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OUR TEAM

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Dr Sumedha Basu

Policy Advisor

Sumedha is based in New Delhi. Trained in environmental sciences, she specializes in strategic consulting on renewable energy, political and regulatory analysis, and financial modelling for renewable energy projects. She previously worked as a senior consultant in the renewable energy division of ITP Senergy Ltd, a leading energy and climate change consultancy. in 2016-17 she was awarded the International Climate Protection Fellowship of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany. Sumedha holds a PhD in Politics and International Studies from the University of Warwick. Her graduate research focused on urban sustainable energy policies in India.

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Nick Dunlop

Secretary-General

A former Secretary-General of Parliamentarians for Global Action and Executive Director of EarthAction, Nick has long experience of organising innovative global political networks. He worked as a consultant on political engagement for the United Nations and has worked with Leonardo DiCaprio and other celebrities on climate campaigns. Nick was co-recipient of the first Indira Gandhi Prize, presented by the President of India for his work on convening a group of heads of government to help end the Cold War called the Six Nation Peace Initiative. He is a citizen of Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa.

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Itishree Kanungo

State Coordinator, Odisha

Itishree actively mobilises legislative action by state legislators for low carbon development and the promotion of renewable energy. She has worked in the development sector for 17 years. Itishree is an expert in political advocacy, action research, livelihood planning, monitoring and evaluation, and low carbon development. She obtained her graduate degree from the Xavier Institute of Management. Before joining the Climate Parliament, Itishree worked as senior director of the Voluntary Health Association of India.

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Lucy Pearson

Programme Director

Based in London, Lucy leads the Climate Parliament’s work on the Green Grids Initiative (GGI), launched at COP26, working closely with the UK government as part of the global Secretariat. She coordinates the GGI Ecosystem of working groups and partners, helping to drive forward a work programme to accelerate the construction of the new infrastructure needed for a world powered by renewable energy. Previously COO and Research Director for the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers global report series, she holds an honours degree in government and international relations from the University of Sydney in Australia.

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Lilia Chanaoui

Network Coordinator

Lilia holds a BA in Political Science and an MA in Public Policy from Sciences Po Paris. She worked for three years at the Foreign Affairs committee of the Assemblée Nationale, the French parliament, and has experience working in the European Parliament. Lilia has lived and studied in Senegal and Taiwan, and speaks fluent Mandarin. At the Climate Parliament, she is Network Coordinator for Arab and francophone Sub-Saharan African countries. She is based in Paris.

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Bibiana Jones

Senior Advisor

A former Argentine diplomat, Bibiana served as Ambassador to Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. She was the Permanent Representative to UNEP and UN Habitat in Nairobi. She served as Deputy Head of the Northern Africa and Middle East Department, and as Head of the Sub-Saharan Africa Department at the Argentine Foreign Ministry. Bibiana now lives in Spain, which was her first diplomatic post.

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Dr Sanjay Kumar

Deputy Secretary-General

Sanjay recently retired as Director General of Forests and Special Secretary to the Government of India. He holds a PhD in Poverty and Rural Livelihoods from the University of Cambridge and has represented India in various global environmental negotiations. Sanjay previously served as Executive Director of the Climate Parliament, where he pursued the vision of powering the global economy with one hundred percent renewables. In his current role as Deputy Secretary-General, he leads Climate Parliament's global work with the CEO & Investor Council and international collaborations to pursue the objectives of the One Sun Declaration under the Green Grids Initiative - One Sun One World One Grid.

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Dr Mukul Sharma

Asia Director

Mukul is a Delhi-based academic, writer and development professional specialized in environmental, social and human rights issues. He has received 12 national and international awards for his environmental and human rights journalism. He served as India Director of Amnesty International and the Heinrich Böll Foundation, and as Director of the Bangkok-based AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific. He is a part-time Professor of Environmental Studies at Ashoka University in Delhi.

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Eliza Cocksworth

Network and Finance Coordinator

Based in the UK, Eliza holds a BA in French literature from King's College, London, and is soon to complete her MA in Human Rights from the University of Sussex. As Network and Finance Coordinator for the Climate Parliament, Eliza’s work covers MP engagement, organisation of events, and the financial coordination of the organisation. Her focus countries in Africa currently are Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, The Gambia, and Uganda. She also leads on the Climate Parliament’s Gender and Inclusion strategy.  

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Léa Hillaireau

Programme Manager

As Programme Manager at Climate Parliament Léa's work covers engagement with MPs in Africa, partners and donor agencies. She is also involved in developing knowledge products on climate and renewable energy policy for parliamentarians. She trained as a lawyer in France. After graduating from a Masters in European Law and Politics, she worked as a legal assistant at the Council of Notariats of the European Union, an organisation that promotes efficient access to justice for all in Europe. Léa has also volunteered for Notre Affaire à Tous, a French non-profit that uses litigation to fight climate change and promotes the recognition of environmental rights in legislation

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Dr Sergio Missana

Executive Director

Sergio is a well-known Chilean author. He holds a PhD in Spanish from Stanford University and teaches literature part-time at Stanford’s Santiago Programme. He served as Director of Publications and Head of International Relations at the BBVA Foundation in Madrid and was a member of the Governing Council of the European Foundation Centre in Brussels. He was an editor of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report on human rights violations committed by the Chilean military dictatorship between1973 and 1990.

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Ayisha R. Wadhwa

Network Coordinator

Ayisha Ramesh Wadhwa is based in New Delhi. She works with South Asian parliamentarians to help drive the transition to renewable energy in their constituencies. Since completing her MBA, Ayisha gained more than ten years of experience in the finance and insurance sector. Before joining the Climate Parliament, she worked as the Relationship Manager at HDFC Bank, one of the largest banks in India.

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