Nadia Shah Naidoo is a climate change specialist with 10 years of experience providing technical and strategic guidance to African cities. She has worked with Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dar es Salaam, Durban, Ekurhuleni, Lagos, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Tshwane. Nadia currently works as a Senior Associate for Integrated Climate Action at the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Ross Center for Sustainable Cities.

Prior to joining WRI, she held various roles at C40 Cities, most recently as a Senior Manager for Inclusive Climate Action and Mainstreaming, supporting African cities to embed climate change, inclusivity and equity into their decision-making processes, plans and projects. In 2022, she was named one of the Top 200 South Africans under the age of 35 by the Mail and Guardian, and in 2023, she was named one of the Top 50 Eco-Advocates in the country.

Nadia’s MSc (currently under examination) focuses on leadership and climate governance in South African cities, and her Bachelor’s degree is in Environmental Science.