In her role as Programme Head, Climate Action & First Movers Coalition at the World Economic Forum, Nancy works with companies to harness their purchasing power and supply chains to spur the commercialization of innovative clean energy technologies that are key for tackling the climate crisis. Prior Nancy Gillis was the CEO of the Global Electronics Council (GEC), a mission-driven non-profit that seeks to achieve a world of only sustainable technology. GEC manages EPEAT, the leading global ecolabel for technology products and services. Before joining GEC, Nancy served as the Global Lead for Resilient and Responsible Supply Chains at Ernst & Young (EY). During the Obama Administration, she served as the Director of the Federal Supply Chain Office at the General Services Administration (GSA), the public procurement agency for the US government where she was responsible for the inclusion of sustainability criteria in approximately $45 Billion of procurements. Nancy received her graduate degree in Information Technology from Georgetown University.
Recognised thought leader for innovation, new economy and sustainable transformation, Stephan Grabmeier is part of the strategy consulting team of Germany’s Future Institute, an international reference point for trend and future research on economy and society.
Grabmeier’s clients include the German business elite and top management of leading international companies. He is also a start-up business angel and, as a partner of the grameen creative lab, supports globally several social business initiatives together with the Nobel Peace Prize winner Prof. Muhammad Yunus. His current book “Future Business Compass” is a must-read for change makers seeking to accelerate a sustainable business transformation.
Heather serves as the Global Vice President of Regulatory for Hygiene at Reckitt, a British multinational consumer goods company, covering brands like Lysol, Harpic, Finish, Vanish and Airwick. In addition, she leads Group Regulatory for Reckitt Group New Growth Platforms to deliver expertise, knowledge and products to businesses as they seek to make their workplaces and outlets hygienically safe and enjoyable, both for consumers and employees.
Tijn van Elderen has been CEO for Brabantia since 2012. He is a brand fanatic, who has revived his family business brand by looking for the “sweet spot between design and sustainability”. He started his career at Unilever in Bangkok Thailand and worked as Marketing Manager Nordics at Diageo in Germany and Sweden. After this he joined Brabantia in New York, responsible for the North & South American business. Before becoming CEO, Tijn headed the European new business development branch of Brabantia. Tijn is 4th generation family member and intends to hand over the company 100% circular to the 5th generation.
Joel Makower is chairman and co-founder of GreenBiz Group, a media and events company focusing at the intersection of business and the clean economy.
For more than 30 years, Joel has been a well-respected voice on business, the environment, and the bottom line. Among his many duties at GreenBiz, Joel hosts the annual GreenBiz forums and is lead author of the annual State of Green Business report.
The Associated Press has called him “The guru of green business practices.”
Marissa McGowan is L’Oréal’s Chief Sustainability Officer for North America, where she stewards the company’s sustainability platform, L’Oréal For The Future. Marissa came to L’Oréal from PVH Corp, one of the world’s largest global apparel companies, where she served as Chief Sustainability Officer. Marissa has served on the Steering Committee of the Global Fashion Agenda and on the Boards of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, and the Fair Labor Association. She started her career as a lawyer focused on international mergers and acquisitions and corporate compliance with Skadden Arps in New York and London.
Alberto Candiani is at the helm of Candiani Denim. Following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Alberto has mastered the art of crafting premium denim. He is committed to being a leader in the industry’s sustainable revolution and carrying on his family’s legacy through sustainable and circular innovation and his vision for the future of denim.
Some of Alberto’s most recent accomplishments include the launch of Coreva, the world’s first biodegradable and compostable stretch denim, winner of Draper’s Sustainable Textile Award and Positive Luxury Innovation of the Year Award, and the recent opening of Candiani’s first denim specialty store with a Made-to-Measure custom service and denim innovation exposition space in Milan.
Rives Taylor directs Gensler’s Firmwide Design Resilience Task Force and leads the Gensler Research Institute Resilience Center. Rives Taylor has more than 35 years’ experience in institutional and commercial architecture with 30 years spent focusing on strategic planning, programming, and sustainable design, scaled from facility operations to campus and city planning. As an adjunct professor at the University of Houston and visiting professor at Rice University, Rives has influenced more than 6,000 students in his technical and high-performance design studios and seminars.
Dr. Christine Lemaitre has been the CEO of the German Sustainable Building Council since 2010. From 2016 to 2020 she was board member of the World Green Building Council (WGBC). She is also a member of the Advisory Council for Baukultur of the State of Baden-Württemberg, the Sustainability Board of the German Property Federation (ZIA) and the board of directors of the Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Institute. Furthermore, she is co-initiator of the international planner initiative “Building Sense Now”, the European network to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) “G17”.
As Senior Global Product Manager at Bang & Olufsen, Mads Kogsgaard Hansen is directing the company’s product circularity initiatives to drive product system innovation and business development. Incorporating his passion for circular innovation and human-centered design within this role, Mads is leading Bang & Olufsen’s Cradle to Cradle Certified and Recreated Classics programs. These two strategic initiatives aim to demonstrate Bang & Olufsen’s commitment to creating a more long-lasting and circular future for the Consumer Electronics Industry by rethinking products from the past, in the present and for the future.
Andreas Bothe joined Bay City in 2015 and manages the team of CSR and sustainability experts globally within the Schmidt Group. Prior he developed his career from quality to sustainability management within leading fashion retailers in Hamburg. Andreas started his professional journey in the clothing industry as a men’s tailor and gained practical experience in garment production, before studying clothing technology in Berlin.
Jo Chidley is the founder of Beauty Kitchen UK Ltd, a company on a mission to create the most sustainable beauty products in the world. Jo started the business with her husband Stuart in 2014. A chemist, botanist and sustainability expert, Jo has grown Beauty Kitchen from a few products stocked in just one retailer to over seventy products stocked in well-known high street stores such as Boots and Sainsbury’s. Widely regarded as one of the pioneers of sustainable beauty, Jo is driving the beauty industry forward with better practise approaches. Sustainability in packaging is a subject that is close to her heart and inspired Beauty Kitchen’s
Within the Netherlands JLL Work Dynamics business, Owen leads Strategic Consulting services related to workplace strategy, change management and sustainability. Owen has more than a decade of experience in the development of innovative and human centered work environments with a focus on circular economy, employee experience and health and wellbeing. Through in-depth involvement within a number of projects he has gained first-hand how application of Cradle to Cradle design coupled with innovative development principles can generate better business for customers and companies.
Tina Snedker Kristensen is Head of Sustainability and Communications at Troldtekt A/S, a Danish manufacturer of acoustic panels made of wood and cement, which is part of the Irish Kingspan Group as of 1 May 2022. For the past 18 years Tina has been responsible for Troldtekt’s marketing and communication activities and in 2021 was also given overall responsibility for the company’s sustainability strategy. Tina has also been the coordinator of Troldtekt’s Cradle to Cradle certification and strategic work for the green transition, and is overseeing Troldtekt’s documentation for sustainable buildings as well. Tina acts a representative in a number of committees and sustainability networks for the sector.
Charles is Director, Real Estate at GRESB, where he is responsible for the strategic development and execution of all products and services within GRESB Real Estate. These include the Real Estate Assessment and related benchmarking methodologies, market solutions addressing industry needs on emerging ESG topics, sustainability compliance and asset-level benchmarking. Prior to joining GRESB in 2017, Charles worked for five years as a financial audit manager at Deloitte specialised in real estate and renewable energy investment funds. Charles is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA), certified EFFAS ESG analyst (CESGA), and holds a MSc in business engineering from the SBS-EM, Brussels.
Jean-Paul Jacobs is Vice President Marketing Europe for the Home & Distribution division of Schneider Electric. He works on the forefront of the green transformation of decarbonisation and electrification of energy sources. Jean-Paul has a long track record of working in transformational industries in Europe, China and Mexico. Within Schneider Electric he currently leads the electrification and decarbonisation for the residential marketing segment in Europe. His recognitions include recent international CES sustainability awards (2022) for Ocean Plastics and the DOE L-prize award for the first LED 60W lightbulb.
Kari Herlevi is project director in Sitra’s circular economy focus area and leads the area with a budget of 20 million EUR. Sitra’s circular economy focus area conducts trials with citizens on the opportunities provided by the transition to a fair circular economy. These insights are made available in global reports and applied in decision-making at Finnish and EU-level. Previously, Kari led the Green Growth program at Tekes (Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation), where he had a financing volume of more than 100 million EUR. He holds a Master’s degrees in finance and political sciences. In 2022 Kari has been nominated as a member of the Strategic Research Council of Finland.
Christina Raab is a transformational leader at the interface of sustainability, circular economy and innovation. Prior to being appointed President & CEO of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute in 2021, she served as its Vice President, Strategy & Development and was responsible for the market transformation and innovation initiatives for the program and services of the Institute worldwide. Before joining the Institute, Christina held management positions in global multi-stakeholder organisations, advisory firms and at the United Nations, and advanced the integration of sustainability in business strategies and in sustainable development across global value chains.
Ana is an experienced sustainability and circular economy professional passionate about advancing circular economy, climate action and sustainable development in the built environment.
As Lead Built Environment for the EMEA region, she is responsible for outreach, education, policy development and adoption of Cradle to Cradle Certified with product manufacturers and the wider built environment stakeholder community.
Prior to joining the Institute, Ana worked nearly 15 years with both public and private sector clients providing project management, consulting advice and research in areas ranging from circular economy, resources efficiency, waste management, strategic environmental planning and environmental impact assessment. She also implemented performance measurement tools for the construction sector to analyze and benchmark productivity, efficiency and environmental impact.
Monica is a purpose-driven sustainability expert who has worked across industries and the value chain to implement collaborative industry initiatives on sustainable chemistry and circular economy. As the Director, Beauty, Personal Care and Household Products at the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, Monica is responsible for growth, innovation and impact initiatives in these sectors on a global scale.
Prior to joining the Institute, Monica worked as Director of Collaborative Innovation for the Green Chemistry & Commerce Council where she significantly grew the organization in five major sectors and across the value chain. Monica also designed, funded and managed core projects and programs, and created and led industry collaborations in the Beauty, Personal Care and Household products sectors. These included a competition to identify and accelerate commercialization of novel and safe preservatives involving major retailers, brands, suppliers and other stakeholders, as well as a project to accelerate innovation of alternatives to silicone ingredients. She created the GC3’s Startup Network and Technology Showcase Programs and curated numerous workshops and panels at the GC3’s Annual Innovators Roundtable.