Prior to her election as president of Finland, Tarja Halonen served as Minister of Social Affairs and Health, Minister of Justice and Minister for Foreign Affairs. During her career, she has paid close attention to issues of human rights, democracy, civil society, gender equality and sustainable development. Among other duties, she is currently a member of the UN’s Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation and UNCCD Land Ambassador, as well asa member of the Board of Directors of the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra.
Roberto Waack is a board member, entrepreneur and sustainability leader. He co-founded key environmental initiatives and has a background in pharma, forestry and governance. He is a columnist for Estadão Economia. Waack holds a degree in biology and a master’s in business administration (with a concentration in New Institutional Economics) from the University of São Paulo.
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Afke van Rijn
Directorate-General for the Environment and International Affairs
Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, The Netherlands
Since February 2023, Afke van Rijn is responsible for the circular economy, waste management, environmental protection, air quality and climate adaptation policy, as well as bilateral, director-general for COVID-19 at the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. Prior to this she was director of the Media and Creative Industries Department, and deputy director-general and coordinating director for Equal Opportunities in Education at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. Van Rijn studied computer engineering at Delft University of Technology. She is married and has two children.
Luisa joined the foundation in 2015 to establish the Latin American office. She has been advancing the circular economy and sustainability transitions for over 15 years, specialising in regenerative systems, circular design and nature-positive solutions, with a particular focus on the role of the Global South in the circular economy transition. Her work bridges policy, innovation and collaboration to align economic growth with ecological restoration and societal benefits. Previously, she worked as a sustainability strategist and trusted advisor to businesses and governments. She holds a master’s in sustainable development, an academic degree in environmental management and a bachelor’s in communication.
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Nelson Pereira dos Reis
Vice President
Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (FIESP)
Nelson Pereira dos Reis leads the sustainable development department of FIESP and the Center of Industries of the State of São Paulo (CIESP). He is also the president of the Union of Chemical Products for Industrial Purposes and Petrochemicals of the State of São Paulo. In his journey as an executive working to conciliate the competitiveness of the industry with the improvement of environmental quality and social well-being, he presided over Copebrás and Anglo American's operations in Brazil and was executive president of the Brazilian Chemical Industry Association.
Luciana Pellegrino is the first woman to take over the presidency of WPO, a 58-year-old institution that represents the packaging industry with members in 64 different countries. She aims to expand WPO’s activities and relevance for the global packaging industry. Her vision is to raise the voice of packaging at strategic global forums and foster packaging’s positive impact in modern life. Pellegrino has worked in the Brazilian packaging industry for over 27 years and has been general manager of the Brazilian Packaging Association (ABRE) since 2002. She has been awarded academic credentials from Mackenzie University, Brazil; the Illinois Institute of Technology, USA; and Instituto Brasileiro de Governança Corporativa (IBGC) in Brazil.
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Tim Forslund
Senior Lead, International Programmes
Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund
Tim works with Sitra’s international projects, and he spends most of his time with the European Union Circular Economy Resource Centre and its Policy Lab. Almost anything circular is close to his heart, including a multitude of international circular economy initiatives – not least in the Global South – road maps, policy design and implementation, circular bioeconomy business models, development, trade and EU policy. Before joining Sitra, Tim worked at the Embassy of Sweden in Beijing and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. He studied the circular economy, environmental management and policy and languages in Stockholm, Lund, Montreal, Rock Island and Beijing.
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Henry Roman
Regional Representative: Southern Africa
International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
Henry Roman is a principal researcher in the Integrated Circular Economy Transformation Research Group at IWMI and chair of the board of the Sustainable Seas Trust. Roman initiated the development of the science, technology and innovation points for the circular economy strategy for South Africa, which has been approved for implementation. He obtained his PhD in environmental biotechnology in 2005 from Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
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Flávio de Miranda Ribeiro
Circular Economy Expert
Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Industrial São Paulo (SENAI-SP)
Flávio is a consultant and researcher in the circular economy, EPR, waste management, cleaner production, LCA, and corporate environmental regulations, as well as an advisor to the UN Global Compact and ambassador of Movimento Circular. He has a background in mechanical engineering, with an MBA, a master’s and a PhD in environmental studies, and has 20 years’ experience at São Paulo State Environmental Agency (CETESB). Flavio has worked as a consultant for international organisations (such as UNEP and OECD), industry associations (such as FIESP, SENAI and CNI), global and local businesses and governments. He is a professor at Santos Catholic University and also lectures at other institutions. He has authored a textbook on the circular economy and has an extensive publication record.
Beatriz is the regional head of finance and economic transformations at UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean office, aiming at shifting finance and business practices towards sustainable patterns of consumption and production and reducing climate impacts, biodiversity loss and pollution. She’s a trained lawyer, specialised on sustainable development. Before joining UNEP in 2017, she worked at the Brazilian Ministry of Development Industry and Foreign Trade, Brazilian Ministry of Environment, World Business Council for Sustainable Development – Brazilian Chapter, WWF Brazil and at UNDP. As part of her role at UNEP, Beatriz leads the coordination of the Latin America and the Caribbean Circular Economy Coalition.
