Global Speakers

Topic: Case Study In Partnership With H&M: Developing Practical Solutions To Recycle Blended Textiles Into New Fabrics And Yarns

Mr Keh is the CEO of The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel. He is also on Faculty at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology where he teaches supply chain operations.

Until April 2010 Edwin was the SVP COO of Wal-Mart Global Procurement. Prior to Wal-Mart Edwin managed a consulting group that has done work for companies on supply chain, manufacturing, and product design. The practice also did work for non-profit organizations and charities. Edwin co-founded the Consortium For Operational Excellence in Greater China (COER GC). The Consortium is sponsored by the Wharton School and Tsinghua University.

Edwin had a career as senior executive with several US consumer goods and retail companies. He was the Managing Director of Payless Shoesource International, Donna Karan International, and Country Road Australia. He also worked for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

Edwin serves on multiple industry and educational boards. He advises several other social enterprises.

Edwin is the 2011 recipient of the Production and Operations Management Society’s Martin K. Starr Excellence in Production and Operations Management Practice Award, and is on the Debrett’s Hong Kong 100 as one of the most influential people in Technology and Digital sector.

Topic: Why A World Without Waste Is Possible

Topic: Circular Economy Needs Innovative Product Design Thinking: Surfboards From Discarded Fishing Nets

Matt Gray is Regional Commercial Director for DSM Engineering Plastics, Asia Pacific. In this role, he is responsible for commercial, sales and marketing activities for company’s engineering plastics which are designed to make people’s lives safer, more convenient and healthier while addressing climate change, energy use and circular design.

Gray joined DSM in early 2015 as a Strategic Project Director, bringing nearly 20 years of experience across a variety of leadership roles with GE Plastics and SABIC Innovative Plastics. His previous responsibilities included sales management, field marketing, e-Business, product management and supply chain management in Sydney, Auckland and Melbourne. He led the Australian business manufacturing operations for GE Plastics. In 2010, he relocated to Singapore where he took up regional and global leadership roles across product, sales and industrial market domains for SABIC Innovative Plastics.

With strong leadership and senior executive experience, Gray demonstrates clear strategic thinking for leading change. He is a well-respected leader, team player, mentor and coach with extensive Asian and global business participation and a depth of cross-industry expertise in automotive, aerospace, healthcare, as well as electrical and consumer electronics.

Topic: Effective Circular Economy Stakeholder Management & Engagement – Changing Hearts And Minds: The Power Of Movement, Building Towards A Greener Environment

Topic: Circular Economy Innovations –  Deploying Materials And Digital Technologies Sustainably – The NUS Experience And With Its Industry Collaborators

Professor Seeram Ramakrishna, FREng is the Chair of Circular Economy Taskforce at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He is a member of Enterprise Singapore NMC on ISO/TC323 on Circular Economy.  He is an advisor to the Singapore National Environmental Agency’s CESS events). He is a member of World Economic Forum (WEF) Committee on Future of Production-Sustainability. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Springer NATURE Journal Materials Circular Economy. He is an editorial board member of NATURE Scientific Reports. He chairs the Future of Manufacturing Group, Institution of Engineers Singapore.

His leadership roles includes NUS University Vice-President (Research Strategy); Dean of NUS Faculty of Engineering; Director of NUS Enterprise; Director of NUS Industry Liaison Office; Founding Co-Director of NUS Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Initiative, NUSNNI; and Founding Chairman of Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, SERIS.

He received PhD from the University of Cambridge, UK; and the TGMP from the Harvard University, USA. He is a Highly Cited Researcher in the world .Thomson Reuters recognized among the World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds. A European study placed him among the only 500 researchers with H index over 144 in the history of science and technology .His 1,000 journal papers and 8 authored books received ~94,000 citations.

He received numerous recognitions which include CUT Honorary Engineering Doctorate; IEEPA Pioneer Academic Circle Award; APA Distinguished Researcher Award, IFEES President award- Global Visionary; GEDC Ambassador; ASEAN Outstanding Engineer Award; IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award; IITM Distinguished Alumni Award; NUS Outstanding Researcher Award; CPS Biomaterials Award; Cambridge Nehru Fellowship, and Singapore LKY Fellowship.

He specializes in technologies to recycle and upcycle plastic waste, and to evaluate circularity of materials via life cycle assessment. He is collaborating with a team at the Technical University of Munich, Germany on medical plastics waste. He teaches eco-design and life cycle engineering as a part of Materials for Engineers course.

Topic: Circular Economy Innovations: Circular Economy Within The Hospitality Industry

Stefan is the Regional Director for Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), for the Asia-Pacic, Middle East, Africa, Latin and Central America, at Diversey. Stefan is a strong advocate of CSV – Creating Shared Value – by addressing societal needs with a business model. He specializes in helping needy communities create sustainable livelihood programs as a means to lift them out from poverty. Currently, Stefan leads over 150 active projects in over 30 countries, mostly projects on child protection, anti-human trafcking, livelihood programs and disaster relief and rehabilitation. In addition to the CSV work, Stefan speaks in various regional conferences highlighting the issues of environmental sustainability and climate change, and how businesses can help mitigate these urgent needs faced by many regions in the world today. Stefan has a Bachelor’s (Honours) Degree in Microbiology and a Master’s Degree in Molecular Epidemiology from the National University of Singapore. Stefan is a Child Protection Advocate accredited with the International Child Protection Network (ICPN) for Asia, Middle East and Africa. In 2014, he was awarded the UK Crown’s Medal for outstanding contribution in working
with partners to address trafficking victims’ needs and bringing offenders to justice.

Topic: Closing The Loop On E-Waste: Current Challenges And Innovations, With Case Studies On Lithium Ion Batteries And Pcbs/New Industries

Prof. JC Gabriel is Research Director at the French Alternative Energy and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) as well as co-director of the NTU Singapore CEA Alliance for Research in Circular Economy (SCARCE). He joined CEA in 2007 where he was CEA/LETI institute’s “Beyond CMOS” program manager. He then became deputy director of CEA’s Nanoscience program and co-principal investigator of the REE-CYCLE advanced ERC project (2013-2018), aiming to developing new rare earth extraction/recycling processes.

Former student at the “Ecole Normale Supérieure”, he received his Ph. D. from Orsay’s University. His career is a mixed academic – industrial one (CNRS/Nanomix Inc./CEA) in nanoscience.

Topic: Sustainability Reporting And Disclosure: Global And Regional Trends

Rajesh is Managing Director of CSRWorks International, a Singapore-based sustainability firm focused on advisory, training and thought leadership. His expertise lies in developing sustainability strategies for competitive advantage.

He has over 20 years of international experience in diverse industries. His sustainability strategies have helped clients win global rankings and recognitions. He conducts a wide range of sustainability training courses across the region.

Rajesh is also the founder of several though leadership programmes including the Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards (ASRA), Asia Sustainability Reporting Summit, and Asia’s Top Sustainability Superwomen.

He is also the editorial director of Sustainability Reporting: Learn from Asia’s Best, an annual publication featuring Asia’s best sustainability reports. He has authored a book on supply chain responsibility (2005) and co-authored two books on sustainability case studies (2010, 2011). Rajesh is a regular speaker at international sustainability conferences.

Topic: Circular Business Model Design – How Sustainability And Eco-innovation Can Boost Bottom Line: From A Regional Conglomerate – The Sime Darby Experience

Topic: From Food Waste To Wealth: Sustainable Solutions Towards Circular Economy?

Topic: Fighting Food Waste Using The Circular Economy – The Role Of The Food Bank Singapore

Topic: Sustainable Packaging: Waging War On Plastic With Packaging Made From Seaweed – Market Applications In Indonesia And In Southeast Asia

Topic: The Case Study Of A Global Leader In The Circular Economy: Neste And Providing Circular Economy Solutions

Opening Keynote Address: The UN 2030 Agenda For Sustainable Development – Transforming Our World With Sustainable Impact And Innovations

Topic: Circular Economy Tech Disruptor Award: How Winnow Eliminates Food Waste Globally