EXPERT

Justin Abbott is an Arup Fellow and Director, leading Arup’s water business across Europe. With over 36 years of experience as an environmental engineer, Justin’s expertise encompasses water management, environmental impact assessment, risk evaluation, sustainable design, and infrastructure resilience. He guides strategic projects globally, overseeing innovative, integrated approaches to address complex water challenges. In 2019, Justin spearheaded Arup’s groundbreaking stormwater masterplan for Shanghai, using advanced digital analytics to seamlessly merge blue, green, and grey infrastructures. Currently, he is Technical Director of urban drainage infrastructure programs in seven cities, part of a $2 billion reconstruction initiative supporting communities affected by El Niño in Peru. 

Justin will present on “Beyond Barriers: Spongy Cities and Leaky Basins,” exploring how nature-based (green) and traditional (grey) infrastructure can be integrated to build more resilient urban systems. Drawing on global examples, he will highlight scalable solutions—from street-level interventions to basin-wide investments—that enhance flood resilience, improve water quality, and support long-term climate adaptation.

Dr. Jola Ajibade is an Associate Professor and scholar-activist in Environmental Sciences at Emory University. Her research examines how climate disasters as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation are reshaping marginalized communities’ lives, housing, and livelihoods, with a focus on managed retreat, floating cities, urban resilience, tree equity, and energy transition-induced displacements. As an urban political ecologist, she integrates environmental justice, antiracist perspectives, feminist decolonial praxis, and care ethics into her work. She is a contributor to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report and a consultant for the World Bank, the United Nations Environmental Programme, and the World Health Organization. Dr. Ajibade has received prestigious awards, including the NSF-NCAR Early Career Grant, and Outstanding Researcher Award for the Earth Sciences. Her work is featured in Nature, Science, NPR, Al Jazeera, and Science Friday. She is the co-editor of Global Views on Climate Relocation and Social Justice (Routledge). At the Forum, Dr. Ajibade will discuss managed retreat strategies, drawing insights from 140 global case studies - from Puerto Rico, Nigeria, the Philippines, Brazil, Fiji, Rwanda, Austria, and the United States - to highlight pathways for planners and architects to develop more just, equitable, and transformative relocation programs.

Kate Ascher currently serves as the Milstein Professor of Urban Development at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, where she teaches real estate, infrastructure, and urban planning. She also consults on transportation and infrastructure strategy at Buro Happold Engineering, where she previously led the Cities Group as partner until 2019. 

Earlier in her career, she held senior roles at Vornado Realty Trust, the NYC Economic Development Corporation, and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. Ascher holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and has authored several acclaimed books on urban systems, including The Works, The Heights, and The Way to Go, as well as co-authored New York Rising. 

She is leading the “Resist” track at the Forum, bringing her urban planning and infrastructure expertise to discussions on resilient development.

Maria Atkinson AM is a sustainability business leader and advisor who currently chairs the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction and directs her own consultancy. She was the founding CEO of the Green Building Council of Australia and formerly served as Global Head of Sustainability at Lendlease, spearheading sustainability strategies in the property development sector​. In 2012, Atkinson was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in recognition of her leadership in environmentally sustainable building and development​. She is leading the “Retreat” track, leveraging her extensive experience in sustainable development to guide strategic discussions.

Dr. Karina Barquet is a Senior Research Fellow leading the Water, Coasts, and Ocean team at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Headquarters, where she also directs SEI's global strategic engagement on oceans and biodiversity. With a PhD in Geography and over a decade of international experience, Dr. Barquet’s research emphasizes water and coastal governance, climate risk resilience, and adaptive policy frameworks. Her work integrates diversified infrastructure strategies, nature-based solutions, and socio-political dynamics to tackle climate vulnerabilities. Karina has spearheaded multidisciplinary adaptation projects across Sweden and collaborated globally on adaptive management strategies, notably in Central America and the Caribbean. At the Forum, she will present the collaborative "Hydro Hazards" project conducted with Hanna Billmayer, addressing diverse and cascading flood risks in Halmstad, Sweden. Their joint presentation emphasizes innovative multi-level adaptation approaches that effectively integrate governance, infrastructure, and natural ecosystems to enhance community resilience against complex flood scenarios.

Dr. Ana P. Barros is Donald Biggar Willett Distinguished Chair, Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Director of the Center for Secure Water at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA. Her research specializes in hydrology, hydrometeorology, and environmental physics, emphasizing the water cycle, clouds, precipitation, and land-atmosphere interactions. Dr. Barros leverages satellite remote sensing, computational modeling, and AI-driven analysis to address climate risk and resilience. A member of the US National Academy of Engineering, and fellow of several prestigious scientific societies, she collaborates extensively on risk modeling and artificial intelligence.

At the Forum, Dr. Barros will discuss the role of AI in flood resilience and planning. Her presentation will highlight innovative applications of high-performance computing and generative modeling to assess emerging flood risks, infrastructure vulnerability, and adaptive strategies, drawing lessons from recent extreme events such as Hurricane Helene in Asheville and the Palisades Fire aftermath in Los Angeles.

Kai-Uwe Bergmann is a Partner at BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, overseeing international business development across BIG’s five offices and projects in over 40 countries. Since joining BIG in 2006, he has managed significant projects, including design proposals for Khalifa Park in Abu Dhabi and the transformation of an industrial building into modern office space in Copenhagen. He was part of the team awarded the Global Holcim Foundation Awards Bronze in 2015 for the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (BIG U) in New York City, a plan to protect 16 km of Manhattan’s coastline. 
Kai-Uwe also contributes to academia through teaching roles at universities, including Pratt Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Pennsylvania. He is an AIA Fellow, a past board member of the Van Alen Institute, and participates in international juries including the Holcim Foundation Awards and lectures globally on BIG’s work.
 

Hanna Billmayer is the Climate Adaptation Strategist at the municipality of Halmstad, Sweden, dedicated to building robust strategies that enhance urban resilience against climate impacts. She specializes in proactive urban planning, ensuring future developments anticipate and mitigate climate-related risks, particularly flooding. Hanna holds a Master’s degree in Social Science with a major in Risk Management from Karlstad University and has professional experience addressing sustainability, bioeconomy, and energy issues at local and regional levels. Passionate about integrating climate adaptation directly into urban development, Hanna leads initiatives that employ embankments, nature-based solutions, and infrastructure improvements to safeguard communities. At the Forum, Hanna will co-present the "Hydro Hazards" project alongside Karina Barquet from SEI, illustrating multi-level governance strategies to effectively address compound flood risks in Halmstad. Their session will showcase how coordinated local efforts, informed by global expertise, can create resilient and sustainable urban environments amid increasing climate uncertainty.

Anne-Marie Hitipeuw is a senior policy advisor on climate change adaptation at the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, leading work on urban flooding, resilient planning, and citizen awareness. An urban planner and human geographer, she has international experience across public, private, and nonprofit sectors, including roles with the UN and projects in Kenya, Peru, China, and the U.S. As The Hague’s first Chief Resilience Officer, she advanced climate adaptation, risk communication, and urban resilience.

Matthijs Bouw is the founder of One Architecture and Urbanism (ONE), an award-winning firm based in Amsterdam and New York, recognized globally for designing pioneering resilience and waterfront masterplans. A Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School, Bouw expertly integrates infrastructure design with nature-based solutions, notably leading the Holcim Foundation Awards Global Bronze prize-winning Big U project in Manhattan. His innovative designs, developed through programs like Rebuild by Design and Water as Leverage, emphasize adaptive planning in uncertain conditions. At the Forum, Matthijs Bouw will explore strategies for adaptive planning and resilience, using examples including New York’s East Side Coastal Resiliency project, long-term planning initiatives in the Netherlands, and transformative waterfront masterplans globally. His presentation underscores how designers can lead dynamic adaptation processes to address the unpredictable challenges posed by climate change.

Parag Khanna is Founder & CEO of AlphaGeo, the leading AI-powered geospatial analytics platform. He is the internationally bestselling author of seven books including MOVE: Where People Are Going for a Better Future (2021), preceded by The Future is Asian: Commerce, Conflict & Culture in the 21st Century (2019), as well as a trilogy of books on the future of world order beginning with The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order (2008), followed by How to Run the World: Charting a Course to the Next Renaissance (2011), and concluding with Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization (2016). He is also the author of Technocracy in America: Rise of the Info-State (2017) and co-author of Hybrid Reality: Thriving in the Emerging Human-Technology Civilization (2012). Parag was named one of Esquire’s “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century,” and featured in WIRED magazine’s “Smart List.” He holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, and Bachelors and Masters degrees from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Born in India and raised in the UAE, New York and Germany, he has traveled to more than 150 countries and is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.

Nirmal Kishnani is a sustainable design strategist, educator, and author with over two decades of experience advancing green architecture in Asia​. He serves as an Associate Professor of Architecture at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and is the Program Director of NUS’s Master of Science in Integrated Sustainable Design​. Dr. Kishnani helped shape the conversation on sustainable building in Singapore and the region, notably as Editor-in-Chief of a leading Asian green design publication from 2008 to 2021​. He authored Greening Asia: Emerging Principles for Sustainable Architecture (2012) – the first critique of green building trends in Asia – and Ecopuncture: Transforming Architecture and Urbanism in Asia (2019), advocating regenerative design principles​. He is leading the “Respond” track.

Kamal Kishore is the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) in Geneva. With nearly 30 years of experience, he has worked across government, the UN, and civil society, focusing on disaster risk reduction, climate action, and sustainable development. Before joining UNDRR, he served as Head of the National Disaster Management Authority in India, where he led the G20 Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction and contributed to launching the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. He previously spent 13 years with UNDP, providing policy and technical support to over 10 countries and leading global advocacy efforts. Earlier roles include Director at the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre in Bangkok and architectural work on post-earthquake reconstruction in India. His career spans local to global levels, reflecting deep commitment to building disaster resilience worldwide.

Alys Laver is Site Manager at Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) Steart Marshes in the UK, specializing in flood management, habitat creation, and restoration. Her deep commitment to wetlands stems from a lifelong connection to Somerset’s Levels and Moors. Following a Zoology degree, she dedicated her career to conservation, managing rare and valuable wetland habitats across the UK. Since joining WWT in 2013, Alys has overseen major European habitat creation schemes, demonstrating how landscape-scale restoration can reconnect ecosystems. Currently, she oversees a major new WWT 130-hectare saltmarsh restoration initiative. 

At the Forum, Alys will share insights from Steart Marshes, illustrating how returning land to the sea can rejuvenate nature, strengthen coastal resilience, and protect communities. Her presentation highlights wetlands as essential ecosystems—natural infrastructure that can help solve some of humanity’s greatest environmental challenges, enhancing resilience and restoring vital biodiversity in coastal communities.

Dr. Chris Luebkeman is a futurist and strategic foresight expert known for his work at the intersection of architecture, engineering, and sustainability. He currently heads the Strategic Foresight Hub in the Office of the President at ETH Zurich, leading a team that explores future trends and helps stakeholders navigate emerging challenges. Prior to this, Dr. Luebkeman spent two decades at the global engineering firm Arup, where he founded and led the Foresight, Innovation and Incubation teams, pioneering the firm’s “Drivers of Change” program to help organizations plan for the future​. A sought-after speaker and moderator, he has delivered talks at TED and the World Economic Forum and advised numerous institutions worldwide on foresight and innovation in the face of global challenges. Dr. Luebkeman serves as the Forum Moderator, bringing his extensive experience in facilitating forward-looking dialogue to guide the event’s discussions.

Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf is a leading climate scientist and oceanographer, serving as Professor of Physics of the Oceans at the University of Potsdam and Co-Head of the Earth System Analysis department at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)​. His research focuses on ocean circulation, sea-level change, paleoclimate, and extreme weather events​, and he was a lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report. Rahmstorf advised the German government on climate policy as a member of its Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) from 2004 to 2013​ , and he has published over 130 scientific papers along with co-authoring several books on climate science​. In 2017, he received the Climate Communication Prize from the American Geophysical Union for his work in making climate science accessible to the public​.

Jonelle Simunich is a futurist, designer, and entrepreneur shaping collaborative futures at the intersection of people, place, and planet. Trained in architecture, city planning, and innovation strategy, she focuses on built-environment systems to accelerate the transitions toward socially and environmentally positive outcomes.

Her work spans continents and cultures, where she has led complex, multidisciplinary projects bridging built and natural environments. At Arup, she spent eight years leading the Foresight team’s Sustainable Futures work and built out their Regenerative Design offering. Prior to that, she contributed to post-Hurricane Sandy efforts at NYC’s Department of City Planning and worked as an architect in New York and California, specializing in retrofit and mixed-use projects.

With a mission to translate vision into action, Jonelle curates experiences that spark meaningful change. She has contributed to and authored over 15 publications and co-created more than 50 workshops and gatherings that bring diverse voices together to shape better futures.
 

Sibarani Sofian is an accomplished urban designer, planner, and founder of URBAN+, known for pioneering sustainable urban projects in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. With extensive experience gained at SOM, EDAW, and AECOM, he established AECOM’s Southeast Asia studio and significantly contributed to regional urban design practice. In 2019, Sibarani’s team won Indonesia’s National Capital City Design Competition with the transformative "Nagara Rimba Nusa" concept for Nusantara, emphasizing smart mobility, renewable energy, and climate-resilient infrastructure. At the Forum, Sibarani will explore Indonesia’s ambitious capital relocation from Jakarta to Nusantara, framing it as a radical yet anticipative urban retreat. His presentation highlights Nusantara’s integration of sustainability, vernacular architecture, and parametric analytics, providing lessons in balancing urban innovation with cultural heritage. He emphasizes that while Nusantara addresses many urban challenges, revitalizing Jakarta remains critical for Indonesia’s future resilience.

Michael Szönyi is the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance Director, working in the Adapting to Climate Change team at the Z Zurich Foundation. He leads the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance, a multi-partner initiative where he provides advice on risk insights and risk reduction strategies. A centerpiece is implementing the self-developed climate resilience measurement for communities (CRMC) framework across program countries, supporting resilience interventions together with local communities. Previously, he worked in Risk Engineering at Zurich Insurance Group. Szönyi holds Master's degrees in Natural Hazards Management and Geophysics from ETH Zurich and specializes in advising on risk insights and reduction strategies. Central to his work is implementing the climate resilience measurement for communities (CRMC) framework, aiming to enhance community resilience through targeted interventions across Alliance program countries. The Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance, under his leadership, prioritizes actionable strategies and measurable outcomes in resilience building initiatives.

Thomas Thaler is a senior scientist at the Institute of Landscape Planning, BOKU University, Vienna, and a research fellow with the Equity and Justice Research Group at IIASA. His research focuses on governance and social justice within flood risk management, emphasizing the integration of environmental policies into effective local and national governance systems. He holds a PhD from Middlesex University’s Flood Hazard Research Centre, London. Thomas’s presentation at the Forum will address planned relocation mechanisms across Europe—particularly in Austria, Germany, Italy, and the UK. He will detail how governance structures, compensation strategies, and social acceptance play crucial roles in shaping effective and equitable relocation initiatives. Drawing from diverse European case studies, Thomas will provide valuable insights into how governance design, compensation schemes, and public acceptance influence the successful adaptation of vulnerable communities in the face of increasing climate threats.

Chris Zevenbergen is Professor of Urban Flood Resilience at IHE Delft and Delta Urbanism at TU Delft, renowned for pioneering sustainable urban flood management solutions. His distinguished academic career spans the research and application of environmental resilience strategies, innovative flood-proof design, and urban flood management. His extensive scholarly work includes over 160 publications and multiple influential books on urban resilience. Chris will present on the Netherlands' approach to climate adaptation, highlighting the importance of long-term spatial planning and visionary design. His insights will examine how evidence-based imagination can guide the societal and physical transformations required for urbanizing deltas, demonstrating the practical value of integrating climate adaptation into urban planning frameworks globally.