Greentech Festival Speakers

Shaun co-founded Third Sphere to help startup founders to build the world beyond climate change. He’s responsible for venture investments, founder coaching and connecting founders to the Third Sphere extended family of customers, investors and partners.

Matt Petersen is the President and CEO of Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI.) LACI is creating an inclusive green economy by unlocking innovation (e.g., incubating leading startups), transforming markets (i.e., creating aspirational partnerships), and enhancing community (i.e., inspiring future entrepreneurs). LACI’s three priorities are accelerating transportation electrification, clean energy, and sustainable cities. Prior to joining LACI, Matt Petersen was appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti as the first ever Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Los Angeles. Serving as CSO for four years, Petersen was the chief architect of the groundbreaking Sustainable City pLAn, led efforts to make LA a global leader in EVs, and helped create the Climate Mayors.

Simon has worked at the intersection of climate and innovation for over a decade as an economist and entrepreneur with endeavors that include one of the first climate tech incubators in the US; the first large scale urban tech collaboratives in NYC and Detroit; and the Urban Tech Summit at Cornell Tech. In 2019, as the Founder of CIV:LAB and in partnership with the City of New York, Simon built ‘The Grid’, a local urban innovation collaborative of 130+ urban innovation organizations the subsequently launched Detroit Urban Solutions in 2020. Most recently, CIV:LAB has begun to fund community climate initiatives in education, workforce development and technology as part of a one of a kind national climate grant network with the goal of deploying $1bn across the United States to fight climate change.

Nico Rosberg is well-known as the 2016 Formula 1 World Champion. Since leaving the racing series, he is passionately committed to the issue of sustainability. As an entrepreneur and investor in green technologies and mobility startups, he represents visionary innovations that make the world a little better. In numerous projects around the world, he also contributes to the topic of environmental protection, health, equality and justice. In 2019, he co-founded the GREENTECH FESTIVAL, a global platform for pioneering sustainable ideas that takes place annually in Berlin. Since 2021, he has been competing with Rosberg X Racing in Extreme E, a racing series that aims to draw attention to the consequences of global climate change.

Boaz Paldi is the Chief Creative Officer for United Nations Development Programme. In this role Boaz oversees UNDP’s advocacy, flagship campaigns, events, activations and impact partnerships. Most recently Boaz launched the #DontChooseExtinction campaign that has been viewed by over 2 billion people across the globe. Before being appointed to his current role, Boaz led UNDP’s campaigns, partnerships, advocacy and communication including the co-founding and creating the Lion’s Share Fund , co-founding the Social Good Summit and creating UNDP individual giving program.

Tiya holds 20 years experience in design, leadership, and operations across a range of disciplines for some of the country’s top firms and institutions. She is now venturing to spend the next 20 years on projects that use design to wage war against the Climate Crisis. Tiya’s work has received the industry’s top accolades, including The National Design Award from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; the SXSW Innovation Award for Urban Infrastructure; the Inaugural Cannes Gold Lion for Creative Data; the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival; the designation of second most innovative design firm in the world and the Sustainability winner of the 2023 Innovation by Design Award by Fast Company.

Life-long environmentalist who developed the food industry’s most potent weapon against climate change…the world’s first 50% beef, 50% veggie burger for the large majority of Americans who still eat meat but who want to eat less meat. BS Cornell University 1998, MBA UCLA Anderson 2003.

Oscar hold a Doctoral Degree in Environmental Science and Engineering at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (IoES). He also holds a Masters Degree in Homeland Security. Before Lisus, Oscar founded the multi-awarded environmentalist group GR, an organization with more than 5,000 members. Oscar comes from a humble background, spending his formative years in the back of a cloth store, where he learned the art of selling.

Mark Freymueller looks back on over 25 years of international experience within Sales, Marketing, and business development of commercial vehicles. After two decades at Mercedes-Benz, he joined Hyundai Motor Company in 2017. Before coming back to Hyundai’s headquarters in Seoul as Senior Vice President of Commercial Vehicle Business Innovation, Freymueller was CEO of Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility – a joint venture successfully promoting zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell transportation throughout Europe.

There is a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jamie Lannister). Alongside his busy acting and producing commitments, Nikolaj finds the time to offer his voice to causes such as equity, diversity, female empowerment and sustainable development in his role as an official UNDP Goodwill Ambassador. Nikolaj has a passion for technology and believes in a positive future, a sentiment he is pouring his energy into for the upcoming 6-part series “An Optimists Guide to the Planet”. A first-time guest at our GTF Connect launch in Los Angeles, Nikolaj will be opening our conference with a session called “Dreaming Green” which will explore how creativity and a clear vision are the key ingredience needed to turn the tide on climate change.

Mike Brown is an award-winning entrepreneur and social impact business advisor. He serves as the Business Ambassador at the United Nations Association of Orange County, promoting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and UN Global Compact to businesses in his community. Mike is also the Founder & CEO of Impact Grove, an advisory agency whose purpose is to accelerate the shared value opportunity for companies to do well by doing good. Mike proudly leads Impact Grove as a Certified B Corporation, a 1% For The Planet business member, and a Certified Green Business in the California Green Business Network.

Jermaine Hampton is a seasoned professional with expertise across both public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Currently, the Vice President of Workforce Development & Special Projects at the LAEDC, Jermaine is a passionate advocate propelling change, fostering innovation, and empowering communities. His knowledge spans from Economic & Workforce Development, Business Management to human-centric arenas like Human Services. His most potent ingredients for success are his influential leadership and vision to reshape societal systems. Jermaine’s passion is reflected in awards he’s led programs to, including best practice recognitions, and his accolade as the recipient of the esteemed National Association of Workforce Development Professionals Leadership award in 2015. He’s a true changemaker, having touched thousands of lives, from at-risk youth and adults to veterans, creating lasting impacts.

Having worked for Lufthansa Group in various locations throughout the US over the past 21 years, I was excited for the opportunity to work globally on sustainability, a topic close to my heart.

Chanel Parson is responsible for progressing SCE’s vision for a Clean Energy Future through the electrification of vehicles and buildings. Her portfolio includes over $1 billion in programs that address key barriers to electrification – availability, affordability, and awareness. Her portfolio also includes strategy, program development, business development and partnerships, and codes and standards. With over 17 years of utility experience, Chanel has led teams in training, transmission and distribution operations, project management, regulatory, safety, and customer service. Chanel has earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UCLA, a Master of Arts in Organizational Behavior and Program Evaluation from Claremont Graduate University, and a Master of Business Administration from UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Michael Samulon is the Deputy Director of Electrification in the Energy and Sustainability Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. His focus is on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution through transportation decarbonization. He has overseen the deployment of over 1,500 electric vehicles in the City fleet, charging infrastructure for employees and the public, and runs the City’s monthly EV Task Force. Michael focuses on policy efforts around building codes and curb usage and is working on long term infrastructure and operations planning with LADWP, LA Metro and the Port of Los Angeles in anticipation of a fully electrified bus fleet and goods movement sector.

Yezin Taha is the founder and CEO of Nevados Engineering. Nevados provides a comprehensive All Terrain Tracker (ATT) solution for the solar industry that eliminates the need for grading on almost any site. Yezin founded Nevados to enable installation of solar power plants in less time, at lower costs, and in more locations. Yezin began his career designing gas turbines at GE Energy and came to the solar industry through as a consultant at Black & Veatch. Through the B&V work, Yezin saw a major unmet need in the industry and started Nevados to bridge that gap. Yezin had no knowledge of starting or running businesses prior to Nevados, and learned as he went.

Sasha founded Cosmic Buildings to provide an innovative approach to building homes that are both affordable and sustainable, without any harmful effects on the climate or people. With over a decade of experience in academia, industry, and construction tech startups, Sasha is committed to creating a scalable construction method that addresses the world’s two biggest crisis: housing and climate change

Shameka Dixon was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, where her interest in Community Development started. After obtaining her degree in Economics, Shameka has worked in Workforce and Economic Development for over 10 years. Shameka has found her passion within workforce and Economic Development and thrives on building the capacity of individuals. Shameka’s goal is to secure as many people as possible with new skills and living wages.

Typically Dutch, Koen grew up near the waterfront, enjoying sailing the smaller and bigger Dutch lakes and North Sea. After getting his Masters’ degree in Economics and Business Administration, Koen found his way into the maritime industry. Working for Damen Shipyards, the largest shipbuilder in the Netherlands, he became responsible for Strategy and the Transformational initiatives within the company. His entrepreneurial spirit combined with the growing awareness that the world requires change in which we generate, store and use energy, Koen started SolarDuck together with three of his former colleagues with the aim to electrify the world with Offshore Floating Solar. In the past years, the company has been able to develop groundbreaking technology, partnerships and has seen impressive growth.

Dr. Ying has devoted over four decades to the aerospace industry, with experience at NASA, Boeing, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), and most recently an electric aircraft start-up company based in Los Angeles, Ampaire. She is the Senior Vice President of Ampaire, responsible for global partnerships and operations. She is also a Board member and elected VP-Aerospace of the SAE International, and Board member of the Lindbergh Foundation, continuing the legacy of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s lifetime of service by spearheading bold solutions and inspiring talent to help balance technology and the environment. Dr. Ying holds a Commercial Pilot License and is a FAA-Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). She received her PhD and MS degrees from Stanford University and BS from Cornell University.

Sahir is Co-Founder and CEO of King Children, a sustainable technology platform made to rethink how we design, develop, and produce the products we buy. KC was recognized as a top 50 startup to watch by Built in NYC. Sahir is a member of ForbesIgnite’s Sustainable Transformation Council and a Forbes 30U30 honoree for his pathbreaking work creating the products, methods, and materials of the future. He’s been featured and quoted in TechCrunch, WWD, and other publications for his leadership commercializing zero-waste, made-to-order production at scale. He has participated in HBS’s roundtable on entrepreneurship and presented keynotes on zero-waste manufacturing at conferences including EOS Day Asia, TIEcon and Cornell Johnson Business School. Sahir graduated from Brown University with majors in Applied Mathematics and Political Science.

Alyson Freeman leads the environmental sustainability strategy for data center and infrastructure solution products. She identifies new growth areas, initiatives, and emerging opportunities to enhance the sustainability of Dell Technologies products and services, optimizes existing solutions, and defines next generation initiatives. She has 20 years’ experience in engineering and management roles at NASA, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Samsung, Intel, and Dell Technologies. Her Ph.D. is in electronic materials with a focus on semiconductors. Freeman is also global lead for the Women in Action employee resource group at Dell Technologies, a co-founder and former chair of Women in Technology at Samsung Austin Semiconductor, a board member of Westwood STEM Academy, and co-founded a global Coding for Kids program at Dell Technologies.

Parham Peiroo is a leader in Boston Consulting Group’s Climate & Sustainability practice and in BCG X Green Tech for which he co-leads climate tech and carbon markets in North America.  Parham’s led strategy engagements for institutional investors, venture capital funds, Fortune-1000 companies, growth-stage companies (VC-sponsored), and non-profits. He has advised clients on climate fund strategy and operations, corporate venturing, new climate venture build, growth strategy, climate market scans, and portfolio strategy. In addition, he has led the building and operationalization of new ventures including acting as interim CEO/Venture GM of a climate tech venture focused on carbon markets.  Parham joined BCG in 2017, after working as a partner at a law firm in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he acted for growth-stage companies, angel investors, and venture capital/debt funds.