Dr. Avinash Madhale
Dr. Avinash Madhale is Program Director of Urban Programmes at the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), with over 20 years in sustainable development, urban governance, and environmental education. Holding a PhD from the University of Pune on the politics of participation and a Master’s in Political Science, he specializes in participatory democracy, multi-stakeholder dialogues, and community engagement for climate resilience and equity.
His work includes leading initiatives like Transforming M Ward (TISS), participatory budgeting in Pune, sustainable urban mobility, informal economies (street vendors, waste pickers), water/sanitation, and school environmental programs. Avinash facilitates citizen-government collaborations, designs educational tools, and provides technical inputs to municipal bodies, emphasizing justice, local knowledge, and ESD. Based in Pune, Mumbai and Puducherry, he is a key figure in India’s urban sustainability networks.
Bincy Baby
Bincy Baby is the Founder of Itzserene, a company focused on providing enabling platforms and capacity building initiatives in water & sanitation, sustainability, ESG, and climate action. She is a sustainability professional with over 30 years of experience in both industry and government.
Bincy Baby served as the Director of AGES (Agriculture and Ecosystem Management Group), a 20-year-old nonprofit, dedicated to land eco-restoration and climate action.
Prior to this, she had worked in the automated water and sanitation sector for over 15 years. While serving as Director Eram Group, she led collaborations under the network of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and headed a successful team for the manufacturing and implementation of automated sanitation solutions. She served as the Director of Graameen, an e-commerce startup also within the Eram Group.
Bincy is well-versed in IT governance, having spent over a decade with the Kerala State IT Mission. She was a core team member for various initiatives under the National eGovernance Plan, Akshaya, Friends projects etc and was actively involved in formulating the ICT policies of the State in early 2000s.
She is a postgraduate in management and a BTech in civil engineering from CET. She is a certified carbon accounting professional.
An avid reader and writer, she has a certification in blogging mastery as well.
Bincy Baby is the Vice chairperson of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Trivandrum Zone and past Chairwoman of CII Indian Women Network Kerala. She co-leads the Women in STEM vertical for IWN Southern Region.
Joy Ganguly
Program Coordinator – Spatial Systems, Svarnim Puducherry, Unit of Sri Aurobindo Society.
I work on questions of water, landscape, and shared ecological futures in the Puducherry bioregion. My interests draw from ideas of commons, watershed/springshed thinking, and community-based natural resource management, especially around wetlands, aquifers, and coastal interfaces. I try to bring together simple data analysis, mapping, and field engagement to understand how geography, livelihoods, and local knowledge shape each other. Through collaborative platforms such as WaterFest and Regenerative Pondy, I work with students, researchers, public institutions, and communities to explore water and landscape as living commons that connect culture, economy, and ecology.
Dr Kavitha Sairam
Dr Kavitha Sairam, is a first generation entrepreneur and Founder of FIB-SOL Life technologies. She has expertise in the field of Microbial Stress Biology and received her PhD in Biotechnology from IIT Madras. Her masters was in Clinical Biochemistry, from JIPMER. She is a researcher with international publications and grants in the field of Stress Biology and Encapsulation techniques. She has received more than 11 grants, for pursuing her research both at IIT and at FIB-SOL, her first venture. 1000 Farms Agritech is her second venture.
The core technology, she is working on, is encapsulation of bio molecules, pertaining to Sustainable Agriculture. She has commercialized the first technology developed with 49 product portfolios available in market. She is also working on other scientific projects. She has received more than 15 national and international awards.
She was featured as the top 25 Women Trailblazers of the country in Forbes India on March 2018.
Lalit Verma
Lalit Verma is a visionary cultural leader whose work bridges art, consciousness, and innovation. As the founder of Aurodhan Art Galleries, he has created a platform that supports artists across various disciplines. Educated at the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education and trained with an MBA, Lalit’s professional journey spans a successful career as a Tata executive and a stint at La Maison des Cultures du Monde in Paris.
He has played a pivotal role as President of the Alliance Française of Pondicherry, elevating it to new levels of cultural exchange and collaboration. In recent years, he has also shared insights at premier institutions such as the IITs, IIMs, and MSU. An acclaimed photographer, Lalit is the only Indian photographer whose works have been auctioned by Hessink’s in Europe. His photographs have been exhibited globally, including at UNESCO in Paris and the Indian Parliament House, earning recognition from national and international leaders.
As Curator and Director of major festivals in art, literature, music, and dance, Lalit has advanced his philosophy of ‘Oneness through Art,’ later expanded through ‘Oneness through Yoga’ with free public events. His latest initiative, ‘Invent in India,’ fosters creativity, research, and original innovation across disciplines. Honoured with several awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award and the Viswa Ratna, Lalit Verma exemplifies the transformative power of creativity in society.
Nilima Bhat is a leader in the fields of Personal Mastery, Leadership, Gender Equality and Wellbeing. A Sivananda Yoga Teacher and practitioner of the Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, she is a dancer and co-author of two books, Shakti Leadership and My Cancer Is Me. She is the Founder of the global Shakti Fellowship Program for women change-makers and co-convener of the Truth & ReconciliationWork from the inside-out and also of the Shakti Kumbh.
Prabir Kumar Banerjee
Prabir Kumar Banerjee is a social and environmental leader based in Puducherry, India, with decades of experience in civic action, sustainable development, and community leadership. Deeply committed to social change and environmental protection, he has worked extensively to promote models of development that balance economic prosperity with cultural, spiritual, and ecological wellbeing.
He currently serves as President of PondyCAN! (Pondy Citizens’ Action Network), a non-profit organization working toward the holistic development of the Pondicherry–Auroville–Cuddalore–Villupuram bio-region. His work focuses on coastal restoration along the Pondy–Tamil Nadu coastline, rejuvenation of water bodies, integrated regional planning, and the celebration of heritage through initiatives such as the Pondicherry Heritage Festival. Alongside his social commitments, he is also the Managing Partner of Little River Club & Resorts India Private Limited.
Earlier in his career, Prabir led Shuddham – Rediscovering Harmony, a pioneering organization promoting urban cleanliness and sustainable waste management through collaboration between civil society and government. His expertise in this area led to advisory roles at the district level and participation in international knowledge-sharing platforms, including a regional workshop in Cambodia.
He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. He is a multilingual communicator fluent in English, French, Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali. Recognized for his contributions, he has received several honours for social service, humanitarian work, and environmental protection. His interests include sports, music, reading, scuba diving, and travel, particularly to natural and heritage destinations.
Dr. R. Arun Prasath
Dr. R. Arun Prasath is a Professor in the Department of Green Energy Technology at Pondicherry University, India, with over 22 years of experience spanning teaching, research, and industrial R&D. He holds a PhD from Anna University and was awarded the prestigious DAAD Fellowship from 1999 to 2001, during which he conducted doctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany. His academic and research career includes appointments at leading international institutions such as the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru; the University of Strathclyde, UK; the University of New South Wales, Australia; and Ghent University, Belgium, where he received the BOF Fellowship. He was also a recipient of the Raman Postdoc Fellowship from 2014 to 2015, enabling research at the University of Wyoming, USA.
Dr. Arun’s research focuses on development of materials for solar cells, green hydrogen, bioenergy, batteries, and fuel cells. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed research papers, contributed to books and proceedings, and is a co-inventor on five international patent applications. He has delivered more than 80 invited and oral presentations at national and international platforms and has served as PI or Co-PI on projects funded by DST-SERB, MNRE, and ICSSR. He has guided several postgraduate students and PhD scholars. Recognising his leadership in sustainability, he currently holds the UNESCO Chair for Renewable and Clean Energy for Sustainable Development for the period 2024 to 2028 and has played a key role in advancing sustainability initiatives at Pondicherry University.
Dr. Sasi Kanta Dash
Dr. Sasi Kanta Dash is a senior academic administrator who served as Registrar of Pondicherry University and is currently awaiting his next posting under the Government of Puducherry. He began his academic journey at BJB College, Bhubaneswar, and completed his PhD at the University of Hyderabad. His teaching career started as a Lecturer through the Government of Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Selection. In 2006, he entered service through the UPSC in the Union Territory of Puducherry and, in 2010, was appointed as Principal based on UPSC recommendation.
Dr. Sasi Kanta Dash has served as Principal at Arignar Anna Government Arts and Science College, Bharathidasan Government College for Women, Puducherry, and Tagore Government Arts and Science College. With 27 years of professional experience, including 15 years in academic administration, he is recognised as the youngest person in India to be appointed Principal of a government college.
Beyond academics, he is widely known for his leadership in social outreach, charity, and environmental initiatives. His contributions have earned him several honours, including Best Administrator in Puducherry UT in 2024, the Chief Minister’s Certificate of Appreciation for promoting green and eco-friendly campuses, the Indian CSR Award for Environmental Responsibility and Initiative of the Year 2023, and the Shrimati Shakuntala Shakthi National Award. He has been awarded with the Green Man, Tree Man, and Forest Man of Puducherry. His vision focuses on adopting villages and cremation grounds for plantation and spreading awareness amongst youth.
Visalakshy Loganathan
Visalakshy Loganathan is a writer, editor, architect, and conscious spaces & communities consultant. Working in the social sector since the COVID period, she recognized that social and environmental challenges are deeply interconnected and require holistic, community-driven solutions.
To bring this vision to life, she founded Conscious Spaces (consciousspaces.city) in October 2023, a global initiative supported by conscious citizens across the world. She believes that built and open spaces can be transformed through acts of consciousness, and she consults individuals, organizations, and communities to create purpose-aligned spaces, activities, and ways of living.
She runs a conscious leadership program with the goal of nurturing 1000 top-level social and ecological leaders by 2029, enabling transformative change across communities and nations.
In July 2024, she initiated Conscious City Talks, a reality-show-style platform that brings citizens, changemakers, bureaucrats, and political leaders together to collaboratively and creatively address city-level challenges.
In December 2025, she launched Anbu Nagaram Puducherry (Kind city), a platform enabling citizens to exchange acts of kindness and collectively build a more peaceful, loving, and joyful city.
A publishing professional since 2002, she has been editing scientific texts and journals for over two decades and has run her own publishing services company since 2016. Her work includes creating accessible alternative text for images, enabling visually impaired readers to engage with content through screen readers.
Dr. Chrisna du Plessis (South Africa)
Regenerative Design, UPResearch Professor; former Chair of the School for the Built Environment and Head of Architecture at the University of Pretoria. Thought-leader on regenerative development; author of the widely cited “Towards a regenerative paradigm for the built environment”.
Greg Keeffe (UK)
Architecture + Urbanism, QUBGreg Keeffe is Professor of Architecture and Urbanism at Queen’s University Belfast, UK, and an internationally recognised urban designer specialising in urban resilience. His work focuses on climate-proof cities, net-zero neighbourhoods, and urban agriculture. Through the EU-funded CityZEN project, he developed future-focused methodologies for carbon transition based on stakeholder participation, leading to urban design strategies for cities including Amsterdam, Seville, Tokyo, Nicosia, and Izmir, as well as smaller towns across the UK and Europe. More recently, he has worked with food retailers and farmers to reduce the environmental impact of food production.
With over 40 years of experience, Greg has collaborated extensively with communities, policymakers, and industry to re-imagine cities through innovative sustainable technologies. He designed the Biospheric Project, the UK’s first building-integrated aquaponic urban farm, earning a UK Government Green Genius Award, and is a three-time RIBA Competition winner.
Greg is a Visiting Professor at Cornell University and has held academic roles at TU Delft, Keio University, ORT Uruguay, and the University of Nicosia. He is a UK Design Council Expert, Northern Ireland Ministerial Advisor for Architecture, EU Expert Advisor, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. His current research includes Horizon Europe projects on nature-based solutions and climate adaptation, alongside a major UK Green Transition Ecosystem grant.
Igor Ishi Rubio Cisneros (Mexico)
Geosciences/Urban Projects, Tec de MonterreyIgor Ishi Rubio-Cisneros began collaborating in 2024 with Tecnologico de Monterrey at the School of Architecture EAAD as a designer of regenerative environments. His expertise at the Water Center on campus in Monterrey is based on his Ph.D. in Geoscience and a degree as a geologist-engineer. He supports the Latin America Researcher Network on Environmental Dimension of Antimicrobial Resistance (endamrla.com). He has worked as an expert witness on scientific evidence in judicial proceedings, as a Senior geologist-interpreter in the private petroleum industry, and as a correspondent journalist on science and nature for national newspapers.
Dr. Irena Ateljevic (Croatia)
Regenerative Tourism & TransformationHuman geographer (PhD, University of Auckland); academic roles in NZ and at Wageningen University; now leads regenerative-tourism/transformational work and Terra Meera (Croatia) community project. Active as scholar, social entrepreneur, and policy advisor.
Lisa Vos (Netherlands)
Lisa is a highly experienced and internationally recognised executive and team coach, facilitator, and speaker. She works with leaders, teams, and organisations navigating complexity and uncertainty, supporting them to grow as humans, leaders, and communities. Lisa designs and facilitates thought-provoking spaces and processes that enable people and organisations to expand into more purposeful, impactful, and effective ways of leading.
Her work is grounded in complexity theory, adult development, systems thinking, and adaptive leadership, combined with a strong foundation in business disciplines. With over 30 years of experience, Lisa has worked across the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors in Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.
Lisa has held senior roles in executive education institutions and consultancies in Europe and Australia and is part of the global leadership development firm Cultivating Leadership. She holds an MSc in Business Administration from the University of Groningen and multiple professional certifications, including Growth Edge Coaching and Systemic Team Coaching. Based in Wageningen, the Netherlands, she works with clients worldwide.
Dr. Melanie Latham (UK)
Melanie is a leading authority in health care law, with particular expertise in women’s rights, reproductive law, and the regulation of cosmetic procedures. She worked for over two decades as a Reader in Law at Manchester Law School, part of Manchester Metropolitan University, and has recently retired.
Her work explores the intersection of law, ethics, autonomy, rights, and gender within healthcare. Melanie is widely recognised for her research on the legal and ethical challenges surrounding cosmetic surgery and non-invasive procedures in the UK and France, and she has consistently argued for stronger, mandatory regulation to improve patient protection.
She is co-author of The Regulation of Cosmetic Procedures: Legal, Ethical and Practical Challenges (Routledge, 2020), and author of Regulating Reproduction: A Century of Conflict in Britain and France, published by Manchester University Press. Melanie has also submitted written evidence to UK parliamentary committees on cosmetic procedure regulation. She holds a PhD in Law and a BSc (Hons) in European Studies from the University of Manchester.
Dr. Manish Kumar (Mexico)
Environmental Engineering, Tec de MonterreyEnvironmental/water engineer with expertise in transport and remediation of contaminants; PhD (Tokyo). Distinguished Professor roles and extensive supervision record; work spans water quality and environmental systems.
Dr. Rob Roggema (Netherlands/Mexico)
Regenerative Culture & Swarm PlanningProf. Dr. Rob Roggema is Faculty of Excellence Professor of Regenerative Culture at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico, and director/founder of Cittaideale, office for adaptive design and planning. He is one of the lead-authors of the Architecture, Urban Design and Planning chapter of the third assessment report of the UCCRN (Urban Climate Change Research Network).
He is a Landscape Architect and an internationally renowned design-expert on sustainable urbanism, climate adaptation, water-sensitive landscapes, urban rewilding and reforestation, nature-driven design, and urban agriculture. He held several professorship positions in Mexico, the Netherlands and Australia, as well as visiting professorships in Northern Ireland, Australia and Japan. Rob has written multiple books on nature- and landscape-driven planning and design of landscapes and cities and is series editor of ‘Contemporary Urban Design Thinking’ (Springer).
He recently led regenerative design projects on rewilding and regreening urban landscapes, such as Green Monterrey Metropolis, Reinventing Traditions; Foodscapes of the Noreste, Mexico, Regenerative Regions and The Miyawaki forests of Mexico.
He was the leader of the climate adaptive design 2021 team for the Groningen region (‘Moeder Zernike’), initiated the Food-Energy-Water-nexus project ‘the Moveable Nexus’ (SUGI/JPI-Europe), lead the design team of ‘Nature-Rich Netherlands’ and Greening NEOM. For his PhD, he developed the Swarm Planning concept, a dynamic way of planning urban landscapes for future adaptation to climate change impacts. He designed and led more than 30 design charrettes around the world, involving communities, academics, governments, and industries in design processes for more resilient communities.
Dr. Roderick (Rod) Simpson (Australia)
Architecture/Urban Design, SydneyArchitect–urban designer; inaugural Environment Commissioner of the Greater Sydney Commission; former Director of Urban Design/Urbanism programs at University of Sydney. Now adjunct professor (UNSW) and advisor; long record on blue–green infrastructure and resilience.
Sean Cullen (Ireland/UK)
Architecture, QUBLecturer at Queen’s University Belfast focused on how architecture/urbanism respond to climate change; interests include sustainable city design (food, water, energy) and futures of housing. PhD 2019; co-founded The Holding Project (a social/urban initiative).