Neelesh Kumar Sah leads the Indian government’s work on resource efficiency and the circular economy. He has been the focal point for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Global Environment Facility (GEF), Green Climate Fund (GCF), Adaptation fund and the Minamata Convention. Neelesh has a B Tech in mining engineering and a post graduate diploma in management. He has received the highest civil service award in India, the Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Public Administration.
Read full bio
Gari Renso Pascual Cucho
Director, Directorate-General for Environmental Quality
Ministry of the Environment of Peru
Gari Renso Pascual Cucho has extensive experience in climate change, water resources and environmental management. He was coordinator at the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (MIDAGRI), where he led the adaptation and mitigation policies aligned to Peru’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). He also worked at the National Institute for Water (ANA) as a specialist in discharge management, was an environmental consultant and headed the directorate of student affairs at UCV Piura.
Susana Muhamad is former minister of environment and sustainable development of Colombia. She was the president of the Conference of Parties of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16). She is an environmentalist, activist and politician committed to biodiversity protection, climate justice and territorial transformation. In 2024 Susana Muhamad was named by TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential leaders driving business to real climate action.
Read full bio
Ricardo Estrada
Coordinator of Eco-efficiency and Circular Economy
Ministry of Environment, Peru
Ricardo Estrada is a Peruvian engineer specialised in industrial hygiene and safety, with a master's in environmental management. He currently works as a specialist focused on promoting eco-efficiency and sustainability in public administration. He has lectured on the rational use of resources and solid waste management, contributing to strengthening institutional environmental management.
Read full bio
Nicoletta Favaretto
Project Manager
Enabel, the Belgian Agency for International Cooperation
Nicoletta leads the Business Lab of the EU Circular Economy Resource Centre (EU CERC) at Enabel. Prior to joining Enabel, she worked as a senior project officer at Eurochambres, the Association of European chambers of commerce and industry. In this role, she was involved in the implementation of EU-funded economic cooperation programmes with Latin America and West Africa, supporting business organisations and SMEs in both Europe and partner regions. Her work focused on key areas including private sector development, internationalisation and intellectual property, and circular economy topics—further strengthening her expertise in sustainable business practices.
Read full bio
Rinaldo Mancin
Director of Sustainability
The Brazilian Mining Association (IBRAM)
Rinaldo Mancin is an engineer with a master's in sustainable development from the University of Brasilia (UnB) and an MBA in economics, management and government relations from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV). He has extensive experience in environment and sustainability topics, having collaborated with the federal government, international organisations and the private sector. He currently represents IBRAM at the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), based in London, where he sits on the board of directors.
Read full bio
Jamie Fergusson
Global Director, Climate Business
International Finance Corporation (IFC, a member of the World Bank Group)
Jamie is responsible for IFC’s climate strategy and policies, targetting to make all investments Paris-aligned and 45% of its investments climate positive. Jamie joined the corporation in 2005 and has led and contributed to innovation and new business growth across IFC’s investment, advisory and support operations. Prior roles include chief investment officer leading IFC’s global renewable energy investment practice, director of environmental and social risk and policy, and director of strategic business development. Jamie has a BA and MA in zoology from Cambridge University, UK, and an MBA and a master’s in environmental economics and policy from Yale University, USA.
Read full bio
Bernard Crabbé
Head of Sector Environment & Circular economy
European Commission
Bernard Crabbé leads the work on circular economy, environment mainstreaming and natural resources at the Directorate General for International Partnerships. A bio-engineer by training, with a specialisation in tropical agronomy and environment, Bernard has worked for more than 25 years on international cooperation, including 17 years as project manager in Mali, Laos, Madagascar, Ecuador and Uganda. He has worked successively for the United Nations, as an adviser for the Belgian secretary of state for development cooperation, as counsellor for the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, since 2008, for the European Commission.
Read full bio
Pedro Henrique Giocondo Guerra
Chief of Staff for the Vice-President of Brazil
Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services of Brazil (MDIC)
Pedro Giocondo Guerra holds multiple degrees in law and public administration and has specialised training in administrative law, public-private partnerships and international investments. Experienced in legal consulting, academic research and public management, he has worked in law firms; as a researcher on government control, public policies and decisions of Brazil’s Supreme Court; and in the São Paulo public sector. Pedro has extensive experience on the fiscal councils of state-owned and environmental companies. Since 2023, he has held positions of high trust in the Federal Government and is also Chairman of the Fiscal Council of Brazil’s National Development Bank (BNDES).
Chen Xiaoting brings a wealth of expertise to the UK-based foundation’s Beijing office, where she leads their plastic initiative as well as policy and climate work in China. With a PhD in sustainability economy from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Chen has over 17 years’ invaluable experience across the public and private sectors, specialising in public policy, international environmental and climate governance as well as cross-sector collaboration.