Kay Atanda

Kay Atanda is a Visiting Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), specializing in climate adaptation, sustainable finance, and policy innovation. He supports the Institute's engagement with the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action (World Bank).

Education:

• Columbia University: Master's in human rights and foreign policy; Alumni Board of Directors member.
• University of Oxford: Master's in public policy and sustainability; Eisenhower Global Scholar.
• City College of New York: Bachelor's in political science and public policy, summa cum laude.

Research Interests: His work spans climate adaptation finance, sustainable public/private climate finance, climate vulnerability metrics, ESG frameworks, blue economy development, international climate politics, and decolonizing development paradigms. He integrates adaptation/resilience strategies with public finance and leadership models to address vulnerabilities in climate-exposed nations.

Professional Experience: At the World Bank, he led the Small States Secretariat for climate-vulnerable nations, coordinated the SDG 14.7 technical group, co-authored the World Bank-UN Blue Economy report, and co-founded the Anti-Racism Task Force researching discrimination analytics. Previously, he led UN antimicrobial resistance initiatives and implemented drug policy reforms in the Obama White House.

Initiatives: Key contributions include women's economic empowerment programs, poverty/inequality measurement systems, and multi-stakeholder partnerships advancing Sustainable Development Goals.