Prof. Dr. Johan Rockström is the Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Professor at the Institute of Earth and Environmental Science at Potsdam University. Rockström is an internationally recognized scientist on global sustainability issues, who led the development of the new Planetary Boundaries framework for human development in the current era of rapid global change at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. He is a leading scientist on global water resources, with about 25 years of experience from applied water research in tropical regions, and more than 150 research publications in fields ranging from applied land and water management to global sustainability. Aside from his research helping to guide policy, Rockström consults several governments and business networks. He also acts as an advisor for sustainable development issues at noteworthy international meetings, such as the World Economic Forum, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conferences (UNFCCC). Supplementary, he chairs the advisory board for the EAT Foundation and the Earth League.

Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak is a global leader in nature conservation and climate action, serving as President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) First elected in 2021 and re-elected to a second term in October 2025, she is the first IUCN President from West Asia and only the second woman to hold the position. She also serves as the Special Envoy for Nature for the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and previously as UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28 UAE. For over two decades, Razan has shaped environmental policies in the UAE and beyond, championing species conservation and climate resilience. She is the Executive Managing Director and founding director of the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, which has supported over 3,000 projects worldwide. She is also the Managing Director of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi and Managing Director of Emirates Nature-WWF. Globally, she is the UAE Sherpa for the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, and Co-Chair of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). Razan holds an MSc from University College London and a BA from Tufts University.

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim is an expert in the adaptation and mitigation of indigenous peoples to climate change. She is a member of the Mbororo pastoralist people in Chad and President of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT). She led several concrete projects that improved access to basic need of indigenous peoples, while promoting their unique contribution to the protection of the environment. 3D participatory mapping, for instance, helps to prevent resources-based conflicts in one of the poorest and most vulnerable region of the world. She is an advocate for the greater inclusion of indigenous people and their knowledge and traditions in the global movement to fight the effects of climate change. Hindou received the Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award and was appointed as a United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Advocate. She serves as a Member of the United Nations Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues; 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.

Paul Polman is an internationally recognised business leader, philanthropist, investor, speaker, and advocate for sustainable development. As CEO of Unilever (2009–2019), he pioneered a more responsible and purpose-driven business model, demonstrating that sustainability delivers superior performance. During his tenure, shareholder returns increased by 290% while the company was consistently ranked as the world’s most sustainable business and one of the world’s best places to work. A co-architect of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, he continues to drive system-wide change by developing industry coalitions, accelerating leadership, and advancing sustainable finance through board roles, impact investments, and strategic advisory positions.

Kumi Naidoo is a South African human rights and environmental justice activist, who is currently the President of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. He is the former Secretary-General of Amnesty International (2018-2020) and also the first person from the Global South to lead Greenpeace International (2009-2015). He is an advisor for the Community Arts Network. He serves as a global ambassador for Africans Rising for Justice, Peace and Dignity. His family has started the Riky Rick Foundation for the Promotion of Artivism to build on the positive legacies left by popular South African rapper Rikhado “Riky Rick” Makhado through his music and life’s work. Through this Foundation, he co-founded the Global Energising Artivism Initiative. Kumi is also the author of award-winning Letters To My Mother: The Makings of a Troublemaker and the host of the podcast Power, People and Planet.

Waorani Woman, Mother & Defender from the Amazon Rainforest

Previously with the Times Newspaper London, the U.N. Environment, and the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, Nick was the Director of Communications and Spokesperson for the Paris Agreement of 2015. More recently, he has served as the Director of Communications for the Global Climate Action Summit that took place in San Francisco in September 2018.

Barbara 'Wáahlaal Giidaak Blake is from Prince of Wales Island and is of Xadaas, Lingít and Ahtna Athabascan descent and belongs to the Káat nay-st/Yahkw Jáanaas (Shark House/Middle Town People) Clan. She is a mother to Nathaniel K’alaagáa Íihlangaa Blake. She currently serves as Vice President for Ocean Conservancy overseeing the Arctic & Northern Waters program. She also serves as Sealaska Corporation Board of Director, Tlingit & Haida Tribal Delegate (Juneau), Native Peoples Action Chairwoman, and Troth Yeddha’ Indigenous Studies Center Legacy Committee Member. She has a BA degree(s) in Rural Economic Development and an AA in Tribal Management from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and she obtained a master’s degree from UAF in Rural Development, focusing her thesis on Fisheries Development in Rural Alaska. She also holds a certificate from the Seattle University School of Law in Tribal Business Law, an Onaben’s Indianpreneurship certificate and Standford’s First Nations Futures Program certificate.

Lewis’s driving aim is to help protect our planet’s threatened oceans. As an endurance swimmer, he is unparalleled. He was the first person to undertake a long-distance swim in every ocean of the world. He pioneered the first swim across the North Pole, the first swim along the length of the English Channel, the world’s highest swim, and even a swim under the Antarctic ice sheet. His passion to protect ocean life, combined with his commitment to justice, make him a powerful negotiator and facilitator of change. To date the Lewis Pugh Foundation has been instrumental in securing full protection for over 2 million km2 of the most vulnerable ocean, an area the size of Western Europe.

Since early 2023 Rebecca has been the Director of the High Seas Alliance, a global alliance of 70+ NGOs and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, working to protect the high seas, which cover half the planet. She has been campaigning for over 20 years, from the local to international level, primarily to better protect and manage the ocean, with the pillars of science, creativity, activism and alliances key to her work. After securing a ban on super trawlers in Australia, Rebecca moved to Spain in 2017 and established the European campaign “Our Fish” to end overfishing and restore ocean health as action on the climate and biodiversity crisis. Rebecca has an Honors Degree in Environmental Science from the University of Wollongong, and lives on Muwinina country in lutrawita/ Tasmania, Australia.

Clare joined Blue Marine Foundation in 2014 and became CEO in 2015. Prior to that she worked for 24 years in environmental and sustainable finance, at Jupiter, Henderson and Aviva, where she set up the sustainable investment division.

Rita Maria el Zaghloul is the Director, High Ambition Coalition for Nature & People (HAC for N&P) Secretariat. The HAC for N&P is a coalition of 122 countries championing the protection of 30% of our planet’s land and ocean by 2030. The HAC for N&P have been awarded with the Earthshot Prize, Revive Our Oceans Category 2024. Rita served for 4 years as Minister Counselor at the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations, acting as lead diplomat and negotiator for Peace and Security, sustainable development, climate change and nutrition. At the United Nations, Rita co-led the process of the proclamation of the Decade of Family Farming, co-chaired the Special Committee of Peacekeeping Operations for 2 consecutive years and chaired the Committee on Information amongst others. Rita also served for 3 years with the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica as Coordinator and Costa Rica’s focal point for the High Ambition Coalition for Nature & People during which she oversaw the coalition growth from 5 to 118 members in 3 years with the support of the HAC co-chairs. The coalition was crucial to adopt the Global Biodiversity Framework and in particular led on the 30by30 Target. Rita holds a degree in International Relations from the National University of Costa Rica and a master's degree in Conflict, Security and Development from King’s College London. A dual citizen from Costa Rica and Lebanon, she is fluent in Arabic, Spanish, French and English.

Adrian Gahan is Ocean Director at Campaign for Nature, the group that secured the 30x30 target in the 2022 Global Biodiversity Framework. Adrian is now focused on securing public and private finance to support the protection of 30% of the global ocean by 2030.

Fabrice Grinda is among the world’s leading Internet entrepreneurs and investors. He has over 175 exits on 600 angel investments. Fabrice has served as CEO for three multinational companies and has an impressive track record as an early investor in Alibaba, Flexport, Delivery Hero, Betterment and Brightroll. Fabrice is currently running the startup studio and venture fund FJ Labs, which he cofounded with business partner Jose Marin. Fabrice was named the #1 Angel Investor in the world by Forbes.

Fabrice Barthélemy is the CEO of Tarkett since 2018. He joined Tarkett in 2008 as Chief Financial Officer. He was Chairman of Tarkett’s EMEA-LATAM Division from February 2017 to September 2019. Fabrice began his career as an industrial controller with Safran, joining Valeo in 1995 as Financial Controller of a division in the United Kingdom. From 2000 to 2003, he helped turn around Valeo’s Lighting Division in France, before taking over the global financial management of Valeo’s Electronics & Connective Systems and then of the Valeo’s Wiping Systems. He is a graduate of the French school of management, the École supérieure de commerce de Paris (ESCP) – Europe.

Ariane Coulombe is the Market Director for EMEA at CDP, where she forges strategic relationships with leading companies across Europe to drive impactful environmental action. As a key member of CDP’s European and global leadership teams, Ariane empowers major European and multinational organizations to leverage environmental data for measurable change, helping them cut emissions, reduce costs, and unlock new business opportunities. An experienced speaker across major European events and media, Ariane has spoken at the Handelsblatt ESG Conference in Düsseldorf, Impact Day in Tallinn and ESMT Sustainable Business Roundtable in Berlin. Before joining CDP, Ariane advised Fortune 500 companies on ESG compliance and advocacy, managed COP delegations, and crafted campaigns, including a successful run for a member of the European Parliament. Based in Berlin, Ariane holds degrees from the University of Ottawa and the Hertie School.

Thomas Labergère has been Chief Executive Officer of ING France since January 2023. A graduate of Sciences Po Paris and Paris Dauphine, with Master’s degrees in Economics and Corporate Finance, he is a seasoned corporate banking expert with strong international experience. He spent four years as a telecom banker in the United States and two years as a real estate banker in Spain, and dedicated 25 years of his career to Citi. Thomas is widely recognized for his ability to unite teams around ambitious strategies and to drive ESG, innovation, and growth initiatives.

Sandrine Dixson-Declève is an international and European climate, energy, sustainable development, sustainable finance, complex systems thought leader. She is currently the Co-President of the Club of Rome and divides her time between lecturing, facilitating change in business and policy models and advisory work. She holds several advisory positions for the European Commission: Chair, Expert Group on Economic and Societal Impact of Research & Innovation (ESIR); Assembly Member, Climate Mitigation & Adaptation Mission (DGR&I); TEG Sustainable Finance Taxonomy and Sustainable Finance Platform (DGFISMA); United Nations: Food Summit Action Track 5 Resilience and for companies/organisations/institutes such as BMW, UBM, Climate KIC, UCL-Bartlett School of Enviornment and the IEEP. Sandrine is also a Senior Associate and faculty member of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and a Senior Associate for E3G, Ambassador, for the Energy Transition Commission (ETC) and WEALL. In 2017 Sandrine co-founded the Women Enablers Change Agent Network (WECAN).

Matt Barga is President of Life Science Solutions, a business unit of Trane Technologies. In this role, Matt oversees a broad portfolio of differentiated, precision-temperature controlled, end-to-end solutions and services for healthcare, bioscience and life science customers. Since joining Trane Technologies in 2009, Matt has held a variety of general management, sales, product management and procurement roles of increasing responsibility, including as General Manager for Helmer Scientific and General Manager for Trane Rental Services. Matt began his career in supply chain, holding various roles at Delphi, Intel and Bausch & Lomb. He has over 20 years of experience in delivering business growth while maintaining a commitment to excellence and meeting the customers’ needs.

Matt Damon is the Co-Founder, Water.org.

Esther is a water economist, co-founder and CEO of Water Wiser, a strategy and data firm which supports large corporates in assessing their water risks. She trained at Essec Business School and Paris School of Economics, with a Ph.D. in economics from Ecole Polytechnique and Columbia University and specializes in water footprint and water performance for industry and agriculture. She worked for 8 years at AXA Insurance Group, where she helped build the Group's Climate, Biodiversity and Water strategy. She has also taught at Sciences-Po, Columbia University and currently HEC Paris and is frequently invited by the media to discuss water issues.

As Co-founder and CEO of Water.org and WaterEquity, Gary leads the organizations to create and execute market-driven solutions to the global water crisis. Gary's entrepreneurial vision drives innovations in the way water and sanitation projects are delivered and financed, innovations that now serve as a model in the water and sanitation sector. From a makeshift office in his home, Gary has led Water.org to become an international organization with more than 100 people changing lives in 11 countries around the world.

Tom’s experience centres on building environmental sustainability into corporate strategies and creating innovative public policy to deliver more sustainable national economies. At the TNFD, he has led the development of a pioneering approach to nature in transition plans and was heavily involved in the production of the TNFD's LEAP approach and disclosure recommendations. Prior to joining the TNFD team, Tom was a consultant helping food companies, agri-input providers and investors to identify the risks and opportunities they face from climate change and nature loss and to develop strategies to address these. He also previously worked at the UK finance and economics ministry leading work on natural environment and agricultural policy.

Rachel Kolbe Semhoun joined Kering in February 2024 as Head of Sustainable Sourcing and Nature initiatives. In this role, she is in charge of developing sustainable supply chains for the Group’s Houses, and most specifically materials produced from regenerative agriculture. Rachelalso oversees the Group’s nature initiatives, which include deploying Kering’s strategies for biodiversity, water, and ecosystems.

Maria Vassilakou served as Vienna's Vice Mayor responsible for Urban Planning, Traffic & Transport, Climate Protection, Energy and Public Participation (2010 - 2019). She is an experienced urban leader, devoted to open, inclusive and green cities, with a passion for urban transformation processes leading to sustainable change. In her 9 years serving as Deputy Mayor Maria Vassilakou was responsible for a vast transformation agenda contributing substantially to Viennas Nr1 position in all major global livability rankings. Her agenda included among others the conversion of several major former brownfield areas into modern urban quarters with up to 2/3 affordable housing units. Having founded Vassilakou Urban Consulting GmbH - Vienna Solutions, Maria Vassilakou now works as a strategist and global advisor on urban transformation and transition management, sharing her experience and know-how from the worlds most livable city Vienna with cities, NGOs, organizations and corporations worldwide. Since 2019, Maria has been serving as a member of the European experts’ board, advising the EC on the design and progress of the EU Mission "100 climate-neutral & smart Cities by 2030“.

Luisa is a climate activist from Germany and one of the most prominent representatives of the German climate movement. In 2018, she met Swedish student Greta Thunberg at the UN Climate Change Conference and then started the movement in Germany together with other activists. Since then, Luisa has helped organize several global climate strikes, met with various heads of state and government, participated in UN climate conferences, and frequently speaks on global stages. In 2021, she and others won a climate court case against the German government, which is considered a historic ruling. Luisa holds a bachelor's degree in geography and a master's degree in resource analysis and management from the Georg-August University in Göttingen, Germany. She has published three books, all of which look at the climate emergency from different angles, using methods of storytelling and science communication. She also hosts the Spotify climate podcast "1.5 Degrees" and lives in Berlin.

Mete Coban MBE became the Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy in July 2024, overseeing the Mayor’s world-leading climate action plan for the capital. Before becoming Deputy Mayor, Mete was a Councillor and Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment, and Transport in the London Borough of Hackney, delivering a £61 million Green New Deal to tackle the climate crisis. He is best known for pioneering Hackney’s Community Energy Fund, providing clean, green, community-owned energy to 39 not-for-profits. Mete is widely credited with making politics more accessible to young people as the Founder of the youth-led charity My Life My Say. He received an MBE for services to young people in the New Year's 2020 Honours List in recognition of his efforts to make politics and democracy more accessible to the younger generation.

Executive Director, Chaire ETI - IAE Paris Sorbonne School

Maria Syed is an aspiring feminist economist/scholar, volunteer and advocate from Pakistan engaged in issues relating to global financial architecture, gender and climate justice. She is currently based in Berlin working as a macroeconomic researcher and policy advocate for Third World Network at an international research and advocacy organisation. She is working in coalition with feminist organisations from the Global South on reimagining the fiscal space architecture with reparations and delinking at the core. She is a former Erasmus Mundus Scholar pursuing a Masters's degree in EPOG+ an interdisciplinary economics program specialized in macroeconomics, global governance, and socioeconomic transition. Her past experience includes working on the climate justice campaign 'Not Just Celsius' linked with International Court of Justice Advisory opinion (ICJAO campaign), UNDP MyWorld 2030 Digital campaign, State Bank of Pakistan and Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). Strongly living by Audre Lorde's mantra that 'The masters' tools will never dismantle the master's house'.

Laurence Tubiana is CEO of the European Climate Foundation (ECF) and a Professor at Sciences Po, Paris and Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS). She previously chaired the Board of Governors at the French Development Agency (AFD), as well as the Board at Expertise France (The French public agency for international technical assistance). Before joining the ECF, Laurence was France’s Climate Change Ambassador and Special Representative for COP21, and as such a key architect of the landmark Paris Agreement. Following COP21 and through COP22, she was appointed UN High-Level Champion for climate action.

Prof. Mazin Qumsiyeh is founder and volunteer director of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability, Bethlehem University (PIBS see palestinenature.org). He is author of 250 scientific papers, over 30 book chapters, and many books on areas ranging from biodiversity conservation to genetics to human rights to popular resistance. He won several awards and was nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.

Ilwad Elman is Chief Operating Officer of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre (EPC), a women-led organization based in Somalia. A peace and development practitioner and social entrepreneur, she works at the intersection of conflict resolution, human rights, and security sector reform, with a focus on ensuring those most affected by conflict, particularly women and youth, have a meaningful seat at the table. Ilwad has led nationally recognized initiatives on disarmament and community reintegration, prevention of violent extremism, women’s participation in peace processes, youth livelihoods, and trauma-responsive approaches to reconciliation and stabilization. Her work has influenced policy dialogue in Somalia and contributed to regional and global frameworks on sustainable peace and recovery. Beyond her work in Somalia, Ilwad is engaged globally in advisory and leadership capacities across transnational civil society, United Nations agencies, and policy networks. She is involved with initiatives including Every Woman Treaty, the Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Trafficking, and UNESCO’s Expert Group on Culture for Peace, among other high-impact networks. She is also a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and a Commissioner on the WEF Global Future Council on Nature and Security. Her work has received numerous international recognitions, including the Right Livelihood Award, Harvard University’s Gleitsman International Activist Award, the Hessian Peace Prize, and an Honorary Doctorate of Law from SOAS University of London.

Ranim Daraghmeh is a Palestinian researcher, cultural practitioner, and entrepreneur. She holds an M.Phil. in International Peace Studies and a BA in French, International Relations, and Arabic Music. Her work focuses on governance, knowledge production, and the structures shaping mobility and access across political and institutional systems, as well as how cultural narratives influence social structures and community responses to crises. She is the founder of Citrine\_PS, a sustainability-focused initiative that transforms construction waste and geological materials into design objects highlighting environmental material history, narrative, and cultural heritage. He works bridges academic inquiry, artistic practice, and responsible enterprise to inform dialogue on global challenges related to conflict, power, and climate.

Malcom Ferdinand is an environmental engineer from University College London and doctor in political philosophy from Université Paris Diderot. He is currently researcher at the CNRS (IRISSO/University Paris Dauphine). At the crossroads of political philosophy, postcolonial theory and political ecology, his research focuses on the Black Atlantic and particularly the Caribbean. He explores the relations between current ecological crises and the colonial history of modernity. His work has been featured in numerous academic journals and includes the award winning book Decolonial Ecology: Thinking from the Caribbean World (Seuil, 2019 & Polity, 2021). He recently published a comprehensive study on the pesticides contamination of Martinique and Guadeloupe in a book called S'aimer la Terre: défaire l'habiter colonial (Seuil, 2024).