Thimali Kodikara

Thimali Kodikara is series producer and co-host of the groundbreaking podcast, Mothers Of Invention on feminist solutions to the climate crisis.

Alongside her co-hosts — former Irish president Mary Robinson and comedian Maeve Higgins — Kodikara has interviewed BIPOC women, girls and their allies, located across the globe, on their groundbreaking innovations to avert climate catastrophe at its frontlines. As showrunner, Kodikara has researched, developed and overseen the show’s editorial and social impact strategies. And as social impact producer, she has evolved the project into a reputable source for stakeholders to connect with BIPOC feminist climate leaders around the world.

In her media work and through her role as event producer, public speaker and moderator, Kodikara is focused on platforming BIPOC women climate leaders so their leadership is front and center in the global climate movement, which has, for far too long, ignored their expertise. She has a track record of successfully drawing global or high-profile attention, or monetary awards, to their critical work. Public events she organized include a conversation with Senator Bernie Sanders days after the 2020 US presidential election; curating the first all-women climate justice programming at the American Museum of History New York featuring musician Patti Smith; and forging a collaboration with British fashion designer, Stella McCartney.

In her commitment to ensuring women and climate justice become integral to climate storytelling in mainstream media, Kodikara has advised on BAFTA’s climate education program for British film and television professionals, Edinburgh TV Awards’ Climate Impact Award submissions criteria, and a chapter of Good Energy’s Climate Storytelling Playbook directed at Hollywood comedy writers.

She has been invited to speak to myriad audiences, including psychiatrists, filmmakers, journalists, high-school and university students, to help them contextualize climate justice, racism, gender disparity and intersectional feminism, arts & culture and climate media. Diverse audiences have included the European Foundation Centre, Contemporary Freudian Society, and Julie’s Bicycle.

Kodikara’s work has been recognized by the New York Times, Columbia Journalism Review and on BBC Newshour for its unique innovations in climate storytelling. She has spoken to international audiences at cultural events, including the Green Zone at UN climate conference COP26 Glasgow, Lincoln Center New York for the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, and as judge of both the Berlin Human Rights Film Festival and EarthXFilm Festival, where she presented Oscar-winning, My Octopus Teacher its first major award.

Kodikara currently has multiple media projects in development in the US & UK. She is the founder of the creative agency, OneLoudBellow. Most recently, she was a senior field producer at Getty Images New York. Kodikara is a graduate of both Wimbledon School of Art & Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design London.