Sitra – The Finnish Innovation Fund is a pioneer in advancing the circular economy globally. As the initiator of the world’s first national circular economy road map, Sitra addresses societal challenges that shape our world. Their international programmes collaborate with partners to solve global challenges, enhance well-being and boost economic growth within the Earth’s carrying capacity. They drive systemic change through research, innovation and stakeholder collaboration. Promoting circular business models, skills, jobs and policies, they actively contribute to EU-level initiatives such as the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP). Globally, Sitra advances circularity through the EU Circular Economy Resource Centre (EU CERC) and the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF), a leading annual conference and global platform for knowledge exchange and partnership building, initiated by Sitra.

Kari Herlevi is Programme Director for Global Circular Economy at Sitra. He leads Sitra's international efforts to advance the circular economy, focusing on systemic change, foresight and cross-sectoral partnerships. Kari has played a key role in shaping global circular economy dialogues, including the WCEF and the EU CERC. With a background in sustainability and innovation policy, he works to align well-being and economic growth with planetary boundaries. Kari is a frequent speaker at international events and a driving force behind Sitra’s global initiatives to promote regenerative and inclusive circular solutions.

Academics for Circular Economy (ACE) is an international non-profit network connecting PhD researchers, postdocs and early-career academics working on circular economy topics. ACE strengthens research capacity through peer learning, mentoring and skills development in research design, stakeholder engagement and science communication. Their mission is to bridge the gap between academic research and practical action by connecting researchers with policymakers, industry and civil society actors. Through collaborative projects, workshops and policy dialogues, ACE fosters high-quality, interdisciplinary research that advances circular economy implementation and systemic sustainability transitions globally.

After over a decade in industry, Priya Saikumar has transitioned to academia to complete her PhD on Circular Economy Transitions in the Electrical and Electronic Equipment sector at the University of Oxford. Priya and seven other members met through an online Circular Economy PhD peer community, and recognised that research and practice in the field often remain siloed. As a result, valuable, high-quality doctoral insights are overlooked and reinvented for decision making in policy and industry. To address this, they founded Academics for Circular Economy, a non-profit that bridges academia and practice by making rigorous research accessible to practitioners while also enabling PhD scholars to apply their expertise and break free of the publish-or-perish cycle.

Generation Climate Europe (GCE) is the largest coalition of youth-led networks at European level on climate and environmental issues. Uniting the largest youth-led networks in Europe, they bring together 381 national organisations across 46 countries in Europe.

Arianna Crosera is Coordinator of the Circular Economy Working Group at GCE. She has a background in European and international law. In GCE, she has worked to advocate for a more circular economy with a focus on intergenerational justice, in particular in relation to the digital economy. She has represented GCE in high-level venues such as the EU Industrial Forum, EU Raw Materials Week, the ECESP and the International Energy Agency's 8th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency. Across these roles, she has worked to ensure that youth voices shape the environmental and energy transition at every step of the legislative process. She is currently a Ph.D. researcher in Law at the European University Institute. As an academic in EU environmental and energy law, she regularly contributes to international conferences with her work on regulating the environmental impact of the data-centre industry. 

ACR+ is an international network of cities and regions sharing a common goal: promoting sustainable resource management practices. Established to encourage innovation, knowledge transfer and cooperation, they are at the forefront of the movement toward a circular economy, where resources are used sustainably and waste is minimised, where sub-national authorities play a key role and establish strong partnerships with a multitude of stakeholders. 

Anita Lombardo is a Project and Policy Officer at ACR+, where she manages EU-funded projects focusing on circular public procurement, construction and demolition waste, EPR and circular bioeconomy. With experience across the public, private and non-profit sectors, she has engaged with diverse stakeholders and developed expertise in policy analysis, project management and cross-sectoral collaboration. Anita has worked at Nespresso and at the European Commission’s Secretariat General, gaining deep insights into mainstreaming sustainability considerations in production value chains and policy. Fluent in English, French and Spanish, Anita holds a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development and her wide-ranging expertise enables her to navigate the complexities of EU programmes and sustainable development initiatives.  

The Environmental Coalition on Standards (ECOS) is an international NGO with a network of members and experts advocating for environmentally friendly technical standards, policies and laws. For over two decades, they have shaped environmentally ambitious standards, policies and laws in areas such as the clean transition to a circular economy, building a renewable and efficient energy system and fighting greenwashing. They are also pushing for a more inclusive, open and transparent standardisation system at all levels, and the appropriate use of standards in support of environmental legislation and policy.

As Head of the Circular Economy and Nature team at ECOS, Mariana leads efforts to advance environmental priorities in international and EU policy and to strengthen the representation of environmental interests in standardisation. She is responsible for developing and implementing ECOS’ strategy on Circular Economy and Nature.

Dr Agnieszka Sznyk is President of the Board at INNOWO in Warsaw, Poland. She holds a PhD from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences and a diploma in Public Relations from the University of Warsaw. Agnieszka is a member of the Council of Advisors to the President of the Łukasiewicz Centre and an expert in the Circular Economy Working Group under Poland’s National Smart Specialisations (NSS).
 

As the founder and leader of INNOWO, a renowned “Think and Do Tank” promoting innovation and systemic change for sustainable socio-economic growth, she has built the organisation from the ground up into one of Europe’s most acclaimed actors in sustainability and the circular economy. Under her leadership, INNOWO has become a driving force behind cross-sector collaboration, evidence-based policymaking and the promotion of circular business models in Poland and beyond.
She is also advisor to public institutions and businesses and a passionate advocate for the shift to a circular economy.

ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network of more than 2500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development and is active in 125+ countries. ICLEI Europe supports local governments across Europe, the Middle East and West Asia in their transition to climate neutrality and more resilient and equitable communities.

Simon Clement joined ICLEI Europe in 2002. As Head of Circular Economy, he is responsible for ICLEI's activities in this field, including managing the European Circular Cities Declaration. For over 20 years he has worked for, and on behalf of, local, regional and national governments in project, policy and strategy development on sustainability issues such as circular economy, procurement, transport and smart cities.

Recycling Europe is the leading voice for a competitive European recycling industry, enabling the circular economy and preserving resources for future generations.

Julia Ettinger joined Recycling Europe in December 2018. She is a fully qualified lawyer in Germany and holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from George Mason University in Virginia. During her time in the United States, she interned with the World Bank’s Legal Vice Presidency in Washington, D.C. She also worked at a Brussels-based consultancy advising multinational companies on environmental, health and safety (EHS) matters. At Recycling Europe, Julia focuses on regulatory, policy and legal issues of importance to the recycling industry. She has served as Secretary General since April 2024.

Andrei Geica is the Founding Partner of Sporos Platform, an Article 9 SFDR-aligned impact investment fund accelerating the circular economy across Southeast Europe. He shapes investments in innovative startups developing circular solutions and SMEs transforming their business models toward circularity. Andrei works closely with all investees to design and implement Circular Transition Plans that reflect the latest technological and operational best practices, delivering measurable and verifiable positive environmental and social outcomes. He also built the fund’s Article 9 architecture, embedding the EU Taxonomy and EIF CA&ES standards into its investment strategy. 

With a background spanning EU green policy, entrepreneurship and sustainable finance, he combines strategic insight with active collaboration across Europe’s circular economy ecosystem, bridging policy, innovation and investment to deliver systemic transformation.