Our Advisory Network

Dr. Naoko Ishii joined University of Tokyo on August 1st, 2020, as Professor, Executive Vice President, and inaugurating Director for Center for Global Commons. She will lead this newly established center with the mission to catalyze systems change so that humans can achieve sustainable development within planetary boundaries. It is needed to mobilize movements of multi-stakeholders, including business, policy makers, cities, CSOs, and citizens as consumers and investors towards a shared goal of nurturing stewardship of Global Commons, that is the critical earth system for human’s survival. Her belief is that academia can and should play a much more active role in this endeavor.

Prior to joining the university, she served the GEF (Global Environment Facility) as CEO and Chairperson from 2012 to 2020. During her tenure, she formed GEF’s first mid-term strategy, GEF 2020, with strong focus on transformation of key economic systems, and delivered two successful replenishments.

She entered Ministry of Finance, Japan, in 1981 and worked for finance, tax and international finance bureaus, and served as Deputy Vice Minister of Finance, Japan for 2010-2012. She also worked at the IMF and the World Bank and was stationed in Sri Lanka as Country Director for the World Bank during 2006-2010.

She is currently serving as council member for China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, member to Leadership Council of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, commissioner for Food Systems Economic Dialogue, Ambassador for FOLU (Food and Land Use Coalition), member of the Board of PACE (Platform for Accelerating Circular Economy), co-chair of Advisory Network for High Level Panel for Ocean, and co-founder and principal for Global Commons Alliance.

She has published papers and books, two of which were awarded by Suntory Prize (1990) and Okita Memorial Prize for International Development Research (2004). She obtained BA in economics and Ph. D in international development, both from the University of Tokyo.

Watch Naoko’s TED Talk on Safeguarding the Global Commons.

Follow Naoko Ishii on Twitter @NaokoIshiiTokyo.

Sanjiv Mehta is the Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Unilever Limited, which is India’s largest ‘fast moving consumer goods’ (FMCG) Company and one of the most valuable corporates in the country. Sanjiv also heads Unilever’s business in South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka & Nepal) having a turnover of $7 billion as President, South Asia. Sanjiv is also a member of the 12 member ‘Unilever Leadership Executive’ team which runs global Unilever.

Sanjiv completed his Bachelor’s in Commerce (India), Chartered Accountancy (India) and has also completed his Advanced Management Program (Harvard Business School).

Sanjiv has been with Unilever for 27 years and for the last 17 years has led businesses in different parts of the world. He has been Chairman and Managing Director of Unilever Bangladesh Limited (2002 – 2006), Chairman and CEO of Unilever Philippines Inc. (2007 – 2008), Chairman of Unilever – North Africa and Middle East (2008 – 2013) and in October 2013 he assumed his responsibilities of heading Unilever’s business in India and South Asia.

During his six years at Hindustan Unilever, the market capitalization of the company has trebled from $17 billion to $55 billion and HUL is now the fourth most valuable company in the country. In this period HUL has won the prestigious Economic Times ‘Company of the Year’ and ‘Corporate Citizen of the Year’ awards, Business Standard’s ‘Company of the year’ award and Open Republic Achiever’s Award in the Business – Seasoned category. Forbes has rated HUL as the most innovative company in India and the 8th most innovative company in the world. Aon Hewitt in a global study rated HUL as the 3rd best company globally for building leaders and the Company won the ‘Global Compass Award’ from Unilever for being the best performing business.

Sanjiv is a Director on the Board of Indian School of Business, a member of the Breach Candy Hospital Trust and South Asia Advisory Board of Harvard Business School. He chairs Xynteo’s ‘India 2022’ a coalition of top Indian and MNC companies, FICCI’s FMCG Committee, CII’s National Committee on MNCs and Co-chairs the Advisory Network to the High Level Panel for a ‘Sustainable Ocean Economy’.

In 2019 Sanjiv was conferred the honorary degree of “Doctor of Philosophy in Business Management” by Xavier University (Xavier Institute of Management) Bhubaneswar and was also awarded “Business Leader” of the year award by All India Management Association.

A firm believer that ‘doing well’ and ‘doing good’ are two sides of the same coin he propagates the cause of compassionate capitalism. Sanjiv is married to Mona who too is a Chartered Accountant by training. They have twin daughters Naina and Roshni who have studied at MIT, Cornell and Harvard Universities.

Maria Damanaki was born on the Greek island of Crete on 31 May 1952. Maria graduated with honors from the National Technical University of Athens with a Master of Science in chemical engineering. She has also a one-year Degree from Lancaster University on Gender issues. Maria Damanaki has authored four books on European issues, human rights, education and women’s rights.

Political Career

• Active in the underground student opposition to the dictatorship in Greece (1970-1974).
• Member of Parliament, elected continuously for the years 1977 – 1993, 2000 –2009. Also, first woman ever to be elected Vice-president of the Greek Parliament.
• President of the Coalition of Left and Progress (1991-1993). First woman ever to lead a Greek political party.

Professional Career

• Engineer at Pechiney Aluminum Industries (1974)
• Administrator at Ministry of Finance of Greece, Department of Import-Export Planning (1975-1976).
• Section Manager at Helector S.A. Department of Energy and Waste Management (2003-2004)

European Commission (2010-2014)

With over 30 years of public service in Europe, Damanaki recently served as European Union Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

• Under her leadership, the Commission was able to bring fish populations back to healthier levels—from as few as five sustainable stocks in 2010 to up to 27 today.
• The continuation of her fisheries policy efforts could lead to 15 million more tons of fish in the sea, 30 percent more jobs and the equivalent of over $2 billion in additional revenue.
• She introduced and implemented the Blue Growth agenda for Seas and Oceans in Europe, which aimed to create 1.6 million new jobs and the equivalent of $750 billion in revenue by 2020 in sectors such as coastal tourism, ocean energy, and marine biotechnology. The Blue Growth was approved in unanimity by the European Council.
• She established legislation to create a common framework for Marine Spatial Planning to map and better manage maritime activities across EU countries.

The Nature Conservancy (2014-2020)

Maria Damanaki served as the Global Managing Director for Oceans at The Nature Conservancy.

• She ran marine programs in 27 countries, across all continents, leading a global team of 50 and a global network of more than 600 people focused on transforming how the world manages its oceans; including sustainable fisheries and aquaculture management and transparency for the seafood supply chain; large-scale protection and restoration of coral reefs, mangroves and other ecosystems; climate change and blue carbon.
• The marine TNC program of Blue Bonds and Debt for Conservation Swaps won the 2019 Ted-x prize for ideas that can change the world. (Accompanied by 27 mil$ financing).

International Activities

Maria Damanaki co-chairs the UN Sustainability Committee for Blue Growth and she co-chairs the advisory network of the High-Level Panel for Oceans created by the Norwegian Prime Minister and 13 PMs around the world. She is a member of the Friends of Ocean Commission of the World Economic Forum. She sits on the Board of Directors in Oxford Martin School Ocean Program, University of Oxford, the Boards of Monaco Ocean Foundation and Oceanographic Institute, the board of European Marine Regions Forum and the Board of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

Follow Maria Damanaki on Twitter @Damanaki.