Mike is an influential business and economic transformation leader, board member, speaker, teacher, and writer – with thirty-five years of experience in business, supply chain, consultancy, education & training, and engineering.
Mike is passionate about sharing knowledge and skills in support of the transition towards a sustainable economy. He has worked with a wide range of organisations, large and small, in all sectors in UK, Europe, North America and Japan, including: Aviva plc, BAA, Barclays Bank plc, Birmingham Business School, British Airways, Copenhagen Business School, DIS-Copenhagen, eBay, Environment Agency, EY, Home Office, IKEA, Life Technologies, LoyaltyOne, Mace Group, Lund University, Norsk Ombruk, Northeastern University, Severn Trent Water, Thames Water plc, Triodos Bank, and many others, including Paul Polman at Unilever.
In addition to running Earthshine Group, Mike serves on an advisory board with University of Oslo, teaches courses on Sustainable Development, Sustainable Business Strategy, and The Business of Change. He also delivers inspirational keynote speeches.
Mike is author of The Quiet Revolution (Routledge, forthcoming), Editor of Reframing the Game (2015), Lead author of A Journey in Search of Capitalism 2.0 (2013). He is a regular contributor for Huffington Post, 2-Degrees, Edie.net, The Guardian, Medium, Sustainable Brands, and others. He has also published extensively in the field of strategic procurement and supply chain management.
Mike holds an MBA from the University of Birmingham Business School (UK), a bachelor degree in Civil Engineering Management from the University of Wolverhampton (UK). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (UK), and Member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (UK).
Martina is an educationalist and qualified teacher, with teaching and child development experience in Denmark, UK and Slovakia. She also has a strong ability in European languages, speaking Slovak (native), English (fluent), Danish (fluent), Russian (intermediate), and Italian (intermediate). In her continued desire for life-long-learning, she has also taken courses in Environmental Studies through the Open University in UK – and is currently studying Reflexology, Anatomy and Physiology in Denmark.
For the last ten years, Martina has worked in support of the development of Earthshine in roles in marketing, research and administration support. Key assignments include background research for company studies, arranging meetings and logistics for the CEO, marketing research and communications, international document translations, and support in developing training materials. Martina is a real team player – and great at planning, organising and getting things done.
Chris is a social impact and circular economy leader, who has worked with businesses and NGOs for almost two decades.
Most recently, he has been supporting the growth and development of a climate tech startup in the UK, alongside the development of social enterprise procurement strategies in the US.
Chris previously led eBay’s circular innovation and impact team, focusing on the role of e-commerce in empowering economic opportunity across under-served communities, as well as how recommerce can support the transition towards a circular economy.
Prior to joining eBay in 2020, Chris spent several years on issues surrounding education and skills development in Ghana, India and South Africa. He then transitioned into working more closely on how business can drive social impact, spending time at Marks & Spencer and Ben & Jerry’s where he led their social mission strategy in Europe for 5 years, focusing on refugee and asylum rights.
Chris is an alumni of The University of Cambridge Institute of Sustainable Leadership, has a BA in Geography from The University of Manchester, and a Masters in International Business and Development from The University of London.
Chris lives in Yorkshire in the north of the UK with his wife and two children, and in his spare time enjoys running, hiking and coaching his daughter’s football team.
George is an experienced business transformation consultant with experience in energy, transport, automotive and retail sectors. With an outcome focused approach, he leverages a variety of disciplines to create value, including process design, effective communications and capability development – paving the way for successful transition towards a new vision.
Most recently, George has developed a sustainability impacts and benefits model, providing insight into embedded carbon and material flows within the UK automotive value chain. This work reveals directional shifts among the sector’s key actors, along with further opportunities to increase circularity, deliver radical shifts in sustainability performance, while generating new business opportunities.
George graduated from Loughborough University (UK) with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a postgraduate master’s in Finance and Management. An alumnus of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) – he now returns as an Assessor for their Business Sustainability Management course. He is also studying Systems Thinking with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In his spare time, George is a devoted surfer, keen cook, avid reader, and enthusiastic snowboarder – having achieved multiple instructing qualifications in the latter, whilst living for a brief spell on New Zealand’s mountainous South Island.
Driven by a passion for connecting the past with a sustainable future, Emily brings a unique blend of perspectives to Earthshine Group. Her interdisciplinary background in Sustainability, Human Ecology and Archaeology, equips her with a holistic understanding of complex environmental and societal challenges, which allows her to identify interconnected systems, analyse root causes, and develop comprehensive solutions that address the multifaceted nature of sustainability challenges and opportunities.
Emily has valuable experience in the practical application of ESG principles, across a number of sectors, in supporting leading corporations in navigating the rapidly shifting ESG landscape in compliance with EU CSRD and TFD standards.
Emily has recently completed a major research project, exploring the Circular Building Transition in Denmark, incorporating stakeholder perspectives across the entire value chain. The study identified the need for a paradigm shift in the industry, adopting a new mindset to redefine value and reimagine the value chain, in order to accelerate the circular transition. This ground breaking work is now influencing industry change.
Emily has also conducted further research on the EU Naturescapes Project into the multifaceted benefits of nature-based solutions; analysing their impact on climate, biodiversity, and social well-being, while investigating the factors that can support their successful implementation and transformative potential in urban areas.
Emily has also worked as Communications Officer, during the World Circular Economy Conference 2023 in Helsinki – this involved developing a comprehensive strategy to effectively communicate circular economy principles to a global audience. By focusing on outreach, awareness and real-world applications, this enabled the conference to cut through the confusion surrounding the concept, and foster a greater understanding of the major potential for circular transformations.
Emily holds a Master’s degree in Human Ecology from Lund University (Sweden), and a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Archaeology from Western Washington University (USA). In her personal life, Emily is a passionate advocate for climate justice and mental health awareness, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community. When she is not immersed in sustainability projects, you’ll likely find her in a good book, on a long walk, or thinking of recipes for her next meal.
Shyaam is a circular economy innovation expert with experience in Europe and the United States. He is currently a finishing his PhD in Economic Sociology at the University of Milan researching the accelerated adoption of circular innovation by companies using sociology and social network theories.
Shyaam has over 10 years of experience in sustainability and circular economy and has previously worked as the Knowledge and Innovation Manager at Circle Economy in Amsterdam, has interned with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and was a sustainability consultant with Accenture’s Chicago office in the United States. He is also the Founder of aRoundTable, a global circular economy initiative to help local communities develop circular projects and a member of Tondo, an association for advancing the Circular Economy in Italy.
Shyaam holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Northwestern University and an MSc in Industrial Ecology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
Mathias is a driven and experienced strategic foresight professional who empowers organizations and individuals to navigate uncertain futures and achieve long-term success. He is deeply passionate about the interaction between people, change, and futures, and how we leverage our collective intelligence to build better systems.
With five years of experience in Advisory at the renowned think tank Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, Mathias has successfully guided multinational corporations, governmental organizations, and start-ups to become ‘futures-ready’.
Mathias has developed a high level of expertise in anticipating trends and uncertainty, identifying emerging opportunities, crafting futures scenario and guiding businesses towards transformative strategies across fields such as urban futures, sustainability, retail, and energy. Mathias is also an experienced teacher within the field of applied strategic foresight and futures-driven innovation, helping people learn to anticipate disruptive shifts and devise proactive strategies.
Recognized for his ability to bridge visionary thinking and ideation with practical implementation, he enables organizations to thrive amidst uncertainty. With a proven track record in public speaking, training, and project management, Mathias consistently delivers quality results and empowers others to do the same.
In addition to being a member of the Association of Professional Futurists, Mathias holds a BSc in Business, Language, and Culture, as well as an MSocSc in Organizational Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Copenhagen Business School.
Anna is a committed sustainability and climate professional, with experience spanning across management consulting, marketing and communications, in both the private and NGO sectors.
During her time at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Anna gained expertise in circular economy, especially in the fields of plastics, policy, cities, fashion, and food. She launched major studies and reports including, ‘Flexible packaging: The urgent actions needed to deliver circular economy solutions’; ‘Unlocking a reuse revolution: scaling returnable packaging’; and the ‘2022 Circular Cities Declaration Report’.
Anna was a key member of the team that founded ‘Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty’- a coalition convened by EMF and WWF that brings together businesses and financial institutions committed to supporting the development of an ambitious, effective and legally binding UN treaty to end plastic pollution.
Passionate about circular innovation, Anna has also lived the circular enterprise experience, having co-founded start-up ‘ReFunk Upcycling’ – a circular furniture upcycling platform that finished second place in Trinity College’s renowned Launchbox accelerator and was listed in The Sunday Independent’s 30 under 30 list in 2021. As Head of Finance and Sustainability at ReFunk, Anna gained expertise across various business areas including go-to-market strategy, branding and partnerships, and business model.
Prior to this, Anna worked as a management consultant in Deloitte for two years, honing her project management, problem-solving, and research skills.
Anna also contributes a monthly article to the Sunday Times Ireland’s ‘CLIMATE’ supplement, researching and writing about topics like ‘the investment landscape for climate tech innovators in Ireland’ and ‘innovation in the plastics space’.
Anna holds a BComm International (German) from University College Dublin, and an MSc in Marketing from Trinity College Dublin, where she achieved a First Class Honours with Distinction for her dissertation on ‘The Impact of COVID-19 on consumer engagement with the circular economy.’
Inger is trained as a biologist, and works in teaching, training, consultancy, and as a nature guide and ecologist. Inger has a passion for sharing her knowledge and opening our minds to the natural world – enabling us to find new possibilities in our businesses, our economies and society.
Inger has been teaching a number of key semester-based courses in Copenhagen, including: Sustainable Development – exploring the divergent goals and complex processes associated with sustainable development from a European perspective, and Urban Ecology – developing understanding on the interaction and complex interconnectedness between humans and the urban environment. Inger also teaches courses in Biological Conservation and Biodiversity – and loves to give lectures about the vital contribution of forests.
Inger also has many years of experience involved in forest conservation – including forest restoration projects in Thailand and forest protection in Indonesia. She has also produced a major photography exhibition about the forest situation in Borneo, Indonesia – shown in six locations across Denmark. Inger organised a Forest Festival in the centre of Copenhagen attracting 25,000 visitors. More recently, Inger has been providing analysis on bat conservation for Copenhagen Municipality. She also enjoys giving public tours exploring bat and natural habitats.
Inger has also worked as project manager at the University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland, working on government and EU funded projects, including a design for environmental education, and a Swiss government project involving sustainable income generating activities for organic farmers in the Swiss Alps.
Inger holds a MSc in biology from the University of Copenhagen. In her spare time, Inger is a keen gardener and beekeeper.
Doris is a project analyst with experience in hydrology, water engineering, sustainability and management – with a broad knowledge in environmental sciences. She is passionate about sustainable development, the environment, and development cooperation.
Doris originally studied Environmental Engineering and Water Management in Vienna with the aims of improving people’s lives and livelihoods, and preserving natural ecosystems. With the increasing awareness of the effects of anthropogenic activities on natural ecosystem, Doris saw the need to complement this knowledge with a further degree in business – not only to observe and assess the effects of land degradation and pollution, but also to counteract unsustainable resource consumption.
Doris has a keen interest in learning from other cultures, and has travelled to many places around the world, including a three-month project in the Kenya-Uganda Border Region, working under a project for the Austrian Development Agency.
Doris is enthusiastic about linking together different fields, in order to manage resources more sustainably. She has engaged with key topics such as corporate responsibility and the circular economy within her master’s degree in Management at Cranfield University – along with her thesis on business models in the circular economy. More recently, Doris has also started to engage and participate within the European start-up scene, seeking to drive and accelerate proactive sustainability solutions in a commercial environment.