Expertise: India

Siddarthan Balasubramania

Siddarthan Balasubramania is a Principal Strategist at ClimateWorks Foundation, advising ClimateWorks and partner foundations on their strategies, programs, and partnerships.

He is an expert in climate change mitigation and adaptation, including green policy, international energy policy, and low-carbon development. Siddarthan was previously a Senior Advisor at ClimateWorks, where he acted as a bridge between international and Indian philanthropies around climate change and energy.

Siddarthan came to ClimateWorks after serving as the India Country Representative for the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), an international organization promoting global green policies. Siddarthan worked at the World Resources Institute (WRI) in Washington, D.C., where he served as Director of the major emerging economies initiative in climate change and energy programs. He brings knowledge of techno-economic analysis of green growth opportunities from previous roles as a senior advisor on climate change to the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Royal Norwegian Embassy (NORAD). Siddarthan also managed an extensive portfolio of environment and natural resource management projects as a deputy program manager at the Department for International Development (DFID).

Siddarthan holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in India.

Makeeba Browne

Makeeba Browne is the Chief of Equity, Justice and Culture at ClimateWorks Foundation. She brings over 16 years of experience working with foundations, academic institutions, nonprofits to transform ideas into effective strategies and policies that address pressing social issues. Makeeba applies her leadership and operational acumen to engage stakeholders and support programs firmly rooted in equity and justice.

Makeeba rejoined ClimateWorks in 2021 after five years of consulting with various institutions. Through her consulting practice, Makeeba has facilitated small and large group sessions related to diversity, equity, and inclusion for nonprofit, academic, philanthropic, and private organizations. She has also worked with institutions to revamp strategic plans, implement new programs, and design initiatives across many topics, including youth leadership development, equitable climate solutions, accessing arts in youth detention centers, and equitable evaluations for environmental philanthropies in the U.S. and abroad. From 2008-2016, Makeeba was at ClimateWorks, where she provided strategic portfolio management, grantmaking, and operations support.

Makeeba holds a BS in American Studies with an emphasis on race and pop culture from Dickinson College and a certificate for grant writing from Temple University. Outside of the climate and philanthropy space, Makeeba advocates creating inclusive environments on college campuses. She is also a storyteller, using narratives to imagine equitable, thriving futures for BIPOC communities across the globe.

Alexander Fisher

Dr. Alexander “Alex” Fisher is the Program Director of Climate Ambition at ClimateWorks Foundation. Alex is an expert in global and grassroots climate action, climate finance, and energy transition, especially in China, Germany, India, and the European Union. He oversees work at the Regional Action on Climate Change Conference (RACC) and is the liaison person for the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Partnership.

Prior to joining ClimateWorks, Alex was the director for Sino-German Cooperation on Climate Change (SGCCC) at GIZ China. His portfolio included a variety of bilateral projects work in the field of climate change, low carbon development, carbon market mechanism, and non-CO2 emissions. Alex is an advisor for the Climate Governance Special Policy Study Group at the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED). He previously was an advisor on international climate finance and climate initiatives at Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMUV). Alex was also commissioned by the Presidential Office of the Republic of Korea to help set up an international climate organization in Seoul.

Alex received his PhD in Economics at the Viadrina in Frankfurt and worked at the European University Viadrina in academic teaching and economic research. He has multiple publications in the field of macroeconomics.