Chris is the Managing Director for Jacobs Foreseeable Net Zero + Nature Positive solutions. With 30+ years consulting and strategic management experience, he works with teams to integrate sustainability and resilience into planning and design for a range of private and public sector clients all around the globe.

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Guided by strategic thinking and an interactive process, Chris specializes in working with clients and teams to drive innovative outcomes that create new business and social value. He also serves as the Jacobs strategic alliance liaison to Biomimicry 3.8 for ecologically aligned regenerative design and development.

As BST Global’s Chief Executive Officer, Javier A. Baldor leads a global team of professionals responsible for the market introduction of the company’s business software products and cloud solutions. He is also instrumental in crafting and implementing the company’s business strategy, overall vision and mission. 

Javier joined BST Global in 1989 and has served in various capacities during his tenure. In 1999, Javier was the primary catalyst in establishing a global vision for BST Global, and since that time, the company has flourished from its roots in North America. Today, BST Global serves clients in 65 countries on six continents.

Jessica Zofnass Barclay is a Managing Partner of the Environmental Financial Consulting Group (EFCG). EFCG is the leading advisor to architecture, engineering, and construction firms and leverages its 30 years of proprietary industry research and data to provide differentiated M&A advisory expertise, financial and strategic consulting, and executive conferences.

Jessica leads the firm’s M&A team, working with clients on ownership transitions, recapitalizations, inorganic growth strategies, and preparing firms for a sale.

Prior to joining EFCG, Jessica spent a decade in finance working with institutions, family offices, and private equity firms through her roles at Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, and Black Creek Group.

Jessica received her MBA with Distinction from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, where she was named an Edward Tuck Scholar, and graduated with Honors from Harvard University, where she rowed for the Women’s Varsity Crew Team for four years.

Alán is a Director and Lead Analyst in the Sustainable Finance team at S&P Global Ratings. He focuses on conducting ESG Evaluations and Sustainable Finance Opinions for green, social, and sustainability bond issues in various sectors. Alán is also responsible for ESG thought leadership and assisting in integrating ESG risks into credit ratings. Alán previously worked in S&P Global Ratings U.S. Public Finance Housing group, where he provided credit ratings to various affordable housing bond issuers, including state housing finance agencies, social housing providers, and community development financial institutions.

Before joining S&P Global Ratings, Alán co-founded Moody’s Analytics’ Social Performance Group, a product development group that created social risk measurement tools for impact investing markets in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Alán also worked in various ratings groups at Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings, including Structured Finance, Asset-Backed Commercial Paper, and Unsecured Consumer Credit Asset-backed Securities. Alán was previously a Relationship Manager at DWM Asset Management, an emerging markets investment manager dedicated to making impact investments that seek risk-appropriate returns with measurable environmental or social benefits for the developing world.

At DWM, Alán performed credit and social analysis for the firm’s debt and equity investments and managed several client relationships in India and Latin America. Alán earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from Columbia University and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in public management from Johns Hopkins University

Hugh is the Head of BSR’s Financial Services practice and partners with companies across sectors. He advises institutional investors, corporations, and other capital market participants on corporate sustainability strategy, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing and risk management, and stakeholder engagement. Prior to joining BSR, Hugh was a senior director at Ceres, where he led investor engagement with global institutional investors representing over US$20 trillion in assets under management (AUM). 

Hugh has over 15 years of investment management expertise, holding roles at the Florida State Board of Administration and Morgan Stanley, and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

Ms. Jill Cooper joined Orion in June 2022. She is an environmental attorney with about 30 years of experience working on sustainability and ESG, climate change and greenhouse gases, environmental health and safety, environmental planning and management, due diligence and auditing, compliance, and policy. Prior to joining Orion, Ms. Cooper served as a an ESG Senior Principal at Geosyntec Consultants and as Director of Global Environment at Anadarko Petroleum Company.

Cynthia McHale is a Senior Director at Ceres, a Boston-based nonprofit that works with the most influential investors and companies to tackle the world’s biggest sustainability challenges, including climate change. She has over 20 years of experience working with leading companies, investors, and non-profits to build financial, environmental and community leadership. 

Cynthia oversees Ceres’ investor engagement initiatives that seek to strengthen the voice of shareholders pressing companies to address the full range of climate and sustainability challenges. Cynthia works with shareholders, colleagues, and other stakeholders to design and implement active ownership practices including investor-corporate dialogues, shareholder proposals, and governance campaigns. Over the past 5 years, she led the development and implementation of the Climate Action 100+ initiative—a global campaign to move the largest carbon-emitting companies across all major sectors to align with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Today, more than 700 investors with over $68 trillion in assets collectively under management are engaging companies on improving governance, curbing emissions, and strengthening climate-related financial disclosures.  

Cynthia launched her sustainability career at Ceres by working with insurance companies, regulators, and policy makers to set new standards and expectations that promote a more proactive insurance industry response to myriad climate risks and move companies and communities towards greater resiliency.

Mark has 30+ years’ experience in senior executive and leadership roles for public & private power generation and renewable energy companies, and also consulting/engineering firms. Mark’s corporate responsibilities included strategic planning, EH&S programs, government affairs, marketing & communications, investor relations and business development.

For Montrose Environmental, Mark leads the Montrose Environmental Advisory Services team, and heads the U.S. West and Central Region Consulting Services teams, along with the Ecosystem Service Economics line. Mark holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from Indiana University, and a B.A. in Chemistry from Austin College.

In his role as Vice President and Global Director for Climate Resilience & ESG at Wood E&I he integrates sustainability and resilience into projects to strategically deliver project outputs that support ESG performance. He is the director for the Wood ADAPT for ESG Performance framework and the ResilienceLensTM Screen for Investments tool developed in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation. He is on the Meridiam Investments Resilience Committee for the Urban Resilience Catalytic Capital Fund (CCF) and an associate on the UNFCCC Climate Champions team to mainstream resilience for global impact.

He manages the Wood partnerships with Resilience Rising and the Resilient Cities Network, a member of the International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure (ICSI) and on the IPCC SUP Global Dialogue WG. He has been a speaker at the World Urban Forum, Global Infrastructure Dialogues and at COP26. He is on the Advisory Board for the ‘New Zero World’ campaign and film, is based in Portland, Maine and has been with the firm for over 35 years.

As Environment Analyst’s Operations Director, Ross leads the company’s efforts to develop an international membership community for the environmental services space. In this capacity he leads the firm’s research, editorial and commercial initiatives. 

Ross was a key architect of this inaugural Global Business Summit in Denver, recognising the need for high value-networking, engagement and intelligence sharing as the North American environmental services industry responds to increasing demand for ESG and sustainability services, as well as challenges such as the war on talent.  

As Operations Director he takes responsibility for delivering Environment Analyst’s mission to connect the environmental, ESG and professional services community and provide the intelligence to deliver a sustainable transition. Our Global Business Summit is thus an extension of this mission. 

Ross joined Environment Analyst in 2011 after graduating from the University of Swansea with a Masters in Environmental Dynamics and Climate Change. He has served in various roles throughout his time at the company, from Analyst, Editor, Research Manager and Content Director and has now been commentating on the global environmental and sustainability consulting market for over a decade.

Richard Heinberg is a Senior Fellow at Post Carbon Institute and is the author of 14 books, including POWER: LIMITS AND PROSPECTS FOR HUMAN SURVIVAL, along with hundreds of essays and articles, some of which have appeared in NATURE, WALL STREET JOURNAL and THE AMERICAN PROSPECT.

He has lectured on 6 continents and has appeared in numerous environmental documentary films.  

Mr. Heitmann is the Director of Emerging Technology with 7 years' experience managing technology development and evaluation as well as all aspects of air monitoring programs.  Mr. Heitmann applies his expertise in the installation, integration and commissioning of ambient, indoor, and source continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS) for a variety of client projects across North America. 

Mr. Heitmann’s extensive background of developing and managing cost effective ambient air sensors for integration in community and industry-based air monitoring programs, and his ability to support interpretation and communication of what the data collected means has proved invaluable to clients.

As the president & CEO of ISI, Anthony oversees the organization’s overall operations and leads the development of the Envision framework for sustainable infrastructure.  Anthony was formerly a research director at the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, a research associate with the Materials, Processes, and Systems Group at Harvard University, and an instructor at the Boston Architectural College. He holds a bachelor’s in architecture, summa cum laude, from Virginia Tech and a master’s degree in design studies from Harvard University. 

Anthony is a co-author of Ceramic Material Systems in Architecture and Interior Design and a contributing author of Infrastructure Sustainability and Design.

Joseph Kinney is a Partner at KPMG in Denver’s audit practice. He has worked within various industries, most notably with real estate companies. He has both domestic and international work experience providing professional audit and assurance services in accordance with U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) accounting frameworks. For both publicly traded and private entities, he provides audit services in accordance with U.S. GAAS, PCAOB and International Standards on Auditing (ISA). He also earned an executive certificate in advancing sustainability from NYU Stern.

With over 17 years at KPMG, he has a plethora of experience to share. He is looking forward to attending this year’s Global Business Summit and will be discussing Leveraging Digital & Technology Innovation to Achieve Sustainability Goals.

Tom Lewis is WSP USA’s senior executive in charge of Climate, Resilience & Sustainability for WSP USA, which includes the firm’s Future Ready innovation program. In this role and across his 30-plus year career, he has developed specialized experience in complex program management, technology innovation, renewables and clean energy, climate adaptation and resilience, sustainability, civil, geotechnical and transportation engineering, waste to energy, environmental protection and ecosystem restoration, groundwater and sediment remediation, brownfields redevelopment, industrial hygiene, disaster management and infrastructure recovery, water services, and construction management.

Tom has served on a variety of boards and committees promoting sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including the International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure, Resilience First, and the Zofnass Program’s Sustainable Infrastructure Advisory Board at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Tom holds a BS and MS in Civil Engineering and a JD with focus on environmental law/regulation. He is a licensed professional engineer and passed the bar in multiple states. 

Dr. Cris B. Liban, P.E. serves as Chief Sustainability Officer at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro), overseeing their internationally recognized Environmental, Sustainability, and Energy initiatives.  Cris has worked at LA Metro since 2003 and has helped it develop into one of the most progressive and forward-looking in the country, implementing over 150 sustainability initiatives to date. He is working to ensure that LA Metro assets and ~$140B in capital projects that are programmed for the next 40 years are sustainable, climate-adapted, and resilient for the more than 10 million people of Los Angeles County. Many of the new projects are to be completed in time for the 2028 Olympics. 

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A published author and national speaker, Cris has been and continues to be, the Chair or Member of multiple National Academies of Sciences Transportation Research Board committees that oversee research projects which tackle emerging and timely topics on social equity and climate, climate change impacts, greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategies, life-cycle and cost framework, and sustainable transport funding and financing.  

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He was recently the American Society of Civil Engineers National Committee on Sustainability Chair. In that capacity, he oversaw the development of an international standard for sustainable infrastructure, a committee paper for the incorporation of climate science into engineering practice, and a committee paper on the practice for green procurement. During that time, he also developed and co-founded the International Coalition of Sustainable Infrastructure in 2019 which has evolved to include engagement with more than 100,000 engineers and 10,000 cities worldwide. 

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He holds several politically appointed offices. He is currently the President of the Los Angeles County Beach Commission. He is also the current Vice-President of the City of Los Angeles Board of Transportation Commissioners. He is a member of the California Green Bonds Development Committee. 

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Cris received from the Philippines President in 2016 the Pamana ng Pilipino Award, the Philippines’ highest civilian honor presented to Filipinos living overseas.  He was the 2020 Engineering News-Record (ENR) Award of Excellence (AOE) recipient for his global transformative work on environmental science, climate change, and environmental equity. He was elected to the National Academy of Construction in 2021 and elected as a Distinguished Member by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2022. 

Chantelle Ludski joined Anthesis in September 2020 as Chief Operating Officer for North America and Asia Pacific, and is a member of the Global Leadership Team. Chantelle previously held the role of Chief Administrative Officer for the Americas at Renewable Energy Systems, Inc and prior to that, she was Global Chief Risk Officer at Arcadis N.V.

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Chantelle started her career in her native South Africa as a Corporate & Commercial lawyer in private practice, before moving to a General Counsel role with one of her firm’s clients in the UK.

Sharon serves as Jacobs’ Global Solutions Director for Remediation & Regeneration and as the Operations Director for the company’s Environmental Solutions Talent and Technology team. She is a licensed Professional Geologist with a B.S. in Geosciences from The Pennsylvania State University and an M.S. in Earth and Planetary Sciences from the University of New Mexico. Sharon has 30+ years of global experience serving a diverse set of government and private sector clients, working across all aspects of the Environmental market from planning and permitting, to regulatory compliance and sustainability, to investigation, remediation, and regeneration.

Natalia is a Managing Director, Climate Resiliency Leader at Aon’s Public Sector Partnership (PSP), which focuses on developing innovative solutions to help governments and other public institutions reduce volatility and increase the resiliency of their mission. The PSP is a global team of talented colleagues that have deep experience serving in government, insurance, reinsurance, and the capital markets.

In her role, Natalia works with clients to advance climate resiliency and disaster risk reduction solutions, well as drives innovative solutions to support the transition to a lower carbon economy (e.g., exploring the role that insurance can play in de-risking cleantech investments, improving the integrity of carbon offset transactions).

Prior to joining Aon, Natalia worked as a Director of Climate Resilience at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, where she led the development of programs, guidelines and standards for climate resilience and disaster risk reduction in Canada. Natalia held sustainability consulting and risk assurance roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada. She is a Board Member of the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative, a non-profit that helps governments identify, value and account for natural assets in their financial planning and asset management programs.

Natalia holds a B.A in Economics and a M.A. in Urban Planning from the University of Waterloo.

Laura Nelson is the Associate Director of Market Engagement for the IFRS Foundation, where she develops relationships and structures engagements with market participants for dialogues with the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and ISSB Technical Team regarding feedback on financially-material sustainability topics. Previously, Laura worked for the Value Reporting Foundation (VRF) which became part of the IFRS Foundation in August 2022. Prior to joining VRF, Laura spent over 15 years in EHS&S consulting, where she specialized in supporting clients across global industry sectors with development and implementation of sustainability strategies and public disclosures. She also previously served as the Associate Director of the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER).

Josh is managing director for sustainability advisory at Arcadis, coordinating the firm’s delivery of sustainability services across business areas and geographies. In his 20+ year career, Josh has advised both the private and public sector on sustainability topics, with a focus on strategy, performance management, and reporting. At Arcadis, Josh develops sustainability strategies and programs, quantifies energy, GHG, water, and waste performance, establishes ambitious goals (SBTi, net zero), assesses risk and opportunity aligned with TCFD, and reports on sustainability progress (CDP, DJSI, EcoVadis, GRESB, GRI, SASB, PRI, UNGC), supporting Arcadis’ commitment to accelerate the transition to a net zero world in a way that improves quality of life for all. He is an active collaborator with several sustainability-focused NGOs, advises the graduate sustainability program at the University of Colorado, and enjoys sharing his expertise at conferences, workshops, and webinars. Josh holds an MBA in corporate strategy and MS in environmental policy from the University of Michigan as a fellow of the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise and a BA in environmental studies and geology from Middlebury College.

Dennis 'Denny' Papilion has more than 35 years of experience in operations, strategy and development, and project/program management in the environmental, engineering and construction industries. He has served as executive lead of multidisciplinary operations across the US, Canada and Latin America, and has demonstrated success driving the execution of strategic business initiatives.​

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Denny has experience across all market sectors served by Earth & Environment, including oil & gas/chemicals, power and energy, transportation, government, water/wastewater, mining and commercial/industrial, and has extensive background in a wide range of key service areas. ​

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Denny recognizes the importance of centering environment, social and governance (ESG) considerations in the delivery of services and solutions to clients; he is passionate about inclusion and diversity; and he is a champion of safety culture. Denny graduated from Colorado State University with a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture, and he resides in Denver. ​

As GHD’s Executive Advisor, Sustainability, Resilience & ESG, Ginny Philps, an anthropologist by training, identifies opportunities for GHD clients to derive tangible value from the ESG reporting and disclosure process. This work enables clients to move beyond compliance, leveraging synergies, supporting innovation and driving business value.

Ginny’s participation in Cambridge Judge Business School’s inaugural Circular Economy cohort, in conjunction with The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, strengthened her understanding, acumen and vision for what is possible when we seek to embrace a Circular Economy.

Joining the global energy industry in 2001, Ginny’s responsibilities encompassed social investment strategy development, sustainability reporting and external relations. Since then, she has continued to build global experience across diverse sectors including non-profit capacity building and analysing rural educations programs in Egypt, assisting organizations to become social impact-investment ready in Australia and publishing research on non-financial indicators in Brazil. She also spent time building business-chamber support for a leading food bank and assisted multinationals in their pursuit of integrated reporting and climate conscious portfolios in Asia.

Tom Reichert was appointed CEO of ERM Group in February 2022. In his role, Tom leads a team of 7,000+ professionals in 39 countries worldwide.

As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, ERM partners with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations.

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Prior to joining ERM, Tom was the Chair of Global Practices at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he was also Global Leader of DigitalBCG. He has a long-standing passion for sustainability, having created BCG’s Practice Area focused on Sustainability, Diversity, Global Health and Education.

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Before joining BCG, Tom worked as acting CIO at BT Financial Australia/New Zealand and was a relationship manager for small to medium-sized companies for Dresdner Bank AG in Germany.

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He earned an MBA from Indiana University and a PhD in economics from the University of Bayreuth, Germany.

A citizen of Germany and Australia, Tom lives in New Jersey (USA) and is married with three children.

An executive vice president and business operating unit leader for Stantec's Environmental Services business, Susan is a dynamic leader recognized for forging strong client relationships, driving growth, and inspiring an inclusive team environment.

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Her project and leadership experience span diverse sectors and geographies across the consulting engineering and construction industry. Susan has managed complex environmental programs around the world and provided strategic oversight of transformational business change. No matter her role, Susan is committed to superior client care and project delivery.

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Susan is an advisory board member of the FIDIC (International Federal of Consulting Engineers) Global Leadership Forum and a member of OECD’s (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Executive Consultation Group supporting their Blue Dot Network. She has a bachelor of geology from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Science in geochemistry from the University of Chicago.

As the Global Market Leader, Digital Environment, Brett Roberts and his team are at the forefront of digitally transforming environment, ESG, and sustainability programs. By leveraging digital solutions and products, he is charting the path to a Future Environmental industry, enabling better and more efficient outcomes for clients. Brett’s approach to applying innovative and disruptive technologies amplifies the impact of environmental practitioners and accelerates progress towards a zero-carbon economy and achievement of sustainability goals.

From the ownership of P&L, sales and business development, integration of mergers and acquisitions, software and solution development and integration, leading strategic and business planning, and much more, Brett has made significant strides in the EHS&S software and consulting space through numerous executive leadership roles.

Since joining GHD in 2020, Brett has led the development of new digital capabilities, solutions, products, and partnerships. He has applied technologies such as advanced data analytics and Artificial Intelligence, data and document mining, Robotic Process Automation, software solutions, centralized data management systems, real-time IoT enabled data collection, and advanced visualization techniques like Virtual Reality to support client environmental and sustainability programs.

Mr. Sinclair is a dynamic leader and experienced asset management professional. He currently serves as Vice President and national practice lead for asset management at Arcadis. In this role he oversees the strategy and operations of the water asset management practice for North America. Previously, Mr. Sinclair was pivotal in the implementation of a successful award-winning asset management programs at one of the nation's largest water utilities WSSC water where he served as Director for Asset Management. He has developed and implemented several industry first programs in asset management including several award winning programs.

Previously Mr. Sinclair was a senior project manager with the Maryland Department of the Environment where he oversaw the implementation of several major projects. He is a graduate of Howard University where he earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a master's degree in Environmental Engineering. Mr. Sinclair is active in several industry organizations including AWWA, WEF, Asset Leadership Network, US Water Alliance, and Sustainable Water Infrastructure Management (SWIM) Center where he is also a board member. In 2021 Mr. Sinclair was awarded the Industry award for his work and impact in water utility asset management.

Peter is the Chief Operating Officer for SLR which consists of 1,500 consultants that undertake a diverse range of projects. Peter has worked in a wide range of market sectors mainly in geotechnical and  geo-environmental engineering and in the assessment and remediation of contaminated land, as well as managing multidisciplinary environmental projects such as environmental and social impact assessments and their associated disciplines.

SLR is one of the largest pure play environment businesses and has an exceptional track record in delivering projects in a wide range of market sectors.

In his role as Global Head of ESG Advisory Services, Mr. Spencer supports the advancement of the firm’s environmental, social and governance strategy. 

Mr. Spencer has been an integral member in devising and embedding corporate ESG strategies in a post-COVID-19 environment, providing ESG-focused business planning and green recovery. He has driven climate change and carbon performance change management programs in-house and for client organizations; aligning climate action and sustainable development with strategic planning.

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Additionally, Mr. Spencer is a co-founder and executive director of the Natural Capital Laboratory (NCL), and works in a pro bono ESG advisory capacity for the Environmental Industries Commission (EIC) as an Advisory Board member and chair of the EIC Natural Capital Taskforce. He is also Vice Chair of the Fédération Internationale Des Ingénieurs-Conseils (FIDIC) Sustainable Development committee and sits on the Environment Analyst Sustainability Advisory Board. Recently, he established the Science working group of Sustainable Markets Initiative – Nature-based Solutions taskforce.

Frank is the Chief Executive of the Environment Global Business Line, with more than 7,500 scientists, engineers and support staff serving clients globally. The business provides a full range of environmental and energy consulting, engineering and field services.

Mr. Sweet was appointed to lead the Environment Global Business Line in October 2020 and has been leading the integration of the Environment Business Line in the Americas since August 2018.  

Mr. Sweet has held a series of operational and corporate roles including his most recent role leading Delivery Excellence which established the company’s project management systems, training and technical quality programs. Previously he was responsible for AECOM’s Northeast Region of the Americas. Prior to joining AECOM, Mr. Sweet led ENSR’s Environment Business in the Americas. 

A leading advisor on strategically managing PFAS challenges, Shalene Thomas began her career in toxicology and risk assessment consulting then quickly expanded her expertise to create data management and visualisation tools. For the last 12 years, she has worked to guide clients through navigating PFAS use transition, investigation and clean-up. Shalene is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Maren is a Project Manager supporting EDF’s work to raise the bar for corporate climate leadership. She works with companies, investors, ratings/rankings agencies, employees, and other stakeholders to ensure that consistent climate policy advocacy is an essential part of corporate leadership on climate change.

As Global Sustainability Specialist, Eveline is part of a team of executive advisors who help Microsoft's most strategic customers transform their business into a sustainable business. She identifies opportunities by capturing new business model opportunities on the long term as well as helping them understand how and where to start their sustainability journey based on their current emissions and ambition. Eveline has worked in a wide range of industries and on a variety of sustainability focus areas but is a recognized thought leader in the voluntary carbon markets (VCM) and carbon sequestration space.

Eveline has worked for Microsoft for 5+ years with a strong focus on disruptive technologies and Sustainability. She holds a B.A. in International Business and graduated cum laude from her Master of Science in Marketing. After which she pursued a Post-Graduate degree from Emeritus on Innovation & Design Thinking.