Shehnaaz oversees the finance hub at South South North (SSN), and is the Director of the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) programme. Previously, Shehnaaz was the African Regional Coordinator for CDKN (2013-2017) and the Climate Resilience Lead for the Climate Resilient Infrastructure Development Facility (CRIDF). She previously consulted on a range of projects for the South African public sector, including managing the National Strategy for Sustainable Development, and she provided technical input to the waste service delivery and capacity assessment, and municipal infrastructure investment model. Previously, Shehnaaz was a researcher and lecturer in the department of Chemical Engineering at University of Cape Town.

Joseph Muturi, Chair of the SDI Management Committee, is a social activist and leader of Muungano wa Wanavijiji, the national federation of slum dwellers in Kenya. Joe has been extensively involved in government and city-led projects that affect urban poor communities in Kenya, working with donor agencies and academia to build strong relationships between such programmes and the residents for which they are intended. One of these is the Mukuru Special Planning Area (SPA) project in Nairobi’s Mukuru slums. He has been instrumental in building federations in East and West Africa, and has established partnerships with government and key stakeholders for Muungano and for the SDI network. Joe sits on the board of Akiba Mashinani Trust, a Kenyan non-profit organization developing innovative community-led solutions to housing and tenure problems for the urban poor.

Renate Bleich is chair of the Munich Re Foundation. The foundation addresses major global challenges including climate risks and adaptation as well as financial inclusion. Previously, she has held several position within Munich Re, where she was responsible for Munich Re’s sustainability strategy. Renate studied economic geography at LMU Munich and the London School of Economics (LSE) and holds a Master’s degree from LMU Munich.

Reggie is the Director of Tulane University’s Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy and Executive Director of the Consortium for Equitable Disaster Resilience. He is also a full professor (tenured) of social work at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He earned his BSW and master’s degree in Disaster Risk Management (cum laude) from the University of the Free State, and his Ph.D. in Social Work (Dean citation) from the University of Louisville. Since joining Tulane University’s faculty in 2013, his responsibilities have spanned administration, research, program development, and teaching. Reggie is the Chief Editor of the American Psychological Association’s Traumatology journal. He has been an active member of several national advisory committees, including those for the National Academies of Science, FEMA, and the American Red Cross. Reggie’s primary research interests lie in the areas of disaster resilience, climate change, and behavioral health, with field work extending across Europe, Africa, North America, the Caribbean, and South Asia. Over the past two decades, he has led initiatives totaling over $44 million in federal and foundation funding, contributing to significant advancements in disaster risk reduction and resilience. His scholarly output includes over 100 journal articles, book chapters, and abstracts addressing resilience, climate change, equity, and trauma.

Line Gordon is an internationally recognised scientist in sustainability of water, food, and the biosphere. She conducts innovative research that combines work with small scale farmers in Africa, global models of land-use and rainfall interactions, and culinary innovators. She has previously served as deputy director, deputy science director and research theme leader at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. She has a PhD in Natural Resources Management from Department of Systems Ecology at Stockholm University, and a Post Doc at the International Water Management Institute in Sri Lanka.

Aaron Adu is the Managing Director of the Global Shea Alliance (GSA) with over 20 years of experience in banking, agribusiness and industry association development. He currently leads the organisational development, strategy, membership expansion, partnerships and project management of the Alliance, a global industry association focusing on Sustainability, Policy and Quality Standards. GSA contributes to building resilience within the shea industry by promoting sustainable practices, empowering communities, fostering partnerships and diversifying markets. Through these initiatives, the GSA helps ensure the long term viability and sustainability of the shea sector. Aaron’s areas of expertise include small business capacity enhancement, market linkages, farmer group development and policy advocacy. Aaron studied at the London School of Economics (LSE) and Georgetown University, and holds a master’s degree in finance from the University of Coventry, UK. He is bilingual and speaks English and French.   

Olga Petryniak is a resilience specialist with 16 years of experience working with communities, local and national governments, and the private sector in climate change adaptation, natural resource management, market systems development, good governance, conflict management and legal protection. She currently serves as the Senior Director for Resilience and Food Security with Mercy Corps, where she is responsible for strategy, thought leadership, and technical excellence across Mercy Corps’ 500+ million USD resilience and food security program portfolio. Olga excels at nurturing partnerships across government, civil society, donor and private sector stakeholders, and driving innovation and consensus-building processes to achieve transformational change.  

Dr. Ayan Mahamoud manages IGAD’s partnership portfolio, focusing on resilience, polycrisis, and systemic risk assessment and response. Her ability to integrate policy, research, and implementation makes her instrumental in advancing sustainable development and stability in the region. With extensive policy and research experience, she addresses complex regional challenges in the Horn of Africa. Previously leading ICPALD’s Socioeconomics, Policy, Research and Marketing Department, Ayan developed expertise in regional and transboundary polycrisis, climate fragility, resilience, and conflict prevention. Her contributions have shaped IGAD’s Resilience and Climate Security Agendas, facilitating collaboration across member states, UN agencies, and think tanks.

Fareeha Y. Iqbal is a Senior Climate Change Specialist at the GEF with over 20 years of adaptation experience across diverse sectors and regions, and a focus on climate-resilient development. She has worked with the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, consulting firms, and non-government organizations in developing countries. Fareeha holds a Masters in City Planning (MCP) degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she studied International Development and Environmental Policy.

Ashley Toombs is the Head of BRAC’s Climate Hub where she works on climate strategy and implementation, thought leadership, research, critical partnerships, and resource mobilization. Prior to BRAC, Ashley worked in the New York City office of The Nature Conservancy, coordinating with directors, scientists, and fundraisers to support global projects. Before The Conservancy, Ashley spent over four years living in Peru, first serving as an environmental Peace Corps Volunteer and later working for the agency. Ashley holds an MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs with a concentration in Environmental Science and Policy and a BA in International Studies and Spanish from Fairfield University. 

Anna has a broad work palette, from environmental conservation through income-generating opportunities, and environmental development, to emergency and humanitarian response, civil protection, peacekeeping, and security reform in conflict areas. She has worked for NGOs, the UN, the EU, the Nordic Council of Ministers, and various Swedish authorities. Her combined experience from different fields of work has led her work to the resilience, humanitarian, development and peace nexus. Most recently, she spent four years as the environmental, nexus and humanitarian focal point at the Embassy of Sweden in Addis Ababa.

Anna is an observer on GRP’s Advisory Council.