Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Websites
Certification
Personal Information
References
Work Availability
Hobbies and Interests
Timeline
Independent Consultant
Open To Work

Ashwini Thakar

C40 Cities for Climate Leadership
Mumbai,Maharashtra
Ashwini Thakar
1
Certification
26
years of professional experience

Currently a freelance/fulltime consultant in the areas of sustainable urbanisation, climate policy, and urban ecosystems. Her early career spans almost two decades across the spectrum of resource mobilisation for community development, women, adolescent & gender, sustainable development—from grassroots community initiatives to international climate partnerships and institutional transformation. She steers mission-driven institutions translate ambitious commitments into practical, measurable impact.

Her work brings together climate strategy, resilient urban development, stakeholder and donor engagement, institutional partnerships, and strategic communications to deliver complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives. She has worked extensively across Mumbai and India, the European Union, and the Global South, building public private partnerships, collaborations between local and state government, NGOs, CSOs, think tanks, academia, to accelerate climate action and sustainable urban transitions.

Most recently, as Manager – Green Ports & Shipping at C40 Cities, She contributed to advancing climate leadership in the maritime sector by leading strategic partnerships and convening global stakeholders around sustainable port transitions. Her work included managing and delivering the Green Ports & Shipping annual workshop leading up to the proposed Global South Working Group—a collaborative platform designed to strengthen knowledge exchange, institutional partnerships, and financing opportunities for climate-resilient port infrastructure.

What distinguishes her work is her ability to bridge worlds that often operate in isolation. She translates community realities into policy conversations, technical complexity into strategic communication, and institutional ambition into actionable projects. This ability to connect people, policy, finance, and action has become the defining thread of her career.

Based in Mumbai, working globally, open to consulting and freelance opportunities.

Work History

1 Year
05.2025 - 05.2026
1 Year
Manager, Green Ports & Shipping - India
C40 Cities for Climate Leadership | India
05.2025 - 05.2026
  • Managed and delivered the Green Ports Forum (GPF) Programme within C40's global climate leadership network, working across multilingual, multi-stakeholder environments with partners including Arup, IFC, and the Port of Barcelona.
  • Successfully delivered the program and logistics of GPF Workshop in Barcelona - navigating complex logistical, linguistic, geographical and coordination challenges with strategic composure and adaptability.
  • Led end-to-end Programme management: stakeholder engagement, partner coordination, workshop design, facilitation, and post-event reporting across global forum cycles.
  • Facilitated knowledge exchange on green port transitions, maritime decarbonization, and port-city climate resilience - connecting city ports with global best practices and finance pathways.
  • Launched and coordinated the C40 Global South Working Group (GSWG, March 2026) - a dedicated platform for equitable maritime transition across Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific; designed governance structure, Terms of Reference, and 12-month workplan.
  • Convened 12 founding port cities (Mumbai, Durban, Lagos, Manila, Rio de Janeiro, Jakarta, Colombo and others) alongside IFC, ARUP, Lloyd's Register, UCL, and the African Union Commission - supporting a $1 billion Sustainability-Linked Loan initiative for green port infrastructure.
  • Championed an equity-first approach: just transition principles, IMO-level advocacy on carbon pricing, and ensuring Global South communities are active shapers of decarbonization policy.
2 Months
02.2025 - 04.2025
2 Months
Consultant
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group | Delhi
02.2025 - 04.2025
  • Stakeholder mapping and engagement, Curating program content, liaising with city, state and central governments, providing logistic support and event management/logistics support.
  • Documentation and report on the waste landscape in Indian cities, key learnings and practical recommendations for overcoming the challenges of financing waste for Indian cities.
1 Year 8 Months
07.2023 - 03.2025
1 Year 8 Months
Consultant
GIZ
07.2023 - 03.2025
  • As one of the Key Expert contributing to the research and documentation of the Knowledge Product for Communities Of Practice on Municipal Finance & Urban Governance, Coordinating state-level workshops on the following:
  • Moving Towards Circular Economy - Coimbatore- Sept '23
  • Localized Actions for Urban Resilience - Mangalore - August'23
  • National Urban Conference on the Communities of Practice under SUDC II Project: Resilient Infrastructure / Digital Transformation / Municipal Finance - Mysore - November'23
  • Digital Interventions in Solid Waste Management - Kochi - Feb 2024
14 Years 11 Months
07.2008 - 06.2023
14 Years 11 Months
Director Operations & Programs
Mumbai First | Mumbai
07.2008 - 06.2023

•Liaising with Central and State Governments, Corporates and Media for sustainable urbanization & Climate Change initiatives.
• Led the Mumbai-EU Partnership Programs in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, and Chennai on Sustainable Urbanization, Metropolitan Planning, Climate Change & Energy Management, Solid Waste & Water Waste Management, Integrated Transport Systems, Etc.
• EU- India Forums, Delhi
• Organizing and managing international summits, such as BRICS, Mumbai Partnership events, World Cities, Climate Crisis Conferences, Air Quality, Waste and Water Management, etc.
• Researching, shortlisting, communicating and managing high-profile speakers end to end.
• Leading and coordinating the Missions: Education / Health/ Environment & Climate/ Art, Culture & Heritage /International Collaborations/ etc.
• Curating and implementing Metropolitan Studio Labs in cities across India.
• Managing Programs & Large-scale, high-profile Int. Events.
• Outreach, Networking, and Communications on the environment, urbanization, education, and health with Local Governments and Government Agencies.
• Experience in production logistics for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events, including but not limited to the run of the show, screen assets, and AV requirements
• Tangible experience in event logistics, including but not limited to research, procurement, bookings and payments for venues and hotels, management of catering, interpretation, ground transportation and any other operations suppliers

  • Spearheaded innovative approaches to resource allocation and strategic planning.
  • Recruited, interviewed and hired employees and implemented mentoring program to promote positive feedback and engagement.
7 Years 11 Months
05.2000 - 04.2008
7 Years 11 Months
Project Manager / Consultant
Multiple Networks | Mumbai, MH
05.2000 - 04.2008
  • Kshamata
  • Nimaya Foundation.
  • Muktangan Education.
  • Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Kochi - Served in International Conference on UN's Millennium Development Goals.
  • SP Jain Institute of Management and Research - Managed UNICEF's project in State Resource Institute Network.
  • Tata Institute of Social Sciences - Contributed to micro-planning initiatives in education, housing & health services.
  • GET Foundation - Managing Networking & Communications.
  • Rotary Foundation for Education and Learning - Initiated and coordinated the Executive MBA course through networking.
  • Indian Society for Community Education.
4 Years 8 Months
08.2000 - 04.2005
4 Years 8 Months
Programme & Fundraising Manager
Indian Society for Community Education - ISCE | Ahmedabad, GJ
08.2000 - 04.2005
  • Planning, executing, & supervising Urban Slum Community Development programs for (Youths & Women).
  • Organizing Programs / workshops on issues like HIV Aids, early child care, personal health & hygiene, waste management related to sustainable urban development, etc.).
  • Organizing workshops on topics like Personality Development, Communication, Leadership, Creativity, & Entrepreneurship.
  • Networking and liaison with local, national & international organizations, Government Organizations (public sector), Educational Institutions, Media, Press, National & International Travels Agencies, etc
  • Networking /communication / Fund Raising – Donor relationship Manager
  • Documentation, Annual & Quarterly publications and designed brochures.
  • Assist the Chairman to prepare papers, speeches & presentations for various events.
  • Working/mentoring foreign interns during their internship assignments.

Education

Master's - development management

SP Jain Institute of Management & Research | 01.2016

Bachelor's - commerce

Gujarat University | 01.2002

300 Hrs YTTC - Certified Yoga Instructor

07.2026

Skills

Organizing & Managing high-profile International events
Donor Management & Communications
Strategic Communication & Partnerships
Leadership & Team building
Creative & Content Writing
Documentation & Report Writing
CSR & Fund Raising
Government & Public Relations

Certification

  • Certified Trainer - Personal Counselling, Heart-to-Heart Foundation, Mumbai
  • Project Management, International Youth Center, Delhi
  • Web 2.0 & Online Journalism, organised by School of Journalism and New Media Studies (SOJNMS), IGNOU, conducted by DW Akademie of Deutsche Welle, Germany
  • Project Monitoring & Evaluation, IRFT Bangalore
  • Training for Counsellors on TB/HIV Coordination by Central TB Division & NACO
  • NGO Management, International Youth Center, Delhi
  • Participatory Assessment & Sustainable Livelihoods, National Institute of Rural Development, Hyderabad

Personal Information

Gender: Female

References

  • Juvarya Vetklemp, Senior Advisor, C40 Green Ports & Shipping
  • Mr Narinder Nayar, Chairman, Mumbai First
  • Mr. Sanjay Ubale, Retd. IAS, Mumbai First
  • Mr Shishir Joshi, CEO, Project Mumbai
  • Ms Henriette Faergemann, First Counsellor - Environment, Climate Action, ICT, Delegation of the European Union to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam
  • Nirja Mattoo, Chairperson, DOCC (Development of Corporate Citizenship) SPJIMR

Work Availability

monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Hobbies and Interests

  • Watching movies
  • Music
  • Travelling
  • Trekking
  • Yoga
  • Photography
  • Writing
  • Badminton
  • Wildlife

Timeline

Manager, Green Ports & Shipping - India
C40 Cities for Climate Leadership
05.2025 - 05.2026Read more
Consultant
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
02.2025 - 04.2025Read more
Consultant
GIZ
07.2023 - 03.2025Read more
Director Operations & Programs
Mumbai First
07.2008 - 06.2023Read more
Programme & Fundraising Manager
Indian Society for Community Education - ISCE
08.2000 - 04.2005Read more
Project Manager / Consultant
Multiple Networks
05.2000 - 04.2008Read more
- 300 Hrs YTTC, Certified Yoga Instructor
Read more
Gujarat University - Bachelor's, commerce
Read more
SP Jain Institute of Management & Research - Master's, development management
Read more
Ashwini ThakarIndependent Consultant