Thomas Ward Crowther is a professor of ecology at ETH Zurich and co-chair of the advisory board for the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. At ETH Zurich, he started Crowther Lab, an interdisciplinary group of scientists exploring the role of biodiversity in regulating the Earth’s climate. Crowther is the founder of Restor, an online platform that provides connectivity, and transparency to thousands of conservation and restoration projects around the world. He also founded SEED, a biodiversity monitoring tool to help measure the health of nature across the globe. He was selected in the final cohort for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, and  was selected by World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader for his work to promote nature.

Adrian Siegrist is the Chief Commercial Officer at Climeworks, the global leader in carbon removal, empowering companies to advance their net-zero roadmaps and fight global warming.  Climeworks develops, builds and operates direct air capture plants to remove CO₂ from the air since 2009, with commercial operations since 2021 – scaling towards gigaton scale in 2050. Previously Adrian served as Vice President of Climeworks Solutions and Head of Strategy. Before Climeworks, Adrian was with Boston Consulting Group in the US and Europe, advising Fortune 500 companies on energy transition, sustainability and finance topics across various industries.

Ambassador Niculin Jäger is the Consul General of Switzerland in New York since September 2022. He entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2002, where he worked first at the Integration Office, which is in charge of the relations with the European Union, followed by a posting as attaché in Mexico City. In 2004 he got promoted to the position of Deputy Head of Mission to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, with residence in Tbilisi. In 2008, back in Switzerland he led the Section for Cultural Foreign Policy in Bern, followed by an assignment as Deputy Head of Mission in Maputo, Mozambique. In 2014 he was nominated Deputy Head of Mission to Brazil with the title of Minister. From 2018-2022 he was the Swiss Ambassador to Zimbabwe and Malawi, 2020 he became also the Swiss Ambassador to Zambia. Ambassador Jäger holds a Master degree in journalism and science of communication, Russian language and cultural philosophy of Eastern Europe of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.

Pati Hertling is the Senior Director of Performance Space New York. With a background in law and deep engagement in the art world, Pati has been instrumental in shaping the institution’s approach to interdisciplinary and socially engaged work. At Performance Space, she helps steer the organization’s mission to redefine how performance can respond to the pressing issues of our time, fostering experimental and boundary-pushing practices that challenge dominant narratives and inspire new possibilities.

Performance Space New York has long been a space where artists and audiences can come together to imagine new forms of expression, community, and resistance. Through innovative programming and a commitment to inclusivity, the organization plays an important role in NYC’s cultural landscape.

As Head of Innovation at Swissnex in Boston and New York, Nathalie is the lead for Swissnex’s startup and innovation programs on the East Coast. After several years in the music industry and co-founding an e-commerce startup in Sweden, Nathalie worked at STARTUP CAMPUS to inspire and support Swiss entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into businesses. Nathalie holds an MS in Business & Management from the Stockholm School of Economics, and a BS in Business Administration from the University of Bern.