Planetiers World Gathering

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Ingrid Reis
Brasil
CEO of Espiral Soluções Socioculturais

CEO of Espiral Soluções Socioulturais, a company that works on Social Impact, Creative Economy and Sustainability projects. 

She is a social worker, specializing in Sociology and Health from the University of Medicine of Porto – Portugal. 

She has worked as a consultant for: UNOPS ́S; UN-HABITAT; UNESCO; FUNDOGLOBAL; Rio de Janeiro State Government Departments and the Pereira Passos Institute.

Daniela Pinto de Andrade
portugal
Sustainability Consultant

Expert in the sustainable built environment, Daniela is a qualified BREEAM International assessor and LEED Green Assessor.

She is currently a PhD candidate in the PhD Sustainable Energy Systems programme at Instituto Superior Técnico in Portugal.

She has a Master’s degree in Sustainable Building Technologies from the University of Nottingham, UK.

CRISTINA AMARO
Portugal
The Empower Brands House CEO, author of the book CLO

She is the CEO of The Empower Brands House, author and pivot of ‘Imagens de Marca’ on SIC Notícias. She is also the founder of Brands Community, a community whose purpose is to empower people, brands, and companies.

Elected one of the Best Team Leaders in Portugal and one of the top 10 Most Digital CEOs, she is recognized for turning dreams into successful projects and is a reference in people management based on empathy. Committed to Portugal’s growth, she has invested in creating platforms for visibility to showcase the excellence of what is done in the country, like the Brands Channel on YouTube.

Diogo Mendes
Portugal
Bondalti Technical Director

Diogo Mendes was born in December 1982, having graduated in chemical engineering from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto. He completed his academic career with obtaining a doctorate degree (PhD) from the same faculty, in 2010.

He began his professional career in 2010 as head of the process engineering department at FASE Estudos e Projetos S.A. (Portugal).

In 2011 he immigrated to the Netherlands, having worked as an employee at Technip Benelux (2011 – 2013) and Royal Dutch Shell (2013 – 2017). He is currently the technical director at Bondalti since July 2020, being responsible for projects and opportunities in the field of green hydrogen.

Sofia Máximo
Portugal
Museum Technician

Sofia Máximo, with a wanderlust spirit, currently resides in Torres Vedras. She has had environmental concerns from an early age and is deeply dedicated to social projects.

With a background in Tourism and Heritage, her passion lies in the realm of healthy and conscious eating, as well as the wonders of wild herbs. Her training in permaculture has given more meaning to her worldview, and she spreads these teachings in schools and beyond the classroom.

As a member of Zero Waste Youth Portugal, she undertakes various sustainability initiatives. A volunteer in diverse fields, her mission is to instill these values in her children, André and Eva.

Alexandros Koukovinis
Greece
European Projects Consultant at Loba

He is an education specialist, with capacity strongly supported by his academic background (Bachelor’s in Primary Education Teaching, and a Master’s in the use of Information and Communications Technologies in Education obtained at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece).

Also he is currently (since 2020) an MBA candidate at the Open University of Patra in Greece. He started working in 2014 as a researcher in European projects for the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

From 2016 to 2018 he worked at Science View in Greece, and then from 2019 to 2021 he worked at the International Cooperation Unit of INOVA+ in Portugal, where in both companies he coordinated and implemented European projects in the fields of Sustainability, Education, Entrepreneurship, Science Communication and Responsible Research and Innovation.

At LOBA he is the leader of the Communication & Dissemination of the BlueRev project.

Ana Rita Antunes
portugal
Executive coordinator at Coopérnico

I’m an environmental engineer from Universidade Nova de Lisboa, with a master’s degree in energy efficiency from the same university, a founding member and currently Executive Coordinator at Coopérnico – the first renewable energy cooperative in Portugal – and a member of the General Council of the environmental association “ZERO – Associação Sistema Terrestre Sustentável”, a non-governmental environmental organisation with national activity.

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Francisco Bulhões
Brazil
Municipal Secretary of Urban and Economic Development of Rio de Janeiro

Known as Chicão Bulhões, he is a lawyer and current Municipal Secretary of Urban and Economic Development of Rio de Janeiro.

His portfolio is responsible for several projects, such as: Programadores Cariocas, Porto Maravalley, Web Summit Rio, Crypto Rio, Center for Energy and Finance of Tomorrow, ISS Tech, ISS Verde, digitalization and integration of licensing, Law of Economic Freedom and Sandbox Rio.

SMDEIS is also at the forefront of several other initiatives that aim to simplify the lives of Rio citizens and attract more investments and opportunities to the city, as well as developing studies since 2021 on the situation of Rio’s Multi-Airport System (SMA).

Justin van Schepen
belgium
Manager Climate Change Policy at Cefic

Cefic, the European Chemical Industry Council, is the voice of large, medium and small chemical companies across Europe, which provide 1.2 million jobs and account for approximately about 15% of world chemicals production.

The trade association, based in Brussels, is a committed partner to the European Union, interacting on behalf of its members with European institutions and other stakeholders.

As a Manager Climate Change Policy, Justin works on the EU’s carbon pricing system, the ETS, and other relevant policies involving carbon and greenhouse gas emissions.

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Pavan Sukhdev
india
Founder and CEO, GIST Impact

Pavan is a scientist by education, an international banker by training, and an environmental economist by passion. 

He previously led the UN’s Green Economy Initiative and The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study.

As CEO of GIST Impact, Pavan works with corporations and investors, harnessing the power of impact economics and technology to discover a business’s full value contribution to the world.

Pavan is a former President of WWF International and has served on the boards of Conservation International, GRI, and the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

Awards: Blue Planet Prize (2016); Tyler Prize (2020).

Vasco Esteves
portugal
CEO of Tecmafoods - Insect Based

At Tecmafoods, I led the development of a decentralized system for insect-based food production.

By embracing sustainable insect farming methods, we crafted a range of nutrient-rich food products tailored for consumer markets.

This decentralized approach facilitated local production, minimizing transportation costs and its environmental impact.

My contributions were instrumental in pushing the boundaries of food innovation, promoting insects as a local, sustainable, and efficient food source for diverse applications.

Maria Leonor Mendonça
portugal
Teacher, GAFe Bike Lab

Maria Leonor Mendonça was born in Coimbra and currently resides in Aveiro, Portugal. She holds a degree in English and Portuguese teaching from the University of Aveiro.

With over 35 years of experience, she has been an English teacher for nearly four decades, dedicated to her profession. Leonor has actively participated in various Erasmus+ projects, where she has consistently championed sustainability and environmental awareness as core themes.

For the past 28 years, she has been an educator at Gafanha da Nazaré Secondary School, where the entire community identifies with the award-winning GAFe Bike Lab project.

This project not only serves the school community by fixing and recovering bikes, some of which are offered to students in need, but also promotes bicycle usage through various actions and events.

Joana Faria
portugal
Executive Director at FSC Portugal

Graduate in Forestry and Natural Resources Engineering from Instituto Superior de Agronomia, where also developed several research works in the Climate Change area.

With 16 years of professional experience, Joana participated in several working groups at the Ministry of Agriculture and in several international organizations.

In 2016 joined the Association for Responsible Forest Management, the organization that represents Forest Stewardship Council® in Portugal, as Business Development Officer. Since 2017, she has assumed the role of Executive Director at FSC Portugal.

Carolina Bianchi
portugal
Founder of Mudatuga

Biologist and member of the Order of Biologists of Portugal. She graduated in Biological Sciences from the University of São Paulo (Brazil) and holds postgraduate degrees in Natural and Technological Risks (University of Coimbra, Portugal) and Natural Heritage and Biodiversity (Université de Rennes 1, France).

In 2020, she founded Mudatuga®, a startup with the mission of turning ordinary people into composting ninjas. So far, she has trained more than 1,500 people across the country, conducting training sessions for universities, municipal councils, schools, national and international seminars on waste and circular economy, and private companies. She co-conceived the “Escola a Compostar” project (Environmental Fund, 2021), won several awards promoted by EIT Climate-KIC, and is a certified trainer in the field of organic waste.

She has been providing training to teachers in the Eco-Schools network since 2021 and is the author of the children’s educational book “Eva, the Composting Ninja,” published by Betweien and launched in 2023.

Ricardo Santos
portugal
Co-founder and CTO of AssetFloow

Ricardo is an Artificial Intelligence Researcher with more than 20 awards in the field. His work focuses in developing complex models that describe Human Behaviour in the fields of Retail, Security and Finance.

At the age of 19, he was already leading a research project that led to patents in US, then created a company in AI for video analytics that was featured in Wired and Forbes as one of top AI startups in Europe, and now he serves as CTO of AssetFloow which focus on helping retailers predict the fast changes in Consumer Behaviour.

Nuno Fideles
portugal
Savills PT - Head of Sustainability / Associate Architect

Graduated in Architecture since 1999, with several projects developed in Portugal, Nuno has been a BREEAM AP accredited professional by the BRE Academy in England since 2018 and a BREEAM Ambassador since 2019.

In 2022 was designated Head of Sustainability of SAVILLS Portugal and he is a founding member of the SAVILLS EMEA ESG HUB. 

Together with his team, he manages more than 36 sustainability consultancy assignments in Portugal. Internally is part of the ESG Task force and the responsible for the decarbonization process of Savills PT.

Alexandra Gomes
portugal
Associate Director on the Market Research Department in Portugal

Alexandra Portugal Gomes has a degree in Corporate Communication from the Lisbon School of Social Communication since 2003.

In the same year, she was invited to join the multinational real estate consultancy Jones Lang Lasalle to develop the research area, and currently has approximately 20 years of expertise in real estate market research.

At the end of 2019, joins Savills, where she is currently Associate Director and Head of Research & Communications.

Over the past 4 years, she has been developing market analyzes focused on the residential, office, industrial & logistics market, and alternative segments such as student housing, Built-to-rent and senior housing. She was also responsible for carrying out market assessments for clients such as Aquila Capital, Teleperformance, Patron, ECS, Kronos. MCA Group among many others.

Suzanne Greene
Switzerland
Global Procurement Environmental Sustainability Director at Dow

Suzanne Greene serves as Dow’s global procurement environmental sustainability director within the Strategy Planning & Governance and Purchasing ESG teams.

Based in in Switzerland, Suzanne spearheads Dow’s sustainable procurement strategy for climate action, nature conservation, and circular economy practices.

Suzanne oversees initiatives such as scope 3 carbon accounting and climate target development, decarbonization strategy development, supplier ESG data collection and assessment, and strategic planning for policy compliance.

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EILA KREIVI
Luxembourg
Chief Sustainable Finance Advisor at European Investment Bank

Eila Kreivi is Director and Chief Sustainable Finance Advisor at the European Investment Bank since February 2022.

From April 2011 until end of January 2022, she headed the Capital Markets Department of the EIB, as its Director. Before that, she was the Head of Funding for the Americas, Asia & Pacific.
 Between March 2018 and January 2022, she was an alternate member of the Board of Directors of the European Investment Fund (EIF).

Prior to joining the financing arm of the European Union in 1995, Eila Kreivi worked at the Union Bank of Finland and Société Générale, in Helsinki and in Paris.

She holds a Master of Science degree in Economics from the University of Abo Akademi in Finland. In addition to her native language of Finnish, she is fluent in English, French and Swedish.

Eila Kreivi chaired the Executive Committee of the Green Bond Principles in 2015-2018. She has represented the EIB at the EU High-level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance in 2017‑2018, established by the European Commission. Between 2018 and September 2020, she also represented the EIB at the European Commission’s Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance created in 2018. Since October 2020, she is a member of the Platform on Sustainable Finance, an advisory body created by the European Commission.

In July 2020, she was elected as member of the Board of Directors of the International Capital Market Association (ICMA).

Andreas Noe
GERMANY
The Trash Traveler “raising awareness with fun and creativity”

The biologist Andreas Noe came to Portugal to pursue his biomedical career. In 2019, he quit his job to raise awareness about environmental issues, creating creative community campaigns complemented with art and Ukulele songs.

In 2020, he hiked every single meter of the Portuguese coastline in 2 months to raise awareness about ocean plastics. Following year, the community was invited to collect 1 million cigarette butts within 2 months. In 2022, he reused old second-hand bike parts to build a “new” bike to raise awareness for a circular economy in a 2370 km long ride around Portugal

ONLINE

Danilo Zelinski
France - Brazil
Head of Forest & Climate tech investments at KPTL

Danilo joined KPTL in 2020 and contributed to structuring the ESG agenda, investor relations and structuring the Forest & Climate Tech fund, and is now responsible for overall supervision of the fund, from investors relations to investments and team building.

Before joining KPTL, Danilo spent 15 years in the investment industry, of which 10 at BlackRock in Paris, France, helping institutional investors build more efficient portfolios, aligned with sustainability and the transition to a low-carbon economy. 

Danilo is a French-Brazilian economist, and a CFA charterholder

Andrew Mitchell
United Kingdom
Vice Chair, Stewardship Council, Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosure

Andrew Mitchell is the founder and Vice Chair of the Stewardship Council of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosure.

As a zoologist, he has spent a lifetime at the frontline of tropical forest conservation and as an international thought leader on sustainable finance, climate change and forests.

He advises banks and investors worldwide on risks, dependencies and opportunities in sustainable finance.

He is Senior Advisor to Global Canopy, an NGO he founded in Oxford in 2021, now a leading provider of ‘data for nature’. In 2023, he received a Royal Medal approved by King Charles III from the UK’s Royal Geographical Society for his lifetimes’ work.

Lluis Sabate
Vice President - EMEA Coagulant Manufacturing

Responsible for Coagulant Production units in EMEA region and member of Management Team of the Industrial & Water segment of Kemira

António Raminhos
comedian doing more than just making people laugh

António Raminhos is a renowned Portuguese comedian, blogger, and TV host. A multifaceted artist whose influence transcends borders.

With almost 2 million followers on social media in a country of just 10 million people, his ability to connect with audiences is unparalleled.

Raminhos’ career began in comedy, where his unique blend of humor, wit, and storytelling quickly earned him a dedicated fan base. However, he’s not limited to just making people laugh. He’s a passionate advocate for a healthy lifestyle, environmental awareness, and mental health support.

Through his work and influence, Raminhos has helped thousands of his followers to find a path to treatment and lead healthier lives. His dedication to these important causes showcases his commitment to using his platform for positive change.

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Benjamin Von Wong
Issue Driven Artist focused on creating Conversation Generating Art to help build a world that works for all people and the planet

Benjamin Von Wong’s work lies at the intersection of fantasy and photography and combines everyday objects with shocking statistics.

It has attracted the attention of corporations, like Starbucks, Dell, and Nike, and has generated over 100 million views for causes like ocean plastics, electronic waste, and fashion pollution.

His work has been narrated by Ryan Reynolds, he holds a Guinness World Record for the largest installation made from plastic straws, and he created the centerpiece at the United Nations in Nairobi when the Global Plastics Resolution was successfully signed.

He is also the co-founder of the Activism.Studio a creative advisor for the Sustainable Ocean Alliance and the Ocean Plastic Leadership Network and sits on the BIPOC People x Plastic Collective.

Bernardo Ivo Cruz
Secretary of State for International Trade and Foreign Investment in the Portuguese Government

Bernardo Ivo Cruz is a Portuguese official specializing in international trade and investment. He holds a PhD in Politics from the University of Bristol, UK, and has extensive experience in the public sector, academia, and the private sector.

Key roles include serving as Secretary of State for International Trade and Foreign Investment, various positions in Portuguese foreign affairs, and academic contributions in universities.

He founded the True Bridge Consultancy Group and held leadership positions in chambers of commerce and international relations consultancy.

Bernardo is also an Honorary Consul of Botswana in Portugal, a prolific writer, and a recognized figure in international affairs. His work has spanned various countries, including Belgium, Brazil, Portugal, the UK, and Timor-Leste.

Bruno Melo
Portugal
CEO of Magnusberry

Bruno Melo is an Experienced C-Level with a solid academic background and a notable career in the plastics industry.

He began his academic journey at the University of Aveiro, where he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from 2001 to 2006.

After completing his university education, Bruno embarked on a career in the plastics industry, delving into manufacturing technologies and materials, gaining valuable expertise over the years.

In 2010, Bruno Melo took a bold and entrepreneurial step by founding the company Magnusberry, assuming the role of CEO.

In 2021, Bruno Melo expanded his commitment to sustainability by creating the Greenmagnus brand, that become a notable player in the sustainability sector, emphasising eco-friendly practices and environmentally responsible manufacturing.

ONLINE

Holly Niemela
United States OF AMERICA
Co-Owner Tinhela610, an off-the-grid, regenerative, wilderness retreat sanctuary

Holly Niemela, american of finnish origin, is the co-owner of Tinhela610, a sustainable
& regenerative wilderness sanctuary and lodge for 14 guests, located in the
Tras-os-Montes region of northern Portugal.

TInhela610 is a project she conceived after
working as a consultant for 35 years in the wellness industry. T610 is a place to breathe,
to reconstruct, to surrender, to raise awareness.

Its inspiration and conception was the result of Holly’s lifelong love and connection with Nature along with her professional work in wellness. Faced with many obstacles, the opening of this emblematic lodge on the banks of the Tinhela River was completed in September 2023.

Joana Guerra Tadeu
Portugal
climate justice activist

Joana Guerra Tadeu is a climate justice activist dedicated to producing content for different media and facilitating awareness and education actions about human rights and ecology for schools, non-profits, companies and events.

Joana presented the climate justice TV show Verdes Anos and the environmentalist radio show Ambientalista Imperfeita at the Portuguese public broadcaster (RTP).

She has been dedicated to ecofeminist environmentalism since 2015, co-founded #TodasMerecemos – a social impact project that fights menstrual poverty in Portugal – in 2021, and has been an ambassador for the World Wildlife Fund Portugal since 2022.

ONLINE

Lygia Anthero
Brazil
Collective Causes Coordinator at Sistema B Brasil (Blab)

Relationship and Collective Causes Coordinator at Sistema B Brasil (Blab) and Executive Leader of Pretas B.

She is a fellow at Youth Climate Leaders, where she participates in local actions and strategies focused on Climate Justice. She currently embraces projects that bring positive socio-environmental impact to companies in an accessible way, where all members of society can engage.

She holds a degree in Marketing and is a postgraduate student in High-Impact ESG at BBI of Chicago.

Miguel Veríssimo
portugal
Focused on Architecture Energy Ecology since 1994

Graduated – FAUTL_1992.1999 founded SolarTrap.arch at Porto;1992 2º Prize, European Architecture Students Assembly_Pt
2007 National Innovation Award with JEE–EcoEfficient Window
2017 Honourable Mention-Green Project Awards with MUSCLE-Urban System for NETZero Standards.
2020 MOBI-Summit Award with SPACEonWHEELS. Shortlisted for LEXUS Global Awards 2021
2023 Vice-president Centro-da-Terra, earth construction in Portugal.
2021 Scientific coordinator- “from Line to Circle” course promoted by Portuguese Order of Architects and the Minister of Environment and Climate Action

Margarida Pinto Correia
portugal
EDP External Affairs & Stakeholders

MPC has been involved with EDP Strategy team at Reputational level, reinforcing the ESG pillars throughout the Group.

She coordinates the Local Community Approach, walking the talk of the Energy Just Transition, and taking it to Large Organizations’ thought leadership themes.

Previously the Head for Social Innovation at EDP Foundation, after 9 years leading the Fundação do Gil in Portugal, a Health & Social Childrens’ Foundation.

In a “previous life”, Margarida was a Journalist at print, radio and television platforms, with a major on International Relations and a Managing post-grad from AESE”

Carla Pedro
Portugal
APQuímica Director-General

She is also the manager of the PT Chemical Sector Competitiveness Cluster – a collaborative initiative, recognized by IAPMEI/Ministry of Economy, linking Business and Academia for the development of applied R&D and other joint projects, addressing key challenges faced by the chemical industry in Portugal and supporting its ongoing transformation.

With an academic background in Economics, Carla has a decades-long professional experience in both the public and private sectors. She specialized in the launch and management of early-stage innovation processes, in the design and implementation of its supporting financial and strategic partnerships.

She specialized in the launch and management of early-stage innovation processes, in the design and implementation of its supporting financial and strategic partnerships. Prior to APQuímica, Carla has held several senior public policy positions, as well as diverse lead roles in Management Consulting and in the ICT industry (incl. 7 years at Cisco Systems International), with a strong focus on integrated cross-sectoral approaches.

Rodrigo Sá
Portugal
Cofounder & Chief Strategy Officer at Roots Ventures, Saudi Arabia

On a mission to drive humanity forward through transitioning to more sustainable technologies, Rodrigo is a WEF Tech Pioneer and led discussions in +40 countries as the head of global BD at Hyperloop.

Ex Stanford and Oxford, he advises multiple innovation program, funds and startups and invests his time in discuss with visionaries and builders of tomorrow in the front of technologies and mindsets that are shaping the evolution of humanity.

Catarina Canelas
portugal
Journalist and Environmental Communication Specialist

Catarina Canelas began her career in journalism in 2003, at TVI. In 2005, her curiosity for the East took her to Macau, where she was a journalist at TDM – Rádio Macau for three years.

Back to Portugal, she returned to work at TVI, especially on issues of social relevance, signing several major award-winning reports and is the author of the documentary series “Plástico, O Novo Continente” which has won several national and international awards and distinctions, including the Rey de España Ibero-American Journalism Award and the UNESCO Human Rights Journalism Award.

She was also a news anchor for TVI24 and a guest professor at ISCTE-IUL.

She is one of the founding journalists of CNN Portugal, President of the Zero Waste Portugal Institute and Communication Consultant at the Maio Biodiversity Foundation, Cape Verde.

She is also a Trainer and participates in several national and international events and conferences, as moderator, speaker and keynote speaker, especially in the areas of environment, sustainability and Oceans.

She is the author of the book ‘A Hora da Partida: “Angola 1974/1975” and Co-Author of the book “101 Vozes pela Sustentabilidade (Por um Desenvolvimento Responsável).

Paul Peterson
United States of America
COO and Co-Founder of Optimum Green Ventures
Paul develops scalable manufacturing and distribution partnerships for innovative products, and works with R&D teams to commercialize solutions that impact food, water and energy security.

ONLINE

Mohan Munasinghe
Sri Lanka
2021 Blue Planet Prize Laureate; Vice Chair, UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-AR4); shared 2007 Nobel Prize for Peace; Chairman of MIND Group, Colombo, and Hon. Senior Advisor to the Government of Sri Lanka.

Founder Chairman, Munasinghe Inst. of Development (MIND) and MIND Group, Colombo; Vice Chair of UN IPCC, who shared 2007 Nobel Peace Prize; 2021 Blue Planet Prize Laureate; & Chairman, Presidential Expert Commission on Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision.

Degrees in engineering, physics and development economics from Cambridge Univ. (UK), MIT (USA), McGill Univ. & Concordia Univ. (Canada), plus many honorary doctorates.

Highlights from 50 years of public service: Senior Energy Advisor to Sri Lanka President; Advisor to US President’s Council on Environmental Quality (PCEQ); & Senior Advisor/Manager, World Bank.

Visiting Professor at several leading universities worldwide, & won many international prizes for research. Authored over 120 books and 400 technical papers on economics, sustainable development, climate change, power, energy, water resources, transport, environment, disasters, and information technology.

Miguel Neiva
Portugal
ColorADD, Designer and Creator and Ashoka fellow

Creator of ColorADD, the color alphabet for colorblind, which allows the inclusion of about 350 million colorblind people worldwide whenever color is a factor of identification, orientation or choice.

Through co-creation models, this universal language is implemented in several countries in different sectors of society, promoting inclusion, as well as at Primary Schools, taking this code to education to allow the inclusion of colorblind children without discriminating.

ONLINE

THANDEKA TUTU-GXASHE
South Africa
Desmond Tutu Tutudesk Campaign, CEO

CEO of the Desmond Tutu Tutudesk Campaign and eldest daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the ubuntu’s world spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Laureate.

Named one of the global 100 Real Leaders for 2018 by Real Leaders magazine. Passionate about peace, racial reconciliation and equality by improving the health and educational experiences of young people, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Scott Poynton
Australia
Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer at The Pond Foundation

Scott was inspired, soon after his 15th birthday, to follow in the footsteps of the renowned Man of the Trees, Richard St Barbe Baker.

Since then, he has worked to inspire forest protection, pioneered responsible sourcing, mediated global disputes between some of the world’s largest companies and NGOs and inspired industry-wide transformations away from deforestation and human rights abuses.

Today, he supports companies to take credible regenerative action, inspiring leaders to be guided by their values to protect and heal Nature and our relationships with ourselves, each other, and the Earth.

Christoph Langwallner
United States
WhatIF, CEO and Co-founder

Chris’ grandfather asked him to leave this world a better place than how he found it. This ‘call to regenerative actions’ provide Chris the anchor at WhatIF Foods.

He believes that it’s not about saving the planet. It’s about regenerating ecosystems so that our children, and future generations find a world that allows them to go on hikes, ski in powder, or swim in oceans.

Let’s strive to bring back the agrobiodiversity we need to sink carbon in soils, to grow a basket of different crops, to create exciting nutrient-dense foods, and to equitably reconnect to communities so that they prosper.

Paul Hodges
United kingdom
New Normal Consulting, Chairman and World Economic Forum Global Expert

Paul Hodges is a trusted adviser to major companies and the investment community, and has a proven track record of accurately identifying key trends in global marketplaces.

He is chairman of New Normal Consulting and a Global Expert with the World Economic Forum. Paul also serves as Advisory Board chairman for Infinity Recycling and non-executive Chairman of NiTech Solutions.

Jack Davey
United Kingdom
CEO of Nuevo

Jax Davey is a Forbes 30 under 30 honoree, an award-winning entrepreneur and the CEO of creative agency Nuevo, whose clients include Canada Goose, Ordnance Survey and Ernst & Young.

But it was the British military, that explains his unconventional entrance into the creative industry and his pioneering approach to advertising and sustainability.

After five years spent as a Royal Marines Commando he founded his first agency with the skills learnt in service to access hard to reach locations. That agency sold in 2019 to Berkshire Hathaway.

Despite this success Jax couldn’t ignore the impact his industry was having on the planet and has assembled a team of explorers, strategists, sustainability experts, producers and creatives, who together are redefining creativity with a conscience.

Luís Rochartre
Portugal
International expert and senior advisor in Sustainability

A forestry engineer, postgraduate in Sustainability (Stanford and Harvard), with a career dedicated to sustainability, forestry and other areas. Luis was director of the WBCSD and secretary-general of BCSD Portugal.

He is Senior Advisor at Planetiers New Generation, Grupo Bel, Novais Advogados, Rega Energy and GlobeScan, Senior Consultant at Von Rohr & Associates, Sustainability Practice Advisor at Epic Talent Society, Sustainability Curator at Spinn.

He is Visiting Professor at ISEG and Industry Fellow at Católica Porto.

Dina Storey
United Arab Emirates
Energy, Utilities, and Resources, ESG Partner and Impact Centre Lead

Dina Storey is a climate change and sustainability subject-matter expert and an executive advisor to several global organizations within the government, NGO, and private sector. With over 18 years of experience, Dina is currently a senior partner with Marfa Advisors focusing on delivering projects in sustainable finance mechanisms, PPP’s, government relations, entrepreneurship and tech innovation as well as policy strategy and climate adaptation projects. Dina also served as the Senior Director for the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA) and was the ESG and Sustainability Partner with Strategy&/PwC MENA.

Dina led the sustainability strategy for the World Expo 2020 Dubai, as the Director of Sustainability Operation. In this role, she spearheaded the development and implementation of the World Expo’s sustainability strategy and operational excellence. Her expertise enables her to develop innovative and cost-effective solutions that drive tangible impact. She has also lead several high-profile projects and has conducted speaking engagements at a global level related to climate finance, impact and strategy, sustainability, circular economy as well as many social impact topics including gender and youth.

Dina sits on several boards including, The Great Green Wall of Africa Foundation, The Global Alliance for a Sustainable Plant and The Beekeepers Foundation. Mentoring and supporting women, diversity, inclusion, and gender equality is a big part of the activism work that Dina has been involved in.

Dina is a LEED-certified sustainability expert with a BSc in Chemical Engineering, an MBA in international Business, and a Masters in Sustainability Management from Columbia University NYC.

Jorge Cristino
Portugal
Author of “The mission of cities in combating climate change.”

Jorge is an engineer, master’s in International Relations, postgraduate in Environmental Law and specialized in Development Cooperation.

Currently works as a public manager in the state’s business sector, in the environment area.

He is a jury for the climate change indicator of the ECOXXI Municipalities Program – Green Flag and a member of the Task Force for the recognition of Climate as a Common Heritage of Humanity, at the United Nations.

He is regularly invited as a specialist in initiatives for ​​sustainable development and is the author of the book “The Cities’ Mission to combat Climate Change”, as well as several scientific and opinion articles.

ADRIAN GRIFFITHS
United Kingdom
Enthusiastic Advocate for Profitable Sustainability

He is the MD at AEG Consulting, helping companies to develop roadmaps to profitable sustainability.

As the founder of Recycling Technologies, he spent over a decade developing a Circular Economy process to recycle mixed plastics.

Adrian is the Business Development Director for Gazelle Wind Power, a developer of a novel floating platform for wind turbines, helping to make Floating Offshore Wind power available to all.

He is a chartered engineer, with a degree from Imperial College.

André Vanyi-Robin
UNITED KINGDOM
CEO & founder of Plastiks

In the world of sustainability, founder André Vanyi-Robin discovered a harsh reality: everyone wants to save the world, but no one is willing to pay for it.

Focusing on the waste management industry, which hadn’t changed in 50 years, he asked himself: how could he incentivize transparency and traceability? The answer came in the form of the NFT business model, which drives Plastiks. With a new and third source of funding, waste management companies can generate blockchain based plastic credits that prove that they’re recovering plastic and selling it to the recycling industry. 

André L. Vanyi-Robin is a dynamic Entrepreneur with more than 25 years in the information technology and venture capital industry. Join us in incentivizing recovery and promoting a more sustainable future.

Joana Garoupa
Portugal
Advisory & Consulting agency related with marketing and sustainability communication

C-suite with proven instincts in corporate restructuring and brand positioning, developing and leading global teams.Passionate ESG advocate.

Active voice for diversity and gender parity. Elected “marketer of the year” by Multipublicações in 2020 and in the top 5 ranking of the best Portuguese marketers (2022). 

Author of “Survival manual for the corporate world” published in Portugal and Brazil. 

Has a strong path in the Energy Industry, Services and Technological sectors in several Multinational and National First Line Companies, as Executive Director and Marketing and Communications Director, having worked in SonaeCom, Siemens, Galp and Omnicom media group.

Greg Sherwin
United states of america
Human-centered technology leader solving complex system challenges at the ecosystem level

Greg Sherwin is devoted to taking a human-centered approach towards solving complex systems problems at the ecosystem level through diverse teams and system leadership. 

He is the engineering lead for global experimentation at Farfetch, a Singularity University global facultymember, Director of Southern Europe and Technology at the The Peace-Led Climate Friendly Sustainable Development Forum, board advisor (House of Beautiful Business, Planetiers, and Sónar Lisboa), startup mentor, book author, and experienced engineering and product executive.

Susana Carvalho
Portugal
Head of Sustainability and Climate Transition at Bondalti

Graduated in Environmental Engineering, holds an Advanced Studies Diploma in Sustainable Energy Systems from MIT Portugal and almost 20 years of experience in Innovation, Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility in Industry, Consulting, Transports, Technology and Nonprofit organizations. 

Talks about sustainable innovation, renewable energy systems, smart mobility, decarbonization and adaptation to climate change, partnerships for environmental and social impact and engaging the value chain. 

Passionate about people, leadership, and happiness culture in organizations.

“Work hard, play harder.”

Myriam Lopes
Portugal
Associate Professor at the Department of Environment and Planning at the University of Aveiro

With a degree in Environmental Engineering and a PhD in Applied Environmental Sciences, she develops her activity as a researcher at the Associated Laboratory Center for Environmental and Marine Studies, on the topics of atmospheric pollution, climate change and urban sustainability.

She represents the University of Aveiro on the Community Advisory Panel of the Estarreja Responsible Action Program (PACOPAR) and on the Environmental Studies Network of Portuguese Speaking Countries (REALP).

Carolina Mendonça
Portugal
Sustainability coordinator at Azores

Carolina comes from the Azores – 9 islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Driven by a passion to make positive change, and with her background in tourism and sustainable management, she has worked as a sustainability consultant, supporting over 200 local businesses and companies.

She now assumes the role of the Azores DMO Coordinator being responsible for the certification process of the Azores as a sustainable destination.

The Azores are today an international reference in sustainable tourism, being the first archipelago in the world to be certified as a sustainable destination by EarthCheck, under GSTC criteria.

Elena Duran
Spain
Founder & CEO da 55+

Born in Jaén (Andalucía, España). She is an advocate of equal opportunities for people well-being.

Passionate about Social Entrepreneurship, she founded 55+ to recognize the value of those who have a lifetime experience to offer to their community!

Sahar Albaharna
Bahrain
Innovation Coach & CEO, IMPACTIQUE Founder, Women4Impact

Sahar is an entrepreneur, venture builder, executive coach, and advisor with a focus on exponential innovation and social impact transformation in emerging markets.

In 2010, she found her passion for entrepreneurship and recognized its power to drive change, fuel innovation, and empower individuals to reshape the world. As the CEO of IMPACTIQUE, Sahar works with large organizations on innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives including access to healthcare, access to education, digital payments, and food security.

Sahar has been a mentor to tech startups with the Cartier Women’s Initiative and the IE Business School Venture Lab in Madrid. In 2020, she co-founded Women4Impact, a global network to support female-led high impact initiatives and companies.

Anabela Pinto
PortugaL
Head of Supply Chain & Regulatory Affairs

Anabela Pinto has been part of the Bondalti family for many years, going through different areas of responsibility and knowledge.

Although with a basic background in chemistry, he embarked on the paths of management, with special emphasis on the transformation and creation of areas such as Procurement. 

Attentive and curious to new technological developments that allow streamlining processes and raising the level of service provided to stakeholders.
Currently, he is responsible for the Supply Chain area of Bondalti that includes Procurement, Logistics and Product Regulation.

Hugo Miller
New Zealand
Sustainability & Impact Consultant

Hugo is a sustainability and impact consultant from New Zealand specialising in sustainability and impact strategy.

His work is broad and includes policy development that embeds sustainability in tertiary curriculum architecture, support for a grass roots NGOs, climate risk assessments and carbon measurement across various sectors, non-financial reporting, education program development, and capability building.

In 2021, Hugo worked with the team at Proxima, an impact consultancy, to design and set in motion a regenerative approach to tourism in the region of Queenstown, NZ.

Luís Delgado
Portugal
Board of Directors and Executive Committee of Bondalti Capital & member of the Board of Directors of Bondalti Chemicals

He started his professional career at 3M, in Portugal and in Germany, was Manager at Arthur D. Little and held positions in the Strategic Planning direction of José de Mello. He worked at Brisa, as director of International Development, was a partner at Jason Associates and, from 2011 to October 2019, he served as Executive Director of Efacec Power Solutions.

Luís Delgado has a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico, and an MBA from Universidade Nova de Lisboa.

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Jesús Soriano
Spain
Responsible Care Manager at Federación Empresarial de la Industria Química Española

He started his professional career in 1997 as Director of civil contract works in a private engineering company, and also in a  very short period of time as technician in the DG of Nature Conservation at the first created Spanish Ministry of the Environment.After this brief period, he joined the Business Spanish Chemical Industry Federation (FEIQUE) in September 1997.

Since 2007 he has been Director of the international Responsible Care program in Spain  to enhance  Safety and the Environment in the Chemical Industry sector. Additionally, and since 2013, he was also appointed as Director of Logistics and Transport of FEIQUE.  

He is currently a member of different State committees related to Dangerous Goods and Transport under Spanish National Transport Ministry , representing Chemical Industry.

Graça Borges
Portugal
Head of Corporate Communication, Public Affairs and Sustainability

Manages Super Bock Group Communications, Public Affair and Sustainability areas since December 2020.

Started her professional career at Super Bock Group (former Unicer) back in 1990 within the Marketing Department been responsible for Super Bock brand until mid-2000.

Her career counts also a 15-year experience at Unilever in various roles in Portugal and Europe. 

End of 2015, returned to Portugal to embrace a new challenge at Super Bock Group and to become Head of the European markets and later appointed as Commercial Director for the Developed Markets (Europe, African and other markets).

Has a degree in Political-Economic International Relations from the University of Minho and various other management programmes namely Insead.

Angela Morgado
Portugal
Executive Director /CEO at ANP|WWF in Portugal

She has a Master’s degree in Communication, Culture and Information Technologies from ISCTE, University of Lisbon and a degree in Sociology from the same institute.

She has specialized in communication, strategy and fundraising. She has held various management positions including Executive Director of ANP|WWF Portugal (World Wide Fund for Nature), the world’s largest nature conservation organization

António Gonçalves Pereira
Portugal
President of EcoMood Portugal Ambassador of the European Climate Pact

After not being able to pollute while racing gokarts, he created Ecokart Portugal, with the mission of promoting, in a practical and effective way, sustainable motorsports and electric mobility.

That was the first step towards the subsequent creation of Ecomood Portugal, an NGO that has the social mission of promoting more sustainable mentalities, behaviors and solutions, with a primary focus on the areas of mobility, education, energy, circular economy, rational consumption and solidarity, environmental and social sustainability.

Ivans Sellers
Portugal
Involved in various organisations and efforts to conserve and to restore nature in Portugal

Over the last 5 years I have focused much of my energy into learning and experimenting with syntropic agroforestry on the land I am a guardian of near Tomar.

At the same time I have helped bring to life the Foundation Terra Agora, the first land conservation foundation in Portugal; I am on the steering committee of  Value Flow Innovation, the first platform for regenerative projects to seek funding and to monitor their progress remotely; the Network of Regenerative Laboratories, a network of owners engaged in regeneration; and WWOOF, the volunteer organisation, where I am a member of the board.

Afonso Vieira
Portugal
Founder at Ecoceno

Born in a family that runs a leading manufacturer of single-use aluminium food packaging for the Portuguese market.

Before founding Ecoceno, Afonso founded a previous startup where he raised capital from national and international business angels and venture capitalists.

Launched a web platform that registered over 10,000 users and received awards at conferences such as Web Summit and South by Southwest.

With Ecoceno, Afonso works alongside governments, public and private entities in the quest to replace single-use packaging for reusable packaging in a convenient and cost-effective manner.

Alexandra Azevedo
Portugal
Presidente da Direção Nacional da Quercus - ANCN

Veterinarian and environmental activist for over 2 decades. Author of the practical guides “Edible Wild Herbs” and “edible wild fruits” and author and host of the “Edible Nature” video serie.

Mentor and national coordinator of Quercus’s (QUERCUS – National Association for Nature Conservation) Glyphosate / Herbicides Free Municipalities Campaign, having been awarded an Honorable Mention in the Terre de Femmes 2021 award, by Yves Rocher, for her work in this campaign.

Ana Aguilar Meca
Portugal
Head of Marketing at Plastiks: Creative and innovative marketer with extensive experience in organizational structuring who has lead the deployment of Plastiks at the Barcelona Footbal Club

Meet Ana Aguilar, the dynamic Head of Marketing at Plastiks. Ana’s imaginative thinking and meticulous attention to detail make her a true leader in her field. She genuinely combines creativity with efficiency to create marketing strategies that truly resonate with Plastik’s forward-thinking audience.

With her diverse background and a genuine passion for creativity and a deep understanding of Plastik’s mission, Ana is a driving force at the company. 

Ana’s commitment to transparency and sustainability shines through in every campaign she leads, inspiring action and guiding our brand towards a greener tomorrow.

Under Ana’s leadership and fueled by a collaborative team spirit, Plastiks is at the forefront of championing her mission for a more sustainable future.

Mílton Vogado
portugal
CMO at Magnusberry

Mílton Vogado is a Marketing C-Level with several years of experience in large and family-owned companies across a range of sectors.

He has worked on a variety of successful projects, including: expanding businesses in injection molding and food packaging and developing an environmentally sustainable brand with an online store; launching new food products under private label and distribution brands; creating a multimedia communications department from scratch; managing IT enterprise sales for one of Portugal’s largest communications and entertainment groups; and also producing video content for public and private organizations, and European funding projects.

Mílton Vogado currently holds the position of CMO, overseeing three brands (Magnusberry, Kipmagnus, and Greenmagnus).

Helena Freitas
portugal
Director of the Serralves Park

Helena Freitas received her PhD in Ecology from the University of Coimbra, in collaboration with the University of Bielefeld, Germany, in 1993, and did postdoctoral studies at Stanford University, USA, between 1994 and 1996.

She is Full Professor of Biodiversity and Ecology at the Department of Life Sciences of the University of Coimbra since 2003, and holds the UNESCO Chair in Biodiversity and Conservation for Sustainable Development since 2014 (http://unescobiodiversitychair.uc.pt).

She is currently Coordinator of the Center for Functional Ecology – science for people and the planet (cfe.uc.pt). In July 2019 she was selected to join the Mission Board for Climate Change Adaptation, including Societal Transformation from the European Commission and in August 2019 she was nomitated Focal Point for Portugal in IPBES – Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

She is Director of the Serralves Park, Porto.

Leo Imamura
Brasil
Strategic people advisor and Grandmaster of Ving Tsun

Leo Imamura is a strategic people advisor and Grandmaster of Ving Tsun, a Chinese system of martial intelligence.

He is founder of Bodicogn, a company that develops embodied cognition programs. Working in various parts of the world, he provides educational activities for personal development.

Roberto Antunes
Portugal
Executive Director of NEST – Tourism Innovation Center Portugal

Owning a degree in Economics at Nova University of Lisbon and a post-graduation in Tourism Management in Estoril School, has a career of more than 20 years in multinationals in marketing roles and FMCG category leadership positions, both at local, regional a global levels.

Lived in several countries s.a. Angola, Portugal, Austria, Italy, France, UK and Brazil.

Since May 2019 is the executive Director of the newly established tourism innovation center, which he was invited to set up and coordinate, up until today.
NEST – Tourism Innovation Center, as an entity, is also the coordinator entity of the recently appointed Innovtourism Digital Innovation Hub, the Tourism Agenda applicant to National Resilience Plan, the recently established Lab for Tourism and Health.

NEST is also a recognized partner entity of UNWTO for innovation across the globe.

Alexandre Karim
Portugal
Product strategist

Alexandre Karim Howard is a seasoned product strategist and certified leader with over a decade of experience in scaling innovative businesses. His career spans from leading an early-stage startup to Unicorn status, to co-founding AI-driven regenerative agriculture initiatives.

With a background as a software engineer and extensive experience in product development and sustainable practices, Alexandre has a unique blend of technical and operational expertise. His recent work involves transforming climate tech startups into product-led companies, emphasizing scalability and strategic growth.

Alexandre is passionately focused on the ethics of software development and promoting regenerative paradigms in technology. Drawing on his profound understanding of regenerative agriculture, he advocates for creating mindful, non-addictive software that aligns with user well-being.

Celia Zayas
GRanada, Spain
Stone Soup Consultant - cultural cooperation and gender equality

Coming from a background on Political Science, Law and EU External Relations, she has developed her career working  in different organizations (Council of Europe, European Union, UN Women, AECID), in the areas of gender equality and international cultural relations (cultural diplomacy and cultural cooperation).

She has lived in different countries through Europe, Africa and Latin America. She has also conducted research on arts, human rights, feminism and decolonization, and she develops social innovation projects such as Festival Salongo, a cultural festival in Annobón (Equatorial Guinea).

She holds a MA in European Interdisciplinary Studies from the College of Europe (2020), is a BA graduate from Law and Political Science (2018) and is currently finishing a MA on Intercultural Education (2025).

Tim Vieira
Portugal
CEO of Brave Generation Academy

Tim Vieira was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to Portuguese emigrant parents. Tim is a Portuguese entrepreneur and investor, known for his participation in the Portuguese version of the show Shark Tank in 2015.

He is currently the CEO of Brave Generation Academy and a candidate for the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic in 2026.

Tim Vieira began his entrepreneurial career in 1993 with a brewery in South Africa. In 2001, he founded Special Edition Holding, a media group operating in Angola, Mozambique and Ghana. In 2015 he founded the Brave Generation Group and the BeBrave Association to invest in startups. In 2020, he launched the Escolhe Portugal platform to support companies during the pandemic. He was president of CCILSA (2020-2023) and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Nova School of Business & Economics. In 2020, he founded Brave Generation Academy, where he is CEO, and maintains investments in Agriculture, IT, Human Resources and Culture.

Cláudia Pedra
Portugal
Managing Partner and one of the Founders of Stone Soup Consulting

Stone Soup Consulting, a business that aims at increase positive impact for organisations and entrepreneurs all over the world. She has a degree in International Relations and a Masters in Strategy.

Cláudia has 25 years of experience on human rights and migration issues and more than 15 years of experience in strategic management and evaluation. Cláudia has worked as a consultant for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Project Coordinator for International Organization for Migrations and CEO for Amnesty International Portugal.

Has worked with several grassroot movements in different parts of the world, namely in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the US.​​ Her areas of expertise in Stone Soup are research, social impact evaluation (including qualitative and quantitative methods such as surveys, interviews and focus groups), strategic planning, strategic assessments, scaling up strategies and financial sustainability.

Has worked on evaluation projects using the Systems Change, Theory of Change, SROI, developmental evaluation, prepost, DAC/ OECD evaluations, amongst others. Has coordinated over 50 evaluation projects and worked in over 150 projects in Stone Soup. She recently supervised a systems’ change project on people with disability.

Kim Carstensen
Cologne, germany
Director General of the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®)

Mr. Carstensen is a recognized global leader within the environment and development sectors. Prior to joining FSC, Mr. Carstensen managed FairGreenSolutions, a consultancy that helped link the concepts of ‘Green Economy’ and sustainable development for clients in the Global South.

His strategic approach comes from a long history of global leadership, most recently as the leader of WWF International’s Global Climate Initiative, and previous roles as CEO of WWF Denmark and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Denmark’s Official Development Assistance Agency (Danida).

Cristiano Viegas
Portugal
Stone Soup consultant specialized in strategy, innovation and impact

Since 2015, Cristiano has been a consultant at Stone Soup, where he focuses on organizational development, strategic planning, marketing, communication strategy, creation and modelling of social businesses, sustainability, social impact measurement, and training.

With over a decade of experience in management consulting across different industries, from start-ups to global corporations, Additionally, Cristiano serves as a mentor, jury member, and trainer, offering his guidance to organizations within the social sector. Cristiano attended a PhD in Management (Innovation & Entrepreneurship) from the New University of Lisbon (NOVA SBE), a Master’s in Marketing Management from ISEG, an Executive Management Programme in TMT from the Catholic University of Lisbon, a degree in Management from ISCTE.

He also holds an advanced course in “Deep Tech Innovation” from the Catholic University of Porto, a professional certificate in “Management of Business Incubators, Accelerators and Business Development Centres”, a professional certificate in “Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation” and a professional certificate in “Consultant in Business Plans and Models” from the University of Salamanca.

Harriet Gibson
Portugal
Stone Soup Consultant - human rights and international development

Stone Soup Consultant since 2019. Now Principal Consultant. Harriet has a background in human rights and international development in fragile and conflict-affected states and has over 10 years’ experience as a researcher and monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) specialist.

In addition to her conflict and human rights work, Harriet is passionate about climate change and environmental issues. During recent years she has consulted for the Green Climate Fund on their Readiness Programme, monitored the UK’s International Climate Finance (ICF) commitments and worked on environmental programmes with the EU involving youth activism and promoting sustainable behaviours.

She has extensive experience working on refugee and migration issues and is very interested in the nexus between climate change and conflict and human rights issues. Harriet has a degree in Spanish, Arabic and Middle Eastern Politics and a Master’s in Human Rights Policy and Practice. She is British, based in Portugal and speaks Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese.

André Veríssimo
Portugal
Deputy Editor-in-Chief at ECO

With a two-decade long career in business journalism, André is currently Deputy Editor-in-Chief at ECO, a leading business digital newspaper in Portugal. Previously he was Editor-In-Chief at Jornal de Negócios.

Demanding, with a high sense of dedication and professionalism, reporting on current affairs in the fields of economy and politics, both domestic and international, has long been a passion.

He’s also an experienced conference moderator and an occasional commentator on television and radio.

Bibop Gresta
italy
Founder HyperloopIT

Bibop Gresta is the Co-Founder and former Chairman of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies and CEO of Hyperloop Italia.

A pioneering figure in high-speed, transhumanism and sustainable transport. His bestseller book has achieved top rankings in multiple countries, highlighting his expertise and vision.

He’s a frequent guest on major media outlets like CNN, NBC, and Forbes, where he shares insights on technology and sustainability.

He is also a speaker at prestigious events, like the World Economic Forum and TED Talks, inspiring audiences with his forward-thinking approach.

ERMI VAN OERS
Netherlands
BIO-TECH DESIGNER & FOUNDER NOVA INNOVA

Ermi van Oers, founder of Nova Innova in Rotterdam, blends nature, science, and design to create sustainable innovations.

Graduating cum laude in product design from Willem de Kooning Academy in 2016, she discovered her passion for Biodesign, aiming to transform polluting systems into sustainable, circular ones by integrating natural processes. Her work, like the Living Light—a lamp powered by plant photosynthesis—showcases the beauty and potential of natural solutions.

Ermi’s mission is to restore the symbiosis between humans and nature, inspiring a deeper appreciation for the smart solutions found in the natural world.

Pedro Santos Guerreiro
Portugal
Journalist, executive director at CNN Portugal

Has founded and led digital transformation of editorial projects in Portugal, having been editor-in-chief both at the Portuguese leading daily financial newspaper Jornal de Negócios and at leading weekly Expresso.

In 2021, he joined the project of launching CNN Portugal’s, which is the leading information cable channel in Portugal since then, and where he leads the digital operation.

Rutger Klaaijsen
Netherlands
Sales & Impact Developer at Paper on the Rocks | Promoting tree-free paper alternatives to the world

Rutgers job is to make sure to bring new business to Paper on the Rocks.

With a lot of enthusiasm and a quick joke he always brings positivity to the conversation.

He guides companies in the wondrous world of paper alternatives and makes sure they do the right thing.

Pedro Rocha
Portugal
Co-founder of O quinto Elemento

Starting in 1976, I grew up freely between the beaches and fields on the outskirts of Porto,
immersed in nature and the rural stories of my grandparents and great-grandparents.

Walking barefoot through vineyards and cornfields, I connected deeply with the land and its cycles. As time passed, I transitioned from a rural upbringing to urban life, studying Environmental Sciences in the UK and Poland, and gaining professional experience in Germany and Cape Verde.

This journey has built the bridge between urban and rural worlds.

Returning to Portugal, I felt compelled to promote change, combining my rural heritage with a global perspective. In 2006, I launched “Raízes,” my first project in organic farming, pioneering the “Community Supported Agriculture” model in Portugal. Later, at Noocity,

I focused on community urban gardens, demonstrating that positive environmental and social impact is possible.

Passionate about the intersection of urban-rural relations and sustainable development, I
continue to explore and question, guided by the humility of what I don’t know. The question that drives me now is: What is the ecological function of the Homo sapiens species?

Isabel Silva
Portugal
Speaker, content producer, marathon runner and entrepreneur | doBem channel founder

She is the founder of the doBem channel, where she produces daily content on health and well-being. Her channel is clearly geared towards impact communication: informing, inspiring and empowering others to live a more meaningful life.

She is a speaker on the topics of health, wellbeing and personal development; a writer (she has released 3 books on mindful eating); and she is passionate about sport, particularly running marathons. She trains rigorously and passionately every day so that she can travel and run the most emblematic Marathons in the world.

She has a huge passion for life and in order to live it to its full potential, she implements daily habits that not only promote her well-being, but are also crucial to her personal development.

She communicates and shares her simple secrets for a purposeful life with others on a daily basis. And that is her life mission: to communicate in order to inspire.

Marco galinha
Portugal
Grupo BEL CEO and Founder

Marco Galinha has dedicated his professional experience to creating and managing companies with the purpose of creating economic and social value for society.

He’s CEO of the Grupo BEL, which he founded in 2001, bringing together more than 50 companies in various business areas such as logistics&distribution, industry, innovation, real estate, communication and sustainable solutions.

In the last years, he has consolidated Grupo BEL’s position in various areas through the acquisition of companies such as Amaral & Filhos, Active Space Technologies, Global Notícias – Media Group and VASP – Distribuidora de Publicações.

Mariana Nicolau
Portugal
Research Fellow

With a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Political Science, Mariana Nicolau has been working as a research fellow at the University of Aveiro since 2020, the year she joined the EUSTEPs project team.

Her research is focused on sustainability, and she has been involved in several national and international initiatives on the topic.

Aleksandra Gosiewski
United States of America
Co-Founder and COO at Keel Labs

Aleksandra Gosiewski is the Co-Founder & COO of Keel Labs, an innovation platform expanding the potential of the ocean to accelerate the planet’s development towards a more sustainable future.

With a background in fashion design and economics, Aleks is driving the development of Keel Labs’ business and R&D operations to scale the production of Kelsun™ fiber, the company’s flagship product. As a systems thinker, Aleks connects the dots between supply chain logistics, financial planning, and business development.

Aleks is a Forbes 30 Under 30 member, a testament to her unique and pioneering perspective on the intersection of science and design.

Sami Asad
United Kingdom
Program Director - M.Sc in Sustainability Entrepreneurship and Technology and Professor of Sustainability and Innovation

As an environmental and sustainability scientist with a PhD in ecology and conservation, my primary aim is to provide education on environmental science and science-based sustainable decision making across disciplines to address our grand challenges.

My research quantifies biodiversity and environmental responses to human disturbance, to inform sustainable land management and resource use. However, I am also interested in evaluating challenges in sustainable land management practice application, Nature-based solutions and leveraging AI and new-tech for tackling the biodiversity crisis.

Helena Vieira
Portugal
Senior Coordinator Researcher UAveiro/CESAM and ERA CHAIR Holder

Helena has over 24 years of professional experience in academia, industry and policy. Currently a Senior Coordinator Researcher in Environmental Economics & Sustainable Natural Resources Management at U Aveiro/CESAM, she is responsible for coordinating a new research team, joining natural and socio-economics sciences, to develop further knowledge on environment and ecosystems valorisation and develop sustainable future solutions.

She is also Chair of the Scientific Committee of the CBE-JU, to promote bioeconomy and circularity models and is an EU Mission Oceans and Waters Board Member bridging the mission implementation between EU and Portugal. Previously acted as Director General of Maritime Policy, Minister of the Sea (2020-2022), she is an international recognised expert in Blue Bioeconomy and Ocean affairs.

Rob Hopkins
United Kingdom
Co-founder of the Transition Movement, author and public speaker

Rob Hopkins is the co-founder of Transition Network and of Transition Town Totnes, and author of several books including ‘The Transition Handbook‘ and most recently, ‘From What Is to What If: unleashing the power of imagination to create the future we want’.

He is an Ashoka Fellow, has spoken at TED Global and at several TEDx events, and appeared in the French film phenomenon ‘Demain‘.

He holds a PhD from the University of Plymouth as well as 2 Honoris Causas, and is a Director of Totnes Community Development Society.

He hosts the podcast ‘From What If to What Next‘. In November 2022 he was made an Honorary Citizen of Liège in Belgium by the Mayor of the city.

Laetitia Arrighi de Casanova
Portugal
B Lab Portugal Director

Laetitia Arrighi de Casanova has over 20 years’ experience in strategic consulting. She has supported leaders from multiple geographies in facing the challenges of growth, penetrating new markets, mergers and acquisitions.

She leads B Lab in Portugal. B Lab is a non-profit organization that animates the B Corp movement and defines its standards, policies and tools.

There are now more than 9,000 certified B Corp companies in the world, which meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability and are recognised as leaders in creating positive impact.

Andja Lorein
France
Model, counsellor, influencer, humanitarian and freedom advocate

Ms. Andja Lorein was born in the southwest of France and she is known to her audience for embodying both femininity and empowerment through her artistic approach, her brave spirit and her passion for the path of inner evolution that she has undertaken with sincere devotion over 20 years ago.

“My suffering has been a great shortcut to my evolution” she says. She began her rise to popularity as a successful French model, gracing the covers of numerous magazines including the French Playboy, photographed by world-renowned photographer Gilles-Marie Zimmermann and styled by haute couture designer Stéphane Rolland.
Throughout her modeling career, Andja has had the privilege of traveling around the world, working with many brands and been interviewed in various magazines, being the muse of some of the greatest modern photographers in the fashion and art industry.

Drawing on all her years of inner and outer adventures, she has simultaneously begun to share her wisdom with others and participates in private counselling sessions with clients around the world.
These years of therapeutic experience and shamanic training allow her to guide her clients with great intuition and accompany them in the deep explorations on their life path.

Thorsten Harstall
Germany
Brand Sustainability Strategy Director at Adidas & Lecturer at Campus M University

Sustainability Brand Marketting Executive with extensive international experience in the sporting goods and sports fashion industry, having worked with top brands like Nike, adidas, and Reebok across Germany, Brazil, and the USA.

Holds master’s degrees in Behavioral Ethics, Economics, and Psychology, as well as European Management & Controlling from Germany, along with certification in Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Stanford.

Doing research and lecturing on sustainability Trend & Innovation Management, International Marketing, and Brand Strategy at Campus M University in Munich.

Margarida Soares
Portugal
Business Developer for Sustainability at Nextbitt

Margarida Soares is a dedicated professional with a passion for Sustainable Management and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices. Her journey into this transformative field began in 2018, marked by a life-changing trip to Mozambique. Since then, she has wholeheartedly committed herself to fostering sustainability and driving change in the corporate world.

Margarida’s professional trajectory is underscored by a continuous pursuit of knowledge and expertise. Her dedication to this cause led her to pursue comprehensive training both in Portugal and on the global stage. Most notably, she recently completed the esteemed “Business and Climate Change: Towards Net Zero Emissions” program at the prestigious University of Cambridge. This program sharpened her insights into sustainable business strategies, aligning perfectly with her mission.Currently, Margarida represents Nextbitt, a pioneering 100% Portuguese tech company specializing in sustainable asset management.

In her role as Sustainability Business Developer, she plays a pivotal role in advancing Nextbitt’s international presence and exploring new horizons in global markets. Her multifaceted experience bridges the realms of Sustainability and Technology, recognizing that these two domains are intrinsically linked and instrumental in driving the Green Digital Transformation. Margarida Soares is not only an expert in her field but also a passionate advocate for sustainable practices that lead to a brighter, more environmentally-conscious future.

Her dedication to sustainable business development, coupled with her international perspective, positions her as a prominent figure in the endeavor to create a more sustainable and technologically advanced world.

We’e’ena Tikuna
Brazil
Indigenous leader, fashion designer, TED Speaker, and activist

We’e’ena Tikuna is an influential indigenous leader, fashion designer, TED Speaker, and activist from the Tikuna Umariaçu village in the Amazon.

As the most prominent indigenous influencer in Brazil, she uses her platform to advocate for indigenous rights, cultural preservation, and environmental sustainability. She made history by leading the first fashion show in Brazil entirely created by a native indigenous designer, showcasing the richness of indigenous fashion and opening doors for other indigenous artists.

We’e’ena has served as the National President of Brazilian Indigenous Women at Libra and works as an environmental agent with the IBDN. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Medal of Artistic and Cultural Merit and the Juscelino Kubitschek Cross of Merit.

A dedicated mother, We’e’ena draws strength from her heritage and family to inspire her work in promoting a sustainable and inclusive future.

Carlos Álvarez Pereira
Spain
Secretary General of The Club of Rome

Carlos is the Secretary General of The Club of Rome. He is an Aerospace Engineer and has been a researcher in systems dynamics at the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM), as well as an entrepreneur in the digital sector across Europe.

He created a foundation to develop research on complex systems, deep learning and responsible innovation.

He now works for the emergence of a civilizational shift towards equitable wellbeing on a healthy planet. Carlos advises the UNESCO Chair of Global Understanding for Sustainability, as well as the SWEET program on energy transition in Switzerland.

João Fonseca Santos
Portugal
Head of EIB Group Office in Portugal

João Fonseca Santos joined the European Investment Bank in 2014, starting in the monitoring and restructuring department.

By 2017, he transitioned to structuring operations in Portugal, and in 2021, he became an advisor to Former EIB Vice-President Ricardo Mourinho Félix, focusing on institutional, strategic, governance, and operational matters and supporting in areas including the Blue Economy, Funding and Treasury, Multiannual Financial Framework, and institutional relations in Portugal, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

In September 2023, he assumed the role of Head of EIB Group Office in Portugal. Before his time at EIB, he worked in Private Equity and Corporate Finance in Portugal where he began his career in 2008. He holds a Master’s in Finance and a Management degree from the Nova School of Business and Economics in Lisbon.

Ana Carreira
Portugal
Journalist and radio host

Radio host and freelance journalist, she is also a volunteer in the area of ​​animal welfare education working at schools. In 2010, she was the first Portuguese journalist to join a wild volunteer project in Botswana.

Courier International published her work as one of the new trends of the new millennium. She managed to fulfill his dream of meeting his childhood heroine, Jane Goodall and interviewing her for Volta ao Mundo.

“Every small gesture counts”, is a Jane Goodall’s motto that Ana chooses to share with her son every day. She’s also the author of the podcast “m80 Zona Verde”.

James Martinez
United States of America
Media Ecologist and Consultant

James Martinez is a Media Ecologist and consultant. He has appeared on National and International media since 1990 discussing the media ecological effects of disruptive technologies and future deployment into the commercial space.

He has been interviewed by Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. and serves as an active consulting member of The International Committee for Information and Technical Standards

Jorge Morais
Portugal
Volunteer and Chairman of the Board of the Cabeço Santo Association

Human development and the awakening of consciousness are among Jorge’s fields of interest and practice.

In ecology, his purpose is the restoration of forests, the protection of water sources, the promotion of biodiversity, and the creation of abundance for all.

Jacinto Antunes
Portugal
Iberian Large Industries Commercial Director at Air Liquide

Jacinto Antunes has a degree in Chemical Engineering from Porto University and a MBA in Commercial Operations Management from Portuguese Catholic University.

He was born in 1970 and started his professional activity in 1995 at the Portuguese subsidiary of the Air Liquide Group, where he currently serves as Commercial Director for Large Industries in Portugal and Spain.

As part of his duties he is in charge of the energy strategy and business development, notably in terms of energy transition.

João Botelho
Portugal
President of APCADEC - Associação Portuguesa de Compras e Aprovisionamento

João is President of APCADEC – Associação Portuguesa de Compras e Aprovisionamentos and Chief Procurement Officer at Euronews.

João studied Civil Engineering and Finance and has developed his 20+ years career in management position in Procurement, Real Estate and Corporate Services in various sectors such as Energy (REN), Telecommunications (NOS and Portugal Telecom), Public Administration (Direcção Geral do Tesouro e Finanças) and Consultancy (Atkins).

Margarida Guedes de Quinhones
portugal
Executive Director of Pedalar Sem Idade Portugal an NGO that represents the Movement Cycling Without Age in Portugal
As an NGO Executive Director Margarida leads the organizational strategy, manages finances, builds partnerships, and ensures mission fulfillment for non-profit initiatives.
Sofia Rocha
Portugal
Doctoral student and researcher at the University of Aveiro

Sofia Rocha is currently working as a researcher at the University of Aveiro, where she is also a PhD student. Apart from her research efforts and scientific activity, Sofia is also interested in the evolution of the educational system and the way we learn and teach.

During her Master’s degree, Sofia had the opportunity to represent her peers as a member on the Mechanical Engineering Department Board and of the Mechanical Engineering Course Direction.

Currently, she is a member of the Pedagogical Council of the University of Aveiro and of the Support Team for Curricular and Pedagogical Innovation.

Omid Asgari
Co-founder and CEO at Greenment

As a seasoned neuromarketing strategist, I help companies create value by designing experiences that resonate with the human psyche.

I use smart data to uncover consumer behavior, blending science and art to ensure enjoyable customer experiences.

If you seek a visionary strategist to transform your business, let’s journey together to uncover neuromarketing secrets and create sustainable experiences.

Vandana Shiva
india
Environmentalist, Activist & Scientist

One of the most powerful communicators in Asia and women in the globe, Dr. Vandana Shiva is a Physicist with a Ph.D. from the Univ. of Western Ontario.

Addressing the most significant ecological and social issues of our times, she’s the founder of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, the Navdanya movement, and the college for sustainable living Bija Vidyapeeth.

With sharp intellectual enquiry and courageous activism, she aims to protect the diversity and integrity of living resources and promote organic farming and fair trade.

She is the recipient of many awards and honorary Doctorates worldwide.

Nuno da Silva
Portugal
regenerative development resource, facilitator of collaborative processes and community weaver

He is co-founder of Lúcida, a change management organization guided by a living systems worldview.

A “recovered” economist, he started training youth educators around the world in experiential, collaborative learning methodologies.

He is committed to resource people and entities, with curiosity and care, supporting their development and contribution to a just transition that harmonizes human activities with nature.

Ana Marinho
Portugal
social worker

Ana Marinho is a social worker that has co-developed community-based projects in the global south, in Tanzania and Guinea Bissau.

Since 2020 she’s worked for AKF Prt, primarily as a community development officer, and since 2021 as coordinator of the decarbonization living lab in Sintra SMILE – Sintra Motion and Innovation for Low Emissions.

A project that aims to improve significantly Tabaqueira neighborhood and that is developed around 4 pillars – circular economy, sustainable mobility, energy efficiency, and community participation and engagement.

Ana Varela
Portugal
Actress, Environmental Activist

Ana Varela is an active voice for sustainability, working on collective environmental awareness, promoting greener choices, and supporting brands committed to the environment.

She is the author of the blog www.greenlittlesteps.com, where she shares her ecological concerns, encourages environmentally friendly routines, demystifies topics, calls for conscious consumption, and a greater environmental commitment.

In cinema, she is the lead actress in the film “KM224” by António-Pedro Vasconcelos, for which she was awarded the Best Leading Actress award at the Áquila Awards 2022. She also stood out in “The Lion of Estrela” by Leonel Vieira.

Among many other television projects, she played the lead in the soap opera “Amar Demais” (TVI) and was prominent in “Jogo Duplo” (TVI) and “Pai À Força” (RTP1). She is currently part of the cast of “Queridos Papás” (TVI).

Paulo Alves
Portugal
Consultant, Facilitator and Regenerative Practitioner, working in Territorial Planning, Entrepreneurship & Business Development and Social Innovation

Founder and Managing Partner of Smart Value Consulting, with more than 20 years of experience as a “system entrepreneur”, advising and empowering public, private and non-profit agents to interact, build common understanding, design strategies and develop projects, creating the conditions for territorial and organisational change and development.

Sandra Marques
Portugal
Project Management for real estate projects and sustainable local development

With more than 2 decades of experience, from Project Management for real estate projects and sustainable local development, to entrepreneurship, ventured into diverse projects ranging from media publishing to co-founding an education community centered on holistic development.

As Project Director steered the course for a variety of real estate projects, from residential to hospitality, across various regions in Portugal, working closely with developers and local communities, infusing regenerative development principles into the core of the work.

Ruben Eiras
Portugal
Secretary-General of Fórum Oceano - Portugal Blue Economy Cluster

Ruben Eiras is the of Secretary General of Forum Oceano.

He served as Coordinator for the Blue Economy, Innovation, Investment and Financing of Forum Oceano. He was the mentor of the Ocean Stream start-up program at the Canadian-based Creative Lab, as well as mentor of the Sustainable Ocean Accelerator and coacher of European Commission’s Blue Invest Platform.

He served as Director-General of Maritime Policy of the Ministry of the Sea of Portugal, promoting an innovative and sustainable blue economy and as Advisor for Industry, Innovation and Energy of the Minister of the Sea of Portugal.

João Baracho
Portugal
President of ESLIDER , CEO of CDI Portugal , Managing Diretor of Apps for Good Portugal, advisor to the board of EUCLID Network, member of the fiscal council of ACEPI

Since 2013 working on Social Innovation he was a former Board Member of IT companies – Datacomp, Digidoc and Megamedia – and Portugal Country Manager of Siemens Computers and Compaq Computers and Marketing Manager of Compaq Portugal.

During 12 years was Sales Manager for Public Admnistration at Portugal Telecom. He began his professional career has Merchant Marine Officer specialized on Chemical Tankers.

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Pedro Ruffier
Portugal
Founder and CEO of MOVIN

Pedro Ruffier is the Founder and CEO of MOVIN, Brazil’s first fashion b-corporation, recognized as Best for The World for several years.

A dedicated ESG consultant for notable private and public firms like Tropik, Yano Cosmetics, Sebrae and AEON (hydrogen). Also the creator behind Weloop, a groundbreaking project merging AI and fashion for sustainability.

Additionally, as the Brazilian Ambassador for Planetiers, Pedro Ruffier expands the event’s global vision of eco-conscious living, sustainable practices and innovation within Brazil.

António Vasconcelos
Portugal
leads Planetiers New Generation (PNG) and co-leads INSURE.Hub - Innovation in Sustainability and Regeneration

With a long experience in international top management consulting, Antonio leads Planetiers New Generation (PNG) and co-leads INSURE.Hub – Innovation in Sustainability and Regeneration – which he cofounded with the Portuguese Catholic University in Porto.

The focus of his work is to support business leaders to make powerful use of sustainability and to support the creation of educational programmes based on systemic and transdisciplinary thinking.
He is the current chairman of The Natural Step International, an NGO of Swedish origin that, for 35 years, has been applying advanced scientific knowledge in sustainability worldwide.

Rosa Pinto
Portugal
Journalist at SIC and SIC Notícias

Bachelor’s degree in Social Communication from the Catholic University of Lisbon.

I have a postgraduate degree in Communication and Sports Journalism from the School of University Studies of Real Madrid.

I am currently attending a Master’s in Political Science, with a focus on European Studies, at the New University of Lisbon.

I am currently a journalist for SIC and SIC News, with my main role being a news anchor on both channels.

I have collaborated with UEFA, the United Nations World Food Programme, Web Summit, and the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union.

I served as a National Sports Advisor in 2016.

Ana Costa
Portugal
From business development to project performance. Ana is responsible for the Sustainability/ circular economy area at Beta-i

Ana holds a degree in Environmental Engineering, with a post-graduation in Business Management.

Her professional path has started in the wastewater sector in Portugal, leading her to Angola to work in the O&G industry, where Ana had the chance to work with global companies (BP, KBR, Subsea 7) leading the way to find sustainable solutions to the sector with a triple bottom line approach.

Ana is the founder Baseville, a sustainable fashion brand, and co-founder of Fashion Catalyst, a fashion consultancy studio. Creating purpose centered innovation ecosystems has been one of her missions while working at Beta-i.

Sara Moreno Pires
Portugal
Professor and researcher at the University of Aveiro. Founder and President of Common Home of Humanity

From Economics to Environmental Sciences and Public Policies, Sara is currently Professor at the University of Aveiro, Founder and President of the ENGO Common Home of Humanity.

Her academic career has been focusing on public policies and indicators for environmental sustainability, green transition, territorial innovation and local governance.

She has been collaborating in sustainability projects with public entities, NGOs and private companies for more than 20 years and participating in several national and international projects, being the author of several international publications

Guilherme Fonseca
Portugal
Investment Manager da área de Turismo da Portugal Ventures

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Catholic University of Portugal, a Master’s in Finance from Nova SBE, and a Ph.D. in Management from ISCTE.

I was an Investment Associate at Startup Braga and participated in the creation and execution of the SBS Capital Fund (under the administration of the former Secretary of State for Entrepreneurship of the XIX Constitutional Government of Portugal).

Subsequently, I was the Chief Strategy Officer and partner at ISSHO Technology (a software company recognized by MIT Portugal) – until the date of its exit – and collaborated with Mergers and Acquisitions consultancies on various projects.

I was a Guest Speaker on Raising Capital at Nova SBE and, currently, I teach Strategic Management at CESPU and am an Investment Manager at Portugal Ventures.

Filipe Caetano
Portugal
Journalist at CNN-Portugal

A journalist with experience in international affairs, he has worked for various media organisations in the written press, radio, internet and television.

He has a degree in Journalism, a master’s degree and a doctorate in Political Science. He recently stood out for his coverage of the war in Ukraine for CNN-Portugal.

Luis Pinheiro
Portugal
Associate Professor in Marine Geology and Geophysics at the University of Aveiro (DGeo and CESAM)

PhD in Marine Geophysics, Imperial College, London. Chair of the Portuguese Committee for the IOC/UNESCO, National Delegate to the IOC Executive Council, and Coordinator of the National Committee for the UN Ocean Decade.

Chair of the Marine Geosciences Committee of the Science Commission for the Mediterranean (CIESM/Monaco).

Research interests and activity include: structure and evolution of continental passive margins; mud volcanism, shallow gas and gas hydrates; seismic oceanography; capacity building in Marine Science and Ocean Literacy. (http://www.cesam.ua.pt/lmp).

Sérgio Almeida
Portugal
partner at Quercus

Born in Águeda, graduated in Documentation and Archivistics, trainer, partner at Quercus and informal caretaker of the native forest of Adofernando on the banks of the Marnel river at Valongo do Vouga since 2010. This forest, family property, consists essentially of alvarinho oak, cork oak, strawberry tree and adernal was the starting point and source of inspiration to follow this journey of having as a lifestyle the ecological restoration of his priorities.

José Francisco Silva
Portugal
Entrepreneur in the food industry
In addition to his private work in the food industry, he has a significant involvement in national associations, leading associations in the food sector such as APOMA (Associação de Produtores de Ovos Moles de Aveiro), but also in the forestry sector such as AFBV (Associação Florestal do Baixo Vouga) and FORESTIS (Associação Florestal de Portugal).
Francisco Dans del Valle
Spain
Director of the Galician Forestry Association and Vice-President for Institutional Relations

Forestry Engineer, with an extensive resume connected to forest associativism in Spain and Europe, leading various international projects with Southern European countries, and being responsible for numerous technical studies and publications on forest economy and policy in Spain.

Filipe Rações
Portugal
Investment analyst at maze x, scouting and support pre-seed impact startups

Environmental journalist focusing on how humans are positively and negatively impacting the planet, on the wonders of the natural world and on how our societies can recover the harmony with Nature we have lost.

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Sciences, a Master’s in International Relations and I am presently on a Master’s in Anthropology, specializing in relations between humans and wildlife.

I strongly believe that good environmental journalism is crucial to fight disinformation and misconceived notions, to hold accountable those who seek to exploit Earth only for profit and power and mobilise societies to bring about the changes we all urgently need to secure the future of life on our planet.

Rodrigo Pais de Ramos
Portugal
Investment analyst at maze x, scouting and support pre-seed impact startups

Scouting and due diligence: Working on finding early-stage impact deals that align with our investment thesis at maze x, and conduct due diligence together with the investment team.

Support work: Once we invest, companies have access to an individual hands-on support program, where I am Key Account to the startups.

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raneem diab
lebanon
Co-founder, Mobadarat NGO for Social Development

Raneem Diab is a humanitarian visionary woman from Lebanon.

She is the policies and public relations coordinator at ABAAD Resource Center for Gender Equality and the social impact strategist at SUCCESS GROUP for Education. Also, she is the co-founder of MOBADARAT for Community Development NGO.

With her focused interest in incorporating more women in the corporate and social decision-making processes, she is able to always connect her humanitarian actions across various fields with a multipotentiality-mindset.

Having worked in the fields of politics & diplomacy, journalism, environmental politics and international business consultancy. Raneem believes that positive change starts by the will to be the change.

Benedicte Levinson
France
CEO Air Liquide Iberia

Benedicte Levinson has developed a career spanning over 17 years in the Air Liquide Group in various executive positions, combining strategic perspectives and operational leadership in both industrial and healthcare business lines.

Since 2018, as CEO of Air Liquide Iberia, she leads the growth and transformation of this activity to accelerate the company’s sustainability and performance.

Previously, she served as Vice President of the Industrial Market business line in the France-Italy-Iberia zone and has held other positions of responsibility.

Her professional career began in the 3M Group, leading several business lines in France

Rita Casimiro
Portugal
Partner at Maze

Rita leads maze x, where she invests in and works side-by-side with our startups to help them live to their highest potential and impact.

She also leads our work in the Ocean Economy, with projects such as Blue Bio Value.

Rita has worked in impact investing for more than 10 years. BSc in Management from Bath University and MSc in Management from NOVA SBE.

Pedro Rocha
Portugal
Founder of Foresight Lab and Ecosystem Connector at 351 Startups Association

“The future is already here. It’s just not evenly distributed.” With this mindset, Pedro has been leading startups and enterprise digital products for almost 20 years.

He strives to build bridges between the visions for the technologies of the future and the benefits for the people living the present.

Currently, Pedro leads Foresight Lab, a consultancy creating Artificial Intelligence products, and collaborating with NGOs like Youth Climate Leaders, Zero Waste Youth.

Also, co-leads 351 Portuguese Startups Association. His goal is to connect people, ideas, resources, hubs, helping to build a future where AI and Sustainability creates together a prosperous and greener economy for our society.

Rui Lopes
Portugal
CEO and Co-Founder of CO2offset

In the early stages of CO2offset, CEO Rui Lopes is already setting the pace for the future of nature-based carbon markets.

With a vision to merge sustainability with economic balance, Rui is harnessing nature’s potential to address our carbon challenges.

As the steer this pre-seed venture, the promise is clear: innovative solutions for a greener tomorrow.

The journey of CO2offset is a budding testament to transformative ideas in action.

Satu Suikkari-Kleven
Finland
Finland’s Ambassador to Portugal, accredited also to Cabo Verde, with 25 years of service at the Finnish Foreign Ministry

Satu Suikkari-Kleven is Finland’s Ambassador to Portugal, accredited also to Cabo Verde. Prior to this, she was Finland’s Ambassador to Thailand, accredited also to Cambodia and Myanmar.

Suikkari-Kleven joined the Finnish Foreign Service in 1998, and has held various positions at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and served at the Finnish Embassy in Oslo and the Finnish Mission to the UN in New York. She has also worked for the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights in Strasbourg and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, with short-term mission to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and as a researcher in international environmental law at the Åbo AkademiUniversity, Finland.

Ambassador Suikkari-Kleven holds a Master of Laws from the University of Helsinki, with International Law as her major subject.

Suikkari-Kleven is married to Mr. August Kleven and they have one daughter.

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Erik Solheim
Norway
globally recognized leader in environment, development, and peace negotiation

He served as Norway’s Minister of Environment and International Development (2005-2012), initiating the global rainforest conservation program and achieving significant national legislative milestones.

Erik was pivotal in peace processes in countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, and Sudan.

He headed the OECD Development Assistance Committee (2012-2016) and was the Executive Director of UN Environment (2016-2018).

Currently, he holds leadership roles in various organizations including the Belt and Road Green Development Coalition, Green Hydrogen Organization, Global Wind Energy Council, and International Hydropower Association.
In the business realm, he collaborates with significant entities like RGE of Indonesia and advises green technology firms like Treelion and Morrow.

Erik also plays vital advisory and mentorship roles across Europe and Asia, including being an environment adviser to the President of Sri Lanka and holding positions in several universities.
He has received honorary professorships from various institutions, including Tsinghua University and Teri University.

Constança Belchior
Portugal
entrepreneur and co-creator of systemic change processes

She is co-founder of Lúcida, a change management organization guided by a living systems worldview.

With a background in life sciences, she was a knowledge worker in support of sustainability policies in Portugal, Brazil and the EU.

Now at Lúcida her focus is to help people and organisations go beyond “doing sustainability” to regenerate how they make sense and meaning of their realities in line with how life works on this planet.

David Oliveira
Portugal
Head of Transaction Strategy Execution at EY-Parthenon & EY Portugal Telco Media and Tech Leader

With more than a decade of experience in consulting projects, he supports clients in acquisition processes by identifying synergies, preparing operational and IT Due Diligences and preparing and implementing post-transaction integration programs.

In this same context, it assists clients to divest assets that they want to sell, divest or realize capital required, removing it from their ecosystem.
He also lead the Technology, Media and Telecommunications sector at EY Portugal, where he works together with all skills to bring together the best team for the most complex challenges.

He holds a degree in Economics from Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa, a postgraduate degree and a master’s degree in Technology and Information Systems from ISG and an MBA in General Management from Católica | Nova, The Lisbon MBA.

How David is building a better working world:
Mahatma Gandhi once said – Whatever you do may seem insignificant to you, but it is most important that you do it”. I believe that all our actions and attitudes have an effect on people and organizations. That’s why I work hand-in-hand with my clients to identify and implement solutions that enable companies and people to be more insightful, happier and focused on value creation.”

SATYA TRIPATHI
India
Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet, Secretary-General

Satya S. Tripathi is Secretary-General of the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet. A development economist, lawyer and changemaker with over 40 years of varied experience.

He has served with the UN for more than two decades in key positions across the planet and was most recently the UN Assistant Secretary-General, Head of New York Office at UN Environment and Secretary of the UN Environment Management Group.