Ben Durham
Chief director: Bio-Innovation Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, South Africa
Ben Durham has been trained in Environmental Biology at the University of KwaZulu‑Natal (1995) and began working in science and innovation in 1997 at the National Research Foundation and joined the Department of Science & Technology in 2013. His current Role (as of 2025) is as Chief Director: Bio‑innovation, National Department of Science and Innovation (formerly Department of Science & Technology), South Africa. Ben Durham is leading the South African bioeconomy agenda under its 2025 G20 presidency, carrying forward the High-Level Principles on Bioeconomy first adopted under Brazil’s presidency in 2024.
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Martin Greimel
Head of the Centre for Bioeconomy, BOKU University, Vienna, Austria
Martin Greimel is coordinating all relevant activities of BOKU related to bioeconomy. He has chaired the European Bioeconomy University Alliance (EBU) till end 2024. He was a civil servant at the Austrian Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management where he was responsible for international cooperation in the field of forestry research and member of a group that developed the Austrian Bioeconomy RTI Strategy. He was coordinator, deputy coordinator and partner in several ERA-NET and other EU Framework Programme initiatives related to bioeconomy and forestry research. From 2004 till 2006 he was a National Expert at the European Commission in the DG Research; Dir Biotechnology, Agriculture and Food Research. He was Vice Chair of the COST Domain Forest, Products and Services and member of the Forest Technology Platform management group.
Luka Juvančič
Head of Bioeconomy Research Centre, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Luka Juvančič is an agricultural and resource economist. He is Associate Professor of Economics of Natural Resources at the Biotechnical Faculty, where he is leading the newly established Centre for Circular Bioeconomy. His research record spans widely in terms of roles (researcher, principal investigator, project leader), research topics (impact analysis and evaluation of agricultural and rural development policies, risk management, environmental and ecological economics, bioeconomy) and methodological approaches (macroeconomic models, spatial econometrics, system modelling, environmental accounting methods, economic experiments). Narrowing down to his work related to bioeconomy, research achievements worth highlighting include the coordination and preparation of evidence base on biomass availability, biomass use and economic performance of bioeconomy in Slovenia (project Bridge2Bio) and BIOEAST region (project BIOEASTsUP). He is a frequent contributor (publications, events) on the topics concerning business models, policies and RDI support for bioeconomy, extending these topics to teaching (course leader, supervisor) and professional work (co-chair SCAR WG Bioeconomy, member BIOEAST TWG Education).
Jukka Kantola
Chair, World Bioeconomy Association
Jukka Kantola is a seasoned executive and internationally recognised advocate for the circular bioeconomy, with 30 years of leadership experience across Europe and Asia. As the Founder of the World Bioeconomy Forum and the Chair of the World Bioeconomy Association, Jukka has worked to elevate the global bioeconomy agenda by engaging stakeholders from industry, policy, finance, and research. Jukka’s work focuses on biomass valorisation, bio-based innovation, and fostering global cooperation in support of sustainable development. He regularly contributes to high-level dialogues (e.g., COP, G20) and co-authored the flagship report Financing a Sustainable Global Bioeconomy (2024), outlining strategies to align capital with bioeconomy goals. Jukka hold an eMBA from Rutgers University and a Master’s degree in Engineering from Aalto University.
Klara Loch
President, International Forestry Students’ Association – IFSA
Theresa Klara Loch is an early-stage researcher and PhD student in forest and environmental policy at the University of Freiburg, Germany. Her research explores social and social-ecological networks in forest governance, taking a relational approach grounded in an interdisciplinary perspective.
She recently completed her term as President of the International Forestry Students' Association (IFSA) for 2024/25 and has been active in youth, climate justice, and gender equity networks for several years. She is also involved in the IUFRO ForGEDI Task Force, advocating for greater equity and diversity in forest-related fields.
Tapio Määttä
Rector of University of Eastern Finland. Chair of the EBU Presidency. Professor of Environmental Law
Geert Marsmans
Cargill Vice President, R&D FOOD EMEA
Geert Cargill is an activist and practitioner in food industry innovation. A business leader with a deep passion for research and science, he enjoys building high-impact teams—bringing together colleagues and stakeholders to transform knowledge into tangible value. Geert represents Cargill at industry associations, research consortia and start-ups. He is board member at the European Specialty Food Ingredients association, at the European Technology Platform Food for Life, an (advisory) board member of several institutes and start-ups in ingredient discovery and technology development. A lifelong learner, Geert holds a PhD in Applied Biological Sciences and an engineering degree in Chemical and Biological Industries. His education also includes studies in business administration and innovation leadership. Prior to joining Cargill, Geert had worked at academia, at an SME, and at stock-quoted multinationals.
Mona-Anitta Riihimäki
Chair of ICA CoP for Bioeconomy Education & Dean at Häme University of Applied Sciences, Finland
Mona-Anitta Riihimäki is Dean of the School of Biotechnology and Natural Resources. Mona is Chair of the Committee for Natural Resources Education, of the Rectors’ Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences. In October 2024 she started to act as a chair of ICA Community of Practice for Bioeconomy Education (CoP Bio-Edu). Lately she has been involved in national assessment of Bioeconomy Higher Education as a evaluation team member (Finnish Education Evaluation Centre FinEEC). In 2025 she’ll continue the work, when the role of sustainability in all education levels will be in FinEEC’s focus.
Jessika Roswell
European Commissioner for the environment, water resilience and circular economy
Jessika Roswell’s professional background is as a lawyer specialising in criminal & family law. Member of Riksdag (Uppsala County), including Vice‑President of EU Affairs Committee. Second Vice‑President of the Riksdag’s EU Affairs Committee (2019–2022). Sweden’s Minister for EU Affairs & Nordic Cooperation (18 October 2022 – 10 September 2024) under Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience & a Competitive Circular Economy (since 1 December 2024) under Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
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Peter Wehrheim
Head of Unit "Food Systems and Bioeconomy" DG Research & Innovation, European Commission, Belgium
Prior to his present assignment Peter Wehrheim worked for the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan. He is a member of the International Advisory Council to the Global Bioeconomy (IACGB). From 2010 to 2018 he was Head of Unit for Land Use and Climate Finance in Directorate-General for Climate Action. Before 2004, Peter worked at the Universities of Bonn/DE, Maryland/US (with a Heisenberg scholarship of the German Research Foundation) and Kiel/DE. Between 1994 and 2004 he worked as a part-time consultant for the World Bank, Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI / Washington), the German Bank for Reconstruction (KfW) and other development agencies. He received his doctoral degree (and his habilitation) in agricultural economics from the University of Giessen (University of Bonn, Germany) and comes from a vinery in southern Germany.
Elena Zepharovich
Scientific Officer, EC Joint Research Centre (GRC) Ispra, Italy
Elena Zepharovich is a project officer working within the Land Resources and Supply Chain Assessments Unit on bioeconomy-related projects. She holds a PhD in Geography and Sustainable Development from the University of Bern, where her research addressed deforestation and environmental justice in Argentina’s Chaco region. At JRC, she develops innovative methods to assess land-based biomass sustainability, aligning with EU policies aimed at balancing biomass production, biodiversity preservation, and climate mitigation. She also contributes to policy analysis efforts supporting the European Green Deal and biomass policies.