Speakers
Meet the experts at the BIOPOLYMER Congress
Ivana Burzic
International Project Manager | Wood K plus/Kompetenzzentrum Holz GmbH
About the speaker
Dipl.-Ing. Ivana Burzic has long experience researching thermoplastic-based materials/formulation development and their adoption for different polymer processing technologies. She owns a position at Wood K plus R&D Center as International Project Manager in the Bio-based Composites and Processes (BCP) Team. Ivana has a background in Organic Chemistry and Polymer Engineering from University Belgrade Serbia and is interested in sustainable and circular materials covering different application fields. Before she joined Wood K plus, she spent 3 years at Johannes Kepler University at Institute of Polymer Extrusion and Compounding closely working with students as Research Associate. At University time Ivana enjoyed teaching students on welding plastics. She is very passionate about teaching young people, particularly kids, how we can change the future by having good habits and responsible acting. Another passion is drafting technical concepts for EU proposal submissions and International cooperations with international teams.
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
11:30 am - 12:00 pm
Bettina Dempewolf
Head of Communications | Plastics Europe Deutschland
About the speaker
Since July 1, 2023, Bettina Dempewolf has been Head of Communications at Plastics Europe Germany. Previously, she headed the conference department and was responsible for the member network at SKZ – The Plastics Center. Before joining SKZ, from 2014 to 2019, Dempewolf managed the office of former Bavarian State Parliament member Georg Rosenthal. From 2010 to 2014, she was responsible for fundraising in the Presidential Staff of Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg. Prior to that, she worked for five years as the personal assistant to the President of Leibniz University Hannover.
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
09:45 - 10:15 am
Andreas Eder
Project Manager | ecoplus. Niederösterreichs Wirtschaftsagentur GmbH
About the speaker
Vita follows
Monday, June 15, 2026
Introduction of the partner country Austria
Dr. Rudi Eswein
Director of Sustainability | Plastrans Technologies GmbH
About the speaker
Vita follows
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
11:00 - 11:30 am
Thomas Gindele
CEO | German Chamber of Commerce Abroad
About the speaker
Thomas Gindele has been the Managing Director of the German Chamber of Commerce in Austria (DHK) since 2005, which represents the largest German-Austrian business network with around 1,400 companies in Austria. In 2010, Gindele also took on the role of Bavarian Representative in Austria.
Gindele studied public administration at the University of Konstanz. During and after his studies, he worked at Fraport AG in Frankfurt. Subsequently, in 1992, he joined the network of German foreign chambers of commerce, among other roles as Head of Market Research and Economics at the German-Korean Chamber of Commerce in Korea and as Deputy Managing Director of the Delegation Office of German Industry in Beijing, China. From 2000 until the end of 2004, he served as Managing Director of the German-Croatian Chamber of Industry and Commerce and as Delegate of the German Economy for Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Monday, June 15, 2026
Videomessage
Dr. Sakshi Gumber
Research Associate-I |BRIC-NABI, Mohali, India
About the speaker
Dr. Sakshi Gumber is a Research Associate-I in the Department of Food and Nutrition Biotechnology (NABI), Mohali, and is interested in contributing to sustainable packaging solutions using various biodegradable polymers (Cellulose and hemicellulose) and in enhancing the shelf-life of perishable commodities. As a researcher in polymer chemistry and sustainability, she contributed her expertise to synthesizing, characterizing, and developing biodegradable packaging materials that are safer for the environment while improving the shelf life of food products.
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
1:30 - 2:00 pm
Prof. Dr. Ramani Narayan
Michigan State University and member of the Supervisory Board of Northern Technologies International Corp.
About the speaker
Dr. Ramani Narayan is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science at Michigan State University, where he has mentored over 50 graduate students and authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications. With 32 issued patents and over 28,000 citations, his pioneering research has led to the commercialization of multiple biobased, biodegradable polymer technologies, including PLA and starch-based foams.
A global leader in sustainability standards, Dr. Narayan is the founding chair of ASTM International’s committee on Environmentally Degradable Plastics and Biobased Products, where he spearheaded the development of key standards such as D6400, D6868, and D6866. He also serves as a U.S. technical expert to ISO, contributing to international standards on environmental aspects of plastics and packaging.
His expertise has been recognized by the U.S. National Academies, where he contributed to the national report on ocean plastic waste. He is a sought-after authority on life cycle assessment and serves on critical review panels for environmental impact studies.
Dr. Narayan’s accolades include MSU’s highest faculty honor, the University Distinguished Professor title, multiple Governor’s Awards for commercialization and green chemistry, and international recognition as a Fulbright Distinguished Lectureship Chair. He is a Fellow of both the National Academy of Inventors and ASTM, and a recipient of numerous lifetime achievement awards for his contributions to degradable polymers and sustainable materials science.
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
2:00 - 2:30 pm
Mag. Dipl.-Ing. (fh) Simon Riepler
Managing Director | IFG Asota GmbH | IFG Group R&D Director
About the speaker
Simon Riepler has worked in the fiber industry since 2004. After completing his diploma thesis at LENZING AG (viscose fibers), he worked as Head of Development at ASATEC (mineral fibers), including an extended period in Kyiv, Ukraine. Since 2014, he has been involved in the development of thermoplastic fibers at IFG ASOTA and, since 2019, has been Group R&D Director at the parent company IFG (International Fibres Group), responsible for international matters. Key development areas include bio-based/biodegradable fibers and fibers made from recycled thermoplastic materials.
Since 2020 he has been the managing director under trade law and since 2021 also under commercial law of IFG Asota GmbH.
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
10:30 - 11:00 am
Prof. Dr. Michael Sander
Lecturer at the Department of Environmental Systems Sciences | ETH Zurich, Organic Environmental Chemistry
About the speaker
Vita follows
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
09:15 - 09:45 am
Dr. Gerd Unkelbach
Director Polymers and Molecular Bioproducts R&D | UPM Biochemicals GmbH
About the speaker
After training as a chemical laboratory technician, Gerd Unkelbach studied chemistry at the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences. Since 2005, he is working on the chemical utilisation of renewable raw materials into sustainable chemicals and materials, initially within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and since June 2022, he is responsible for the corporate research division ‘Polymers & Molecular Bioproducts’ at UPM. He is a member of the Saxon Academy of Sciences, Dechema and the board of BioEconomy e.V.
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
1:00 - 1:30 pm
Andreas Weinberger
Head of R&D | IFG Asota GmbH
About the speaker
Vita follows
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
10:30 - 11:00 am
Moderation
Peter Putsch
Vorstand | POLYKUM e. V.
About the speaker
Peter Putsch is an entrepreneur and polymer/compounding expert with extensive industrial experience. Since joining Putsch GmbH in 1981, he has played a key role in building and scaling the company’s compounding and development capabilities. His work is strongly market-driven, focusing on biopolymers that are easy to run, process-stable, and economically viable for converters and processors—designed for reliable performance in serial production. Together with his sons, he runs Exipnos GmbH, a development-focused company creating processor-friendly biopolymers and turning them into application-ready solutions. This includes the BioCelain® biopolymer series, engineered for industrial processability and robust end-use performance. He initiates development programs, drives IP and product strategies, and supports the full path from innovation to commercialization. Since 2016, he has served as chairman of POLYKUM e.V. and, since 2018, has been organizing the international BIOPOLYMER Congress.
Julia Witt
Freelance moderator & presenter
About the speaker
Julita Witt is a freelance moderator and presenter with many years of experience hosting cultural events, festivals, and conferences. Since 2011, she has moderated multilingual live formats (German, Polish, English), including filmPOLSKA, FilmFestival Cottbus, and the Biopolymer Congress. She previously worked as a presenter for JazzRadio in Berlin and JazzArabia in Abu Dhabi. Her work includes live presentations, panel discussions, interviews, and editorial preparation. Alongside her moderation career, she has been active for many years as a professional actress in theatre, film, and voice productions, contributing strong stage presence and linguistic precision. In addition, she works as a German Foreign Language instructor, bringing communicative clarity and intercultural competence to international audiences.
