Lauralee Alben
Founder of Alben Design LLC and the Sea Change Design Consortium
Through Alben Design LLC
A pioneer of the Creative Economy, Lauralee Alben has advised many of the world's most innovative companies using the Sea Change Design Process. Her clients include Apple Computer, where she helped define personalized computing; Procter & Gamble, where she led a culture change within a research and development group that shifted inertia into a sustainable innovation capability; and Intel, where she devised a global marketing strategy for the Itanium Solutions Alliance. Lauralee has also consulted on global issues, from inspiring ocean conservation for the Monterey Bay Aquarium to searching for new ways to protect human rights in Uzbekistan.
Lauralee received the first prestigious Muriel Cooper Prize from the Design Management Institute for being a pioneer in the digital environment and is one of I.D. Magazine's I.D. Forty: "one of the most influential people in design." Lauralee's articles have appeared in many business, design and computer publications. The Design Management Journal has published several, including "Navigating a Sea Change
Steve Bishop
Global Lead, Design for Sustainability, IDEO
Steve leads the sustainability domain at IDEO. In this role, he focuses on applying design thinking to the issues of sustainability for IDEO clients as well as IDEO itself. As a lead in both product and interaction design, Steve's experience ranges across several industries including automotive, consumer products, and medical devices. He's helped design high end office furniture, packaging, instrument panels for hybrid electric vehicles, and medical injection devices, for which he holds patents. Steve currently leads sustainability efforts at IDEO's headquarters in Palo Alto. In 2007, he launched a new course at Stanford on sustainable design and is developing a sustainable design program for the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (the "d.school"). Steve holds a BA in Film and Media from the Univeristy of Texas, Austin and a Master's Degree in Product Design from Stanford.
Seetha Coleman-Kammula
Founder, Simply Sustain, formerly of India, currently, Newark, USA
Seetha, one of the founding partners of Simply Sustain LLC, has over 25 years of experience first at Royal Dutch Shell, and later at Basell, a Shell BASF Joint Venture. At Basell she was Senior VP Strategic Marketing, Innovation & Asset Management and a member of the Board of Directors of Indelpro (Mexico). At Shell she was Strategy Director (Houston), Director of Technology (Belgium)- both for Epoxy Resins, and Research Scientist (Amsterdam). She received a BS degree from Osmania University, India, a PhD degree in Organic Chemistry from Auburn University, and did post-doctorate research at Princeton University where she was also an Instructor. Seetha currently sits on the Sustainability advisory board of DOW Chemical Company and has been actively engaged leading an end to end value chain collaboration geared toward geared towards conserving energy and materials.
Steve Cook
Principal, Sustainability Business Development
Steve Cook is an accomplished senior executive with P&G, Coca-Cola and Samsung global and local strategic brand, customer marketing and innovation experience. He has joined Abeo Partners, a practice that advises clients to develop 360 degree strategies and solutions for Sustainability that deliver competitive advantage and business growth, while doing the right thing for the environment and community; the Two Sides of Sustainability.
Steve most recently was Samsung Electronics America's SVP, CMO North America
Headquarters (U.S., Canada, Mexico). He led the North America Brand Marketing
Group that worked across all B2C & B2B Product Divisions on Corporate Marketing platforms including: Consumer Passion Programs (Olympics, Sports, Music, Gaming, Fashion/Design & Entertainment), Sustainability, Experiential, PR, Corporate Spokesperson & Influential Editor relations, samsung.com & Online, CRM, Strategic Marketing Partnerships, Field Marketing, Creative & Media Management, Samsung Experience Flagship NYC store, Key Retailer Cross-Product
Platform Business Development, Corporate Social Responsibility/Cause Marketing. Steve helped Samsung maintain its #1 share in HDTV and achieve the #1 share in the Mobile Phone segment.
One of Steve's critical CMO roles was to commercialize and lead Samsung's North America Sustainability Team, strategic plan, programs and partnerships cross-divisionally. A key result was establishing a Sustainability Strategic Partnership with the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart (http://walmartstores.com/Sustainability/8787.aspx). The first joint action was Wal-Mart's selection of the Samsung Recycling Directsm electronics take-back and recycling program over all other Consumer Electronics take-back programs. Samsung's program set an industry precedent with its complete 50 state coverage on day one. Steve also led the development of Samsung's first Sustainability-focused consumer advertising in North America.
Steve was previously at Coca-Cola for 13 years, and started his marketing career with Procter & Gamble for 13 years. Working at The Coca-Cola Company's global HQ, Steve was Vice President, Worldwide Strategic Planning and Business Development. Steve has run and grown leading iconic, image-based Brands. His business experience is rooted in Brand Management, Advertising,Innovation, Customer Management, New Product Development, Alliance Partnerships, Shopper Marketing, Experiential Marketing, and New Business Development.
Steve has worked in the highly competitive Electronics, Beverage, Food, Personal Care, Cosmetics and Fragrances industries, where developing strong emotional connections with consumers is essential to success. He is experienced leading global/local cross-functional networked teams and agencies to collaboratively develop consumer-driven demand creation strategies and programming.
Steve has collaborated with the world's largest retailers in the Big Box Electronics, Mass, Grocery, Convenience, Drug, Quick Service and Casual Dining channels on all continents, growing both enterprises' business metrics, Brand equities, and consumer satisfaction.
Steve recently joined the Green Chamber of the South as a Board Member and is also a member of the Georgia Executive Marketing RoundTable. He served on the Board of The Pennsylvania State University MBA program and as a Marketing leader for the Brand Atlanta campaign.
Steve speaks regularly at leading MBA & Executive MBA programs such as Wharton, Emory University, Penn State, University of North Carolina, Georgia State University, and Korea University Business School on Strategic Brand & Customer Marketing, & Innovation.
Steve earned his MBA from The Pennsylvania State University. He was the President of the MBA Association. He earned his BSBA in Marketing from The University of Florida.
Tracy Cook
Director of Brand Strategy, The Mohawk Group
A brand strategy expert, Tracy Cook understands the significance of building strong brands backed by sustainable solutions. Currently the director of brand strategy for The Mohawk Group, a division of Mohawk Industries, Tracy is helping the commercial carpet manufacturer “connect the dots” between its products, practices and people through effective branding and communications – expanding Mohawk's market presence, driving growth and most importantly, positioning the company to sustain long-term success.
Tracy’s proven abilities are backed by nearly 16 years of experience with helping to lead the sustainability movement through her work with pioneer, Interface, Inc. There, she led the development and launch of the company’s Mission Zero global initiative, which strives to reduce Interface’s environmental footprint to zero by the year 2020. Tracy also applied sustainable processes, messages and practices to her work with ReSource Americas, an Interface subsidiary, where she directed marketing communications programs.
A resident of Hiram, Ga., Tracy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in public relations and communications from Auburn University. She is married and has a 2 year old son. She is a member of the Georgia Marketing Roundtable of Executives and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).
Lucas Daniel
Strategy Lead, gravitytank
Lucas Daniel is a Strategy Lead at gravitytank, where he manages the strategic direction of a wide variety of projects, from product innovation to market positioning to future platform strategy for clients ranging from Samsung, OfficeMax and Unilever. Prior to his work with gravitytank, Lucas received his Master of Design degree in Design Planning from the Institute of Design, IIT. He has a diverse background in interaction design, writing, and cultural anthropology. He also holds a BA in Anthropology from UC Berkeley, where he focused his studies on California Indian culture.
Gil Friend
Founder, President & CEO, Natural Logic, Inc
Gil Friend is founder, president & CEO of Natural Logic Inc, a sustainability consultancy helping companies build economic advantage through exceptional environmental performance. Clients have included General Mills, Hewlett Packard, Nike, Odwalla, Pacific Gas & Electric, Sun Microsystems, and many others. A systems ecologist and business strategist with 35 years experience in business, communications and environmental innovation, Friend combines broad business experience with unique content experience spanning strategy, systems ecology, economic development, management cybernetics, and public policy. Tomorrow Magazine called him one of the country's leading environmental management consultants - a real expert who combines theoretical sophistication with hands-on, in-the-trenches know-how. Friend lectures widely on business strategy and environmental policy, and writes "The New Bottom Line," a monthly column on business strategy; contributes to Sustainable Life Media.com, GreenBiz.com, and WorldChanging.com; and a forthcoming book: Risk, Fiduciary Responsibility and the Laws of Nature.
Piper Gianola
Executive Director
Piper is a brand strategist at Cisco Systems, focusing on Corporate Social Responsibility, brand opportunity and risk. Previously, Piper was a linguist with a specialty in intercultural communications, and the director of an adult language school. Piper has spent extended time in Africa, visiting 17 countries and working six months in rural Senegal as a medical support volunteer with Mauritanian refugees. She holds a MA in linguistics and BA in Social Sciences Education from San Jose State University, California, and a Diplôme d’études Françaises from the University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Tamara Giltsoff
Managing Director, OZOlab
Tamara is the Managing Director of OZOlab; she has led strategy and sustainable innovation for the lab since its inception, shaping each of its ventures and leading the innovation consulting practice for client companies. OZOlab (www.OZOlab.com) is a leading innovation lab and business incubator that exists to identify, create and market a new breed of sustainable businesses with mass consumer appeal. OZOcar and OZOlife.com are the first companies within the OZOlab's portfolio; OZOwater, drinking water brought to you but not shipped in bottles, will launch in early 2009. OZOlab Consulting works with brand leaders to create long term sustainable value for businesses and their stakeholders, and to drive sustainability leadership throughout the organization. Tamara's background combines 13 years experience in design, brand strategy and marketing, sustainable innovation and business consulting. She holds both a Masters Degree in Design, Strategy and Innovation, and in Responsibility and Business Practice. She writes regularly for Treehugger.com and speaks and consults on sustainability and business practice. She was named one of the 35 Outstanding Businesswomen Under the Age of 35 by World Business Magazine in 2007.
Jonathan Greenblatt
CEO, GOOD Magazine
Jonathan Greenblatt is the CEO of GOOD, a successful social entrepreneur and an acknowledged thought leader on ethical branding. GOOD, an integrated media company for people who want to live well and do good, is one of the fastest growing media brands on the market. GOOD is an editorially-led, member-driven community that provides content and experiences for people, businesses and organizations moving the world forward. Its portfolio currently includes an award winning print magazine, live events and an online destination updated daily with fresh editorial and short-form video features. Launched in September 2006, GOOD has received equal recognition for its creative sensibility, commercial success and social impact, such as the Choose GOOD campaign which has directed almost $750,000 in subscription revenue to a diverse roster of leading nonprofits around the world. Prior to his appointment to GOOD, Greenblatt co-founded Ethos Water, the premium bottled water that helps children around the world get clean water. In 2005, Starbucks Coffee Company acquired Ethos Water, making it one of only a handful of non-coffee businesses the company has purchased in its 30-plus year history. Ethos currently reaches more than 40 million consumers every week, raising awareness about water and sanitation issues and planting the seeds for long-term social change.
Cheryl Heller
CEO, Heller Communication Design
Cheryl Heller is a leading strategist, writer and creative director, partnering with companies to transition their brands from the traditional values and tactics of the past to behavior and communications that will engender the trust, loyalty and support required to flourish in the future. She is CEO of Heller Communication Design in New York City and Norfolk, CT. Cheryl has developed brands and launched products for Fortune 100 and start up companies in fields ranging from fashion and beauty, automotive, entertainment, retail, technology, food and beverage, health care, manufacturing and finance. In addition to her work for large corporations, Cheryl works with leading non-profits, including WWF, Audubon New York, IDE (an international organization dedicated to poverty elimination) The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education, SafeHorizon and the Joyful Heart Foundation. She is helping to launch a new NGO, led by Dr. Paul Polack, called Design for the other 90%, and served as an advisor for an exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum with the same name. She is an advisor to the National Academies of Science on how best to communicate the importance of climate change, and is a Senior Faculty Fellow at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship. She serves on the board of Pop!Tech, which accelerates the impact of positive change in the world, and The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education. Cheryl is a member of the Aspen Design Summit, and is a Senior Faculty Fellow at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship.
Paul Herman
CEO+Founder, HIP Investor Inc.
The world's $140 trillion in investments are under-performing until all currencies (e.g. rupee, real, rand, euro, yen, dollar) generate both Human Impact + Profit (HIP) simultaneously. Paul founded HIP Investor to spread and implement this vision of a world that is socially, environmentally and financially sustainable. HIP Investor serves corporations and CEOs, entrepreneurs, and individual and institutional investors to realize their potential to be HIP.
Previously, Paul was Director of Strategy for eBay founder Pierre Omidyar's Network to help shape the future of its for-profit and non-profit investments and portfolio impact. Paul's achievements as Chief Development Officer of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public included leading the global team to grow revenue from $12 million to nearly $20 million in two years, and expanding the North America Fellowship program, now numbering 60 systems-changing social entrepreneurs, known as Fellows (one-third of whom are in the San Francisco Bay Area).
Born and raised in Chicago, Paul has become a "citizen of the world" by living and working in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Paul is a passionate entrepreneur and has led, managed and grown innovative ideas and organizations from scratch. Paul co-founded and sold a financial-services company for teens, kids and parents, reaching 30,000 customers, 55 business partners, and enabling a living platform for financial literacy and privacy protection.
Paul also has advised Fortune 500 companies world-wide with McKinsey & Company and CSC Index; founded the New York Chapter of Coalition for Quality Children's Media which teaches youth media literacy; serves on the Board of Advisors for Design That Matters, a product-design firm to help low-income citizens globally,and is an Advisor to a global network of HIP-focused professionals and students ( www.NetImpact.org).
Paul graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and now lives in San Francisco, with his wife Gayle, a travel/food writer ( www.GayleKeck.com) and branding/marketing expert.
Carol Holding
Founder and President, Holding Associates
Ms. Holding's 16-year-old brand strategy firm has focused on the integration of brands and CSR since 2001. In order to offer clients an evaluation tool for measuring their progress, she has developed a way to measure the impact of CSR on brands by merging 20 years of brand and SRI data. She is Chair of the HBS Club of NYC Social Enterprise Summit and a member of the International Women's Forum. Prior to founding Holding Associates, Ms. Holding served as an executive in communications firms McCann Erickson and Siegel + Gale and developed new consumer products as a VP at Citibank. She holds a BA in Economics from Smith College and an MBA from Harvard.
Chris Laszlo
Managing Partner, Sustainable Value Partners
Chris Laszlo is the managing partner of Sustainable Value Partners, a Washington, DC-based consulting firm that works with Fortune 500 companies to create business value through improved sustainability performance. A frequent author and speaker who has written two books on sustainability, Laszlo spent 15 years as an executive at Lafarge (a manufacturer of building materials) and Deloitte. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Paris and a Masters in Public Affairs from Columbia University.
Mark Lee
CEO, SustainAbility
Mark joined SustainAbility as a Director of the US business in 2004 to help grow the organization's profile in North America and was appointed CEO in late 2005. He is responsible for creating a culture and providing the resources required for SustainAbility's team to achieve its ambitious change agenda. He works directly with key clients and partners, especially in the area of strategy development where he has shaped approaches for a wide range of global companies in a variety of industries. Mark is responsible for SustainAbility's thought leadership and represents the organization in a wide variety of sustainable development fora.
Previously, Mark was a Vice President at Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) in San Francisco. Mark joined BSR in 1998 as Director, Governance and Accountability, then became BSR's Vice President, Member Services in 1999, in which role he oversaw business development, consulting, membership and the BSR Annual Conference while maintaining the Governance portfolio.
Mark began his career at Vancity Savings, a Canadian financial institution known for sustainability leadership. He co-produced their first social and environmental report in 1997 (the first sustainability report published in Canada), managed the company's community engagement and micro-credit programs, and oversaw the national Ethics in Action Awards.
Mark has served on multiple boards and committees within the sustainability and development fields for organizations including: Canadian Business for Social Responsibility; The Global Reporting Initiative; AccountAbility; The Canadian Council for International Cooperation, and; The Applied Research Centre in Human Security at Coventry University Roundtable on Sustainable Enterprise. He regularly contributes articles and inputs informed by SustainAbility’s consulting and research work to media.
Mark graduated from the University of British Columbia (Political Science, English), before undertaking graduate studies in Community Economic Development at Simon Fraser University. He is an alumni of various professional development programs including the Business Development Program at Haas Berkeley and The University of Cambridge's Prince of Wales Business and the Environment Programme, and Mark was named by Ethisphere Magazine as one of the Most Influential People in Business Ethics for 2007.
Lisa Cape Lilienthal
Experience
A jack-of-all-trades public relations professional, I have more than 20 years' experience in mission-based marketing, and think the best thing about PR is collaborating with clients and partners to elevate thoughts and ideas into brands. Consulting for the past 13 years has given me the chance to be entrepreneurial and to represent a diverse collection of clients, with one common thread: strategic communications programs built around a mission or the opportunity for advocacy. My client base is built primarily around environment and sustainability, healthcare, and education, but I love to shake it up with a great jewelry designer, a talented artist or an author whose creativity inspires me.
Expertise
I'm a big thinker, love strategy and am a strong persuasive writer.
Green Cred
Clients that walk the talk, a husband who reminds me that it's not about "stuff", and kids that are happier and healthier when they're eating simple, organic food and spending lots of time outdoors.
Paul Lilienthal
President, Pictura Graphics
Paul Lilienthal is the President and owner of Pictura Graphics. Paul's leadership of Pictura's brand and market strategies has positioned Pictura Graphics to become one of the leading wide-format digital graphic companies in the U.S. Pictura Graphics is committed to continuous advancements in the sustainability of the company, through manufacturing process improvements, innovative product and services offerings, commitment to its customers. Along with the Signage and Graphics Summit, Mr. Lilienthal is active in the Exhibit Design and Planners Association (EDPA) and the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association
Annie Longsworth
Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Cohn and Wolfe, San Francisco
Annie Longsworth is President and Managing Director of the San Francisco office. She joined Cohn & Wolfe in 2002 and has helped establish the office in one of the world’s most influential business regions – one that has spawned both the technology and green revolutions. Overall, Annie has 15 years of communications experience including editorial positions with U.S. business and technology publications and strategic marketing communications roles for dozens of companies, from start-ups to multinationals.
Annie is the senior counselor to Trilogy by Shea Homes, PlantSense and Landor Associates and is actively involved with the marketing programs of Aricent, Red Light and SanDisk. As president and managing director of the San Francisco office, she oversees the day-to-day operations of the office – from strategy to staffing.
In March 2007, Annie launched a global Sustainability practice devoted to communication strategies around the topics of sustainability, alternative energy and environmental strategy. As a “Green Wolfe,” Annie works with Tom’s of Maine, Trilogy, American Express and Panasonic. She is also on the advisory board of Sustainable Life and leads an annual green study that gauges consumer perceptions and insights on environmental issues and brands. She is a frequent speaker and has presented research on consumer behavior, as well as “media and green,” at many industry events.
Prior to Cohn & Wolfe, Annie was Vice President of Corporate Development and Accounts Services (1995 – 2002) at Wilson McHenry Company responsible for the strategy and execution of global PR programs for clients in a variety of markets, including B2B, hardware, chips, financial services, consumer hardware and dot coms. Her clients included Pioneer Electronics, Micron Electronics, Acer America, CBSSportsline.com, Connectix and Rambus.
Annie began her career as an editor, working for Inc. Magazine as an intern on the Inc. 500, the annual list of the fastest growing public companies. She then worked for Ziff- Davis Publishing Co., at Corporate Computing magazine, where she was devoted to the monthly Request for Proposal (RFP) section. After Corporate Computing, Annie was a writer for OS/2 Professional magazine, where she wrote feature stories and news pieces. She then worked as an assistant editor for Ziff-Davis’ Windows Sources magazine, where she edited the publication’s product section.
Annie was recognized as one PR Week’s “Top 40 under 40” people to watch in December of 2008. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two children, Johnny and Piper.
Mark McElroy
Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Innovation
Mark W. McElroy is Executive Director and Chief Sustainability Officer at the non-profit Center for Sustainable Innovation (CSI) in Vermont. He is also board chair emeritus of the Sustainability Institute, also located in Vermont. For the past several years, Mr. McElroy has worked as a consultant in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability, and has assisted such firms as Ben & Jerry's Homemade and Cabot Creamery Cooperative with their respective sustainability programs. Mr. McElroy is also affiliated with the University of Groningen in the Netherlands where he holds a 3-year faculty position as a Visiting Researcher. There he is leading a research and development effort to create cutting-edge strategies for managing, measuring, and reporting the social and environmental sustainability performance of organizations. This work also comprises the basis of Mr. McElroy's Ph.D. dissertation, which he is scheduled to complete (at Groningen) in the spring of 2008. The main thrust of Mr. McElroy's thesis, and of his work at CSI, is the development of a corporate sustainability reporting method known as the Social Footprint Method and the concept of sustainability quotients upon which it is based. The Social Footprint Method is an advanced corporate sustainability measurement and reporting system that arguably takes today's leading practices in the field, including the Global Reporting Initiative, to the next level.
Victor Melendez
Vice President Marketing- Sustainability, Pepsi Cola North America
Victor Melendez has worked in marketing for the last 19 years in various International and domestic assignments, and has managed such international brands as Pepsi, Frito Lay, Jose Cuervo, Stella Artois, Beck's, Bass and Evian. In addition to earning his MBA in International Business from the Monterrey Institute of Technology in Monterrey Mexico, Victor has attended several executive programs in Marketing and Leadership at Harvard Business School and Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Victor has extensive experience in the areas of brand strategy, advertising, media, new product development and environmental sustainability for both the General Market and Hispanic segments. In 2002 Victor was featured in Brandweek Magazine's Brand Builders column and in 2005, was named one of the Top 10 Marketers of the Next Generation by the same publication; his work also won a Gold Effie from the American Marketing Association.
In his latest role as VP Marketing Sustainability Victor was responsible for bringing PepsiCo's "Performance with Purpose" to life at Pepsi Cola North America with emphasis on spearheading the company's Sustainability framework and integration. He was also responsible for articulating the vision and plans through consumer-facing marketing and communication initiatives.
Jeff Mendelsohn
Founder and President, New Leaf Paper
Jeff Mendelsohn is the founder and president of New Leaf Paper, a company with the mission of driving a fundamental shift toward sustainability in the paper industry. Paper manufacturing is one of the most polluting and resource intensive industries in the world. Jeff envisions a complete redesign of the paper industry to incorporate the principles of sustainability, and is a frequent public speaker on this topic. He leads New Leaf Paper's product innovation, creating a wide selection of market leading environmental papers that fit this vision. Since it was founded in 1998, New Leaf Paper has seen real change in the marketplace through its efforts, and inspired some of the largest paper companies in the world to pay attention to environmental concerns. Jeff's interest in socially responsible business transcends the goals of New Leaf Paper, and he actively works to support the growth of the socially responsible business community.
Jacquelyn Ottman
President, J. Ottman Consulting
Since founding J. Ottman Consulting, Inc. nearly 20 years ago, Jacquelyn and her colleagues have helped more than 60 Fortune 500 businesses, the Energy Star label and other organizations learn how to seize opportunities by pro-actively addressing consumers environmental concerns. Bringing unique insights initially honed during 12 years on top-flight consumer packaged goods businesses at major ad agencies, Ottman has helped clients develop concepts for exciting new products with less environmental impact and strategies for reaching green consumers while minimizing the risk of backlash. Her book, Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation, is called the "definitive work on the subject" by the American Marketing Association. Jacquelyn is a sought-after speaker at conferences and corporate forums run by IBM, 3M, Philips Electronics, and GE,and one of the true pioneers of green marketing. She also serves as program co-chair of Sustainable Brands '08, as well as host to SLM's Sustainable Brands Weekly. The principal organizer and driving spirit behind the Design:Green eco-design educational initiative, she sits on the Advisory Board of the Centre for Sustainable Design (U.K.), the Center for Small Business and the Environment, and the NYC chapter of O2, of which she is a past co-chairman. For seven years, she chaired the jury of the American Marketing Association's Special Edison Awards for Environmental Achievement.
Greg Owsley
Chief Branding Officer, New Belgium Brewery
In his 12 years at the brand hub for New Belgium Brewing, Greg Owsley has grown along with the company from a homespun marketer to a position Dr. Douglas Holt coined as the 1st Cultural Branding Director in America. Prior to getting on the New Belgium beer wagon, Owsley originally dirtied his marketing fingernails as the fresh markets director at the largest organic vegetable operation in Colorado. During his tenure, the company New Belgium has blossomed from a 30,000 annual barrel microbrewery to the 3rd largest craft beer brewer in the country kicking out close to a 1.2 million barrels annually. From staging events like the traveling bicycle carnival, Tour de Fat, to the Redefining Folly advertising/advocacy campaign, Owsley and the New Belgium team have created a style of branding that is as fermented with authenticity as it is dosed with quirkiness. In 2007, Brand Week, Advertising Age, Deliver, Beverage Industry and Communication Arts all recognized the brewery's playful, yet sincere approach to sustainable branding.
Eric Park
Creative Director, Ziba
At Ziba, internationally recognized design consultancy based in Portland, OR, Eric manages the innovation process with a multi-disciplinary systems approach, drawing on his deep understanding of user research, design planning, technology and implementation to increase clients' business value. Eric has been with ZIBA for nearly 12 years, leading business-driven design efforts for a wide range of consumer clients, including Intel, Clorox, Brita and Nike as well as a number of startups. He has extensive experience in consumer and technology product development. Eric led design efforts for M-Systems, Dial, and Ora Innovations, receiving Business Week/IDSA Gold, Silver and Bronze awards in 2001. Seven years ago, Eric spearheaded a Sustainable Design practice at Ziba. He continues working with the Oregon Natural Step network as a mentor for companies attempting to integrate sustainability into their business decisions.
Lewis Perkins
Director of Sustainable Strategies, The Mohawk Group
For Lewis Perkins, “sustainability” is more than just a buzzword du jour; it’s a way of life. As director of sustainable strategies for The Mohawk Group, the commercial division of Mohawk Industries – the world’s largest carpeting manufacturer – Perkins is tasked with creating an identity and building awareness around Mohawk’s environmental and social responsibility efforts, helping drive initiatives for the importance of sustainable design through strategic networking and partnerships with organizations such as Global Green USA, Easter Seals and Susan G. Komen.
Leveraging his long-standing commitment to environmental and social issues, Perkins has earned a reputation for his ability to effectively help integrate sustainable and socially responsible practices into the corporate landscape. Prior to joining The Mohawk Group, he served with The Clean Air Campaign, a
non-profit organization that works to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality in Georgia, where he saw its sustainability development program grow from infancy into a fully evolved department. During his tenure he also created compelling sponsorship proposals, maintained and managed foundation relationships, and developed a long-term strategy for financial growth and sustainability.
Translating his passion for and expertise of sustainability issues into actionable knowledge, Perkins is deeply involved in the eco-community, participating in and leading related and provocative discussions with organizations, associations and individuals also invested in ensuring a healthier future. Among his noted alliances are his participation in the local Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable, his speaking contributions to Sky Radio and his expert blog for FastCompany.com, titled “Semantics of Sustainability” – through all of which Perkins highlights and propels best practices in environmental and social responsibility. Perkins works closely with Met Life Strategic Accounts where he assists the company in connecting with its partners about healthy building design and materials, and is also involved with the Captain Planet Foundation, helping to advance the environmental education of children.
Committed to corporate consciousness since the beginning of his professional career, Perkins began as a champion for social responsibility during his tenure at Emory University's Goizueta Business School, where he was an active leader in Students for Social Responsibility. From there he went to San Francisco to work with Business for Social Responsibility on a community economic development program collaborating with Sprint and The Home Depot. And today, as evident through his current role with Mohawk, Perkins continues to view the value of partnership as paramount in the world's ability to propel change in the way corporations and their employees live, work, and play.
Perkins’ academic degrees include a masters in business administration in marketing and strategy with a focus on social responsibility and marketing from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, as well as a bachelor of arts in art history from Washington and Lee University in Virginia. He resides in Atlanta.
Robin Raj
Founder/executive creative director, Citizen Group
As both a creative director and copywriter, Robin has contributed to some of the world's most best-known brands. His work has earned dozens of awards in both traditional and digital media including Clios and Cannes Lions. Today Robin is putting his energies towards helping shape social change by focusing on building citizen brands through Citizen, a spin-off of Collaborate, the San Francisco agency he co-founded in 1999, with clients such as Amnesty International, Pabst Brewing Company, Rock The Vote, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), University of California system, USA Network, and Wal-Mart (sustainability program).
Through Collaborate, Robin led the development of integrated campaigns for Franklin Templeton Investments, Gore-Tex, Logitech, Philadelphia Eagles, Pew Charitable Trusts, Rock the Vote, and Seagate (Forbes Magazine 2005 Company of the Year). His Imagine campaign for Amnesty International based on John Lennon's classic song ran in more than 65 countries, and led to creation of Instant Karma: The Campaign To Save Darfur which has generated more than $5 million in revenue to date for the organization. Previously, Robin founded DAWG (Digital Artists & Writers Group), a creative boutique specializing in digital media for clients such as Coca-Cola, Microsoft, General Motors, Mastercard, PBS, and Virgin Records, as well as Carroll Raj Stagliano, New York with clients such as Citibank and Guinness Brewing Company. In the 1980's he worked at Chiat/Day where he created the acclaimed NYNEX Yellow Pages "Human Cartoons" campaign, voted one of Adweek's 25 Greatest Ad Campaigns. Earlier, he also worked at Foote Cone & Belding and Hal Riney & Partners, San Francisco, creating campaigns for AT&T, Blitz-Weinhard Brewery, Levi's, Coors, Gallo, and VISA. In 1990, Robin was named to AdWeek's Creative All-Stars list.
Marc Rettig
Principal, Fit Associates
Prior to founding Fit Associates, Marc was a visiting professor and Nierenberg Distinguished Chair of Design at Carnegie Mellon University. He served as Chief Experience Officer of the pace-setting user experience consultancy HannaHodge, where he was responsible for the firm's user-centered process, team culture, and research initiatives. He was a Director of User Experience at Cambridge Technology Partners. Prior to that he was a consultant with seeSpace, VP of Design for Digital Knowledge Assets, and a Senior Architect in the Advanced Technologies Group at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). Marc has an undergraduate degree in Anthropology and Linguistics, and completed requirements for a Master’s in Computational Linguistics at New York University. Marc frequently speaks and conducts hands-on workshops in business and academic settings around the world. He currently serves on the advisory boards of Sustainable Brands 09, The Interaction Design Association, and Rosenfeld Media, and is on the editorial staff of interactions magazine.
Peter Salmon
Founder and Managing Director, Moxie Design Group
Peter is founder and Managing Director of Moxie Design Group, an agency specializing in identifying, designing and communicating sustainable ideas that are good for our environment, good for the future and profitable for business.
Peter has worked in the design industry for over 20 years. He has a long-standing interest in sustainable development, and the role of design and innovation plays in delivering better human and environmental outcomes.
He works with organisations to help them understand and respond to the growing ethical economy. Providing insight and commentary on conscientious consumers and the markets they frequent. Peter has consulted with a range of agencies and enterprises including New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Coca-Cola Amatil, Westpac Bank, SCA Hygiene Australasia, Shell New Zealand, DCI New York, EcoStore and NZI/IAG Insurance.
Will Sarni
CEO, Domani
Mr. Sarni is founder and Chief Executive Officer of DOMANI with 30 years of experience in providing sustainability and environmental consulting services to private and public sector enterprises. He has worked closely with companies such as Alcoa, BASF, Cisco, DIAGEO, Cherokee Investment, Enterprise Community Partners, Forest City Enterprises, Invensys, NTT DATA, TNK-BP, and Vivendi in developing and implementing sustainability strategies that provide the greatest tangible and intangible (brand) value to organizations. He has a practical yet creative approach to implementing sustainability programs and integrating diverse business and technical issues related to energy, climate change, sustainable land use, and reporting/branding. Mr. Sarni's current focus is on the integration of sustainability initiatives into business decision making processes, the development and application of sustainability management and metrics systems, and carbon management programs. He is a Member of the Environmental Compliance Committee of the Chicago Climate Exchange and a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) and The Conference Board. He frequently speaks on a range of sustainability issues and authors an editorial column on sustainable business practices in Venture Magazine and host's Sustainable Life Media "Climate Management Weekly."
Charlie Sheldon
Executive Director, IDSA San Francisco
Charlie Sheldon is the co-founder of Link Studios, a design and build cooperative (linkstudios.net), and founder of Cragelmeyer LLC, a mass-customizable contemporary furniture company (cragelmeyer.com) - both based in San Francisco. He also chairs the San Francisco Chapter of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA-SF.org) teaches design at San Francisco State University and lectures at many universities in the area.
His background includes studies in philosophy, art and biology as an undergraduate at Kenyon College in Ohio. He moved to San Francisco in 2000 to work as an interface design strategist. Later, after the tech market fell, he worked in the building trades and found his way into retail fixture design. His interest in 3D design led him to attended industrial and architectural design courses in San Francisco, Sweden, and the UK, prior to receiving a Masters in Industrial Arts and Product Design from San Francisco State University. His focus was split between manufacturing systems, sustainable design and organizational design. He worked during the last of his schooling as a mass-market furniture designer at THInc. Design in San Francisco before starting Link Studios in 2006.
Yalmaz Siddiqui
Director of Environmental Strategy, Office Depot
Yalmaz Siddiqui is Office Depot's Director of Environmental Strategy, responsible for directing the development and integration of environmental programs under the company's vision to "increasingly buy green, be green and sell green". Yalmaz came to Office Depot in April 2006 from IBM Consulting where he was a Senior Consultant and author of the first global study on environmental procurement of wood and paper products. Before he joined IBM, he was a management consultant at PwC, where he focused on the forest, paper and packaging industries. Yalmaz holds a Master's in Environment & Development from Cambridge University in England, and a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing & International Business from McGill University in Canada.
Sandy Skees
President and Founder, Communications4Good
Sandy Skees, president and founder of Communications4Good, is a senior international public relations/marketing strategist, providing communications counsel and programs that create bottom line results in people, planet and profits through end-to-end stakeholder relationship management. She has more than 20 years experience at global and boutique agencies, as well as corporate marketing experience at an international technology company. She is recognized for highly developed problem solving skills that bring communications solutions to Fortune 100 corporations. Previously a partner at Porter Novelli, she managed the global HP account team in 20 cities/10 countries around the world and served on the agency's Global Citizen and Pro Bono Initiative. Currently she mentors for the California Clean Tech Open, is serving on a green building committee and advises a national micro credit nonprofit.
Duke Stump
Principal & Chief Architect of The NorthStar Manifesto
Duke is Principal and Chief Architect of The Northstar Manifesto. A dynamic brand strategy studio focused on cultivating and nurturing powerful ideas in the world of sustainability.
Beginning in Spring ‘09 Duke will also be an adjunct professor at the new Marlboro Graduate College (Brattleboro, VT) MBA / Sustainability program. He is responsible for leading a progressive course called Brand Shift - The New Emerging Zeitgeist.
Prior to creating The Northstar Manifesto, Duke was Chief Marketing Officer for Seventh Generation - voted Best Company on the Planet by Better World and the leader in corporate responsibility. In this role Duke was responsible for leading a gifted team focused on Brand - Product Innovation - Design - Communications - Corporate Responsibility and Consumer Insights.
While at NIKE (15+ years) Duke reveled in the profound journey and enjoyed a variety of senior executive roles in Brand (VP NIKE Brand - Subsidiary], Product [VP Product Marketing - Subsidiary] and Sales [Key Accounts].
An avid outdoor enthusiast and endorphin junkie, Duke loves riding, running CSA farming and the ocean. He currently lives on a horse farm in an idyllic community in the seacoast of NH with his wonderful wife, two amazing daughters, horses, chickens and Caballito the wonder dog.
Peter ter Weeme
Principle, Junxion Strategy
One of the strategic counsel and client leads at Junxion Strategy, Peter is known for his expertise in strategic and business planning, sustainability issues, and marketing and communications. His experience spans the world of corporate, government and non-profit clients across North America.
From 2002 to 2006, Peter served as the Vice-President, Communications and Marketing at Mountain Equipment Co-op, Canada's largest consumer co-operative and a leader in social and environmental responsibility. In that role, he was responsible for all facets of the co-op's national communications, marketing and market research in both English and French.
A recipient of Business in Vancouver's "40 under 40" award, and a participant in the Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference, Peter is an active member in various progressive business and community initiatives. He currently serves as Co-chair of the Vancity Community Foundation and an advisor to SPUD, North America's largest organic home delivery service. He also chaired Canadian Business for Social Responsibility for more than four years.
Pam Van Orden
Founder and President, Enlightened Brand
Throughout her 30-year career Pam has straddled two worlds, with one foot in the world of business and the other in the world of consciousness. These dual passions have led her to focus her work on the roles of awareness and integrity in building brands that succeed in the workplace and the marketplace. Pam's experience in building brands extends across a broad base of clients and client types, from small businesses and nonprofits to the Global 1000 and government agencies.
Enlightened Brand clients include such leading organizations as Fritz Institute, Juniper Networks, NASA, Sun Microsystems, and Swisscom. Prior to founding Enlightened Brand, Pam served as corporate identity manager for Intel Corporation and global brand strategy manager for Symantec. She is a sought-after speaker, facilitator, trend scout, and executive advisor for businesses that want to become market leaders for our connected world, and serves as program committee co-chair for Sustainable Brands '08.
Ruediger "Rudy" Vetter
Almost 19 years experience in consumer goods marketing across markets in North America, Asia and Europe. Developed innovative products and marketing programs in different personal care product categories (e.g. oral care, hair care, hair styling, skin care, body care).
Highly experienced in new product development/innovation management. Developed successful promotion and advertising campaigns for brands like Taft(hair styling), Dial and Right Guard.
Experienced in leading post merge integration program througout the whole value chain.
Created and manage corporate sustainability program (ecommitment).
Strong international background and proven leadership and teambuilding capabilities under very diverse cultural conditions.
Ruediger "Rudy" Vetter's Specialties:
- Brand Management - Strategic Planning - Consumer Good Marketing - New Product Development - P&L Management - Innovation Management - R&D - Global Market Analysis - International Business - Budget Management - Advertising - Team Leadership & Development - Life Cycle Analysis - PR / Media Relations
- Presentations - Corporate Social Responsibility - Project Management - Mergers & Acquisitions - Sustainability - Environmental Impact
Kindley Walsh Lawlor
Senior Director, Strategic Planning and Environmental Affairs, Gap Inc., San Francisco, USA
Kindley Walsh Lawlor is senior director of Strategic Planning and Environmental Affairs at Gap Inc.In this role, Kindley is responsible for developing strategies to further integrate social responsibility and environmental objectives into the companys Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy brands, as well as leading efforts to strengthen the companys environmental programs. She led the branding of Gap Inc.s environmental strategy to focus the companys efforts. Summarized by the acronym ECO, Gap Incs strategy focuses on the three key areas where the company has the greatest opportunity to impact positive, lasting change: (e)nergy conservation, (c)otton/sustainable design, and (o)utput/waste reduction. Kindley has been with Gap Inc. for over 11 years. Prior to joining the Social Responsibility group, Kindley served as senior director of Gap Adult Production where she focused on ethical sourcing, product quality and fit as well as long term placement strategies.In her tenure with Gap Inc. Kindley also led Banana Republic Mens Production team and Quality and Technical Design teams. Kindley graduated with a degree in Apparel Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, NY.
Andrew Winston
Andrew Winston , founder of Winston Eco-Strategies, is the co-author of Green to Gold, the best-selling guide to what works - and what doesn't - when companies go green. He is a globally recognized expert on green business, and has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Time, BusinessWeek, Forbes, The New York Times, and CNBC. Andrew is dedicated to helping companies both large and small use environmental strategy to grow, create enduring value, and build stronger relationships with employees, customers, and other stakeholders. His clients have included Bank of America, HP, and IKEA.
Andrew bases his work on significant in-company business experience. His earlier career included advising companies on corporate strategy while at Boston Consulting Group and management positions in strategy and marketing at Time Warner and MTV. After these more traditional roles, Andrew pursued his passion to explore the overlap between business and environment. He served as the Director of the Corporate Environmental Strategy Project at Yale's renowned School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Today, Andrew speaks to audiences of thousands of people around the world, acting as a practical evangelist for the benefits of going green. For his efforts, he was recently named a "Planet Defender" by Rock the Earth.
Andrew received his BA in Economics from Princeton, an MBA from Columbia, and a Masters of Environmental Management from Yale. He lives in Riverside, CT with his wife Christine and two young sons.
Ian Yolles
Ian has extensive executive level leadership experience and managed brand building and marketing activities in some of the worlds most influential customer products companies. He has served as Director of Marketing at Patagonia, Director of Brand Marketing at Nike, and most recently, also has direct experience building and stewarding highly successful and profitable brands that have defined and differentiated themselves based on their strong sense of social and environmental purpose.
In 1994, Ian merged his passion for the outdoors with his interest in environmental and social responsibility in an entrepreneurial business context when he was appointed Director of Marketing and member of the executive leadership team at Patagonia. In 1997, he became the Director of Brand Marketing at Nike where he provided strategic direction, leadership, inspiration and management in the creation and implementation of integrated marketing strategies. He worked across all marketing functions, and led the integration of marketing concepts across all business units of Nike. As part of his brand building responsibilities, he managed a $25 million quarterly brand development budget.
Most recently, Ian worked as a Senior Consultant with Dialogos, a world leader and pioneer in the theory and practice of dialogue, organizational learning, collective leadership, and fostering approaches to responsible capitalism and sustainability. Clients include: British Petroleum, The World Bank, and The International Finance Corporation.
In his role as Head of Marketing, Ian manages the full spectrum of marketing activities that define the Nau brand. He works to establish awareness of the Nau's core values and through these values build the deep and lasting relationships with customers that will be at the core of Nau's success. By employing the range of marketing opportunities presented by Nau, Ian brings the story of Nau's new way of doing business to customers in a compelling and powerful way.
Marci Zaroff
Founder and President, Under the Canopy
Marci Zaroff is the Founder/President of lifestyle brand Under the Canopy, pioneering the market for organic and sustainable textiles with "ECOfashion." Zaroff is a recognized visionary and leader in organic fiber fashion and home products and has created a unique development, distribution and monitoring business model to ensure that the process and the products remain pure and authentic.
Prior to founding Under the Canopy, Zaroff spent a decade in the natural/organic food and beauty world. Currently she speaks and lectures worldwide on sustainable textiles and green business, helping to define US and global standards for organic fiber certification. Aside from Under the Canopy, Zaroff co-founded "Green Drinks South Florida," a network of green businesses and consumers sharing her passion and ideas for creating a greener Florida and a better world.
