10 people building a kinder world at The Next Web Conference

Solutions

The Next Web Conference is upon us with a jam-packed agenda showcasing some of the brightest names in tech. With over 150 speakers, and innumerable workshops and roundtables, it's hard to work out which events to go to. So we've put together a list of 10 people that you can't miss, 10 people who are working hard to make the world a kinder place

Not heading to the conference this year? Follow us on Twitter to see our highlights. 

1. Jessi Baker - CEO, Provenance

Jessi Baker is the founder of Provenance, a digital platform enabling producers, manufacturers, and retailers to track the journey of people, places, and ingredients behind their products. They use blockchain and smart tagging technologies to revolutionise supply chain transparency. With Provenance, businesses can drastically reduce risk in their supply chain and foster a new form of consumer trust.

on stage with:

2. David Achard - Business Development Manager Benelux, Winnow

David, an alumnus from the notorious Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, has dedicated the start of his career into creating value across the hospitality sector through sustainability. He is proud to be part of Winnow's mission to inspire chefs and others to see that food is too valuable to waste. Winnow builds tech to help chefs run their kitchens more efficiently, focusing on helping them understand and prevent food waste. Since launching 5 years ago, Winnow has been deployed in 40 countries and has saved its customers $30m by reducing food waste.

Closing the food loop

📌 Future Generations
🕰 11.35 - 12.00

Winnow's mission is to reduce food waste in the restaurant industry

3. Milena Marin - Senior Advisor, Amnesty International 

Milena Marin is a Senior Advisor in Amnesty International's Evidence Lab where she is pioneering the use of data and technology for large scale human rights investigations. At Amnesty, she leads Amnesty Decoders, an innovative platform using data science, crowdsourcing and artificial intelligence to analyse unstructured data. Previously she worked as Programme Director of the School of Data where she trained and mentored numerous NGOs and journalists to make the most of their data and reach new audiences. Additionally, Milena spent over 4 years working with Transparency International where she supported TI’s global network to use technology in the fight against corruption.

Fireside Chat: AI for good

📌 Trade
🕰 Thursday, 11.55 - 12.15

4. Corinne Vigreux - Co-Founder, TomTom

Corinne Vigreux is a Co-Founder of TomTom, the navigation and map-making company that solves mobility problems and addresses the challenges of autonomous driving and smart cities. Voted as one of the top fifty most inspirational women in European tech, Corinne champions women in the workforce and passionately advocates for improved social mobility through education. Corinne has just founded Codam, a not-for-profit coding college based on the famous Ecole 42 curriculum and ethos. Codam opened its doors in September 2018 in the heart of Amsterdam.

What will your degree be worth in 2030?

📌 SPRINT / The Next Women Summit
🕰 Thursday, 13.35 - 13.55

5. André Kuipers - Astronaut, European Space Agency

André is the first Dutchman with two space missions to his name, including the (then) record-breaking 204-day ESA mission. Back on Earth, he dedicates most of his time to raising awareness about science and technology among youth, including through SpaceBuzz which aims to expose children to the 'overview effect' previously only astronauts had experienced. You can read more about the SpaceBuzz mission on Kinder World. A sought-after speaker, André translates his personal experiences into talks ranging from space travel and technology to sustainability and energy topics.

Educating a generation of earth ambassadors: a tale of technology and humanity

📌 Main Stage
🕰 Thursday, 15.40 - 16.05

6. Laure Cucuron - Managing Director, Terracycle

Laure is the General Manager of TerraCycle Europe, creating national platforms to recycle products and packaging that currently go to landfills or get incinerated. TerraCycle's process involves manufacturers, retailers, governments, and consumers to create circular solutions for materials such as food packaging, laboratory waste, coffee capsules, and cigarette waste. TerraCycle works in collaboration with the world’s largest brands and retailers such as BIC, JDE, P&G, Tesco, and Carrefour. Recently, TerraCycle announced their new platform Loop that will enable consumers to shop for everyday essentials in a sustainable fashion.

Rethinking packaging: fighting plastic pollution

📌 Future Generations
🕰 Thursday, 16.30 - 16.50

7. Robyn Scott - Co-Founder & CEO, Apolitical

Robyn is co-founder and CEO of Apolitical, an award-winning learning platform on a mission to accelerate the transformation of governments. Previously, Robyn co-founded OneLeap, a London-based executive education company, and a Southern African non-profit teaching coding to vulnerable youth. She has written an acclaimed memoir about growing up in Botswana. She is an ambassador for the Access to Medicine Index, an advisor to the Responsible Mining Index, a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, and a Gates Scholar. 

Government innovation in a digital age

📌 TNW X
🕰 Friday, 9.55 - 10.15

Master a language, save a life with Chatterbox. Photo: Chatterbox

8. Mursal Hedayat - Founder, Chatterbox

Mursal Hedayat is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur and founder of Chatterbox, an innovative online language learning platform powered by refugee tutors that uniquely connects learners with engaging native speakers using professional and personal interest matching. A former refugee to the UK from Afghanistan herself, Mursal was inspired to create pathways into professional careers for refugees after observing first-hand the vast untapped talent in the refugee community. Since starting up in August 2016, Chatterbox has been backed by British and Silicon Valley investors and counts the Red Cross and 5 UK universities amongst its clients.

How to become a responsible NextGen tech leader

📌 Trade
🕰 Friday, 11:00 - 12:00 

9. Michael Gidney - CEO, Fairtrade Foundation

Michael has worked in international development for 20 years, with a particular focus on reducing poverty and developing small enterprise by helping producers identify and access markets. Michael joined the Fairtrade Foundation in 2009 as Deputy Executive Director, before becoming Chief Executive in 2012. Prior to this, he spent eight years as Director of Policy at Traidcraft, where he led their research and advocacy programme.

on stage with:

10. Jordy van Honk - Program Director, IDH - The Sustainable Trade Initiative

For the past 9 years, Jordy has been involved with several leading sustainability initiatives and agricultural commodity programs in the tea, flowers, cashews, cocoa, cassava and spices sectors. Jordy holds a Master degree in Economics from the University of Amsterdam and has over 12 years of experience working in the field of sustainable production and trade of commodities. Before joining IDH in 2010, Jordy worked for the Ministry of Agriculture of the government of The Netherlands.

Building sustainable supply chains using the latest tech

📌 Trade
🕰 10:15 - 10:50

We can't wait to hear what these incredible people have to say over the next couple of days. If you spot us (carrying a Kinder tote bag) at the conference, make sure to say hi, grab one of our plantable leaflets, and find out how you can help us make the world a Kinder place. 

See you at NDSM!

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