Paul is one of Canada’s leading experts in the emerging circular economy, providing solutions and engaging leaders who are working at the intersection of business innovation, public policy, economic development, and sustainability. For over a decade, this work has placed him at the forefront of the important transition that is underway towards a greener, more prosperous, low-carbon economy. In February 2021, Paul took on the role of Managing Director of Circular Economy Leadership Canada (CELC), a network of leaders from all industries and sectors who are fostering collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in Canada. In this role he is the driving force behind CELC’s Circular Economy Solution Series and the network’s efforts to amplify leading-edge work already underway in this space, while fostering innovation and synergies among business leaders, policymakers, academics, and other stakeholders to drive meaningful systems change. Paul is also Board Chair for the Synergy  Foundation and Project Zero (a circular economy accelerator program based in British Columbia). Prior to this, Paul served as Senior Director at the Delphi Group, Managing Director of Vancouver-based GLOBE Advisors, and was the Conference Director for the GLOBE Series (from 2009-2016), considered one of the largest sustainability events of its type in the world. He was also a founding Executive Member of the BC Home Performance Stakeholder Council, as well as a member of the Program Advisory Committees for BCIT’s School of Business and UBC’s Masters in Energy Leadership (MEL) Program.

Jo-Anne St. Godard has served as Executive Director of Canada’s premier environmental non-governmental organization, Circular Innovation Council (formerly Recycling Council of Ontario), since 2001. She has over 20 years of experience in the areas of public policy design, corporate strategy and compliance, research and pilot innovations designed to accelerate Canada’s transition toward a circular economy. She has worked with senior levels in both government and business, facilitating unique private and public sector partnerships that advance policies and practices that deliver on carbon emissions and waste reduction objectives. With her team she has lead and designed many public programs and campaigns that engage, educate and empower.

Ramona spent the first half of her career leading large insight and innovation teams for multinationals like Unilever, Pepsico and HSBC. Since 2010 she has focused on the intersection of international development and the SDGs, finance and innovation, including leading the SPRING Accelerator in East Africa and South Asia, COO of the Innogy renewable energy investment fund, and as a Senior Associate at impact finance specialist Roots of Impact. Her current work at PACE is leading a global public and private sector partnership to accelerate the circular economy, using very key leverage points in the global system such as the recapture of minerals for the energy transition or upcycling food loss and waste. She holds masters’ degrees from Yale University and the London School of Economics. She has started three impact enterprises and invested in 30, as well as mentoring more than 300.

Ken Webster is a Visiting Professor at Cranfield University and a Visiting researcher at the Univ. of Auckland Business School. From 2010 - end 2018 he was Head of Innovation for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a circular economy pioneer organization, where he helped shape current notions of a ‘circular economy’. His book The Circular Economy: A Wealth of Flows (2nd Edition 2017) relates the connections between systems thinking, economic and business opportunity and the transition to a circular economy. He makes regular contributions to conferences and seminars around the world. His current interests include; open vs closed circular economy approaches, construction and the built environment, extended producer ownership and materials data management. Ken is on the supervisory board of the Madaster Foundation in Amsterdam - a materials passport organisation. He contributed to the new Handbook of the Circular Economy Handbook (Eds. Alexander, Pascucci and Charnley (2023) and was a contributor and editor on Earth for All from the Club of Rome. He is a lead author on circular economy for UNEP's GEO-7 report (in development). A recent book with an emphasis on exploring different scales, especially in food and agriculture is ABC&D Creating a Regenerative Circular Economy for All (with Craig Johnson) (2022).

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Laurier-Sainte-Marie in 2019. He has previously served as Minister of Canadian Heritage. Minister Guilbeault is a prominent advocate in the fight against the climate crisis, and has been leading the charge from Laurier—Sainte-Marie for years. Minister Guilbeault’s commitment to environmental issues started at the age of five, when he climbed a tree to protect it from real estate developers who were about to cut down the woods behind his home in La Tuque. Twenty-five years later, he scaled the CN Tower in Toronto to call for Canada to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. In 1993, Minister Guilbeault co-founded Équiterre, the largest environmental organization in Quebec, and served as its Senior Director from 2008 to 2018. He also worked as a Director and Campaign Manager for Greenpeace, and was a Strategic Advisor for more than 10 years at Cycle Capital Management, a Canadian fund dedicated to the development of clean technologies. Minister Guilbeault also worked for Deloitte & Touche as well as Copticom, a consulting firm specializing in the green and social economy, and transportation. As an activist and strategic advisor for dozens of governments and businesses in Canada and abroad, Minister Guilbeault is a pragmatist who works to make a difference by building bridges and relationships. An avid cyclist and sportsman, he has been riding his bike 12 months a year for the last 30 years. Minister Guilbeault is a father of four and stepfather of two.

The Honourable Mona Fortier was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Ottawa—Vanier in 2017, and is the first woman to represent the riding. She has previously served as Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance. Minister Fortier has always believed that she can best serve her community by getting involved and taking action. Her expertise covers the areas of health care, education, job creation, and francophone affairs. Prior to being elected, Minister Fortier worked as the Chief Director of Communications and Market Development at Collège La Cité and managed her own strategic communicationsconsulting firm. She has also served on several non-profit Boards of Directors, including for Montfort Hospital, Ontario’s Provincial Advisory Committee on Francophone Affairs, and the Shaw Centre. In addition, she has received numerous awards for her community involvement, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. Minister Fortier is focused on making life more affordable for Canadians, protecting the environment, and helping businesses prosper. She is a strong advocate for linguistic duality and always searches for the right balance between prosperity and social justice. As a mother of three, a University of Ottawa graduate, a community leader, and an entrepreneur, Minister Fortier knows that it is important to come together with an ambitious plan to build stronger and better communities while growing the middle class.

Matthew has worked in the field of circular economy for over 10 years, advising businesses, cities, and national governments. He is in charge of setting Circle Economy’s research agenda and is leading the Circularity Gap Reporting initiative. He is motivated by using data to paint a picture of what a future economy could look like, and how we can deliver prosperity within the boundaries of our planet.

In his role as Director, Sustainability, Ignacio Gavilan leads the CGF’s Sustainability team that aims to position the consumer goods industry as a leader in protecting against climate change and reducing waste. Ignacio is responsible for ensuring high quality, efficient strategic leadership and implementation support to CGF's Sustainability agenda. He leads retailer and manufacturer Working Groups on topics like Food Waste, Plastics, or Supply Chain Circularity and Decarbonisation as well as engaging with members and external stakeholders to drive implementation forward. Ignacio brings to the CGF more than 15 years’ experience in advising business on the practical, strategic, and commercial opportunities and risks of sustainability. Prior to his current role, Ignacio worked as Founder & Principal Consultant at Accipiter, a sustainability advisory service where he helped SMEs working in international markets to create strategic sustainability roadmaps. Past experience also includes senior roles at Anglo American p.l.c., BP Alternative Energy and McDonald’s Corp.

Lindsay Colley is a sustainability professional with over a decade of experience in developing and managing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategies. She is currently the Associate Vice President, ESG Strategy & Integration at Canadian Tire, and is responsible for driving the implementation and integration of ESG across the Canadian Tire family of companies. Lindsay is also a CPA, CA and previously held sustainability roles at the Canadian Public Accountability Board, Tim Hortons, and Ernst & Young LLP. She has also taught ESG at both the University of Toronto and York University for many years. Outside of her professional endeavours, Lindsay is active in her community. In 2017, Lindsay was named an Action Canada Fellow and provided climate change policy recommendations to the federal government. She has previously served on the boards of Fairtrade Canada, the Toronto Public Library Board, and the Canadian Environmental Association, among other volunteer activities. She lives in Toronto with her partner and three boys, and loves both public libraries and stewarding her local Buy Nothing group.

Kathleen McLaughlin is executive vice president and chief sustainability officer for Walmart Inc. and president of the Walmart Foundation. Kathleen is responsible for programs that help Walmart create opportunity through jobs and sourcing; advance the sustainability of supply chains; foster diversity, equity and inclusion; and build inclusive and resilient communities. Through business initiatives and philanthropy, her teams work with Walmart associates, suppliers, nonprofit organizations and others to drive significant and lasting improvements to economic, social and environmental systems. These efforts are making significant progress on multiple fronts, including engaging more than 4,500 suppliers in Project Gigaton™ – an initiative created in 2017 aimed at engaging suppliers in climate action, along with NGOs and other stakeholders to reduce or avoid one billion metric tons (a gigaton) of greenhouse gases from the global value chain by 2030. So far, we've reduced or avoided more than 574 million metric tons of CO2 emissions through Project Gigaton™. Since 2006, Walmart and Sam’s Club have donated more than 7 billion pounds of food from stores, clubs and distribution centers to Feeding America food banks. Since 2016, Walmart, Sam’s Club and the Walmart Foundation have provided more than $132 million for disaster preparedness and response efforts supporting communities around the globe. Last year, the company and Foundation awarded more than $1.5 billion in cash and in-kind donations, including over 696 million pounds of food donations in the U.S. Before joining Walmart in 2013, she spent more than 20 years with the global consulting firm McKinsey & Company. Kathleen serves on the boards of the Council on Foundations, the World Wildlife Fund, World Resources Institute, and is an advisor to The Nature Conservancy’s Impact and Financial Markets team. In 2018, Kathleen was recognized as one of the "The World's 50 Greatest Leaders" by Fortune – a title given to men and women in business, government, philanthropy and the arts across the globe for their work to transform the world and inspire others to do the same. Kathleen is a frequent speaker about the role of business in society at forums such as those hosted by the New York Times, Fortune, the Wall Street Journal and the World Economic Forum.

Anthony is currently the VP- Product Development & Innovation in the Consumer Brands Division. There he fuses his engineering background with the worlds of consumer research, strategic marketing and product/service design. After receiving his B.A.Sc. from the University of Toronto in Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Anthony continued his studies completing a Masters in Engineering Design. Anthony then spent almost a decade in the automotive industry at Ford, Magna, and Martinrea in various positions involving project management, product design and testing, R&D and engineering management. In 2007 he joined Canadian Tire’s Innovation Management Group building new competency in the organization around product development and innovation for Canadian Tire’s Private Label Brand portfolio. Anthony has spent the last few years building out the Owned Brands strategy and org structure to support Canadian Tire’s purpose of Making life in Canada better. Anthony is strong supporter of academic/industry collaboration and has run initiatives with UofT engineering, Schulich School of Business, and the Rotman School of Business - Design Works Studio. Anthony has a passion for user-centered design and particularly the design thinking that occurs where innovation, strategy, and the user intersect. He is a certified New Product Development Professional and longstanding member of the DMI and PDMA.

Kevin Groh is Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs at Loblaw Companies Limited and a member of the company’s Management Board. He leads a team responsible for corporate communication, government relations, industry and NGO relations, sustainability and impact. He leads Loblaw’s ESG program, including a range of social and environmental ambitions, like substantial carbon and food waste reductions, progress on sourcing and biodiversity, and changes to advance a circular economy for plastics. He is Vice Chair of President’s Choice Children’s Charity, focused on addressing childhood hunger and nutrition. Loblaw is Canada’s leading retailer and the nation’s largest private employer. With more than one billion annual transactions, the company’s network of stores and digital services spans food, pharmacy, beauty, apparel and financial services, and many of Canada’s top retail brands: Loblaws, Shoppers Drug Mart, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, PC Express and PC Bank. Its private brands include many of the nation’s favourites: President’s Choice (#1 CPG in Canada), No Name, Life, Joe Fresh, Farmer’s Market, and more.

Chantal Rossignol holds a Master of Applied Science in Innovation Management (École de technologie supérieure-ETS) and a Bachelor of Environmental Science (University of Northern British Columbia). She currently coordinates a network of living labs on the circular economy at the Center for Intersectoral Studies and Research on the Circular Economy (CERIEC) at ETS. She oversees the launch of new labs and their governance and best practices to co-create, test and scale applied circular economy solutions. She brings to this role over 15 years of experience managing multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder environmental projects in Canada, the United States and Africa.

Jury Gualandris is an Associate Professor of Operations and Sustainability at the Ivey Business School, Western University (Canada). His commitment to positive impact has led him to take on leadership roles at Ivey’s Building Sustainable Value Centre (BSV) and its sister organization, the Network for Business Sustainability (NBS). BSV shapes pathways of systems change towards sustainable prosperity through innovative research and impact programming. NBS connects researchers with managers to advance business sustainability. Jury’s research focuses on how sustainability can be integrated in supply chains and the implications for competitiveness. He has been studying these dynamics in two empirical settings: ESG Public Disclosures and the expanding Circular Economy. His research has been published in premier journals including the Journal of Operations Management and the Journal of Supply Chain Management. He has been featured in popular media including The Conversation, B the Change, Eco-Vadis, and the Peggy Smedly Show. He has received research and teaching awards from Ivey (i.e., Distinguished David G. Burgoyne HBA Teaching Award 2022) and other leading academic associations such as Academy of Management, Production and operations Management Society, and the International Purchasing and Supply Management Association and Research Education.

As Director and Origination Lead, Kristin is responsible for all lead generation and deal flow for the Closed Loop Infrastructure Group. Prior to joining Closed Loop Partners, Kristin was Founder and CEO of Radical Plastics, a Boston-based startup that developed a patented catalyst which renders conventional plastics biodegradable. Throughout her career, Kristin has spent more than 20 years in Market Development for multinational plastics and chemical companies including ExxonMobil, SABIC and Huntsman Corporation. Kristin has a Master’s degree in Plastics Engineering and was named to the Forbes Next 1000 List of Entrepreneurs in 2021.

Passionate about the circular economy and social equity, Georgia is compelled to find tangible solutions for businesses that strive to make a positive impact. Through her work at Synergy Foundation, Georgia works with entrepreneurs, existing businesses, regional government, and community stakeholders to foster the transition to a circular economy in BC. Georgia is also the lead on the annual Project Zero Incubator Program and the Circular Accelerator Pilot Program.

Apala Mukherjee was appointed President of BASF Canada effective March 1st, 2021. In this role, Mukherjee assumes responsibility for all of BASF’s businesses in Canada, overseeing the implementation of the company’s global strategies in the region. In this role, Mukherjee chairs BASF Canada Executive Committee and heads BASF Canada’s Leadership team. Moreover, she leads BASF Canada’s internal business support groups, including Market and Customer Development and Sustainability. Prior to moving to Canada, Apala Mukherjee was Director of Sustainability of Value Chains for BASF Corporation, located in Florham Park, New Jersey, USA. She has held various positions within BASF Group, including Head of Marketing Acrylics and Regional Integration leader for Engineering Plastics, both in Singapore, and Global Business Director for Polyolefins Catalysts and Staff to the CEO in North America, both in New Jersey, USA. Apala joined BASF in 2006 in the MBA Leadership Development Program. Mukherjee started her career in research at National Starch and Chemical and has worked in various disciplines such as strategy, marketing, technical service and sales across Europe, Americas and Asia. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Master of Science in Polymer Science both from Carnegie Mellon University, and an MBA from University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.

Sophie Langlois-Blouin has been working for the governmental organization RECYC-QUÉBEC since October 2005 and has held the position of Vice President of Operations Performance since May 2018. In this capacity, she has notably led the organization's interventions in the following areas: the fight against food loss and waste, source reduction and the transition to a circular economy, as well as the modernization of deposit and selective collection systems based on an extended producer responsibility approach. Sophie holds a Bachelor's degree in Public Communication from Laval University and a Master's degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Sherbrooke.

Dr. Dianne Saxe is one of Canada’s most respected environmental and energy lawyers, with decades of experience as a non-partisan expert and advocate for municipalities, businesses, non-profits and individuals. Councillor Saxe was the last Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, the independent guardian of the Environmental Bill of Rights. In 2019, after she delivered 17 acclaimed reports to the Legislature on energy, environment, and climate, Doug Ford abolished her office. Councillor Saxe is a climate champion who walks the talk. Her bike and the TTC are her primary means of transportation, and she has been a vegetarian for 50 years. Councillor Saxe holds a Ph.D. in Law and in Environmental Studies (Hon.), a Law Society Medal for exemplary leadership in environmental law, a Clean 50 award, an Osgoode Hall Law Alumni Gold Key for Lifetime Achievement, and a Global Competent Board Designation. At the University of Toronto, she is a Senior Fellow of Massey College, and adjunct faculty of the School of the Environment. From November 2020 to August 2022, Councillor Saxe served as Deputy Leader of the Green Party of Ontario, and was principal author of its Roadmap to Net Zero. She also contributed to its Mental Health and Housing policies. She sits at City Council as an independent. Councillor Saxe is proud to serve Ward 11 - University-Rosedale, where she has deep roots and wide networks.

Jeff Fritzsche is an assistant director at Statistics Canada and has been working in the environment statistics field for most of his career. Over the years, he has worked in many different areas of environmental statistics, particularly environmental surveys and environmental accounts. Jeff is responsible for a number of survey programs, including those related to environmental protection and clean technology (both the supply and demand), a number of surveys related to the use and management of water, households and their relationship with the environment, solid waste management and farm management practices. Jeff is also responsible for a number of environmental accounts products, including the Environmental and Clean Technology Products Economic Account and a number of accounts related to material and financial flows such as the energy and greenhouse gas accounts, water accounts, plastics and natural resource stock accounts, as well as an experimental account on environmental taxes. Jeff has also served on several international committees over the years and has participated in various international forums to share his knowledge of environmental accounts and statistics with other countries. Jeff has been a participant in the Government of Canada’s Interdepartmental Working Group on the Circular Economy since its inception in 2019, has co-organized a side event at the World Circular Economy Forum hosted by Canada, and has overseen the development of the pilot Physical Flow Account for Plastic Material (PFAPM), which is Canada’s most in-depth look at the Circular Economy to date. His talk at the Summit will focus on the PFAPM.

Emmanuel Raufflet (Ph.D. Management, McGill University) is a Professor of Management at HEC Montréal. His research focuses on social innovation, sustainable development and circular economy. He has been a guest professor in several universities and business schools internationally. He has led research projects related to energy, sustainability and social acceptability, and circular economy with public, private and non-profit organisations. He has published and coedited 8 books, has authored more than 50 chapters, 30 articles, and 30 teaching cases. He is the director of the Graduate Degree and Master in Management and Sustainable Development at HEC Montréal. In 2018-2019, he served as as academic director of the IEDDEC (Institut Environnement, Développement durable et Économie Circulaire), a joint research center between École Polytechnique, Université de Montréal and HEC Montréal. He is one of the co-heads of the Quebec Research Network on circular economy (160 + researchers/ interdisciplinary) (2021-2026).

Jacomien van Tonder is the Director for Metal Tech Alley, a successful regional marketing strategy from the Lower Columbia Initiatives Corporation (LCIC) based in Trail BC. After 6 years running the Metal Tech Alley program, the LCIC is considered a leader in economic development best practices through creating a circular economy hub in small rural area. The considerable success of Metal Tech Alley rests on embracing industry of all sectors and supporting innovation for companies that are engaging with circular practices and doughnut economics. Jacomien was born in South Africa and emigrated to Canada 14 years ago. She got a Baccalaureus Procurationis degree and practiced as a lawyer and CEO of a Top 500 South African Company. Since moving to Canada, she has branched out to take her career in new direction to include Economic Development and Project Management.

David Messer is the Executive Director of the Smart Cities Office at the City of Guelph. He is leading two projects aimed at growing the circular economy across southern Ontario: Our Food Future – an Infrastructure Canada funded smart city project aimed at creating a circular food economy across Guelph and Wellington County, and; COIL (Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad) a FedDev funded circular accelerator supporting business innovation across southern Ontario. Since 2020, Our Food Future and COIL have launched over 60 projects across Guelph-Wellington involving 1000+ stakeholders aimed at increasing food access, accelerating circular business practices and redefining waste as a resource in our local economy. Since fall 2021, COIL has worked with over 60 companies from Ottawa to Windsor to develop and deploy innovative new circular economy solutions and technologies, several of whom are anticipating millions in new revenue these circular products. Prior to joining the City of Guelph, David worked in the technology sector as Vice President – Public Affairs with Edelman and as Vice President - Policy with the Information Technology Association of Canada (now Technation). David began his career in the provincial governments of Ontario and Alberta supporting economic development, regulatory modernization, digital government, and international relations.

Tima has been researching, teaching and collaborating for business sustainability for over 30 years, since she graduated from the University of Oxford with a DPhil in Management Studies. In 2022, she chaired the CCA Expert Panel on the Circular Economy, which produced a 278-page report titled the Turning Point and described the state of practice of circularity in Canada. She is firmly committed to advancing sustainability, having founded the Network for Business Sustainability (nbs.net), Ivey’s Centre for Building Sustainable Value, and most recently Innovation North (www.innovationnorth.ca), which she continues to lead. She is also the Vice-Chair of the Board of the United Nation’s Principles for Responsible Management Education. The strength of her commitment to the research and practice of sustainability has been recognized with honorary doctorates from the University of Montreal and the University of Hamburg.

After 15 years advancing sustainability solutions, Rosemary pivoted in 2011 to catalyzing the transition to a circular economy with an emphasis on upstream solutions. She is currently Director of the Share Reuse Repair Initiative (SRRI), a Canadian non-profit on MakeWay’s shared platform, with a mission to create a circular economy that is a waste and climate solution, enables everyone to “live circular” and fosters positive business innovation. SRRI was one of the first global members of Sitra’s SHIFT 1.5 community, adapting circular marketing tools to Canada including: Stuff in Flux 2 and the SHIFTing Consumer Behaviour Program. SRRI is also spearheading a Just Circular Economy Program, including a Network for Inclusive Circular Employment, and work to scale reuse and repair. Since 2013, Rosemary has enjoyed learning from and with the next generation of circular leaders as part-time Faculty (Circular Economy) at the BCIT School of Business.

Dr Charles Gillott researches circular economy in the built environment at The University of Sheffield, England. His work addresses multiple aspects of circularity across various spatial scales, including the reuse of buildings, components, and materials at the neighbourhood, city, and national level. Charles was previously involved in the development of "Regenerate" a circular economy design tool that is now widely used in the UK for the assessment of both new and existing buildings. He is now working with Toronto Metropolitan University to understand the circular economy landscape in Canada and the potential to apply Regenerate within Ontario and beyond.

Renata Cardoso is an economist with MBA, with extensive experience in corporate sustainability, climate change strategy and strategic planning in the global mining and metals industry. Prior to Electra Battery Materials, Renata spent 15 years with Vale, based both at headquarters in Brazil and in Canada, taking leadership roles in Climate Change and Sustainability functions. In her previous role as Low Carbon Manager with Vale Canada, she oversaw the development of a global decarbonization program for all the company’s operational sites. Now as Electra’s Vice President, Sustainability and Low Carbon, Renata leads the development of the company’s ESG credentials to supply ethical, low carbon and traceable materials for the electric vehicles market.

As Circular Materials’ CEO, Allen is responsible for leading the organization through the development and implementation of Ontario’s new blue box recycling system while also expanding the organization’s operations into other jurisdictions. The organization’s mission is to support producers with a robust not-for-profit service offering that advances the circular economy, delivers national harmonization of extended producer responsibility (EPR) services and harnesses competitive procurement to provide the best value for producers. Prior to joining Circular Materials, Allen served as the President and CEO of Return-It, British Columbia’s very successful used beverage container management program in Canada. In this role, Allen oversaw the modernization of Return-It’s collection network, which consists of more than 170 collection sites, including Return-It depots, Express Plus and Express & GO stations. Return-It has routinely exceeded a 75% recovery rate for used beverage containers in British Columbia, and its network has supported the collection of new materials, including waste electrical and electronic equipment. Allen also served as the Managing Director for Recycle BC, the first 100% EPR program for paper and packaging in North America where industry assumed full financial and managerial responsibility for the residential recycling system. Allen currently serves as an Advisory Council Member for the Canada Plastics Pact, and Advisory Board Member for the Washington State Recycling Development Centre.

Ms. Natacha Beauchesne works in business development and has over 15 years of experience in sustainable development. In this regard, she played a key role in the development, launch and implementation of Montreal's Sustainable Development Plans, which were based on the collaboration of more than 400 stakeholders from the public and private sectors. Convinced that the ecological transition requires a new economic and social model, she currently holds the position of Economic Development Officer at the Ville de Montréal's Economic Development Department, where her main responsibility is to develop and implement a circular economy strategy for the Montreal Agglomeration. Involved in the advancement of circularity in Québec, Ms. Beauchesne sits on the strategic committee of the first investment fund dedicated to the circular economy in Canada.

Raised in New Brunswick, Mike began his career as a lawyer in Toronto, left to become senior policy adviser to the federal Environment Minister, and then went on to hold a series of increasingly senior roles in the Government of Canada working at the intersection of the environment, economy and innovation. During his career in government, he was responsible for creating the government’s clean air agenda, led Environment Canada’s environmental assessment program and spearheaded a successful public-private initiative to strengthen the role of sustainability in investment decisions. Now, as Executive Director of the Smart Prosperity Institute—Canada’s leading green economy research institute and think tank—Mike leads a dynamic and accomplished team, producing cutting edge research, policy advice and communications strategies for clean economic growth across the Canadian economy. Mike has long held a firm belief that 'green' and 'growth' can go hand in hand and a drive for making that happen. He brings passion and experience to his role at the helm of Smart Prosperity Institute.

Peter A. Victor, author of Escape from Overshoot. Economics for a Planet in Peril (2023), Herman Daly's Economics for a Full World (2022), and Managing without Growth. Slower by Design, not Disaster (20028/2019), is a Professor Emeritus at York University. He received his Ph.D. in economics from UBC in 1971 and has worked for over 50 years in Canada and abroad on economy, environment, and energy issues as an academic, consultant and public servant. His work on ecological economics, notably on environmentally extended input output analysis, ecological macroeconomics, and alternatives to economic growth, is widely cited. Peter’s contributions to ecological economics have been recognized through the award of the Molson Prize in the Social Sciences by the Canada Council for the Arts in 2011, the Boulding Memorial Prize from the International Society for Ecological Economics in 2014, and election to the Royal Society of Canada in 2015.

Jessica is a 4x entrepreneur, systems thinker, and social impact investor. For over a decade, Jessica consulted for Fortune 500 corporations, start ups, and all levels of government, including the United Nations in Geneva, in areas of community economic development and sustainability. Jessica's work concentrates on developing highly scalable startups using business as a vehicle for social change, Social Impact Technology Accelerator (SITA) and FoodMesh, a software firm using technology to power the circular economy., where she currently serves as CEO. She is the Vice Chair of KASOW, a Kenyan based charity focusing on social enterprise and is the Director for the Git'gaat First Nation Economic Development Council in Hartley Bay. She is a mom of 2 young kids and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

Kayli Dale is the co-founder and CEO at Friendlier, a high-growth venture on a mission to eliminate single-use packaging waste. She founded Friendlier after graduating from Chemical Engineering in 2020 to combine her passion for technology, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. Friendlier has quickly grown to support the largest food service companies in Canada, and Kayli was recently honoured on Forbes 30 Under 30 for Social Impact.

Kristy Ehman, CEO, is three-time business owner based in Lumsden, Saskatchewan, Kristy launched Hyon Software Inc in 2018 to help advance the circular economy in Canada. Hyon works with large organizations in the public sector. Kristy currently chairs the Governance and Nominations Committee within Saskatchewan Trade and Export's Board of Directors and is on the board with the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council. Kristy is an active member with the National Zero Waste Council and Canadian Business for Social Responsibility. Hyon was recently awarded funding through Sustainable Development Technology Canada - a national fund supporting innovative and environmentally sound projects.

Ryan Zizzo is Founder & CEO at Mantle Developments, a consultancy focused on climate-smart infrastructure and buildings, based in Toronto. Mantle helps projects go beyond energy efficiency, incorporating resilience, embodied carbon emissions, and life cycle approaches to make projects future-proof and net-zero carbon ready. Ryan is a recognized leader in helping large organizations and governments transition to a low-carbon future. He has led several major projects on embodied carbon and life cycle assessment including with the Government of Canada, several provincial Ministries, and the City of Toronto working to reduce their carbon impact and develop new policy. Ryan has also worked with standards organizations like the CSA Group, leading organizations like Evergreen Canada and the YMCA of Greater Toronto, and large real estate developers, property managers, and investment trusts to help quantify and minimize the carbon impacts associated with major construction projects. He has been the embodied carbon expert on the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Steering Committee for four years and is currently teaching a graduate engineering class on life cycle assessment and low-carbon construction at Toronto Metropolitan University. Ryan holds a Masters degree in Applied Science in Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering from the University of Toronto, is a licenced Engineer in the Province of Ontario, and holds a LEED Accredited Professional designation in Neighbourhood Development. He also sits on the Advisory Board for the Carbon Leadership Forum.

A biologist and manager by training, Daniel Normandin is both an expert and a recognized speaker on environmental biotechnologies, sustainable development, life cycle management and the circular economy. During his career, he has participated in the creation and management of several university research units on these themes, including the CIRAIG (Polytechnique Montréal) and the EDDEC Institute (Université de Montréal campus), as well as in the creation of companies, including Quantis Canada and Quantis International. In September 2020, he co-founded the CERIEC (Center for Intersectoral Studies and Research on the Circular Economy), at the École de technologie supérieure (Montreal), and has been its director since then. He is also the executive director of the Quebec Circular Economy Research Network (RRECQ), which brings together more than 220 researchers from universities and colleges in Quebec and outside Quebec.

Priya Patel is Program Manager of the Environment and Climate Change division at CSA Group. Priya has 15 years of experience in consensus building, stakeholder engagement, energy and environmental policy, and the application and implementation of environmental legislation and standards. Her current portfolio includes Circular Economy, Environmental and Risk Management, Waste Reduction, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Priya has a keen interest in addressing the opportunities for circularity from a standards lens and is supporting issues such as circularity for plastics and recycling, repairability, and the implementation of Canada’s transition to a low-carbon and circular economy. Priya holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo, a diploma in Environmental Assessment from the University of Waterloo, and a Masters in Sustainable Energy and Engineering Policy from Carleton University.

Sarah Tranum is an Associate Professor of Social Innovation Design at OCAD University and Founder/Design Strategist at TrickleUp Design. She has collaborated with a range of international stakeholders to assess the needs of organizations and businesses and to develop systems-based solutions to complex challenges. Circular economy practices are embedded in Sarah’s research and practice. She leads student groups working with communities in Canada and internationally in participatory design projects rooted in sustainability. Sarah is engaged in research in women’s health built on circular models of production, distribution, and reuse. She is also part of a SSHRC-funded cross-Canada research team investigating food waste and opportunities for circular innovations. A common thread throughout her work is understanding how circularity can be made integral to creating robust business models. Sarah received a Master of Design in Designed Objects degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a Certificate in Interdisciplinary Design Strategy from the Institute without Boundaries, and her undergraduate degree in Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University.

Nadine Gudz is a social innovator, consultant, and educator with a passion for leadership development and sustainability. As the former Global Sustainability Director at Interface Inc., she led Interface's Mission Zero initiative to achieve zero negative impact by 2020 and launched the company’s next mission: Climate Take Back – to reverse global warming and create a climate fit for life. Currently, Nadine is completing her PhD in sustainability leadership at York University and consults for businesses and organizations on integrating sustainability into their strategies and operations. Nadine also teaches Climate Leadership courses at Royal Roads University and serves on the faculty of the University of St Michael’s College diploma in Sustainability and Social Responsibility at the University of Toronto. She is a long-time Board Director of Canadian Business for Social Responsibility and member of the National Advisory Panel of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada.

Pam Horvatis is the Grocery and Food Service Board facilitator for GS1 Canada. Through this important industry role, Pam has led the Grocery and Foodservice sectors to increased collaboration, harmonization, and alignment around key supply chain business processes over the past 7 years. Pam has been an instrumental force in driving the adoption of industry solutions for all companies in the sectors, no matter the size. By deploying industry solutions, Pam has been fundamental in delivering significant benefits for industry by removing unnecessary processes, reducing operational costs, and delivering digital data flows between trading partners in a one-to-many approach. Pam has been essential in leading and facilitating discussion and action around Social and environmental opportunities such as food safety, circular economy, health and well-being and wider sustainability. Pam is a developer of women in the workplace and a connector of women in the industry.

Michael Leering is the Director of Environment & Business Excellence Standards for the Canadian Standards Association (operating as CSA Group). His main responsibilities include oversight of three primary programs: Environment and Climate Change, Natural Resources and CSA Group Registries. He oversees all national standards efforts in these areas including circular economy, forestry, mining, flood resilience and water management, life cycle assessment and ESG. Michael has been working in the climate change and environmental field for over 15 years and focused his expertise in greenhouse gas management, ESG and circular economy and has recently joined the Board of Directors of the Circular Innovation Council. Michael holds a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering from the University of Guelph and is a licensed environmental engineer in Ontario.

Dr. Vanessa Timmer is the Executive Director of OneEarth Living, a Vancouver, Canada-based nonprofit ‘think and do tank’ advancing sustainable everyday living around the world. OneEarth Living collaborates with partners to transform how people live their lives – what they need, what they consume and produce, and what they aspire to – enabling everyone to live good quality lives within their fair share of our planet’s resources. They partner with sustainable living leaders, policy-makers, artists, funders, researchers, youth, and practitioners, and support people taking action in their communities. Vanessa is also a Senior Research Fellow at Utrecht University with the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, the Urban Futures Studio, and Pathways to Sustainability. She holds a Doctorate and studied at Queen’s University, Oxford, UBC and Harvard. Vanessa is a Working Group co-lead in the Multi-stakeholder Advisory Committee for the United Nations 10YFP Sustainable Lifestyles and Education Programme. She is a Board member of the Canadian National Zero Waste Council. OneEarth Living is a global leader on sustainable lifestyles through the Beacon for Sustainable Living co-led with the Hot or Cool Institute. In Canada, OneEarth Living leads sustainable lifestyles initiatives in SW British Columbia in partnership with Vancity and in Québec in partnership with Recyc-Québec. OneEarth Living works with cities to enable sustainable living in partnership with C40 Cities and BCIT Centre for EcoCities. For ten years, she and her sister Dagmar co-hosted the award-winning The Sustainable Region TV show for Metro Vancouver. In 2018, she received the YWCA Women of Distinction Award in Environmental Sustainability.

Currently engaged in rubber circularity at Kal Tire, Over the past 30 years, Dr. Darryl Moore has been engaged in innovation and new product development in both B2B and B2C businesses. In this non-linear career path Darryl has moved between Fortune 500 organizations, SMEs and NGOs, currently instructing at Cape Breton University and previously a Board member at the MS Society. The last 5 years at Kal have been spent focused on the commercial transportation industry, specifically business development in the circular economics and technology of rubber in remanufacturing and material reclamation.

Catherine is a senior project manager and strategic designer in sustainability since almost 20 years. Before leading the Waste and Water sector development at the Green Municipal Fund, she managed circular economy deployment, waste prevention and environmental policy-making at the Ville de Gatineau, Quebec. After 12 years of imagining and implementing programs, operations, bylaws and promotion campaigns, Gatineau is now the most performant city in terms waste diversion in the province. She holds a master’s degree in Sustainable Development from Lund University in Sweden, and an Industrial Design degree from University de Montréal. Her design experience and environmental expertise now allow her to help municipalities across Canada on their transition to sustainability and resilience.

Mike Greidanus is the President of BGIS Canada and COO North America. In this role, Mike is accountable for client relations, operations and business development in Canada and is responsible for shared operations infrastructures supporting BGIS across North America. BGIS is a technically lead global Integrated Facilities Management company providing management and ongoing services to over 200 million square feet of facilities across Canada with a Canadian team of over 6,000 personnel. Mike has more than 20 years of experience with BGIS and 30 years of experience spanning business strategy, account leadership, operations leadership, and many disciplines in the corporate real estate and construction industry. Over the past 20 years, Mike has held a variety of executive positions in various sectors of the real estate and construction industry. Mike holds a Bachelor of Engineering from McMaster University, an Executive Masters of Business Administration from Queen’s University, and is a Professional Engineer.

Benoit Forcier is a Senior Partner at Cycle Capital where he leads the Circular Innovation Fund (CIF), global growth-stage venture capital fund focused exclusively on circular innovation, striving to positively contribute to climate change mitigation and the circular use of resources. He has more than 27 years of experience in finance and business development, including 15 years of technology and venture capital investing throughout Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Canada, and the U.S. Benoit joined the CIF after four years at BDC as part of the Cleantech Practice where he played an instrumental role in supporting high-impact cleantech companies to successfully scale. Before joining BDC, Benoit was a Partner at Cycle Capital, where he was the investment lead and board member of six portfolio companies across three funds. Before that, he was VP of Investment at Innovacorp, Nova Scotia’s crown corporation in early-stage venture capital. Benoit started his career in the telecom sector with BCE Inc., followed by Telesystem International Wireless where he oversaw venture and corporate investment, strategic alliances and risk and treasury management.

Rachel Morier is the Director of Sustainability at Brewers’ Distributor Limited and The Beer Store, a brewer-based cooperative in Ontario that runs over 400 retail stores and distributes brewers’ products across the provinces to thousands of retail stores and licensees, including bars and restaurants. In her role, Morier oversees all aspects of sustainability including environmental stewardship to ensure that all alcoholic beverage containers and associated packaging are reused or recycled at the highest order. With over 15 years of combined experience in sustainability, consulting and project management, Morier has worked with Fortune 500 consumer packaged goods and retail clients, developed a design guide for sustainable packaging and worked with a North American not-for-profit industry association to identify sustainable solutions that lead to zero packaging and food waste. Morier graduated with a Master’s in Environmental Studies at York University and a Graduate Diploma in Business & the Environment from the Schulich School of Business. In addition to senior leadership and public speaking roles, Morier serves as a board director for several provincial beverage container management programs and sits on the advisory board for the School of Graphic Communications Management at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Alex is a Director (Investments) at the Canada Infrastructure Bank, a crown corporation and impact investor supporting projects in the public interest. Alex leads projects in the bank's Clean Power priority sector, which have included investments in renewable or low-carbon power generation, power transmission, battery storage, and district energy systems. Alex also oversees water/wastewater projects under the bank’s Green Infrastructure priority sector. Before joining CIB, Alex led project finance teams at Graham Capital (development arm of Graham Construction) and Operis (founding its Toronto office). Within project finance, he has authored sustainable financing frameworks, conducted project finance advisory, financial modelling, equity investing, sustainable financing, and Project Company board director roles. Within corporate finance and development, he has also conducted credit and competition analysis, economic/industry analysis, and M&A and capital raise processes. Alex is a CFA charterholder and holds a First Class Honours in Mathematics and Economics from Warwick University. In his spare time, Alex serves on the Finance Committee of the Thames Valley Education Foundation.

Janice Saunders is a proud Newfoundlander, with indigenous roots as well. Newfoundlanders have a well-earned reputation for hardiness in the face of adversity, and everyone here knows the challenges the Island has faced. She had to move away after high school, to find a better job but after being away for almost 20 years, I came home in 2015. When she met Collaskins’ founder Ben Wiper, she was intrigued about his ideas of circularity and waste-to-value. Collaskins, as well as its parent company 3F, is dedicated to using 100% of our natural resources. We’re not advocating catching more fish; on the contrary, we’re just using more of each fish caught. Collaskins is the first of many projects from 3f, to create a new line of sustainable, waste-to-value pet treats right in Newfoundland. She is very passionate about what she does and believes that doing good is good business.

François Saunier is Deputy Director at CIRAIG, a research center on the development and implementation of life cycle and sustainability metrics. He joined the CIRAIG team as an analyst in 2013 and has served as Deputy Director since 2021. He coordinates the center's activities as well as projects related to the circular economy, sustainable infrastructure and carbon neutrality. Over the past years, he gained substantial experience in performing life cycle assessment (LCA) studies related to several fields, including mining and metals, chemical processes, agribusiness, and buildings. He has also participated in the development and application of complementary tools such as material flow analysis (MFA) and circularity indicators.

Matthew is the Associate Director of the Ivey Centre for Building Sustainable Value. He has over twenty years’ experience in sustainability working with international organizations, NGOs and the private sector. Prior to his position at Ivey, Matthew was the Vice President – Global Partnerships and Initiatives at the World Council on City Data, and the Director, Sustainable Cities at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in Geneva, Switzerland. Matthew has a Master's Degree in Environmental Technology majoring in Environmental Economics and Policy from Imperial College, London, a Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business from the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership, and a First Class Honours Degree in Environmental Engineering.

Bruce is a chemical engineer and fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. In 2000, Bruce founded Enviro-Stewards, which is a Best for the World classified B Corporation and the only Canadian company to win a Global SDG award. Ten of their engineering projects have won national sustainability awards, including helping Maple Leaf Foods become the World's First Major Carbon Neutral Food Company and helping 50 Canadian Food & Beverage processors to reduce food loss by $240,000/yr each (link). Bruce also founded the safe water social venture project that was featured in B the change magazine, MEDA magazine, and a TEDx talk.

Dany Drouin is the Director General of the Plastics and Waste Management Directorate at Environment and Climate Change Canada where he oversees the implementation of federal policies and regulations to prevent and manage pollution from chemicals, plastic and waste. As Director of policy during Canada’s 2018 G7 Presidency, he worked on the Ocean Plastic Charter, climate change and sustainable finance. He previously served as Director of the Partnerships Division at the International Affairs Branch where he was responsible for Canada’s international climate finance and Canada’s participation in bilateral and multilateral partnership.

Jean-Christophe holds a bachelor’s degree in international business from Laval University in Quebec City, Canada. Prior to joining Lithion in December 2019, he was an Advisor for international market development for the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal where he led multiple international delegations, consulting mandates and export projects. In his role at Lithion as Director for Growth and Business Development, he oversees key account management, international development, and strategic partnerships. In the past three years, he has given talks on battery recycling and critical materials in numerous conferences in North America, Europe and Asia.

Justine is the Wellington County lead for Our Food Future, a federally-funded Circular Economy project developed in partnership with the City of Guelph. She liaises with Guelph’s Smart Cities team to create circular system shifts and represent the rural perspective. Among other things, Justine advocates for improved rural broadband, leads a regenerative farming pilot and is developing a climate-focused circular assessment tool for agriculture.

As Vice President, Public Affairs and Government Relations for Eco Entreprises Quebec, Philippe Cantin leads stakeholder engagement, corporate partnerships, as well as the communications team. He holds a master’s degree in environmental science and has been dedicating most of his time in the past decade to Extended Producer Responsibility projects for paper, packaging, electronics, appliances, and other consumer products. Over the course of his career, Philippe has worked both in the waste management and retail sectors where he has, among other things, supported the development and optimization of recycling organizations, policies and logistics across Canada either as a consultant or as part of a management team. Invited to serve on boards and advisory committees, he has covered a broad range of environmental stewardship issues. Atypical projects, consensus building, and change management are some of his key motivators alongside his love for his family, good food, languages, and travel.

Co-founder of the Incita Zero Waste Cooperative and now specialist and spokesperson for issues related to waste management and consumption at Équiterre, Amélie has over 10 years of experience in the field. Having worked in the associative, governmental and citizen participation sectors, she works to advance public policies related to source reduction, beverage container deposit-refund systems and access to repair. Amélie coordinated and co-authored the pan-Canadian studies « Solutions to reduce the amount of packaging used by Canadian food retailers » and « Working Towards Repairable Appliances and Electronics in Canada

Dagmar Timmer is the Managing Director ‐ Strategic Initiatives of OneEarth Living, a Vancouver, Canada-based nonprofit ‘think and do tank’ advancing sustainable everyday living around the world. OneEarth Living collaborates with partners to transform how people live their lives – what they need, what they consume and produce, and what they aspire to – enabling everyone to live good quality lives within their fair share of our planet’s resources. Through deep partnerships, Dagmar advances this work in Canada, including at the neighbourhood scale (explore our action packs). She leads research into the diverse motivations for sustainable actions by individuals and households (learn more). She has been actively involved in sustainability policy, teaching and action for two decades - including as host of a television show on environmental issues in the region. Previously, she lived and worked in Switzerland and Kenya, where her international experience included coordinating a global network on rainforest conservation.

Thomas Elliot is an environmental scientist based in Montreal. Originally from New Zealand, he has a background in energy modelling, life cycle assessment, and ecosystem services. He completed his PhD in the MIT Portugal Sustainable Energy Systems programme at the University of Lisbon. Currently, he is a postdoctoral fellow at the École de technologie supérieure working along-side Professor Annie Levasseur, holder of the Canada Research Chair in Measuring the Impact of Human Activity on Climate Change. His recent work focuses on the potential changes to environmental impacts associated with circular material flows in the Canadian construction sector.

Meg is the Senior Manager of Economic Transformation at the Vancouver Economic Commission (VEC). VEC’s mission is to build a prosperous local economy that is inclusive, resilient, and low carbon. Alongside a top notch team, Meg works to facilitate collaboration between the private and public sectors to grow the circular economy, build local economic resilience, and advance business as a force for good in the world.

Shegufa is an Assistant Professor in the School of Science and the Environment at the Grenfell campus of Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her research area is in the circular and eco-design of functional bio-based polymers from marine and biomass resources. She develops biomaterials or coatings with biofouling and corrosion resistance. She uses green chemistry and life cycle assessment metrics to quantify environmental impacts of chemical products and processes in her research and teaching. She teaches organic, polymer and green chemistry and environmental toxicology to undergraduate students and teaches graduate courses in circular design and life cycle analysis. Shegufa brings industry and community partners into her classroom to integrate experiential industry- and community-relevant training and sensitivity that will empower a skilled workforce for a just net-zero transition. Shegufa was selected to participate from the many scientists across Canada in the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) IDEAS Workshop on Circularity in 2021. Her team was invited to pitch their idea for a project which was one amongst three that were successful.

Christa is a Manager of Economic Transformation with a focus on circular economy at the Vancouver Economic Commission (VEC). VEC’s mission is to build a prosperous local economy that is inclusive, resilient, and low carbon. Within this mission, Christa and her colleagues work to prepare Vancouver’s business community for the transition to an equitable and resilient circular economy.

Mikhael Metauro is a visionary leader with over a decade of experience in the field of recycling and a strong passion for advancing the principles of the circular economy through the entire supply chain. As an accomplished professional, he has worked tirelessly to develop innovative strategies and initiatives that promote waste reduction, resource efficiency, and sustainable consumption patterns. Mikhael’s expertise lies in creating synergies between industries, policymakers, supply chains and communities to establish robust recycling infrastructure, optimize material flows, and maximize the value of discarded resources. With an unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship, Mikhael continues to drive positive change by inspiring collaboration, fostering awareness, and championing transformative solutions for a more circular and regenerative future.

Li-Anne works at Arup as a senior Sustainability Engineer for the built environment. She began her career in structural engineering for buildings, and subsequently developed an interest in understanding the impacts of construction on the environment. Her work focuses on the assessment and reduction of embodied carbon, as well as the integration of circular economy principles to her projects. With her structural background, she can better grasp construction and material challenges to develop feasible objectives and strategies. Motivated by the idea of shaping a better world, she provides technical expertise on construction and research projects in Canada and internationally.

Daeun is a Sustainability Consultant at Arup committed to driving change in the industry. She focuses on sustainability development projects, particularly in the areas of materials, circularity, decarbonization, and holistic sustainability frameworks. Daeun is a certified Passive House Designer and Envision Sustainability Professional, bringing additional expertise to her work. Daeun is passionate about combining her knowledge of innovative building practices and sustainability rating systems to deliver meaningful and impactful solutions in the built environment.

Neil Menezes is the Packaging Sustainability Policy Manager with General Mills. He is supporting the company to achieve its packaging goal of designing 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2030 through effective policies and programs. Prior to joining General Mills, he worked for over 10 years as a consultant in the recycling and waste management industry. He has worked closely with a broad range of stakeholders including brand owners, municipalities, producer responsibility organizations (PROs), associations, and government agencies in Canada, the US, Europe and South America. Additionally, Neil has been extensively involved in extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs in Canada. He was involved in the data collection and verifying of municipal cost and tonnage data for Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Neil has also been involved in developing and updating recovery and financial fee models for multiple PROs. He also has on-the-ground experience having conducted various inbound and MRF audits to better understand how packaging flows through recycling systems

Ilse has a master’s in Renewable Resources from McGill University and she’s a biologist from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). For the past seven years she has worked on environmental and sustainability issues, including climate change, food security and nature-based solutions. She has collaborated on international cooperation projects, working with diverse NGOs and governmental organizations from the Global South and North America. She currently works on circular economy at the Commission of Environmental Cooperation (Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement).

Jason Robinson is CEO and co-founder of Evoco, a global hardware innovation company. With over 20 years of clean technology experience, Jason is dedicated to reducing society's dependence on oil. He began his renewable energy journey with biofuels and worked globally to commercialize scalable renewable technologies. Inspired by nature to create high-performance products from plant-derived technologies and materials, Jason founded Evoco out of a passion for the environment and a vision for a better future. He holds a degree in chemical engineering from McMaster University and an Executive MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business.

Rick Smith is the President of the Canadian Climate Institute (CCI), the country’s leading climate change policy research organization. One of CCI’s recent focuses has been quantifying the link between circular economy policies and GHG emission reductions. Rick has spent 25 years leading non-profit organizations that are dedicated to improving public policy through the creation and communication of the best research and evidence. He is a noted expert on the human health effects of pollution and has co-authored two best-selling books on the topic, including “Slow Death by Rubber Duck." He holds a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Guelph and lives in east end Toronto with his wife and two sons.

Yung is CEO of the MaRS Discovery District, one of the world’s largest innovation hubs, and Canada’s premiere science and technology innovation ecosystem. The MaRS innovation community has raised over $16.7B in capital, generated over $9B in net revenues and contributed over $30B to GDP since inception, currently employing over 32,600 people in the health, cleantech, fintech and platform technologies sectors, and at all stages of growth. As a serial entrepreneur and investor, Yung has built breakthrough scale-stage companies in enterprise software, mobile analytics and big data, media and entertainment, technology services and biotech. He is a co-founder of two not-for-profit organizations, the Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism (CILAR) and DifferentIsCool (DiSC). Yung currently serves on the boards of OMERS, the Toronto Region Board of Trade, Antibe Therapeutics Inc. (TSX: ATE) and is a member of Green Shield Canada. He is a Governor in Council appointee to Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body. Yung has been recognized as one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40” and for leading one of Canada’s “50 Best Managed Private Companies” in the nation. Yung has a B.Sc. Computer Science, Economics and Mathematics from the University of Toronto and is a graduate of the Entrepreneurial Master’s Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the NACD Cybersecurity Oversight Certification Program at Carnegie Mellon University, a member of MENSA, the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D).

Adina joined Silverado Policy Accelerator in February 2022 as Deputy Executive Director to lead Silverado’s work on Trade & the Circular Economy, critical minerals supply chains, and other key trade and environmental policy issues. She also works closely with leadership to execute Silverado’s growth to effectively lead accelerated policy that advances American prosperity and global competitiveness in the 21st century. Prior to Silverado, Adina was Vice President of Advocacy at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), a trade association, overseeing government relations efforts at the State, Federal and International levels, advocacy with law enforcement and ISRI’s commodities and market analysis on behalf of the recycling industry. Prior to ISRI, Adina was Director of Global Government Affairs for Alcoa and Arconic and International Government Relations Advisor for Shell Oil Company, advising business leaders on trends in U.S. trade and international policy. Adina also served in the U.S. Government as Director for South Asia in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and International Trade Specialist at the U.S. Department of Commerce, both assignments responsible for U.S. commercial and trade policy with the countries of South Asia. Adina has a B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University and M.A. in International Economics and International Law from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and has lived in and traveled to more than 80 countries for business and pleasure.

With over 25 years of service at Whirlpool Corporation, Warrington has developed extensive expertise in several key areas including energy and water conservation standards, environment and climate policy, consumer product safety, connectivity and trade. Since 2008, Warrington has served as Senior Manager, Government Relations responsible for all Canadian regulatory, compliance and standards matters. He is Chair of the Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters, past Chair of the Major Appliance Recycling Roundtable (MARR) recycling consortium in B.C. and past Chair of the Canada's Appliance Manufacturers Association.

Dr. Julian Cleary has a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, and is an expert in life cycle assessment (LCA), with his first-author articles having over 800 citations. His LCA research has been cited by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and in Environment and Climate Change Canada’s National Inventory Report. He has worked as an Assistant Professor and environmental auditor, and joined the Green and Clean Technology Procurement Technical Team at Public Services and Procurement Canada two years ago to work on its Low-Carbon Procurement Project.

Jane is the Director at the Centre for Greening Government within the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. She has also held leadership roles at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans as well as at Environment and Climate Change Canada. In these roles she advanced domestic and international environmental policies related to climate policy and clean energy. Her outreach focused on the natural resource sector, Indigenous peoples as well as strategic engagement with the United States. Jane started her career with the Province of New Brunswick where she led the development of environmental legislation and regulations to improve air quality and reduce waste. Jane has a Masters in Environmental Studies from York University, a Bachelor of Law from Osgoode Hall Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Francis Xavier University.

David Adams has more than 35 years of experience in the Canadian automotive industry. He brings a unique perspective to the industry being the only individual to have served in executive roles with both of Canada’s leading automotive industry associations. David has been at the forefront of the association’s thought leadership on the disruption and evolution of both the automobile and the automotive industry in Canada, including zero emission vehicles and their adoption as well as the regulatory environment necessary to support the adoption of automated and connected vehicles. David serves on a number of industry related boards and is the current Chair of the Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan (CAMVAP), a national consumer dispute resolution program, and was involved in the creation of the National Automobile Dealer Arbitration Program (NADAP) for disputes arising between dealers and manufacturers. His is also serves on the boards of the Automotive Business School of Canada and the Traffic Injury Research Foundation. Additionally, David hosts the Association’s podcast “From Here to Where?” on the future of the automotive industry in Canada and the future of the automobile in society. He is a regular columnist in Canadian Auto Dealer, writing a regular column called “The Big Picture”. David is a frequent industry commentator at conferences and in the media. He is an avid cyclist and resides in Toronto.

Grant Hogg is the Executive Director of the Cross Sectoral Energy Division in the Energy and Transportation Directorate which develops and implements key climate change and air pollution regulations to support the Emissions Reduction Plan. Grant’s team manages the Net Zero Challenge which encourages businesses to develop plans and implement a transition their facilities and operations to net-zero emissions by 2050. Businesses around the world are transitioning to net-zero emissions and is increasingly becoming an expected business practice. In addition to reducing emissions, adopting net-zero plans can: reduce business costs; provide a competitive position in a decarbonizing world; and attract new investment from stakeholders. With his H.BSc in Biology from Trent University and an MBA from Schulich School of Business, Grant has a wide variety of work experiences from the private, non-profit and federal public service sectors.. He has played key roles in both policy development and program implementation on a number of initiatives within the federal government including the Chemicals Management Plan, Indigenous environmental protection, Environmental Emergencies, Nature Legacy and Canada Nature Fund initiatives.

Martin Hrobsky is Senior Vice President at Ipsos. With over 20+ years experience in public opinion research, Martin has executed hundreds of social research studies on a wide range of topics impacting society today for public, private, and non-profit organizations. Martin specializes in research associated with the environment, mobility, and energy as these are subjects that impact people everyday and where society is experiencing change at a rapid pace.

Jean-Paul Ventère is a strong advocate of the right to repair. During the 3 last years of his career as an engineer at the French Ministry of Ecology, he worked on the “Repairability Index” which is now mandatory in France for 9 product groups, including smartphones, washing machines, laptops, TVs and vacuum cleaners. He was part of the team that defined the calculation method for this index, and prepared the regulatory documents published on December 31, 2020. Being now retired from the ministry, he remains active as an independent expert. He organizes trainings, in particular on the methodology of the mandatory repairability index. He also develops with interested companies reference documents for the assessment of the repairability of products in various categories (B to C and B to B) in the context of a voluntary approach. He is a founding member of the Plus réparable association (created on April 11, 2023), which carries in France the calculation method and the communication framework of the voluntary repairability index.

Sinead Murphy is a Senior Project Manager on the City of Toronto's Circular Economy and Innovation team in the Solid Waste Management Services Division. Since joining the team in 2019, Sinead has played a key role in advancing Toronto’s circular economy objectives including leading first-of-its-kind research in Canada to baseline Toronto’s current circularity and managing the City’s participation in the Circular Innovation City Challenge to explore digital solutions to accelerate the circular economy. Before joining the Circular Economy and Innovation team, Sinead was a Toronto Urban Fellow at the City of Toronto and made significant contributions to the modernization of the City’s social housing program and organizational transformation of the strategic policy and business intelligence unit in the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division. Prior to moving to Toronto in 2018, Sinead held various positions in different levels of government in British Columbia where she conducted research, developed strategies and advised senior management and politicians on issues related to climate resilience, ecological health and sustainable development. Sinead holds a Masters in Resource Management and Environmental Planning from Simon Fraser University and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Queen’s University.

Barb Swartzentruber is Senior Fellow and Program Director Agriculture and Food Systems, Smart Prosperity Institute/Natural Step Canada. She works as a strategist and ecosystem builder in circular economy & climate action, civic innovation, and regenerative food systems.

Sean Martindale is an internationally recognized, award winning interdisciplinary artist and designer based in Toronto. His interventions activate public spaces to encourage engagement, and often focus on ecological and social issues. His playful works suggest alternate possibilities for existing spaces, infrastructures, and materials found in urban environments. Frequently, Martindale uses salvaged goods in unexpected ways that prompt conversation. Martindale holds an MFA from the Interdisciplinary Master’s of Art, Media and Design program at OCAD University, and a Bachelor of Design from Emily Carr University. He was Harbourfront Centre’s inaugural Visual Artist in Residence, and alongside his collaborator JP King, the first Artist in Residence with the City of Toronto Solid Waste Management Services. Martindale was the Decennial Hancock Lecturer at the University of Toronto’s Hart House, where his presentation was broadcast by TVO for their Big Ideas series. He is a recipient of the prestigious Artist Prize from Toronto Friends of the Visual Arts, numerous grants at municipal, provincial and federal levels, and a Chalmers Arts Fellowship from the Ontario Arts Council. Martindale was profiled for the first episode of CBC’s Great Minds of Design, and his works have been featured in multiple languages on countless prominent websites, and in traditional media such as print, radio, broadcast television and film. His works have been exhibited publicly in cities across the globe.

JP is an award-winning media artist, storyteller, and learning experience designer. His practice is focused on waste matter and its making, wellbeing, and the more-than-human world. His work takes form at the intersection of graphic communication, concept visualization, print publishing, experimental video, sound, and educational programming. Alongside Sean Martindale, King helped pilot the City of Toronto's Solid Waste Management Artist-in-Residence program in 2018. He currently works at Dark Matter Labs, lives in Toronto, and teaches at U of T in the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design.

Annette Synowiec is the Director of Policy, Planning & Outreach in the Solid Waste Management Services Division of the City of Toronto. As part of its Long Term Waste Management Strategy, the City of Toronto is working towards an aspirational goal of zero waste and a Circular Economy. Annette leads a number of cross-cutting integrated waste system portfolios including extended producer responsibility transition for the City’s Blue Bin recycling program, stakeholder and community outreach, advancement of circular economy & innovation in service delivery; future-planning solid waste programs/policies including intergovernmental advocacy and supporting environmental and health and safety compliance. She is also currently the President of the Ontario Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America. Her favourite pastimes include repurposing items for use in her community garden plot and spending in nature.

Calvin Trottier-Chi is a Research Associate with the Canadian Climate Institute (CCI), the country’s leading climate change policy research organization. His focus is on policies for sustainable, resilient, and inclusive economic growth, with a recent area of research being circularity’s potential for reducing GHG emissions. Prior to joining CCI, he worked with UN-Energy and Sustainable Energy for All on facilitating universal access to sustainable energy services, and with Social Value International on incorporating social impact into business decisions.

Andrew currently leads both the Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad (COIL) initiative and the development efforts for the Smart Cities Office at the City of Guelph. The Office’s other significant circular economy initiative is Our Food Future. Prior to Guelph, he was a vice-president leading responsibility files, such as health and wellness, responsible sourcing, animal welfare and sustainability, for the Retail Council of Canada. Andrew was the inaugural sustainability manager for Walmart’s market in Canada, where he planned and implemented environmental initiatives for both direct operations and supply chain. As a country lead, he was a member of the company’s Global Sustainability Leaders Team – working on issue identification and strategy. Also, he has held various positions for both Nielsen Company of Canada and General Mills Canada. Andrew is an accomplished public speaker on the topics of sustainability, circular economy & climate action, and how they intersect with business strategy. He is a proud honouree of Canada’s Clean50. Andrew holds a degree in geography from the University of British Columbia.