JudgingThe Teams

Dr. Vanessa Pirotta is a wildlife scientist, woman in STEMM/STEAM, science communicator and author. Vanessa’s research uses innovative technologies for wildlife conservation. She works collaboratively across both marine and terrestrial environments merging cutting edge tech to access animals in unique ways. Most notable works include drones to collect whale snot and the use of computer algorithms and AI for the detection of illegal wildlife trafficking.

Vanessa is a passionate and experienced science communicator who plays an important role in society by making science accessible. She’s represented Australia internationally as the international runner up of the world-renowned science communication competition FameLab, spoken on the TEDx platform, been recognized by the Australian Financial Review as one of the top 100 Women of Influence and listed as one of Science & Technology Australia’s Superstars of STEM.

Vanessa is a keen freediver and enjoys being on the water whether it be for whale research, water-skiing or wakeboarding.

Sian Sutherland is Co-founder of A Plastic Planet, one of the most recognised and respected organisations tackling the plastic crisis and PlasticFree, the first materials and systems solutions platform, empowering the 160m global creatives to design waste out at source. Igniting social change, creating brands and businesses with soul is Sian’s passion.

Multi-award winner, including Female Marketer of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year and British Inventor of the Year; Sian is a serial entrepreneur with varied background across industries. In 2023 at the UN Plastics Treaty negotiations (INC2), in partnership with Plastic Soup Foundation, A Plastic Planet launched the Plastic Health Council, bringing the expert scientists to the negotiating process with the irrefutable proof of plastic chemicals' impact on human health.

Passionately pro-business and solutions focused, Sian believes the plastic crisis gives mankind a rare gateway to change both materials and systems to create a different future for next generations.

Sharona Shnayder is a young Nigerian-Israeli activist and passionate grassroots leader with a focus on intersectional climate justice. Shnayder seeks to raise awareness of the global garbage crisis and inspire individuals around the world to take collective action towards a cleaner and healthier future.

Shnayder’s creation of the movement Tuesdays for Trash has made a powerful impact by inspiring and mobilizing individuals worldwide to fight for a more livable home on Earth, resulting in the removal of over 37,000 pounds of litter from our environment in 40+ countries since it’s inception during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

She also serves as Chairwoman of the social justice nonprofit Ourstreetspdx, was named Leader of the Year by the Tod’Aers Global Network in 2022, and received the Audi Environmental scholarship in 2022, resulting in becoming a One Young World Ambassador.

Kelvin Beachum is a Texas native who is entering his 12th NFL season, currently with the Arizona Cardinals. He is an SMU graduate ('10, '12) and Executive Board member, a member of the Players Inc. Advisory Committee, the Players Coalition, and the Donors Choose Advisory Board. He is a professional speaker, advisor and active technology investor.

Along with his NFL and business commitments, Beachum is passionate about ending hunger, providing clean water access, advocating for education equity, and encouraging minority youth to pursue STEAM disciplines while addressing the digital divide.

He is a two-time Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee (2018, 2021) for his commitment to philanthropy and community impact alongside his career excellence on the field. Beachum resides in Arizona with his wife, Jessica, and their three children.

With her 20+ years as a sustainable infrastructure researcher, practitioner and advisor, Dr. Sheila Nguyen works to guide the sport industry to recognise its potential, possibility and positivity to actively lead and contribute to our clean future.

Sheila was given the Honorary Lifetime Member award from the British Association for Sustainable Sport (BASIS) and recognised as an Australian Financial Review Top 100 Women of Influence (2019) for her leadership in galvanising the sport industry to protect and respect the natural environment.

Sheila's perpetual north star is to cheer on the best in each of us so we each acknowledge our right and responsibility to give more than we take in our precious world.

Dr. Ryan Storr is an academic consultant, with a background and expertise in diversity and inclusion, focusing on LGBTIQ+ inclusion across sport and movement settings. He co-founded the LGBTIQ+ sport charity Proud2Play, which is the peak organisation for sport and active recreation in Victoria, Australia.

He is the founder and director of The Diversity Storr, which supports organisations and businesses in engaging with issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion.

He is also a Research Associate in the Sport Innovation Research Group at Swinburne University in Melbourne, and publishes his research across a range of academic and media outlets. He is a keen tennis player, and works to ensure that everybody can enjoy the benefits of sport.

Frederik Ottesen is an experienced entrepreneur with a background in mechanical engineering and economics.

Ottesen is the founder of Little Sun, an organisation on a mission to design and deliver affordable clean energy solutions and inspire people to take climate action. A strong believer in sustainable technologies, Ottesen Leads Little Sun South Africa and Little Sun Zambia along with developing new products and directions for the company.

Ottesen's passion for the Ocean and adventure took him on a two-year circumnavigation of the globe. Upon returning, he was invited to be part of the maritime safety think tank run by the Danish Maritime Institute.

Sam is a visionary leader in the media and entertainment industry. He is now the CEO of WaterBear, an interactive streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet.

Prior to joining the founding team at WaterBear, Sam was the GM of The European Nature Trust (TENT), produced content and campaigns at Nice and Serious, and trained with the BBC’s Natural History Unit. Sam is also the Founder of social enterprise DrawFor, and a Trustee of Hartswood, the Aegean Film Festival and London Breeze Film Festival (re-launching 2024).

He is a passionate conservationist and photographer — and deeply committed to transforming systems across the media industry. In spare moments he can be found with his Nikon F3, or up a mountain somewhere.

Rachel Kyte is Dean Emerita of The Fletcher Schoolat Tufts University and a professor of practice. Kyte was the first woman to lead the United States’ oldest graduate-only school of global affairs.

Kyte served as special representative of the UN secretary-general and chief executive officer of Sustainable Development for All (SEforALL). She previously was the World Bank Group vice president and special envoy for climate change, leading action on climate finance in the run-up to the Paris Agreement. Kyte served as an advisor to the UN secretary-general on climate action and the crisis response to the invasion of Ukraine, chaired the Rwandan Green Fund (FONERWA) and advised the UK government on COP26.

Kyte is currently co-chair of the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) working to build high integrity voluntary carbon markets, member of the board Private Infrastructure Development Group with responsibility for ESG, and a member of the G20 Expert Group on MDB reform, appointed by the Government of India. Kyte is an advisor to General Atlantic’s Beyond Net Zero fund and a member of the board of the Carbon Policy Initiative. She is an advisor to Mahindra University’s Center for Sustainable Development and plays a leadership role at the World Economic Forum on trade, climate, energy and minerals. Kyte is an advisor to AIIB, JBIC and served as a member of IDB-Invest’s Blue Ribbon Commission.

Kyte regularly speaks, lectures and writes on issues of mobilization of finance for climate action, energy transitions and climate diplomacy. She has been recognized for her leadership on both sides of the Atlantic and was made a Companion of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2020 New Years Honors.

Ellen Jones, Head of Environment, Social & Governance (ESG) at Formula 1, joined in January 2022 to help steer the business’ sustainability strategy on the way to becoming Net Zero Carbon from factory to flag by 2030. As a sustainability leader, Ellen works across Formula 1’s ESG agenda to develop strategies and collaboratively deliver change programmes, already making huge progress across the business and wider sport within the first year in position and becoming a vital spokesperson for the sport in the space.

Upon joining F1, Ellen boasted a wealth of experience across a variety of subject areas including: carbon & energy, waste & recycling, packaging, sustainable sourcing and reporting. Her role now entails empowering the business to deliver on its sustainability objectives and manage the governance & reporting requirements. This also requires close communication with key counterparts at the teams, partners and promoters, as the sport as a whole continues to move forward in a positive way to become a sustainable entity. Under Ellen’s stewardship, Formula 1 has again achieved and retained the FIA 3* Environmental Accreditation, the highest level of recognition in this area.

Ellen’s drive and passion for a sustainable future has been long-standing having studied Architecture at Yale University and writing a thesis on how sustainable building practices can be communicated to the public through different media, before doing a Masters in Sustainable Environmental Design.

British racing phenomenon and trailblazer Jamie Chadwick is one of the world's leading female racing drivers. At just 25, she is a three time W Series champion, the first ever female to win a Formula 3 race, an Extreme E driver and a Williams Formula 1 development driver.

This year Jamie has shifted to the United States with a full season of Indy NXT competition piloting the No. 28 Andretti Autosport Indy NXT entry, with sponsorship from DHL.

With the potential to smash the glass ceiling in motorsport and as a vocal supporter of female drivers in the sport, Jamie stands as one of the most influential names in racing.

Dame Heather Rabbatts is the founder of Women’s Sports Group. She has wide-ranging leadership experience and expertise across sport, business, media, law and government.

Heather became The Football Association’s first female non-executive director and board member when she was appointed in 2012. Whilst at The FA, Heather served on the organisation’s Remuneration Committee and chaired The FA Inclusion Advisory Board.

She was also previously a member of FIFA’s Anti-Discrimination Taskforce.

Kelly Simmons OBE is a trailblazer in the world of sports administration, recognized for her outstanding contributions to football and her dedication to promoting inclusivity and sustainability. Kelly is a Director of Women in Football, advisor to Premiership women’s rugby, FIFA Competitions Expert and a UEFA Match Delegate.

With a career spanning over 30 years, Kelly has held key roles within the Football Association, where she played a pivotal part in shaping the strategic direction of women's football and youth and grassroots football development. As the Director of the Women's Professional Game at the FA, Kelly spearheaded initiatives that propelled women's football to new heights, fostering growth, equity, and global recognition.

Sanjay Bhandari is Chair of Kick It Out, English football’s leading inclusion charity. He is a frequent public commentator and recognised thought leader on inclusion. Bhandari is a Board member at the Lawn Tennis Association and is a member of the Inclusion Advisory Board at the Football Association.

Bhandari was previously a Partner at business consultancy EY and enjoyed a 30 year career in law, technology and innovation. Sanjay led many of EY’s race equality initiatives including its participation in the Parker Review on ethnic diversity of UK Boards.

Bhandari is a Board Adviser to the law firm Travers Smith and is Chair of the Satellite Applications Catapult which is a hub for innovation in the UK space technology industry.

Joshua Brunert, Global Head of ESG Product at Apex Group, was a driving force behind the 2019 launch of the group’s ESG product suite. Apex Group’s ESG technology and advisory team has onboarded and served over 400 GPs and LPs across the private markets, as well as more than 1,500 portfolio companies, helping them to measure and improve their ESG performance.

At Apex Group, Joshua has built a comprehensive range of products – including ESG software, performance benchmarking and expert advisory – that address issues from regulatory reporting to impact investing.

Internally, Joshua has also supported the business’ own ESG efforts - with highlights including Apex Group becoming the first in the financial industry to offset its lifetime carbon emissions. Before joining Apex, he advised governments and international financial institutions on policies and initiatives designed to tackle climate change and sustainable development.