International AI Summit

Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea is a director in charge of Circular Economy in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment since May 2022.

Between 2014 and 2022 he worked as a director in charge of enforcement, cohesion and the European Semester in DG Environment. Before that he was a director for Equality in the Directorate-General for Justice since 2011, in charge of equality and fight against discrimination, after having been director for Fundamental Rights and EU Citizenship within the same DG and in DG Justice, Freedom and Security since June 2009.

He joined the European Commission in 2009. He holds an LL.M. from the University of Illinois (US) and a Ph.D. from the University of Bucharest (RO).

Nobuaki Mori has been Chairman and CEO of AGC Chemicals Europe since 2022 and leads the company’s performance chemical products business.

Established in 1907 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, AGC Inc. is a global materials and solutions provider with a business portfolio spanning chemicals, glass, automotive, electronics, life sciences and ceramics. Part of the global AGC Group, AGC Chemicals is a world-leading manufacturer of fluoropolymers and fluoroelastomers, which are used across a wide range of sectors including hydrogen, aerospace and semiconductors.

An organic chemistry expert, Nobuaki began his career as a researcher at Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. (now AGC Inc.) in 1995. Nobuaki’s research focussed on intermediates and ingredients for pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. He played a key role in developing Tafluprost, a glaucoma drug launched in 2007 and sold in over 60 countries.

Prior to his current role, Nobuaki held various leadership positions in R&D, sales, marketing, and factory management across Japan and the U.S. Most recently, he was involved in driving AGC’s small molecule business within the life sciences branch of the company.

Paul Adamson is chairman of Forum Europe and founder and editor of Encompass, an online magazine dedicated to covering the European Union and Europe’s place in the world.

Paul is a member of the Centre for European Reform’s advisory board and Rand Europe’s Council of Advisors. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Policy Institute, King’s College London, a patron of the University Association of Contemporary European Studies (UACES) and a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences.

In 2012, Paul was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) “for services to promoting understanding of the European Union” and in 2016 he was made a Chevalier in the Ordre national du Mérite by the French government.

Giuseppe CASELLA is Head of the REACH unit in DG GROW at the European Commission since March, 2021.  Previously, he was Head of the Unit in charge of Regulatory Barriers in the same directorate general (2011-2021). He is a fully qualified lawyer with a Diploma of Advanced European Legal Studies at the College of Europe.

Giuseppe worked at the delegation of the Italian industry (Confindustria) to the European Communities, several Italian and international law firms specialised in EU law then joining the Commission in 1993 to deal with telecommunications, institutional questions, enlargement negotiations, international regulatory cooperation, mutual recognition agreements as well as, before being appointed Head of Unit, human resources. Giuseppe is Italian and Portuguese. He is married with two children.

Steven Van de Broeck is Executive Director Product Stewardship at Cefic.

He leads the Product Stewardship team of Cefic overseeing the implementation and development of EU Chemicals regulations and policies.

Steven joined Cefic in 2015. He has more than 20 years of experience on environmental and chemicals policy. Prior to joining Cefic he was active as consultant and policy advisor at the Belgian chemical association.

Steven holds an MSc in chemical engineering and several post graduates in environmental and safety management.

Darren enables clients throughout the chemicals and life sciences supply chain to get and keep their products on the European market (in the UK and the EU). He focuses on defence of products through strategic advice, advocacy before institutions and agencies, and litigation before EU and national courts and tribunals. He has a wealth of experience with the regulation of biocidal products, plant protection products (agrochemicals), REACH, classification, labelling and packaging, GM food and feed, cosmetics, and endocrine disruptors. Darren is recognized Europe-wide for his Environment and Agro/Food practice by Chambers Europe, who quotes clients’ praise for his work: “he is very knowledgeable and experienced in his field – a very good communicator who is responsive and strategically savvy”. “When it comes to things like REACH and chemicals law, he is the best” and ” provides the complete package of client attention and partnership” (2023).

Julian is a member of the Emissions Reduction team at ClientEarth, working on harmful chemicals.

He focuses on advocacy, targeted at the improvement and reform of the EU chemicals regulation REACH. Tackling chemicals in product legislation, e.g. in connection with ecodesign, is another of Julian’s topics.

Julian also provides legal expertise to EDC Free Europe, a coalition of NGOs working for the appropriate control of endocrine disruptors.

With more than 12 years of experience in research, writing legal opinions to advance chemicals policy, and developing solutions for more sustainable chemicals management in collaboration with industry and stakeholders, Julian knows his “REACH” – and how companies tick.

Julian graduated from Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences and received his PhD with honours from the University of Kassel, Germany, on the regulation of nanomaterials in REACH – using legal methods and insights from behavioural sciences.

Marianne Rosborg, Head of Environmental Affairs and Product Health & Safety, ROCKWOOL Group. 

Marianne has been with ROCKWOOL Group since 2021. She is part of the regulatory affairs department and team leader for REACH matters, chair of working groups in industry bodies and working on sustainability and chemicals policy. 

Marianne is a political scientist by background and has extensive experience working with regulatory bodies at EU and national level and companies in consumer goods, chemicals and energy sectors.

Alise is an accomplished professional with over a decade of experience advising stakeholders on EU political and regulatory matters. At Brunswick since 2020, she specialises in guiding clients from diverse business sectors through the complexities of EU industrial, sustainability and consumer protection policy. Her expertise lies in devising effective public affairs strategies, creating tailored advocacy campaigns, and crafting compelling narratives. Previously, she worked for seven years at the European Parliament, holding the position of Head of Office to the Vice-Chair of the Internal Market Committee. Her work at the time focused on consumer rights.

Charles Wijnker (1972) is Director of Environment and Safety at RIVM, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment.

Charles Wijnker studied Economics at Maastricht University. He started his career at De Nederlandsche Bank and the Ministry of Finance. Here he was, among other things, Head of Department Financial Markets. From 2014 to 2017 he worked as Director of Labor Market and Socio-Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. And from 2017 to 2021 Charles was Deputy Director-General of Public Health and Director of Nutrition, Health Protection and Prevention at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. In the last year at the ministry he was acting Director-General of Public Health.

Sidsel Dyekjær is biologist (M.Sc) and chemicals policy consultant at ChemSec. She has worked with EU chemicals policy for more than 20 years both as NGO representative and civil servant. Currently, she follows the universal PFAS restriction proposal as observer in ECHAs committee for socioeconomic analysis (SEAC).

Martin is a Government Affairs professional being responsible to represent industry positions of the medical device sector. He combines a science background with previous executive industry positions in marketing and research, working for KARL STORZ for more than 27 years. The company is family-owned and operated, globally leading in the field of minimally invasive surgery, endoscopy, and integrated operating rooms. In addition, he represents the industrial healthcare sector as chairman Medical Technology within the German Industry Association SPECTARIS.

He holds a doctorate in biophysics and has held academic positions at the University of Ulm, Texas A&M University (USA), the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried and Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich.

Kirsten Metz is Senior Manager Chemicals and Environmental Policy in the Sustainability & Environment Department at ZVEI e.V., the German Electro and Digital Industry Association, which represents the second largest industrial sector in Germany with members active in the following markets: industry (industrial automation), energy, building, consumer (electronics), (electronic) components, mobility and health. In previous positions, Kirsten has worked in ZVEI’s Electronic Components and Systems division and in the Home Appliances division, among others. She is also part of the leadership of the Orgalim Chemicals Taskforce. Kirsten is closely involved in the discussion of the UPFAS restriction proposal at German and European level and is closely collaborating with other German and European industry associations on this issue. She has a degree in chemistry with a focus on inorganic and analytical chemistry.

Elisa Consoli is the REACH and Chemicals Manager at the Aerospace, Security and Defence industries association of Europe (ASD). In this role, she manages ASD’s extensive work on chemical legislation files relevant to the Aerospace & Defence sector at EU and global level.

Before joining ASD, Elisa has worked in Cefic as Sector Group Manager dealing with the implementation and revision of the EU F-gas Regulation and with the initial phases of the PFAS restriction.

Elisa has also covered the role of Regulatory Support in the European Chemicals Agency in Finland, working on SVHC identification with the ECHA Member State Committee and on global chemicals management as part of the ECHA International Affairs team.

Elisa holds dual master’s degrees in International Studies and International and Comparative Law, which, together with her experience, have equipped her with a nuanced understanding of international chemical management across different legal frameworks and sectorial dynamics.

Ana Berdzenishvili is a Junior Policy Analyst in the “Sustainable Prosperity for Europe” programme at the European Policy Centre (EPC). Her immediate focus includes chemical, waste, and water management, climate change, and circular economy, with an emphasis on the interconnections between these areas at both the EU and global levels.

Ana’s background includes a rich blend of policy analysis, research, and stakeholder engagement, through her previous role as an Environmental Policy Expert at the Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus (RECC). In this role, she contributed to key projects, such as the National Waste Management Strategy for Georgia (2016-2030) and Action Plan (2022-2026) and conducting legal and institutional analyses related to international environmental conventions and collaborating on policy briefs and reports with partners such as UNDP, UNEP, and EU4Environment.

Ana holds a master’s degree in European studies focusing on Global Sustainability and European Governance from KU Leuven. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in management of international social Challenges from Erasmus University Rotterdam, with a minor in sustainability and an internship at the Permanent Representation of Georgia to the Council of Europe, enhancing her global perspective and practical knowledge.