Skip to Main Content

Leadership Council

The Leadership Council comprises more than 95 eminent experts on sustainable development from academia, business, civil society, and the public sector. This prestigious group serves in an advisory capacity to the SDSN, helping the organization to shape the global conversation and path forward for sustainable development.

Co-Chairs

Aromar Revi

  • Indian Institute for Human Settlements

John Thwaites

  • Monash University

Virgilio Viana

  • SDSN Amazon, Foundation for Amazon Sustainability

Xue Lan

  • Tsinghua University

Members

Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy

  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, UAE

Sultan Al Jaber

  • Madsar

Anthony Annett

  • Fordham University

Shaukat Aziz

  • Former Prime Minister of Pakistan

Chandrika Bahadur

  • The Antara Foundation

Peter Bakker

  • The World Business Council for Sustainable Development

Sam Barratt

  • UN Environmental Programme

Sir Hilary Beckles

  • University of the West Indies

Eugénie L. Birch

  • University of Pennsylvania

Irina Bokova

  • Former Director-General of UNESCO

Micheline Calmy-Rey

  • University of Geneva

Joshua Castellino

  • Minority Rights Group International

Jeffrey Cheah

  • Sunway University

Kieth Rethy Chhem

  • CamTech University Cambodia

Jacqueline Corbelli

  • BrightLine Partners LLC

Ramu Damodaran

  • University for Peace

Jack Dangermond

  • Esri

Bineta Diop

  • Femmes Africa Solidarité

David Donoghue

  • SDSN All Ireland

Hendrik du Toit

  • Ninenty One

Jan Egeland

  • Norwegian Refugee Council

H.E. Metropolitan Emmanuel

  • Religions for Peace

Patricia Espinosa

  • Ambassador, Climate Advocate CEO & Founding Partner, OnePoint5

Leonel Fernández Reyna

  • Former President of the Dominican Republic

Xiaolan Fu

  • Technology and Management Centre for Development, Oxford University

Stuart Gibb

  • The University of the Highlands and Islands

Ken Giller

  • Wageningen University

Jennifer Gross

  • Blue Chip Foundation

Andy Haines

  • The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Tarja Halonen

  • Former President of Finland

James Hansen

  • The Earth Institute, Columbia University

Olli-Pekka Heinonen

  • International Baccalaureate Organization

Naoko Ishii

  • University of Tokyo

Carin Jämtin

  • Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency

Vuk Jeremić

  • Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development

Pavel Kabat

  • International Human Frontier Science Program Organization

Niclas Kjellström-Matseke

  • 17 Asset Management

Israel Klabin

  • Brazilian Foundation for Sustainable Development

Adolf Kloke-Lesch

  • SDSN Europe and IDOS

Siva Kumari

  • College Possible

Markos Kyprianou

  • Former European Commissioner for Health and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cyprus

Upmanu Lall

  • Columbia Water Center

Felipe Larraín

  • Former Minister of Finance, Chile

Richard Layard

  • London School of Economics

Frannie Léautier

  • SouthBridge Investments

Klaus Leisinger

  • Global Values Alliance

Justin Yifu Lin

  • Peking University

Gordon Liu

  • Peking University

Siamak Sam Loni

  • London School of Economics

Jane Lubchenco

  • Oregon State University

Graça Machel

  • The Graça Machel Trust

Lu Mai

  • China Development Research Foundation

Julia Marton-Lefèvre

  • Yale University

Ramesh Mashelkar

  • Jio Institute

Vladimir Mau

  • The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration

Mariana Mazzucato

  • Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose

Miguel Ángel Moratinos Cuyaubé

  • United Nations Alliance of Civilizations

Claude Nahon

  • Former Executive Vice President of Sustainability and Environment, EDF Group

Eddie Ndopu

  • SDG Advocate, United Nations

Rebecca Nelson

  • Cornell University

Joanna Newman

  • SOAS University of London

Michelle Nunn

  • CARE

Cherie Nursalim

  • GITI Group

Luiz Eduardo Osorio

  • Vale SA

Joaquim Oliveira Martins

  • Special Advisor, EU Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms

Mari Pangestu

George Papandreou

  • Former Prime Minister of Greece

Antonio Pedro

  • United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

Paul Polman

  • IMAGINE

Stefano Quintarelli

  • Entrepreneur

Sabina Ratti

  • L'Alleanza Italiana per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile, SDSN Italy

Srinath Reddy

  • The Public Health Foundation of India

Teresa Ribera

  • Government of Spain

Angelo Riccaboni

  • University of Siena & Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area Foundation

Johan Rockström

  • Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

David Rosen

  • American Jewish Committee

Joanna Rubinstein

  • UNHCR

Jeffrey Sachs

  • SDSN

Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo

  • Bishop to the Holy See

HH Muhammad Sanusi II

  • Khalifa of the Tijianiyya Group

Guido Schmidt-Traub

  • SYSTEMIQ

Laurence Tubiana

  • European Climate Foundation

Andrew Steer

  • Bezos Earth Fund

Lena Treschow Torell

  • Chalmers University of Technology

Ted Turner

  • Turner Foundation Inc.

Albert van Jaarsveld

  • Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

William Vendley

  • Religions for Peace

Hans Vestberg

  • Verizon

Martin Visbeck

  • GEOMAR - Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel & Kiel University

Forest Whitaker

  • SDG Advocate, United Nations

Hirokazu Yoshikawa

  • New York University

Hania Zlotnick

  • Former Director of the Population Division, UN DESA