Expert Advisory Panel

Jeannette Arriola is a leading Mexican expert on indigenous and native peoples, contributing to the search for justice, respect, protection, and development for vulnerable indigenous communities.

With more than 28 years of experience working in the non-profit sector, she is the Founder and Executive President of Pro Mexico Indigena / Pro Mazahua Foundation, which aims to implement comprehensive actions focused on mitigating extreme poverty, social exclusion, and discrimination faced by indigenous peoples.

With her leadership, the Foundation has achieved that more than 300 thousand indigenous people of 11 ethnic groups in 9 states of the Mexican Republic are participating actors of their development with identity, in full respect of their worldviews, traditions, and ancestral wisdom.

She is the holder of the “Carlos Slim Helu Professorship for the Comprehensive Development of the Indigenous Peoples of Mexico” and holds a Ph.D. in Innovation and Social Responsibility from the Anahuac University, designing and evaluating socially responsible and sustainable strategies to address poverty in indigenous communities.

Jeannette has received numerous awards for her work, among them the “2020 Prize for Women’s Creativity in Rural Life” from the Women’s World Summit Foundation, based in Switzerland, recognizing her “rare creativity to enable the most rejected to be respected” giving guidance to multiple national and international actors on how to solve, in a sustainable way and from the root, each of the public problems faced by indigenous communities.

Silvana Baldovino is a Peruvian environmental lawyer with more than 20 years of experience. She has led important processes related to the establishment of national protected areas in the Peruvian Amazon, land securing for Indigenous Peoples in the Peruvian Amazon and international and national campaigns for environmental defenders.

She is the Director of the Biodiversity and Indigenous Peoples Program at the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law. In this role, she has led a multi-actor strategy that has secured over 3 million hectares of indigenous territories in the Peruvian Amazon. Silvana has also led the legal strategies that have allowed the creation of more than 10 national and regional protected areas.

Currently, Silvana is focused on strengthening the legal framework for the protection of isolated indigenous peoples and environmental defenders, as well as providing legal advice to indigenous organizations and the Peruvian environmental agencies.

Dr. Sweta Chakraborty is a climate behavioral scientist who is regularly interviewed on major, international news media outlets like CNN, the BBC, MSNBC, etc.

Sweta is the CEO of North America for We Don’t Have Time, the world’s largest social media and communications company for accelerating climate solutions. She is a partner at Pioneer Public Affairs and is on the steering committee of the Global Commons Alliance. She is an Independent Director at Lightbridge Corp. where she chairs their ESG committee, and is on several advisory boards like the New York Academy of Sciences and Climate Power.

She is a book author from her time as a postdoc at Oxford University. She is a TEDx, SXSW, and globally recognized keynote speaker and consultant for several Fortune 100 companies.

Nathan Cooper leads the World Economic Forum’s strategic climate partnerships, including working with world leaders – heads of state, ministers and global CEOs- to drive more ambitious climate action across governments and businesses.

Nathan coordinates the World Economic Forum’s approach to intergovernmental processes such as UNFCCC COPs, G7, and G20. Previously, Nathan held a series of posts in the UK Government, including at the Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and the UK Cabinet Office, where he lead the business and industrial strategy for G7 and UN Climate Change Conference, COP26.

Tyler Ferdinand is a Climate Innovation Specialist with BFA Global, an impact innovation firm that combines research, advisory, venture building, and investment expertise to build a more inclusive, equitable future.

Leveraging his background in climate change science, policy and environmental sustainability, he helps build climate impact companies in emerging markets, nurtures local innovation ecosystems and advises investors on climate smart portfolios.

Tyler values a balance of global and local action. He has co-created game-changing global knowledge products through initiatives such as the Global Commission on Adaptation as well as working with climate vulnerable communities on the ground, helping to implement landscape system shifts for longer-term climate resilience.

His thematic foci include agri-food systems and value chains, digitalization and green industrialization, social equity, natural ecology and managing risk and uncertainty.

Bogolo J. Kenewendo is a Global Economist and Strategic Advisor. She has served as the Cabinet Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry and Specially Elected Member of Parliament in Botswana.

She is currently championing climate action and finance as a catalyst for development in Africa and the global south in her role as Africa Director & Special Advisor of the UN High-Level Climate Champions Team. Bogolo is a vocal advocate for gender equity and protection of children’s rights. She has received global recognition for her work, being appointed as a member of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council, a member of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres’ High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation, Advisory Group on the gender architecture of the UN and group on Financing for Development.

She is also a member of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Trade Advisory Group, Global Future Council on Global Public Goods in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and a WEF Young Global Leader. She is a Non-Executive Director in several corporate boards & Non-Profit organizations and is a Non-Resident Fellow with the Center for Global Development.

She is frequently named among Africa’s Most Influential People by various publications. In 2022 she was named among Prestigious Time magazine’s TIME100 Next Honorees highlighting 100 emerging leaders from around the world who are shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership.

International development professional and intrapreneur with over 15 years of international experience developing and promoting emerging economies in the public and private sectors in financial and digital inclusion, digital transformation, and social innovation.

Currently Senior Climate Ecosystem and Innovation Architect at BFA Global, a global consulting firm that applies financial and digital innovation, venture building, and investment expertise to improve the resilience and well-being of underserved people. Actively participating in its climate finance initiatives, such as Co-leading the Secretariat of the CIFAR Alliance, a global initiative working to accelerate responsible innovation in digital finance for climate adaptation and resilience, and launching TECA Waves, a venture launcher of high-potential individuals with a passion for climate action to develop ideas into ventures.

Mentor for Tech-based social startups in Mexico. Alumni of the Global Shapers Community sponsored by the World Economic Forum. Ph.D. in Public Administration, holds an MA in Political Science, a Law Degree, and a BA in International Relations. Professor of Digital Transformation and social innovation.

Mandy Nyarko MBE is an investor in the intersection of climate change solutions and underrepresented groups. She is Co-founder of ESG innovation consultancy Startup Discovery School who design incubators, accelerators and open innovation programmes for public and private organisations in the U.K. and Africa, who are focused on building startups addressing environmental and social sustainability issues.

She is also an advisor on the SME action board to the UK Government’s Department of Business Energy and Industrial strategy and has been selected to represent the U.K. at the G20 startup committee.

Alumni of Cambridge University Institute of Sustainability Leadership with a background in Sustainable finance and Business Sustainability Management. Mandy was recognised as one of the 25 black entrepreneurs to watch in 2022, she speaks for the Financial Times on economic pressures and has been featured in Forbes as a leading investor in underrepresented groups.

Frederick is the Chief Executive Officer of GenZero. He oversees the strategic direction of the company and leads the execution of its strategies to achieve both climate impact and sustainable long-term financial returns.

Prior to his appointment at GenZero, Frederick held various leadership positions in Sustainability, Portfolio Management and Business Continuity Management in his 12 years at Temasek International. As Managing Director of Sustainable Solutions, he established the team and conceived capability programmes in clean energy, urban, and climate and nature solutions. He led key initiatives such as the establishment of Climate Impact X, a global marketplace and exchange for carbon credits, as well as Singapore’s first brownfield distributed district cooling retrofit project in partnership with SP Group.

Frederick holds a MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics, and a BA and MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Lincoln College, Oxford University.

Vijaya Ramachandran is the director for energy and development at the Breakthrough Institute, a board member of the Energy for Growth Hub, and a nonresident fellow of the Center for Global Development.

She is an economist whose research focuses on energy infrastructure and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. She has three decades of experience in public policy and academia, serving on the faculty of Duke University and Georgetown University, as well as working at the World Bank and in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Her work has been published in Foreign Policy, Nature, and other journals, and cited by over fifty media outlets including the Economist, National Public Radio, and the Guardian. Vijaya has a PhD in Business Economics from Harvard University.

Vera Songwe is Chair of the Liquidity and Sustainability Facility. Songwe is co-chair of the High-Level Panel on Finance for Climate Action. She is member of the Global Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ). She is a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Songwe was previously Under-Secretary-General at the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Songwe has been recognized as one of Africa’s 100 most influential people in 2022 and was a recipient of the All Africa Continental Leadership Award, Songwe was named one of the nominees for Forbes Africa 50 Top Women in 2023. She recently co-authored a book entitled “Regional Integration in West Africa: Is There a Role for a Single Currency?”.

She has spent the last three years championing the cause for additional liquidity for emerging markets and the need for a new global financial architecture fit for the 21st century’s development challenges.

She has held a number of senior positions at the World Bank, and the International Finance Corporation. Her main areas of interest are financial stability, macro-prudential policy, fiscal and monetary policy, innovative financing mechanisms for development, climate finance, agriculture, energy, and economic governance. She has extensive experience working in Africa, East Asia, Europe and Central Asia and South Asia regions.

Prior to joining the Bank, Dr. Songwe was a Visiting Scholar at the University of Southern California and at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Dr. Songwe holds a PhD. in Mathematical Economics from the Center for Operations Research & Econometrics from the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium. She holds a BA in Economics and a BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Adam leads climate and energy efforts at Deep Science Ventures (DSV), with a focus on reversing global heating. DSV is a venture creator, combining available scientific knowledge and founder-type scientists into high-impact ventures. Current areas of focus include Negative Emissions Technologies, Decarbonising Transportation, Atmospheric Methane Reduction, Critical Minerals, Decarbonising Industrial Heating, Planet Positive Economics and Decarbonising Water.

Prior to DSV Adam has worked across multiple innovation-focused roles including Chief Commercial Officer at London-based, venture-backed start-up LabGenius, Portfolio Management at Cancer Research UK and Business Development and Innovation for Johnson Matthey. During these previous roles Adam focused on driving forward applied technologies in the fields of e.g. syngas conversion, energy storage, CCUS, machine-learning-enabled discovery and hydrogen generation.

Adam holds a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry and an MSci in Chemistry from the University of Oxford and Imperial College London, respectively.

Xiomara Acevedo, Internationalist, Climate, nature and gender justice activist, consultant and social entrepreneur from Colombia. She is the founder and director of Barranquilla+20 a women-led & women and youth-focused NGO that started its impact in 2012 and whose mission is to educate and recognize women, children and youth leadership in climate change, biodiversity and water issues in Colombia and LAC countries. Barranquilla+20 has reached more than 30.000 people with its different campaigns, projects and initiatives and was one of the 10 Generation equality youth grantees. In 2022 the organization was also selected by USAID – IREX to develop a practice research initiative in Colombia.

Xiomy also coordinates the Global Youth Biodiversity Network in Colombia and the Women for Climate Justice national network and has represented and spoken in several international multilateral environmental negotiations such as the Conference of Parties (COP) 12, 13 and 15 of the Convention of Biological Diversity as well as COPs 20, 21, 25, 26 and 27 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change, the World Water Forum in Brasilia, World Urban Forum, World Humanitarian Forum, among others. Her notable achievements included the formulation of climate subnational policies such as the Comprehensive Plan for Territorial Climate Change Management of Narino 2019-2035, the Strategy to promote the respect, protection, and guarantee of the rights of Nature in Nariño, and the Climate Emergency Declaration for Atlantico, among others that mobilized more than 12.000 for their adoption as public policies.

Xiomara has a Bachelor’s degree in international relations from Universidad del Norte, Colombia and a postgraduate specialization degree in climate change, cities and leadership from FLACSO Ecuador and a certificate in climate adaptation finance, Frankfurt School of Management and Finance. She is now a Robert Samson scholar at the University of Cambridge, pursuing a second Master’s degree in Conservation Leadership.

Caroline de Bossart is a Director representing the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, an organisation founded by Jeremy and Hanne Grantham, where she advises on grants and investments into neglected climate solutions. She has a particular interest in carbon removal and is a board director for C-Trees, a non-profit organisation that tracks carbon for every tree on the planet to enable nature-based climate solutions at scale.

Prior to the Grantham Foundation, she was a growth-stage climate investor at CPP Investments, the C$500B investment arm of the Canadian pension plan, and a strategy consultant at Bain & Company. She was selected for the 2020/21 Harvard Climate Leaders Programme. Caroline lives in the Canadian Rockies with her husband and husky.

Professor Amy Dickman is the Director of Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, and has worked on conservation challenges for over 25 years.

Her particular area of focus is understanding and improving human-wildlife coexistence, especially in East Africa. She is the Joint CEO of Lion Landscapes, which develops effective community-based conservation initiatives in Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania and beyond. Amy is on the IUCN’s Cat Specialist Group, Human-Wildlife Conflict Specialist Group, and Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group.

She has published over 100 scientific papers and book chapters on conservation and is an award-winning conservationist. As a mother of two young children, she is also passionate about the role of women in science, and empowering other women to be as effective and happy as they can be in conservation.

Lindsey Higgins is a climate scientist and communications specialist based in Sweden. She currently works as Head of Climate Insights at Pale Blue Dot.

Lindsey Higgins is a climate scientist and communications specialist from Buffalo, New York, USA. She received her PhD from Stockholm University in Physical Geography, where her research focused on human-environment interactions around climate change and freshwater resources. Today, Lindsey is Head of Climate Insights at the early-stage venture capital firm Pale blue dot in Sweden. Her work focuses on understanding the science behind climate tech innovations to help guide investment strategies and decisions, and she is passionate about bridging gaps between research and the entrepreneurial world. In 2022, Lindsey was named one of the nine people who mattered in European climate tech by Sifted.

Dr Florian Humpenöder is a senior scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany. He is a member of the Land-use Management Group within the Department for Transformation Pathways at PIK.

Florian works with Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) to develop global-scale transformation pathways compatible with the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). His core expertise are future scenarios of global land use under varying assumptions such as socio-economic development, land-use regulation, and dietary shift.

Florian published several peer-reviewed articles in high-ranking journals on the topic of GHG emission reduction from agriculture (e.g. methane from ruminants) and land-use change (e.g. CO2 from deforestation). Protection, management and restoration of forests and other ecosystems play a central role in his scientific work. He is a contributing author in the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL) and the AFOLU chapter in the IPCC AR6 WG3 report.

Dr Niall McCann is a National Geographic Explorer, conservationist and broadcaster, with a particular interest in humankind’s relationship with nature.

Niall is the Conservation Director for National Park Rescue, a direct-action conservation organisation protecting some of the most threatened national parks in Africa, and is co-Chair of the global EndPandemics Alliance. In addition to his day-to-day work in conservation, Niall is an award-winning wildlife TV presenter and is involved in multiple projects at the nexus between innovative finance and conservation.

Outside of work, Niall is a seasoned adventurer who has rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, skied across Greenland, cycled over the Himalayas, and been on multiple rock climbing and mountaineering trips around the world. He is a Trustee of the Royal Geographical Society and the Wallacea Trust, an Ambassador for the British Inspiration Trust, Millimetres2Mountains and Smash Life, and is an active member of the Brecon Mountain Rescue team.

David Booth is Professor of Marine Ecology at University of Technology Sydney, and Research Associate at Sydney Institute of Marine Science.

He researches how reef-fish ecology and fisheries respond to climate change and other anthropogenic impacts, in the Caribbean, Hawaii, Great Barrier Reef, including a 22 year dataset on tropical fish travelling down the East Australian Current past Sydney.

He studies seahorses and seadragons, and is global seadragon focus person and a member of IUCN Special Species Group for Seahorse, Pipefish and Seadragons. He also researches the impacts and values of artificial reefs, from small reef enhancements adjacent to Sydney Opera House to global offshore oil and gas structures. He is a strong advocate for marine protection and a technical advisor to Plastic Oceans Australia.

Ibn Sina Distinguished Professor Carlos M. Duarte is the Tarek Ahmed Juffali Research Chair in Red Sea Ecology at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), in Saudi Arabia, Executive Director of the Global Coral R&D Accelerator Platform, and Chief Scientist of Oceans2050, OceanUS and E1Series.

Before this, he was Research Professor with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Director of the Oceans Institute at The University of Western Australia. Duarte’s research focuses on understanding the effects of global change in marine ecosystems and developing nature-based solutions to global challenges, including climate change, and develop evidence-based strategies to rebuild the abundance of marine life by 2050.

Building on his research showing mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes to be globally-relevant carbon sinks, he developed, working with different UN agencies, the concept of Blue Carbon, as a nature-based solution to climate change. He has conducted research across all continents and oceans, spanning most of the marine ecosystem types, from inland to near-shore and the deep sea and from microbes to whales. Professor Duarte has published more than 1,000 scientific papers and has been ranked as the top marine biologist and the 12th most influential climate scientist in the world.

Tony Long is chief executive officer of Global Fishing Watch, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing ocean governance through increased transparency of human activity at sea.

Before joining Global Fishing Watch in 2017, Long worked for The Pew Charitable Trusts, where he directed their global campaign to end illegal fishing. In this role, Long applied an integrated approach to combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by combining policy, technology and enforcement efforts. During his tenure, he worked to promote ratification of the Port State Measures Agreement and also pioneered the creation of a maritime monitoring system to provide authorities with information to identify, sanction and deter illegal fishing.

Long joined the nonprofit sector after 27 years with the British Royal Navy where he commanded HMS BLYTH and HMS MONMOUTH. He later taught at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom and provided planning and policy support to the head of the Navy and government ministers. A specialist in maritime surveillance, Long has spent extensive time at sea, including patrols throughout the Atlantic Ocean, Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean and the Far East.

Long holds a master’s degree in defense studies from King’s College London.

Terry Tamminen is the President/CEO of the non-profit “blue economy” hub AltaSea in the Port of Los Angeles.

In 2003, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed him Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and later Cabinet Secretary, the Chief Policy Advisor to the Governor. He co-founded the R20 Regions of Climate Action, a public-private partnership working globally to deploy climate solutions at scale, and provides climate policy advice to 7th Generation Advisors, Pegasus Capital Advisors, and the UN Green Climate Fund.

An accomplished author, Terry’s books include “Watercolors: How JJ the Whale Saved Us” and “Cracking the Carbon Code: The Keys to Sustainable Profits in the New Economy”. The Guardian ranked Terry No. 1 in its “Top 50 People Who Can Save the Planet.”

Ioannis Binietoglou is an atmospheric scientist currently working as a remote sensing policy manager at Clean Air Task Force (CATF), a non-profit organization that promotes policies and technologies that reduce the impact of climate change.

His work focuses on exploring ways to use methane remote sensing technologies in national and regional public policy, helping minimize methane emissions in the atmosphere. Before joining CATF, Ioannis worked as a remote sensing scientist at public research institutes and the industry, developing ground-based remote sensing systems for atmospheric monitoring.

Biology Professor at the University of São Paulo (Brazil) and Executive Director at the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC).

Lúcia Lohmann graduated from the University of São Paulo (Brazil) with a bachelor’s degree in biology and obtained a Master’s and Doctorate degree in Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics from the University of Missouri-St. Louis (USA) with a specialization in Tropical Biology and Conservation. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development (CCSD) at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Her research is highly integrative, combining information from systematics, ecology, evolution, geology, palaeontology, and climatology to understand the drives of biological diversity, especially in the Amazon. She is also interested in incorporating scientific knowledge into policy and the identification of conservation priorities, especially in Brazil, where she is currently based.

Chris is a results-driven, strategically focused and internationally experienced executive leader with a 25-year track record of building and transforming SME and Fortune 500 companies.

Bringing entrepreneurial and innovative energy in both Executive roles and as a Board Advisor, the results have included an AIM listing, 4 trade-sales and a variety of SME Board Advisory roles.
Following 7 years in various roles within Hitachi, Chris moved to Hitachi Europe as Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, with responsibility for strategic growth of the European environment and decarbonisation business which has the mission is to incubate and build the next Hitachi digitally enabled net zero businesses based on Hitachi’s capabilities in Mobility, Energy and Environment.

Isabella served as Southeast Asia Analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

Isabella’s work on climate has focused on solutions at the intersection of climate mitigation and adaptation. Her research at CREA included several publications on the health and economic impacts of air pollution from fossil fuel combustion across countries in Southeast and East Asia, as well as the solutions and policies needed to reduce air pollution and emissions from the energy sector. She was previously with the World Resources Institute as researcher, and then Strategic Engagement Coordinator, for the Global Commission on Adaptation. Her work covers policy and coalition-building for intersectional and inclusive climate action, including issues such as gender, health and locally-led action with previous experience at the Advanced Energy Group, UN Women, and the UN Counter-terrorism Executive Directorate.

She is currently the Engagement Analyst at TransitionZero.

Antha N. Williams leads the Environment program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. Under Williams’ direction, Bloomberg Philanthropies supports environmental initiatives to improve the sustainability of cities around the world, accelerate the transition to clean energy, combat overfishing and protect coral reefs, and help businesses and investors better understand climate-related financial risks and opportunities.

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ environment program also serves as the hub of Michael Bloomberg’s personal efforts to combat climate change including in his role as United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions and as Chair of the Task Force for Climate-related Financial Disclosures.

Williams was Consulting Producer on two feature films: Paris to Pittsburgh, a film about communities across America grappling with the impacts of climate change; and From the Ashes, which showcases communities across America wrestling with the legacy of the coal industry. Previously Williams served as Senior Vice President at Corridor Partners, a donor advisory firm focused on climate and clean energy. Williams also worked as the Advocacy Executive at Atlantic Philanthropies, where she oversaw grants to support health care and comprehensive immigration reform. As Program Officer at Beldon Fund, Williams built support for environmental issues by policymakers through grassroots organizing at the state level.

Outside of philanthropy, Williams has worked as a campaigner and organizer, directing large-scale voter protection efforts and serving in leadership positions for five years with Green Corps, a training program for aspiring environmental organizers. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, ClimateWorks Foundation, European Climate Foundation, League of Conservation Voters, Oceana, and Oceans 5. Williams graduated from Dartmouth College and lives in New York.

Laura joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2015, and her first few years saw her co-author the reports ‘Circular Economy in India Rethinking Growth for Long Term Prosperity’ and ‘A New Textiles Economy – Redesigning Fashion’s Future’.

Part of the ‘Make Fashion Circular’ team since it was launched at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit in 2017, Laura now leads the Foundation’s Fashion initiative – focused on international efforts to stop waste and pollution by creating a circular economy for the industry. Where products are used more, are made to be made again and are made from safe, recycled or renewable inputs.

As part of her role, Laura has managed the #WearNext campaign, The Jeans Redesign project, Vision of a circular economy for fashion, Circular Business Models – Redefining growth for a thriving fashion industry, the launch of the Foundation’s Circular Design for Fashion book and the Foundation’s Partnership with Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) on their 2022 Sustainable Fashion Awards.

Ms. Bezawit Eshetu is a Circular Economy Specialist and a strong advocate of creating synergies and forging partnerships to maximize impact.

She has over 15 years of experience, specializing in environmental management, sustainable development, climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions, green growth, Circular economy solutions, policy dialogues, program design, and implementation. Working with different bilateral and multilateral partners like UN agencies, government entities, and private sectors has given her a whole rounded understanding of how to create inclusive fair, and sustainable solutions.

Bezawit holds a Master of Science in Botany/Plant Biology and a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry, both from Addis Ababa University. She is an Ellen MacArthur Foundation Circular Economy Pioneer, FLTC Africa program 2020 batch, executive team member at African Circular Economy Network, currently working as Regional coordinator at ACEN Foundation and founder at Circular Alternatives.

Jessica has over 20 years of experience helping organizations increase competitiveness and drive profitable growth while creating positive economic, environmental and societal impact.

She is currently Managing Director and Chief Strategy Officer at Closed Loop Partners, a NYC-based investment firm that provides equity and project finance to scale products, services and infrastructure at the forefront of the development of the circular economy. She works across the firm’s funds and its Center for the Circular Economy to accelerate financial returns and environmental impact for portfolio companies, investors and other stakeholders. In 2022, Jessica helped develop and launch a new division under Closed Loop Partners: Circular Services, the largest privately-held recycling company and circular economy services provider in North America.

Jessica was previously a Managing Director with Accenture, leading their North America Sustainability & Responsible Business practice. In this role, Jessica led engagements with companies in energy, food, fashion, and technology to advance their sustainability goals, drive economic value through responsible business and scale new circular business models.

Jessica is a regular contributor to the World Economic Forum, Fortune and major industry publications, holds a United States patent and has received several awards, including the Inspiring Leader Award, Innovation Award and Inventor’s Award. She is a sought-after speaker on the topics of technology-enabled transformation, sustainable and purpose-driven business, cross-sector partnering and innovation for development. She is an author of several papers and studies, including the recently published book ‘The Circular Economy Handbook: Realizing the Circular Advantage’.

Danielle Nierenberg is a world-renowned researcher, speaker, and advocate on all issues relating to our food system and agriculture.

In 2013, Danielle Nierenberg co-founded Food Tank (foodtank.com) with Bernard Pollack, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters. Food Tank is a global convener, thought leadership organization, and unbiased creator of original research impacting the food system.

Danielle has an M.S. in Agriculture, Food, and Environment from the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and spent two years volunteering for the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. Danielle is the recipient of the 2020 Julia Child Award.

Sustainable systems pioneer Lewis Perkins is the president of Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), the nonprofit dedicated to identifying, funding, scaling, and measuring the apparel and footwear industry’s proven environmental impact solutions. Perkins is dedicated to building programs and systems designed to activate brands, manufacturers, financiers, and innovators to do their part to decarbonize the industry.

With over two decades of expertise in sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and philanthropy, Perkins formerly served as president of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII) where he founded and led the Institute’s Fashion Positive initiative. Prior to joining the C2CPII, Perkins served as director of sustainable strategies for the commercial sector of Mohawk Industries, a leading carpet manufacturer.

Perkins has been tapped as an advisor and consultant to innovative environmental initiatives and programs such as the Earthshot Prize, Google’s Circular Economy Accelerator Program, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Fibres Initiative, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana’s Sustainable Fashion Awards, the Global Change Award at the H&M Foundation, and CFDA Sustainability Design Mentorship, among others. He has also participated on the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Consumption and lent expertise as a keynote speaker at esteemed events including Aspen Ideas: Climate, Reuters, Global Fashion Summit, Economist Impact, COP27, Vogue Forces of Fashion, and more.

Perkins holds a Master of Business Administration in marketing and strategy with a focus on social responsibility from Emory University and a Bachelor of Arts from Washington & Lee University, from which he received the Distinguished Alumni Award.

Wesley Spindler is a Managing Director and member of the Global Sustainability Leadership Team at Accenture.

She leads the Circular Economy, Sustainable Value Chains, and Nature & Biodiversity agendas globally within the Group. She also leads the Accenture Sustainability interlock for our Innovation and Customer Experience networks. As a member of Accenture’s Leadership, she drives global sustainability transformation programs – from strategy through to delivery – with partners and companies across industries, bringing to bear strong expertise which enables organizations to achieve outcomes at the intersection of competitiveness and growth, and sustainable innovation.

Beyond the day-to-day, Wesley is lead co-author of The Circular Economy Handbook (Palgrave, 2020); Program Director of The Circulars, an innovation accelerator program run in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, Ecolab, Anglo American, AWS, and other leading organizations; and a Delegate to the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy.

Dr Mohammed Dahiru Aminu is the Policy Manager, Methane Pollution Prevention in Africa at Clean Air Task Force, which is a global environmental non-profit organisation that works to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change. In addition to climate change policy experience, Mohammed has several years of experience, in teaching and research, with a stint in consulting and government. At Clean Air Task Force, Mohammed works to advocate for ambitious, technically sound regulations and other concrete policies to reduce methane emissions in several African countries, across the oil & gas and waste sectors.

Before joining Clean Air Task Force, Mohammed was a Climate Change Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Nigeria, and Technical Assistant on Climate Change to Nigerian Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor. Mohammed was also an Assistant Professor of Petroleum Chemistry at American University of Nigeria and Geology Lecturer at Modibbo Adama University.

Mohammed has published research papers in some of the most important scientific journals in energy and environment. In December 2020, Mohammed received the Applied Energy Highly Cited Article Award for his work entitled: A Review of Developments in Carbon Dioxide Storage. The award was received at the 12th International Conference on Applied Energy in Bangkok, Thailand. Mohammed has also published many essays in popular Nigerian print and online media, focusing mainly on energy, education, infrastructure, economic, and other developmental challenges.

In 2019, Mohammed was invited by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (a private sector-led think-tank and policy advocacy group) to chair the first Nigerian Triple Helix Roundtable on Incentivizing Investments in Research and Development. At the event, Mohammed led the discussion to elicit responses from major stakeholders in Nigeria’s education sector to identify the key challenges impeding research in Nigeria, with a view to proffering workable solutions to the government.

In 2020, Mohammed became a Member and Secretary of the Working Group on Solid Waste Management for the implementation of the European Union-funded Nigeria Climate Change Response Programme under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Environment.

Mohammed has a Ph.D. in Carbon Capture and Storage from Cranfield University, United Kingdom. Mohammed is a Chartered Geoscientist and a member of several professional associations.s

Roberta Boscolo is leading the Climate and Energy workstream at the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.

Her main work is to enhance the capacity of all countries to contrast climate change and enact sustainable development through scaling up science-based climate adaptation and mitigation measures in alignment with the global landmark agreements.

With a wide and deep knowledge of climate and sustainability-related issues, she manages a transformative interface between climate science and socio-economic sectors, especially energy sector, through partnerships with United Nation agencies, public and private sectors, academia, civil society, media groups and associations.

She has long-term experience in developing knowledge platforms and good practices to support climate-related risk management and pathways to resilient low-carbon economy.
In 2022 she was included in the list of top 10 Sustainability Influences by the Sustainability Magazine and nominated Top Voice of LinkedIn.

Previously she served as science officer for the World Climate Research Programme, coordinating scientific efforts worldwide to address the knowledge gaps in understanding Earth climate system. Such knowledge is assessed by the IPCC milestone reports.

She launched and managed multi-stakeholders development projects in 20+ countries, currently she manages a portfolio of several multi-million projects (US$ 30M) in Africa, South America, South East Asia and Pacific.

Paige Brocidiacono roadmaps and accelerates the methane removal field at Spark Climate Solutions, a climate nonprofit focused on accelerating underresourced, high-leverage climate solutions.

Previously, she served as the founding CEO of WindBorne, a Khosla-funded start-up that develops constellations of low-cost, controllable balloons to collect critical data in undersampled areas of the atmosphere, like over oceans and developing countries, to improve global weather forecasting accuracy and help humanity adapt to climate change.

Paige dropped out of a Stanford Materials Science undergrad program in 2019 to found WindBorne and was awarded the Thiel Fellowship and was named one of Forbes 30 under 30 Science.

Paige grew up in Bangor, Maine, where she first developed her interest in science and engineering by conducting an environmental survey of pollution in her local streams. She discovered concerning levels of phosphorous, a pollutant that comes from fertilizer runoff and causes harmful algal blooms, spurring her to develop a low-cost material capable of extracting the phosphorus from the water.

For her research, she won 1st place in the Global Good category of the Intel (now Regeneron) Science Talent Search in 2016. Paige is a watercolour painter and photographer, focused on capturing the beauty of the natural world.

Pilita Clark is an associate editor, business columnist and Editorial Board member at the Financial Times where she writes on climate change and corporate life.

Formerly the FT’s environment correspondent, her writing has won awards in the US and Asia and in 2019 she was named Environment Journalist of the Year for the third year in a row at the British Press Awards.

Before joining the FT, she was a Washington correspondent for Australian newspapers and a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.

Jon is CEO of BloombergNEF taking on this role at the end of 2013. BloombergNEF (BNEF) is a strategic research provider covering global commodity markets and the disruptive technologies driving the transition to a low-carbon economy. BNEF assesses pathways for the power, transport, industry, buildings and agriculture sectors to adapt to the energy transition, helping commodity traders, corporate strategists, finance and policy professionals navigate change.

Jon joined New Energy Finance in 2008, which became BloombergNEF in 2010. Prior to 2008, Jon spent two decades in capital markets, the first decade at JPMorgan and then Accenture, the second decade as co-founder and CEO of a capital Markets management consulting firm, based in London and New York.

Julie joined MIT as the Institute’s first Director of Sustainability to found the Office of Sustainability in 2013 and build a platform both unique to MIT yet with the intention of advancing the field at large.

With this in mind, Julie launched MIT’s sustainability platform grounded in a methodology to leverage the role of the campus to solve for sustainability and a changing climate across multiple scales – at the levels of the individual, the campus, the city, the state, the country and the globe. Julie is a pioneer in the field of campus sustainability and has worked for twenty-five years at a combination of public and private, and rural and urban campuses alike.

In her work she has demonstrated that the actions and infrastructure of our campuses are integral to advancing and fulfilling the educational mission of Higher Education. She brings a systems thinking perspective to all of her work and seeks to build bridges between operational and academic partners alike to inform both her understanding of the challenges at hand and to develop solutions.

Her prior research which she now applies, focused on the intersection between decision-making processes and organizational behaviour in institutionalizing sustainability into higher education.

Bruno Pozzi is the Deputy Director of the Ecosystems Division of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and is based in Nairobi (Kenya).

A diplomat from Belgium, Bruno Pozzi has over 20 years of experience in high-level diplomacy and politics across three different continents and in various political, environmental and economic roles.

Bruno’s work is shaped by three core convictions. The first is that the environment is a central political subject and at the heart of multilateralism. Secondly, he believes that sustainable development, peace and prosperity can only be achieved if the environment is the fundamental principle guiding the thinking behind development and socio-economic policies. Thirdly, he is certain that economic transformation and innovation are key in order to build a sustainable future.

Bruno started his career at the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and served in Belgian Embassies to Japan, China and South Africa. He then joined the European External Action Service in 2011, as the Head of the Political Section of the European Union Delegation to Ivory Coast. In 2015, he was appointed Deputy Head of Delegation of the European Union to Kenya.

He joined the UN Environment Programme as Director for Europe in 2019 and became Deputy Director of UNEP’s Ecosystems Division in 2022.

Dr. Gerhard Salge is the Chief Technology Officer of Hitachi Energy. He joined Hitachi Energy’s predecessor in 1999 working within Corporate Research. From 2005 to 2014, he had various roles within the Medium Voltage Products Business Unit.

In 2015 he became Global Head of Technology for Power Products, then Business Chief Technology Officer – CTO for Power Grids in 2016. From 2018 to 2020, Dr. Salge was a Member of the World Economic Forum “Global Future Council on Advanced Energy Technologies”. Since 2022, he is also a Member of CIGRE Strategic Advisory Group on Energy Transition. Additionally, he contributes to multiple IEA reports on technology in the Energy Transition.

Dr. Salge holds a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from RWTH Aachen University, Germany.