Meet our keynote speaker and panellists for POLIS 2023's Opening Plenary!

You are still in time to join us on 29 and 30 November 2023 in Leuven for the upcoming Annual POLIS Conference 2023, but if you need more convincing, our Opening Plenary line-up is now official, and it is big!

Provocatively titled 'It's the economy, stupid', our Opening Plenary will dissect the interplay between a robust economy and sustainable mobility, dispelling misconceptions surrounding their incompatibility.

With an exclusive Opening Speech by Magda Kopczyńska, Director-General for Mobility & Transport at the European Commission, and Welcome addresses by Karen Vancluysen, POLIS' Secretary General, Mohamed Ridouani, Mayor of Leuven, and Luc Sels, Rector of KU Leuven, this is a kick-off you will not want to miss!

Meet our Keynote Speaker: Philippe Crist

Chris Bull — www.chrisbullphotographer.com — (23/11/18) Annual POLIS Conference 2018

Philippe Crist is an international expert on mobility innovation & foresight. At the core of all of his work is the conviction that policies must serve people in their day-to-day lives and that technology only helps when it helps all, not just a few.

Philippe has authored numerous reports on innovation and transport policy, covering topics such as urban planning and space reallocation, data governance, shared mobility, MaaS, and automated driving. Much of his work evolves around addressing mobility challenges in growing cities.

His keynote speech will explore what economics gets right, what it could do better, what it does not do and what this means for everyday life in our communities. He will bring evidence of the economic benefits that come to be when we diversify the use of our urban space and design for walking, cycling, and more.

Meet our panellists

A panel of high-profile speakers will join Philippe Crist, including:

Koen Kennis, Deputy Mayor for Mobility, City of Antwerp
Hannah van Amelsfort, Senior Consultant, Goudappel
Luca de Meo, CEO, Renault Group and President of ACEA
Kevin Mayne, CEO, Cycling Industries Europe
Fabien Nonnez, Global Business Development Leader Supply Chain, Inter IKEA Group / ALICE
Harriët Tiemens, Director Metropoolregio Arnhem-Nijmegen

They will discuss diverse and pressing issues, from the influence of CO2 reduction and electrification on employment to the exciting prospects of the green economy, from strategies to internalise the external costs of polluting transport to finding an equilibrium between economy and ecology in urban logistics, from innovative shared mobility business models to prioritising accessibility, safety, and air quality rather than the economic cost of congestion. There won’t be any taboos!

An updated programme

In the meantime, come see our newly updated programme (also updated on our online platform) where we aim to highlight different perspectives and offer a platform to share views and experiences from cities, regions, mobility planners, and other actors of transport.

Over the past years, we have consistently encouraged people from various backgrounds within the transport sector to respond to our calls for speakers in greater numbers. We are pleased to see the increased progress we are making with every conference, and this year's sessions will only continue to strive for a diverse roster of inspiring speakers.

To learn more and register for the Annual POLIS Conference 2023, click here.

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