SETTING THE STAGE FOR GREEN SUCCESS

Prof. Dr. Johan Rockström is the Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Professor at the Institute of Earth and Environmental Science at Potsdam University. Rockström is an internationally recognized scientist on global sustainability issues, who led the development of the new Planetary Boundaries framework for human development in the current era of rapid global change at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. He is a leading scientist on global water resources, with about 25 years of experience from applied water research in tropical regions, and more than 150 research publications in fields ranging from applied land and water management to global sustainability. Rockström provides strategic scientific guidance as a member of the European Commission’s Expert Group ‘Mission Board for Adaptation to Climate Change, including Societal Transformation’ and the ‘Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ and consults several governments and business networks.

Dr. Christine Lemaitre, born in 1975 in Gießen, studied structural engineering in Stuttgart. After working in the USA, she pursued R&D in lightweight structures. Since 2010, she has been CEO of the German Sustainable Building Council, shaping sustainable architecture worldwide.

Freya Burton has served as LanzaTech’s Chief Sustainability Officer since 2016 and the Head of LanzaTech Europe since February 2024. She joined LanzaTech in 2007 and has firsthand experience of scaling and commercialising a new technology, from the R&D stage, through the challenges of fundraising and navigating the legislative environment to deploying new technologies to scale in globally. Today, she oversees government policy, external relations and ESG at LanzaTech.She also serves as a board observer for the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials.

Member of Alliance 90/The Greens since 2009; 2010 to 2011 member of the state board of the Green Youth Berlin; 2011 to 2014 member of the federal board of the Green Youth, most recently as federal spokesperson; 2016 to 2018 spokesperson for the Duisburg district association of Alliance 90/The Greens; from 2018 to 2022: state chairman of Alliance 90/The Greens North Rhine-Westphalia. Federal chairman of Alliance 90/The Greens since November 2024.

Jure Mikolčić is the Executive Vice President and CEO of the Germany Division of Stadler Rail. His professional journey encompasses diverse experiences in the railway industry: Starting in 2001, he worked in various positions for Siemens, i.a. as Sales Director for Commuter & Regional Trains in Germany. Before he joined Stadler in 2019, he served as the CEO of Knorr-Bremse PowerTech. In addition to his role at Stadler, Jure Mikolčić actively contributes to the Verband der Bahnindustrie in Deutschland (VDB) as the Vice-President for Vehicles. His involvement in this capacity highlights his commitment to advancing rail transportation and shaping the industry’s future. His dedication to advancing rail technology and driving innovation makes him a significant figure in the railway sector.

Steffen Szeidl has been a member of the Executive Board of Drees & Sommer SE and is responsible for the overall strategic positioning of the Group, as well as for finance, corporate communications and IT. As a member of the Executive Board, he is also responsible for the international development of Drees & Sommer. He is personally driven by innovation and sustainability – not only in the company, but in the but in the entire sectors.