Dr. Hugo-Maria Schally
He holds a doctorate in law from the University of Graz/Austria and is a graduate of the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna/Austria. After having worked for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, he has since 1998 held several positions as head of unit in the DGs for External Relations, Development and Environment of the European Commission.
He is currently head of unit for “Sustainable Production, Products and Consumption” in the Directorate for “Circular Economy and Green Growth” of DG Environment of the European Commission. In that capacity, he is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan. This includes the preparation and implementation of EU policies and instruments supporting the transition to a circular economy, such as inter alia EMAS, the European Eco-label, Green Public Procurement, the European plastics strategy and the follow up to the pilot project on the environmental footprint of products and organisations (PEF/OEF).
Dr. Klaus Fichter
Dr. Klaus Fichter is the founder and director of the Borderstep Institute for Innovation and Sustainability. He is adjunct Professor of Innovation Management and Sustainability at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany, and is on the board of directors of the Oldenburg Center for Sustainability Economics and Management (CENTOS). He is head of graduate degree programs in innovation management and sustainable entrepreneurship.
Professor Fichter is scientific director of the regional Network for innovation and entrepreneurship in times of climate change (NIK) and Chair of the Special Interest Group “Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation” of the FGF network of entrepreneurship research, education and policy (the largest network of entrepreneurship and innovation researchers in German-speaking Europe). Furthermore, as a widely published author in journals such as R&D Management, Journal of Cleaner Production and the Journal of Industrial Ecology, and a business entrepreneur, he has proven credentials in both academia and the business world.
Distinctions include the €10,000 Hans Sauer Award for the promotion of environmental innovations for an innovative “eco-venturing” teaching approach that mentors start-ups on developing sustainable business ideas. His research focuses on evolutionary and interaction economics, eco-innovation, diffusion of sustainable solutions, sustainable entrepreneurship and green start-ups.
Klaus Fichter studied business administration, entrepreneurship and economics at theUniversity of Bremen. From 1993 to 2000, he was head of the “Corporate Environmental Management” research field at the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IOEW) in Berlin. He completed his doctoral thesis in 1998 and his habilitation in 2005. From 2005 to 2009 he was Associate Professor and since 2010 adjunct Professor of Innovation Management and Sustainability at the Department for Economics, Management and Law at the University of Oldenburg, Germany.
Nathan Frisbee
Nathan Frisbee holds a degree in Civil Engineering and has been employed by Schlumberger for more than 20 years. His career began with geology surveys of oil and gas wells around North America, and continued with various management and support roles in the US and Middle East. From 2008 onward, Nathan has focused on conducting analysis of various components of the global energy market. This included an assignment at the International Energy Agency in Paris. His most recent assignment as an advisor to the Solar Impulse World Alliance is a logical step toward understanding future energy needs.
Ralph Thurm
Ralph Thurm is one of the leading international experts for sustainable innovation and strategy as well as sustainability and integrated reporting. He is co-founder and Managing Director of r3.0 – Context For ThriveAble Transformation, worked as Director of Engagement for GISR and co-founder of the ThriveAbility Foundation. Earlier, Ralph Thurm held positions as Head of the Sustainability Strategy Council at Siemens, COO of the Global Reporting Initiative and Director of Sustainability & Innovation at Deloitte. Ralph was involved in the development of all four generations of the GRI Guidelines (before they became standards) and works in and supports many networks for sustainable innovation as a valued partner and is a member of various Boards and Jury’s. His blogs at A|HEAD|ahead, Medium and Linkedin deliver valuable input for many international discussions.
Martina Prox
Martina Prox, M.A. has been engaged with innovation and IT with the target of enabling sustainable production for over 20 years. This is where productivity meets sustainability. For the ifu Institute for Environmental IT Hamburg GmbH – Member of the iPoint Group, she supports companies on their journey to sustainable production in the selection and implementation of suitable software solutions. Today, this means above all opening up the path to the Digital Circular Economy. As founding member and president of the Board of Directors of the Forum for Sustainability through Life Cycle Innovation e.V. (FSLCI), Martina is committed to collaboration with other stakeholders in the sustainability context to broaden the use of life cycle information and thus facilitate sustainable innovation.
