Our leadership

Mayor of Bonn since 2015, Sridharan has long-standing experience in local government administration. Mayor Sridharan promotes and advocates low-emission solutions, holistic approaches to sustainable development and multi-level governance cooperation towards the implementation of the global sustainability agenda. © Foto: Barbara Frommann/Bundesstadt Bonn

Cathy Oke was elected to the Melbourne City Council in 2008. As Chair of the City’s Environment Portfolio, Deputy Chair of Transport and Finance and Governance Portfolios and an environmental scientist, Cathy brings 20 years’ experience to her city, ICLEI and to the achievement of both organizations’ agenda. Currently, Cathy combines her role as an elected representative with her work at the National Environmental Science Program.

Stephany Uy-Tan became the first woman Mayor of Catbalogan in 2013. Since then, Mayor Uy-Tan represented ICLEI at international events such as the Climate Summit of Local and Regional Leaders in Bonn in November 2017. At the COP21 Cities and Regions Pavilion, Mayor Uy-Tan presented Catbalogan's transformative Sky City project, in the framework of the Transformative Action Program.

Named one of the U.S’s “cool mayors” by the Mayors for Climate Protection, Mayor Cownie believes in looking to the future and has a long history of civic leadership and community involvement. In his second term as Mayor, he continued to promote the Des Moines’ sustainability goals. Some of his recent achievements include establishing the Des Moines Energy and Environmental Task Force, and securing a grant for purchasing a fleet of resource-efficient hybrid automobiles.

Kim Le Cerf serves as City Councilor of Darebin, the first Council in Australia to declare a state of climate emergency and to hold a long-term commitment to climate action and sustainability. She has been working to further climate and sustainability action within state and local governments since 2006, including the last six years with City of Melbourne, where she currently leads the Low Carbon Future team.

Kinlay Dorjee is the first elected Mayor of Thimphu, Bhutan. Since entering office he has embarked on a number of sustainability projects, including an overhaul of household waste recycling systems. Prior to this, Mayor Dorjee was the General Manager of the Bhutan Power Corporation. In February 2013, he endorsed a Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) Strategy to improve urban sanitation and hygiene for Thimphu City.

Elected in 2004 as Councillor for the City of Florence (Democratic Party) Dario Nardella has since held a number of positions politically, including legal advisor to the Minister of Institutional Reforms, Deputy Mayor, Mayor of Florence beginning in 2014 and ANCI coordinator for the metropolitan cities (national municipal association). Dario Nardella holds a law degree and a Ph.D in Public Law, Construction and Environmental Law from the University of Florence.

Currently serving as the Mayor of Suwon City, Republic of Korea, Mayor Yeom’s involvement in sustainable development dates back to the 1990s when he founded the Suwon Center for Environment Movement. With the slogan “Human City, Suwon”, Yeom is committed to promoting civil participation in urban planning. He also founded the Local Sustainability Alliance of Korea.

Solly Tshepiso Msimanga became the Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane in 2016. Before joining and while in politics, he held the position of Executive Director for Ask Africa as well a number of Senior Management positions in the private sector. He also served as Assistant to the Chargé d’Affaires from the Liberian Embassy.

Mayor Rodas' administration is committed to leading and implementing policy development, executing plans that contribute to the achievement of sustainable development. Quito has identified three footprints - ecological, carbon and hydric - and reducing these footprints is at the heart of the city's current development plan.

Bima Arya was inaugurated as the Mayor of Bogor city in April 2014. He aims to make Bogor a smart city, a heritage city, and a green city. While focusing on these targets, Bogor Municipality has built parks, heritage icons, public spaces, and made innovations to strengthen its profile along these lines.

Mauricio Vila holds a Bachelor in Law as well as M.A. in Political Management and Governance and a MBA. He became a local Member of Parliament for the fourth district of Yucatan in 2012 and remained in office until 2015. He then served as Mayor of Mérida from 2015 to 2018, a time during which the city received recognition for its management, quality of life and transparency.

Elected in 2013, Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh serves as the first female Mayor of Malmö. In this capacity, she has been on the board of SKL (Swedish Municipalities and Counties), which gave her invaluable insight into the opportunities and challenges faced by cities around Sweden. In her role as Mayor, Jammeh manages finance, public procurement, business and commerce and steers the city's corporations and agencies.

Currently the Mayor of Quelimane, Mozambique, Manuel de Araújo was first elected in 2011. He previously worked at Amnesty International. He was also a member, board member and Vice-President of several global organizations, such as Parliamentarians for Global Action and Parliamentarians for Small Arms. He holds a PhD in International Development, an MSc in Development Studies, a MPS in Policy Studies and a BA Hons in International Relations.

Mr. Mohamed Shafeeg Mahmood is a management professional who has worked at several top management positions over the past 30 years. He is a business consultant, writer on international affairs and a public speaker. Currently he is the CEO of the Local Government Authority of Maldives, an independent state institution overseeing, developing and regulating the work activities of Local Councils.

Since 2011, Park has been serving as the Mayor of Seoul, Republic of Korea. He has a background in international law and had served as the Executive Director of several national foundations. From 1995 to 2002, he was the Secretary General for the People’s Solidarity for a participatory Democracy.

Matthew Appelbaum served on the city council of Boulder, Colorado, for 18 years, from 1987 to 1995 and 2007 to 2017, including five years as the Mayor and four as Deputy Mayor. He served two terms on the Board of Directors of the National League of Cities (NLC) and was a long-time member of NLC’s Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee (EENR), for which he served as chair or vice-chair for several years.

Matthew Appelbaum served on the city council of Boulder, Colorado, for 18 years, from 1987 to 1995 and 2007 to 2017, including five years as the Mayor and four as Deputy Mayor. He served two terms on the Board of Directors of the National League of Cities (NLC) and was a long-time member of NLC’s Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee (EENR), for which he served as chair or vice-chair for several years.

Photo credit: setopati.net

Kinlay Dorjee is the first elected Mayor of Thimphu, Bhutan. Since entering office he has embarked on a number of sustainability projects, including an overhaul of household waste recycling systems. Prior to this, Mayor Dorjee was the General Manager of the Bhutan Power Corporation. In February 2013, he endorsed a Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) Strategy to improve urban sanitation and hygiene for Thimphu City.

Photo credit: www.nagpurinfo.in