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.

Ady is the co-founder & CEO of Nilus. Ady has a law degree from Harvard Law School and over 10 years of experience at the Inter-American Development Bank designing and leading impact-driven technology projects. Ady was awarded Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2023 by the Schwab Foundation at the World Economic Forum.

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.

Experienced International Executive within the FMCG industry. Various successful experiences in transforming businesses and organisations with focus on building sustainable growth. Passionate about brand, strategy, people, innovation and customer experience. Motivated by having a positive impact on people and committed to contribute to the economic and societal transformation for the better. Specialties: Strategy development, operational and organisational excellence, building brands, route to market, D2C omni-channel management, people growth, product | service | business model innovations, crisis management.What drives me every day is being able to contribute to a better tomorrow. For this I continuously keep discovering and learning what could be and grasp new opportunities to take action in an ever changing and interconnected world. At the end my desire is to move and inspire people / organisations to perform at their best in the interest of all.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.’

Bupe Kalaba, a proficient Data Analytics Team Lead, has honed his expertise over two years at Emerging Cooking Solution. Specializing in system management and development, customer journey insight, data analysis, and data management, he’s a pivotal asset to his team. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for harnessing data insights, Bupe spearheads projects with finesse, driving impactful decisions through analytical prowess. His dedication to optimizing processes and enhancing customer experiences reflects his commitment to excellence. Bupe Kalaba stands as a testament to the transformative power of data-driven leadership in today’s dynamic business landscape.

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).

Chris Davies is Director of CCS Europe, a Brussels-based advocacy body that campaigns to raise the awareness of policymakers to the need for extensive and rapid deployment of carbon capture and storage technologies to reduce emissions from hard-to-abate industries. Known for many years as the voice of CCS in the European Parliament, Chris was rapporteur for the CO2 Storage Directive back in 2008/9, and looks forward to the legislation at last being put to use!

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.

Since September 2022, Christian Feuerherd has been the CEO of Vattenfall Wärme Berlin AG, which manages the entire value chain from the generation and provision to the sale of heat in the capital. Wärme Berlin is working intensively on innovative solutions for a successful energy transition. Christian Feuerherd has a broad background in the energy industry with over 20 years of professional experience in the sector. Since 2002, he has worked in various functions and for various companies within Vattenfall. These includes the position of Managing Director of VASA Kraftwerke-Pool Beteiligungs-GmbH and Vattenfall Energy Solutions GmbH. Most recently, Christian Feuerherd was Head of Sales and Business Solutions at Vattenfall Wärme Berlin AG.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

Henrik Wenders started as the Global CMO of Audi in 2020. He devised a new brand strategy, led Audi into the era of electric mobility, and rolled out a new CI in more than 100 markets. Wenders draws on the experience gained at in his role at Byton Ltd. as Vice President Marketing, where he developed a new global automotive brand. Prior, he held various management positions at BMW. He was responsible as Vice President Product Management BMWi for communication and sales in the electric car division. Before his time in the automotive industry, he became Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales at 100world.media AG. Previously, he worked as consultant at Jung von Matt and Grey.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 ❤️‍🔥

As an innovative leader in green hydrogen technology, Dr. Peter Sponholz serves as the Chief Research Officer at H2APEX, where he spearheads the development and implementation of cutting-edge hydrogen storage solutions. With a passion for sustainable energy and technological innovation, Dr. Sponholz has been instrumental in driving H2APEX’s mission to revolutionize hydrogen storage across various applications. His work, grounded in extensive research and development, aims to make hydrogen storage accessible and efficient for stationary, transportable, and mobile use. Dr. Sponholz’s commitment to advancing green energy solutions reflects his dedication to creating a sustainable future.

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.

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.

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.

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 project 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Ady is the co-founder & CEO of Nilus. Ady has a law degree from Harvard Law School and over 10 years of experience at the Inter-American Development Bank designing and leading impact-driven technology projects. Ady was awarded Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2023 by the Schwab Foundation at the World Economic Forum.

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.

Experienced International Executive within the FMCG industry. Various successful experiences in transforming businesses and organisations with focus on building sustainable growth. Passionate about brand, strategy, people, innovation and customer experience. Motivated by having a positive impact on people and committed to contribute to the economic and societal transformation for the better. Specialties: Strategy development, operational and organisational excellence, building brands, route to market, D2C omni-channel management, people growth, product | service | business model innovations, crisis management.What drives me every day is being able to contribute to a better tomorrow. For this I continuously keep discovering and learning what could be and grasp new opportunities to take action in an ever changing and interconnected world. At the end my desire is to move and inspire people / organisations to perform at their best in the interest of all.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.’

Bupe Kalaba, a proficient Data Analytics Team Lead, has honed his expertise over two years at Emerging Cooking Solution. Specializing in system management and development, customer journey insight, data analysis, and data management, he’s a pivotal asset to his team. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for harnessing data insights, Bupe spearheads projects with finesse, driving impactful decisions through analytical prowess. His dedication to optimizing processes and enhancing customer experiences reflects his commitment to excellence. Bupe Kalaba stands as a testament to the transformative power of data-driven leadership in today’s dynamic business landscape.

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).

Chris Davies is Director of CCS Europe, a Brussels-based advocacy body that campaigns to raise the awareness of policymakers to the need for extensive and rapid deployment of carbon capture and storage technologies to reduce emissions from hard-to-abate industries. Known for many years as the voice of CCS in the European Parliament, Chris was rapporteur for the CO2 Storage Directive back in 2008/9, and looks forward to the legislation at last being put to use!

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.

Since September 2022, Christian Feuerherd has been the CEO of Vattenfall Wärme Berlin AG, which manages the entire value chain from the generation and provision to the sale of heat in the capital. Wärme Berlin is working intensively on innovative solutions for a successful energy transition. Christian Feuerherd has a broad background in the energy industry with over 20 years of professional experience in the sector. Since 2002, he has worked in various functions and for various companies within Vattenfall. These includes the position of Managing Director of VASA Kraftwerke-Pool Beteiligungs-GmbH and Vattenfall Energy Solutions GmbH. Most recently, Christian Feuerherd was Head of Sales and Business Solutions at Vattenfall Wärme Berlin AG.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

Henrik Wenders started as the Global CMO of Audi in 2020. He devised a new brand strategy, led Audi into the era of electric mobility, and rolled out a new CI in more than 100 markets. Wenders draws on the experience gained at in his role at Byton Ltd. as Vice President Marketing, where he developed a new global automotive brand. Prior, he held various management positions at BMW. He was responsible as Vice President Product Management BMWi for communication and sales in the electric car division. Before his time in the automotive industry, he became Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales at 100world.media AG. Previously, he worked as consultant at Jung von Matt and Grey.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 ❤️‍🔥

As an innovative leader in green hydrogen technology, Dr. Peter Sponholz serves as the Chief Research Officer at H2APEX, where he spearheads the development and implementation of cutting-edge hydrogen storage solutions. With a passion for sustainable energy and technological innovation, Dr. Sponholz has been instrumental in driving H2APEX’s mission to revolutionize hydrogen storage across various applications. His work, grounded in extensive research and development, aims to make hydrogen storage accessible and efficient for stationary, transportable, and mobile use. Dr. Sponholz’s commitment to advancing green energy solutions reflects his dedication to creating a sustainable future.

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.

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.

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.

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 project 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Born in Dresden in 1999. Voluntary social year in a retirement home. 2019 Fachabitur at the technical high school for service and design. 2019 Fridays For Future Movement. 2021 “Extinction Rebellion”.  Since 2021 press officer and networking coordinator of the organization “Last Generation”.

I’m a technical engineer and proudly gave continuity and consolidation to my family company PIECO which has been founded in 1996 . My 25 years of experience in PIECO gave me a lot knowledges in the world of water treatment recycling, which I’m proud to share with any company demanding my support. Water treatment is covering basically all the industrial world and brought me to face a “360 degrees” market. By a hard work of research and development we have now achieved very important goals in the environmental field.  Our experience and innovation is now applied and also present in the international Space Station and with great mutual satisfaction in ten L’Oréal Groupe production sites around the world.

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.

Alexander Biesalski is a pioneer in monetary brand valuation and value-oriented brand management. He is the founder and majority stakeholder of BIESALSKI & COMPANY management consulting in Munich. Throughout his career path he worked in the fields of business and sustainability strategy, marketing, market research, banking, and management consulting. Therefore, he has developed various competencies, which he has used to focus on a value-oriented and sustainable perspective of brands. His customers – international corporations as well as innovative SME’s – share his credo: “A good name is your strongest asset”. Even more reason for him to dedicate his full strength into verifying and reinforcing brand profitability and effective marketing. Biesalski has been involved in various book publications and studies on market research, sustainability and brand management.

Alexander Gerfer is CTO of one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of electronic and electromechanical components. The graduate engineer (FH) for electrical engineering and trained radio and television technician has been with Würth Elektronik eiSos since 1997 and started his career as a technical sales representative. He has been instrumental in establishing the company's research and development, product, quality and supply chain management divisions. He is a technical book author, lecturer and sought-after keynote speaker. With his experience and creed, he has helped shape the development and direction of Würth Elektronik eiSos as a service-oriented manufacturer and technology promoter

Alex studied chemical engineering and business, in Zurich, Karlsruhe and London. In 2019 he founded me energy, a startup contributing to the mobility and energy transition by providing off-grid fast charging infrastructure, actively fighting range anxiety and enabling electric fleets for every company, everywhere. Apart from promoting sustainable mobility, Alex mission is to fight social inequality.

Dr. Alexander Stubinitzky joined Drees & Sommer early 2022 as Head of Hydrogen and Synfuels. Alexander and his team support clients in the development and implementation of projects along the hydrogen value chain.

Alexander has 18 year of experience in Hydrogen and Industrial Gases. Prior to joining Drees & Sommer, he led the Hydrogen & SynFuels business development activities of the NEOM project in Saudi Arabia. In his role Alexander developed and drove multiple hydrogen & synfuel production and application projects to establish a hydrogen Ecosystem in NEOM.

Previously, Alexander spent 15 years at Linde Gas in various roles in research and development, innovation and sales. In his previous roles at Linde plc, Alexander developed business with major customers in the petrochemical and steel industries and was responsible for various projects to commercialize the hydrogen value chain.

As a Product Development Lead at TAKACHAR, Amit is working towards fighting climate change by transforming abundant biomass into valuable products globally. Amit’s passion for sustainable product and service design stems from his belief that bridging the societal needs gap can only be achieved through sustainable development. As a graduate student at the Design department of IISc, Bengaluru, Amit brings a unique perspective to TAKACHAR’s mission.

After a PhD in Experimental Physics and some years in technology and management consulting, Dr. Andreas Aumann joined the BMW Group in 2007. From 2010 to 2013 he was located in Beijing, China responsible for Business Development in the Region China. Since 2014 he has held different positions in BMW’s product management division, as VP Product Management BMW i and currently as VP Strategic Product Management.

Andreas Feiner has been a partner at PwC Germany in Frankfurt since January 2022. At PwC he is responsible for the ESG Data and Managed Services area in the Sustainability Platform leadership team. He is also responsible for the PwC Nature practice, which focuses on scalable nature conservation as part of companies’ Net Zero strategy. Prior to PwC, he was a founding partner of Arabesque Group and the founder and CEO of ESG Book (formerly Arabesque S-Ray). Prior to that, he worked for Barclays Capital in various roles in derivatives sales and structuring. He started his career at Deutsche Bank and later at Bankhaus Metzler.

Dr. Andreas Janssen is a mechanical engineer by background who obtained a PhD from RWTH Aachen University in the field of Diesel engine development and joined Shell about 10 years ago. Since then, he held various technical and commercial leadership positions in different Downstream businesses. Today, Andreas is responsible for Shell’s Hydrogen Mobility Business in Europe focusing predominantly on the heavy-duty, marine and aviation sectors. In addition, Andreas manages all hydrogen related activities in Germany as a member of the Shell country Leadership Team.

Andreas Zelles lives and works in Munich. He began his professional career in consulting but has been with E.ON since 2007, holding various positions including Marketing Manager and Product Manager. The topic of e-mobility is particularly close to his heart. Since 2017, he has been with E.ON Drive and has been involved with E.ON Drive Infrastructure from its very inception in 2022. Personally, he refers to his job title as the “cashier at the gas station of the future.

Profession: geologist, specialized as a hydro and environmental geologist

Personal: age 52, married, 1 son, 1 cat

Specialist for disposal, recycling and circular economy, demolition of buildings and building pollutants, extraction of primary and secondary raw materials, earthworks, contaminated sites, plant construction and permit planning for almost 30 years.

Worked in former times in positions of responsibility for different companies as an environmental, contamination and demolition expert, waste processor and disposer, material flow manager, supplier and processor of raw and building materials, project manager and plant planner as well as a landfill operator.

Bas Timmer is the founder of the Sheltersuit Foundation and ShelterLab. TIME Magazine recognized him as a Next Generation Leader for his innovative use of design to help those experiencing homelessness. Sheltersuit Foundation creates multifunctional products for unsheltered people, providing warmth and protection to over 25,000 globally. Bas' passion for sustainable, impactful solutions led him to establish ShelterLab, which develops programs providing protective products, job training, and support services for the homeless community while upcycling materials to reduce waste. Bas partners with socially responsible companies to create these programs. His commitment to helping those in need has made him a leading figure in the fight against homelessness.

As Executive Head, Market Development, Benny has responsibility for leading global mining company Anglo American’s efforts to stimulate new demand for platinum group metals (PGMs). Platinum is in particular a critical enabler of the hydrogen economy, being used both in hydrogen electrolysers and in the fuel cells used in hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Prior to taking up his current role in 2017, Benny lived and worked extensively around the world, holding a number of key positions in the automotive industry where his speciality lay in product planning, strategy and marketing.

In his almost 20 years at beauty industry leader L’Oréal, Benoit has spent 12 years managing L’Oréal plants in France and Spain, the later being an example of sustainability excellence at production level. Today, Benoit uses his strong operational background and experience in the industry to drive the “L’Oréal for the Future” sustainability program as Environmental Director of the Groupe.

Bernhard Kronfellner joined Boston Consulting Group in 2007. He is a core member of the Financial Institutions practice area and co-leads the digital asset and blockchain group for the firm. Bernhard has worked with banking clients and financial regulators around the world on cryptocurrencies, tokenization, metaverse, digitization, blockchain, post-merger integration, active credit portfolio management, and private market/private equity, as well as on market risk topics such as the Fundamental Review of the Trading Book (FRTB).

Bettina Stark-Watzinger has been Federal Minister of Education and Research since December 2021. She has been member of the German Bundestag since 2017, representing constituency 181 – Main- Taunus. She is Chair of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) in Land Hesse and Member of the Federal Executive and Presidium of the FDP.

Christian Poppe leads Global Public Affairs & Sustainability at Europe's leading alternative dairy biotechnology company, Formo. He also serves as Formo's General Manager APAC. Besides, Christian is Co-founder and spokesperson of Brussels-based industry association Food Fermentation Europe. In his capacity, he works with governments around the world to develop future-proof regulatory frameworks for transformative food solutions. Previously, Christian led public policy and government affairs at leading last mile delivery and e-mobility companies creating innovation-friendly legislation for disruptive technologies.

Christian Wölbert writes for c’t, Europe’s largest IT and tech magazine. He focuses on topics at the interface between technology, sustainability & politics. Previously, he worked as a business reporter for Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung and studied “Sustainability and Journalism” at Leuphana University Lüneburg.

Christina has been the leader of the Norwegian EV Association for nine years. Earlier she worked as a political adviser on mobility and environment issues. As an expert on electric mobility, Christina is frequently meeting with OEMs and advising politicians and governmental bodies from different countries, as well as holding keynote speeches across the globe. With an EV market share of over 80% Norway is leading the way. The Norwegian EV Association is an NGO that is expanding rapidly and now has more than 50 employees and over 120.000 members – EV drivers from all over the country. The organization plays an important role when it comes to promoting the shift to electric mobility, and works in collaboration with governmental bodies, industry, and other organizations.

Christoph Mohr works in the Board Office of E.ON Energy Solutions GmbH. This 100% E.ON company focuses on systematically combining heating and cooling solutions with power generation and e-mobility to leverage synergies and offer tailor-made energy solutions for our customers. Ensuring the energy supply of the future in a sustainable, ecological, and secure way – that is the business of E.ON Energy Solutions GmbH.

Christoph Mohr has several years of experience in the energy industry. The industrial engineer began his career as a trainee at E.ON SE. He went through several roles in the E.ON Group, including energy trading, start-up investments and product development, and has now been working in the heating segment for over 5 years.

Claudia Hügel has been responsible for group-wide ESG rating and reporting at Lufthansa Group for more than 6 years. She deals with the national and international ESG regulation and rating landscape such as the non-financial declaration, the EU Taxonomy and the CSRD as well as the Sustainable Development Goals. In this capacity Claudia addresses the overall strategic aspects of ESG and future impacts for the airline industry and acts also as interface to the finance community. Since 2001 Claudia has been working at Lufthansa Group in various senior management positions. Before joining Lufthansa Group Claudia worked as a project manager at Roland Berger, International consultants. Claudia studied business administration focussing on corporate strategy at Ludwig-Maximilian-University in Munich.

Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann is Professor of Environmental Medicine at the University of Augsburg and Director of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Helmholtz Munich. She is Vice Director of the Center for Climate Resilience at the University of Augsburg. From 2013-2020, she held the Chair of Environmental Medicine at TU Munich. Since 2013 she is member of the board of directors of CK-CARE and since 2014 she is head of the University Outpatient Clinic for Environmental Medicine at the University Hospital Augsburg. Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann is a specialist in dermatology and allergology. Her research focuses on human-environment interactions with special emphasis on allergies and the influences of climate change on health. She has been a member of the RKI’s Environmental Public Health Commission since 2022. She is WBGU member since December 2022

Clemens Bauer has been Managing Director E-Commerce at REWE Markt GmbH since March 2023. In his function he is responsible for all e-commerce business models at REWE. Prior to his current position, Clemens Bauer was Managing Director Marketing & Media at REWE Markt GmbH for three years, Managing Director of ZooRoyal Petcare for four years and managed a Development & Consulting division of the REWE Group for three years. Before joining REWE Group, he was a consultant at Booz & Company in various positions for five years and at L’Oréal for three years.

Constantin is currently CEO of Wirelane, a company he founded in 2017 with a mission to electrify mobility. The company, which has won top awards for its charging station design, is active across Europe and is one of the continent’s leading specialist providers of hardware, software and app solutions. An enterprising business leader, Constantin leverages commercial ventures as a means to better people’s lives. He is focused on building and investing in businesses that are inclusively and transparently governed, that bring beneficial social and environmental impact along with financial return. Companies he has previously founded and run include: Plain Energy, a Europe-wide photovoltaic power producer and power plant operator; Kinoheld, a market-leading ticketing platform, subsequently acquired by CTS Eventim, an international entertainment corporation; and Rebelio Holding, one of Europe’s largest e-commerce sites at its time, which he sold to NYSE Euronext Loyaltouch.

Cordelia Thielitz is Schneider Electric’s Europe Operations Strategy Vice President from January 2022.
Cordelia has 15+ years of experience in corporate strategy, sales, marketing, and business development. Since 2019 Cordelia has been leading Microgrid solutions at Rolls-Royce Power Systems as a VP, and previously has held multiple leadership positions at Bosch, working with automotive, security systems, and energy storage.
Cordelia holds master’s degrees in economics and in Japanese studies from Freie University Berlin. She also studied at Keio University Tokyo and University Dauphine in Paris.

Cyrill is an award-winning designer and brand/product developer. In 1998 he created a method called Cross Intelligence, which brings a culture of collaboration to major organizations. In 2012 he decided to focus on a new client vital to us all: the oceans. He founded Parley for the Oceans as a collaboration network for creators, thinkers and leaders to raise awareness for the beauty and fragility of the oceans and to develop and implement strategies that can end their destruction. Parley and their partners won the Grand Prix for Product Design at Cannes Lions, two D&AD Pencils and an ADCN Grand Prix in 2014. Gutsch was named 2017 Environmentalist of the Year by the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association for his tireless work for the oceans. In 2018, Parley was named Environmental Organisation of the Year at EARTHx and Gutsch was honored with a Special Recognition Award for Innovation by the British Fashion Council. In 2019, Gutsch was inducted into the UBS Global Visionary community – a select group of leading entrepreneurs and individuals working towards one or more of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Dagmar M. Schuller is CEO & Co-Founder of audEERING GmbH, the innovation leader in Human Voice & Audio AI for enhanced Wellbeing. audEERING’s patented technology received several national and international awards. Schuller recently received an appointment for a professorship for business informatics at the University of Applied Sciences in Landshut. She is elected Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry in Munich & Upper Bavaria, Deputy Head Bavaria of the German AI Association, advisor to different decisive bodies and holds several honorary posts for institutions, especially in the field of AI, digitalization, technology transfer. She is proud mentor for female scientists in different academic mentorship programs. Schuller studied economic sciences in Vienna and New York, law and holds an engineer’s degree in informatics.

Daniël has a background in public- and business administration and worked previously for a market analysis scale-up and an impact measurement start-up. At NeoCarbon, Daniël develops partnerships with carbon credit buyers, sequestration companies, and CO2 utilizing companies.

Daniel Vetterkind is a founder and entrepreneur. In 2022, he founded recarb together with his co-founder Anton Güthe. Recarb is developing a certification standard which enables the development of financial products on nature-based carbon removal. He is also a startup mentor and supports people to take a positive development and get educational opportunities or develop professionally through the organizations Lions International, MentorMe and Netzwerk Chancen. Daniel lives in Stuttgart and is active in his spare time as a guitarist and songwriter in various formations.

Daniela is a partner at PwC Germany with more than 19 years of Consulting experience. She focuses on supporting clients Doing-The-Right-Thing – fostering Sustainability, Compliance & Integrity! Daniela loves to work in an international context and worked at PwC South Africa for two years. Her key areas of expertise are translating regulatory requirements and transformational aspirations reflecting Sustainability & Responsibility, into processes, structures and mindset. Daniela always strives to focus on the human impact, thus Digital Ethics & Responsibility, Supply Chain Due Diligence & Human Rights, Diversity and Integrity Driven Performance are part of her team’s portfolio. Daniela hosts PwC’s Human Rights Officer Network, as well as PwC’s Women Driving Integrity Client Network.

2008 Spacecraft Engineering at University Stuttgart. 2008-2011 PhD at Bosch Stuttgart, Plasma technologies. 2011-2016 Development of Receivers for concentrated solar power plants at DLR Stuttgart, Institute of Solar Research. 2016-2020 Project Management of a rocket test bench erection at DLR Lampoldshausen Institute of Space Propulsion. 2020-today Head of new founded Department for Applied Hydrogen Technologies. 2021-today lecturer in the field of hydrogen technologies, Safety etc.

Steffens has been an expert for GEO since april 2022 and has been in front of the camera as a presenter and expert for Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland since january 2023. from 2008 to the end of 2022, he was a presenter for science documentaries and reports at ZDF. there, among other things, he hosted shows from the “Terra X” series, such as: “Faszination Erde”. steffens was named a “Biodiversity Ambassador for German Development Policy” by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in may 2021.

Dominik Campanella is the co-founder of Restado and Concular. Restado is the largest marketplace for reclaimed construction materials. Concular is the leading digital ecosystem for circular construction. It enables professional stakeholders of the real estate and constructions sector to make their projects circular.

After a banking apprenticeship, Donya-Florence Amer completed the studies of business administration with a focus on Finance and HR at the University of Cologne and Berkeley. She is also an alumna of the Singularity University in Palo Alto. Amer started her career in 1999 at IBM and took over various leadership positions, including in the areas of digital transformation. 2017, she joined Bosch, first as EVP and member of the CIO Management Board, later as co-founder and CEO of Bosch Climate Solutions. Amer has lived and worked in different countries and cultures, including the UK, USA and China. Donya-Florence Amer was appointed to the Executive Board of Hapag-Lloyd AG as of 11 November 2021, and she is Chief Information Officer (CIO) since 1 February 2022. From 1 May 2022 she was additionally appointed Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO).

Dr. Katrin Schuhen is the inventor, founder, and CEO of Wasser 3.0, a non-profit company from Germany. After completing her PhD in Chemistry, she worked in the medical and polymer industry. Between 2012 and 2018 she was a junior professor for Organic and Ecological Chemistry, where she began researching and developing application-based and sustainable solutions for the detection, removal, and reuse of microplastics and micropollutants from waters.

Ebru Ozguc did her MBA in Paris and started her career at 3M. She worked in Paris, as the European Marketing Manager for 3M, covering the Europe & MEA Region. For almost a decade, she was in leadership roles back in Istanbul. In 2012 she joined Vodafone, playing a major role in the company’s determination to lead the digital transformation of Turkey’s business sector and then leading Brand & Marketing Strategy. By her courageous initiatives, supporting the open conversation around gender gap issues and women rights, Vodafone won several awards including Cannes Lions and Effie. She is currently the Global Head of Brand & Reputation for Vodafone Business, based in London HQ.

Dr Eckart von Hirschhausen studied medicine and science journalism in Berlin, London and Heidelberg. For more than twenty-five years, he has been on the road as a moderator, speaker and motivator on stages, podiums and on television. His speciality: conveying medical content in a humorous way and combining it with sustainable messages. Eckart von Hirschhausen is an honorary faculty member of the Berlin Charité. Since 2018 he has been committed to a medically and scientifically based climate policy. He is co-founder of Scientists for Future and a supporter of the German Alliance on Climate Change and Health (KLUG). In 2020, he founded the Healthy Planet – Healthy People Foundation, which aims to communicate in solution-oriented, humorous, understandable, inspiring, and visionary ways that the climate crisis presents a threat to the health of everybody across the globe.

Eleonora Bodulusic, as Director of Sustainability, is responsible for overseeing the sustainability consulting for all clients and the sales department at LIGANOVA. She previously worked at furniture manufacturer Walter Knoll AG & Co. KG, where she served as the Head of Marketing, responsible for the strategy, planning, and implementation of all marketing activities. During her MBA studies at Leipzig Graduate School of Management, she acquired a solid foundation of sustainability knowledge. Bodulusic gained her initial experience at LIGANOVA as a Key Account Manager, following her studies in Sigmaringen and London, and after starting her career at Jung von Matt/Neckar.

With more than a decade experience as an entrepreneur and educator, Ellen is passionate to groom the next generation of impact entrepreneurs. She started her career as CO2-auditor for Clean Development Mechanism projects in the Middle East and later moved to Asia where she lived for the past 11 years. She founded her own company and built up a startup incubator at Singapore University of Social Sciences, where she still teaches social entrepreneurship courses. In 2022, she moved to Europe to support Germany’s businesses, inventors and aspiring entrepreneurs building a greener future and became the Head of the Center for Digital GreenTech at the August-Wilhelm Scheer Institute. With her passionate team of tech and sustainability experts, she develops research and digitization projects that have a measurable impact towards climate protection goals.

Ema, serial entrepreneur and mother of a 12-year-old daughter, is the founder and CEO of Farms and GOOD BANK. Originally announced in 2017 as Berlin’s first farm-to-table restaurant, GOOD BANK has grown into an award-winning food brand offering ready-to-eat retail products. In 2021, Ems founded Farmie, a company specializing in vertical farming solutions. Their vision is to revolutionize urban food through innovative approaches and sustainable technologies.

Emma Nehrenheim completed her PhD in the area of industrial waste products and wastewater. Emma thereafter engaged in numerous R&D projects with the industry until becoming a Professor in Environmental Engineering. Emma also spent a few years at ABB, focusing on disruptive solutions and business models for the utility segment. Emma has been with Northvolt since 2017 and has led and built the environmental and sustainability track. As Chief Environmental Officer, Emma is running Northvolt initiatives towards both factory and global business sustainability, as well as the Northvolt business unit Revolt, which involves battery recycling to support the raw material strategy of Northvolt.

Eric Quidenus-Wahlforss is cofounder and CEO at Dance. Dance is an ebike subscription service founded with the purpose of having a positive impact on health, sustainability and livable cities. With Dance, you have a state-of-the-art e-bike at your full disposal, without the hassle of buying and owning. The goal of Dance is to spark a global movement built on a connected community of passionate ebike riders, ultimately making cities more bike-friendly and livable. Prior to founding Dance, Quidenus-Wahlforss founded SoundCloud in 2007 and served as its Chief Product Officer for 12 years. SoundCloud is the world’s largest open audio platform with over 200 million tracks from 25 million creators heard in 190 countries; what’s next in music is first on SoundCloud.

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.

Estelle Places is a Manager having 5+ years experience for ESG and Sustainability related advisory. Her focus is on Sustainable IT, involving hybrid environments, sustainable clouds, green data centers and digital workplace so that IT becomes an enabler for a net zero future. Before joining PwC, Estelle used to work at a sustainability consultancy bought by Atos.

With a background in Finance and Data Science, Fabian oversees the DACH region for PropTech1 and was involved in recent investments such as 42Watt and Voltfang. He is particularly focused on exploring new approaches to energy infrastructure and innovative building methods contributing to CO2 neutrality in the built world while driving the fund’s internal tech stack development. Before joining PropTech1, Fabian was CFO of one of the first VC-backed crypto start-ups in Germany.

Ferry studied law at the Cologne University and economics at the University of Wuppertal. He started his career at Kienbaum Consulting and changed in 2000 to the Dr. Mortsiefer Management Consulting as Partner and Member of the Executive Board. During this time, he founded the Content Commerce Initiative NRW and was Director of the State Initiative Media NRW. 2005 he changed to Toyota in Cologne as Manager Network Development. After stations as Sales Director Lexus and General Manager Dealer Development, he took over overall responsibility for Lexus Germany. Since January 2017 Ferry is Director of Toyota Motor Europe Group Representative Office in Berlin, focusing on sustainable and innovative mobility, associations and politics. Since April 2021 he was additionally appointed to Head of Hydrogen Affairs Europe.

Franziska Giffey was born in Frankfurt/Oder in 1978. Since April 2023, she serves as Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises and as Mayor of Berlin in the Senate of Berlin. Previously she served as Governing Mayor of Berlin (2021-2023), Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (2018-2021) as well as Mayor of Berlin-Neukölln (2015-2018). Giffey gained international experience in Brussels and Strasbourg. She is a Qualified Public Administration Specialist and holds a M.A. in European Administrative Management.

Dr. Gitta Neufang was born 1973 in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany and studied Biochemistry in Hannover (Germany) Leibniz University. She has a PhD in Biochemistry in Hannover and at the German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ, Heidelberg (Germany). 2001-2003 – Research Associate (C1), Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Institute for General Zoology and Genetics, Münster, Germany. 2003-2006 – Research Scientist, Beiersdorf AG, Hamburg, Germany. 2006-2011 – Manager Research Diseased Skin, Beiersdorf AG, Hamburg, Germany. 2011-2012 – Manager Research Dermatological Skin Care, Beiersdorf AG, Hamburg, Germany. 2013-2014 – Manager Eucerin Actives & Clinicals, Beiersdorf AG, Hamburg, Germany. 2014-2019 – Global Director Medical Management, Beiersdorf AG, Hamburg, Germany. 2019-2021 – Chief Medical and Innovation Officer Pharmacy Brands, Beiersdorf AG, Hamburg, Germany. Since March 2021 – Corporate Senior Vice President Research & Development, Beiersdorf AG and  Member of the Executive Committee, Beiersdorf AG, Hamburg, Germany.

Gudrun Sack is a managing director of Tegel Projekt in Berlin. She focuses on sustainable planning and building, combining quality with new standards in construction, and on the implementation of actionable future urban development solutions. She was a board member of the Berlin Chamber of Architects and of Netzwerk Berliner Baugruppen Architekten, and is currently a member of the working group on housing at the German Association of Architects, BDA. Having completed her studies in architecture at the Technical University of Berlin and the HfAK Vienna, Gudrun Sack began her career with Norman Foster in London. Prior to her academic studies, she had already completed an apprenticeship as a restorer. After a stint with Alsop Störmer Architekten in Hamburg, she worked as a research assistant in the Department of Architecture at the University of the Arts, Berlin. For more than 20 years, Gudrun Sack was a partner at NÄGELIARCHITEKTEN with offices in Berlin and Karlsruhe.

Hans-Jürgen Kalmbach is CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of the Hansgrohe SE. Following his studies in Business Administration, he began his professional career within the Hansgrohe Group in 1998. Between 2010 and 2014, Kalmbach was responsible for international business at the Delta Faucet Company in the United States. Back in the Black Forest, he took on the position of Sales Director for Northern and Western Europe and led the Corporate Business Development team. From 2015 to 2017, he has been responsible for the production and sales subsidiaries of the Hansgrohe Group in the Asia Pacific region. At the same time, he headed up the global project business for the Hansgrohe Group. From January to July 2018, he has been a member of the Executive Board, responsible for International Sales. Since August 2018 Hans-Jürgen Kalmbach is CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board.

Hoang Anh Nguyen is Head of Communications and Sustainable Construction at alcemy, the Berlin-based start-up for a climate-friendly and decarbonized concrete and cement industry. He is responsible for communications, public relations and collaboration with construction companies and the real estate industry. Previously, as digitalization and innovation officer of ZIA Zentraler Immobilien Ausschuss e.V., the umbrella organization of the construction and real estate industry, he was responsible, among other things, for networking established real estate companies and the startup scene. In this capacity, he built up the ZIA Proptech Platform, which now bundles more than 50 startups in the construction and real estate context. In addition, together with the ZIA Innovation Think Tank, he developed the ZIA Innovation Radar, a unique overview of the innovation potential in the industry.

Hoang is an honorary spokesperson for sustainability innovations and startups in the construction industry at the network solid UNIT e.V. and is involved with Bündnis 90/Die Grünen in the area of urban development and sustainable construction.

Dr. Holger Rubel leads Boston Consulting Group’s circularity and green energy technology work and is a core member of the firm’s Sustainability as well as the Energy and Technology practices. Since joining BCG in 1997, he has acquired deep knowledge and experience in above mentioned fields, has worked along the value chain with a broad array of stakeholders, such as equipment manufacturers, OEMs, project developers, utilities, independent energy-service companies, and investors. His work in the areas of green energy and sustainability has taken him to all corners of the world to oversee and coordinate projects in solar, wind, energy efficiency and storage, biomass and biofuels, and, of course, in the area of circular economy. Before joining BCG he was a research assistant at the Max Planck Institutes in Stuttgart as part of his PhD work in semiconductor technology.

Hui Lin leads Etherisc’s project with the WFP Innovation Accelerator Sprint Programme, which seeks to provide faster, cheaper and more transparent climate risk insurance to smallholder farmers in Burkina Faso by leveraging blockchain technology. She has worked for over a decade on financial inclusion. Before Etherisc, Hui Lin spent 4 years at the Access to Insurance Initiative, driving capacity building programmes for insurance regulators in Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America. Her dedication to this field started at the Malaysian central bank and regulator, where a career highlight was working alongside insurance industry and government stakeholders to roll out the national inclusive insurance initiative (“Perlindungan Tenang”) in 2017, which has since brought affordable insurance to 3 million people.

Since a little child Inga Hilbig had the vision to work in the field of sustainability. With 18 she went to study Business Administration with the idea of training to support Social Startups and ended up doing exactly that. For three years she is now part of the Startup everwave, that organizes Cleanup Projects to save the Ocean. As Head of Marketing, she raises public awareness of the waste problem in our waters and is committed to ensuring that everyone takes responsibility together: business, politics, and society.

Isabelle works with the curious, the optimistic and the brave to deliver a new generation of marketing and climate solutions. As an intrapreneur herself she believes creativity and technology can drive business growth together with social change. Isabelle is an Aspen First Movers and a certified MIT Executive. She is often consulted on industry thought leadership on sustainability marketing, and regularly judges industry awards such as the Cannes Lions, Effies, DMA and AdNetZero.

Women in Tech Hall of Famer, Dr. Daie is a trailblazer many times over who has worked in academia, business, philanthropy, government and NGOs. A noted biologist, she is an investor, board director, keynoter, strategic advisor. And apiarist. Jaleh has served administrations of three Presidents, collaborated/worked in 8 countries. Jaleh has served as board chairman, treasurer, secretary, Life Director & chaired charity gala helping to raise millions. Currently, she is Partner at Aurora Equity & Founder/Chair of AgFood Tech @ Band of Angels and is on sabbatical as Visiting Executive at the UN-WFP Accelerator. Previously, she was head of STEM at David & Lucile Packard Foundation giving multi-million $ grants. She’s worked on Presidential initiatives & as special assistant to Chief Scientist at NOAA. Jaleh began her career at Rutgers & UW-Madison, where she was professor; senior science adviser to UW-System President; Dept. Chair; Chief Executive of multidisciplinary center & founder of a university-wide graduate program. Her board service includes Manna Tree Partners, SnapDNA,A6, Nokia Innovent, Investigen, Linkore, LightFull Foods, White House Fellows, Asia Society; UN-World Food Program advisory council; Filoli, Commonwealth Club, Assoc. of Women in Sci (President), Council of Scientific Society Presidents (Chairman), US Space Foundation & CRDF Global. Her honors include: LSQ Ambassador, Top 50 Women Leaders of Austin Congressional Citation, Henry Rutgers Fellow, Honorary Naval Aviator, Hon. Life Girl Scouts, Teksia Lifetime Achievement; Honorary doctorate; AAAS & AWIS Fellow and Leaders of Science

JC is a Managing Partner of Global Sustainable Future (GSF). He focuses on financing of clean technologies and large scale projects in Energy, Mobility, Water, Air and Carbon. He also advises Cleantech startups and large corporations with their Net Zero Strategy. He co-founded Tarform, an electric motorcycle start-up set to disrupt the two-wheeled transportation industry through advanced manufacturing and clean technology. Prior to Tarform, JC led the growth of a number of companies in the technology and business consulting industries.

With a strong business and marketing background, Jerome previously worked for the likes of McKinsey & Co, and Zalando, where he founded Zalando Marketing Services. As an avid nature and outdoors lover, Jerome always sought a way to combine this passion with his professional life and do his part to fight climate change, support biodiversity, and the local communities who are impacted.