Sparsh holds a B.A. (Hons) Political Science (Ashoka University) & M.Phil International Relations (University of Oxford). He used to be Chief of Staff at the Centre for Policy Research, a leading Indian policy think tank. His thesis focused on International Climate Law and he now lives full-time within the heritage Selim Hill Tea Estate, and leads storytelling for Alt.

Mr. Yamada is General Manager of Business Development at TOWING Co., Ltd, where he leads project development in high-performance biochar, with a focus on creating impactful decarbonization solutions. Prior to Towing, his career began at Toyota Motor Corporation as a certification engineer.

Rolf is a Business Development Manager at Sumitomo Corporation, driving project development and strategic investments in Tech-based Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage (CCUS) projects across the United States, Canada, and the Middle East.

Since joining Sumitomo in 2011, Rolf has contributed to a broad range of social infrastructure and clean energy projects, including telecommunication, data center, water treatment, airport concession, renewable energy, and clean fuels. Leveraging his global experience and passion for innovation, Rolf has led regional CDR initiatives during his tenure in Dubai (2019-2024), including the investment in 44.01 - an Oman-based pioneer in in-situ carbon mineralization, as the Sumitomo’s first CDR-related investment. Currently, he is dedicated to shaping the global CDR ecosystem through project development, strategic partnerships, and market-building efforts, delivering impactful solutions for a sustainable future.

Yuki is the Senior Advisor for Commercial & APAC at AirMyne, a California-based direct air capture (DAC) startup developing a low-cost, supply-chain-secure, and highly scalable industrial solution. 
 

With over 20 years of experience spanning management consulting, M&A advisory, startup leadership, and corporate innovation, she has built her career at the intersection of technology and business, startups and corporates, and the U.S. and Japan.
Since focusing on climate tech, Yuki has specialized in carbon management, including carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and CCUS, bridging U.S. startups and Japanese corporates to accelerate commercialization. She also leads Startup Navigators, her innovation advisory firm, and founded the Japanese Climate Tech Community.

Natalie Khtikian is a commercialization and sales leader with experience spanning software, advertising, and hard-tech. She is cofounder and chief commercial officer at CO280, a developer of large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects. In partnership with pulp and paper companies, CO280 develops, finances, owns, and operates carbon removal projects that deliver a new standard of permanent, verifiable, and affordable CDR credits to customers in the carbon market.
 
Prior to joining CO280, Natalie was Climeworks' first employee in North America, working with companies to understand the place of permanent CDR in their ESG strategies.
 
Before pivoting to climate tech, Natalie was part of two teams that were acquired by Google, Wildfire Interactive and Waze. There, she worked with Fortune 50 clients and opened new markets and verticals. Natalie also was VP of Sales for Yondr, a hardware team focused on removing cellphone distraction from shows, events, and spaces.
 
Natalie holds a BA from UC Berkeley in Literature with a minor in Ballet, a Post Degree Diploma in Fisheries and Aquaculture from Vancouver Island University, and a MSc in Geography from the University of Victoria. Her research  was focused on marine microbiology and oyster genetics.

ClimeFi partners with global companies to build and manage durable carbon removal portfolios, providing intelligence and asset management tools that support contracting, purchasing, and managing CDR across all pathways. Representing ClimeFi, Paolo CEO and Co-Founder, brings a decade of experience in scaling revenue and entrepreneurial initiatives, having previously served as Head of Sustainability at Algolia, where he led the company’s decarbonisation efforts.

Thomas Bellec is a sustainability professional with extensive experience in the carbon-removal market. As Head of Market Development at ClimeFi, he drives the company’s international expansion and helps scale global access to high-integrity carbon-removal solutions.

Before this, Thomas played a central role in shaping ClimeFi’s early operations as Head of Supply. Earlier in his career, he worked at the Boston Consulting Group, where he gained experience as a strategy consultant before leading the procurement strategy for durable carbon-dioxide removal.

Dr. Shinichirou Morimoto has been known as one of the country's leading experts on CCUS (carbon capture, utilization, and storage) and CDR (carbon dioxide removal) evaluations. 
 

In particular, he is in charge of creating a global LCA/TEA guideline for CDR as a co-leader on the LCA/TEA technical track of “Mission innovation /CDR mission”. He is also working on LCA/TEA guideline as a member of several national and international frameworks. He has successfully developed his own LCA/TEA tools for evaluating CCUS and CDR, and has been the lead in developing the LCA guideline for CCUs in Japan, as well as serving as the national project leader for CDR (enhanced rock weathering).

Yuika Iwabuchi is a Researcher in the Green Transformation Division at the Mitsubishi Research Institute, one of Japan’s leading private think tanks.

Her work focuses on CCS, CDR, and carbon credit markets, where she has supported both government and private sector clients in developing effective climate change strategies. Since 2024, she has served as Japan’s nominee to the ICAO Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) Working Group 4 on CORSIA.

She holds a Master’s degree from the Graduate School of Public Policy, the University of Tokyo.

Tank Chen is the Head of Content & Community at CDR.fyi and Ecosystem Fellow at the Carbon Business Council, where he tracks investment trends, corporate engagement, and market development across the carbon dioxide removal sector. He also leads CDRjobs.earth, the industry’s dedicated talent platform, providing insights into compensation, hiring, and workforce trends. Drawing on experience in corporate sustainability, policy engagement, and education, Tank works to make the CDR market more transparent, data-driven, and accessible for businesses, policymakers, and the public.

Mr. Ishizaki, Founder and CEO of Faeger Co., Ltd., is a Waseda Law graduate with consulting experience at PwC Advisory and YCP Solidiance.

Since founding Faeger in 2022, he has led initiatives in decarbonization and sustainable agriculture, focusing on Japan, Asia, and Africa.

Ms. Odera graduated from King’s College London with a Master’s degree in Environment, Politics, and Globalization. Prior to joining Mizuho Securities, she worked at FTSE Russell, a British index company based in London and Paris, where she was involved in ESG scores and Sustainable Investment (SI) indexes. Ms. Odera is currently responsible for identifying sustainability-related start-ups and supporting their growth and financing.

Samuel Alterescu leads the development of solutions related to Carbon Dioxide Removals and carbon credits in SMBC Group. These solutions span from co-development of solutions with ecosystem companies, support to companies in developing their solutions, as well as a range of traditional and innovative financial solutions.

Samuel joined SMBC in 2023 after 10 years in consulting. His background is climate finance and partnerships to advance decarbonization and social impact.

Simon Göß is an energy engineer and expert on carbon and energy markets. As managing director at carboneer he leads international consultancy projects and supported 100+ companies on strategic and operational CBAM compliance. carboneer is a Berlin-based consulting company with expertise and solutions in the areas of CBAM, CO2 markets, decarbonisation & climate neutrality.

Mr. Wang is one of senior experts in the field of climate change and low-carbon development in China. He had been engaged in formulation and implementation of climate change policies, in particular carbon emission trading system, for a long time when working in governmental sector. Since 2017, Mr. Wang has been working as a long-term Key Expert in EU-China ETS cooperation, deeply tracking and studying the development of carbon trading systems in China and EU and beyond.

Tom Mills is a strategy and policy leader with over 15 years of experience building organisations and scaling carbon removal insetting and offsetting across agricultural value chains. His career has focused on enhancing supply chain resilience and sustainability in soft commodities and mineral value chains. He has lived and worked extensively across the Global South, including in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Myanmar, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and the DRC.

Currently a Carbon Removal Fellow at Stripe, Tom leads the Global South CDR–Agriculture Working Group, coordinating 30+ organisations to advance durable carbon removal. He is the lead author of Unlocking the Future of Climate Smart Agriculture and co-author of Durable Carbon Dioxide Removal in India.

Tom founded Two Oceans Strategy, a climate and supply chain consultancy, which he scaled globally before selling the license to its software platform to a major investor. He also co-founded the Carbon Removal India Alliance, the first CDR industry association in the Global South. Earlier, he held senior roles at Adam Smith International, a leading economic development consultancy, co-leading their natural resource governance practice and directly UK government flagship projects.

He began his career in African natural resource ventures after receiving a Gap Year Commission with the British Army, where he became one of the youngest officers to complete commando training in the UK and France. Tom holds an MBA in International Mineral Management, a master’s from Oxford, and a first-class degree from Newcastle. He has advised organisations including Carbon Gap, remove, Carbon Unbound, and Rwanda Aid, and has moderated international climate finance forums, including at the London Stock Exchange.

Alexander Mäkelä is the Chief Policy Officer at Carbon Gap, leading European and global carbon removal policy advocacy. He previously shaped carbon management and industrial decarbonization strategies at McKinsey & Company’s Sustainability Practice. Alexander is also a co-founder of the Nordic Carbon Removal Association, working to accelerate policy and market readiness for CDR solutions in the Nordics.

Keita Akazawa is a General Manager of Corporate Sustainability Div. for Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) since April 2025. He is responsible for the Environment & Sustainability Strategy. 
 

He joined MOL in 2003 and established his career in several business sectors, such as containership and fuel procurement and the General Affairs Department. In 2021 he was transferred to the Environment & Sustainability Strategy Div. Over 3 years, he acted as the General Manager of the Sustainability Management Team and the Deputy General Manager of the division.

Ambika Rustagi is an Associate at Idemitsu Americas Holdings, the venture capital arm of Idemitsu Group located in Silicon Valley. In her role, she supports Idemitsu’s decarbonization strategy by focusing on the development and implementation of CDR initiatives in the North American and Japanese markets. Prior to joining Idemitsu, Ambika supported CDR suppliers' commercialization in her roles in business development at Puro Earth and go-to-market partnerships at Patch Technologies.

Ms. Funayama, R&D Team Manager at Faeger Co., Ltd., is a Waseda and Oxford graduate with experience at an ODA trading company, the Embassy of Japan in Nigeria, and a Japanese NGO.

She has also worked with startups in sustainability, and since joining Faeger in 2023, she has led R&D initiatives in agricultural decarbonization.

He joined NYK in 2010 as Navigation Officer, and later as DPO/Chief Officer at Knutsen NYK Offshore Tankers.   He moved on to ESG/Decarbonization in 2021 where he was promoted to Manager in 2025.   Notably this role has facilitated NYK’s CDR position paper and partnerships (e.g., 1PointFive, Climeworks) and bridged seagoing experience with corporate decarbonization strategy.

Quentin brings more than a decade of finance and operations experience to Deep Sky. Previously, he led Operations at Lithos Carbon and CDR.fyi. Quentin led teams in five countries with luxury giant LVMH, scaled up Instacart in Canada from 0 to 60% coverage in the country, and grew a tech-driven labor marketplace through two rounds of funding. He currently sits on the board of AFEN, the French Carbon Removal industry association.

Hara Wang is a climate field builder and system thinker. She is the co-founder and Chief Programs Officer of Cascade Climate, a nonprofit organization accelerating progress in super pollutant mitigation and durable carbon removal by orchestrating field-catalytizing initiatives that span policy, commercial and scientific spheres.

Before co-founding Cascade Climate, she was a Principal at RMI, a multinational nonprofit "think-do-scale tank" and led their carbon markets initiative and the Third Derivative climate tech accelerator program. Hara began her career in the private sector, spending a number of years as a cleantech venture capital investor and as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. Her climate journey also included a stint conducting market research of China's then-burgeoning solar manufacturing sector, designing harvesting tools for cocoa farmers in the Ivory Coast, and building off-grid electrification pilots in rural Namibia.

She has degrees in chemical engineering and atmosphere/energy engineering, and was born and raised in China before moving to the United States at 17.

Dr. Alexander C. Gagnon is CEO and Co-Founder of Banyu Carbon. Banyu Carbon is developing a low-energy carbon capture process that uses light as its major source of energy. The easy-to measure stream of CO2 that we produce can be geologically stored to provide permanent high-quality carbon removal credits or the CO2 can be used as a feedstock for green chemical like synthetic fuels. Banyu Carbon has secured a first set of customers through a Frontier Pre-Purchase agreement. Alex is also an Associate Professor of Chemical Oceanography at the University of Washington. He received a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Caltech and he completed a postdoc at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkely National Lab. He is an NSF CAREER awardee, Kavli Felow, and an Activate Fellow.

Alex is the CEO of Deep Sky, where she leads the deployment of breakthrough carbon removal technologies across a growing portfolio of commercial sites. She oversees all aspects of engineering, procurement, construction, and operations, working end-to-end — from facility design and cost optimization to full-scale execution. Under her leadership, Deep Sky’s teams collaborate across financing, sales, power, and storage to accelerate the company’s climate impact. Previously, Alex was COO at Bird, advancing micromobility across North America. She has also held roles at BlackRock in financial markets, at Accenture as an energy consultant, and in public service at the Treasury Board and the Embassy of Canada.

Giancarlo Savini is a Partner at Carbon Removal Partners and an investor with 30+ op-co deals (6 exits) and over USD 3.5 billion mobilized for CCUS, SAF, and refinery decarbonization. Portfolio spans CO280 and Spiritus, building on prior roles at Shell, GE, and Honeywell UOP scaling technology for multi-billion-dollar decarbonization projects.

At ICVCM, Zhen Yi oversees policy engagements on carbon markets in Asia. In her previous role with the Singapore Government, Zhen Yi led negotiations on Article 6.2 bilateral cooperation Implementation Agreements between the Singapore Government and partner countries in Southeast Asia. She also developed carbon market policies and facilitated strategic projects to build Singapore’s carbon markets ecosystem.

Varsha Ramesh Walsh is the CEO and Co-Founder of Offstream, a company dedicated to helping carbon project developers navigate compliance, streamline reporting, and maximize revenue in evolving carbon markets. She founded Offstream in 2023 after spending years as a project developer, where she experienced firsthand the inefficiencies that make carbon credit verification costly and time-consuming. Offstream helps carbon project developers streamline LCA and certification, freeing up their time to scale their operations.

Adrian is the Chief Executive Officer at CarbonCapture Inc., a leader in direct air capture. He has spent over 25 years developing and commercializing products in the cleantech industry. From 2013 to 2018, he was the CEO of Carbon Engineering, where he successfully developed the company into a recognized global leader in CO2 direct air capture, piloting industrial scale systems in under two years. In addition, Adrian has spent 15+ years commercializing industrial hydrogen, fuel cell, and pump technologies, serving as CEO of Rotoliptic Technologies, CTO of Plug Power, and CTO of Cellex Power Products. He holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Victoria, BC Canada with specialization in Energy Systems, Cryogenics, and LNG.

Taylor is the Head of Carbon Markets for Svante.  He brings 15 years of experience as a project developer, investor and start-up CEO, across the CCUS, hydrogen and oil & gas industry.  Taylor has invested into and led the development of first-of-a-kind (FOAK) projects with Khasma Capital and H Cycle.  
 

He previously co-founded EvolOH, a hydrogen technology start-up, which is funded by Breakthrough Energy, 3M and NextEra.  Taylor started his career with BP. 
 

He holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and an M.S. Engineering from Stanford University.

Patricia Loria is SVP, Commercial, at Carba, a MN based waste-to-value company.  She is responsible for sales, partnerships and policy development for the company.  Prior to taking this role, Patricia was VP, Business Development at CarbonCapture Inc, a CA based direct air capture company, and Senior Client Engagement Lead at the Global CCS Institute, a Melbourne, Australia based think tank where she supported companies and governments looking to deploy carbon capture solutions on point sources or ambient air to achieve net-zero goals. Also, Patricia previously served as the President of the Governance Board of the Carbon Capture Coalition. Based in Washington, DC, Patricia is a seasoned marketing and business development professional with more than 20 years of experience in financial services, insurance, and NGO sectors. Patricia received an MBA from Darden Business School and a master’s degree in Natural Resources from Virginia Tech’s Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability.

Koji Kojima is a Visiting Researcher at the Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI). He drives working group activities for developing the CDR market at the Japan CDR Coalition, where he also played a key role in the coalition's launch. He focuses on fostering a robust CDR ecosystem in Japan and the ASEAN region.

Prior to the MRI, he served in several Deputy Director roles in the Government of Japan, focusing on policy areas including industry innovation and climate change. His responsibilities included accelerating innovation in the agri-food sector (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) and driving climate measures for the chemical industry (Ministry of International Trade and Industry, now METI).

As Research Director at the MRI, he previously led research and consulting for decarbonization solutions. He leverages this experience integrating technology, business, and policy to accelerate the scaling of the CDR market.

He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Agricultural Science from Nagoya University and a B.A. in Economics from Keio University. He is currently a PhD student at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, researching CDR solutions for data center decarbonization.

Kazuhisa Koakutsu has worked for over 20 years for international climate change market-based solutions including the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol, the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM), and Article 6.4 Mechanism under the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) through the implementation of capacity building activities, development of the relevant database, research and policy development. 
 

He previously worked as the Director for the International Negotiations in the Ministry of Environment Japan and served as a lead negotiator for Article 6 of the Paris Agreement in the UNFCCC negotiation process from 2016 to 2023.  He also served as a member of Article 6.4 Mechanism (Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism) Supervisory Board from 2022 to 2023.

Hayato Nakamura is a Senior Programme Manager of the Paris Agreement Article 6 Implementation Partnership (A6IP) Center at IGES. He has over 15 years of experience in international climate policy, environmental governance, climate change adaptation, and disaster risk reduction (DRR), including EIA/ESIA work across Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean. At A6IP, he leads implementation support and capacity-building activities for partner countries in Latin America & the Caribbean (LAC), Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, focusing on establishing enabling environments for high-integrity carbon markets under Article 6. 
 

Before joining A6IP/IGES, he served as a policy advisor and project formulation specialist with JICA in the Philippines, Myanmar, and the Caribbean. Also served as international expert for the National Ombudsman office of Timor-Leste (PDHJ) as a part of AECID. He holds Master’s degrees in Law from Yokohama National University and Keele University (UK).

Savannah Bush the Head of Heavy Industry Partnerships at CO280 where she works directly with Fortune-100 aviation, maritime, and energy companies to design carbon removal strategies that support the rapid scale-up of climate solutions. Her unique perspective is shaped by a depth of experience in oil and gas operations, decarbonization consulting, and commodity economics. Prior to joining CO2820, Savannah served as head of US Heavy Industry at Climeworks, a direct air capture scale up. Here, she learned first-hand how carbon removal technology can help bridge the gap between climate aspiration and action.

Alex Clayton, Chief Business Development Officer at Gevo since January 2025, is a seasoned commercial and strategic leader with nearly 20 years of experience in renewable fuels, bioenergy, and agricultural innovation. His career spans impactful roles at Nufarm, Agrisoma, and Gevo, where he has been recognized as a global authority in bioenergy strategy, and has successfully built international supply chains and partnerships and helped lead the formation of novel markets.

Takamasa Yoshino is the Assistant General Manager of Carbon Credit Marketing & Trading at Mitsubishi Corporation. Since joining the company in 2008, he has held diverse roles across energy and chemical businesses, including petroleum products, chemical products and next-generation energy solutions.

He brings extensive experience in international energy markets, having served at Mitsubishi Corporation Houston office from 2022 to 2025, overseeing North American operations in chemicals and low carbon solutions. Building on this experience, he is actively engaged in global carbon market initiatives, including VCM, JCM and CORSIA.

Yasuhisa Okamoto (Yasu) is Managing Director for Drax Asia Japan, leading the organisation's business development team and Tokyo field office in Japan.

Yasu established Sumitomo Corporation's biomass business in 2002 and led its growth in wood pellets in Japan. While at Sumitomo, Yasu played an active role in establishing the company’s upstream integration into wood pellet manufacturing in South America and Canada. Following Sumitomo’s investment in Pacific Bioenergy, Yasu went on to support their sales team as SVP of Sales and Logistics, focusing on the long-term sustainability and traceability of wood pellets.

Carsten holds a Ph.D. in aquaculture nutrition from the Institute of Aquaculture at the University of Stirling. He is well versed in both scientific research and investments. Carsten transitioned from a technical analyst role to founding Alimentos Ventures in 2016 and co-founding Hatch Blue, the world's first aquaculture accelerator, in 2017?. As Managing Partner, Carsten oversees Hatch Blue’s investment activities as Managing Partner.

Yukari TAKAMURA is Professor at the Institute for Future Initiatives, the University of Tokyo.  Specializing international and environmental laws, she published as author and co-author many books and articles on relevant issues. 
She serves as member of governmental advisory bodies, among others, Procurement Price Calculation Committee for Feed-in Tariff Scheme for Renewable Energy, Science Council of Japan, and Central Environmental Council.  She also serves as member of Advisory Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development of ADB.

Ying Ying has over 15 years of experience in the energy sector. Her focus in Standard Chartered covers key emission reduction solutions including CCS and carbon removal technologies. She also plays an active role in carbon market development. Prior to her time in the bank, Ying Ying worked with Mitsubishi Corporation on LNG value chain investment. She was also a core team member of NextGen CDR Facility.

Ying Ying completed a course in Climate Change Management & Finance at Imperial College in 2021, and she holds an MSc in Metals and Energy Finance as well as a B.Eng in Civil Engineering. Ying Ying draws track record from MENA, ASEAN and Greater China with local experience in Singapore, London and Beijing.

Sameer leads Shell’s Asia Pacific Regulated Carbon Markets team within the Environmental Products Trading Business (EPTB). He oversees trading and strategy across key compliance markets including Australia, New Zealand, China, and Japan, as well as emerging regulated schemes in Asia. Sameer is passionate about building robust carbon markets that drive credible climate outcomes and support the energy transition. He brings a market participant’s view on how policy and trading can work together to accelerate credible climate action.

Shell’s Environmental Products Trading Business operates globally across both regulated and voluntary carbon markets. With a presence in major compliance schemes and voluntary initiatives, EPTB provides market-based solutions that help customers achieve decarbonization goals. Leveraging Shell’s trading expertise and structured products capability, the business plays a leading role in shaping carbon market development worldwide.

Sameer joined Shell in 2008 and has spent most of his career in Trading, with roles in European Natural Gas, LNG, and now Carbon. He has worked across multiple global hubs, including the Netherlands, London, Dubai, and currently Singapore. His experience combines deep market knowledge with a strong focus on building innovative solutions for customers within the energy transition.

Götz Martin has been with GAR since 2015, leading the company’s sustainability initiatives on the ground. His team focuses on areas such as 1) Forest and Peat conservation, rehabilitation and management, 2) Community Engagement with a focus on participative action and economic empowerment, 3) Responsible Sourcing with a focus on supplier engagement and supply chain transformation.

He has 12 years of experience in forest/land use and sustainability-related topics and has spent 11 years in South East Asia. As a leading subject matter expert in his field, Götz sits on various committees: High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA) Executive Committee, High Conservation Value Resource Network (HCVRN) Management Committee, RSPO Peatland Working Group, and the RSPO Biodiversity and High Conservation Value (BHCV) Working Group.

In his previous role at McKinsey & Company, Götz was one of the key authors of the McKinsey Global Greenhouse Gas Abatement Cost Curve, as well as the Indonesian Greenhouse Gas Abatement Cost Curve – the first document published by an Indonesian Government agency (DNPI) which recognized the role of peatlands as a source of carbon emissions. He was also the lead author of the East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan Low Carbon Economic Growth Strategy.

Götz has a PhD and Master Degree in Forestry Science, and a Bachelor Degree in Environmental Management, all from the Albert-Ludwig University of Freiburg, Germany.

“Growing up in a small village in Germany, nature in general and forests, in particular, have always been my favourite place to be. Realising soon during studies on what a downhill trajectory Earth was on, I pursued a career in sustainability. Governments and leading private sectors can turn the wheel and transform the way we all live, while still allowing emerging countries to pursue a growth path to lift millions of their people from poverty.”

Will Kain is the Founder and CEO of Avnos, where he leads the company’s mission to commercialize Hybrid Direct Air Capture (HDAC) – a more resource-efficient, geographically flexible, and cost-effective approach than conventional DAC technologies.
 
With nearly two decades of experience at the intersection of climate technology, corporate strategy, and capital markets, Will has built a career scaling high-impact technologies from concept to commercialization.
 
Prior to founding Avnos, he helped launch Rusheen Capital Management, a private equity firm investing in growth-stage companies focused on carbon management, clean energy, and water sustainability. He also served as Vice President of Corporate Development at NanoH2O, a global membrane desalination company acquired by LG Chem. 
 
Will began his career in the Investment Banking Division at UBS, advising clients in the industrials and energy sectors. He holds a BA in Economics and Government from the University of Virginia.

Flora Ji leads Shell’s global Nature Based Solutions (NBS) business. She and the team focus on the development of high-quality natural carbon sinks with environmental and social co-benefits, as well as nature-based market and customer solutions that can contribute to climate change migation.

Shell’s NBS business invests in activities that protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural ecosystems, including forest, agriculture, wetland, grassland, and coastal ecosystems. The business takes on long-term commitments in NBS projects, working closely with local communities, governments, NGOs, and other experts to ensure that the projects invested in make a demonstrable difference.

Flora joined Shell in 2006, and has worked across Downstream and Upstream in operational, commercial, and business management roles in China, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, and Singapore.  She holds an MBA from IMD, Switzerland.

Dr. Julio Friedmann is Chief Scientist at Carbon Direct. He works directly with clients, the Science team, and the leadership of Carbon Direct to solve major technical challenges around carbon management and CO2 removal.

Dr. Friedmann recently served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy at the Department of Energy where he was responsible for DOE’s R&D program in advanced fossil energy systems, carbon capture, and storage (CCS), CO2 utilization, and clean coal deployment. More recently, he was a Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia. He has held positions at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, including Chief Energy Technologist.

Dr. Friedmann is one of the most widely known and authoritative experts in the U.S. on carbon removal (CO2 drawdown from the air and oceans), CO2 conversion and use (carbon-to-value), hydrogen, industrial decarbonization, and carbon capture and sequestration.

Natsuru is leading carbon project development and investments at Mitsubishi Corporation, overseeing global opportunities spanning both Article 6 and voluntary markets. Concurrently, he serves as a Visiting Researcher at the A6IP Center, where he supports capacity-building and business-matching initiatives to foster the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. He has a solid background in the energy business and has a strong academic foundation in environmental studies.

As Director, Energy and Industrial Innovation, Ian leads Verra’s innovation strategy related to the industrial and energy sectors. His focus lies in accelerating emission reduction opportunities related to Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS), methane management, and accelerating the clean energy transition. 
 

Ian previously worked at the Alberta Energy Regulator. There, he helped develop a number of methane emission reduction regulations, helped develop an online reporting platform, served on numerous committees for emission reductions and quantification of emission sources. Prior to this, Ian was a Director at Cap-Op Energy, a sustainability consulting company specializing in emission reductions in the energy industry. He led offset development and quantification projects related to carbon capture and storage, enhanced oil recovery, biofuel development, renewable energy, and methane destruction. 
 

Ian is based in Calgary, Canada, and completed mechanical engineering at the University of Calgary and a Master of Science degree in Management and Engineering of Environment and Energy from Ecole Des Mines de Nantes in France

Finn O’Muircheartaigh is General Manager APAC at BeZero Carbon, leading regional growth, strategy, and operations across Asia-Pacific markets. Previously Finn had roles as Chief of Staff and Director of Policy and Markets at BeZero. He is also a Guest Lecturer on climate change policy at City University of London. 
 

Prior to joining BeZero, Finn worked for over a decade in climate and economic roles in government. His roles included Head of the Prime Minister Economy Team and an advisor to the UK Climate Change Minister.

Kyunghwa (Kay) Jeon is the Founder and Director of BeFLAT Services and a recognized expert in carbon finance. Since 2018, she has led the development and investment of international carbon offset projects, working closely with financial institutions and compliance entities across South Korea to advance the effective use of carbon finance. Prior to establishing BeFLAT, she served as Climate Finance Expert at Korea Investment and Securities, where she founded the Carbon Solution Department, pioneered voluntary carbon project investments in Korea, and acted as a market maker under the Korea Emissions Trading Scheme. Earlier in her career, she led overseas offset project development at Ecoeye, successfully developing and converting more than 20 CDM projects into Korean Offset Credits. 
 

She holds a Master of Science in Carbon Finance from the University of Edinburgh and brings a strong professional background in both finance and accounting. With her combined expertise, she is committed to mobilizing capital into high-impact climate projects and advancing market-based solutions for the net-zero transition.

Hiroaki Sugimori is the Director of Policy and Engagement at 1PointFive, a Carbon Capture, Utilization and Sequestration (CCUS) company committed to curbing global temperature rise by deploying decarbonization solutions, including Carbon Engineering's Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology alongside geologic sequestration hubs. His role focuses on promoting technology-based solutions and building partnerships with investors and off-takers, especially across the Asia-Pacific region and in sectors such as aviation and maritime. While Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) alone cannot eliminate all emissions, DAC can help address the residuals—an approach Hiroaki actively advocates.

Prior to joining 1PointFive, Hiroaki spent nearly 30 years in the airline industry. He led ANA’s decarbonization team for 6 years, working on projects to control and reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the ANA group, with a strong focus on introducing SAF to the Japanese market. He also played a key role in launching the “SAF Flight Initiative Program”, enabling ANA’s corporate customers to participate in sustainability efforts.

Eugene joined 1PointFive in September of 2022. He is responsible for developing and executing commercialization strategies for 1PointFive in the fast-moving carbon removal market. Prior to joining 1PointFive, he spent 10 years with Australian mining giant BHP in a variety of roles spanning investment evaluation, strategic planning, commercial, business development and corporate development. Before his time at BHP, Eugene was an investment banker providing project finance and M&A advice for large infrastructure, energy and mining projects and companies. He holds an MBA from American University, as well as Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Financial Risk Manager (FRM) designations.

Sylvia helped set up the Singapore division of 1PointFive International in 2022 and currently serves as the Director of Business Development for Asia. 1PointFive (1P5) is the carbon management division of Occidental. The company focuses on carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), with particular emphasis on Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology. Sylvia is committed to expanding business opportunities across Asia, leveraging Carbon Engineering’s state-of-the-art DAC technology. She spent the last 3 years actively pursuing opportunities that cultivate the demand for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits and related products derived from DAC. Her role also entails seeking out optimal locations that could support the establishment of DAC plants in Asia. Sylvia graduated from the National University of Singapore with a BBA. Prior to joining 1P5, she spent 26 years of her career in the oil industry encompassing various aspects of sales and trading. Her career spans multiple roles within several MNCs, supporting both the upstream and downstream sectors of the business.

Eamon founded Isometric in 2022 to introduce trust into the carbon removal industry. He is an expert in creating trust-building infrastructure, having previously founded Onfido, a digital identity verification company that helps Fortune 100 companies prevent fraud. Under Eamon's leadership Onfido verified over 1 billion identities—and prevented over 40 million fraud attempts—before being acquired by Entrust for $650m.

As CEO of Isometric, Eamon is responsible for setting and overseeing execution of the company’s strategic plan.

Marta Krupinska is Co-Founder and CEO of Cur8, a serial entrepreneur and seasoned executive with 15 years of leadership experience in socially impactful ventures. Marta co-founded two exited fintech startups, Azimo and FreeUp, and was the Head of Google for Startups UK and co-lead of Google’s Black Founders Fund. Alongside building CUR8, Marta serves as Chair of Youth Business International, a global charity founded by King Charles that supports young entrepreneurs worldwide, and as a Non-Executive Director at ACUA Ocean, a marine cleantech startup.

Jiro is the Strategy Manager for the ACT Group in Japan. Following a period at ACT’s APAC hub in Singapore, he established the Tokyo office in May 2024.

In this role, he engages with a variety of stakeholders and develops decarbonization strategies for corporations through renewable energy and carbon markets, helping them to transition to a sustainable path.  He has worked with governments and multilateral organizations to develop mitigation projects, and he is currently using this experience to create international climate-related projects involving various technologies, including CDR.

Jiro has over 20 years' experience working in the areas of climate change and sustainability for both the public and private sectors.  He holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Management and a Master's degree in Development and Cooperation from Hiroshima University. He also obtained a certification in Climate and Renewable Energy Finance from the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.

Yushi Horita is the account manager at Mitsubishi Corp's Environment Energy Group and NextGen CDR AG.  His responsibilities in this role include developing and investment in Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) projects, engaging with off-takers of CDR credits in the Asia Pacific region, and procurement of CDR credits from biomass-based projects (Biochar, BiCRS). 
 

Prior to this, Yushi was in charge of sales & marketing, and business management of fuel cell-related components at a chemical company.

Ikarus Janzen is the Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder of Varaha, the leading carbon removal company in Asia. He leads all commercial efforts, including project financing, marketing, sales, and equity fundraising. Before Varaha, he launched one of the first climate tech venture capital funds, investing in transformative startups across energy, mobility, fintech, and carbon markets. He holds a Master’s in Business Administration & Electrical Energy Technology from RWTH Aachen University.

Gao brings over 15 years of experience in carbon markets and project development. He joined Climate Bridge in 2007, beginning his carbon career in project documentation before leading the project origination department, where he successfully executed over 200 carbon transactions.

Appointed CEO in 2018, he spearheaded the joint venture with Shell from its inception in 2020 and which has now become fully owned by Climate Bridge. Under his leadership, the firm has expanded into a leading provider of carbon project development and neutrality solutions across global markets.

He holds an MBA from Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business and a Master’s from Tongji University.

Jason Hochman is the Founder and Managing Partner of a new climate tech investment platform focused on preserving and scaling breakthrough carbon removal innovation, beginning with efforts to consolidate and advance direct air capture technologies. 
 

He is the former Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Direct Air Capture Coalition, which he built from inception into a globally recognized coalition of more than 110 companies, organizations, and institutions. Under his leadership, DACC organized two Global Direct Air Capture Conferences with partners including Columbia University, Breakthrough Energy, and RMI, engaged senior policymakers across the U.S. government, United Nations, and European Commission, and developed shared resources to support the growth of the DAC sector. 
 

Earlier in his career, Jason worked on clean energy and energy efficiency policy at Con Edison, and supported climate and sustainability initiatives at the U.S. Department of Defense, Acclimatise, and Demos. 
 

He holds an M.S. in Global Energy and Environmental Policy from New York University and a B.A. in History and Public Policy from Brown University.

Malte is the co-founder and CEO of Phlair, which develops an innovative, hydrolyzer-based electrochemical direct air capture technology. 
 

He leads strategic and commercial activities at Phlair and has a robotics and industrial engineering background from TU Munich.

Tadashi leads the Carbon Management Department at Mitsubishi Corporation. With extensive experience in the mineral resources and energy sector, Tadashi is dedicated to achieving a carbon-neutral society. Under Tadashi's leadership, Mitsubishi Corporation provides innovative solutions combining renewable energy, low-carbon fuel options, and carbon credits to reduce its carbon footprint and promote sustainability.

Prior to Charm, Harris led Energy Consumers engagement at ClearTrace Technologies, and led the direct sales team at Carbon Lighthouse and helped lead the pivot to a subscription model. Harris also spent time at Bloom Energy, and Pacific Gas and Electric after completing a bachelor's degree at UC Berkeley with a minor in the Energy and Resources Group.

Shantanu Agarwal is an engineer, inventor, and climate-tech entrepreneur, and the Founder & CEO of Mati Carbon, a public-benefit company scaling enhanced rock weathering with smallholder farmers across India, Africa, and Southeast Asia. In 2025, he was named to the TIME100 Next for pioneering a farmer-first model that pairs durable carbon removal with higher yields and rural income gains, aiming to reach millions of farmers and Gigaton ton CO2 removal by 2050. 
 

Under Shantanu’s leadership, Mati Carbon won the $50 million XPRIZE Carbon Removal Grand Prize for its field-proven ERW program, demonstrating large-scale, cost-effective removal while restoring soils.  He was also recognized among Forbes Sustainability Leaders 2025, highlighting his role in advancing scalable climate solutions built for the Global South. Mati’s credits have received a high-credibility AA rating from BeZero Carbon, reflecting strong quality signals in the voluntary carbon market. 
 

Previously, Shantanu co-founded Sustaera (direct air capture) and built ventures at the intersection of energy technology, policy, and impact. He’s a Henry Arnhold Fellow (Mulago Foundation), holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Roorkee. His work centers on scaling climate solutions that also raise farm incomes and strengthen rural resilience.

Chris is a Climate and Energy Tech investor at Global Brain. Since 2019, he has worked in Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) and Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) at Mitsubishi Corporation, leading investments, global deployment of concrete mineralization/DACCS projects, and co-founding NextGen a CDR buyers' club leading procurement of more than 200,000 t of CDR carbon credits. He has shaped Japan’s DAC strategy with METI, advised global initiatives like Carbon Unbound, and spoken at COP, Climate Week NY, and more. Previously in the mineral resources sector, working at an aluminium smelter in Mozambique. With global experience across Japan, Europe, Africa, and the US, he brings deep expertise in CDR and a strong commitment to climate and industrial innovation. Father of two daughters, a hip hop and Haribo enthusiast.

In 1999 Joined Sumitomo Corporation, where worked for a long time in new business development and corporate services in the logistics field. After working in London as GM of Logistics Department from 2013 to 21019, moved to the Corporate Planning & Coordination Department where was involved in formulating the Group's sustainability policy and the previous medium-term management plan. In addition, planned the launch of a company-wide organization and was involved in the establishment of the Energy Innovation Initiative (EII), with the aim of building a decarbonized and recycling-oriented energy society in response to climate change, which is positioned as an important social issue. Since January 2023, has served as the team leader of the newly established CCUS team (now CCUS & Subsurface Energy Business Unit), and is currently working on CCUS business development in Americas and Global CDR field.

Patrick Buergi is a sustainability entrepreneur and expert with 22 of experience in carbon markets, climate policy, corporate sustainability and impact investing. He is a co-founder of both the myclimate Foundation in 2002 and South Pole in 2006. 

In mid 2022, Patrick relocated to Tokyo to lead the establishment of South Pole’s presence in Japan. In addition, Patrick also acts as a Senior Innovation Advisor within South Pole working across a portfolio of innovation and R&D initiatives, including Net Zero strategies, carbon removals (CDR), regenerative agriculture, plastic stewardship and digital growth opportunities, for example.

After working in ship building company and financial institute, joined Mitsui O.S.K.Lines, Ltd. in 2005 and spent most of the carrier with traditional shipping sector including tanker and RORO vessel business. Become head of CDR in April 2024, and currently in charge of CDR procurement, project investment related with CDR, and carbon credit trading. 

Max Zeller is Founder & Partner at Carbon Removal Partners (CRP). He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from ETH Zurich. He obtained the latter after conducting profound research on credit quality in the Voluntary Carbon Market.

Max founded Carbon Removal Partners (CRP) with the aim of channeling catalytic capital into the emerging Carbon Management industry. His past professional experiences include Urban Connect, Airbus and Climeworks.

Kei Ikegami is the Founder and CEO of Planet Savers, Japan’s first Direct Air Capture (DAC) startup, dedicated to combating climate change. He began his career at JICA, where he managed energy infrastructure development projects in the Middle East, before moving to SoftBank Robotics to lead global business development. A proven entrepreneur, Kei also founded and successfully exited a mission-driven education startup, demonstrating his ability to scale impactful ventures. This diverse experience in energy, global technology, and entrepreneurship uniquely positions him to lead this critical new industry. Kei holds an MBA from the University of Cambridge.