Co-founder of Futerra
Ed Gillespie has driven the creative direction of Futerra’s work since our foundation. He guards against green-wash while putting some fun and passion into sometimes complex messages.
His interesting career history includes working for the Natural History Film Unit, as a marine biologist in Australia, New Caledonia and Orkney and on environmental issues for Transport for London.
Ed has Masters degrees in both Marine Conservation and Sustainable Development and writes regularly for the Guardian. You can also see Ed speaking on Youtube here.
Head of Communications, Ecolabelling Sweden AB
Ms. Holm is currently Head of Communications at Ecolabelling Sweden AB, a state-owned non-profit company that promotes the official Nordic Ecolabel and the EU Ecolabel. Ms. Holm has degrees in journalism from Gothenburg University, and political science from the University of Stockholm. She has previously worked as Nordic PR Manager at Microsoft, EU Project Leader, and as Head of Information for the city of Stockholm. During the past ten years her focus area has been on environmental issues and consumer communication.
Member of parliament, journalist
Gustav Fridolin is a grass root activist who initiated name petitions already at the age of 11. A few years later he was elected spokesperson of the Young Greens in Sweden. Gustav Fridolin was the youngest MP of all times when he 19 years old was elected to the Swedish Parliament in 2002. His experience portrays the importance of empowering people to make a change in their lives and in society, together.
Since 2006 he has worked as a journalist, produced a TV documentary on racism, written two books, Från Vittsjö till världen: om global apartheid och alla oss som vill någon annanstans and Blåsta: nedskärningsåren som formade en generation and taught history and social science at a liberal adult education institution. He believes in the power of listening and talking to people and ran his second MP campaign with grass root methods, without PR budgets and ads. He was successfully elected to the Swedish Parliament September 2010, representing the Green Party.
John Higson
Social entrepreneur, founder of Bondens marknad, Street och 100hus
Former branding consultant that got tired of creating added value for products that lack true value.
John is convinced that our most wasted natural resource(s) are the citizens of this planet, the vast majority that feel disenfranchised from key decision making processes.
John has created a number of prize-winning empowerment platforms where customers meet and cooperate with small scale producers or suppliers of sustainable or creative products. In 2000 he started with Bondens egen Marknad, Sweden’s first farmers market and the world’s first branded one. This was followed by STREET 2004 an award winning meeting place, market and restaurant for creators and artists in Stockholm.
John is presently involved in creating Sweden’s first consumer owned eco-farm – Drömgården, a community arts and environment technology project – 100Hus, building Sweden’s first environmental technology café restaurant and conference site, organizing Sweden’s first Community Planning event and developing inner city property together with local inhabitants and artists – Wasted Space.
General Secretary, Global Action Plan International
Marilyn Mehlmann is passionate about people. She also has a passion (and track record) for empowering and supporting people and groups all over the world to acquire skills, knowledge and responsibilities beyond their immediate horizons.
Marilyn is also the Chief trainer and program designer of GAP International with 20 years experience from more than 20 countries. To be able to do this cross cultural work she has designed a unique method and training program for cultural adaptation of action and educational programmes. See Marilyn talk about empowerment here.
Marilyn started out as a journalist and magazine editor and then worked as a technical writer at IBM. Between 1979 and 1985 Marilyn has been working as a management consultant, specializing in management of projects for sustainable development. First as a part owner in a large consultant company and then through her own business. Marilyn also founded and ran the Swedish Institute for Social Inventions(SISU). On her 70th birthday she suggested to reduce her working hours to full time!