// SPEAKERS

Spyros Kouvelis

Director, EPLO Institute for Sustainable Development, Senior Associate, Uni of Cambridge CISL, UNEP Senior Advisor

Spyros served as Minister of State for Foreign Economic, Environmental, and Cultural Affairs until 2011. His duties included environmental and cultural diplomacy, economic and energy issues, development cooperation and humanitarian assistance.

First elected as Member of the Hellenic Parliament in 2007 and re-elected in 2009. During 2007-2009 he was the Shadow Minister of Environment, Energy, and Planning for the leading opposition party.

Senior Associate of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), acting as an ambassador of the programme in the South-East Europe and East Mediterranean regions, and teaching in selected programmes of the Institute.

Founder and Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development of the European Public Law Organization (EPLO), which started as a joint initiative between the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and EPLO. Since November 2019 the Institute is fully incorporated within EPLO, enjoying its status of International Organization and Permanent Observer of the UN General Assembly.

Chief Senior Advisor with VeRture, a European group of consulting companies on sustainable development policy, innovation, business development and new technologies, with a global portfolio of clients.

Spyros has developed the verImpact methodology for ESG assessment and certification of companies and investments, the first methodology globally to align ESG to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He now leads the provision of assessment and tutoring services on ESG in many parts of the world, through the collaboration of VeRture with the EPLO Institute for Sustainable Development.

Advisory Board Member of Sustainable Investments Oman, a company and fund that facilitates and introduces cutting-edge technological innovations in the MENA region on food security, energy and health.

Founder and Patent holder with BabylonGardens, an Innovation Hub for Green Urban Spaces, with offices in France, Greece and Cyprus.

Senior Advisor to the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan for the Mediterranean Strategy on Sustainable development 2016-2025, and the Sustainable Consumption and Production Plan (Circular Economy).

Programme Director and Acting CEO a.i. of WWF in Greece for a number of years, and Coordinator of the Mediterranean Unit of the Ramsar Convention (MedWet).

President of Ecofilms, the International Film Festival of Rhodes until 2007.

Born in Athens, Greece in 1964. He studied Economics at the University of Athens (BSc) and Agricultural/Environmental Economics at the University of Reading (MSc), and is fluent in Greek, English, French, and speaks some Italian and Spanish. Married, two daughters.