A hydrologist by training, Leon is a Senior Climate Resilience Specialist leading the implementation of programs for the Resilience Cities Network. Leon works closely with cities to support them in developing resilience-building measures. He is particularly interested in Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as a vehicle for adapting to climate change, protecting natural capital, and meeting development objectives.
Leon has experience in research and consulting environments across high- and low-income countries. He has previously worked as consultant for the World Bank on the development of ‘climate resilience toolkits for PPPs’ and has developed climate risk assessments for African cities. His work in South America focused on water resource development in Andean catchments. Leon also worked as expert for the Urban Innovative Actions of the European Regional Development Fund to support the upscaling of Amsterdam’s smart Blue-Green roofs program. As Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, Leon developed NbS multi-criteria assessment methods in the context of adaptation planning. Over the years, he has engaged in numerous capacity-building schemes on climate resilience & NbS mainstreaming.