Luis Meyer assumed his current role in 2022 and has held key positions in procurement. Luis holds a degree in production engineering and a postgraduate degree in finance, investments and banking, both from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS). He also holds an MBA from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) and a master’s in business administration and management, completed jointly at Universidade Positivo in Brazil and Nova School of Business and Economics (Nova SBE) in Portugal. In addition, he has earned ESG certifications from Insper and the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School in the United Kingdom.
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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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Daniel Weingart Barreto
Chief Executive Officer
Assessa Industria, Comercio e Exportacao Ltda.
Daniel Weingart Barreto is a chemist and chemical engineer with an MSc in organic chemistry, a DSc in natural products chemistry, and an MBA in management. He is a professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, teaching entrepreneurship to undergraduates. He also collaborates with the post-graduate programme in technology of chemical and biochemical processes at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Dr Barreto has published extensively and holds patents in organic fine chemistry, applied chemistry, materials science, cosmetic chemistry, and natural products chemistry.
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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.
Izabella Teixeira was minister of the environment of Brazil (2010-2016). She is member of the High-Level Advisory Board of UN-DESA and of the administrative council of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES). Izabella won the UN Environment's "Champions of the Earth" in 2013 for her contribution to reducing deforestation in the Amazon. She also serves on the boards of international and national institutions, including as senior fellow of Arapyaú Institute, board member of the iFHC and member of the International Advisory Board at CEBRI.
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Marcelo Thomé da Silva de Almeida
President
Federação das Industrias do Estado de Rondônia (FIERO)
Marcelo advocates for innovation, economic growth, community inclusion and forest conservation, building a sustainable Brazilian industry especially in the Amazon. He currently holds several roles, also as Vice-President of CNI, leading their thematic council on environment and sustainability (COEMAS); Executive Director of the Amazônia+21 Institute; board member of the Center for Bioeconomics of the Amazônia (CBA); member of the Guidance Committee of the Amazon Fund (COFA) and the Brazil Climate Finance Hub Council; and several regional leadership roles. He has a bachelor’s in architecture and urbanism from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and is a post-graduate in business management from Fundação Getulio Vargas.
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.
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Mauricio Mireles
Policy Officer
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
A Mexican national, Mauricio Mireles has served at the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean since 2019. He previously worked with FAO as an international consultant in Italy, Ghana, Mozambique and Brazil. A sociologist and anthropologist by profession, he holds a master's in environmental security from the UN University for Peace, and a master's in peace, development, security and international conflict transformation from the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Mireles has extensive experience in issues related to the social inclusion of Indigenous peoples and traditional communities, having coordinated diverse projects and initiatives related to South-South cooperation, social protection, school meals, family farming and the Amazonian bioeconomy.
