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.

Brian Savaridas serves the Alliance as its General Counsel and VP of Risk, Compliance, and Legal. In this role, Brian provides strategic legal advice, oversees risk management and loss control; as well as ensures adherence to internal controls and company policies to mitigate legal and compliance risk. A seasoned commercial lawyer, Brian brings extensive experience in the energy and infrastructure industries across Asia Pacific, Europe, India, and the Middle East; he has advised on major projects and transactions in oil and gas, petrochemicals, and LNG, including transmission, distribution, supply, upstream, midstream, and downstream projects. Prior to his current post, Brian was a senior attorney and member of the eastern hemisphere leadership team at an international oil and gas services provider. Previously at SAP, Brian counselled on M&A matters and represented the company in drafting and negotiating software licensing and consulting agreements with multinational companies. He began his legal career in private practice; as a law firm partner, he worked on transactions across Southeast Asia.