Kestrel Management, Principal Consultant/Owner

In his 18 years of consulting, A.W. has assisted clients in the refining, chemical, railroad, mining, food and beverage, and metals casting industries identify, assess and develop controls to manage environmental and safety risks to their organizations. A.W. also helps organizations evaluate human factors and identify contributing factors leading to environmental and safety events. As a member of the Steering Committee for the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center at Texas A&M University, A.W. is working with the Center on research in human factors and behavior-based safety.

Professor, Yale Law School

He has spent the past decade at the Environmental Defense Fund. There, he developed and quarterbacked advocacy strategies related to international development, trade, finance, human rights, and the environment. Aaron has been published and quoted in both mainstream and specialized media. His research currently focuses on political polarization, gridlock, and democratic reform. He was the recipient of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowship at Stanford's Graduate School of Business and the Dean's Fellowship at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Director, Sustainability and Environmental Affairs, Johnson Controls

His professional experience includes developing and managing company-wide sustainability strategies and programs. Adam most recently served as the Commercial Director, Energy and Climate Change for The Dow Chemical Company. At Dow he also served as Director of Sustainability, leading the company’s Corporate Water Strategy Team, a cross-functional and business team to pull together all aspects of Dow’s commitments around water. Prior to Dow he held roles at Accenture and EDS.

Senior Advisor and Head of Unit for Strategic Communication, UNDP

Adam also continues to lead the World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty, as Coordinator. He received his BA in International Affairs from Northern Arizona University, an MA in Communication and Technology from the University of Alberta, and an MBA from the TRIUM programme at New York University, the London School of Economics and HEC Paris School of Management.

Founder and CEO, Strategia Group

Over 30 years’ international experience. Worked across many sectors in Europe, North America, the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East. His consulting focus is on strategic positioning, commercialization, new business development, regulation, e-commerce and organizational change.Adrian has worked for over 40 organizations in the international postal sector including Postal Administrations, Government, Regulators and Technology Suppliers, and the Universal Postal Union. His work has ranged from organization and operational restructuring, business strategy and product innovation, to privatization and governance. Adrian continues to work with Research and Academic Institutions including Imperial College London, The Work Foundation, and the London Business School.

General Manager for Entrepreneurship Programs and Financing, National Institute of the Entrepreneur (INAEMD)

With experience in both the private and public sectors, she has been a leader in portfolio management and public fundraising and policymakers to generate more innovative programs to foster the entrepreneurship ecosystem. Tortajada earned her BA in Finance from the Universidad de Guadalajara and a Master’s degree in Public Adminstration from Ortega y Gasset University in Madrid, Spain. She is a Kauffman Fellow at the Center for Venture Education, California.

Business Process Expert - Supplier Open Innovatinon

Adriano has an extensive experience in technology innovations, technology scouting and transfer, as well as in innovation management. He has been technology broker, consultant, manager of a joint venture active in nanotech domain, and a project manager for supporting companies in adopting new technologies and materials. He is also an expert innovator, with a creative mindset, and a clear attitude to create new business opportunities.

President / Vice-President, International Geographical Union, Zefat Academic College

Member of the European Academy. Born in 1945, Haifa, Israel. Ph.D. in Geography, Boston University, 1976. Visiting positions: Bar-Ilan University; University of Maryland, College Park; Ben-Gurion University; University of Miami; Boston University; Oxford University. Served as Vice President, University of Haifa, 1995-2004. In 2007-2014, President, Zefat Academic College. Vice-President, International Geographical Union (IGU) 2008-2014. Specialties: geography of information and the Internet; personal mobilities. Publications: eight books; five monographs; over 110 refereed articles and book chapters. Awards and grants: Fulbright Foundation; Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture; Burda Foundation; Association of American Geographers (AAG).

Executive Director, The Green Way (Dublin's CleanTech Cluster)

She is the Executive Director of The Green Way – Dublin’s cleantech cluster – supporting Irish cleantech entrepreneurs to develop and grow their business, nationally and internationally. The Green Way’s purpose is to support the development of Ireland’s green economy, and we this by connecting industry, government and researchers to develop, test, promote and deploy innovative and locally-developed clean technology solutions both nationally and internationally.

Researcher

Aiveen is a political scientist with a BA from Maastricht University. After a research stay in Ethiopia and completing her MSc in Transition Studies from Giessen University, Aiveen returned her focus to the European Union. In order to scale-up sustainable policies based on the EU’s regulatory power, her aim was to better understand the process and development of policy- and decision-making. During her MA in European Studies at Bonn University, she wrote her thesis on the EU’s Circular Economy policy. In her free time she enjoys hiking, cycling and food.

Director, Ripplewood Limited

Today, Alan’s work is in business education and as also as a consultant and advisor, with the two parallel career streams reinforcing one other. He has his own business, Ripplewood Limited and is an Associate Fellow at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. His career includes executive roles at Solarcentury, a high-growth cleantech business and at IDEO, the renowned Silicon Valley innovation firm. Alan holds a double masters’ in Innovation Design Engineering from Imperial College, London and the Royal College of Art.

CEO, Fatracs Co Limited

Mr. Butare also was the Academic Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology and represented the Government of Rwanda in international climate change discussions.

Global Corporate Reputation and Responsibility Director, Telefonica

A. And Visiting Professor at School of Economics & Business Administration at Navarra University. Additionally, Alberto is a member of the Board of Business Ethics at Universidad Pontificia Comillas Chair. Formerly, he was associate professor at IE Business School for more than 20 years and member of the Stakeholders Council of Global Reporting Initiative. Andreu holds a Degree in Law at Universidad Pontificia de Comillas, and a MBA at IE Business School. Now, he is a Phd Candidate at Universidad Pontificia de Comillas.

Ambassador, Origin Green

She has worked across the private, public and NGO sector gaining experience in a wide array of areas including implementing sustainability strategies, optimising resource management, managing sustainability communications, designing carbon management tools and fostering stakeholder engagement. Ali recently spent two years working as an Origin Green Ambassador driving sustainability in the Irish food and drink industry.

Buildings Sustainability Leader, ARUP

He is an Arup Fellow and an Honorary Professor of Environmental Design in the School of Built Environment Nottingham University. He joined Arup in 1979 and has been involved in the design of arts & culture, education, commercial and transport buildings worldwide. His particular expertise is the application of building physics and micro climate design in finding sustainable solutions to the built environment. His projects include the Eden Project, Cornwall, UK, the California Academy of Science, Kasai Airport, Japan and the new Parliament building for Malta.

Professor, Department of Geography, UCLA

He was made a fellow of the British Academy in 1999, and was the recipient of the Prix Vautrin Lud for 2003. His book “On Hollywood: the Place, the Industry” (Princeton University Press, 2005) won the Meridian Book Prize in March 2006. He was awarded the Anders Retzius Gold Medal by the Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography in 2009. The degree of doctor honoris causa was conferred on him by the University of Jena in 2011, and in 2013 he was awarded the Sir Peter Hall Prize of the Regional Studies Association.

Anam originates from Pittsburgh, PA and is currently studying material science and engineering at The Pennsylvania State University.

Senior Engineer

Engineer, climate change optimist

Professor, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth

He works with senior managers of major companies on business valuation, and how their firms’ fundamentals and metrics drive market valuations. Anant has published in leading journals in finance, law, and organization studies, is coauthor of a leading textbook, has authored dozens of cases, and served on many editorial boards. He has published op-eds in major global newspapers others, and is quoted (and regularly appears) in numerous major media outlets globally. He is a founding member of the Foundation for Advancement of Research in Finance, sits on the board of the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation, was on the advisory board of The Energy and Resources Institute, was a member of the ‘Investor Team’ on Forbes’ Intelligent Investing panel, and was a member of a National Academy of Sciences steering committee on climate education. He created the Fossil Fuel Beta (FFß), a metric to measure the stock price impact of a company’s exposure to fossil fuel price changes and CO2 emissions risks for CFO magazine. He is the co-creator of uValue™, a free, fully-functional corporate valuation app for the iPad and the iPhone/iPod Touch.

Executive Director, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture

He is a Trustee of the International Baccalaureate Organisation (UK), the Africa Fellowship Trust and Crop Innovations. He is Chair of the Board of the International Network on Bamboo and Rattan and of the Executive Board of the Generation Challenge Programme – CGIAR. He is a Director of the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture and of the Doyle Foundation. He was Director, Rural Livelihoods and Environment for the British Department for International Development where he was responsible for professional advice on policy and programmes in the fields of livelihoods, natural resources, environment, sustainable development and research.

Executive Director, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture

He has published numerous articles and chapters in leading scholarly and applied publications. Hargadon is at the forefront of teaching, research and practice in cross-disciplinary entrepreneurship, and is founding director of two key centers at UC Davis, dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and innovation through educational programs. Hargadon received his doctoral degree from the Management Science and Engineering Department at Stanford University.

Head of Technology, UNFCCC

The UNFCCC’s strategy is to secure a universal and legal international climate change agreement in 2015 and for it's implementation from 2020. Representing the UNFCCC and mobilizing efforts to bridge the pre-2020 emissions reduction gap.

Diversity Adviser, London Borough of Havering

She is currently working as a Diversity Advisor at the London Borough of Havering. Andreyana's academic background is Politics. Throughout the years Andreyana has not only developed in-depth E&D expertise, but has also acquired extensive experience in public policy, service development and improvement, project and programme management. She has a Master's from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Sofia (Bulgaria) graduated with Distinction.

Founder and CEO, The TYF Group

He is Founder Director of the TYF Group and a non exec board member of Natural Resources Wales, helping organisations correlate their ambition, goals and actions to the speed and scale of response that’s needed for a shift to resilience.

Managing Director, Tesco Labs

She was head of customer experience for our grocery home shopping business, responsible for the user experience across web, mobile and tablet and it was soon after the launch of our first mobile apps she was given the opportunity to set up the Tesco.com Innovation team, which has become Tesco Labs after merging with the IT research team.

Program Director, New Economics Foundation

He works with all teams at NEF to identify strategic priorities, identify funding opportunities and ensure a coherent vision and direction for the organisation. Aniol joined NEF in 2007 as Head of Environment. Over the following eight years he developed NEF’s Environment Programme building a team of five people working on three main areas: marine, energy and food. He has a BSc degree in Biology from the Universitat de Barcelona and a MSc in environmental economics from University College London.

Executive Director, CAMFED International

Its advocacy of girls’ education and child protection is ensuring that the voices of rural girls and women are heard at the highest level. Ann has won numerous awards for her work including an Honorary Doctorate in Law from Cambridge University, an OBE from the Queen and the Skoll and Schwab Awards for Social Entrepreneurship.

Director, Deloitte

Anna began her career as an organizational development consultant at Arthur Andersen, following by Deloitte’s corporate strategy group. Anna is a board member of Canadian Business and Biodiversity Council. She is also a board member and lead fundraiser of Association Chemins du soleil focused on downtown Montreal youth’s poverty prevention through sport, art and social entrepreneurship. Anna holds a master of international commerce and bachelor of business administration from University of Economics in Poznan, Poland. She is also certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

SVP, Head of Innovation, LafargeHolcim

She is a former Executive Committee member of Adecco Group where she was Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer for the global leader in HR services. She started her career with Bain & Company in Italy in the retail and consumer practice, and has worked on building, integrating and growing new businesses in global companies (Monsanto, DSM, Manpower) by adopting new technologies, bringing a customer centric focus, with a collaborative and analytical approach.

Senior Policy Adviser on Sustainable Business and Economics, WWF

, and an expert on sustainable production and consumption. He is the author of several influential publications, including “Let Them Eat Cake” (WWF, 2006) and “Deeper Luxury” (WWF, 2007). He also works with a range of organizations from the public, private and non-profit sectors to understand how humans – and businesses, in particular – can thrive in harmony with nature.

Director, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center

He also chairs the University of Maryland Council on the Environment. Antonio J. Busalacchi received his Ph.D. degree in oceanography from Florida State University in 1982. He began his professional career that year at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. His research has supported a range of international and national research programs dealing with global change and climate, particularly as affected by the oceans. In 1991, he was appointed as Chief of the NASA/Goddard Laboratory for Hydrospheric Processes, and member of the Senior Executive Service. In year 2000, he was selected as the founding director of ESSIC at the University of Maryland. Dr. Busalacchi has been involved in the activities of the World Climate Research Program (WCRP) for many years and currently is chair of the Joint Scientific Committee that oversees the WCRP.

Mobility Program Coordinator, National Transport Authority

Arlene was one of the original team implementing the Irish pilot sustainable travel programme for schools, which subsequently became the national programme of implementation, as part of the international Eco-Schools programme (known as Green-Schools in Ireland).

Dean, University of Augsburg

His research focuses on the synthesis and properties of functional materials relevant for energy and environment technologies. He received his education and PhD in Solid State Chemistry at the University of Zürich, Switzerland.

Associate Professor, Director, Sustainability Programs

Before founding Terra, Astorre was a principal at Israel Seed Partners, a leading seed – stage venture capital in Israel with more than $260 million under management. Until recently, Astorre was an active key investor in the establishment of Cellint, a new cellular startup that is growing rapidly. Prior to Israel Seed, Astorre was with McKinsey & Co., based in Paris, where he consulted to leading Italian, French and Israeli manufacturing and financial corporations. Astorre holds a B.S.c. in Physics & Outstanding Students Program ("Amirim") from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Ph.D. in the laser Plasma Physics from Imperial College in London and Ecole Polytechnique in Paris working in their nuclear fusion energy program. Astorre has co-authored more than 25 scientific papers in prestigious journals, such as Nature.

Assistant Professor, Division of Community Health and Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, Health Science Centre, Memorial University

Associate Professor, Management Development Institute

Dean, Duke's Nicholas School of Environment

He joined Duke as the Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment in 2007.

CEO, Resilient Communities

His doctoral research and continued inquiry in the world is around the emergence of forms of leadership which create new possibilities in our communities. Bob works as a coach to many younger leaders, helping them name their work, connecting them with others, assisting them in supporting each other, and illuminating their work to others who are looking for a sense of what we might do, together. He is an Adjunct Professor in Doctoral in Leadership Studies Program at Gonzaga University and have served as Adjunct Faculty and Distinguished Visiting Professor at numerous other institutions.

Chairman, ACG Limited

Brendan sits on a number of boards and is the Chairman to a number of fast scaling companies based in Ireland. He is an executive coach and motivational speaker to CEO’s of scaling companies, on behalf of the Irish and UK Governments and works with various business schools such as Cambridge, Trinity, DCU as a guest speaker / dragon for their Masters and Executive Programmes. He is the author of “Accelerating Company Growth” a practical guide for CEO’s to accelerate the growth of their business, based on his own experience and narrated through real life stories. Brendan is a Chartered Accountant, having trained and worked with KPMG and PWC, he holds an MBA from UCD, a Commerce Degree from UCC and is a Qualified Executive Coach with a Higher Diploma from UCC & IMI. Brendan is married to a farmer and lives on the farm in Ireland with his four children.

Director, The John Smith Memorial Trust

Brian is a specialist in designing and delivering leadership and personal development programmes for the government, not for profit and private sectors. As Academic Programme Director Brian is responsible for the delivery of Fellowship programmes designed for emerging leaders from the Former Soviet Union and Middle East. In this capacity he has worked with many Fellows and seen the realisation of their action plans.

CEO, GrassFeed Direct

As President and CEO of Rainier Connect, a telecommunications family business, he is also an advocate of enabling positive changes in the local economy and supporting early stage businesses through the Tacoma Angel Network. Brian is joint founder of Grassfed Direct which aims to promote and certify meat produced from 100% grass-fed cattle.

Global Managing Director; Accenture Management Consulting - Strategy & Sustainability

Bruno Berthon is managing director for Digital Strategy within Accenture Strategy. His role focuses on advising companies and governments on business strategy, operating models, digital strategies and innovation, cost management, customer strategies, human capital management, large-scale business transformation and organizational change. Mr. Berthon studied engineering and economics at Ecole Centrale, Paris. He has a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD, a Master's in macroeconomics from Paris La Sorbonne and a degree in law from Paris XIII. He is based in Paris, France.

Research Fellow, College of Science, George Mason University

She is working on the cutting edge of Geoinformatics with focus on developing novel technologies (spatiotemporal information extraction, change detection, and geolocati and surveillance applications. Caixia is the recipient of the 2009 President’s Award and the 2010 Robert E. Altenhofer Memorial Scholarship Award, two prestigious awards following nationwide competition, both from the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS).

Director, International Institute for Environment and Development

Her work has combined field research, policy analysis and advocacy. Her interests include building alliances with those on the frontline of sustainable development and land rights in Africa. Her current work focuses on climate change, property rights, global governance and natural resources.

Associate Professor, The University of Auckland

Her research focuses on sustainability – in engineering practices, infrastructure, business, design and new product development. She is currently working with Auckland Council on the sustainable future of Auckland and with Fletchers Construction on sustainable buildings and building products. She is the co-director of the Sustainable Futures Centre being established at the University which will focus on innovative research into sustainable built environments and sustainable futures. She is the Chair of The Sustainability Society and has chaired four International Conferences on Sustainability Engineering and Science.

PhD / research scientist, Institut de Biologie Structurale

After completing a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Montreal, Canada, she continued her researcher work at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Caroline is now back in her native country, working on a Biophysical platform in Grenoble, France. She is actively involved in the organisation of scientific actions aiming at developing young researchers connections.

Research Intern

Carter Vance holds an Honours Bachelor of Psychology from the University of Ottawa, an Honours Bachelor of Social Work from Algoma University, and a Master of Arts in Political Economy from Carleton University. He has worked as a Literacy Councilor at Kasabonika Lake First Nation in Ontario's Far North, as a Policy Intern with Emmaus in London, UK, and as a Legislative Researcher with the Senate of Canada. In addition, he has published articles on topics related to social work, international affairs and political economy in both academic and non-academic outlets. Carter is also a published poet and contributes regularly to a number of creative writing outlets.

Director, FromOverHere Ltd

She designs and convenes interventions aimed at disseminating a better approach to decision-making and action-taking. Cat advises and teaches, including at Moscow’s Presidential Academy for Public Administration and the UN Sustainable Development Goal 16 Advisory Panel. Previously, she was Strategy Project Director at the UK FCO and Policy Adviser in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit. Before working in government, she worked in strategy and international relations across the not-for-profit and business sectors, including for Procter and Gamble, the World Bank and Christian Aid. 

She is trustee for Involve, a public participation Thinktank; the Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development and Academics Stand Against Poverty.

Director, An Economy That Works

Charles was previously Head of the Centre for Well-being at New Economic foundation, a leading UK think tank promoting social, economic and environmental justice.

Associate Professor, University of Cheikh Anta Diop

Ph.D. (d’Etat), (2009). Cheikh Anta Diop University and University of Copenhagen, Denmark, Carbon stocks dynamics of tropical savannas. He holds a Ph.D. (3e Cycle) (2000) from the Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal, Remote sensing and environmental science. And an M.S. (1995) from Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal in Physical geography.

Researcher

As a responsible and forward-thinking postgraduate student in Cranfield University, Chenxi Li is intellectually curious, ambitious and excited to deep-dive into the working of sustainability disruptive innovation.

Chotika has completed a bachelor's degree in Mechatronics Engineering from King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi after which she joined Thai Toshiba Electric Industries. Her hobbies are learning more languages (English, Japanese, Chinese) and playing badminton.  During her internship with Katerva, she focuses on sustainable innovation that addresses SDG14, 'Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources'. 

CEO, Guayaki

Chris got his BA in Economics from Harvard University but quickly realized that economics conveniently forgot about sustaining the environment and protecting people. Through his experience with Guayaki and previously with Natural Flavors, a 100% organic, vegan restaurant that employed 25 people and 60 local farmers, Chris is finding that by recognizing common purpose, seemingly disparate groups can integrate social justice, environmental restoration and economic success.

Summer Intern 2018

Chun-Wen Yang is a student of a master in International Relations at the National Taiwan University. He is also a member of the Society of Wilderness, the biggest environmental NGO in Taiwan.

Director of Bioethics, Iowa State University

His research aims to forge links between political theory, philosophy, law, economic theory, and public policy studies. He has been particularly interested to evaluate the long-term effects of policy and technology on human development and the environment. His publications include research on human population growth, agriculture and human development, ethics and technological change, sustainability, and intergenerational justice.

Director of Area 31, IE Business School

She is also professor of entrepreneurship and Innovation. After graduating with a B.S. in Economics, and interning at the United Nations, Conchita started work at Banco Santander where she was responsible for conducting analyses and forecasts of Latin America’s main economies, primarily Mexico, Brazil, and Chile. Conchita holds a Masters in Public Administration and International Development from Harvard University’s Kennedy School. Since 2010 Conchita has combined her job as CEO of the social venture Puentes Global with several positions at IE Business School.

Geneva, UN Advisor

From 2000-2012 he was with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, including as Manager of its largest programme, on Chemicals and Waste Management. At UNITAR he initiated the first UN agency programme on Nanotechnology and was responsible for projects in some 100 countries. Craig also worked with World Wildlife Fund-Canada on chemicals issues. Prior to joining WWF, he was Director of Environment for Canada’s National Inuit organization, focusing on wildlife conservation and threats from pollution and climate change. From 2010 to 2011, Craig was Chair of the Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals, which is a coordinating mechanism of nine UN and other organizations. He was also a co-founder of the NGO Steering Committee for the Commission on Sustainable Development, and the International POPs Elimination Network. Craig holds a degree from the University of Toronto. He resides in Geneva, Switzerland.

COO and Co-founder, CSRHub

She is a forerunner and thought leader in the corporate sustainability movement who co-founded EKOS International in 1996, one of the first consultancies integrating sustainability and corporate strategy. Cynthia has worked with major organizations including BNSF, Boeing, Coca-Cola, Dow Jones, and REI to help craft sustainability strategy integrated with business. She was an Officer of LIN Broadcasting/McCaw Cellular leading new services development, and started a new “Greenfield” mill with Weyerhaeuser. She serves as Advisor to media and technology companies, and served as President of the Board of Sustainable Seattle.

Professor, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research

Dagmar was PhD student at the University of Leipzig, Department of Geography, and focused her research on modelling and monitoring water and matter fluxes in disturbed and landscape systems. She finished her PhD thesis on modelling matter fluxes of disturbed urban floodplain forests. Dagmar Haase is a member of the scientific staff of the Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). Since 2009 Dagmar Haase holds the professorship of Landscape Ecology at the Department of Geography at the Humboldt University of Berlin.

Director of Operations, Quorum Analytics

He represents Tarumitra, a youth-led ECOSOC affiliated NGO that focuses on energy and forest conservation in India. Within this role, he has advocated for and helped create more opportunities for youth empowerment in sustainable development initiatives. As a student at Lehigh University, Dan has also served on the executive board for Lehigh’s student chapter of Engineers Without Borders. He has an Undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering and is pursuing a Masters degree in Environmental Policy Design at Lehigh University.

Canada Research Chair in Global Change and Tourism & Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change, University of Waterloo

His research interests are in the social, economic, and environmental processes of global change and their implications for the international tourism industry. He focuses on reducing the vulnerability of tourism-dependent communities to risks associated with global change, most notably climate change. Scott holds a PhD, MA, and a BSc in geography from York University, the University of Waterloo, and Brandon University, Canada, respectively.

Secretary General, CIVICUS

He was Director General of the Royal Commonwealth Society, a large NGO devoted to Commonwealth affairs based in London. He was the first non-British and youngest person to head this 140-year-old organisation. Sriskandarajah was educated at James Ruse Agricultural High School in Carlingford, New South Wales. And then attended the University of Sydney, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Economics and Social Science in 1998. He is a well-known researcher and commentator on migration issues.

Summer Intern 2018

As a master student major in public policy, Darcy Luo focuses on studying environmental policy and program design and evaluation. Within environmental field, she is most interested in sustainable technology which makes Katerva a perfect fit.

Founder and CEO, Novel Futures Corporation

For over two decades, he has been helping governments, United Nations agencies, international think tanks, foundations, communities and businesses imagine and navigate the future.

Chair, International Board, CEE Network for Gender Issues

Renewable Energy Technologist, Google

D. at Stanford University in Applied Physics. Most recently David developed photovoltaic technology at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) before joining Google in 2010. He has studied and worked primarily on thin film electronic materials and devices. Dr. Fork holds over 80 issued US patents and has authored over 100 publications. Dr. Fork also founded the Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange, a non-profit located in Mountain View, CA.

Profesor de Economía, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco

He received his doctorate in economics from Yale University and was awarded the National Prize in Political Economics in 1979 for his analysis of inflation in Mexico. He is a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences and of the National Research Council. In 1974, he was a founding member of the Ecodevelopment Center. His recent research focuses on the implementation of alternative strategies for the sustainable management of resources.

CEO: CRC for Low Carbon Living, University of NSW, Sydney, Australia

Deo won the 2006 Royal Australian Institute of Architect’s National Education Award for contribution to ‘sustainability education, research and design’. In 2004 he won the NSW State Government’s individual GreenGlobe Award for ‘showing leadership and commitment to the supply of renewable energy’. He has also won the Federal Government’s national award for ‘outstanding contribution to energy related research’. He is a regular contributor to debate in this area in local and international media and contributes significantly to the visibility of UNSW in this field. Deo is the Chief Investigator (lead proponent) of the newly established CRC for Low Carbon Living ($104m over seven years start up). He also is one of the Sydney Ambassadors (Business Events NSW) with special focus on promoting Sydney as a destination for high end environmental-scientific events.

Chairman, Cynnal Cymru - Sustain Wales

and was formerly chair of Stakeholder Forum for nearly 20 years. He served 30 years in the UK Civil Service, the latter 6 years as Director General for Environmental Protection within the Department of the Environment. Derek represented the United Kingdom and was Chair of the Management Board of the European Environment Agency and was on the Board of the Environment Agency for England and Wales. He has been a non-executive director of Severn Trent PLC, and chair of Jupiter Global Green Investment Trust.

Diana Cano is a Bilingual professional (Spanish-English) with a bachelor in international relations and master in project management. Since 8 years Diana works in formulating, writing and managing projects and strategies for fundraising for NGOs, international organizations and consular bodies in themes as children, woman and Information and communication technology (ICT).

Innovation Architect

Since 2012 Dorothea is an independent trainer, advisor and author with special focus on self-, team- and organizational empowerment in service Sustainable Development. She believes in the TWIN-Path of leadership, that suggests that individual's impact in the world is accelerating once their inner development path and their professional work are deeply aligned. From 2006 to 2011, she explored and introduced sustainability as innovation driver at Philips. She represented Philips in the WBCSD Vision 2050 project, where she led the work-stream on human well-being. In her paper on Sustainable Innovation she translated Vision 2050 into initial concrete action. She is a LEAD fellow, a steering board member of the Green Economy Coalition and the Sustainable Innovation Lab, piloted by the University of Exeter, UK, and a visiting professor to the Technical University of Aachen, RWTH.

Consultant

She studied mechanical engineering and entrepreneurship at KTH and wrote her bachelor thesis about ecodesign, since she is keen on creating more value with less use of resources. During her studies, Ebba was a board member of SEEK, Sustainable Engineering Everywhere KTH, curator of the reflective engineer project and co-founder of Sustainergies and eventually dropped out to work with aerospace technology transfer for sustainable applications. During the Stockholm+40 and Rio+20 conferences Ebba held ideation workshops for youth in Sweden focusing on sustainable innovation. Ebba is currently at the board of Geek Girl Meetup for women in technology and is involved in the Stockholm startup scene and the global DIY maker movement.

Graduate Student, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs

Her interests are in sustainable development policy and green growth. Prior to Columbia, Eela interned for Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future (SF), where she worked on various research projects surrounding the green economy, global environmental governance and Rio+20. Most recently, she worked on SF’s analysis of UNDESA’s Survey on the Sustainable Development Goals.

CEO, denkleister

He has worked in the fields of consulting, microfinance, retail credit risk management, and marketing in Germany, France, India, and Vietnam. He studied business economics and management at Witten/Herdecke University, Germany, and IPADE, Mexico. Since 2010 he was board member of Oikos, a Switzerland-based student network promoting ecological and social dimensions in economics for future business and academic leaders in 23 countries. Eike Haas is currently finalizing his thesis and jointly leads the operations of Denkleister, a consultancy based at the University of Witten/Herdecke, founded and managed by students.

Professor, UCSD

She received her PhD from Stanford University in 2005 and was a Postdoctoral Fellow and the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at UC Santa Barbara before joining the faculty at UCSD. Her research has demonstrated that the timing of plant growth is a key indicator of species responses to global change, and shows that ecosystems often respond in surprising, non-linear ways when exposed to multiple, simultaneous environmental changes.

Project Manager, Green Economy Coalition

She leads on research, strategy, communications and stakeholder engagement. More specifically, she works with governments, NGOs and business to identify the national and corporate policies required to accelerate a transformation to more resilient, equitable and resource-efficient economies. Prior to the GEC she worked for Stakeholder Forum as the Head of Communications and Engagement. She has an MSc International Development from the LSE and an MA English Literature from Oxford University.

Vice President Responsible Retailing, Royal Ahold

Emma oversees Ahold’s Group-wide Corporate Responsibility strategy. Before joining Ahold Emma was Director of the Health Insurance Fund, a foundation supporting low-cost health insurance delivered through the private sector in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to the Fund Emma worked at New Philanthropy Capital where she managed the setup and launch of the Private Equity Foundation a leading venture philanthropy fund that raises over 5 million pounds a year focusing on the issue of young people not in education, employment or training. Emma has also worked in consulting in the telecoms industry. Emma has an MBA from IESE Business School.

Assistant Editor, Crosscut

She speaks globally on issues of Gender and Justice, and Women-led Economic Growth. Erin’s advocacy played an integral role in the formation of the US Dept. of Justice “Vision 21” Program, which identifies previously undefined victim populations, and aims for a more inclusive victim response whether in the United States or abroad.

Director, Stakeholder Forum

Before this, Farooq was at the UK Sustainable Development Commission. He worked on strategic assessment at the SDC; in order to hold the UK Government to account and improve its sustainability performance. Currently, Farooq is a Specialist Advisor to the UK Parliament's Environmental Audit Committee and a member of the Alliance for Future Generations. Additionally he is a founding member of Brighter Future in London. Farooq holds a BComm in Management Science from the University of Alberta and an MSc in Public Policy from the London School of Economics.

Founder and CEO, Wavemaker

In 2009 she initiated The Ex’tax Project, continuing the legacy of the founder of Ex''tent, the late Eckart Wintzen. Ex’tax is the proposal to shift taxation from labour to natural resource use. This creates incentives to save resources, empowering the circular economy. Lower taxes on labour will make it possible to tap into the abundance of capacities of people. The Ex''tax Project was founded to create a powerful coalition in favour of getting the best out of people rather than nature. Femke is a political scientist specialized in international relations and environment. She has lived, worked and studied in the Netherlands, Italy, Kenya, Vietnam, England and New Zealand.

Coordinator of the Process Innovation Unit and Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, GIRO Technological Centre

Francesc works at the interface between fundamental and applied sciences, in order to find new engineering applications that tackle real world concerns. His research focuses on bacteria and fungi from extreme environments that convert toxic contaminants into harmless -and even valuable- products. The methodological approach is based on the interdisciplinary study of the ecophysiology and metabolism of specific microbes in the laboratory, as well as complex microbial community dynamics in both the open environment and at bioreactor full-scale.

Consul General of Mexico in Dallas, Texas, USA

Before he was Executive Director of the Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior (Institute for the Mexicans Abroad of the Foreign Ministry). Expert in International Law, migration and diasporas, and Latin America. Public servant and member of the Mexican Foreign Service since 1998. Francisco has worked overseas in Mexican Embassies of Brazil and Argentina. He has given Lectures in in many countries across USA, Europe, Latin America and Asia as well as in many cities in the US. Fluent in Spanish, English and Portuguese.

Founder and CEO, Entrepreneur Week

He is a relentless entrepreneur and driven philanthropist with a footprint on four continents; broad experience spanning entrepreneurship, M&A, business turnarounds, and Fortune 100 board directorships. In 2009, Gary began leveraging his global rolodex of accomplished leaders and innovators to build the largest network of Entrepreneur Weeks in the world. Gary was Division I collegiate athlete in both Football and Track & Field at Central Connecticut State University and graduated with a triple degree in management, marketing, and entrepreneurship. He also graduated Singularity University in 2012.

Sustainable Development & Communications Director, BASF

He advises a wide range of strategic and tactical groups inside and outside BASF including private, public and third sector organizations. As a leading chemical company, BASF combines economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, BASF enables customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society . Geoff’s background is as a research scientist and communications adviser, he read Biology in Liverpool and has a number of post-graduate qualifications including an MBA.

Interim Executive Director, International Water Association

He is a recognized leader in water and environment issues with over 25 years of experience in sustainable development focusing on solutions for world-wide water challenges. Ger’s experience in water and environmental issues include scientific research, local water management, national water policy and international negotiations. His special areas of expertise include optimizing water resources for human and environmental needs, adaptation to climate change, and management of large scale infrastructure in river basins. Most recently he has focused on urban water management, water – energy optimization and utility management.

Giulia Segatto is a bachelor in International Relations passionate about innovations and projects that can make a difference and lead to a better world. Acted as International Relations Manager on a Venezuelan StartUP and is currently working with international business.

CEO

Glen Hiemstra is the founder and owner of Futurist.com. Glen is dedicated to disseminating information about the future to assist individuals, organizations, and industries in effective strategic planning. An internationally respected expert on future trends, long-range planning and creating the preferred future, Glen has advised professional, business, and governmental organizations for two decades and has served as a technical advisor for futuristic television programs. Audience members for Glen’s keynote speeches and clients for his long-range planning say things like, “Once you hear Glen Hiemstra speak, the future will never look the same.”

President, International Council for Science

Professor McBean was born and educated in Canada, and obtained a PhD in physics from the University of British Colombia (UBC), Vancouver. After an academic and research career that included serving as Professor of Atmospheric and Oceanographic Sciences at UBC, he was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister in Environment Canada. He is chair of the International Advisory Board, IRDR International Centre of Excellence, China: Taipei; the Ontario Climate Consortium and member of several other international and national committees.

Founder & Executive Director, New Earth

H. Chan School of Public Health. He is a Visiting Professor with the Applied Sustainability Center at the University of Arkansas, where he serves as Director of Research for The Sustainability Consortium. Greg is also Chief Scientist with the International Living Future Institute , Co-Director, Sustainability and Health Initiative for NetPositive Enterprise (SHINE) and Adjunct Lecturer on Life Cycle Assessment. Norris founded New Earth, a non-profit institute developing and deploying technologies that enable people around the world to drive sustainable development “from the bottom up.”

Principal and Sustainability Practice Leader, Thornton Thomasetti

As a principal and Thornton Tomasetti’s Sustainability practice leader, he oversees green building experts in the New York City, Chicago, London, San Francisco and Portland, Maine, offices and collaborates with the firm’s nine other practices and all 34 offices. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and LEED Fellow.

Summer Intern 2018

Hannah is a graduate student at UC San Diego getting her masters in International Affairs with a concentration in Environmental Policy. She has worked on environmental issues from the perspective of science, policy, and communication and hopes to merge aspects of each in her future career. In her free time she enjoys hiking, concerts, and art museums. 

Director General Agriculture, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Argriculture and Innovation

In 2009 he became Visiting Professor of Practice in Natural Resource Policy at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Boston). Hans Hoogeveen was involved in European negotiations on the Common Agricultural Policy and in other international negotiations. He obtained a law degree in 1984, a Master’s Degree in Public Management and received a doctorate degree from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and Wageningen University. He also completed a programme for Senior Managers in Government at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Secretariat, School for Wellbeing Studies and Research

Years of professional experience and voluntary engagement guided me to my ultimate goal: enabling multi-stakeholder dialogue towards 'paradigm shift'. In the social enterprise, they try to combine hands-on book publishing, running a restaurant and coffee-shop in the old city of Bangkok, a Green Market Network, while exploring dimensions of global transformation in the School for Wellbeing Studies and Research. The "school" has its home base in Ashram Wongsanit, Bangkok.

Lead for Creativity, Scottish Government

She later went to work in quality improvement within the UK’s National Health Service. That was followed by a stint with the Scottish Government Health Directorate. As Head of Innovation and Improvement, she led a team that scoped, designed and led national improvement programmes. For the last year and a half, she’s led a programme aimed at increasing the creative capability within the Scottish government. This includes supporting people within the organisation to explore and find answers to complex problems, both corporately and in policy development and implementation. She holds a Masters in Leadership and Organizational Change.

Head of global Public & Government Affairs, Philips Lighting

He is responsible for the strategy, outreach and stakeholder management on energy & climate change, resource efficiency and sustainable development, with a key focus on the role of the LED lighting revolution. He has since the end of 2003 been the architect of the lighting strategy on energy and climate change, which has resulted in a global momentum on phasing out of old lighting technologies.

He is an active member of a number of partnership and stakeholder networks, among which The Climate Group; Regions20 and the World Green Building Council and is a member of the Advisory Boards of The Lisbon Council and the Global Cities Institute (and their World Council on City Data). He is responsible for Philips’ relationship management with the UN and the World Bank and is a founding member of UNEP’s en.lighten program and the SE4All’s Global Energy Efficiency Accelerator Platform. He is chairman of the European Alliance to Save Energy and is president of the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association.

VP Conservation Enterprise, Wildlife Works Carbon, LLC

He has over 15 years of conservation management and community development experience in five continents. Prior to BCP, Hassan was Vice President of Wildlife Works, which achieved the World’s first verified REDD projects. Hassan’s PhD thesis was on community-based conservation from the University of Oxford. He also holds an MSc degree in Environmental Management from Oxford University, and a BA from Middlebury College, in the USA. Hassan is on the Board of the Baraka Foundation, and is a member of the IUCN Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group.

Nobel Laureate, Human Rights Lawyer

She was especially cited for her pro bono work defending people condemned under the Islamic Sharia laws that are in force in the northern Nigerian provinces. Hauwa has been a Visiting Professor at Saint Louis University School of Law and Stonehill College, a World Fellow at Yale University, a Radcliffe fellow, and a fellow at both the Human Rights Program and the Islamic Legal Studies Program at Harvard University.

Researcher

Helen was awarded a BA Honours in English Studies: History and Literature and an MA International Development by the University of East Anglia. During her MA she wrote a dissertation on the challenges to nation-building in divided societies. She has a keen interest in Human Development and supporting innovations which make a positive impact on human interactions

Founder and CEO, International Society for Ecology and Culture

Through writing and public lectures on three continents, she has been promoting an economics of personal, social and ecological well-being for more than thirty years. She is a widely respected analyst of the impact of the global economy on communities, local economies, and personal identity, and is a leading proponent of ‘localization’, or decentralization, as a means of countering those impacts. Helena’s book, Ancient Futures, has been described as “an inspirational classic”. Together with the film of the same title, it has been translated into more than 40 languages, and sold about half a million copies. She is also the producer and co-director of the award-winning film, The Economics of Happiness, and the co-author of Bringing the Food Economy Homeand From the Ground Up: Rethinking Industrial Agriculture. The Earth Journal counted Helena among the world’s ‘ten most interesting environmentalists’, while in Carl McDaniel’s book Wisdom for a Liveable Planet, she was profiled as one of ‘eight visionaries changing the world’. The Post Growth Institute counted Helena on the (En)Rich List, a list of 100 people “whose collective contributions enrich paths to sustainable futures.” Educated in Sweden, Germany, Austria, England and the United States, Helena specialized in linguistics, including studies at the University of London and at MIT. Since 1975, she has worked with the people of Ladakh, or “Little Tibet”, to find ways of enabling their culture to meet the modern world without sacrificing social and ecological values. For these efforts she was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, or ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’. Helena was awarded the 2012 Goi Peace Prize for contributing to “the revitalization of cultural and biological diversity, and the strengthening of local communities and economies worldwide.” Helena is the founder and director of the International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC). Based in the US and UK, with subsidiaries in Germany and Australia, ISEC examines the root causes of our current social and environmental crises, while promoting more sustainable and equitable patterns of living in both North and South. Helena is also a founding member of the International Commission on the Future of Food and Agriculture, and a co-founder of both the International Forum on Globalization and the Global Ecovillage Network.

Editor-In-Chief, Mercado Ético

He works as a journalist for about 15 years and since 2008 dedicates to the coverage of environmental agenda. He also got a golden medal for Malofiej Award, given by Navarra University (Spain) to the best infographics of the world.

Coordinator, AFPAT Sahel Region Representative

Hindou is a member of the Executive committee of the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC), Congo Basin Region representative, with a background in indigenous peoples'' rights and environment protection with the three Rio Conventions. Many publications, consultation, articles write in these areas. Hindou is Expert in adaptation, mitigation, and traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples on Climate Change etc. She is also a member of United Nations Indigenous Peoples Partnership (UNIPP).

System Analysis, Integrated Assessment and Modelling, Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology

She also holds a visiting professorship at the Institute of Geographical Science and Natural Resources Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Hong Yang received her Ph.D degree from Adelaide University, Australia in 1994. Her main research interests include integrated land and water resources management, water scarcity and its impacts on food security and implications for the global food trade, systems analysis and modelling for decision support, climate change impact assessment and adaptation, regional development, poverty alleviation, and water and agricultural policies.

Princess

HRH Princess Noor Bint Asem was born in Jordan in 1982. She received her elementary education in Spain where she grew up from the ages of 2-17 years old. Being exposed to different cultures and set of traditions, HRH speaks five languages and is an active member in various institutions. Though her main interest lies on education advancement and improved learning skills, HRH currently works with Inspirational Development Group (IDG) as their Middle East Consultant. HRH also offers workshops on self-development and one-on-one consultancy with the objective to build a scientific foundation and introduce leadership, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and change.

Director, Agency for Consultation and Research in Oceanography

Director, IRDANA

During her 35 years professional life, she has worked for, a.o. UNIFEM (presently: UN Women) and Oxfam-Novib, and she was actively involved in international, regional and national organizations, including WEDO (Women’s Environment and Development Organisation), WECF (Women in Europe for a Common Future) and Both ENDs (Environment and Development Servies for NGOs). She advices the United Nations, government agencies and non-governmental organizations on gender and environment issues and has lectured and written extensively on the issue, including the book ‘Gender and Climate Change: an introduction’(Earthscan, 2010).

Academic Dean, Harvard Kennedy School

She is also the co-chair of the Behavioral Insights Group at the Center for Public Leadership at HKS, an associate director of the Harvard Decision Science Laboratory. A behavioral economist combining insights from economics and psychology, her research focuses on questions of trust and decision-making, often with a gender or cross-cultural perspective. Professor Bohnet has been engaged in the teaching, training and consulting of private and public sector leaders in the United States, Europe, India and the Middle East.

Director, Global Strategy and Advocacy, National Research Defence Council

Since the 1970s, NRDC has recognized that the environment does not recognize national boundaries and now we know that we cannot achieve our strategic priorities without engaging in international fora and working in other key countries. I am very proud of what we been able to accomplish over the decades and looking forward to continuing to help strengthen NRDC’s global reach and capacity.

Principle Investigator / Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Technology, Dublin City University

Eng. in Manufacturing Engineering from Bolton St. Dublin Institute of Technology in 2005. Dr. Carton carried out his Ph.D. research in Dublin City University, focusing on the research, design and development of Hydrogen and clean energy technology, graduating in 2011. Gaining experience in companies and organisations such as NASA, ESA & EnBio, Dr Carton re-joined Dublin City University in 2013 to project manage an Enterprise Ireland venture to develop and commercialising “Fuel Cell” technology. In 2015, Dr Carton was appointed Principal Investigator on a subsequent Enterprise Ireland project “PureH2”, developing an energy storage system utilising innovative catalysts for hydrogen production.

Director, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies

He is best known for his research in climatology, his 1988 Congressional testimony on climate change that helped raise broad awareness of global warming, and his advocacy of action to avoid dangerous climate change. In recent years he has become a climate activist to mitigate the effects of climate change, on a few occasions leading to his arrest. In 2000 Hansen advanced an alternative view of global warming, arguing that rise in average global temperatures had been driven mainly by greenhouse gases.

Chief Economist, New Economics Foundation

Executive Director, Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System University

D. in both oceanography and geological sciences (1978) at the University of British Columbia. He has had a variety of appointments within Canadian universities (1978-1995: U. Calgary, Dalhousie U., U. Laval, Memorial U., and INRS-oceanologie) and was employed as a Senior Research Scientist within the Geological Survey of Canada at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography (1981-1995). James served as Director of INSTAAR - an Earth and Environmental Systems Institute from 1995-2007, and presently holds faculty appointments in Geological Sciences, Applied Mathematics, Atmosphere and Ocean Sciences, Hydrological Sciences, and Geophysics.

Senior Policy Advisor, ANPED

He has extensive NGO experience developed through three decades in almost all continents in the world, speaks several languages and has lectured and given workshops all over the world on the UN, governance, the environment and sustainable development, evaluated projects and organizations, advised governments on relations with civil society, chaired UN meetings and facilitated UN processes on the environment and sustainable development.

Research Fellow, Institute for Ecological Economy Research

As a Senior Researcher, she hold the thematic and project responsibilities in the areas of corporate social responsibility, post-growth economy, social entrepreneurship and sustainability reporting. In our transdisciplinary projects, Jana is working on identifying, evaluating and enhancing roles and responsibilities of entrepreneurial actors for sustainable development.

Founder and CEO

Janine Benyus is a biologist, innovation consultant, and author of six books, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. In Biomimicry, she names an emerging discipline that emulates nature’s designs and processes (e.g., solar cells that mimic leaves) to create a healthier, more sustainable planet. Since the book’s 1997 release, Janine has evolved the practice of biomimicry, consulting with businesses and conducting seminars about what we can learn from the genius that surrounds us. Her favorite role is Biologist-at-the-Design-Table, introducing innovators to 3.8 billion years of brilliant, time-tested solutions.

Independent Consultant

Consultant, UNEP

President & CEO, JG Black Book of Travel

Jena founded JG Black Book in 2002 and has since built it into a highly successful consulting firm that provides expert sales, marketing, public relations and branding services to the world’s most inspired travel experiences. The firm has been named by Inc. magazine as one of the country’s fastest growing privately-held companies four times.

School of Biotechnology / Head, Membrane and Environmental Technologies Group, Dublin City University

Her research is focused on the development of novel technologies and materials for mitigation of environmental problems, including treatment of solid and liquid wastes and drinking and wastewater treatment. She has particular expertise in membrane separations (micro-, ultra- and nanofiltration); including manufacture of novel and functionalized membranes for tailored applications. Her research is funded by industry and agency, including Science Foundation Ireland, the Irish Research Council, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Co-Founder and Director, Oak Grove Associates

Founder Director, Video Volunteers

J. Clinton Fellow of the American India Foundation. Jessica is a TED Fellow and a Fellow of Echoing Green, an organization that invests in social entrepreneurs with high-impact solutions. In 2009 she was recognized as an Architect of the Future by the Waldzell Institute of Austria, and in 2010, as an Outstanding Young Person by the Junior Chamber International Osaka. In 2011, she was one of the top fifty people shortlisted for the Grinnell College Young Innovator for Social Justice Prize, out of over 1000 applicants from 66 countries. Under her leadership VV has won numerous awards.

Senior Research Manager

Jia-Ying is a research scientist in the field of biochemistry. She obtained a BSc in chemistry in Taiwan, and MSc in organic synthesis and biochemistry in the Netherlands. After finishing her PhD in Leiden University and seeing how people learn to live with nature in the Netherlands, she moved to Grenoble, France to experience a different way of respecting nature in the French Alps. Her passion is to combine science, technology and environmental care to achieve a harmony between human and nature.

Professor of Corporate Responsibility/Social Innovation, Hult International Business School

Prior to Hult, she was an adjunct professor of strategy and management at INSEAD where she addressed the critical role of strategic communication, stakeholder relationships and aligned organizational cultures in realizing strategy. She worked across multiple industries such as BP and the World Bank as well as with smaller, socially-focused enterprises. While vice president at UK-based healthcare company SmithKline Beecham, she coordinated ‘Simply Better,’ a ground-breaking, global organizational change initiative that was the subject of From Promise to Performance: The Journey of Transformation.

Chairman, Ecopoint Limited

He lead half a dozen turnarounds in both Europe and Asia, the largest of which resulted in a 4,000 staff strong business across 69 cities in China. Following his decision to leave corporate consulting, Jochen founded his own strategy consulting firm Kleef & Co. aimed at helping small businesses in the green space and Ecopoint.asia, an online B2B platform for the sustainability industry across Asia.

Co-Director, Environmental Law Center, Widener University

His scholarship focuses on environmental law, climate change, sustainable development, and legal writing. Professor Dernbach has written more than forty articles for law reviews and peer-reviewed journals, and has authored, coauthored, or contributed chapters to thirteen books. He leads the only national project that comprehensively assesses U.S. sustainability efforts and makes recommendations for future efforts. He coauthored an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of 18 prominent climate scientists in Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency. He was a member of the National Research Council Committee that, in Sustainability and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2011), made recommendations on how to institutionalize sustainability at EPA. Professor Dernbach graduated summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 1975, and cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 1978, where he was a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Law Reform.

Executive Director, International Society for Industrial Ecology

Following that, he served as Executive Director of the International Society for Industrial Ecology until 2009. He is the author of the newly published Flourish: A Frank Conversion about Sustainability (with Andrew Hoffman) and Sustainability by Design (2008). In 1999, he received the World Resources Institute’s first lifetime achievement award. He holds a B. S. and Sc. D. in Chemical Engineering from MIT, and is author or co-author of over 200 publications.

Principal, Learningworlds.com

A current focus is on developing practices, methodologies, and digital tools to enhance collaboration and accelerate innovation between diverse groups across the ecosystem of change.

Chair Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies, University of Amsterdam

From 2008-2015 she was Chair of the Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies at the University of Amsterdam. She is vice-president of the International Geographical Union. She published on urban geography, rural geography, gender and ageing. The main topics in her publications relate to the gendered aspects of activity involvement and networks of families with children and older women and men from an urban-rural and European comparative perspective. She teaches Thesis Seminar in the master Human Geography.

Associate Director of Economy and Finance, New Economics Foundation

The program incorporates research and advocacy in the areas of monetary policy, banking and credit, macroeconomics, the economics of land and housing, finance and ecological sustainability and complementary currency and payment systems. Josh’s own research has focused on the impact of money and credit on the macroeconomy. Josh just completed a PhD in economics at the University of Southampton. He is also the co-founder and a former Director of the Brixton Pound.

Researcher, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana

He collaborates with the Food, Forests, and Water Programs, the Global Climate Program, the Governance Center, the Open Climate Network and the Climate Resilience Practice. He is working on cities, adaptation and climate finance readiness. Prior to joining WRI, he held the ‘David W. Pearce’ lectureship on Environmental Economics at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana.

Professor of Environmental Sociology, National Tsing Hua University

He earned his graduated degrees in respectively Japan and USA. Juju has published first three books. He has also been devoting himself in promoting Social Contribution Index by participating in NGOs’ grassroots movements like green market movement, anti-nuclear movement and national trust movement in addition to being delegate to Earth Summit twice and IHDP Taiwan committee member. Currently, he is running first residential college, at NTHU in Taiwan. In addition, juju is serving the President for two NGOs in Taiwan, Taiwan Environmental Protection Union and Taiwan National Trust.

CEO, Japan for Sustainability

In 2002, along with other collaborators, she founded Japan for Sustainability, a non-profit environmental communication platform. In addition, she was an advisor to Japan's Prime Minister at the "Climate Change Roundtable," preparing for the Toya Lake Summit in 2008. She has been chosen as a most successful career woman by Nikkei Career Women magazine in 2003. She was appointed as a professor, Department of Environmental Management,Tokyo City University in September 2014.

Project Associate II, O’Brien & Company

With a background in urban planning, Justus specializes in comprehensive assessment and strategic planning for energy and greenhouse gas reduction. He has supported dozens of municipalities and communities throughout the Pacific Northwest in the development of energy and emissions reduction plans and strategies. Justus also brings experience in performance measurement for sustainability, including both established rating systems and customized approaches; he assisted in the development of the STAR Community Index rating system.

Co-Founder, Student Energy

Student Energy is on a mission to open the eyes of the world’s students to all perspectives on energy. Kali oversees Student Energy as Board Chair and now works for the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Director, Life Sciences

Mr. Rjagopal received his Ph.D. in Fungal Biotechnology at VELS University in India.

Coordinator, Research & Enterprise Hubs, Dublin City University

) in Nanotoxicology. Over 5 years’ experience in both post-award management and preparation & review of international research funding awards. Strong communication skills, both oral and written, including proposal preparation. Has very strong organizational and IT skills including word processing and electronic research administration systems, meets all deadlines. Has worked in the high pressure environment of a pharmaceutical company for 2.5 years & has the ability to manage competing priorities.

Main Representative to the United Nations Representative, Baltic Sea Forum

The forum is a non-profit organization which supports the economic, political and cultural co-operation in the Baltic Sea region. Katharina is an expert in sustainable energy with particular interest in social sustainability and increasing value for societies using the resources of the sea and ocean derived energy.

President, Glynwood / Harvard Medical School

Prior, Kathleen was the Managing Director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School. Kathleen started the Harvard Community Garden, the University’s first garden dedicated solely to the production of food, and produced the award-winning film Once Upon a Tide. Kathleen currently serves as Director for the Pleiades Network. She has authored numerous reports and publications and acts as an advisor to various environmental and community organizations. Kathleen studied marine biology and received a master’s degree in science journalism from Boston University.

Managing Director Climate Change and Sustainability Services, EY

Corp. Dir. Safety, Health & Environmental Affairs, Premier Farnell Corp.

He is responsible for safety, health and environmental affairs. He holds a BS degree in Civil Engineering, an MS degree in Environmental Science & Engineering, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. Ken is a Professional Engineer (PE), a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), and a certified Greenhouse Gas Quantifier (GHGQ). He acts as a spokesperson on Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) and sustainability related issues. He has authored over 30 magazine articles and blogs on environmental and sustainability issues. He has worked in the hazardous materials field for over 30 years. He has served as National President of the Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals (AHMP) and as Chairman of the Board of the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM). He was named an IHMM Fellow in 1996, an IHMM Distinguished Diplomate in 2002, and received the AHMP “Pete Cook Founder’s Award for Distinguished Service” in 2009.

Chairman & Director of Design, Llewelyn Davies Yeang

Manager Sustainable Development, AkzoNobel Sustainability

He has been working in the field of Life Cycle Management and Sustainability since 1997 and is heading a group working with these issues all over the global AkzoNobel organization. Klas is also a Board member of CPM, the Swedish Life Cycle Center, which is an environmental competence centre at the Chalmers University of Technology. He has a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Founder, Women in Innovation

She serves organizations as a professional Leadership, Executive and Team Coach, and as an Organizational Culture Agent. Works with innovative companies in the US, Canada and Europe. As a native of Finland, she serves as the Honorary Vice Consul of Finland for Washington State. Kristiina has been described as an audacious visionary ignited by her passion for a thriving world. Much of her work centers around helping women leaders be successful in the C-suite. With an international career in training and coaching. The work of Women in Innovation continues as Kristiina is now working towards procuring sponsorships and partnerships for the next summit and other WIN offerings.

Senior Advisor, ASEAN-German Programme on Response to Climate Change with the German International Cooperation (GIZ GmbH)

She has worked for various international organisations, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bonn, United Nations Development Programme-Global Environment Facility, UNICEF, and the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Climate Change in New York. She is currently a Senior Advisor at the ASEAN-German Programme on Response to Climate Change with the German International Cooperation (GIZ GmbH) in Jakarta. Her experience include roles in project development and implementation, policy advice, knowledge management and communications.

Managing Director, Australian Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility

A driving force in the field of corporate social responsibility in Australia, Leeora is known for her pioneering work on stakeholder engagement, as much as her ability to analyse and solve complex CSR and management issues. With a background in journalism, corporate communications and advisory, she undertook her doctorate in corporate social responsibility through the Department of Management at Monash University.

Director, Middle East Progress Initiative Alumni Network

Lina started her career as a diplomat at the Jordanian Foreign Ministry and moved on to join the United Nations as an international civil servant. Lina is the founder of the Institute for Leadership Excellence, a voluntary NGO, that aims at cultivating strong and vibrant figures current and potential leaders in the community.

N/A

Lizbeth is passionate about disruptive sustainable innovations. She hopes to one day help further the incorporation of these innovations into the global society through international relations. Currently a High School Senior, Lizbeth is aiming to major in the field of Sustainable Development.

Lizbeth has a Bachelor of Computer Sciences, she has worked on different areas of Information Technology, also she has participated in La Juventud Opina (UNICEF) as an intern and then as a mentor where she was connected with other Spanish speaking young interns from around the globe. One of her big dreams is to change the way people use and perceive the internet in her native country in order to create better opportunities at all levels.

Global Head of Corporate Citizenship

Lord Michael Hastings is KPMG’s International Head of Citizenship. Previous to this he was the BBC’s Head of Public Affair. Lord Hasting also is a trustee of the Vodafone Group Foundation. He represented KPMG on the Global Corporate Citizenship Committee of the World Economic Forum. In 2009 he became a Member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Diversity and Talent. In 2005, Lord Hasting was awarded the honour of an independent peerage to the House of Lords by Her Majesty The Queen. In the same year he received the UNICEF award. In 2014, he was conferred with an honorary doctorate in civil law from the University of Kent, Canterbury.

National Scientist & President, National Research Council of the Philippines

Luc has been an adviser on international sustainable development policies to both the Belgium Federal and Flemish Governments. He was a senior Government Delegate at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, the OECD national SD experts panel, and the Belgium Federal Council, and also at various interregional networks on sustainable development. After serving as a member of the Belgium delegation at the UN World Summit in Johannesburg in 2002, Luc introduced and chaired the first Flemish interdepartmental commission on sustainable development to prepare a national sustainable development strategy, as committed to in the Johannesburg Declaration. As a special adviser to the Federal State Secretary on Sustainable Development, Luc had a lead in introducing a Sustainable Development Impact Assessment procedure for all federal government decisions. He also prepared the cabinet''s positions on EU energy policy. As European Director for The Climate Group in Brussels Luc was involved in different working groups and business initiatives to encourage more ambitious EU-climate policy. He recruited some of the most significant subnational governments leading on climate change to The Climate Group’s States and Regions Alliance for which he also was the International director.

Sr. Awareness Transformation Manager, Vodafone

She has also published ‘Vodafone Women in Qatar: the insight story’. The book provides insight into the private worlds of Vodafone Qatar female employees and spouses and, through their voices, it supports the community with all proceeds donated to fund local writers. After challenging roles in Italy, Egypt and Qatar, Luisa has recently relocated to Vodafone Group in London leading “Protect & Secure” a responsible, ethical and security awareness, change and transformation programme across 23 Vodafone markets. Luisa has passionately advocated transformational change and sustainability leadership in several conferences and university lectures in the Middle East, South East Asia and Europe.

Communications and Stakeholder Relations, Consumers International

Luke oversees CI’s stakeholder engagement, digital content and public affairs with the aim of raising awareness of, and encouraging collaboration on, a range of consumer rights issues. Luke has been working on sustainable consumption issues for nearly ten years, and has been a leading consumer rights advocate within the UNCSD process and ISO 26000. He has written and produced campaign films on sustainable coffee initiatives, financial empowerment in East Africa, and the creative dynamics of digital technology. He is a regular international speaker on issues including sustainable consumption, consumer protection, and digital activism.

Lead Scientist, The Nature Conservatory

He is executive vice president and senior scientist at Conservation International. Sanjayan also co-led the launch of “Nature is Speaking”, Conservation International’s critically acclaimed campaign. Sanjayan is a DisneyNature Ambassador, a Catto Fellow at the Aspen Institute, and a Clinton Global Initiative Advisor; and is on National Geographic Society’s Explorers Council.

Food and Environment Program Officer, North Star Fund

Chief Executive, Newark Care

An innovative, intelligent and highly motivated individual with a unique combination of professional skills developed in both private and non-profit sectors. Managing the day to day operations of Newark Care and overseeing the running of its two care homes at Burnfield and Westacres. Responsibilities include management, strategic leadership, fundraising and organisational governance. Manish received his BA (Hons) Economics at the University of Strathclyde and his BA in Economics and Finance from the Arizona State University.

Summer Intern 2018

EVP, Global Head of Sustainability, Aegon N.V.

He joined Aegon in 2001 and held positions in business development, strategy, regulatory affairs and in China prior to his current role. Before, Marc worked at McKinsey & Company, Forsythe International and Bank Mees & Hope. He holds an MA degree in Economics from Cambridge University. Focus areas of activity at Aegon in his current role are trusted products and services, responsible investment, corporate citizenship and integrated reporting.

Policy Advisor, UN

B) and Yale (LL.M). She has taught in universities in UK, Lesotho, and Belgium. Most of her career was with the European Commission in Brussels where she worked as Head of International Affairs in DG Environment, and as Adviser on Sustainable Development. She took part in negotiations,bilateral and U.N.,on international environmental treaties, and the preparation and follow up of the Rio summet on Sustanable Development.Latterly she has been working with NGOS and thinktanks, especially with the Institute for Environment and Security, where food security has been a particular interest.

Assistant Professor, University of Technology and Life Sciences

Campaigns Director, Ashoka

Entrepreneur in the field of environmental sustainability, she has spent the last 20 years inspiring, supporting and mobilizing youth to address the challenges of sustainable development; as well as promoting their participation and leadership in sustainability policy decision making. President and Founder of Fundación TierraVida in Argentina, she holds a BSc. in Environmental Sciences and an MA. in Environment and Development from King´s College London.

Associate Professor, Leigh Marine Laboratory, University of Auckland

He is chair of the International Committee of the Ocean Biogeographic Information System, and Secretary General of the International Association of Biological Oceanography. Mark's current research involves fish communities associated with deep-sea corals (notably Lophelia), and analysis of species inventories to provide insights into phylogeographic and biogeographic patterns of biodiversity. He has also conducted surveys and assessments of marine biotopes involving the development of standard benthic biotope classifications.

Program Manager Circular Economy, Philips

He oversees pilot projects on circular economy implementation, tracks progress, drives capacity building and is the operational contact for partnerships on the topic. His main area of expertise is sustainable business and innovation strategy, built up over 10 years in corporate research, venturing and consultancy with Philips. Prior to joining Philips, Markus earned a PhD in biomedical optics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in and holds a master in physics from the University of Karlsruhe and the Polytechnic Institute of Grenoble.

Owner, Financial Standards

Through her company, Financial Standards, she helps investors and companies evaluate financial transactions, business and investment models. Futures Magazine named her as one of the Top 25 Most Influential People of 2010. Most recently, she has worked with the Congress, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, other bank regulatory agencies and industry groups in addressing the problems of the financial crisis of 2008, chiefly counterparty risk and risk management strategies using derivatives contracts. She worked on legislation to centrally clear and settle derivatives contracts that eventually became law in Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act in July 2010. Following the failure of Lehman Bros in late 2008, Ms. Tirinnanzi was appointed Chairman of the Clearinghouse Working Group of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. In this role, she directed and supervised Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the transfer of $2 trillion in interest rate swap contracts to central clearing and settlement. She earned her MS in business from The Johns Hopkins University, and BA in liberal arts from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. She serves on the Board of Directors of Community Development Trust, the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind, and Habitat for Humanity DC. She is an active member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and holds a Certificate of Director Education from the NACD Corporate Directors Institute.

Professor of Sustainable Business Development

Martin was named one of the Top 100 Global Sustainability Leaders in 2011, 2012 and again in 2013. With 30 years’ business experience, and having deployed one of the most successful, award-winning sustainability and CSR programmes in the world, Martin’s professional services are provided through Blake Advisory Pte. Ltd. Martin is also an internationally recognised authority on the Blue Economy. His doctorate (a DBA) was in complexity theory and systems thinking based change management interventions in an organisational context.

CEO & Co-Founder, Zealyst

Martina has worked in a variety of startup environments, from helping to debut a new publication to developing a new program within a large nonprofit. Prior to founding Zealyst, Martina launched a high school student leadership initiative for Volunteers of America and the Major League Baseball Players Trust. Martina earned a BA in English with a minor in Chemistry from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.

‎Executive Coordinator and Founder, Communitas,

Her 15-year career spans strategic policy analysis & advocacy, multi-stakeholder partnerships and capacity building initiatives with multilateral institutions and with national and subnational governments from both developed and developing countries.

Prolific public speaker and analyst, Maruxa is Founder & Executive Coordinator of Communitas, an international, philanthropy-funded multi-stakeholder project which pioneered knowledge-based advocacy for the inclusion of sustainable urban development in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda with SDG11; and coordinated the input of a coalition of practitioners into United Nations intergovernmental processes. Besides, Maruxa is Adviser to the Conference of European Peripheral Maritime Regions CPMR, which brings together 160 Regions from 24 countries.

In 2014 Maruxa served as Drafting Co-Chair of the 65th Annual Conference for NGOs of the UN Department for Public Information. Earlier in 2010-2012, when running nrg4SD - an international network of subnational governments – she co-facilitated the engagement of subnational and local authorities in the UN Rio +20 Conference.

Maruxa holds an LL.B from the University of La Coruña in Spain, an LL.M. in European Law from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and a MA in Management of Cooperation Projects from the Organisation of Ibero American States. She has also undertaken International Relations studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London.

Mary Helda Akongo is a writer, feminist, internet activist, Internet Society 25 under 25 awardee, an OpenEd fellow, and a 2018 World Bank Africa Blog4dev winner who believes that technology has the power to positively influence the social, political and economic development of women in Africa. She is the Operations and Programs Manager at Zimba Women; an organization that is using technology to find innovative solutions to create sustainable futures for African women. 

School of Art and Design,, Cardiff Metropolitan University

org, a non-profit that ReAllocate''s developed world expertise to address base of the economic pyramid issues. He holds bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in engineering with focuses on mechanical design, rapid prototyping, and nanotechnology. He’s published in a half dozen major scientific journals, including the journal Nature; and continues to speak internationally on design and innovation. Mike masterminded builds on the Discovery Channel show Prototype This!, where he led teams of crack inventors, scientists, builders, and engineers to create never before seen spectacles of engineering. Inventions ranged from an omni-directionally driving stilt lifting traffic busting truck to a 30-foot tall waterslide simulator to cutting-edge lifesaving fire fighting equipment. Currently Mike is bringing innovation to the toy industry as CTO at Nukotoys, Inc.; and has a design and rapid prototyping firm, North Design Labs, LLC. He is also a technical advisor for various non-profits, foundations, and companies.

Environmental and Sustainability Coordinator, Farmland Foods Inc

He is a Professional in the fields of Safety and Security, to include operations and upper management. Certified Peace Officer. He is an instructor in several disciplines. Certifications in Homeland Security and National Incident Management System.

Doctoral candidate, University of Notre Dame

A. degree in international peace and conflict resolution from American University and a B.A. degree in philosophy and Christian ministries from George Fox University. He has served as the deputy director of Nonviolence International in Washington, D.C. and a field team coordinator for Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq and Palestine. He is affiliated with the Center for the Study of Social Movements and the Culture Workshop in the Notre Dame Department of Sociology. He was a Mullen Family Fellow for the 2011-2012 academic year and is currently a Kroc Excellence Fellow.

Director, sustainserv

, a Boston Massachusetts and Zurich Switzerland based firm that works with the world’s leading companies to help them design and implement corporate sustainability strategies. Matt earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Haverford College, and his doctorate in chemistry from Michigan State University. He spent 10 years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, including five years as the Executive Director of the Earth System Initiative, an environmental research program. Matt’s work takes him around the world to lecture.

Group Political Adviser, BP

Since 2013 he has helped BP understand and respond to the political environment, advising on strategic business decisions on topics such as new country entry or major capital investments. Michael was formerly Global Research Director for Control Risks, and previously worked as Special Adviser to the former UK Foreign Secretary, David Miliband. He started his career at KPMG but moved into academia and lectures at a number of universities Michael holds an MA in Modern History from Oxford University, where he was the Frampton Prize scholar, and a PhD. from the University of Leeds.

Director and Senior Fellow, Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability, Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources and Environment

Mortimer served as policy director for the Society of American Foresters, was assistant professor in the Department of Forestry at Virginia Tech, and represented the State of Montana’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation as an assistant attorney general. He teaches graduate courses in natural resource law and environmental conflict management. Mortimer received his Ph.D. in forestry from the University of Montana, his law degree (J.D.) from Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law, and his B.A. in biology and English from Washington & Jefferson College.

Founder and CEO, P2P Foundation

He has co-produced the 3-hour TV documentary Technocalyps with Frank Theys, and co-edited the two-volume book on anthropology of digital society with Salvino Salvaggio. Michel is currently Primavera Research Fellow at the University of Amsterdam and external expert at the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (2008, 2012). Michel Bauwens is a member of the Board of the Union of International Associations (Brussels), advisor to Shareable magazine (San Francisco), to Zumbara Time Bank (Istanbul) and ShareLex. He was Chair of the Technology/ICT working group, Hangwa Forum (Beijing, Sichuan).

Founder and CEO, Leading Technologies Group

The last 10 years have been dedicated to contributing to and serving in the emergence of a more just, sustainable and fulfilling world through the creation, participation in and as a board member of multiple projects, companies and organizations. Prior to establishing his group of companies in 1989, Mike was the Vice President of Westinghouse Electric Trading Company, located in New Delhi, India directing the firm’s operations in the Indian Subcontinent and surrounding countries.

Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital

Mr. Brown was previously Co-founder (in 1968) and up to March 1999 the President of Ventures West Capital Ltd. He is a Director of Questair Technologies Inc, and Cellex Power Products, Inc., and was formerly a director of Greenlight Power Technologies, Inc. He was Chair of MDI Mobile Data International Inc., and served as Director of MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates Ltd. Mr. Brown graduated from UBC in 1960, BA (Hons Economics). He attended Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar (BA (PPE) 1962).

CEO, Reallocate.org

He’s published in a half dozen major scientific journals, including the journal Nature; and continues to speak internationally on design and innovation. Mike masterminded builds on the Discovery Channel show Prototype This!, where he led teams of crack inventors, scientists, builders, and engineers to create never before seen spectacles of engineering. Mike is now focusing his energy on developing a the ReAllocate community, setting long term strategies, developing capacity building curriculum, and traveling the world spreading the word.

Executive Director, EarthCare Africa

At the time she was a development activist with more than 35 years experience in the fields of health, education and environment focusing mainly on women and children. She shifted her focus to water, gender and health in 2000. Her biggest achievement in RWH training was a project on Empowering Women through Rainwater Harvesting in Kenya. This project concentrated in Kajiado District amongst the Masaai Pastoralists where women compete with livestock for water access.

Executive Director, Earth Charter International Secretariat and the Center for Education for Sustainable Development at UPEACE,

Mirian worked for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and later for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in preparation to the 1992 UN Earth Summit. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she was an Edward Mason Fellow, and has a B.Sc. with focus on International Trade.

Senior Project Manager Transformation and Strategic Development, German Telecom

Her first degree is in Media-Pedagogy. She also has an MBA of Management and Design from Zollverein School Essen and is educated in Journalism, Scenario Planning (GBN), Story Telling and Mediation in Business Contexts. She is an expert for organizational and strategic development, design thinking, change architectures that support behavioral transformation, knowledge management and the implementation of space to support innovation processes.

Senior Researcher in Investment Department, Arab Mining Company

He is currently working as a investment analyst at Arab Mining Company. His main responsibilities are to evaluate the different business opportunities, build up the database that functions as a business support decision tool, and monitor and analysis the market trends relevant to new business opportunities. He worked in the Higher Council for Science & Technology (HCST) as Director of Industrial Research and Development Fund in Amman, Jordan from 1997 to 2008 .he is certified EFQM assessor I certified iso 14001 lead auditor, certified ICF coach .

Assistant Professor, Architecture Department, Dar Al-Hekma University

She is an Assistant professor of Architecture and Urbanism at DAH. She received her Doctoral degree in Architecture and City Planning from Stuttgart University. Currently, she is a research fellow at the Städtebau-Institut “SI”, University of Stuttgart, where she is undertaking a “Habilitation” (Post -Doctoral) research on the “Creative Public Space”. She has contributed to a number of design magazines and books on the Arab City, Public Spaces, as well as Residential projects in Germany and urban projects in the Middle East. She was a member of a number of scientific committees in international conferences, symposia, and refereed journals.

Head Agriculture, Global Change Impact Studies Centre

Chairman, Innovator Capital

Beginning with Alex. Brown and latterly with Dillon Reid, Wertheim and Cowen & Company. He has been involved in each of the core investment banking disciplines: principal investing, trading, sales, origination and research in both the private and public equity markets, bridge financing, financial royalty structures and equity linked securities.

He worked alongside Bernard Taylor (ex-Chief Executive of Glaxo) and was Head of Corporate Finance at Nomura, where he founded a significant investment banking practice when it was the largest investment bank in the world. Whilst at Nomura his team raised over US$1 billion of primary capital for small to medium sized Life Science companies and further substantial sums for ICT & Industrial Technology companies.

He holds several positions at companies and advisory groups, these include: Co-Founder with Prince Albert II of Monaco of CleanEquity Monaco; adviser to the UK Dept. Energy & Climate Change Forum think tank; and main board director of NASDAQ listed CDTi. He was instrumental in the founding of the Nobel Sustainability Fund, the world's first multi-phase, multi-geography, multi-technology, cleantech fund. Innovator Capital sources of 500, next generation technology companies, every year.

Founder and CEO, LUMU Invest

In addition to this, she sits on the board of several corporations which include Frenchmob (French Mobile Asosciation) and Keyno Labs. She is also on the current board of advisors for Blue Butterly Digital, Follr.com, OrderValley BV, PlayMyTone, and Singr. In addition, being mentor for Access ICT and Startup Week-End Brussels has given her a close feel on the pulse of the tech startup world. Her connection to Microsoft (Network Partner at BizSpark) helps her maintain a deep knowledge of the influences on technology. When she is not busy making connections, furthering her network, or being one of most influential women in tech, she is a professor at IE Business School in Madrid.

Professor, Climate Modeling, Tokyo University

Intern 2018

Bachelor in Administration, International Relations and a Master student of International Development in the University of East Anglia, Natália Mendonca has been awarded a Chevening Scholarship in 2017 and is highly passionate for improving social relations through innovation.

Dean, School of Architecture, Design and Construction, University of Greenwich

He guest edited his first AD, Architects in Cyberspace in 1995 (with Martin Pearce) followed in 1996 by Integrating Architecture (1996), Architects in Cyberspace II (1998), Young Blood (2000), Reflexive Architecture (2002), Protocell Architecture with Rachel Armstrong (2010) and Drawing Architecture (2013). Neil's numerous books include Cyberreader: Critical Writings of the Digital Era (2002), Digital Dreams - The Architecture of the New Alchemic Technologies (1998) and Visionary Architecture - Blueprints of the Modern Imagination (2006). He is on the AD editorial Board. His architectural design work has been published and exhibited on many occasions worldwide. Neil is also known as the founding director of the AVATAR (Advanced Virtual and Technological Architectural Research) Group (2004); now based at the University of Greenwich. This group has its own PhD and Masters programmes and conducts research into advanced technologies in architectural representation but more importantly into the impact of advanced technologies such as virtuality and biotechnology on 21st century design. Neil and the AVATAR Group are recognised internationally for their paradigm shifting contribution to architectural discourse, research / experiment and teaching.

Co-Founder, new economics foundation

His love of using applied statistics to ground well-being and happiness in hard evidence has led to worldwide acclaim and the realization that happiness is a serious business. He is perhaps best known for his trailblazing work on the Happy Planet Index, National Accounts of Well-being and the Five Ways to Well-being which is used extensively within health and education institutions as well as within governmental policy. Nic is the founder of Happiness Works, an organization that changes the world of work for the better through online tools and services and is a fellow of nef (new economics foundation) and on the board for Action for Happiness. Having written over 20 publications and authored one of the three original TEDbooks, ‘A Happiness Manifesto’, Nic’s accolades include Director Magazine Top 10 Original Thinker and Forbes 7 Most Powerful Ideas 2011. Nic has also been featured in publications including the Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Independent, Wired, and The Huffington Post. His educational journey began at the University of Cambridge, with studies including Mathematics, followed by Management, Change Agent Skills & Strategies, and Psychotherapy training.

Chairman, Cities and Climate Change Commission of the World Future Council

He was appointed in 1994 to be the manager of operations for the second United Nations Conference for Human Settlements (Habitat II) and is acknowledged as the leading authority on the reporting of best practices for cities and public authorities. He is the founder and immediate former chairman of the UN-Habitat World Urban Campaign Steering Committee, the Assurance Group for Urban Infrastructure of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and is currently the chair of the Urban Strategy and Innovation Council for GDF-Suez. He also serves as member of the board of Citiscope, the Huairou Commission and the Joslyn Institute for Sustainable Communities, and is a fellow of the Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation in China and of the Centre for Liveable Cities in Singapore. He regularly advises governments, cities, technology companies and civil society organizations on urban sustainability and urban innovation. He works as a strategic planning and governance adviser to many governments and metropolitan authorities worldwide.

Director, Sustainability & Climate Change, PWC

Prior to joining PwC, he worked for Merrill Lynch Capital Markets, United Technologies Corporation, and the US-Asia Environmental Partnership. He has more than 20 years of experience in management and performance reporting for the energy, financial, and environmental health and safety sectors. Nick Shufro sits on the boards of several nonprofits, including Boundless Playgrounds, the Caribbean Conservation Corporation, Calm Air Visibility Unlimited, and the Executive Committee of White Water to Blue Water. He holds a Masters of Environmental Management from Yale University''s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and an MBA from New York University.

Corporate Director Sustainability, CSM

She leads teams on Environment, Health & Safety, Substance management, Sustainable marketing, Circular economy, Supplier sustainability, Reporting, and Collection & recycling. Previously, she headed sustainability in the chemicals and FMCG sectors and held various roles in operations, innovation and communications in Europe, Asia, and North America. She holds a PhD in Economics and Business Engineering, MSc and BSc in Chemical Engineering, and a BSc in Ecology.

Manager Policy & Projects, Responsible Investment Association Australasia

She has 25 years’ experience delivering engagements, collaborations and accountability solutions for and with Australian and international companies, governments, unions and NGOs. She has worked at the Australian Conservation Foundation and Investor Group on Climate Change and has held executive roles at The Climate Institute, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, Banarra and the Sustainable Energy Development Authority.

Nicolette is lead judge for NSW’s GREEN GLOBE Awards and Banksia Foundation’s Award for Circular Economy. She is also an interim Board member on Brand Ethics, an internationally reaching research institute promoting ethical shopping choices by providing labour, environmental and animal rights ratings on over 1,000 brands.

Dr Nagabhatla is a natural resource management specialist and an expert spatial analyst with 15 years of international work experience across many parts of the globe: mainly Asia, briefly in Africa, Europe and North America. She is currently associated with United Nations University -Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH)-a UNU-INWEH - The UN Think Tank on Water, Canada and is coordinating, Water and Ecosystems research programs, science-policy interfacing and capacity development activities in the water-energy-food nexus. She has an impressive scientific publication record accessible from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nidhi_Nagabhatla and her passion is to work in different environments and across cultures and geographic landscapes.

Director of Conservation Investments, The Nature Conservatory

She oversees land protection, environmental economics and development of market-based mechanisms to finance conservation. Her goal is to make conservation financially and socially sustainable. Before joining the Conservancy, she had an eight-year career in finance, spanning a wide range of areas from sovereign bonds, interest rates derivatives, mortgages, and structured credit products. She has worked at Goldman Sachs and Royal Bank of Canada as a strategist and as a trader. Nina’s long-term interest in conservation dates back to her childhood living near the woods in a small town in southern China. She has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. Her doctoral thesis used decision theory and uncertainty analysis to tackle the time and cost barriers in incorporating environmental impact assessments, especially life cycle assessments, into corporate decision-making. Nina is also working towards an Executive Education Certificate in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability from Columbia University.

Founder and CEO, Nisha Pillai

She has worked closely with several UN agencies, and with scientific institutes such as CERN, IIASA and the Planet Under Pressure conference which fed into Rio +20. Nisha’s 25 year career at the BBC culminated as one of the main news anchors at BBC World News, where she reported extensively during the 9/11 attacks and the Iraq war. She was also one of the first regular interviewers on Hard Talk. As an award-winning investigative journalist at ‘Panorama’, the BBC’s flagship current affairs programme, Nisha had notable investigations to her name. She cut her teeth as a financial journalist on the BBC’s Money Programme and at the Investors Chronicle. She studied economics at the London School of Economics.

Director, International Council for Science, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

He is currently Director, International Council for Science (ICSU) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP). He obtained his Ph.D. in 1974 from the Faculty of Science, University of London. He is the current President (2012 – 2014) of the Science Council of Asia, and is Distinguished Fellow of the Institute for Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), Malaysia. He is Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM).

Managing Director, Co-Founder, VantagePoint Global

He has strong connections to the for-profit and non-profit sustainable investment market in the US, EU, South-Africa and Japan. He is a partner at LGT Venture Philanthropy. He was Head of Research for Forma Futura, an independent asset management company focusing on contributing to a sustainable quality of life (www.formafutura.com). Before setting-up VPG, Oliver served as Manager Research Services and Senior Sustainability Analyst at SAM Research for the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI).

Director, Sustainable North Bay

Beyond the conference, Oren is a consultant in the natural products industry for organizations looking to improve their economic, environmental, and social sustainability impact. He implements solutions that improve organizational communication and support brand messaging. With his work Oren promotes ideas, policies, companies and products that prosper from sustainable development and foster social equity. Recent clients include organizations focused on food safety, organic agriculture, herbal supplements, fair trade, biodiversity and healthy lifestyles. Previously Oren directed the logistical operations for Indigenous Designs, a Fair Trade and Organic clothing company located in Santa Rosa, California, overseeing a near doubling of the company. He worked with cooperatives in Peru, Ecuador, Guatemala and India to bring organic artisan crafted contemporary clothing to the fashion industry and deliver profits from a socially equitable supply chain.

Dean, Stanford University School of Earth Sciences

Matson is the founding co-chair of the National Academies’ Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability, and serves on the boards of FFAR (Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research), World Wildlife Fund and Climate Works Foundation. She was president of the Ecological Society of America, lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and member of the science leadership committee for the International Geosphere-Atmosphere Programme.

Professor, Dublin City University

He left industry after 15 years in senior supply management roles. He has worked academically for Trinity College Dublin, Griffith College Dublin, National College of Ireland. He was an associate Professor at UCSC, Italy, ESB , Germany, QMUL, London, BUPT Beijing, and ISEE, Paris, France. He has been PI for the €3.7m European Union INTERREG-funded “Winning in Tendering” collaboration between Dublin City University, Bangor University and the Irish Institute of Purchasing & Materials Management. He recently completed an 18 month secondment with the Health Services Executive in developing innovative ways of procuring ICT.

Architect, Writer & Urban Evolutionary

Early advocate of eco-positive urbanism. Dubbed ‘Australian icon of sustainable development’. A recognised world leader in sustainable city theory. 3 decades teaching architecture. Doctoral studies explored ecological design, development and maintenance of cities. Architect, internationally awarded Christie Walk eco-development. Founded Australia’s first community organisation focussed on climate change (1989). Founded Urban Ecology Australia (1991). South Australian finalist for Australian of the Year 2008. Published ‘Ecopolis’ 2009. Working on various publications. Past projects in China, New Zealand and Australia.

General Partner, US Venture Partners

S. Venture Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm, and, separately, the founder of Feeding 10 Billion, an initiative to support and encourage food-system entrepreneurs. Prior to USVP, Paul was CEO of HearMe, taking that company public in 1998. He earned an M.B.A. from Stanford University, an M.A. in International Studies from Johns Hopkins and a B.A. from the University of the Pacific. Paul currently serves as a trustee of the World''s Affairs Council and works with other non-profits. On the natural landscape, Paul is on the National Council of the American Prairie Foundation, an ambitious project to create the world''s largest privately-financed and publicly accessible reserve that preserves valuable grasslands and their related fauna and flora. He lives with his family in the San Francisco Bay area and Bozeman, Montana.

Professor, Dublin City University, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

Summer Intern 2018

Payam is a sales and international market strategy professional and current international business graduate student at UC San Diego. Background in procurement, M&A, project management and market research. He is a creative problem solver with advanced quantitative analysis skills.

Summer Intern 2018

Peng Ding is a student pursuing Master of International Affairs degree at UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS) with a strong focus on international management. He is a native Chinese speaker and fluent in English and Japanese.

Architect | PhD

His architectural work has been awarded over 30 international prizes and has been exhibited in many European countries. His projects have been published in over 40 books and more than hundred professional journals on five continents. Peter has been judge in numerous competitions. He teaches as a guest lecturer at international universities. Peter is an idea generator and author of the book Educating Buildings – Learning Sustainability through Displayed Design.

President, Global Energy Network Institute

He founded the Global Energy Network Institute (aka GENI), and is a member of the following professional associations: IEEE Power Engineering Society, World Affairs Council of San Diego, Union of Concerned Scientists, United Nations Association, and is an Honorary member of the Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary Club. In 1983, he co-founded S.H.A.R.E. (Self Help and Resource Exchange), North America's largest private food distribution program.

Founder and Managing Director, BSD Consulting

His main focus is on working with big multinationals and smaller companies on strategy and sustainability management within a cross-cultural and international context. He has extensive practical experience regarding the use of all BSD Solutions. He is a GRI Trainer for the GRI Certified Training course, a trained SA8000 auditor, and an AA1000 consultant. Peter is fluent in German, French, English, and Spanish.

Directeur de Recherche IRD, Centre de Recherche Halieutique Méditerranéenne et Tropicale

He is the Director of the CRH (Centre de Recherche Halieutique Méditerranéenne et Tropicale) based in Sète France (www.CRH-sete.org), and of the UMR-EME 212 IRD-Ifremer and University Montpellier 2. He is the scientific coordinator of the Eur-Oceans Consortium that leads research on building scenarios for marine ecosystems at the European level. He has a PHD in Biomathematics (University of Paris VII-Jussieu, Paris - 1989) and an HDR (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches) in 2007 at the University of Montpellier 2.

President and CEO, Heifer International

Ferrari received a master’s degree in economics from The University of Cambridge and a Master's of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He joined Heifer with more than 40 years of business experience at companies like Coca-Cola USA, CARE and the Small Enterprise Assistance Fund.

Professor, IILM Graduate School of Management

As a post graduate in Economics and a Ph.D. in applied Economics, he obtained first position in the University in graduation and a University Gold Medal in post graduation. Prabhat have been teaching Economics at post graduate and undergraduate level for about 24 years, in the Universities and B-Schools in India and abroad. He has been honoured with Bharat Vidya Shiromani Award and Certificate of Education Excellence for outstanding achievements and remarkable role in the field of education by Indian Solidarity Council, New Delhi, India.

Chairman, Relational Thinking

For over 15 years, he was responsible, at one of the largest banks in the world, for Think Tanks, Briefings, and the Distinguished Speaker Series. Through these activities, he had the unique job of working with innovative, cutting-edge and otherwise outstanding people throughout the world to identify new ideas that might bring value to the company. He now contributes through a portfolio of activities: Board memberships, consultancy, and leading actual projects.

Head of Community and Partnerships with The B Team, The B Team

Rajiv serves as a Trustee of Oxfam and served as Executive Director and Head of Programs for the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP). Rajiv was the youngest director in the history of CIVICUS. From 2005-2007 Rajiv was Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, a member of the World Youth Congress, a Senior Advisor to the British Council and a member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (Scotland Committee). In 2008 Rajiv founded the CIVICUS Youth Assembly and continues to drive the development of a Youth Participation Index.

Product Desiger and Innovation Manager, Samsung

He is also an entrepreneur, having created his own kitchen innovations brand RMDLO.

President & Founder

Rinaldo is CEO & Founding President of the World Business Academy and formerly Chair of the Executive Committee of the Chopra Foundation, and formerly Chairman of the Unstoppable Foundation, and on the initial board of the National Peace Academy, co-founder of the Gorbachov Foundation USA and many other non-profits over the years. He is also the Co-Founder of JUST Capital, and continues to serve was Chair of its Audit and Chair of its Finance Committees as well as on the Executive Committee of the Board. Rinaldo served for over 28 years on the Board of Directors of Men’s Wearhouse since its IPO in 1992.. At the age of 25, Mr. Brutoco became the youngest attorney at that time to argue before the California Supreme Court in the case of California Public Interest Law Center v. Public Utilities Commission where he won the largest class action in US history.

CEO, WilderHill Clean Energy Index

He is Founder and CEO of Wildershares LLC that owns the Index, and Chair of the Index Committee. Rob holds a Ph.D. from University of California at Santa Barbara and a Law Degree from University of San Diego School of Law. In addition Dr. Wilder is a Visiting Lecturer or Professor at Universities around the world, where he teaches on renewable energy, climate policy, and conserving biodiversity.

Founder and CEO, Cenergy USA

As an entrepreneur, he co-founded GuestHouse International lodging franchise and currently is a partner in Cenergy USA, which owns and operates Organic Energy System™ organic waste-to-renewable energy projects, produces a recycled byproduct Magic Dirt™ as a sustainable alternative to peat moss, and develops ReFuels™ facilities which convert waste streams into low-cost sulfur-free biofuel (B100). His various projects have been recognized for their achievements in urban design, urban revitalization and renewable energy.

Director Medical Devices, BSN Medical

With a background in science, he has a strong healthcare business experience in the field of global wound care medical devices from new product development, through business development, sales and marketing through to customer insights and new market development. His passions are understanding customers, building relationships and linking customer needs, business needs and innovation to improve patient’s quality of life. In his spare time, Rod enjoys cycling, sport, culture and global cuisine.

Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

S. Department of Energy. Prior to this, he served for 23 years as a CIA intelligence officer in various domestic and international posts, to include Chief of the Europe Division in the Directorate of Operations, Chief of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Department, Counterterrorist Center, and Deputy Associate Director of Central Intelligence for Military Support. Prior to his career in intelligence, Mr. Mowatt-Larssen served as an officer in the U.S. Army.

Director Sustainability, Desso

His 28-year career at Desso started on the production line, packing carpet tiles into boxes. From there Rudi progressed to production line manager, before moving to the Research and Development department where he spent 15 years before moving on to his present role. When accepting the new role in 2007, it was his role to develop and implement a new sustainability vision further into the company.

Market Access Marketing Lead, Cargill

I consider myself a change agent and I achieve these changes by combining creativity, strategic outlook, cultural awareness and relationship management with a strong commercial focus. I have lived and worked throughout Europe and Asia.

Professor / Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Technology, Dublin City University

In 2004 Samantha was appointed Centre Manager for the National Centre for Plasma Science and Technology. In 2012 Samantha took on the part-time role of Manager of Sustainability at DCU, an initiative to develop and promote Sustainability across all educational functions, and moved to full-time in 2013. Samantha launched a start-up company (2001-2004), delivering technology-focused education and training programmes tailored to specific industrial requirements.

Founding Director, Global Media Center for Social Impact, UCLA

Sandra’s research measures the impact of storytelling on viewers and maps the pro-social content on top TV shows. Sandra was named one of the “100 Most Influential Hispanics” in America by PODER magazine in 2012. Sandra's vasectomy campaign in Brazil earned seven international advertising awards, including a Bronze Lion at the Cannes Film Festival and Gold Medal at the London International Advertising Awards. Her work resulted in 565 storylines that aired on 91 shows across 35 networks between 2009 and 2012.

Supervisor at California Public Utilities Commission

Her team oversees the California Solar Initiative, Self-Generation Incentive Program, Net Energy Metering tariff and Multifamily Affordable Housing Solar Roofs Program. Previously, as an advisor to Commissioner Ferron and an analyst working on California's Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) program, she played a key role in shaping utility-scale renewable energy policy. She also has expertise in the intersection between greenhouse gas policies and renewable energy programs. Sara holds her Masters of Science from the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley.

Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo

She explores triggers of transitions toward more sustainable development pathways, and strategies for engaging a variety of actors in conversations about desirable futures. Sarah is the North American coordinator of the Earth System Governance Project, and is one of the core faculty members teaching in the Master’s of Climate Change program.

Senior Market Adviser, Enterprise Ireland

Working as part of the Key Sector team, Sean has developed projects in the areas of Automotive (including Low Carbon Vehicle technologies), Off Highway & Agricultural machinery, Rail, Oil & Gas, Aerospace / Aviation & Renewables.

Assistant Professor

Much of this research has centred on the genesis of metallic resources (Zn-Pb-Cu-Ag-Au) in volcanic belts and sedimentary basins across Europe and North America. Focus has now turned towards gaining a better understanding of Energy Critical Elements (Ge, Te, In, Ga, and REE’s) in ore systems to supply the impending shortfall supplying green-energy technologies.

Executive Director/CEO, PCI Media Impact

Deeply committed to community empowerment and using creative media to facilitate powerful social change, Sean is a resourceful manager with over 23 years of experience in the development and communications field. Sean comes to PCI Media Impact from a multi-sector background including 12 years with the United Nations Development Programme, 5 years with the Canadian government and 4 years working with international non-government organizations such as ICLEI (Secretary General) and Rare (Vice-President). Sean is a dual Canadian and South African citizen and has lived and worked in over 70 countries. He holds a MSC from the London School of Economics and a BA in Economics from University of British Columbia.

Founder and Executive Director, Plain Ink

She is Founder and Executive Director of Plain Ink, which publishes free educational comics for children and communities in developing countries. She also recently opened a school to revive traditional storytelling in Kabul, Afghanistan. Biffi has worked as a consultant, trainer and speaker at a number of organizations, including the UN, the World Bank, OSCE, Council of Europe, Columbia University and Microsoft. Formerly part of the Task Force on Innovative Start-ups of the Minister of Economic Development of Italy, she currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Innovation in the Third Sector of Banca Prossima (Banca Intesa). She has received over 40 awards and fellowships, including the UNAOC Intercultural Innovation Award and the Rolex Awards for Enterprise (Young Laureate). Biffi holds a BA in International Economics and Management from Bocconi University in Italy, a NOHA Master's in International Humanitarian Action from UCD (Ireland), and diplomas from Harvard University and the INSEAD Business School.

Managing Director, Environmental Protection Agency

Eng.Sc and a PhD. He has worked on research projects in a range of food processing and environmental issues and completed a PhD entitled "The Development of Traceability Protocols for Meat and Bone Meal in Ireland". He has worked with the Environmental Protection Agency since 2001 and directs EPA funding activities in the area of Sustainable Environment - including Environment & Health. Shane also oversees communication and dissemination activities for the research programme.

Managing Director, Environmental Protection Agency

After several years of research in the field, she shifted to field based research in economics. Her active interests include the connections between household level productivity and food intake, along with labour organisation and poverty in rural India. She has done extensive work in the study of governance with special focus on local institutions in urban and rural contexts, to create usable and intuitive data analysis to foster logical decision making.

Founding Director, Egypt Solid Waste Management Center of Excellence, Ain Shams University

15.11.19: was validation panel RMW

Professor at the School of Business and Economics at Linnaeus University, Linnaeus University

He is also the research coordinator of the Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism at the Western Norway Research Institute. Stefan has worked with sustainable transport since 1992, focusing on automobility, aviation, and cycling.

Researcher, University of Vienna

He is currently a senior researcher at the Environment Agency Austria, as well as lecturer and associated researcher at the University of Vienna. After completing his graduation at the University of Vienna (1995-2002), he worked as a researcher and environmental consultant at private companies in Austria as well as for WWF Greece (2003-2005). He completed a PhD in Ecology (2007-2010) at the University of Vienna. He has authored 23 publications listed by Thompson Reuters Web of Knowledge.

Researcher, University of Vienna

A.F.E. stands for Social Accountability and Fundamental Environmental Standards), and since 2011 he is also the Team Head PUMA.SAFE Ecology responsible for environmental standards at PUMA globally. He is also a Founding member of PUMA’s employees organization “Charity Cat”.

Stefan Thomson is studying Economics, Environmental Studies and Finance at Boston College. He is a volunteer educator at Outside the Lens, an environmentalist, an avid surfer, skier and sailor. Stefan believes that climate change is the most pressing issue of our time and that a sustainable future begins with corporations and startups creating change now. 

Managing Director, Right Livelihood Fund

Steve is also Co-Founder and Finance Director of Surf Solomons in Solomon Islands, and of Sevalink, an NPO.

Retired - Chief of Audit and Compliance, Retired - Stanford U

As the university’s Chief Audit Executive, he supervised a team of 20+ auditors and support personnel and staffed the Audit and Compliance Committees of the University Board of Trustees and the Stanford Hospitals'' Boards of Directors. He served as the primary liaison for all external auditors working on the Stanford campus. He initiated Stanford''s first institutional compliance initiative in 2000, and was named its first institutional compliance officer in 2001. During 2004-2006, he also oversaw Stanford’s Information Security Office. Before joining the Stanford Internal Audit Department in 1986, he served 17 years as a Principal Investigator for government-sponsored research contracts and grants at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) in Palo Alto, California, and Bangkok, Thailand.

Managing Director, Smallfry Industry Design

Since becoming MD of Smallfry in 1986, May-Russell’s skills/knowledge-base and tireless passion for market led innovation have informed and developed Smallfry’s unique strategic product development methodology. Fascinated by the process of product development, from strategy and design to manufacture, his passion has led some of the industry’s most successful innovations. A self-confessed technology fanatic, he spends as much time hunting down the latest gadgetry as he does designing it. Smallfry has become an inventive customer-focused design and innovation resource with an international reputation. The unique methodologies and processes that have been set in place by May-Russell and his infectious adventurous approach and minute attention to detail have inspired and delivered product innovation that has been sought by major blue chip companies.

Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota

He previously held faculty positions in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at Oregon State University (1993-1999) and the Department of Economics at Boston College (1986-1993). Dr. Polasky was the senior staff economist for environment and resources for the President’s Council of Economic Advisers 1998-1999. He was elected into the National Academy of Sciences in 2010. He was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009 and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2007. His research interests include ecosystem services, natural capital, biodiversity conservation, endangered species policy, integrating ecological and economic analysis, renewable energy, environmental regulation, and common property resources. His papers have been published in Biological Conservation, Ecological Applications, Journal of Economics Perspectives, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, International Economic Review, Land Economics, Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Science and other journals. He has served as co-editor and associate editor for the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, as associate editor for International Journal of Business and Economics, and is currently serving as an associate editor for Conservation Letters, Ecology and Society and Ecology Letters.

Executive Director, The United Synagogue

He was brought up in Wembley and has lived in orthodox communities across the UK and internationally. He is a former governor at Mathilda‐Marks Kennedy Jewish Primary School. Recently he has led and held director-level roles at major national and international research organisations. His experience is primarily in working with and engaging a broad range of stakeholders to build consensus around new strategies, designing strategy implementation plans and monitoring organisational performance. The US believes this experience will be invaluable in guiding the organisation through the next stage of its development.

Director, University of Ottawa Environmental Institute

He is the associate director of the University of Ottawa’s Institute of the Environment. Professor Elgie was the founder and managing lawyer of the Sierra Legal Defence Fund. Prior to founding SLDF, he worked as an environmental lawyer in Alaska, including litigating against Exxon over the Valdez oil spill. Elgie was also the founding Executive Director of the Canadian Boreal Trust. In 2007, he founded Sustainable Prosperity. He has taught at Osgoode Hall Law School (part-time, 1997-2002), University of British Columbia (part-time, 1993-96) and University of Alberta (full-time, 1990-92).

CEO, Project Group Asia Ltd.

He has led large projects in Asia for clients such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Lehman Brothers, Hilton, and Cisco, and has been involved in major projects in Australasia. Prior to establishing Project Group Asia, Stuart was a Director within Cushman & Wakefield’s Asia Pacific operations. His established network and knowledge of bringing best value to the table through innovative thinking are core to the values at Project Group Asia. Stuart holds a B. Built Environment (L. Architecture) and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Urban Design from Queensland University of Technology, Australia.

Experienced technology and sustainable innovation specialist inspiring the technologists of tomorrow., ScienceClubz, Ltd.

Susan founded and ran Ems2 from 2003 - 2015, which helped companies move to low carbon product and service offerings, and founded ScienceClubz in June 2015 with a vision to foster a love of science and innovation in our next generation. Topics include "What if we all lived in Smart Cities?"

Founding Partner, Was.Is

Tamara developed an interest for the management of the urban environment through her work in the Department for Protection of Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture of Croatia where she preformed research and managerial tasks for conservation studies of the given area and/or town. Tamara deepens further her involvement with the management of the urban environment by specializing in the care for abandoned industrial sites in particular, focusing her interest on matters related to redevelopment and refurbishment of these properties. Tamara combines her research work with lecturing at universities across Europe.

Chief Executive, Xyanni - India Partnership for Emerging Enterprise

Tarun founded and headed, for nearly three years, Xaar India. (Owned by Xaar plc, an ink jets manufacturer listed on the LSE, and winner of the Queen''s award for enterprise: Innovation 2005). Earlier he was General Manager & Head of Business Development at RMSI, a GIS company employing about 800 persons in India and owned by DMGT plc, a FTSE 100 company. He has about 14 years of high quality work experience in hi-tech as well as conventional industries.

Managing Partner, Simile Venture Partners

Tatiana started her career in telecom industry with Motorola where she worked for 9 years in corporate and cellular infrastructure divisions overseeing operations of EMEA region. Then she joined for 12 years Direct Group which specialized in development of new businesses in Russia. Being part of entrepreneurial team, she played integral role in building over a dozen of new ventures from idea to well-established companies in industries as diverse as multi-channel distance selling, e-commerce, digital media, financial services and logistics. She sits on the boards of Direct Group, Bluefox International and several tech start-ups in emerging markets.

Manager, Capital Projects, Sustainability, & Energy at Yolo County

His work has not only required a zero capital investment from the County; it also eliminated a $2.7 million dollar energy bill. These results have been recognized by the USA EPA twice for leadership awards. Prior to coming to Yolo County, Terry worked at Stanford University and Arizona State University managing capital programs exceeding $300 million. He received his B.S. Degree from Texas A&M University.

Founder and CEO, Cherokee

Beginning in 1984, he served for 16 years as the Chairman of Cherokee Sanford Group. Tom serves on numerous other boards including those of Shaw University, Environmental Defense Action Fund, Research Triangle Institute and the University of North Carolina’s environmental department. He was Chairman of the Research Triangle Transit Authority and served two terms on the N.C. Board of Transportation, through appointments by the Governor and the Speaker of the House.

Founder and CEO, TJG Energy Associates, LLC

He held two Presidential appointments in the Clinton Administration, as Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget from 1993 - 1998, and as the Deputy Secretary and COO of the Department of Energy from 1999 - 2001. He served on President Obama's transition team in 2008. Mr. Glauthier currently serves on the boards of two corporations: EnerNOC, a provider of energy intelligence software, and VIA Motors, a manufacturer of electric drive pickup trucks and vans.

Professor, National University of Mexico

Since 1977 she has been an active member of IPRA, participating in the Food Study and the Peace and Environmental Group. In 1998 she was elected President of the International Peace Research Association. She is lead author of WG2 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Special Report on Extreme Events. From 1992 to 1998 she was also the first Minister of Environmental Development in Morelos, Mexico.

President, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy

The Research Group I (Future Energy and Mobility Structures) manages WISIONS projects in close co-operation with the Swiss-based foundation ProEvolution. The Wuppertal Institute explores and develops models, strategies and instruments to support sustainable development at local, national and international level. Sustainability research at the Wuppertal Institute focuses on ecology and its relation to economy and society.

Executive Director, One Earth

She is an Associate with the Sustainability Science Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government on innovation and global public goods. She is asked to speak on social change, leadership, systems thinking and sustainability, and teaches courses on these topics. From 2002 until 2003, Vanessa was a Fulbright Research Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government as part of the Initiative on Science and Technology for Sustainability. In 2013, she was awarded Business in Vancouver's Top Forty under 40, and she co-hosts the regional television show, The Sustainable Region.

Head of Challenge Prize Design, Nesta

She enjoys working with a range of organisations to design and support programmes focused on using innovation for social and environmental good. At Nesta she was responsible for designing and delivering a range of programmes to encourage, support and reward innovation across a broad range of topics. Before venturing into the world of innovation, she spent four years in the performing arts sector as a fundraiser, manager and writer, and performed in and supported contemporary dance and interdisciplinary projects in the UK and Europe.

Summer Intern 2018

Wenbo Qi is a public policy analysis student on UCSD, and familiar with pharmaceutical knowledge and professional communication skills. She is working on the expending expert pool and profile nominees on Katerva.

Harvey Brooks Professor of International Science, Public Policy and Human Development, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government

Kennedy School of Government. His research focuses on sustainability science, with an interest in how institutional arrangements affect the linkage between knowledge and action in the sustainability arena. He currently co-directs Harvard’s Sustainability Science Program. He serves on the editorial board of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Clark is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Summer Intern 2018

Yifan Dong is now the graduate student in UC San Diego, majoring in Public Policy. Based on her Computer Science background, she is willing to make effort on the better development of NGOs by the possible technology innovation.