As the co-chair of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) in Brussels, Ladeja is recognised globally as an authority on the circular economy. She is an inspiring speaker and lecturer, and a member of numerous international circular economy councils, expert groups and juries. Ladeja has co-authored the circular economy road maps for Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Chile. Collaborating with teams worldwide, from Nordic countries to Latin America, she is active in several think tanks, including Chatham House, and contributes to scientific publications. Ladeja's achievements include being a finalist for the Circular Leadership Award 2018 (Davos WEF) and being featured as #EUwomen4future by the EU Commission in 2020.
Freek van Eijk leads an independent platform that facilitates the transition to a circular economy at the international level by bringing together government authorities, knowledge institutes and businesses. He is co-chair of the Coordination Group of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP). Furthermore, he is an adjunct professor at the LUISS Business School. He is one of the more senior EU experts in waste management and the circular economy, and has been described as a “mover and a shaker”. Previously, he served for over a decade as director of strategy and public affairs at multinational SUEZ, as a board member at the Dutch Waste Management Association, and as a sherpa of the EU Innovation Partnership on Raw Materials.
Tim works as a circular economy specialist at Sitra. His key topic of interest is how the circular economy can tackle biodiversity loss and how we could build a circular bioeconomy. Having studied environmental management and policy and languages in five different countries, Tim began exploring the circular economy framework towards the end of his studies in Lund. Upon graduating he started working in the UK for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, where he researched the landscape of the circular economy, in which Finland stood out as a clear frontrunner. The foundation’s China programme also took Tim back to Beijing, where he stayed to work on environmental affairs at the Embassy of Sweden.
In his current position at Sitra, Markus leads the Nature and daily life project, which promotes change towards a more sustainable life in two ways: by inspiring people to make sustainable choices in their everyday lives and by making these changes visible at a societal level for decision makers. Before joining Sitra, Markus worked for 20 years in industry in various notable corporate responsibility positions; among them he has served as the global sustainability chief of Nokia.
Kristin has extensive experience and a multidisciplinary knowledge base in urban development. She previously worked in the public sector in Sweden as an environmental urban planner, guiding city development sustainably for people, planet and the environment. At Circle Economy, she is responsible for research and analysis behind circular city support, including creating strategies, road maps and guidance documents. Additionally, Kristin facilitates workshops, providing expertise and insights to promote sustainable urban planning practices, emphasising ecological and societal well-being. Her work focuses on innovative circular solutions for urban challenges, fostering environmentally friendly and socially inclusive urban spaces.
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Florika Fink-Hooijer
Director General, Environment Department (DG ENV)
European Commission
Having occupied various senior management positions in the European Commission, Florika Fink-Hooijer is recognised for her strong management and leadership skills and her in-depth experience in EU policy making and shaping. A lawyer by training, Florika brings a proven record of accomplishment in foreign and security policy as well as in humanitarian aid and disaster risk reduction. She has extensive experience in leading complex inter-institutional and intergovernmental negotiations. In her current role at the Commission's Directorate-General for Environment, she is responsible for implementing the European Green Deal objectives, in particular the areas of the circular economy, biodiversity and zero pollution.
Jellie Banga works for the national promotional institute for the Netherlands. Currently managing an investment capital of approximately €2 billion, Invest-NL’s strategic goal is to speed up transitions in the field of the carbon neutral economy, bio-based and circular, deeptech (providing advanced technology solutions for deep societal challenges), agrifood and life sciences. This is done not only by directly investing in innovative companies but also via financial product development and market development. She has 20+ years’ experience in the financial sector and was CCO and COO at Triodos Bank, a European bank focused on sustainability and societal transition from 2012 to 2021.
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Jo Williams
Professor of Sustainable Development and Director of the Circular Cities Hub
University College London
Jo Williams is an academic, author, designer and founder of the Circular Cities Hub. She is an expert in regenerative, low carbon, resource looping, adaptive urban systems. She fuses systems-based and design approaches to generate implementable solutions. She has developed a circular development concept and has researched the territorialisation of circular systems. She has acted in an advisory capacity for international organisations (e.g. UN Habitat, UNEP, European Environment Agency, EIB and OECD), countries, consultants and cities. She is the author of over 100 publications, including “Circular Cities: a revolution in urban sustainability”.
Saskia Kliphuis is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in regulatory affairs. With her extensive knowledge and expertise of the complex landscape of European policy and regulatory matters, she plays a vital role in strengthening stakeholder relationships to advance Corbion’s interest and contribute to the development of sustainable and impactful policies. Saskia’s dedication to fostering a positive regulatory environment aligns seamlessly with Corbion’s commitment to providing innovative solutions in biotechnology. With a blend of regulatory acumen and public affairs expertise, she has a passion for staying at the forefront of regulatory developments and leveraging her insight to position Corbion as a leader in biotechnology.
Lieve van Espen joined the city’s department of sustainability in 2020. In her current role, she develops and implements Leuven’s circular strategy with regard to maximal and high-quality reuse of residual flows (building materials, plastics, electro, textiles) on the road to climate neutrality. Her focus is on scaling up successful pilots in close collaboration with Leuven’s circular hub and the circular platform of quadruple helix stakeholders to fulfil the ambitions laid down in the Climate City Contract.