greenloop 2024

Andreas Veilstrup Andersen is the CEO and President of the Liseberg Group, Sweden – operating one of Scandinavia’s most visited amusement parks. Andreas has a legal and financial background and has been working in the amusement park industry since 2000.  First in several capacities at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark, later as Vice President of European operations at IAAPA EMEA in Brussels, Belgium. Andreas was the 2018 Chairman of IAAPA, and currently holds board positions at Farup Sommerland and Alsik Hotel in Denmark, as well as Momentum Leisure and Leo’s Lekland, Europe’s largest chain of FEC’s. Andreas is heading up IAAPA’s sustainability initiatives, and occasionally blogs on https://reflections.liseberg.se/.

Verónica is an architect-entrepreneur who has garnered international recognition for her dedication to impact driven innovation. As Valumia’s CEO, she is working on a platform offering startups and SMEs bespoke sustainability analytics, empowering them with tools for meaningful socio-environmental engagement. In her role as Chief Sustainability Officer at Maurer Rides, based in Munich, she has led the publication of the firm’s comprehensive sustainability report, addressing emissions, diversity, and supply chain sustainability. The first in the industry.

Her journey into tech4good began with founding EnlightAID, a platform lauded for its transparent donation tracking, which garnered her recognition as an MIT Top Innovator Under 35 and an accolade from the Inter-American Development Bank as one of Latin America and the Caribbean’s leading innovators, among other awards.

Verónica’s academic background is as rich and diverse as her professional endeavors, holding a master’s degree in Landscape and Territorial Design followed by an MBA with a focus on sustainable practices. Accredited as a LEED® Green Associate, her expertise bridges the built environment’s sustainability with broader business innovation, positioning her as a pivotal figure in the drive towards a more sustainable global economy.

Mike Clifford has dedicated almost 20 years to driving innovation and change for the good of our natural world. He started as a zoo keeper, moved to Africa to work with in-situ conservation efforts, got his Masters degree in Organization Development where he facilitated strategic plans and change initiatives for all sorts of organizations in a variety of sectors. He then found himself at GLMVZoos, a design firm specializing in zoo habitats where he led master planning, conservation impact planning, and he created and developed ECHO, a future of zoos and aquariums innovation think tank where experts from outside the conservation field share how they are solving big challenges. This collision of ideas, relentless curiosity, and willingness to ask better questions has driven Mike in every position he’s held. He is now the Strategic Director for Reverse the Red: a global coalition to halt extinction and recover threatened species populations and support national governments in achieving their biodiversity targets. Mike brings the same enthusiasm, curiosity, and willingness to try new and innovative ways to create change to this global role. Mike is married to his lovely wife Sarah. They have a son finishing high school, two old dogs, some chickens, and they cultivate their small urban ecosystem right in the heart of Wichita, Kansas, USA, where you’ll find more than 100 edible plants growing there, half are edible for humans. The rest are for the more than a dozen avian residents, more than 20 butterfly species, and countless insects!

Eugenia Cordero Schmidt is a Costa Rican biologist who has a M.S. and Ph.D. in ecology from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. She has been involved with ecology and conservation projects in Central America and northeastern Brazil, using environmental education and communication as essential tools. She is a full-time staff member at the Parque das Aves, working as a program officer for the Center for Species Survival Brazil (CSS Brazil) and for the IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG), particularly focusing on planning and communication activities.

Professor Peter Cox, Director of the Global Systems Institute and Professor of Climate System Dynamics at the University of Exeter, will speak at greenloop 2024.

Exeter is a world-leading centre in climate change research, and has more IPCC authors than any other city in the world. The Global Systems Institute (GSI) provides “thought-leadership and action-orientated research to drive systems based solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises”.

Emily Dow is the Design and Delivery Studio executive for Walt Disney Imagineering and head of the global Design Studio, where she leads an interdisciplinary design team who creates the built worlds of Disney’s Parks, Resorts, and Cruise Ships. Her team includes Sustainability, Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Graphic Design, Theme Lighting Design, Design Management, and Engineering. Before holding this position, Emily was the global leader of Design Strategy for the Design + Planning Studio. Prior to being a studio leader, she was a senior design manager for the Shanghai Disney Resort project. For this role, she relocated to China for multiple years to head an international team of designers, architects, and engineers to plan and execute the two themed areas of Mickey Avenue and Gardens of Imagination. Throughout Emily’s 20-year career at WDI, she has contributed both as a designer and a leader to bring Disney stories to life across the globe and is a strong advocate of sustainable design. Emily is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s School of Architecture and Interior Design and a Cincinnatus Presidential Scholarship recipient. She is also the proud mother of two young daughters.

Aoife Fannin (she/her) is Project Manager at Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) a charity and international coalition of arts organisations with a primary goal of facilitating a reduction of the sector’s CO2e emissions by a minimum of 50% by 2030, as well as promoting zero waste. Prior to this, she worked in a variety of roles within interdisciplinary contemporary art programmes at the intersection of art, social impact and environmentalism, including at the Eden Project, an educational charity, social enterprise and environmental visitor attraction, and E-WERK Luckenwalde, a centre for renewable energy and contemporary art housed in a former coal power station. She has written for publications including It’s Freezing in LA, 34minus1 and Bloom. Fannin holds a BA in Culture, Criticism and Curation from Central St Martins, London.

Professor Lorenzo Fioramonti is the Founding Director of the Institute for Sustainability at the University of Surrey (UK) and a former member of Parliament and Minister of Education, University and Research in Italy. He is passionate about sustainability education and research and his books include: Wellbeing Economy: Success in a World Without Growth (MacMillan 2017) and The World After GDP: Economics, Politics and International Relations in the Post-Growth Era (Polity 2017), which have been featured – among others –  by Bloomberg and the Financial Times.

Lorenzo’s opinion pieces have been published by The New York Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, Foreign Policy, Harvard Business Review, TruthOut, Die Presse, The Conversation, Das Parlament, Der Freitag, The Mail & Guardian, Business Day and www.opendemocracy.net.

Lorenzo is a member of the Club of Rome (a leading international institution dedicated to rethinking growth through a wellbeing lens) and the Co-chair of Surrey County Council’s Greener Futures Board.

He is also a sought-after public speaker on issues regarding sustainable wellbeing, governance innovation and purpose-driven business. If you want to know more, Lorenzo’s personal website is www.lorenzofioramonti.org

Since 2016, John Frawley has served as the Director of the Minnesota Zoo, President of the Minnesota Zoo Foundation and has spent his career working in the zoo and aquarium industry. Prior to this, Frawley most recently acted as the President/CEO of bay.org, a coalition of five California institutions dedicated to promoting environmental awareness and protecting the bay area’s wildlife and waterways. He has served as a council member for the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) and an advisor to the SAFE Committee, which was developed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is working diligently to Save Animals from Extinction (SAFE). As a native Minnesotan, graduate of Mankato State University, and a former Minnesota Zoo zookeeper, Frawley applies his nationally recognized expertise and commitment to zoos and conservation. Frawley aims to create and deepen partnerships locally and worldwide to help ensure the Zoo fulfills its mission to save wildlife, while providing an extraordinary and inspiring family destination for all guests of the Minnesota Zoo.

Edi Goean is the Vice President of New Business Partnerships at Therme Group.

In this role he is leading several projects exploring the applications and implications of blockchain and tokenomics technology in the global travel and tourism industry. His current work includes technical systems development and ‘digital nudging’ to help drive the transition to net zero.

As a Visiting Professor at the University of Surrey’s Business School, he is serving as principal investigator for three research initiatives into digital transformation in the visitor economy, focusing on sustainability, carbon footprint offsetting and consumer behaviour. The research is investigating how to design a blockchain business model that facilitates carbon investment in green projects, aligned with the needs of clients, investors and service providers. As part of the initiative, he is leading the development of a new form of decentralized autonomous organisation, which can
ensure transparency, accountability and democratic decision-making.

As vice president of experiential entertainment at Mall of America, Chris Grap has consistently pushed the boundaries of themed entertainment in a retail space.

Working together with the location’s IP partner, Nickelodeon Universe, he is continuing to grow and develop the on-site theme park, but his passion for themed entertainment also extends beyond the walls of Nickelodeon Universe and into the wider 5.6 million square foot Mall of America site.

He has been with Mall of America for over a decade and moved into his current role in August 2021. During his time he has led a number of successful projects, including the Webby Award-winning #Twizzard for in the Rotunda at Mall of America on Black Friday.

Speaking to blooloop about #Twizzard, one of his favourite projects, he said: “We wanted to do something strange and engaging. So we created a Twitter-activated blizzard. We created digital thermometers that began at 72 degrees, and we asked people to tweet using the hashtag #Twizzard. As people would tweet, the temperature on the thermometers would drop, reaching 32 degrees with every thousand tweets, triggering a light show and snow machines and creating an indoor blizzard.

“It was something that I was super happy with because it wasn’t about pushing a brand, but about pushing a feeling. The way that people jumped on it just to create moments for other people was unique. It gave me and the team a lot of confidence in how we could take little tropes and tell bigger stories with them.”

Chris Grap has also breathed new life into the fan-favourite log chute attraction in Nickelodeon Universe by developing holiday overlays such as the “Fog Chute” during Halloween and the “Yule Log Chute” during the holidays as well as working with IP partners such as Netflix to transform the Log Chute into the city of Hawkins for the release of Stranger Things Season 3.

He worked with Nickelodeon and Spinmaster to bring to life the popular Paw Patrol IP, concepting and developing the Adventure Bay open-play attraction in Nickelodeon Universe and is the lead designer for Mall of America’s forth-coming water park expansion, Mystery Cove.

Dare is the Group Head of Sustainability at Merlin Entertainments, he is very passionate about sustainability and the opportunities that sustainability avails businesses in the 21st century. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment UK and a chartered Energy Manager of the Energy Institute UK. He lives with his wife and son in Hampshire, England.

Robbie Jone is Insights Director at Katapult, the world’s first B Corp Certified themed attraction design company. He works on providing data-driven audience and market trends, as well as operational insights, to inspire the design team to create immersive, commercially-successful experiences. Jones has over 15 years’ experience in the leisure and tourism industry and has worked with iconic brands, theme parks, family entertainment centres, museums and visitor attractions around the world. Jones is also an educational contributor to IAAPA, TEA sub-committee member, and Trustee of his home city’s contemporary arts centre, QUAD.

Caitlin Krasovic is the Sustainable Design Principal at Walt Disney Imagineering where she is currently focusing on integrating The Walt Disney Company’s 2030 Environmental Goals to Imagineering’s global portfolio of projects. She has history as a designer, architect, and as a leader throughout her 18 years with Disney. Her career started in the architectural department at the Disneyland Resort where she continued to grow and gain design & construction experience by managing a variety of projects, developing design standards, interfacing with local city officials, and collaborating with various lines of business across the Company. Caitlin also actively led the Disneyland Resort’s CANstruction team for several years where they volunteered to create large themed sculptures entirely out of canned food to help raise hunger awareness and then the cans get donated to the OC Food Bank. Caitlin then transitioned to join Imagineering in 2018 where she partnered on leading the Architecture Studio, managing and mentoring emerging professionals and coordinating architectural talent resources across global projects. In 2020, Caitlin began leading the sustainable design initiatives within Imagineering in support of the Company’s 2030 Environmental Goals. She has been embedding sustainability throughout the project process, from early engagement in design to construction implementation, as well as developing embodied carbon reduction strategies. Caitlin graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, with a Bachelor of Architecture degree, is a licensed architect in California, is NCARB certified and a LEED AP.

Graham MacVoy is Co-Founder and MD of the world’s first Amazement Park, Wake The Tiger, an immersive and interactive art experience. Prior to this Graham worked as a Business Consultant and Site & Operations Director at Boomtown Fair, the UK’s largest independent festival. Graham also served as the Founder & Non-Exec Director at GMC Events International, where they provided high-calibre solutions for various projects in the event and creative industries.

Lindsay Madden-Nadeau is the Senior Director, Wellness Strategy at Red Sea Global (RSG), a closed joint stock company wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.

Lindsay leads the wellness strategy for The Red Sea and AMAALA, two exceptional, regenerative tourism destinations that aim to set new standards in sustainable development and put Saudi Arabia on the global tourism map.

She is responsible for actively steering the Wellness Strategy for RSG, supporting the Development team across the entire portfolio to identify and analyze industry insights, converting these into an actionable strategic roadmap that delivers on RSG’s ambitions for wellness in the region. Lindsay’s expertise will help bring strength and credibility to international communications, ensuring both projects become a global reference point for health and wellbeing.

Lindsay has over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, working across the globe for prestigious hospitality leaders. She has worked extensively with brands such as Accor, Raffles, Fairmont, and Orient Express, leading global well-being strategy, brand creation, programming, project management, design, and pre-opening. Lindsay’s mission as an industry disrupter ensures each project has a strong differentiation and strategy at its heart.

Previously, Lindsay held the position of Global Director of Wellbeing at Accor for seven years and has been a judge for ten consecutive years for the World Spa & Wellness Awards. She is also the Vice-Chair of the Global Wellness Tourism Initiative by the Global Wellness Institute and is the founder of Meraki Bespoke Wellness Strategies.

Lindsay holds a diploma in Clinical Sports Therapy from Canadian Therapeutic College and has taken part in the Cambridge University Sustainability Leadership program for Sustainable Real Estate for the Built Environment.

Judy is passionate about the oceans. She is Executive – Strategic Projects with the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation in Cape Town. She started her career with the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) in Durban in 1992, where she held various roles including – Director of Education, uShaka Sea World Director, the first woman Chief Executive Officer of SAAMBR and Conservation Strategist. She holds Degrees in Ichthyology, Business Administration and Culture and Environmental Learning. She is President of the International Zoo Educators Association (IZE) and serves on the Council of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).

Helena Mansell-Stopher is CEO and founder at Products of Change, a global organization driving positive change across the brand and licensing industry by influencing the reduction of the industry’s environmental impact. It guides a growing community of brand owners, manufacturers, retailers and supporting businesses towards building more sustainable and regenerative business practices, through education and knowledge sharing.

Products of Change is a membership organisation, a media and events platform and an advisor’s service that provides a safe place for industry to learn, connect and transition to a more sustainable future.  Helena curates the sustainability in licensing conference (SILC) the first of its kind in the brand and licensing industry, formed to advance the industries knowledge on future innovations within the sustainability space.

Helena is an advisor to the United Nations Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Initiative and Board Director to Recycle to Read, an environmental educator who builds systems to unlock value in the waste stream benefiting schools and driving awareness through brand advocacy.

With a 26 year career in the retail, brand and licensing industry across media and lifestyle brands, working with companies such as HIT Entertainment, Mattel, Marvel and National Geographic, as well as a 7 year career in sustainability, Helena is at the cutting edge of closing the knowledge gap to advance the industry forward to a sustainable future.

Kim McIntyre has been the Executive Director of the Aquarium Conservation Partnership since 2017. She has been working at the intersection of ocean conservation, climate change, policy, and sustainability for more than 20 years, building cross-sector coalitions with governments, non-profits, academia, and industry. She holds a Master’s degree in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, an environmental law degree from University of Hawaii, and a B.S. in marine biology from University of Miami. She lives in La Jolla, CA with her husband and two daughters.

Dr Nick Merriman OBE joined English Heritage as Chief Executive in 2024. He studied archaeology at Cambridge University and his PhD, also at Cambridge and exploring the barriers to participation in heritage, was published as Beyond The Glass Case in 1991.

Dismantling those barriers has been the thread running throughout his career, and Nick has held roles at the Museum of London, the Institute of Archaeology at University College London, Manchester Museum, and the Horniman Museum and Gardens, where he was Chief Executive and Director of Content. Under Nick’s leadership at the Horniman, the south London museum with its displays of anthropology, natural history and musical instruments, won Art Fund Museum of the Year 2022 for its work on acknowledging the museum’s colonial legacy and in engaging the public with the climate and biodiversity crisis.

Nick also chaired the National Museum Directors’ Council’s working group on Environment and Ecology, and led the UK Museum COP to discuss these issues in October 2023. He recently edited the volume ‘Museums and the Climate Crisis’ (Routledge 2024) and ‘Returning The Benin Bornzes. A case study of the Horniman’s restitution’ (Palgrave Macmillan, forthcoming).

Carrie O’Keefe is the Director of Business Development at Exhibits Development Group, where she has played a pivotal role for the past six years. With a robust background in fostering customer relations, O’Keefe is dedicated to ensuring unparalleled satisfaction among clients. Beyond her professional endeavors, O’Keefe is deeply committed to promoting health and wellness, as well as showcasing her athletic prowess on the volleyball court. Her passion for her work extends into her love for the museum’s cultural community, where she finds fulfillment in contributing to its growth and enrichment. O’Keefe’s unwavering dedication and enthusiasm make her an invaluable asset to Exhibits Development Group, culturenut, and the broader cultural landscape. Additionally, O’Keefe is an avid traveler who delights in visiting museums and engaging with clients worldwide, further enriching her professional and personal experiences.

Kelly has spearheaded marketing strategy for technology manufacturers, integrators, rep firms, and consultants. Working with the National Systems Contractors Association, she built the Ignite AV talent recruitment initiative – a passion project she still contributes to today. Drawing on her long background as a strategist and decision-maker for AV, she’s gained a uniquely holistic view of the industry and what it takes to stand out among the competition.

Tim has been designing temporary and permanent exhibitions for museums and galleries for over 30 years and has acted as a museum planning consultant to museums in Europe, North America, China, and the Middle East. Today as the founder and CEO of international touring exhibitions company Nomad Exhibitions, Tim leads a team designing and producing a wide-ranging portfolio of object-rich exhibitions and advises international cultural institutions on sustainable touring strategy and planning.

Cindi Rowan leads the Landscape Architecture studio at FORREC, overseeing a talented team of 30 landscape architects, master planners and designers working across a wide array of local and international projects. Prior to joining FORREC, Rowan worked for several reputable firms as well as operated her own award-winning design practice in New Mexico and Colorado, creating vibrant places that transformed urban environments. Her work explores the interaction of built form, public space, streetscapes, and natural systems, creating a framework for meaningful human experience. She is the Chairperson of the FORREC Sustainability Task Force. In her spare time, Rowan enjoys a variety of outdoor activities including camping, hiking, bushcraft, cycling and kayaking. She uses her knowledge of native plants to supplement her diet and wellness practices, including making sourdough bread from a variety of woodland yeast sources.

Sarah Sutton is CEO of Environment and Culture Partners, a non-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening and broadening the environmental leadership of the cultural sector. Sutton co-founded the company in 2021 with Stephanie Shapiro.

For over 30 years, Sutton has led the US museum sector in sustainability and climate action, leading the field as a writer, consultant, presenter, and expert, and working to make a difference not only for museums but for the world as we face the climate crisis. She is the co-author of The Green Museum: A Primer on Environmental Practice, published in 2008, and was also a founding board member of AAM’s professional network dedicated to sustainability.

In response to Donald Trump withdrawing the US from the Paris Climate Agreement in 2017, Sutton launched #MuseumsForParis, allowing people from across the cultural sector to showcase how they were participating in climate action. She then went on to create and lead the cultural sector as part of We Are Still In, a 3,900+ coalition of non-federal US actors doing climate work. This work is now carried on as American Is All In, where she remains the sector lead.

Sutton was recognised with the AAM Environment and Climate Network’s first Individual Impact Award in 2019. She was the plenary speaker for the International Council of Museums and represented the US Cultural Sector’s climate work at COP25. Sutton was one of 100 global representatives invited to advise ICOMOS-IPCC-UNESCO on the role of cultural heritage in IPCC Assessments, and also represented the US cultural sector at COP26.

“What is most compelling is Sarah’s genuine dedication to improving the world in light of a changing climate,” said one nominator. “She does so not only to benefit cultural institutions (eg. become more energy efficient) but also to use the assets of cultural institutions (trusted mission-forward institutions) to educate the public about the importance of climate action. Sarah’s work is making a difference and she will continue to be a leader, inspiration, partner, and advocate for museums and the world.”

Una joined WhiteWater in 2015 since when she has not only taken the helm of WhiteWater and FlowRider’s Marketing but has also led the design and execution of the Vantage and Endless Surf brands. Overseeing WhiteWater’s brand portfolio gives Una a rather broad understanding of the market, from water, theme, and surf parks to the software and services that support them. Sitting on WhiteWater’s executive, as Chief Marketing Officer, Una spearheaded the company’s sustainability strategy, leading its new Sustainability department.