EMEA

I have worked with ESG, sustainability and CSRD at F.C. Copenhagen since 2024. During this time, I have led the delivery of two CSRD reports and worked to strategically embed sustainability into the club’s everyday operations and initiatives, both as a football club and as a stadium.

Jeremy is the Head of Sustainability at ITV, the leading UK commercial broadcaster and international production group.

He drives all aspects of the environmental strategy for the company, including shaping the roadmap to net zero, ensuring business resilience by managing climate-related risks and engaging audiences on the sustainability transition through content and advertising.

He drives change across sectors through industry collaboration projects and currently sits on the Board of BAFTA albert.

He transitioned into sustainability roles in 2014 after a decade working as a sport TV producer and retains a great passion for the world of sport and its potential to be a force for good in the world.

I’m passionate about sports – especially about handball, running and, of course, soccer. At the same time I’m driving for a sustainable business transformation that respects planetary and social boundaries.

After my studies in Sports, Business & Law, I focused on sustainability management. But I soon found my way back to sports, starting as a sustainability manager at SV Sandhausen, a soccer club that played at that time in the second league.

Since 2023, I’m the sustainability manager of TSG Hoffenheim, which includes topics such as sustainable development, activation, reporting and communication.

I’ve been part of the GARFIELD project since the beginning.

Born in Barcelona, Jordi Portabella i Calvete holds a degree in Biology from the University of Barcelona and a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering. Since mid-2021, he has been Director of the Sustainability Area of Futbol Club Barcelona.

Previously, he developed his professional career as General Director of the Fundació Catalana per a la Recerca i Innovació, Director of the Research and Knowledge Area of the Fundació Bancària La Caixa, as well as Councillor and Deputy Mayor of the Barcelona City Council. Previously, he was also a member of the Catalan Parliament.

He has written many articles related to science and sustainability for educational centres, magazines and several media and has collaborated for five years in the supplement ‘Science and Life’ of La Vanguardia and in Catalunya Ràdio with his own space for popularising science. He participated in the board of directors and editorial board of the magazine ‘TOTS’ of the UNESCO Centre of Catalonia, published in four languages and distributed worldwide.

He has written the book ‘Històries de Can Fanga’ and has participated in several collective books.

He is an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Science and Art of Barcelona, Gold and Brilliant Medal of Tourism of Catalonia and Gold Medal of the Fira de Barcelona.

Cat Ainsworth leads the team at Protect Our Winters UK, mobilising the outdoor community to turn concern about climate change into meaningful collective action. Cat works to build alliances across the outdoor sector, amplifying trusted voices and pushing for the policies and decisions needed to create a fair transition to a low-carbon future.

A qualified ski instructor, Cat’s connection to the outdoors runs deep. Her career has spanned humanitarian response, international development and running a technology cooperative, giving her a distinctive perspective on how communities can come together to tackle complex systemic challenges. She believes individual action matters but that our biggest opportunity for change lies in using our collective influence to challenge the systems that threaten the places we love.

At POW UK, Cat is driven by a simple conviction: the future of our mountains, rivers, coastlines and winters will be shaped not by those who care, but by those who act.

Karishma Ali is a pioneering female footballer and the founder of the Karishma Ali Foundation, a women-led organization that uses sports and physical activities as strategies for social change and women empowerment, particularly in marginalized communities. Born and raised in the remote and conservative region of Chitral, Pakistan, Karishma Ali challenged social norms by taking up football at a time when few girls had the opportunity to play. She later founded the region’s first organisation dedicated to advancing girls’ and women’s participation in sport, creating pathways for thousands of young women to play, lead, and thrive.

Today KAF works directly with 1000+ young girls and 120 coaches from across different regions and communities of Pakistan. KAF combines sports training with mental health support, art therapy, climate education, awareness sessions on gender-based violence, and leadership development.

Karishma’s work has earned her numerous awards and recognition. In 2018, she was selected as the UNICEF Pakistan Adolescent Champion. In 2019, at the age of 20, she made it to the Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list and was appointed to Pakistan’s first National Youth Council. In 2020 her story won “Tell her story” organised by UC Berkley and Facebook. In 2022, she received the Pride of Pakistan Award and became a member of UN Women’s 30 for 2030. In 2024, she was honored with the Sports Positive Next Generation Trailblazer Award in the UK.

Rishi’s current position as Director of Impact, sees him being responsible for leading his organisation’s approach to sustainability through the lens of equality, diversity and inclusion and environmental sustainability.

Having worked in football for over 20 years, he has an expert understanding of successfully integrating strategy into businesses and ensuring positive change. Rishi is responsible for The Red Way; Liverpool Football Club’s holistic strategy that encompasses the clubs plans across all areas of business operations and ensuring that sustainability is embedded throughout. Rishi is a driving force for change and successfully works with colleagues and business leaders to ensure progress.

In 2022, Rishi presented at the United Nations in New York City at the launch of the UN’s Game Plan: a document implementing a plan of action to counter hate speech through engagement with sport. He has continued to work in partnership with the United Nations and multiple international organisations to implement this work across the US, UK and beyond, as well as featuring at multiple COPs and New York Climate Week.

In 2023, Rishi was named on the Pride Power List, and has previously been named on the Global Diversity List as a Top 20 Diversity Professional. His work led has to wide-ranging recognition at the European Diversity Awards, North West Football Awards, Inclusive Companies Awards, Sport Industry Awards and most recently, from Front Office Sports. In 2024, his work has been recognised externally no less than six times with recognition from inside and outside of sport, including at the Global Sustainability and ESG Awards where The Red Way was named as ESG Programme of the Year. He has worked consistently to lead the organisations he’s worked for to be awarded with the Premier League Equality Standard Advanced Level on multiple occasions, and the internationally recognised ISO20121 standard.

Prior to joining his current role, Rishi has held roles at Manchester United, Kick It Out and The FA’s Inclusion Advisory Board, where he has worked throughout his career to make a positive impact across society.

Julia Pallé is a leading expert on sustainability in motorsport and the international elite sport industry.

In her role at the world’s first all-electric motor racing series, Julia certified the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship net zero carbon since inception – the first sport in the world to achieve the standard.

While developing and implementing the sustainability strategy at Formula E, Julia has overseen a range of significant achievements that establish Formula E’s credentials as a leader of sustainability in tier-one sport.

Julia is also Sustainability Advisor for Extreme E, the all-electric SUVs series, bringing electric racing to some of the most remote corners of the planet to highlight the climate change challenges faced by different ecosystems.

Before joining Formula E, Julia was the Sustainability Executive at Michelin Motorsport.

Sébastien Klotz joined UEFA in 2015 and is currently Senior Sponsorship Manager, leading sponsorship activities across UEFA Men’s National Team Football and UEFA Women’s Football competitions. He is responsible for developing and executing commercial strategies that maximise the value and attractiveness of UEFA’s sponsorship programmes.

In his role, Sébastien oversees sponsorship sales activities, manages key partner relationships, and leads account management across UEFA’s sponsorship portfolio. He played a central role in the development of UEFA’s first dedicated sponsorship strategy for Women’s Football, contributing to a tripling of revenues and significant growth in the commercial value of the competitions.

His responsibilities also include shaping long-term sponsorship strategies, managing collaboration with UEFA’s exclusive commercial agencies, driving revenue growth, enhancing partner satisfaction, and leading multidisciplinary teams across commercial sales and account management functions.

Hannah Mansour is Director of ESG at Arsenal Football Club, where she leads the club’s environmental sustainability strategy and drives the integration of ESG across the organisation. She has played a key role in developing Arsenal’s sustainability programme, including achieving the world’s first Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)-validated net zero target for a football club and delivering initiatives that engage fans, staff and partners in climate action. With a background in sustainability, innovation and business transformation, Hannah is passionate about the power of sport to accelerate environmental progress and create lasting positive impact for our communities.