Event

César Rafael Chávez

CEC Executive Director

Aaron Cosbey

Senior Associate, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

Aaron Cosbey, Senior Associate, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), is a development economist with over 25 years of experience in the areas of trade, investment, and sustainable development. His work cuts across a number of IISD program areas, with emphasis on climate change and energy, trade and investment law and policy, subsidies, and green industrial policy.

He is a member of Global Affairs Canada’s Environmental Assessment Advisory Group, and of the Green Growth Knowledge Network’s Trade and Competitiveness Research Committee. At International Trade Canada, he has served on the Market Access Advisory Group, as the Deputy Minister for the Academic Advisory Council on Canadian Trade Policy, and as the Canadian Minister for International Trade’s Environmental Sectoral Advisory Group on International Trade, where he chaired the SAGIT’s Working Group on the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). He was a member of the UN Tripartite Panel of Experts to the Second Preparatory Committee Meeting for Rio +20, the CEC’s Expert Panel on Environmental Impacts of NAFTA, the Advisory Board of the International Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy, the Review Board of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad, and the Expert Group on Clean Energy and the Multilateral Trading System of the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development’s E15 initiative.

Cosbey has also acted as a consultant to a wide variety of governments and institutions on the issues of trade, investment and sustainable development, including the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Canadian International Development Agency, the Centre for International Governance Innovation, the Commonwealth Secretariat, Environment Canada, European University Institute, the Inter-American Development Bank, Canada’s National Round Table on Environment and Economy, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the World Bank.

Jean Piette

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Quebec Business Council on the Environment (Conseil Patronal de l’Environnement du Québec, CPEQ)

Throughout his career, Jean Piette has achieved considerable experience in both environmental law and the development of environmental policy. As a senior advisor at Norton Rose Fulbright, he is presently chair of the environmental law team. His engagement in environmental law began in 1972 when he became the first lawyer in Quebec to develop a practice devoted entirely to environmental law. His reputation has grown ever since and, in 2018, he was rated by Chambers Directory as one of Canada’s two Senior Statesmen in environmental law. He was also nominated “Advocatus Emeritus” by the Barreau du Québec in 2013.

He provides legal counsel and strategic advice on matters of Quebec, federal and international environmental law. He advises clients on environmental permit applications, environmental audits, environmental due diligence for business transactions and environmental compliance strategies. He also provides assistance to clients in the areas of mining law and of land use planning law.

Mr. Piette represents clients in negotiations with environmental authorities, in environmental litigation before administrative and judicial tribunals and in private transactions involving environmental problems. As a registered consultant in environmental law to the World Bank, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C., he participated in 1999 in the drafting of pesticide control legislation for Uzbekistan.

Before joining the firm, Mr. Piette was successively general counsel for the Environment Protection Services and the Ministry of Environment of Quebec where he assumed subsequently other senior managerial positions.

In 2010, he was nominated Best Lawyers environmental lawyer of the year in Québec. In the 2011 Who’s Who of Canadian lawyers, Mr. Piette was described as enjoying a “stellar” reputation for his expertise in climate change, energy, natural resources and mining matters. In 2012, he is referred to as having an “outstanding reputation” in both his advisory and contentious work. In 2013, the same publication considered him “a dean of Canadian environmental law.”

Alejandro Sosa Reyes

Executive Director, Iniciativa GEMI

A chemical engineer with extensive professional experience in major  corporations such as Cementos Mexicanos, Grupo Modelo and General Motors, Alejandro Sosa has worked for more than two decades in the areas of sustainability, business coordination and government relations.

He currently acts as executive director of Iniciativa GEMI, a non-profit business organization focused on environmental excellence and sustainability. He is also Vice Chair of the Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Commission of the Confederation of Industry Chambers (Concamin) and a member of the sustainability committees of leading business organizations in Mexico. He previously chaired the Ecology Committees of the Mexican Employer Confederation (Coparmex) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

He has also been a member of the National Sustainable Development Advisory Board, the Climate Change Advisory Board, and the National Chemicals Advisory Board, created by the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) to fulfill Mexico’s commitments with the United Nations. Sosa has given more than 200 presentations both nationally and internationally.

Alejandro R. Nyssen Ocaranza

General Director, Nyssen Consultores

A civil engineer out of Universidad Iberoamericana, Alejandro Nyssen has completed various certificate programs in Mexico and abroad, such as the International Course on Port Planning, Management and Operations at the University of Antwerp in Belgium and the Environmental Leadership Seminar in the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

During his professional career, Nyssen has been general director for Environmental Regulation at the Mexico City Environment Department; executive director of the Mexican Environmental Infrastructure Commission (a joint commission of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) and the Business Coordinating Council (CCE)); Special Programs Research, development and advisory coordinator at the National Institute of Ecology (INE), and general director of Regional Operations at the National Commission for Protected Natural Areas under Semarnat.

In the private sector, he was founding partner and general manager of Grupo Iberoamericano, as well as a member of the Professional Environmental Expert Reporting Committee of the Mexican College of Civil Engineers. He currently heads the environmental consulting firm Nyssen Consultores.

​Ryan Greer

Director, Transportation & Infrastructure Policy, Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Ryan Greer joined the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in February 2016 as the Director, Transportation and Infrastructure Policy.  Prior to joining the Chamber, Ryan held several positions within the federal government, most recently as a Senior Policy Advisor at Public Works and Government Services Canada. He has also held senior policy positions with other federal departments including Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and Industry Canada.

John Bradburn

Chief Materials & Sustainability Officer, Pathway 21

Chief Materials and Sustainability Officer, Pathway21

John Bradburn recently retired as the Global Manager of Waste Reduction for General Motors after 39 yeas of service. In his waste reduction role, he led the company’s landfill-free, zero-waste initiative, which resulted in an industry leading, 152 GM operations around the world that reuse, recycle, and convert to energy all waste from daily operations. Bradburn is an expert in waste reduction and recycling and was dubbed GM’s MacGyver for devising unconventional uses for everyday waste.

His current responsibilities at Pathway21 include directing material-reuse and sustainability options for the Materials Marketplace platform, a cloud-based materials-exchange program that promotes circular economy and sustainable materials management concepts. These duties also include implementing processes and technologies that reduce environmental impact and costs. He frequently mentors other companies that are pursuing zero-waste goals and sustainable material management and collaborates within all manufacturing sectors and external stakeholder groups, including governmental agencies to promote cross-sector collaboration and innovative solutions to global sustainability challenges.

Bradburn earned a master of science degree in hazardous waste management from Wayne State University in Detroit, a bachelor of science degree in conservation from Northern Michigan University and is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager. He frequently speaks at various sustainability-focused events and has been recognized by the Society of Automotive Engineers with four Environmental Excellence in Transportation awards for material development, reuse and recycling projects and serves on the advisory board of the US Business Council for Sustainable Development. In 2015, he received the Presidential Lifetime Service Award from the Office of the President of the United States for sustainability services to youth.

Lauren Smith and Nicole Balliston

Stop eating your dirty laundry - Our solution to microplastic pollution
Canada

Microplastic pollution is a growing problem, gaining attention through bans on microbeads and straws, yet little has been done about the largest contributor, microfibres. These tiny, plastic threads are released during the washing of synthetic textiles (such as polyester or fleece, spandex, nylon, and more) and pollute waterways around the world. Chemicals such as pesticides, PCBs, BPA, and persistent organic pollutants stick to these plastics and increase in concentration as they move up the food chain. These contaminants have been linked to developmental delays, diabetes, and cancers. Not only are these toxin-coated plastics harming sea life, but microfibres have been found in 83% of the world’s tap water, as well as in bottled water, honey, salt, and beer. We are all consuming some really dirty laundry.

César Asensy Maldonado Monter, José Luis Ortiz Robles, and Héctor José Garrido Rosales

Management of wastewater and organic waste with the use of insects
Mexico

We transform wastewater and organic waste into sustainable products using insects. In Mexico, it is estimated that 60% of domestic and agri-food wastewater is released to aquatic bodies without any treatment, while 30% of all food is wasted. Without a doubt, this problem poses several problems to the environment and public health.

Nima ShahabShahmir

Future Fungi - An environmental solution to plastic issue
United States

My business idea is called Future Fungi and it focuses on solving the plastic trash disaster issue across the planet by introducing a new environmental-friendly material.

Mushroom spores, are added to waste products such as sawdust and grown into marketable items using mushroom roots, also known as mycelium. These grown material will go through a modeling and baking stage to create the desired product. Unlike plastic and styrofoam items that are non-biodegradable, Future Fungi’s products are 100% biodegradable and can be added to compost pile or farm land soil. Also, they have unique qualities such as shock absorbent and fire retardant which are superior when compared to plastic.