Program and Speaker of the Fraunhofer CCPE Summit

Relaxing get-together with a small snack

Monika Jones

International TV and Conference Moderator

Monika Jones is one of the leading bilingual journalists and presenters in Germany. As an English speaking News Anchor at Germany's global TV broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, she is familiar to a wide international audience in Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

As a bilingual live event moderator, Monika has taken part in major international summits, chairing high-level panels at the G7, the G20 and the United Nations Climate Change Conferences. Her specialist areas include economics, climate change, mobility, health and space sciences.
Monika presented one of the largest Livestream events ever as the official presenter of the European Space Agency's historic Rosetta mission, which successfully landed the Philae space probe on a comet!

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Renner

Head of Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE | Head of Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT

Prof. Manfred Renner holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering. He specializes in process engineering, circular economy and business development management. He has set international standards with his award-winning research work on the use of compressed carbon dioxide in process engineering.

Renner holds the chair "Responsible Process Engineering" at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), which he founded in August 2022. Within the framework of his professorship, he shapes the systemic development of the Circular Economy on a corporate, regional and European level.

Renner has been employed at Fraunhofer UMSICHT in various functions since 2006 and headed the Products Division with 126 employees and a budget of 14.8 million euros until he took over the management of the institute and the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE in August 2022.

Prof. Dr. Axel Müller-Grölling

Executive Vice President for Research Infrastructures and Digital Transformation of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Academic and professional career

• Since 8/2022 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft e. V., Munich
  Executive Vice President for Research Infrastructures and Digital Transformation
• 1/2021 – 7/2022 Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS, Duisburg (Germany)
  Acting Executive Director
• Since 7/2020 Kiel University
  Professor (W3) for Microsystems and Technology Transfer
• 10/2016 – 7/2022 Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology ISIT, Itzehoe (Germany)
  Executive Director
• 5/2007 – 5/2018 Centrosolar America Inc., Scottsdale (USA)
  Member of the Management Board
• 7/2014 – 1/2015 TRUMPF GmbH & Co. KG, Ditzingen (Germany)
  Head of Strategy        
• 7/2005 – 3/2014 Centrosolar Group AG, Munich
  Member of the Management Board, Co-Founder
• 2/1998 – 6/2005 McKinsey & Company, Inc., Berlin and Hamburg
  Management Consultant
• 7/1997 - 2/2000 Heidelberg University
  Lecturer (on leave since 2/1998)
• 7/1997 Heidelberg University
  Habilitation in physics
• 1995 – 1997 Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, Heidelberg
  Postdoctoral Fellow
• 1994 – 1995 CEA, Saclay/Paris
  Postdoctoral Fellow
• 1993 – 1994 University of Toronto
  Postdoctoral Fellow
• 1992 – 1993 Wissenschaftskolleg, Berlin
  Fellow
• 2/1992 Heidelberg University
  Doctorate in physics
• 11/1989 – 2/1992 Max-Planck-Institute for Nuclear Physics, Heidelberg
  Heidelberg University
  Doctoral studies in physics
• 11/1989 University of Bonn
  Forschungszentrum Jülich
  Degree in physics
  
• 10/1984 – 11/1989 Kiel University (intermediate exam)
  University of Bonn
  Major in physics

Dr. Susanne Lottermoser

Director-General | Directorate-General T - Transformation - Digitalisation, Circular Economy, Climate Adaptation | Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection

Studied law at the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg. First and second state law examinations in 1986 and 1989 in Würzburg, doctorate (Dr. iur.) in 1991 in Würzburg.

Since 1990, activities at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, i.a. in the areas of radiation protection law, international climate protection, Minister's Office, delegation to the Permanent Representation of the Federal Republic of Germany to the EU.

From 2005 to 2014 head of the sub-department "Fundamental and Economic Issues of Environmental Policy, Interdisciplinary Environmental Law". From 2014 to 02/2022, Head of the Sub-Department "Urban Development", most recently at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, for Building and Home Affairs.

Since 02/2022, head of the department "Transformation - Digitalization, Circular Economy, Climate Adaptation" at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.

Dr. Esther van den Beuken

Principal Consultant Circular Plastics | TNO

Esther has 20 years of experience at the interface of public-private
innovation and societal themes. She also has broad experience with
plastics and transitions. Her ambition is to develop an integrated future
vision for the system transition to circular plastics with activities being
phased out and built up, in which β and γ scientific knowledge is
connected to the applied knowledge of partners in this circular plastics
value network.

Esther is a national and international leader in the field of Circular Plastics through her role as Board Member of Circular Plastics NL (M€450), lead of the National Science Agenda route Circular Economy and her previous role as Programme Manager for the Knowledge and Innovation Agenda
Circular Economy (KIA-CE). She participates in the Transition team Plastics in the Netherlands, Circular Plastics Alliance, Plastic Pact NL/EU and ECP4. She is active in setting up H2020 projects in the field of plastics and strategic projects for industry organisations and is coordinator of the H2020 project PLAST2bCLEANED.

Esther studied chemistry at Radboud University Nijmegen and did her Ph.D. at the University of Groningen on the subject of homogenous catalysis of polymers in the group of Nobel Prize Winner Prof B.L. Feringa.

Marco Ten Bruggencate

President of PlasticsEurope

Marco ten Bruggencate is the Commercial Vice President for Packaging and Specialty Plastics for EMEA, and is based in Horgen, Switzerland. He is also a vocal advocate for inclusion and diversity and is Co-Chair in Dow’s Women’s Inclusion Network & Executive Sponsor of the Disability Employee Network in EMEAI.

Marco joined Dow in 2000 in the role of Commercial Manager Polyurethanes. In 2007, he became Strategic Marketing Manager for Dow Building Solutions, before being appointed Product Director in 2011. As part of that role, he became the Chairman of the European Extruded Polystyrene Insulation Producers Association, EXIBA.

In 2012, Marco assumed the role of Business Director EMEAI for Dow Building Solutions and in 2014 was appointed Global Business Director for Dow Construction Chemicals. In 2017, he moved to Midland, MI, United States, as the Global Business Director role of Dow Building &
Construction and subsequently became responsible for Global Strategy for the Polyurethanes Portfolio before assuming his current role.

Marco earned his Masters degree in Business Economics at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam.

Moderated by Monika Jones, the keynote speakers and the Head of Fraunhofer CCPE will discuss the latest topics of the session.

• Stereocomplex PLA Filament Yarns and Organosheets / Self Reinforced Composites
  Dr. Evgueni Tarkhanov
  Researcher  | Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP,
  Research Department Circular Polymers | Fraunhofer CCPE
  
• Accelerating Biodegration
  Dr. rer. nat. Elke Metzsch-Zilligen
  Head of Department Additives and Durability | Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF,
  Research Department Circular Additives and Compounds | Fraunhofer CCPE
  
• Recycling Cascade
  Dr. rer. nat. Alexander Hofmann
  Head of Department Recycling Management | Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT,
  Research Department Advanced Recycling | Fraunhofer CCPE
  
• Mechanical Recycling / Quality Optimization
  Tanja Fell
  Group leader  Packaging Recycling | Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV,
  Research Department Advanced Recycling | Fraunhofer CCPE
  
• Innovative Transportbox
  Elisa Seiler
  Scientific advisor | Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT,
  Strategy | Fraunhofer CCPE
  
• Circular Readiness Level + System Mapping
  Jan-Philip Kopka
  Researcher | Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics,
  Research Department Circular Logistics and Sustainability | Fraunhofer CCPE
  
• Circular Business Models + Digital Passport
  Philipp Rittershaus
  PHD student | Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT,  
  Research Department Business and Transformation | Fraunhofer CCPE
  
• Systemic Impact Assessment
  Tim Bulters
  Business developer Circular Plastics | TNO

Round tour through thematic rooms of  circular plastics innovations: Researcher and developer present and discuss their results.

Martyn Tickner

Chief Advisor Circular Solutions | Alliance To End Plastic Waste

Martyn is a seasoned professional with more than 40 years in the petrochemical industry, starting with Shell in the 1980’s with a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering from Cambridge University, United Kingdom, and most recently as the Chief Executive Officer of a 1 million ton plastics producer in Thailand, prior to then running the Europe polypropylene business of market leading LyondellBasell.

Martyn has a very broad base career, with experience of living in Europe, US and Asia, of which 15 years in manufacturing, 15 years in business management, commercial and innovation and 10 years in strategy work, M&A and major projects.

He joined the Alliance to End Plastic Waste two years ago, intrigued by the huge challenge of addressing plastic waste, the opportunity for transformation to a plastics circular economy, and bringing together in quite a unique way the full plastics upstream and downstream value chain from brand owners and retailers through chemical companies and convertors to waste management companies.

Within the Alliance, Martyn is responsible for developing strategies to address gaps and unmet needs, and pursuing projects which will demonstrate technical and economic solutions driving towards a circular economy of plastics.

Markus Müller-Drexel

CEO/MD | INTERZERO

Markus Müller-Drexel (born 1964 in the Bamberg, Bavaria) studied at the Otto-Friedrich-University, Bamberg, before heading the South Department of INTERSEROH Dienstleistungs GmbH in Munich from 1992 to 1997.

In 1997, Müller-Drexel moved to the headquarters in Cologne, where he took over the management of central coordination. On May 1, 2002, he was appointed Managing Director of INTERSEROH Dienstleistungs GmbH.

From 2016, he also held the position of CEO of ALBA Services Holding.

Since 01.01.2022, Markus Müller-Drexel has been working as CEO for Interseroh+ GmbH.

Prof. Dr. Andrea Büttner

Executive Director of Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV

Prof. Dr. Andrea Büttner has been Executive Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV since April 2020. In her role, she is also responsible for the Freising site. Since 2017, she has headed the Chair of Aroma and Smell Research at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.

Andrea Büttner studied food chemistry at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and completed her doctorate and habilitation in the field of aroma research at the Technical University of Munich. When she joined the Fraunhofer IVV in 2007, she launched the new Product Performance business unit as well as the Department of Sensory Analytics, today's department Sensory Analytics and Technology. At the same time, she set up the Aroma Research working group at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, where she was appointed Professor of Aroma Research in 2012. In 2017, she became Deputy Institute Director at the Fraunhofer IVV and a member of the institute's management in 2019.

In her current role, she is also spokesperson of the Lead Market Food, deputy spokesperson of the Fraunhofer Strategic Research Field Bioeconomy and on the Board of Management of the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE.

Prof. Dr. Uwe Clausen

Head of Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Uwe Clausen is director of the Institute for Transport Logistics at TU Dortmund University and director of Fraunhofer-Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML. From July 2002 until July 2005 he was dean of the faculty of mechanical engineering at TU Dortmund University and from July 2005 until August 2008 he was vice dean of the very same faculty.

He studied computer sciences at the University of Karlsruhe (TH) and graduated at TU Dortmund University. After becoming head of the Traffic Logistics department at Fraunhofer IML, he worked for Deutsche Post AG as project manager for logistics and later on as managing director of the subsidiary IPP Paketbeförderung GmbH in Austria. In July 1999, he joined Amazon.de in Bad Hersfeld and became European Operations Director before returning to Fraunhofer IML on February 01, 2001.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Renner

Head of Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE | Head of Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT

Prof. Dr. Manfred Renner holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering. He specializes in process engineering, circular economy and business development management. He has set international standards with his award-winning research work on the use of compressed carbon dioxide in process engineering.

Renner holds the chair "Responsible Process Engineering" at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), which he founded in August 2022. Within the framework of his professorship, he shapes the systemic development of the Circular Economy on a corporate, regional and European level.

Renner has been employed at Fraunhofer UMSICHT in various functions since 2006 and headed the Products Division with 126 employees and a budget of 14.8 million euros until he took over the management of the institute and the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE in August 2022.

Helmut Schmitz

Head of Communication | DSD – Duales System Holding GmbH & Co. KG

Helmut Schmitz works since 2013 as Director Communication / Public Affairs for “Der Grüne Punkt - Duales System Deutschland GmbH“ in Berlin, Brussels and Cologne.

As Head of International Communication and Director Public Affairs he was responsible in 2000 – 2013 for projects with different international stakeholder groups, especially in Europe and Asia.

After finishing Albertus-Magnus-University in Cologne with a Master Degree in Biology he worked seven years as Secretary General of the Young Federal Civil Servants Association, the umbrella organisation with 45 independent associations in the German public service.  

Alexandra Engelt

Head of Strategic Development Circular Economy | DIN Deutsches Institut für Normung e. V.

Alexandra Engelt has been working at DIN e. V. for over ten years in various areas of strategic business orientation. She studied Packaging Technology and also Sustainability and Quality Management and is an expert in standardization topics in the field of the circular economy. She is currently responsible for the strategic development of the Circular Economy at DIN.

Prof. Dr. Alexander Böker

Head of Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP

Prof. Dr. Alexander Böker is director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP and holds the Chair of Polymer Materials and Polymer Technology at the University of Potsdam. He is also a member of the Board of Management of the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE.

He studied chemistry at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and Cornell University in the USA. From 1999 to 2002, he received his doctorate in macromolecular and physical chemistry from the University of Bayreuth. His habilitation followed in 2007 in physical chemistry. From 2008 to 2015, Böker was deputy scientific director of the DWI - Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials e.V. and held the chair of Macromolecular Materials and Surfaces at RWTH Aachen University.

His work focuses on self-assembly phenomena of nanoparticles and polymers and the transfer of biological functionalities to polymeric materials.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Tobias Melz

Head of Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Tobias Melz has been director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF since January 2016. In parallel, he was appointed Head of the Department of System Reliability, Adaptronics and Machine Acoustics SAM at Darmstadt University of Technology, where he has already been Professor of Adaptronic Systems since 2011. He is also a member of the Board of Management of the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE.

Prior to this, he held various management positions at Fraunhofer LBF from 2001. During this time, he built up and headed the research area of adaptronics.

After studying mechanical engineering at the TU Braunschweig, he worked as a research assistant at the German Aerospace Center DLR in Braunschweig. Following this, he completed his doctorate at the TU Darmstadt in the field of "Active vibration control on satellite systems".

His research activities focus on smart structural systems and the functionalization of components, as well as technical reliability and lightweight plastic construction.

Dr. Matthias Bruch

Technical Marketing Manager | AP-NYLON/NYRIM | L. Brüggemann GmbH & Co. KG

After studying polymer chemistry in Freiburg/Germany Matthias Bruch worked in the development of norbornene co-polymers in Ticona’s medical and optical applications as a head of laboratory. At TOPAS Advanced Polymers he led the development team and managed a full-continuous polyolefin production plant in Frankfurt.

For the last eight years he is the product manager for polymer additives of L. Brüggemann’s polyamide and Cast Nylon products. Currently he has added the responsibility for the Bruggolen® R-Series for recycling of polyolefins at L. Brüggemann.

Andreas Künkel

Dr. Andreas Künkel | Vice President | Head of Biopolymer Research, BASF SE

• Andreas Künkel studied biology at the Philipps University Marburg and
  received his Ph.D. in 1998 at the Max Planck Institute for terrestrial
  microbiology
• Afterwards he started his BASF career within the Central R&D
  department, followed by marketing positions for Fine Chemicals and
  ecoflex® & ecovio® with focus on strategy and New Business Development
• Since 2010 he is head of biodegradable and biobased polymer research of
  BASF
  
• The focus of this research is the fundamental understanding of the
  biodegradation process in different environments and the development of
  new biodegradable and biobased materials for different applications using
  the synergies between classical chemistry and biotechnology
• He is teaching at the University of Marburg

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Frank Henning

Head of Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Frank Henning has been Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT in Karlsruhe since 2021. He is also professor at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), where he heads the Chair of Lightweight Engineering at the Institute of Vehicle Systems Technology (FAST). Furthermore, Henning has been an associate professor of research in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Western Ontario, Canada, since 2010 and is a member of the Board of Management of the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE.

Frank Henning came to Fraunhofer ICT in 1996 as part of his diploma thesis. After graduating as an engineer, he successfully established the field of fiber-reinforced composites at the institute and developed it into an internationally recognized area of research.

Prof. Dr. Uwe Clausen

Head of Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Uwe Clausen is director of the Institute for Transport Logistics at TU Dortmund University and director of Fraunhofer-Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML. From July 2002 until July 2005 he was dean of the faculty of mechanical engineering at TU Dortmund University and from July 2005 until August 2008 he was vice dean of the very same faculty.

He studied computer sciences at the University of Karlsruhe (TH) and graduated at TU Dortmund University. After becoming head of the Traffic Logistics department at Fraunhofer IML, he worked for Deutsche Post AG as project manager for logistics and later on as managing director of the subsidiary IPP Paketbeförderung GmbH in Austria. In July 1999, he joined Amazon.de in Bad Hersfeld and became European Operations Director before returning to Fraunhofer IML on February 01, 2001.

Prof. Dr. ir. Steven De Meester

Faculty of Bioscience Engineering | Ghent University

Prof. Dr. ir. Steven De Meester leads the Laboratory for Circular Process Engineering at Ghent University, a team of around 25 researchers that focuses on better chemical engineering in the circular economy, with focus on pretreatment and downstream processing. The group brings fundamental science to the processes used in waste management companies. Key topics are amongst others the removal of impurities from plastic waste streams, for example related to washing, delamination and deinking of plastic waste.

Prof De Meester is chair of the Plastic to resource research line of the Capture initiative (clustering over 100 Belgian researchers on plastic recycling) and since 2022, Prof. De Meester is also active as part-time professor at Maastricht University.

Peter Hoese

Manager Project Support & Services Corporate Sustainability | Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland GmbH

• Born 1968
• Living in St. Ingbert (Saarland)
• Industrial Engineer
• Since 2006 working for Fresenius Medical Care. In Procurement until 2020. Since 2021 Project Manager for Sustainability Projects

Dr. Jens Oldenburg

Managing Director | Die Stiftung Initiative Mehrweg (SIM)

Dr Jens Oldenburg studied history and politics at the Free University of Berlin and the Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg until 1998, and then completed his doctorate at the Free University of Berlin in 2001.

After several positions in business, he has been the managing director of the Stiftung Initiative Mehrweg (Reusable Initiative Foundation) since 2019, which has been promoting reusable systems for 25 years. The foundation's goal is to sustainably stabilise and increase the reusable quota in all sectors of the economy. To achieve this goal, the foundation is in constant dialogue with environmental and trade associations, companies in the reusable sector and political representatives. The focus of the foundation's work is in particular the promotion of reusable transport packaging throughout Europe.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Renner

Head of Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT | Head of Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE

Prof. Manfred Renner holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering. He specializes in process engineering, circular economy and business development management. He has set international standards with his award-winning research work on the use of compressed carbon dioxide in process engineering.

Renner holds the chair "Responsible Process Engineering" at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), which he founded in August 2022. Within the framework of his professorship, he shapes the systemic development of the Circular Economy on a corporate, regional and European level.

Renner has been employed at Fraunhofer UMSICHT in various functions since 2006 and headed the Products Division with 126 employees and a budget of 14.8 million euros until he took over the management of the institute and the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE in August 2022.

Prof. Dr. Andrea Büttner

Executive Director of Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV

Prof. Dr. Andrea Büttner has been Executive Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV since April 2020. In her role, she is also responsible for the Freising site. Since 2017, she has headed the Chair of Aroma and Smell Research at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.

Andrea Büttner studied food chemistry at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and completed her doctorate and habilitation in the field of aroma research at the Technical University of Munich. When she joined the Fraunhofer IVV in 2007, she launched the new Product Performance business unit as well as the Department of Sensory Analytics, today's department Sensory Analytics and Technology. At the same time, she set up the Aroma Research working group at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, where she was appointed Professor of Aroma Research in 2012. In 2017, she became Deputy Institute Director at the Fraunhofer IVV and a member of the institute's management in 2019.

In her current role, she is also spokesperson of the Lead Market Food, deputy spokesperson of the Fraunhofer Strategic Research Field Bioeconomy and on the Board of Management of the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE.

Dagmar Glatz

Product management sustainability | Packaging, dm-drogerie markt GmbH + Co. KG

Passionate and experienced sustainable packaging expert, covering a broad range of different packaging materials and production processes that spans from paper and metal to plastics. Competence fields and knowledge base are centered around material & production expertise, sustainable packaging design and strategy development, next to regulatory and legislative topics that are currently worked out on different levels in order to leverage circularity in packaging as well as extended producer responsibility.

Engineering degree in plastics engineering and looking back on more than 15 years of experience in plastic processing and plastic related product development.

Actively engaging in multiple initiatives and programs that are centered around sustainable packaging. Broad field of expertise and deep understanding about technologies and innovations

Responsible for the strategical execution of dm ambitious packaging targets for 2025.

Dominik Campanella

Co-Founder & CEO | Concular | Restado

Dominik Campanella is the co-founder of restado and Concular. restado is the largest marketplace for reclaimed building materials in Europe. Concular goes one step further and offers a digital platform for circular building.

Previously, he studied computer science & business administration and worked at Google for several years.

He is one of the Top 50 Climate Pioneers (Handelsblatt) and on the advisory board for circular construction of the DGNB as well as in the expert group for circular Construction of the EU Commission.

Dr. Carsten Gerhardt

Chairman | Circular Valley® Foundation

Carsten Gerhardt studied theoretical solid-state physics, Anglo-Irish literature and economics. As a management consultant, he works in a wide variety of industries with a focus on sustainability.

Carsten is chairman of the Wuppertalbewegung e.V., the initiator of the Nordbahntrasse.

Since 2020 he has been committed to positioning the wider Rhine-Ruhr area as Circular Valley® - a region in which globally leading solutions for a Circular Economy are developed.

Prof. Dr. Andrea Büttner

Executive Director of Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV

Prof. Dr. Andrea Büttner has been Executive Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV since April 2020. In her role, she is also responsible for the Freising site. Since 2017, she has headed the Chair of Aroma and Smell Research at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.

Andrea Büttner studied food chemistry at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and completed her doctorate and habilitation in the field of aroma research at the Technical University of Munich. When she joined the Fraunhofer IVV in 2007, she launched the new Product Performance business unit as well as the Department of Sensory Analytics, today's department Sensory Analytics and Technology. At the same time, she set up the Aroma Research working group at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, where she was appointed Professor of Aroma Research in 2012. In 2017, she became Deputy Institute Director at the Fraunhofer IVV and a member of the institute's management in 2019.

In her current role, she is also spokesperson of the Lead Market Food, deputy spokesperson of the Fraunhofer Strategic Research Field Bioeconomy and on the Board of Management of the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Renner

Head of Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT | Head of Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE

Prof. Manfred Renner holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering. He specializes in process engineering, circular economy and business development management. He has set international standards with his award-winning research work on the use of compressed carbon dioxide in process engineering.

Renner holds the chair "Responsible Process Engineering" at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), which he founded in August 2022. Within the framework of his professorship, he shapes the systemic development of the Circular Economy on a corporate, regional and European level.

Renner has been employed at Fraunhofer UMSICHT in various functions since 2006 and headed the Products Division with 126 employees and a budget of 14.8 million euros until he took over the management of the institute and the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE in August 2022.