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WCEF2019 Speakers

We’re excited to have the world’s top business leaders, policymakers, researchers and innovators speaking at the World Circular Economy Forum 2019.

Image: Sara Vihavainen

Published

Project

WCEF2019

The World Circular Economy Forum 2019 in Helsinki, Finland on 3-5 June 2019 built the next era of the circular economy.

people
Laura Tuck
Vice President, Sustainable Development, The World Bank
people
Flemming Besenbacher
Chairman, Carlsberg Group and Carlsberg Foundation
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Emma Navarro
Vice-President, European Investment Bank EIB
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Torbjörn Lööf 
CEO, Inter IKEA Group
people
Changhua Wu
Chief Executive Director , Beijing Future Innovation Center
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Ligia Noronha
Director, Economy Division, UN Environment
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Peter Bakker
President & CEO , World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
people
Vincent Biruta
Minister of Environment, Republic of Rwanda
people
Elliot Harris
Asistant Secretary General for Economic Development and Chief Economist , United Nations
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Esther Agricola
Director for Urban Planning and Sustainability, City of Amsterdam
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Ilari Aho
Vice President, New Business Development and CSR , Uponor Group
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Marleena Ahonen
Project coordinator, Circular economy , Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
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Tsukasa Akimoto
State Minister of the Environment, Japan
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Eliza Anyangwe
Founder, writer, editor and moderator, The Nzinga Effect
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Jyri Arponen
Senior Lead, Business Development, Circular Economy, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
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Damiano Avellino
CEO, Fairbnb
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Jocelyn Blériot
Executive Officer, Head of International Institutions and Governments, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
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Annica Bresky
Executive Vice President , Stora Enso Consumer Board Division
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Hans Bruyninckx
Executive Director, European Environment Agency
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Jamie Butterworth
Partner, Circularity Capital
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Sauli Böhm
CEO, ResQ Club
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Peter Börkey
Lead, Waste Management and Resource Productivity
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Daniel Calleja
Director-General for Environment, European Comission
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Kok Chung Cheang
Deputy Director-General, National Environment Agency, Singapore
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Tessa Clarke
CEO, OLIO
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Leah Canning
Senior Policy Advisor , Environment and Climate Change Canada
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Lindsay Clinton
Senior Vice President, NYC Economic Development Corporation
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Nora Clinton
Higher Education Network Manager , Ellen MacArthur Foundation
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Anthony Cox
Deputy Director, Environment Directorate , Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
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Gwenole Cozigou
Director, DG GROW, European Commission
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Kate Daly
Executive Director, Center for the Circular Economy, Closed Loop Partners
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Barbara Dewulf
Deputy Director General , Bruxelles Environnement
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Annerieke Douma
Director for Cities and Regions, Circle Economy
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Kirsten Dunlop
Chief Executive Officer, EIT Climate-KIC
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Edgar Edmund
Founder, Green Venture Recycles
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Lorraine Francourt
Director of Chemicals Management Policy and Circular Economy, Dow
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Harald Friedl
CEO, Circle Economy
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Arturo de la Fuente
Deputy Head of Unit, European Commission, Eurostat
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Álvaro García
Director, Planning and Budget Office, Presidency of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay
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Hilary Geller
Assistant Deputy Minister, Environment and Climate Change Canada
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Jeremy Gibberd
Director, Gauge
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Ladeja Godina Košir
Founder, Executive Director, Circular change
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Liesbet Goovaerts
Environmental Engineer, European Investment Bank (EIB)
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Paavani
WSSC Student Ambassador for India, Student , St. George’s College, Mussoorie, India
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Guillermo González
Head of the Circular Economy Office , Ministry of the Environment of Chile
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Julien Guerrier
Director, EASME
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Veera Heinonen
Director, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
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Hery Henry
Programme Director, Wipak
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Kari Herlevi
Project Director, Circular Economy, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
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Egil Hogna
Executive Vice President, Head of Extruded Solutions , Hydro
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Jelmer Hoogzaad
Founder, Shifting Paradigms
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Wayne Hubbard
CEO, London Waste and Recycling Board (LWARB)
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Markku Hämäläinen
CEO, Kotkamills Oy
people
Badr Ikken
Director General, Moroccan Research Institute for Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN)
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Jaakko Kangasniemi
CEO, Finnfund (Finnish Fund for Industrial Cooperation Ltd.)
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Daniel Kaufmann
Leading Specialist, Circular economy, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
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Henrietta Kekäläinen
Entrepeneur, Carbo Culture
people
Karin Kemper
Senior Director, Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice, The World Bank
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Per Klevnäs
Partner, Material Economics
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Joost de Kluijver
Director, Closing the Loop (CTL)
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Monika Koncz-MacKenzie
Learning Innovation Manager , Ellen MacArthur Foundation
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Juha Koponen
Co-Founder & Chief Data Scientist, Swap.com
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Mikko Kosonen
President, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
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Tiina Kähö
Executive Director, Helsinki metropolitan Smart & Clean Foundation
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Paula Lehtomäki
Secretary General, Nordic Council of Ministers
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Aik Hoe Lim
Director, Trade and Environment Division, World Trade Organization
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Pekka Lundmark
President and CEO, Fortum Corporation
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Ditte Lysgaard Vind
Managing Partner, Lendager TCW
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Piia Maaranen
CEO, Avanto Ventures
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Luca Meini
Head of Circular Economy, Enel Holding
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Tomás Michel
President, WssTP, the European Water Platform
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Kgauta Mokoena
Chief Director, Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa
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Ashleigh Morris
CEO, Coreo
people
Siiri Mäkelä
President, Finnish Agenda 2030 Youth Group
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Nanqing Jiang
Secretary-General, China Plastics Reuse and Recycling Association (CPRRA)
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Zeenat Niazi
Vice President, Development Alternatives Group, India
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Anthony Nyong
Director of Climate Change and Green Growth, African Development Bank
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Bruno Oberle
Professor and Chair of Green Economy and Resource Governance, EPFL
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Alan Organschi
Principal and Partner, Gray Organschi Architecture
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Miriam Otoo
Senior Economist, The International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
people
Nani Pajunen
Leading Specialist, Circular economy , Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
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Mari Pantsar
Director, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
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Martin Pei
Executive Vice President and CTO , SSAB AB
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Janne Peljo
Project Director, Climate Solutions, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
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Janez Potočnik
CO-CHAIR, UNEP INTERNATIONAL RESOURCE PANEL
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Stefan Ranstrand
CEO, TOMRA Systems ASA
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Aaron Ratner
Managing Director, Sustainable Infrastructure & Real Assets, Ultra Capital
people
Olli Rehn
Governor, Bank of Finland
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Amanda Rejström
Co-Founder and CEO, Spark Sustainability
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Philippa Roberts
Managing Director, Low and Behold
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Henry Roman
Director of Environmental Services and Technologies, Department of Science and Technology, South Africa
people
Albina Ruiz
Vice Minister, Ministry of Environment, Peru
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Norhan Sadik
Analyst, World Bank Water Global Practice
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Vere Shaba
Founder and Director, Shaba Green Building Design & Engineering
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Riitta Silvennoinen
Specialist, Circular economy, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
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Jaana Sinipuro
Project Director, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
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Suvi Sojamo
Post-doctoral researcher and Project coordinator, Aalto University
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Kirsi Sormunen
Member on the Board of Directors, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
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Per Stoltz
Circular and Waste Manager, Ingka Group (Formerly IKEA Group)
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Martin Stuchtey
Co-founder and managing partner, SYSTEMIQ
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Massimiano Tellini
Global Head, Circular Economy, Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center
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Harald Tepper
Senior Director Sustainability and leader of the Circular Economy Program, Philips
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Markus Terho
Project Director, Resource-Wise Citizen, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
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Kimmo Tiilikainen
Minister of the Environment, Energy and Housing, Finland
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Vanessa Timmer
Executive Director, One Earth
people
Elisa Tonda
Head of the Consumption and Production Unit, UN Environment, Economy Division
people
Jaana Tuominen
President and CEO, Fiskars Group
people
Monica Umwari
Entrepeneur, Angaza
people
Riku Vahala
Professor, Head of the Department of Built Environment, Aalto University, School of Engineering
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Jan Vapaavuori
Mayor of Helsinki, City of Helsinki
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Antti Vasara
President and CEO, VTT Ltd
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Stientje van Veldhoven
Minister for the Environment, The Netherlands
people
Ken Webster
Senior lecturer , University of Exeter Centre for the Circular Economy
people
Daan Weddepohl
CEO, Peerby.com
people
Karmenu Vella
European Commissioner for Environment, Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
people
Anders Wijkman
Chairman, Climate-KIC
people
Peter Woodward
Director, Quest Associates
people
Millie Yoshida
Recent Graduate, Yale University
people
Tiina Zilliacus
Entrepreneur, growth advisor, business angel

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What's this about?

Project

WCEF2019

The World Circular Economy Forum 2019 in Helsinki, Finland on 3-5 June 2019 built the next era of the circular economy.

Read more
Topic

A circular economy

Circular economy solutions are needed to safeguard biodiversity and solve the climate crisis. In a circular economy we maintain the value of what we produce through smarter design and shifting from owning products to using services.

Read more
Theme

Sustainability transition

The life, well-being and economy of Finns fully depend on nature. How can we change the way we operate so that we build a good life, successful business and sustainable public finances within the limits of nature’s carrying capacity?

Read more