GreenFin 24 emerging leaders
Asia Salazar
Asia is a RAY Clean Energy fellow at RMI's Center for Climate-Aligned Finance. At RMI, she currently supports the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund initiative that leverages cross-organizational knowledge to help prepare the market for a $27B climate investment targeted towards low-income and disadvantaged communities. With a focus on mobilizing capital towards the transition to net-zero and promoting climate-alignment, Asia's work at RMI has spanned several teams and sectors: including industrial decarbonization, clean industrial hubs, community lending, client engagement strategies, corporate target-setting, and environmental and financial justice. Prior to joining RMI, Asia was completing her B.S in Natural Resource and Environmental Science Policy and Analysis, at Purdue University. There, she conducted research in various labs, including the USDA-ARS Crop Production and Pest Control lab, the Water Quality Field Station, and the Natural Resource Social Science lab. During this work, Asia supported field sampling, DNA analysis, and qualitative surveying of agricultural networks.
Brittany Judson
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Brittany has been working in a variety of sustainability subject areas for the past seven years, namely climate action planning, racial and social equity, and greenhouse gas accounting for corporations and financial institutions. A consultant with the EY Climate Change and Sustainability Services (CCaSS) team, she specializes in calculating financed emissions and target setting within the finance industry.
Brittany currently serves as a mentor on the Climate Equity Collaborative Youth Advisory Council and a member of the Atlanta Beltline Special Services District Advisory Board. Outside of work, Brittany enjoys quality time with her friends, roller skating, and being in the sun.
Cassidy Pearson
Cassidy Pearson is an Economist for the Climate Change and ESG Branch of the Division of Research and Statistics (DRS) at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). FHFA is the conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two companies that oversee nearly two-thirds of the US mortgage market. In this role, she works to move the needle on climate change in a “sticky” sector – namely, housing in the United States. In addition, Pearson is a Presidential Management Fellow, a flagship federal leadership development program for advanced-degree recipients.
Prior to her time at FHFA, Pearson worked on the Energy Markets and Policy Team at ICF, where she supported public-sector clients in minimizing their susceptibility to climate risks. Pearson also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Central Mexico, where she received USAID funding to work on water security projects.
Pearson holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University and holds bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology from the University of Utah.
Christiana Kayode
Chrissie is a seasoned sustainable finance professional, boasting over seven years in Investment & Corporate banking and Renewables. Her passion is crafting financial solutions to tackle our planet's climate, energy, and sustainability challenges. Armed with an Economics background and a Strategic design and management graduate degree, she merges creativity with quantitative prowess, excelling at interdisciplinary problem-solving. As an Adjunct at Parsons, Chrissie pioneers innovative pedagogies at the nexus of Design, Climate, and Finance.
Divya Seth
Divya Seth is a Manager at PwC within the Cloud and Digital Practice. She joined PwC in 2021 and has since focused on cloud software implementation, specializing in helping companies track their carbon emissions. Divya has gained valuable experience from leading digital implementations of carbon tracking solutions, understanding the effort required to help companies achieve and report on their sustainability goals. She led the development of an automated reporting solution and specialized data ingestion mechanism for tracking vehicle fleet carbon emissions.
She has had the privilege of helping F500 companies implement technologies that inform their investor relations, regulatory reporting, and asset management. Currently, Divya leads the PwC capability team focused on Net Zero Cloud, growing the team and promoting interdisciplinary teaming, providing strategic direction based on market and regulatory indicators, and developing helpful carbon tracking solutions. In 2022, Divya was credited as an exam writer for Salesforce's Net Zero Cloud Accredited Professional Exam and has spoken about climate impact and digital transformation at Dreamforce 23’ in San Francisco.
Prior to joining PwC, Divya completed a Bachelor of Sciences in Economics at the University of Washington, focusing on her research in finance and information ethics.
Harsh Patel
My name is Harsh Patel, and I grew up in Columbia, SC. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Finance, Operations & Supply Chain Management, and Data Science from the University of South Carolina. Currently, I am completing my Master's in Environment and Sustainability Management at Georgetown University.
My professional journey encompasses diverse experiences in the public sector, private sector, and NGOs. Prior to my master's program, I served as a Business Transformation Consultant at IBM. Presently, I work at Felidlum Consulting, where I support the Department of Energy's Better Building Better Plants initiative, focusing on decarbonizing the built environment.
I aspire to advance my career in finance, with a mission to provide equitable access to financing in the Global South and to support businesses striving for sustainability. Specifically, I am passionate about working in project finance and venture capital. If I can work to provide funding for innovative startups and large-scale energy projects I believe we can address critical issues such as climate change, resource scarcity, and economic inequality.
Through my career, I aim to bridge the gap between financial resources and sustainable development, empowering communities and fostering economic growth. I am dedicated to leveraging my expertise to support initiatives that align with the principles of sustainability and equity, ultimately contributing to a more just and resilient global economy.
Kiana Cardwell
Kiana is currently an ESG Director at Evolution Sustainability Group. She has 7 years of professional consulting experience focused on strategic planning, impact measurement, and policy development helping clients across multiple industries reach Environmental, Social, and Governance goals.
Kiana holds a MBA. in Sustainability from Bard College and a B.A. from Amherst College. She is a LEED AP (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional) and Certified Diversity Professional through the Institute for Diversity Certification (IDC), Fitwel Ambassador, and a WELL AP.
Mohsin Khan
Mohsin Khan Ph.D. is an award-winning social entrepreneur, midcareer policy practitioner & development economist. In his current work, he addresses the complexities and challenges of equity and justice in urban planning, specifically focusing on spatial equity, climate justice, and community engagement, and examines the disproportionate impact of large-scale social infrastructure and investments on BIPOC & marginalized communities and strengthening community resilience as part of broader climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives. Moreover, by amplifying narratives and voices of marginalized communities, his doctoral research examined the disproportionate impact of climate-induced food insecurity and advanced community-led climate change adaptations in Pakistan. He also founded TransHelp—an AI-driven platform, that combines advanced AI-ML tools and Creative Art to increase access to affordable and quality healthcare and legal aid for marginalized communities, and has been named as one of the top 10 worldwide, and Top 6 in Asia-Pacific for health and civic innovation by Gilead Sciences Inc and Ministry of Economic Affairs Taiwan. In the past, he served in various leadership roles at KOICA of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Youth Advocacy Council, and READ Foundation, where he led multimillion aid programs, centred on socioeconomic and infrastructure development, Governance, and institutional reforms in South and Southeast Asia and Africa. He has also served as Inaugural Advisory mentor to Queen's Young Leaders at the University of Cambridge & Queen's Elizbeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, CIVICUS's Global Solidarity Fund respectively, and steered strategic, capacity development and policy initiatives with several organizations, and advising social enterprises and nonprofits, including Good Thinkers, SecurityWall.Co, SEED Spot, and Grateful Giving USA among others.
Mohsin has earned various national and international awards and competitions for his work including the NUMUN Feminist-tech Grant, the Global Ambassador Fellowship by the KDI School of Public Policy and Management, South Korea, Finalist for MIT Policy Hackathon, SGA Award by Northeastern University, the Young Leaders Fellowship by Asia-Europe Foundation & Moller Institute UK, Public Diplomacy M/O Foreign Affairs, South Korea, DICE Fellowship by British Council, and named Associate Fellow for Royal Commonwealth Society, UK, 2024 Marquis Who's Who & Young Parliamentarian by Asia-Pacific Youth Parliament for Water, and appeared on various media outlets such as Diplo Foundation Switzerland, Editorial Times, DaySpring, Technology Times, KOICA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CIVICUS, and KDI School. As a budding prose writer and poet, he won National Award for Short Story Competition at the age of 19, and authored several policies, technical reports and research articles. Beside his doctoral degree, he holds Master in Development Policy, MSc. (Hons) in Rural Development and BSc. (Hons) in Plant Breeding and Genetic Engineering.
“By directing and prioritizing investments in participatory Urban planning and climate-resilient infrastructure, particularly social infrastructure, that benefits marginalized communities and engage residents in decision-making processes, Mohsin believes that we not only can bolster environmental sustainability but also advance social equity and justice within urban landscapes. Consequently, contribute to creating inclusive and cohesive urban communities while mitigating the impacts of climate change and enhancing urban resilience.”
Navishka Pandit
Navishka Soneja Pandit is an Assistant Manager within the engagement team at EOS at Federated Hermes, which engages directors and senior executives on behalf of 60+ institutional investor clients, with over $1.8 trillion in assets under advice on strategy, capital allocation and sustainability issues that impact long term financial value. Navishka manages engagement with the financial services, technology and healthcare sectors. Her thematic expertise includes climate in financial services, human capital management and responsible artificial intelligence deployment.
Navishka is an engineer by training with a Master’s in Environmental Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering. Navishka holds the CFA Institute’s Certificate in ESG Investing. She was also an advisor to a University of California, Berkeley study on data governance, AI and cybersecurity for the mobile healthcare sector. She has extensive global experience having operated in Kenya, India and the United States.
As an Indian Kenyan immigrant who has experienced the effects of climate change firsthand, Navishka is extremely passionate about climate related risks and opportunities and breaking the glass ceiling. She is also devoted to reducing the amount of waste generated from menstrual products and increasing access to sustainable menstrual products. She has worked with an NGO in Kenya to make reusable cotton pads for women and girls in Kibera.
Grit and Resilience – the two words that would most aptly describe her. She gets things done.
Othaniel Thomas
Othaniel Thomas is a leader in physical climate risk modeling, working as a Senior Consultant at EY’s Climate Change and Sustainability Services in Toronto. With a robust background in climate science and policy, Othaniel has been integral to the development and launch of EY’s pioneering climate analytics platform across North America and Europe. His expertise has significantly enhanced EY’s capabilities in predictive climate modeling, helping clients across diverse industries—from oil and gas to consumer goods—navigate and mitigate future climate risks.
At EY, Othaniel has led numerous workshops for clients, facilitating deep dives into portfolio vulnerabilities and integrating comprehensive climate risk insights into disclosures and strategies. His innovative approaches in financial impact analysis and the creation of quantification tools and industry-leading damage functions have set new benchmarks for quantifying the potential financial impacts of climate risks.
Prior to his current role, Othaniel founded On Target Climate Consulting, where he offered specialized climate risk analysis services to clients in the manufacturing, utilities and renewable energy sectors, emphasizing financial stability across various climate scenarios. His earlier experiences also include impactful roles at EY in Atlanta, GA, and as a Policy and Research Analyst with the United Nations in New York, focusing on sustainable development and the regulatory impacts of satellite technology on climate change.
Othaniel holds a BSc in Earth Science and Policy from The Pennsylvania State University and is recognized for his contributions to cross-functional team building and international collaborations. His work not only supports companies in future-proofing their assets but also propels them toward achieving significant, sustainable advancements.