Kala Pendakur, BA Econ, MA Econ

Kala Pendakur is Practice Lead for Projects and Innovation at the Climate Risk Institute. She is a public policy and strategic partnerships leader with more than a decade of experience advancing climate adaptation, infrastructure resilience, and sustainability across Canada. She brings together governments, industry, academia, and international organizations to develop practical solutions that strengthen climate resilience and support sustainable economic growth. Her expertise spans climate policy, stakeholder engagement, governance, and organizational strategy.

Before joining the Climate Risk Institute, Kala held leadership roles at the Standards Council of Canada, where she directed national climate resilience initiatives to strengthen communities from coast-to-coast-to-coast. She is passionate about building collaborative approaches that help communities, infrastructure systems, and institutions prepare for a changing climate while creating long-term social, environmental, and economic value.

Based in Ottawa, with her husband and young son, Kala loves cooking, especially tackling large projects like making and canning tomato sauce each season.