Speakers at the ISEAL Global Sustainability Symposium 2024

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We are thrilled to announce the line-up of expert speakers joining us on 13 June in Baden, Switzerland for the ISEAL Global Sustainability Symposium 2024.

Representing a diverse range of backgrounds and sectors, our speaker panel will discuss the implications of recent and future changes in due diligence policy for companies and sustainability systems and explore practical solutions to ensure these spread benefits to people and the planet. 

We are updating speaker information and adding new speakers on a regular basis, so check back often.

Keynote speaker 

Richard Howitt
Richard Howitt served as a Member of the European Parliament for 22 years, was its Rapporteur on Corporate Responsibility and negotiated Europe’s first rules for corporate sustainability reporting. Richard is now Strategic Advisor on Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, Business and Human Rights, Senior Associate at Frank Bold LLP, member of Faculty at Audencia Business School and Board member at both the Eiris Foundation and sustainability think-tank, r3.0.
Richard Howitt
Advisor, ESG-competent Board member, Trainer, Keynote Speaker and Conference Facilitator

Speakers

Ambassador Ivo Germann
Ivo Germann is head of the Foreign Economic Affairs Directorate. Previously, he headed the Macroeconomic Support Section in the Economic Cooperation and Development Division and Economic, Trade and Financial Affairs at the Swiss Embassy in Washington, D.C. He joined SECO's Macroeconomic Support Section in 2000 and was promoted to Deputy Head of Section in 2004. He returned to SECO in 2010 as head of Private Sector Development and was promoted to head of Operations South/East in 2013.
Ambassador Ivo Germann
Head of the Foreign Economic Affairs Directorate, SECO
Christian Robin
Christian Robin is the Executive Director of the Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa (SWISSCO). He holds a PhD in Political Science of the Center for Comparative and International Studies (CIS) of the University of Zurich. Christian joins the Cocoa Platform from SECO, where he served as Deputy Head Trade Promotion, Christian has held a variety of positions across SECO in his 14 years, including as Head of Swiss Economic Development Cooperation in Peru.
Christian Robin
Strategic Advisor on Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, Business and Human Rights, Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa
Janina Grabs
Janina Grabs is the Associate Professor of Sustainability Research at the University of Basel, Switzerland and has aPhD in Political Science. Her work on the effectiveness of private sustainability governance in the coffee sector is published in the book “Selling Sustainability Short? The Private Governance of Labor and the Environment in the Coffee Sector” (2020, Cambridge University Press) Her current research agenda focuses on the implementation of due diligence legislation.
Janina Grabs
Associate Professor of Sustainability Research, University of Basel
Rajesh Bhuyan
Rajesh Bhuyan is a Mechanical Engineer from National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, India, with 35 years of experience in diverse fields and countries. Currently he is working as the Director of the trustea certification programme. which has been certified as ISEAL Code compliant. Previously he worked as Regional Manager, Safety, Health, and Environment(EHS), Asia Pacific, for US based FMCG MNC SC Johnson in Kuala Lumpur covering Indonesia, China, Vietnam, and India.
Rajesh Bhuyan
CEO/ED, trustea Sustainable Tea Foundation
Santiago Gowland
As chief executive officer, Santiago Gowland is responsible for the strategic, programmatic, financial, and operational leadership of the Rainforest Alliance. and reports to the Board of Directors. Previously, he served as the executive vice president for Latin America and global innovation for The Nature Conservancy (TNC).In his role as head of global innovation for TNC, Santiago was the executive champion for their green technology strategy and systems innovation capabilities.
Santiago Gowland
CEO, Rainforest Alliance
Claire Reboah
Claire joined Proforest in 2020, working with initiatives across a variety of agricultural commodity sectors.some of her most recent work focused on Environmental and Social Due Dilligence Regulations, including the EUDR and EU CSDDD, and their interface with Voluntary Sustainability Standards. Claire is currently part of the RSPO/Proforest team working on the ISEAL Innovation Fund project EUDR and independent palm oil smallholder inclusion – bridging the gaps in interrupted supply chains.
Claire Reboah
Principal Project Manager, Proforest
Luiza Bruscato
Luiza serves as the Global Executive Director of the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) and has 15 years of experience in sustainability projects. She is also a guest lecturer in the MBA program for Agribusiness Management at the Instituto de Posgrado y Grado (IPOG). Previously, Luiza held the position of Executive Director of the Brazilian Round Table on Sustainable Livestock (MBPS). She was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB).
Luiza Bruscato
Global Executive Director, Round Table on Responsible Soy
Melanie Grant
Melanie Grant is Executive Director of the Responsible Jewellery Council, and was a journalist for over 20 years having worked at The Times, The FT, The Independent, The Guardian, The BBC and The Economist. She wrote her first book Coveted on jewellery, art and economics in 2020 and won The Media Excellence category of The Gem Awards voted for by the Jewelers of America in 2021. Melanie sits on the boards of New York Jewelry Week, The Black in Jewelry Coalition, ISEAL and The Copenhagen Commitment.
Melanie Grant
Executive Director, the Responsible Jewellery Council
Danielle Morley
Danielle, CEO of Bonsucro, leads the team in maintaining Bonsucro as the global platform for sugarcane sustainability. Prior to her appointment at Bonsucro in 2018, Danielle was European Director of Outreach and Engagement at Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, and Executive Director of the Freshwater Action Network at WaterAid. Danielle also sits on the Board for ISEAL She is a qualified English lawyer and holds a master's degree in Environmental Technology and a bachelor’s degree in Law.
Danielle Morley
CEO, Bonsucro
Peter Feilberg, Executive Director of Preferred by Nature
Peter Feilberg is the Executive Director of Preferred by Nature (PbN) and has extensive expertise in data handling, traceability, claims management, and communication. Peter champions innovative approaches to make sustainability systems accessible to smallholders, employing risk-based approaches, and enhancing the credibility of certification schemes. Peter's deep understanding of policy implementation challenges makes him a crucial voice in discussions on strengthening the foundations that enable enterprises to amplify their environmental impacts.
Peter Feilberg
Executive Director, Preferred by Nature
Amanda Soler Guzmán, Advocacy & Engagement Advisor, amfori
Amanda is a sustainability passionate. As a Policy Advisor, she implements amfori’s advocacy strategy across key environmental topics with an impact on global supply chains, such as transparency, deforestation, environmental due diligence and climate change. Amanda follows policy and legislative trends and contributes to the development of amfori sustainability tools. Previously, she contributed to/led advocacy campaigns in energy access, sustainable finance and international cooperation.
Amanda Soler Guzmán
Advocacy & Engagement Advisor, amfori
Andre de Freitas, Executive Director, Solidaridad Network
Andre brings nearly two decades of invaluable experience in leading socio-environmental civil society organizations. He has a background in forestry and passion for sustainability in land-based supply chains. Before his position at Solidaridad, Andre served as the president of the Renova Foundation, a multi-billion dollar remediation and restoration effort for one of largest environmental disasters in Brazil’s history. He also worked as the Director General of the Forest Stewardship Council and was the Executive Director of the Sustainable Agriculture Network and Imaflora.
Andre de Freitas
Executive Director, Solidaridad Network
Martina Bozzola, Senior Advisor Sustainability and Livelihood International Trade Centre
Martina is a Senior Advisor in Sustainability at the International Trade Centre (ITC), focusing on Mandatory Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence. She is also an Associate Professor in the Economics of Agriculture, Food, and Health at Queen’s University Belfast. Martina holds a Ph.D. in International Economics from the Graduate Institute in Geneva and has previously worked at ETH Zurich and the European University Institute in Florence. She is a lead author of the 4th Edition of the Coffee Guide.
Martina Bozzola
Senior Advisor Sustainability and Livelihood, International Trade Centre
Fabian Waldmeier, CEO, Fairtrade Max Havelaar
Fabian Waldmeier has worked for Fairtrade Max Havelaar for 13 years, taking over as CEO in April 2023. Previously, he was a member of the Executive Board, heading up the International Cooperation division, and was also Deputy CEO. An economist, he began his career in public administration and insurance. He then went on to manage a private foundation in Kenya, focused on humanitarian aid and agricultural education. Thanks to his many years of experience, Fabian Waldmeier has in-depth knowledge of the sustainability of supply chains.
Fabian Waldmeier
CEO, Fairtrade Max Havelaar
Petra Heid, Head of Sustainability, HALBA, Switzerland
Petra has an MSc. in Geoecology and more than 25 years experiences in sustainability of cocoa and its value chain. Her experience includes organic certification, collaborating with smallholder producer groups, facilitating market access, and transferring knowledge in quality and sustainable production systems. Petra leads the sustainability department of the chocolate and snack company HALBA, Switzerland, which is pioneering agroforestry projects and is a division of the Coop Cooperative.
Petra Heid
Head of Sustainability, HALBA, Switzerland
Ximena Serrano, Deputy Director of Quality and Sustainability, ProColombia.
Ximena is an industrial engineer and qualified project manager, with an MBA and Masters in CSR and Sustainable Leadership. She has more than fifteen years of experience in the design and implementation of sustainability models for public and private companies. Ximena currently works as the Deputy Director of Quality and Sustainability at ProColombia.
Ximena Serrano
Deputy Director of Quality and Sustainability, ProColombia.
Deniz Austin, Human Rights Expert
With UEBT since September 2023, Deniz monitors and integrates evolving requirements on human rights due diligence into the UEBT systems, tools, and processes. She is developing strategies to address human rights risks and concerns in specific supply chains. Deniz has both hands-on, field level, and high-level corporate experience designing and implementing human rights due diligence programs in various geographies related to different sectors.
Deniz Austin
Human Rights Expert, UEBT
Maria Julia Oliva Director of Policy and Sector Transformation UEBT
Julia is responsible for Policy and Sector Transformation as of May 2023. She previously worked with UEBT from 2009 until 2021 and last served as Deputy Director and Senior Coordinator for ABS and Policy. Her last position was Head of Policy at UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, where she oversaw a team focused on accounting for the value for biodiversity in policy. She is a trained lawyer with internationally recognized expertise on legal and policy issues linked to biodiversity. Julia grew up in Mendoza, Argentina and has an LLM degree from Lewis & Clark Law School in the US.
Maria Julia Oliva
Director of Policy and Sector Transformation, UEBT
Giulio Baroni, Project Manager, GIB
Giulio is a Project Manager at GIB, managing a granted project under the ISEAL Innovation Fund on Due Diligences. He is also the communication coordinator for the FAST-Infra Label. Giulio has been with GIB for two years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Drama, Art, and Music Studies and a Master’s degree in Euroculture: Society, Politics, and Culture in a Global Context.
Giulio Baroni
Project Manager, GIB