SHELL Powering Progress forum

Powering Progress Together SHELL Rotterdam

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An overview of the Powering Progress Together forum, the partners involved and the importance of the energy and environmental challenges being addressed at the event.

Archive Reflections



The President-Director of Shell Netherlands and Vice-President Gas Market Development leads the effort for Shell in raising the profile of natural gas advocating the economic and environmental benefits of gas that offer new options for energy policy making.

In the coming decades, population growth, rising prosperity and rapid urbanisation will put growing pressure on the world's energy, water and food systems. Global energy demand could double by 2050. Climate change will remain a challenge as countries face mounting tensions over the allocation of fresh-water supplies and rising food prices.

This complex relationship, known as the energy-water-food nexus, could affect many people's quality of life in the coming decades. A collaborative approach to managing this nexus and the related issue of climate change will be needed.

On 16 May 2012, Shell and the City of Rotterdam start the co-host, Powering Progress Together forum which will gather more than 500 leaders, experts and talents from business, government and civil society in Rotterdam.

This one day event will include three interactive panel sessions:
Experts panel sets the scene of the Forum to introduce the forces behind the Energy-Water-Food Nexus
Explorers panel profiles the exciting initiatives already working to tackle the Nexus
Executives panel looks at what business is doing to address the Nexus and the new forms of collaboration needed to drive action

Event participants will be encouraged to ask questions and share their views throughout the event using their mobile devices.

The forum will be held during Shell Eco-marathon, where 3,000 students from across Europe will compete in making vehicles go as far as possible on the least amount of energy. The event will bring 30,000 visitors to the Ahoy Congress and Meeting Centre in Rotterdam where they can tour The Lab and other displays.

To find out more about The Lab visit www.het-lab.com - opens in new window.

Rotterdam is a fitting place to bring people together to explore the complex relationship between energy, water and food. Almost entirely destroyed during World War II and one of the most flood-exposed cities in Europe, the city has overcome adversity to become the world's second busiest port, a main trading and distribution centre for food and agricultural products in Europe, and a world leader in water management it aims to be the most sustainable world port city.

With the Powering Progress Together forum, Shell is bringing together specialists from business and academia to discuss the pressing challenges the world will be facing from meeting demand for food, energy and water.

Maryam Nemazee - Bloomberg Television
Dominic Waughray - World Economic Forum
Ahmed Aboutaleb - Mayor of Rotterdam
Peter R. Voser - Royal Dutch Shell plc
David Breashears - GlacierWorks
Kevin Noone - Stockholm University
Dr.Ir. Prem S. Bindraban MBA - ISRIC World Soil Information
Jeremy Openheim - McKinsey & Company
Prof Michael Braungart - Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency
Bryony Schwan - Biomimicry Institute
Dr. Mark Post - University of Maastricht
Hubert Klumpner & Alfredo Brillembourg - Urban-Think Tank (U-TT)/ETH Zürich
Paul Polman - Unilever
Frans van Houten - Philips
Klaus Helmrich - Siemens AG
Dr. Colin Harrison - IBM Corporation
Alexandra van Huffelen - Vice Mayor for Sustainability, the City Centre and Public Spaces
Dick Benschop - Shell Netherlands
Dame Ellen MacArthur - Ellen MacArthur
Foundation
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Maryam Nemazee - Bloomberg Television



Master of Ceremony

Maryam Nemazee is a London-based anchor and the host of Bloomberg Television's weekday program, "The Pulse," which tracks the latest international developments in business, economic and financial news along with exclusive interviews and real-time analysis of breaking news affecting global markets.


Dominic Waughray - World Economic Forum



Moderator Panel 1 and 2

As Senior Director and Head of Environment and Sustainability Initiatives for the World Economic Forum, Mr Dominic Waughray is responsible for the World Economic Forum's agenda on environment and sustainability related issues, including events (Davos Annual Meeting and regional summits), analysis (reports) and initiatives (multi-stakeholder projects).

Ahmed Aboutaleb - Mayor of Rotterdam



Opening

Ahmed Aboutaleb was installed as Mayor of Rotterdam on 5 January 2009. Prior to this, on 22 February 2007, Mr Aboutaleb was appointed State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment in the fourth Balkenende government.
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Peter R. Voser - Royal Dutch Shell plc



Opening

Peter Voser became Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on July 1, 2009. Before his appointment as CEO, Mr Peter Voser had been Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and an Executive Director of Royal Dutch Shell since 2004.

Find out more at www.shell.com


David Breashears - GlacierWorks



Panel 1

David Breashears is an accomplished filmmaker, adventurer, author, mountaineer, and professional speaker. Since 1978, he has combined his skills in climbing and filmmaking to complete more than forty film projects.

Find out more at www.davidbreashears.com - opens in new window and www.glacierworks.org - opens in new window

Kevin Noone - Stockholm University



Panel 1

Kevin Noone has a background in Chemical Engineering, and Civil and Environmental Engineering, Oceanography, Meteorology Atmospheric Physics. Mr Kevin Noone currently has joint appointments at the Department of Applied Environmental Science and the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University, and is Director of the Swedish Secretariat for Environmental Earth System Sciences (SSEESS) at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Dr.Ir. Prem S. Bindraban MBA - ISRIC World Soil Information



Panel 1

Dr.Ir. Prem S. Bindraban MBA is director of ISRIC World Soil Information and leader of international research in Agro-production systems at Plant Research International, both at Wageningen UR, The Netherlands. Over the years he has actively participated in food, feed, fuel debates and leads research about the agricultural development strategies and sustainable use of natural resources for various ministries in the Netherlands.

- Find out more about the ISRIC World Soil Information at www.isric.org - opens in new window

- Read the article "Can biofuels be sustainable by 2020?" - opens in new window

- Read about the project "Wet rice is poor rice" - opens in new window

- Find out more about Prem Bindraban - opens in new window

- Read about Corbey - opens in new window
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Jeremy Openheim - McKinsey & Company



Panel 1

Jeremy leads McKinsey's Sustainability and Resource Productivity Practice. Drawing on deep expertise in renewables, energy efficiency, and environmental finance, he advises private, public, and social sector clients globally.

- Read the report "A new era for commodities" - opens in new window

- Read the report "The next environmental issue for businesses" - opens in new window

- Read the report "The next agro-industrial revolution" - opens in new window

Prof Michael Braungart - Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency



Panel 2

Professor Dr. Michael Braungart is founder and scientific CEO of EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung GmbH in Hamburg and holds Cradle to Cradle® Chairs at Erasmus University of Rotterdam, University of Twente and University of Lüneberg. He is also co-founder and head of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) in Charlottesville, Virginia (USA) and scientific head of the Hamburger Umweltinstitut (HUI). All institutes share values embracing intelligent, aesthetic and eco-effective design.
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Bryony Schwan - Biomimicry Institute



Panel 2

Bryony Schwan is the co-founder and Executive Director of The Biomimicry Institute. She is also an affiliate faculty member in the Environmental Studies Department at the University of Montana. Bryony's activism started in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.

Find out more at www.womensvoices.org - opens in new window and www.safecosmetics.org - opens in new window.

Dr. Mark Post - University of Maastricht



Panel 2

Dr. Mark Post, MD, PhD, received his medical degree from the University of Utrecht in 1982 and, at the same University, his PhD in 1989 on Pulmonary Pharmacology. He is currently Chair of the department of Physiology at Maastricht University Medical Center, Chairman of the Dutch Society of Physiology. Dr. Post has co-authored 150 papers in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals and received during his career close to 30 million dollars in funding and awards from different sources including government, charity and industry.
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Hubert Klumpner & Alfredo Brillembourg - Urban-Think Tank (U-TT)/ETH Zürich



Panel 2

Alfredo Brillembourg received his master's degree in architectural design from Columbia University in 1986 and earned a second architecture degree from the Central University of Venezuela in 1992. Since 1994, he has been a member of the Venezuelan Architects and Engineers Association and a guest professor at the University José Maria Vargas, the University Simon Bolívar and the Central University of Venezuela.

Hubert Klumpner graduated from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna in 1993 and received a master's degree in architecture and urban design from Columbia University in 1995. Since 2001, he has been urbanism consultant of the International Program for Social and Cultural Development in Latin America (OAE and UNESCO).

Paul Polman - Unilever



Panel 3

Paul Polman became an Executive Director of Unilever in October 2008, and assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on 1st January 2009. Paul earned a BBA/BA from the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, in 1977 and an MBA/MA in economics and finance from the University of Cincinnati in 1979. He has honorary degrees from the Universities of Northumbria, Newcastle, UK (2000) and the University of Cincinnati, USA (2009).

Find out more at www.unilever.com - opens in new window.

Frans van Houten - Philips



Panel 3

Frans van Houten is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of the Board of Management and the Executive Committee of Philips. He is also a member of the European Round Table of Industrialists. Mr Frans van Houten holds a Master's degree in Economics and Business Management from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Find out more at www.philips.nl - opens in new window.

Klaus Helmrich - Siemens AG



Panel 3

Klaus Helmrich joined Siemens as a development engineer back in 1986 and has held numerous operational positions since then, particularly in the Automation Group. In 2008, he became the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Drive Technologies Division. Today, as a member of the Managing Board, he is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Siemens AG.

Dr. Colin Harrison - IBM Corporation



Panel 3

Dr. Colin Harrison is a director and distinguished engineer in IBM's Enterprise Initiatives team working on the cross-IBM technical coordination of the Smarter Cities offerings. He was the inventor of the Smarter Cities technical architecture, which grew out of 2007 work on Energy & Environment offerings and a technology assessment on the Instrumented Planet

Alexandra van Huffelen - Vice Mayor for Sustainability, the City Centre and Public Spaces



Reflections

Alexandra van Huffelen, in her function as Vice-Mayor for Sustainability, the City Centre and Public Spaces of the City of Rotterdam, is responsible for the current prioritising of sustainability in Rotterdam. Alexandra is also on the regional executive committee of ICLEI, an association of over 1220 local government members who are committed to sustainable development.

Find out more about Rotterdam Investment Agency - opens in new window

Dick Benschop - Shell Netherlands



Mr Dick Benschop is President-Director of Shell Netherlands and Vice-President Gas Market Development. He leads the effort for Shell in raising the profile of natural gas advocating the economic and environmental benefits of gas that offer new options for energy policy making. Before joining Shell, Mr Benschop was deputy minister for Foreign Affairs in the Netherlands government.

Find out more at
SHELL
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Dame Ellen MacArthur - Ellen MacArthur Foundation



Closing keynote

Dame Ellen MacArthur first hit the headlines in 2001 when she raced single-handedly non-stop around the world in the Vendée Globe when only 24 years old. She was knighted by the Queen in 2005 and has received the Legion d' Honneur from French President, Nicolas Sarkozy. In September 2010 she launched the Ellen MacArthur Foundation with the goal of accelerating the transition to a regenerative, circular economy.

Find out more at www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org - opens in new window.


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