TAKEUCHI Kazuhiko

President, IGES

TAKEUCHI Kazuhiko graduated from the Department of Geography, the University of Tokyo in 1974. He obtained M.Agr. and Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Agriculture, the University of Tokyo. He served as a Professor at the Asian Natural Environmental Science Center, and as Professor at the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Science at the University of Tokyo from 1997 to 2012. He also served as a Vice-Rector and Senior Vice-Rector at the United Nations University from 2008 to 2016. From 2016, he has served as a Senior Visiting Professor at United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS). He was Director and Professor/Project Professor of IR3S at the University of Tokyo from 2017 to 2019. He has served as President, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) since July 2017. He took up the position as Project Professor of the Institute for Future Initiatives (IFI) at the University of Tokyo in April 2019. He has served, inter alia, as Chair of the Central Environmental Council, Government of Japan, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Sustainability Science (Springer Nature) and Distinguished Chair, Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies, University of Nairobi.

He specialises in landscape ecology, landscape planning, and sustainability science.

Vibha Dhawan

Director General, TERI

Dr Vibha Dhawan is associated with The Energy and Resources and Institute since 1985. She also served as the Vice-Chancellor of TERI School of Advanced Studies from 2005-2007. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India.

Dr Dhawan is actively involved in research as well as policy development, both at the national and international level. She is a task force member of a number of committees of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), the Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL) etc.

She is currently serving as Adjunct Professor, Consul General, South Asia Partnership, Michigan State University. She has successfully completed a number of international assignment such as co-ordinator for the Asia Pacific Consortium on Agriculture Biotechnology (APCoAB); Advisor to Director General, The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT); and Deputy Director, Research Partnerships & Co-ordination with the Borlaug Institute for South Asia. She has served on the boards of prestigious organizations in India and overseas including Jawaharlal Nehru University, Ambedkar University, Ayurvet Foundation and Centre for Bioscience and Agriculture International (CABI). Dr Dhawan as a researcher was instrumental in the establishment of the highly successful Micropropagation Technology Park at TERI. Her other major achievements includes developing e-contents for the post-graduate programme in biotechnology for the University Grants Commission. Her recent research interests are in the area of biofuels. She is currently the coordinator of the DBT-TERI Centre on Integrated Production of Advanced Biofuels and Biocommodities. She was Advisor, Bio-resources & Biotechnology, to the Late Tarun Gogoi, the former Chief Minister of Assam.

She is the winner of Indian Women Achievers Sammaan 2017 by NRI Achievers; Women Leadership Agriculture Award 2016 by the Indian Council of Food & Agriculture; First Biotech Product and Process Development and Commercialization Award of the Department of Biotechnology in 2000, the Kamal Kumari National Award for Science and Technology and the first All India Biotech Association (AIBA) award in 1998. She has authored 6 books and over 50 publications.

ISHII Naoko

Executive Vice-President, Professor at the Institute for Future Initiative, Director for the Center for Global Commons, The University of Tokyo

Dr. ISHII Naoko has joined University of Tokyo on August 1st 2020 as professor, executive vice president, and inaugurating Director for Center for Global Commons, whose mission is to catalyze systems change so that human can achieve sustainable development within planetary boundaries. The Center aims at playing a much more active role in mobilizing movements of multi-stakeholders towards a shared goal of nurturing stewardship of Global Commons. Prior to joining the university, she served the GEF (Global Environment Facility) as CEO and Chairperson from 2012 to 2020. She formed GEF’s first mid-term strategy, GEF 2020, with strong focus on transformation of key economic systems.

She obtained BA in economics and Ph. D in international studies, both from the University of Tokyo.

KATO Hiroshi

Executive Director, Environment Department, Environment and Agriculture Bureau, Kanagawa Prefectural Government

Mr. Kato entered Kanagawa Prefectural Government in 1985, and engaged in industrial safety and pollution control. From 1996 to 1998, he studied environmental policies at a graduate school of the University of Michigan. From 1999 to 2000, he worked for the Environment Agency (the present Ministry of the Environment) and joined preparation of the G8 Environment Ministers’ Meeting held in Shiga Prefecture. After returning to Kanagawa, Mr. Kato worked on formulation of several important environmental policies, such as measures for chemical substances, regulation of diesel engine vehicles and global warming countermeasures promotion ordinance. After working as Director of the Industrial Safety Division, Air and Water Quality Division and Kanagawa Environmental Research Center, Mr. Kato was assigned to serve as Executive Director, Environment Department, in April 2021.

FUJITA Kaori

Senior Deputy Editor, Nikkei ESG / Professor, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University

Born in Uozu City, Toyama Prefecture. Graduated from the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Tokyo. After joining Nikkei BP, she worked as a staff editor for "Nikkei Electronics," deputy editor of "National Geographic Japanese Edition," which introduces nature and culture, editorial board member of "Nikkei Ecology," an environmental management magazine, and producer of "Nikkei ESG Management Forum," before becoming senior editor of "Nikkei ESG," a sustainability management magazine. She has been following biodiversity, natural capital, sustainable procurement, SDGs, ESG investment, human rights, and regional development. She is a member of the Central Environment Council of the Ministry of the Environment. She is also a visiting professor at the University of Toyama and Toyama University of International Studies.