LONDON MAYOR KHAN APPOINTS SECOND DEPUTY OF INDIAN ORIGIN
LONDON: London mayor Sadiq Khan has appointed Shirley Rodrigues as the deputy mayor for environment and energy, making her the second Indian-origin person named to such a post after Indore-born Rajesh Agrawal was appointed for business in June.
Rodrigues was born in Nairobi and her family has roots in the villages of Siolim and Aldona in Goa. The family migrated to Britain in 1967. As deputy mayor, she will push forward Khan’s agenda for a cleaner and greener London.
Before her appointment, Rodrigues was acting executive director for climate change at the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, a charity that works to transform the lives of poor and vulnerable children in developing countries. She oversaw a £155 mn global strategy and portfolio.
Rodrigues has a track record of developing and implementing new environmental policies in London, having worked in senior policy roles from 2005 to 2009. She helped implement London Low Emission Zone and programmes to retrofit the city’s residential and commercial buildings.
The mayor’s office said Rodrigues will also oversee the delivery of the “Energy for Londoners” project, helping residents generate more low-carbon electricity and help boost recycling rates and cut landfill.
Khan said: “Shirley Rodrigues brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience and is the perfect person to deliver my agenda to make London a cleaner and greener city.”
Agrawal has been tasked with championing London’s interests in the wake of the Brexit vote.