Practical Solutions: Climate and Nature Tech in Action

Dr. Juan Carlos Astudillo is an Assistant Professor at the Metropolitan University of Hong Kong and a member of the State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Health at the City University of Hong Kong (SKLMEH-CityU). As a marine ecologist, he specializes in marine biodiversity assessment and ecological engineering for habitat rehabilitation. His current research focuses on applying ecological and engineering principles to enhance the biodiversity and ecosystem services of degraded coastal areas, such as biofiltration, carbon storage, nursery grounds, and coastal protection. His goal is to develop ecologically engineered technologies to support sustainable coastal development.

Dr. Astudillo co-founded afterNATURE, a start-up committed to developing eco-engineering technologies and designs for rehabilitating biodiversity and ecosystem services on artificial shorelines. He is also a founding member of the Hong Kong Marine Ecological Association, advocating for ecosystem restoration and environmental education. Additionally, Dr. Astudillo serves as Thematic Editor for the Hong Kong Register of Marine Species (HKRMS).

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

• Expand the use of eco-engineered habitat units and living shoreline solutions that support marine species and restore ecological functions along urban coastlines.
• Advance living shoreline technologies that help coastal cities adapt to sea-level rise, coastal erosion, and extreme weather while maintaining healthy ecosystems.
• Expand educational programs and public outreach initiatives that increase awareness of marine conservation and sustainable coastal development.

I’m passionate about tackling the climate crisis by combining technology, data, and scalable business models. My background spans product and portfolio development, global partnerships, and growth strategy — across Fortune 500 companies and high-growth start-ups.

As Founder & CEO of EcoMatcher, a Certified B Corporation, I set out to solve a fundamental challenge in global reforestation: the lack of trust and engagement. Too often, tree planting is invisible, unverifiable, or disconnected from the people it’s meant to inspire.

EcoMatcher changes that.

We enable companies to integrate real tree planting directly into their business — across multiple countries — supported by a proprietary technology stack that includes a digital platform, mobile apps, satellite mapping, blockchain verification, and even 3D tree tracking.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

1. Hong Kong to become Asia’s climate finance and technology hub.
2. EcoMatcher further expanding in Asia, notably Greater China and Japan.
3. On a personal level, buy less, consume less, re-use more.

As Senior Manager of Marketing and Sales at BOTEC, Amy leads commercial growth and global market adoption for certified home-compostable seaweed film solutions. Combining strategic commercial leadership with deep, hands-on expertise in industrial printing, converting, and packaging production, she specializes in bridging the gap between innovative bio-material science and real-world factory operations. Amy leads her commercial team in working directly with global brands, packaging converters, and factory partners to address machine compatibility, material trial requirements, and commercial scaling. By solving practical converting and production challenges on the factory floor, she enables businesses to seamlessly transition away from conventional plastics without compromising operational efficiency or print quality.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

1. Accelerate Local Print & Production Integration: Work directly with Hong Kong printing houses and packaging converters to trial, validate, and scale certified home-compostable seaweed films on existing commercial production lines.

2. Drive High-Volume Plastic Replacement: Help Hong Kong enterprise and consumer sectors — spanning institutional document mailers, food packaging, and personal care — transition to fully home-compostable packaging barriers.

3. Scale Practical Nature-Tech Adoption: Demonstrate the commercial and operational feasibility of seaweed-derived materials across global supply chains, proving that sustainable alternatives can seamlessly meet industrial manufacturing standards.

北京大學光華管理學院碩士，賓夕法尼亞大學沃頓商學院校友，具備深厚的金融與國際背景。
曾任海富通基金管理公司高管、高盛資產管理公司及美國國際集團金融管理人員，專注養老金投資管理近20年，主導發行中國首支信託型養老金產品（中石油西氣東輸項目）。

擅長市場開拓、資源整合與金融創新，秉持“長期主義”，長期投身公益，擔任多家基金會理事並積極參與志願活動。

Master’s degree from Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management; alumnus of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, with extensive experience in finance and international markets.

Former senior executive at HFT Investment Management, with prior roles at Goldman Sachs Asset Management and American International Group (AIG). Has nearly 20 years of experience in pension investment management and led the launch of China’s first trust-based pension product, associated with the PetroChina West–East Gas Pipeline Project.
Experienced in market development, resource integration, and financial innovation.

Committed to a long-term approach and actively engaged in philanthropy, serving as a board member of multiple foundations and participating in volunteer initiatives.