Speakers

Sustainability and circular economy provocateur Leyla Acaroglu challenges people to think differently about how the world works. She connects systems, sustainability and design as tools for addressing the planet’s biggest challenges. As a designer and sociologist, she was named 2016 United Nations Champion of the Earth for her work in advancing science and innovation for sustainability. She is a mainstage TED speaker, LinkedIn Changemaker, entrepreneur, creator of the Disruptive Design Method and founder of the UnSchools.co and SwivelSkills.com learning platforms for advancing the global transition to a circular and sustainable economy. She was recently appointed as chief circular designer for Circular Australia.

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Julie-Ann Adams has over 22 years’ experience in the e-waste and batteries waste management sector in Europe. She has been a key player in the development and implementation of the WEEE and battery and accumulator regulations in the UK since 2005 and was appointed by the British Standards Institute as their technical expert in 2008 to actively participate in the development of the standards EN50625 E-Waste Treatment and EN50614 E-Waste Preparing for Re-use. Julie-Ann was Europe’s first approved lead auditor for the certification body The WEEELABEX Organisation (2009) and set up a successful and busy specialist auditing company (Really Green Credentials) covering the continent of Europe.

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Joseph Adelegan is currently heading the biggest worldwide community in the rubber economy with 34 member governments including the European Union. He was a professor of the practice of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Venda in South Africa. He is an international development expert, an erstwhile United Nations official and practitioner-scholar in management with three decades of distinguished professional trajectory. He is a recipient of several international global awards on circular economy and has earned two doctorates, one in business administration from the Weatherhead School of Management and one in civil and environmental engineering from the Nigerian Premier University of Ibadan.

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Jori Ahvonen heads Europe’s leader for refurbished iPhones that believes technology shouldn’t have an expiration date. Jori is focused on building Swappie’s technical strategy and scaling the team by looking for unique talent who understands the role of circularity in technology. To further support this, he’s also an active member of EUREFAS and the Right to Repair Coalition to push for change around repairability and ensure a long-term circular market for the smartphone industry. Before joining Swappie, Jori headed engineering and technical functions at companies like Zalando, Ekahau and Accenture. As an engineer through and through, he believes that tech companies need to build solutions to tackle issues the world is facing today. While not solving the biggest puzzles in the world, Jori enjoys clearing his head in nature – either by rock climbing or trail running.

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Cyril Bajamundi has worked on various Power-to-X Projects at VTT. He is an expert in CO2 capture from air and previously served as CTO in Soletair Power. He also specialised in ash chemistry and industrial scale dioxin/furan abatement. He has a PhD from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland.

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Ioannis Bakas holds a PhD on life cycle assessment and waste. His professional background includes extensive expertise in circular economy policies, including product and waste legislation. He has recently published work around consumption-based environmental impacts and consumer behaviour in a circular economy, among others. Ioannis is currently involved in the monitoring of various EU policy initiatives such as the circular economy, zero pollution and the 8th environmental action programme.

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Raffi Balian is a US diplomat with more than two decades of experience in environmental, economic, energy and cultural diplomacy. Currently, Raffi heads multilateral affairs within the Office of Environmental Quality at the US Department of State. The team represents the American people at international environmental agreements and negotiations, including the UN Environment Assembly and Program, and works to reduce transboundary pollution, enhance sustainability and promote inclusivity. Raffi has been an adjunct professor of practice at the University of Maryland and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the London School of Economics and Political Science.

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Since 1982, Laura Barreto has been active in the field of environmental and mining law, policies and practices in the extractive industries. In Mozambique, she worked primarily as a legal advisor to the Minister of mineral resources. In Brazil, during the fifteen years she worked in the Center of Mineral Technology, she focused primarily on the implications of the concept of sustainable development for the mining sector. Arriving in Canada in 2002, Laura co-founded the consulting company MERG, which has been engaged in the fields of mining law reform, sustainable development and the circular economy.

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Cathrine Barth works with system design and business development for circular value creation. She is one of the managing partners and co-founders of Nordic Circular Hotspot. In 2022, Barth was listed as one of the top 50 global women in sustainability by SustainabilityX Magazine. Her background from political science, journalism, business development and corporate communications is the backbone of her systemic approach and solution-oriented mindset for transitioning to a circular economic system. She has recently achieved a diploma from Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education’s circular economy and sustainability strategies programme, and she holds an Executive Master of Management in green growth (sustainable economics), PR and communication management, innovation and business development from Oslo Business School.

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Gurden combines different crafts in his practice, like systems thinking, rapid prototyping, speculative and critical design, data justice and tech materiality. He has a background in computer science and new media design. Gurden has held multi-disciplinary roles in various industries and different sized companies across the USA, Europe and India.

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Alexander Batteiger is an advisor to the GIZ’s global advisory project on the circular economy focusing on electronics and batteries. He manages the e-waste working group of the PREVENT Waste Alliance and is part of the supervisory committee of the StEP Initiative. Previously he worked for a project for the sustainable management and disposal of e-waste in Ghana, and as a researcher at Technische Universität Berlin focusing on the interlinks between rural electrification and future domestic e-waste flows.

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Svein Berg started at Nordic Innovation in 2017. Prior to that, he held various positions in Innovation Norway, including senior vice president and regional director. Svein also has experience as CEO of the Norwegian Seafood Council and as advisor in the Norwegian Ministry for Local Government. He holds a Master’s in economics from the University of Oslo.

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Philippe supports farmers all over Europe in the transition towards regenerative agriculture. His company has built a free farmer-to-farmer learning community which provides context-specific transition support with one of their 115 farm coaches as well as transition finance through TÜV-certified carbon+ certificates. Philippe is part of Ashoka's Changemaker community since 2013 and the BMW Foundation's Responsible Leader network since 2022. Before Climate Farmers, he has worked in business and community development for different impact startups such as Peerby and Fairphone. He also co-founded Viva con Agua Nederlands in 2015 and Stichting Love Foundation in 2013. He is running a social music label called Hug Records since 2017 and is rebuilding an abandoned village in rural Portugal, when he is not speaking at conferences or visiting farmers.

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Jenni joined WBA in January 2023. She leads the Nature Benchmark at WBA, working to make sure that the data and insights are understood and widely used by stakeholders to create positive impact. Jenni is passionate about unlocking the role of companies in halting and reversing nature loss and aims to build multistakeholder actions to catalyse change. Prior to joining WBA, Jenni led strategy development, campaigns and communications for a range of NGOs focusing on sustainable food systems and cultural heritage.

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Polina is a recent graduate from the University of Copenhagen and has an MSc in environment and development. In addition to her post at IFSA, she is currently youth coordinator at the Global Youth Biodiversity Network Europe. Polina has 10 years of academic and professional experience in various disciplines, from IT consulting at PwC and supply chain management to project coordination at environmental NGOs and youth organisations.

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Christian works with focus on EU taxonomy, the Sustainable Food Systems initiative and the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). He also contributes to WBCSD’s work on nature-positive production and supervises sustainability field trials on two of Bayer’s German ForwardFarms. Christian studied biology at the Philipps-University in Marburg and gained practical experiences during internships at the local nature conservation authority and the UNEP-joined secretariats of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS). He has an MSc from the Technical University in Munich and has also studied at the ENS Lyon in France. He later received his doctoral degree from the University of Bielefeld for the investigation of microalgae for biofuel production. Afterwards he worked with Dr. Knoell Consult GmbH as expert for metabolism studies for plant protection products and as global regulatory project manager. He joined Bayer’s environmental safety department in 2017. From 2019 to 2021 he took the role of a global policy advocacy manager, and since 2021 supports the EMEA PASS team.

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Since 2021, Jenni Borg works at one of the most promising hydrogen and power-to-x startups in Europe. She has in-depth knowledge on hydrogen regulation and new market development. Jenni also serves as vice chair of the regulation working group of the H2 Cluster Finland. She holds an LLM degree from the University of Helsinki.

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Kimberley Botwright has previously worked at the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Kimberley holds an MA in European economics and policy from l’Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) and a BA from the University of Oxford. She is fluent in English and French and is a citizen of the UK and Switzerland.

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Phil Brown is director of the Metabolic Institute, the non-profit research entity of Metabolic. Phil's role is to strategically shepherd Metabolic’s research programme along an impact-driven theory of change and to foster strategic partnerships with research partners and funders to research systemic transition pathways. Phil has been the vice president of business development and strategy at Circularise and remains a strategic advisor. He has supported Circularise’s partners to integrate circular oriented innovation strategies and helped to translate blockchain capabilities into decision-making processes for developing Digital Product Passports (DPPs). Phil holds a PhD in collaborative circular oriented innovation from Delft University of Technology and has previously held multiple positions focused on circular economy innovation. Phil’s key areas of interest and expertise include the circular economy, collaborative innovation networks, circular design and business model strategies, supply chain management as well as digital transition and solutions.

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Esther Goodwin Brown focuses on climate justice and how the circular economy can be a means for inclusive, sustainable development around the world. She leads a programme focused on creating the evidence and tools to ensure the circular economy is positive for work and workers, making sure steps taken by governments and other public agencies to tackle environmental issues are approached fairly and with people in mind. This involves collaborating across sectors and agendas, including the circular economy, climate, just transition, education and economic development.

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Esethu Cenga is one of the co-founders of an early-stage textile recycling start-up based in Cape Town, South Africa. Rewoven diverts textile waste from landfill by collecting it from source and facilitating its reuse and recycling for the production of various products in the furniture, automotive, construction and fashion industry. The company’s current focus is now to produce consumer goods from the textile waste it receives such as apparel, accessories and homeware products. So far, Rewoven has already diverted close to 800,000 kilograms of textile waste from landfill in Cape Town. The start-up currently employs 10.

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Nadia Gullestrup Christensen is one of the two first European Union’s youth delegates to the United Nations for the UNGA 77th session. She is also chair of the Danish Youth Climate Council, giving recommendations to the minister of climate and energy of Denmark. As an EU youth delegate, Nadia will focus on creating partnerships across generations and between civil society and the private sector. In the council, Nadia works with the other members to create a global alliance of youth climate councils, as well as local youth climate councils in Denmark. Previously, she has been a Danish youth delegate to the UN for climate and environment – in this capacity she has participated in conferences like the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow (UK), COP27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh (Egypt) and the UN Biodiversity Conference COP15 in Montreal (Canada). Strongly interested in climate and biodiversity, she will keep working to push for more action to keep the 1.5-degree target alive and she will remain a fierce advocate for stronger efforts to limit the extinction of species. Nadia holds a Bachelor's in natural resources, specialised in environmental economics, and she currently studies for a Master’s in environmental economics.

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Paul Collins started his career modelling angioplasty balloon inflation as part of the Canadian National Research Council’s Industrial Materials Institute. He was recruited into a start-up in 2005 and lead the development of innovative injection moulded closures for the beverage industry. Paul moved into aerospace in 2008 to scale a manufacturing process for carbon fibre aircraft wings and then returned to packaging in 2013 leading R&D for a European poultry producer. After heading the European packaging R&D team for PepsiCo, he moved into a global packaging sustainability role. His current role at Huhtamaki began in February 2023, where he leads sustainability for products, operations and technology.

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Ashlee Cooper joined Guelph-Wellington’s circular economy initiative Our Food Future in 2019. She manages an array of programmes focused on the circular food economy with a focus on increasing food access and community engagement and decreasing household food waste. Prior to this role she worked in the non-profit sector where she developed and delivered a broad spectrum of programmes to address complex local food issues. Ashlee is a participatory design and community engagement specialist, bringing over 15 years of commitment to community food and regenerative agriculture. She believes that circularity in the food system is a powerful tool for social justice, an antidote to climate catastrophe and an opportunity to bring diverse groups of people together.

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Luca Coscieme’s research focuses on the impacts of consumption behaviour on climate change and other environmental and social areas, with a focus on structural changes for enabling sustainable lifestyles. He was an IPBES fellow as well as a Marie-Curie fellow at Trinity College Dublin and the European Environment Agency. He is the lead author of the report “Unfit, Unfair, Unfashionable: Resizing Fashion for a Fair Consumption Space” and has co-authored the reports “1.5-Degree Lifestyles: Towards a Fair Consumption Space for All” and ”Textiles and the environment in a circular economy”.

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Paula is a forest engineer, specialist in environmental management and biologist, and was awarded in 2016 by the Brazilian Society of Silviculture. Passionate about forests and regenerative agriculture, Paula is an expert in agroforestry design and silviculture. She acted as team coordinator and in developing research and innovation in various large agroforestry systems. Paula has developed projects for forest restoration, sustainability, horticulture and fruit production in agroforestry systems. She participated in extension and technical assistance projects with rural communities and has extensive experience in facilitating training courses and practical workshops on regenerative agroforestry. Fascinated by forest management and biodiverse production systems, Paula is a farmer and founder of PRETATERRA. She lived in the Brazilian Amazon and learned from native peoples how to manage the largest forest on the planet, becoming one of Brazil's leading experts in agroforestry systems, biodiverse silviculture and land restoration.

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Prior to his current position, Juhani Damski was director general of the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) and has 30 years’ experience in the public sector. From 2013 to 2015, he was director of the development unit at the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Finland. Among other national and international positions of trust he is chairman of Oulu University’s board of directors. He is also a member of the ClimateArena board of directors and Forest Academy for Decision Makers’ advisory board. Damski was the permanent representative of Finland with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and president of the Council of the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). He was also chairman of the National IPCC committee and member of the Research Infrastructure Committee of Finland, the Space Committee of Finland as well as of the Arctic Advisory Board for the Government of Finland. Damski holds a PhD in meteorology from the University of Helsinki.

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Ben has been engaged in materials stewardship and responsible sourcing in the mining and metals sector for 18 years. Currently, he leads Anglo American’s materials stewardship and circular economy programme, which responds to emerging opportunities to accelerate the transformation of the company from its origins as a mining company to its future as a materials-solutions provider. He also provides support to commercial functions.

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Keira Dignan is a youth activist fighting for a future where we can all flourish. With no time for false solutions and fake promises, she is committed to pulling the emergency brake on the root causes of the climate and biodiversity crisis. Keira cut her teeth in the UK divestment movement, where she was at the forefront of the successful struggle to rid Europe's largest higher education fund of fossil fuel investments. She now leads ReGeneration 2030, an ambitious youth movement building power for a just sustainable transition in the Nordic and Baltic Sea region before 2030.

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Robine van Dooren manages international territorial development at RVO. Previously she was project lead for the first international green deal, North Sea Resources Roundabout (NSRR). The NSRR was initiated to create opportunities for green growth in North Sea countries by facilitating sustainable trade and transportation of secondary resources. Robine has experience in national and international academics as well as policy making and implementation, dealing with trade policy, the circular economy and territorial development. She often works with stakeholders who have different backgrounds and fields of expertise. Robine holds a PhD in international economics and economic geography.

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Jonas is managing environmental regulatory compliance and sustainability programmes and facilitating stakeholder conversations across Europe, Middle East, India and Africa at Apple’s environmental initiatives team since 2014. He has a background in European environmental policy and a focus on circular economy, having previously represented Siemens on these topics in Brussels. Jonas holds a PhD on European climate and energy policy.

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Carmen Ene is the CEO of 3stepIT and of the company’s joint venture with BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions, BNP Paribas 3 Step IT. Carmen became CEO of 3stepIT in 2015 after over 20 years spent in technology and finance, most recently as vice president of IBM Enterprise Global Business Services and IBM Global Financing Europe. The companies she leads provide lifecycle management services across the Nordics and Western Europe, with 2.3 million devices under management and more than half a million pieces of equipment diverted from landfills and given a second life every year.

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Juha is a metallurgist with a passion in sustainability. He has worked in the steel industry for 15 years on three different continents. Currently, he heads the sustainability work at Outokumpu, the largest producer of stainless steel in Europe and a global leader of sustainable stainless steel.

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Ambroise Fayolle is responsible for climate action and environment, as well as development policy, and oversees EIB activities in France, Germany and some African and Pacific countries. He spent most of his career in various positions at the French Treasury and at the IMF and World Bank before moving to EIB.

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Tim supports the global transition to a circular economy by analysing and quantifying its potential to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change. His particular focus is the food and agriculture sector and circular bioeconomy as a delivery mechanism for science-based targets for nature. He shares best practices through the WCEF and has been working for Sitra since 2020.

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Roberto Franchitti’s team of more than 6,000 highly trained employees is uniquely positioned to make a positive impact in the global food industry. Roberto is a strong advocate for the reduction of food waste and losses in production, and he is committed to driving innovation and collaboration in the food systems transition, helping customers embrace more sustainable practices and implement circular economy principles at every stage of the food value chain. He brings more than 30 years of industrial experience. Prior to joining Tetra Pak, he worked extensively in R&D, primarily in the automotive industry.

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Diane Gashumba is the Ambassador of Rwanda to the Nordic Countries, based in Stockholm. She was the minister of health for Rwanda from 2016 to 2020. She also served as minister of gender and family promotion and as deputy chief of party for the Rwanda Family Health Project/ Chemonics International. Gashumba is a senior pediatrician, seasoned global health leader and gender advocate. She served as a board member for Roll Back Malaria and Global Health Corps as well as co-chair of the Digital Health Advisory Group.

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Katharina currently coordinates and implements projects such as Horizon 2020 JUST2CE, Circular South Africa and South Africa Circular Economy Hotspot 2024 at ACEN. Her background is in systems thinking, life cycle sustainability assessment, ecology and environmental management. Her main focus is on the circular economy and how this concept can be implemented in a just-way in the (South) African context. Her experiences include multidisciplinary and mix-method research, research coordination, stakeholder engagement, project management, event coordination, action plan development and educational facilitation.

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Henrietta Goddard joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Food initiative in 2019 and was part of the team who developed the Big Food Redesign study which is now being transformed from theory into action through the Big Food Redesign Challenge. Henrietta holds an MSc in behaviour change and lives on the Isle of Wight.

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Roisin Greene leads GPAP, which shapes a more sustainable and inclusive world through the eradication of plastic pollution. Roisin is a strategic sustainability professional with experience working with stakeholders across the whole spectrum of systemic challenges: strategy insight and development, behaviour change, policy, gender, inclusion, innovation, financing, metrics and impact measurement. Her work focuses on building multi-stakeholder platforms to foster collaboration in order to scale and accelerate inclusive circular solutions. Roisin holds a BBS from Trinity College, Dublin and has spent most of her career delivering positive impact by connecting private and public sectors, civil society and international organisations.

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Gael is with an intergovernmental organisation representing customs administrations globally. After three decades in customs in Australia, she joined the Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate, which covers the Harmonized System Nomenclature, Valuation, and Origin within the WCO, in 2017. The WCO is currently studying how emerging circular economy policies will intersect with customs. As part of this, Gael is focused on how customs might identify goods falling under circular economy policy measures when they cross borders. This is a critical question for governments looking to develop measures to promote cross-border circular trade.

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Helena Gualinga, 21, of Kichwa Indigenous and Finland-Swedish origin, is an Indigenous climate justice and human rights defender who advocates for the protection of the Amazon rainforest and Indigenous people’s rights. Gualinga is from the Kichwa community of Sarayaku, a community that has been fighting against big oil for decades. She is a member of the Indigenous Youth Collective of Amazon Defenders. She has attended several conferences such as COP27, UN summits and the World Economic Forum advocating for Kawsak Sacha, or, The Living Forest Proposal, which is the cosmovision of the Sarayaku people.

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Gianluca is an experienced international affair professional with an environmental science background focusing on tackling the climate and biodiversity crises through partnerships. At the World Economic Forum, his goals include helping impact-driven start-ups to accelerate and building the necessary partnerships across different actors within the innovation ecosystem to enable change at scale. Gianluca has previously worked for the UN Environment Programme, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and various research projects on environmental governance. He holds an MA in international affairs from the Geneva Graduate Institute and a BSc in geography from the University of Zurich.

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I was born and raised in Austin, Texas, and received my BSc in chemical engineering before moving abroad for my MSc in sustainable energy engineering. I have worked for the Finnish project developer Flexens since 2020 and am currently based in Helsinki. My latest focus has been on creating Flexens' green ammonia plant in Kokkola, Finland, and finding new Power-to-X project opportunities in port areas. My passion for nature and outdoor activities is my main driver for working in the renewable energy field.

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Karen Hanghøj is a geologist with extensive experience in research and innovation management and the minerals and metals industry. She is passionate about understanding the complexity of resource management, environmental and social sustainability, and the role of geoscience in finding solutions to societal challenges. Karen holds a PhD in geology from the University of Copenhagen and has worked with research on geological processes in the lower crust and mantle and their associated mineral deposits, before taking senior leadership roles in research and innovation organisations. She is a member of a range of international committees and working groups.

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Vivianne Heijnen was appointed Minister for the Environment on 10 January 2022. Between 2009 and 2018 she was head of the Maastricht University Campus in Brussels. In 2018, she became a member of the Maastricht municipal executive with responsibility for the economy, housing, regional policy and social innovation. Heijnen was born on 8 October 1982 in Spaubeek. When asked about what motivates her as a minister, she says: “I want the Netherlands to be a country that is liveable and accessible for everyone and where we reuse more. I’m committed to reducing travel time in a sustainable way, with a particular focus on border regions, cities and our neighbouring countries.”

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Rebecca Hesketh leads the food initiative at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, working to stimulate a global shift towards a regenerative food system based on the principles of a circular economy. Previously, Rebecca worked in the agricultural sector and within food supply chains, including at the UK retailer Waitrose, where she held the position of ethics and sustainability manager for fresh produce.

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Valerie Hickey worked in the World Bank’s climate change group, overseeing the implementation of their commitments on climate change, mainstreaming and finance. She also worked in Latin America and the Caribbean, managing a team that supported communities on climate change mitigation and natural resource management. Valerie holds a PhD in Environmental Science and Policy from Duke University.

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Nick is the product manager at Notpla for their flagship Ooho product, an edible bubble made from seaweed that revolutionises how liquids are packaged. His formal education is in engineering and design with Mmaster’s from the University of Oxford, Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art. Previous to Notpla he was co-founder and CEO of Jelly Drops, a London-based company supporting people with hydration challenges to hydrate more often, independently and with dignity. He is also author of the best-selling book “Wild Guide Greece”, a guidebook to over 1,000 hidden places and great adventures.

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Roland leads the Built Environment Pathway, engaging and supporting companies to drive the market transformation to a net zero carbon, circular, nature positive and inclusive built environment, through a common vision, science-based target setting and collaboration along the value chain. He serves as co-chair of the Steering Committee of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), whose mission is to drive the transformation to a zero emissions, efficient and resilient built environment. Prior to working at the WBCSD, Roland was a delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross, coordinating humanitarian field activities in the armed conflicts of Colombia, Liberia and Ivory Coast. Roland started his career with the Zurich-based consultancy firm Ernst Basler & Partners Ltd. on a large change management project for the Swiss Federal Administration. A Swiss national, Roland holds an MBA from INSEAD, France, and an MA in history and political science from the University of Zurich, Switzerland.

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Ilkka Hämälä has worked for Metsä Group since 1988. Before becoming head of the group in April 2018, he was the CEO of one of the group’s companies, Metsä Fibre. He is chairman of CEPI (Confederation of European Paper Industries) and a member of CEPI Board and Steering Committee. Hämälä is also vice-chairman of the Finnish Forest Industries Federation, among others, and has a Master’s in engineering.

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Kati Ihamäki is responsible for defining sustainability ambition, ESG strategy and target setting for the Fiskars Group. In addition to her day job, Kati serves on the boards of St1 Nordic, HJK ry, the Children and Youth Foundation, the responsibility board of Finland Chamber of Commerce and the board of the Association for Finnish Work. Prior to joining Fiskars, she worked at OP Financial Group as VP for brand and CR and had a long career at Finnair, where she served as director of sustainable and actively participated in the responsibility work and advocacy of international aviation and tourism organisations. Kati believes in the power of cooperation – with the help of states, companies, the third sector and citizens, we can achieve sustainable change and a better world for both people and nature.

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Karin Isaksson has 30+ years’ experience in international finance and expansion, mainly in emerging markets and the private sector. Before joining NDF in August 2019, she served for three years as executive director of the African Development Bank, representing the constituency of Denmark, Finland, India, Norway and Sweden. She has also held the position of vice president at Business Sweden (the Swedish trade and investment promotion agency) and director positions at Swedfund (the Swedish bilateral DFI), as well as positions in Swedish export credit agencies. In her first three years as MD, NDF has implemented a new strategy and closed a capital increase of €350 million from its five member states. Supported by some organisational fine-tuning, including new recruitments, the strengthened capital base will enable NDF to expand the annual work programme by approximately 50 per cent.

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Aishwarya Iyer is a PhD Candidate at the Center for Industrial Ecology at Yale School of the Environment. Her research focuses on identifying climate friendly development pathways for the Indian residential sector. Aishwarya is a member of the international team of authors led by the Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture and the UN Environment Programme for the global report titled “Building materials and the climate”. Her research focusses on the diverse building types in India and the Global South across low-income informal settlements. Her goal is to quantify the thermal comfort gap faced by homes across income classes and identify material and energy-efficient pathways to close this gap, while accounting for the whole lifecycle of the built environment process. Aishwarya has a background in energy science and engineering, with a Bachelor’s and Master’s in technology from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.

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Pasi Jääskeläinen is a professional musician who has performed for a living for over 20 years. He has been on stage with many well-known Finnish artists including Michael Monroe, Saara Aalto, Cheek and Kaija Koo. Currently, he is also part of the houseband on the Putous tv-show. He has graduated from Metropolia AMK’s Pop/Jazz programme.

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Ashraf Kamal is professor of architecture, urban planning and economics at the Housing and Building National Research Center (HBRC) in Egypt. He has more than 34 years’ experience in fields related to architectural design and realisation in complex projects with green and sustainable buildings design and construction. His widely published academic research covers strategic planning, participatory urban development, housing and real estate and property business management. Kamal has taught at undergraduate and post graduate levels at university and participated in several international projects in his field. Currently, he leads local and international projects for the application of zero-emissions techniques in building and construction. He has a PhD in urban planning and economics from the University of Cairo.

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Prior to joining BlackRock, Chris was group head of sustainable investment at Lombard Odier, a Swiss private bank and asset manager. He led a group responsible for cross asset sustainable investment research, data science and analytics, product development, portfolio strategy and stewardship. He was responsible for sustainability integration across the firm's assets and built a full sustainability thematic product range during his tenure. Prior to Lombard Odier, Chris worked at SEB, a Nordic banking group, where he was head of sustainable finance research and a senior advisor in capital markets. During his time in investment banking at SEB, Goldman Sachs and Societe Generale, he advised on and structured sustainability financing solutions. An energy economist and economic geographer by training, he is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Visiting Fellow at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University He has published widely in the sustainable finance literature. He received his PhD from Oxford University and Master’s from Columbia University (SIPA).

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Jeet coordinates the World Economic Forum's work on circular trade. His areas of interest and expertise are plastics, decarbonisation, FDI and development finance. In the past, he has worked at the nexus of trade, environment and SME development with the United Nations in East Africa, and on development financing with the OECD in Paris. Jeet did his studies in India and France, and speaks English, French, Hindi, Bengali and Spanish.

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Leah Karrer is a professional and personal champion for the circular economy, which she recognises as integral to tackling unsustainable production and consumption. Having spent her 25-year career building, advising and directing global multi-million-dollar conservation initiatives at NOAA, IUCN and Conservation International, she currently oversees the Global Environment Facility’s portfolio of circular economy related projects, including the $100 million Circular Solutions to Plastic Pollution Integrated Program. Previously she earned the Bronze Award at the US Department of Commerce and the Head in the Sky Award at CI. As a local activist and advocate for circular economy solutions in Washington, DC, Leah is promoting sustainable policies and practices at the World Bank, with local restaurants and grocers, and through the Smithsonian exhibits. The co-creator of Find Green, the first geospatial platform where users can find, compare and rate businesses based on their sustainability in order to collectively drive businesses to go green, Leah is also the proud mother of two increasingly circular daughters.

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Jyrki Katainen’s career has focused on analysing societal change, finding solutions and decision-making. Before his appointment to Sitra, Katainen was the European Commission vice-president for jobs, growth, investment and competitiveness. Prior to the Commission, he has held the positions of prime minister and minister of finance. During his 15 years as a member of the Finnish parliament he has chaired the Committee for the future among other appointments.

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Kirsikka Kiviranta specialises in the evaluation and analysis of various low-carbon energy solutions and circular economy concepts, especially those related to hydrogen and power-to-X technologies. Her current research focuses on the role of hydrogen in accelerating the green transition. She holds an MSc (Tech.) in environmental engineering from the University of Oulu.

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In addition to her work with the roof window manufacturer VELUX, Julie Kjestrup is also the President of EuroACE – Energy Efficient Buildings. Her past roles include head of EU affairs and interim global head of public affairs and sustainability at Danfoss, head of EU affairs at the European Copper Institute, and leading the Brussels energy and environment practice at APCO Worldwide, a global public affairs and strategic communication agency. In Brussels since 2006, Julie has extensive experience working on all aspects of advocacy and stakeholder engagement and has witnessed and contributed to the rise of energy and sustainability topics on the European policy agenda over time.

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Kohl has over 20 years of experience in foresight and system level change. Her work at LUKE includes research strategy and research co-ordination. She is also a member of the EU Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR) foresight expert panel, where she helps research, development and innovation on future-safe and just food systems. Previously, Kohl worked at Finland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, where she specialised in climate-smart land use and established the “Catch the Carbon” research programme. She was also a principal scientist at VTT where she led teams working in a variety of sectors such as mining, the circular economy, bioeconomy, healthcare, renewable energy and the built environment. She has studied at the University of Munich and received her PhD from the University of Helsinki.

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Sini Koskimies is a communications professional who has worked closely with researchers and stakeholders within the textiles and fashion system. She is eager to accelerate change into sustainability. Apart from innovation, tougher regulation and attractive incentives for sustainable business, a true textiles and fashion revolution is dependent on a wider cultural change — and that's where communications steps in. Making sense of, delivering the hard facts and inspiring into action is Sini's role in making change. Her professional background is in the constantly evolving sectors of business consulting, culture and education.

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Miikka Kotilainen is a visionary craftsman, experimenter and wood use developer from Finland. He presents his company Hiil Ltd. who aims to reduce the amount of wood wasted in the world. His company acquires waste wood from sawmill and construction industries and upcycles it into construction materials by charring the wood with bio energy. The result is an industrial scale circular economy construction product. The company is establishing their first facility in Finland and is looking forward to expanding operations worldwide.

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llektra Kouloumpi helps cities and businesses to thrive within the planetary boundaries. The Thrive programme draws from circular and regenerative economy theories to help different groups implement holistic circular economy strategies. Prior to this, Ilektra has led the Circle City Scans team at Circle Economy, working with cities in Europe, USA and Asia, while she has been co-ordinating the overall academy and training offerings of the organisation. Previously, Ilektra worked as a senior researcher at the Smart & Sustainable Urbanism department of TU Berlin, as an engineer and buildings designer at Arup, and as a policy analyst at the Buildings Performance Institute of Europe in Brussels. A fond lover of people and groups working creatively and deeply curious about new ways of living in harmony with nature, Ilektra has designed and led participatory processes for changemakers in multiple countries across the world. She often lectures and presents at conferences, universities and international events about new economic models that make people and planet thrive.

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"At the same time as Sandhja sings with her whole body, she is able to express herself in the most sensitive way." This is how Sandhja Kuivala, a singer-songwriter from Espoo, Finland, has been described. Her motto has always been "from person to person", and she has embodied this in her artistic career, whether she is performing on big stages like Eurovision or at a friend's wedding, a rooted sensitivity is always present. In 2012, she signed a recording contract with Sony Music Finland and has released two English-language albums. In 2016, she won the New Music Competition and represented Finland at the 50th Finnish Music Awards. She won the Finnish Song Contest for the 50th Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm with the song "Sing It Away". She is currently planning her third album, which will be bilingual.

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André is the president & CEO of an international financial institution of the Nordic and Baltic countries with a responsibility for strategy, operations and managing assets of €40 billion. Before that, André had a 25-year career at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, latest as the regional managing director. He was the director for local currency and capital markets in 2012–2020, country director for Ukraine in 2008–2013 and for Kazakhstan in 2004–2008. Earlier André led teams investing equity and debt in 1996–2004. He also served in EBRD management committees. André has served on the boards of over 30 banks, insurance companies, stock exchanges, equity funds and large infrastructure companies. An Estonian national, André graduated with a MSc from Tallinn University of Technology, studying also in Sweden, Germany, Finland and Hungary. He is also a graduate of Estonian Business School and Stockholm School of Economics. André speaks 5 languages.

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Prior to her current position, Paula Laine has worked as the strategy director for Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, as well as in leading roles for international technology companies, including Nokia. Her background is in technical physics. Outside office hours Paula Laine manages an energy self-sufficient horse farm in Sipoo, Finland.

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Alina Lehikoinen is a former president of IFSA and is currently head of the organising committee for the biggest annual global meeting of forestry students IFSS. She holds a BSc in forest sciences from the University of Helsinki and is currently doing her MSc in international forestry at the University of Freiburg, specialising in forest policy. She works for better youth and stakeholder involvement in various ways, has experience in representing youth in international forums and events, such as FAO and UNFCCC, and she organised the first Youth Forest Policy Days event in 2022.

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Andrea Liverani has over 20 years’ development experience in research and policy assignments as well as financial and advisory support to governments, with a focus on sustainability and climate.

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Nicolas Lockhart’s practice covers public international law, with a focus on trade and environment and EU ESG law issues. Nic is recognised as a leading practitioner in international trade law and policy, advising a wide range of governments in dozens of WTO disputes, and he assists clients with the negotiation of trade agreements, including trade and sustainability chapters. Nic also advises clients on the international climate change regime, international waste shipment, the law of the sea and the interface between international trade and environmental law. He is advising on the ongoing negotiation of an international convention to end plastic pollution. Nic teaches on trade and sustainability, the circular economy and the international climate regime at the World Trade Institute of the University of Berne. He has contributed to two papers on the circular economy published by the World Economic Forum, linked here and here.

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Ulla Luhtasela’s role is to ensure that Nestlé’s ambitious, global commitments on climate and packaging are implemented effectively also in the Nordics. One of the flagship projects she is leading in Finland is a regenerative agriculture project with local farmers producing ingredients for local Nestlé factories, organised in collaboration with a Finnish NGO, the Baltic Sea Action Group. Ulla has a long career in regulatory, science and sustainability positions in the food industry. She has also worked as a researcher and as a public authority. She holds two Master’s, one in environmental chemistry from the University of Turku and another in environmental toxicology, technology and management from the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand.

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Emmanuelle Maire heads the team responsible for the circular economy and sustainable production and consumption at the Commission’s Directorate General for Environment. The core activity of the team is to support the transition to a circular and green economy in the European Union, including the implementation of the Circular economy action plan and promoting stakeholders’ dialogue across the European Union through a dedicated platform.

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With an academic background combining innovation management, ESG and regenerative business models, Zuzana is currently leading a variety of initiatives rooted in sustainability and the circular economy at DTU Skylab, the innovation and entrepreneurship hub at the Danish Technical University. Believing in the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and the role of youth in the green transition, she is leading OpenInnovation Circularity, a student innovation challenge uniting over 140 students with the industry to ideate novel, circular solutions to real-life challenges. In the past year, she also co-led the CATALY(C)ST project, a Scandinavian-wide initiative to engage students, researchers and youth movements in the transition to a circular economy and society.

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Since 2007, Stuart Mangold is responsible for policy, research, negotiation as well as monitoring and reporting on African and South-South international engagements in the environmental field. He has extensive experience in multilateral and bilateral co-operation in the fields of environment, climate change, biodiversity, the circular economy, oceans and coastal management, particularly in Africa and the developing world. He is based in Pretoria, South Africa.

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Dmitry Mariyasin was appointed at UNECE on 1 March 2021. As No. 2 at the UN’s key regional cooperation body working on regulation in such areas as energy, environment, trade and transport, Mariyasin’s tasks include chairing the UNECE secretariat task force on partnerships for a circular economy. Prior to joining UNECE, he was the resident and deputy resident representative of UNDP in Armenia (2017–2021). He also served as the Team Leader, Partnerships in UNDP regional bureau for Europe and the CIS region (2011–2016) and other positions with UNDP at global, regional and country levels. Mariyasin holds a PhD in economics from Moscow State University and an MA in public administration from New York University.

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Ellen Martin is responsible for managing impact, ESG and insights for Circulate Capital. As a member of Circulate's leadership team, she is focused on ensuring the firm's collective strategies, assets and relationships deliver impact as it grows.

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Clara Martinez works for a top investment fund specialised in growth-stage companies in the European bioeconomy. With a background in economics and over a decade of experience in project management and stakeholder engagement across the public and private sectors, Clara now focuses on sustainable finance. She holds an MBA in entrepreneurship promotion and has spent the last three years in the venture capital industry, mobilising capital and innovation.

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Geoff McCarney is professor of environment and development in the School of International Development and Global Studies at the University of Ottawa, where he also serves as associate director (Research) for the university’s interdisciplinary Institute of Environment, and senior director (Research) for the Smart Prosperity Institute. Geoff’s research and expertise focus on the interface of climate change, the circular economy and natural resource development. With the Smart Prosperity Institute, he also has extensive experience building multi-sector partnerships across Canada and internationally to develop and communicate policy-oriented research on the environment and economy. Geoff holds a PhD in sustainable development with a focus on economics and climate science from Columbia University.

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Agata Meysner is an activist and an environmentalist driven by empowering young people to become climate changemakers in their communities. She is leading the largest coalition of youth-led networks on climate and environmental issues in Europe. Agata is also a member of the Coordination Group of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform. She has served in several advisory roles to different organisations focusing on meaningful youth engagement, environment and system change, most recently in the OECD Youth Advisory Board.

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Iida is a true pioneer in reusability and waste reduction. She is an impact entrepreneur who believes that circularity plays a key role in securing a better tomorrow. Iida is focused on finding digital solutions that reduce waste and save our natural resources. Her mission is to speed up the circular transition from single-use to reuse.

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Sarah is an environmental scientist and experienced business development manager with over 20 years’ professional experience in the environmental services sector in the UK, Ireland and Australia. In her current role at Ireland’s National Centre for the Circular Economy, Sarah has developed a working model for social enterprise design, implementation and management and has overseen the development of an ecological centre of excellence. The Rediscovery Centre operates as an innovation hub connecting people, ideas and resources to support sustainable living and the transition to the circular economy. Sarah has a keen interest in research and is involved in several European and nationally funded research projects in collaboration with academic and corporate partners. Sarah holds a PhD in environmental science, an Honours BSc in processs biotechnology and an MBA.

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Ashleigh Morris is a systems strategist on a mission to catalyse the global transition to a circular economy. She has been recognised as a Top 100 Global Corporate Social Responsibility Influential Leader, a Prime Ministers Scholar, an Australian ASEAN Emerging Leader, Brisbane’s Young Business Person of the Year 2020, and an invitee to the 73rd United Nations General Assembly. Ashleigh holds advisory roles with industry bodies for mining, textiles and renewable fuels and was recently appointed to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Legacy Committee. She harnesses her fiery belief in a better world to spark change where its impact matters most.

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Patience is a mining executive and thought leader with over two decades of experience in the mining industry. Her company provides insights in the critical minerals and strategies that support the transition to a net-zero economy. Her research and thought leadership have significantly contributed to the understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the mining industry in the context of circularity. She is an IWF Fellow, a global speaker, and has authored and published in over 10 international peer-reviewed journals. She was named one of the most influential women in mining. Patience holds a PhD in Mineral Processing from UNISA Australia and an AMP from INSEAD.

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Before her current role, Elizabeth Mrema served as the executive secretary of the Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity. Prior to that, Mrema served in various capacities in her two decades at UNEP, including as the director of the law division and the deputy director of the ecosystems division. From 2009 to 2012, she served as the executive secretary of the Secretariat for the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals as well as served as the acting executive secretary of the UNEP/ASCOBANS (Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas) as well as interim executive secretary of the UNEP/Gorilla Agreement, all based in Bonn, Germany. She is a lawyer and career diplomat with an LL B from the University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania; LL M from Dalhousie University, Canada; and postgraduate diploma in international relations and diplomacy from the Centre of Foreign Relations and Diplomacy in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

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Prior to her appointment in November 2019, Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya served as ambassador of Rwanda in Russia from 2013, rector of Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (2011–2013), minister of gender and family promotion (2008–2011), minister of education (2006–2008), minister of state in charge of higher education (2005–2006) and minister of state in charge of primary and secondary education (2003–2005). She holds a PhD in physical chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology IIT in Roorkee, India. She is passionate about conservation and sustainable development for Rwanda’s socio-economic transformation.

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Peter is a political scientist with 20 years’ experience in global public affairs, geopolitics and business development from pharma, energy and financial services in Brussels, Copenhagen and Oslo.

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Tuuli Myllymaa is an expert on circular economy and waste related issues. She has led the research, development and co-operation activities as manager of SYKE’s waste group and as project manager of the large, national EU LIFE IP financed project Circwaste (2016-2023), as well as implementing the circular economy and national waste plan. Finnish Environment Institute is also the national authority on the trans frontier shipments of waste.

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Business leader, social entrepreneur and published author Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan is founder of the Shamma bint Sultan Sustainability Initiatives social enterprise, co-founder of Aurora50 and founder of Reset MENA. She holds a Master of Studies in sustainability leadership and a Master of Philosophy in modern Middle Eastern studies from the University of Cambridge, as well as a degree in Business Administration from Zayed University. She is a well-respected industry expert on sustainability, due to her business and academic endeavours in the field.

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Prior to joining Sitra, Jussi held senior marketing leadership roles at Nokia, Microsoft and Qualcomm. Currently he looks after Sitra's lifestyle test and its future evolution.

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Tho Dinh Nguyen is currently responsible for national strategies, planning and public policies on sustainable development and is designing regulations on green taxonomy and the circular economy in Vietnam. Nguyen holds a PhD in economics from University of London, and focuses his research on macroeconomics, financial markets, carbon markets, environment studies and sustainable development.

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Tobias Dan Nielsen’s work areas include plastics, circular economy monitoring and how the circular economy intersects with other key agendas including climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Before joining the EEA, he worked at the Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL). He has a PhD in global environmental politics from Lund University.

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Kirsi Niinimäki is a leading scholar in the field of sustainable fashion. She is an associate professor in Aalto University where she leads a research group Fashion/Textile FUTURES. The research done in this group integrates closed loop, bio-economy and circular economy approaches in fashion and textile systems and extends the understanding of strategic sustainable design.

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Elisée Bahati Ntawuhiganayo is a circular economy specialist in Eastern Africa who focuses on circular food systems. With a passion for supporting smallholder farmer communities, he has conducted extensive research and provided valuable assistance to promote the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices, particularly agroforestry, in Rwanda, DR Congo and Kenya. Elisée's expertise also extends to the valorisation of wastes and byproducts from coffee and tea processing, exploring innovative ways to reduce waste and maximise resource use. He actively collaborates with government agencies, playing a vital role in raising awareness and implementing circular economy principles at a national level. Furthermore, Elisée coaches private actors, including agri-SMEs, encouraging them to integrate circular economy principles into their business models for a more sustainable future. He is an active member of ACEN.

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Marvin leads Circle Economy's work on the international financial institutions' circular economy transition. His expertise lies in developing strategic solutions around financing challenges and measuring the circular economy. He also leads the research and development on circular indicators and metrics as secretariat member of the Circular Economy Indicator Coalition (CEIC). Before joining Circle Economy, he gained experience in business consulting and development in the DACH area (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). As freelancer he also gained years of experience in the electronic equipment (waste) sector. Marvin holds an MSc in political economy from the Universiteit van Amsterdam and a BSc in business economics.

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Anthony Nyong has extensive managerial experience in the environment, circular economy, climate change and green growth. He holds a PhD in geography from McMaster University, Canada. Nyong has served on the advisory board of the World Economic Forum on the circular economy, as well as on the Platform for Accelerating Circular Economy (PACE) leadership group. He was listed among the top 20 leaders in climate change by Apolitica in 2019 and again in 2022/2023.

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Reniera O’Donnell works with industry to demonstrate how, by redesigning the way we produce our food, we can help regenerate nature, restore soil health and help biodiversity thrive. Previously, she led the Foundation's formal education programme, working with schools, colleges and universities around the world to advance teaching of the circular economy. Reniera is originally from South Africa and currently resides in the United Kingdom.

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Kimmo Ohtonen is one of the two MC’s (Masters of Ceremonies) at WCEF2023. He is a Finnish journalist, author, keynote speaker and TV personality. His career in TV started in the UK in 2005 working for the BBC and ITV on programmes centred around social topics and current affairs. In Finland, Ohtonen is known for various factual programmes and documentaries he has made for the national public broadcaster Yle and other channels. Kimmo has written six books – three fictional and three factual.

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Julia leads the programme for natural resources and urban solutions at Systemiq. She manages the partnership programme with the UN International Resource Panel, with co-publications including “IRP Global Resources Outlook 2019: Implications for Business Leaders”, “Resource Efficiency and Climate Change: Material efficiency strategies for business leaders in building and mobility” and “A System Change Compass: Implementing the European Green Deal in Times of Recovery”. Julia co-leads Systemiq’s new urban practice. Her work focuses on the topic of ”better space-use" for vibrant, productive neighbourhoods. She works with governments and public and private finance institutions. Before joining Systemiq, Julia worked at the Institute for Climate and Society in Rio de Janeiro. She holds an MSc in global politics with a focus on international environmental and development institutions from the London School of Economics, and a BSc in cultural studies and business from the University of Mannheim.

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Paula Pelaez leads a team within the advisory services division supporting IDB Invest’s clients. She helps integrate sustainability and circularity into strategy and operations, supports sustainability in financial instruments, and fosters the inclusion of vulnerable populations and MSMEs in value chains. Paula has over 20 years’ experience working at the intersection of private sector and development. She joined IDB Invest from UNDP, where she was head of the Business Call to Action – a leading global platform advancing inclusive business and its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior, Paula worked in New York for Business for Social Responsibility advising global corporations on issues including sustainable sourcing, business and human rights and sustainability strategy. She has worked with CARE Canada and Aga Khan Foundation on value chain development, impact investing and microfinance. She is currently based in Washington DC and has lived and worked in Turkey, Kenya, Mozambique, Costa Rica, Colombia and Bangladesh. Paula began her career working with Grupo Aval in her home country Colombia. She has an MSc in environmental studies from York University, Canada, and a BSc in industrial engineering from Universidad de los Andes, Colombia.

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Liisa Pietola promotes the transition of agriculture and forestry. She is an expert member of the EU Mission Board Soil Deal for Europe and since 1998 has been adjunct professor at the University of Helsinki in soil sciences. She was head of environmental affairs in the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners in Finland MTK (2011–2022), chaired the environmental working group of European farmers at the Copa-Cogeca (2014–2018) and served in R&D in the fertiliser industry (2006-2011). Pietola has a PhD in agronomy and soil science from the University of Helsinki. She has her feet on the ground as an active farmer.

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Herkko Plit is the founder and CEO of a forerunner in the Finnish hydrogen and e-fuel industry. He leads P2X with his visionary attitude and actively participates in the creation of the Finnish and European hydrogen ecosystems in several forums. Plit is the vice-chair of the Finnish H2 Cluster and chair of the World Energy Council (WEC) Finland. Before establishing P2X Solutions, he has been in leading positions in companies like Baltic Connector, Fortum and TVO. Plit has also worked in the European Commission and as the deputy director general at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland’s energy department.

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Anna Poberezhna is the founder of ClearHub, a sustainable resources and infrastructure development company. She has also co-developed three ventures in supply chain management, finance and metals trading in five years. Poberezhna has extensive experience in mining, minerals and water management, as well as technology such as blockchain. She is an author, public speaker and the first Ukrainian woman recognised as a digital tech talent by the UK government.

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Nicola Pochettino is director of the environment and natural resources department at the European Investment Bank (EIB) in Luxembourg, covering the circular economy, water and bioeconomy. Prior to joining the EIB, he worked at the International Energy Agency in Paris and in various positions in the financial sector and the energy industry, both in Italy and the UK. Nicola is a CFA charter holder; he holds an MSc in nuclear engineering from the Polytechnic of Turin and a Master's in economics and management of energy and the environment.

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Among other roles, Janez Potočnik is partner at Systemiq, chair of the Forum for the Future of Agriculture and advisor to thought-leading institutions such as the European Forest Institute. Previously, he was European commissioner for science and research (2004–2010) and commissioner for the environment (2010–2014). Before joining the European Commission, he was head of the negotiating team for aAccession of Slovenia to the EU (1998). He was also Slovenia’s director of the Government Office for European Affairs (2000), Minister Councillor at the Office of the Prime Minister (2001) and Minister responsible for European Affairs (2002).

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Laura Rahikka holds an MSc (Tech) in process engineering and has 20+ years’ experience in process and chemical engineering. Hycamite decarbonises industry by producing clean hydrogen and industrial-quality solid carbon by splitting methane using proprietary zero-emission technology.

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Ditlev Reventlow is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management of the University of Copenhagen. His PhD and current research for the EU LIFE project “Forests fit for future” focus on the conversion of homogeneous unstable conifer plantations into diverse forests resilient to climate change. He is working on how conversion should be conducted and what the implications are for various important variables.

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Lucrèce Foufopoulos-De Ridder joined Borealis in 2019 after a career of more than 25 years in the chemicals and materials industry. Prior to joining Borealis, she held a variety of positions at multinationals, including Eastman Chemical, Dow Chemical, Rohm and Haas, Dow Corning and Tyco. Lucrèce is also a board member of Sika, a Swiss multinational specialty chemical company, and Royal Vopak, a world leader in tank storage. In addition, she is vice president of the Plastics Europe Steering Board. She holds a Master’s in polymer and composites engineering from the University of Leuven, and a Master’s in materials science and engineering from the University of Ghent, both in Belgium, and executive business education from Insead in Paris, France and IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland. She is married and holds dual Belgian-Swiss citizenship.

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Marja-Leena Rinkineva is responsible for economic and innovation policy, entrepreneurship, immigration and employment affairs for Helsinki. As a Master of Laws and an MBA graduate, Rinkineva has extensive experience in economic development, industry and commerce. She has worked in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and in the Ministry of Justice. Rinkineva also has a strong knowledge in corporate governance from working on various company boards. Currently, she is chairperson or member of the board in several organisations related to economic development in the Helsinki region. She is motivated by sustainability, shared innovation, openness and trust. She is happiest on the seashore with family.

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Albina Ruiz Rios has extensive experience in the environmental sector, having served as vice-minister of environmental management. She has been an international consultant in local development projects, with emphasis on integrated solid waste management focusing on sustainability and inclusion, rational use of water and environmental planning and management. Her professional work has been recognised with awards such as: Fairness Award, granted by Global Fairness Initiative Washington; SA's Albert Medal granted by Willingsworth Tipton College in the United Kingdom; Energy Globe World Award Belgium-Brussels; Global Development Network by the Government of Japan; and Dubai International granted by the United Nations and the Municipality of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. She has authored several publications related to her experience in waste management, water and sanitation, recycling, social inclusion of waste pickers and the circular economy. She is also the founder of the organisation "Ciudad Saludable", dedicated since 2002 to addressing issues of integrated solid waste management as well as environmental education and communication. She has a PhD in chemical engineering from the Ramón Llull University of Barcelona, and she is an industrial engineer from the National University of Engineering in Spain, with a second specialisation in solid waste sanitary engineering, Spain.

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Kirsi Roine is a networker extraordinaire. With a background in chemistry and the viscose industry – as well as in photography and IT – Kirsi is Infinited’s main point of contact with global fashion brands and responsible for sales. She joined the fashion technology startup in 2017 and is on a mission to make circularity in textiles an everyday reality.

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Hilde Røed joined Equinor in 2012. Before taking on the role as SVP in 2021, she was heading up the company's climate strategy activity and ESG reporting. She recently led the development of Equinor's energy transition plan. Hilde has long experience with climate and sustainability work, including with the United Nations Development Programme and Norway’s largest bank, DNB, where she worked for nearly ten years. Hilde holds a Master’s in society, science and technology from the University of Oslo. She is based in Oslo, Norway.

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Audrey S-Darko is a climate tech entrepreneur and circular ecosystem builder. She set up and leads a climate tech company at the nexus of carbon finance and regenerative agriculture, restoring soil health and degraded ecosystems.

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Kittikun “Bright” Saksung has 4 years’ experience in youth development in climate and biodiversity at UNDP in Thailand. Prior to joining GYBN and UNDP, he was project assistant of the Asian Circular Economy Academy organised in collaboration between the UN Environment and Chulalongkorn University. With an MSc in sustainability and environmental studies at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, and a BBA in international logistics management at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, he is passionate in strengthening an enabling environment for youth to grow and take action towards environmental sustainability

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Olli Salmi has worked for the sustainability of the raw materials sector for more than 20 years. He currently manages EIT RawMaterials in the Nordic and Baltic regions, investing in start-ups, scale-ups and education projects. Prior to joining EIT RawMaterials, Salmi worked as research professor at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.

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MSc (Tech) Pia Salokoski is responsible for leading the innovation work of CLIC’s energy theme. She also co-ordinates the work of Hydrogen Cluster Finland. She has over 20 years’ work experience from industry, research and financing sectors. Before CLIC she worked in the Finnish Innovation Funding Agency, Business Finland and led several national funding and innovation programmes in energy and environment themes. Her international work experience in the energy and circular economy fields is a unique combination of public sector R&D acceleration, co-operation and industry practice. She represented Finland in EU Horizon 2020 energy committee from 2014 to 2020. She has many years’ experience in innovation funding and management activities. Her background is from the energy industry.

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Tanya's interest in regenerative agriculture was initially sparked from the need to improve the soil health on her own farm. Later, she joined Baltic Sea Action Group to promote regenerative farming. BSAG is a non-profit foundation that takes effective actions, both at sea and on land, to save the Baltic Sea. BSAG is home to Carbon Action, a unique long-term collaboration in which farmers, researchers and companies are brought together to scale up regenerative farming. Previously, Tanya worked in the voluntary carbon market with carbon removals from agriculture. She holds a Master's in economics and in agriculture and foresty.

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At the UNFCCC youth constituency Ben Santhouse-James works with a broad range of non-profits and youth climate organisations to promote systems thinking and interdisciplinary approaches to solving the climate crisis. In his day job, he works as a management consultant across sustainable finance and climate tech. He has previous experience from investing in renewables and the circular economy. Ben holds an MSc in energy systems from the University of Oxford, where his research focused on carbon removals, and a BSc in earth science from Imperial College London.

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Risto Sarvas has a diverse history overlapping design, business, technology and society. He has been awarded as a researcher, a service designer and a university teacher. Risto has taught, coached and mentored a variety of professionals, students, entrepreneurs and experts in the past two decades. He sees technology and business education as societal force for solving global problems. Risto is currently the director of the Information Networks BSc and MSc programmes at Aalto University. The programme blends software, design, business and social sciences to create multi-talented professionals.

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A lawyer by training, Astrid Schomaker is Director for green diplomacy and multilateralism in the European Commission's Directorate General for Environment. Since joining the Commission in 1992, she has held a variety of posts in the areas of international relations and environment policy, amongst them leading the work on chemical policy, marine issues and the EU's environment policy strategy to 2030.

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After working in the CSR department of one of the world's Top 4 consulting firms, Manon co-founded a consulting company specialised in accelerating the transition to a world without plastic waste. InOff Plastic supports fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), retail, hospitality and cosmetic industry leaders in adopting upstream solutions – reusable and refillable packaging and single-use non-plastic alternatives. To support this transition, they develop methods and tools including PlaNet Reuse, the first European online platform and network connecting professionals to learn and collaborate on reuse and reusable packaging solutions. This platform was initiated along several European partners in Germany and the Netherlands.

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Johan Sidenmark focuses on developing practical solutions to enhance the value of residual materials generated by industries. With his extensive experience in sustainability issues, he has worked on projects ranging from Antarctica to Bangladesh.

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Pranshu is the Founder of Karo Sambhav, which was founded in 2017 with the aim of making the circular economy possible. The company has created a robust India-wide solution on collection, recycling and secondary material management of e-waste, plastics, batteries and glass waste. They are also exploring new sectors including solar waste, mattresses, textiles and tyres. Their technology platform and systems foster good governance, fairness, trust, transparency and traceability. Prior to Karo Sambhav, Pranshu was in the worldwide education team of Microsoft for 3 years. He had worked with Nokia as head of sustainability for 11 years, based in Finland, Singapore and India. He was conferred the ‘Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 India’ award by the Schwab Foundation. He is a Fellow with Aspen, Ashoka, Chevening Gurukul, Ikea and Aspire Circle. Pranshu has a Master’s in environmental management and policy from IIIEE in Sweden.

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Virginijus Sinkevičius is the present Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries at the European Commission. From 2017 to 2019, Sinkevičius was Minister of Economy, and before he was leading the Committee of Economy at the Parliament of Lithuania to which he was elected in October 2016. Prior, he was team lead for regulatory affairs at Invest Lithuania. Sinkevičius holds a Bachelor’s in international relations and affairs from Aberystwyth University and a Master‘s in European international affairs from Maastricht University.

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Ossian Smyth has special responsibility for communications and the circular economy as Minister of State in Ireland. Smyth was appointed to this role in July 2020. He has been a TD, a member of Ireland’s parliament, for the Dún Laoghaire constituency since the 2020 general election. In 2014, Smyth was elected as a Green Party councillor to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and served as Cathaoirleach of the Council between 2018 and 2019. He holds a BA in computer science from Trinity College Dublin. He has worked as an IT/business consultant with substantial experience in telecoms, healthcare, utilities, ISP, software, insurance and banking, and as a technical project manager in Saint Vincent’s Hospital.

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Christian started his career in Peru and Latin America in the forestry and energy sectors, before moving first to renewables and power and then, for the last ten years, to the mining and metals industry. While working for ICMM member Anglo American, Christian gained experience working on innovation in a socio-economic development context. This was followed by roles at the World Economic Forum and Systemic where he focused on innovation in business models, regulation and finance. Christian also has experience in impact investing and supporting disruptive technologies in mining and metals. He is an economist with an MSc in international development from the London School of Economics and a postgraduate diploma in strategy and innovation from the University of Oxford. Christian loves cycling and cooking and spending time with his family.

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Marieke Spijkerboer is responsible for circular economy policy as well as for air quality and sustainability policy. She has studied econometrics at the University of Amsterdam,

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Catherine Stewart has over 25 years of experience in the federal government. Her most recent role was assistant deputy minister of international affairs at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). Since 2014, Stewart has served in senior executive roles at ECCC, including as Canada’s chief negotiator for climate change, director general for multilateral affairs and climate change, and director general for the Americas. She holds a BA from McGill University and an MA in public administration from Carleton University, and is married and has three sons.

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Steven Stone is currently deputy director of the Industry and Economy Division at UNEP. He joined UNEP in 2010, as chief of the economics and trade branch and served from 2017 to 2021 as chief of the resources and markets branch, based in Geneva. Prior to joining UNEP, Steven worked at the Inter-American Development Bank as resource economist in Washington, environmental specialist in both Jamaica and Ecuador, and country representative in Honduras. Steven earned an MSc and PhD in resource economics from Cornell University, following his BA from Swarthmore College, USA. He has authored and co-authored numerous journal articles and blogs in the field of environmental and resource economics.

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Annette Stube has been a member of Stora Enso’s global leadership team since 2020. Prior to joining Stora Enso, she was head of sustainability in A.P. Moller-Maersk 2008–2020 and before that, director of sustainability programmes in Novo Nordisk. Annette served on the board of directors of Fortum 2020–2023. She is adjunct professor at Copenhagen Business School, sits on several advisory boards and has served on the Danish Council for Corporate Responsibility and SDGs advising the Danish government for 10 years. Annette has also co-authored the book “Squaring the Sustainability Circle” (2022).

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Simo Säynevirta is heading ABB's Green Electrification 2035 ecosystem programme to decarbonise industries and society with the help of green electrification. He also serves as the chairman of Hydrogen Cluster Finland, a network of over 70 companies and industry associations joining forces to build the leading hydrogen economy in Europe.

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Sari Tasa carries out the programmes and tasks from the governmental strategic action plans concerning the bioeconomy, circular economy and climate actions. These tasks focus on solving global problems with Finnish innovations in sustainable growth, climate actions and carbon neutrality. One task includes working with Finnish mining industry stakeholders to solve issues and possibilities related to the circular economy.

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Rebecca “Becky” Taylor works for the Caterpillar remanufacturing division. In this role, Becky leads growth initiatives within Cat Reman, including inorganic growth for new and existing products, market access efforts and data analytics. She began her career at Caterpillar in 2004 as the forecast analyst for Caterpillar global distribution centres. She was promoted into various developmental leadership roles including 6 Sigma black belt, dealer parts operations consultant, inventory planning manager and global parts inventory collaboration manager. Becky holds a Bachelor’s in logistics and supply chain management and marketing from Iowa State University and a Master’s in business administration from the University of Illinois. She is also a certified supply chain professional and a member of the REMADE Institute governance board.

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Helen Temple is the public face of The Biodiversity Consultancy, a global provider of strategic, technical and policy services for biodiversity management in the private and public sectors. She is responsible for building our strategic positioning and profile as well as leading our relationships with partners and clients.

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Tatiana Terekhova has a leading role in trade and enforcement matters under the global treaties on chemicals and wastes, in particular the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. She coordinates the partnership programme on the Basel Convention and the engagement with non-state actors. Tatiana implements a number of capacity-building activities, including in relation to marine pollution and plastic wastes and e-waste. She deals with the Sustainable Development Goals and governance issues of the Basel and Stockholm Conventions’ regional centres. She has been in the United Nations family for over 20 years and has a background in international environmental law and law degrees.

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Kuncharee Thanaddoenkhao is a young political journalist at the Thai parliament who believes that a circular economy is the key to sustainable economic development. As a journalist who works for the legislative institution, her main role is to report news regarding political and environmental events, which allows her to investigate policy issues and inform the public about the potential effects and consequences of government policies. Kuncharee joined the very first ASEAN Youth Economic Forum in March 2023 to develop three policies regarding the circular economy with the other 19 delegates and present those ideas to the ASEAN Secretariat.

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Claire Thiebault works in the consumption and production unit of the industry and economy division. Her work consists of promoting the adoption of circular policies and practices by engaging governments, the business community, academia and civil society organisations – in particular in the textiles value chain. She also coordinates the activities of GACERE, the Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency.

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Frans Timmermans is leading the Commission’s work on the European Green Deal and leads the EU’s international climate negotiations. He is responsible for the European climate law which makes the 2050 climate-neutrality target legally binding and for the Fit for 55 package to meet the 55 per cent emission reduction target for 2030. In June 2022, he presented the nature restoration law, part of the biodiversity strategy. He also oversees the Commission’s zero-pollution ambition, the circular economy action plan, the Farm to Fork strategy and other initiatives. From 2014–2019 Timmermans was First Vice-President in charge of better regulation, inter-institutional relations, rule of law and the Charter of fundamental rights. In the Netherlands, he previously served as minister of foreign affairs (2012–2014), minister of European affairs (2007–2010) and member of parliament for Partij van de Arbeid (2010–2012 and 1998–2007).

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Ricardo Javier Torres Hernández is an environmental professional from Querétaro, Mexico with long experience in environmental management, climate change, the circular economy and legislation. He has a comprehensive understanding of sustainable practices and their impact on the environment. Torres is actively promoting sustainable practices and raising awareness about climate change. His contributions have played a crucial role in advancing the global transition towards a circular economy for environmental conservation. With a background in chemical environmental engineering, he holds a Master's in environmental sciences.

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Diana Tuomasjukka has strong international networks and rich experience from working in various EU projects, mainly in the context of sustainability impact assessments (SIA) and a circular bioeconomy, as well as through involvement with the Bioregions Facility. Diana’s research interests include topics related to systemic, holistic and cross-sectoral approaches to sustainability, society and innovation. Together with her unit she works towards a forest-based circular bioeconomy within planetary boundaries. Forests will play a major role contributing to societal well-being and healthy and resilient ecosystems and value chains. Forests will be a renewable, sustainable contributor to the economy – both as a basis for timber and non-timber products and services.

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Jeff supports the implementation of WBCSD's strategy and vision across all sector pathways. He has deep business experience, having previously held several strategic and leadership roles. In his time as head of sustainability at Royal DSM, Jeff led the organisation to become a recognised global leader on climate action, health and circularity. During this time, DSM became a leader on the key ESG benchmarks and amongst the top five most commonly held stocks in European ESG investment funds. As part of his role at WBCSD, Jeff is currently leading the circular economy pathway programme.

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Pasi Vainikka is the co-founder of Solar Foods, a revolutionary Finnish startup that produces protein using only renewable electricity, water and air. He is also part of Mission Innovation, a global initiative of 23 countries and the European Commission catalysing a decade of action and investment in research, development and demonstration to make clean energy affordable, attractive and accessible for all. Vainikka is adjunct professor at LUT University’s School of Energy Systems. Previously, he worked at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland as principal scientist, among others.

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Design has always been about change, about how to change the existing situation into a preferred one. Much of Valtonen’s work has been about researching and facilitating this change and increasing collaboration across fields. She has a broad background in industry, including end-user understanding, strategy, creative industries, management and new business development. She has also worked in academia as post-doc, professor, dean, vice-president and rector. She is actively involved in several national and EU-level boards, advisory groups and consortia.

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Cindy works with business, academia and policymakers to manage the creation of content that helps propel companies further along in their circular economy transformation journey. She has experience in researching circular opportunities and their impacts across a breadth of industries such as food, fashion and the built environment, and has worked on projects looking at the effects of circularity on various topics like biodiversity, supply chains, Covid-recovery packages and biomaterials.

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Marko is leading a company developing high-efficiency alkaline electrolysers that use ceramic materials as catalyst. Stargate electrolysers are precious-metal free and therefore inherently more scalable than other technologies. The company recently received IPCEI (Important Projects for Common European Interest) status, which grants state aid for technology and production scale-up and contributed to Stargate’s €54 million in financing. Stargate is currently undertaking projects in the Baltics and Poland and looking for strong partners for international expansion. The company is part of Utilitas Group, the largest renewable energy developer in the Baltic Sea region.

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Ke oversees PACE’s programme portfolio to drive systems change at scale through specific interventions. She has led PACE's signature publications including “Circular Economy Action Agenda” and “Circular Economy as a Climate Strategy”. Prior to PACE, Ke had over 10 years’ experience leading research and innovation teams across public, private and civil society sectors. She holds a PhD in applied physics from Stanford University and an Executive MBA from Rotterdam School of Management.

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Melati is a 22-year-old full time changemaker and movement builder. She founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags at the age of 12 and has since then spoken on world stages such as TED and the UN. Recently, Melati co-chaired the World Economic Forum GPAP committee, sat on the inaugural Expert Advisory Panel for the Earthshot Prize, and has had her film, Bigger Than Us, premiere at the 74th Cannes Film Festival in 2021. Her new company, YOUTHTOPIA, focuses on youth empowerment through short, meaningful peer to peer programmes and providing them the tools they need to be changemakers.

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In addition to her position at the making-things happen agency Invenire, Patricia Wiklund is also co-founder of Gens Oü. At Invenire, Patricia works with strategy, design and communications within food and nutrition, the bioeconomy and the circular economy. At Gens, she empowers farmers to achieve regeneration of their lands and farming business. Patricia works with different regional projects in which the aim is to connect farming systems to nature and to enable thriving farmers and rich landscapes. Currently she runs two publicly financed 3-year development projects on the Åland Islands in Finland, focused on water protection and biodiversity at farm-level. An important part of the projects is to support the emergence of regeneration. All activities in the projects are done in close collaboration and co-creation with a diverse group of farmers. Patricia holds an MSc in economics and business administration from Åbo Akademi University, Finland. She has a farming background, particularly dairy farming. She is also managing a Savory Network hub in the Baltic Sea region and has special interest in holistic management and regenerative organisations.

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Since 1990, Alan has worked as a facilitator and strategist for a wide range of conservation groups, Indigenous organisations, communities, progressive companies and governments across Canada and the world. His primary focus has been on designing and helping to implement social and environmental sustainability and leadership strategies. His work has included projects throughout North America, Latin America, Europe and the Nordic region. Alan has expertise in cross-sector collaboration design and facilitation, non-profit organisational resilience, ethical practices certification programs in the forestry and mining sectors, large-scale conservation strategy development, as well as various legislative reform processes in the extractive sectors. He was a founding member of the Circular Economy Leadership Canada and was as a member of Council of Canadian Academy's Expert Panel on Circular Economy. He served as chair of the International Institute for Sustainable Development from 2015-2021 and was chair of the Forest Stewardship Council of Canada.

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Heike is an industrial cleantech entrepreneur and advocate for a sustainable and resource efficient circular economy. He is making a case for the role that waste can play in green molecules, speed charging, urban food production and circular construction materials. Heike drives the development of smart circular cities through local sector coupling, autonomy, resilience, decarbonisation, energy security, energy inventory and distributed solutions. His company Boson Energy is the IMBY Company – for In My Back Yard. Did you know that 1 ton of otherwise non-recyclable waste can be 1,400 km of travel on a zero emission bus, 1 m3 of cell glass construction material, and heat and CO2 for urban farming – anywhere on the planet? Heike is an entrepreneur with wide international communicator and analyst experience from trust-based industries such as energy, security, research services, telecom and trade promotion services.

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Valter is a forestry engineer with an MSc in agroforestry. He developed his Master's at Lake Tanganyika, Zambia, working with local indigenous knowledge in agroforestry. Valter has more than 18 years’ experience in agroforesttry, including project management and coordination, native inventories and monitoring, classification of wood products and non-timber forest products in the Amazon. He has an extensive experience in the rural economy and sustainable development models, with international management and leadership positions at UNDP and FAO. He developed several volunteer projects, mainly in Africa and Asia, and coordinated research projects that helped to consolidate productive processes for large-scale agroforestry projects. Enthusiastic about transparency, sharing, empowerment and collaboration between people, Valter is also passionate about wildlife and survivalist practices. He is a farmer and founder of PRETATERRA. In the search for resilient systems, he has travelled to more than 100 countries, learning about ancient food production practices and sustainable organisation techniques.

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Laura is co-founder of SWIMBE, a sustainable swimwear brand by the Latvian social enterprise My Swimwear. She is a serial entrepreneur with over 10 years of business experience in tourism, fashion, beauty and medicine. Laura is also a civil activist and a keen traveller, with a Master's in spatial planning.

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