As Director, Sustainable Finance & ESG, Grant leads on program development for GreenFin – the premier sustainable finance and investing event aligning the sustainability, investment and finance communities. Grant works to direct the vigor of capital markets toward the realization of a clean and just economy, and to make GreenFin the launchpad of the ideas, insights and connections that will shift capital allocation to support sustainability. Grant previously served as Senior Account Executive with GreenBiz, working with clients across financial services, transportation, tech and consulting. Prior to joining GreenBiz, Grant worked under the auspices of the USDA implementing reforestation projects in fire-affected regions of Northern California.

Katie thinks and works best in systems, drawing most from the natural systems that surround and provide for us. She brings diverse career experience to the great work happening at GreenBiz thanks to time and energy spent in marketing, communications, corporate sustainability and climate tech. She believes in the power of inclusivity, and aims to give everyone agency and energy to take positive action around the climate crisis.

Theresa Lieb is a food systems analyst at GreenBiz, where she curates content and creates a community that make food and agriculture more sustainable, just, nourishing and resilient. As conference chair she is responsible for developing VERGE Food. Theresa brings international expertise in corporate sustainability, supply chains, development policy and finance. Prior to GreenBiz, she has worked with the United Nations, German Development Bank, ClimateWorks Foundation and WeWork. Theresa holds an MPhil in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford and a BSc in International Development and Policy Science from Leiden University.

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema is the Deputy Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme.

Alex Novarro has devoted his professional life to safeguarding wildlife and their habitats. His goal is to create a world where people can fully appreciate and enjoy the benefits of nature. As a Senior Manager at GreenBiz, Alex is responsible for curating events and content that focus on nature and biodiversity. Alex began his career as a scientist, studying the impacts of climate change on animal populations. He became a national leader for Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, an organization that brings together private, public, and non-profit sectors to achieve shared conservation objectives. He later worked at The Nature Conservancy, where he directed a program to enhance access to nature and improve climate resilience on protected lands.

Bunje was the founding Executive Director of the UCLA Center for Climate Change Solutions and the first Managing Director of the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability. In these roles, he facilitated innovative research and communication between scientists, decision makers, and the public and led the creation of regional climate change programs for the 10 million people of Los Angeles County. Bunje is also the co-founder of Conservation X Labs, an organization that brings innovation to global conservation threats.

Margaret O'Gorman works with multinational corporations to develop integrated strategies to implement conservation projects, employee engagement and community outreach to meet business needs and, in so doing, enhance and restore biodiversity and ecosystems. She helps WHC members build sustainability into their conservation efforts through recognition, employee education and meaningful partnerships with national and international NGO’s. Margaret has lead the development and production of WHC’s new proprietary certification program, Conservation Certification, which serves to define the standard for corporate conservation worldwide. Prior to joining WHC, she served as executive director of Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, where she transformed the little-known statewide non-profit into a well-respected and effective organization focused on rare and imperiled wildlife protection and recovery in the Garden State. Margaret’s extensive fundraising and development experience comes from almost a decade in lead development roles at New Jersey Future and the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. She began her career in education publishing, developing an expertise in secondary and university STEM education. Margaret has been involved in non-profit organizational development and governance through past and current board service, most notably as the the founding president of the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund and president of the board of Earthshare New Jersey.

Mary Jane Melendez is Vice President, Chief Sustainability & Global Impact OfficerTransformation & Enterprise Services | World HeadquartersGMI: 20 yearsMary Jane Melendez is Chief Sustainability and Global Impact Officer for General Mills. Mary Jane leads the company’s efforts to build resilience for people, our planet and our business. She stewards the company's global impact efforts, working closely with Supply Chain, Sourcing, Operating Units, Finance, ITQ and other key business leaders to develop, coordinate and execute programs to achieve companywide targets. Mary Jane is responsible for advancing collaboration and integration across the enterprise to drive change by promoting environmentally and socially responsible practices across our entire value chain, from farm to fork and beyond. Her role combines accountability for taking care of our planet and nourishing our communities to amplify the impact of General Mills as a global force for good. Mary Jane recently received the Hendrickson Medal for Ethical Leadership from the Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota for her leadership in employing ethical approaches to solve business, community, and planetary challenges. Mary Jane earned both her MBA and bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. She currently serves on the boards of the Ecosystems Services Market Consortium and the Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation.

Bryan Lewis leads the Emerging Leaders program at GreenBiz.org, which elevates, cultivates and supports the next generation of Black, Indigenous and other leaders of color (BIPOC) in the climate community. Prior to joining GreenBiz, Bryan served as Executive Director of EcoWorks Detroit where he led climate and energy education, building decarbonization, and local community organizing initiatives. He has a background in youth mentorship and career development and currently leads a network of emerging clean energy leaders in Michigan.

For over 40 years, Peter Seligmann has been an influential and inspiring voice in conservation. He works in partnership with communities, governments, and businesses to find innovative solutions to ensure the sustainability of the planet’s natural and cultural resources. Peter co-founded Nia Tero in 2017. He is also the Chairman of the Board and former CEO of Conservation International, a global nonprofit organization he co-founded in 1987. Peter began his career in 1976 with The Nature Conservancy as the organization’s western region land steward, later becoming the director of the California Nature Conservancy.

Nethra Rajendran is the Sustainability Analyst at Greenbiz. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems with a double minor in Geography and Sustainability from the University of Georgia. She instructed a course at Brown University’s Environmental Leadership Lab in Alaska on sustainability and indigenous perspectives. She is passionate about environmental education, grassroots initiatives, intersectional solutions, and cooking plant-based meals.

Justice Williams has an LLB from the Victoria University of Wellington and an LLM (Hons) from the University of British Columbia. He became a partner at Kensington Swan in 1992 and went on to co-found Walters Williams & Co in 1994. In 1999 he became Chief Judge of the Māori Land Court and was appointed Chairperson of the Waitangi Tribunal in 2004. Justice Williams was appointed a judge of the High Court in September 2008, a judge of the Court of appeal in February 2018, and a judge of the Supreme Court in May 2019. Justice Williams’ iwi are Ngati Pūkenga, Waitaha and Tapuika.

Dr. Helen Crowley Helen is a recognised nature and biodiversity expert, delivering pioneering and impact-led climate and nature focused solutions across public and private sectors. Formerly the Head of Sustainable Sourcing Innovation at the French company Kering for over a decade, Helen crafted new solutions for best practices in sustainability, supply chains an sourcing for luxury and lifestyle brands. Prior to this, Helen across Africa and Madagascar leading conservation programs for Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Early in her career, she worked as a senior consultant to companies on building out environmental health and safety programs to encompass broader sustainability issues. Over the last several years, Helen has also advised the Nature Action Agenda at the World Economic Forum and has been a member of the WEF’s Global Futures Council. Helen has a PhD in Zoology from the Australian National University and has contributed to various non-profit Boards and Advisory Groups including Textile Exchange, Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature US, UK’s Digital Catapult Supply Chain Hub and the Global Environment Facility.

Hiba Larsson is a Principal at NatureFinance, and leads the organisation’s nature investment activities. She has 16 years’ of international experience in finance, with a keen understanding of different capital providers, an established network of investors and particular expertise in agriculture (incl. ag tech). Hiba’s career has taken her across Stockholm, London Sydney and most recently the UAE, where she held the post of COO Middle East at Respira International, an impact-finance business and subsidiary of Global Harvester Holdings. Prior to this, Hiba was CEO and co-founder of Bydand Ag Partners with an initial portfolio of AUD $50 million across three farmland aggregations. She has held posts as Director at New Hope Group and UBS as well as working as an analyst at Dexion capital, RBS Global Banking and Markets, and SEB. Hiba has also held multiple Advisory and Board roles, and is currently a Non-Executive Director of OneFarm, a UK/Netherlands business designing and deploying large-scale fully circular vertical farms. She has a Bachelor in Accounting from the Gothenburg School of Business, Economics & Commercial Law in Sweden and is currently based in Abu Dhabi.

Lucy Almond is a strategic communications and coalition-building specialist, proficient in delivering projects at a strategic or operational level, with a special interest in natural resource sectors, technological and social innovation. She has been the driving force behind the Nature4Climate (N4C) coalition – where she is currently working as Chair. N4C is a strategic mobilisation response to climate change that aims to increase investment and action on natural climate solutions. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) hosts the secretariat for 18 other international coalition partners: UNDP, UN-REDD, UNEP, CBD, IUCN, CI, EDF, Global Mangrove Alliance, Birdlife International, Re:wild, WCS, Woodwell Research Centre, WBCSD, WRI, WWF, We Mean Business, the Food and Land Use Coalition and Youth4Nature.

Rachel Ashton Lim is an impact investment analyst at Silverstrand Capital, a Singapore-based family office which invests in biodiversity and the regenerative economy across agriculture, nature-based solutions, MRV solutions, and more. Rachel is passionate about restorative justice, environmental protection, and in the innovative, intersectional solutions which can enable wide-scale systems change. Her work includes deal origination, due diligence, portfolio management, and communications. She has worked extensively with founders and non-profit leaders as a capacity builder, including for Silverstrand's flagship philanthropic programme, the Biodiversity Accelerator+.

Jake Mitchell manages the Accelerate program at GreenBiz, which includes searching and selecting startups to participate in VERGE programming. He also collaborates on event design, strategy, and content to grow GreenBiz’s innovation ecosystem. Prior to GreenBiz, Jake worked across various industries including film & podcast production, sales & marketing for early stage startups, and non profits in renewable energy and economic development. Currently, Jake is pursuing his MBA in Sustainability at Bard College. Outside of work, you can find him in the woods playing disc golf, upside down in a handstand, or following the whims of his golden retriever.

Allison worked with eBay, Google, and Meta for 20 years on corporate and product strategy, customer experience design, marketing, and movement building focused on sustainability, climate change solutions, and social impact. With growing concern about the rapid increase in catastrophic wildfire and its impact on communities and nature based climate solutions, Allison cofounded Vibrant Planet PBC in November 2020 to accelerate wildfire and climate resilience. Allison and her team of top scientists, machine learning/artificial intelligence engineers, and product developers have built a cloud-based adaptive planning platform that puts data into useful scenario-building and monitoring contexts to inform community protection and natural resource management decisions -- and ultimately unlock nature-based climate solutions.

For more than 35 years, Joel has been a well-respected voice on business, sustainability and innovation. An award-winning entrepreneur, author, speaker and strategist on corporate sustainability practices, climate tech and the clean economy, he has advised a wide range of companies on how to align sustainability with business success.

Madeline is one of the co-founders of Artists Climate Collective (ACC), as well as a freelance artists in New York City. When she was 18 she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and seeing the quickly melting glaciers brought a new awareness and urgency to the importance of climate change. Though she has followed the path to become a professional ballet dancer, the climate crisis has always remained important to her. Amidst the pandemic, a vision for ACC was formed and since then, many environmentally inspired arts projects have emerged. Some of the most successful projects have been dance films which have been selected to be played at many international film festivals.