Thomas has worked in the environment-business interface for over 20 years. He spent his early career in Indonesia working on tigers, palm oil and green economies for the Zoological Society of London and WWF before returning to the UK to focus on mining and forests with Flora & Fauna International. Thomas joined CDP, the global environmental disclosure platform, in 2021 and is now responsible for guiding the expansion of the platform to encompass all aspects of nature. He has a PhD in ecology and an MBA from the University of Cambridge.
Read full bio
Nadine Stöcker
Technical Advisor
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Nadine Stöcker has been working for GIZ since 2017 and is currently advisor in the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3). During the past four years, Nadine coordinated a company-wide working group on sustainable industrial areas, fostering knowledge management and networking between member projects in close exchange with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the World Bank Group. She holds a bachelor’s in retail management and a post graduate double degree in natural resources management and development. Nadine gained six years of regional experience in Latin America (Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico), working for the sustainable management of natural resources.
Janez Potočnik (1958) is an economist graduated from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. He served as director of the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development in Ljubljana. He was appointed head of the negotiating team for the accession of Slovenia to the EU and served as minister responsible for European Affairs. In 2004 he joined the European Commission as Commissioner responsible for science and research. In 2010 he became Commissioner for environment. After the mandate he was appointed as a co-chair of UNEP IRP. Dr Potočnik is also partner at SYSTEMIQ.
Brigitte Mouligneau studied Law at KU Leuven in Belgium. After a first career of 16 years in European relations, she became head of the strategic policy unit of the Flemish Government. She specialises in long-term strategies and transition management. In 2016, Brigitte joined the Circular Flanders’ team at OVAM (the Public Waste Agency) and was appointed as their transition manager in 2018 by the ministers of environment and of economy and innovation. Circular Flanders is a public-private partnership working on the transition towards the circular economy in Flanders. In the Flemish climate action plan the goal is to reduce the material footprint 30 percent by 2030 by introducing the circular principles in our economy and in our society.
Olivia Lazard is a fellow at Carnegie Europe. Her research focuses on the geopolitics of climate, the transition ushered by climate change and the risks of conflict and fragility associated to climate change and environmental collapse.
Read full bio
Michiel Ritzen
Research Leader Circularity in the Built Environment
VITO
Michiel Ritzen received his master’s in architecture, specialising in technology in sustainable design, from Delft University of Technology in 2004. He received his Doctor of Philosophy degree on the environmental impact assessment of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) from Eindhoven University of Technology in 2017. Michiel is research activity leader and senior expert for circularity in the built environment in the unit Water and Energy Transition at the Flemish research organisation VITO. He is coordinator and expert in national and international research projects in energy and circularity transitions in the built environment.
Read full bio
Vivianne Heijnen
Minister for the Environment
Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Netherlands
Vivianne Heijnen was appointed minister for the environment in January 2022. In 2018 she became a member of the Maastricht municipal executive with responsibility for the economy, housing, regional policy and social innovation. Between 2009 and 2018 she was head of the Maastricht University Campus in Brussels. When asked about what motivates her as a minister, her response is as follows: “I want the Netherlands to be a country that is liveable and accessible for everyone and where we reuse more. I’m committed to reducing travel time in a sustainable way, with a particular focus on border regions, cities and our neighbouring countries.” Heijnen was born on 8 October 1982 in Spaubeek.
Milagros Rivas Saiz joined IDB Invest in 2021, where she is responsible for leading the climate change, gender and inclusion, SME development, digitalisation and public-private partnerships areas. Before joining the IDB Group, Milagros worked for the International Finance Corporation as global head of strategy director and global head of advisory services, a position in which she helped develop highly sustainable projects and open markets to private investment. Previously, she was an Executive Committee member of Acciona Energía and a consultant with McKinsey & Co. She earned a master’s in civil engineering from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s network of experts on climate and energy transition.
Read full bio
Gianpiero Nacci
Director of Climate Strategy and Delivery
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Gianpiero Nacci is responsible for business support and policy dialogue in the corporate sectors, as well as energy and infrastructure at the EBRD. He also leads their work on climate adaptation, resilience and nature finance. He has 25 years’ experience in climate finance, sustainable energy, climate corporate governance, sustainable business, a circular economy and climate resilience. Gianpiero joined the EBRD in 2003 and has led the development of clean manufacturing, sustainable energy and carbon emission reduction investments for corporate clients. He holds an MSc in mechanical engineering from the Politecnico di Torino and an MSc in renewable energy from the University of Oldenburg Germany.
Read full bio
Larissa van der Feen
Associate, Circular Economy
World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
Larissa is a passionate sustainability professional. She works at WBCSD on developing the Circular Transition Indicators (CTI). She has experience with various circularity and sustainability assessments (CTI, LCA, full costs assessments) and is publishing research on the transformative potential of such methodologies together with Utrecht University. Larissa loves to dive into the complexities of developing credible sustainability assessments that bring clarity and purpose.