Luís Marinheiro

Luís Marinheiro holds a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Aveiro, Portugal, and a Master's degree in Biological Engineering from the University of Minho, Portugal. He is a Senior Member of the Portuguese Engineers Association.

Since beginning his professional career in 1996 as an engineer, he has promoted, coordinated, and managed numerous national and international projects and service contracts. His work spans a variety of environmental fields, including waste management, wastewater collection and treatment, water abstraction and treatment, circular economy and sustainability, environmental management, odor control and treatment, and environmental planning. Throughout his career, he has held roles as a consultant, designer, advisor, coordinator, and technical director.

He is also the founder and administrator of several successful companies in the environmental sector, with a strong focus on research, development, and innovation. In academia, he has served as a lecturer in higher education, teaching environmental courses and contributing to research projects and environmental services.

He has actively participated in and chaired the organization of national and international environmental events, both as a speaker and as a member or president of organizing and scientific committees. He is the author and co-author of several articles and presentations on the profession of environmental engineering and the development and application of environmental technologies. In 2000, he was awarded the National Environmental Engineering Award by the Portuguese Engineers Association in its inaugural edition.

He has been an active member of professional associations, serving as Vice-President of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) from March 2017 to August 2021. He also chaired ISWA's Working Group on Landfill and the European Group. Between 2010 and 2016, he was President of the Environmental Engineering College of the Portuguese Engineers Association and held leadership roles in national and regional bodies, including membership in the National Council and Coordinator of the Northern Regional Council of the Environmental Engineering College from 2004 to 2016.

He is also a long-standing member of the Portuguese Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, contributing actively to waste management working groups since 2002. He currently serves as President of the General Assembly of the Portuguese Association of Environmental Engineering, where he previously held various leadership positions, including Vice-President in 2010.

Currently, he works as a Senior International Consultant in Environmental Engineering. He is the Global Market Director at AST – Solutions and Services of Environmental, Lda., and a Board Member of several European companies, including Aquasmart – Water and Wastewater Treatment Solutions, Lda., Wedotech, Lda., SLMK – Consultance, Lda., and CarbonBlue, Lda. Additionally, he serves as a Board Member for the AST Brazil.

Luiz Márcio Spinosa

Luiz Márcio Spinosa is the Director of Science, Technology, and Innovation and has extensive academic training and international experience in innovation ecosystems. He is a Postdoctoral researcher in Innovation from the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in Science, Technology, and Innovation Ecosystems. Spinosa holds a PhD and a Master's degree in Artificial Intelligence applied to Industrial Automation from the University of Aix-Marseille (France) and is an expert in innovation from universities such as Texas (USA) and Simon Fraser (Canada). Besides his experience as a researcher and professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR), he has held leadership positions in various Science, Technology, and Innovation projects and initiatives in Brazil and abroad, recognized for his academic contributions and consultancy for renowned organizations like NOKIA, LEGO, VOLVO, and ITAIPU/PTI. He is also an entrepreneur, with two startups focused on innovation and knowledge. Spinosa concentrates his research on public policies, innovation, and the development of Science, Technology, and Innovation ecosystems and smart cities, with a portfolio of more than 150 articles and leadership in national and international projects.

Malva Baskovich

Malva is a Senior Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) Specialist at the World Bank's Water Global Practice, focusing on the Latin America and Caribbean region. Based in Lima, she contributes to the WSS knowledge and lending portfolio, including projects in the health sector in Peru. As a regional focal point for Rural WSS, hand hygiene, and cross-sectoral initiatives between water and health, Malva has over 17 years of experience at the World Bank. Her work includes analytical tasks, trust fund management, and participation in global initiatives such as handwashing campaigns and domestic private sector engagement, as a former staff member of the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP).

She has collaborated with the Disaster Risk Management and Education teams on WSS and hygiene in schools in Peru, addressed malnutrition and WASH with the health sector, and worked with IFC/PPIAF to promote WSS utilities' access to financing markets and microfinancing for sanitation. Malva has operational experience designing and implementing various lending instruments applied in projects across Central America, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Paraguay.

With over 25 years of experience in international cooperation agencies, government institutions, and private sector organizations, Malva focuses on promoting partnerships for social development. Her work enhances private sector participation and innovative programs to deliver solutions to underserved populations in areas such as microfinance, social entrepreneurship, property formalization, sanitation and hygiene, health and nutrition, and the resettlement of communities affected by mining operations.

Malva holds an MBA and a diploma in Corporate Social Responsibility from Universidad del Pacífico in Peru, a bachelor's degree in social communication from Universidad de Lima, and a specialization in Marketing for Behavioral Impact from New York University. Additionally, she has held research and teaching positions at prestigious universities in Peru for over ten years.