AVR
AVR is a pop polymath exploring on the intersection of art and music, innovation and tradition, shrugging off the cliches of her industry.
Her work operates in a landscape of references where Philip Glass, Rihanna and Bernini sculptures can freely collide. Tired of the repetitive practice routine during her academic piano studies in Amsterdam and New York, AVR started to produce music on her laptop, working on anthems for the new feeling-everything-all-the-time internet era.
The multi-genre producer has scored films for brands like Louis Vuitton and Dior, worked as a studio pianist and producer for artists like Charlotte Gainsbourg, Soundwalk Collective and Franny London. She consults and performs in fine arts context, e.g. at Gropius Bau Berlin and works as music curator, recently for Berlin’s ‘Long Night of Museums’ and performed at the National Gallery. Her song ‘Under The Sand’ is on the official soundtrack of the US movie ‘After Everything’.
Her latest release, a rework of Philip Glass' famous 'Etude No.2' got released on Glass' label alongside an immersive video in wardrobe collab. with french fashion house Mugler. Supported by BBC stations & publications like CLASH Mag., Rolling Stone, The Fader and i-D, her music got international attention right from EP1. She has mentored for programs like ‘Girls Who Listen’ and ‘Keychange’ aiming to push representation of women in music production. Anna believes in the power of music to unite and heal but also to disrupt the status quo and facilitate change.
Jamie Alexander
Jamie Alexander's work focuses on bridging the labor, business, and environmental communities in support of major wins for a livable future. She is also an advisor to companies and investors on the role of "growth" in the era of climate change and how the tools of capitalism can be used to address this challenge. Previously, Jamie founded Drawdown Labs at Project Drawdown which helped to push the boundaries of corporate climate action.
Martin Stuchtey
Martin Stuchtey is a former McKinsey consultant and Managing Partner, as well as the founder of the environmental consultancy SYSTEMIQ. As professor of resource strategy and management in Innsbruck, and as avid alpinist and farmer, his expertise and enthusiasm regarding finding innovative solutions for current environmental problems are fundamental for his current business endeavour: the Nature Fintech company The Landbanking Group. Martin is also known from a broad portfolio of publications, including the book ‚A Good Disruotion‘, as well as articles in The Banker, Barron’s and several others.
Melati Wijsen
World renowned changemaker and speaker Melati has dedicated half her life to creating a positive impact in her community. Recently she opened the stage for President Barack Obama at the Ziggo Dome (Amsterdam), moderated National Geographic's Sustainability Week (Bangkok), and has just signed a book deal with Harper Collins. Since founding Bye Bye Plastics Bags at age twelve, Melati has developed a passion for environmental education and policy change. Other accomplishments include speaking at the UN, co-chairing the World Economic Forum GPAP Committee, sitting on the inaugural Expert Advisory Panel for the Earthshot Prize, and her film, Bigger Than Us, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Building on ten years of advocacy, Melati continues to share what she’s learned since the age of twelve in classrooms, boardrooms and world stages through her company YOUTHTOPIA.
Sabine De Schutter
Belgian lighting designer Sabine De Schutter founded her eponymous Studio De Schutter based in Berlin.
Studio De Schutter provides lighting consultancy services from creative planning for artificial lighting to daylight optimization, as well as the planning of dark-sky-friendly solutions. Sabine teaches architectural lighting design at Wismar University of Applied Sciences and design innovation at the Hasso-Plattner Institute, and is the ambassador for Women in Lighting in Germany. With many years of experience, curiosity, and technical expertise, Sabine De Schutter's work is characterized by a sustainable and innovative approach.
Sophie Thomas
Sophie has been a campaigner and leader in sustainable and circular design for nearly 30 years. Her passion for garbology (exploring human behaviours by digging in the trash), and belief that waste is a design flaw started early and still drives her curiosity and she is often found peering into waste bins.
Her design studio, Thomas.Matthews was an early pioneer in creating exhibitions, packaging and signage using waste materials. She is the only designer in the UK to be honoured as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Waste Management.
In 2012, Sophie set up The Great Recovery project which took over 1000 designers to waste sites to see where their products die, and to rethink design using circular principles. Since then, she has worked with industry to look at how everything - from oil rigs, sofas, shoes, and mobile phones - can be designed for reuse. She works with businesses to radically reconsider material use through design, research, and innovation.
In 2022, she co-founded the climate-tech venture studio, etsaW which supports and builds innovation in the transformation of waste streams into new materials and helps set up new businesses that exploit their use.
Thomas Schindler
Thomas Schindler, co-founder and co-lead of several transformative projects, harnesses technology, environmental restoration, and community engagement to address critical global issues. His ventures include DELODI, a bespoke software firm, and Project MIRACLE, an investment fund aimed at innovating mass housing solutions. Through the Initiative for the Regenerative Market-Economy (IRM), he promotes a sustainable economic framework in Germany, advocating for systemic changes to enhance prosperity and ecological balance. With the Global Impact Tech Alliance (GITA), Thomas facilitates the transition of cities to sustainable models through technological innovation and collaboration. MOTHERLAND connects African startups and farmers, aiming to revolutionize agriculture with sustainable practices and empowerment. Beyond his professional achievements, he is a music composer, author, lecturer, speaker, and a passionate advocate of the HELIOGENESIS movement. At the heart of his drive is the love for his wife and his two children, inspiring him to contribute to the creation of a good world. More at https://thomas.cr
Tim Silbermann
As part of a dynamic team of young, driven, and sustainability-minded individuals, Tim is on a mission to revolutionize the packaging industry for the better. His journey began with a role at an Austrian plastic packaging giant, driven by a desire to make a tangible impact in the world. However, his current project has led him to Denmark, where he’s diving headfirst into the world of sustainable packaging.
Tim firmly believes that it’s the small everyday choices we make that contribute to significant global change. With a background in engineering and a heart for connecting and empowering people, he’s found his calling in projects like the Paper Bottle Project, where sustainability meets practicality on an everyday scale.
Tristan Horx
Tristan Horx could be described as a new generation of futurists, if he didn’t personally call for the end of the classic generational models. The speaker and author at the Zukunftsinstitut (Future Institute) deals with the topics of societal change, and is researching what will follow the Gen X, Y and Z. He has been a lecturer at SRH Hochschule Heidelberg since 2018 and a columnist at Kronen Zeitung since 2019.
His German or English presentations are about the developments in the fields of Mobility, Digitalisation and the old bogey Globalisation. As an Anthropologist, he sees his job as finding the bridge between creativity and economy within macro-societal questions. As the host of the Zukunftsinstitut’s Podcast “Treffpunkt: Zukunft” he speaks to prominent guests about their utopias and our future.
Vivek Vyas
Have you ever found yourself standing at a bin, holding a coffee cup, unsure where to dispose of it? Well, you're not alone. Vivek, and his co-founder Hassan, believe that these few seconds deeply influence our planet's future. Their use of AI in harnessing the behavioural principle of 'the nudge' is changing waste management, finally making it engaging and transparent. These AI-powered systems are now essential for many Fortune 500 companies and key waste producers—including airports, universities, and stadiums across five continents. It not only helps these facilities increase their waste diversion, but also optimizes their operations and offers them unprecedented transparency into their waste streams. Vivek’s recent recognition in the social impact category of the Forbes "30 Under 30” underscores the impact of the team’s work. This work is more than improving efficiency; it's changing global behaviours through education and active engagement, driving towards a sustainable future.