CEIPA Roundtable – The EU Green Deal – Speakers

Organised by the Centre for European and International Policy Action (CEIPA), this inter-disciplinary event will discuss policy reforms tabled by the European Green Deal initiative. Subsequently, this event will aim at identifying and discussing the main issues and challenges in making the European Green Deal initiative a reality and success.

The CEIPA video conference will bring together policy makers, researchers, government and EU representatives, civil society, press and media, international organisations and public administrators.

This event has now concluded. Watch the video of the event here, or read CEIPA’s report and conclusions.

 

Speakers and Panelists

Petra De Sutter, MEP, Chairwoman, Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection, European Parliament
Petra De Sutter is a politician of the Green party and a Member of the European Parliament since 2019 and Chair of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection.  In addition to her committee assignments, De Sutter is part of the Parliament’s delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). She is also a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights and co-chairs the MEPs Against Cancer group.

 

Christian Egenhofer, Director Energy and Environment, CEPS
Christian Egenhofer is Associate Senior Research Fellow & Director of Energy Climate House at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in Brussels. The Centre’s mission is to provide timely and sharp policy analysis to the public as well as public and private clients on energy, resources and climate. Currently, he Visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Natolin/Warsaw and SciencePo in Paris. Previous university assignments included the Université Libre de Bruxelles (U.LB.), the Guido Carli LUISS University (Rome), MGIMO in Moscow and the University of Dundee in Scotland/UK. He is also Board Member of the Energy Policy Group in Bucharest. He has published 8 books on climate change, energy and issues on European integration in addition to more than 150 reports, articles and book chapters and appears regularly in hearings, consultations and in the media.

 

Miguel Fonseca, Senior Vice President Toyota Motors Europe
During his time with Toyota do Brasil Miguel held various roles, the most recent as Regional Officer Toyota Latin America and Caribbean (TLAC) Mercosur Sales and Service, Business Transformation and Mobility, where he was responsible for all Toyota operations and Product Planning for Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela, Lexus for TLAC and Mobility, Best In Town, Business Transformation for TLAC.

Miguel Fonseca already has a long history in the automobile arena. Before joining Toyota Spain as Vice President in 2002, he worked for other brands such as Citroën and Fiat in Portugal and Ford of Europe. After taking care of Toyota (GB) as Managing Director from 2006 to 2010, he took over responsibility as Vice President in charge of Sales in TME.

In 2012 Miguel moved to Toyota Financial Services (TFS) as Executive Vice President Europe/Africa Region and later, President. During the three years Miguel was with TFS, he helped to accomplish continued success and ensure sustainability in a rapidly changing regulatory environment.

As of 1st of January 2020, Miguel was appointed Senior Vice President People, Technology and Corporate affairs, where he oversees Human Resources, Information Technology and Communication, External and Environmental Affairs.

 

Steve Hope, General Manager, Environmental Affairs and Corporate Citizenship, Toyota Motors Europe
Steve is a Chartered Electrical Engineer who first joined Toyota in the UK during the construction phase of their first purpose-built manufacturing facilities in Europe in 1991 as the Manager of Facilities and Environment.

After establishing this Department with his team, Steve went on to manage other areas of the business including the construction of a second assembly shop, a casting facility and supporting the construction of a new facility in France. In 2006, Steve was assigned to Toyota Motor Europe to Plant Engineering supporting an ultimate total of 9 manufacturing facilities.

After a Toyota career continually considering Environmental performance and improvement, in 2013 Steve was assigned to his current role taking responsibility for the complete Environmental scope of the vehicle’s lifecycle for the European Region.

Steve is married and is now located at the European Regional HQ in Brussels.

Peter Mayer, Direktor Federal Research and Training Centre for Forests, Natural Hazards and Landscape, Austria
Peter Mayer is the Managing Director of the Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW), responsible for the development and implementation of the overall strategy and financial operations of BFW. From 2003 to 2010 he was Executive Director of IUFRO, the International Union of Forest Research Organizations. From 1998 to 2003 Peter Mayer was the head of the Liaison Unit of Forest Europe responsible for developing pan-European forest policy. He holds a Masters degree in forestry and political science and a PhD in forest policy.

 

Alejandro Pavón, Former Senior Financial Manager, Toyota Motors Europe
Alejandro Pavon is the former Senior Manager in the European Headquarters IS Department at Toyota Motors Europe, where he worked for 18 years. He has worked in Europe, the USA and Latin America in multi-cultural teams, and has acquired experience negotiating difficult and complex relationships in different countries.

 

Bruce Ross, Director, Ross and Gordon Consultants, Brussels

Bruce Ross manages the independent, Brussels-based, consultancy Ross Gordon Consultants.  It specialises in the agriculture, food and forest – and related – industries.  It advises on the future development of relevant EU policies/legislation, including trade-related questions, analyses their impact on clients’ businesses, and assists clients in creating strategies to deal with change.

Bruce graduated in Modern History from Oxford University.  Having worked on farms, he spent 11 years with the UK National Farmers’ Unions, six years in the Unions’ Brussels office, three as Director.  He then worked for five years for a Belgian consultancy as its agri-food expert before going fully independent.

Bruce has wide experience of the EU’s workings and development, and detailed knowledge of the Common Agricultural Policy (notably in the dairy, cereals, sugar and livestock sectors), renewable energy, trade policy and food-related issues.

Bruce is experienced in communications, writing publicity materials for the European Commission and other public and private organisations, drafting reports for the European Parliament and others, and chairing/speaking at conferences. Bruce writes for farming journals, and lectures part-time (e.g. at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the Olin Business School at Washington University).  He is a past Director of the Oxford Farming Conference.

 

Alma Zadic, Federal Minister of Justice, Austria

Dr. Alma Zadić, is an Austrian lawyer and politician. She is a member of the Green Party in Austria.

A graduate of the University of Vienna, Dr Zadic also spent several years at Columbia University School of Law, New York, USA. Prior to entering the national political scene in Austria she practiced as a lawyer in the law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

In 2017 Dr Zadic began her political career as a member of the Austrian national parliament. On 29 January 2020 she became Federal Minister of Justice in Austria.