Velvet Innovation Conference 2022

Kurt has joined the cabinet of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as Green Deal and Health advisor on 1 December 2019. 
 
He joined the cabinet from DG Research and Innovation where he was Director for Policy & Programming since 1 February 2016 and Acting Director for Research & Innovation Outreach since 1 June 2019. Before that, he was Director for 'Climate action and resource efficiency' at DG Research and Innovation since July 2013. He served in the Cabinet of Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin (1999-2004) and as Head of the Cabinet of Janez Potočnik, who was Commissioner for Research and Innovation (2004-2009) and subsequently for Environment (from 2010). 
 
Kurt joined the European Commission in 1996 as co-ordinator of the Commission’s Intermodal Transport Task Force and of the Transport Research Programme. Before entering the Commission, Kurt worked for 4 years as a manager at Ernst & Young Association Management, where he set up, managed and represented international trade associations. 
 
After reading French and Italian literature at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL) and obtaining a degree in Public and International Affairs at the University Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve (UCL), Kurt gained a Master of Arts degree in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (S.A.I.S.) in Bologna, Italy and Washington D.C., US. 

Radek Špicar graduated from Charles University and the University of Cambridge. He is a former Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy and later a member of the Škoda Auto management. For several years he also led the Central European branch of the American think-tank Aspen Institute. He currently serves as Vice President of the Confederation of Industry and Transport of the Czech Republic and Vice President of Business Europe, the largest European employers' association. Three years ago, he founded a company producing premium food for dogs and cats. He is married and has two daughters, Antonia and Rozália. You can follow it on Twitter at @R_Spicar_SP_CR

Juraj is the CSO&CFO of IDEA StatiCa, the world-leading company in the field of software for structural analysis and design. IDEA StatiCa enables structural engineers to safely calculate even the most complex structures and optimize the amount of material needed to build them.

Juraj has an academic background from three continents – Prague University of Economics, Harvard University, and Singapore Management University. He is a big fan of the Austrian school of economics, believing that free market, democracy, personal responsibility and fair competition are the solution, not the ever-growing role of state.

Juraj is the EY Techonology Enterpreneur of the Year 2020 and EY Enterpreneur of South Moravian Region 2020.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/juraj-sabatka-a9308b126/

Mrs Petra Bußwald has started working in the field of sustainable digitization already 30 years ago resulting in a very rich expertise and experience track. She holds a degree in 'technical mathematics' (informatics, economics, statistics) and 'technical protection of the environment' from the University of Technology in Graz / Austria; where she also worked on modelling, publications and implementation for the research projects 'EDP-based environmental management' and 'emission cataster'. From 1994 to 1998 she was responsible for the IT team and developed the methodology for a software tool for material and environmental balancing in an Austrian company.
In 1999 she founded www.akaryon.com together with Franz Niederl, a research colleague, based on former multi-year cooperation. Since then, for more than 20 years, she has been leading several research based web platform development projects, accompanying the projects all the way from the idea to ready-to-install/ready-to-use products well introduced on the market.
Akaryon, based in Vienna and Styria, develops tailor-made platforms for organisations and project, e.g. for the European Initiative Covenant of Mayors http://covenantofmayors.eu, as well as it offers own software solutions, e.g. www.esg-cockpit.com: A tool for sustainability data management, calculation of KPIs like carbon footprints and overall ESG reporting (GRI, ecogood, EMAS, …).

https://www.linkedin.com/in/petra-busswald-akaryon/

Dan is an expert on sustainability in business. In 2018, he started a company for consultancy in sustainability, Fair Venture. It serves for analyzing impacts, setting strategies, and conducting ESG reports. Later in 2021, Dan co-created a startup Impact Metrics. It focuses on the evaluation of ESG data based on research and automated tool. Both companies experienced dynamic development last two years thanks to the general interest in ESG.
Dan also helped to establish NGO Změna k lepšímu, a network of businesses interested in corporate sustainability and relevant legislation.
Currently, Dan studying a Ph.D. program with a focus on assessment in sustainability. He has also experience working in a watchdog organization.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danheuerfv/

Ivana has been fully dedicated to MIWA Technologies since 2018. As a partner and member of the management, she is in charge of environmental impact monitoring, relations with impact partners, and also fundraising.
 
In addition, it cooperates with an investment fund (Central Europe Industry Partners) in the field of ESG monitoring and reporting.
 
Before that, she worked for 10 years in management consulting and the restructuring department of PwC.
 
She also devoted herself to environmental protection during her studies at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Charles University in Prague. She also graduated from the IMS Faculty of Social Sciences and completed a one-year residency at Sciences Politiques in Rennes. She holds CIMA (Certification in Management Accountancy).

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanasobolikova/

Petr had worked in the corporate sector for several years and thus experienced the banking business from the side of the client. Petr was active in the revitalization and rescue of companies in financial problems and gained the experience as a crisis manager. 
He started his banking career as an analyst at Česká Spořitelna in 2001. He gradually moved from analytical work to the risk department, corporate business and now leads the Corporate Engagement Tribe. In practice, he therefore deals with the management of client data, new products and the care of corporate clients. He is currently actively involved in the startup scene as part of the Seed Starter subsidiary of České Spořitelna. He has been active in the field of Green Transformation since mid of the year 2020.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/petr-vostry-328b474/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fayewalsh/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sentacermakova/

Michaela has been part of the Open Source industry for the last few years, where she has been driving Software programs and projects. Her day-to-day work hygiene requirements are transparency, inclusivity, curiosity, and discipline. All these components she also implements in the community Holky v Kryptu. This 3000+ female community supports females in their blockchain, investment, and independence education and mindset.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaela-malatin-03b34052/

After having worked in commercial-technical management positions for multinationals and startups in the electronics- and advanced materials industry for over 20 years, Richard started  his own company in 2010. Since then, he offers his experience and networks to help out others in the challenging field of high-tech innovation. 

As connector and business coach, he is involved in the European Union EASME project for SMEs, acts as Advisory Committee Member for Dutch governmental (NWO) subsidies and is Chairman of the Board of ‘Brainport Centre for Technology & Law’ (an organisation that facilitates knowledge- and contacts exchange between high-tech entrepreneurs and investors, patent attorneys, lawyers and accountants). Richard is a Founding Partner of Smart Energy Projects, a company that conceptuates and develops disruptive, smart and sustainable solutions for the energy sector.

Richard is located near Eindhoven, The Netherlands, in the middle of the so-called Brainport Area.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-bijlard/

Responsible for setting the Innovation Agenda at Kingspan Group Plc. The Group is focussed on decarbonising the product set and developing circular solutions for the building material industry under the Planet Passionate program. There are other key activities around automation of the installation of the product, creating new ways of using the building envelope to store energy and using the recently released for Power panel to offer customers an integrated solar solution on to roof panels for industrial applications. The role is located at the IKON Innovation Centre at Kingscourt Co Cavan Ireland . I sit on the board of insulation raw material chemical provider called Synthesia in Spain and a Digital Twin platform developer called Invicara based in Dublin and Singapore . Prior to that I spent 10 years managing Manufacturing and supply chain Operations for Kingspan Insulated panels in Central and Eastern Europe based out of Hradec Kralove. Prior to Kingspan, I worked in the wider electronics manufacturing sector for Celestica in Ireland, Spain, Czech Republic and Romania.  My Education is a B Sc in Physics from National University of Ireland at Galway, and MBA from Open University in UK as well as executive studies in Innovation and Leadership from INSEAD.

Bhushan Nigale runs the Sustainability Management Development Program at SAP SE. In a career spanning over 23 years in the software industry, he has fulfilled a variety of roles, ranging from strategy definition to product and large-scale program management.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bynigale/

Fredrick is the Vice President and Practise Leader for the Sustainability & Circular Economy (SCE) program at Frost & Sullivan. The research focus of the SCE program is on key Sustainability Development Goals and aims at un-locking growth opportunities of water, energy & resource regeneration/recovery and resilience across cities and industry value chains that are inter-dependent on critical resources in an increasingly connected world. He has more than 20 years of research and consulting experience with specific expertise in sustainability and circular economy in the water and resource management sectors. Fredrick has a Masters in Environmental Management from the University of Edinburgh and has been an advisory board member at World Water Tech/Waste to Energy and Resource Recovery Summits and a member of the Advisory Council for the Smart Water Network (SWAN) Forum.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredrick-royan-4771273/ 

Venture capital investor. Finance guy. Startup consultant. Progressive rock enthusiast.

As Junior Partner at Y Soft Ventures, Lukáš works with some of the best startups in the Central European region. He is a member of the European Commission expert evaluator network and an evaluator at Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, assisting in spotting the most promising innovations across Europe. Thanks to cooperation with universities and organisations such as JIC, Impact Hub, Vodafone Foundation or Ynovate network, he uses his skills and experience when working with entrepreneurs and various early-stage projects or SMEs as a consultant, mentor or lecturer.
 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukaskonecny1/