Dhanush is the Founder and Chief Climate Catalyst of Clim-Eat, the ‘think and do tank’ for food and climate which he established in 2021 at COP26. Clim-Eat focuses on bridging science and policy on food and climate issues by synthesizing knowledge, convening stakeholders, providing strategic advice, and strategic policy engagement.

His previous work experience includes roles within the private sector, NGOs, and the UN and CGIAR systems, in China, India, Thailand, The Netherlands and the UK. He has worked on a range of issues including forestry, environmental policy, climate change adaptation, and advocacy, at the national, regional, and global levels.

Dhanush has an interdisciplinary academic background, combining an MBA, MSc in Carbon management, and a PhD in Environmental Governance. He is a member of the Advisory Boards of the EAT Foundation. ClieNFarms and the Global Food and Environment Institute at the University of Leeds.

Jessica Fanzo is a Professor of Climate and Director of the Food for Humanity Initiative at the Columbia Climate School. Her research focuses on the transdisciplinary field of food systems and the linkages between agriculture, health, and the environment in climate-impacted countries that have limited resources. She has twenty years of experience working in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and East Asia on the diversity and quality of diets, nutrition and health outcomes, environmental sustainability, and climate adaptation. She was the first laureate of the Carasso Foundation’s Sustainable Diets Prize in 2012 for her research on sustainable food and diets for long-term human health. She was also elected into the National Academy of Sciences in 2024.

Fanzo has worked as an advisor for numerous international organizations, including the International Food Policy Research Institute, USAID, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization. She also collaborates with governments to regain food security in post-conflict regions through evidence-based food policy and governance.

She currently leads the development of the Food Systems Dashboard and the Food Systems Countdown to 2030 Initiative in collaboration with the Global Alliance of Improved Nutrition. She has participated in numerous other collective endeavors, including the Food Systems Economic Commission, the Global Panel of Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition Foresight 2.0 report, the Lancet Commission on Anaemia, and the EAT-Lancet Commissions 1 and now 2. She was also the Co-Chair of the Global Nutrition Report and Team Leader for the UN High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Systems and Nutrition.

Sandra Goldmark is a designer and professor whose work focuses on the circular economy and interdisciplinary climate strategies. Sandra teaches courses in sustainable design, circularity, and climate. From 2013-2019, Sandra founded and operated Fixup, a social enterprise repair service dedicated to healthy and circular patterns of consumption.

Sandra is a co-creator of the Sustainable Production Toolkit, a free climate action and sustainability resource for performing arts organizations, and serves on the Board of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, the BBC, The Sunday Times of London, The Daily News, Salon.com, and many more. A graduate of Harvard College and Yale University, Sandra is the author of Fixation: How to Have Stuff without Breaking the Planet. www.sandragoldmark.com

As an actor, Zack has performed on and off-Broadway — China Doll (starring Al Pacino), Theater For A New Audience, The Mint Theater, The Pearl, Red Bull, and Fiasco Theater, to name a few — and throughout the U.S. at regional theatres including The Guthrie, The Alley, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Shakespeare Theater, and Folger Theatre (where he’s won and been nominated for a few Helen Hayes Awards).

Sally Qiu is the co-director of the Fashion, Energy, and Climate Network at the Columbia Climate School and a research associate at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. In addition to her work at Columbia, she is pursuing a part-time degree in fashion design at the Parsons School of Design.

Catherine was Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government where she was asked by France to facilitate the negotiations of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement (the market text) at COP 21. She led negotiations of Canada’s first national climate plan which included a price on pollution across the country. In this role she helped establish a number of global initiatives including the Powering Past Coal Coalition, the Ministerial on Climate Action and the Nature Champions Summit.

Later, as Minister of Infrastructure and Communities she made historic investments in public transit and green and resilient infrastructure, leveraged private sector investment to get more public infrastructure built through the Canada Infrastructure Bank, and led the development of Canada’s first National Infrastructure Assessment to drive Canada to net-zero emissions by 2050.

Before politics, Catherine practiced trade law in Canada and Indonesia, worked as a legal advisor for the United Nations Transitional Authority in East Timor, and co-founded Canadian Lawyers Abroad.

Amanda Sturgeon is the CEO of Biomimicry Institute. As the former CEO of the International Living Future Institute, she spent a decade creating regenerative frameworks such as the Living Building and Community Challenge programs, scaled the organization globally and created a global movement around Biophilic Design. Amanda is an award-winning architect, author of Creating Biophilic Buildings, a TED Speaker on Bringing Biophilic Design to Life and has an essay in the recently released anthology All We Can Save: Truth, Courage and Solutions to Climate Change (September 2020).

Dr. Amanda Parkes is a fashion scientist with over 20 years experience in fashion innovation, sustainability, biofabrication, wearable technology, interaction design and smart materials spanning research, development, and product commercialization for start ups and major tech and fashion companies. She is the Chief Innovation Officer of Pangaia, a material science company and fashion brand building a sustainable future in fashion and lifestyle products. Past career highlights include roles as the Chief Innovation Officer of Future Tech Lab, an investment fund focused on sustainable material innovations, the Chief of Technology and Research at fashion tech incubator Manufacture NY, Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University Dept of Architecture, teaching biomaterials and Founder of fashion tech studio Skinteractive, and co-founder of Bodega Algae, a microalgae biofuels company. She received a PhD & M.S. in Tangible Media from the MIT Media Lab and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.A. in Art History from Stanford University. She has been named to the Business of Fashion 500 People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry, Vanity Fair’s 8 Wildest Women of Silicon Valley, The Glossy 50: Fashion’s Digital Front Runners, a Verizon Pioneer of Humanability and as one of Alleywatch’s 10 Most Influential People in Fashion Technology.

Ruth DeFries is a professor of ecology and sustainable development at Columbia University in New York. She uses images from satellites and field surveys to examine how the world’s demands for food and other resources are changing land use throughout the tropics. Her research quantifies how these land use changes affect climate, biodiversity and other ecosystem services, as well as human development. She has also developed innovate education programs in sustainable development. DeFries was elected as a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, one of the country’s highest scientific honors, received a MacArthur “genius” award, and is the recipient of many other honors for her scientific research. In addition to over 100 scientific papers, she is committed to communicating the nuances and complexities of sustainable development to popular audiences, most recently through her book “The Big Ratchet: How Humanity Thrives in the Face of Natural Crisis.” DeFries is committed to linking science with policy, for example through her involvement with the Environmental Defense Fund, Science for Nature and People, World Wildlife Fund, and reconciling conservation and development in central India.

Dario leads the Trafigura Foundation’s Management Team and is responsible for the implementation of its global strategy and relations with key partners.

By building strong coalitions and supporting innovations with large-scale impacts, Dario maximises the impact of the Foundation’s work to help people and nature prosper in the face of climate change.

Dario has more than 25 years of experience leading international organisations focused on social and economic inclusion, climate action and public-private partnerships, including Fairtrade International, the Global Water Partnership and the Trust for the Americas. He has also worked as a corporate lawyer. Dario has a law degree from Universidad Javeriana (Colombia), a Master of Laws from Tulane University, New Orleans, and a Master in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Mike is the author and designer of Mise: On the Future of Food, a book of scenarios depicting what our food system could look like in the future. Mike is also the principal futurist of The Future Market, a consultancy that explores what our food system could look like in the next 5 to 50 years. The Future Market works with established food and agriculture companies, leveraging Mike’s expertise, to research and envision the future of food and develop strategies that will empower them to flourish in that future.

Through The Future Market and his previous company, Alpha Food Labs, Mike has created future scenarios and innovation strategies for food companies such as Danone, Mars, Campbell’s, Simple Mills, King Arthur Flour, Beef+Lamb New Zealand, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and more.

Erin Beatty first entered fashion with internships at Chanel and Nylon Magazine while earning her English degree at UCLA. Upon graduation, she entered the Retail Management Program at The GAP. After a period in Merchandising and Product Management, Beatty followed her lifelong passion enrolling in the Parsons’ AAS program to study design. After graduating and an internship at Donna Karan Collection she followed her mentor, Pina Ferlisi to Generra as a designer. In 2008 Beatty co-founded SUNO. With an inaugural collection produced in Kenya from vintage Kanga fabrics, the business grew to include pieces made in India, Italy, Kenya, New York and Peru. Known for high-end tailoring and dynamic prints, SUNO was sold in over 80 retailers worldwide. SUNO was named a finalist for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion fund in both 2011 and 2012. In 2013, SUNO won the CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear and that same year, Beatty was named Creative Director RTW at Tory Burch, a position she held in tandem with her responsibilities at SUNO. In 2014 SUNO was named a finalist in the inaugural LVMH prize competition. After the closure of SUNO and birth of her second child, Beatty began consulting for a variety of small brands in both fashion and interiors, offering creative direction, management and strategy. With the changing times, she found herself haunted by the foot print of creation, and wanted to figure out how to push the industry she loved forward. From here Rentrayage was born – one of a kind pieces made entirely from unwanted vintage.

While finishing her MA in Fashion Studies from Parsons School of Design, Clarabeth wrote her dissertation on how technology can be utilized to end the greenwashing that plagues the fashion industry.

After gaining experience in the fashion industry, social entrepreneurship, and as a UX/UI designer for climate-tech startups, Clarabeth knew that the future of sustainable fashion depended on democratized and interindustrial innovation.

For her contributions to sustainable fashion and fashion tech, Clara was named one of the Top 5 Women in Fashion Tech to Watch and awarded a lifelong fellowship to the Royal Society of the Arts for outstanding achievements in social progress and development.

Dhanush is the Founder and Chief Climate Catalyst of Clim-Eat, the ‘think and do tank’ for food and climate which he established in 2021 at COP26. Clim-Eat focuses on bridging science and policy on food and climate issues by synthesizing knowledge, convening stakeholders, providing strategic advice, and strategic policy engagement.

His previous work experience includes roles within the private sector, NGOs, and the UN and CGIAR systems, in China, India, Thailand, The Netherlands and the UK. He has worked on a range of issues including forestry, environmental policy, climate change adaptation, and advocacy, at the national, regional, and global levels.

Dhanush has an interdisciplinary academic background, combining an MBA, MSc in Carbon management, and a PhD in Environmental Governance. He is a member of the Advisory Boards of the EAT Foundation. ClieNFarms and the Global Food and Environment Institute at the University of Leeds.

Dr. Ana Maria Loboguerrero is a Colombian scientist that holds a Master and a PhD on Economics from University of California, Los Angeles, USA (UCLA). She has more than 15 years’ experience of working on climate change challenges. Currently she is Director of Adaptive and Equitable Food Systems at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and through this work she focuses on supporting women in agriculture, improving access to nutritious and affordable foods, and developing and implementing climate adaptation and mitigation approaches. Previously, Ana Maria worked for CGIAR as Director of Climate Action.  In this position, she provided strategic leadership and management of CGIAR’s climate team and maintained close relationships with governments and partners across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Ana Maria was also Head of Global Policy Research for the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). In this position, she played a major role in leadership on partnerships and capacity for Scaling Climate-Smart Agriculture. Dr. Loboguerrero also led the Latin American Regional Program of CCAFS focusing on partnership development aimed to build impact pathways so that knowledge in climate change leads to implementation. Before joining CGIAR, Ana Maria worked at the Sustainable Environmental Development Deputy Directorate of the National Planning Department of Colombia as coordinator of climate change. While at the deputy directorate, Ana Maria led the formulation of the Colombian Climate Change Policy, the National Adaptation Plan, the National Development Plan and the research agenda on climate change as well as coordinated technical support for the Colombian Low Carbon Growth Strategy.

Christine has over 20 years of professional experience at the intersection of sustainability, entrepreneurship, and innovation, with a specialization in fashion.

She recently launched Sustainabelle Advisory Services focusing on innovation as the key to driving positive environmental and social impact. Previously, Christine was the Global Director of PANGAIA SCIENCE, the B2B arm of PANGAIA. Additionally, Christine was Head of Sustainable Innovation at Kering where she worked to fast-track circular and impact-driven innovations across the group.  She also spent several years at INSEAD in the Centre for Entrepreneurship, where she focused on business model innovation for double and triple bottom line companies. Before that, she launched the B2B business, Edun Live, part of the ethical fashion brand, Edun Apparel, founded by Ali Hewson and Bono. She also practiced as a corporate lawyer specializing in venture capital and private equity law. Christine attended Harvard University,  holds a law degree from Boston College Law School and has an MBA from INSEAD. She recently completed an executive education course through The Wharton School on Corporate Governance: Maximizing Effectiveness in the Boardroom.

Danielle has over 15 years of experience leading, developing and operationalizing sustainability and corporate responsibility programs for global, consumer products companies, in the apparel and accessories, personal care, home goods, and retail sectors. She is also Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, where she teaches Circular Economy for Sustainability Professionals as part of the Sustainability Management master’s program in The Climate School.

Demonstrating nimbleness and creativity, Danielle works with companies at all stages of maturity, from start-ups to Fortune 500s, to embed sustainability and corporate responsibility into their business strategies. Danielle has experience driving every facet of a company’s sustainability transformation. With a keen eye on leveraging sustainability to drive growth and deeper consumer connections, she is adept at partnering with organizations towards achieving results.

Mario Herrero is a professor in the Cornell CALS Department of Global Development, the director of Food Systems & Global Change, a Cornell Atkinson Scholar, and the Nancy and Peter Meinig Family Investigator in the Life Sciences. His research focuses on increasing the sustainability of food systems for the benefit of humans and ecosystems.

He works in the areas of food systems and the environment, climate mitigation and adaptation, livestock systems, true cost of food, sustainability metrics, and healthy and sustainable diets. In 2024, Herrero was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, is a highly-cited researcher according to the Web of Science, and is in the top 10 of Reuters list of most influential climate change scientists.

As the newly appointed Executive Director of WRAP Americas, Leah Karrer brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for climate action through circular business practices, government policies, and consumer behavior change.

Ngozi Okaro, Executive Director and founder of Custom Collaborative, is an activist for environmental and social justice. She founded Custom Collaborative to support immigrant and low-income women launching sustainable fashion businesses and careers, while simultaneously advocating for a fashion industry that honors planet and people.

Ngozi builds bridges in and between organizations and individuals to create opportunity and access. Her background includes leading initiatives at National Urban League and its affiliates, INSEAD, and Yale. Over the course of a career in social-sector leadership, Ngozi has led education, social justice, and community-based organizations to identify and meet their missions.

Anita Schwartz brings over 20 years of experience in sustainable business strategies, supporting Fortune 500 companies, NGOs, and public sector entities. Prior to Re:Dish, she had a decade-long tenure at WM Inc and WSP as Vice President of Circular Economy Solutions. Anita is currently the President of Circularity Solutions, a co-author and technical committee member for the UL 3600 Circular Economy Standard, and has served on the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council: Sustainability and Efficiency Task Force.She is a LEED AP, TRUE Zero Waste Advisor, LEAN Six Sigma professional, and has a B.A from DePaul University.

Sandra Goldmark is a designer and professor whose work focuses on the circular economy and interdisciplinary climate strategies. Sandra teaches courses in sustainable design, circularity, and climate. From 2013-2019, Sandra founded and operated Fixup, a social enterprise repair service dedicated to healthy and circular patterns of consumption.

Sandra is a co-creator of the Sustainable Production Toolkit, a free climate action and sustainability resource for performing arts organizations, and serves on the Board of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, the BBC, The Sunday Times of London, The Daily News, Salon.com, and many more. A graduate of Harvard College and Yale University, Sandra is the author of Fixation: How to Have Stuff without Breaking the Planet. www.sandragoldmark.com

Michael DeMartino is the Executive Chef of Columbia Dining. In this role, he is responsible for the overall operations and culinary experience. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Staten Island, he grew up in a home where good food was integral to daily life. He started cooking himself at an early age and later pursued his professional culinary degree at Johnson and Wales University for Culinary Arts in Providence, RI. His experience includes the Intercontinental Hotel in New York City, where he also traveled the hotel’s Asia network; Corporate Foods providing service to clients like Citibank, US Today, and Entertainment Weekly; and Fordham University where he served as the Dining Services Executive Chef for 18 years.

Indré Rockefeller is a climate communicator, entrepreneur, and Founder of The Circularity Project, a nonprofit dedicated to championing circular design in fashion with the goal of sparking creative approaches to reducing the industry’s environmental footprint.  Indré began her fashion career at Vogue and held senior executive positions at e-tailer Moda Operandi and Spanish luxury fashion brand, Delpozo. Indré is a Co-Founder of Paravel, a certified climate-neutral travel goods brand, where she oversaw the award-winning sustainable design. Indré graduated from Columbia University’s Climate School, where she earned her Masters degree and launched an educational series on climate change that has amassed over 7 million views. She holds a BA from Princeton University and an MBA from Stanford University

Ngozi Okaro, Executive Director and founder of Custom Collaborative, is an activist for environmental and social justice. She founded Custom Collaborative to support immigrant and low-income women launching sustainable fashion businesses and careers, while simultaneously advocating for a fashion industry that honors planet and people.

Ngozi builds bridges in and between organizations and individuals to create opportunity and access. Her background includes leading initiatives at National Urban League and its affiliates, INSEAD, and Yale. Over the course of a career in social-sector leadership, Ngozi has led education, social justice, and community-based organizations to identify and meet their missions.

Dhanush is the Founder and Chief Climate Catalyst of Clim-Eat, the ‘think and do tank’ for food and climate which he established in 2021 at COP26. Clim-Eat focuses on bridging science and policy on food and climate issues by synthesizing knowledge, convening stakeholders, providing strategic advice, and strategic policy engagement.

His previous work experience includes roles within the private sector, NGOs, and the UN and CGIAR systems, in China, India, Thailand, The Netherlands and the UK. He has worked on a range of issues including forestry, environmental policy, climate change adaptation, and advocacy, at the national, regional, and global levels.

Dhanush has an interdisciplinary academic background, combining an MBA, MSc in Carbon management, and a PhD in Environmental Governance. He is a member of the Advisory Boards of the EAT Foundation. ClieNFarms and the Global Food and Environment Institute at the University of Leeds.