Trash to Cash Challenge Champions

Katherine "Kat" Shayne, is the Founder and CEO of CIRT (Can I Recycle This). Formerly a researcher in circular materials management and marine litter, Kat's journey includes roles at the Jambeck Research Group, UGA New Materials Institute, and as an engineering consultant. Holding dual engineering degrees from UGA, Kat bridges scientific exploration with pragmatic business strategies, particularly in waste management and new circular materials. A UGA 40 under 40 honoree and OneYoungWorld SDG 5 Lead 2030 Challenge winner, Kat champions sustainability. As a Google for Startups: Women Founders cohort member, she embodies female leadership in the startup space.

Amnah Ajmal is the Executive Vice President Market Development, EEMEA for Mastercard. In this role, she leads the P&L across multiple business verticals including merchants, telcos, governments, fintech’s, digital players across 80 markets. In addition, she also heads the strategy, pricing, analytics and M&A function for the region. Prior to this role she led the North America product & innovation organization, based out of the US, creating sustainable, competitive differentiation for Mastercard and its customers by delivering digitally integrated consumer experiences across consumer and commercial products.

Prior to joining Mastercard she was the CEO for Standard Chartered Consumer Bank Malaysia. She was also responsible for retail banking strategy for Indonesia, Malaysia & Taiwan in a global role based out of Singapore. Prior to Standard Chartered, Amnah worked at Citigroup in UAE, Egypt, UK and Poland. She held a number of leadership positions at Citigroup including Asset Business Head for Poland responsible for full range of consumer asset products, innovation and distribution including credit cards, co brands, personal loans and mortgages.

Amnah is a passionate advocate for social empowerment for women and gender equity and speaks annually at 30+ conferences.

She was honoured to be listed in the top 100 women in Fintech, across the globe, for 2019 by Lattice80 and recognised as the top 25 women leaders in financial technology by the Financial Technology Report US for 2019 and 2020. She was also recognised in the top 100 women in fintech, across the globe, for 2021 by IBM and Fintech magazine. She also holds the honour of being in America’s top 10 women in Fintech by the Fintech Magazine for 2020.

Amnah holds a master’s degree from London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE).

Viktoria Kanar is the CEO and Co-Founder of Re-Fresh Global, a German-Israeli company that transforms textile waste into new manufacturing raw materials. As a fashion producer and entrepreneur, Viktoria brings together key experts and innovators from around the world to develop new and circular initiatives that will have a long-term impact on how we manufacture, purchase, sell, and recycle textiles.

Viktoria's international experience has evolved through the creation of GeekChicTLV, an agency that specialised in innovative fashion and tech productions in Israel and abroad. In previous years, Viktoria had the pleasure to work around the world with LVMH, Tel Aviv Municipality, Gindi Investments, Tel Aviv Fashion Week, The Strauss Group, Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Israel, and found and lead communities of entrepreneurs in that combined the fields of fashion, innovation and sustainability.

Rodrigo Oliveira is CEO and Founder of Green Mining, a cleantech in intelligent reverse logistics company from Brazil. He is a business administrator with an Executive Finance MBA and Master’s degree in Sustainability. He has 20-years expertise in environmental consulting and solid waste management and 10 years in Marketing and Sales on Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies such as Unilever, Natura and Suzano Pulp & Paper. Rodrigo is vice-president of ABELORE (Brazilian Reverse Logistics Association), coordinator of the Reverse Logistics Committee of ABES and a TOP innovator of Uplink – World Economic Forum innovation platform.

Elaine Smith Genser directs partnerships for the UN Joint SDG Fund, which was created by the UN Secretary-General to blend $300 million annually from states with private sector investments to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for the 2030 Agenda.

In the last decade, Elaine has worked on mobilising resources from the private sector for institutions including the United Nations, World Bank, and World Economic Forum. Before that she was a trader and research sales manager for global investment banks including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and J.P. Morgan. Elaine’s career reflects her early vision of the need to incorporate social responsibility, sustainability, and environmental concerns into the strategy of public and private companies of all sizes.

Elaine holds a BBA from Mackenzie University, an MBA from University of São Paulo-FIA, and is a graduate of Harvard Business School's Owner/President Management Program (OPM).

Jane Burston is the CEO of Clean Air Fund, a philanthropic foundation working to achieve clean air for all. The Fund was launched in Sept 2019 with an initial $50m in funds pooled from donors working on health, climate, children's development and sustainable mobility.

Previously, as the Head of Energy and the Environment at the National Physical Laboratory for six years, Jane led a team of 150 scientists working in air quality, climate change and renewable energy. During that time Jane was seconded to the UK Government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy where she led development of innovation sections of Clean Growth Strategy (UK climate and energy strategy) for Minister of State Claire Perry. There, she was responsible for the UK emissions inventory, international science relationships (IPCC, UNFCCC), the UK climate research programme and government application of climate science into policy.

Mayur Patel is Chief Commercial Officer of M-KOPA, Africa's largest connected asset financing platform offering millions of underbanked customers access to life-enhancing products and services.

Previously, Mayur served as COO for Cassava Fintech, a leading provider of mobile wallet and payment solutions, and as CEO of mobile video streaming company, Kwesé iflix.

Mayur is passionate about building inclusive and sustainable businesses. He is an Advisory Council Member of NYU Stern’s Center for Business & Human Rights, Advisory Board Chair of Africa's leading go-to-market platform for plant-based protein products, Infinite Foods, and Board member of children’s educational content company, Ubongo. Mayur is a 2020 World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and an Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow.

Arunabha Ghosh is a public policy professional, adviser, author, columnist, and institution builder. As founder-CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), since 2010, he has led CEEW to the top ranks among Asia's leading policy research institutions (8 years in a row); and among the world’s 20 best climate think-tanks.

Arunabha conceptualised and designed the International Solar Alliance. He conceptualised and is founding board member of the Clean Energy Access Network (CLEAN).Lead author of Jobs, Growth and Sustainability (CEEW, 2020).and co-author/editor of four books and with experience in 45 countries, he previously worked at Princeton, Oxford, UNDP (New York), and WTO (Geneva). In 2018, the UN Secretary-General nominated him to the UN's Committee for Development Policy. In 2020, the Government of India appointed him Co-Chair of the energy, environment and climate change track for India’s Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP2020). His 2019 TED Talk on air quality (Mission 80-80-80) has crossed 240,000 views. He is co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Clean Air and member of the international high-level panel of the Environment of Peace initiative.

Arunabha advises governments, industry, civil society and international organisations around the world. He holds a D.Phil. from Oxford and topped Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi.

Lisa Neuberger Fernandez is Leader in Sustainability, Strategy & Innovation at the World Bank. Previously she was Global Head of Sustainability + Ecosystems at 374Water, where she shaped and delivered the company’s sustainability strategy. Prior to that Managing Director of Strategy & Innovation advancing Accenture's corporate sustainability initiatives.

Lisa has for 25 years been motivated by three core beliefs:

(1) There's an urgency to tackle the global challenges we face ranging from creating a more inclusive future of work and preparing the next generation to thrive in the digital economy, to addressing climate change and nature loss.

(2) Anyone can be a social innovator and take part in creating a more sustainable future if equipped with the relevant skills, mindsets (I.e., agency, optimism, pragmatism, resilience), resources and networks.

(3) The private sector has a critical role to play in shaping the future with collaborative leadership to bring together customers, suppliers, and a wide set of stakeholders and ecosystem partners for sustained impact.