Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa is UNDP Assistant Administrator, and Director, Regional Bureau for Africa at the rank of Assistant Secretary General. She leads over 4000 staff implementing a $1.2 billion annual development programme in 46 African countries. She is deeply passionate about equality, inclusion, reshaping narratives on Africa, mobilizing for youth entrepreneurs and the dignity of Africa’s people. Her vision “Africa’s Promise: The UNDP Renewed Strategic Offer in Africa” employs an opportunity lens to development practice in Africa. She established the Africa Influencers for Development (AI4D) to ensure that Africa’s Money works for Africa’s Development; the Africa Young Women Leaders Initiative; Africa Innovates Magazine; and the Africa Borderlands Centre. She leads UNDP Africa socioeconomic response and recovery from COVID 19 and (Co) Chairs the UN Africa Regional Collaborative Platform which oversees implementation of the Secretary General’s regional UN reform. She spent 10 years as UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Lesotho. As Chief (Africa) at UN OCHA, she led response to natural disasters, emergencies and transitions to recovery. Before the UN, Ms. Eziakonwa worked for “Initiatives of Change” serving as international coordinator of its’ “Creators of Peace – Women’s Initiative”. She is an alumni of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School Executive Programme and has a Bachelors in Education from University of Benin Nigeria.

Alexandra-Maria Bocşe (born 1987) completed a PhD in Politics and International Studies at University of Cambridge (award ceremony in 2017), at the top of her class. She was the beneficiary of an academic excellence scholarship during her PhD by Trinity College Cambridge. In 2011, she completed an MPhil in International Relations at the same institution, Cambridge, with a Distinction in a dissertation on international environmental politics. Previously, she graduated from her BA in Political Science at the University of Bucharest, Department of Political Science (Romanian section) as a Valedictorian.

In 2016, Alexandra-Maria Bocșe joined the Department of International Relations at London School of Economics and for the next four year continued here her research and teaching on European and International Energy, Environmental and Climate Affairs. In 2015-2016, she was a Fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, through a Fulbright-Schuman Award. Here she worked especially on transatlantic energy and environmental relations. Previously she was a doctoral researcher and coordinator of the European Centre at the Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge, and an Associate Editor at the Cambridge Review of International Affairs. Overall, Alexandra-Maria Bocșe has over seven years of experience teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels European Politics, Global Energy and Environmental Politics, and International Affairs at University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, and King’s College London. Since 2011, she also worked in analysis/advisory roles or provided advice to the European Union, governments of EU member states and intergovernmental organizations, in recent years particularly on energy and environmental politics and economics.

Her research and analysis portfolio includes various policy and academic publications in leading journals in the fields of climate and energy (Climate Policy, International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics and Energy Research and Social Science) or International Relations (Geopolitics, European Security, etc.). Alexandra also single authored a book on international energy and environmental policy networks to be published by Palgrave Macmillan in autumn 2020.

Alexandra-Maria Bocşe was appointed State Adviser on the 1^st of September 2020.

Alexandre Meira da Rosa is Chief Strategy Officer for IDB Invest. As CSO, he leads the development and implementation of the institution’s corporate strategy and drives high-priority initiatives with upstream interventions. Managing a team of cross-functional experts in development effectiveness, impact evaluation, business strategic planning, environmental and social safeguards, climate change, sustainability, gender, and public-private partnerships he advances the strategic roadmap of the organization in line with its future vision. He is also a member of the Executive Leadership team and advisor to the CEO.

Alexandre’s more than two decades of leadership experience in public and private sectors include six years as Vice President of Countries at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) where he was responsible for defining, coordinating, and supervising IDB’s operational programs and country strategies, managing concessional resources, and strengthening cooperation with the civil society.

Prior to his tenure as Vice President, he was Manager of the Infrastructure and Energy Sector at IDB for four years. Under his direction, this sector became IDB’s most important portfolio based in volume. Alexandre led a team of 190 professionals in 26 countries and was responsible for structuring and ratifying approvals while redefining the Bank’s strategies in the Energy, Transportation, Agriculture, Tourism, Natural Disasters, Water and Sanitation, and Climate Change sectors.

Before joining the IDB, he was Deputy Minister and Economic Advisor to Brazil’s Minister of Planning. Among other functions related to Brazil’s economic policy, he supervised investments with international financing at three government levels and oversaw the national policy related to multilateral banks. He also served as Non-Executive Director at large finance and energy sector companies in Brazil.

Alexandre holds a law degree from the Universidad Federal de Minas Gerais and a graduate Diploma in Finance from the University of California, Berkeley. He has a master’s degree in Economics from the New School for Social Research in New York and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Allyson Anderson Book is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Baker Hughes. In this role she oversees Baker Hughes’ energy transition strategy by driving sustainable operations, supporting commercial energy transition solutions for customers, and ensuring market creation of these solutions via stakeholder engagement and policy development.

In 2021 alone, she was recognized by Petroleum Economist as among Top 10 Women Leading Energy Transition in Sustainability, by Oil & Gas Investor as among 25 Influential Women in Energy, and by Hart Energy for its ESG Champion of Year Award.

Before joining Baker Hughes, she served as the executive director of the American Geosciences Institute, which represents more than 250,000 geoscientists and focuses on increasing public awareness of the role geosciences play in society’s use of resources. Prior to that, she held several academic, policy and senior government positions, including teaching at Georgetown University, working for the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and serving as the associate director of strategic engagement of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) at the U.S. Department of the Interior. She began her career as a geoscientist for ExxonMobil.

She holds bachelor’s degrees in geology and music from the University of Northern Iowa, and a master’s degree in geology from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

The Honorable Amarjeet Sohi is the Mayor of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He immigrated to Canada at the age of 17, worked as a bus driver for the Edmonton Transit System and was an active member of the Transit Employee Union. He was elected to Edmonton City Council in 2007, serving for eight years before being elected as a Member of Parliament for Edmonton’s Mill Woods riding. During that time, he served as Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources from 2018 to 2019 and Minister of Infrastructure and Communities from 2015 to 2018. On 18 October 2021, he became the first person of a racialized minority to be elected Mayor of Edmonton.

Amish joined AVEVA in 2010 and was appointed Executive Vice President for AVEVA’s Engineering Business in April 2021. Prior to his appointment, Amish has held senior leadership roles in sales and operations within the AVEVA Group. In his current role, Amish is responsible for leading the cross functional business performance of the Engineering Business, which includes process & simulation, engineering & design, project execution, information management and value chain optimization software solutions. Amish has over 25 years of industrial experience globally within the energy, chemicals and power industries. Prior to joining AVEVA, he has held sales and product management leadership roles at Honeywell and Aspen Technology and began his career as a Plant Operations Engineer at JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation refineries in Japan. He holds a master’s and bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Calgary.

Andrew Georgiou is Director Policy and Regulation for Enviva Europe, leading the company’s regulatory and policy engagement activities across Europe. Andrew brings ten years’ experience working in politics and public policy. Prior to joining Enviva he ran E.ON’s Representative Office in Brussels, responsible for engagement with EU stakeholders and policymakers. He began his career working for a Member of the UK Parliament before joining E.ON UK’s Public Affairs team where he was responsible for political engagement on downstream and renewables issues. During this period, he also worked in the UK PR team and in E.ON’s start up accelerator “:agile”.

Andrew has a bachelor’s degree in British Politics and Legislative Studies from the University of Hull.

Angela Reithuber is a passionate advocate for climate action and gender equality with a strong professional background in leading international multi-stakeholder projects. She has worked for several years in strategy consulting (Boston Consulting Group) with a project portfolio focusing on sustainability in both the public and private sector. Throughout her career, she has lived and worked in various countries from Latin America to Asia. She is a certified trainer delivering capacity building on human rights and leadership.

At the BKMC, she is leading the program “Elevating Agricultural Adaptation”.

Angelene Huang is the Founder and CEO of Alliance for Impact (AFI). This global non-profit organization promotes sustainability and positive impact through finance and investment education, social innovations, and entrepreneurship. During the pandemic, AFI offered free online seminars and entrepreneurship coaching programs to the public. Ms. Huang is also the founder of Youth Entrepreneurship and Finance Association (YEFA), a non-profit managed and run by a group of high school and college students from different parts of the world. Prior to AFI, Ms. Huang worked on multiple modelling projects for the EPA at Environmental Resources Management (ERM), a multinational consulting firm focusing on sustainability. Beginning in August 2022, AFI and YEFA launched the first Youth Sustainable Investment Competition (YSIC), attracting hundreds of high school students worldwide. In the competition, all participants are required to invest in ESG-friendly stocks and provide a written analysis. In September 2022, YEFA collaborated with a Harvard-trained art educator to host the first global Youth SDG Art Competition (YSAC), with the topic of The Future of Food. Ms. Huang is a passionate advocate of ESG and innovation for a global youth generation.

Ms. Huang holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and two master’s degrees in Computer Science and Environmental Engineering. She is currently a board member and a senior advisor for multiple organizations. From 2011 to 2020, Ms. Huang was Head of Treasury for a top global quantitative hedge fund in New York. She was responsible for risk management and short-term investment of multi-billion USD.

Delivering decarbonisation at pace through innovative carbon capture solutions to the hard-to-abate industries including cement, steel, refineries and energy from waste.

An engineer by practice, the company’s chief executive officer, Aniruddha has been instrumental in building and developing Carbon Clean into a global leader in cost-effective industrial carbon capture. With 49 sites currently operating across North America, Europe and Asia capturing 1.7 million tonnes of CO₂ using Carbon Clean’s proven technology and solvents.

He leads and sets the company’s strategy and goals, and maintains overall responsibility for our sales, marketing and project delivery operations. He is also the company’s Board Chair. While pursuing his master’s degree in Statistics at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, Aniruddha Co-founded Carbon Clean in 2009.

Selected as one of the Top 50 Brightest Young Climate Leaders, he was a part of the youth delegation to COP15 and COP/MOP 5 (Kyoto Protocol) and awarded a ‘Technology Pioneer’ award by the World Economic Forum in 2015.

As of 2022, Aniruddha has secured investment and multiple strategic partnerships with global players to develop and invest in carbon capture projects. He is a member of the Institute of Directors and represents Carbon Clean on industry groups such as the CCSA, the Global CCS Institute and His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales’ Sustainable Markets Initiative that aims to lead and accelerate the world’s transition to a sustainable future.

Anthony is Executive Fellow, Strategic Engagement, Centre for Nature and Climate, World Economic Forum. Anthony is Chair to the Advisory Board and former Executive Director of the Mission Possible Partnership. Anthony was Chief Executive Officer of the Carbon Tracker Initiative from February 2014 to March 2019. Previously he was a partner and Global Head of the Sustainability & Climate Finance Practice at global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright. Formerly he was General Counsel to the Climate Change Capital Carbon Fund and Director of Legal Policy for Climate Change Capital which he joined in September 2005.

Anthony specialised in climate change and clean energy law as well as UK, EU and international environmental law. He has played a key role in helping to design the UKs pilot emissions trading scheme and in developing key aspects of the EU ETS. He advised a wide range of banks, trading companies, project development companies, corporates and public sector entities who were active participants in carbon markets. Anthony was seconded to Norton Rose Fulbright’s Sydney office between 2010 and 2012 where he was heavily involved in the development of the emerging carbon and clean energy markets in Australia and Asia. He was a key figure behind the creation of the business advocacy group Businesses for a Clean Economy, a coalition of business arguing for a price on carbon. Anthony was behind the creation of the business group Climate Markets & Investment Association. He sat on the board of the Verified Carbon Standards Association (now Vera) between 2007 and 2015. He currently sits on the Advisory Board to the Climate Bonds Initiative and the Global Footprint Network. Anthony holds a First-Class Honours Degree in Chemistry & Physics and an LLM in Environmental Law. He qualified as a solicitor of England and Wales in 1994. He writes and speaks widely on climate risk and the financial sector.

Tony is President of the International Copper Association, ICA, the leading advocate of the global copper producing industry. He has management responsibility for all aspects of the organization, leading a team of 70 subject matter experts in Asia, Europe and the USA. His position as the head of ICA provides him with an excellent perspective on the challenges faced in the end-use markets for copper, and in the conduct of programs to develop and defend copper use. Tony has a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Imperial College of Science and Technology and an MBA from Warwick Business School, both within the United Kingdom.

As Lead Negotiator for the UK COP26 Presidency, Archie led the process that resulted in all 197 parties agreeing the ‘Glasgow Climate Pact’ and finalising the Paris Agreement Rulebook at COP26 in November 2021. He has been the UK’s Lead Climate Negotiator since 2016, overseeing climate negotiations in the UNFCCC, EU, G7 and G20. He has a background in both international and domestic policy. Previous roles include Director International Climate & Energy; Deputy Director Americas & Head of South America Department in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office; Head of Delivery in the Department of Energy & Climate Change; and Deputy Director for Business, Environment and the Olympics in the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit. He was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael & St George (CMG) in the 2022 Birthday Honours.

Aron is recognized globally as a preeminent authority on just and sustainable business. In addition to leading BSR, Aron advises senior executives at BSR’s 300+ member companies and other global businesses and partners on the full spectrum of ESG issues.

He is a director of the Value Reporting Foundation and the We Mean Business Coalition; has served on advisory Boards for companies in the U.S., Europe, and Asia; and speaks frequently at global events including the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Aron speaks frequently at leading business and public fora and is widely quoted in top-tier media. He is co-author of the book Sustainable Excellence: The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World.

Åsa Ekdahl has extensive experience in the environmental challenges of the steel industry including climate change, air emissions and co-products management and is a recognized expert in these fields.

As Head of Environment and Climate Change at the World Steel Association, Åsa runs the worldsteel Environment Committee and leads the association’s engagement with International organisations such as the UNFCCC and OECD. She plays an important role in shaping the policy and advocacy actions for the industry including the promotion of industry action.

Before joining worldsteel, Åsa worked at both Jernkontoret, the Swedish Steel Producer’s Association and EUROFER, the European Steel Industry Association, where she was responsible for engaging with policy makers, most notably the European Commission and European Parliament, on the needs of the European steel industry in the area of environmental policy.

Åsa graduated with a Master of Science in Environmental Science from Gothenburg University in Sweden.

With three decades worth of tech industry leadership experience from both the private and public sectors, Avi steers the organization’s strategy and day-to-day activities. Before joining Start-Up Nation Central, Avi spent more than a decade as an early-stage investor at venture capital firms Gemini Israel Funds and Emerge, identifying promising startups and helping them scale. Between 2011 and 2017 he served as Chief Scientist at Israel’s Ministry of Economy and Industry and as the Founding Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA), a key government driver of Israel’s tech explosion over the past decade. In addition to sitting on the board of Tower Semiconductor (which Intel recently announced it would be acquiring), nowadays he shares his deep knowledge of the Israeli innovation ecosystem as a board member of organizations such as Sheba Medical Center and SpaceIL.

Avi completed his B.A. in Economics and Middle Eastern Studies and his MBA at Tel Aviv University

Ayaan Adam is an accomplished, strategic and energetic leader with a solid history of achievement in both the development finance and climate investment space. She is a skilled global investment portfolio and risk management senior professional with 25+ years of visionary leadership and a strong track record in emerging markets investment, asset management, private equity, infrastructure, and climate change related financing products, with a particular focus on African and Asian Markets. Ayaan Adam is a motivated leader with strong organizational, people management and prioritization abilities.

Ayaan Adam is currently a Senior Director and the CEO of AFC Capital Partners – the 100% owned Asset Management Subsidiary of the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC). She is in charge of the implementation and the establishment of AFC’s Asset Management business – involving the development of the strategy, incubation of the asset manager, and institutional building of a strong asset manager (strategy, organization, and implementation plan). The Fund Manager is charged with mobilizing and managing third-party funds to unlock new sources of capital to fund the African infrastructure investment gap estimated at US$ 2.3 trillion. AFC Capital Partners aims to raise US$ 2 billion over the next 3 years for its inaugural Infrastructure Climate Resilient Fund.

Prior to her role at Africa Finance Corporation, Ms. Adam headed the private sector arm of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), established within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Based in South Korea, she played a key role in building the mandate of the GCF Private Sector Facility and rapidly scaling its portfolio to US$ 2.1 billion in three years across Africa, Asia Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. At the GCF, Ayaan directed the establishment of the GCF’s Private Investment for Climate Conference (GPIC) and built a strong relationship with key institutional investors and foundations interested in the climate space.

Ms Adam previously was CDC Group’s Managing Director of Africa Private Markets Funds where she directed the management of investment portfolio of $2.5B invested in 50+ new and existing partnerships and 40 GPs operating in Africa region and managed a team of 15 high-performing Private Equity professionals.

Prior to her stint at CDC, Ayaan had an exceptional 17-year career with the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group), serving as a Chief Investment Officer among other roles. At the IFC, Ms Adam directed and oversaw the development of IFC’s South Asia strategy, due diligence, and risk management of existing portfolio, including ESG risk, mapping of sub sectors, and targeted markets key to India’s as well as 5 of its neighboring countries industrialization and growth trajectory. She played a pivotal role in the growth of the Investment Business Unit from $200M per year (pre-2009) to $1B+; closed 45+ new transactions and many of these transactions were landmark investments positioning IFC as the most innovative investor in all six markets

Ayaan is US-born and was raised in both Somalia and Tanzania. Ms. Adam holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management, and a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, Summa cum laude from Clark University.

Bernard Respaut serves as the Chief Executive of the International Copper Association’s (ICA) European branch, better known as the European Copper Institute (ECI). Working to enable the green transition, he pilots the work of ECI, the principal advocate of the copper industry in the EU, to address issues connected to the European Green Deal. Bernard also leads ICA’s Clean Energy Transition Program and managed the development of a landmark project, “Copper—The Pathway to Net Zero,” to advance pathways for the decarbonization of the copper industry. Bernard holds an Engineering degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of Louvain and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Beth Baker Bannerman is Chief Engagement & Sustainability Officer at Amyris, Inc., a synthetic biology company making, sustainable ingredients for the world’s leading consumer brands in a range of markets, including clean beauty, health and wellness, flavors and fragrances, and pharmaceuticals. Beth leads an integrated team across corporate communications and sustainability. She is responsible for setting the strategic direction for internal and external communications and introduced Amyris’ inaugural Environmental, Social, and Governance report in 2021, as part of the company’s wider commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Beth is also a member of UNICEF’s Speaker Series Committee for US Northwest Region.

Beth Byington is the Global Head of Corporate ESG and Climate Solutions at MSCI where she leads the firm’s commercial strategy to develop ESG and Climate product offerings for Corporates and Corporate Advisors.

Prior to her current role, Beth spent thirteen years in MSCI’s Client Coverage Organization, most recently as a Senior Account Manager where she was responsible for global relationship management with some of MSCI’s largest clients. In this capacity Beth drove commercial growth across all MSCI’s Product Lines (Index, ESG and Climate, Analytics, and Private Assets) and interfaced with senior decision-markets to position MSCI as a preferred partner. In earlier years Beth held several leadership roles within the Index Client Coverage division, including Head of Index Licensing for Financial Intermediaries, Hedge Funds, and Third-Party Distribution partners. In these positions she was responsible for driving new business and developing new commercial initiatives. Beth is also actively involved with MSCI’s Women’s Leadership Forum, for which she serves on the global steering committee.

Before MSCI Beth worked at Lehman Brothers on the Equity Research Sales desk supporting Asset Managers and Hedge Funds. Beth started her career in the Information Technology sector as a Management Consultant at IBM and later at Deutsche Bank.

Beth holds a B.A. in Political Science from Columbia University and a M.B.A. in Finance from the NYU Stern School of Business.

Brennan is one of the co-founders and CEO of Patch, the platform for negative emissions. Prior to starting Patch, Brennan worked in a range of product and engineering roles at Sonder and Shopify.

Carsten Lützenkirchen is a Senior Vice President at DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation (CSI) leading several global commercial functions including cross divisional solution development for DHL’s largest customers across five market sectors.

In addition he is heading the Sustainability customer engagement group in CSI and leading the group wide Commercial Sustainability Roadmap development.

He is also Co-Author of the recently published Whitepaper “Delivering on Circularity – Pathways for Fashion and Consumer Electronics published.

Over the past 22 years Carsten has held several leading positions in DP DHL in e-Commerce, Product and Strategic Management in Germany, Europe and the USA.

Carsten holds a Master‘s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Essen in Germany.

Catherine joined SSE Thermal in April 2022 with extensive operational and commercial experience, having served as both COO for North America and CFO for Barrick Gold. Prior to this, she was a managing director and fund manager at BlackRock, the world’s largest fund management company. Moving into the energy sector, Catherine brings with her vast expertise in operational and financial performance, as well as specialised knowledge of natural resources, commodity markets and investment management. She holds an MA in Natural Sciences from Downing College, University of Cambridge and an MSc in Mineral Project Appraisal from Imperial College London.

Christian Pho Duc is the CTO of Smartenergy Group AG and the Vice Chair of the Renewable Hydrogen Workstream at Solar Power Europe. He graduated in Physics at Munich University and in Engineering and Physics at Cambridge University. Christian has accumulated 25 years working and management experience in Semiconductors, Electric Mobility, Renewable Energies and Hydrogen.

Putting purpose and impact right at the heart of the Alpine brand, Clare drives sustainability initiatives across the Group’s operations globally and is the foremost advocate of making fashion fit for the future. As an award-winning brand builder and business leader, Clare has over 15 years’ experience working across the Asia Pacific, EMEA, Middle East and US regions. Having started her career in fashion before establishing a prolific track record in managing global luxury and hospitality brands, Clare passionately believes in bringing change to the business of fashion by educating brands and consumers alike. As a woman in leadership, she finds meaning in empowering other women, who make up a considerable proportion of the textile and apparel manufacturing workforce worldwide.

“The fashion industry needs to transform itself the way the food industry is. Just as we now expect to know where our food comes from, it’s high time that we deepen our understanding and appreciation of the source and impact of what we wear. Our position as a textile innovator and manufacturer allows us to positively impact the entire supply chain and contribute to such sweeping systemic change. This is what gets me out of bed every morning.”

David Giordano, Managing Director, Global Head – BlackRock Climate Infrastructure. Mr. Giordano leads the investment strategy and organizational management of the Climate Infrastructure team. He has led the investment strategies across the Americas and APAC since the launch of the Platform in 2011. The BlackRock Climate Infrastructure team has over $9 billion of equity assets under management and over 300 renewable power projects with over 200 investors in six funds. The team has invested across ten countries and four continents. Mr. Giordano has more than 20 years of investment experience.

Previously, he was one of the original members of Babcock & Brown’s North American infrastructure team where he closed $4 billion of renewable transactions and on the North American Infrastructure Fund Investment Committee. Mr. Giordano’s extensive energy industry experience includes his work at FPL Energy (now NextEra) where he developed and acquired operating and development power assets and played a key role in the first non-registered 144A bond offering for a portfolio of wind assets.

David holds a B.A. in Policy & Management Studies and Economics from Dickinson College, class of 1991; and he earned a Master in Public Administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, class of 1996.

Ms Dedo W. Mate-Kodjo is a development specialist with 30 years of experience working at senior country and regional level. She has worked in both development and humanitarian environments in West, Central and East Africa and Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan) and has held both country and regional leadership positions. She has held programme management roles and has had the privilege to work across sectors like Water Sanitation and Hygiene, child protection, gender, food security/livelihoods, water, sanitation and hygiene; emergency education, health and nutrition with refugees and displaced persons.

In the 30 years, she has worked on policy change and reform and implementation with government counterparts on strengthening food security early warning systems within and coordinating with governments, supported the establishment of CSO networks and worked with community structures and NGO teams to programme with and for disadvantaged, marginalized groups in long term development as well as in humanitarian crises.

She is currently the Pan Africa Programme Manager, where she works across the WaterAid Federation and country programmes to anchor WaterAid’s influencing and advocacy agenda on the African continent with key WASH and climate change stakeholders and supports WaterAid country programmes intervene in global and continental advocacy spaces using their collective programme evidence.

She lives and works in Accra, Ghana.

Diana Mori is an indigenous leader of the Shipibo-Conibo ethnic group and a bilingual educator with ancestral expertise in sustainable management of Amazonian forests. She has extensive knowledge of the community and social aspects of the Amazon region, with emphasis on capacity building for the inclusion of women in decision-making on issues affecting community development.

• Background in the formulation of development policies in favour of indigenous peoples.
• Awarded regional and national awards for promoting the export of certified timber from projects in favour of local communities.
• Work experience in educational institutions, research institutes, universities (UNIA), NGOs (AIDER, European Union), indigenous organisations (CONAP, AIDESEP) regional and local government of Ucayali in the elaboration and execution of alternative and social development projects, and work experience in the incorporation of traditional knowledge in the management practices of communal forests (IIAP-European Union).

Doug Berven joined POET in March 2003 and has served the organization in several key roles since then. In his current role as Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Berven promotes the corporate objectives of POET, the importance of agriculture, and the benefits of biofuels domestically and internationally.

Berven currently sits on BIO’s Industrial and Environmental Section Governing Board, the U.S. Grains Council Ethanol Advisory Team, the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance Executive Committee and Board, South Dakota Agriculture Foundation Board, is a Senior Advisor to Solutions From the Land, is an Emeritus Board Member of the American Council on Renewable Energy, is the Executive Director of the South Dakota Ethanol Producers Association, and serves on several other industry associated work groups, committees and associations.

He has also served on several of POET’s plant Boards of Directors. Berven also manages strategic corporate relations for POET, promotes state, national and international policy objectives for the industry, and is a recognized authority on biofuels, renewable
energy and agriculture.

Prior to joining POET, Berven held various roles in banking, real estate development and medical consulting. Berven received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., where he currently resides with his wife and two children.

Douglas Sabo is Chief Sustainability Officer at Visa Inc. In this role, Sabo leads development and oversight of Visa’s global environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts, including Visa’s ESG strategy, framework, reporting and stakeholder engagement. Sabo also leads Visa’s initiatives in environmental sustainability, human rights and other areas of responsible business. In sustainability, Sabo’s work includes building out Visa’s initiatives in the company’s operations as well as in empowering sustainable living and commerce.

Sabo currently serves as a member of the Sustainable Brands Advisory Board, NYSE Sustainability Advisory Council, Adweek Sustainability Council, Centre for Sport and Human Rights Advisory Council and the Sustainable Finance Working Group of the Institute for International Finance. He also is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Sustainable Tourism and helps represent Visa in the Travalyst sustainable travel initiative. Sabo is a frequent speaker on a variety of ESG, corporate responsibility and sustainability topics on behalf of the company.

Dr Susan Chomba is the Director of Vital Landscapes at the World Resources Institute (WRI) Africa, based in Nairobi. She leads WRI’s work on forest protection and conservation, food systems transformation and governance in Africa. She is a scientist with extensive research and development experience in Africa. Susan is a global ambassador for the Race to zero and Resilience under the UN High Level Champions for Climate Action. She was named one of Global Landscapes Forum’s ‘16 Women Restoring the Earth’ in 2021 and top 25 badass women by GreenBiz in 2022 for her work on food and nature.

Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid is the twice-elected African Union Commissioner in charge of Infrastructure, Energy & ICT. For more than 30 years, Dr Abou-Zeid has served in leadership positions in international organisations and has amassed a remarkable mix of experience from across continents and stakeholders.

She has managed AfDB largest operational portfolio and implemented national and continental multi-sectoral development programmes, including the world’s largest solar power plant. She launched the Single African Air Transport Market, African Single Energy Market, First African Digital Transformation Strategy as well as 2nd 10-year Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa – thus, delivering on major continental initiatives for African Integration under African Union Agenda 2063.

An Egyptian national, Dr Abou-Zeid holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering, Cairo University; MBA, Université Senghor; MPA, Harvard University; and Ph.D. Economic Development, The University of Manchester.

Dr. Abou-Zeid sets the example for women in STEM and in leadership positions; She is long named and recognised as champion of gender equality and is often voted one of Africa’s most influential women

Dr. Lovato is a seasoned industry expert in the power utilty space with focus on Independent Power, Desalination and Hydrogen Projects, preferably developed, financed constructed and operated through concession or utility outsourcing contract models.

In ACWA Power since 2009, Dr. Lovato has contributed to the impressive growth of the company leading the development of several IPPs in the region and various global landmark projects, escpecially in the renwable and hydrogen sectors. Among those one of the largest utilty scale green hydrogen production projects in the world, which indicates to the sector the way ahead for the development of such mega-projects accelrating energy transition.

He is leading the newly created function at ACWA Power for Green Hydrogen.

Dr. Lovato recevied a Ph.D. in Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark in Copenhagen and is located at ACWA Power Dubai’s office being based in the region since 2005.

Dr. Oliver Marchand is Global Head of ESG Research & Development at the MSCI Climate Risk Center, where he is responsible for all research activities in the field of climate risks analysis. The Zurich-based MSCI Climate Risk Center creates an extensive climate risk assessment and reporting offering for the institutional market, providing global investors with solutions to help them better understand the impact of climate change on their investment portfolios and comply with mandatory and voluntary climate risk disclosure initiatives and requirements.

In 2015, Dr. Oliver Marchand founded the Zurich-based fintech startup Carbon Delta AG and was the CEO until 2019, when the company was acquired by MSCI Barra SA. Prior to founding Carbon Delta and joining MSCI, Dr. Oliver Marchand gained extensive experience in IT management, financial portfolio management and IT systems development at Fisch Asset Management. Furthermore, he is experienced in climate data modeling as a researcher in weather forecasting at various weather services.

Dr. Oliver Marchand is a strong entrepreneurship professional with a Ph.D. in Computer Science from ETH Zürich. The combined expertise in software development for financial portfolio management and climate data modeling puts Dr. Oliver Marchand in the unique position to combine two very different industries. With the establishment of the MSCI Climate Risk Center in Zurich, the fulfillment of his personal vision of creating a new climate risk standard in the financial industry is on track.

Dr. Oliver Marchand is Global Head of ESG Research & Development at the MSCI Climate Risk Center, where he is responsible for all research activities in the field of climate risks analysis. Dr. Oliver Marchand founded the Zurich-based fintech startup Carbon Delta AG and was the CEO until 2019, when the company was acquired by MSCI Barra SA. Prior to founding Carbon Delta and joining MSCI, Dr. Oliver Marchand gained extensive experience in IT management, financial portfolio management and IT systems development at Fisch Asset Management. Dr. Oliver Marchand holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from ETH Zürich.

As Head of the Mission Innovation (MI) Secretariat, Eleanor is leading a global initiative that brings together 24 governments and partners from the private sector to make clean energy affordable, attractive, and accessible this decade. Recently Eleanor was Head of International Climate Science in the UK Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy where she led the UK delegation for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and science negotiations within the UNFCCC. As a member of the COP26 Presidency team she focused on maintaining the momentum following the event in Glasgow last year. Before that, Eleanor has worked on earth observation policy for climate monitoring and technologies around enhancing greenhouse gas reporting. She has also held several positions associated with climate communications, including running real-world demonstrations on climate adaptation techniques. Eleanor holds a PhD in climate science.

Professor Dr. Emmanouil Kakaras has been Executive Vice President NEXT Energy Business at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries EMEA since 1 April 2021.

Prior to this role, he was Senior Vice President for New Products and Energy Solutions at MHI Group company Mitsubishi Power Europe since January 2018. Up until then he served as Vice President and Head of Research & Development at Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Europe since September 2012. His R&D activities mainly focus on flexible operation of thermal plants, on fuel cells and electrolyzers, the development of large-scale energy storage and the utilization of CO2. He is a member of the Board of Directors of EU Turbines.

Professor Kakaras’ academic background is on clean energy generation technologies and since December 1991 he has been a Professor at the National Technical University of Athens, Greece. He has also been guest lecturer at the Universities of Warsaw and Tokyo. He participates as an external member in various working groups organized by the European Commission (CAG, Energy Committee), the Advisory Council of the Technology Platforms on Zero Emission Power Plants and on Smart Networks for Energy Transition as well as the Scientific Board of Industrial Associations (VGB, Rhein Ruhr Power, BDI). Professor Kakaras is also a member of several advisory committees of academic institutions (EASAC, Academy of Athens, EASE).

Eric is currently the Group Corporate Relations Director at East African Breweries Limited and also serves as a Non-Executive Director of Uganda Breweries Limited Board.

He is an experienced public policy, sustainability and communications practitioner with over 17 years’ experience. He has experience in tax and public policy in the East African Community countries of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan. Prior to joining EABL in 2011, he worked in British American Tobacco in various roles within the Corporate and Regulatory Affairs department in East Africa.

He is a board member at Kenya Cultural Centre (a state corporation) and Safe Way Right Way Kenya (an NGO). He is also a member of the Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK).

He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from Kenyatta University. He is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Public Policy Management from the University of London. He is also a graduate of the Leadership Development Programme (LDP), Gordon Institute of Business (GIBS) in South Africa, Advanced Management Programme (AMP) at the Strathmore Business School and the Fast Forward Leadership Development Programme at Sunwords in Nairobi.

Farid Al Awlaqi heads TAQA’s Generation business line, a position he has held since July 2020. In this role, he oversees and develops the company’s global power generation and water portfolio. 

He previously served as Senior Vice President in the energy platform at Mubadala Investment, where he held various roles from operations to business development, investment and asset management. 

Mr. Awlaqi holds a Sloan masters from the London Business School, a Master of Engineering in Petroleum Engineering from the Imperial College of the University of London. He is also a prize winner from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. 

As NEOM’s Head of Land Mobility, Florian Lennert leads on overall urban development and mobility systems. Prior to joining NEOM, he led the Innovation Centre for Mobility and the design and implementation of a smart city district and living lab for smart mobility, renewable energy and future city design in Berlin. Lennert is the founder of Future Lab Berlin, a sustainable innovation
think tank and investment advisory firm and regularly advises research institutions, governments, municipalities, businesses and technology ventures on sustainable mobility, urban development and innovation.

He also serves as chair of the European Commission expert group for smart mobility systems
and services, is a member of the EU Commission expert assembly on smart and sustainable cities and counsel to the Austrian Minister for Climate, Energy and Mobility. Previously, he co-founded the Grantham Centre for Climate and Environment, the Urban Age Programme and the Centre for the Analysis of Risk and Regulation at the London School of Economics.

A native of Berlin, Lennert has in the past worked with the German Institute for Urbanism and
the German federal government during the unification of East and West Germany.

Florence Lustman is president of France Assureurs, the French Insurance Federation, since 1st October 2019.

Before taking up this position she was, from 2012, General Inspector and then Chief Financial Officer and Public Affairs Director and a member of the Executive Committee at Banque Postale.

Between 2007 and 2012, Florence Lustman chaired the Alzheimer Plan on behalf of the President of the Republic.

Between 2000 and 2007, she headed the French Insurance Supervisory Committee (Commission de Contrôle des Assurances) as General Secretary. She was a founding member of CEIOPS (now EIOPA), member of the Executive Committee of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors and member of the Standards Advisory Council of the International Accounting Standards Board.

Having graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique (X 1980), the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Institut d’Etudes Politiques) and the French Institute of Actuaries (Institut des Actuaires Français), Florence Lustman is a qualified Inspecteur général des Finances et Ingenieur général des Mines

Francisco Benedito is the CEO and Co-Founder of the startup ClimateTrade. A visionary entrepreneur that founded his first company at the age of 16, he holds a law degree and an MBA completed in France. One of the TOP 100 worldwide Fintech Influencers for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Benedito worked in the banking industry for 15 years before founding ClimateCoin, the world’s first crypto asset, in 2017. ClimateCoin was presented at COP23 and recognized as one of the best solutions to address climate change in the 2018 UN World Economic and Social Survey. In 2019, Benedito founded ClimateTrade with the purpose of establishing an exponential company focused on sustainability. In 2021, he was recognized as one of the 100 Latinos most committed to climate action, in a ranking developed by Sachamama in collaboration with WWF, The Nature Conservancy, the World Environment Center and various other environmental organizations. And at the start of this year, Forbes Spain named him one of 22 business leaders most likely to create disruptive change in 2022.

With a sharp skill for business analysis and a vision for trends, Francisco believes that technology is the best solution to tackle climate change, that’s why he aims at innovative strategies that support and promote sustainable projects worldwide, achieving the highest positive impact for the Planet and all living beings on Earth.
Thanks to its great capacities, persuasive speech and experience in renowned climate events such as the Seoul Climate and the Energy Summit (CESS), 2018; The World Green Economy Summit, (WGES), Dubai, 2019; R20 Austrian World Summit, 2019. Francisco Benedito represented ClimateTrade in the Sustainable Innovation Forum at the COP26 in Glasgow, 2021.

Frank Breust is responsible for steering BMW Group´s Government and External Affairs since October 2020. In this function he coordinates corporate positioning with all relevant stakeholders in the fields of environmental, mobility, trade, and sustainability policies on a global level.

Prior to this, Mr. Breust headed up the EU Representative Office of the BMW Group in Brussels, Belgium, between 2017 and 2020. From 2013 through 2017, Mr. Breust headed up the BMW Group Representative Office in Sacramento, California. Prior to this, he was responsible for coordinating the political communication of the BMW Group in Munich with regard to human resources related issues as well as sustainability engagements. Mr. Breust also steered social sustainability topics in the Group´s HR strategy.

Dr. Gayane Gabrielyan is Deputy Minister of Environment of the Republic of Armenia and National Focal Point of Armenia to the UNFCCC. She holds her PhD in Economics from Armenian State University of Economics, and is a lecturer in Economics at Yerevan State University. She has about 15 years’ experience working and self-activities in different ministries – working on green procurement and green investments – non-commercial, academic institutions and international organizations: Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia, “Health projects implementation unit SA” and etc. As a highly experienced policy-maker, she has a great role in developing national environmental legal acts (Law on PPP, PIM, EIA, Water, Air). Also, her vast experience is instrumental in fostering climate policy.

George is responsible for developing and executing our strategy for advising governments around the world. Working closely with clients, he identifies key public sector issues and leads the development of new client services and offerings.

He has worked in more than 30 developed and developing markets, focusing on public private partnerships and outsourcing, restructuring and organizational transformation, policy reform and investment prioritization.

George received an MS from the Georgia Institute of Technology, an MS from Northwestern University, and an MBA from the George Washington University. He is fluent in English, Arabic and French.