Effective and inclusive circular transition governance in cities and regions

Pep is a high-level event host, keynote speaker, communication trainer, stand-up comedian and collaborative partner. Pep hosts high-profile events like The Nordic Business Forum where he made Barack Obama laugh and receives higher audience ratings than most speakers. His interviews with thought leaders like Simon Sinek, Brené Brown and Malcolm Gladwell get rave reviews. As co-founder and director of content for Boom Chicago for Business, Pep puts Boom's philosophy, “Humor Makes Business Better,” into effect hosting business events, where he uses comedy to make hard-to-communicate messages land and stick. His interactive keynotes, including, “Up Your Leadership Game with Humor” is in high demand. Pep was nominated for an Emmy for his writing on America’s long-running television show, Saturday Night Live.

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Zsolt Kükedi is a Hungarian environmental expert in local economic development, community sustainability, resource management and environmental concerns. In 2009, he joined the Sustainable Development and Resources Research Group, disseminating findings on resource depletion. Establishing the “Canticle of the Sun” care for creation association in 2011, he bolstered local communities in Hungary in environmental stewardship. From 2012 to 2014, he contributed to Hungary's economic planning, devising development schemes for the seven-year EU term. His focus areas included economic growth, energy investments, innovation and regional development.

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Daniel has dedicated the last 20 years to environment and climate policy, mainly with a European Union focus. He began in environmental consultancy, followed by regulatory work in Spain's industrial sector. Later, he joined the European Commission, focusing on industrial policy within the Directorate General Environment. Currently, Daniel leads a team at the EEA, working on the transition to a circular economy and zero-pollution goals.

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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.

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Born in Pamplona/Iruña in 1980, Uxue Itoiz has a degree in biology from the University of Navarre. She also has training in the use and management of geographic information systems, group facilitation and conflict resolution. From 2016 to 2021, she worked on the promotion of the Navarre agency for territory and sustainability, Lursarea. In this field, she managed projects to promote sustainable territorial development based on public-private partnerships. She has promoted cooperation between local, regional and European administrations and is an expert in sustainable mobility. Uxue has also participated in projects focusing on the use of biomass as an energy source and wood for high-rise construction. She has supported the local action groups of Navarre in projects that promote the circular economy and energy transition.

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Guido Rink has been vice mayor of the city of Emmen since 2018. He is responsible for economic development and sustainability, mobility, international affairs, cooperation in the Northern Netherlands, events and hospitality, social support and inclusion. He is also a member of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) at the EU and is a rapporteur and spokesman of Regulation on Artificial Intelligence for the CoR. Rink is political chair of the small and medium sized cities platform in the POLIS network. One of Rink’s priorities is the transition to a fully circular economy. He sees the urgency of this transition and clearly understands that this transition requires intensive cooperation with various stakeholders, public and private. He also strongly believes in collaboration between circular cities and regions across Europe.

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Daniela Sani is on the staff of the sustainability area manager for sustainable innovation at ART-ER, where she represents the group in many organisations and projects. She is responsible for KIC EIT Raw Materials, EIT Manufacturing, EIT Health, EIT Climate and EIT Culture & Creativity. She works as an expert evaluator for the European Commission and other European partnerships and institutions. Daniela is a certified mediator for civil and commercial disputes accredited to the Anacona Chaber of Commerce. She has a PhD in geotechnical engineering and an MBA in civil engineering. She has 10 years’ research history in topics related to the environment and materials and has contributed to over 80 publications.

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We already know everything; we just need to go back. In the last 8 years Janja Ribič has worked on various environmental topics, in particular the circular economy, green public procurement and the integration of EU project activities into the regular content of the ministry and national policies. She is passionate about organising sustainable events, implementing lectures on environmental issues, preparing green public procurement, transferring good circular practices, and implementing projects that promote the circular economy in relation to climate policies. She is convinced that the content of the circular economy is intertwined with all policies and requires a different approach than what Slovenia is used to. She therefore strongly advocates intensive inter-ministerial integration involving business and other stakeholders. Nature is its inspiration and greatest ally.

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Pep is a high-level event host, keynote speaker, communication trainer, stand-up comedian and collaborative partner. Pep hosts high-profile events like The Nordic Business Forum where he made Barack Obama laugh and receives higher audience ratings than most speakers. His interviews with thought leaders like Simon Sinek, Brené Brown and Malcolm Gladwell get rave reviews. As co-founder and director of content for Boom Chicago for Business, Pep puts Boom's philosophy, “Humor Makes Business Better,” into effect hosting business events, where he uses comedy to make hard-to-communicate messages land and stick. His interactive keynotes, including, “Up Your Leadership Game with Humor” is in high demand. Pep was nominated for an Emmy for his writing on America’s long-running television show, Saturday Night Live.

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Loredana Capone was born on 14 February 1964, in Lecce, where she still lives. She has a law degree and has worked in administrative law, education and regional government. In 2020, she was re-elected as regional councillor of Puglia, where she has led tourism, culture, energy, industry, innovation and material management endeavours. Previously she was on the management board of Nereus, the network of European regions that use space technologies. In the province of Lecce, Capone has been responsible for economic planning, technological innovation, institutional communication, general affairs, educational policies, social security and equal opportunities.

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Pep is a high-level event host, keynote speaker, communication trainer, stand-up comedian and collaborative partner. Pep hosts high-profile events like The Nordic Business Forum where he made Barack Obama laugh and receives higher audience ratings than most speakers. His interviews with thought leaders like Simon Sinek, Brené Brown and Malcolm Gladwell get rave reviews. As co-founder and director of content for Boom Chicago for Business, Pep puts Boom's philosophy, “Humor Makes Business Better,” into effect hosting business events, where he uses comedy to make hard-to-communicate messages land and stick. His interactive keynotes, including, “Up Your Leadership Game with Humor” is in high demand. Pep was nominated for an Emmy for his writing on America’s long-running television show, Saturday Night Live.

Read full bio