Business

Daniel is a seasoned sustainability professional guiding multidisciplinary teams to deliver pioneering solutions. He currently drives collaboration among Pan-Amazonian research and innovation institutes at the Bioamazonia Network backed by IDB to coproduce science-based and traditional knowledge for advancing sustainable biodiversity practices and fostering bioeconomy opportunities across the region. Daniel has a degree in economics, and an MBA in strategic management of the environment and a master’s in knowledge management and engineering. Previously, he worked at Brazil’s Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, leading bioeconomy programmes and mobilising multilateral resources for climate change and biodiversity initiatives with global resonance.

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Emmanuel Chaponniere is in charge of the Projects Directorate of EIB which is composed of sector specialists. He is responsible for project appraisal including technical, economic, environmental and social issues, and the monitoring of project implementation, as well as for sector studies and policy – including the EIB’s climate, environmental and social policies. Prior to the EIB, he held various positions as a water sector specialist and waste expert in Europe and Africa. Chaponniere graduated from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (France) and has a master’s in water management from the Ecole Nationale du Génie Rural des Eaux et Forêts (France).

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Rachel is French and has been living in Chile for more than 20 years. She has over 25 years’ experience in the operation of drinking water and sewage treatment plants. She contributed to the implementation of Santiago de Chile’s sanitation plan and the transformation of wastewater treatment plants into biofactories, where the circular economy became the central pillar of water management. In response to the water crisis, she is working on integrated solutions to ensure that cities, agriculture, and mining can continue to coexist sustainably within the same territory.

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Davi Bontempo is an economist with a master's in public administration from the Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration of the Fundação Getulio Vargas (EBAPE/FGV-RJ) and specialisation in environment and sustainability (FGV). He is currently leading the agendas of ESG, energy transition, carbon market, the circular economy and bioeconomy, as well as forest conservation, among others. He is a professional in institutional and governmental relations with expertise in advocacy strategy and stakeholder engagement. He is executive secretary of the CNI's environment and sustainability thematic council and represents the industrial sector in several national and international forums.

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Melissa has over 20 years’ experience in environmental and sustainability management across industries such as chemicals, metals, oil and gas, and consumer goods. For the past two years, she has led the programme in the Santa Cruz industrial district, representing AEDIN in partnership with the State Government of Rio de Janeiro and Kalundborg Symbiosis (Denmark). She is also the head of environment, health and safety at Cladtek Brazil. Melissa holds degrees in chemical engineering, occupational safety engineering, an MBA from the Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), and a master’s in environmental engineering from Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ).

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Daniel Motta is responsible for leveraging technology, innovation and entrepreneurship to increase industry competitiveness. He leads the implementation of the SENAI-SP Technology District, a collaborative ecosystem that aims to develop new industrial technologies, increase the innovation rates in industry and support industrial entrepreneurship. He operates strategic programmes promoting increased adoption of digital technologies, productivity, energy efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Daniel has a PhD in computer modelling and industrial technology, master’s in mechanical engineering and bachelor’s in mechanical engineering.

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Kristo Lehtonen leads Sitra's international programme portfolio including the global circular economy, future well-being solutions and the Data Spaces Support Centre (DSSC). Previously, he was in charge of Sitra's work on the fair data economy. He was co-founder and CEO of 3DBear, an edtech company which combines virtual reality with world-class pedagogy. It has users in over 150 countries and was shortlisted in TIME Magazine as one of the world’s top 50 edtech companies in 2024. He also worked as special adviser to the minister of transport and communications in Finland, after more than 10 years at Nokia.

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Diane B. Holdorf is a member of the leadership team at WBCSD, based in Geneva. Since joining the council in 2018, she has led transformative efforts across food, nature and water systems, and now spearheads the pathways work to drive sustainable value chain transformation. Prior to WBCSD, Diane was chief sustainability officer at Kellogg and held leadership roles at Delta Consultants. She holds degrees in public communications and German from Syracuse University and an executive MBA from the University of St. Thomas. Diane serves on several advisory boards and international initiatives.

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Before taking his current role in late 2023, José Carlos da Fonseca Júnior was a career diplomat for 40 years, having held posts in India, the U.S., Canada, Mozambique, the UAE, Chile and the Philippines. He also served as ambassador to Myanmar and held governmental roles at both the federal level and in the state of Espírito Santo. He is chair of the FAO Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest-based Industry and vice-chair of the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations. Fonseca also holds a role at Brazilian Tree Industry (Ibá) as executive director, leading advocacy and international efforts.

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Daniel is a diplomat and part of the team that led the G20 Initiative on Bioeconomy (GIB). He was the negotiator for Brazil at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture, the European Biomass Conference, and the Latin American and Caribbean Forum on Sustainable Development. He is a member of the advisory board of the World Bioeconomy Forum and an alternate board member of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (10YFP). Daniel has education in economics and diplomacy.

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