Tomi Vittaniemi is responsible for business development at Parmaco, a leading provider of dynamic rental spaces in the Nordic region. Parmaco champions circularity in the building sector, placing modularity and reusability at the heart of all its operations.
Read full bio
Nani Pajunen
Leading specialist
Turku University of Applied Sciences
Nani Pajunen is a sustainability and carbon neutral circular economy specialist with over 25 years’ experience in industry and research. She was one of the authors of the Finnish national circular economy road map in 2016. Nani works enthusiastically to make a systemic change from the linear economy towards a sustainable and fair global economy. She develops solutions for an economy based on the sustainable use of natural resources and carbon-neutral circular economy business. One of her primary goals is to help different sectors of society, public and private organisations to succeed in an uncertain market situation when the sustainability crisis and lack of energy and raw materials are reality. Nani’s specialty is to create the vision of a sustainable and fair future and build the path how to get there. She has a DSc (Tech) and has worked in industry, academy and as a management consultant.
Karen Pflug joined Ingka Group in August 2021. In her role, she leads the sustainability centre of expertise which supports the company to deliver towards the ambitious commitments set out in the IKEA people and planet positive strategy. Throughout her career, Karen has led major business transformation and change initiatives, with a strong emphasis on innovation, sustainable design and retail. She has held a range of senior leadership roles at Ingka Group, Inter IKEA Group, Nike, Reebok, Triumph International and Australian sportswear brand Skins. Karen holds a BSc in Textile Design and Design Management from the University of Manchester. She is a keen sportswoman and lover of the outdoors, with passions for cycling and kayaking. She lives in the Netherlands with her husband, daughter and son.
Wayne is responsible for helping London’s boroughs to reduce waste and increase recycling rates, and accelerating the development of a low carbon circular economy by supporting circular businesses. He has been working for ReLondon since 2008. Prior to this he was the head of waste policy at the Greater London Authority. Wayne is a trustee on the board of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management and a trustee of the international development body, Waste Aid. He has over 25 years’ experience in the waste and resource management industry.
Jordi is driven by systemic transformation and the creation of a new economic model that delivers prosperity for people, society and the planet. He is convinced cities are the sweet spot to catalyse this transformation. He works with cities worldwide to help them understand the potential of the circular economy and integrate it into their ways of working and urban intervention plans.
Read full bio
Quentin Drewell
Director
World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
Quentin is responsible for mobilising collective action with WBCSD members to drive circular economy impact at a global scale. Having joined in September 2023, he oversees projects within the Products and Materials pathway, and is partner representative to the Circular Electronics Partnership. Quentin has extensive experience in managing complex multi-stakeholder sustainability projects in an international context, having previously led Accenture’s circular economy work. He has also been project advisor to the World Economic Forum on the circular economy and sustainable production, having set up the annual circular economy awards programme, “The Circulars”, and worked on the development of the Platform to Accelerate the Circular Economy. Quentin holds an MA from the University of Cambridge, a Post Graduate Diploma from the University of Portsmouth and an MBA from the University of Bradford. He is a full member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) and is a Chartered Environmentalist. Quentin lives in Kent UK with his wife and two sons.
Read full bio
Casper Nicholas Edmonds
Head of Unit, Extractives, Energy & Manufacturing
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Casper N. Edmonds has for more than 24 years worked for the World Bank Group and the ILO. He is currently working in the ILO’s Sectoral Policies Department where he coordinates their support to governments, employers and workers in addressing labour challenges and opportunities in extractives, energy and manufacturing. He is also coordinating the department's work on a just and job-rich transition to the circular economy.
Read full bio
Alessia Santoro
Senior Associate, Built Environment
World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
Alessia has an Italian bachelor's degree in construction engineering and a master's in "cities and sustainability" from Aalborg University in Denmark. She has completed her curriculum internship at ICLEI in Mexico City and further started working for WBCSD in the Built Environment Pathway. Her specialty is studying how to apply the circular economy model in the built environment system. At the moment, she is co-leading the development of a framework to measure the circularity of buildings while collaborating with Global ABC, UNEP and the Circular Buildings Coalition.
Read full bio
Esther Goodwin Brown
Lead of the Circular Jobs Initiative
Circle Economy
Esther Goodwin Brown’s work focuses on climate justice and how the circular economy can be a means for inclusive, sustainable development around the world. She leads a programme focused on creating the tools to ensure the circular economy is positive for work and workers. Her work aims to ensure steps taken by governments and other public agencies to tackle environmental issues are approached fairly and with people in mind. This involves collaborating across sectors and agendas, including the circular economy, climate, just transition, education and economic development.
Helene works for Arup’s foresight, strategy and insights team in Berlin. She is a structural engineer and sustainability manager by training. She uses her knowledge on structural engineering and corporate sustainability management to guide clients through sustainability challenges in the built environment. Prior to joining Arup, her work centered around systems thinking and material flow mapping. She is particularly knowledgeable in the circular economy, regenerative design and Arup’s Circular Buildings Toolkit. Previously she has worked on developing circular assessment frameworks for corporations.