At the HSC, international policymakers and global leaders were invited to address the most pressing sustainability issues and work together on scalable solutions. How can our collective action across a diversity of sectors accelerate progress towards a sustainable future?
Download the program schedule, the annotated program and the overview of the high-level attendees below. The HSC24 Conference Paper that set the scene for the first Hamburg Sustainability Conference is available for download here.
Managing Director & V20 Finance Advisor
CVF-V20 Secretariat
Managing Director & V20 Finance Advisor
CVF-V20 Secretariat
Sara Jane Ahmed serves as the Managing Director and V20 Finance Advisor to the Climate Vulnerable Forum and V20 Finance Ministers. She is the Founder of the Financial Futures Center, a think tank focusing on analytics for the climate prosperity agenda. She is an advisor to the Least Developed Country board member in the Green Climate Fund. She is a member of the Task Force on Climate, Development and the IMF, the board of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) and the advisory board of various institutions including the Global Renewables Congress and Climate Smart Ventures. She was previously an energy finance analyst for IEEFA covering the Philippines and Bangladesh markets and an investment advisor for private equity groups specializing in originating and structuring energy opportunities. She received the 2021 Climate Breakthrough Project award. She holds an MS in Finance from the Simon Graduate School of Business, University of Rochester, Bachelors in Economics and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Knox College.
President, Ghana
President, Ghana
H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is the 5th President of Ghana’s 4th Republic, sworn into office for a second term on January 7, 2021. A staunch advocate for human rights, rule of law, justice, and democracy, his leadership has driven Ghana’s transformation. His administration introduced key policies like free senior high school education, a digitized economy, and expanded healthcare access, aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Under his leadership, Ghana has enhanced food security through the Planting for Food and Jobs program and promoted industrialization via the One District, One Factory initiative. His commitment to security includes retooling Ghana’s security services, ensuring territorial integrity. Globally, he champions democracy, human rights, and sustainable development, positioning Ghana as a leader in Africa’s transformation.
Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, EG
Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, EG
President
SOAS London University
President
SOAS London University
Zeinab Badawi was born in Sudan. She has a BA Hons degree from Oxford University, where she is an honorary fellow, and an MA from SOAS, London University. In addition to a long broadcast career that includes programs such as Hardtalk and a 20-part BBC TV series on the history of Africa, Zeinab is President of SOAS, she sits on several boards such as the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales, MINDS - the Mandela Institute for Development Studies, the International Crisis Group The Royal Opera House and the Arts Humanities and Research Council Zeinab has received many awards, honorary doctorates, and the British Academy’s President Medal. She has four children.
President
World Bank
Prime Minister, Côte d'Ivoire
Prime Minister, Côte d'Ivoire
Robert MAMBE BEUGRE, Prime Minister, Head of Government, Minister for Sport and the Living Environment Mr Robert MAMBE BEUGRE is a general civil engineer with a number of projects to his credit, both in Abidjan and elsewhere in Côte d'Ivoire. These include the verification of the design calculation for the bridge between Yopougon and Attécoubé in 1977, the calculation of the bridge in the Soleil district in Gagnoa, the calculation of the bridge over the Téné river between Toumodi and Oumé and the bridge over the Mri between Bassam and Bonoua.Mr. Robert BEUGRE MAMBE, 71, is an avid researcher as well as an Ivorian politician, lay preacher in the United Methodist Church of Côte d'Ivoire, Member of Parliament, head of the elected (municipal) list for Songon, and recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Lyon Business School (France). He is the second-highest ranking individual on the Board of Côte d'Ivoire's ruling party, the Rassemblement des Houphouetistes pour la Démocratie et la Paix (RHDP).
Saudi Minister of Economy
CEO
H2Global
CEO
H2Global
Timo Bollerhey is the CEO of H2Global Holding and Hintco GmbH, Creator of the H2Global mechanism and Co-Founder of H2Global Foundation. Additionally, Timo has been apointed as a Co-Chair of the CertifHy Steering Committee, one of the leading European voluntary certification schemes. He is an investment and financial markets expert with more than 20 years of experience. Before initiating and designing H2Global, he worked as director for the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) in Brazil, focusing on blended finance approaches and the mobilization of institutional investors towards alternative assets. Prior to this, he served as Division Manager at the AfDB (African Development Bank) to foster the collaboration and co-financing with strategic private and public-sector partners. Between 2011 and 2016, Timo was director of business development at Allianz Global Investors where he oversaw the client coverage and advisory for African institutional investors. Prior to this he was head of financial institutions and sovereigns for Africa and the Middle East at Raiffeisen Bank International in Vienna and served as Chief Representative Africa for UniCredit Group.
Executive Director
International Trade Centre
Executive Director
International Trade Centre
Pamela Coke-Hamilton has served as Executive Director of ITC since October 2020. Since that time she has led the agency to meet the economic and trade challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent global supply chain disruptions. Ms. Coke-Hamilton has a breadth of experience and expertise in trade-related capacity-building and sustainable development and a deep understanding of the challenges faced by vulnerable economies such as the small island developing states and least developed countries. Ms. Coke-Hamilton has worked extensively with the private sector and academia across African, Caribbean and Pacific countries to build trade-related institutional strength within member States. She also established the Women Empowered through Export (WeXport) platform to address the disadvantages that women-owned firms experience in accessing markets. She began her career in Jamaica’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and later also served as Director of Trade, Tourism and Competitiveness of the Organization of American States (OAS) and Executive Director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA).
Minister for Development Cooperation and Planning, BO
Minister of Commerce and Industry, CI
Minister for International Development
UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Minister for International Development
UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Anneliese Dodds was appointed Minister for Development at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Minister for Women and Equalities at the Department for Education on 8 July 2024. She was elected as the MP for Oxford East in June 2017.
Secretary-General
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
Secretary-General
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
Mr. Dominguez has become the tenth Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), bringing over three decades of experience in the global maritime sector. He began his career representing Panama in roles within the Panama Maritime Authority and later as Panama's Ambassador to IMO. His ability to build consensus earned him key leadership roles, including Chair of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) and various other IMO committees. A trained naval architect, Mr. Dominguez holds a degree from Veracruzana University in Mexico and later pursued an MBA from the University of Hull, as well as qualifications in International Law and European Politics from Birkbeck University, UK. His diverse background enabled him to understand the maritime sector's complexities, supporting IMO as Chief of Staff and Administrative Director, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2023, he was elected Secretary-General for a four-year term starting in 2024, following his role as Director of the Marine Environment Division.
President
German Confederation of Trade Unions DGB
President
German Confederation of Trade Unions DGB
Yasmin Fahimi has a strong sense of justice. After studying chemistry, she therefore decided to join a trade union. During her time as a trade union secretary at the IGBCE, she got to know the concerns of employees first-hand. She later took this knowledge with her into German federal politics. As SPD General Secretary, State Secretary and directly elected member of the Bundestag, she always remained true to the issues of labor and social affairs. She has been DGB President since 2022, the first woman to hold this position.
Vice President
European Investment Bank
Vice President
European Investment Bank
Ambroise Fayolle was appointed Vice-President of the European Investment Bank in February 2015. He is currently responsible for climate action, just transition, and energy efficiency for SMEs. He is also responsible for funding and treasury of the EIB and is Board member of the European Investment Fund. In addition, he oversees the EIB’s activities in France, as well as in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Pacific Ocean. Graduate from the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA), he spent most of his career in various positions at the French Treasury Department and in the IMF and the World Bank, including as a Board member of the two institutions for 8 years.
President
DIW Berlin
President
DIW Berlin
Marcel Fratzscher is a researcher, author, and columnist on economic and socio-political topics, President of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), and Professor of Macroeconomics at Humboldt University Berlin. Among other things, he is a member of the United Nations High-level Advisory Board on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a member of the Advisory Board of the German Federal Ministry of Economics, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Hertie School of Governance. His work focuses on macroeconomics and financial markets, inequality, and the globalization and integration of Europe. He is a columnist for Zeit Online and regularly publishes commentaries in German and international media such as the Financial Times and Project Syndicate. In March 2022, his book „Geld oder Leben – Wie unser irrationales Verhältnis zum Geld unsere Gesellschaft spaltet“ (Money or Life – How Our Irrational Relationship to Money Divides Our Society) was published, which dispels long-held myths in our dealings with money—with saving, debt, inflation and interest—and presents an analysis for future financial risks, provision, and wealth creation.
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Development, MN
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Development, MN
Director
UNIDIR
Director
UNIDIR
Robin Geiss is the Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). He was appointed by Secretary-General António Guterres and assumed the post in April 2021. He has over 20 years of experience in peace, security and international affairs. Previously, he served as tenured Professor and Director of the Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security at the University of Glasgow. He was also the Swiss Chair of International Humanitarian Law at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and Visiting Professor at the Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po, Paris. Dr. Geiss has served as Legal Adviser and delegate to the UN Human Rights Council for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and he is an ex officio member of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters.
Managing Director
International Monetary Fund
President
Inter-American Development Bank
Deputy Secretary General
OECD
Deputy Secretary General
OECD
Mary Beth Goodman took up duties as Deputy Secretary-General on 4 April 2024, bringing with her extensive expertise and leadership experience in economic development, trade, anti-corruption, and democratic governance around the world. As Deputy Secretary-General, Mary Beth Goodman is responsible for the environment, public governance, and development portfolios of the OECD. This will include responsibility for sustainable development, climate finance and anti-corruption. From 2021 to 2023, she was the United States Coordinator for Global COVID Response and Health Security, having previously served as Special Assistant to President Barack Obama and Senior Director for Development and Democracy at the US National Security Council. Mary Beth Goodman has also been a leader in civil society, co-founding an organisation to investigate links between corruption, kleptocracy, and human rights abuses in Africa. Prior, she had a distinguished career in the Foreign Service, serving in diplomatic roles in Pakistan, Mali, and Washington, D.C. Before her diplomatic career, she practiced international trade law, participating in free trade agreement negotiations and advising on trade compliance matters.
Under-Secretary of State, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
Director-General
International Labour Organization
Director-General
International Labour Organization
BIOGRAPHY OF GILBERT F. HOUNGBO, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION (ILO) In March 2022 Gilbert F. Houngbo was elected by the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO) as its 11th Director-General, becoming the first African to hold the position. He took up the role on 1 October 2022. Prior to that post, Mr Houngbo was the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, based in Rome, Italy. First elected in 2017, he was re-elected in 2021. He previously was Deputy Director-General for Field Operations and Partnerships at the ILO. In 2008, Mr Houngbo was asked to serve as Prime Minister of Togo, a position he held until 2012. Prior to that he held several posts at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), including Chief of Staff and Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director for Africa, following several years in the private sector and three years serving as Director of Finance at the International Bank of Mali.
Mitglied des Vorstands/Managing Director
GIZ
Mitglied des Vorstands/Managing Director
GIZ
Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven is Managing Director of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH since October 2020. Ms. Hoven is a development economist with more than 30 years of international experience focusing strongly on sustainability and climate issues. From 2010 to 2014, she served as World Bank Group Executive Director representing Germany. Prior to this assignment and thereafter, she held various high-level positions in the BMZ (German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development). During this time, Ms. Hoven spearheaded new global actions such as the NDC Partnership and AFR100, as well as initiatives in the field of climate risk insurance and finance. Ms. Hoven studied economics and political science at Justus-Liebig University Giessen and Université Paris IX/Dauphine. She is alumna of the postgraduate program of the German Development Institute (now IDOS).
EU Commissioner for International Partnerships
European Commission
EU Commissioner for International Partnerships
European Commission
Jutta Urpilainen oversees the European Commission’s work on international cooperation and sustainable development as the European Commissioner for International Partnerships. Before joining the Commission, she served as a Member of the Finnish Parliament from 2003 to 2019. In 2008, she became the first woman leader of the Social Democratic Party of Finland. From 2011 to 2014, she served as Finland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister. During that time, Jutta Urpilainen became closely involved in development issues, joining the Development Committee of the World Bank Group and IMF and chairing the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development. She served as the Foreign Minister’s Special Representative on Mediation (2017-19) and chaired the Finnish National Commission for UNESCO (2015-18). Commissioner Urpilainen was born in 1975. She is married and has two children.
Director: Energy and Environment
Business Unity South Africa (BUSA)
Director: Energy and Environment
Business Unity South Africa (BUSA)
Happy Khambule is a Paris Agreement Compliance Committee member and the UNFCCC South African lead-negotiator on Paris Agreement Compliance and Response Measures. He has been serving as Commissioner in the inaugural President's Coordinating Commission on Climate Change (PCC), Business Unity South Africa's Director of Environment and Energy, National Nuclear Regulator board member, NEDLAC energy and environment Business lead and as Independent Chairperson of CleanCity South Africa Board.
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Mr. Li Junhua was appointed the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs in September 2022. He advises the Secretary-General on issues related to the three pillars of sustainable development – social, economic, and environmental. Mr. Li heads the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), which delivers programmes on socioeconomic trends and policies, population dynamics, and environmental management in close partnership with governments, UN agencies and civil society organizations.
President
Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)
President
Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)
Zingiswa Losi is a South African trade unionist and politician. She was elected as a 2nd Deputy President of COSATU in 2009, held that position until she was elected unopposed as the first female president of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in 2018 September 20th and reelacted September 2022 She is a President of the Southern African Trade Union Coordinating Council (SATUCC) in the SADC Region elected in 2017 October in Tanzania with 21 Affiliates and reelected in 2022 October in South Africa Elected as a member of ITUC General Council in Melbourne, Australia in November c2022 EDUCATION *Certificate in Media and Communication Strategy - Institute for the Advancement of Journalism. *Higher certificate in Business management - Regent business school *Certificate in Project Management - Rhodes Business school *Certificate in Business Development Management with University of Cape Town
President, Namibia
Chief Executive Officer
Hamburg Port Authority AöR
Chief Executive Officer
Hamburg Port Authority AöR
Jens Meier (58) has been CEO of the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) since 2008. With more than 25 years of experience in the port, logistics, finance and IT sectors, the computer science graduate is a recognized leader in the maritime industry. His previous professional positions include board positions at Fiege Holding, the tts Group, Systematics AG (later EDS) or Software Design & Management AG (Ernst & Young Group). Jens Meier, elected IAPH Vice President for Europe in 2019, served in this capacity at the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) for a four-year tenure, during which he also assumed a temporary vice-presidency for Africa. He was elected IAPH President in summer 2023 and has been in office since November of the same year. He is a frequent speaker with a large media outreach, in particular on future maritime affairs and in the area of digitalization. With regard to his voluntary commitment, Jens Meier is a founding board member of the Hamburger Informatik Forum e.V. (Hamburg Informatics Forum). He is also a member of several supervisory boards and boards of trustees. From 2015 to 2018 he served as president of Hamburger Sport Verein e.V. (HSV).
Minister of State, Planning and Investment, TZ
Prime Minister, Barbados
Foreign Minister, CO
Head of Exploration
UNDP
Head of Exploration
UNDP
Peter Nyanda is a skilled development professional with advanced degrees in International Development and Business Administration, and certification as a business manager. With over 15 years of experience in the private and non-profit sectors in Africa, he specializes in public policy analysis, advanced social research, institutional capacity building, MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning), business development, and computational social sciences (CSS). Peter’s global experience includes leading projects with prominent organizations like The Johns Hopkins University, Millicom, and the Palladium Group, where he oversaw business solutions development, project management and CSR work. As the Team Lead and Head of Exploration at the UNDP Accelerator Lab in Tanzania, he has led efforts in digital transformation and innovative solutions for sustainable growth, collaborating with international partners to align development strategies with cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and GIS. His strategic leadership in managing complex projects makes him a key figure in driving future development in Tanzania and Africa in general.
Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Otto Group
President
AFPAT
President
AFPAT
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim is an Indigenous woman, a member of the Mbororo pastoralist people in Chad, and President of the Association of Fulani Women and Indigenous Peoples of Chad (AFPAT). Oumarou Ibrahim is an advocate for the greater inclusion of Indigenous peoples and their knowledge in the multilateral agenda addressing climate change adaptation and mitigation. An initiative on environmental storytelling grants has been named in her honor by Ami Vitale Productions. She received the Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award and was appointed as a United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Advocate. She serves as Chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues; UN-SDG Advocate; Member of the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC); Member of the Advisory Committee to the Secretary-General’s 2019 Climate Action Summit; and Conservation International Senior Indigenous Fellow. In 2019, she was listed by Time Magazine as one of 15 women championing action on climate change.
Executive Director
UNICEF
Executive Director
UNICEF
Catherine Russell serves as UNICEF’s 8th Executive Director, overseeing the organization’s work for children in over 190 countries and territories. From 2020 to 2022, Ms. Russell served under President Joe Biden as Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. From 2013 to 2017, she was the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues at the U.S. Department of State. Previously, Ms. Russell served as Deputy Assistant to the President in the White House administration of President Barack Obama, Senior Advisor on International Women’s Issues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Associate Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice, and Staff Director of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Before re-entering government service in 2020, Ms. Russell taught at the Harvard Kennedy School as an Institute of Politics Fellow. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, magna cum laude, from Boston College and a Juris Doctor degree from the George Washington University Law School.
Under-Secretary-General for Policy
United Nations
Under-Secretary-General for Policy
United Nations
Guy Ryder is the Under-Secretary-General for Policy in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General (EOSG) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. He leads global policy coordination with a focus on the Summit of the Future and its follow-ups, and ensures strategic alignment within the Executive Office. Mr. Ryder also oversees coherence in the analysis presented to the Secretary-General and supports system-wide coordination, including the implementation of the Secretary-General’s "Call to Action for Human Rights." He chairs the Deputies Committee, oversees the secretariat to the Executive Committee and the Senior Management Group, and closely coordinates on matters related to the Chief Executives Board. Prior to his current position, Mr. Ryder served as Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva for two consecutive terms beginning in October 2012. His tenure at the ILO began in 1998 as Director of the Bureau for Workers' Activities, followed by his role as Director of the Office of the Director-General in 1999.
Staatsministerin beim Bundeskanzler
Bundeskanzleramt
Staatsministerin beim Bundeskanzler
Bundeskanzleramt
Minister of State Sarah Ryglewski is responsible within the Federal Chancellery for cooperation between the Federal Government and the Länder. She has also been given responsibility by the Federal Cabinet for sustainable development and chairs the State Secretaries Committee on Sustainable Development. Sarah Ryglewski was previously Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Finance (2019-2021). She has been a Member of the German Bundestag since 2015 where, among other things, she has been a member of the Finance Committee and the Committee on Legal Affairs and Consumer Protection, as well as spokesperson on consumer policy of the SPD parliamentary group. She was a member of the Bremische Bürgerschaft (Land parliament of Bremen) from 2011 to 2015. Sarah Ryglewski has been an active member of the SPD since 2001. She was initially chair of the Young Socialists in Bremen, then deputy chair of the SPD in Bremen and has been a member of the national SPD Executive Committee since 2017. She studied politics and after gaining her degree she worked as a neighbourhood manager in Bremen.
Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia in Germany
Federal Chancellor, Germany
Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development, DE
Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development, DE
Since December 2021, Svenja Schulze serves as Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development and is a member of the German Bundestag. Before she had first joined the Federal Cabinet when she became Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in March 2018 until December 2021. In her career she held several public positions in the North Rhine-Westphalia including member of the state parliament and State Minister for Innovation, Science and Research. She holds a Master of Arts degree in German studies and political science from Bochum University.
Assistant Director General Jobs and Social Protection
ILO
Assistant Director General Jobs and Social Protection
ILO
Mia Seppo assumed the role of Assistant Director-General for the Jobs and Social Protection Cluster at the International Labour Organization on 1 February 2023. She manages three departments: Employment Policy, Job Creation, and Livelihoods; Social Protection; and Sustainable Enterprises, Productivity, and Just Transition. With over two decades at the United Nations, Ms Seppo has worked in post-conflict and peacekeeping contexts, managed UN support to complex elections and coordinated multiagency responses to crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Her fieldwork covers Africa, Central Asia, and Asia, with notable tenures as the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Malawi and as the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh. Throughout her career, she has been engaged in the UNs advocacy for the Sustainable Development Goals and rights-based approaches.
Minister of Planning, Investment, and Economic Development, SM
Minister of Planning, Investment, and Economic Development, SM
Chair and Founder
Liquidity and Sustainability Facility
Chair and Founder
Liquidity and Sustainability Facility
Dr Songwe was a senior advisor to the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) where her work focused on credit risk cycles and regulatory and supervisory measures to manage this. She also worked on treatment of climate and nature in the Basel III framework. She currently co- chairs the G20 Expert Group on climate, finance and debt (TF Clima) She is a also a visiting senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Dr Songwe is a global climate champion. She is the Co-Chair of the Independent High Level Expert Panel on Climate Finance alongside Lord Nick Stern. Under the last three COP presidencies they have worked to build the climate investment narrative as the growth story of the 21st century. Dr Songwe is an IDA champion working with countries, MDBs, their shareholders, and the private sector to provide liquidity to countries that need a bridge to green growth. She is the former United Nations Under-Secretary General and the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the first woman to lead the organization in 60 years.
Administrator
United Nations Development Programme
Administrator
United Nations Development Programme
Achim Steiner became UNDP Administrator on 19 June 2017. The United Nations General Assembly confirmed his appointment following his nomination by Secretary-General António Guterres. In April 2021, the General Assembly confirmed his appointment to a second four-year term beginning in June 2021. Mr. Steiner is also the Vice-Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group, which unites 40 entities of the UN system that work to support sustainable development. Over nearly three decades, Achim Steiner has been a global leader on sustainable development, climate resilience and international cooperation. He has worked tirelessly to champion sustainability, economic growth and equality for the vulnerable, and has been a vocal advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining UNDP, he was Director of the Oxford Martin School and Professorial Fellow of Balliol College, University of Oxford. Mr Steiner has served across the United Nations system, looking at global challenges from both a humanitarian and a development perspective. He led the United Nations Environment Programme (2006-2016), helping governments invest in clean technologies and renewable energy. He was also Dire
Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, JO
First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany
Global Director
NDC Partnership
Global Director
NDC Partnership
Pablo Vieira is the Global Director of the NDC Partnership, where he leads efforts to build momentum for ambitious climate and development actions in collaboration with governments and international stakeholders worldwide. Before joining the NDC Partnership, Pablo served as Presidential Advisor, managing Colombia’s accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and supporting the coordination and implementation of national and international commitments on the environment and climate change. From 2013 to 2016, Pablo was Deputy Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, responsible for the formulation, adoption and implementation of all environmental and sustainable development strategies, policies and regulations.
Partnerships and Communications Director
iCS - Institute Climate and Society
Partnerships and Communications Director
iCS - Institute Climate and Society
Alice de Moraes Amorim Vogas is a lawyer and climate politics specialist. She is the Partnerships and Communications Director at iCS - Institute Climate and Society, in Brazil and F-20 Chairwoman. Prior to this role, she coordinated the Philanthropy for Climate movement at WINGS and was Board Chair of the think Tank E+ Energy Transition. She is a Humboldt Chancellor Fellow and spent 18 months in Germany working with the MdB Lisa Badum (Green Party) at the German Parliament, undertaking comparative research about the relationship between climate NGOs in Germany and Brazil with the legislative powers. Alice worked as Climate Policy and Outreach Portfolio Coordinator at iCS, and as climate & development manager at GiP - Public Interest Management. She started her career as in-house Lawyer at Icatu Holding S/A. She holds a B.A. in Law from the State University of Rio de Janeiro and an MSc in Political Economy of Late Development from LSE - London School of Economics.
CEO
Ka-Ja Design Associates
CEO
Ka-Ja Design Associates
Karma Thinlay Wangchuk is the CEO of Ka-Ja Design Associates and the consultant coordinator for the Transformation Lab, ReBuilt Bhutan Project, a collaborative undertaking between Bauhaus Earth and the Royal Government of Bhutan, exploring regenerative and bio-based construction materials in Bhutan. Over a period spanning almost three decades, Karma has been involved as an urban planning specialist in the planning and design of numerous structural and urban development projects throughout Bhutan, including several iconic landmarks—first as a government official and later as a private consultant. Karma has designed various urban centers in Bhutan, often leading the design team and serving as the national counterpart to foreign design consultants. His background in landscape architecture and urban design allows him to design sustainable settlements which are in balance with nature and the surrounding landscape. Karma was a SPURS Fellow at MIT, USA. He currently serves as a member of the core working group for the Gelephu Mindfulness City Project. He is also an alumnus of the United World College Systems.
CEO
Beiersdorf AG
CEO
Beiersdorf AG
Years Job Title Company 1991 – 1994 Assistant Brand Manager Procter & Gamble, France 1994 – 1996 Senior Brand Manager Bacardi – Martini, France 1996 – 1998 Marketing Group Manager L’Oréal, Garnier, France 1998 – 1999 Marketing Director L’Oréal, Garnier/Maybelline Europe 1999 – 2000 General Manager Consumer Products L’Oreal, Portugal 2000 – 2002 General Manager Consumer Products L’Oreal Garnier/Maybelline, Germany 2002 – 2003 General Manager Consumer Products L’Oreal, Latin America 2004 – 2008 General Manager Consumer Products L’Oreal, Japan 2008 – 2009 General Manager Consumer Products L’Oreal, France 2010 – 2011 General Manager Active Cosmetics (Pharmacy) L’Oreal, France 2011 – 2013 Vice President Consumer Health Care Europe Sanofi 2013 – 2017 Born 1968 in Neuilly-Plaisance / France Studies of Business Administration in France and Boston, USA Senior Vice President Global Head of Consumer Health (CHC) Sanofi 2017 – 2021 Member of the Executive Board Beiersdorf AG since May 2021 Chief Executive Officer Beiersdorf AG
Patron
Hope and Homes for Children
Patron
Hope and Homes for Children
Claire Wright MBE is a committed philanthropist and a Patron of international children's charity Hope and Homes for Children, who have been a recipient of UK aid match.
Senior Minister, Second Vice-Chairman of the Council for the Development, Cambodia
Senior Minister, Second Vice-Chairman of the Council for the Development, Cambodia
CEO & Chairman of the Management Board DEKRA e.V. & DEKRA SE
DEKRA Group
CEO & Chairman of the Management Board DEKRA e.V. & DEKRA SE
DEKRA Group
Stan Zurkiewicz | DEKRA Group CEO & Chairman of the Management Board DEKRA e.V. + DEKRA SE Academic Qualification: Executive Master of Business Administration China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), China, MA, Management University of St Andrews, Scotland SINCE 2022 DEKRA e.V. and DEKRA SE, Stuttgart Chairman of the Management Board SINCE 2021 DEKRA SE, Stuttgart, Member of the Management Board, COO, Regions & Sales 2018 DEKRA SE, Region East & South Asia, Executive Vice President DEKRA Group 2015 DEKRA SE, Chief Regional Officer East Asia and Member of Executive Committee 2013 DEKRA, Chairman of the Management Board, Greater China 2011 DEKRA Testing & Certification China Ltd, General Manager 2006 KEMA, General Manager 2004 ABB, Oil & Gas, Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, Business Development Manager
Youth Activists
BMZ Youth Advisory Council (DE)
Youth Activists
BMZ Youth Advisory Council (DE)
Areej Alsayed is a human rights activist based in Cologne, focusing on climate, education, sustainability, and migration policy. As recent high school graduate, she is currently taking a gap year before starting her medical studies. Areej has actively contributed to numerous national and international events, such as the Action for Climate Empowerment Hub Youth Event 2023, the 2023 Bonn Climate Change Conference, and the Global Refugee Forum 2023. Through these platforms, she advocates for youth engagement, with a particular emphasis on amplifying the voices of young refugee girls and women. She serves as the spokesperson for the Youth Advisory Council of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and is a member of the Youth Advisory Board for the "Zukunft? Jugend fragen!" - study by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety, and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and the Federal Environment Agency (UBA). Areej is also part of the Education for Sustainable Development youth forum youpaN and contributes to the Federal Foreign Office’s Working Group on Youth and Climate Foreign Policy.
Chief Investment Officer
IDB Invest
Chief Investment Officer
IDB Invest
With over 20 years of experience in the private sector, banking, and international organizations, Marisela Alvarenga is a prominent leader in promoting inclusion and sustainability in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), as well as driving financial innovation to contribute to development impact in the region. Currently, Marisela Alvarenga holds the position of Chief Investment Officer (a.i.) at IDB Invest, the private sector arm of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, where she plays a key role as a member of the Senior Management Committee. In this role, she leads a high-level strategic vision for the development and execution of the institution's commercial operations and investments. Marisela holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Business Administration from the School of Economics and Business, and a Master's in Business Administration from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, complemented by an MBA program at the Otto Beisheim School of Management (WHU) in Germany, as well as several Diplomas in Impact Investing and Sustainable Finance from universities in the United Kingdom.
Director INTPA D
European Commission, DG INTPA
Director INTPA D
European Commission, DG INTPA
Luc Bagur has a 30-year international career focusing on the nexus of international relations, global and development issues. He is currently Director for Sustainable Development Policy and Coordination at the Directorate-General for International partnerships. In his capacity, Luc Bagur oversees the policy formulation on global development issues, the promotion of development effectiveness, and the implementation of the Global Gateway Strategy; the dialogue with strategic bilateral partners, the G7 & G20 development agendas, and the relations with UN & OECD; the design of the financing instruments and their multi-annual programming; the results agenda, the monitoring tools on performance and the impact evaluations.
Professor
University of Hamburg / GHG Protocol
Professor
University of Hamburg / GHG Protocol
Alexander Bassen is a full professor of capital markets and management at the University of Hamburg, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Science (Germany). Alexander Bassen is the inaugural chair of the Independent Standards Board of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a member of the Sustainability Reporting Board of EFRAG and the German Advisory Council on Global Change of the German Federal Government. In addition, he served as a member of the EFRAG Project Task Force EU Sustainability Reporting Standard (PTF ESRS), the German Council for Sustainable Development – Advisory Body of the German Federal Government, and and the G7 Impact Task Force. He is an Honorary Research Associate at the University of Oxford (Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment) and a Visiting Professor at the Hong Kong Baptist University and at the University of Reading. In addition, he serves as a member of several advisory committees for sustainable finance.
Chief Operations Officer
Industrial Development Corporation Of South Africa
Chief Operations Officer
Industrial Development Corporation Of South Africa
Responsible for overseeing the IDC’s core functions of lending and investments including the entire transaction value chain from deal origination, due diligence and deal structuring, credit and investment evaluation, deal team negotiation and transaction closure. Responsibilities include driving continuous improvement operations and optimising client experience; overseeing delivery of emergency funding responses to support business recovery ; and building sustainability capability, driving alignment to sustainable development goals and building just transition approach for the corporation. In addition, Joanne is responsible for the Industry Planning function which aligns with the South African government’s master plan and Just Energy Transition Investment Plan priorities including launching a paper at COP28, Transitioning to Sustainable Industrialisation, with a focus on economic transitioning and not limiting decarbonisation to the energy sector. Industry Planning is responsible for implementing the Green Hydrogen and New Energy Vehicle chapters of the South African Just Energy Transition Implementation Plan tabled at COP28.
Global Head of ESG Corporate Bank
Deutsche Bank AG
Global Head of ESG Corporate Bank
Deutsche Bank AG
Global Head of ESG Corporate Bank at Deutsche Bank & Member of the Corporate Bank Executive Committee Lavinia Bauerochse is Global Head of ESG at Deutsche Bank‘s Corporate Bank and member of the divisional Executive Committee of Corporate Bank. In her role, Lavinia is responsible for the Sustainable Finance dialogue with corporate clients of Corporate Bank globally as well as defining Corporate Bank’s ESG strategy and offering. Lavinia is Co-leading the Energy and Real Economy Transition Workstream of GFANZ, member of the Advisory Board of PlanA.Earth and member of the Standing Committee of the Green and Sustainable Finance Cluster Germany. Lavinia is with Deutsche Bank for more than 20 years. Prior to her current role, she was Chief Operating Officer for Corporate Bank Germany, and held leadership roles at Deutsche Bank, both in Germany and the UK. Lavinia is originally from the North of Germany and holds an MBA from the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) in Berlin.
Managing Director
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
Managing Director
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
Gunther Beger is the Managing Director of Innovation and Economic Transformation at UNIDO. His Directorate is responsible for the development of innovative services in areas of agro-industry, sustainability standards, fair production, and climate-improving technologies, as well as the development of innovative financial instruments and the identification new public private partnerships. Until March 2022, he served as Executive Director for Germany at the World Bank Group. From 2013-2021, Mr. Beger served as Director General in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany. From 2000-2013, he held several leadership positions in the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. From 1995-2000, he served as Head of Division for Agriculture at the German Embassy in Moscow, Russia. Mr. Beger holds a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics.
Project Head and Senior Researcher
IDOS
Project Head and Senior Researcher
IDOS
Kathrin Berensmann has been a senior researcher and project head at the German Institute for Development and Sustainability (IDOS) in Bonn since 2000. She previously worked at the German Institute for Economic Research in Cologne and at the University of Würzburg. Kathrin Berensmann holds a master degree in Economics and a PhD from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Würzburg. Her research and policy advice focuses on development finance, sustainable finance and international financial architecture. She has worked for more than 25 years in research and policy advice for various national and international public institutions, including the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Federal Ministry of Finance, the United Nations, the World Bank and Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
Head of ESG
Hyphen Hydrogen Energy
Head of ESG
Hyphen Hydrogen Energy
Toni is an accomplished executive with over 18 years’ experience in the legal, renewable energy, oil, and gas industries. She currently heads up the Environment, Social & Governance (ESG) portfolio for Hyphen Hydrogen Energy, a fully integrated Gigawatt scale green hydrogen project in Namibia. Her last role was Director for GE South Africa and Southern Africa Onshore Wind Sales Leader for GE Renewables. Toni is a qualified conveyancer and admitted attorney in Namibia, with B.Juris and LL.B degrees, and MBA and LL.M degrees (with Distinction) from the University of Dundee, Scotland.
Principle Sector Economist
KfW
Principle Sector Economist
KfW
Boris Boettcher is a Principal Sector Economist in the Competence Centre for the worldwide portfolio in urban mobility of KfW International Finance. Prior to his, he was senior expert for transport investment projects in North Africa and Western Balkans for KfW. He has multiple years of experience at the European Commission supporting the implementation of Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) before he became Senior Consultant for European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). Boris Boettcher was involved in multiple corridor management and infrastructure investment projects in Africa, one of which was supporting the definition of the new criteria of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA PAP II) for the African Union Commission (AUC). As a trained engineer in transport sciences, he started his career with the design and implementation of rail projects and data communication networks. Later he proceeded with executive Master programmes in Political Sciences and International Relations at the University of Hamburg and Science Po.
Head of Research & Consulting
Foundation Development and Climate Alliance
Head of Research & Consulting
Foundation Development and Climate Alliance
Sina Brod graduated with a Master of Arts in Sustainability Management from the Berlin School of Economics and Law and a Master of Arts in Cultural Studies from Humboldt University Berlin. She spent several years implementing projects in an environmental organization in Cambodia and then worked for seven years at a compensation fund on climate protection projects and climate management until she took over as Managing Director. She then coordinated a migration program at GIZ Albania and has been Head of Research and Advisory Services at the Foundation since February 2024.
Geschäftsführende Vorständin
Fairtrade Deutschland e.V.
Geschäftsführende Vorständin
Fairtrade Deutschland e.V.
Claudia Brück, scientist for Latin America, started at Fairtrade Germany, Association for the Promotion of Fair Trade in One World, in 1999 after several years of journalistic work and stays abroad. Starting as a press spokeswoman, she repeatedly set new impulses for campaigns and international cooperations. In 2012 Claudia Brück became deputy managing director and in 2015 deputy chairwoman of the board. Since 2022 she is part of the three-member joint board at Fairtrade Germany e.V.. She is responsible for communication, positioning and cooperation with civil society, development policy and international stakeholders.
Vice-President (Finance and Risk Management)
Asian Development Bank
Vice-President (Finance and Risk Management)
Asian Development Bank
Roberta Casali is executive Vice President Finance and Risk Management at the Asian Development Bank. Roberta Casali is responsible for the overall management of the operations of the Office of Risk Management, the Controller’s Department, and the Treasury Department. She has more than 30 years of executive experience in central banking and the financial sector. She held senior positions in the area of payment systems at the Bank of Italy, in both national and international roles. She also had significant private sector banking experience, including more than ten years at leading Italian international banking group Intesa Sanpaolo SpA. From 2017 to 2021 she served on several boards of listed and private companies as an independent chair and non-executive director. She has a degree in Economics and Business Administration from La Sapienza University of Rome, a Master in Business Administration from University of Rochester (USA) and a Certificate in Corporate Governance as International Director from INSEAD (France).
Director
Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (BR)
Director
Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (BR)
Ana Paula Cavalcante is the Director of Articulation and Governance at the National Climate Change Secretariat of the Brazilian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. Since 2004, she has been a member of the Public Policy and Government Management Specialist career, focusing on economic regulation, international negotiations, and environmental issues. Her previous roles include General Coordinator of International Air Services and Environment at the National Civil Aviation Secretariat, Head of the International and Environmental Advisory at the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), and Superintendent of Air Services at ANAC. Most recently, she served as Deputy Secretary for Governance and Coordination of State-Owned Enterprises at the Ministry of Management and Innovation. She holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Brasília (UnB), and spent a year as a visiting Ph.D. student at the Department of Deep Decarbonization, School of Global Policy and Strategy, at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Her research has focused on climate change, carbon markets, and civil aviation.
Architect
Architekten Ingenieure PSP
Architect
Architekten Ingenieure PSP
Experienced architect and director with a demonstrated history of working in the architecture & planning industry in East Africa and Europe. Skilled in design related software, design to building construction project management and a focus on building design and planning efficency. Beyond her responsibilities, she is a founding partner of ANZA magazine and a mentor to young Tanzanian professionals in the construction industry.
Research Group Leader
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (ZA)
Research Group Leader
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (ZA)
Carel de Jager, Research Group Leader for Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) at the CSIR, is at the forefront of blockchain innovation in South Africa. Leading DLT R&D in the Emerging Digital Technologies for 4IR unit, Carel's work focuses on building solutions that combat illicit financial transactions. With years of experience, Carel is a recognized thought leader in the blockchain space, having worked with numerous regulatory bodies, financial institutions, and corporates. At the Hamburg Sustainability Conference 2024, Carel will speak on the transformative potential of blockchain in green finance.
Founder & Managing Partner
Dalus Capital
Founder & Managing Partner
Dalus Capital
Rogelio De los Santos is a husband and father of four who describes himself as an explorer, fast learner, investor, entrepreneur-centric, and dreamer. He is the founder and funder of venture-stage disruptive companies and is recognized for building high-impact initiatives. As the founding Managing Partner of Dalus Capital, he supports entrepreneurs and ecosystem development. He is actively involved with universities, serving as a trustee of Tec de Monterrey and a member of the International Board of Advisors (IBA) at the University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, he is an honorary board member of ASEM (Mexican National Entrepreneurs Association). Since 2013, he has founded and chairs incMTY, the Latin American innovation and entrepreneurship festival. De los Santos earned an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tec de Monterrey, a master's degree in Business Leadership from Duxx, an honorary degree from Babson College, and an ecosystem development certificate from MIT.
Secretary General
International Chamber of Commerce
Secretary General
International Chamber of Commerce
John W.H. Denton AO is the Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). He is a global business leader and international advisor on policy and a legal expert on international trade and investment. In 2022, John was appointed by United Nations Secretary General to represent the global private sector on the newly formed Steering Committee of the UN Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance. John was also appointed by the WTO Director General to represent ICC at the WTO Business Advisory Board group. He also currently serves on the WHO Foundation Strategic Advisory Group and the Global Task Force on Refugee Labour Mobility. John is a Board member of the UN Global Compact and was appointed Chair of the UN Business and Human Security Initiative advisory board in February 2023. John is a founding member of the Business 20 (B20), Co-founder of the Australia–China CEO Roundtable and Patron of UNHCR in Australia. He serves on the Board of IFM Global Investors, a leading institutional investment manager, and is Chair of the Moeller Institute Advisory Board at the University of Cambridge. He is also the Chair of the Merchants of Peace Foundation.
VP R&T; Member of the Board of Management
Airbus Operations GmbH
VP R&T; Member of the Board of Management
Airbus Operations GmbH
With over two decades in aerospace, my journey has been propelled by a fervent dedication to leadership and technological transformation. At the helm of Research & Technology and Engineering, my hands have steered innovative cross-functional teams, nurturing our collaborative drive at Airbus Operations GmbH and influencing the industry's future through my roles such as Helmholtz senator and acatech Forschungsbeirat Industrie 4.0. My mission crystallizes around advancing industrial management and embracing new technologies, underpinned by a strong ethical compass that champions social responsibility. The interplay of my leadership role and board memberships fortifies my strategic vision, ensuring that we remain at the cutting edge of aerospace advancement, shaping solutions that resonate with our collective commitment to excellence and societal impact.
Executive Director Continental Europe
The ONE Campaign
Executive Director Continental Europe
The ONE Campaign
Stephan Exo-Kreischer, Executive Director Continental Europe, leads the continental European work of ONE Campaign, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting for the right investments to foster economic opportunity and healthy lives in Africa. He has been Director of ONE Germany since 2016. Previously, he was a Senior Consultant at the development policy consultancy Seek Development. From 2010 to 2015, he headed the Berlin office of the anti-hunger charity Welthungerhilfe.
Dialogue on Globalization
Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation
Dialogue on Globalization
Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation
Sarah Ganter is heading the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation's "Dialogue on Globalization" in the Global and European Policy Department in Berlin. She holds a MA degree in Political Science, Philosophy and Computer Science from Dresden Universtity.
CEO
Climate Investment Funds
CEO
Climate Investment Funds
Tariye joined CIF in March 2024 as CEO. Prior to this appointment was CEO of ARM-Harith Infrastructure Investments a leading Pan-African infrastructure fund investing in energy transition and climate resilient infrastructure and the Co-Chair of the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative, an international organization enabling end-to-end high-integrity voluntary carbon markets for climate action. Tariye has global experience from the International Monetary Fund’s Western Hemisphere Department, the Boston Consulting Group,and Price Waterhouse Coopers. She has served in multiple climate and economic development organizations including as a member of the Climate Policy Initiative’s Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance, member of the Infrastructure Advisory Committee for the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing; Member of the African Advisory Board of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero; member of the Board of Advisors-Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy and member of the Advisory Council of the Millenium Challenge Corporation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Amherst College, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Director Nature-related finance
GC & TNFD
Director Nature-related finance
GC & TNFD
Marianne Haahr is Nature-related Finance Lead of Global Canopy and is part-time seconded to the TNFD. In her current roles Marianne works on nature-related data on among other the ENCORE platform and she leads development of TNFD guidance for sectors material to nature loss. Prior she served as Executive Director of the Green Digital Finance Alliance, where she developed among other publications on tokenised green bonds and developed data supply maps for financial service institutions. Marianne has served on the TNFD Informal Technical Expert Group and she has developed a number of input papers to the G-20 Sustainable Finance Working Group on sustainable digital finance and to the UN SG’s Task Force for fintech and SDG’s. Marianne holds an M.Sc from Copenhagen University.
Head of Unit "Governance and Human Rights"
GIZ
Head of Unit "Governance and Human Rights"
GIZ
Since September 2023, Stefanie Harter is heading the section “Governance and Human Rights” at the department “Global Policy, Governance, Cities” at GIZ headquarter in Bonn, Germany and is thus responsible for democracy topics in the online and offline world. Stefanie is an economist by background and holds a PhD on networks in the Soviet/Russian space and aviation industry. She was director of the Moscow Office of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, has worked for EU delegations in Moscow and Kyiv, was head of the liaison office of GIZ to the German Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defense, Interior and Justice and had a four-year stay in Tunisia as cluster coordinator in charge of governance programs.
Secretary General
F20
Secretary General
F20
Katrin Harvey is the Secretary General of the Foundations Platform F20. Before joining F20, Katrin was Chief Operations Officer of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens. In that role, she worked closely with global leaders and young changemakers to accelerate progress towards the SDGs and the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, as part of the legacy of former UN-SG Ban Ki-moon. In over 15 years working in the fields of sustainability, climate action, clean energy, and organizational management, Katrin has managed projects in Europe, Africa, and Asia in partnership with philanthropic organisations, UN agencies, the EU, and governmental development agencies. In her work she focused on climate change adaptation, sustainable agriculture and food systems, clean energy access, climate change education and capacity building, public-private dialogue, and on facilitating South-South and South-North knowledge exchange among experts in energy efficiency, energy regulation and international law. Katrin has academic degrees in language studies and international development.
Futures Fellow
UNDP
Futures Fellow
UNDP
Wenwen He is a foresight strategist and development practitioner with an interdisciplinary background. She is passionate about using research, design, and innovation to explore the intersections of migration, development, and human rights. She is currently serving as a Futures Fellow at the UNDP Strategy and Futures team. Wenwen holds a B.Arch from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MDes from Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Urban Innovation Specialist
UNITAC
Urban Innovation Specialist
UNITAC
Dora Hegyi is an urban planner with expertise in sustainable development and urban resilience. She is an experienced researcher with a focus on urban technology and digitalisation. As an Urban Innovation Specialist for UNITAC, she is currently working with five Namibian towns co-developing digital solutions to support data-driven decision making.
Chief Executive Officer
Hamburg Chamber of Commerce
Chief Executive Officer
Hamburg Chamber of Commerce
Malte Heyne earned his doctorate at the University of Bremen after studying economics in Bamberg. He then began working in business development in 2004 with close contacts to the chamber organization. In 2007, he joined the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. From 2010 to 2014, he headed the Tourism and Sports Department. In 2014, he continued his professional career as managing director of IHK Nord e.V. where he bundled the common interests of the twelve North German member chambers. In 2020 Dr Malte Heyne was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. Malte Heyne is chairman of the board of the Initiative Pro Metropolregion Hamburg (since 2020), a member of the supervisory board and the shareholders‘ meeting of Hamburg Marketing GmbH (since 2020) and a supervisory board member of Hamburg Messe and Congress GmbH (since 2021). He is board member of ICC Germany as well as chair of the Task Force on Digitalization of the World Chambers Federation.
Executive Director
AEBE
Executive Director
AEBE
I consider myself a business strategist with ability to multidisciplinary management. As Executive Director of the Ecuadorian- Chinese Chamber of Commerce (2010-2013), I led the organizing team of the first business fair of Chinese enterprises in Ecuador “Expo China 2011, 2012, 2013”. On 2015, I finished a Master´s degree in International Relations at Peking University. In 2011 I co-founded, with my brother, the company Annex Asia Machinery & Asia Surveyors that specializes in quality control and manufacturing solutions. In 2014 I became a board member of the Ecuadorian Chinese Chamber of Commerce. In 2016 due to a re-structure on the Ecuadorian Chinese Chamber of Commerce, I took over the National Executive Director post since May 2016 in order to organize the commercial public-private forum during President Xi Jinping visit to our country. From January 2017 to 2021 I was President of the Board of Directors of th Ecuadorian Chinese Chamber of Commerce and since 2020 I´m currently working as Executive Director of the Ecuadorian Banana Exporters Association, Coordinator of the Ecuadorian Banana Cluster, and Vicepresident of the Ecuador Private Sector Committe.
Journalist
Freelancer
Journalist
Freelancer
Monika Jones is one of the leading bilingual journalists and presenters in Germany. She anchors DW News for Germany's global TV broadcaster reaching a wide international audience in America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. A leading bi-lingual conference host, she specialises in economics, digitalisation, climate change, mobility and health. Monika has taken part in major international summits, chairing high-level panels at the G7, the G20 and the United Nations Climate Change Conferences. Monika has also hosted the event to mark the European Space Agency's Rosetta Mission and Philae comet landing.
Founder & Group CEO
Ecoplastile Limited
Founder & Group CEO
Ecoplastile Limited
Franc Kamugyisha, Founder/CEO, Ecoplastile & Wastepays, a Commonwealth Young Person of the Year 2022 & Advisory Committee Member, Commonwealth Year of Youth 2023/2024 and Advisory Board Member, HSC. Franc is won the Climate Award by MassChallenge & Ressolve, USA, Climate Award Winner- The King Hamad Youth Empowerment Award to Achieve SDGs 2020, Next Innovation with Japan Challenge (NINJA) 2021, Multi-City Challenge Africa- by UNDP, TEF Awards 2019, SEED Low Carbon Awards 2019, Climate Launchpad Uganda 2019. Franc is a Fellow; of the Young Founders Program, Berlin 2020, Halcyon Incubator Fellowship, Washington DC 2020, Rally Fellowship, Orlando, Circular Economy Accelerator, by Circular Valley, Wuppertal, Germany, AUDI Scholar and a One Young World Ambassador, London UK.
Chief Economist
LBBW
Chief Economist
LBBW
Dr Moritz Kraemer is Chief Economist and Head of Research at LBBW Bank and a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Sustainable Finance at SOAS, University of London. He also teaches graduate courses at Goethe-University Frankfurt’s House of Finance and Centre Internationale de Formation Européene (CIFE) in Nice. Before joining LBBW in November 2021, Moritz was Chief Economist of CountryRisk.io, a country- and ESG-risk platform. He also served as Independent Non-Executive Director of Scope Ratings, the largest Europe-headquartered Credit Rating Agency. Until 2018 he was at S&P Global as the Sovereign Ratings Group’ Global Chief Ratings Officer, overseeing the analytical work on assessing the creditworthiness of over 130 national governments worldwide. At S&P he introduced innovative analysis on the impact of the megatrends of global warming and demographic change on sovereign ratings. Moritz started his professional career as an Economist at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, DC and Tegucigalpa/Honduras. Moritz holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Göttingen. He studied Economics, Latin American Studies and Literature in Frankfurt, Southampton and San Diego.
Chief Financial Officer
DHL Group
Chief Financial Officer
DHL Group
Melanie Kreis is a physicist by training and holds an MBA from INSEAD. She began her career in 1997 as a consultant at McKinsey. In 2000 she moved to private equity firm Apax Partners. In 2004 she joined DHL Group, where she initially worked in the Corporate Development department in Bonn and later in the UK, leading the Exel integration. In October 2006 she assumed the position of Executive Vice President (EVP) Corporate Office. In 2009 she took over as EVP Corporate Controlling and in April 2013 as CFO of DHL Express. On November 1st, 2014, Kreis was promoted to the Board of Management of DHL Group, as the Board Member for Human Resources and Labor Director. Since October 1st, 2016, she has been the Chief Financial Officer of DHL Group.
Futures Network Coordinator
UNDP
Futures Network Coordinator
UNDP
Manasi is the Futures Network Coordinator in the Strategy and Futures team at the Executive Office of UNDP. Manasi is an Innovation Strategist with 15 years of diverse experience across multiple industries. She began her career in financial markets and spent six years at a food manufacturing conglomerate-Cargill, in diverse roles such as Strategic Pricing, Sales, and Business Strategy. She led the Disruptive Innovation and Emerging Technology initiatives in Cargill's Cocoa and Chocolate business, where she focussed on applying Design thinking and Lean start-up methodologies across multiple innovation projects for the company. Following her corporate tenure, Manasi joined Board of Innovation, an international Innovation Consulting firm. Here, she provided strategic guidance to large corporations, public institutions, and NGOs, specializing in Service and Product Design, Ecosystem Mapping, Innovation Portfolio Management, and Strategic Foresight.
Head of department
IDOS
Head of department
IDOS
Dr. Julia Leininger, PhD University of Heidelberg, heads the department „Transformation of political (dis-)order“ at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS). Her comparative research focuses on explaining democratization, social cohesion, international democracy support and protection as well as governing the SDGs. In her research collaborations she aims to bridge different perspectives from social and natural sciences, which are needed to inform a transformation to sustainability. Julia advises policy-makers and international organizations. Amongst others, she is a member of the advisory board of International IDEA, board member of the Foundation for Peace and Development and advices the OECD GovNet. Her research is published in academic outlets such as Democratization, Nature Climate Change and Third World Quarterly. Julia teaches at the Universities Heidelberg and Duisburg-Essen.
CEO
Conjuncta GmbH
CEO
Conjuncta GmbH
Prof. Dr. Stefan Liebing is the owner and CEO of Conjuncta GmbH, an investment and project development firm that focusses on infrastructure and energy investments. Before his current role, Stefan Liebing held management roles at EnBW Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg AG and Royal Dutch Shell. He is a shareholder and board member in several energy companies. Since October 2023, Stefan Liebing is the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of ReThinking Africa Foundation GmbH. From 2012 to April 2023, he was the Chairman of Afrika-Verein der deutschen Wirtschaft e.V., the German-African Business Association. He also is a Past Chairman of the European Business Council on Africa and the Mediterranean (EBCAM). Since 2018, Mr. Liebing is the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Cameroon with responsibility for northern Germany. Furthermore, Mr Liebing is the Vice Chairman of the Center for Business and Technology in Africa e.V. at Flensburg University and has been appointed honorary Professor there.
President Emeritus
Center for Global Development
President Emeritus
Center for Global Development
Masood Ahmed is President Emeritus of the Center for Global Development. He joined the Center in January 2017, capping a 35-year career driving economic development policy initiatives relating to debt, aid effectiveness, trade, and global economic prospects at major international institutions including the IMF, World Bank, and DFID. Masood Ahmed joined CGD from the IMF, where he served for eight years as director, Middle East and Central Asia Department, earning praise from Managing Director Christine Lagarde as a “visionary leader.” In that role, he oversaw the Fund's operations in 32 countries, and managed relationships with key national and regional policy makers and stakeholders. Born and raised in Pakistan, Masood Ahmed moved to London in 1971 to study at the LSE where he obtained a BSc Honors as well as an MSc Econ with distinction. Masood Ahmed is a leading expert on Middle East economics, having served on the Advisory Board of the LSE Middle East Center, as well as on the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on the Middle East and North Africa.
Youth Ambassador & Project Manager
ONE Campaign
Youth Ambassador & Project Manager
ONE Campaign
Jan Christian Menden is a graduated double-major student in Political Science & European Cultural Studies with over 10 years of experience in political engagement and activism, especially in the areas of european, foreign and developmental policy. These ranged from advocacy work as ONE Youth Ambassador, think tank work as EU & Europe Director of the Young Initiative on Foreign Affairs and International Relations, election campaign management for a german party, consulting work for intercultural NGOs, to engagements in student councils and initiatives (Young European Federalists, Model United Nations New York, International Student Commitment e.V., student council of Berlin, University Group for Foreign and Security Policy).
Pan Africa youth champion at the One campaign, where she has been a member since 2022. She is passionate about youth development and leadership which she actively promotes through advocacy, youth representation and civic engagement. She has previously served as a country representative at Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network as well as youth director at Sub-Sahara Africa International Model United Nations. Having a background in commerce, she is an advocate for sustainable finance and development. She has previously worked on different youth led projects and participated programs supported by the International Republican Institute (IRI), UN women, Action Aid as well as UNESCO. While in university she served as a vice president in one of her faculty's professional student association. She is an alumni of the Global Peace Foundation Kenya president's fellowship, Young Africa Leaders Initiative (YALI) RLC East Africa and Emerging Leaders Foundation ABLI fellowship. She is currently a member IRI's Women & Generation Democracy, volunteer member of Kenya's National Youth Council and Kenya's Young Women Caucas at Africa Women Leaders Network (AWLN).
Urban Planner
UNITAC
Urban Planner
UNITAC
Sophie Naue is an urban planner and Innovation Specialist with over 15 years of professional experience, combining academia and practice in international projects, with a focus on urban informality, co-creation processes, and digital transformation. Since 2022, she has worked as a scientific lead at UNITAC (United Nations Innovation Technology Accelerator for Cities) based at HafenCity University in Hamburg. She leads UNITAC's overall research activities, focusing on designing participatory urban data solutions, conducting applied research, and implementing sustainable data strategies for piloting cities around the world.
Director of Anchor Memberships
Nature Tech Collective
Director of Anchor Memberships
Nature Tech Collective
Paula is an architect, urban planner, and economist. She is the Director of Institutional Partnerships and Market Intelligence at Nature Tech Collective and has over 15 years of experience in social and sustainability-related initiatives. Paula has already been part of the Venture Capital teams at Plug and Play and Techstars, with the topics of Fintech, Blockchain, Sustainability, and Smart Cities.
Managing Director
Recroot Africa
Managing Director
Recroot Africa
Rushika J. Pattni is a principle-driven leader with over 8 years of experience in healthcare, financial services, and technology - gained while working in India, Mauritius, Rwanda, Kenya and China before going back to her motherland Tanzania. With a double B.A. in Economics and Public Health from Yale University and an EMBA from Hult Business School in Dubai in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. At just 30, she is the founder of Recroot Africa, an HRTech startup that connects companies to vetted talent on-demand. Her work applies human-centered design principles and behavioral science to help companies pivot hire and place good talent as they expand into Africa. She has grown in her leadership skills at a young age in her career. From being one of the youngest professors at African Leadership University in Rwanda at 23, to joining C-Suite ranks at Selcom Tanzania under 30, her spirit is driven by entrepreneurship. Her impressive tech experience includes her work with Salesforce Foundation, Mastercard, and African Leadership Group, before founding her own company. She strives to develop more leaders through her work who can be positive influencers of change in tech.
EVP Business Building, Strategy & Technology
Sasol Limited
EVP Business Building, Strategy & Technology
Sasol Limited
Sarushen Pillay, serving as Sasol’s Executive Vice President for Business Building, Strategy and Technology since 1 April 2024, stands as a distinguished leader within South Africa’s environmental sector. In his portfolio, Sarushen is responsible for shaping sustainable pathways for Future Sasol balancing People, Planet and Profit objectives. This entails defining long term strategic pathways to transition and transform Sasol for a low carbon world, while maintaining shareholder and societal value; and delivering on the company’s research, innovation and technology, and business building agenda.
Director
Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn
Director
Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn
Matin Qaim is Professor of Agricultural Economics and Executive Director of the Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Germany. Before, he had professorships at the Universities of Goettingen and Hohenheim and was research fellow at UC Berkeley, California. Qaim’s main research areas relate to sustainable food systems, poverty reduction, and rural development. He has experience in numerous countries of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the America. Qaim is a Highly-Cited Researcher, Member of the German National Academy of Sciences, Fellow of the American Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA), and President of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE).
Head of Corporate Communications
GFA Consulting Group
Head of Corporate Communications
GFA Consulting Group
Christoph Rasch manages the internal and external communication of GFA Consulting Group. The Hamburg-based company is active worldwide in international cooperation. Before joining GFA, he worked for a long time as a journalist for public broadcasting, magazines, and newspapers and was press spokesman for a sustainable energy provider for almost ten years.
Political Coordinator
erlassjahr.de
Political Coordinator
erlassjahr.de
Kristina Rehbein is the political coordinator of the German debt and development network Jubilee Germany and has been active on fair and just sovereign debt resolution for more than 10 years. She has published numerous analyses on sovereign debt since her engagement with Jubilee. She is also a member of the board of the European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad). Kristina holds a Master of Science in Global Development Management.
CEO
Foundation Development and Climate Alliance
CEO
Foundation Development and Climate Alliance
Peter Renner is a political scientist specializing in international politics. He has held management positions in various non-governmental organizations for 20 years. He has been active in technical assistance, economic cooperation, and development cooperation for almost 30 years and has extensive experience abroad. His assignments have taken him to Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Transcaucasia, and Africa. Most recently, he worked as a board member of a foundation for development cooperation with 650 employees. He is very familiar with the challenges of project work in the field of development cooperation and climate policy - in particular, nature-based solutions. Peter Renner has been Chairman of the Board of the Alliance for Development and Climate Foundation since 2020.
Chief Sustainability Officer
SAP
Chief Sustainability Officer
SAP
Daniel Schmid has been globally responsible for sustainability at SAP SE since 2014 as their Chief Sustainability Officer. Daniel Schmid started his career in CRM consulting and held various senior management positions within SAP Consulting before joining the sustainability leadership team established in 2009 to start SAP’s sustainability journey and lead the Sustainability Operations team. Schmid holds a degree in industrial engineering from the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany. He is chair of the board of "econsense", a forum for sustainable development of German business.
Managing Director / Spokesperson of the Board
Siemens Stiftung
Managing Director / Spokesperson of the Board
Siemens Stiftung
Dr. Nina Smidt has 20 years of international experience in leading educational institutions and foundations. Prior to joining Siemens Stiftung as a board member, Dr. Nina Smidt headed the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius U.S. Foundation in New York from 2010 to 2020. From 2011 to 2020, she was also Division Director for International Planning and Development at the ZEIT Foundation in Hamburg. As head of Bucerius Education GmbH at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, she headed the Executive Education and Consulting divisions from 2006 to 2011. Prior to that, she was Deputy Managing Director of the International Center for Graduate Studies at the University of Hamburg. Dr. Nina Smidt holds a PhD in linguistic and cultural theory and wrote her dissertation on critical literary theory at the University of Hamburg. As a postdoctoral fellow, she received fellowships at the School of Criticism and Theory at Cornell University, USA, and at Haifa University in Israel. Previously, she studied German, English and education, Political and Cultural Studies Business Administration.
Head of Division, Global Agendas, Climate & Systems // Associate Professor
Stockholm Environment Institute
Head of Division, Global Agendas, Climate & Systems // Associate Professor
Stockholm Environment Institute
Somya Joshi is Head of Division – Global Agendas, Climate and Systems at SEI Headquarters, focusing on bridging science and policy for sustainable development and technology governance. She is also a lecturer at Stockholm University in Human-Machine Interaction. She has over 15 years of leadership roles at the science-policy frontier, advocating for decarbonization, global goals, and using futures thinking to bring about systemic change. From a PhD in Manchester in local regeneration to a postdoc at Cambridge on global development organizations and information flows, Somya is part of the leadership of the Stockholm Environment Institute. Somya heads the AI taskforce at SEI and is currently exploring how to balance the echoes of the past with the promises of the future.
State Secretary
BUKEA
State Secretary
BUKEA
Anselm Sprandel is State Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. He holds this position since September 2024. Mr. Sprandel grew up in Hamburg and Würzburg. He studied economics in Heidelberg and Hamburg. In 1992, he joined public service in Hamburg, where he held various leading positions in the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture, Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labour, Social, Family Affairs and Integration. From 2019 to 2024, he was head of Department for Energy and Climate. From 2015 to 2019, he was head of the Central Coordination Unit for Refugees.
Special Adviser to the President - Chair of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture
European Commission
Special Adviser to the President - Chair of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture
European Commission
Peter Strohschneider is Professor emeritus for German Medieval Studies at the University of Munich. He studied German Philology, Law, History, Sociology and Political Sciences in Mu-nich, obtained his Doctorate in 1984 and his Habilitation in 1991. From 1992 to 2002 he was Chair of German Medieval and Early Modern Studies at Dresden University of Technology before he took over the same position at University of Munich. From 2006 to 2011 he served as Chairman of the Wissenschaftsrat (German Council of Sciences and Humanities) and from 2013 to 2019 as President of the German Research Foundation. From 2020 to 2024 he chaired the Commission on the Future of Agriculture appointed by the German federal government. As Special Adviser Peter Strohschneider chaires the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU-Agriculture, launched by President Ursula von der Leyen in January 2024. He has worked in the fields of science administration and policy and published on the science system. His literary research focuses on cultural medieval studies. His most recent book is “Truths and Majorities. Critique of Authoritarian Scientism” (2024).
CEO
ABAN
CEO
ABAN
Fadilah Tchoumba is the CEO of ABAN and the fund manager for Catalytic Africa, a co-investment facility for early-stage ventures in Africa. She also serves as the Director of the African Business Angel Vehicle, a fund focused on sector-specific ventures. Additionally, Fadilah is a founding member and senior analyst at Amzill, a data collection and analysis firm, and she is on the advisory board of ENRICH in Africa. Before joining ABAN, Fadilah managed investment portfolios for institutional investors with interests in African trade. She also served as Director of Business and Innovation for the Royal Commonwealth Society, where she led the development of innovative projects aligned with Commonwealth values. Fadilah has been instrumental in creating tech-driven funds for innovative startups, including sharia-compliant vehicles, establishing herself as a leader in alternative asset classes in Africa. Passionate about innovation and sustainability, she advocates for early-stage investing, cross-border investments, and policy development to drive success in Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Fadilah holds a BA in Economics and Philosophy, & a Master’s degree from the LSE
Director, Trade and Sustainable Development
IISD
Director, Trade and Sustainable Development
IISD
Alice Tipping has designed and led highly respected programs of research and policy dialogues on trade and environment issues, particularly on fisheries subsidies. She has a deep understanding of the intersection of foreign policy, law, and environmental protection that’s informed by roles in government and in managing policy-relevant research. Previous roles prior to IISD include Programme Manager, Environment and Natural Resources for the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), Policy Advisor to New Zealand’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Second Secretary and Legal Adviser to New Zealand’s Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization (WTO), and Policy Advisor and Legal Adviser at New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Alice Tipping has a Master of Philosophy in International Relations from Cambridge University (United Kingdom) and a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration (Economics) from Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand).
Team Leader
GET.invest Finance Catalyst
Team Leader
GET.invest Finance Catalyst
Paul van Aalst has over 20 years of experience with investing in the clean energy sector in emerging markets. He has been engaged in investing seed capital and growth capital across technologies and business models and has developed and managed several investment funds in the sector. Specific sectors of experience include clean energy, the blue economy and other climate related sectors. As a consultant, his themes are financing of innovative businesses in emerging markets, leading complex projects and coaching his clients. Paul uses his extensive experience in investing in innovative business models to include trends and developments in concrete implementation. He operates out of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Paul leads the GET.invest Finance Catalyst team.
Futures Fellow
UNDP
Futures Fellow
UNDP
Dr Federico Vaz is a Futures Fellow with UNDP's Strategy and Futures Team. He holds a doctorate in design innovation management in the public sector and is a Research Tutor at the Royal College of Art in London. His work centres on design-driven innovation management in the public sphere to co-develop policies and services for more equitable futures.
Head of Unit Northern and Eastern Europe
City of Hamburg
Head of Unit Northern and Eastern Europe
City of Hamburg
Stefanie Wodrig joined the Hamburg administration in 2019 and has been coordinating Hamburg's cooperation with Northern and Eastern Europe since 2021. An important focus is on deepening the partnership with Kyiv. She previously worked in research for several years, including at the GIGA German Institute for Global and Area Studies and the former Kiel Cluster of Excellence “Future Ocean”.
