Björn Appelqvist works as Manager for the Waste & Resource Management Department at the consultancy company Ramboll in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is since October 2018 the Chair of the ISWA Scientific and Technical Committee. Björn has Chaired the ISWA Working Group on Recycling and Waste Minimisation and lead the ISWA Task Force on Resource Management as well as the ISWA Project “Barriers to Sustainable Resource Management. Björn has been involved in waste management since 2000 and has worked for Technical and Environmental Administration of the City of Copenhagen, the Danish intermunicipal waste collection company R98 and the Waste Management Department of the City of Malmö.

Prof. Konstantinos Aravossis is Secretary General of Natural Environment & Water at the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy. He is a Mechanical Engineer (Technical University of Aachen -Germany) with an M.Sc. in Management Science from Imperial College - University of London. He has further been awarded a PhD by the National Technical University of Athens, focusing on Operations Research.

He is Professor of “Planning, Management and Assessment of Technological and Environmental Investments at the NTUA (National Technical University of Athens), Professor at the ATHENS MBA (NTUA - Athens University of Economics) since 1997. He is the Coordinator of the “Environmental Economics and Sustainable Development Research Group” of the Sector of Industrial Management and Operations Research of the Mechanical Engineering School. He was the Environmental Advisor to the President of the Greek New Democracy political party and current Prime Minister.

He was President of the Greek Branch of the Waste to Energy Research and Technology Council (www.wtert.gr) coordinated by Columbia University and associate researcher of the Earth Engineering Center -Columbia University as well as visiting Professor at Imperial College-London. He was President of the Coordinating Committee of the Institute of Production and Operations Management / Hellenic Management Association.

He has been an advisor of the deputy Minister of Culture for the Olympic Games Constructions and their Post-Olympic utilization, President of the Greek Association of Environmental Protection Companies, President of the Hellenic Solid Waste Management Association (HSWMA) (now Hon. President) ,President of the Ordinary Environmental Committee of the Technical Chamber of Greece and member of Evaluation Committees for Investment and Energy Projects of the Ministry of Development. Furthermore, he has been member of the Board of the Organisation of Labour Residencies (OEK).and General Manager of Environmental Companies. He has organised 11 Int. Conferences and has over 100 Publications / 30 research projects.

Martin Brocklehurst is currently operating as an Independent Environmental Adviser in waste and resource management.  He is an experienced waste professional and former Head of Waste Strategy at the Environment Agency for England and Wales where he led teams advising on and implementing EU and UK environmental and waste regulation. He has had a central role in shaping and implementing waste policy in the UK, modernising waste data collection and is a leading advocate of the Circular Economy within the waste industry.  He has acted as an expert adviser on the Circular Economy to both ISWA working groups and the UK Parliamentary Environment Audit Committee . Martin is a member of CIWM (2007); ISWA (2011); the Energy Institute (1992); and Fellow of the RSA (2006).  He is also a member of the Midlands Chapter of CIWM.

Koen Coppenholle is Chief Executive of the European Cement Association (CEMBUREAU) since 1 July 2012. Before joining CEMBUREAU, Koen was Head of European Affairs for ArcelorMittal in Brussels. Between September 2000 and November 2007, he was Senior Counsel European Affairs with General Electric EMEA in Brussels.  Koen was Senior Associate with the law firm Linklaters De Bandt in Brussels (1995-2000), worked as a “référendaire” in the cabinet of the Dutch Judge P.J.G. Kapteyn at the European Court of Justice from 1992 to 1995 and was teaching European law at the University of Leuven before that period.

Koen graduated “magna cum laude” at the Law Faculty of Leuven University in 1988 and holds an LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School (1990).  He is author of various publications on European Community law and a regular speaker at conferences.

Engineer graduated from Mines ParisTech (France). More than 30 years of experience in the Environment and Energy industries in sustainable development, circular economy, pollution control & energy transition (ANDRA, ENTROPIE, CNIM, LAB). Development Director for the Environment and Renewable Energies sector of CNIM Group since 2011. Former Deputy General Manager at LAB S.A., where he worked from 2001 to 2012. Recognized “world-class” speaker and panelist in several international conferences each year about renewable energy and environment. Member of several industrial working groups and professional associations, such as ESWET, CEWEP, SVDU, AFITE, ASTEE, OFATE, AMORCE, RISPO, PREWIN, IWWG and United Nations Task Force for Air Pollution.

Elected as member of the Board and industrial delegate for AMORCE association. France representant as National member of the General Assembly of ISWA (International Solid Waste Association). Member of the Scientific and Technical Committee (STC) of ISWA and elected as Vice-chair of the ISWA Working Group Energy Recovery. Lecturer in Master Environment in University Sorbonne Paris Nord.

Jacob Duer is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, a global non-profit organisation that was established in 2019 to help end plastic waste in the environment. Today, the Alliance has convened over 80 member companies, strategic allies and supporters representing global companies across the plastic value chain and organizations that share our vision.

By bringing together industry, government, civil society, development agencies and investors, Jacob is leading the Alliance’s mission and strategic direction to invest a targeted $1.5 billion over five years to develop, accelerate and scale solutions. The latter are focussed on integrated waste management systems and technologies, engaging communities and ultimately catalysing capital towards a circular economy.

Jacob has more than 20 years of experience with the United Nations, focusing on chemicals and waste management, environment and sustainable development. Currently based in Singapore, he has lived and worked with the United Nations in Austria, Senegal, Kenya and Switzerland.

Mr Famellos was born in Athens in 1966 and raised in Thessaloniki. He holds a Diploma in Chemical Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and an MSc in Environmental Planning from the Hellenic Open University. As Chemical Engineer, Mr. Famellos has extensive experience in the fields of Environmental Engineering, Water Resources management, Recycling, Solid and Liquid Waste Management. He has been member of the Board of the Technical Chamber of Greece from 1997 till 2015, and member of the National Delegation of the Technical Chamber of Greece from 2003 till 2015.

He was first elected as Member of the Parliament with SYRIZA in January 2015, and re-elected in September 2015 and July 2019. He was appointed as Parliamentary Representative of SYRIZA in October 2015, and as Chairman of the Inquiry Commission of the Parliament in April 2016, which was aimed at investigating the legality of the bank loans given to Political Parties and Mass Media owners. From November 2016 to July 2019 he served as Alternate Minister for Environment and Energy of Greece. Today he is responsible for coordinating Energy and Environmental Policies within the SYRIZA-PA party.

• Attorney at Law post graded in Administrative and Economic Regulation Law.
• Working with Waste Management since 1999.
• ISWA member since 2005 as the National Representative of ABRELPE – Brazilian Association of Waste Management Companies, ISWA National Member in Brazil.
• Latin America Regional Development Network Representative from 2011 to 2014, and ISWA Vice President from 2014 to 2020.
• Founder of the ISWA Young Professionals Group in 2013.
• Member of the Steering Committee for the Global Waste Management Outlook and for the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Waste Outlook, developed by UN Environment.
• Member of the Steering Committee of the Coalition for the progressive Closure of Dumpsites in Latin America and the Caribbean, coordinated by UN Environment Regional Office.
• Dedicated to several international projects to promote better waste management, dealing with Closure of Dumpsites; Mitigation of GhG emissions, Marine Litter, Planning and Regulation, among other topics.
• Author of the book "Solid Waste: what the law says??? and several articles about the subject.

During 2012 - 2019 he was the Secretary General of the Municipality of Metamorphosis. From 2010 to 2011 he was the President of the Inter-municipal Association for the Sustainable Development "21 Local Authorities" of the northern Attica municipalities. During 2007 - 2010, he was the Mayor of Melissia Attica. In the period 2004-2006, he was a Deputy Commander at the Psychiatric Hospital of Attica. He worked in the private sector from 1994 to 2004, as a business consultant in finance.

Mr. Alexandros Katsiamboulas, Chemical Engineer, NTUA with MSc in Environmental Technologies at UK UMIST and Business Administration Studies at ALBA, is currently the Group ESG Performance Director, at TITAN CEMENT GROUP.

With 24 years of experience in the cement industry, he has assumed responsibilities in the fields of environment, health & safety, production and quality. He represents TITAN CEMENT in Working Groups relevant to climate change and the environment, in national, European and international organizations such as the Hellenic Cement Industries Association, Hellenic Federation of Enterprises, and Business Council for Sustainable Development, CEMBUREAU and GCCA.

He is the President of the Board of HSWMA (Hellenic Solid Waste Management Association) since 2018 after he served for 4 years as Vice President accelerating the shift to a circular economy in Greece and the implementation of state of the art technologies for waste management.

Konstantinos Konstantinou has graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Patras, and holds a Master of Science degree from Cranfield University (UK) in Energy Conservation and Environmental Management.

Throughout his career, he has gained extensive expertise in HSE Management, corporate strategy and risk assessment projects of advanced complexity, teams building and leading via high level management positions in the mining and industrial sector.

He is fully involved with the Sustainable Development agenda since 2012, currently holding the position of General Manager at SEV Business Council for Sustainable Development and a seat at Global Compact Network Hellas και CSR Hellas Boards of Directors.

His portfolio includes the green transition issues, focusing on climate change mitigation and adaptation, transition to circular economy, biodiversity preservation and environmental licensing.

Dr. Eng. Yannis Maniatis is a Rural and Surveying Engineer (National Technical University of Athens).

He was an Assoc. Professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and since 2002 is Assoc. Professor at the University of Piraeus.

Visiting Professor at the Institute of Economic Geography, University of Bonn.

Director of the MSc “Climate Crisis and Information and Communication Technologies”

Director of the “Environmental and Energy Policies and Systems” Laboratory.

Political and Social

- Dr. Maniatis was elected as a Member of the Greek Parliament during the elections 2004 - 2019.  He was appointed:

- Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change (2009 - 2015)

- Secretary General of the Ministry of Transport and Communications (1998 - 2001)

Academic

His main academic fields, courses and research activities, include:

1. Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.) and Remote Sensing,
2. Energy and Transportation Policies and Systems,
3. Environmental Management and Climate Change
4. Natural Resources and Sustainable Development
5. EU Structural Policies and Land Uses
6. Innovation Management and Digital Entrepreneurship
7. Systems and Policies of Smart Energy, Digital Agriculture, Smart Cities

Dr. Maniatis has participated with more than two hundred (200) scientific papers and lectures in international congresses and scientific magazines.

Publications

1. Maniatis, Y. (2020). “Green Development: the Answer to Climate Crisis”, diaNEOsis Eds, Athens
2. Maniatis, Υ. (2016). “Structural Reforms and Progressive Patriotism”, Papazisis Eds, Athens.
3. Maniatis, Υ. (2012). “Energy and Natural Resources: National Pillars for Development”, Livanis Eds, Athens.
4. Maniatis, Υ. (2009). “The Challenge of Green Development”, Livanis Eds, Athens.
5. Maniatis, Υ. (1993). “Geographic Information Systems and Environmental Monitoring”, Ziti Eds, Thessaloniki.

Antonis Mavropoulos is a chemical engineer that was prepared for a career in quantum chemistry and optoelectronics but, in a mysterious way that is still subject of scientific research in psychology, he found himself in the field of waste management. He is obsessed with social change and innovation, and he believes that the fourth industrial revolution provides an historical opportunity to reshape human societies and their environmental footprint. Professionally, he is a waste management consultant with working experiences in 30 countries, and he has founded D‐Waste, a company that aims to make waste management services accessible to everyone that needs them. He has invented the Waste Atlas, designed several mobile apps and information systems, and written many papers and reports. He was privileged to serve the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) as the chair of the Scientific and Technical Committee (2008–2016) and as the president (2016–2020). He is also a member of the advisory board of UNEP's International Environmental Technology Centre. All his writings can be found at his blog wastelessfuture.com.

Maxime Pernal is a graduate of Brussels’ Institute for European Studies. He has been policy officer at CEWEP, the Confederation of European Waste-to-Energy Plants, since 2015. There, he follows waste legislation, circular economy and sustainable finance issues.

He has a Degree in Environmental Sciences from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​and Diploma of Advanced Studies in Marine Sciences from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. He is currently coordinator of the chemicals and waste program in the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Environment Program.

Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif (Malaysia) is the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), appointed at the level of Under-Secretary-General by the Secretary-General, following an election by the General Assembly on 22 December 2017. On 22 January 2018, Ms. Sharif assumed her post at UN-Habitat’s Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. She succeeds Dr. Joan Clos of Spain.

Prior to this appointment, Ms. Sharif was the Mayor of the City Council of Penang Island, Malaysia. In 2011, she became the first woman to be appointed President of the Municipal Council of Seberang Perai. As mayor, she led the Municipal Council of Seberang Perai to achieve its vision of a “cleaner, greener, safer and healthier place to work, live, invest and play.” She is a champion of Gender-Responsive Participatory Budgeting and Planning, integrating gender perspectives into the governance process. During her tenure, the Municipal Council of Seberang Perai was the first Local Authority to implement and achieve six quality-based management ISO certifications.

Ms. Sharif began her career as a town planner at the Municipal Council of Penang Island in 1985. In 2003, she was promoted to Director of Planning and Development, a position she held until November 2009. As Director, she was responsible for the preparation of structure and local plans and was directly involved in the development management of Penang City’s projects and landscape. She also led a team which planned and implemented urban renewal projects in George Town. In November 2009, as its General Manager, Ms. Sharif established George Town World Heritage Incorporated and managed the George Town World Heritage Site, which was inscribed by UNESCO in July 2008.

Born in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, on 26 August 1961, Ms. Sharif holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Town Planning Studies from the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology, UK and a Master of Science in Planning Studies from the Malaysia Science University. She has received several awards, including, “Planner of The Year 2014” by the Malaysian Institute of Planners, the 2016 Global Human Settlements Outstanding Contribution Award during Habitat III in Quito, for her contribution in sustainable planning in Seberang Perai and from the Penang State Government. On 11 January 2018, she received an award from the Malaysia Book of Records recognizing her for being the first Asian woman to be appointed as Executive Director of UN-Habitat. She is married to Mr. Adli Lai and has two daughters.

Maria Spyraki is awarded MEP of the year 2019 for Industry, Research, and Innovation. She is now serving her second mandate in the European Parliament with of Nea Demokratia party - European People's Party (EPP), as a member of the Committees Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) and Industry, Research, and Energy (ITRE). She is also co-chair of the Intergroup on Climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development and Vice-Chair at Delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China.

During this mandate she has been the rapporteur on the Motion for Resolution on Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. She was also the rapporteur of the report "Maximizing the energy efficiency of buildings" at ENVI Committee and the shadow rapporteur on behalf of EPP on "Energy Storage" report and on the Public Loan Facility in the Just Transition Mechanism at ITRE Committee. In addition, she is the Shadow Rapporteur on behalf of the EPP in ITRE on the Proposal for a Regulation concerning batteries and waste batteries, and she is the Rapporteur in the ENVI Committee on behalf of the European Parliament on the Methane Strategy file.

Maria Spyraki's first degree is in Chemistry at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She has an MSc in Energy Law, Business, Regulation and Policy from International Hellenic University, Greece. She has worked for 22 years as a journalist, until 2014, when she was elected MEP.

Moreover, she has attended three summer schools at the College of Europe, Bruge (Energy Union Summer School, Negotiations in practice and Intensive Seminar of the EU). Also, she has graduated from two e-learning programs from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens on Crisis Management and the Financial Crisis of 2010.

Horacio has more than 20 years of professional experience in the urban-environmental field, having worked both in the private sector and multilateral development organizations.

He is currently the Lead Urban Specialist for the Latin American Region of the World Bank focusing on cities, urban infrastructure and resilience. During the previous 8 years he worked at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) as the Coordinator of the Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative (ESCI) and as Principal Solid Waste Management and Water Specialist.

Before the IDB Horacio worked for 11 years as a Senior Environmental Specialist at the World Bank, leading the urban environmental agenda with particular focus in Solid Waste Management. Horacio developed more than 15 SWM projects including collection, transport, treatment and final disposal in several countries of Latin America leading the agenda in different development Banks for more than 10 years. He also coordinated operations related to carbon finance in the Latin American Department developing several methane capture projects and Handbook of Global use. Prior to that, he worked in the private sector as Project Manager for environmental engineering companies providing treatment and final disposal of hazardous substances.

Horacio has extensive experience in complex projects related to urban infrastructure and industrial pollution, implementing many of these within the framework of the principal international environmental protocols including: The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Horacio was trained as a mechanical engineer at the National University of La Plata in Argentina and holds a Master’s in International Economics and International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).