Andreas Klugescheid is Head of Steering Government, External Affairs and Sustainability Communications at the Munich based Head Quarters of BMW Group. Till June 2015, he was responsible for communications of the global production network. Previously, he was heading the BMW Group Representative Office in Sacramento, California. In this function, he managed the companies’ activities in the fields of environmental, mobility and sustainability policies. The geographical areas of his responsibilities included the Western Region of the United States, Mexico and South America. He held numerous positions within BMW Group, including Spokesman for Governmental Affairs at the companies Munich based headquarters and Western Region Corporate Communications Manager for BMW of North America. He started his career with BMW Group as Head of Clean Energy Communication. Among other activities, he was responsible for BMW Group’s participation in UN conferences like the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development and the UN Climate Conferences COP 14 – 16.

Andreas holds a Master degree in History, International Law and German Literature from the Georg-August-University Goettingen, Germany.

Ben R. Jordan works as Senior Director of Environmental Policy for The Coca-Cola Company. In over 20 years at Coca-Cola, Ben has worked in both its North American and global organizations, traveling in over 35 countries. Ben has held roles focused on both internal operational issues and relationship-building with key stakeholders. In his current role, he has responsibilities for driving sustainability programs in Climate and Packaging.

Ben has participated actively in Coca-Cola’s involvement with a number of leading environmental organizations, including the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and The Nature Conservancy. Currently, Ben sits on the Board of Trustees of The Nature Conservancy in Georgia, Steering Committee for The Ocean Conservancy Trash Free Seas Alliance and World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Plastics Action Partnership. He is an active participant in the Consumer Goods Forum’s Environmental Committee.

Ben has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and serves as an Educational Counselor for MIT, interviewing prospective undergraduate students from the Atlanta area. He has a Ph.D. in Public Policy (Environmental Policy specialty) from Georgia Tech, where he participates on an Arts Advisory Board. Ben is an adjunct instructor at Emory University.

Ben lives in Decatur, Georgia, with his wife, Mary Beth, and sons, Jack (12) and Parker (11), where in the past he served as a founding member of the City of Decatur Environmental Sustainability Board, helping drive efforts in one of metro Atlanta’s most progressive municipalities.

Ben’s childhood on a peach farm in rural Georgia led to his interest in conservation and his career in the environmental field.

H.E. Saeed Mohammed Ahmed Al Tayer has an overall experience of more than 34 years in the field of telecommunications, energy, water, infrastructure, oil, gas and industry. Under his leadership since 1992, DEWA achieved unprecedented successes and has become one of the very best distinguished utilities in all aspects world-wide. As an initiative of his own, several successful companies were established, including Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation(EMPOWER), Etihad Energy Services Company(Etihad ESCO), Mai Dubai and many other companies.

His Excellency is a member of Dubai Executive Council and Strategic Affairs Council, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE), Chairman of Dubai Smart City Office, Vice Chairman of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), Vice Chairman of Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), Vice Chairman of Dragon Oil Company, Chairman of UAE Water Aid (SUQIA) Board Of Trustees, and Chairman of World Green Economy Organization (WGEO). He was Chairman of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee- Dubai Executive Council – during the period from 2006 up to 2017. In addition, His Excellency is a member, vice chairman, or chairman of various high-level committees and higher leading councils in the Emirate of Dubai.

His Excellency received a number of prestigious awards such as the “Middle East Champion of Energy” award received at the World Green Economy Summit 2015 from the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP). On 18 May 2016, the UNDP appointed His Excellency as “UNDP National Goodwill Ambassador for Sustainable Development Goals”. In addition, the Swiss Business Council, Dubai & Northern Emirates awarded His Excellency the prestigious “Lord of Matterhorn Award”. Moreover, His Excellency received an honorary doctorate from Amity University in Dubai in appreciation of his continuing innovative efforts to achieve excellence and enhance scientific knowledge and sustainability.

Jesper Brodin is the President and CEO of IKEA Group, is the world’s largest home furnishing retailer and owns and operates 367 IKEA stores in 30 markets (FY18) under franchise agreements with Inter IKEA Systems B.V. Jesper started his IKEA career in 1995 as the Purchase manager in Pakistan, IKEA Group. During the years he has held different roles such as assistant to Ingvar Kamprad and Anders Dahlvig, CEO at the time, Business area manager Kitchen and Dining as well as his recent role as Managing Director for Range & Supply, Inter IKEA Group. He has a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden. Jesper is married to Lena and they have three kids. His passion is music and the sea.

Manuel Pulgar-Vidal is leader of the Climate and Energy Practice of WWF International. He was formerly minister of state for environment in Peru and president of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Twentieth Conference of Parties (COP20).

Pulgar-Vidal is a lawyer with over 27 years of experience in the fields of environmental law and policy. In 1986, he founded the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law, one of the most recognized organizations of environmental law in the region, where he served as executive director for 20 years. In his role as minister of state for environment in Peru he was responsible for proposing and defining Peru’s environmental policies, including those covering biodiversity and climate change. He was also in charge of implementing the countries’ environmental legislation and its enforcement policies.

Throughout his career, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal has participated in the development of environmental policy frameworks in many countries in the region, as an advisor to decision makers and many project initiatives. He has also managed various organizations and is a recognized leader in environmental management issues. He has authored many papers and articles and is a professor and lecturer in environmental law, environmental management, and natural resources.

Graduated from the prestigious Ecole Polytechnique in Paris and received a scholarship in quantum optics from the National Institute of Standards and Technologies in Washington (DC), where he worked under the lead of William D. Phillips, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics. During his studies, he also specialised in economics, with particular emphasis on market organisation under the lead of Professor Jean Tirole, Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics in 2014. He also studied international economics at the University of Louvain La Neuve and was awarded a Master’s degree at the Warsaw School of Economics. He defended his PhD dissertation at the University of Warsaw. In the past, he worked as a professor, teaching change management, economics, market organisation and industrial strategy at the University of Warsaw, Collegium Civitas, Oxford Programme on Modern Poland. He co-authored the concept of effective change management in an enterprise, described in the book Zarządzanie zmianą. Od strategii do działania, he also wrote Od restrukturyzacji do modernizacji. Opóźniona transformacja polskiego sektora elektroenergetycznego w latach 1990-2009.

He began his professional career in the Office of the Committee of European Integration, in the team of Minister Jan Kułakowski, responsible for conducting accession negotiations with the European Union, where he led an analytical team and was directly responsible for the area of energy and transport. Later on, he carried out the modernisation processes in numerous Polish companies, where he supported adaptation to the challenges of the European and global market. He promoted European cooperation in the field of industrial changes and adaptation of European industry to the challenges of globalisation within the framework of the European University of Labour and the Dublin Foundation.

He created the governmental programme for the development of electro-mobility in Poland,

described for the first time as a concept in New Electricity and New Cars, a book written in

2013-2015, together with Prof. Leszek Jesień. He also serves as Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Electro-mobility Programme.

Since 1 January 2016, he has been working as the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Energy, where he has been directly responsible for technological development and innovation in the energy sector, implementation of climate and energy policy in the fuel and gas sector, international relations with countries and international organisations. His duties also included supervising the participation of the state in the largest Polish energy companies in the oil and gas sector, such as Orlen, Lotos and PGNiG. He was the initiator of the “Electro-mobility Development Plan” and then piloted the creation of a law on electro-mobility and alternative fuels, thanks to which these forms of transport will be able to develop dynamically.

On the 27th of April 2018, he was appointed as the Plenipotentiary for the Presidency of the COP 24 Summit.

Patrick CHILD is Deputy Director General in DG RTD Research and Innovation at the European Commission. He leads the policy for management and the implementation of the EU’s €77bn research and innovation programme by the Commission services, executive agencies and other implementing bodies including legal aspects, IT systems, audit and business processes. He has specific responsibility for research and innovation into climate action and clean energy technologies, and is the Commission representative of Mission Innovation (a coalition of 23 countries and the European Union, committed to doubling research in clean energy by 2020).

Until April 2016, Patrick Child was Managing Director of the European External Service with responsibility for administration and finance, covering human resources policy, security and the budget.  Before he took up this post in 2011, he was director in the External Relations Directorate General in the European Commission responsible for the management of the network of Commission delegations.  He has previously served as head of cabinet for External Relations Commissioners Benita Ferrero-Waldner and before that Chris Patten from 1999-2004.

With a background in the UK Finance Ministry, he joined the European Commission in 1994, where he started in the Economic and Monetary affairs Directorate General before becoming Commission press spokesman for economic and monetary union from 1995-2004.  Mr Child studied mathematics at Cambridge University.  He is married with two children.

Rachel Kyte is Chief Executive Officer of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All.

A leading advocate for sustainable development, Ms. Kyte is focused on affordable, reliable and sustainable energy as the key to combating both poverty and climate change. Ms. Kyte drives SEforALL’s work to mobilize action towards its 2030 goals of ensuring universal access to modern energy services; doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. As Special Representative for the Secretary General she is the point person in the UN for action towards the recently agreed global goal on sustainable energy.

Ms Kyte served until December 2015 as World Bank Group Vice President and Special Envoy for Climate Change, leading the Bank Group’s efforts to campaign for an ambitious agreement at the 21st Convention of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 21). She was previously World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development and was the International Finance Corporation Vice President for Business Advisory Services.

Recipient of numerous awards for women’s leadership, climate action and sustainable development, she is a Professor of practice in sustainable development at Tuft’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She holds a master’s degree in international relations from Fletcher, and a bachelor’s degree in history and politics from the University of London.