights to ensure the responsible use of funding to support our missions.
Before joining C40, Rachel held leadership roles in both the commercial and Not for Profit sectors in the UK and the US. Rachel has worked for organisations such as Diageo plc, Kao Corporation, Cambridge University and Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
CIMA qualified with over 15 years experience in senior finance roles at the global, European, and national levels, Rachel has also been an examiner and author for several Chartered Accountancy bodies.
Nonhlanhla is the Senior Manager, Grant Finance at C40. This role, within Corporate Services, she oversees the restricted grants portfolio which is currently approximately 65 grants worth over $50k to $20m.
Noni is a Chartered Accountant, trained in South Africa through SAICA. Prior to joining C40, she worked “on the other side of the fence” as a senior auditor. Noni brings strong technical and audit expertise after working on a diverse portfolio of international clients with a focus on large groups of nonprofit organisations.
Noni will be based in the Johannesburg, South Africa office. In her spare time she loves to travel to the ocean in Durban, Cape Town and around various bodies of water such as the Victoria Falls in Zambia. She enjoys hiking and spending time with her family.
Catherine is responsible for the financial administration and management of the FCDO Climate Action Implementation grant.
Catherine joined C40 after completing her Master’s in international development at Reading University, whilst working part-time for the charities African Revival and before that at Mary’s Meals.
Catherine decided to pursue her passion for international development after working as a qualified accountant at Thames Water for 23 years taking on various financial and project management roles. Catherine also volunteered as Treasurer for company fundraising for WaterAid.
Clara Lafon coordinates C40’s Funding Development Board, Go/No Go processes and the funding pipeline. She also supports programme teams in grant management, focusing on grant review, approval, and compliance.
Before C40, Clara spent over seven years with various humanitarian/international development organisations (International Rescue Committee, ACTED, Sightsavers), working with programme teams in different regions, supporting them with everything related to programme design, proposal development and grant management.
Clara is based in London and holds an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics.
Pauline Makoni is a Project Accountant managing a portfolio of grants mainly in Inclusive Climate Action, Transport and Urban Planning.
She is an experienced finance professional with a strong background in project accounting, financial reporting and revenue management. With over a decade of experience in accounting and finance, she has worked across various industries, including consulting, retail and manufacturing.
As a Project Accountant, Pauline specialises in managing grant funds, budgeting, forecasting and financial analysis to drive informed decision-making. Her expertise extends to budget gap analysis and financial planning to support grant funds management.
Pauline holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science (BCompt) degree from UNISA and a CIMA Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting. She is also a graduate of the STRIVE for Leadership program with Duke CE.
Sanele is a C40 Project Accountant based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She specialises in managing grant funds, budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis to drive informed decision-making.
Sanele holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting from the University of Johannesburg, a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration from the Wits Business School and is currently enrolled for a Master of Commerce in Strategic Management at the University of Johannesburg.
In her spare time, she likes to read, write, listen to music, practice yoga and play with her dog whom she works hard for so he can have a great life.
Reka is C40’s Grants and Legal Coordinator. In this role, she supports the team across the grant management cycle, from pre-award reviews to data management and reporting, and she also supports our work on governance and compliance.
She has experience volunteering as a social researcher, where she collected and analysed data to create reports as a fundraising tool for charities. Prior to C40, Reka joined teams such as Clean Air Fund, working on a variety of projects ranging from fundraising to HR and governance.
Reka holds an MSc in Evolutionary Psychology from Brunel University London. She also holds a BA in Psychology from University of Pecs, Hungary.
Pat Sri is a Helpdesk technician working in C40’s London office. In this role, Pat manages Helpdesk tickets and provides excellent support to staff on various computer-related issues. Before joining C40, Pat was an IT Support Engineer at Better.co.uk, a mortgage broker company, and assisted users with support-related issues, including setting up new systems and migrating application platforms. Pat studied at the University of Portsmouth, where he completed a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Software Engineering.
Aura serves as the Operations Officer in C40’s Corporate Services team and is based in the London office. She provides operations optimization and travel management support across C40, as well as support to the wider Corporate Services team. She manages projects required across C40’s global operations. Previously, she interned for C40’s Climate Action Planning and Innovation team and supported the delivery of technical assistance to help member cities align with international best practices.
Prior to joining C40, Aura worked with Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) to collect data and build a country-based model for energy transition. This project was in collaboration with the Energy Transition Council for COP27. Similarly, she collaborated on the production of the Raindance Film Festival for three consecutive editions.
Aura holds an MSc in Environmental Technology, specialising in urban sustainable environments, from Imperial College London. She also holds a BA in International Relations from King’s College London.
Aura is fluent in Spanish, French and English.
Sarah is C40’s Head of Grants. She leads a team supporting the organisation to set up and maintain grant management processes that aim to enable C40 to successfully deliver on contracts with our partners and suppliers and to contribute to our vision of equity-rooted climate action.
Sarah has 12+ years of experience in non-profit management and leadership working in a variety of roles supporting teams that design, fundraise for, manage, implement, and monitor sustainable development programmes on gender justice/women’s rights, climate justice, accountable governance, and conflict and fragility.
Having been on both the granting-in and granting-out ends of the funding spectrum, she has experience in setting up contract management systems that work to support the delivery of impact and at the same time uphold accountability to donors, regulators, as well as civil society partners and communities.
She has also authored and co-authored papers on social justice with a focus on gender equality and is passionate about racial justice and decolonisation.
Sarah is French and Lebanese. In her spare time, she loves reading, writing, learning new things, travelling, and eating her way through every city she finds herself in.
David leads the C40 legal team as General Counsel, focusing on legal compliance and grant management. David has worked extensively in the environmental sector and previously acted as General Counsel at the GSMA, the global telecoms association, and at M-Kopa, a successful start-up serving the unbanked in East Africa that he co-founded.
David has represented clients on legal and matters at the European Court of Justice and Commission, in the US at the Departments of Justice, Commerce and the White House and in national fora in several other jurisdictions.
David started life as a lawyer with the UK firm Linklater’s and worked for the US law firm Jones Day. He graduated from Trinity College Dublin and Paris II, Assas and attended the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium and SAIS, in Bologna, Italy. He currently lives in Spain and closely follows the football results in all the countries he has lived in.
Christina brings with her over 15 years of experience working within the International People, Culture and Transformation space within the not-for-profit sector, focusing on high-level recruitment, diversity and inclusion, talent/succession planning, change management and leadership. Christina has extensive experience working within a global remit and a track record of being able to provide efficient and creative solutions across countries and cultures. Outside of the office, Christina is a stylist for Smartworks (helping women get back into employment), a trustee for Mothers Uncovered, an Aspire mentor, a mum to two little girls and an advocate for feminist and inclusive leadership.
Jane serves as Finance Assistant in C40’s Corporate Services team, supporting the accounts, payment processes and more. She is based in Cambridge, UK and previously served as a Finance Assistant at JDR Cables Ltd. Jane has 5 years experience working in Finance and prior to that, 2 years managing her own business. She plans to begin studying for her AAT accounting qualifications in 2023.
Jessica is Head of Finance for Grants at C40. This role, within Corporate Services, oversees the restricted grant portfolio which is currently approximately 60 grants worth over $100m.
Jess spent three years at SouthSouthNorth, a climate resilience NGO, in Cape Town. Prior to that, Jess worked at Standard Bank Group in South Africa and the UK where she undertook various roles and also gained her chartered accounting qualification through SAICA.
Jess will be based in the London office, and is a South African and Irish dual citizen. In her spare time, Jess likes to do yoga, surf and run.
Nikoleta supports the legal team as C40’s Grants and Contracts Officer at the London office.
Apart from C40, she serves as the Managing Director of the world’s first legal think-tank dedicated to climate migrants, Earth Refuge. She is also the Head of Digital Communications at the International Institute of Space Law’s latest initiative, the Knowledge Constellation.
Nikoleta has been a coach, judge and award-winning participant in international law moot court competitions, including the Philip C. Jessup International Law Competition and the Manfred Lachs Space Law Competition. She also volunteered with the European Commission as a youth lecturer to make EU knowledge more accessible.
Nikoleta holds an MA in Human Rights from University College London, where she was recognised in the Dean’s List for Academic Excellence. Her dissertation explored climate change law and public health, and was awarded with Distinction. She received her BA in International Relations from Sofia University, where she won the Legal Studies Student of the Year award.
Vanesa is responsible for the administration and management of restricted fund grants, ensuring that compliance is met and robust systems and processes are in place. Vanesa was recently Finance and Operations Manager at Pro Bono Economics, a charity helping other charities to understand and improve their impact. Prior to this she was Finance and Operations controller at Trillion Fund, a loan based crowdfunding platform for renewable energy projects. She has also worked at IDOM, a global architectural and engineering consultancy firm, Quiet Revolution, a vertical axis wind turbine firm and Waste Watch, a sustainability charity. Vanesa holds a BSc (Hons) in Ecology, Conservation & Environment from York University and an MSc in Environmental Decision Making from the Open University.
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.
Marinder serves as the Global Operations Manager in C40’s Corporate Services team and is based in the London office. She manages special projects required across C40’s global operations. Previously, Marinder supported C40’s legal team by reviewing contracts, policies, and C40’s procedures as a grants and contracts officer.
Before joining C40, Marinder managed grants in the educational and cultural sector at the government initiative, UK-German Connection, where she worked with teaching professionals across Germany and the UK on funding for educational projects, many of which focused on sustainability. Previously, Marinder gained experience as an English teacher in London schools and in Germany.
Marinder graduated from Oxford University with a BA Hons in English language and literature, has a Masters in Teaching from UCL, and a GDL and LPC from BPP.
Lisa Kim is the Senior Manager of Learning and Development at C40, where she works on strategising and building all initiatives tied to skill development, learning and career development for a workforce located across 32 different countries. She also leads on C40’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and action plan to further foster an inclusive and diverse work environment and learning culture.
Before joining C40, Lisa taught high school English literature and writing in New York City. In addition to teaching, Lisa managed office administration and event planning for the nonprofit arts organisation, OrigamiUSA, and assisted the President at the literary agency, Sterling Lord Literistic.
Lisa has an MA in English Education from Columbia University and a BA in Journalism & Mass Communications and Sociology from New York University.
Juliette Carter serves as Corporate Services Managing Director for C40 and is responsible for the effective running of the organisation through C40’s finance, HR, legal and IT functions. Juliette previously worked at the Greater London Authority where she was the lead on HR and organisational development, supporting the organisation through two changes in political leadership. Whilst working in City Hall, she had accountability for HR, resourcing, internal communications, project management, learning and organisational development teams. Juliette also worked with C40 whilst on secondment from the GLA to develop the in-house HR function and support the implementation of the City Adviser programme. Before working at the GLA, Juliette was Director of HR and in a variety of HR roles in the National Health Service. Juliette completed her BA in Literature and French at King’s College London. She has a Master in Human Resource Management and a postgraduate certificate in employment law.
Dolapo Idoko serves as C40’s Senior HR Manager, responsible for providing strategic and functional support to the HR team and lead on developing and implementing organisational development strategies.
Dolapo has extensive UK and international experience across the INGO and not for profit sector. Prior to joining C40, Dolapo worked for Amnesty International (International Secretariat) in the most recent role as HR Business Partner. She worked strategically with senior management in developing and managing a global workforce in the Africa, Asia and European region with a focus on change management, restructures and workforce planning. Dolapo previously worked for Victim Support as HR Manager, supporting management and overseeing HR Services in the London Region and the MOJ funded National Homicide Service. Dolapo had led various initiatives including achieving a National Equality Standard accreditation. Dolapo is CIPD certified and has a BSc in Psychology.
Brian Farrelly is a Helpdesk Technician in C40’s New York City office, reporting directly to the IT Manager. In this role, he addresses the tech support needs of C40 team members by managing incoming helpdesk tickets, facilitating IT training sessions and serving as an on-site and remote support resource. Prior to joining the team at C40, Brian was an IT Support Specialist at Todd Street Productions, a marketing communications and event production company based in New York City. In this position, he was responsible for assisting staff and freelance members with their IT inquiries, new machine deployments and providing on-site support for corporate events and sales meetings. Before his position at Todd Street, Brian was in a similar IT support role at MJM Creative, which is a subsidiary of WPP, a British multinational advertising and public relations company. Brian graduated from the State University of New York, Albany with a BA in English.
Chris ‘Schmo’ Schmalz serves as C40’s IT Manager. This role is responsible for the internal information technology operations of the global organization. Primary areas of focus include managing support channels, implementing technology projects, monitoring systems and managing internal policies and processes. Prior to starting with C40, Chris worked for nearly seven years for Apple with a focus on account management and business sales to large organizations and not-for-profits. Chris has an extensive technology support background having worked for integrators and service providers before his career with Apple. Chris earned a BA in History from DePauw University in Greencastle Indiana.
Anita serves as the Senior Grants Manager of Government Funding in C40’s Corporate Services team, based out of the London office. She is responsible for funder relations, contracting, and procurement for C40’s Climate Action Planning work in Latin America and Asia.
Before joining C40, Anita was the Regional Relationship Manager of global corporates for Standard Chartered Bank, South Africa. In this role, Anita provided banking solutions to blue-chip corporates across sub-Saharan Africa. Anita has over a decade of corporate and investment banking experience focusing on counterparty risk and client-facing functions from Canary Wharf to Johannesburg and safely through the financial crisis.
Anita graduated from the University of Stellenbosch with a Bachelor of Commerce (Financial Management).