Manisha Tank

Charismatic, dynamic and intellectually curious, Manisha Tank is a highly experienced emcee and moderator, who leverages warmth and empathy to serve the needs of clients and engage audiences, eliciting insight from panellists in an authoritative manner.

With 25 years of broadcast experience as a news anchor and correspondent, at Reuters, the BBC and CNN International, she’s adept at riding minute to minute adjustments, following time cues and navigating fast paced, in-depth, often deeply technical conversations in live situations. Over those years Manisha has interviewed hundreds of CEOs, founders, policy experts, A-List celebrities and political leaders, on a wide range of topics, from geopolitics to business and entertainment.

Increasingly, her work focuses on Net Zero transition, digitalisation and new technologies for enterprise transformation including blockchain, artificial intelligence and cloud and she is a regular face on Singapore’s high-profile conference and event circuit. Concurrently she is the host of various podcast series for a range of blue chip clients including Standard Chartered CCIB and Accenture.

In November 2023, Manisha hosted Earthshot +, a part of The Earthshot Prize’s first ever Earthshot week, hosted in Singapore, as well as commanding the 7000 + seat festival stage at the world renowned, Singapore Fintech Festival, for which she has been the host for five years.

Manisha is also an angel investor in companies focused on achieving The United Nation’s SDGs, with a personal passion for gender equality, rural development and sustainable transition technologies.

Thomas Kraubitz

Thomas is a global leader in green cities, carbon consulting, energy transition and sustainability and guides cities, municipalities and districts into a sustainable future. With nearly 20 years of international experience on integrated and innovative masterplans and architecture, Thomas has developed a holistic approach towards the future of urbanisation and city planning.

As Director and Head of Sustainability and Climate in Europe, Thomas co-leads Buro Happold’s Cities Europe team, with a strong focus on resilient urban environments in Germany, Europe and beyond. He is a passionate consultant and advisor to public and private clients with a deep understanding of the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration in driving best practice solutions. Thomas leads the region’s engagement with international development work with clients such as UNIDO, World Bank, KfW and GIZ. He also advises many city municipalities, as well as real estate developers on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), taxonomy and portfolio strategies. He recently served as an independent consultant to the European Commission on Sustainable Development along the Belt and Road Initiative.

Based in Berlin, Thomas is a chartered urban and regional planner as well as a qualified architect. In 2022 he has been nominated a member of the Association of German Architects (BDA). He is a DGNB Senior Auditor and Trainer, ÖGNI EU-Taxonomy Advisor, BREEAM DE Auditor, LEED GA, WELL Advisory Council Member, WELL PT Agent, ECARF Advisor and WiredScore AP. He is responsible for some of the first and highest rated certifications in Germany.

Thomas was a co-initiator of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) and is a member of its board of directors as well as technical committee. With the World Green Building Council (WGBC) in Europe he is a #BuildingLife ambassador and also an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) in the Future Cities – Smart City Council.

Thomas holds a master’s degree in urban design with distinction from Harvard University, where he also received the Outstanding Leadership and Academic Excellence Award. He studied architecture in Coburg, Germany, as well as urban planning at the Tongji University in Shanghai and at MIT in Boston.

Thomas frequently speaks at universities and conferences on the future of cities and sustainability. He has previously held teaching positions at the Stuttgart Technology University of Applied Sciences and at the TU Berlin Campus in El Gouna, Egypt. Currently, Thomas is lecturing on life cycle planning and sustainability at Coburg University.

He is on the Advisory Board of the LEAF Architecture Forum and frequently serves as a jury member and resilience expert on architecture and urban design competitions. Thomas’s work has been widely published in international journals, books and podcasts.

Paul Rogers

Paul is a partner at Buro Happold, leading the company’s work in Germany and Poland as well as the Hospitality sector.

A chartered structural engineer, Paul has had experience working on a variety of projects. His exposure to international work has given him a good founding to understand the nature of special concerns depending on geographic location; environmental, cultural and economic.

While on a three year tour in the Middle East, Paul worked on some of our most high profile projects, including managing the co-ordination of all construction disciplines for a major development in Riyadh City Centre. Fundamental to his success is his grasp of cross-disciplinary skills. He understands the value of applying a breadth of knowledge to a challenge in order to find its most ideal solution, and has done so consistently on each of his projects.

Ben Caldecott

Ben specialises in environment, energy, and sustainability issues and works at the intersection between finance, government, civil society, and academe, having held senior roles in each domain.

Concurrent with his Oxford position Ben is Senior Advisor to the Chair and CEO of the UK Green Finance Institute (GFI) and the COP26 Strategy Advisor for Finance based out of the Cabinet Office. He is also a Visiting Researcher at The Alan Turing Institute and a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University.

Ben has authored and edited a substantial number of publications related to sustainability and is an experienced media commentator and public speaker. He is also a regular peer reviewer and has a number of board and advisory panel appointments, including with the University of Oxford Socially Responsible Investment Review Committee, The Prince of Wales's Accounting for Sustainability Project, ATLAS Infrastructure Partners Ltd, Impact Lens Ltd, the British Standards Institution (BSI), and the Green Alliance.

He has conceived and initiated a number of initiatives related to sustainable finance. Ben founded and co-chairs the Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance and Investment (GRASFI), an alliance of global research universities promoting rigorous and impactful academic research on sustainable finance. He established and leads the Sustainable Finance Theme at The Alan Turing Institute and initiated the Spatial Finance Initiative, which aims to mainstream geospatial capabilities enabled by space technology and data science into financial decision-making globally. He co-founded the Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative (CCLI), which is examining the legal basis for directors and trustees to consider, manage, and report on climate change-related risk, and the circumstances in which they may be liable for failing to do so. He also established and led as chair, Bright Blue's research programme on energy and the environment.

Ben chairs the International Green Finance Coordination Group on behalf of the UK Green Finance Institute and the UK Government. This brings together 20 central government departments, public bodies, regulators, and organisations close to the public sector all working on green finance and has been established to enhance coordination on UK priorities for green finance internationally. He currently serves on the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Climate-Related Market Risk Subcommittee and the UK Department for International Trade’s Export Guarantees Advisory Council. In his capacity as a Member of the UK Green Finance Taskforce, he chaired its Workstream on Task Force on Climate-related Disclosures (TCFD) Implementation.

Prior to joining the University of Oxford, he was a Vice President at investment bank Climate Change Capital, one of the early leading asset management and advisory firms focused on the net zero carbon transition, where he ran the firm's research centre and advised clients and funds on the development of policy-driven markets. Ben has previously worked as Research Director for Environment and Energy at the think tank Policy Exchange, as Head of Government Advisory at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, as a Director in the Strategy Directorate of the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as a Deputy Director in the Strategy Directorate of the UK's Department of Energy and Climate Change, as an Advisor to The Prince of Wales's International Sustainability Unit, and as Sherpa to the UK Green Investment Bank Commission.

Ben holds a doctorate in economic geography from the University of Oxford. He initially read economics and specialised in development and China at the University of Cambridge and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He has been an Academic Visitor at the Bank of England, a Visiting Scholar at Peking University, and held Visiting Fellowships at the University of Oxford, the University of Sydney, and the University of Melbourne. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment. Ben is also a Non-Resident Fellow at the Payne Institute for Earth Resources at the Colorado School of Mines.

Kemal Dervis

Until February 2009, he was the Executive Head of the United Nations Development Programme. In 2001-2002, as Minister of Economic Affairs and the Treasury of Turkey, Derviş was responsible for launching Turkey’s successful recovery from a devastating financial crisis. Derviş is a Member of the Board of Overseers of Sabanci University in Istanbul and contributes to the work of that university, particularly on European and Regional issues. He also chairs the International Advisory Board of Akbank.

Prior to his tenure as Minister of Economic Affairs, Derviş had a 22-year career at the World Bank, where he became Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa in 1996 and Vice President for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management in 2000. At the World Bank he also managed work on the transition of Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin wall, trade and financial sector policies in emerging markets and the reconstruction of Bosnia.

From the end of 2002 to the summer of 2005, Derviş was a member of the Turkish Parliament representing his native city of Istanbul. During that period Derviş was one of the two Turkish representatives to the Convention of the Future of Europe. Since then he has participated in various international and European task forces and networks such as the Global Progressive Forum, the Progressive Governance Network, the Task Force on Global Public Goods and the Commission on Growth and Development.

In March 2015, Derviş agreed to become the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey responsible for the economy in a cabinet led by Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu should his party form the government after the 2015 general election to be held in June. He declined to become a Member of Parliament however, stating that he would prefer to participate in the cabinet from outside Parliament. He is therefore the first and remains the only shadow minister in Turkey.

Derviş earned his Bachelor and Master’s degrees in economics from the London School of Economics, and his Ph.D. from Princeton University. He taught economics at Princeton and the Middle East Technical Universities before joining the World Bank. He currently co-teaches a graduate course on Global Economic Governance as Adjunct Professor at Columbia University.

He has published many articles in academic journals as well as current affairs publications. A book entitled “A Better Globalization”, was published by Brookings Press for the Center for Global Development in 2005 and focused on global economic governance issues. He has since co-authored a book on income distribution in America and edited a book on Asia and Policy making for the Global Economy. Derviş is fluent in English, Turkish, French and German.

Ian Plimer

Professor Ian Plimer, is Emeritus Professor at The University of Melbourne where he was Professor and Head (1991-2005). He was Professor of Geology (University of Newcastle 1985-1991) and Professor of Mining Geology (University of Adelaide 2005-2012).

He has been awarded the prestigious Leopold von Buch Medal for Science, the Centenary Medal, the Clarke medal , the Eureka Prize (twice) and is a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, a Fellow of the Geological Society of London and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

He has published more than 130 scientific papers. He is author of multiple best-selling books for the general public on the climate change, environment, religious fundamentalism and mining history. He is one of the most widely quoted climate realists in the world. He claims that much of the concern about human-induced global warming is the result of political activism, opportunism and is unrelated to science. He questions whether carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industry are contributing significantly to global warming because in the past the planet enjoyed ice ages during times when the atmospheric CO2 content was far higher than now. Professor Plimer is regarded as a major influence in changing the public perception of the global warming issues in Australia and is an international speaker on climate change, the environment, mining and its contribution to civilization.

He is a member of the academic advisory council for the Global Warming Policy Foundation and a member of Australians for Northern Development & Economic Vision.

Professor Plimer serves on the Boards of listed companies (Ivanhoe Australia [ASX:IVA, TSX: IVA]; Silver City Minerals [ASX:SCI]; Niuminco Group [ASX:NIU]; Kefi Minerals (AIM:KEFI]) and unlisted companies (Hancock Prospecting companies [Roy Hill Holdings, Hope Downs, Queensland Coal], TNT Mines and Yeeda Oil).

Gunter Pauli

Gunter Pauli was born in Antwerp, Belgium, in March 1956. In 1979 he graduated as “Licencié en Sciences Economiques” from Loyola's University (today University of Antwerp) in Belgium and obtained his masters in business administration from INSEAD in 1982 at Fontainebleau, France thanks to a scholarship from the Rotary International Foundation. During the time he was studying, he held the most diverse jobs in order “to sustain family, education and to save money, which permitted extensive traveling during the summer holidays". In 1978 he was elected as national president of the students’ union AIESEC.

He was the founder and Chairman of PPA Holding and of more than 10 other companies, founder and CEO of the European Service Industries Forum (ESIF),  Secretary General of the European Business Press Federation (UPEFE), founder and president of the Foundation “Mozarteum Belgicum“, Chairman and President of Ecover, and advisor to the Rector of the United Nations University in Tokyo (Japan).

His entrepreneurial activities span business, culture, science, politics and the environment. Under his leadership, Ecover pioneered an ecological factory in 1992, featured on CNN Prime Time News. He founded the "Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives" (ZERI) at the United Nations University in Tokyo, and subsequently established The Global ZERI Network as a foundation, redesigning production and consumption into clusters of industries inspired by natural systems.

He is dedicated to design and implement a society and industries, which respond to people’s needs using what is locally available. His visionary approach supported by dozens of projects on the ground landed him an invitation to present his cases at the World Expo 2000 in Germany. There he constructed the largest bamboo pavilion in modern days presenting 7 breakthrough initiatives. It became the most popular pavilion with 6.4 million visitors. Unfortunately, the pavilion was destroyed after the Expo. However the original built in Manizales, Colombia still stands as a symbol for the Coffee Region.

His latest initiatives include the design of a solution for the plastic soup floating in the oceans and the creation of a protective zone with islands to avert rising sea levels. He is actively involved to ensure that the largest herd of rhinos (2,400 in Kaziranga National Park in India) will be free of poachers thanks to an intensive economic and community development program in coordination with organic tea plantations.

He has been visiting lecturer and professor at universities in on all continents, and Member of the Board of NGOs and private companies in Asia, USA and Latin America. He has advised governments, entrepreneurs and industry leaders on how to implement breakthrough innovations that permits society to better respond to the basic needs of all, starting with water, food, housing, health and energy. He works with what is locally available, focuses on the generation of value.

He is a Fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences (San Francisco, USA), a creative Member of the Club of Budapest (Hungary), Member of the Club of Rome, moderated the Roundtable of Nobel Science Laureates hosted by HM King of Jordan State and obtained a Doctorate from the Italian Government in systems design. He has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Pécs, Hungary.

Gunter has published 20 books (written 16 - edited 4), which have been printed in +30 languages and 365 fables bringing science and emotions to children. Over 17 million copies have been distributed worldwide. One of his fables “The Strongest Tree” is available in over 100 languages. His latest  book published in April 2015 "The Blue Economy 2.0: 200 projects implemented, $4 billion invested and 3 million jobs created" is the new reality inspired the vision of his Report to the Club of Rome presented on November 2, 2009.

His next book "From Deep Ecology to Blue Economy: 21 Principles of the New Business Model" will be forthcoming in the Fall of 2016. He is father of five sons, one daughter (Adopted) and married to Katherina Bach. Fluent in seven languages and having resided on 4 continents, he is a world citizen.

Ian Goldin

Prof. Goldin was Vice President of the World Bank (2003-2006) and prior to that the Bank's Director of Development Policy (2001-2003). He served on the Bank's senior management team, and was directly responsible for its relationship with the UK and all other European, North American and developed countries. Goldin led the Bank's collaboration with the United Nations and other partners. As Director of Development Policy, Goldin played a pivotal role in the research and strategy agenda of the Bank.

From 1996 to 2001 he was Chief Executive and Managing Director of the Development Bank of Southern Africa and served as an adviser to President Nelson Mandela. He succeeded in transforming the Bank to become the leading agent of development in the 14 countries of Southern Africa. During this period, Goldin served on several Government committees and Boards, and was Finance Director for South Africa's Olympic Bid.

Previously, Goldin was Principal Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London, and Program Director at the OECD Development Centre in Paris, where he directed the Programs on Trade, Environment and Sustainable Development.
Born in South Africa, Goldin has a BA (Hons) and a BSc from the University of Cape Town, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and a Doctorate from the University of Oxford. In addition to being Director of the School, Goldin is the Oxford University Professor of Globalisation and Development and a Professorial Fellow at Balliol College, Oxford.

Goldin has received wide recognition for his contributions to development and research, including having been knighted by the French Government and nominated Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum. He has published over 50 articles and 18 books, the most well-known being "Globalisation for Development: Trade, Finance, Aid, Migration and Ideas" (Palgrave Macmillan, reprinted 2007), "The Economics of Sustainable Development" (CUP, 1995),  "Exceptional People: How Migration Shaped our World and Will Define our Future" (Princeton University Press, 2011), "Globalization for Development: Meeting New Challenges” with Kenneth Reinert (Oxford University Press, 2012), "Divided Nations: Why global governance is failing and what we can do about it" (Oxford University Press, 2013), "Is the Planet Full?" (Oxford University Press, 2014) and "The Butterfly Defect: How globalization creates systemic risk and what to do about it” (Princeton University Press, 2014).

In addition to being Director of the Oxford Martin School, Goldin is the University of Oxford Professor of Globalisation and Development and a Professorial Fellow at Balliol College, Oxford.

Nazanine Moshiri

Nazanine Moshiri, a seasoned professional moderator and speaker. She has successfully presented and hosted events for prestigious organisations such as the UN, European Investment Bank, ICRC, and the Berlin Climate Security Conference. Her role as a moderator and speaker also extends to facilitating discussions for various governments worldwide, showcasing her ability to engage with and navigate diverse perspectives on critical issues.

In addition to her role as a speaker and moderator, Nazanine is also one of the hosts of a biweekly debate show by Doha Debates and Foreign Policy Studios, that bridges the divide across contentious issues.

Currently affiliated with the International Crisis Group, Nazanine Moshiri is dedicated to the organisation's mission to prevent wars and shape policies that will build a more peaceful world. She is an expert on climate change, environmental issues and how they intersect with conflict.

Before joining the International Crisis Group, Nazanine forged a distinguished career in journalism spanning two decades. Her noteworthy contributions include roles at renowned media outlets such as Reuters, Independent Television News, and Al Jazeera English, where she served as both a presenter and correspondent.

Ernesto Zedillo

Ernesto Zedillo is a Mexican economist and politician. He served as President of Mexico from December 1, 1994 to November 30, 2000. Since the ending of his term as president in 2000, Zedillo has been a leading voice on globalization, especially its impact on relations between developed and developing nations.

He is currently Director of the Center for the Study of Globalization at Yale University and is on the board of directors of Citigroup since 2010.

He is an advisory board member of the Millstein Center for Corporate Governance and Performance at the Yale School of Management. In 2005 he became a member of the influential Washington-based financial advisory body, the Group of Thirty. He serves on the board of advisors for Stonebridge International. In 2009 he headed an external review of the World Bank Group's governance. He is also a member of the board of directors of Procter & Gamble, Alcoa, the Global Development Network and Electronic Data Systems. Dr. Zedillo is also a member of the Coca-Cola Company International Advisory Board. Union Pacific owns some of the railroads that Zedillo privatized during his presidency in Mexico. Dr. Zedillo now serves as a Director of Union Pacific Corporation.

Among his other post-presidency activities, Zedillo is a member of the editorial board of Americas Quarterly, a policy journal that explores relations and development in the Western Hemisphere. He is also a member of the Club of Madrid, as well as the current chair of the Natural Resource Charter's Oversight Board.

In July 2013 Zedillo joined The Elders, a group of independent global leaders who work together on peace and human rights issues.

Alexander Likhotal

Prof. Dr. Alexander Likhotal is the President of Green Cross International. He holds doctorates in Political Science from the Moscow State Institute for International Relations (1975) and in History from the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, USSR Academy of Sciences (1987).

In addition to an academic career as a Professor of Political Science and International Relations, he served as a European Security analyst for the Soviet Union leadership. In 1991, he was appointed Deputy Spokesman and Advisor to the President of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev. After Mr. Gorbachev’s resignation, Professor Likhotal served as his advisor and spokesman and worked at the Gorbachev Foundation as the International and Media Director. Having joined Green Cross International in 1996, he is actively involved in furthering sustainable development agenda.

During the wake of Gorbachev’s perestroika, being already a well-known expert in the field of European security, he received a proposal to become the chief analyst of NATO politics in the International Department of the Central Committee of the CSPU - one of the Soviet foreign policy co-ordination bodies.

He is a member of the International Council for the Earth Charter and Adviser to the Club of Madrid and has launched internationally acclaimed initiative body such as the Earth Dialogues Forum and has spearheaded Green Cross International’s global campaign for the Right to Water.

Mr Likhotal currently holds a lecture appointment at North Eastern University at Boston, where he teaches about the cultural and political implications of business management. His areas of expertise include: Developments in Russia & Eastern Europe, Russia and the New World Order, Russian Foreign Policy Today, NATO and European Security. He was born in Moscow in 1950, married, has one daughter.