Laura Burke is the Director General of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), appointed in 2011 and served as a Director within the EPA since 2004. As Director General she has the responsibility to lead and strategically manage the EPA. Laura was the Chair of the European Environment Agency (EEA) Management Board from 2017 to 2023. Laura is a member of the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) and a member of the High Level Implementation Committee of ‘Food Vision 2030’, the Irish Agri-Food Sector Strategy. Prior to joining the EPA, she worked in the private sector. Laura is a graduate chemical engineer of University College Dublin (UCD), holds an MSc from Trinity College, Dublin, is a Fellow and is President of Engineers Ireland and is a Chartered Director. In 2016 Laura was awarded the UCD Engineering Graduates Association (EGA) Distinguished Graduate Award.

Minister of State for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, National Development Plan Delivery, Public Procurement and eGovernment with special responsibility for Communications and Circular Economy. Minister Smyth was appointed to this role in July 2020. He been a T.D. for the Dún Laoghaire constituency since the 2020 general election.

In 2014, he was elected as a Green Party Councillor to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and served as Cathaoirleach of the Council between 2018 and 2019.

Minister Smyth holds a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from Trinity College Dublin. He has worked as an IT/business consultant with substantial experience in telecoms, healthcare, utilities, ISP, software and insurance/banking industries, and has worked as a technical Project Manager in Saint Vincent’s Hospital.

William Neale is Adviser on Circular Economy in the European Commission (Environment Directorate General). His work is currently focused on circular economy in relation to climate, digital technologies, circular business models, employment and European funding, with particular responsibilities in relation to the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, the Digital Product Passport, and the Sustainable Finance Taxonomy.

Mr. Neale previously served for 11 years as a Member of Cabinet (private office) of European Commissioners for Science and Research, and for Environment, Fisheries and Maritime Affairs. He started his career in public service working for 7 years in the European Commission's Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry (DG GROW), with responsibilities for social economy, then coordination of programmes for SMEs.

He previously spent 13 years in the private sector in international banking, retail, social enterprise and management consultancy. He holds a joint honours Bachelor degree in Economics and History, and a Master degree (M.A. Econ) both from the University of Manchester (UK).

Philip is an Assistant Secretary at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) based in the Department’s Wexford office. His responsibilities include Circular Economy, Environmental Protection, Environment Policy, Marine Planning, Geoscience Regulation, Geoscience Policy and the Geological Survey Ireland. Before joining DECC in 2019 Philip worked in a number of positions in the Department of Housing across the housing and planning areas.

John currently serves as Chair of the Network of 31 Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), helping to shape how LEOs deliver national enterprise policy objectives while supporting the growth and competitiveness of LEO client companies.

As Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Mayo, John’s primary focus is to further develop Mayo’s indigenous enterprise sector. He brings a breadth of experience and knowledge of the sector and an excellent working relationship with many of the small businesses in the County. His work includes providing a strategic overview of the challenges and opportunities that face the County’s businesses and then working with the LEO team to develop and roll out accessible and pragmatic responses. John also drives Mayo County Council’s broader economic development agenda, overseeing activity in areas including inward investment and regional economic collaboration.

John’s academic background includes a BA, a Masters in European Social Policy Analysis (both from NUI Maynooth) and Certificates in Managing Change and Local Government Studies.

Paul Ekins has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of London and is Professor of Resources and Environmental Policy at the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, University College London. From 2005-10 was Chairman of the UK’s National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP), the country’s most effective initiative at promoting resource efficiency in industry. He was also co-author of the National Government chapter of the UK Chief Scientific Advisor’s 2017 report From Waste to Resource Productivity: Evidence and Case Studies. In 2011 he was appointed Vice-Chairman of the DG Environment Commissioner’s High-Level Economists Expert Group on Resource Efficiency, and in 2012 a member of the European Commission’s European Resource Efficiency Platform. In 2013 he was appointed to UNEP’s International Resource Panel (IRP), for whom he was lead author of a major report on resource efficiency at the request of the German Government at the G7 Summit in 2015, and a contributor to the IRP’s 2020 report on Mineral Resource Governance. He is now lead coordinating author for a forthcoming IRP report on critical minerals, due for publication later in 2024. He was one of two Co-Chairs of UNEP’s sixth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6), published in March 2019. His most recent of 14 books is Stopping Climate Change: Policies for Real Zero (Routledge, 2024). In 1994 Paul Ekins received UNEP’s Global 500 Award ‘for outstanding environmental achievement’ and in 2015 an OBE for services to environmental policy.

Tobias Dan Nielsen is an expert on circular economy at the European Environment Agency (EEA). His work areas include: the potential environmental and climate benefits of circular economy, monitoring, just transition, product lifespans, and plastics. Before joining the EEA, he worked as consultant at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and holds a PhD in political science from Lund University.

Morgane Veillet Lavallée is a Senior Researcher at Circle Economy Foundation, specialising in the transition to a circular economy. She has eight years of experience as a consultant for national and international governmental bodies. At Circle Economy, Morgane’s work centres on how shifting towards a circular economy can contribute to a cooler planet while addressing potential challenges and trade-offs. She also studies the labor transitions necessary for a circular economy, focusing on identifying the most effective policies to help workers adapt to these changes. She is the project lead for the Circularity Gap Report for Ireland, coordinating all the research efforts for the project.

Álvaro Conde is a research consultant specialising in the intersection of resource use, sustainability, and alternative economic models, such as the circular economy. His work involves analysing the links between material flows, provisioning systems, and public policy to guide societies toward well-being for all within planetary boundaries. Since joining Circle Economy, he has conducted research and produced reports covering over a dozen countries and regions, setting a circularity baseline and engaging with diverse stakeholders to drive meaningful change.

Helene Smits builds on almost a decade of experience in the circular textiles space. She founded the Circle Economy’s Textiles Program in 2014 and in 2016 launched her own independent consulting firm Stating the Obvious. She focuses on collaborative projects that drive the practical implementation of circularity in the industry and works with a wide array of pioneering organisations covering the entire textiles value chain. In her role as CSO at Recover and business development advisor to several textile collector/sorters and recyclers, Helene has further deepened her knowledge of textile recycling, enabling her to weave together insights on technical, commercial and regulatory challenges and opportunities for circularity.

Dermot McGilloway has been National Retail Development Manager for Society of St Vincent De Paul since 2015. Dermot first joined SVP as a volunteer in 1999 to work with rough sleepers in North Inner - City Dublin, an unforgettable experience that has had a profound impact on him personally and professionally. SVP now runs 230 community shops and 8 Collection & Redistribution Centers (OFCs) across the island of Ireland.

Dermot has recently been elected as a Trustee / Director of the Charity Retail Association in the UK, is on the steering Committee of Charity Retail Ireland, is a Trustee/ Director for SVP England and Wales and Chair of the SVP International Twinning Committee (England & Wales).

Martin Wisely, Director – Refillz Zero Waste Ltd.Bachelor (Hons) Business Studies – Marketing Management.

Co-Founded Refillz in 2021 with wife Sinead. Main store in Naas, Co. Kildare and sister store at Solas Eco Garden Shop in Portarlington, Co. Laois. Refillz is a zero waste refill shop offering customers a range of wholefoods, eco-friendly products, household and personal care refills.

Annmarie is a Scientific Officer in the EPA’s Circular Economy Programme. In her current role Annmarie is the lead for circular economy behavioural insights research, providing evidence to inform policy, national communication campaigns, and wider national discussions on circular economy. Annmarie is on the steering committee for the national Textiles Advisory Group and was lead for its Retail and Consumer sub-working group identifying barriers and opportunities to support circularity. Annmarie also managed the delivery of the NATEX 2021 report, a study that provided our first understanding of the nature and extent of post-consumer textiles in Ireland. Annmarie has over 25 years’ experience working with the EPA in communicating environmental science (such as State of the Environment Reports, environmental indicators, national bathing water reporting and beaches.ie) and empowering consumers to change their behaviours using evidence-based communications (such as through the Stop Food Waste programme).

Mary Fleming is the Founder and CEO of Change Clothes, a social enterprise clothing reuse hub on Thomas Street, Dublin. Change Clothes works to prevent clothing waste at community level before it becomes a global problem, and creates opportunity and change in the process. Earlier this year Change Clothes won the 'Emerging Category' at the RDS Circular Economy Awards.

Mary holds a certificate in Circular Economy from MTU and through her work with Change Clothes, she is a Sustainable Development Goals Ambassador 24/25 with the Department of the Environment, Climate & Communications, and sits on the Departments Textiles Advisory Group.

Marianne started The Revamp Tramp Furniture Upcycling in 2015. I have a diploma in Interior Design and a BA Hons Degree in Visual Art.

Having finished my education, I decided to fuse my love of art and interior design to start a career in up-cycling. I am extremely passionate about up-cycling not only for its environmental value but also for the satisfaction of bringing old furniture back to life.

My main focus is always high standard finishes, and whilst keeping up with trends both old and new, I also love experimenting with a multitude of colours and designs to produce items that are unusual and original. At this time in my business journey, I focus mainly on education. I teach upcycling to a wide range of different groups around Ireland, including schools, tidy towns, special educational needs, councils and many more. I have been featured in magazines

Re-loved and Rsvp as well as The Irish Independent, The Irish Business Post and Dublin Live. I also worked as a consultant for The Rediscovery Centre Furniture social enterprise throughout 2021. In 2022 I won The EU Business Irish Enterprise Award for Most Innovative Furniture Upcycling Trade Enterprise and in 2023 and 2024 for Best Furniture Upcycling Workshops. I was part of the team for Virgin Media One’s tv show The Salvage Squad in 2023 and have also appeared on Ireland AM. I am now also working as a project manager on a new Social Enterprise program with Aiseiri Addiction Services, employing and upskilling ex residents in Furniture Upcycling and Restoration.