WTiN will invite a host of industry professionals and key opinion leaders to join delegates virtually and discuss the latest advancements in biobased and biosynthetic materials. Meet our Advanced Materials Week speakers. 
Laetus Felix Buberwa KelTex
Marte Hentschel VORN
Victoria Mataczynski Nanoloom
Anna Rising Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Professor Parik Goswami University of Huddersfield
Simon Whitmarsh-Knight Hyosung
Mya Griesbaum Mycorrhiza Fashion
Amanda Turner PLNTmatter
Tobias Schwab BASF
Madelaine Thomas WTiN
Jessica Robe WTiN
Shivam Gusain Textile and fashion industry
Jacqueline Ros Amable Matereal
Yaser Riaz Interloop Limited
Cindy So LYNK
Akash Yadav Water&Fabric
Jatin Kumar Materials Scientist and Deep-Tech Entrepreneur
Matthew Ekholm Provenant
Yohann Sequeira Epoch Biodesign
Michael van der Jagt polySCOUT

Laetus Felix Buberwa

KelTex

CEO & Founder of KelTex

Laetus is a biotechnology innovator, entrepreneur, and climate technology advocate specialising in the intersection of biotechnology, sustainable materials and regenerative innovation. He is the CEO & founder of KelTex, where he leads the development of seaweed-based biomaterials for the future of sustainable textiles.

With a background in biotechnology, Laetus combines scientific research, entrepreneurship and community-driven innovation to address environmental challenges through nature-inspired solutions. His work focuses on transforming biological resources into scalable technologies that support circular economies and climate resilience, particularly within coastal communities.

Laetus has been recognised by several innovation platforms for his contributions to clean technology and sustainable development; including being selected as one of the winners of the H&M Foundation Global Change Award 2026. Through his work, he continues to champion the role of biotechnology and emerging materials in shaping a more sustainable future.

KelTex’s Brief Summary

KelTex is a biotechnology and materials company developing next-generation leather and textile fibers from sustainably cultivated seaweed. By combining materials science, biotechnology, and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered aquaculture, KelTex transforms renewable marine biomass into high-performance, biodegradable alternatives to animal leather and fossil-based textiles.

Our proprietary process extracts natural seaweed biopolymers and engineers them into durable materials using low-impact, circular manufacturing methods. Beyond creating sustainable materials, KelTex is building a resilient supply chain that increases the value of seaweed cultivation while reducing carbon emissions, water consumption, and microplastic pollution. Our vision is to accelerate the transition toward a regenerative, low-carbon textile industry.

Marte Hentschel

VORN

Professor & Serial Entrepreneur

Marte Hentschel is a professor, serial entrepreneur and sustainability expert specialising in platform creation and collaborative innovation formats in the fashion and textile industry. Her work focuses on enabling transformation processes through co-creation and the application of digital technologies across design, development and production systems.

At VORN, she leads innovation and partnerships across a portfolio of publicly funded R&D projects spanning circular design principles, future of manaufacturing and material innovation, bringing first-hand experience in moving technical concepts from lab-stage development toward pilot and commercial scale. At BSP she is professor for sustainable fashion and R&D project lead.

VORN – The Berlin Fashion Hub is a physical and digital space for collaborative innovation with the goal of creating positive impact across fashion and culture. VORN provides access to community services, co-working, event and exhibition spaces, applied R&D projects and scaling programmes for innovators, fashion companies, research institutions, academia and public and private initiatives working toward a net-positive fashion future.

At BSP Berlin, the Faculty of Creative Business combines business management expertise with a deep understanding of innovation processes in the creative industries. The Bachelor's programme Sustainable Fashion Design and Management prepares future designers and managers to take responsibility for shaping a fair and sustainable fashion system, with a strong focus on ecological, cultural and social sustainability across all stages of the value chain.

Links:

www.linkedin.com/in/marte-hentschel
www.instagram.com/marte.hentschel
vorn-hub.com
www.fakultaet-creative-business.de

Victoria Mataczynski

Nanoloom

CEO and Co-Founder

Victoria is the CEO and Co-Founder of Nanoloom, a company engineering high-performance, circular graphene-based fibres for a variety of sectors and use cases. Prior to Nanoloom, she was part of the original team building an AI startup and led on product development and AI. The company captured over 50% of its market during her tenure. Previously, she was a corporate lawyer at top tier firms like A&O Shearman, leading, negotiating and executing over 50 deals worth £1 billion+, from VC to IPO stage. Victoria has a background in law, and has also previously worked on court trials including the prosecution and extradition of alleged Rwandan genocide war criminals in London, and criminal trials in Sydney, as well as having experience in aviation, maritime and shipping law. She holds degrees in both Economics and Law (First Class Honours) and multiple awards / scholarship prizes.

Anna Rising

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

DVM PhD Professor, Wallenberg Scholar

Anna Rising is a Professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, specialising in spider silk and bioinspired advanced materials. Her research focuses on engineering spider silk proteins to develop sustainable, high-performance materials with applications ranging from biomedicine to next-generation textiles and industrial materials. She pioneered an all-aqueous fibre-spinning process inspired by the natural silk-spinning process of spiders, enabling the production of high-performance artificial spider silk under mild, environmentally friendly conditions. Her current research explores functionalised and smart silk-based materials, translating nature's design principles into innovative solutions for advanced materials.

Professor Parik Goswami

University of Huddersfield

Professor of Technical Textiles and the Director of Research and Innovation

Professor Goswami is a professor of Technical Textiles and the Director of Research and Innovation at the University of Huddersfield. Previously, Professor Goswami was the Associate Dean for Research, Innovation, and Knowledge Exchange for Arts and Humanities, Head of the Department for Fashion and Textiles and then of Music and Design Arts at the University of Huddersfield. He is also the Director of the Technical Textiles Research Centre. Before joining the University of Huddersfield, Professor Goswami was the Director of Research and Innovation at the School of Design at the University of Leeds and led the Fibre and Fabric Functionalisation Research group at Leeds. He is committed to multidisciplinary research and is working towards building constructive collaborations with the University of Huddersfield and industries.

Professor Goswami's domains of research are product development using flexible materials and the application of chemistry for functionalising textiles. Professor Goswami manages a large profile of research concerned with fibre/polymer science, nonwovens, medical textiles (implantable materials and non-implantable materials), sustainable materials (fundamentally understanding the properties of new material), application and development of nano/submicron fibres for novel applications, and plasma treatment for functionalising textiles and textile chemistry. Professor Goswami is also the first academic to be appointed to the board of the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT). Professor Goswami is a Freeman of the City of London and the Worshipful Company of Woolmen.

Simon Whitmarsh-Knight

Hyosung

Marketing and Sustainability Director – Textiles

Simon has extensive international B2B2C sales and marketing experience growing new business in the sustainable fibres, technical textiles and performance apparel industries. Having worked for global brands, retailers and manufacturers, Simon’s background includes building ingredient brands and aligning teams across cultures in dynamic markets and supporting supply chain transformation and engagement through the textiles value system. Simon currently leads sustainability for Hyosung, the world’s largest elastane manufacturer by market share, who recently completed a US$1bn investment in creating the world’s first low-carbon integrated supply chain to produce bio-based elastane derived from sugarcane in Vietnam.

Mya Griesbaum

Mycorrhiza Fashion

CEO and Founder of Mycorrhiza Fashion, Materials Science Researcher

Mya Love Griesbaum is a materials science researcher, specialising in the convergence of design, biology and materials science. She is also the CEO & founder of Mycorrhiza Fashion - a biomaterials startup transforming textile waste into fungi-based leather alternatives. Using locally sourced textile waste and cultivate mycelium (the root system of fungi), she is working on growing durable, customisable and biodegradable materials to replace animal and plastic-based leathers. Currently, Mya and her team are focused on producing these textiles from discarded polyester and other textile waste. By using polyester as a feedstock, they grow microbes into a biomass that they can process into a textile. Inspired by fungi’s regenerative power and ability to digest synthetic pollutants, currently they are in the R&D stage, working to gain feedback from designers. 

Amanda Turner

PLNTmatter

Chief Product Officer & Founding Member

Amanda Turner is a material innovator with more than 20 years of experience advancing sustainable product solutions across wellness, apparel and home industries. At PLNTmatter, she leads product development and strategic growth, driving the commercialisation of the company’s biomimetic material technologies. Her background spans natural raw materials, low-impact manufacturing and high-performance design, integrating regenerative science with market-ready innovation. Amanda’s expertise bridges technical development and consumer insight; transforming purpose-driven ideas into scalable, high-value solutions that benefit both people and the planet.

Tobias Schwab

BASF

New Business Development & Sustainability Polyamides

Tobias Schwab holds a Master of Science in Business Administration. He joined BASF as a management consultant with a focus on breakthrough innovation and currently works in marketing and new business development for BASF’s polyamides business unit. 

Madelaine Thomas

WTiN

Managing Director

As Managing Director of WTiN, Madelaine leads the delivery and strategic operations of critical data-driven intelligence and market insights that empower the global textile & apparel value chain. She is dedicated to driving digital transformation and sustainable innovation across the industry through high-quality intelligence, consultancy and strategic partnership. Working at WTiN for over 10 years, and previously as Head of Content, Madelaine has a wealth of knowledge across the supply chain. She holds an MA in International Relations from the University of Leeds, UK and a First Class Honours degree in International Journalism from Liverpool John Moores, also in the UK.

Jessica Robe

WTiN

Lead Analyst, Material and Business Innovation

Jessica Robe is Lead Analyst, Material and Business Innovation at WTiN, where she leads consultancy projects and contributes expert insight to WTiN.com. Her work focuses on emerging technologies, materials and solution providers across the textile and apparel value chain, with particular emphasis on functional and sustainability-driven innovation. Jessica also heads WTiN’s sports and outdoorwear coverage, tackling the likes of  circular business models, safer chemistries, user-centric design strategies and shifting market dynamics.

Shivam Gusain

Textile and fashion industry

Sustainability Strategist and Innovation Advisor

Shivam Gusain is a sustainability strategist and innovation advisor working across the textile and fashion industry. With a background in dyestuff chemistry and water engineering, he operates at the intersection of science, supply chains and environmental impact. His work ranges from emissions hotspot analysis and impact assessments to evaluating emerging fibres, recycling technologies and novel chemistry. He draws on deep technical experience in textile processing to identify opportunities for efficiency, risk reduction and regulatory readiness. Through his writing on Substack and other platforms, he fosters debate on how the industry can balance ambition with feasibility, turning uncertainty into action and helping teams make decisions with clarity and confidence.

Jacqueline Ros Amable

Matereal

CEO & Cofounder of Matereal

Jacqueline Ros Amable is the CEO & cofounder of Matereal, a company that leverages novel chemistry and AI to detoxify & decarbonise the plastics industry, starting with toxic polyurethane in textiles. Jackie is a serial entrepreneur with a track record in building highly successful teams, teaching, fundraising and delivering world class products. With her first company Revolar, a wearable safety device company for loved ones, she witnessed plastic factories at work first-hand and it inspires her work today. It was also through that journey that she became one of the first Latinas ever to raise millions from institutional investors. Jackie has been a contributing writer for several entrepreneurial books, the most notable “The Startup Way” by Brad Feld and a contributor for Forbes. When she’s not doing the work she loves, you can find her with the people she loves and many pets.

Yaser Riaz

Interloop Limited

Head of Activewear

Yaser Riaz leads activewear operations at Interloop, with over 27 years of experience across material sourcing and innovation. Having previously led Interloop's Research & Innovation, he brings a materials-first approach to product development, working closely with teams across the business to move new ideas into commercially viable products.

Cindy So

LYNK

Expert member of World Environmental and Human Development Institute

Expert member of China GBA (Greater Bay Area) Innovation Think Tank

CEO of LYNK Global Supplier chain ESG management Group Limited

Cindy has over 20 years experiences in Supplier Chain management, with more than 15 years of project management experience in The international leading third-party certification industry. Has being committed to overseas business expansion, global business development and project landing planning of large groups. Familiar with the market matching characteristics of the industry and compliance regulation solutions in each region. Espically good at data compliance under current green regulation environment both in EU and Asia.  

Akash Yadav

Water&Fabric

Co-Founder of Water&Fabric

Akash Yadav holds an MBA from Birmingham City University and is the Co-Founder of Water&Fabric, a B2B platform that turns raw factory data utility bills, invoices and production logs into EU environmental compliance outputs for SME textile and footwear manufacturers. Unlike tools built top-down for large brands, Water&Fabric works bottom-up from primary factory data, requiring no ERP or PLM system. It brings water, chemical, carbon and material data into a single Digital Product Passport-ready output, helping smaller manufacturers meet growing buyer demand and prepare for the EU's incoming ESPR requirements.

Jatin Kumar

Materials Scientist and Deep-Tech Entrepreneur

Materials scientist and deep-tech entrepreneur

Jatin Kumar is a materials scientist and deep-tech entrepreneur based in Singapore and is one of the earliest practitioners of AI-driven materials discovery and its translation into commercial products. Most recently, he co-founded Xinterra and served as CTO, where he invented and commercialised COzTERRA, a CO2-capturing textile treatment taken from an idea with no data to industrial scale in fourteen months. He now works with materials innovators and manufacturers across the full problem, from inventing a new material to the harder task of turning it into something an industry will actually adopt.

Matthew Ekholm

Provenant

Commercial Director at Provenant

Matthew Ekholm is the Commercial Director at Provenant, leading growth of our Digital Product Passport platform in international markets. He's committed to building impactful collaborations and delivering solutions that drive sustainable transformation, advancing Provenant's vision.

Yohann Sequeira

Epoch Biodesign

Founder and CEO at Epoch Biodesign

Yohann Sequeira is the right hand to the Founder and CEO at Epoch Biodesign, where he works across strategic initiatives and the scaling of the company’s operations as it commercialises its recycling technology. Before joining Epoch, Yohann spent eight years at Dalberg, advising governments, foundations, and international organisations on strategy, investment and social and environmental impact.

Michael van der Jagt

polySCOUT

co-founder and CEO

Michaël van der Jagt is co-founder and CEO of polySCOUT, a TNO spin-out that designs advanced polymers from specification instead of by trial and error. Where materials development traditionally takes years of making and testing candidates one by one, polySCOUT searches millions of possible polymers at once and scores each of them on performance, safety, cost, footprint, renewable content and end of life. PolySCOUT works with fibre producers and brands on textile polymers that perform better and are renewable at the same time, and runs a high-throughput lab that synthesises and measures the candidates its models select.