Christine Auclair - Chief of the Private Sector Unit, UN-Habitat

Ms. Auclair is an Architect and Urban Planner with over 20 years of experience in the fields of architecture, urban planning and partnerships. She practiced architecture and planning in France up to 1993 and joined UN-Habitat in 1994, working in the area of urban policy analysis, urban indicators and monitoring specialist in the Urban Indicators Programme and at the Global Urban Observatory. Ms. Auclair has been Chief of the Private Sector Unit since 2007, where she has initiated the Habitat Business Forum and the Business Award to help recognizing the private sector’s contribution to sustainable cities; and UN-Habitat Focal Point for human settlements professionals (Architects, Planners, etc.). Presently she is engaged in the World Urban Campaign to increase professionals and private sector’s commitment to sustainable urbanization; and is the author of a book and articles in international journals. Ms Auclair holds a Ph.D. in Urban Studies and Planning from the French Institute of Urban Studies

Claudio Acioly Jr. - Chief, Housing Policy Section, UN-Habitat

Acioly has been the Chief of the Housing Policy Section of UN-HABITAT since 2008. He has 30 years of experience and has worked in more than 20 countries as a practitioner, technical advisor, development consultant and training and capacity building expert in the broad field of: housing and human settlements, slum upgrading, urban management and project implementation. Acioly previously worked as a consultant to the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and has been a fellow with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy (Cambridge, USA) and the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies-IHS (Rotterdam, The Netherlands). In addition, he has moderated and facilitated several international meetings such as: The World Habitat Day 2007, World Urban Forum Dialogue on Equal Access to Shelter and Basic Urban Services (2010) and many other international workshops in Central and Easter Europe, Latin America and Africa.

Eric Noir - Professional Architect, WSP Green by Design, South Africa

Noir is a registered professional Architect working as a sustainability consultant in the built environment. He studied at the Geneva School of Engineers and continued his studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. He has sixteen years of experience in architecture and urbanization. In 2002 Noir’s sustainable design won over a competition which landed him the opportunity to design and build the BP Head Office at the Waterfront. He established GREEN by DESIGN which has been at the forefront of the South African movement to incorporate sustainability into the built environment. Since the success of the BP building, Noir has been active in advancing his knowledge of sustainability in the South African context, participating in numerous local and international conferences. He is the director of the Green Building Council of South Africa. His company, now WSP GREEN by DESIGN, is responsible for the first building to be awarded a Green Star rating in South Africa.

Gulelat Kebede, Head - Training and Capacity Building Branch UN-Habitat, Kenya

Kebede has over 15 years of experience in local government capacity building, and a PhD in Economics. Currently, he heads UN-Habitat's Training and Capacity Building Branch, directing and undertaking research and development of over 20 capacity building tools which are in use by: policy makers, practitioners and trainers involved in: local leadership development, strategic planning, local economic development and urban environmental planning and management. Kebede has worked with over 30 training institutions through: coordinating, undertaking capacity building needs assessment, curricula design, training delivery and impact evaluation in a number of countries. He is also an advisor to UN-Habitat programmes, and national and local governments on training and capacity building priorities, strategies and methods. Kebede is involved in UN wide initiatives on green economy, and is UN-Habitat’s focal point for education, employment and social floor protection.

Inga Björk-Klevby - Assistant Secretary-General & Deputy Executive Director, UN-HABITAT

Mrs. Klevby has been the Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UN-HABITAT since 2006. She previously served as the Ambassador of Sweden to: Kenya Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Burundi, Seychelles and Comoros between 1998 and 2005; and as Sweden’s Permanent Representative to UNEP and UN Habitat. In the past, Mrs. Kelvby also worked for the Central Bank of Sweden as an International Economist, the International Monetary Fund, Washington DC and an Assistant to the Nordic Executive Director representing Sweden, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs - Stockholm, the Asian Development Bank – Manila, as an Alternate Executive Director, representing the Nordic countries, Canada and the Netherlands, and the Executive Director, African Development Bank, Abidjan, representing the Nordic countries, Switzerland and India among other organizations. She holds a Master’s Degree from the Stockholm School of Economics, with focus on economics, business administration and public sector management and also won an AIESEC scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

Jacob K. Kibwage PhD - Dean, South Eastern University College

Dr. Kibwage is the current Dean, School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, South Eastern University College - A Constituent College of the University of Nairobi. He holds Masters and Doctorate degrees in Environmental Studies; and created research interest in Bamboo Production, Utilization and Livelihoods in 2003 after being touched with the adverse environmental, socio-economic and health implications of tobacco farming in South Nyanza, Kenya. Dr. Kibwage is currently the Project Leader of the IDRC-funded 6-year (2006-2012) research project on ‘Bamboo as an Alternative Crop to Tobacco Farming in South Nyanza Region, Kenya’. He is also theKenyan Coordinator of the project“Development and Promotion of Bamboo Housing Technology in East Africa" through the support of IDRC-Canada and International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR)-based in China. The on-going bamboo housing project mainly focuses on incorporation of traditional and engineered bamboo housing technologies into the local housing systems through training and demonstration buildings at Maseno University.

Jane Henley - CEO World Green Building Council (WGBC)

Jacob K. Kibwage PhD - Dean, South Eastern University College

Dr. Kibwage is the current Dean, School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, South Eastern University College - A Constituent College of the University of Nairobi. He holds Masters and Doctorate degrees in Environmental Studies; and created research interest in Bamboo Production, Utilization and Livelihoods in 2003 after being touched with the adverse environmental, socio-economic and health implications of tobacco farming in South Nyanza, Kenya. Dr. Kibwage is currently the Project Leader of the IDRC-funded 6-year (2006-2012) research project on ‘Bamboo as an Alternative Crop to Tobacco Farming in South Nyanza Region, Kenya’. He is also theKenyan Coordinator of the project“Development and Promotion of Bamboo Housing Technology in East Africa" through the support of IDRC-Canada and International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR)-based in China. The on-going bamboo housing project mainly focuses on incorporation of traditional and engineered bamboo housing technologies into the local housing systems through training and demonstration buildings at Maseno University.

Jason Buch - Technical Manager, Green Building Council of South Africa

Buch oversees the Green Star SA rating system, including development and implementation of the rating tools, and management of related technical training and the Green Star SA Accredited Professional program. Prior to joining the Council, Buch worked in the green building industry in the United States for nine years, with previous construction and construction management experience. Most recently, he served as a senior green building consultant for one such large consulting firm in the US. Originally trained as a civil engineer, Buch holds a B.S. from Cornell University in New York.

Mark Palmer - RTKL Associates, Washington D.C

Palmer is a designer for the Healthcare, Science, and Technology studio at RTKL Associates in Washington D.C. He is a LEED certified professional with sustainable design experience in Healthcare, Commercial, and Mixed-Use projects. Palmer is also a member of the Washington D.C Chapter of Architecture for Humanity where he has traveled to and designed schools and community centers in Nigeria, India, and Kenya. He is attending the Green Building Rating Systems Conference representing both RTKL and the Shelter Program; a cooperative program between ARCADIS and UN-Habitat.

Michelle Malanca - Michelle Malanca Sustainability Consulting

Ms. Malanca has over thirteen years of experience in the field environmentally sustainable development, from strategy and planning through to implementation and construction. She is the former Technical Director of the Green Building Council of Australia; and was responsible for the development of green building rating tools for several building sectors, including retail, healthcare, education and multi-unit housing. Ms. Malanca has made numerous presentations on green building topics, including at conferences in the US, Mexico, Australia and South Africa. Through her own consultancy, Michelle Malanca Sustainability Consulting, she works with non-profit, government and private organizations to plan and implement effective green building and sustainability programs. Her projects have included work on several green building rating systems internationally, including Green Star SA, Green Star NZ and the Pearls Rating Method (pilot) in Abu Dhabi. Ms. Malanca holds a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. A LEED Accredited Professional since 2003. She currently serves on the US Green Building Council’s LEED Implementation Advisory Committee.

Niclas Svenningsen - Head, Sustainable United Nations (SUN) programme UNEP

Svenningsen is the head of the SUN Programme at UNEP, which is an effort to move the entire UN system to climate neutrality within the next few years. He is also responsible for UNEP’s work on sustainable buildings and construction, and is managing the Sustainable Buildings and Construction Initiative from UNEP’s offices in Paris. Svenningsen has a background in civil engineering, environmental law and journalism. He has spent the past 15 years working on various sustainable development issues in the developing world both for UN and as an independent consultant. In his free time he is renovating his small house in Sweden where all good and bad ideas for sustainable buildings are tested.

Rafael Tuts - Chief of the Urban Environmental Planning Branch, UN-Habitat
Tuts is responsible for the implementation of the Cities and Climate Change Initiative (CCCI), which is currently active in Africa, Asia and Latin America. He previously served as: Chief of the Training and Capacity Building Branch (2005-2008), Acting Chief of the Urban Governance Section (2000-2004) and Coordinator of the Localising Agenda 21 Programme (1995-1999) of UN-Habitat. Local government capacity development, environmental planning and management are key focus areas of his work. Prior to joining the United Nations, Tuts worked as Research Fellow at the University of Nairobi and the University of Leuven (1987-1994); he has an academic background in architecture and engineering, and field experience in a wide range of developing countries including: Kenya, Morocco, Vietnam and Cuba.

Richard Fedrizzi - Founding Chairman, United States Green Building Council

Fedrizzi is the founding Chairman of the USGBC. In 1993, he was appointed President & CEO in April 2004; under his leadership, the Council tripled its membership, broadened its influence, and cemented its role as a leadership voice in the global sustainability movement. The evolution and extension of the internationally recognized LEED Green Building Rating System to all building types, and expansion of LEED certification and accreditation through the spin off the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), of which Fedrizzi is Chairman, has helped build on the speed and capacity of the organization. Collaboration, through work with the Clinton Global Initiative, the International Codes Council among other internationally recognized legal frameworks has broadened the base of green building. Expanded outreach and education, advocacy support for public policy initiatives, and a heightened emphasis on green building’s role in social equity progress are part of Fedrizzi’s vision for the organization. In 2009, Mr Fedrizzi and the USGBC were recognized as visionaries in sustainability by the National Building Museum, which awarded them an Honor Award. A founder of the World Green Building Council, Mr Fedrizzi is now an active member of its board. He also serves on the board of the UNEP Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative.

Robert Kehew – Human Settlements Advisor – UN-Habitat

Kehew joined the Urban Environmental Planning Branch of UN-Habitat in Nairobi as a Human Settlements Advisor in 2009. Prior to that, while based in the United States he provided urban planning, municipal finance and municipal development advisory services in developing countries for clients such as: the Asian Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank and USAID. He has published articles on these topics in Cities International, the Urban Age and other publications, and authored one chapter in Subnational Capital Markets in Developing Countries: from Theory to Practice, published by the World Bank and Oxford University Press. Previously, Kehew served as a Resident Advisor and decentralization specialist for UNDP in Nicaragua. He began his career as an urban and transportation planner in the United States; and holds a Masters in Public Policy degree from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of City Planning degree from the University of Virginia.

S C Kumar - Senior Advisor, consultancy support for Green Buildings, India

During his illustrious career of nearly four decades with IAF, Air Cmde Kumar held several important, flying and leadership appointments. A recipient of “Distinguished Service Award” from the President of India; he joined CII in July 2002 as the Project Coordinator for the construction of the Prestigious CII –Green Business Centre. Under his dynamic leadership, the building was awarded the highest “Platinum” rating by the USGBC under the LEED programme. This award was instrumental in helping the IGBC launch the Green Building movement in India which today stands at 570 projects amounting to 370M sq ft of green building footprint coming up in different parts of the country. Over the past 7 years, Kumar has trained over 5000 building professionals in India and abroad on sustainable building construction as per the IGBC / LEED norms. Currently, he is working as “Senior Advisor”, providing consultancy support for Green Buildings, Water, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 & Special projects. Kumar holds a PG Degree in Management and is a Fellow of the Aeronautical Society of India.

Siham Omri - Vice President & Co-founder, MGBC

Mrs. Omri is the VP and Co-founder of the Morocco Green Building Council, and an international interior designer specializing in sustainable design, green product development and energy saving consultations. She studied Business management and information systems from the University of Cincinnati, and holds a Bachelor of Sciences in Interior Design from the Design Architecture Art, and planning DAAP College; she is currently continuing both her professional career and higher education specializing in Global Sustainable Urban Development. Mrs. Omri has extensive experience in the field of sustainability starting with higher education, professional practice, social entrepreneurship and currently non profit organizational efforts; she has also worked on mega hospitality projects around the world, and conducted research for sustainability and Green Building Rating Systems for many of these projects in the US, UAE, Latin America, Great Britain, Spain, Germany, Morocco, India, and Australia. Mrs. Omri is also collaborating with many world renowned individuals and companies on sustainable industrial projects in the US, Morocco and Africa to create green projects, green jobs, promote education, diminish illegal immigration, raise the percentage of African world trade to more than a low single digit number; create healthier prosperous lives and opportunities for the African Nations and the rest of the world.

Tony Lee Luen Len - Principal Partner Ecosis Ltd, Mauritius

Lee is the Principal Partner at Ecosis Ltd a sustainability consultants firm; he started his professional career in South Africa as a quantity surveyor. In 2000, he joined the leading South African aluminium and glass group, Winlite, as their general manager; where he worked for 6 years on many building projects including: Cape Town International Airport, Johannesburg Domestic terminal, Canal Walk - one of Africa’s largest shopping centre. In 2007, Lee moved back to Mauritius where he received the Gold Innovators Award Mauritius in 2008, for the eco-living concept. He is on the technical committee for Sustainable Building and Construction for the Ministry of Environment, and the founding Chair of the Green Building Council of Mauritius and founding president of NGO Climate Change Action Forum. Lee holds a degree in Quantity Surveying, a diploma in Project Management and a certificate in Estate Agency. He is also a Chartered surveyor, a LEED accredited professional and a licensed assessor for BREEAM.

Vincent Kitio, UN-Habitat

Kitio serves as a member of the Water, Sanitation and Infrastructure Branch of UN-Habitat. He is leading implementation of the “Promoting Energy Efficiency in Buildings in East Africa Programme”, funded by the Global Environment Fund.