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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

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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
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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
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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)
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Vincent Biruta
Minister of Environment, Republic of Rwanda
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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
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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
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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
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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)
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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
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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
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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
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Elisa Tonda
Head of the Consumption and Production Unit, UN Environment, Economy Division
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Jaana Tuominen
President and CEO, Fiskars Group
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Monica Umwari
Entrepeneur, Angaza
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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
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Ken Webster
Senior lecturer , University of Exeter Centre for the Circular Economy
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Daan Weddepohl
CEO, Peerby.com
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Karmenu Vella
European Commissioner for Environment, Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
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Anders Wijkman
Chairman, Climate-KIC
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Peter Woodward
Director, Quest Associates
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Millie Yoshida
Recent Graduate, Yale University
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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