Connie Hedegaard
With two decades of experience in international and domestic executive policy-making, Connie Hedegaard is today assuming several key positions in support of a low-carbon and green economy. She is the first chair of the Board for the KR Foundation, a large Danish climate and sustainability foundation operating globally. She is also the current chair of the OECD’s Round Table for Sustainable Development and chair of the Board for the green think tank, CONCITO. Ms. Hedegaard has furthermore been appointed Public Investigator to the Norwegian government’s project on Green Competitiveness.
Ms. Hedegaard was the European Commissioner for Climate Action from 2010 to 2014, during which she led the negotiations towards the adoption of the EU 2030 Climate and Energy Framework. As EU Commissioner, she was also responsible for the 2050 Roadmap for moving to a low carbon economy and represented the EU in the international climate negotiations.
Prior to the appointment as EU Commissioner, Ms. Hedegaard served as Minister for Climate and Energy in Denmark from 2007 to 2009 and as Minister for Environment from 2004 to 2007. She was elected Member of the Danish Parliament from 1984 to 1990 and again from 2005 to 2009.
She is educated in literature and history and has a professional background as a journalist at the Danish National Broadcasting Corporation (DR) and at a number of Danish national newspapers. She has also authored and contributed to several publications and columns.
Janez Potočnik
Dr. Janez Potočnik (1958) graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia (Ph.D. degree 1993). After a successful career starting in 1989 in Slovenia as a researcher at the Institute of Economic Research, Director of the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (1994), he was appointed Head of the Negotiating Team for Accession of Slovenia to the EU (1998).
He was also Director of Government Office for European Affairs (2000), Minister Counselor at the Office of the Prime Minister (2001), and Minister responsible for European Affairs (2002).
In 2004 he joined the European Commission, first as “shadow” Commissioner for Enlargement and then as Commissioner responsible for Science and Research. In 2010 Dr. Potočnik became Commissioner for Environment. His term ended on November the 1st 2014.
In November 2014 he was appointed for a three-year term as a member and Co-Chair of the International Resource Panel hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme. In the same month, he was also appointed as Chairman of The Forum for the Future of Agriculture and RISE Foundation and a Member of the European Policy Centre’s Advisory Council.
Peter Bakker
For a decade (since 2012), Peter has led WBCSD based in Geneva, Switzerland. WBCSD is the global, CEO-led community of the world’s leading sustainable businesses working collectively to accelerate the system transformations needed for a net-zero, nature positive, and equitable future.
Peter is a distinguished business leader who, until June 2011, served as CFO and then CEO of TNT NV, the global transport and logistics company. He has been recipient of the Clinton Global Citizen Award (2009) and the Sustainability Leadership Award (2010). Peter serves as a member of several corporate sustainability advisory boards.
He received the royal order Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau in 2018 in recognition of his long-lasting commitment to engaging business in tackling global sustainability issues.