Dr Sumedha Basu

Policy Director

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.

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.

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.

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.

Nnaji Ugbaja

Deputy National Coordinator, Nigeria

Nnaji is a strategic communications and brand management specialist with over a decade experience. He has professional competence in journalism, publishing, content development, public relations, event management, sales and marketing, advertising, stakeholder engagement and administration. He holds a BA in Communication and Language Arts and professional certification in Strategic Brand Management and Sales and Marketing. He is an associate member of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria and a full member of the Institute of Brand Management of Nigeria.

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. She has experience working in several French institutions and ministries, including the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as in the European Parliament. Lilia has lived and studied in Senegal and Taiwan, and speaks fluent Mandarin. She is based in Paris.

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.

Dr Sanjay Kumar

Honorary Advisor

Sanjay has recently retired as Director General of Forests and Special Secretary to the Government of India. He previously headed the Forest Department of Jharkhand State. He has represented India in various global environmental negotiations and has advised the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, the International Fund for Agriculture Development, the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom and other global organisations in various capacities. Sanjay previously served as Executive Director of the Climate Parliament, where he pursued his vision of powering the global economy with one hundred percent renewables and advised several countries on their renewable energy regulations and electric grid laws. He holds a PhD in Poverty and Rural Livelihoods from the University of Cambridge. 

Lucy Pearson

Programme Manager

Based in London, Lucy comes from a background of legal innovation and strategy consulting. She was previously COO and Research Director for the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers global report series and has facilitated roundtables and large-scale events across Asia, Europe and North America. She holds an honours degree in government and international relations from the University of Sydney in Australia, and recently completed courses with London Business School, SOAS and others on climate change and sustainability.

Chris Ozuruonye Ugochukwu

Office Assistant, Nigeria

Chris holds a B.Eng in Computer Engineering and an MSc in Information Technology. He has been a member of the staff of the National Assembly of Nigeria for six years. Chris has served at the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations which oversees the national budget of Nigeria. Before joining the National Assembly, he worked as an information technology expert in the public sector and as a teacher of computer science.

Eliza Cocksworth

Network and finance Coordinator

Based in Brighton, Eliza studied French at King's College, London, having spent a year studying abroad at the Sorbonne in Paris and the University of Montreal in Canada. She has experience as a political campaigner and in community organisations. Eliza is currently studying part-time for a Masters in Human Rights and the University of Sussex alongside working at the Climate Parliament.

Léa Hillaireau

Policy Coordinator

Léa 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.

Dr Nkiruka Chidia Maduekwe

National Coordinator, Nigeria

A lawyer by training, Nkiruka has an LLM in Environmental Law and Policy, and MSC in International Oil and Gas, both from the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP), University of Dundee. She holds a PhD in Law from the University of Hull. She is an energy and environmental policy specialist, with more than ten years’ experience in research and training on energy, environmental issues and climate change. Nkiruka served as a member of the Legal Working Group on Climate Change, mandated to provide support to the Department of Climate Change of Federal Ministry of Environment of Nigeria. In this capacity, she participated in draft review of the Climate Change Bill which was passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate in 2021. After receiving the President’s assent, the Bill became the Climate Change Act (2021). Nkiruka is also a Senior Research Fellow with the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS).

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.

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.