2022 SDG Summit
Keynote Speakers
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Melati Wijsen - Founder of Bye Bye Plastic Bags and Youthopia
Melati Wijsen is a 20-year-old full time changemaker from Indonesia. She founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags when she was 12 years old with her younger sister and has been leading the movement driven by youth since 2013. She also started the people movement One Island One Voice and the social enterprise, Mountain Mamas. Melati has spoken on world stages such as TED and the UN and has also been selected as FORBES top ten most inspiring women in the country. She graduated from high school one year early at the Green School and has since been honored by TIME as part of the most influential teens in the world along with CNN Heroes Young Wonders and FORBES 30 under 30. Today, Melati is excited about her new youth empowerment project; YOUTHTOPIA, empowering youth through meaningful and short peer to peer programs and providing them the tools they need to be young changemakers.
What is ?
"Our vision at YOUTHTOPIA is to be the global number one “go-to” HQ for young people. Our mission at YOUTHTOPIA is to provide space that brings young people together, ignites their passions and grows their skills to become active changemakers. We will achieve this by creating short and meaningful peer to peer programs off and online. These programs are made by the frontline young changemakers for the rising young changemaker."
Ziyaan Virji is an advocate of “The Generation of Change”. He is an altruistic young change-maker that has found purpose in creating social impact. He is the Founder and CEO of For The Menstruator., a global initiative that aims to create a world of menstrual equity and has supported 8500 menstruators while working in 7 different countries around the world. He is also the Outreach Director at Climate Cardinals, an international non-profit that aims in translating climate information in 100 languages. Ziyaan also believes in the idea of sharing his experiences and learning with others. He is the co-host of a podcast called Second Impressions, that aims to bring depth to the conversation. He has been a speaker and panellist at various events in 6 different countries including Tedx! His work has been featured on major publications namely BBC Africa, DW Africa, Zett Magazine and Daily Nation. For his contribution towards humanitarian efforts, he has won various accolades, some of which include the Princess Diana Award 2019, WAFF’s Global Teen Leader 2019, Winner of the Dragons’ Den for Change at GESF2019 and Top 5 GSL Projects.
Gab Mejia is a conservation photographer and environmental storyteller. He is a National Geographic Explorer and Nikon Asia Ambassador covering stories on nature, wildlife, the climate crisis, and indigenous people. He has published stories in National Geographic, CNN, Nikon, The Manila Times, Rappler, WWF, UNDP, and other international organisations and media platforms. He is the co-founder and Communications and Outreach lead of Youth Engaged in Wetlands, the global youth network advocating for the conservation of wetlands and natural-climate solutions around the world. He is a columnist and a weekly-writer for The Manila Times and has presented stories for several TEDx talks. He is currently pursuing a civil engineering degree in the University of the Philippines as he aspires to become an environmental engineer integrating his career in the arts and science.
Sonalie Figueiras
Founder of Green Queen
Founder & CEO at Green Queen,
Ekowarehouse & SourceGreenPackaging.com
2021 Women of Power, 2019 GEN T Honoree, 2 x TEDx Speaker & Asia's Green Queen: Serial social entrepreneur & trends forecaster Sonalie Figueiras is the founder & editor-in-chief of Green Queen, an award-winning impact media platform advocating for social & environmental change through inspiring & empowering original content and one of the world's leading outlets for alternative protein news. Green Queen is APAC's largest sustainability media as counted by website views. She is also the founder & CEO of Ekowarehouse, the global sourcing platform for certified organic products and the co-founder & CEO of SourceGreenPackaging.com, the world's first global marketplace for sustainable packaging with a mission to fight single-use plastic waste (pre-seed funded in May 2021). With over a decade of experience in publishing, digital marketing, organic trade, sustainability, alternative proteins and green packaging, she is an eco wellness industry veteran with a keen eye for market trends and a sought-after international speaker and moderator, sharing her expertise on stages across Asia and beyond, including Harvard Business School and two times at TEDx. Further, Sonalie is a venture partner/operating advisor at select VC funds globally including European food tech fund Trellis Road. She is a global advisor at Social Ventures Hong Kong, an Impact Purpose Organisation committed to re-imagining Hong Kong as a purpose-driven city, an advisor at The Remedy Project, which revolutionises access to justice for migrant workers globally, a cause close to her heart, and she is an avid home cook and published cookbook author.
