USING INNOVATION TO TRANSITION TOWARDS A LOW-CARBON CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Opening remarks Sweden

Anna Hallberg
Minister for Foreign Trade

Her Excellency Anna Hallberg is the Swedish Minister for Foreign Trade, at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. She is the responsible minister for trade and invest promotion in the Swedish Government, supporting Sweden’s international dialogues, and has held this position since 2019. Anna Hallberg was previously the Deputy CEO for Almi, a Swedish state-owned investment company and her background includes managerial positions in one of Sweden’s largest banks, SEB, and engagements in boards for several private organisations and universities.

White House Dialogue

Candace Vahlsing
Associate Director for Climate, Energy, Environment, and Science, OMB at the White House

Candace Vahlsing is the Associate Director for the climate, energy, environment, and science programs at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at the White House. The OMB oversees the implementation of the President’s vision, with a mission to support the Executive Branch in meeting policy, budget, management, and regulatory objectives. Candace Vahlsing was on the domestic policy team for the Biden transition, and has former experience from serving as a Senior Policy Advisor for Energy and Climate Change in the Obama Administration. She has also served the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the California Air Resources Board.

Moderator

Johan Rockström
Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Johan Rockström is Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. He gained international recognition with the development of the Planetary Boundaries framework, which has since become a standard of sustainability science. Professor Rockström has received the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant, is ranked as one of the most influential and most-cited scientists in the world by Clarivate Analytics, and acts as an advisor to several governments, business networks, as well as at noteworthy international meetings such as the UN’s General Assemblies, World Economic Forums, and the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change Conferences.

Welcoming remarks - Sweden

Karin Olofsdotter
Swedish Ambassador to the United States

Her Excellency Karin Olofsdotter took up her post as Ambassador of Sweden to the United States in 2017 and has long been a strong advocate for Swedish trade and diplomatic relations with the United States. Trade and economic growth remain top priorities for the Ambassador, along with defense cooperation, public diplomacy, and strong collaboration with the international community. Prior to assuming the role as Ambassador, she served as Director-General for Trade at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Ambassador Olofsdotter has also held the position of Deputy Director-General and Head of the Department for Promotion of Sweden, Trade and CSR.

Keynote address

Rachel Kyte
Dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University

Rachel Kyte is the 14th dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University, and climate advisor to United Nations Secretary-General. Rachel Dean Kyte is the first woman to lead the nation’s oldest graduate-only school of international affairs. Prior to joining Tufts, she served as special representative of the UN secretary-general and chief executive officer of Sustainable Energy for All. She previously was the World Bank Group vice president and special envoy for climate change, leading in the run-up to the Paris Agreement. She was also vice president at the International Finance Corporation responsible for ESG risk and business advisory services.

Tetra Pak 

Jeff Fielkow
President & CEO US & Canada

Jeff Fielkow is President and CEO of Tetra Pak US and Canada. Prior to this role, he served as the Managing Director of Tetra Pak Vietnam, and Vice President of Sustainability and Recycling for the US. He also has held leadership positions at recycling and waste management organisations. In his current role, Jeff Fielkow is integral in implementing Tetra Pak’s sustainability strategy across their entire portfolio of food processing and packaging solutions, founded on the commitment to a low-carbon circular economy.

Volvo Group

Jonathan Miller
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, North America

Jonathan Miller is Senior Vice President Public Affairs for Volvo Group North America. He leads the group’s government relations strategy and has been with the company since 2007. Prior to joining the company, Mr Miller was Senior Trade Advisor to the EU Delegation in Washington and held various staff positions for US Representative David Minge. Jonathan Miller’s focus in North America spans across Volvo Group’s business areas; from trucks and buses, to construction equipment and power solutions – all working towards the joint ambition of providing 100% fossil fuel free vehicles from 2040.

Inter IKEA Group

Malin Nordin
Head of Circular Business Development

Malin Nordin has a long-standing passion for sustainability and business development. In her current role, she can combine the two and shape the future of IKEA’s total value chain. Her current focus is to define the strategy for the IKEA circular business model, leading the charge in mobilizing multiple IKEA companies into this challenging new development. Malin Nordin’s IKEA journey began in 2001, working in areas of technical quality and engineering development. She has previously worked with business development, including spearheading the innovation around ‘flat pack’ sofa platform solutions.

H&M

Anna-Karin Sundelius
Global Circular Strategy Lead

Anna-Karin Sundelius is responsible for H&M Group’s circular strategy. She has a strategic key role in driving circularity to reach resource optimisation and absolute reductions throughout the value chain, including circular design, optimised material use and recycling, circular supply chain, care and repair to prolong product life, and reuse and resell. Anna-Karin Sundelius represents H&M Group’s circular strategy both internally and externally, working with the Ellen McArthur Foundation’s programme Make Fashion Circular, and collaborations aiming to reach a circular textile and fashion industry.

United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Jane Nishida
Acting Assistant Administrator of EPA's Office of International and Tribal Affairs

Jane Nishida is the Acting Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of International and Tribal Affairs. This year, she served as EPA’s Acting Administrator before the confirmation of Administrator Michael S Regan. In her current capacity, she leads EPA's international and tribal portfolios, and is responsible for EPA's environmental policy development and program implementation in tribal lands and outside of the United States. Jane Nishida works closely with tribal governments, foreign governments, and international organisations on matters relating to the environment. She has thirty years environmental experience at federal and state government levels, as well as from the World Bank.

TIME

Justin Worland
Senior Correspondent

Justin Worland is a Washington DC-based senior correspondent for TIME covering climate change and the intersection of policy, politics and society. He is also the 2019 winner of the SEAL Environmental Journalism Award, where winners are selected for bringing new perspectives and social relevance to environmental issues, based on an analysis of the impact and reach of their articles. Justin Worland has reported for TIME for around seven years and is considered an impactful voice in Washington DC for subjects related to the climate, and how they connect to various parts of US society.

Yale University

Dan Esty
Hillhouse Professor

Dan Esty is the Hillhouse Professor at Yale University with primary appointments in the Yale School of the Environment and the Law School. He serves as Director of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and of the Yale Initiative on Sustainable Finance. Professor Esty is author of Green to Gold, a prizewinning guide to corporate sustainability, and of several publications on environmental policy and their connections to corporate strategy, sustainability performance measurement, competitiveness, and economic success. Professor Esty has served in senior positions at the US Environmental Protection Agency, and Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

World Resources Institute

Kevin Moss
Global Director, Center for Sustainable Business

Kevin Moss is the Global Director of WRI’s Center for Sustainable Business, leading the Institute’s private sector strategy, guiding research and engagement, and overseeing business-oriented initiatives, such as the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy. Kevin Moss joined WRI in 2015, and has vast experience from the corporate world, including from British Telecommunications, MCI Global and BP. His priorities include identifying and catalysing the change needed for businesses to operate within the limits of Earth’s natural systems and encouraging businesses to advocate for climate change action through their brand and policy voice.