Moderator

Monika is an entrepreneur, social activist, and researcher in the field of open innovation. Driven by her passion for sustainable fashion and extensive experience in innovation management, she is the driving force behind Repair Rebels – Germany’s pioneering online platform for fashion repair and alteration service. She holds a Ph.D.  from WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, where she specialized in Corporate Venturing and Open Innovation in the fashion industry. In 2018, Monika founded the WHU Entrepreneurship Center, where she served as Managing Director. She supported startups and entrepreneurial innovation initiatives while actively contributing to the development of the startup ecosystem in the North Rhine-Westphalia region. In 2018, Monika became a City Ambassador for the UK-based social enterprise Fashion Revolution in Düsseldorf and a year later founded change-room.org, a think tank dedicated to fostering sustainable and inclusive innovation in the fashion industry. With her unique blend of expertise in innovation management, circular economy, and hands-on experience revitalising Germany’s local craft sector, Monika is active as a consultant, lecturer, and speaker.

Speaker

Anna Cavazzini is a German Member of the European Parliament for the Greens/EFA Group, serving since 2019. She advocates for a sustainable EU Single Market and fair globalization — in short, for economic structures that are environmentally responsible and socially just, both within and beyond the European Union. Since November 2020, she has chaired the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, playing a key role in shaping EU legislation on product standards, consumer rights and market regulation. She is also a substitute member of the Committee on International Trade and Vice-Chair of the Parliament’s delegation for relations with Brazil. Before becoming an MEP, she herself worked in the European Parliament, for the Federal Foreign Office and the UNO and was an advisor to various NGOs.

Speaker

Andrea Homann is an entrepreneur and a leading voice for sustainable practices in the fashion industry.
As CEO of hessnatur—the pioneer of fair fashion in Europe—she is shaping the further development of a brand that consistently combines ecology, circular design, and social responsibility.
With more than 25 years of management experience in the international fashion and lifestyle industry, she brings deep expertise in brand management, product strategy, and multichannel management. Before joining hessnatur, she held executive positions within the TOM TAILOR GROUP, among others.
Since 2022, she has been driving forward the strategic shift towards circular business models and a clear D2C brand orientation at hessnatur. Her work is shaped by the conviction that fashion can contribute to social progress – through transparency, fair value creation and sustainable design.
Andrea Homann holds degrees in business administration (Germany) and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Hogeschool Utrecht (NL). She stands for modern, value-oriented leadership that combines economic strength with ecological and social standards.

Speaker

With over 30 years in the fashion industry, Ralph Hürlemann has evolved from a Swiss-trained tailor & pattern maker to a visionary executive driven by a passion for sustainability and innovation. His career spans leadership roles at some of Europe’s most respected fashion brands, culminating in his position as Managing Director and Board Member at Walbusch Group. There, he led strategic transformations and helped guide the company through the COVID-19 crisis with clarity and product-driven leadership. 

In 2023, Ralph founded Kings and Priests, a purpose-led casualwear brand focused on timeless, sustainable fashion and positive messaging. At Circular Rooms 2025, together with Rico Hänel he will present a live use case showing how Kings and Priests integrates the Global Textile Scheme (GTS) digital language into the innovative data hub of heartpiece to drive product transparency, sustainability, and circular design practices. 

Since July 2025, Ralph has taken on the role of Chief Operating Officer at GTS, where he contributes his deep supply chain and sourcing expertise to refine and advance the GTS standard. This evolving framework enables brands, suppliers, and manufacturers to seamlessly share detailed textile data—supporting compliance with emerging regulations like the EU Digital Product Passport, and building transparent, future-ready supply chains for a truly circular textile economy. 

Speaker

Thomas L. Rödding is the founder and CEO of Narravero, one of Europe’s leading providers of interactive Digital Product Passports. Under his leadership, the company has developed a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that transforms physical products into smart, interactive touchpoints while setting the highest standards in supply chain transparency, data management, and customer experience.

As a sought-after international keynote speaker in business and politics, Rödding inspires audiences with his in-depth expertise in digital transformation and the circular economy. He also serves as Co-Chair within the European CEN-CENELEC Joint Technical Committee (JTC) 24, co-leading over 300 experts from 24 countries in developing standards for the EU’s “Digital Product Passport Framework and System”. He contributes to Germany’s national standardization efforts through the national DIN/DKE in the same role.

Rödding focuses on thinking beyond compliance and redefining product value for businesses and consumers through smart, interactive experiences.

Speaker

Robert van de Kerkhof is the founder of PEPPER-i2, a Swiss-based impact advisory firm. Drawing upon over 25 years experience in the fiber industry, Robert is a recognised leader in sustainability, circularity, investments and decarbonization. Robert currently serves as interim CEO of ReHubs, President of the Austrian Fiber Institute, and Board Member at Global Fashion Agenda. With a B.Sc. in Aeronautical Engineering and an MBA in International Management, Robert brings a strong technical and strategic foundation to his work. He has held senior leadership roles at TenCate, DuPont, and INVISTA, with broad career experience spanning sales, marketing, R&D, quality, supply chain, and branding.