Helene thibieroz
Entrepreneur, business strategist and biomimicry ADVISoR

Helene Thibieroz is a technologist and business entrepreneur who thrives on solving complex puzzles unifying technology, business and environment. With a PhD in Electrical Engineering, her 20+ year work experience combines advanced research for deep sub-micron processes, engineering for leading high-tech companies, and marketing, sales and business development for large technology corporations.

Because she loves technology and strongly believe it can be successfully applied to create practical solutions to our environmental problems, she created the management consulting firm We Grow Green Tech. Her team is currently accelerating growth of green technology early-stage companies and a mentor/ADVISER at several world leading accelerators and universities. Her focus is specifically in scaling nature-inspired processes through strong business strategy and development.

Darja Dubravcic, PhD in biology

Darja Dubravcic is a passionate biologists with the goal of helping engineers, managers and policy makers make more sustainable products, services and organisations by learning from Nature’s 3.8 billion years of R&D. From 2015 to 2017 she created and coordinated the Bioinspired Projects Platform at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), a research and education initiative with over 60 bioinspired engineering projects in robotics, materials, solar energy, chemistry and medicine. In 2017 she swapped the Swiss mountains for French ones by moving to the Ideas Laboratory at CEA Tech in Grenoble, where she mixed bioinspiration and open innovation with major French companies such as Bouygues and Suez. Since 2019 she is working independently and teaching bioinspired design at the Grenoble School of Architecture.  She is a two-times TEDx speaker, has presented at more than 20 international conferences and numerous industry events (Logitech, Saint Gobain). In 2013, Darja obtained her PhD in Interdisciplinary Approaches to Evolutionary Biology from the University Paris Descartes for her work on cooperation in social amoebas. She holds two master’s degrees, one in Molecular Biology (Zabreb Univeristy) and another in Interdisciplinary Approaches to Life Sciences (University Paris Descartes).

Rosalinda Sanquiche
Executive Director, Ethical Markets Media
Director, Ethical Biomimicry Finance

Rosalinda is Executive Director of Ethical Markets Media and Director of Ethical Biomimicry Finance®.  She is currently Acting Executive Director for the EthicMark® Awards for advertising that uplifts the human spirit and society. She began her environmental career with the American Wind Energy Association in Washington, DC, in research and communications. She has written on the construction industry, the environment, sustainability and the media, topics on which she regularly presents. She has taught environmental policy and team-taught field classes combining ecology and policy in Florida and Belize. Rosalinda’s childhood years hiking through Puerto Rico’s El Yunque National Forest informed her belief that we must engage in sustainable behaviors to preserve the magnificent world we inhabit for generations to come. As a program manager for the North Florida Land Trust she focused on protecting environmentally significant places through B2B, educational and private/public easements. Rosalinda currently serves as treasurer for the Northeast Florida Green Chamber.
 

Simon Tribelhorn
CEO, Liechtenstein Bankers Association
Board Member, Carlo Foundation

(b. 1972)  After his studies at the University of St. Gallen, Simon spent many years in the banking industry, most recently four years as legal counsel in the Legal & Compliance department at the Swiss Union of Raiffeisen Banks. Since February 2006, he's been working for the LBA, first as a lawyer and later as Deputy Managing Director. As of January 1, 2010 he was appointed CEO of the LBA.

As part of his function, he represents the LBA in various national and international commitees. Simon's main objectives are the long-term preservation of the stability of the Liechtenstein financial sector, on the one hand, and the continuous enhancement of the capacity for innovation, on the other hand. His interests include the development of a sustainable financial system as well as impact investing. He participated and was significantly involved in the founding and developement of the LIFE Climate Foundation Liechtenstein. Since the establishment of the LIFE Climate Foundation in 2009, he serves as its director in addition to his regular job as CEO of the Bankers Association.

Simon Tribelhorn holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of St. Gallen. In 2002, he became attorney at law (with admission to the Swiss bar).
 

Tamsin Woolley-Barker, PhD
Certified Biomimicry Professional
Owner, BioInspired Ink

Tamsin is an evolutionary biologist, science writer, and biological research consultant with over 25 years experience in business, design, and biology.  She is a contracted ‘Biologist at the Design Table’ for Biomimicry 3.8, and a co-founder of Biomimicry San Diego. An engaging writer and speaker, her weekly column at Inhabitat.com ("The Biomimicry Manual”) circulates among nearly half-a-million readers worldwide. Tamsin has an undergraduate degree in Plant Sciences from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and received her doctorate in Biological Anthropology/Evolutionary Genetics from New York University in 1999. Her passions center on bioinspired material science, organizational structure, the nature of evolution, and human resilience. Tamsin is currently working on a book about the evolution and nature of collaboration in organizations.
 

Christian Arnsperger
Professor of Economics, University of Louvain
Scientific Advisor, Alternative Bank Schweiz

 (b. 1966) Christian holds a PhD in economics from the University of Louvain (Belgium), where he also teaches and researches. His research topics include the architecture of the financial system, the notion of financial sustainability, and the role of banking and of financial markets, as well as of financial regulation, in the transition to a sustainable economy. He is also interested in ancient and medieval trade and in the historical origins and cultural roots of money and banking. Christian Arnsperger also acts as external scientific advisor to the Alternative Bank Switzerland (ABS, Olten & Lausanne). He has two children and currently splits his life between Belgium and Switzerland.
 

Stuart Valentine
Owner, Centerpoint Investment Strategies
Manager and Licensee, Ethical Biomimicry Finance

Stuart Valentine is a registered Representative of Financial West Group (FWG) and member of The Progressive Asset Management Group, the socially responsible division of FWG. Stuart has played an active role in the Green Private Placement sector of the Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) industry since 2000. As owner of Centerpoint Investment Strategies, he is passionate about building the personal relationships and networks necessary to create meaningful, systemic change in the world of finance today. In September 2010, Stuart served on the Drafting Committee on Transforming Finance--an initiative to recognize finance as a global commons.  He currently serves on the boardof  Progressive  Asset  Management,  Inc  (PAMI)  andthe  ResearchAdvisory  Boardfor  Ethical Markets in the area of Social Venture Capital. Having written a series of articles on Socially Responsible Investing and its relationship to the Hero's Journey, Stuart is often invited to speak to describe the conscious investment process and the changes taking place within the global green economy. Outside of his professional life, Stuart is an active member in his community. He is Co-Director of the Sustainable Living Coalition (SLC), adjunct faculty in the Maharishi University of Management (MUM) sustainable business department and served on the planning commission for the city-wide "Fairfield Go-Green Strategic Plan 2020."

François Gilardoni
Senior Business Advisor, Fongit Seed Invest (FSI)
Co-founder, World Innovation Day (WID)

François Gilardoni is a venture capitalist, innovation expert and award-winning scientist educated in Switzerland and the USA with nearly two decades of international experience (EMEA, USA and Japan) in the high-tech and financial industries.  His fortes include technology valorization, business valuation of early stage ventures, and advice in seed investments.  He sits on the board of directors of several invested companies and and oversees business turnarounds in the cleantech, IT, ICT, healthcare and finance industries.  In 2013, he co-founded the World Innovation Day (WID) global initiative and has also launched the World Innovation Academy (WIA), an affiliate fund to guide entrepreneurs in bringing disruptive enabling technologies to a global market.  He is founder of Global Advisory Services (GlobAS), a boutique firm providing non-discretionary investment advisory services to clients seeking to expand their private equity portfolio in the high-tech industry and to ventures raising capital (debt or equity).  Francois holds a PhD in Computational Chemistry as well as advanced degrees in Environmental Science and Computing.  He was awarded the prestigious Swiss Prix LATSIS for his achievements in computational chemistry.  He holds one patent issued to Avantium Technologies BV and has authored over 30 scientific publications in highly ranked international journals and technical conference presentations.