Dr Karishma Ansaram is Lecturer in Climate Finance and Investment with University of Edinburgh with a research focus on enhancing access to climate finance for the local community. She brings her experience on IFI reforms and climate finance policy through her former role with ICPH and UN High Level Champions.

Dr. Atela is the Executive Director of ARIN with over 15 years of expertise in climate policy, research, and governance. He has advised the African Union, led major climate programs, and contributed to global research. A PhD holder from Leeds, he shapes Africa’s climate innovation and transparency efforts.

Christine brings over 15 years of expertise in adaptation finance, capacity building, and applied research. At FS-UNEP, she combines policy-relevant research with practical applications. Her work bridges public and private sectors, enhancing climate resilience and adaptation finance practices. She contributes to the education of finance professionals through capacity building programs.

Michael König-Sykorova: Michael works at the FS-UNEP Collaborating Centre for Climate & Sustainable Energy Finance. He specialises in the analysis of climate finance data for better climate- and nature-related financial risk management. He is a founding member of the Climate Finance and Sustainability Centre at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda Dr. Christine Grüning: Christine brings over 15 years of expertise in adaptation finance, capacity building, and applied research. At FS-UNEP, she combines policy-relevant research with practical applications. Her work bridges public and private sectors, enhancing climate resilience and adaptation finance practices. She contributes to the education of finance professionals through capacity building programs. Dr. Joanes Atela: Joanes is the Executive Director of ARIN with over 15 years of expertise in climate policy, research, and governance. He has advised the African Union, led major climate programs, and contributed to global research. A PhD holder from Leeds, he shapes Africa’s climate innovation and transparency efforts. Dr Karishma Ansaram: Karishma is lecturer in Climate Finance and Investment at University of Edinburgh with a research focus on enhancing access to climate finance for the local community. She brings her experience on IFI reforms and climate finance policy through her former role with ICPH and UN High Level Champions.

Dr. Kendrick Hardaway is a Lecturer in Civil and Natural Resources Engineering at the University of Canterbury. His research focuses on evaluating adoption pathways for emerging technologies that are environmentally sustainable and applying risk analysis methods to ensure climate resilience of our infrastructure systems. Dr. Tom Logan currently serves as the Technical Director at Urban Intelligence and a Rutherford Discovery Fellow at the University of Canterbury. His research focuses on developing innovative methods to help cities and communities become more resilient, sustainable, healthy, and equitable in the face of climate change and natural hazards.

Paul Watkiss is director of a small climate research consultancy in the UK. He has over 25 years of experience on the policy, economics and financing of climate adaptation. He is the lead author on the UNEP Adaptation Finance Gap report and has extensive expertise in the costs and benefits of adaptation and investment planning. Blanche Butera is a climate change adaptation specialist at PWA where she applies her expertise in designing and undertaking multidisciplinary research and policy analysis on relevant aspects of climate change adaptation. Blanche is a project coordinator for a CLARE funded project, called ECONOGENESIS and a lead author for a number of UNEP Adaptation Gap reports - finance chapter.

Ishita is an economist with a PhD from the University of Delhi, currently leading IDRC clean energy work at IDRC. She has worked and published on issues of sustainable development, climate change, health and clean and efficient energy transitions. She collaborated with Institute of Economic Growth and University of Zurich.