Our Team

Dr. Shiqiu Zhang is a Professor of Environmental Economics at Peking University and leads the Institute of Environment and Economy. She has also advised the Chinese government on air pollution control in the event of major international activities and has an active role in international environmental governance as a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel for UN Environment’s Climate and Clean Air Coalition, and is a senior expert member of UNE’s Technology and Economic Assessment Panel for implementing the Montreal Protocol. She also serves as President and on the Board of Directors of the East Asian Association on Environment and Resource Economics. (Country of residence: China).

Francis serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) of the Philippines, De La Salle University, and former President of the Asian Institute of Management. For more than 30 years, he has been a prominent international investment banker, financial adviser, and financial entrepreneur, specializing in Asia-related financial operations. He has set up several Asia-related financial institutions and commercial enterprises around the world. (Country of residence: Philippines)

Ms. Elisea "Bebet" Gozun is a recognized leader in environmental and climate advocacy. She served as Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and later as Presidential Adviser II on Climate Change. A founding member of the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia) Center, Inc. and Earth Day Network Philippines, she also served as the first Chair of the Clean Air Partnership Council in Asia. (Country of residence: Philippines)

In recognition of her exceptional contributions, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) honored her as the Champion of the Earth for Asia and the Pacific in 2006.

Ms. Gozun has served as a consultant for various programs and projects on environment, climate change, urban development and good governance with institutions such as the World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), USAID, UN-Habitat, UNDP, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other multilateral and bilateral organizations. She continues to be active in numerous national and regional non-governmental organizations, driving efforts toward cleaner air, climate action, good governance and sustainable urban futures.

Dr. Bambang Susantono, a technocrat and distinguished development professional with over 30 years experiences in many national and international fora, is a Professor in Urban and Regional Planning, specializing in sustainable transportation, infrastructure finance, and sustainable development goals (SDG). He was a Special Envoy to the President for the International Cooperation of the National Capital Development, Republic of Indonesia; and was the Chairman of the Nusantara National Capital Authority of the Republic of Indonesia from 2022-2024, both positions at ministerial level. Dr. Susantono was also the Vice-President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) between 2015-2022 responsible for managing ADB’s Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, among others. (Country of residence: Indonesia)

Dr. Susantono currently serves as a Special Advisor of the High-Level Experts and Leaders’ Panel on Waters and Disasters, Senior Advisor of the United Cities and Local Governments Asia Pacific, Member of Islamic Development Bank Institute’s Board of Trustees, Member of Bloomberg New Economy Council for Cities, and Member of Tech for Good Institute Advisory Board. 

Noni Purnomo is the President Commissioner/Chairperson of PT Blue Bird Tbk. Noni was elected to serve as President Director and CEO of PT Blue Bird Tbk in mid 2019 marking the year when Blue Bird Group became a pioneer in launching the first e-taxi in Indonesia as a proof of Blue Bird Group’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and preserving environmental sustainability. (Country of residence: Indonesia)

Noni Purnomo’s strategic leadership compels the organization to always have commitment to contribution to social philanthropic actions, and environmental governance. Make Jakarta’s Sky Blue, One Ride One Seed and Blue Bird Peduli is just a few of many programs founded by Blue Bird, under Noni’s leadership.

Noni is also the co-founder of several Angel Investment Companies and an active Mentor of several Startup companies.

Dr. Leonor Tarrasón is the Research Director for Environmental Solutions at NILU – Norwegian Institute for Air Research. She has 30 years of experience in air pollution modeling, supporting the implementation of control options and air quality legislation at urban and European levels. She has contributed to the development of urban planning tools to secure better air quality and improved quality in Norwegian cities and is presently responsible for policy-user interaction activities under the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS), advocating for the use of Citizen Science to inform on urban air pollution. (Country of residence: Norway)

Tarrasón co-chairs the Global Emission Initiative (GEIA) and the urban emission activities under the FAIRMODE. She has been a member of the Technical Analysis Group under the DG ENV supporting the development of the Thematic Strategy on Air pollution under the Clean Air for Europe programme and lead of EMEP/MSC-W under the UN/ECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP). She is currently a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Environment Agency (EEA).

C.K. Mishra has been a career Civil Servant belonging to the Indian Administrative Service. He joined the Service (IAS) in 1983 and retired as Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India. He has been spearheading the Indian efforts at addressing climate change issues and at policy interventions in matters relating to pollution and air quality. He led India’s negotiations at important forums such as United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Conference of the Parties (COP)) to assess progress in dealing with climate change; Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and various other multilateral events. He was also the administrative head of Forest & Wildlife conservation efforts in India where India saw continuous increase in forest cover. His interventions and policy initiatives have brought India in the category of very few countries in the world on course to achieve the 2 degree target of global warming. Prior to this, he was Secretary in the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and also held the additional charge of the Ministry of AYUSH for some time. As Additional Secretary & Mission Director, National Health Mission, he led one of the largest public health programmes globally. Through the National Health Mission, he drove implementation of ‘Mission Indradhanush’ – the largest ever focused campaign to immunize children. (Country of residence: India)  

At the time of his retirement from full-time work in 2017, Ricky was Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Corporate Directors. His management career spanned more than 35 years across the financial services, real estate, and non-profit sectors. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of SBS Philippines Corporation and several other companies, and is a Professional Lecturer in the MBA Program at the University of the Philippines Virata School of Business, Bonifacio Global City campus. Ricky holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics from the University of the Philippines, where he graduated magna cum laude, and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Hiroaki Takiguchi is a Senior Advisor for Environmental Management at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), specializing in air quality and pollution control. Mr. Takiguchi has more than three decades of experience in environmental policy, international cooperation, climate change, pollution control, and sustainable development. Prior to joining JICA, he served in a range of senior leadership positions within Japan’s Ministry of the Environment (MOEJ), including Director of the Air Quality Management Division and Director of the Environmental Health and Safety Division. He also taught environmental policy and sustainability at Japanese universities.