Past speakers

Check out those who already have been at Impact Day stage.

Jos de Blok
Buurtzorg, CEO

Jos de Blok
Buurtzorg, CEO

Jos de Blok is the founder and CEO of Buurtzorg (neighborhood nursing), a Dutch organization with more than 15.000 employees, offering community based (home) care services to more than 80.000 patients a year. Founded in 2006 with one team of four nurses, Buurtzorg has transformed home-based health care and it has created an innovative method for nursing care at home.

As a community based and client centered organization, Buurtzorg connects highly qualified licensed nurses and clients to create positive and proactive solutions that are effective, holistic, and sustainable. Organized in small autonomous teams of up to 12 nurses within a neighborhood-sized care area, Buurtzorg nurses bring groundbreaking synergy and experti se in a direct and connected relationship between caregiver and client. Buurtzorg has succeeded in reducing administrative burden for nurses, improving quality of care and raising work satisfaction for their employees (Buurtzorg was awarded five times employer of the year in the Netherlands).

Buurtzorg is supported by an innovative IT system and works without management structure. Internationalizaion started by launching in countries like Sweden, Japan, China, Austria, Germany, Denmark, France and UK.Jos de Blok is a nurse by education and considered a change agent in the Netherlands when it comes to the organization of community based (home) care. Before he established Buurtzorg he had several senior management positions in home care organizations including director Innovations for medical services.
Anete Garoza
1MTN, Co-Founder and Chief Climate Officer

Anete Garoza
1MTN, Co-Founder and Chief Climate Officer

Anete Garoza is a highly regarded international climate lawyer and Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient. She co-founded and currently serves as the Chief Climate Officer of 1MTN, a startup on a mission to restore one million hectares of degraded land in Africa by 2030.

Anete’s expertise in climate law is evident through her extensive involvement in the Voluntary Carbon Market, where she has advised on projects spanning afforestation, agriculture, and nature restoration. Additionally, she provides invaluable guidance to governments on implementing Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

Driven by her profound passion and a sense of urgency, Anete co-founded 1MTN to focus on high-quality nature-based carbon removal projects in Africa, effectively combating climate change and biodiversity loss and fostering equitable development.

Beyond her professional achievements, Anete actively raises awareness and advocates for sustainable development and climate law. Her advocacy efforts centre around catalysing the development of carbon removal projects, promoting investments in nature-based solutions, and advocating for robust regulatory frameworks, with a particular emphasis on social co-benefit accounting.

Anete’s insights have been shared on global platforms such as COP27, the World Economic Forum, Africa Climate Summit 2023, and New York Climate Week. As a representative of 1MTN at the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerator and the Ambassador of Nairobi in the esteemed Top Tier Impact Network, she builds bridges between impactful investments and sustainable solutions for Africa.
Jaan Aru
University of Tartu, Associate Professor

Jaan Aru
University of Tartu, Associate Professor

Jaan Aru is an associate professor at the University of Tartu working on neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and the effect of technology on the human mind. He has published over 50 international scientific articles and two national bestsellers about the brain and creativity. For his efforts in popularizing science, he has received the national science communication prize in Estonia, twice. In 2019 he received the Young Scientist Prize from the President of Estonia.
Jeremy Schwartz
Former CEO & MD of Coca-Cola, L'Oreal, Pandora and The Body Shop

Jeremy Schwartz
Former CEO & MD of Coca-Cola, L'Oreal, Pandora and The Body Shop

Renowned for fusing sustainability with commerciality, Jeremy Schwartz is an expert in innovation, management and sustainability having held senior roles at some of the world’s biggest brands including Coca-Cola and L’Oréal. As a speaker, he offers businesses the opportunity to improve their brand, while putting sustainability and innovation at the heart of what they do. Jeremy’s insightful speeches shed light on how organisations can put the protection of the environment at the core of their operations without forfeiting profitability.

Jeremy graduated from the University of Cambridge after completing a degree at the University of Sheffield. He then moved into the world of business and was named Marketing Director of L’Oréal in 1992. During his five years with the health care brand, he relaunched the ‘Because I’m worth it’ slogan and established it worldwide. In 1997 he became Director of Innovation and Marketing at Coca-Cola. While in this position he created Coke Black, which over time has evolved to be Coca-Cola Zero and became a $1billion product. Jeremy’s career continued to progress and in 2002 he was tasked with halting a 10-year decline as Director of Brand Marketing at Sainsbury’s. Tackling the challenge head-on he delivered a 5% growth in sales for the 2005 financial year and set the platform for the business to experience 20 continuous quarters of growth and recruit six million new customers.

Continuing in the food industry, he became the CEO of The Sauce Co. He achieved award-winning success as the company was the Best New Supermarket Brand and Best Chilled Soup in the Supermarket Quality Food Awards, Winner of the Grocer. Branded Excellence Award. He held this role while holding a position on the Board of Trustees of The Against Malaria Foundation. Over 10 years after leaving the company he became Managing Director of L’Oréal. Again, as he has done throughout his career Jeremy experienced great success. He drove the company forward to become the number one cosmetic company in the UK after 30 years of being number two or three. He has also been the CEO of The Body Shop, where he launched the Enrich Not Exploit campaign, the companies promise to support a greener more sustainable planet. He was also largely responsible for making 100% of the products vegan, creating incomes for indigenous people and protecting endangered rainforests. The success of the business saw it win the World Retail Awards for Responsible Retailer. In 2018 he was named Joint CEO of Pandora and oversaw a £145million cost-saving programme and boosted the brand’s sales. More recently he became the Chairman of Sustainability and Inclusion at Kantar, Senior Advisor for McKinsey Business Transformation and Non-Executive Director of Revolution Beauty.
Clover Hogan
Force of Nature, Founder

Clover Hogan
Force of Nature, Founder

Clover Hogan is a climate activist and the founder of Force of Nature – the youth non-profit mobilising mindsets for climate action. She has worked alongside the world’s leading authorities on sustainability, consulted within the boardrooms of Fortune 50 companies, and counselled heads of state. Her TED talk, ‘What to do when climate change feels unstoppable’, has been viewed 2 million times.
Minna Kröger
Elisa, Head of Sustainability

Minna Kröger
Elisa, Head of Sustainability

Minna Kröger (MSc, MBA), has well over ten years expertise in promoting sustainability in prominent corporations. Since October 2015, she has held the position of Head of Sustainability at Elisa, the telecommunications and ICT company serving over 2,8 million consumer, corporate and public sector customers in Finland and Estonia as well as internationally. Elisa was promoted to global 100 most sustainable corporations in the world.

In her role, she drives the formulation and implementation of Elisa’s sustainability strategy, overseeing initiatives towards mitigating environmental impact, promoting social responsibility, and ensuring rigorous sustainability reporting.
Riina Sikkut
Minister of Health of the Republic of Estonia

Riina Sikkut
Minister of Health of the Republic of Estonia
Charles Ogilvie
Ocean Energy Pathway, Executive Director

Charles Ogilvie
Ocean Energy Pathway, Executive Director

Dr Charles Ogilvie OBE is a sustainability leader, entrepreneur, and political strategist. His career spans business; through advisory roles at major multinationals, successful startups in the renewable energy and energy services sectors, and politics where he was Special Advisor on Climate Change and Energy to the UK Government during the period they adopted their world leading Net Zero Target.

Charles has held senior roles in government including as the Strategy Director for the UK at COP26, helping a Conservative government to successfully host the world’s leading climate event; and as an international advisor, working with the UAE government as Strategic Counsel to the COP28 Presidency.

He is passionate about the importance of understanding the intersection of politics, business, and sustainability and is currently building Ocean Energy Pathway, a not-for-profit platform aiming to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind projects in emerging markets, as well as acting as advisor to a range of philanthropic and private clients across the global sustainability space. Charles brings excellent experience navigating the complexity of business aligned and centrE-right politics to achieve climate wins, and believes building resilient strategies for the transition both in business and for campaigners requires detailed political economy analysis as well as market insight.
Paul Hawken
Project Regeneration, Founder

Paul Hawken
Project Regeneration, Founder

Paul Hawken starts ecological businesses, writes about nature and commerce, and consults with heads of state and CEOs on climatic, economic and ecological regeneration. He has appeared on numerous media including the Today Show, Talk of the Nation, Bill Maher, CBS This Morning and others, and his work has been profiled or featured in hundreds of articles including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Newsweek, Washington Post, Forbes, and Business Week. He has written nine books including six national and NYT bestsellers: Growing a Business, The Next Economy, The Ecology of Commerce, Blessed Unrest, Drawdown, and Regeneration. He is published in 30 languages and his books are available in over 90 countries. His latest book, Regeneration, Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation, was published by Penguin Randomhouse September, 2021, his sequel to Drawdown. He is the founder of both Project Drawdown and Project Regeneration (regeneration.org). Project Regeneration is creating the world’s largest, most complete listing and network of solutions to the climate crisis.

Paul will take on stage virtually.
Kersti Kaljulaid
Former President of Estonia

Kersti Kaljulaid
Former President of Estonia

Kersti Kaljulaid served as the President of the Republic of Estonia from 2016-2021. During her time in office, she made her presence felt in both her homeland and the international arena.

Previously she had been serving as a Member of the European Court of Auditors, advising Prime Minister Mart Laar and holding diferent top level positions in energy, investment banking and telecom sector. Genetic engineer and economist by education, she has been a member of the Supervisory Board of the Estonian Genome Center and the Council Chair of the University of Tartu from 2012 to 2016.

In summer 2021, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed President Kaljulaid to the position of Global Advocate for the ‘Every Woman Every Child’ strategy on the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents around the world for the next two years. She was also the first Estonian to be featured in the Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.

Kersti Kaljulaid has become a sought-after speaker at high-level forums on digital, security and foreign-policy topics and more broadly for analysing and interpreting societal and economic change. President Kaljulaid is a vocal advocate of human rights, rule of law, freedom of speech and democracy. One of the principles in the in office of president has been the one she set out upon her inauguration: “I am never silent when our security is in question, when our freedoms are at stake or when those weaker than us are treated unjustly
Martin Villig
Bolt, Co-founder

Martin Villig
Bolt, Co-founder

Martin VIllig is the co-founder of the super app Bolt, which serves 75 million passengers in 45 European and African countries. Martin has been an entrepreneur for 20 years and started and sold his first startup in 1999. Previously, he has worked in leading positions at Skype, Fortumo and NASDAQ Tallinn Stock Exchange.

He is a leading figure in the Estonian startup community, having co-founded the Estonian Founders’ Society and the Garage48 Foundation, which organizes hackathons across Europe. In 2018, Martin established an Education Fund containing 1 million euros to give impetus to new educational initiatives in Estonia. In 2020, Martin founded Code Jõhvi, a school with 200 students based on a next generation platform.

Martin graduated from the Estonian Business School. He is a father of two grown children and enjoys traveling with his family. Martin also enjoys hiking, various sports, and making the world a better place.
Gunter Pauli
Entrepreneur and Author

Gunter Pauli
Entrepreneur and Author

Gunter Pauli is the pioneer who has been named both “The Steve Jobs of Sustainability” and “The Che Guevara of Sustainability”. Recognized as an entrepreneur, skilled in making Sustainable Development happen, master in the design of innovative business models that build resilience and strengthens The Commons. Top level public speaker. Strong network throughout the world in science and start-ups, founder of the Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives (ZERI) and author of The Blue Economy. Gunter has published 20 books, which have been printed in +30 languages and 365 fables, inspiring stories bringing science and emotional intelligence to children.
Mohammed Qahtani
Qahtani_Speaks, Founder

Mohammed Qahtani
Qahtani_Speaks, Founder

World Champion of public speaking 2015. Five times TEDx speaker. Co-Founder of the Saudi Stuttering Association.
Reet Aus
Aus Design and Upmade, Founder

Reet Aus
Aus Design and Upmade, Founder

Reet is a recognized fashion designer and environmental activist. She’s an advocate of valuable recycling and sustainable design, whose goal is to make the fashion world more ethical and develop a revalued fashion environment. Raising awareness, saving resources, sustainability, recycling, reducing the environmental impact are the keywords that resonate with her and for which Reet considers the effort and motivated contribution as a society to be critically important both here in Estonia and on a global level.
Terry Virts
Former NASA Astronaut

Terry Virts
Former NASA Astronaut

Col. Terry Virts (ret) served as a U.S. Air Force test fighter pilot, is a NASA veteran of two spaceflights and a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Harvard Business School.

In 2019 he directed his first film, One More Orbit. His second book, How to Astronaut, continues to amass excellent reviews. He is currently involved in several film and television projects, serves on corporate boards, consults to the entertainment industry, writes and promotes public policy.

He is a celebrated thought leader, speaker and author whose seven months in space included: piloting the Space Shuttle; commanding the International Space Station; three spacewalks; and performing scientific experiments, while working closely with multiple international partners. Virts worked with Russian Space Agency cosmonauts during some of the most stressful U.S.-Russian relations since the Cold War.

While in space he took more than 300,000 photos – more than on any other space mission. The images are an integral component of the National Geographic IMAX film A Beautiful Planet, which Virts also shot and stars in. His first book for National Geographic, View From Above, combines his best photography with stories about spaceflight alongside his perspectives about life on earth and our place in the cosmos.

An in-demand speaker at events across the globe, Virts’ inspires audiences with stories from space as well as his insights into life on earth. He brings his unique perspective to businesses worldwide on diverse topics such as our environment, global wealth, intercultural leadership, crisis and risk management, innovation, strategy and vision and decision making.
Jone Sestakauskaite
Neste, Sustainable Partnerships Manager Baltics

Jone Sestakauskaite
Neste, Sustainable Partnerships Manager Baltics

Jone Sestakauskaite has an international professional background from working at different Nordic organizations, both private and public, in Sweden and in the Baltics. She has especially focused on the Nordic-Baltic trade relations during her role as Policy Officer at the Swedish Embassy in Lithuania, later as Managing Director of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Lithuania. Currently, Jone is working as Sustainable Partnerships Manager in Baltics at Neste. Jone is still active with the Swedish Chamber of Commerce as Board Member and has 18+ years experience of living in Sweden.
Timothée Parrique
Lund University, Researcher

Timothée Parrique
Lund University, Researcher

Timothée Parrique is a researcher in ecological economics at Lund University in Sweden. Expert in degrowth, he is the author of Ralentir ou périr, l’économie de la décroissance (2022), a book based on his PhD thesis The political economy of degrowth (2019).
Lauri Lugna
Kredex/EAS, Chairman of the board

Lauri Lugna
Kredex/EAS, Chairman of the board

Lauri Lugna has been the chairman of the board of the EAS and KredEx joint institution since January 2022. For the past seven years, as chancellor, he has managed the administrative area of the Ministry of the Interior with the largest workforce in Estonia. Lugna has been in charge of serving customers and making traffic safer as the Deputy General Director of the Road Administration. He has a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Tartu and a master’s degree in politics and social sciences from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. He is currently continuing his studies in the EBS Executive MBA program.
Taavi Veskimägi
Elering, Chairman of the board; former Minister of Finance

Taavi Veskimägi
Elering, Chairman of the board; former Minister of Finance

Taavi Veskimägi has been the chairman of the board of Elering AS, the manager of the Estonian electricity and gas transmission system, since 2009, when the company was founded.

Taavi has been a member of two Riigikogu structures, being both the chairman of the parliamentary faction and the deputy chairman of the Riigikogu during that time. 2003-2005 Taavi Veskimägi was the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Estonia. He started his career as a civil servant in the Ministry of Finance in 1996, where he worked as the head of the Public Administration Department and later as an advisor to the Ministry.

Taavi Veskimägi has experience in the third sector, primarily as the founder and leader of the Estonian Defense Industry Association and as a long-term board member of the Estonian Hunting Society. For many years, he was the chairman of the Council of the Central Union of Employers, a member of the council of many companies (AS Eesti Post, Tallinna Sadam, Olympic Entertainment Group AS, Milrem AS, etc.) and an advisor to the investment company Alta Capital Partners. In the Central Union of Employers, he heads the environment and responsible business working group.

In 2017, Taavi was awarded the Order of the White Star, Estonia’s national decoration, as an energy sector developer.
Kai Realo
Ragn-Sells Estonia, CEO

Kai Realo
Ragn-Sells Estonia, CEO

Kai has been a circular economy enthusiast since the summer of 2021, when she started managing one of the most environmentally friendly companies in Estonia, Ragn-Sells. Prior to that, Kai worked in the retail industry for many years (e.g. for Statoil / Circle K for 16 years and being a senior manager there for the last 9 years). Kai has a master’s degree from the University of Tartu in the field of marketing and management, and these topics are also close to her heart. She has published many articles and interviews specifically on the topics of management quality and value-based management. In 2018 Kai was also chosen as the best manager in Estonia at the Äripäev’s management conference.

In addition to her main job, Kai is also the chairman of council of the Central Union of Estonian Employers and also belongs to the council of ELRON. While Kai used to like to travel a lot in her spare time, she now has also started to think more about her own carbon footprint. Kai joined an environmentally friendly company to help all Estonians better understand how everyone can make their small contribution to the green revolution and that it can be a very pleasant activity.
Roland Tokko
Edu Akadeemia, Founder; motivational speaker

Roland Tokko
Edu Akadeemia, Founder; motivational speaker

Through the activities of Edu Akadeemia, Roland has given thousands of people faith and a test on how to bring out their real potential. He has brought world-famous speakers to Estonia, such as Robin Sharma, Robert Kiyosaki and others. He has also organized Estonia’s largest ever training, which brought more than 4,200 participants to Saku Suurhalli.

Roland has published the books “12 things that were not taught in school, but what you should know” and “My life’s calling”, which sold more than 16,000 copies in total.

In 2021, he was awarded the title of “Outstanding Young Estonian”.

In addition, he is an educator, singer and author of inspirational songs and released the music album “Better You”.
Taavi Kotka
KOOS.io, Co-Founder and CEO

Taavi Kotka
KOOS.io, Co-Founder and CEO

Taavi Kotka is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor in a number of unicorns, first CIO for the Government of Estonia and philanthropist. He is a pioneer of e-Estonia and cofounder of the world’s first e-Residency program. Taavi is also a big supporter of women in tech, founder of HK Unicorn Squad.
Nordic Business Forum has elected him as one of The Brightest Business Minds in Northern Europe. He has been awarded E&Y Entrepreneur of the year in Estonia. And in 2016, Taavi was granted a recognition from the President of Estonia.
Katrin Viirpalu
TV journalist, Host of the TV show "Terevisioon"

Katrin Viirpalu
TV journalist, Host of the TV show "Terevisioon"

Katrin has worked both on television and radio. Katrin is currently one of the presenters of the morning show “Terevisioon” on Estonian Public Broadcasting.

Historian’s education from the University of Tartu has given her a broad horizon, analytical skills and curiosity.

Katrin’s desire is to encourage people to think about the best world they would like to live in. Katrin asks questions from others and herself every day and recommends the “I ask, I answer” format. This is how the meaning of life can emerge!
Mihkel Nestor
SEB, Chief Economist

Mihkel Nestor
SEB, Chief Economist

I’ve been working as a chief economist for SEB almost for 10 years, but instead of abstract equations and graphs I like to tell stories. Economy is interesting and fun!
Triin Hertmann
Grünfin, Co-Founder and COO/CFO

Triin Hertmann
Grünfin, Co-Founder and COO/CFO

Triin Hertmann is the co-founder and COO/CFO of Grünfin (sustainable investment platform). She has more than 20 years of experience in technology and fintech being an early employee of Skype and second employee of Wise building up the payment and financial processes. She’s an active angel investor with 25+ investments with a keen focus on impact start-ups and female founders. This year she was awarded as Wise Wallet (Investor of the Year) by Estonian start-up community.
Kęstutis Juščius
AUGA group, CEO

Kęstutis Juščius
AUGA group, CEO

Kęstutis Juščius is a visionary, a CEO, and one of the main shareholders of AUGA group, the company that has undertaken a significant sustainability journey.

AUGA group develops emission-reducing agricultural technologies, applies a sustainable farming model, and provides more sustainable food products to consumers, along with raw materials for food processors.

AUGA’s mission is to establish a new category of more sustainable food with ‘no cost to nature’.
Joseph Kim
Simon Sinek team, Master Trainer

Joseph Kim
Simon Sinek team, Master Trainer

Joseph desires to empower those who are next. He has an unshakeable belief that tomorrow can be better than today and that leaders should aim to leave behind a positive legacy for the next generation. As an academic entrepreneur Joseph has served as a business school professor in Seoul, a Google Tech Talks speaker in Silicon Valley, and president of an international college in Osaka.

Joseph is the author of two books, Reformed Epistemology (philosophy) and Power7 (communication). Joseph is an alum of Harvard Business School (GMP) and received his PhD in philosophy from Arizona State University. His mid-life passions include riding his motorcycle around the beautiful Korean peninsula, playing electric guitar for his church, and training Brazilian jiu-jitsu with his sons.

Joseph will take on stage virtually.
Tytti Nahi
Fairtrade International, Business and Human Rights Director

Tytti Nahi
Fairtrade International, Business and Human Rights Director

Dr. Tytti Nahi has over 20 years of experience in advancing human rights in global supply chains. She works as Fairtrade’s Business and Human Rights Director, leading the development of Fairtrade’s business services, policies and international relations on this field. She has a PhD in International Business. She’s based in Helsinki, Finland.
Anders Wijkman
Opinion leader, Author

Anders Wijkman
Opinion leader, Author

Anders Wijkman is a Swedish opinion leader and author. Since 2012 he is co-president – together with Professor Ernst von Weizsäcker – of the global think tank Club of Rome. In 2017 he was appointed chairman of the Governing Board of Climate-KIC – a major public-private partnership at EU level for the promotion of innovation of a low-carbon society. Since 2015 Anders is a member of the International Resource Panel (IRP) – a UN appointed expert body ”to build and share the knowledge needed to improve the use of our resources worldwide”. The Panel´s goal is to steer us away from overconsumption, waste and ecological harm to a more prosperous and sustainable future.
Sari Laine
Sitra, Leading Specialist

Sari Laine
Sitra, Leading Specialist

Sari’s daily work is to figure out how people become inspired to make a change and how small actions become habits. She works in the Nature and daily living team in Sitra looking for agile ways to test new operating models through experimentations and strives to gain a better understanding of what it is that motivates us all to make our everyday life more sustainable. Sari has several years’ experience in human-centric design in the development of different activities. The culture of experimentation, sustainable development and making a change at the grassroots level are currently her main interests. Previously, Sari has worked as a business management consultant and she has studied at Lappeenranta University of Technology and at the University of Cambridge.
Kristjan Maruste
Kõu Mobility Group, CEO

Kristjan Maruste
Kõu Mobility Group, CEO

Kristjan Maruste is an Estonian tech-entrepreneur, a Forbes 30 under 30 title recipient, a husband and father of 3 sons, the CEO of Kõu Mobility Group & the CEO of Äike E-Scooters. Kõu Mobility Group is the parent company to 3 global micromobility brands – Comodule, Tuul & Äike – all with the aim of empowering emissionless transport in our cities. It is also one of the very few vertically integrated vehicle companies in the world, and the only electric e-scooter company in the world that makes their vehicles outside of China.

Maruste is a mechanical engineer by Education, graduated cum laude from the Technical University of Tallinn. In 2021, Comodule won the title of “Most Environmentally Friendly Company” in Estonia. In 2020, Maruste & his team set out to create the best & most sustainable electric scooter in the world. This vehicle is now known in the Baltics as Tuul – the world’s most green shared mobility operator. In 2021, Maruste & his team launched Äike, the world’s most sustainable personal electric scooter brand.
Rolf Ladau
Paulig, CEO

Rolf Ladau
Paulig, CEO

Rolf Ladau has an extensive business and marketing experience from some of the leading international FMCG companies in the world. Before his current position as CEO at Paulig, he has been working as Managing Director of the Fazer Confectionery, and leading international marketing positions within the Coca-Cola Company. Prior to this he has also worked in various marketing and commercial roles for Procter&Gamble, Gillette, the Kellogg´s Company and Unilever. He has studied Business Administration at the Turku School of Economics. During his career he has lived and worked in six different countries spanning Europe and North-America.
Anders Larsson
SEB, Baltic Head of Sustainability

Anders Larsson
SEB, Baltic Head of Sustainability

Anders Larsson is the Baltic Head of Sustainability at SEB. He has a long career in Banking doing Mergers & Acquisitions, IPOs, providing Leverage Finance to Private Equity companies, Heading business units providing services to Swedish Mid Corporate clients as well as to large multinational companies at SEB’s international offices. Since 2016 he has been the Head of Corporate Banking for SEB in the Baltics, until the beginning of this year when he took on the new position as the Baltic Head of Sustainability at SEB.

He is eager to support the sustainability transition of the Baltic societies. A successful transition will increase competitiveness.
Heidy Purga
Estonia's Minister of Culture

Heidy Purga
Estonia's Minister of Culture

Heidy Purga is the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Estonia. Before taking up the position of minister, she was a member of the Estonian Parliament, a member of the culture committee and vice-chairman of the Reform Party faction. In 2004-2012, she was the chief editor of Radio 2 and in 2008-2015 the chief producer of Eesti Laul.
Kristen Michal
Estonia's Minister of Climate

Kristen Michal
Estonia's Minister of Climate

Minister of Climate as of 17 April 2023. He is a member of the Estonian Reform Party since 1996 and is a member of the board. He was the Secretary General of the Estonian Reform Party in 2003–2011.

He has been elected to the Parliament since 2004 and at the previous Parliament (2019-2023) he was the Chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee. Since 2021 he was also a Vice-Chairman of Tallinn City Council. Previously, Kristen Michal has been the Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure (2015–2016) and Minister of Justice (2011-2012).

He has a degree in public management and law. His hobbies are literature, sports, and fishing. He is also a reserve officer of Estonian Defence Forces. Kristen Michal was born on 12 July 1975, he is in a non-marital partnership and has three sons.
Aleksei Turovski
Zoologist

Aleksei Turovski
Zoologist

Aleksei Turovski is an Estonian zoologist and ethologist, specialising in parasitology and zoosemiotics. As a renowned animal expert, he has appeared on many Estonian radio and TV programmes.
Sofia Breitholtz
Reach for Change, CEO

Sofia Breitholtz
Reach for Change, CEO

Sofia Breitholtz believes in the power of bringing diverse sectors and perspectives together to solve global challenges. She has a passion for questions around the future of our children and youth, women’s empowerment and transformative leadership. Sofia has previous experience from strategy and management consulting with EY and from working with sustainability at Ben & Jerry’s/Unilever. She also has experience from development cooperation with the EU in Southern Africa and from social entrepreneurship as Deputy CEO of Solvatten, as well as experience from several Board positions in the not-for-profit sector. Today Sofia is the CEO of Reach for Change. Reach for Change is a global not for profit that supports early stage social entrepreneurs with capacity development and ecosystem development across three continents.
Greta Monstavice
Katalista Ventures, CEO & Co-Founder

Greta Monstavice
Katalista Ventures, CEO & Co-Founder

Greta Monstavice is a co-founder and CEO of Katalista Ventures, the first triple top line (TTL) hybrid startup accelerator and fund in the Baltics.

Greta has a broad background working with startups and startup accelerators in Spain, the UK and Baltics. She has also been a part of multiple international juries in numerous startup contests, including F10, Climate KIC, EIT Manufacturing Boost Up, participated in various sustainability and startup-related podcasts and panels. Greta has experience in sustainability and innovation consulting, having consulted some of the biggest players in banking, IT, sports, real estate and other industries in the Baltics.

Greta is a member of Stockholm Resilience Center alumni as well as a global community by the United Nations – UNLEASH.
Kaido Kaare
Orkla Eesti, CEO

Kaido Kaare
Orkla Eesti, CEO

For the last 20 years Kaido has managed food industries in Estonia – Wõro, Atria, Kalev, Põltsamaa, Orkla Eesti. Prior to that 8 years in Shell fuel company, initially Shell Estonia manager and then Shell Europe retail strategy manager, planning and implementing retail strategy in European countries.
Julien Le Signor
Geopost, Head of Environment

Julien Le Signor
Geopost, Head of Environment

Julien is an entrepreneurial engineer, leading cross-functional projects tackling issues spanning from climate change, urban air quality and circular economy at Geopost, international leader in parcel delivery and solutions for e-commerce.

He started his career at DHL Group, where he was in charge of developing a new service for managing the logistics of automotive lithium ion batteries, but also implemented low-emission logistics solutions.

Julien is now head of Environment at Geopost head office in the Sustainability department of the company. His latest achievements at Geopost include having Geopost’s 2040 net-zero targets endorsed by the Science Based Targets initiative and the current roll out of a carbon measurement tool amongst shippers throughout Europe.
Mari-Liis Rüütsalu
Ekspress Grupp, CEO

Mari-Liis Rüütsalu
Ekspress Grupp, CEO

Mari-Liis Rüütsalu is the CEO of the largest Baltic digital media company Ekspress Grupp and Chair of the Management Board. Among other things, Mari-Liis Rüütsalu belongs to all the Group‘s media companies‘ supervisory boards to stay up-to-date on their work in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Mari-Liis entered the media landscape 10 years ago, when she took on the management of Estonia‘s largest news portal Delfi.

In the past 10 years, media companies have been in constant turmoil – shift in business model, the onslaught of social media, advertising money moving to platforms, the advent of online journalism and a complete shift, adaption of journalists to the new conditions etc. In addition, she is an active spokesperson on issues of national importance – the domination of platforms tax- and liability-free on the local markets, sustainability of media companies and the digital revolution, and many other topics that require attention in a changing world for journalism to be able to fulfil its role in society.
Signe Hansen Glud
USE LESS, Certified Style Coach & Colour Consultant

Signe Hansen Glud
USE LESS, Certified Style Coach & Colour Consultant

Signe is a former fashion designer turned certified style coach & colour consultant from Denmark. She is here to help you increase your style confidence and learn to do more with less!

Signe will take on stage virtually.
Kristo Elias
Estonian Public Broadcasting, Journalist, Editor & Presenter

Kristo Elias
Estonian Public Broadcasting, Journalist, Editor & Presenter
Peeter Koppel
Redgate Wealth, Chief Investment Officer

Peeter Koppel
Redgate Wealth, Chief Investment Officer

Peeter is a wealth manager with almost 25 years of experience on the financial markets. From trading to writing – He has done it all.
Rugilė Matusevičiūtė
Sustain Academy Lietuva, Content Manager

Rugilė Matusevičiūtė
Sustain Academy Lietuva, Content Manager

Rugilė Matusevičiūtė is a sustainability and climate communications specialist, “Sustainable Lithuania” project leader, as well as an author for TV, radio and podcast shows about sustainability.
Annika Arras
Miltton New Nordics, CEO

Annika Arras
Miltton New Nordics, CEO

Annika is a spokesperson on responsible business and an expert on sustainable development, having trained and advised several Estonian companies and organizations on these issues. In January 2021, Annika defended her master’s thesis “Attitudes of top managers towards sustainability and corporate social responsibility in Estonia’s most influential companies” at Estonian Business School and is one of the authors of Miltton’s research on social activism and inclusion, and green transition in the Nordic and Baltic countries.

Annika is also one of the founders of the Coalition for Sustainable Development and a board member of the Responsible Business Forum Estonia. She’s co-founder and lecturer of ESG manager’s development program at Estonian Business School and speaker at Green Tiger Academy that Miltton’s change management team has compiled and executed.
Peeter Pihel
Fotografiska Tallinn, Co-Founder & Head Chef

Peeter Pihel
Fotografiska Tallinn, Co-Founder & Head Chef

One thing that has probably shaped Chef Peeter and his views on the world and my work is his roots, based in Saaremaa. It’s a privilege having been born and raised on an island, he quotes. It’s a way of life, which reflects in his cooking as well. Having led the kitchen of Pädaste Manor, that has been rewarded the best restaurant in Estonia in four consecutive years, he resumed his journey and moved on to Fäviken Magasinet – one of the best restaurants in Sweden.

He has now returned to Estonia where he has founded Fotografiska Tallinn, a restaurant with a sustainable philosophy. The Fotografiska team is committed to always providing good, sustainable food according to the season. The creative food and beverage team is always striving to find something special that creates a sensation on every plate and in every glass, without having to worry about the footprint of that pleasure. “Good, sustainable food not only delights people it also delights our planet”, quotes Chef Pihel
Hannes ja Iiri Hermaküla
TV journalist and trainer; Fashion designer

Hannes ja Iiri Hermaküla
TV journalist and trainer; Fashion designer

Hannes and Iiri Hermaküla are fans of recycling, and charity is a natural part of their lives. Hannes is a TV journalist and educator. Iiri likes to sew and to give recycled materials a new look in the form of stylish dresses.

Iiri is inspired by music, books, travel. After a long day at work, Hannes likes to go skiing, running or cycling in the forest.
Raul Potisepp
Eleport, CEO

Raul Potisepp
Eleport, CEO

Raul Potisepp graduated from the University of Glasgow, his thesis was on the topic if liquid biofuels are a reasonable alternative in the Estonian transportation sector. He has previously worked in Estonian renewable energy sector. In 2016 founded Eleport, which originally was renting EV-s for taxi drivers and food couriers. In 2017 Eleport began to focus on EV charging and is now one of the biggest charging networks in the Baltics. Company operates today in 4 countries (Baltics and Poland) and targets No1 position in Central and Eastern Europe. In addition, he is also active in promoting electromobility.
Ričards Švītiņš
RISEBA University of Business, Arts and Technology, Head of Creative Business Incubator

Ričards Švītiņš
RISEBA University of Business, Arts and Technology, Head of Creative Business Incubator

I am the head of Creative Business Incubator at RISEBA University. Daily work with young students, who are eager to learn in different new areas of start-ups!
Ingmar Roos
LuxExpress, CEO

Ingmar Roos
LuxExpress, CEO

Ingmar is the CEO of Lux Express Estonia, a flagship in the Estonian transportation industry. He has been at the helm of the company since 2021 and prior to that, he led T Grupp AS, where he focused on the development of Tpilet and bus stations, as well as the public transport department of the Estonian Road Administration (now the Transport Administration). It is not surprising that Ingmar holds a bachelor’s degree in logistics, but he also has a university degree in business information technology.

With climate change threatening to irreversibly alter the planet’s environment by 2050, ambitious green goals have been set. Currently, the transport sector is responsible for 25% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions, and this must be reduced by three times within the next 12 years. Both Estonia and the EU emphasize in their development documents that one solution is to motivate people to choose low-carbon transportation methods. When purchasing a bus ticket from Lux Express’s website, it is known that the carbon footprint per passenger for a 100-kilometer trip on a Lux Express bus is 22 grams per passenger-kilometer, or a total of 2.2 kilograms for the entire distance. This is 1.5 times more environmentally friendly than traveling the same distance by diesel train and over 6 times more sustainable than driving alone by car. Lux Express has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and the Ministry of the Environment, suggesting that the mandatory collection and publication of data on the carbon footprint per passenger-kilometer should be extended to the entire public transport sector.

PS. When Ingmar is not working, he can often be found measuring kilometers in the forest with pink sneakers or playing paddleball in the sports hall.
Nelli Pormeister
Sportland International Group, Head of ESG

Nelli Pormeister
Sportland International Group, Head of ESG

Nelli has worked in different customer-centric organizations for more than 15 years, covering both the products and services sectors. In the sports and fashion retail sector, she has experience in many different positions starting from purchase, visual marketing, and customer service, and ending with the CEO position for Sportland Estonia for the last 3.5 years. As a fan of constant self-development and due to curiosity of finding new ways, she has just now taken a new challenge and started as a Lead in Sustainability in Sportland International Group, as well as Jalajälg and Fifaa groups. She is a true believer in sports changing life for the better. Making sport a daily habit has had a positive effect on absolutely anything Nelli is enjoying and achieving in her life, both personally and professionally. Thanks to the challenges of running some marathons and doing some half Ironmans have proven numerous times that anything is possible.
Kristjan Kuhi
Enefit Group, Member of the Management Board

Kristjan Kuhi
Enefit Group, Member of the Management Board

Kristjan Kuhi is a Member of the Management Board of Enefit Group (Eesti Energia AS). He is making sure that the path for the customers through Enefit’s energy solutions is secure and sustainable.

Everything related to technological innovation is making his eyes gleam. Kristjan has been involved in battery technologies, electromobility, and the better use of network resources for a long time and those fields have become close to his heart. But most important is how those innovations benefit the customer.
Stefan Larsson-Mastonstråle
Maston group, Chairman and CTO

Stefan Larsson-Mastonstråle
Maston group, Chairman and CTO

Long time experience in the renewable energy R&D area (since the 1980’s). Senior advisor, board member and committee member for foundations, companies, investors and universities since the 1980’s. Co-founder and co-owner of a Swedish design and innovation company (Maston AB), with its oldest subsidiary founded in 1984. Currently developing new types of energy conversion devices & systems, mainly within the field of solar- & bioenergy (in different research projects and commercial developments). Specialities: Corporate management, Eco-design, Advanced Computer Simulation studies, Research Management, Intellectual Property development, Innovation management, Manufacturing and production systems development, Solar energy, Renewable energy, Energy storage. My motto: “Do ut des” (I give, so can you).
Zara Zamani
ChromaWay, Chief Solutions Officer

Zara Zamani
ChromaWay, Chief Solutions Officer

Zara Zamani is the Chief Solutions Officer (CSO) of the leading Nordic blockchain company, ChromaWay. She has both practical and theoretical knowledge as she is also a PhD researcher and lecturer in blockchain adoption at the University of Halmstad, Sweden. She has multiple years of experience in designing blockchain platforms in tourism, healthcare, logistics, foodchain and energy distribution industries. She was featured as one of the 21 women in blockchain you should know in 2021 by Fintech Review and 10 most influential women in technology in 2021 by Analytics Insights.
Gediminas Judzentas
AUGA Group, Marketing and Sustainability Director

Gediminas Judzentas
AUGA Group, Marketing and Sustainability Director

Gediminas Judzentas is the Marketing and Sustainability Director at AUGA group. He was one of the architects of the AUGA brand, infused with sustainability in its DNA since 2016, and contributed to the creation of a new organic product line.

AUGA consumer products quickly established themselves on the shelves of retail chains in Lithuania, expanded into export markets in more than 30 countries, and gained multiple awards for their innovation and sustainability.

Today, AUGA group positions itself as a developer of AgTech, aiming to address major emission problems in agriculture, and as a producer of more sustainable food from farm to fork, with a ‘no cost to nature’ promise.
Simona Simulyte
ChangeMakersON, Founder

Simona Simulyte
ChangeMakersON, Founder

Simona, a leading expert in life-centered design, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), startups, and community building, is driven by a passion for creating positive change in the world. With 20 + years of experience in the industry, she has established a reputation for delivering innovative solutions that enhance people’s lives while promoting sustainability and social responsibility. Simona was recognized as TOP100 women leaders in social enterprises in social innovations category.

As a seasoned professional in the startup community, Simona deeply understands the unique challenges entrepreneurs face. She is well-versed in the latest trends and technologies in the industry. Her expertise in ESG has also made her a sought-after advisor to companies looking to integrate sustainable practices into their operations. Simona’s expertise in life-centered design has allowed her to create strategies that not only meet the functional needs of users but also enhance their overall well-being and happiness. She advocates for user-centered design and is committed to creating products and experiences that promote human values and dignity.

In addition to her professional work, Simona is also a dedicated community builder, working tirelessly to bring people together to achieve common goals. She is passionate about creating inclusive and supportive environments that empower individuals to thrive. With a unique combination of skills and expertise, Simona is poised to continue making a lasting impact in life-center design, ESG, startups, and community building. She is dedicated to creating a better world for all through her work and community involvement.
Tambet Tuisk
Actor

Tambet Tuisk
Actor

Tambet Tuisk is a freelance film and theater actor. He graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre’s Higher Theatre School in 2000. He has worked at Vanemuine Theatre (2000-2005) and NO99 Theatre (2005-2012). By 2012, Tambet had been actively involved in theater to such an extent that he needed a creative break and an experience of being his own employer, that is, a freelance actor.
Heiti Hääl
Alexela, Owner

Heiti Hääl
Alexela, Owner

To be a successful entrepreneur, one must be able to say things as they are. Known for his straight talk, Heiti has been leading the innovative energy conglomerate AVH for over 30 years. What started out as a trailer rental has expanded into the most comprehensive energy solutions provider in Estonia. An achievement that is no easy task in this complex and ever-shifting field.

A true Estonian man who would rather spend his time at sea catching the next big fish – and of course, he is a vehement support of Estonian sports and culture.
Sven Nuum
Boost Yourself, Co-Founder

Sven Nuum
Boost Yourself, Co-Founder

Co-founder of Boost Yourself, Marketing School Nullist and GraceFit, and creator of the “How to start a micro-business, work independently and be your own boss” course.
Valentas Neviera
Ignitis Group, Head of Group Sustainability

Valentas Neviera
Ignitis Group, Head of Group Sustainability

Valentas Neviera is a seasoned professional with a career spanning several leadership roles in sustainability and communication. Currently serving as the Head of Group Sustainability at Ignitis Group, a renewables-focused integrated utility, Valentas plays a pivotal role in driving the company’s sustainability initiatives and fostering responsible business practices. Additionally, he is a Board Member of the Lithuanian Responsible Business Association (LAVA), contributing his expertise to further the association’s mission. Prior to shifting his career to sustainability, Valentas spent more than ten years working in different positions in the communication field. Additionally, Valentas is interested in psychodynamic organizational theory, which he applies in his work with various groups.
Denis Gacicha
Schneider Electric Baltic countries, General Manager

Denis Gacicha
Schneider Electric Baltic countries, General Manager

Denis Gacicha, Master of Control Technology and Electrical Engineering, has been working for Schneider Electric Lietuva since 2006, and currently is the General Manager at Schneider Electric Baltic countries. Graduated from Kaunas University of Technology and Dublin Institute of Technology.
Endrus Arge
Silen, CEO and Co-Founder

Endrus Arge
Silen, CEO and Co-Founder

Endrus is the co-founder and CEO of Silen. In 2017, Endrus sketched out an idea on his kitchen table. In less than 5 years, that sketch has grown into the leading innovator of sustainable office pods and privacy solutions. Alongside Sparry Kivilo and Henri Rüüsak, he founded Silen in 2018, leveraging his over two decades of experience in the furniture and office acoustics industry.

Endrus and his team have successfully developed Silen into a top office pod producer, serving numerous Fortune 500 companies. One of the key drivers in this success has been Silen’s focus on sustainability throughout the entire product lifecycle, from development and sourcing materials to delivery and end-of-life product management.

Regarding sustainability Silen has successfully delivered multiple firsts within the top tier privacy solutions industry. CarbonNeutral® official certificate, Silen Rent and Silenbooking circular economy services, and Silen Dynamics’ endless customisation solutions are only a few innovations introduced to the market.

Given the above, Endrus has gained a comprehensive understanding of the significant challenges and effective solutions when it comes to designing sustainable workspaces and cultivating sustainable work cultures.
Ingrid Viinapuu
Telia, Head of People and Culture

Ingrid Viinapuu
Telia, Head of People and Culture

Ingrid is the Head of People and Culture at @Telia Eesti and she is on a mission to create an inclusive culture and workplace which empowers intentional human connection fuelled by autonomy, mastery and purpose.

Her background is in business management and psychology and over past 15 years, she
has applied her knowledge in various roles in human resources area – from software development, to being an HR manager for technology teams, to driving performance management for 20 000 employees.

She is driven by purpose and values, believer in self- & values-based leadership, and continuously looking for ways of more sustainable work life. That has also let to the wider contribution of the field of Estonian work life as a member of the board in Estonian Personnel Management Association (PARE). Everything in order to make Estonia a better place to live and work!
Jüri Tamm
Verston Group, Co-CEO

Jüri Tamm
Verston Group, Co-CEO

Jüri is the co-CEO of Verston Group, alongside Verston’s founder and CEO Veiko Veskimäe. Together, they lead the company’s mission to innovate and transform Europe’s infrastructure and maintenance sectors with a strong focus on sustainability. Jüri’s passion for environmentally friendly solutions and his experience in implementing advanced technologies are central to Verston’s vision of pioneering new approaches in construction. His collaborative leadership and commitment to sustainable development are helping shape a greener future for the industry.
Dr. Carri Ginter
Sorainen, Partner

Dr. Carri Ginter
Sorainen, Partner

Carri is the partner responsible for the international Dispute Resolution Team at Sorainen and Jean Monnet Professor of EU law at Tartu University. He has been an avocat conseil of the Embassy of France in Estonia for 15 years.

Carri has successfully represented the European Commission in the Court of Justice of the EU, Tallinn city, largest political party, ministers and members of parliament. In 2006 he won the biggest successful state liability case against Estonia for illegally expropriated fuel. He was one of three experts pleading in Estonian Supreme Court en banc in the constitutional review of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) Treaty.
Liisa Suvorova
Planet42, Head of Expansion

Liisa Suvorova
Planet42, Head of Expansion

Liisa Suvorova is an Estonian entrepreneur, currently working as Head of Expansion at Planet42, a company fighting transport inequality by putting cars in the hands of people who are underserved by traditional banking in countries such as South Africa and Mexico.

With a passion for cars, finance, and technology, Liisa embarked on her career journey in corporate banking, specialising in car retail and IT. From there, she transitioned into the dynamic startup landscape, becoming a part of the investment team at a deep tech venture capital firm in Europe. She has since taken on more operational roles and is currently leading the expansion of Planet42 into new markets.
Norbert Kunz
Social Impact gGmbH, CEO

Norbert Kunz
Social Impact gGmbH, CEO

Norbert Kunz is one of the high-profile social entrepreneurs in Germany. He has been advising and supporting start-ups for over thirty years and, as a co-founder of various organizations, has made a significant contribution to the development of social innovations. For several years, the managing director of the non-profit Social Impact GmbH has focused on building an infrastructure for social innovations and supporting social startups. The founding of the first Social Impact Labs in Berlin in 2011 together with the first business incubation program for social startups in Germany was the beginning of this. There are now Social Impact Labs nationwide, which run a large number of start-up support programs.
Tarmo Karotam
Baltic Horizon Fund, Fund Manager

Tarmo Karotam
Baltic Horizon Fund, Fund Manager

Tarmo Karotam is the Fund Manager of Baltic Horizon Fund and the Chairman of the Management Board of Northern Horizon Capital AS. Tarmo’s main focus is leading the management team in executing the fund’s investment strategy through various property cycles and delivering long-term value to investors. Tarmo is a long-time member of investment management team at Northern Horizon Group, and he has many years of experience from the Baltic real estate sector.
Tiina Lokk
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Director of the Festival

Tiina Lokk
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Director of the Festival

Tiina Lokk is the festival and programme director of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) the biggest and the only A-class film event in Northern Europe. She has been leading the festival since the first edition in 1997. The hard work paid off in 2014, when PÖFF became one of the 15 A-list film festivals accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) alongside the Cannes, Karlovy Vary, San Sebastian, Locarno, Venice, Berlin, Cairo, Mar de Plata, Goa, Tokyo and other film festivals.

Tiina Lokk is a member of European Film Academy. She also has been a member of the editorial board, screenwriter and art council of Tallinnfilm for a decade before being a freelance journalist for the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. She then founded and directed the movie label FilmaMAX. She has been a lecturer in the Estonian Academy of Music and Theater (cultural organization) and the Estonian Academy of Arts (teaching film history, film scripts and management of cultural projects) and a professor of scriptwriting at the Baltic Film and Media School.
Mihkel Kübar
Tallinn City Theatre, Director

Mihkel Kübar
Tallinn City Theatre, Director

Theatre director and festival organiser.
Epp Kärsin
The Pleasure Expert

Epp Kärsin
The Pleasure Expert

Epp Kärsin is a well-known sex educator in Estonia who is passionate about teaching people to be aware of their sexual health and make informed choices about their sexuality. She has a unique approach to sex education, emphasizing the importance of self-love and self-awareness. Epp’s interest in sexuality started from a young age, and she has since studied anatomy, physiology, and Chinese medicine, among other subjects.

Epp is a self-taught sex educator who has gained knowledge and experience through her own exploration of sexuality. She offers workshops and lectures on various sexual health topics, aiming to fill the gap in the Estonian education system regarding sexual health education. Her mission is to help people understand that sexuality is a wonderful part of life, and that being aware of it can empower individuals to live their lives as they desire. Epp believes that love can save the world and that sexual health education is a crucial part of that process.

Photo by: Erlend Štaub, Kroonika.
Ionut Iordachescu
Ringy, CTO

Ionut Iordachescu
Ringy, CTO

I like to describe myself as wearing two hats: one in entrepreneurship and the other in volunteering. With over 25 years of experience in IT, I hold an e-MBA in project management and previously served as CTO of Romania’s largest media group, a company with over 1,000 employees. Since 2020, I’ve been the co-founder and CTO of Ringy, a young company dedicated to giving devices a second life.

On the volunteering side, I co-founded Let’s Do It, Romania!, the country’s largest social movement. Since 2010, the NGO has organized cleanups and eco-trainings across the country. In addition to being a co-founder, I played a key role in developing the IT infrastructure for the organization, including managing the 2018 cleanup, which saw 400,000 people come together in a single day to clean littered areas in Romania. I am particularly proud of creating and managing a platform that enabled volunteers to report littered areas, which automatically generated petitions to local authorities for cleanup.
Alistair Starling
European Diplomats, Managing Director

Alistair Starling
European Diplomats, Managing Director

Alistair Starling is a former UK Diplomat, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, where he assisted companies to trade and invest internationally for 10 years. He is multilingual, and levers his 20 year private sector / 10 year government sector, Business Development, Design and Innovation experience to achieve results within 1st, 2nd and 3rd sector organisations. Alistair’s native language is English. He is also fluent in Italian and German, plus intermediate French. Alistair worked in the founding teams of other start-ups, in the recruitment sector (The Cambridge Hub), internet design sector (IconMedialab), and therefore understands the pace and focus of the commercial sector. Alistair led complex government sales development across Europe and Africa for a world famous brand – Cambridge. He has two Master degrees (one from the University of Cambridge), and an Undergraduate Degree in the creative industries. Alistair is a confident public speaker, has presented numerous times on TV, and fosters active communities of contacts across Europe. In 2020, he founded European Diplomats, a diplomatic consultancy offering B2G and G2B services, where he acts as a Managing Director.
Sandra Raju
Asi on minus!, Partner

Sandra Raju
Asi on minus!, Partner

I’m Sandra, a coaching, podcasting and recruiting human. I revel in content creation, asking questions and testing out those ”that will never work” solutions. My passion for hosting and moderating is something that really pushes my buttons so I’m super happy that I have the opportunity to be a fish in the Impact Day pond.
Ramon Rask
RASK Attorneys-at-Law, Partner

Ramon Rask
RASK Attorneys-at-Law, Partner

As founder and partner of RASK Attorneys-at-Law, Ramon has broad experience in advising various types of infrastructure clients. Ramon has advised the development of a number of large-scale renewable energy projects in the Baltics and contributed in shaping the statutory and transactional terms applicable on the relevant market.

In addition of being a renewable energy enthusiast, Ramon’s focus for years has been on teaching and shaping the rules of business administration and corporate governance, serving for years as a member of the Estonian Bar Association Commercial Law Committee and teaching students in Estonian Business School.
Rainer Pesti
22Kraadi, Co-Founder

Rainer Pesti
22Kraadi, Co-Founder

Rainer, is the enthusiast of circular economy business models. With an educational background in IT Rainer has made contributions to e-marketing and digital service development in banking sector and Traditional Industry. For over a decade, Rainer has been an part of the Swedish environmental company, Ragn-Sells. During this time, he has held leading roles in Marketing, PR&PA, and Brand management. Las 2-years he has been leading the development team. Their strategy is clear: to turn circular solutions and climate ambitions into a competitive edge. This encompasses the development of low carbon footprint materials, CO2 capturing, and pioneering urban mining technologies to extract critical raw materials from waste.
Rain Tunger
Progressioon, CEO

Rain Tunger
Progressioon, CEO

Rain Tunger is a versatile entrepreneur, musician, and inspirational speaker. He is well-known for leading renowned Tallinn restaurants, including Rataskaevu 16, Väike Rataskaevu, and ÜLO, to TripAdvisor’s top spots consecutively for 10 years, accumulating more 5-star reviews than their top 10 competitors combined. As a motivational speaker, he has made a significant impact on over 150 companies, emphasizing hospitality, leadership, and personal growth.

Rooted in authenticity and mindfulness, Rain’s journey goes beyond culinary success. He spent 18 years hosting the dance music show “Progressioon” on national Radio 2 and has a cherished role as a DJ in Estonia.

Furthermore, Rain has strongly focused on self-development and mindfulness, exploring various practices, including the art of authenticity and genuine connection known as ‘Circling,’ which he learned in Holland. Today, he serves as an official guide and instructor in this practice. According to Rain, we are all inherently in the service of others, whether we consciously acknowledge it or not, and he considers this a privilege.”
Grete Arro
Tallinn University, Researcher

Grete Arro
Tallinn University, Researcher

Grete Arro (PhD in Psychology) works as a researcher at the Institute of Educational Sciences, Tallinn University and as an advisor on educational psychology at the Ministry of Education and Research. As a researcher and lecturer, she is mainly interested in conceptual development, effective learning strategies, motivation to learn and emotion regulation. Lately, the main focus has been on the application of educational psychology knowledge in the field of environmental consciousness and education.
Anneli Ohvril
ex-Executive Director of Let's Do It World

Anneli Ohvril
ex-Executive Director of Let's Do It World

Anneli Ohvril is an ex-Executive Director of Let’s Do It World, one of the world’s largest environmental organisations with active leaders and teams in 164 countries tackling the waste problem around the globe. The biggest project – World Cleanup Day – has engaged more than 70 million people from 191 countries to one-day cleanup action during the last five years.

Anneli Ohvril is an environmentalist, circular economy and social change expert. An initiator of numerous social movements and projects to create a positive impact. She is a speaker, trainer and coach.
Shu Wen Chan
Swedbank, Head of Sustainability Transformation

Shu Wen Chan
Swedbank, Head of Sustainability Transformation

Shu Wen Chan is the Head of Sustainability Transformation at Swedbank Group. Shu has over 15 years of international cross-sector experience in driving sustainability and strategic transformation with focus on sustainable business and change management. At Swedbank, Shu leads a team dedicated to support the Group with transformation initiatives and integrating sustainable finance into core business strategies and operating model

In addition to her role at Swedbank, she serves on the advisory board of Mastercard Lighthouse Massiv, supporting tech startups focused on sustainability and social impact, and she is a board member of Swedbank’s LGBTQ+ Network, championing diversity and inclusion.
Giedre Skucaite
Lendager, Sustainability Consultant, Constructing Architect MAK, BIM Manager

Giedre Skucaite
Lendager, Sustainability Consultant, Constructing Architect MAK, BIM Manager

I represent Lendager – an architectural studio and a collective force for positive change. As an architect and sustainability consultant, my journey is fueled by the belief that today’s challenges are opportunities to shape a resilient future. At Lendager, we navigate the complexities of sustainable architecture, harmonizing nature, science, and aesthetics to forge cost-efficient and future-proof solutions with a very high focus on waste materials, their unrevealed potential in the building industry, and the circular economy. We innovate, experiment, and strive to make a positive impact.
Caroline Corbett-Thompson
Wise, ESG Manager

Caroline Corbett-Thompson
Wise, ESG Manager

Caroline is the ESG Manager at Wise, a global technology company building the best way to move and manage money around the world. With the Wise account people and businesses can hold more than 40 currencies, move money between countries and spend money abroad. Large companies and banks use Wise technology too; an entirely new cross-border payments network that will one day power money without borders for everyone, everywhere. However you use the platform, Wise is on a mission to make your life easier and save you money.

Co-founded by Kristo Käärmann and Taavet Hinrikus, Wise launched in 2011 under its original name TransferWise. It is one of the world’s fastest growing, profitable tech companies and is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker, WISE. 16 million people and businesses use Wise, which processes over €10 billion in cross-border transactions every month, saving customers over €1.6 billion a year.

Caroline leads Wise’s global sustainability and social impact strategy, bringing to life their recent Wiser Giving Back programme alongside Wise’s carbon reduction commitments. Before Wise, Caroline worked at Systemiq, a systems-change consultancy in London, developing sustainability strategies for Fortune 500 companies. She also founded several social entrepreneurship start-ups focused on women’s equity. She has a BA from McGill University and an MBA from IE Business School.
Karoliina Kauhanen
Commu App, Founder

Karoliina Kauhanen
Commu App, Founder

Karoliina Kauhanen is a leading social change and social impact founder from Finland. Kauhanen has built Commu, “Tinder for Good Deeds”, which has enabled more than 25,000 good deeds across Finland, Norway and Germany. With nearly 100,000 users, Commu a disruptive platform that leverages AI to create a scalable, community-driven solution for loneliness. Commu not only serves individuals, but also enables companies such as Siemens to contribute meaningfully to societal well-being. Commu has proven its ability to foster real human connections through technology, establishing itself as a pioneering innovation in social good.
Kristi Saare
MTÜ Naisinvestorite klubi, Founder

Kristi Saare
MTÜ Naisinvestorite klubi, Founder

Investor, board member of EstBAN, board member of Tuleva, founder of Estonian Women’s Investment Club, author, entrepreneur.
Timo Porval
Lavii Marketing & Turunduslabor, Marketing Expert
Timo Porval
Lavii Marketing & Turunduslabor, Marketing Expert

Favorite questions that Timo likes to ponder:

How to find and keep more customers online?

How to get more inquiries and sales from the website?

How to better lock received requests?

How to do marketing without having to sell?

How to help customers be useful to their customers?

Which advertising channels should be used and which should not be used?

Numbers about Timo:

The biggest launch – €63,000 in 48 hours (sales of tickets for one training session).

Cooperation with more than 400 different entrepreneurs and marketers from 33 different sectors.

92 conducted trainings, attended by more than 5,000 people.

Helped increase company sales by more than 100% many times.

More than 16 presentations at major events (Elite camp, Estonian E-commerce Association conference, Best Internet, Marketing meeting, Email Summit, etc.).

Participation in the organization of one virtual seminar, which was attended by 4,500 people from 119 countries. After the seminar, they sold online products to more than 20 countries.

Organizing the largest marketing event in Estonia “12 Hours of Marketing”. 11,353 registrants and 3,600+ people watched the live broadcast simultaneously.

Of course, these beautiful numbers also come with a lot of lessons learned and failed campaigns where money has been burned. But that is exactly what helped them to move forward and develop.
Kadrian Jaagund-Ratasepp
Lindström Baltics, Vice President

Kadrian Jaagund-Ratasepp
Lindström Baltics, Vice President

Kadrian is driven by a passion to inspire and empower others. As the Vice President of Lindström Baltics, promoting circular economy and caring for the planet are integral parts of both her work and her life. With her experience as a leader and mentor, she fosters innovation, facilitates change, and cultivates a culture that supports the growth of individuals and companies.
Katrin Bats
Rimi Eesti Food, The head of corporate responsibility

Katrin Bats
Rimi Eesti Food, The head of corporate responsibility

I have been working at Rimi for 13 years now. All this time, I have been lucky to watch one retail chain grow most sustainable in Estonia. This journey has been very educational as well as rewarding. Today, it is no longer a surprise to anyone, neither employees nor customers, that our efforts for a better working and living environment are sincere and very effective. As big retailer and employer we have this responsibility which i would like to call as possibility. Many of Rimis achievements prove that.
Kalle Sepp
Singer

Kalle Sepp
Singer

Kalle is a well-known Estonian singer. He graduated from Tallinn University in 2007 with a degree in labor and technology education (BA). He has worked both as an Estonian Public Broadcasting’s producer assistant and as a singer in various cruise ship programs.

Since 2009, he has been working in the Starlight Cabaret revue theater of the Estonian Dance Agency. In addition, he also sings in the Tallinn University Male Choir (he was the president of the choir from 2003 to 2013) and is a soloist in the band The Purple Gang.
Loic van Cutsem
Beeodiversity, Director Partnerships

Loic van Cutsem
Beeodiversity, Director Partnerships

Loic is a passionate changemaker, curious learner and proud father.
Loic combines 20+ years of experience in CSR, Sustainability Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship both in the private and non-profit sector. He served as sustainability director for a listed company, co-founded several social enterprises and developed various support instruments for social enterprises, including an incubator, a crowdfunding platform and a global scaling support program.

Loic leads Partnerships and Development at BeeOdiversity, a nature-tech company.

BeeOdiversity help companies and cities to regenerate biodiversity and reduce pollution with unique monitoring solutions, data insights and tailored advice. We currently work with 100+ clients in 20 countries, monitoring over 120.000 hectares. For example, our BeeOmonitoring solution uses bees acting as natural drones to monitor pollutants, plant biodiversity and the impact of an activity.
Markus Hääl
Wolfscape, CEO

Markus Hääl
Wolfscape, CEO

Markus is the CEO of Wolfscape, a company creating a playbook for developing fundamentally better future cities. The playbook includes solutions to challenges across the whole urban system including areas such as energy, mobility, waste management, public spaces and social inclusion. The theory will be put into practice by turning an industrial seaside area in Tallinn into the first climate neutral neighbourhood in the Baltics. Engineer at heart, Markus’s expertise lies in mobility, hardware, software, product development and process management.
Harri Tallinn
CIVITTA, Partner

Harri Tallinn
CIVITTA, Partner

Harri is a co-founder of CIVITTA Parter and ChallengerAccelerator.com. For 10 years, Harri has been running Estonia’s largest and best-known accelerator program Ajujaht, from which many well-known start-ups have grown. Ajujaht has also always paid special attention to social enterprises.
Jana Budkovskaja
Prototron, CEO

Jana Budkovskaja
Prototron, CEO

Jana is the CEO of Prototron. Since 2012, Prototron has been supporting technology teams in prototyping products and services and developing the corresponding business. At Prototron, they believe in technology and ideas that make our world a better place.
Madis Toomsalu
LHV Group, CEO

Madis Toomsalu
LHV Group, CEO

Madis is the head of LHV Group, the largest domestic financial group, and was also awarded the title “Best Leader 2022” at the Pärnu Management Conference. His journey at LHV began 15 years ago as an intern, but since the fall of 2016, Toomsalu has been leading the entire rapidly growing bank group. At the beginning of 2020, at the initiative of LHV, the sustainable banking committee of the Estonian Bank Association was created, and in the spring of the same year, LHV introduced its green action plan, among which it was the first in Estonia to offer affordable green loans to customers. In addition, Madis is a member of the board of the NGO FinanceEstonia and the expert group of the government’s green policy steering committee.
Silver Smeljanski
City of Pärnu, Deputy mayor; Leader of Startup Estonia regional development group

Silver Smeljanski
City of Pärnu, Deputy mayor; Leader of Startup Estonia regional development group

Silver is a native of Pärnu – entrepreneur and politician. He has come into contact with very different fields, from the green economy to the technology sector. In 2016, Silver co-founded Paljas Pala, the first packaging-free grocery store in the Baltics.

The promotion of Pärnu is a topic close to Silver’s heart, and he has made his contribution to the development of the Startup field by co-founding the first collaboration center in Pärnu, Forwardspace, started the Pärnu Entrepreneurship Incubator and contributing to the development of start-ups also as the head of the Startup Estonia Regional Development expert group outside of Tallinn.

Currently, Silver is contributing to the development of Pärnu by fulfilling the role of deputy mayor of Pärnu.
Raimond Tamm
City of Tartu, Deputy mayor

Raimond Tamm
City of Tartu, Deputy mayor

Raimond Tamm is the deputy mayor of Tartu, whose area of responsibility is entrepreneurship, innovation, tourism, urban economy, energy economy and environmental protection. Previously, Raimond has worked as a board member of SA Tartu Teaduspark, which supports the development of research and technology-intensive business, and at the company Estiko-Plastar AS, where he held the positions of both purchasing and production manager. Raimond has also been a member of the international large corporation DuPont Products S.A. business development consultant in Estonia.
Erinch Sahan
Doughnut Economics Action Lab, Business & Enterprise Lead

Erinch Sahan
Doughnut Economics Action Lab, Business & Enterprise Lead

Erinch is the business and enterprise lead at Doughnut Economics Action Lab. His work focuses on transforming the deep-design of businesses to enable them to pursue regenerative and distributive strategies. Working with over 300 businesses, he created the Doughnut Design for Business tool, which enables businesses to engage with Doughnut Economics.

Erinch has a background in leadership across business, NGOs and government. He served as the chief executive of the World Fair Trade Organization, and previously spent 7 years at Oxfam leading campaign and programme work, including the Behind the Brands scorecard. Erinch has also worked at Procter & Gamble, the Australian government and established a furniture business.

Erinch is a board member of the Social Enterprise World Forum, fellow at the Post Growth Institute and a senior associate at Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. He holds degrees in finance and law and an honorary doctorate from Oxford Brookes University.
Niklas Kaskeala
ImpactOffice.earth, Founder & Chief Impact Officer

Niklas Kaskeala
ImpactOffice.earth, Founder & Chief Impact Officer

Niklas is a climate activist and an impact leader with over 20 years of experience in development, sustainability, and climate change. His mission is to help businesses go beyond conventional sustainability towards regenerative practices that restore and enhance natural capital. Niklas has founded and led several initiatives that aim to address the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity, such as ImpactOffice.earth, Compensate, and Protect Our Winters Finland.
Marius Banaitis
UAB VAATC, Environmental Specialist

Marius Banaitis
UAB VAATC, Environmental Specialist
Rasma Saule
UAB HRX, CEO

Rasma Saule
UAB HRX, CEO

Over two decades of logistics experience, complemented by degrees in geography and transportation law, as well as an EMBA. Recently certified by the Oxford Leading Sustainable Corporations Programme demonstrates hers commitment to blending logistics with sustainability.
Jani-Mikael Kuusisto
The Warming Surfaces Company, Co-Founder & CEO

Jani-Mikael Kuusisto
The Warming Surfaces Company, Co-Founder & CEO

Jani-Mikael Kuusisto is Co-founder & CEO of The Warming Surfaces Company Oy, a 11/2022 spin-out from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. He is a seasoned, internationally experienced, business development professional at the cross-sections of the physical and digital worlds; with over 20 years in the field of printed and flexible electronics. Jani-Mikael has held business development and managerial positions in both large organizations Valmet/Metso and VTT, as well as executive positions in a few start-ups – e.g. Ynvisible Interactive Inc. He holds an MSc. Economics & Business Admin. from Helsinki School of Economics & Business Administration (now Aalto Uni).
Līga Peiseniece
Rector of BA School of Business and Finance

Līga Peiseniece
Rector of BA School of Business and Finance

She holds three roles that harmoniously intertwine. As a Rector, Professor, and Researcher in human resource management, she is deeply committed to each, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to the table. Over the course of 19 years at the Banku augstskola – BA School of Business and Finance (Latvia), she has created work and study environments where everyone feels valued and can thrive.
Facundo Etchebehere
Danone, SVP Sustainability Strategy & Partnerships

Facundo Etchebehere
Danone, SVP Sustainability Strategy & Partnerships

As a sustainability and public affairs leader in Danone, over the past years he has had the opportunity to spearhead Danone’s B Corp certification, championed the company’s “Societé a Mission” agenda and promoted multi-stakeholder dialogues to advance transformations towards a sustainable food system.
Vitalija Impolevičienė
Sorainen, Attorney at Law, Co-Head of ESG service

Vitalija Impolevičienė
Sorainen, Attorney at Law, Co-Head of ESG service

I am an attorney-at-law, a member of Sorainen Finance & Insurance team, and co-head of the ESG service group in our firm. Having practised law since 2003, I have extensive experience in the field of regulation of the financial and insurance sectors, product development, distribution and related disputes. I advise clients on sustainable finance and ESG-related matters.

Past Speakers

Past speakers