Speakers
Antoni Trasobares
Antoni Trasobares Rodríguez is a Catalan forestry expert and research leader specializing in forest management, bioeconomy, and wildfire resilience. He is the director (CEO) of the Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), where since 2016 he has driven the organisation’s growth as a leading European hub for research, innovation, and technology transfer in the forest sector.
He also serves as Director of Wildfire Resilience at the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance (CBA) and coordinates major international initiatives such as the FIRE-RES Programme, focused on reducing the risk of extreme wildfires through integrated landscape management approaches.
Trasobares holds a PhD in forest planning and economics from the University of Joensuu (Finland) and has built a career spanning research, policy, and consultancy, including roles as Director General of Natural Resources and Biodiversity in the Catalan Government and researcher at ETH Zurich.
His work focuses on climate change adaptation, sustainable forest management, and advancing a circular forest-based bioeconomy, contributing both scientifically and strategically to improving landscape resilience and wildfire prevention at European and global levels.
Marc Palahí
Marc Palahí is a Spanish forest scientist and international expert in bioeconomy, forests, and climate change. He is currently the CEO of the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance and Chief Nature Officer at Lombard Odier Investment Managers, where he works on integrating nature-based solutions into economic and financial systems.
He previously served as Director of the European Forest Institute (EFI) from 2015 to 2023, leading its transformation into a major pan-European science–policy platform connecting research, policy, and business.
Palahí holds a PhD in forestry and economics from the University of Joensuu (Finland) and has built a career at the interface of science, policy, and innovation, focusing on sustainable forest management and the development of a circular bioeconomy as a response to climate change.
He began his professional career in research roles, including at the Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), and has since become a leading global voice advocating the transition from a fossil-based, extractive economy to a regenerative, nature-based economic model.
Justin Adams
Justin Adams is a sustainability and nature-finance leader with more than 30 years of experience working at the intersection of climate action, biodiversity conservation, and economic transformation. He is the founding Reimagining Nature Finance and Inclusive Capitalism Fellow of the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance (CBA) and co-founder of Ostara, a social enterprise dedicated to reimagining economic systems in service of people and nature.
Throughout his career, Adams has held senior leadership roles in the environmental, financial, and policy sectors, including positions with Generation Investment Management, The Nature Conservancy, the World Economic Forum, and Just Climate. His work has focused on mobilising investment for nature, advancing forest and climate solutions, and fostering collaboration across public and private sectors.
Adams also serves as an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery and contributes to the development of innovative approaches that connect ecological restoration, community well-being, and long-term economic resilience.
Recognised with an OBE for his contributions to the UK Government’s forest and climate agenda at COP26, his work promotes transformative approaches to nature finance and supports the transition toward a regenerative, nature-positive economy.
Elena Górriz
Elena Górriz-Mifsud is a Spanish researcher and expert in forest socioeconomics, bioeconomy, and rural governance. She leads the Socioeconomics and Governance of Rural Systems group at the Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), where her work focuses on the social and economic dimensions of sustainable landscape management and forest-based development.
She holds a PhD from the Universities of Lleida and Padua (Italy), a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Barcelona, and a degree in Forest Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Valencia. Her international background includes studies and professional experience in Germany, Argentina, Finland, Spain, and Italy.
Since joining the European Forest Institute’s Mediterranean Office (EFIMED) in 2008 and later CTFC, Górriz-Mifsud has developed extensive expertise in the design and evaluation of socio-economic instruments for rural development and the bioeconomy. Her research addresses topics such as ecosystem services, payments for environmental services, social innovation, forest governance, non-wood forest products, and economic incentives for wildfire risk reduction.
Her work promotes the integration of economic, social, and environmental perspectives in landscape management, helping to strengthen rural resilience and support the transition toward a sustainable forest-based bioeconomy. She has authored numerous scientific publications and is recognised internationally for her contributions to forest policy and governance research.
Rowan Douglas
Rowan Douglas CBE is a British leader in climate risk, resilience, and insurance innovation, recognized internationally for pioneering the integration of science, finance, and public policy to address climate-related risks. He is currently CEO for Climate Risk and Resilience at Howden, where he leads efforts to strengthen the role of insurance and risk management in supporting climate adaptation and sustainable development.
With more than 30 years of experience in the insurance and reinsurance sector, Douglas has held senior leadership positions at Willis Towers Watson, where he founded the Willis Research Network, one of the world’s largest collaborations between the financial sector and academic science, and later led the company’s Climate and Resilience Hub.
Douglas played a key role in establishing the Insurance Development Forum (IDF), a partnership between the insurance industry, governments, and international organisations aimed at strengthening resilience to climate and disaster risks in vulnerable countries. He has also advised major global institutions including the United Nations, the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, and the UK Government on climate risk, resilience, and sustainable finance.
Awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the economy through risk, insurance, and sustainable growth, his work focuses on mobilising science, insurance, and investment to build resilience in the face of climate change and other systemic risks.
Georgi Kostov
Georgi Kostov is a Bulgarian forestry scientist, educator, and policy leader with extensive experience in sustainable forest management, forest policy, and landscape resilience. He is an Associate Professor of Silviculture at the University of Forestry in Sofia, where he has been teaching and conducting research since 1988.
Kostov holds a degree in Forestry Engineering and a PhD in Forest Ecology and Management, focusing on mountain forest ecosystems. Throughout his academic career, he has specialized in close-to-nature forestry, multifunctional forest management, adaptive forest management, and forest resource dynamics. He has also completed advanced training and research appointments at institutions including IIASA (Austria), ETH Zurich (Switzerland), Alterra (Netherlands), and Oregon State University (USA).
Alongside his academic work, Kostov has played a prominent role in public service, serving as Deputy Minister responsible for forests in Bulgaria’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food and as Chairman of the Agricultural Academy of Bulgaria. In these roles, he contributed to the development of forest policy, sustainable forest governance, and nature conservation initiatives.
His work bridges science, education, and policymaking, promoting resilient and multifunctional forests that balance ecological, social, and economic objectives. Through his research, teaching, and public leadership, he has made significant contributions to the advancement of sustainable forestry in Bulgaria and across Europe.
Val Charlton
Val Charlton has lived in Cape Town, South Africa for most of her life and loves the outdoors. She deems it a privilege to have been able to work with communities and conservation organisations for a large part of her career. Community based fire management is her area of specialty, working with people that live in fire-prone landscapes across the globe. Val promotes Integrated Fire Management practice to address landscape fire risks and hazards; this includes 20 + years of Wildland Urban Interface/Intermix facilitation in both urban and remote rural communities, collaborating with private landowners, government and conservation agencies in multi-stakeholder social ecology/economic projects in various countries. As a practitioner, her work has encompassed initiating and co-creating green, youth and female focused employment programmes and opportunities that are also of benefit to the wider community, thus improving the likelihood of sustained community-driven hazard reduction and resilience action. Elements of climate adaptation, disaster resilience and socio–environmental– economic projects, community-based natural resource management, food security, the use of nature–based solutions, early childhood development and a variety of capacity building courses are brought in to support Integrated Fire Management practices.
Phillip Selegue
Chief SeLegue was appointed to CAL FIRE in August of 1999 at the age of 19. Chief SeLegue has served the citizens of the State of California. Chief SeLegue has held the ranks of firefighter thru Captain and promoted to Battalion Chief on October of 2016. Chief SeLegue attended Crafton Hills and Riverside Community Colleges. Chief SeLegue holds an Associate’s Degree. Chief SeLegue has assisted or been the lead for several groups and cadres from Mobile Communication Units, Community Emergency Response Teams CERT, NWCG SIT/209 change board, NWCG Intel Subcommittee, NFDRS16 Instructor, SCOUT administrator and Lead Instructor of Field Observer courses. Chief SeLegue is currently a Type 1 Planning Section Chief Trainee for CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 5.
Tiago Oliveira
Tiago Oliveira is a PhD and Forest Engineer. His understanding of wildland fire problem is grounded in 30 years of experience in national and international context. Both in private and public sector and in all levels of fire operations, researcher and public administration in the topics of wildland fire risk management and governance. Since 2018, he is the Chairman of the Board of the Portuguese Agency for Integrated Rural Fire, chaired the Organizing Committee of the 8th International Wildland Fire Congress and AGIF is a founder member and supporter of Fire Hub. He is also member of Board of Directors of International Association of Wildland Fire.
José Borges
José Borges: Ph.D. in Forest Sciences (U. Minnesota, USA), associate professor at the School of Agriculture (ISA), ULisboa. Coordinator of IUFRO Unit 4.04.04 Landscape Management Planning for Multiple Ecosystem Services and of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree Mediterranean Forestry and Natural Resources Management (MEDFOR). Has 25+ years of higher education, research and outreach experience in forest and natural resources management planning methods and decision support systems in ISA and in international universities. Coordinator of the Adaptive Territorial Management work package of the H2020 project FIRE RES and co author of the Integrated Wildfire Risk Management Strategy for the EU: developing resilient landscapes and safer communities. Co-authored over 120 international peer-reviewed publications.
Joaquín Ramírez
Eduard Plana
Juli Fernández Iruela
Proprietary member of the ICF’s Supervisory Board since September 2024. Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Government of Catalonia since August 2024.
He holds a degree in Business Science from the University of Barcelona and a degree in Law, Business Administration and Economics from Abad Oliva University, and is a senior technician in occupational health and safety and an auditor. Professionally, he has worked as a specialist in taxation and business economics, as managing partner of the firm Serconfis Assessoria d’Empreses and as a financial consultant and adviser.
His institutional career has always guided by a commitment to public service, and in 1992 he joined Palafrugell Town Council as a councillor. He was mayor during the 2011-2015, 2015-2017 and 2023-2024 terms. Likewise, from 2012 to 2015 he was a member of the Parliament of Catalonia and, previously, from 2008 to 2011 a member of Congress where he was deputy spokesman for the Economy of the Socialist Group.
Others to be confirmed