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INDEPENDENT TECHNICAL ADVISORY PANEL
The Independent Technical Advisory Panel (ITAP) provides strategic guidance to the implementation of the SMEP programme. The group of individually appointed independent experts provides a sounding board for the SMEP procurement strategy and advises on the selection of SMEP service providers.
Christian Lenges
Christian Lenges is a Venture Director at IFF in the Health and Biosciences Division, creating and building sustainable material technology-driven ventures and creating strategic business growth platforms across IFF and through strategic partners. He has expertise in building winning business models in the fields of specialty chemicals and polymers, diagnostic service offerings, distributed renewable energy systems and creating novel biopolymer material platforms.
Harro von Blottnitz
Harro von Blottnitz is a professor in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of Cape Town (UCT). He defines his research and teaching interests by the multiple challenges of sustainable development in developing country settings. Professor von Blottnitz holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering from UCT, a BSc Honours in Operations Research from UNISA, an MSc in Engineering from UCT and a Doctorate in Engineering from the RWTH Aachen in Germany.
Amir Rashid
Amir Rashid has about thirty years of experience in diverse research and industrial manufacturing environments in South Asia and Europe, ranging from heavy to high precision manufacturing. Currently a professor of manufacturing at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, he has worked actively with the European Union’s framework programmes since 2001 at several different levels, including as lead (PI) of large-scale research and innovation (R&I) projects.
Saima Murtaza
Saima Murtaza works as Deputy Director of Programs for the World Bank Project Punjab Green Development Program (PGDP). She has previously worked in senior positions with International, National and Government in Advocacy, Communication, Sustainability, Strategic Planning & Environment-related projects. Saima is also a writer and a public speaker on many forums, nationally and internationally.
Francois Souchet
Francois is the founder of Swanstant, a consultancy strengthening organisations using the circular economy and sustainability, where he works with clients to build and deliver ambitious impact strategies across the consumer and retail sector worldwide. A thought leader in the fashion and circular economy space, Francois helped BPCM venture in the Impact Consulting space, he also initiated and led Make Fashion Circular while at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, establishing it as a truly disruptive force within the fashion industry, championing circularity.
Sahar Ahmed
Ms Sahar Ahmed is an integral part of the senior leadership team of Pakistan's leading logistics company. She has nearly twenty years of management experience with diverse exposure in logistics, NGOs and journalistic publications. Ms Ahmed is an expert in end-to-end business ranging from strategy, communications, business development, supply chain management and operations. Formerly she has been an analyst on Pakistan's financial markets, political climate, and social issues. She graduated with BA in Economics from Emmanuel College, Boston, MA, USA.
Michael Saltzberg
Michael A. Saltzberg is the CEO of CovationBio, a global biomaterials business headquartered in the US (formerly DuPont Biomaterials). He has spent most of his career working to bring high-performance, plant-based materials to the market at scale and at a reasonable cost. Michael has developed strong expertise in building alliances worldwide in various value chains and geographies and is recognised as a strong talent developer, especially in business development and technology management.
Ichin Cheng
Ichin is Director and co-founder of the Sustainable Innovation Lab. She has over 25 years of international experience in the field of sustainable innovation and green business related to climate change, clean technology, sustainable materials and products, the circular economy and the eco-city.
Saleem H. Ali
Saleem H. Ali is the Blue and Gold Distinguished Professor of Energy and the Environment at the University of Delaware (USA). He is also a United Nations International Resource Panel member and served two terms on the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility. His latest books are Earthly Order: How Natural Laws Define Human Life (Oxford University Press, 2022) and Soil to Foil: Aluminum and the Quest for Industrial Sustainability (Columbia University Press, 2023). He received his doctorate in Environmental Planning from MIT and a Masters in Environmental Studies from Yale.
Bret Ericson
Bret Ericson has worked as a technical consultant to various UN organizations, including UNEP, WHO, ICAO, and UNICEF. His expertise is in assessing and mitigating chemical exposures from contaminated land. He has an MSc in Geography from LSE and a PhD in Environmental Sciences from Macquarie University, where his thesis covered lead (Pb) exposure and mitigation in LMICs. Dr. Ericson has worked in 40+ countries and has been adjunct faculty at the Global School of Public Health at New York University since 2016.