Augusto Cuginotti ·            View Augusto Cuginotti's profile

Augusto has been working as a management and leadership trainer and consultant

for the past six years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and has worked

on leadership development focusing on systemic analysis of processes for both

private and governmental organizations. Augusto co-founded the Spirit in Business

initiative in Brazil and is a member of international networks related to conscious

leadership and leadership development. He was also part of a national network for

exploring community-based education and developed an annual leadership retreat

programme for young leaders. He is hoping to learn how to integrate a sustainability

framework into his work from his current studies in Sustainability. Augusto has been

an aikido practitioner for some years now, and can communicate in English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

Karen Miller ·

Karen grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, where she spent her winters crosscountry skiing and her summers exploring lakes and rivers by canoe. Her passion for the outdoors led her to pursue an Environmental Science Honors degree from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Her work experience includes coordinating a community groundwater-monitoring network in rural Alberta. This was part of a hydrological research project at the University of Calgary aimed at understanding sustainable groundwater use. The results enabled surrounding municipalities to work towards setting up similar monitoring programs, and Karen found it rewarding to see scientific research making the transition to policy initiatives and implementation. Karen looks forward to combining her analytical and research skills with her interests in empowerment and engagement. In particular, she looks forward to both facilitating and engaging in constructive dialogue to help individuals, communities and organizations create a more sustainable society. She is fluent in both English and French, and speaks survival Spanish and Swedish.

Freek van der Pluijm ·

Freek van der Pluijm grew up in the Netherlands. There, he acquired a Bachelor’s
of Science in Business Administration at Tilburg University. He spent a semester
at HEC Montreal, Canada, to develop his knowledge on international business and
management skills. He has been working as a volunteer for several NGO’s and has
most recently generated a lot of publicity for sustainability by taking the lead in the
organization of a second hand clothing fashion show. In the long term, his aim is to
become an expert in the implementation process of sustainability for companies and
municipalities. Freek is open to opportunities in all kinds of fields, without geographical boundaries, and has a special interest in strategic sustainable development.