From November 7 to 18, the global effort to halt climate change will experience an important momentum during the 27th climate COP. In its aftermath, join us for a high-level inspirational and networking event. Evaluating COP27 outcome and zoom in on how to accelerate climate action in Belgium & Europe with specific attention for voluntary corporate decarbonization.

Join the Belgian Alliance for Climate Action, Chapter Zero Brussels and TheMerode  tackling the business case for the net-zero transition.

Program

6.00 PM Welcome

6.30 PM Introduction note – DENIS  KNOOPS (President TheMerode)

6.40 PM Keynote reflecting on the COP27 outcomes and the effects on the European Union – VERONIKA HUNT SAFRANKOVA (Head, UNEP Brussels Office)

6.50 PM Keynote on opportunities for corporate decarbonization – NATHALIE PFAFF (CEO Danone Belgium & Luxembourg)

7.00 PM Introduction to Chapter Zero initiative and panel discussion – NATACHA LIPPENS (Chair of Chapter Zero Brussels)

7.05 PM PANEL – Executive level discussion on the role of the corporate sector in reaching the climate goals & how to accelerate action ?

moderated by Sofie Defour (climate & energy expert)

With the panelists:

• Fiona Du Monceau (Board Member UCB)
• Nathalie Pfaff (CEO Danone Belgium and Luxembourg)
• Cédric Vanhoeck (Resortecs’ co-founder and CEO)
• Laurence Graff (Special Advisor for Climate Pact – DG Climate EU)

7.50 PM Closing remarks by BACA – Antoine Lebrun & Marie Delvaulx (CEO’s WWF Belgium and The Shift)

8.00 – 9.00 PM Networking drink

SPEAKERS

Veronika Hunt Šafránková

Veronika is Head of the UN Environment Programme Brussels Office since April 2019. She is responsible for promoting and facilitating partnership building between UNEP and EU institutions, as well as key EU stakeholders in Brussels. She also steers a working group of UN agencies in Brussels focused on the European Green Deal.

Veronika has over 15 years of experience in the field of international environmental affairs. She held different positions at the Czech Ministry of Environment. Veronika led the drafting and negotiation of the Czech State Environmental Policy 2012-2020 and was a member of the governmental group on preparation of the National Reform Programme. She also successfully managed several European Union funded projects in other countries – Romania, Bulgaria, the Republic of Serbia and Ukraine.

Guillaume Boutin

Guillaume joined the Executive Committee of Proximus as Chief Consumer Market Officer in 2017 and was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Proximus Group and chairs the Proximus Executive Committee since 2019.

Mr Boutin has a wide range of experience in marketing, finance and strategy in both the media and telecom sectors in France besides a degree in telecommunications engineering (Telecom Sud Paris “Programme Grande Ecole”, 1997); starting from web entrepreneur to SFR, Canal + and Proximus.

In addition, Guillaume is Chairman of the Boards of Directors of BICS and Telesign, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of Proximus Art.

Fiona du Monceau

Fiona is COO of ExeVir Bio in June 2020 and Board member of UCB. She has over 20 years experience in Healthcare and Pharmaceutical sector. She held various local and international position at GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals and Eli Lilly and supported various healthcare clients of McKinsey & Company in the US and Europe.

She has been a board director of Medifin, a medical Imaging start-up, since 2015 and of Financière de Tubize since 2014. She served as a governor of the London Business School from 2016 to 2022.

Cédric Vanhoeck

Cédric is Resortecs’ co-founder and CEO. Cédric holds an Industrial Design Engineering bachelor’s degree from TU Delft (NL) and a Brand Management master’s degree from Domus Academy (IT). After joining the Antwerp Fashion Academy, he saw first-hand the huge disconnect between fashion and the circular economy. For more than 5 years, Cédric has been dedicating his time and expertise to addressing the environmental challenges of the textile industry.