GREENTECH FESTIVAL SPEAKERS

Achim Wambach, Professor of Economics at the University of Mannheim, PhD, is President of the ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection and was Chairman of the Monopolies Commission. Achim Wambach initially earned his doctorate in physics at Oxford University and completed his habilitation in economics at the University of Munich.

Adam is a sustainability leader with 18+ years of experience in driving positive transformational change for some of the world’s most influential companies. As Google’s Head of Sustainability for EMEA, he works at the intersection of the physical, digital, and natural worlds. He coordinates with Google’s real-world and digital infrastructure teams, from real estate and supply chains to data centers and products, ensuring the company is taking advantage of opportunities to strategically advance sustainability. Previously, Adam held senior sustainability roles at Amazon and M&S, where he developed and delivered sustainability strategies and programs that enhanced their environmental and social performance. He is a Chartered Environmentalist, a Fellow of both IEMA and ICRS, and an Executive Fellow at King’s Business School.

Adrian Wons is the Founder and CEO of Senken, a pioneering carbon removal marketplace, now the second largest worldwide. His journey began after engaging with farmers in Southern Africa, leading him to leverage technology for sustainable agriculture. Prior to Senken, Adrian spearheaded the blockchain department at EY Germany and authored two influential books on blockchain technology. He holds a Master’s degree in Computational Fluid Dynamics with a focus on wind energy. Adrian’s multifaceted expertise in technology and sustainability, combined with a deep commitment to practical solutions for climate change, positions him as a leading figure in environmental innovation.

Alessandro is an award-winning environmental activist and entrepreneur who pushes the boundaries of innovation and behavioral science for the wellbeing of the planet. He is the CEO of AWorld, the Italian climate tech startup chosen by the United Nations as their digital partner in individual action for the ACTNOW campaign. AWorld is the climate platform dedicated to helping citizens and stakeholders take action and live their values while learning more about sustainability and our relationship with the world around us.
The campaign has been promoted by UN ambassadors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Antonio Gutierrez and Elisa. Alex is a Tedx speaker and the first person to raise the SDG flag to its highest altitude when he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2022.

Alessandro Piccinini is the Managing Director of Nespresso Germany. Piccinini is an experienced International Executive within the FMCG industry. He has a background in brand, strategy, people, innovation, and customer experience. He is committed to creating positive impact on people and to contributing to the economic and societal transformation for the better, currently with a focus on the coffee sector.

Calling myself an enthusiast for sustainable change. My passion is to drive systemic change for a sustainable future in the industry, as I strongly believe in the possibilities and business potentials of the transformation towards sustainability.

As a member of the +50-strong EXIST team at the project management agency PtJ, Alexander Damaschun enables young academics to transform their promising research results into high-potential and high-impact sustainable business cases for their own startup. With his 25-years´ experience in life science and biotechnology project management he focusses on solutions for the green transformation of high-volume raw material and commodity streams for sustainable production processes in tomorrow´s circular industries. Specifically, pre-seed EXIST startup projects are supported to transfer their solutions from proof-of-principle in the lab to proof-of-concept stage, e.g. in a pre-production demonstrator. Due to the wide range of premium support measures (financial and non-financial) granted to would-be entrepreneurs EXIST-funded startups enjoy exceptional rates of continuity and market uptake.

Alexander Hirschfeld heads the research division at the German Startup Association. He is responsible for all studies published by the Association related to the ecosystem, including the German Startups Monitor and the Green Startup Monitor. In his teaching and studies at different universities in Germany and abroad, Alex has been focusing on the relationship between economy, technology and society. He spent a year as a visiting researcher at Columbia University in New York and holds a Ph.D. in sociology.

Leading expert in impact networking and cross-sectoral collaboration. 30 years of practical experience in founding and managing networks in diplomacy, politics, media, business and Berlin subculture. Author of several networking-books, speaker and lecturer. In 2022, he transferred everything he owns into a non-profit foundation with one vision: SDG17 – create better connection for the global impact eco-system.

Alina, a former Chemical Engineer turned Impact Investor, is driven by her passion for creating positive impact.At Ananda Impact Ventures, she invests into companies working to fuel impact on a global scale. As the Co-founder of Kleiderly, she revolutionised textile recycling into plastic alternatives. Championing Women of Colour in entrepreneurship through Founderland, Alina’s accolades include Forbes 30 under 30 and features in publications such as Wired, Vogue and TEDx. More recently, she became a Obama Foundation Leader. Her mission is to build a brighter, sustainable and more equitable future.

Amanda Jobbins leads Marketing and Communications for Vodafone Business, the team responsible for inspiring confidence that Vodafone can help businesses succeed in a digital world. Prior to joining Vodafone, Amanda has held senior marketing roles across the technology industry. Most recently, as Global Chief Marketing Office for Infor and before that, leading marketing teams at Oracle, Dell, Cisco, and a number of other multi-national corporations. Over recent years, as a Digital and GTM focused Board Member, she has helped organisations large and small with their go-to-market strategies and international ambitions. Amanda’s passion for technology innovation translates into the marketing sphere as an ambition to reimagine how the newest tech can enhance campaigns, propositions and marketing operations.

With a keen eye for innovative strategies in global markets, Anders Jepsen spearheaded IKEA’s expansion into emerging markets for +15 years, navigating its largest business areas within furnishing accessories. Jepsen also brings extensive experience in business strategy consulting along with an MSc in manufacturing engineering and an MBA from IMD International. As the co-founder and CEO of NORNORM, he is at the forefront of revolutionizing workspace solutions through a circular business model. Under his leadership, NORNORM has seen not only remarkable growth, extending its impact across 14 countries and securing 110 million euros in venture capital funding, but also successfully transformed 300,000 sqm of office space, averting the emission of 565,791 kg of CO2.

After completing his PhD in theoretical physics at the Weitzman Institut of Sciences, Prof Levermann joined the Potsdam Institute in 2002. He has been an author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change since 2007, has published more than 150 scientific article on physical and economic aspects of the climate problem, including papers in Nature, Science and PNAS. He is frequently making contribution to the public debate on scientific and societal issues in the Guardian, the Economist, Frankfurter Allgemeine and Die Zeit. Prof. Levermann is advising industry and politics. He is heading the department of complexity science and has recently published a book (Die Faltung der Welt) on a new narrative for modern democratic states of law.

Graduate real estate economist (ADI), graduate engineer (FH) urban planner at the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences (HfWU); after working for Drees & Sommer, among others, with the HOS Group since Sept. 2020, initially as a member of the management board and head of project development, since May 2021 Managing Director of HOS Projektentwicklung GmbH, since Feb. 2023 Managing Director (CEO) of the HOS Group (Wendlingen).

Andy is the COO & Energy Analyst at the Institute of Economic Affairs, the UK’s leading free market think tank, where he writes and commentates on issues from a free market environmentalist viewpoint. Prior to the IEA he was head of UK public affairs at BASF, the German chemical company, green energy advisor to BP UK and has also worked for technology and consultancy companies. He has advised political parties, and organised a European election campaign in 1999, and is currently an independent common councillor for the City of London, the world’s oldest local authority.

Anna Alex is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor dedicated to addressing significant challenges in climate and nature. She recently founded her third company, NALA Earth, which quantifies biodiversity and nature for companies. Prior to this, she established Planetly and Outfittery. Anna’s Wild&Free Animal Fund supports organizations combating livestock farming.

Annika Hauptvogel has been Head of Technology and Innovation Management at Siemens since June 2021. In this function she is responsible for the strategy of Siemens Technology. She reports directly to the CTO of Siemens AG. Annika began her career at Siemens Mobility GmbH in 2015. In her former position she was responsible for the development of digital services for rail systems. Annika Hauptvogel holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Technical University of Munich and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from RWTH Aachen University.

As a core member of the Public Sector and Industrial Goods practices, Annika Zawadzki leads Boston Consulting Group’s work in roads and airports, as well as sustainability and climate—all within global infrastructure, transport, and cities (ITC). In addition to ITC, Annika has in-depth experience in defense and security.

Antoinette Taus a Filipino-American award-winning actor, singer, host, and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Combining her renown with her longstanding dedication to people and the planet, she founded CORA (Communities Organized for Resource Allocation), a nonprofit organization that fosters sustainable development through impactful programs with volunteers, women, youth and local communities in order to help build a more just and resilient future for people and the planet. As a passionate advocate of the UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), Antoinette leads programs centered on solutions focused on sustainability, climate action, women empowerment, inclusive resilience, and the circular economy, in order to unite more people in action towards creating a better future for all, without leaving anyone behind.

Arizona is one of the fashion sectors most highly regarded champions for sustainability. She has been a model for the past 13 years, engaging with brands such as Prada, YSL and Chanel for their shows and campaigns as well as gracing the covers of magazines such Dazed and Confused, Numero, and over 40 covers of Vogue titles around the world. As well as her work with organisations such as Greenpeace, The Sustainable Angle and UN organizations including UNDP, UNEP and UNFAO, she also uses her influence to raise funds for her charity DIRT which was launched in 2021 and she still runs herself.

Ayisha Siddiqa is a Pakistani human rights and land defender serving as a Youth Climate Advisor to the UN Secretary General. In 2020, she co-founded Polluters Out, a global youth activist coalition, and helped launch the Fossil Free University, an activism training course. As part of her activism, Ayisha has helped organize multiple school strikes for climate action that mobilized hundreds of thousands of young people. Her expertise in lobbying around climate negotiations has earned her recognition as a strategist among national and youth delegations in the UNFCCC. Ayisha was recognized on the cover of TIME magazine, as one of the Women of the Year 2023. To follow and support Ayisha’s work, visit futuregenerationstribunal.com

Diploma Electrical Engineering at RWTH Aachen University. Started her career at E.ON in different positions within decentral energy space, amongst others in product management being responsible for E.ONs first smart home product and afterwards leading the team integrating small scale assets into the virtual power plant. Worked with Oracle to digitize the largest german enterprises and migrate their workloads into the cloud as leader for the german cloud business. Lastly, before joining 1KOMMA5°, Barbara was responsible for Google’s Digital Native and Start-up business in Germany, scaling start-ups and scale-ups with Google technology. Part of the Google Cloud Germany leadership team. Now CTO at 1KOMMA5°, the one-stop-shop for climate technology.

As the Country Manager for Germany at Carbon Equity, Bas is pioneering significant advancements in climate tech investment. Carbon Equity opens up access to premier climate tech VC/PE funds, aiming to channel billions in private capital into combating climate change. Bas, whose commitment to sustainability began during his academic career when he founded a sustainability consultancy, firmly believes that climate tech investing represents one of the greatest financial opportunities of the coming decades. In addition to his work in climate tech, Bas founded a training platform for young VC investors, successfully training over 100 investors to date.

Whether co-working accelerator, conference or festival for social impact, Ben connects audiences with his uniquely powerful approach of combining the physical body and creative mind. As president of Berlin’s most established public speaking group, TEDx and winner of multiple speaking awards he has mastered his craft, intuitively weaving his creative and coaching profession into his presence on stage to inspire and motivate his audience.

As Leader Business Unit Projects – Residential LIXIL EMENA, Benedikt Reith is responsible for EMENA-wide residential construction projects. With his team, Benedikt drives the specification of GROHE products in new-build and renovation projects. The project team is organized in 5 segments – Hospitality, Residential, Healthcare, Commercial and Marine – to deliver a customer-focused support and service to decision makers and influencers. Before joining GROHE, Benedikt worked over 11 years in the MEA area as a project specialist. He is a German national and studied engineering at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt.

Dr Bernard Leong is currently the founder and CEO of Dorje AI, a new enterprise AI startup focusing on building the next-generation business operating systems. As an experienced senior executive with an extensive business and technology management background in the digital space, he held regional business roles as the Head of Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning in Amazon Web Services for ASEAN and Vice President of Airbus Aerial and senior management roles in Singapore Post as the Head of Digital Services and Group Chief Information & Digital Office in Woh Hup. While not in his corporate hat, he is the host of Analyse Asia Podcast, adjunct lecturer for NUS and angel investor at XA Network & EIR for INSEAD Business School.

Bernhard is the Head of the United Nations (UN) World Food Programme (WFP) Innovation Accelerator, which he created in 2015. The Accelerator sources, supports and scales start-ups and nonprofits working to achieve Zero Hunger, as well as running accelerator programmes for external partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Humanitarian Grand Challenge, and other UN Agencies. Prior to starting the Accelerator, Bernhard co-founded the award-winning ShareTheMeal app that crowdsources funding for WFP, helping to deliver over 167 million meals for hungry children worldwide. ShareTheMeal was named as an App of the Year (2020) by Apple and Google. He gave a TED Talk and is a regular speaker at global conferences and events related to artificial intelligence, blockchain, social impact and entrepreneurship and disrupting global hunger through technology, i.e.‘tech for good.’

Dipl.-Ing. Björn Brecht serves as the Head of Business Development at Kieback&Peter. Since 1927, the company has been a leading provider of building automation. With a strong technical background and the ability to turn innovative ideas into successful products, Björn leads the strategic development of the company. Additionally, he is an active Board Member of the European Building Automation and Controls Association (eu.bac) and holds certification as an ESG Manager. His expertise and innovation have led to several patents.

Caroline Drischel leads the Corporate Responsibility department of Lufthansa Group which sets the strategy, framework conditions and drives major cross functional projects throughout the airline group. In her role Caroline drives the company to become carbon neutral by 2050 and secure the achievement of the SBTi validated reduction target until 2030. Under her responsibility the group successfully launched the Green Fares Europe and a broad portfolio of sustainable customer choices. Alongside with a strong rating and reporting strategy which was just recently awarded with an A- score by CDP, Caroline also takes the responsibility for an successful external communications and awareness campaign called #MakeChangeFly. The swiss- located mother of two boys holds several positions in Brand, Marketing & Customer Experience.

Carsten Dierkes has been working on stormwater management for more than 25 years, especially on the aspects of water household and pollutants in the urban water cycle aiming at the impact of polluted stormwater on groundwater and surface water as well as the impact of climate change on urban drainage. A hydrogeologist with a doctorate in civil engineering, he has worked on research projects in Germany, USA, Australia, etc. He held a professorship in water management at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, is a member of the Committee on Stormwater Treatment of the German Institute for Building Technology (DIBt) and a member of the DIN mirror committee “Water Recycling – Development of Standards for Rainwater and Greywater Utilization”.

Céline Flores Willers is an entrepreneur, founder and CEO of The People Branding Company, the leading German consultancy for personal branding and corporate influencing on LinkedIn. Céline is one of the most relevant voices around the topic of visibility as well as personal and corporate storytelling in the digital world. For her contributions around entrepreneurship, innovation and future trends, Céline Flores Willers has already been awarded three times as LinkedIn Top Voice and is also on the road as a speaker throughout Europe (including TEDx Talk).

A small town boy with a big man’s voice” is how 24-year-old Brit Chris de Sarandy describes himself. Having grown up in the quiet suburbs of London before moving to the Cornish coast, Chris studied graphic design at the BRIT school and Leeds Uni, but always found himself returning to his first passion – music. Whilst still a student at Leeds, Chris moved to Berlin for his studies… a move that became a defining experience in his journey to music. Berlin became and remains Chris’ creative home, where he collaborates with producers, writers and other artists.

Listen here to Chris de Sarandy on Spotify.

Having been raised between Belgium, France the UK and Germany, Christian is what we call a true European. After growing businesses in the consulting as well as the sustainable food sector he now gives it all for Nature on our continent, restoring forests and other Ecosystems. As Director for the German speaking Market he is growing strong partnerships with committed companies which want to be active on a local level, focusing on a holistic approach which combine the crucial aspects of Biodiversity, Carbon and Water.

Christian is heading the German office of EIT Manufacturing since January 2019. In his role, he is responsible for EIT Manufacturing’s activities in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland and Ukraine. His mission is to bring European manufacturing actors together in an innovation ecosystem that adds unique value to European products, processes and services and inspires the creation of globally competitive and sustainable manufacturing. Prior to his current position, Christian has been working at the Technical University of Darmstadt (Germany) as Head of Cutting Technology Research at the Institute of Production Management, Technology and Machine Tools.

After completing his degree in Engineering & Management, Christian gained valuable experience at aircraft engine manufacturer MTU. He now applies his acquired knowledge to his startup, OCELL, co-founded with friends in 2019. Utilizing aerial photography, the Munich-based startup develops data-driven, high-quality forest carbon projects to support local landowners. The mission is to maximize forest potential for climate mitigation. Christian and his team do so by leveraging aerial images and artificial intelligence to create digital twins of forests. These twins offer insights into forest growth and carbon storage, providing optimal forest management strategies that are key to OCELL’s tech-driven climate projects.

Christian Feuerherd has been the CEO of BEW Berliner Energie und Wärme (former Vattenfall Wärme Berlin AG) since September 2022, which manages the entire value chain from the generation and provision to the sale of heat in the capital.

Christian Krug is a German journalist and media consultant. His professional beginnings, alongside his studies in political science, led him via the Hamburger Morgenpost to STERN and SPIEGEL TV. He later took over as editor-in-chief of the lifestyle icon MAX, founded his media company Krugmedia and opened a hotel in Marrakech with his wife Ina. From 2014 to 2019, Krug was editor-in-chief of STERN. With two partners, he founded Scrollytelling GmbH in 2021, which has developed a leading software for digital storytelling.

Christian Lindner is Germany’s Federal Minister of Finance and a member of the German parliament (Bundestag). Lindner was elected party leader of the Free Democrats in December 2013. As chairman of the Free Democrats Parliamentary Group (2017-2021) Christian Lindner established a constructive and successful parliamentary group in the German Bundestag. In the 2021 elections the FDP achieved one of its best results ever. After successful coalition negotiations Christian Lindner became Germany’s Federal Minister of Finance in the first ever three-party coalition on December, 8th 2021.

Dipl.-Kfm. ­Christoph Ritzkat has been at Kieback&Peter since 2017. As Chairman of the Board, he bears overall responsibility for the company. An economist by trade, he has many years of experience as a managing director in renowned German family companies with a focus on the metal and electrical industries. Mr. Ritzkat is an internationally educated manager who worked in Brazil, China, France and the United States. Born in Cologne, he is a member of 1. FC Köln and an enthusiastic marathon runner. He is married and has two children.

Christoph is a dedicated professional with over a decade of experience within the automotive industry. Currently serving as project manager for sustainability at AUDI AG, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s decarbonization strategy. His contributions extend from the corporate to vehicle level, ensuring that sustainability is integrated throughout Audi’s operations and products. He holds a Master’s degree in Automotive and Mobility Management. Furthermore he is an active One Young World ambassador, where he advocates for the sustainable development goals of the United Nations.

Christoph Weigler has been the General Manager of Uber Germany since 2015. Christoph worked for a strategic consulting firm on international projects in the automotive industry for OEMs and Tier 1s. He studied business administration at European Business School, Oestrich-Winkel, Germany, Tsinghua University Beijing, China and Arizona State University, United States.

Books: Forecasting government budgets and Megadeals (2020) Investor in 15 companies, lead investor in 8 of them (scale-ups in cleantech and SaaS) Founder of Mine storage, Retain24, Taxisystem, Vendemore, and Megadeals. Prosales Chief Commercial Officer of the year 2018. Climeon order intake 3-90 MUSD in two years. Mission, Expertise & Accomplishments: Help companies, their great innovations and most important people (Rainmakers) go to market and scale faster with less resources than traditionally tactics. Today Christopher supports and builds sustainability companies (mainly scale ups) with great innovations. His more than 20 years of experience of supporting Fortune 500 companies and several hundred scale ups in orchestrating their deal management in combination with extended research support his mission well.

As Co-Managing Director at NovAzure, Christopher Gruen’s expertise spans energy and mobility innovation topics with an electrification and decarbonisation focus bringing corporate, startup and investor eco systems together across Europe and Asia to accelerate Net Zero. In particular, Chris spearheads investments and startup acceleration efforts. Among these startups, CityQ stands out as an urban mobility startup introducing one of the most carbon friendly vehicle platforms being launched across Europe. Chris actively engages within CityQ as a venture builder, driving business development initiatives. His former tenure involved leading multimillion-dollar transformations for a global energy company. At NovAzure, next to Startup acceleration, commercialisation and venture building Chris excels in implementing circular business models for net-zero programs and managing corporate sustainability transformations.

As the Executive Board Member for Sustainability and Development of FÜCHSE BERLIN, I bring over four years of experience in fostering sustainable practices within sports organizations. Currently serving as Co-Chairman of the Sustainability Board at the European Handball Federation and the Nachhaltigkeits-Taskforce at Handball-Bundesliga GmbH, I am dedicated to driving positive environmental and social impact. With a background as Founder & CEO of XU sustainable, I am committed to leading initiatives that promote sustainability and advance the development of our community.

Claudia Müller, Member of the German Bundestag since 2017, Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group. Born in Rostock, studied International Business Administration in Stralsund. Spent 1998/1999 abroad in the USA. Active in local politics 2009 to 2022. In first term in the German Bundestag, Mrs. Mueller was a member of the Economic Affairs committee and the European Affairs committee.
From the beginning of the 21st legislative period until January 2023, Claudia Müller was a member of the Defense Committee and an alternate member of the Transport Committee. From 2022 to January 2023, she was the Federal Government’s Coordinator for Maritime Industries and Tourism. Since January 2023, Claudia Müller has been Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

Constance is a sustainability expert with over 20 years of experience working on topics such as climate change, nature, energy, biodiversity, social and environmental enterprises, as well as gender equality and human rights. She has strong expertise in building partnerships and brings a global perspective to her work having grown up in Mongolia and Singapore and having been posted in countries such as North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Viet Nam and the United States. She recently joined Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Germany (CCEP) from the United Nations and leads the coordination and implementation of the CCEP Sustainability Strategy.

Environmental policy specialist and lead business developer at Volta Greentech. Working to eliminate methane emissions from the world’s cows & sheep by 2050.

Daniel Kiss is a team member of HomeSwap, one of the winning teams of the HackHPI Hackathon 2024. He is also a student at the Hasso Plattner Institute, and founding engineer at Elephant Company, building the future of frontline operations.

Dr. Daniela Gerd tom Markotten studied industrial engineering and received her doctorate in IT security, combining two passions: IT and technology. She held various positions in IT, logistics and production at Daimler AG, such as CEO of “Daimler Fleetboard Management” as well as Head of “Digital Solutions & Services” of Mercedes-Benz Trucks. In 2017, Daniela became CEO of moovel, a mobility joint venture of the BMW Group and Daimler AG. In mid-2020, she founded the tech startup IUHHOO GmbH, which is developing AI/AR-powered video calls for premium customer support. Daniela has been appointed Board Member for Digitalization and Technology at Deutsche Bahn AG in September 2021. Her mission: utilizing digitalization and technology to make Deutsche Bahn the most popular and sustainable means of transport for customers.

David is a successful technology entrepreneur with over 19 years of experience in software development and business creation. Before founding syte in 2021, he was the founder and CTO of Familonet, a startup that was successfully exited and acquired by Daimler in 2017. The focus area of the graduate mathematician is the innovative technological development of syte in order to always be one step ahead of the market.

Kovar joined Deere in 2000 and spent most of her career in positions in channel and product management, where she gained a deep understanding of customers’ requirements. She has developed an extensive background in precision technologies, beginning with her move in 2010 to the company’s Intelligent Solutions Group as Manager of Portfolio Management. Later positions included Division Sales Manager, Director, Production & Precision Ag Marketing, and Director, Global Operator Stations. Kovar grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm and earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business management from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from Loyola University in Chicago.

Former race car driver and aerodynamics expert who co-developed Karts and open wheel cars during his active career. Dennis established strong networks to renowned OEMs as a driver. Now, he is entrepreneur in the fashion industry with a strong entrepreneurial and design competence. Currently, Managing Director of Odonata.

Emet Zeitz, a trained Energy Engineer and Physicist, is deeply passionate about the intersection of sustainability and technology. Net Zero Insights, he is committed to powering the world’s annual $6.2 trillion capital flow needed to achieve net zero emissions through data and research. A firm believer in the synergy between technology and sustainability, Emet envisions a future where both elements work hand in hand to drive positive change for our planet.

Emil Pettersen, founder of Reparell AB , seamlessly integrates sustainability into textile expertise, driven by his background in Business and Corporate Social Responsibility. With over 20 years in tech, including CEO roles, he transitioned to textile production, recognizing its negative environmental impact and the imperative for revised production models for industrial or bulk production. Through Reparell, Emil has had the possibility to test and adapt everything from raw materials to business models, trailing a scalable production setup that minimizes environmental harm while remaining economically viable. His pragmatic approach propels Reparell’s mission to revolutionize textile production globally. With Reparell, Emil navigates complex industry challenges with empathy and determination, constantly seeking scalable improvements across raw materials, production, packaging, and logistics, thereby forging a path towards a more sustainable and economically viable future.

Eric Quidenus-Wahlforss is Founder & CEO at Dance, an e-bike subscription service founded with the purpose of having a positive impact on health, sustainability and livable cities. Prior Eric founded SoundCloud in 2007 and served as CPO for 12 years.

My mission is to scour the globe for technologies that can transform the Lufthansa Group airlines towards a more sustainable future operation, and then implement them into our organization. The CleanTech Hub focuses on scaling and commercializing homegrown tech from within the group companies and establishing partnerships with startups and corporates in the areas of aircraft retrofits, SAF and alternative fuels, digital solutions, waste and circular economy, and everything between and beyond, comprising new powertrains, hydrogen, electric, hybrid, etc. I have a background in logistics, aviation, IT, and have lived and worked in 6 countries.

Fabian has been active in the European startup ecosystem for more than 14 years. He founded four companies in this time, including Sanity Group and Locafox, and invests as a business angel in early-stage start-ups (25+ investments). In 2023 he joined cultivated seafood company BLUU as Co-CEO, to help saving the endangered marine ecosystems with a resource-efficient platform to produce safe, healthy, and tasty seafood grown from cells.

Fabian has been working at Drees & Sommer since 2016. As a qualified geographer and urban planner, he advises regions, cities, investors and companies on urban design and mobility. In addition to technical, economic and ecological aspects, it is also important to keep people in mind. Together with other Drees & Sommer experts, he develops holistic concepts with the aim of creating new synergies in the intersection of different subject areas.

Fabian Grischkat ist Speaker, Moderator, Aktivist und „Newsfluencer“ aus Berlin. Auf Social Media informiert der 23-Jährige täglich über relevante Themen aus den Bereichen Social Media, Nachhaltigkeit/Klimaschutz und LGBTQ+ Rights. Und das auf seine ganz eigene Art: Immer charmant, manchmal frech und stets maximal informativ. Schon 2021 bezeichnete die VOGUE ihn als eine von acht Personen, „die unsere Gesellschaft gerade verändern“. Für sein Engagement im Green Marketing wurde er 2019 mit dem GenZeo Top Talent Under 25 Award ausgezeichnet. Fabian versteht sich als Brückenbauer zwischen klassischem Journalismus und der Gen Z. Mit seinen Keynotes und Impulsen fördert er Diskurs, regt zum Nachdenken an und rüttelt als „Aufmischer“ das Publikum wach.

Fabian Nendza, MiBA, is Senior Sustainability Manager at Fenix Outdoor International AG and is specifically responsible for sustainability in the Fenix retail division. Nendza is a member of the advisory board of the Hamburg Climate Fund and the Green Shape Advisory Board of Vaude. Nendza is also the host of the sustainability podcast Neue Horizonte.

Fabian holds a Masters in Industrial Engineering and Management from the Technical University of Berlin and has experience founding his own business. His studies focused on carbon markets, climate policy, and forests, which led him to the idea for this unique carbon removal technology. He founded his first company during highschool and went on to participate in leading entrepreneurship accelerators during university. With Carbonsate, he is a leading expert for this Carbon Removal method in Europe and has participated in the GreenTech Accelerators Carbon13, Remove and Airminers. In his free time, he is an endurance athlete that loves to push the limits on the bike and while running.

Fatou Jeng has 7 years’ experience in the climate and gender space and currently serves as one of the appointed youth climate advisors to the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. She founded the youth-led NGO Clean Earth Gambia and co-led the Women and Gender working group of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Youth Constituency (YOUNGO). Clean Earth Gambia has mobilized and worked with over 3000 young Gambians in environmental protection through capacity-building, volunteering, and various educational initiatives. The organization has worked with the government of The Gambia and development partners including UNICEF, and has planted over 35,000 trees to date.

Fiona Fussi is one of the most successful international models and actresses out of Singapore. Growing up in a multi-cultural home has instilled in her a love for travel and languages. Since her rise to fame, Fiona has been the first Asian face for Chanel Beauty, as well as the global face for some of the world’s biggest brands like Clarins, L’Oreal Paris and Charlotte Tilbury, flying and working across the globe in Paris, London, Seoul and Beijing. As an actress, she starred as one of the lead actresses for the highest-rated English drama series in Singapore, “Last Madame”, now screening worldwide on Netflix and HBO Go.

Florian Eickhold started in 2004 with the development of climate policies and solutions at Ecofys after graduating as Scientist of Latin American Studies at the University of Cologne focussing in his education on environmental economics and international politics. He designs sustainable carbon market and climate finance projects and innovates key elements of corporate or public climate change strategies. Currently he works as independent senior consultant for various organisations. At atmosfair for example he leads the negotiations with host countries on corresponding adjustments and the product development for a “Paris-aligned” project portfolio.

With expertise spanning data science, remote sensing, and sustainability Frankwin van Winsen employs data-driven solutions to drive greener practices. Leading AI solution development at WEO, he harnesses satellite imagery to provide clients with critical insights for effective environmental management. His work centers on creating innovative tools for monitoring green spaces, mitigating climate impacts, and fostering more resilient communities. Frankwin is a dedicated advocate for using technology to tackle environmental challenges, continually striving to build a more sustainable future.

Franziska Albrecht studied social and economic communication and later landscape architecture. In this context, she became intensively involved with the various facets of sustainable practices at an early stage. She gained a lot of experience in planning and construction processes at various landscape architecture offices and contributes this knowledge at Madaster Germany since 2022. She is responsible for communication and public relations, but also a contact for the public sector and planners.

Mr. Walti has been an entrepreneur for most of his adult life, having started eleven companies in addition to working with hundreds of entrepreneurs as EIR, mentor, consultant, and investor. He was the Founding CEO of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), one of the world’s leading clean technology centers, and is currently the CEO of the Network for Global Innovation (NGIN). NGIN assists cleantech entrepreneurs in more than two dozen countries by providing entrepreneur assistance programming, connecting them with investors/customers, and enabling local cities/states to develop their innovation ecosystem. NGIN is the Implementation Partner for UNIDO’s Global Climate Innovation Program, operating in a dozen developing nations. Mr. Walti was named to the Techweek100 as one of the most impactful technology leaders in 2014.

Fulco Treffers is a lead architect and urbanist working in Ukraine since 2015. Director of Ro3kvit Urban Coalition for Ukraine, a network that unites more than 100 specialists from Ukraine and abroad to develop knowledge and create methods for rebuilding urban and rural environments and infrastructure of Ukraine. The coalition was founded in March 2022 in response to the massive destruction caused by Russian military aggression. Through design and research, Ro3kvit addresses urgent needs and connects them to future strategies. Fulco is tutor and program developer of Kharkiv School of Architecture. Specialization: social urban design, participation and circularity.

Board Chairman since Inception. Played key role in the establishment and growth of the company. Vast experience in International strategic Business management, Corporate Government and Private Sector Development. Key player in making sure Emerging cooking solutions meets it’s target and pushing hard for environmental clean solutions and health cooking with the establishment of our clean stoves. We advocate for clean and healthy cooking and clean environment.

Gabriele Haessig is responsible for corporate communications, public affairs and sustainability across business units at Procter & Gamble (P&G) in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Prior to her move to the top of Corporate Communications in 2012, she was in charge of international communications for P&G Prestige’s country organizations and previously managed the P&G’s brand communications in the DACH region. In addition to her duties as Managing Director Communications & Sustainability of P&G DACH, Gabriele is Vice Chair of IKW (Industrieverband Körperpflege- und Waschmittel), a Chair of AmCham Germany and on the Board of the German Packaging Institute dvi. Further, Gabi is engaged in various social initiatives in the Frankfurt area and on the board of enactus student initiative.

Dr. Georg Kobiela holds a doctorate in physical chemistry and studied political science and economics. He took over the political management of Bellona Germany at the beginning of 2024. Georg had already worked on industrial transformation and the energy system before that, in the NGO context at Germanwatch and in transformation research at the Wuppertal Institute. In that time has was leading an influential study to reach German CO2 neutrality in 2035 for Fridays for Future, among other work, much of which on energy intensive industries. He also regularly teaches at universities and colleges on the climate crisis, planetary boundaries and the challenges of transformation.

On a mission to accelerate growth among Startups, Investors, Corporates & Service Providers focused on innovative & sustainable topics in AgTech, FoodTech, Biomaterials, BioTech, Waste & CO2 Utilization, Renewable Energy, Water, and more. Founder and CEO of Bioshyft GmbH – the largest B2B bioeconomy platform including Agrishyft, Oceanshyft, Foodshyft, Materialshyft, Energyshyft & Watershyft. Also, Manging Partner of SMC – Shyft Management Consulting. Previous Experience: CSO for a seed-stage biotechnology startup focused on biomass fermentation, CCO for a pre-seed-stage biotechnology startup focused on precision fermentation, Managing Partner at a consultancy specialized on alternative proteins, Project lead at strategy consultancy Kearney.

Ghislain Irakoze is the founder and CEO of Wastezon, a Rwandan deep tech social enterprise that enables consumers and manufacturers to recover and valorize e-waste materials efficiently through AI-enabled materials traceability. Wastezon is redefining systemic refurbishment of e-waste materials to generate low-cost and quality vetted devices to tackle Africa’s digital divide and e-waste pollution. The startup has so far recovered and remanufactured over 590 tons of e-waste, mitigating 35190 metric tons of avoided carbon emissions. Prior to founding Wastezon, Ghislain successfully organized the “Recycle for Environment” Campaign involving over 200 Rwandan students in creative waste recycling. He is a current Board Member of the Global Greengrants Fund and a former Youth Think Tank Researcher of Mastercard Foundation. To follow and support Ghislain’s work, visit wastezon.com

Meet Gillord, a multilingual entertainer from Curaçao who is passionate about bringing joy to people’s lives through entertainment. With fluency in several languages, including Papiamentu, Dutch, English, German, and Spanish, he has the ability to connect with diverse audiences and make them feel at home. Not only that, but Gillord has also worked with some of the biggest names in entertainment, such as Netflix and Disney, as a voice actor, and has hosted several events in different industries. As an entertainer, Gillord is dedicated to using his talents to make the world a brighter place, one event at a time.

Guillaume has been an impact Entrepreneur for 2 decades, amongst the pioneers of sustainable business in France. Getting Hands Dirty with Global Sustainability & Climate Plans, Guillaume and his teams are the Sustainability Sparring Partners for 90+ global corporations in 40 countries. WDNR has been recognized as one of the major actors in Europe for Circular & Low Carbon Supply Chains, CSRD & CSDDD legislations, Sustainable Innovation & product market fit. Their expertise goes from the Mass Consumer Goods industries (Food, Cosmetics, Retail, Fashion) to Tech (with a global partnership with Google) and Heavy Industries (with clients in Shipping, Space, Automotive, Built & Raw Metals industries).

Hanna has a degree in economics. She has been working in the construction and property industry for four years. At Drees & Sommer, she is head of Innovation Management in the Drees & Sommer Innovation Centre. She and her team are responsible for future visions, technologies, start-up management and intrapreneurship.

Hannah Boomgaarden is an expert in open innovation and collaboration, renowned for her expertise in building and boosting corporate innovation capabilities and executing innovation activities. Her track record includes providing support to partners across the EMEA region, supporting Fortune 500 companies, and spearheading the development of platforms for open innovation execution. She has established on of the most active innovation platforms in EMEA so called STARTUP AUTOBAHN, launched four more offices for Plug and Play, and overseen the implementation of over 400 pilot projects. Her comprehensive understanding of the innovation landscape, coupled with her ability to connect people and ideas, makes her an practical asset to the organizations and individuals she collaborates with.

Heiko Dünkel is a legal expert in data and unfair commercial practices law at the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e. V. – vzbv) in Berlin, where he leads one of the NGO’s legal enforcement units. Former roles include the German Bundestag and as a lawyer for intellectual property and copyright law. He is responsible for vzbv’s significant court cases against Facebook/ Meta, Google and regularly publishes articles on consumer rights enforcement.”

Henni Weiser took over the lead for talent and diversity management for Lufhansa Group in 2021. With her team, she creates processes and programs to attract, retain and develop the best people for solving Lufthansa Group’s business challenges. Before taking over this position, Henni held various HR roles at Lufthansa Technik, ranging from employee feedback management and leadership development to digitalization projects. Before moving into the exciting world of aviation, Henni worked in intercultural education in a large global non profit for over 15 years. As a seasoned interculturalist and systemic thinker, Henni is passionate about creating inspiring environments where people love to do their best work and collaborate across functions to create a difference.

Holger was working at Infineon for more than 15 years – leading innovation projects in the area of ChipCards and CPUs– before he founded his first start-up. He is passionate about challenging limits in favour of people and planet and identified HVAC as a market with a huge lever to fight climate change with superior technology. His track record lists more than 150 granted and applied patents.

Ingrid is Head of Impact and Sustainable Investing at Federated Hermes and is recognized as an expert in Biodiversity and Impact investing. She was included in Citywire’s first ever global compilation of the 1,000 top fund managers in the world. Ingrid is Co-Chair of the Leadership Group at Natural Capital Investment Alliance, a task force of Sustainable Markets Initiative which was founded by HRH King Charles III with a mission to coordinate global effort to enable the private sector to accelerate the transition to a sustainable future. She is part of the expert group at the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits, founded by the UK and French governments to create a global high-integrity biodiversity credit market.

Isabel Gebien, a 35-year-old native of Germany’s north coast, combines her roles as a devoted mother, wife and successful entrepreneur. After thriving as a consultant, she embarked on an inspiring journey, founding »Equality 365«. As both podcast host and founder, Isabel passionately addresses societal challenges – from inequality and diversity to equal opportunity and belonging. Through impactful conversations and education, »Equality 365« strives to illuminate these issues, contributing to a more inclusive, fair society. Isabel’s dedication to fostering positive change is evident in her commitment to building a movement that transcends rhetoric, seeking genuine progress for today and the future including opportunity for all people.

Ivo heads the political communications of the Good Food Institute Europe in Germany and the entire DACH region. He has a background in strategic communication and political science and worked in different industries. GFI Europe is a non-profit think tank that works with scientists, companies of all sizes and policymakers to advance plant-based, fermentation-made and cultivated foods to make the global food system more sustainable, secure and just. GFI’s work is funded by philanthropy.

I strive to make a positive sustainable and social impact in the world, both in my professional as well as personal life. My current role allows me to drive sustainability in the automotive industry by matching industry leaders with innovative technology leaders in the field. Being the co-founder of a startup that tackles food waste while completing my double degree Master in CEMS and Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation, I bring high motivation, passion and curiosity. Looking forward to connect with like-minded professionals!

Jacquelyn Omosunbo Omotalade, a distinguished finance, government affairs, and public policy leader, currently serves as the Climate Investments National Director, steering Green For All’s Justice40 agenda. She played a pivotal role in executing the transformative $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, ensuring its benefits reach communities grappling with poverty and pollution. Jacquelyn focuses on directing investments through minority-owned enterprises, fostering job creation, improving health outcomes, and amplifying opportunities. With international experience spanning the US, Indonesia, Guatemala, Germany, Spain, France, Kenya, and Nigeria, she stands out as an expert in programs, policy, and equity. A climate policy expert, technologist, Afro-futurist, and trusted strategist, Jacquelyn excels in leadership, stakeholder alliances, partnership building, and advocating social responsibility.

Jan Vader joined Desert Control in April 2022 to strengthen the leadership and development of their business in the Middle East. He brought experience both from large scale, global operational management as well as technology start-up businesses. His latest roles before DC were as CEO for two Norwegian tech start-ups.

Joel is CEO and co-founder of Infener. He is also a partner and holds a management position at the W&P Group. His extensive expertise in the field of hydrogen originated at an early stage and has continuously developed since. Scientific studies in the field of geosciences at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen were preceded by a degree in business administration from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Further specialization was achieved through a master’s degree in business administration and relevant postgraduate studies at the University of Leicester.

Johannes Arning, COO at Tomorrow University in Berlin, where he has been pivotal in developing an edtech university focused on sustainability since August 2022. Prior to this, he was the Head of Operations at HALM Straws, spearheading efforts to replace plastic straws globally with sustainable glass alternatives. With an entrepreneurial mindset Johannes founded in the e-commerce space, setting his backround in economic policy, sustainability and financial planning.

Aerospace Engineer who specialized in the conceptual design of eVTOLs and is responsible for aircraft design at Odonata. John also holds a pilot’s license and is a drone pilot for special applications. As an Engineer at Odonata, he can pursue his passion for aviation, VTOLs and future air mobility in the development of the Odonata Hoverplane.

I am an Ecological Economist with nearly 10 years of experience specializing in natural resources, food security, agriculture, and environmental policy. My work has primarily focused on East Africa and in the Sahel region. I am also a Co-Founder at Soilwatch, a climate tech company that helps to design and monitor nature-based solutions which utilize ecosystems and biodiversity to address societal challenges, particularly those related to climate change, biodiversity loss, water management, and food security.

After completing his studies in Business Administration and Management in Tübingen, the USA, China, and Berlin, Joscha earned his professional stripes alongside companies such as DAIMLER AG and Charité Berlin, particularly at a management consultancy firm. Here, he worked as a Senior Consultant in the financial sector, mainly leading M&As in the banking industry. As AWE-enthusiast, he has been actively supporting EnerKíte since October 2022 and was appointed CFO of the company in March 2023. Here, he is primarily responsible for financial planning, controlling, investor relations, fundraising, and corporate strategy.

Julia has been at the Institute for Atmospheric Physics at DLR, where she leads a research group focussing on using satellite measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide to estimate emissions from the surface and uptake by the biosphere. She is involved in the development of innovative missions employing next-generation technology targeting these emissions at different spatial scales. She has a background in Physics, and earned her PhD in Physics and Atmospheric Science from the University of Dalhousie, in Halifax, Canada. Prior to moving to DLR in 2020, she worked at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry for over ten years, becoming an expert in the use of satellite measurements in atmospheric inverse modelling.

Juliette joined the NewClimate Institute in January 2023 to work on climate and development issues and on carbon markets. Prior to that, she worked 15 years at WWF Germany as an Advisor on European climate policy, focusing on the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and carbon markets. She started her career at oekom Research (Munich) and Vigeo (Paris), both rating agencies for Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) investment. Juliette de Grandpré holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Sciences-Po Strasburg and a Master’s degree in European Public Law from the Institute for European Studies (Brussels).

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.

Kai Landwehr works as Director Global Marketing at „myclimate“, a Swiss-based NGO focusing on climate protection and sustainability measures. Since autumn 2023, he is also Co-Executive Director, and, therefore a member of the myclimate management board, the collaborative leadership group of myclimate. He combines solid expertise in communications, sustainability, digitalization, and sports. Before tapping into climate protection, Kai worked ten years in the sporting goods industry as communications and brand manager for „Nike“. Born and raised in Germany, he holds a « Master of Arts » degree in Ancient History from the Heinrich-Heine-University in Düsseldorf. wowKai is a football aficionado, a passionate gravel- and mountainbiker and in winter times a snowboarder with “great style and attitude, but very limited skills”.

Describing his music as ‘electronic pop with crummy guitar sounds,’ German singer-songwriter KAMRAD humorously embraces his unique style. He explains, ‘It’s definitely pop music, which I adore and can’t get enough of. The electronic elements, especially in production, are prominent, while the guitar sounds add character.’ His breakout single ‘I Believe,’ recorded with an old beat-up guitar, solidified his transition. With over 50 million views on TikTok and 100 million plays on Spotify, it’s evident that KAMRAD’s new direction is a success.

Listen here to KAMRAD on Spotify.

Karl Haeusgen, born in 1966, studied business administration in Switzerland at the University of St. Gallen. After graduating, he worked for MAHO AG, then in Asia for the textile machinery manufacturer Barmag AG. In 1996, Haeusgen became managing director of HAWE Hydraulik GmbH & Co. KG and, after the company’s conversion into an SE, became spokesman for the Executive Board in 2008. Today, he is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of HAWE Hydraulik SE, Munich. Haeusgen has been involved in the VDMA for many years. From 2008 to 2014, he was Chairman of the Board of VDMA Bavaria. In 2013, he was elected vice president of the VDMA. In October 2020, Karl Haeusgen was elected VDMA President by the VDMA General Assembly.

Until 2013 different positions within E.ON-group. Since 2013 at Volkswagen Group starting as head of energy supply. Since 2020 responsible for Volkswagen group-wide development of climate-protection projetcts and management of the respective certificates as well as delivery of a solution to completely decarbonize the use-phase of battery-electric vehicle-fleet.

Katharina van Bronswijk studied Psychology in Heidelberg and Berlin. She specialised in clinical psychology and the connection between psychology and action on climate change as well as planetary health. Katharina is an author and spokesperson of Psychologists/Psychotherapists for Future.

Katja Heintschel von Heinegg, M.E.S. is director general of the German Advertsising Selfregualtory Organisation “Deutscher Werberat” and director of the German Advertising Federation “ZAW”. From 2011 to 2022 she was the chair of the selfregulatory committee of the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA). She is a lawyer and holds a Master Degree in European Studies.

As Head of Sustainability & Environment at Deutsche Bahn AG, Katrin Habenschaden is playing a key role in shaping the sustainable mobility transition in Germany. In her position, she is responsible for DB’s green transformation and social responsibility. Her focus is on achieving climate neutrality by 2040 and, together with her team, she is also driving forward topics such as the circular economy and biodiversity. Before joining Germany’s largest mobility company, Katrin Habenschaden was the second mayor of the state capital of Munich. In her previous role, she was already responsible for issues relating to climate protection, mobility and gender equality.

Kevin Knitterscheidt works as the head of the Podcast, Live & Video department. Previously, he served as an editor in the Business and Markets department, covering the steel, mechanical engineering, and construction sectors. His career path includes studying Philosophy and Literary Studies in Munich and Düsseldorf, with journalistic roles at the Welt Group in Munich and Düsseldorf, the Süddeutsche Zeitung (Feuilleton), and the Westfälische Rundschau (Local Editorial Office Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis). He is a graduate of the Georg von Holtzbrinck School for Business Journalists.

A true music aficionado, whose passion for creating and producing music is second to none. From a young age, Kian has been consumed by music, mastering and expanding his skills to include guitar, bass, drums and production. Now based in London, Kian has established himself as a producer, known for his unwavering commitment to producing music of the highest quality and his ability to elevate the artists he works with to new heights. After a year of carefully crafting his latest project, ‘Nothing, It Was Just Temptation’, Kian is poised to make a splash in the industry. With a focus on his vocals and instrument playing, Kian has pushed himself to create a new sound he calls Psychedelic Soul, drawing on elements of soul, funk, jazz, hip-hop, and psychedelic rock to bring back an old-school sound to the modern era.

Listen here to KIAN VATIRI on Spotify.

Kiro is the founder at BRVE, a venture studio building and investing in the next generation of companies at intersection of sustainability, technology, and culture. Prior to this, Kiro was a partner at Venturerock (a global venture capital firm) and founder at Eco Labs, a next-gen blockchain advisory firm that successfully onboarded some of the largest environmental entities into web3. Kiro sits as an advisor for Rewild and Earthed, and is also a graduate from Ivey Business School in Ontario, Canada.

Yamakoe is an early fire detection and prevention system based on on tree sensors

Larissa Holzki leads the Artificial Intelligence team at Handelsblatt. The team was established in 2023 as a strategic project alongside the major departments of Politics, Business, and Finance to accompany the significant technological transformation through AI. Larissa Holzki is a graduate of the Cologne School of Journalism and has studied Economics, Social Sciences, and Criminology. She began her professional career as an editor for the Süddeutsche Zeitung. In 2019, she joined Handelsblatt, initially reporting mainly on tech companies, the start-up scene, and eventually the defense industry.

Lars Jessen was born in Kiel in 1969. After studying history at the University of Cologne, Lars Jessen completed a course in film/television at the Cologne Academy of Media Arts. For years, Jessen has successfully directed numerous television formats such as TATORT as well as many other series or television plays. Most recently, LEGEND OF WACKEN. He has directed six feature films, which have been shown at numerous international festivals. His adaptation of the novel MITTAGSSTUNDE was the most successful arthouse film in German cinemas in 2022. In addition to his writing and directing work, Jessen has also been working as a producer and partner at Florida Film since 2015 and is co-founder of the agency Planet Narrytives.

As an expert in science-based sustainability and climate strategies, Lea accompanies companies along their transformation towards 1.5°C compatible business models and activities. With many years of experience in strategy and policy development, campaigning and stakeholder engagement with CDP and the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), Lea not only has deep technical expertise, but also a broad understanding of current market developments and business challenges.

Leonardo Estrada set his professional focus early on the Energy Transition during his studies of “Energy and Process Engineering” at the Technical University of Berlin. He has been member of the executive board at MegaWATT, before he started working at Drees & Sommer in 2019. At his current position as a Senior Manager he is responsible for the area of energy and sustainability at the Berlin location, as well as for the development of the competence area energy infrastructure and economy for the Drees & Sommer group. Project-related, his focus is on energy concepts for districts and large properties as well as contracting consulting, energy management and energy efficiency as well as the transition to zero carbon.

Founder & CEO of runningyouroffice, pioneering innovative office solutions provider and working culture, HR expert and moderator.

LORE VAIN embodies the essence of velvet dreams in Berlin’s underground scene, evoking the desire for gentle kisses and tender bites through her melodies. Her latest album, ‘Agony the Muse,’ released in 2023, captivates listeners with its allure.

Listen here to LORE VAIN on Spotify.

Lothar is a GreenTech entrepreneur and business builder. With Imhotep, he manages a sustainable water-from-air technology and won the Green Award in Berlin 2022. Lothar brings a long experience in business development of high-tech products and has held executive roles in the machinery industry. With a technical background and a PhD from WU Vienna, he is now an entrepreneur focused on innovation and transformation programs for technology-driven clients worldwide. Skilled in global sales, strategic planning and operational optimization, Lothar has a proven track record in commercial management. He is also actively involved in early stage technology investments and business successions. Outside of work, Lothar enjoys outdoor activities and classical music with his family in Austria.

In 2018 Lukas Neuss founded KitchenTown Berlin together with Eike Kieras. As Co-Founder he is dedicating all his professional attention to startups, venture building and food innovation. Earlier, Lukas lead a Digital Transformation Hub at Bahlsen Group.

Self-taught, Luna is a bedroom producer, songwriter and artist who shapes powerful melodies with delicate vocals and production that takes inspiration from EDM behemoths Kaskade, Da Hool and Gigi D’Agostino: “Growing up, I used to buy these compilation CDs called BRAVO, so I would end up listening to these huge dance and trance hits when I was really young”.

Combining this with her modern day love of Charli XCX, Shygirl and Caroline Polachek, Luna is creating a world that sees her blending hyperpop with dance anthems. Raw, emotive lyrics tell Luna’s personal stories, while a backdrop of dancefloor – inducing beats transport you to a Berlin night out; all making Luna Morgenstern one of the most exciting and innovative artists leading the European charge.

Listen here to Luna Morgenstern on Spotify.

Prof. Dr. Maja Göpel has been working for 25 years as a political economist, transformation expert and sustainability scientist at the interface of science, politics and society. The political consultant, bestselling author and sought-after speaker is an honorary professor for sustainability transformations at Leuphana University Lüneburg. She was most recently Scientific Director at The New Institute and Secretary General of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU). Prior to that, she headed the Berlin office of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, after six years as Director of Future Justice at the Brussels office and as Campaign Manager Climate Energy in Hamburg, where she helped establish the World Future Council.

Dr Malcolm Fabiyi is Founder and CEO of Optimabiome, a cleantech focused on the development of game changing climate solutions. Optimabiome is currently developing an innovative mobile carbon capture solution for decarbonizing heavy duty transportation. He holds degrees in Chemical Engineering (BSc University of Lagos, PhD University of Cambridge), and business administration (MBA, University of Chicago). He has extensive experience leading technology development, new product commercialization and operations across a broad range of sectors that include renewable energy, software solutions, environmental remediation, sustainability, and carbon credit markets. He was CTO at Environmental Operating Solutions, President of US Operations at environmental software provider, Hydromantis, COO & VP of Operations at Drylet and COO at 3Degrees, a major climate solutions provider.

Malek received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Prof. Scott Denmark laboratory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2018. He joined Prof. Milad Abolhasani’s Lab in North Carolina State University as a postdoctoral researcher where he developed novel flow chemistry platforms. Malek worked for a major petrochemical technology company for 6 years. He has 3 issued patents, 4 pending applications, and several scientific publications.

Mamphela Ramphele is a world-renowned figure with an outstanding career as an activist, medical doctor, academic, businesswoman, and political thinker. She has been Co-President of the Club of Rome since October 2018 until end of term in 2023. She is the  Co-Founder & Global Brand Ambassador of ReimagineSA since 2016. Previously, she served as a Managing Director at the World Bank from 2000 to 2004 and as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, South Africa, from 1996 to 2000. She obtained a medical degree from the University of Natal in 1968, where she co-founded the Black Consciousness Movement with Steve Biko and became involved in the South African Students Association (SASO).

With a track-record in successfully building and shaping brands for international companies Marc decided to dedicate his energy, talent and experience to sustainability. Besides his commitment to AWorld as the Representative for the DACH Region, he runs a co-working space to strengthen the community in his neighborhood, lectures at the MacroMedia University in Berlin, Leipzig and Hamburg to encourage young talent and consults big player on their path to a more sustainable business.

Marcel began his professional career at Drees & Sommer and was involved in setting up the new “Circular Design and Construction” department. Since 2019 he has been team leader and since 2024 managing director in the “Cradle to Cradle® Real Estate” division at EPEA GmbH – Part of Drees & Sommer. He works on solutions to bring material and resource flows into a closed cycle at building and city level. Intelligent water/waste management is just as much a part of his remit as the focus on the development of recyclable, flexible and healthy buildings and infrastructures. Associating these areas with opportunities for the construction and property industry in terms of the circular economy round up Marcel’s scope at EPEA.

Marcin is a top expert in the petrochemicals and refining world, known for his savvy in strategy, market planning, and making operations and investments shine. Used to based in the Middle East, his work has made waves across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, thanks to a solid track record of leading successful projects. When he’s not dissecting complex industry challenges, Marcin is all about embracing the great outdoors. Whether he’s cutting through waves while kitesurfing, teeing off on the golf course, or exploring nature trails, both in snowy winters and sunny summers, Marcin loves staying active and connected with nature.

Marco Lescher is currently Customer Care & Services Director at Nespresso Germany. He leads the Customer Care & Services unit and coordinates the activities of customer care, supply chain, after-sales services, quality management, and sustainability. Marco Lescher has a background in Mechanical Engineering.

Marco Voigt is one of Germany’s green visionaries. Back in 2008, he founded the GreenTec Awards, an award for sustainable technologies, companies and projects. Before he launched the GREENTECH FESTIVAL in 2018 together with former F1 champion and sustainability entrepreneur Nico Rosberg and co-founder of the awards Sven Krüger, he was known primarily in the startup scene as a “green serial founder.” With the motto #celebratechange GTF inspires those who already are or want to become change makers with the most innovative green technologies and ideas for a sustainable lifestyle. Under Marco’s influence, GTF became the first event of its kind to create a space for inspiration and networking around the topic of sustainability aiming to actively promote technological, economic, and societal change.

Maria is the Co-Founder and COO of we4everyone, a startup developing innovative wind sails to produce green energy in urban areas and on roof tops. She is responsible for the commercial business. Prior to her founding journey she worked eight years in Public Management Consulting for PwC. During her holidays she spends her time sailing – so she knows how to set sails for a new wave of green energy technology.

Marie Jacobs is an experienced professional in sustainability and strategy. Her passion for environmentally friendly mobility solutions and innovative in rail transport led her to Stadler Rail in 2021, where she currently assumes the role as Global Head of Sustainability. In this role, she focuses on integrating sustainability principles into all aspects of corporate management, from the supply chain to the final product. Marie likes to advocate for the rail industry as one of the drivers for a sustainable future and also believes that with small and big changes, corporations can contribute their share towards changing where our environment is currently heading – for example through strengthening circularity principles in our way of doing business.

Marie-Christine Knop advises cross-industry organisations on reputation management, media relations and stakeholder engagement with a focus on campaign development in the digital and analogue space. With over 10 years of experience at the interface of business, politics and culture, she enriches Brunswick with her international perspective

Dr. Martin Henrik Baier is the Head of Sustainability of Siemens Smart Infrastructure (SI), a position he has held since July 2022. In this role, Martin is responsible for three sustainability-related action fields. First, sustainability business development, including portfolio and strategy, communications support, and sales force enablement. Second, implementation of the Siemens DEGREE program with a particular focus on reducing the CO2 footprint of SI. Third, compliance with and leverage of sustainability reporting requirements, including EU Taxonomy and CSRD. Martin is a member of SI’s executive leadership team, reporting to the CEO of Siemens Smart Infrastructure and he has a dotted line to the Siemens Global Head of Sustainability.

Martin Pietzonka joined Drees & Sommer in 2019. He is Head of Innovation Services at Startup Hub Berlin and is responsible for the further development of the Hub as well as innovation management, scouting and cooperation with startups and growups at the Berlin office. In addition, he supports the concrete management and implementation of digitalization and strategy projects as part of his work. During his professional career as a technology consultant, he has advised over 100 start-ups from all sectors on the development of their business models, business plans, strategies and venture capital financing and was also Managing Director of a cross-industry innovation network with a focus on “Connected Life” as well as a manager at an e-commerce company of Rocket Internet.

Martin Polak spearheads Planet’s EMEA public sector business since 2017, championing sustainability through satellite technology. His passion lies in leveraging digital solutions to tackle global challenges, particularly in environmental conservation, disaster management, and food security. With a Master’s in Computer Science, he navigates the intersection of technology and sustainability, fueled by a dedicated interest in space and satellite applications for our Earth’s betterment.

Maryann, a sustainability advocate, serves as the Sustainability Coordinator for Sucafina Rwanda, focusing on redefining agricultural systems in East Africa. She empowers smallholder farmers to adopt sustainable practices, partnering with WFP and Proteen in the Rebug2Debug project to produce organic fertilizer from Black Soldier Fly Larvae. This initiative reintroduces lost nutrients into the food chain, enhancing farm productivity and food security in Rwanda. With a background in Animal Sciences and experience with research organizations like ICIPE, Maryann is dedicated to finding alternative protein sources and raising awareness about climate change. She strives to foster practices that enhance the adaptation and mitigation capacity of African food systems, embodying a catalyst for positive change.

Mashrur, is a Bangladeshi young engineer-turned-to agribusiness enthusiast. He co-founded iPAGE, an agricultural information tech startup to empower smallholders through actionable information and ecosystem linkage. Mashrur is a Westerwelle Fellow, public speaker, and an advocate for digital agricultural extension. Before embarking on his current entrepreneurial journey, Mashrur worked in government service, founded two other startups, one of which is now a full fledged company. He comes from a farming family that migrated from its ancestral profession for loosing a fortune during a disastrous cyclone, spurring him to seek ways to bolster small farmers’ climate resilience using homegrown talent and technology. Mashrur wants to contribute to developing an agricultural ecosystem that is connected to all related stakeholders, fosters diversity, and sustainable.

Three decades of experience in business technologies. Influencer in the area of digital transformation with a focus on sustainability, AAS (Asset Administration Shell) and business modeling. Numerous articles in various publications on the topics of Big Data, Realtime Enterprise Platform, Twin Transformation and AI.After studying History, German and then Business Informatics, he held management positions in sales and business development at large software manufacturers.Former participant in the Digitalization AG of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, and an associative partner for climate solutions in BmBF research projects. Member of the Expert advisory board of DENA (“Refridgeration Project”) and associative partner of the “Global Industry Alliance for Circular Economy Standards”.

Matt Petersen is the President and CEO of Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI.) LACI is creating an inclusive green economy by unlocking innovation (e.g., incubating leading startups), transforming markets (i.e., creating aspirational partnerships), and enhancing community (i.e., inspiring future entrepreneurs). LACI’s three priorities are accelerating transportation electrification, clean energy, and sustainable cities. Prior to joining LACI, Matt Petersen was appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti as the first ever Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Los Angeles. Serving as CSO for four years, Petersen was the chief architect of the groundbreaking Sustainable City pLAn, led efforts to make LA a global leader in EVs, and helped create the Climate Mayors.

Max Wasler is a versatile entrepreneur and sports enthusiast, boasting a Master’s degree in Sport Management from Real Madrid University. With over four years at Red Bull, he orchestrated motorsport events like Formula 1 and MotoGP. In 2019, Max teamed up with Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg to drive his business development and investments. As Managing Director, he played a pivotal role in the establishment of “Rosberg X Racing,” clinching two out of three championships in Extreme E racing. Committed to sustainability, Max also leads the Greentech Festival and co-founded fintech startup “Bankwards” in 2022. With Bankwards, Max revolutionizes financial management for SMEs through digitalization and automation. Max’s journey embodies innovation, resilience, and a profound dedication to merging sports and sustainability.

In 2019, Maya Leinenbach launched her Instagram channel with the idea of building her own community to fulfill her dream of writing her own cookbook. Today, she inspires over 6 million subscribers on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest as @Fitgreenmind. The company’s mission: to inspire people to integrate a sustainable lifestyle into their everyday lives and provide access to vegan food and products. Fitgreenmind shows that plant-based eating is easy, fun and tastes good to many cultures and generations around the world.

Melanie has held various executive positions in the global biotechnology, agrochemical and chemical industry including Vice President EHS Corporate, Senior Vice President Global Safety Cluster and Senior Vice President Regulatory, Sustainability & Public Affairs Agricultural Solutions. She is an experienced leader with a demonstrated track record and an accomplished regulatory professional with more than 16 years of in-depth experience. She holds a PhD in Neurobiology, from Max-Planck Institute of Brain Research.

With more than a decade experience from renewable energy technology and project finance, Melanie now focusses on connecting sustainable solutions with corporate venture capital, ensuring the scalability of startups advancing digital infrastructure solutions for a greener future. Current efforts are geared towards advancing the energy and mobility transition, exemplified by investments in battery analytics company Volytica Diagnostics and carbon management platform Cozero.

With a career spanning over two decades from being at the technological forefront to holding senior management positions, Michael Mueller is a widely recognised figure within the cloud and sustainable IT industry. As an expert in cloud technologies, transformation and sustainable software, he’s not only worked for leading companies he also got elected as Co-Chair at the Green Software Foundation’s Policy Working Group. Michael shares his knowledge as lecturer at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and various industry conferences.

Swedish-born Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky has emerged as a trailblazing figure in the racing world. With her grandfather, Freddy Kottulinsky, being the only Swede to win the Paris-Dakar Rally, and her mother, Susanne Kottulinsky, a European Rally Champion, Mikaela was destined for a career in motorsports, despite initial interest in gymnastics and dancing. Her breakthrough came in 2014 when she became the first woman to win a race in the German Scirocco R-Cup and made history at the Norisring. Mikaela’s versatility saw her gaining experience in Rallycross and competing in the Audi Sport TT Cup and ADAC GT Masters. Joining PWR Racing in 2018, she made history again by winning a race in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship (STCC), demonstrating remarkable skill and determination. Her most recent achievement came in 2023 when she clinched the Extreme E Championship with teammate Johan Kristoffersson, beating renowned motorsport legends and cementing her status as a formidable force in the racing world.

Mischa is an expert in corporate collaboration, marketing, communications and fundraising. He is dedicated to the many ways in which organisations can best support their business models to work with WWF to create a path to effective sustainability. With his long experience in various positions in the non-profit sector, management and project management, Mischa has a broad understanding of the interplay between business interests and sustainability issues.

Ms. Moesi is the cofounder and CEO of Viva Organica, and spearheads the overall business strategy of the ecoconscious biotech company based in Gabane, Botswana. She is a biologist by profession and is passionate about developing climate action-oriented businesses and projects in Climate change adaptation work. Applying principles of soil microbiology and agritech in restoring fertility of soils through sustainable agriculture and climate resilient farming is a goals she seeks to achieve through Viva Organica. She has prototyped and launched the company’s flagship products into the local market which has impacted close to 400 farmers and distributed to 200Hectares of land. Mmakwena is a 2022 YouthAdapt Challenge winner, a 2023 SEED Awards runner up and a Youth Ecopreneuer 2023 finalist.

Born and raised in Munich, I am a Sports Student gone wrong, who consciously decided against classical business studies and chose to study something where my passion lies, with the intention of eventually becoming a Journalist.Realising I am more into building a business with others than writing about football, I became the first employee of Netlight in the German-speaking region, helping the company grow to 2000 people across Europe. I am leading Netlight’s work in the early-stage and impact space and strongly believe the opportunity for driving impactful change is now. On a private level, I am thankful for having 3 lovely children and a solid foundation with friends and family.

Natalie Frieb ist Inhaberin von “Frieb Social”, einer Influencer Marketing Beratungs Agentur. Mit ihrer Branchen-Expertise aus mittlerweile sechs Jahren im Business kennt sie den aktuellen Wandel des sich stetig verändernden Medien-Kosmos nur zu gut und steht mit ihrem 3-köpfigen Team ihren Kunden langfristig beratend im Influencer Marketing als Sparringspartner zur Seite. Darunter: Schweppes, Krombacher und Annemarie BÖRLIND. Weiterhin kuratiert sie das „Influencer Marketing Update“ – ein Newsletter, der über die wichtigsten Trends & Neuigkeiten aus Instagram, YouTube, TikTok & Co. informiert.

Niclas Vogt, as the German Startup Association’s spokesperson, crucially contributes to igniting Germany’s passion for startups by highlighting their pivotal role in innovation and economic growth. He has over seven years of experience in communication and political agenda setting. Niclas is enthusiastic about the dynamic, creativity and innovative strength of the startup sector and wants to make Germany a better and more competitive location for founders. Let’s push things forward!

Nico Rosberg is well-known as the 2016 Formula 1 World Champion. Since leaving the racing series, he is passionately committed to the issue of sustainability. As an entrepreneur and investor in green technologies and mobility startups, he represents visionary innovations that make the world a little better. In numerous projects around the world, he also contributes to the topic of environmental protection, health, equality and justice. In 2019, he co-founded the GREENTECH FESTIVAL, a global platform for pioneering sustainable ideas that takes place annually in Berlin. Since 2021, he has been competing with Rosberg X Racing in Extreme E, a racing series that aims to draw attention to the consequences of global climate change.

Ms. Quijano-Evans is the Deputy Head of the Crimes that Affect the Environment Programme of UNODC. She has more than 19 years’ experience with UNODC both at HQ and in the field, managing technical assistance programmes for criminal justice agencies in various areas of transnational organized crime and border security. For the past five years she has been managing a programme to address illegal deforestation and timber trafficking through enhancing cross-border cooperation and improving capabilities to detect, inspect and investigate forestry and timber crimes. Prior to joining UNODC, Ms. Quijano-Evans worked for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. She holds a PhD in Criminology, a Master’s degree in political science and a Master degree in Criminology.

Born in 1982, lawyer with a focus on economic and environmental criminal law as well as media and film law. Ph.D. in media and copyright, 2017. After several stations in Media and Film law, included FFA and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, i have been Legal Counsel at UFA Fiction from 2018 to 2024. Passionate about addressing the climate crisis, I obtained further training in climate psychology. In 2023, alongside Lars Jessen, I co-founded the PlanetNarratives Initiative (as part of Global Eco Transition gGmbH), led by Prof. Maja Göpel and David Wortmann.

Nidhi is Co-Founder of Science For Society – S4S Technologies. Nidhi works at the intersection of agriculture, gender, energy access and financial inclusion. S4S Technologies helps small holder women farmers set-up their agro-processing factories helping them adapt to climate chang, become economically independent and get dignified work. S4S helps 3000 women farmers increase their household income by 2X.S4S works with 100k farmers in 400 villages in India and reduces 100k Tons of food from getting wasted annually and also reduces 300k Tons of CO2 from entering the environment. Nidhi is winner of many awards including the Earthshot Prize instituted by HRH Prince Williams.Nidhi holds a bachelor’s in Chemical Technology from the Institute of Chemical Technology.

Nilas Möllenkamp has profound, years-long experience within the real estate industry. His focus is on the green transformation of the sector using AI. The proptech company syte provides a unique technology that allows cities to be checked on a large scale for opportunities for additions and renovation potentials.

Nina Eichinger is a German TV and Radio host, who is well known for her work in various sectors including MTV, German Idol, Echo Klassik and Cinestar.  However her big passion is Ecology and the Environment.  She studied environmental Sciences in California and Rainforest Ecology in Queensland.  She lives in Munich and has spent the last years being active in numerous movements and projects fighting climate change, biodiversity loss and the lack of communication regarding these topics.  Furthermore she strongly believes that an agricultural country like Germany can and must operate sustainably in order to tackle our future biodiversity and climate crisis. After studying permaculture, she just started the “Ways of the Wild” foundation which aims to connect habitats, people and organizations to increase biodiversity.

Olaf Deutschbein, has many years of experience in development cooperation and government and worked for the German Ministry of the Interior and the Development Ministry. He has been responsible for initiatives such as the introduction of the Green Button, the worldwide first government-run certification label for sustainable textiles; the 15 Green Agricultural Innovation Centers, and the Cash for Work Initiative which has provided 60,000 jobs per year for Syrian refugees in the Middle East.

Oleg Drozdov is an architect, urbanist, artist, educator. Was born in 1966. In 1990 graduated Kharkiv University of Civil Engineering with a degree in architecture. Since 1997 is the founder and Chief Architect of Drozdov&Partners architectural office. In 2017 became one of the founders of the Kharkiv School of Architecture and its lecturer. KHSA is the first private and independent architectural school in Ukraine. The curator of exhibition projects on Biennale in Rotterdam (2005), “Patiology” (2006), Moscow Biennale (2012). Expert of European Commission and EU Mies van der Rohe Award. Co-author of the book «Talks on architecture»2022. In 2022 became a co-founder of Ro3kvit Urban Coalition for Ukraine, that will develop a methodology for rebuilding Ukraine’s infrastructure and cities.

With a background in Digital Innovation and Emerging Tech, since graduating LSE-The London School of Economics in 2021, Patricia has founded NEA-New Emerging Artists, lead the execution of numerous Web3 & Immersive Tech projects and most recently acts as EIT Community Strategic Regional Innovations Manager for EIT Manufacturing. At the core of her mission, she scores to use technology as a platform to advocate for a framework which unites European values with the scope of economic growth for transformative, inclusive, and purposeful use-cases.

I make social media campaigns and accounts climate-neutral when I’m not launching a nude calendar for climate awareness, recording a podcast, creating content for Brand New Bundestag or taking a stand against BILD ❤️‍🔥

Dr. Philip Lettmann, born in 1965, studied Business Administration in Cologne, Paris, Oxford and Berlin. Before joining WALA (https://www.wala.world/en/) in 2004 Dr. Philip Lettmann held a senior position within a private equity firm in Germany, specialized in the financing of midsize growth companies. With Dr. Hauschka / WALA Group he started as the director of the Infrastructure & Supply Department, which included overseeing the areas of finance, planning, logistics and IT. Until 2020, he was CFO of WALA. In July 2020, he became a member of the Board of Directors of WALA foundation (https://wala-stiftung.de/en/), the owner of the WALA Group. Since 2021 he holds the chairmanship of the Excecutive Board of WALA Heilmittel GmbH.

During his studies at the Technical University of Munich, Philipp Glonner gained extensive experience in engineering and management. He worked independently on automotive projects for alternative drive systems and had successful exits in the start-up sector. As co-founder and CEO of ARTHUR, a mobility company in Munich, he has led the development of one of the most advanced hydrogen buses offering integrated virtual twin and planning services for the transport industry.

Raised on an organic farm in northern Germany, Philipp Schröder, was Country Director of Tesla Germany & Austria and managing director of sonnen. He now heads 1KOMMA5° as CEO and Co-Founder, closed the largest CleanTech Series A in Europe in 2022 and is on track to build a vertically integrated one-stop-shop for Photovoltaik, heat pump and electric charging to revolutionize the energy market.

Pierre Paslier is a London-based Innovation Design Engineer who has spent his career exploring the intersection of design and technology. He started his career as a Packaging Engineer for L’Oréal. His passion for innovation led him to study design at the Royal College of Art. Pierre is now the cofounder and CoCEO of Notpla a startup that creates sustainable packaging materials from seaweed to replace plastics. Notpla won Prince William’s £1,000,000 Earthshot Prize in 2022. Pierre has a Masters degree from the RCA’s Innovation Design Engineering program and INSA de Lyon. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub and a member of the Industrial Advisory Board of Imperial College London Dyson School of Design Engineering.

Rachael Ross is a Forest Carbon Scientist at Renoster, with a focus on using remote sensing to evaluate and monitor carbon projects. She holds a Masters Degree in Environmental Science from Yale University, where her masters thesis focused on analyzing land use and biodiversity trends in northern Tanzania to evaluate the efficacy of conservation initiatives. Rachael is passionate about increasing the quality and transparency of forest carbon projects. She has over 10 years experience spanning carbon markets, NGOs, and major research institutions.

Regina is the Head of the SDG2 Acceleration at the United Nations World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator. She is leading the Sourcing, Bootcamp and Sprint Programmes with focus on innovations to disrupt hunger. Before joining the Accelerator, Regina was a Partner with a focus on Consumer Goods & Retail at a leading Strategy Consulting firm. She supported customers in more than 30 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America in developing, innovating and growing their businesses. She has a broad understanding of the different topics along the food value chain.

Ricarda Lang became party leader of the German Green Party (BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN) in February 2022. Prior to her work in the Green Party, she was Speaker of the Green Youth (2017-2019). She went on serve as deputy chairwoman and Speaker for Women’s Policy of the Green Party (2019-2022). In September 2021, she was elected as a Member of the German Bundestag, where she sits on the Committee for Family Policy.

Robert is the Coordinator for industrial cooperation at DLR in Munich, DLR´s largest site focused on space applications. His transfers scientific developments into business. Typical domains are Robotics, Earth Observation, Satellite Navigation, Communication, Sensors and Big Data, AI. Verticals served are ITC, Automotive, Transport, Aircraft, UAV/UAS, Geospatial/GIS, Utilities, Energy, General Industry, Medical, Public Sector and Environmental. Additionally DLR forsters own deep tech start-ups and is partner of ESA Business Incubation. Robert holds a master diploma in Economic Geography from both Munich Universities, and has a background in Business Strategy, Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship.
Prior to joining DLR in 2009, Robert gained experience during 10 years in Siemens’ GIS/Geospatial Division. Robert is co-inventor of patents in Automated Driving and HD Mapping.

Rolf Stahlhofen is a renowned musician, UN Ambassador for Sustainability, and founder of the “Water Is Right” foundation. With a successful music career as a founding member of the German band “Söhne Mannheims” as well as a solo artist, Stahlhofen leverages his artistic talent to draw attention to urgent global challenges and inequitable distributions and to inspire action. Since the establishment of the Water Is Right foundation in 2011, it has already provided access to clean water and sanitary facilities for over 5 million people. With his tireless commitment, Rolf has set a goal to provide clean drinking water to 100 million people in the next 10 years. He has been appointed by the UN as a “Messenger of Truth”.

Romi Sumaria is an entrepreneur, dedicated mentor, and investor, uniquely positioned at the intersection of technology, social change, and environmental sustainability. He is committed to advancing frontier technologies, ensuring equitable access, and leveraging these innovations for the good. Currently he’s the Head of Business Development & Partnerships at Terra Quantum, one of the leading quantum technology companies globally. Working across all major sectors he is responsible for the scaling and commercialisaiton of solutions in quantum algorithms, compute and security whilst also supporting the growth of robust ecosystem.  His diverse career path has seen him making significant impacts across multiple sectors, including founding The Oblique Life a community of impact focussed business leaders and working in investment banking at HSBC.

Rowena, Team Lead Interior Design at Drees and Sommer studied and began her career in Australia before coming to Germany over 20 years ago. Her key focus is workplace design, having completed projects for local and international clients both here and overseas. She’s passionate about sustainable design – beyond certification, beyond measuring and offsetting carbon footprints. Creating healthy, beautiful spaces that people want to spend time in with materials that don’t just maintain the status quo on sustainability but actively improve their quality. She aims to inspire clients and coworkers to approach sustainability with integrity and optimism as every step counts.

From farm roots to food science – Sandra’s journey from a farm upbringing to a doctoral thesis about milk proteins reflects her deep connection to dairy. After finishing her studies in Kiel, she was exploring plan-based dairy alternatives for Nestlé in Switzerland. Understanding the limitations of plant proteins, Sandra was seeking for a more disruptive approach to revolutionise the dairy industry. She joined Formo in 2019 as first employee and started to build up the food R&D knowledge, team and facilities. Today, Sandra is leading the Food R&D Department at Formo and is aiming for animal-free cheese that consumers and the environment love.

Sandrine Dixson-Declève is an environmental scientist and an international climate change, sustainable development, sustainable finance, and complex system thought leader. She is Co-President of the Club of Rome and divides her time between leading the Club of Rome, advising on non-Executive corporate and academic Boards, lecturing, and facilitating difficult conversations. She is a TED global speaker and was recognised most recently by Reuters as one of 25 global female trailblazers and by GreenBiz as one of the 30 most influential women across the globe driving change in the low carbon economy and promoting green business.

Saqib is a highly accomplished market research professional and a data storyteller in the international energy industry. With over a decade of experience in the field, he currently serves as the Chief Product Officer at PTR Inc. His expertise lies in the power grid and e-mobility equipment sectors. Saqib has overseen numerous global market research studies throughout his career and provided valuable insights to key decision-makers at various Fortune 500 companies. He is a member of the editorial board for Transformers Magazine and a member of the Advisory board of CWIEME Berlin and Middle East Energy. In addition to his market research career, Saqib has worked as an Electrical Engineer in the manufacturing sector.

Sarah is Head of Start Up Innovations & Ventures at the Hochland Group and coordinates group wide activities in Hochlands efforts to find new sustainable raw materials for future food developments. Sarah holds a PhD in biotechnology from the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich. Before joining Hochland, Sarah worked as an international key account manager for a biotech company with customers from the food industry, headed a biosafety and biosecurity project for the German armed forces in Georgia and as a lobbyist for the German chemical industry association raising awareness for biotechnological topics with government representatives.

Sebastian is a serial entrepreneur and author. He co-founded companies such as Blinkist and Neue Narrative and gave up 90% of his personal wealth to dedicate it to good causes. He’s also a member of the initiative taxmenow and an advocate for a higher taxation of wealth, inheritance and capital gains.

Sebastian is responsible for our climate strategy work, drives it forward conceptually with the WWF network and translates it into Paris-compatible offers for our companies. He is not only our link to the latest developments of the Science Based Targets Initiative. With his scientific expertise in strategic and international sustainability management, he is also a creative driving force for the holistic transformation of companies.

Sebastian built Urban Innovation, a program of the Climate Tech Hub, and has led it since 2021. His career in business development has included working as a consultant on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, for the German Energy Solutions Initiative and the Ministry’s market entry program at eclareon GmbH, as well as working at the German-Indonesian Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Jakarta. With many years of experience in international cooperation around the globe, Sebastian builds strong networks between ecosystems to foster exchange and innovation.

With over 20 years of experience in the software and energy industry, Sebastian Weber is a visionary leader who drives digital transformation at E.ON. Since July 2021 he is CIO overseeing the IT strategy, operations, governance, and the development of digital customer solutions. He is a member of the Forbes Technology Council and The Harvard Business Review Advisory Council. Previously, Sebastian was responsible for the digital retail transformation within the German Sales organization of E.ON. Before joining E.ON in 2019, Sebastian held management positions at Microsoft, focusing on advising companies on their transformation in Africa, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia. His understanding of the dimensions of digital transformation has been rounded up in various startups and BCG.

Silke is the head of the Business & Markets department at WWF, which is responsible for the development of the One Planet Business Framework. She organizes the collaboration between WWF experts and One Planet Business and drives WWF’s transformative work in the markets. Through her experience as a sustainability manager at EY and in corporate collaboration at UN Global Compact Germany, she has broad expertise and diverse perspectives.

Simon Bail, an “ecopreneur,” founded and leads OneClimate, a climate-action startup, an app that enables their users to take climate actions from holistically. Before establishing OneClimate, Simon worked in a management consultancy at the company builder wattx, within the Viessmann ecosystem, turning ideas into businesses, including OneClimate. He calls himself as a metamodernist and strives to empower as people to take climate action into their own hands.

Simon has worked at the intersection of climate and innovation for over a decade as an economist and entrepreneur with endeavors that include one of the first climate tech incubators in the US; the first large scale urban tech collaboratives in NYC and Detroit; and the Urban Tech Summit at Cornell Tech. In 2019, as the Founder of CIV:LAB and in partnership with the City of New York, Simon built ‘The Grid’, a local urban innovation collaborative of 130+ urban innovation organizations the subsequently launched Detroit Urban Solutions in 2020. Most recently, CIV:LAB has begun to fund community climate initiatives in education, workforce development and technology as part of a one of a kind national climate grant network with the goal of deploying $1bn across the United States to fight climate change.

Experienced manager in project implementation in the context of German development cooperation, voluntary carbon market expert, regional expertise in South East Asia and the Balkans.

Solveig Gode is the deputy department head for Podcasts, Video & Live at Handelsblatt. She hosts various event formats and hosts the Handelsblatt podcasts “Today” and “Crime,” among others. In 2023, she was selected by the trade magazine “Wirtschaftsjournalist:in” as one of the Business Journalists of the Year in the category of Economic Policy/Society. Previously, she moderated the successful True-Crime podcast “Macht & Millionen” by Business Insider, led it, and brought it to the stage in a sold-out live tour. Her eponymous book accompanying the podcast about the most spectacular scandals in the German economy made it onto the Manager Magazin’s bestseller list in 2022. She also works as a moderator and speaker, including past events such as re:publica, Spotify All Ears, or TedX. Solveig completed her traineeship at the Burda School of Journalism and at Focus Magazine, where she also completed a placement at the New York correspondent’s office. Solveig studied Journalism and Political Science in Berlin.

Sorin is a Romanian-born singer-songwriter, composer and producer who started performing in bands at a young age, playing in support of international artists such as Khruangbin, Maps & Atlases or Charlie Cunningham. In Berlin, Sorin started his solo career and released his debut album “While the Tides Turn” on April 12th, with genres such as indie, folk, electronica, pop and a preference for ambient and cinematic soundscapes. Sorin often refers to episodes of heartbreak, life lessons and the longing for harmony.

Listen here to SORIN in Spotify.

Stefan Klostermann is the Chief Commercial Officer Books & Media at momox SE. He’s focused on expanding the unit, which comprises 80% of momox business, to promote circular economy and to make second-hand items accessible to everyone. With over 20 years of experience in leadership positions, specializing in agile development processes, digital strategies, and business model transformation, Stefan brings a broad spectrum of experiences in e-commerce. Among his previous roles, he served as the Global Head of E-Commerce Solutions at the international technology conglomerate ABB. Prior to that, he was the Head of E-Commerce at tesa SE. Before, he also founded different companies with sustainability in mind.

Steffen serves as the Head of Innovation & Sustainability at Hansgrohe SE, making him one of the creative minds behind the Black Forest-based sanitation company. He has been leading various product and innovation departments within the company. As the head of the “Green Company” transformation team and the InnoLab, Steffen accelerates the green transformation of the traditional company while simultaneously aiding the Venture Team in evaluating and supporting startups in the European GreenTech sector to derive strategic investment recommendations for the Corporate Venture Fund. Steffen’s expertise extends beyond Hansgrohe. He serves as a guest lecturer at the University of St. Gallen and is a jury member for the GreenAwards and the German Gründerpreis.

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.

Stephen Dunbar-Johnson is the president, International of The New York Times Company. Dunbar-Johnson is responsible for the oversight and strategic development of the Times Company’s international businesses. Dunbar-Johnson was appointed president, International for The New York Times Company in October 2013 to lead the global expansion of the company.

Sylvie Nicol is member of the Henkel Management Board as Executive Vice President Human Resources, Infrastructure Services and Sustainability. Additionally, Sylvie Nicol is responsible for Henkel’s corporate sustainability strategy and heading the Sustainability Council as Chairwomen. The council is the company’s central decision-making body including all functions and businesses at Henkel. Born in 1973 in Paris, France, she started her career at Henkel early on. In 1996, after graduating from the renowned ESCP Europe business school, Nicol joined Henkel Beauty Care France, where she later became Corporate Vice President and General Manager Beauty Care Retail. In 2013, she moved to Düsseldorf, being responsible for Human Resources at Beauty Care. One year later, she became Corporate Senior Vice President for Beauty Care Retail in Europe as well as Global Sales at Beauty Care. In 2018, she became Corporate Senior Vice President Global Human Resources.

Thomas Dosch is a trained farmer and studied agricultural economics. For more than 10 years, he served as President of Bioland, the largest organic farming association in Germany. He gained valuable experience in agricultural administration as head of department and deputy state secretary in Lower Saxony’s Ministry of Agriculture. Since October 2020, he has held senior responsibility for policy, transformation and sustainability issues at Tönnies Holding. Sein Ziel: eine kreislauforientierte Landwirtschaft His mission: a circular, humane and animal-friendly agriculture for good food.

Mr Harlfinger studied civil engineering at the TU Dresden. He then wrote his doctoral thesis on the redevelopment of existing office properties. He then began his professional career at Drees & Sommer in Munich. He is now a partner and responsible for Drees & Sommer’s property development in Bavaria. His favourite subject is planning and construction in existing buildings.

Thomas Logisch studied mechanical engineering, medical technology and business administration. As a passionate sailor, he is familiar with the challenges of life on the water, and he knows the value of precision, reliability and the selection of the right materials to make reasonable, economical offers in the diverse and sometimes confusing world market of yachting solution providers.

Tina Dreimann is an exceptionally driven impact investor and founder of better ventures. Better ventures is a curated network of likeminded entrepreneurs investing in ambitious impact founders. Aligned with the vision ‘to be the catalyst for a better world, where impact startups thrive and create sustainable solutions for people and planet’, her mission is to empower ambitious founders to succeed. better ventures has already rallied over 70 successful entrepreneurs as strong partners ready to invest far above 50M Euros into the early-stage startup phase. Since 2022, she has been an engaged advisor for the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. In 2023, she was honored as the ‘Female Investor of the Year’ by the German Startup Awards.

Tina Schlingmann is a materials scientist with a PhD and an experienced additive manufacturing strategist, who is passionate about the potential and new opportunities that can be leveraged through additive manufacturing (AM) technology. Since May 2021, she has been working as Regional Director EMEA at EOS GmbH. In her current role she is responsible for the DACH and Benelux regions, focusing on the further development of the AM market. With a very application-oriented focus, she creates end-to-end solutions and accelerates the growth of the AM market by bringing together AM-designed materials with the appropriate applications.

Tobias Raffel is a Fellow at the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research and at the international business school ESMT Berlin, where he conducts research at the interface between biodiversity and business. He has managed several private foundations in the field of sustainability and was responsible for the development of thought leadership at a global strategy consultancy for over ten years. Most recently, he was Co-Founder and Executive Director of the FUTURE Institute for Sustainable Transformation at ESMT Berlin.

Todd Smith is a former Airbus A320 Pilot turned sustainable aviation activist. He and his colleagues at Safe Landing are determined to ensure the aviation industry changes course through early design, rather than late disaster. This international community of aviation workers have already commissioned the world’s first ‘Aviation Workers’ Assembly’ in the UK and wish to continue to put workers front and centre as we collectively navigate the turbulent skies ahead.

Tony is a land-use specialist with business, scientific and strategic expertise in agriculture, biodiversity and forestry. He obtained his Bachelor’s in NZ, and PhD at Cambridge University. He has published over 160 research papers. Tony’s experience covers public sector, private sector and academia including Shell Forestry, Oxford University and UK Government ODA. From 1995, he worked at ICRAF (Kenya), and from 2011 was Director General until October 2022. He holds honorary positions at Copenhagen University, and is Lifetime Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy. Tony is passionate about the transformative change that the private sector and private investors can bring to development having established partnerships with BNP Paribas, Astanor Ventures, MARS Inc, Danone, CEMOI, Boehringer, Unilever and many institutional investors.

On a mission to make electric mobility accessible to everyone, Toussaint founded Upway in 2021 to offer an unparalleled selection of affordable, thoroughly inspected, and professionally repaired e-bikes, delivered at home under warranty. Upway is available in 7 countries across Europe and the US, and has already refurbished over 20,000 e-bikes across its workshops in Berlin, Paris, New York and Mechelen. Before launching Upway, Toussaint worked at Uber for 8 years, where he led Uber Eats for the UK and Northern Europe markets.

I’m Vikas Garg and I started abillion, a consumer movement for sustainability that’s spread to over 10 million people in 188 countries. I started working on Wall Street when I was a kid and in my 30s I began asking how I could bring my values closer to my work. I became vegan, a choice that meant I could no longer turn my back on animals and the planet. In 2017 I took the leap and resigned from one of the world’s most successful hedge funds to start abillion. I’m a product of NYC and believe in the power of hustle.

Dr. Ruiz-Gutierrez earned her Bachelor’s degree at the National University of Costa Rica in Tropical Biology, and her Doctorate in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University, with a strong focus on population biology and quantitative ecology. The focus of her research is to work at the interface between science and application to deepen our understanding of the social and environmental factors that shape where and when species occur on a given landscape to improve decision-making and conservation. Her research group works on developing and applying novel quantitative modeling techniques to understand how human drivers of land-use change (e.g. agriculture) affect biodiversity using birds as indicators.

Volker Katschinski is a co-founder of the dan pearlman Group. Within the agency group, he serves as the Creative Director at dan pearlman Markenarchitektur GmbH. His design expertise is reflected in flagship stores, brand shops, pop-up stores, and shop-in-shop areas. In his work for international brands, the focus is on creating brand-specific and consumer-enticing shopping experiences. Sustainability is a crucial driver for Volker Katschinski’s work. The Society for Sustainable Construction e.V. (DNGB) awarded the Marc O’Polo flagship store he designed with the DGNB Gold Certificate. Also highly acclaimed is the Globetrotter RE:THINK Store he developed, the first retail format that relies almost entirely on recycling and was awarded, among others, the Store of the Year 2024.

Vuk Trifkovic serves as Managing Director and Partner at BCG X, Boston Consulting Group’s tech build and design unit since 2016. He specializes in building, launching, and managing digital businesses across various sectors. As part of BCG X’s green tech leadership team, he collaborates with corporate entities globally to invest in, co-build, and scale sustainable ventures, fostering climate innovation. Since 2021, Vuk has spearheaded climate and sustainability initiatives, gaining expertise in green technologies, from direct-air capture to regenerative agriculture. Prior to BCG, he held leadership positions in VC-funded startups and contributed to research on climate change’s historical impact using geospatial computing tools.

Wolfgang Grabher is the founder, owner and CEO of SUN AG, the Swiss producer of SUN Minimeal, using Blockchain technology to provide the world´s first deflationary pricing model. He climbed Mount Vinson in Antarctica and is the owner of the SUN Minimeal Extreme E Racing Team. His mission is to reduce resources for food supply by 90%

Zhamilya, based in Paris, is dedicated to driving impactful innovations in developing countries. She holds a Master’s degree in International Development from Sciences Po Paris, specializing in digital innovations and entrepreneurship for impact. Her work emphasizes the use of technology to foster sustainable growth and inclusivity in underserved regions

Achim Wambach, Professor of Economics at the University of Mannheim, PhD, is President of the ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection and was Chairman of the Monopolies Commission. Achim Wambach initially earned his doctorate in physics at Oxford University and completed his habilitation in economics at the University of Munich.

Adam is a sustainability leader with 18+ years of experience in driving positive transformational change for some of the world’s most influential companies. As Google’s Head of Sustainability for EMEA, he works at the intersection of the physical, digital, and natural worlds. He coordinates with Google’s real-world and digital infrastructure teams, from real estate and supply chains to data centers and products, ensuring the company is taking advantage of opportunities to strategically advance sustainability. Previously, Adam held senior sustainability roles at Amazon and M&S, where he developed and delivered sustainability strategies and programs that enhanced their environmental and social performance. He is a Chartered Environmentalist, a Fellow of both IEMA and ICRS, and an Executive Fellow at King’s Business School.

Adrian Wons is the Founder and CEO of Senken, a pioneering carbon removal marketplace, now the second largest worldwide. His journey began after engaging with farmers in Southern Africa, leading him to leverage technology for sustainable agriculture. Prior to Senken, Adrian spearheaded the blockchain department at EY Germany and authored two influential books on blockchain technology. He holds a Master’s degree in Computational Fluid Dynamics with a focus on wind energy. Adrian’s multifaceted expertise in technology and sustainability, combined with a deep commitment to practical solutions for climate change, positions him as a leading figure in environmental innovation.

Alessandro is an award-winning environmental activist and entrepreneur who pushes the boundaries of innovation and behavioral science for the wellbeing of the planet. He is the CEO of AWorld, the Italian climate tech startup chosen by the United Nations as their digital partner in individual action for the ACTNOW campaign. AWorld is the climate platform dedicated to helping citizens and stakeholders take action and live their values while learning more about sustainability and our relationship with the world around us.
The campaign has been promoted by UN ambassadors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Antonio Gutierrez and Elisa. Alex is a Tedx speaker and the first person to raise the SDG flag to its highest altitude when he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2022.

Alessandro Piccinini is the Managing Director of Nespresso Germany. Piccinini is an experienced International Executive within the FMCG industry. He has a background in brand, strategy, people, innovation, and customer experience. He is committed to creating positive impact on people and to contributing to the economic and societal transformation for the better, currently with a focus on the coffee sector.

Calling myself an enthusiast for sustainable change. My passion is to drive systemic change for a sustainable future in the industry, as I strongly believe in the possibilities and business potentials of the transformation towards sustainability.

As a member of the +50-strong EXIST team at the project management agency PtJ, Alexander Damaschun enables young academics to transform their promising research results into high-potential and high-impact sustainable business cases for their own startup. With his 25-years´ experience in life science and biotechnology project management he focusses on solutions for the green transformation of high-volume raw material and commodity streams for sustainable production processes in tomorrow´s circular industries. Specifically, pre-seed EXIST startup projects are supported to transfer their solutions from proof-of-principle in the lab to proof-of-concept stage, e.g. in a pre-production demonstrator. Due to the wide range of premium support measures (financial and non-financial) granted to would-be entrepreneurs EXIST-funded startups enjoy exceptional rates of continuity and market uptake.

Alexander Hirschfeld heads the research division at the German Startup Association. He is responsible for all studies published by the Association related to the ecosystem, including the German Startups Monitor and the Green Startup Monitor. In his teaching and studies at different universities in Germany and abroad, Alex has been focusing on the relationship between economy, technology and society. He spent a year as a visiting researcher at Columbia University in New York and holds a Ph.D. in sociology.

Leading expert in impact networking and cross-sectoral collaboration. 30 years of practical experience in founding and managing networks in diplomacy, politics, media, business and Berlin subculture. Author of several networking-books, speaker and lecturer. In 2022, he transferred everything he owns into a non-profit foundation with one vision: SDG17 – create better connection for the global impact eco-system.

Alina, a former Chemical Engineer turned Impact Investor, is driven by her passion for creating positive impact.At Ananda Impact Ventures, she invests into companies working to fuel impact on a global scale. As the Co-founder of Kleiderly, she revolutionised textile recycling into plastic alternatives. Championing Women of Colour in entrepreneurship through Founderland, Alina’s accolades include Forbes 30 under 30 and features in publications such as Wired, Vogue and TEDx. More recently, she became a Obama Foundation Leader. Her mission is to build a brighter, sustainable and more equitable future.

Amanda Jobbins leads Marketing and Communications for Vodafone Business, the team responsible for inspiring confidence that Vodafone can help businesses succeed in a digital world. Prior to joining Vodafone, Amanda has held senior marketing roles across the technology industry. Most recently, as Global Chief Marketing Office for Infor and before that, leading marketing teams at Oracle, Dell, Cisco, and a number of other multi-national corporations. Over recent years, as a Digital and GTM focused Board Member, she has helped organisations large and small with their go-to-market strategies and international ambitions. Amanda’s passion for technology innovation translates into the marketing sphere as an ambition to reimagine how the newest tech can enhance campaigns, propositions and marketing operations.

With a keen eye for innovative strategies in global markets, Anders Jepsen spearheaded IKEA’s expansion into emerging markets for +15 years, navigating its largest business areas within furnishing accessories. Jepsen also brings extensive experience in business strategy consulting along with an MSc in manufacturing engineering and an MBA from IMD International. As the co-founder and CEO of NORNORM, he is at the forefront of revolutionizing workspace solutions through a circular business model. Under his leadership, NORNORM has seen not only remarkable growth, extending its impact across 14 countries and securing 110 million euros in venture capital funding, but also successfully transformed 300,000 sqm of office space, averting the emission of 565,791 kg of CO2.

After completing his PhD in theoretical physics at the Weitzman Institut of Sciences, Prof Levermann joined the Potsdam Institute in 2002. He has been an author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change since 2007, has published more than 150 scientific article on physical and economic aspects of the climate problem, including papers in Nature, Science and PNAS. He is frequently making contribution to the public debate on scientific and societal issues in the Guardian, the Economist, Frankfurter Allgemeine and Die Zeit. Prof. Levermann is advising industry and politics. He is heading the department of complexity science and has recently published a book (Die Faltung der Welt) on a new narrative for modern democratic states of law.

Graduate real estate economist (ADI), graduate engineer (FH) urban planner at the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences (HfWU); after working for Drees & Sommer, among others, with the HOS Group since Sept. 2020, initially as a member of the management board and head of project development, since May 2021 Managing Director of HOS Projektentwicklung GmbH, since Feb. 2023 Managing Director (CEO) of the HOS Group (Wendlingen).

Andy is the COO & Energy Analyst at the Institute of Economic Affairs, the UK’s leading free market think tank, where he writes and commentates on issues from a free market environmentalist viewpoint. Prior to the IEA he was head of UK public affairs at BASF, the German chemical company, green energy advisor to BP UK and has also worked for technology and consultancy companies. He has advised political parties, and organised a European election campaign in 1999, and is currently an independent common councillor for the City of London, the world’s oldest local authority.

Anna Alex is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor dedicated to addressing significant challenges in climate and nature. She recently founded her third company, NALA Earth, which quantifies biodiversity and nature for companies. Prior to this, she established Planetly and Outfittery. Anna’s Wild&Free Animal Fund supports organizations combating livestock farming.

Annika Hauptvogel has been Head of Technology and Innovation Management at Siemens since June 2021. In this function she is responsible for the strategy of Siemens Technology. She reports directly to the CTO of Siemens AG. Annika began her career at Siemens Mobility GmbH in 2015. In her former position she was responsible for the development of digital services for rail systems. Annika Hauptvogel holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Technical University of Munich and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from RWTH Aachen University.

As a core member of the Public Sector and Industrial Goods practices, Annika Zawadzki leads Boston Consulting Group’s work in roads and airports, as well as sustainability and climate—all within global infrastructure, transport, and cities (ITC). In addition to ITC, Annika has in-depth experience in defense and security.

Antoinette Taus a Filipino-American award-winning actor, singer, host, and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Combining her renown with her longstanding dedication to people and the planet, she founded CORA (Communities Organized for Resource Allocation), a nonprofit organization that fosters sustainable development through impactful programs with volunteers, women, youth and local communities in order to help build a more just and resilient future for people and the planet. As a passionate advocate of the UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), Antoinette leads programs centered on solutions focused on sustainability, climate action, women empowerment, inclusive resilience, and the circular economy, in order to unite more people in action towards creating a better future for all, without leaving anyone behind.

Arizona is one of the fashion sectors most highly regarded champions for sustainability. She has been a model for the past 13 years, engaging with brands such as Prada, YSL and Chanel for their shows and campaigns as well as gracing the covers of magazines such Dazed and Confused, Numero, and over 40 covers of Vogue titles around the world. As well as her work with organisations such as Greenpeace, The Sustainable Angle and UN organizations including UNDP, UNEP and UNFAO, she also uses her influence to raise funds for her charity DIRT which was launched in 2021 and she still runs herself.

Ayisha Siddiqa is a Pakistani human rights and land defender serving as a Youth Climate Advisor to the UN Secretary General. In 2020, she co-founded Polluters Out, a global youth activist coalition, and helped launch the Fossil Free University, an activism training course. As part of her activism, Ayisha has helped organize multiple school strikes for climate action that mobilized hundreds of thousands of young people. Her expertise in lobbying around climate negotiations has earned her recognition as a strategist among national and youth delegations in the UNFCCC. Ayisha was recognized on the cover of TIME magazine, as one of the Women of the Year 2023. To follow and support Ayisha’s work, visit futuregenerationstribunal.com

Diploma Electrical Engineering at RWTH Aachen University. Started her career at E.ON in different positions within decentral energy space, amongst others in product management being responsible for E.ONs first smart home product and afterwards leading the team integrating small scale assets into the virtual power plant. Worked with Oracle to digitize the largest german enterprises and migrate their workloads into the cloud as leader for the german cloud business. Lastly, before joining 1KOMMA5°, Barbara was responsible for Google’s Digital Native and Start-up business in Germany, scaling start-ups and scale-ups with Google technology. Part of the Google Cloud Germany leadership team. Now CTO at 1KOMMA5°, the one-stop-shop for climate technology.

As the Country Manager for Germany at Carbon Equity, Bas is pioneering significant advancements in climate tech investment. Carbon Equity opens up access to premier climate tech VC/PE funds, aiming to channel billions in private capital into combating climate change. Bas, whose commitment to sustainability began during his academic career when he founded a sustainability consultancy, firmly believes that climate tech investing represents one of the greatest financial opportunities of the coming decades. In addition to his work in climate tech, Bas founded a training platform for young VC investors, successfully training over 100 investors to date.

Whether co-working accelerator, conference or festival for social impact, Ben connects audiences with his uniquely powerful approach of combining the physical body and creative mind. As president of Berlin’s most established public speaking group, TEDx and winner of multiple speaking awards he has mastered his craft, intuitively weaving his creative and coaching profession into his presence on stage to inspire and motivate his audience.

As Leader Business Unit Projects – Residential LIXIL EMENA, Benedikt Reith is responsible for EMENA-wide residential construction projects. With his team, Benedikt drives the specification of GROHE products in new-build and renovation projects. The project team is organized in 5 segments – Hospitality, Residential, Healthcare, Commercial and Marine – to deliver a customer-focused support and service to decision makers and influencers. Before joining GROHE, Benedikt worked over 11 years in the MEA area as a project specialist. He is a German national and studied engineering at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt.

Dr Bernard Leong is currently the founder and CEO of Dorje AI, a new enterprise AI startup focusing on building the next-generation business operating systems. As an experienced senior executive with an extensive business and technology management background in the digital space, he held regional business roles as the Head of Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning in Amazon Web Services for ASEAN and Vice President of Airbus Aerial and senior management roles in Singapore Post as the Head of Digital Services and Group Chief Information & Digital Office in Woh Hup. While not in his corporate hat, he is the host of Analyse Asia Podcast, adjunct lecturer for NUS and angel investor at XA Network & EIR for INSEAD Business School.

Bernhard is the Head of the United Nations (UN) World Food Programme (WFP) Innovation Accelerator, which he created in 2015. The Accelerator sources, supports and scales start-ups and nonprofits working to achieve Zero Hunger, as well as running accelerator programmes for external partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Humanitarian Grand Challenge, and other UN Agencies. Prior to starting the Accelerator, Bernhard co-founded the award-winning ShareTheMeal app that crowdsources funding for WFP, helping to deliver over 167 million meals for hungry children worldwide. ShareTheMeal was named as an App of the Year (2020) by Apple and Google. He gave a TED Talk and is a regular speaker at global conferences and events related to artificial intelligence, blockchain, social impact and entrepreneurship and disrupting global hunger through technology, i.e.‘tech for good.’

Dipl.-Ing. Björn Brecht serves as the Head of Business Development at Kieback&Peter. Since 1927, the company has been a leading provider of building automation. With a strong technical background and the ability to turn innovative ideas into successful products, Björn leads the strategic development of the company. Additionally, he is an active Board Member of the European Building Automation and Controls Association (eu.bac) and holds certification as an ESG Manager. His expertise and innovation have led to several patents.

Caroline Drischel leads the Corporate Responsibility department of Lufthansa Group which sets the strategy, framework conditions and drives major cross functional projects throughout the airline group. In her role Caroline drives the company to become carbon neutral by 2050 and secure the achievement of the SBTi validated reduction target until 2030. Under her responsibility the group successfully launched the Green Fares Europe and a broad portfolio of sustainable customer choices. Alongside with a strong rating and reporting strategy which was just recently awarded with an A- score by CDP, Caroline also takes the responsibility for an successful external communications and awareness campaign called #MakeChangeFly. The swiss- located mother of two boys holds several positions in Brand, Marketing & Customer Experience.

Carsten Dierkes has been working on stormwater management for more than 25 years, especially on the aspects of water household and pollutants in the urban water cycle aiming at the impact of polluted stormwater on groundwater and surface water as well as the impact of climate change on urban drainage. A hydrogeologist with a doctorate in civil engineering, he has worked on research projects in Germany, USA, Australia, etc. He held a professorship in water management at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, is a member of the Committee on Stormwater Treatment of the German Institute for Building Technology (DIBt) and a member of the DIN mirror committee “Water Recycling – Development of Standards for Rainwater and Greywater Utilization”.

Céline Flores Willers is an entrepreneur, founder and CEO of The People Branding Company, the leading German consultancy for personal branding and corporate influencing on LinkedIn. Céline is one of the most relevant voices around the topic of visibility as well as personal and corporate storytelling in the digital world. For her contributions around entrepreneurship, innovation and future trends, Céline Flores Willers has already been awarded three times as LinkedIn Top Voice and is also on the road as a speaker throughout Europe (including TEDx Talk).

A small town boy with a big man’s voice” is how 24-year-old Brit Chris de Sarandy describes himself. Having grown up in the quiet suburbs of London before moving to the Cornish coast, Chris studied graphic design at the BRIT school and Leeds Uni, but always found himself returning to his first passion – music. Whilst still a student at Leeds, Chris moved to Berlin for his studies… a move that became a defining experience in his journey to music. Berlin became and remains Chris’ creative home, where he collaborates with producers, writers and other artists.

Listen here to Chris de Sarandy on Spotify.

Having been raised between Belgium, France the UK and Germany, Christian is what we call a true European. After growing businesses in the consulting as well as the sustainable food sector he now gives it all for Nature on our continent, restoring forests and other Ecosystems. As Director for the German speaking Market he is growing strong partnerships with committed companies which want to be active on a local level, focusing on a holistic approach which combine the crucial aspects of Biodiversity, Carbon and Water.

Christian is heading the German office of EIT Manufacturing since January 2019. In his role, he is responsible for EIT Manufacturing’s activities in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland and Ukraine. His mission is to bring European manufacturing actors together in an innovation ecosystem that adds unique value to European products, processes and services and inspires the creation of globally competitive and sustainable manufacturing. Prior to his current position, Christian has been working at the Technical University of Darmstadt (Germany) as Head of Cutting Technology Research at the Institute of Production Management, Technology and Machine Tools.

After completing his degree in Engineering & Management, Christian gained valuable experience at aircraft engine manufacturer MTU. He now applies his acquired knowledge to his startup, OCELL, co-founded with friends in 2019. Utilizing aerial photography, the Munich-based startup develops data-driven, high-quality forest carbon projects to support local landowners. The mission is to maximize forest potential for climate mitigation. Christian and his team do so by leveraging aerial images and artificial intelligence to create digital twins of forests. These twins offer insights into forest growth and carbon storage, providing optimal forest management strategies that are key to OCELL’s tech-driven climate projects.