2. Jimena Eyzaguirre is a Managing Partner and Practice Lead for Climate Change Adaptation at ESSA Technologies Ltd. She works with government, community, and non-profit clients in Canada and beyond to understand climate risk and adaptation options, strengthen systems-level capacity to manage climate risk and build resilience, and learn from investments in adaptation.

Mr. Holm is a Principal Geoscientist at BGC Engineering with 29 years of experience in hazard and risk management for communities, mining, energy, or transportation sectors in Canada and South America. Mr. Holm also advises decision makers on incorporating risk-informed decision making into policy and regulation.

Tribal Chief Tyrone McNeil is a leader from the Stó:lō Nation and a member of the Seabird Island Band. He has extensive experience working to advance First Nations languages and education, and developing agreements and partnerships with government. He holds numerous leadership positions including, President & Tribal Chief of Stó:lō Tribal Council, Chair of Emergency Planning Secretariat, Special Advisor to the First Nation Leadership Council on Emergency Management, and Chair of the Indigenous Advisory Committee to the Canada Energy Regulator.

Sahar Safaie is a climate and disaster risk management specialist with nearly 20 years of experience bridging technical expertise with policy and governance challenges at global, national, and local levels. She has authored three United Nations guidelines and was the technical and project lead for B.C. Disaster and Climate Risk and Resilience Assessment.

Jaad Benhallam is a staff associate at the Center for Climate Systems Research at Columbia University. His work contributes to the Climate Impact Group's research-related activities related to nature-based solutions, conservation, development, and urban issues. He also coordinates the Urban Climate Change Research Network, a Columbia-based global consortium of over 2,000 urban climate researchers, policymakers, and practitioners. Prior to working at CCSR, he completed his M.A. in Climate and Society at Columbia University.

Manishka has 18+ years of experience in climate change, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management. She leads the Nature-based Solutions Pillar at Columbia University's CCSR, based at NASA GISS. She holds an MA in Climate and Society (Columbia) and an MS in Biodiversity (Oxford), with certifications in Business Excellence and Sustainable Finance.

Pedersen Zari, based at AUT’s School of Future Environments, researches nature-based solutions, regenerative climate adaptation, and design for biodiversity in Aotearoa and Oceania. She leads NUWAO (Nature-based Urban Design for Wellbeing and Adaptation in Oceania), founded the Regenerative Ecologies Design Lab (REDLab), and represents Aotearoa in the UCCRN Austrasia-Oceania Hub.

Associate Professor Yates, Architecture Director at AUT’s School of Future Environments, is director of He Puna-Ora, was programme leader (urban wellbeing research) of New Zealand’s Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities (2017-2024) and co-develops urban transition tools with iwi, NGOs, and councils. Her work focuses on ecological regeneration, renewable energy, circular bio-economies, and regenerative design.