Carolyn has led the UK's presence at Expo 2025 as Commissioner-General since March 2024, a role she took on full-time from January this year. Prior to that she was British Consul-General in Osaka from August 2021. A career diplomat her previous roles include Ambassador to Guatemala and Honduras (2015-19), High Commissioner to Zambia (2008 – 2012) and Deputy Head of Mission of the British Embassy in Slovakia (2004-08), all roles she job-shared with her husband, Tom Carter.

She has a degree in Modern Languages from Bristol University (1986), a MBA from the Open University (2011) and speaks French, German, Spanish and Japanese.

Ben Sheppard is the co-founder and Chair of Design for Good, a global charitable alliance spanning 30 countries working pro bono to develop products and services with the goal to improve ten million lives by 2030 and advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He brought together the founding members, including General Mills, LIXIL, Logitech, McKinsey, Nedbank, Nestlé, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Philips and the Royal College of Art.

Ben works with Boards and CEOs to grow innovative, design-led businesses and has recently taken interim leadership roles of cutting-edge medical technology companies.

A former long-standing Partner at McKinsey & Company, he led the firm’s global research on design, including the Red Dot-winning Business Value of Design series. For many years, he convened the Chief Design Officer Roundtable—a forum of 50 of the world’s most senior design leaders, whose work touches the lives of seven in eight people on the planet.

Ben is Senior Advisor to the Design Council, a member of Fortune's Global Advisory Council on design, a former Dezeen master jury member, and a visiting lecturer at institutions including the Royal College of Art.

20 years’ experience in climate change and energy research, and advocacy project management in the international organization, Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), combined with extensive experience of stakeholder engagement.
Worked in and with diverse stakeholder groups; governments (national and local), academia, industry, the media and NGOs. Currently serving on various government committees such as of Ministry of the Environment, maintaining a broad network among various ministries of the Japanese government.
Currently maintaining triple positions, an Expert Director for WWF Japan, Professor in Graduate school of two universities (Showa Women University as well as Kyoto University), and Board member of the TOHO Bank in Fukushima.

Certified meteorologist with 8 years’ broadcast experience, and winner of a Grand Prize of The Best Weather Presenter at the International Weather Festival in 2002. Extensive communication skills built through the 15-year journalism career. Especially, experienced in strategic media management for discourse on climate and energy policies.

Holding Master of Public Administration of Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and PhD in Public Governance from Hosei University. Pulished numerous books, including the most recent “Climate Policies as an agenda for Media (2023 Minerva Shobo)”.

Wales is the only country in the world with a Well-being of Future Generations Act and the role provides advice and support to government and public bodies to take a longer-term view on policy decisions. The commissioner’s job is to protect and promote the needs of future generations.

Derek Walker is the second ever Future Generations Commissioner, having started the role on March 1, 2023, when he called for ‘urgent and transformational change’ in Wales.

Previously he was chief executive of Cwmpas, the UK’s largest co-operative development agency. Derek spent 12 years as CEO, working to support people and communities to create jobs and strengthen communities, and changed the organisation’s focus to development that meets the needs of current generations without compromising the needs of future generations.

Derek began his career as policy officer for London Councils, in London and Brussels. He has also worked as Head of External Affairs at the Big Lottery Fund (Wales), as Head of Policy and Campaigns at the Wales TUC and was the first employee of Stonewall Cymru.

Derek grew up on a farm near Cwmbran and is a keen runner and tennis player, loves to read and is a Welsh learner. He now lives in Cardiff with his partner Mike and has two grown-up children. His ambition while at Croesyceiliog Comprehensive School was to be a journalist and he has a Masters degree in International Journalism from Cardiff University. He’s happy how life has turned out and says being the guardian of the interests of people not yet born is the greatest privilege.

Mete Coban MBE became the Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy in July 2024, overseeing the Mayor’s world-leading climate action plan for the capital.

Before becoming Deputy Mayor, Mete was a Councillor and Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment, and Transport in the London Borough of Hackney, delivering a £61 million Green New Deal to tackle the climate crisis. He is best known for pioneering Hackney’s Community Energy Fund, providing clean, green, community-owned energy to 39 not-for-profits.

Mete is widely credited with making politics more accessible to young people as the Founder of the youth-led charity My Life My Say. He led the Give an X voter registration campaign, which resulted in over 488,000 newly registered voters ahead of the UK General Election in July 2024.

In the New Year's 2020 Honours List, Mete received an MBE for services to young people, recognising his efforts to make politics and democracy more accessible to the younger generation. Mete also serves as a Trustee at the London Marathon Foundation and My Life My Say.

Rachael is the CEO of Climate Outreach, experts in climate change communications. Rachael leads a team who focus on how we can put people at the heart of addressing climate change.

Rachael joined Climate Outreach from PlaceShapers, the national network for community-based housing associations. She led their organisational strategy, member services, policy and campaigns with a particular focus on place, community and sustainability.

Previously, Rachael was Head of Oxfam's UK programme, leading Oxfam's advocacy, campaigning and programme work on UK poverty and held various senior policy and campaigning roles at Shelter.

Rachael has also served in various governance roles. She was Chair of Angel Shed Theatre Company, an inclusive theatre charity in Islington and a Non-Executive Director at Suffolk Housing Society.
She is currently Chair of Trustees at the Refugee Council.