Speakers

Achim Steiner
Under Secretary General of the United Nations and UNEP Executive Director

Achim Steiner was elected as the Executive Director of UNEP in 2006. He became the fifth Executive Director in UNEP's history.

President Felipe Calderón
Former President of Mexico, Chairman, Global Commission on the Economy and Climate

Felipe Calderón served as President of Mexico from 2006 to 2012.

Prior to his presidency, Calderón was Secretary of Energy (and in that capacity Chairman of the Board of PEMEX and CFE) and...

Juan José Guerra Abud
Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mexico

In 1994, Mr. Guerra became Minister of Economic Development at the State of Mexico Government. From 2009 to 2012, Mr.Guerra served as Coordinator of the Ecological Green Party at the Federal...

Prof. Nicholas Stern
Chair of the Institute, Grantham Research Institute

Lord Stern was adviser to the UK Government on the Economics of Climate Change and Development from 2005-2007, where he was Head of the Stern

Gabriel Quijandría
Deputy Minister for Strategic Development of Natural Resources, Ministry of the Environment

Expert on environmental and natural resources management issues with 15 years of experience in several Latin American education and development

Manuel Pulgar-Vidal
Minister of State for Environment and President of the COP20, Peru

Manuel Pulgar – Vidal is a lawyer with 27 years of experience in the fields of environmental law and policy. In 2011 he was named Minister of State for Environment,

Héla Cheikhrouhou
Executive Director, Green Climate Fund

With close to 20 years of experience in project and development finance, Cheikhrouhou has extensive knowledge of international investment flows.

Fernando Zavala Lombardi
Managing Director Peru, SABMiller, former Minister of Economy and Finance, Peru

Fernando Zavala Lombardi is currently a managing director at SABMiller Peru.

Maria Helena Semedo
Deputy Director General, FAO

Ms. Semedo, is Deputy Director General, Natural Resources of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and has been working for FAO in various positions since 2003.

Luis Enrique Berrizbeitia
Executive Vice President, CAF Banco de Desarrollo de America Latina

Since 1996, Luis Enrique Berrizbeitia has been Executive Vice President of CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, with US$27.4 billion in assets

Celia Blauel
Deputy Mayor of Paris

Originally from Ferrette, in the French region of Alsace, Celia BLAUEL, 32 years old, obtained a degree from the Strasbourg Institute of Political Studies in 2003.

Jonathan Taylor
Vice-President responsible for Environment and Climate Action, European Investment Bank (EIB)

Jonathan Taylor has been a Vice President of the European Investment Bank since January 2013. He is a member of the EIB’s Management Committee

Glenn Schmidt, MBA
Head of Steering Government Affairs, BMW Group

Glenn Schmidt is responsible for steering government affairs for the BMW Group and is based in Munich. This function coordinates corporate positioning concerning global automotive legislative...

Luis Fernando Alarcón
Chief Executive Officer, ISA

Mr. Alarcón is a Civil Engineer from Universidad de los Andes (1975) where he also attended graduate school in economics between 1975 and 1977. He then received an M.S. degree in Civil...

Alessandra Marinheiro
Chief Executive Officer, ContourGlobal LatAm

Mrs. Alessandra Marinheiro currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of ContourGlobal’s LatAm region overseeing a portfolio of power generation assets in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru

Iris Flacco
Head of Energy Policy, Air Quality- Regione Abruzzo, Italy

Iris Flacco graduated from La Sapienza Rome University in 1978/79 where she obtained a degree in Geological Sciences. Currently she occupies the position of Head of the Energy Department

James Bacchus
Chair, Commission on Trade and Investment Policy, ICC; Global Practice Chair, Greenberg Traurig

Bacchus works worldwide for the firm’s international business clients and is also engaged worldwide in numerous additional efforts to address

Bert Metz
Climate policy expert, UN IPCC Mitigation co-chair for TAR & AR4, Advisor with European Climate Foundation

Bert Metz is a Fellow at the European Climate Foundation and member of the Advisory Council. He focuses particularly on science and policy issues.

Dr. Ronald Cotterman
Vice President, Sustainability, Sealed Air Corporation

In his position as Vice President, Sustainability, Ron Cotterman is responsible for Sealed Air’s company-wide sustainability strategy

Remco Fischer
Climate Change, UNEP-FI

Remco Fischer joined UNEP FI in October of 2007 and is currently responsible for the Initiative’s strategy and activities on climate change. In this capacity he conceptualises, coordinates...

Jane Burston
Head of the Centre for Carbon Measurement

Jane is Head of the Centre for Carbon Measurement at the UK’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) where she is responsible for managing the work of 120 scientists on climate science, emissions...

Gerard Owens
Coordinator, Public Policy Issues, European Patent Office

Ged is responsible for coordinating initiatives relating to Public Policy Issues at the EPO. One major area of interest concerns the interactions between the global patent system

Mark Radka
Energy Branch Chief, UNEP

Mark Radka heads the UN Environment Programme’s Energy Branch, which is part of the organisation’s Paris based Division of Technology, Industry and Economics.

Matthias Zoellner
Head of Division of the Environment, Climate and Social Office of the European Investment Bank

Matthias Zoellner was born in 1953 and has a degree in Economics from Bonn University, Germany

Dr. Peter Holmgren
Director General for the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)

Dr. Peter Holmgren, Director General for the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)

Pavan Sukhdev
CEO - Green Initiatives for a Smart Tomorrow (GIST)

Pavan Sukhdev is the CEO of the company Green Initiatives for a Smart Tomorrow (GIST) that advises governments, corporations, financial institutions

Kadir van Lohuizen
Award Winning Photo Journalist

The photo journalist Kadir van Lohuizen has covered conflicts in Africa and elsewhere, but is probably best known for his long-term projects on the seven rivers of the world

Ronni Kahn
Founder & CEO, OzHarvest

OzHarvest was founded in November 2004 when event’s organiser, Ronni Kahn wanted to make a significant contribution to society. Stunned by the amount of food wasted by the hospitality...

José da Costa Carvalho Neto
Chair of the Programme Committee, World Energy Council & Chief Executive Officer, Eletrobras

José da Costa Carvalho Neto is Chair of the World Energy Council’s Programme Committee, which directs WEC’s technical and regional work. In 1987, he was the Deputy Secretary of Mines and...

Andrea Karpati
Head of Policy, Climate-KIC

Andrea Karpati is the Head of Policy at Climate-KIC, Europe’s largest public-private innovation partnership focused on climate change. Her role spans European policy and networking with...

Carlos d’Arce Junior
Marketing Director for Latin America Region, CNH Industrial N.V.

Carlos d’Arce joined New Holland Agriculture, a Brand of CNH Industrial, a global leader in the capital good sector and listed both on the New York Stock Exchange

Naysán Sahba
Director, Division of Communications & Public Information (DCPI)

Mr. Naysán Sahba, was appointed as Director of UNEP's Division of Communications and Public Information in January 2014. Throughout the 17 years of his professional career, which includes...

Christian Grossmann
World Bank Group Director, Climate Change

Christian Grossmann is World Bank Group Director for Climate Change, focused on supporting the International Finance Corporation’s climate-smart investments

Karsten Löffler
Manging Director– Allianz Climate Solutions GmbH

Mr. Karsten Löffler is Managing Director (Geschäftsführer) of Allianz Climate Solutions GmbH (ACS), the Center of Competence of Allianz Group

James Close
Director, Climate Change Group

James Close, a UK national, brings over 25 years of experience in the field of energy policy , climate change, and private infrastructure

Philippe Joubert
Chair, Prince of Wales's Corporate Leaders Group

Mr. Joubert , Senior Advisor and Special Envoy Energy and Climate at WBCSD , currently serves as the Chair of the Prince of Wales’s

Tanya Müller García
Minister of Environment, Mexico City

As Minister of Environment, Tanya Müller has fostered Bycicle Mobility programs and strengthened intermodal transportation through expansion

Carl Pope
Special Advisor to Michael Bloomberg

A veteran leader in the environmental movement, Carl Pope is the former executive director and chairman of the Sierra Club

Professor Sir David King
UK Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Climate Change

Professor Sir David King is The Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Climate Change, Chancellor of the University of Liverpool, Chairman of the Futures Cities Catapult,