An international conference on the synergy between digitalization and sustainability to take place in Riga

On 4 November 2025, the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development (VARAM) is organizing a conference “Think Digital. Act Sustainable.” – an international conference exploring how digitalization and sustainability interact and drive our future. The event will bring together forward-thinking professionals, policymakers, and company representatives from across the Baltic Sea region to take part in inspiring discussions on current trends, share their experiences, and highlight the importance of sustainability issues and their connection to the development of the digitalization field.

The event is intended for representatives of SMEs and large companies, as well as entrepreneurs, sustainability and digital transformation experts, and public sector representatives who want to learn more about how digitalization and sustainability drive development.

The conference will be opened by Raimonds Čudars, Minister of Smart Administration and Regional Development, and Andris Melnūdris, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Information and Communication Technology Association. In addition, industry experts Iļze Grase-Ķibilde and Jānis Palkavnieks will share their perspectives on the interplay between digitalization, innovation, and sustainable development.

During the conference, participants will have the opportunity to learn from real stories about entrepreneurs who have integrated sustainability into their business strategies. Attendees will be introduced to practical tools and approaches that make sustainability achievable within companies. Participants will also gain insights into how public sector and association initiatives across the Baltic Sea region support businesses on this journey.

In addition, the newly developed ESG assessment tool – “ESG Tool” (esgtool.eu) – will be presented. It has been created within the framework of the “Sustainability Reporting Tool (SusTool)” project, part of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region programme. The tool enables entrepreneurs to assess their company’s impact on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) aspects.

The conference will take place in VEF Quarter (VEF kvartāls), Kultūrvieta Spīdola, Riga. Those interested will be able to join the conference remotely via the VARAM Facebook account or the Interreg project website.

Register here

The conference is organized as part of the SusTool (Sustainability Reporting Tool) project (2023–2025), co-financed by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021–2027, Priority 1: Innovative Societies, Objective 1.2: Responsive Public Services, and contributes to the EUSBSR PA Innovation Action.

The Agenda:

9.00 Registration 

10.00 Introduction of the program by moderator Valdis Melderis

10.10 Opening session

Raimonds Čudars, Minister for Smart Administration and Regional Development of Latvia

Andris Melnūdris, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Information and communications technology association

Sirli Heinsoo, representative of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications of Estonia

10.40 Keynote presentation

Ilze Grase-Ķibilde, Head of Global Business Development, Digitalization and Compliance After Sales, Audi AG

11.10 Coffee break 

11.30 Driving digital and sustainable transformation across the Baltic Sea region: Experiences and opportunities

Moderator: Valdis Melderis

Speakers:

Gatis Ozols, Deputy State Secretary on Digital Transformation Affairs, Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development of Latvia

Esa Kokkonen, Director, The Baltic Institute of Finland

Ingrida Lašinskienė, representative of the Green Finance Institute in Lithuania

Mateusz Dobkowski, Director of Development, Association For the Development of Cooperatives and Local Entrepreneurship WAMA-COOP, Poland

Sirli Heinsoo, Director of the Digital Economy Department, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications of Estonia

12.00 Navigating change: How regulation and green finance influence the financial sector and companies

Moderator: Valdis Melderis

Speakers:

Marta Luste, Sustainability area manager, Swedbank Latvija

Nora Pastore, Co-chair of Sustainable finance working group at Finance Latvia Association, Sustainability officer at Signet Bank

Viktors Toropovs, Co-chair of Sustainable finance working group at Finance Latvia Association, Sustainability officer at SEB

12.40 Lunch

13.40 Beyond compliance: How companies create value through sustainability

Moderator: Kristiina Kerge, Technology and Innovation, Development Manager, Zero Waste Estonia

Speakers:

Audronė Alijošiutė-Paulauskienė, Sustainability officer, AB „Kelių priežiūra”

Linards Larionovs, Quality manager, Electronic Communications Office of Latvia

Lisbet Frey, Head of HR & Accountability, DIMECC Oy

Māris Avotiņš, Country Manager of Alexela in Latvia, AS “AVH Grupp” 

14.30 ESG Tool project overview

14.50 Keynote presentation

Jānis Palkavnieks, Draugiem Group and Mentors Club

15.20 Wrap up with main conclusions for the Day

Reception & Networking

Programme Manual Online

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