Jacob has more than 20 years of experience with the United Nations with focus on chemicals and waste management, environment and sustainable development. He has a strong track record in policy work, intergovernmental negotiations, practical implementation and problem solving, coupled with strategic thinking and proactive leadership skills. Jacob has lived and worked with the United Nations in Austria, Senegal, Kenya and Switzerland. As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, Jacob leads the development of the overall strategic vision of the Alliance that will invest US$1.5 billion over 5 years in infrastructure, innovation, education and clean-up projects to help end the leakage of plastic waste into the environment and contribute to a circular economy.

Sophia comes with over 20 years of professional finance experience heading up finance and change management for global and regional corporations mainly in the oil & gas and chemical industries. Her contribution spans management ranks across emerging and mature markets across UK, Europe, Asia and USA. She is a voluntary mentor and board member for several non-profit professional network groups and earned her Fellowship from the Institute of Chartered Accounts in England and Wales. As CFO and Vice President of Operations, Sophia manages all financial processes and activities, supports budgeting processes, and oversees human resources, IT, and administrative activities.

Nicholas brings a strong international background in chemicals and plastics, previously serving as Strategic Planning Manager (Singapore) and Head of Marketing Automotive (Vienna) for the Borealis Group. Nick has worked extensively in Europe and Asia throughout his career and held sales, marketing, strategy and management positions in Hong Kong, Switzerland, Thailand and the United Kingdom with Ciba Specialty Chemicals. As Vice President of Projects, Nick manages the screening, development, and execution of the large-scale portfolio of projects, in accordance with the Alliance strategy.

Allison has traversed the communications discipline from journalism to corporate and public affairs, to public policy. She joins the Alliance from Tetra Pak where she drove the company’s public policy strategy in the Asia-Pacific. Prior to that, she spent more than 15 years in consulting, working across Asia and the Middle East. She has steered programmes across the wider sustainable development agenda and contributed to policy development on a range of issues, including circularity, Extended Producer Responsibility, biodiversity and climate change. As VP of Corporate and Public Affairs, Allison builds and enhances the Alliance’s profile and reputation to achieve the Alliance’s core strategic and aspirational objectives.

Justin was the Head of the Asia Pacific and Member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum where he was responsible for key initiatives around trade and economic integration, education and skills, tropical forests and plastic management, infrastructure financing, and supporting governments. Prior, he was at The Economist Group and ran an economic advisory and research service for the Asia region. Justin has lived and worked in the Asia Pacific region for 24 years. As Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at the Alliance, Justin builds and maintains the Alliance’s network of relationships with potential partners and supports the CEO with member, strategic ally and supporter recruitment.

Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE was sworn-in as Mayor of Freetown in May 2018 with a commitment to transform Freetown using an inclusive, data-driven approach to address key challenges and issues in the city, from environmental degradation to job creation in the tourism sector. Mayor Aki-Sawyerr is a finance professional with over 25 years of private sector experience in strategic planning, risk management consulting and project management. She is a Chartered Accountant and holds an MSc in Politics of the World Economy from the London School of Economics and a BSc Hons in Economics from Fourah Bay College. She was recently recognised in the BBC 2020 100 Women list.

Dr Linda Godfrey is a Principal Scientist at the CSIR and Extraordinary Professor at Northwest University, South Africa. With over 20-years of sector experience and a PhD in Engineering, she manages the Waste Research Development and Innovation Roadmap Implementation Unit on behalf of Government. She has provided strategic input to a number of local, regional and international waste and circular economy initiatives for the United Nations, European Union, World Bank, South African Government, Academy of Sciences, International Solid Waste Association, universities and businesses. She lectures internationally on solid waste management in developing countries, including the social, economic and environmental opportunities of “waste” within a circular economy context. She has published extensively in the field.

Keefe Harrison is a founder and CEO of The Recycling Partnership, a national non-profit dedicated to protecting the planet by fixing recycling and activating a circular economy in the U.S. An international speaker, media pundit and environmental author, Keefe is 22-year veteran of the space, dedicated to engaging companies in making measurable, lasting change in communities. Under her leadership, The Partnership has grown significantly since its founding in 2014, engaging more than 70 funding partners to leverage more than $150 million, and reaching more than half of American households. Before recycling, Keefe worked on a logging crew in North Carolina, researched sea turtles in Costa Rica, and studied reindeer husbandry in Finland.

Mr. Kajihara has 38 years of work experience at the Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOEJ). During his career, Mr. Kajihara led activities on a range of environmental issues including waste management, circular economy and climate change. He was previously Director General (DG) for Waste Management, DG for Global Environment, and Vice Minister for Global Environment Issues, where he led all international activities for MOEJ, including international cooperation on waste management and 3R. Mr. Kajihara joined the Japan Waste Research Foundation (JWRF) as President in 2018. JWRF brings together knowledge and technologies from industry, government academia and other organisations to realise a circular economy and carbon-free society.

Dr Leah Karrer is a tenacious champion for plastic pollution reducing strategies. Having spent her 25-year career building, advising and directing global multi-million dollar ocean conservation initiatives at NOAA, IUCN, and Conservation International, she is currently responsible for the Global Environment Facility’s growing portfolio of plastic pollution reducing projects totaling over $23M. Previously, she earned the Bronze Award at the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Head in the Sky Award at CI. As a local activist for circular economy solutions in Washington, DC, Leah is promoting reuse systems at the World Bank and with local restaurants and grocers. Recognising the power of technology, Leah co-founded Find Green, the first consumer choice platform where users can find, compare and rate businesses based on their sustainability. Leah is the mother of two vivacious, eco-minded daughters.

Dr. Daoji Li is renowned for his dedicated research in marine science. In initiating and promoting marine microplastics research in China, he is currently the leader of the National Key Research and Development Program on Marine Microplastics research project, the IOC/WESTPAC and UNEP project in marine plastic and microplastics research, and the IOC regional training and research centre on plastic and microplastics. His team has achieved significant progress by publishing a series of systematic innovative research results. Through the establishment of a world scientific research network among scientists, he is working towards a global endorsement of China's and Asia’s efforts and approaches in dealing with marine plastic pollution.

Carlos Silva Filho is a Brazilian lawyer specialising in Administrative & Economic Law, who started working in the waste industry in 1999 as legal advisor at ABRELPE – Brazilian Association of Waste Management Companies, International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) National Member in Brazil. In 2008 he became ABRELPE’s Executive Director and in 2012 its President. Mr. Silva Filho has been dedicated to developing waste-related regulations, waste plans, communication strategies, as well as data research and analysis. He has been a member of ISWA since 2005 and in 2011, he became a member of the ISWA board. While elected as the board's Vice-President in 2014 and in 2015, he co-founded and chaired the ISWA Young Professionals Group. In 2020, Mr. Silva Filho was nominated and elected as ISWA President.

Undersecretary Juan Miguel T. Cuna is a member of both the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and Philippine Bar Association. As a lawyer who has served in the government for about 23 years, he has acquired specialisation in the fields of Philippine Law, local government legislation, public administration and management, project management, and environmental and resource management. After serving as City Councilor for the 5th District of Manila for two consecutive terms, he joined Legal Services in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in 2008 and became Director of the Environmental Management Bureau in 2010. He has a M.S. in Public Management from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Axel Borchmann is by profession a PhD holder in environmental engineering, with an education in law. Working at the Division for Marine Protection with a focus on pollution of the marine environment, he is the inter alia national focal point for the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution and has headed the German delegation at related UNEA processes. He is Head of Delegation for IMO LC/LP as well as member of the German delegation for G7, G20, IMO MEPC and PPR. In addition, he is supervising the BMUV grant programme against marine litter "Marine Debris Framework – Regional hubs around the globe (Marine:DeFRAG)". Previously, he worked on international and European aspects of water management, circular economy, resource efficiency and parliamentary issues for the Environment Committee of German Bundestag.