Jaap van der Velden has a background in finance, audit, financial management and accounting. As part of the Renewable Polymers’ (RNP) management board and executive team, he helps to bring the company’s technology to the world. Aligning stakeholder interests, he brings together inspired internal and external stakeholders, investors, government and partners throughout the value chain including customers, feedstock parties, engineering and construction firms. Jaap believes in a fossil-free world.
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Tuuli Hietaniemi
Senior Lead, Programmes
Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund
Tuuli helps Finnish society to find solutions to the most difficult problems of our time. She has more than 15 years’ experience in making societal change happen. At Sitra, Tuuli has worked in different positions related to promoting ecological sustainability. She holds a master’s in social sciences and is infinitely interested in how societies can flourish within the limits of nature’s carrying capacity.
Celso Tacla is an executive and board member with extensive international experience in sustainability, innovation and industrial transformation. He has led major Latin American operations for global companies like Valmet and Metso, driving circular economy strategies and digitalisation in the pulp and paper and capital goods sectors. Celso sits on several boards and sustainability committees and is a frequent speaker at global forums on the bioeconomy and innovation. He holds degrees in chemical engineering and business management, with executive education from IMD and Wharton. He was awarded the Order of the White Rose by the president of Finland.
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Emmanuel Chaponniere
Head of Circular Economy & Sustainable Development Division
European Investment Bank (EIB)
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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Kristo Lehtonen
Director, International Programmes
Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund
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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Smail Alhilali
Chief, Division of Circular Economy & Green Industry
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
Smail Alhilali leads UNIDO’s programmes on the circular economy and green industry to tackle the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and chemical pollution. He joined UNIDO headquarters in Vienna, Austria in 2007 where he served in different positions. Smail was the director of the Morocco National Cleaner Production Centre (from 2003 to 2007) and worked in different positions within the national centre for nuclear energy, sciences and technology (CNESTEN) in Morocco (from 1994 to 2003).
Mika Sulkinoja plays a strategic leadership role in the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF). With around 25 years’ hands-on experience in advancing the global sustainability agenda, Mika has worked across sectors—from the United Nations and the Finnish Government’s climate negotiation team to the private sector. His focus has been on market-based policy instruments, climate finance and international cooperation. At Sitra, he leads collaboration on the WCEF and contributes to the European Union Circular Economy Resource Centre, helping shape initiatives and partnerships that accelerate the global shift towards a sustainable, circular future.
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Loa Dalgaard Worm
FSC Circularity Hub Lead
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
Loa is committed to helping humanity thrive within planetary boundaries by building bridges between environmental ambition and economic reality. With a career spanning the non-profit and for-profit sectors, she focuses on cross-sector collaboration to drive systemic change. As director of FSC Denmark, she expanded the organisation’s membership and significantly increased public awareness of sustainable forestry. Loa also helped lead FSC’s digital transformation to enable data-driven solutions. Today, she’s working at FSC International with over 70,000 companies to accelerate the transition toward circular, regenerative business models that can shape a more resilient and sustainable future.
With a background in teaching and science, Mette focuses on developing strong partnerships and initiatives that promote sustainable industrial practices and enhance resource efficiency, making a meaningful impact on sustainable industry development. Her experience builds on knowledge gained through the Kalundborg Symbiosis partnership which has worked collectively on the circular economy in industrial production for more than 50 years. Passionate about the green transition and environmental care, Mette is dedicated to driving change towards a more sustainable future. She is involved in the systemic export of industrial symbiosis to Brazil, in cooperation with AEDIN and the State of Rio.
Janez Potočnik (born 1958) is an economist graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. He was appointed head of the negotiating team for the accession of Slovenia to the EU and served as minister responsible for European Affairs. Between 2004 and 2014, he served in the European Commission, first as Commissioner responsible for science and research and then for environment. After the mandate he was appointed as a co-chair of UNEP IRP. Dr Potočnik is also a partner at SYSTEMIQ.
