Suman Chandra is Director at India's Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) and a distinguished IAS officer of the 2010 batch, Maharashtra cadre. With specialized training in Environmental Policy and Climate Science from the Yale School of the Environment as a Fulbright Fellow, she brings a global perspective to her work. She held various leadership roles across Maharashtra before joining the Government of India at MNRE, where she has served in progressively senior positions, including Deputy Secretary, prior to her elevation to Director. As part of India's national negotiating teams under the UNFCCC, she has represented the country on key issues including mitigation, carbon markets, and technology. Passionate about the intersection of science and policy, Suman is dedicated to advancing national progress through innovative and sustainable solutions.

Abhishek Ranjan is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL). He holds a PGDM from XLRI (2008) and an engineering degree from NIT Bhopal (1998). Further enriching his profile, he completed a Business Excellence certification from the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, along with specialised certifications in Data and Decision Science Consulting from IIT Delhi, and as a Certified Energy Manager by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency. Most recently, he served as a Partner at Ernst & Young-Parthenon, where he specialised in energy transition and decarbonisation, with a focus on renewable electricity, energy storage, and power markets.

Mr. Upendra Tripathy, former and founding Director-General of the International Solar Alliance has successfully established the International Solar Alliance as a vibrant and global organisation, which he headed as the director general during 2017-21. Further, Mr. Tripathy, former Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, has made outstanding contributions towards achieving the 175 GW target and for ushering in policies that transformed India’s renewable energy sector between 2014 and 2016. Mr. Tripathy has received a host of awards, including: the Extra-Ordinary Citizens’ Award from Rotary International (2008), the PM of India’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration (2009), the Central Board of Irrigation and Power (CBIP) Award for outstanding contribution to India’s Renewable Energy Sector (2016), the 10th Enertia Life Time Achievement Award (2016) and UBM 2016 as Crusader of the year for Renewable Energy.

Dr. Cláudio Alberto Castelo Branco Puty is the former Secretary of Planning and Budget for the City of Belém, where he served as Coordinator of the COP30 organizing committee, and former Secretary of International Affairs at Brazil's Ministry of Planning. He is an Associate Professor at the Federal University of Pará and a Visiting Professor at the BRICS Center of the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. Over a wide-ranging career in public service, he has served as Secretary in the Government of the State of Pará (2007–2010), Chairman of the Board of BANPARÁ, Federal Congressman (2011–2015), and Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (2015–2016), where he chaired the FGTS Investment Fund (FI-FGTS) and the Board of DATAPREV. He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the Federal University of Pará (1994), a master's degree in Economic Theory from the University of Tsukuba (1999), and a Ph.D. in Economics from the New School for Social Research (2005), with expertise spanning development finance, Latin American economics, macroeconomics, and political economy.

Túlio Andrade is the COP30 Chief Strategy and Alignment Officer. A career diplomat since 2009, he served as Head for Climate Negotiation at Brazil’s Foreign Ministry from 2023 to 2025, including at the 2023 Dubai Climate Summit (COP28), COP29, and the 2024 G20 Task-Force on Global Mobilization against Climate Change (TFCLIMA). He also is Brazil's focal point to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and is responsible for Brazil’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement, submitted in November 2024. Previously, he was Deputy-Head for Digital Affairs at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Deputy Head of the Division on Cultural Diplomacy.

Thiago Barral is the Deputy Secretary for Implementation at the Extraordinary Secretariat for the Carbon Market within Brazil's Ministry of Finance, and former National Secretary for Energy Transition and Planning at Brazil's Ministry of Mines and Energy (2023–2025) and CEO of EPE, Brazil's federal energy planning institution (2019–2023). He played a leading role in the approval of Brazil's Low-Emission Hydrogen Law (2024), the creation of the Energies of the Amazon program (2023), and the planning and large-scale expansion of the transmission grid to enable renewable energy integration (2020–2025), and led the development of several national energy planning documents, including the National Energy Plans 2050 and 2055 and multiple editions of the 10-Year Energy Plan. He holds a degree in civil engineering, a master's degree in water resources and environment, and a postgraduate specialization in public management.

Lyle Davidson joined South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation in 2004. He currently serves as Deputy Director: BRICS and has served on the Secretariat for South Africa's Chairship of BRICS in 2023 and Presidency of the G20 in 2025. He has been posted to South African missions in Brussels and New York working on South Africa's relations with the European Union and United Nations. Previously he worked in the Department's Policy Research and Analysis Unit, as well as on Desks managing multilateral science diplomacy and South Africa's relations with the Indian Ocean Rim Association. He studied commerce and law at Stellenbosch University.

Annelize van der Merwe is Director Green Economy in the Investment and Spatial Industrial Development branch of the South African Department of Trade, Industry & Competition (DTIC).  She is responsible for acting as the point person for foreign and domestic investment in the green economy in South Africa. She is also part of the secretariat of the President’s Advisory Council on Investment. She has been instrumental in attracting and securing key investment projects in various green economy subsectors, and works closely with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in facilitating investment for the sustainable development goals. She holds a Masters degree in Economic Policy with a specialisation in Trade & Industrial Policy and is an alumni of the Institute of Political Studies (Sciences-Po) in Paris, France.

Nomawethu Qase (Noma) is a Director responsible for Renewable Energy at the Department of Mineral Resources & Energy (DMRE). Her primary responsibility is to ensure the integration of renewable energy into the mainstream energy supply by planning and co-ordinating strategic interventions. Key initiatives that she implemented include: the first and second phase of the South African Wind Energy Programme which supported the development of the wind energy sector including the revival of the South African Wind Energy Association; the development of the Wind Atlas for South Africa and the South African Wind Energy Awareness Campaign; the Renewable Energy Market Transformation Programme which played a pivotal role in supporting some of the Independent Power Producer (IPP) projects that became preferred bidders under the world renowned Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP); the promotion of biogas in collaboration with the Southern African Biogas Industry Association (SABIA), DBSA, IDC, GIZ and UNIDO which started off with the hosting of the first national biogas conference in 2013. She is also a Board Member of the South African National Energy Development Institute since December 2016. Noma holds a Master of Philosophy in Energy Studies from the University of Cape Town.

Paul Butarbutar is the Executive Director of the Indonesia Climate and Growth Dialogue (ICGD) and former Head of the Indonesian JETP Secretariat. He brings more than 29 years of experience, including over 24 years in the environment-related field and the last 15 focused on low-carbon and climate change issues, spanning the implementation of GHG emission reduction projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Verified Carbon Standard, and other carbon standards across renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste management, industrial emissions, and forestry. In his current role at ICGD — an independent platform bringing together government, business, academia, and international partners to mobilize green finance and accelerate sustainable economic growth — he provides high-level strategic advice on Indonesia's carbon policy and leads the Secretariat's programs and project management office, building on extensive work with international organizations, government institutions at the national, provincial, and district levels, and private-sector partners on climate change, energy policy, and financing.

Dr. Dino Patti Djalal is the Founder and Chairman of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) and former Deputy Foreign Minister of Indonesia. He joined the Department of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia in 1987 and went on to serve as Presidential Spokesperson for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono from 2004 to 2010 and as Indonesian Ambassador to the United States from 2010 to 2013. He is a member of the Governing Board of the Institute for Peace and Democracy and of the Executive Board of the Indonesian Council on World Affairs. Dr. Djalal holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Carleton University and a master's degree in Political Science from Simon Fraser University, and received his doctorate from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2000. His distinctions include the Bintang Jasa Utama medal, one of Indonesia's highest awards for distinguished service, conferred by President Yudhoyono in 2010.

Dimas Muhammad is an Advisor to Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), focusing on accelerating the energy transition and developing new and renewable energy infrastructure. He also serves as Deputy Coordinator of the National Task Force for Resource-Based Industry Development. With more than a decade of experience in the Indonesian Government, Dimas has played a central role in shaping the country's energy and industrial policy agenda. He has contributed to the formulation of Indonesia's national roadmap toward 100 GW of power generation capacity, as well as its resource-based industrialization (hilirisasi) strategy spanning 28 key commodities. He has also been instrumental in accelerating investment in strategic energy transition and green supply chain projects, including Southeast Asia's first integrated EV battery industry and Indonesia's cross-border electricity trade initiatives. Dimas is passionate about advancing Indonesia's green energy transition as an engine of economic development and job creation, including through building a domestic clean technology supply chain. He holds a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Universitas Katolik Parahyangan, Indonesia, and a master's degree in Public Policy from Harvard University.