Jo da Silva
Director, Arup International Development
www.arup.com/internationaldevelopment
Jo da Silva is a civil engineer who recognised the important contribution engineering plays in society whilst living in India early on in her career. She has interwoven state of the art design on public projects such as Chek Lap KoK airport, Hong Kong or the National Portrait Gallery, London with working in post-disaster situations ensuring those in need have access to essential infrastructure.
Her work in Sri Lanka post-tsunami coordinating the construction of 60,000 shelters in 6 months for tsunami affected families inspired her to establish Arup International Development which provides a centre of excellence for Arup’s work in developing countries.
Its focus is on reducing poverty and vulnerability and building local skills and capacity through effective strategic planning and delivery of infrastructure projects, working in partnership with other organisations. This includes non-governmental organisations, international donors, and the public and private sector.
Promoting economic vitality, unlocking human potential and recognising the value of environmental assets are seen by Arup International Development as essential to achieving positive and long lasting impacts which maximise return on investment. Jo is currently working on urban regeneration projects in East Africa, and advising on disaster risk mitigation projects in Asia.
Robert M. Hertzberg
Chairman, G24 Innovations and Co-founder, Renewable Capital
Mr. Hertzberg was twice unanimously elected on a bipartisan vote as Speaker of the California State Assembly, 2000-2002, and was a candidate for Los Angeles Mayor in the 2005 election missing the runoff by less than 1%. During his speakership, Mr. Hertzberg was instrumental in drafting legislative solutions to the California Energy Crisis. Together with his leadership team, he developed the most comprehensive energy conservation standards in the US and led the early fight for renewable portfolio standards.
In his efforts, he has appeared on many national and international news shows, including, The BBC, Nightline, CNN, CBS Evening News and others.
Now, as Chairman of G24 Innovations and co-founder of Renewable Capital, Mr. Hertzberg is an active entrepreneur and leader in global policy concerning Renewable Energy.
Recently, CNBC European Business chose G24 Innovations as one of its "Top 100 Low-Carbon Pioneers", and The Guardian chose Mr. Hertzberg as one of the "50 People Who Could Save The Planet".
Cyndi Rhoades
Founder, Anti-Apathy & Worn Again
www.wornagain.co.uk
Cyndi Rhoades is using a fashion business as a force for good, making new products made from disused materials achingly desirable. She is Founder of Worn Again, a products and services company that provides sustainable solutions for corporate textile waste by 'upcycling' reusable materials into new, design-led products for large brands and a consumer market.
With a background in popular culture as a film director of music videos and documentaries, and a passion for popularising engagement, she is also Creative Director of Anti-Apathy, a social enterprise that 'produces innovative projects to inform, inspire and support engagement in the big issues such as climate change and poverty'.
Cyndi designs and develops the events and new programme areas for Anti-Apathy's public engagement work, and through Anti-Apathy is one of the founding partners of the RE:Fashion Awards, the first awards to 'celebrate the best in ethical fashion'.
Tessa Tennant
Founding Executive Chair, The ICE Organisation Ltd
Having studied environmental sciences at Kings College, London University and worked as Special Projects Director for the Green Alliance, Tessa Tennant co-founded the UK's first equity investment fund for sustainable development in 1988. As an early champion of integrating sustainability criteria into investment management, she worked as Head of SRI Policy and Research at Jupiter Asset Management, NPI and Henderson Investors.
During this time she also co-founded the UK Social Investment Forum and the Carbon Disclosure Project and became active internationally with the UNEP Finance Initiative and as a Board Member of the Calvert funds in the USA. In 1997 she began to develop social investment in the Asia Pacific region, and the NPI Global Care Asia Pacific Fund was launched in 1998. In 2001 she co-founded and was first Chair of the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA).
She is now the Founding Executive Chair of the ICE Organisation Ltd, a loyalty rewards programme and service provider to the credit card industry. Formally incorporated in November 2006, the company's mission is the mass mobilisation of consumer purchasing in favour of climate protection and environmental living. The company's first client Rabobank has 1.1 million customers in Holland with 'Climate Cards' powered by ICE.
Click here to hear Tessa's interview