Connect Karo is WRI India’s annual flagship event, bringing together thought leaders, decision-makers, practitioners, academics, scientists, civil society organizations and other stakeholders to discuss some of the most pressing climate, development and sustainability challenges of our time.
On September 9–10, 2026, at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, Connect Karo will convene diverse voices from across sectors to explore how India can turn today’s challenges into opportunities for a more sustainable, equitable and resilient future.
Through a range of engaging sessions, discussions and interactive formats, participants will explore critical themes including climate finance, urbanisation, clean energy transition, food, land and water systems, sustainable mobility, climate resilience and adaptation, and just transition.
This year, a special feature will be the WRI India Data Lab, an immersive exhibition offering hands-on exposure to our open-access data tools, such as Transport Analytics Hub, a visual and analytical platform for sustainable urban transport, ASCENT, a tool that enables sub-national governments to calculate GHG emissions and project future emission trajectories under different scenarios, Citizen Science Application for participatory monitoring restoration efforts and Energy Access Explorer, the world's first digital public good for climate-compatible energy transitions, among others.
We will also be hosting Playing for the Planet: WRI India Game Room, a curated gaming experience that brings climate change and sustainability to life through board games, card games and gamified planning tools for communities, decision-makers and practitioners.
Meet Our Connect Karo 2026 Speakers
Depinder Kapur
Head — C-Cube,
National Institute of Urban Affairs
Shakambhari Nandan
Public Information Officer,
Varanasi Smart City
Dr. Ambarish Dutta
Professor — Epidemiology,
Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI)
Prasanna Ganesh
Executive Program Director,
Toyota Mobility Foundation
Dipa Singh Bagai
Country Director,
NRDC India
Shilpi Samantray
Senior Portfolio Manager — Sub-National Climate Action, Energiva Ventures
Namita Vikas
Founder & Managing Director, auctusESG
Mahesh Patankar
Managing Director, MP Ensystems
Kanika Bansal
Senior Manager, Jameel x C40 Urban Planning Climate Lab
Jasprit Kaur
Senior Program Manager, Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation
Emani Kumar
Executive Director, ICLEI South Asia
Dr. Divya Sharma
Executive Director, Climate Group
Shivani Singh
Editor, Urban Affairs, Hindustan Times
Bhawna Bali
Associate Professor, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi
Anjali Mahendra
Director — Global Research, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
Pushpa Pathak
Senior Fellow, CPR
Amlanjyoti Goswami
Chief - Legal and Regulation, IIHS
Debolina Kundu
Director, NIUA
Sumit Sharma
Deputy Head, Program Officer, UNEP
Aarti Sachdeva
Lead, Knowledge Development, Saahas
Dr. Rakesh Kumar
President, Society of Indoor Environment (SIE)
Swati Sambyal
Principal Expert, Pollution, GRID-Arendal
Paramita Datta Dey
Program Lead, SBM, NIUA
Prof. Vivek Kumar
Professor, CRDT, IIT Delhi
Natasha Chandy
Associate Director, Air Quality, Asar Social Impact Advisors
Shrigopal Japgtap
Managing Director, Shrishti Waste Management Services
Chinmayi Naik
Executive Director, Hasiru Dala
Kritika Choudhary
Associate Director, APAG
Bharati Chaturvedi
Founder and Director, Chintan
Sheuli Mitra
Professor, Planning, SPA Bhopal
Saswat Bandyopadhyay
Professor, CEPT University
Aniruddha Brahmachari
Director Programs, Digital Green India
Dr. Sugandha Munshi
Lead Specialist, Senior Associate Scientist Gender Empowerment,Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research -International Rice Research Institute (CGIAR- IRRI), India
Kavita Sharma
Head-Agriculture Capacity Building and Climate Change, Friends of Women's World Banking,India (FWWB, India)
Saurabh Prakash Sinha
Program Lead, South India, IDH India
Dr. Rini Dutta
Chief Growth Officer, Villgro Innovations Foundation
Aditya Bahadur
Director, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre
Rajashri Sai
Founder, Impactree
Neha Kumar
Climate Bonds Initiative
Laveesh Bhandari
President and Senior Fellow Centre for Social and Economic Progress
Risha Chitlangia
Independent Journalist
Arundhita Bhanjdeo
Research Lead , Energy for Equitable Development
Raj Bhagat Palanichamy
Senior Manager — Geo Analytics,
WRI India
Rajat Sindhu
Programmes Officer — Global Climate Initiatives,
Oak Foundation
Ramanshu Ganguly
Partner and Lead — Adaptation and Resilience,
Energiva Ventures
Varun Raheja
Founder,
Raheja Solor
Shilp Verma
Senior Researcher and Deputy Country Representative,
International Water Management Institute
Sonal Karia
Director — Finance & Legal,
WRI India
Shishir Dash
Team Lead — Urban Habitat,
TATA Steel Foundation
Sarah McMillan
Team Leader — Fondation Botnar Programme,
Ecorys UK
Anuj Malhotra
Master Planner,
NMDPL, Adani
Kanak Tiwari
Independent Consultant
Tarun Sharma
Co-Founder,
Nagrika
Sujatha Srikumar
Director,
Powertec Engineering Pvt Ltd
Capt. Ashish Jacob
Vice President,
Development Alternatives
Neeraja Kudrimoti
Practice Director — Climate Action,
TRI
Shail Bajaria
Urban Design Lead,
Prameya Consulting
Akshat Srivastava
Program Manager,
CityData
Vanshika Shah
Director,
The Urbanizer
Siddhi Soni
Urban Designer,
The Urbanizer
Arijit Biswas
Founder,
Vogic AI
Sathyanarayanan Shankaran
CEO,
Rainmatter Foundation
Nidhi Madan
Director — Cities and Urban Landscape,
Raahgiri Foundation
Mohit Gupta
Practicing Delhi High Court Advocate,
Mohit Law Chambers
Dr. Sanjay Patra
Managing Director,
CPA Services Pvt. Ltd
Mansi Sahu
Director and Co-Founder,
StudioPOD
Rajeev Gopal
Former Senior Country Officer,
IFC — World Bank Group
Gaurav Mehta
Founder and CEO,
Dharmalife
Shalini Sinha
Home-Based Work Sector Specialist & Asia Strategic Lead — Associate Consultant,
WIEGO
Dr. Sarada Prasanna Das
Fellow — Energy Transitions,
Sustainable Futures Collaborative (SFC)
Aashutosh Mule
Experiential Learning Designer
Anita Kane
Senior Advisor,
Pune Knowledge Cluster
Dr. Umamaheshwaran Rajesekar
Consultant — Urban Sector Resilience,
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
Shamindra Nath Roy
Visiting Fellow — Centre for Policy Research and Consultant,
WRI India
Ashwin Kulkarni
Partner Manager,
Rainmatter Foundation
Arnavee Phukan
Assistant Director — Town & Country Planning,
Baksa
Nidhi Batra
Founder,
Sehreetri Development Practices Foundation
Zeenat Niazi
Chief Advisor — Circular Economy and Climate Resilience Programs,
Development Alternatives
Rana Hasan
Senior Advisor,
NCAER
Wase Khalid
Manager — Clean Energy Access,
CLASP
Romeo Koch
Program Director — Operations,
SeSTA
Sanjeev Sharma
Vice President,
GH2 Solar
Utsav Choudhary
Consultant,
NIUA
Professor Nand Kumar
Team Leader,
AMRUT Centre, MNIT, Jaipur
Dr. Rahul Tiwari
Assistant Professor,
MANIT, Bhopal
Pawan Mulukutla
Executive Program Director — Integrated Transport, Clean Air and Hydrogen
WRI India
Dr. Pavan Mamidi
Director,
Center for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC)
Manas Das
Senior Director,
Intel
Naved Alam Khan
CEO,
Society For Cyberabad Security Council (SCSC)
Sarvesh Kumar
Executive Director,
IOCL
Rana Pujari
Lead — Renewable Energy,
NRDC India
Sreejith Narayanan
Program Manager — Technology and Innovations,
CLEAN
Nimisha Biswas
Engagement Lead,
CEEW
Dr. Debajit Palit
Centre Head — Centre for Climate Change & Energy Transition,
Chintan Research Foundation
Dr. Agnivesh Pani
Asst. Professor,
IIT (BHU)
Dipyaman Sen
Global Head,
Biocon
Sapna Bhawnani
VP,
Alstom
Diksha Choudhary
Program Manager,
Toyota Mobility Foundation
Gurman Bhatia
Founder and Director,
ReVisual Labs
Ruchika Singh
Executive Program Director — Food, Land and Water,
WRI India
Bharath Jairaj
Executive Director — Energy,
WRI India
Lanvin Concessao
Program Lead — Energy for Equitable Development,
WRI India
Avinash Dubedi
Program Head — Transport Development,
WRI India
Vishal Ramprasad
Senior Program Manager,
WRI India
Highlights from Connect Karo 2025
Photos from Connect Karo 2024
DAY 1
Wednesday
07 May 2019
7:30
First floor
Pre-Conference and Main Conference Registration Desk Open
Plaza Court Registration Area
This presentation will describe seven essential actions that could unleash the power of prevention and substantially reduce the prevalence of behavioral health problems and inequality in health and behavior outcomes in the U.S. population.
Business leaders know that growing a company requires you to put yourself out there and stay ahead of trends. One good way to accomplish both is by attending industry events throughout the year.
The Regional Leadership Conference provides the opportunity to meet officers from different sized sections as well as learn about the many different types of activities they hold.
12:00
Restaurant
Please take lunch in your own time. Conference attendees will not be charged.
In a marketplace where customers are more aware, active, and value-driven, firms must rapidly conceive and develop new products and services that meet customers' changing demands.
Relationships are the foundation for opportunities in the world of business, especially as you rise through the ranks of management or decide to start your own business.
18:00
Rooftop Bar
Business cocktail parties are a great opportunity to break out of your shell.
DAY 2
Thursday
08 May 2019
7:30
First floor
Pre-Conference and Main Conference Registration Desk Open
Plaza Court Registration Area
This presentation will describe seven essential actions that could unleash the power of prevention and substantially reduce the prevalence of behavioral health problems and inequality in health and behavior outcomes in the U.S. population.
Business leaders know that growing a company requires you to put yourself out there and stay ahead of trends. One good way to accomplish both is by attending industry events throughout the year.
The Regional Leadership Conference provides the opportunity to meet officers from different sized sections as well as learn about the many different types of activities they hold.
12:00
Restaurant
Please take lunch in your own time. Conference attendees will not be charged.
In a marketplace where customers are more aware, active, and value-driven, firms must rapidly conceive and develop new products and services that meet customers' changing demands.
Relationships are the foundation for opportunities in the world of business, especially as you rise through the ranks of management or decide to start your own business.
18:00
Rooftop Bar
Business cocktail parties are a great opportunity to break out of your shell.
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