Panel on “Decarbonizing Industry towards achieving Net Zero”
The panel “Decarbonizing Industry towards achieving Net Zero” offers an opportunity to discuss innovative and promising approaches to decarbonize various industry sectors while at the same time highlighting roadblocks and trade-offs that are still encountered on route towards achieving net zero.
Decarbonizing industry is one of the major global sustainability goals. Business as usual or marginal improvements are no longer the way to go – rethinking how we make and use product is required. Innovation in technology and business models need to be found and their application accelerated.
The panel will address these aspects and serve as a stimulus input for discussions throughout LCIC 2022 as a whole. While the panel will not be able to capture all aspects of decarbonizing industry and the specifics of various sectors, during the 90 minutes an outlook of possible avenues for decarbonization pathways will be provided.
Panelists:
Prof. Dr. Stephan Krinke | Head of Sustainability Strategy and Decarbonization @ Volkswagen
Stephan Krinke is head of sustainability strategy and decarbonization of the Volkswagen Group. He is responsible for the development of the sustainability strategy and steering of the decarbonization program which covers the entire value chain of sustainable mobility. He started his career at Volkswagen AG in 2000, where he held different management positions. From 2010 until 2015 he was head of environmental affairs product. In 2016 he was appointed as head of group environmental affairs and as environmental management officer of Volkswagen AG covering environmental affairs for product, production and mobility. Since 2018 Stephan Krinke is head of sustainability strategy and decarbonization.
Stephan Krinke represents the Volkswagen Group for sustainability issues within a broad range of industry associations. He is board member of the committee for sustainability, environment and technology of the German industry association BDI. Stephan Krinke was appointed by the government of lower saxony to the governmental commission on sustainable environmental politics and digital change. In 2021 he was appointed as honorary professor at the technical university Braunschweig, where he lectures sustainability management.
Sandrina Sieverdingbeck | Managing Director @ DEUMU and Head of Strategy and Corporate Development @ Salzgitter AG
As Head of Strategy & Corporate Development, Sandrina Sieverdingbeck drives industrial transformation at Salzgitter AG. The decarbonization project SALCOS, circular economy and sustainable corporate management are her core topics. She started her career at Salzgitter AG in 2003 as project manager in the Corporate Group Controlling. In 2012 she moved to the Strategy & Corporate Development Department of Salzgitter AG, which she heads since 2015. Since 09/2021 she is leading the commercial management of the SALCOS program, which covers Salzgitter AGs transformation to a low carbon steel industry. Since 02/2022 she is Managing Director of Salzgitter AG subsidiary Deutsche Metall- und Erz-Union, which is responsible for the groupwide srap recycling activities.
Arne Stecher | Head of Decarbonization @ Holcim Germany
Arne Stecher, Head of Decarbonization at Holcim Germany, has been with this leading cement manufacturer for almost 25 years. He began his career at Holcim Deutschland GmbH in 1996 as the assistant to the Chief Financial Officer in 1996. Since then, he has led several national/international projects, been an in-house consultant in the group function business development, a procurement category manager, the Chief Procurement Officer for the Holcim Germany Group, and led strategic projects and new products. Beginning in 2018, he has been Head of Decarbonization to transform the company toward CO2-neutrality.
Dr. Sonja Thielges | Research Group Leader “Industrial Decarbonization Strategies” @ IASS
Sonja Thielges joined IASS as a research associate in August 2016 and leads the research group “Industrial Decarbonization Strategies”. Sonja is a non-resident Geoeconomics Fellow at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins University and volunteers as speaker of the research group on Global Issues at Kölner Forum für Internationale Beziehungen und Sicherheitspolitik e. V. (KFIBS). Sonja’s research focuses on the global energy transition. Her current research interests include the politics, policy and governance of industrial decarbonization, public perception of CO2 utilization strategies, the geoeconomics of a global hydrogen economy as well as transatlantic climate and energy relations. Before coming to the IASS, Sonja was a member of the Americas Division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), where her research focused on U.S. climate and energy policy. She also worked on projects at the Environmental Policy Research Centre (FFU), the Institut für Europäische Politik (IEP) Berlin, and the Centre International de Formation Européenne (CIFE).
The panel is going to be moderated by Martina Prox, Vice-Chair @ FSLCI and Director Sustainability Strategy @ iPoint.
