Ms Victoria Goettlicher, Head of Events, OPEC Fund for International Development
Session moderator 
| Victoria Göttlicher is Head of Events at the OPEC Fund for International Development, where she is responsible for planning and coordinating high-level international events, conferences and institutional engagements, including the OPEC Fund Development Forum.
Victoria has extensive experience working with international organizations, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF), Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). Throughout her career, she has worked across international development, institutional coordination, strategic communications and stakeholder engagement, supporting initiatives that foster international collaboration and advance development priorities.
|
Ms Vanessa Gray, Head of Climate Change and Emergency Telecommunication, Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU Panelist
| Vanessa Gray is the Head of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau’s (BDT) Division on Climate Change and Emergency Telecommunications. She is responsible for developing and overseeing projects and technical assistance on disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. This includes the development of national emergency telecommunication plans (NETPs) and the organization of regional and national workshops and capacity building exercises for disaster management. In the area of disaster response, Ms Gray leads the work on the Disaster Connectivity Maps (DCM) and the deployment of emergency telecommunication equipment to countries hit by disasters. Ms Gray is the ITU focal point for the UN’s Early Warning for All (EW4all) initiative and coordinates the initiative’s pillar on Warning Dissemination and Communication, to ensure that alerts reach people at risk. She is also responsible for the organization of the Global Forum on Emergency Telecommunication (GET) and specific ICT for disaster management tools and publications, for example in the area of disruptive technologies, gender, and ICT drills.
In the area of the environment, Ms Gray coordinates the BDT’s work on the circular economy and green digital transformation, which includes monitoring industry emissions, energy use and climate commitments from tech companies, and supporting countries in tracking ICT sector GHG emissions. In the area of circular economy, Ms Gray manages the work on e-waste policies and data, which includes the publication of the Global and Regional E-waste Monitors. Her role is to build public-private partnerships, develop projects and strengthen the role of the BDT in terms of e-waste coordination, for example with the E-waste Coalition, the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership, and with the private sector. Prior to this position, Ms Gray was part of the ITU’s Data and Statistics Division and contributed to the design and preparation of the Division’s analytical publications, including the Measuring the Information Society Report (MISR). She also contributed to and coordinated the analysis of information society developments, organized ICT-related meetings, and delivered national and regional trainings and workshops on ICT statistics to ITU member states. Ms Gray holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and Economics from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.
|
Ms Zniko Nhlapho, Environment Lead, Vodacom, Vodafone Group
Panelist
| Zniko Nhlapho is Principal Specialist: Environment at Vodacom Group, with more than 10 years of experience in environmental sustainability and climate change. In her current role, she helps drive the development and implementation of Vodacom’s planet agenda across its African operations, covering areas including climate change, nature and biodiversity, water, waste and circularity.
Her work includes supporting the integration of environmental considerations into business strategy and operations, climate risk and resilience, decarbonisation, value-chain emissions and the transition towards more circular approaches. Prior to joining Vodacom Group, Zniko worked with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), where she supported corporate engagement and efforts to accelerate the adoption of science-based climate targets.
Her work included contributing to supplier engagement initiatives and supporting country activation and capacity-building activities in Africa and Southeast Asia. Earlier in her career, Zniko worked as a sustainability and climate change consultant at Environmental Resources Management (ERM), advising organisations on climate-related risks and opportunities, greenhouse gas emissions inventories and target setting, and climate-related reporting and disclosure. Zniko holds an MSc in Interdisciplinary Global Change Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand, a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration and a High Impact Leadership certificate from Wits Business School.
|
Mr Ahmed Shabin, Secretary General, Maldivian Red Crescent, Maldives Panelist 
| Ahmed Shabin is the Secretary General of Maldivian Red Crescent. He was appointed by the MRC Governing Board on 19th October 2025 and is based in the Maldives. Mr. Shabin has extensive experience in the humanitarian, climate, and disaster risk management sectors, having worked with the Maldivian Red Crescent and the Maldives Meteorological Service for over a decade. He was actively engaged in community-based programming, climate advocacy, and disaster preparedness, contributing to strengthening resilience across the islands.
Throughout his career with the Maldivian Red Crescent, reflects a steady progression through key roles from Programme Field Officer, Senior Project Officer to Head of Operations, and most recently, Vice President of the Governing Board between 2021 – 2025. He has played a key part in shaping humanitarian action, leading programmatic interventions, fostering partnerships with national and international actors, and supporting institutional governance and accountability.
With a strong background in climate science and meteorology, Mr. Shabin previously served as a meteorologist and senior climatologist at the Maldives Meteorological Service. He has also represented the Maldives in global climate and humanitarian forums, including COP28 in 2023, COP29 and the UN SIDS4 Conference in 2024, and contributed to regional networks such as the IFRC Asia Pacific Disaster Law Network and the IFRC Climate Champions group.
He continues to play an active role in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, representing the Maldivian Red Crescent in the Asia Pacific SIDS Platform and other global initiatives. His combined expertise in humanitarian action and climate science positions him to lead the Maldivian Red Crescent in advancing people-centered, climate-smart humanitarian services across the Maldives.
|
Dr Bradley Todd Hiller, Lead Climate Change Specialist, Resilience & Climate Action Department, Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Panelist
| Dr. Bradley Hiller is a Lead Climate Change Specialist at the Islamic Development Bank, co-leading work on climate, nature, just transition, and drought resilience, and supporting around US$2.5 billion in annual climate finance. He has supported all three Rio Convention COPs and worked across 50 countries, including with the World Bank Group and Asian Development Bank. A collaborator at the University of Cambridge, he is a former G20 Leadership Fellow, Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Resident, and AsiaGlobal Fellow.
He has co-authored more than 80 publications, with over 500 academic citations, and serves as a Technical Advisor to the UN Science Summit and Steering Committee member of the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership. He holds four tertiary degrees, including a PhD and Master’s from the Centre for Sustainable Development at the University of Cambridge.
|
Mr 'Ofa Fa'anunu, Programme Manager, Weather Ready Pacific
Panelist
| Ofa Fa'anunu is the Manager for Weather Ready Pacific Program at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) for two years now.
He was Director of the Tonga Meteorological Service for 21 years and Former President of the World Meteorological Organisation for the South-West Pacific Region (Region V). His main interest is to ensure that Pacific Meteorological Service Developments are well planned and sustainable into the future.
|