Cate Blanchett, Global Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, internationally acclaimed and award-winning actor, producer, humanitarian, and dedicated member of the arts community. She is the co-Founder and Principal of film and television production company Dirty Films, alongside her partners Andrew Upton and Coco Francini.

Blanchett served alongside Upton as the co-Artistic Director and co-CEO of the Sydney Theatre Company between 2008-2013. In 2010, Blanchett and Upton were awarded with the Green Globe Award for their Green Contribution at the Sydney Theatre Company, becoming one of the World’s Greenest Arts Organizations.

Blanchett is a Global Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and a lifetime member of the Australian Conservation Foundation, a strong supporter of the Actors Benevolent Fund, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, an AFI Ambassador and Patron of the Sydney Film Festival and the NIDA Foundation.

In recognition of her continued advocacy for the arts and her support of humanitarian and environmental causes, Blanchett has been awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia in the General Division; she was also awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture.

In 2018, Blanchett served as Jury President of the 71st Cannes International Film Festival and she was the Jury President of the 77th Venice International Film Festival in 2020. Blanchett’s film credits include Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies; David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; Steven Soderbergh’s The Good German; Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Babel; Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

She lives in the English countryside with her husband Andrew Upton, their four children, three dogs, twelve chickens and two pigs.

Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE is a world-renowned ethologist and conservationist inspiring greater understanding and action on behalf of the natural world. Dr. Goodall is known for her ground-breaking studies of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania, which forever changed our understanding of our relationship to the rest of the animal kingdom. This transformative research, begun in 1960, continues today as the longest running wild chimpanzee study in the world. Jane’s work builds on scientific innovations, growing a lifetime of advocacy including trailblazing efforts through the Jane Goodall Institute and the next generation of compassionate changemakers through her ‘Roots & Shoots’ environmental and humanitarian youth programme. A global icon, Jane is spreading hope and turning it into meaningful positive impact to create a better world for people, other animals, and the planet we share.

Photograph Credit: Stuart Clarke

In March 2019, Colin was appointed Chief Executive Officer of AIB and an Executive Director on the AIB Board. He joined AIB in August 2016 as Managing Director, Wholesale, Institutional & Corporate Banking Division. Prior to joining AIB, he was Managing Director at Macquarie Capital where he led the development of its business in Ireland. Previously, he was a Special Policy Adviser at the Departments of Transport and Finance, Research Director and Chief Economist at Goodbody Stockbrokers, Head of Trading Research and Senior Economist at Bank of Ireland Group Treasury and a country risk analyst at NatWest. He has a PhD in Economics from Trinity College, Dublin and degrees in Commerce & Economics from University College, Cork. He served as a Non-Executive Director of Aer Lingus Group plc from 2008 to 2014. Colin is a Director of the Ireland Funds, Ireland Chapter and Non-Executive Director and President 2021/2022 of the Institute of Bankers in Ireland.

Dearbhail McDonald is an award-winning Journalist, Author and Broadcaster. A global Eisenhower Fellow, the former Group Business and Legal Editor of Independent News And Media is the 2021 Outstanding Achievement Award from the UCD Smurfit School Business Journalist Awards, as well The Mary Cummins Award for Outstanding Achievement of Women in Media. An in-demand broadcaster, Dearbhail presented BBC Northern Ireland’s ‘Crime NI’, ‘Sunday with Dearbhail’ on BBC Radio Ulster and also regularly sits in the hot seat on RTÉ Radio One covering Brendan O’Connor.

President of the strategic committee of the Centre Cultural Irlandais in Paris, the Newry born non-executive director has served as a member of the board of Fighting Words, Ireland’s national creative writing centre for children and young adults, as well as the Stephen’s Green Trust. Dearbhail holds an LL.B (Law) from Trinity College Dublin as well as a Masters Degree in Journalism from Dublin City University.

Annie Flahavan is a 7th generation family member and Financial Controller at Flahavan’s. Flahavan’s has been in Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford for over 230 years, milling locally-grown oats and creating wholesome, natural foods. We’re proud to say that sustainability has always been a major part of our family business. Since the 1780s when the original water-wheel drove the Mill, we’ve been committed to working in harmony with the environment in everything we do. We've been active members of Bord Bia's sustainability initiative, Origin Green, since it began and we're delighted to have been awarded Gold Member Status again in September 2022 in recognition of our achievements over the past number of years.

Dr. David Connolly is Chief Technology Officer with Astatine, who offer turnkey solutions for large industrial users who wish to decarbonise their heat, using high-temperature heat pumps (up to 200°C), and electricity, using onsite solar PV or offsite Corporate PPA contracts. David is also Chairperson of the Irish District Energy Association which represents the district heating and cooling industry across the island of Ireland. Previously, David was CEO of Wind Energy Ireland which is Ireland’s largest renewable energy association and before that, David was an Associate Professor in Energy Planning at Aalborg University in Copenhagen, Denmark, where his research focused on the design and assessment of 100% renewable energy systems for electricity, heat, and transport.

Prior to joining C&C Group, David was the Managing Director of Heineken UK, a leading producer of beer and cider brands in the UK market, as well as a significant pub operator, with approximately 2,500 outlets in its estate. David worked with Heineken for 31 years and had extensive experience in senior leadership positions across the business. He started his career with the Sales and Marketing team at Heineken Ireland, before gaining international experience in the Netherlands and then Poland, where he was Marketing Director. Progressing to senior leadership, David was appointed General Manager of Heineken UK in 2007 and played a key role in Heineken’s acquisition of Scottish & Newcastle in 2008 and the subsequent integration of the two businesses. In 2009, David returned to Heineken Ireland as Managing Director, before being appointed Managing Director of Heineken UK in 2013.

Eoin Cluskey is the owner of Bread 41, an organic bakery located in Dublin. A business with a strong vision and core set of values. Bread 41 are strong advocates for the real bread movement and moving towards zero waste. Striving to sustainability is their regeneration, aiming to disrupt a food industry in need of a revitalised perspective on how we do things. Their ‘Move to Zero’ journey has been dominated by the aim to get rid of compostable cups, cutting down food waste with their new bio digester and many other exciting sustainable solutions and frameworks. Their aim to create a business benefitting the environment, their employees and local community drives Cluskey and his team in their creation of authentic breads, seasonal dishes, and crafted pastries. Scaling his business in a sustainable way is Cluskey’s current priority, with the goal of becoming a fully committed zero-waste business.

Flossie Donnelly is a 15-year-old Climate Activist and Marine Environmentalist. Flossie has actively cleaned the beaches since she was 8 years old and is the Patron of the charity 'Flossie and The Beach Cleaners' - Flossie is passionate about marine life and the damage climate change is having on our seas and oceans. The planet is covered by over 70% of water which means that protecting our oceans and seas is doing so much to help towards climate change. Flossie is always positive, never negative. As Mary Robinson once said. 'Hope Energises, Fear Paralyzes' - this is Flossie's motto for the future!

Amarenco is a fast growing company which is focused on the development, financing and ownership of solar PV assets in Europe, Carribbean, Middle East and Asia Pacific regions. Previous to this role, John was Chief Executive of Bord Gáis from December 2007 until the end of 2012. During this time, BGE established a significant electricity business and developed significant renewable and conventional generation assets. He has held senior management positions with ESB, ESB International, PricewaterhouseCoopers (UK) and NTR plc. He served as Chairman of the Port of Cork Company from 2013 to 2021. He is a Director of Wisetek Solutions Limited and is a member of the Pairc Ui Chaoimh Stadium Board. He is a Fellow of Engineers Ireland and the Irish Academy of Engineering. He holds a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from UCC and an MBA from the Smurfit Business School in UCD, Dublin. John was awarded a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 2016 by the French Government.