Sam Laakkonen

Senior Director of Sustainability Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership

Sam began his career as a management consultant in London before joining FirstMark Communications Europe, which secured one of Europe’s largest Series A funding rounds at over $1 billion. He was an early employee at Spotify, has privately invested in 25+ startups, and achieved three exits from his own companies. Sam has supported over 250 startups in scaling their growth and serves as an expert advisor for the European Commission, managing EIC equity and grant funding. He is also deeply involved in the Techstars ecosystem, mentoring across multiple global programs and serving as Entrepreneur-In-Residence at Techstars Amsterdam.

Mei-Yu Chang

Director, International Affairs Office, National Institutes of Applied Research, Taiwan

Meiyu Chang is Director of the International Affairs Office at Taiwan’s National Institutes of Applied Research (NIAR), leading strategic collaborations across Europe. With over 15 years in oceanography, environmental science, and science diplomacy, she bridges scientific expertise and policy. Meiyu has managed interdisciplinary programs at Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology and represented Taiwan at the UNFCCC since 2013. Holding a Ph.D. from National Taiwan University, she has postdoctoral experience in Germany and Norway. At NIAR, she coordinates international research initiatives in Earth sciences, ICT, biomedical innovation, and oversees an international internship program fostering global talent exchange.

Viola Jardon

Director of Innovation Programmes

Viola Jardon is the Director of Innovation Programmes at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), where she leads strategic partnerships with corporates to drive sustainability transformation through startup-led solutions. She designs and delivers tailored innovation programmes that bridge corporates, investors, and early-stage ventures, supporting over 400 startups to date. Previously, Viola was a founding member of the London Fashion Fund and has over 15 years of experience in the tech sector across the UK and Asia. A 2023 finalist for the UK Asian Women of Achievement Award, she is also a regular speaker and judge at global sustainability and innovation forums, championing the intersection of corporate partnerships and sustainable innovation.

Prof. Jonathan Cullen

Sustainable Engineering, University of Cambridge

Professor Jonathan Cullen is University Lecturer in Energy, Transport, and Urban Infrastructure at Cambridge and leads the Resource Efficiency Collective. He is known for developing metrics assessing energy and material impacts of production. Jonathan leads major projects including C-THRU on petrochemical supply chains and co-investigates initiatives on sustainable plastics and industrial strategy. He is a Lead Author for the IPCC AR6 Industry Chapter and adviser to the IEA Technology Roadmaps. Co-author of Sustainable Materials: with both eyes open, he pioneers material efficiency concepts for energy-intensive industries, advancing sustainable engineering and resource management.

Dr Konrad Young

CEO of Industry-Academia Innovation College, NTUST; Director & Fellow, Arculus Lab; former R&D Director at TSMC

Dr Konrad Young holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley. He has extensive semiconductor R&D experience, including at MIT Lincoln Lab, HP, and TSMC, where he led development of advanced process technologies from 0.18-micron to 65-nanometer nodes. Known as one of TSMC’s “Six Knights” for his role in integrating logic processes, he later managed TSMC’s R&D in the U.S. After retiring, he served as an independent director at SMIC and advisor to Intel. Currently, he is CEO at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology’s Industry-Academia Innovation College, focusing on talent development.

Radek Holý, Ph.D.

Director, The Advanced Chip Design Research Centre, Czechia

President and Board Member of ECCA - European Campus Card Association; Vice-Rector for Quality Management - Czech University of Technology in Prague

Radek Holý is Director of the Advanced Chip Design Research Centre (ACDRC) in Czechia and President of the European Campus Card Association (ECCA). He leads initiatives bridging Czech and Taiwanese expertise in chip design, supporting the EU Chips Act and Czech semiconductor strategy. His background includes Vice-Rector for Quality Management at Czech Technical University Prague, focusing on engineering education and cybersecurity. Radek advocates for secure digital identity systems and fosters cross-border innovation. Recognized for strategic vision, he promotes Europe’s technological sovereignty through research, industry collaboration, and campus digital identity advancements.

Chen-Ta Sung

Investigator and Research Officer, London School of Economics (LSE), UK

Chen-Ta is a research officer in behavioural science and politics at the London School of Economics and a consultant at Cambridge Social Impact Consulting. With over 12 years of experience across academia, consulting, and industry, he focuses on bridging research and practice in sustainable innovation. His current work explores political persuasion and the social impacts of digital technology. He also supervises student research aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals at LSE Congress. Previously, he led research at a global financial firm, collaborating with economists from the World Bank, IMF, and OECD. He was awarded LSE’s Best Teaching Award in both 2024 and 2025.

Ivan Lopez

Director Innovation, Contango, UAE

Ivan Lopez is the Director of Innovation and Practice Lead at Contango, a leading strategic advisory firm based in the UAE owned by the sovereign wealth fund, ADQ. With over 30 years of experience in venture capital, technology and innovation strategy, Ivan leads initiatives that drive sustainable growth and operational excellence across diverse sectors. At Contango, he spearheads the integration of innovation strategy and mechanisms to drive emerging technologies and data-driven solutions to help the ADQ portfolio and other clients navigate disruption that unlocks new value. Ivan is passionate about fostering a culture of innovation and aligning digital capabilities with business goals. His work supports the UAE’s broader vision for economic diversification, sustainability, and global competitiveness.

Dr. Simon Hsu

Chief Operating Officer, National Institutes of Applied Research

Dr. Simon Hsu is the Chief Operating Officer of National Institutes of Applied Research and a General Partner at iDSoftCapital Group, a venture firm spun off from Acer Corporate Venture and part of Stan Shih’s Family Office (Founder of the Pan Acer Group). He previously served as General Manager of Acer Communications Inc., Strategic Project Director, and Chief Investment Officer for Acer’s New and Cloud Business. Before joining Acer, Dr. Hsu led the Corporate Development and M&A Team at Foxconn Technology Group, where he was involved in strategic initiatives across semiconductors, automotive, and telecommunications sectors. He holds academic credentials in engineering and finance from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, the University of Cambridge, and New York University

Wendy Niu

Sustainability Innovation Lab Manager, British Standards Institution, UK

Wendy leads BSI's Sustainability Innovation Lab in Cambridge. She started her career at Innovia Technology, a global innovation consultancy, where she specialised in managing complex, multidisciplinary projects across a number of sectors, covering areas such as innovation strategy, product development and prototyping, and consumer-facing communications.

She has also worked at the Royal Society of Chemistry, where she developed and managed activities to advance the chemical sciences, including "Digital Futures", a cross-organisational programme on the role of data and digital technologies in the future of science R&D. Wendy has a background in physics, with a PhD in Nanoscience from the University of Cambridge.

Dr Agnieszka Iwasiewicz-Wabnig

Director of Maxwell Centre, Cambridge Zero Industrial Strategy Lead, University of Cambridge

Dr. Aga Iwasiewicz-Wabnig is a physicist and innovation strategist, serving as Director of the Maxwell Centre at the University of Cambridge. She leads initiatives fostering early-stage collaboration between academia and industry, with strategic focuses on zero waste and health technology. Aga also acts as Industrial Strategy Lead for Cambridge Zero and co-founded the Connect: Health Tech University Enterprise Zone. With a PhD in Experimental Physics and postdoctoral experience at Oxford, she has been key to building interdisciplinary research communities and strengthening knowledge transfer. Aga is also a Governing Body Fellow at Hughes Hall, actively engaging in college and community initiatives.

Peter Bachmann

Managing Director, Sustainable Infrastructure, Gresham House 

Peter is a proud CISL Senior Associate and the Managing Director of the Sustainable Infrastructure division at Gresham House which has $12bn in AUM.  He is also Co-Fund Manager for the British Sustainable Infrastructure Fund (BSIF) strategies and is a member of the Gresham House Asset Management Board and member of the Sustainability Executive Committee. He currently manages the BSIF funds which have over $1.3bn of AUM, where all of his real asset backed investments have a clear environmental and/or social impact. Peter has over 23 years of experience as an investor, developer and fund manager including two top-decile fund exits (>3x and >4x net returns) and completed over 200 individual infrastructure and company investments with a capital value exceeding £5.5bn. Peter has over 25 personal investments in early stage sustainability focussed companies and he has been working with CISL since 2020.

Dr. Wen-Yi Chang

Research Fellow, National Center for High-performance Computing, National Institutes of Applied Research (NIAR), Taiwan

Dr. Wen-Yi Chang specializes in advanced microelectronics, sensor systems, and biomedical applications. His interdisciplinary research integrates flexible electronics and wearable sensors for health monitoring and environmental sensing. Dr. Chang has published extensively on flexible pressure sensors, capacitive sensing, and wireless biomedical devices. His innovations include low-power sensor design, stretchable electronics, and real-time physiological monitoring systems, with applications in personalized healthcare, rehabilitation, and remote diagnostics, bridging electrical engineering, materials science, and biomedical fields.

Dr. Juin-Fu Chai

Deputy Director General, National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering, National Institutes of Applied Research (NIAR), Taiwan

Dr. Juin-Fu Chai is Deputy Director-General of Taiwan’s National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering and faculty at National Taiwan University’s Mechanical Engineering Department. His expertise is in structural dynamics, disaster prevention, and smart infrastructure. He advances Taiwan’s seismic resilience by integrating AI-driven early warning and structural safety monitoring systems. Dr. Chai promotes international collaboration, presenting Taiwan’s leadership in disaster prevention technologies at forums like London’s CogX Festival, emphasizing the integration of seismic resilience in critical industries such as semiconductor manufacturing. He is also a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at National Taiwan University (NTU) and the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST).

Tom Somers

Director UK&I, SkenarioLabs

Tom is UK & Ireland Director at SkenarioLabs, a proptech firm leveraging data analytics to support sustainable, financially responsible decisions in real estate. With experience in UK government roles including the Department of Health and Department for Transport, Tom brings policy insight and innovation leadership. At SkenarioLabs, he applies AI and big data to optimize property portfolios for risk, sustainability, and investment potential. Passionate about technology’s role in decarbonisation and housing quality improvement, Tom drives efforts to enhance the built environment across the UK through data-driven solutions.

Dr Jiunn-Yih Chyan

COO, DeuvTek Co., Ltd.

Dr. Jiunn Yih Chyan is COO of DEUVtek Co., Ltd., with over 15 years’ experience in semiconductors and decarbonization. He specializes in silicon, silicon carbide, gallium nitride micro/nano-fabrication, single crystal growth, wafering, and optical MEMS/NEMS. Dr. Chyan holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Nano Engineering and Micro Systems from National Tsing Hua University and a B.S. in Physics from National Chung Cheng University. At DEUVtek, he leads operations and technology development, driving sustainable innovation and advanced semiconductor solutions through process development, technology implementation, and cross-functional leadership.

Richard Tamblyn

VP Technology, Origen Carbon

VP Technology at Origen Carbon, Richard has a long background in industrial minerals, having spent most of his career with Imerys in the development of new products and processes for Imerys. Richard is a Chemical Engineer, with undergraduate degree from Cambridge and a doctorate from the University of Birmingham.

Allen Cheng

CEO, Light Momentum Technology Corp.

Allen Cheng is CEO of Light Momentum Technology Corp., a fast-growing startup driving innovation in edge AI chip design, with a focus on Arm and RISC-V architectures. With over two decades of experience at the intersection of technology and finance, he is a strategic advisor to the Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs and a key figure in advancing Taiwan’s global semiconductor presence. He also serves as Secretary-General of the Taiwan Eastbound Alliance – Landing America. Allen is currently a Ph.D. candidate at National Taipei University, researching innovation strategy and international industrial development.

Guan-Rong Chen

Research and Development Lead, Light Momentum Technology Corp. (LMTech)

GR Chen is an engineering leader with over 20 years’ semiconductor industry experience at Arm, Ambarella, SiEngine, and LMT. He specializes in CPU architecture, IP development, and SoC design for imaging, vision, and automotive applications. As R&D lead at LMT Taipei, Gr focuses on reliability computing, automotive-grade design (including EEA, AUTOSAR, EVITA), and system optimization. He contributed to Arm CPU IP cores such as M33, M55, and M52 and architected 7nm automotive SoCs and MCUs. His expertise includes functional safety, security, and design-for-test methodologies, advancing automotive semiconductor technologies.

Dr Spencer Brennan

Founder and CEO, Neutreeno

Dr. Spencer Brennan is Founder and CEO of Neutreeno, a climate tech company focused on emissions data analytics and supply chain decarbonisation. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from Cambridge and an Engineering degree from McGill. Spencer leads development of data-driven tools enabling companies to reduce environmental impact through precise emissions insights. Before Neutreeno, he was an Entrepreneur at Entrepreneur First. The company’s platform leverages advanced algorithms and process engineering to support low-carbon procurement and circularity, backed by decades of Cambridge research and recognized for its innovation in real-time emissions tracking.

Prerna Jain

Founder and CEO, Lotus Matter

Prerna is the Founder and CEO of Lotus Matter, a carbon capture startup developing next-gen sorbent materials to decarbonise cement and other high-emission industries. Prior to this, she played a key role in building Climate Tech for India, an industry body to strengthen the country’s climate innovation ecosystem. With over a decade of experience in strategy consulting across India, the US, and the UK - including a significant tenure at Deloitte - Prerna has advised global corporates and startups on low-energy transitions, product innovation, and sustainable business models.