ASRA Expands Team to Address Unprecedented Need for Systemic Risk Assessment and Response

The Accelerator for Systemic Risk Assessment (ASRA) is pleased to announce the expansion of its team with the addition of Dr. Ajay Gambhir, Director of Systemic Risk Assessment, and Sarah Hendel-Blackford, Director of Systemic Risk Policy and Response. ASRA is a new initiative mobilizing a diverse network of risk professionals and thought-leaders, including next-generation practitioners, to advance the field of systemic risk analysis and improve decision-making about current and future challenges.

The cascading impacts of climate change, COVID-19, drought, war in Ukraine, rising inflation, and other crises show how the challenges of addressing systemic risk go beyond conventional risk management and governance. The intensifying and volatile impacts of these multiple crises – the polycrisis – are also unfolding at a speed and scale that outstrips all prior predictions. ASRA aims to address the accelerating gap between the risks to which society and the environment are being exposed, and our capacity to deal with the consequences by advancing the field of systemic risk assessment and response.?

The expansion of ASRA's team signifies a crucial milestone in this mission.?

Prior to joining ASRA, Gambhir worked on climate change for 17 years, both at Imperial College London and in the UK Government, where he was one of the architects of the 2008 UK Climate Change Act, the world’s first national framework legislation on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.?At ASRA, Gambhir is responsible for directing the initiative’s approach to science, evidence and data, to risk assessment, and to the broader stakeholder landscape of systemic risk.?

As Director of Systemic Risk Policy and Response, Hendel-Blackford’s role will be critical to cultivating partnerships and cross-sectoral linkages, as well as surfacing the pragmatic solutions decision-makers, from parliamentarians to business and community leaders, need to respond to systemic risks, from prevention to preparedness. Her 20 years of experience in climate policy and legislation, as well as positions at the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and EIT Climate-KIC, will be key to this role.? ?

"The addition of these individuals with deep experience and expertise to our team marks a significant step forward for ASRA," said Ruth Richardson, Executive Director, ASRA. "Their commitment to ASRA’s mission will bolster our capacity to build a collaborative network of practitioners and thought-leaders drawn from across continents, cultures, disciplines, genders, and generations who recognize how systemic risk assessment and response can not only prevent and manage crises but also enable transformative systems to emerge.”??

An initiative supported by the United Nations Foundation, today’s news builds on the momentum ASRA is gaining: from hosting a series of in-depth workshops with the emergent ASRA network to recent participation in a special session at the 23rd International Futures Conference.?

Keep up to date on ASRA’s updates: www.asranetwork.org?

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For media inquiries, please contact: Kasia Murphy, [email protected] / +34 676 607 605?

About the Accelerator for Systemic Risk Assessment (ASRA):?The Accelerator for Systemic Risk Assessment (ASRA) is a new initiative designed to contribute to the emerging field of systemic risk analysis with particular attention to helping leaders and practitioners better understand, assess, and incorporate sensitivity to systemic risks into their decision-making. We will work closely with practitioners, multilaterals, academics, the public and private sectors, as well as other partners across institutions, sectors, and geographies. ASRA is an initiative supported by the United Nations Foundation. www.asranetwork.org?

NOTES TO EDITORS?

Biographies:?

Dr. Ajay Gambhir is Director of Systemic Risk Assessment at ASRA. Previously Ajay worked at Imperial College London where he led and participated in projects focused on mitigation of climate change via greenhouse gas emissions reductions at national, regional and global scales. His research on achieving justice in low-carbon transitions resulted in his serving on the UK Government’s Just Transition Taskforce (2019-2023) and in other advisory roles, including feeding into analysis of how the UK could reach net-zero by 2050. His most recent analytical focus has been on climate risk and its interplay with wider societal risks, including the recent pandemic, financial and economic crises and a range of risks to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.?Prior to this, he worked in the UK Government’s Department of Environment (2006-2008) where he was one of the architects of the 2008 UK Climate Change Act, the world’s first national framework legislation on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He also led the design of the UK Climate Change Committee, the Government’s official advisor on meeting carbon reduction targets and adapting to climate change. While in the Department of Energy and Climate Change (2009-2010), he served as the Team Leader for EU and International Climate Change Economics.?

Published in more than 70 academic journal papers, including Nature Energy, Nature Climate Change, Nature Communications, Joule and One Earth, Ajay is an experienced commentator on climate change, appearing frequently on national and international radio and television, panel discussions and documentary programmes. Ajay holds Masters degrees in Chemical Engineering and Development Economics, has a PhD in Energy Economics and when not working he is busy cycling, swimming, paddle-boarding, camping and generally spending as much time as possible in the great outdoors with his wife and children.??

Sarah Hendel-Blackford is the Director, Systemic Risk Policy and Response. Previously Sarah worked in the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) in the Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships unit, where her responsibilities included UNDRR’s work with the private sector, Youth and Parliamentarians.?Sarah has over 20 years’ experience in climate change mitigation and adaptation working on policy, legislation and practical solutions in large international organisations that span both public and private sectors. Sarah has designed and delivered adaptation masterclasses for megacities, global urban adaptation academies and SMEs. Skilled in disaster risk reduction, risk-informed investment, corporate climate governance, climate-resilient value chains, climate equity, ecosystem-based adaptation, climate change risk and opportunity assessment, Sarah has led numerous multidisciplinary teams on large international projects covering a range of sectors.?

Sarah is also a supervisory board member of EIT Climate-KIC Holding B.V., a European knowledge and innovation community, working to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon, climate-resilient society. EIT Climate-KIC tackles climate change in 39 countries worldwide through catalysing place-based systemic transformation through innovation. Sarah lives in France where she is often busy planting orchards, restoring meadows and an old house, together with her family.?