Meet the team
Executive Director
Joss Garman is the Founder and Executive Director of Loom, and an independent adviser to a number of global philanthropies.
He has 20 years experience working at the intersection of campaigns, media, politics, and policy on energy, environment & foreign affairs, including through leadership roles in NGOs, think tanks, politics, and philanthropy. These have included Executive Director of the European Climate Foundation, and Associate Director of the Institute for Public Policy Research.
Joss is an alumni of both the United States International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) and Europe’s Young Leaders Programme (EYL).
His writing has appeared in The Times, The Observer, The Independent, The i, Politico, The Mirror and The Guardian.
Programmes & Operations Lead
Filipa Schmitz Guinote leads programmes and operations for Loom.
She joined from the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), where she spent a year as interim Head of Advocacy, deepening her knowledge of European foreign policy, and steering initiatives across European capitals.
From 2016 to 2024, Filipa worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as Policy Adviser and later as Head of Diplomatic Strategy, developing systems to enhance the speed and depth of the ICRC’s engagement with governments around the world on geopolitically-complex humanitarian crises.
Filipa has over fifteen years experience driving advocacy with international organisations and NGO networks on issues related to global security. She started her career with UNDP and the European Commission in Sudan, and went on to work in Afghanistan for a national NGO and GIZ. Between 2010 and 2016, Filipa managed partnerships with civil society organisations in Latin America, Africa and Asia for two international NGO coalitions based in New York and Geneva as part of a coordinated global campaign to stop the use of schools for military purposes.
Filipa holds a degree in political science from Sciences Po, Paris and a Master’s degree in Human Rights from the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratization. She speaks Portuguese, English, French, and some Spanish and German.
Director, Organised Crime & Bioeconomy
Mariana leads Loom’s work on organised crime and the bioeconomy.
Mariana previously worked at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), where she supported the launch of the organisation’s office for the Andean region. In this role, she drove research, programme development, stakeholder engagement, and long-term strategy building to strengthen responses to organised crime. Prior to that, Mariana served as Political Adviser in the British Embassy in Colombia, where she conducted political analysis, advanced human rights policy, and managed the Embassy’s Human Rights Fund. Mariana combines expertise in human rights, governance, and transnational organised crime to foster solutions that build resilience. She holds a BA in Political Science from Rosario University and an MA in Conflict, Security and Development from King’s College London.
Digital Communications Manager
His perspective on communication is shaped by two distinct realities: his background as an award-winning journalist reporting on human rights and state surveillance in Pakistan, and his recent work at a global broadcaster covering the defining geopolitical crises of the last decade. This combination provides him with a rare, ground-level understanding of the mechanics of polarisation and how to build credibility in hostile information environments.
Prior to joining Loom, Umer was a Senior Editor & Platform Lead at Deutsche Welle (DW News). There, he architected digital strategies to expand audience reach in key global markets, specialising in translating complex geopolitical developments into compelling narratives that break out of the mainstream bubble.
Umer holds a double Master’s degree in Journalism, Media, and Globalisation from Aarhus University and Swansea University, specialising in media dynamics in war and conflict.
Coordinator, Team Support & Events
Olivia is the Coordinator for Team Support & Events at Loom.
Her approach is shaped by two distinct disciplines: a creative foundation in the fine arts and a rigorous background in international business and strategy. This multidisciplinary background allows her to navigate complex professional landscapes with a rare blend of artistic intuition and analytical precision.
Prior to joining Loom, Olivia served as a Community Specialist at UEFA and a Junior Strategist & Project Manager at Måndag. At the latter, she oversaw collaborations with major global institutions, including the United Nations, The Global Climate Partnership Fund, and Finance for Peace. In these roles, she specialized in managing intricate stakeholder ecosystems and large-scale events, developing a deep mastery of workflow management and international diplomacy in fast-paced, multicultural environments.
Olivia holds two Master’s degrees from the University of the Arts Helsinki and the Hanken School of Economics. She speaks Finnish, English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.
Senior Fellow
Thomas leads Loom’s Battery Project, convening senior leaders across defence, energy, and automotive to strengthen Europe’s battery value chain resilience through actionable coalitions and commitments.
Prior to joining Loom, he co-founded OnePurpose Capital, a boutique advisory firm supporting lighthouse projects and first-of-a-kind deployments across clean energy, advanced materials, and industrial transformation in Europe. At OnePurpose, he brings together capital, expertise, and networks to build partnerships between founders, investors, corporates, and public stakeholders—turning strategy into execution.
Previously, Thomas led Partnerships & Future Projects at the BMW Foundation, where he spearheaded initiatives including the RESPOND Accelerator, the Energy Resilience Leadership Group, and the Impact Investing Ecosystem. Across these roles, he has worked with startups, investors, corporates, and government stakeholders to advance sustainable innovation, energy resilience, and impact investing.
Thomas believes in long-term, trust-driven relationships and the power of networks to solve complex challenges.
Senior Fellow
Hye-Rim brings together policy insight, strategic operations experience, and cross-sector stakeholder engagement to navigate complex policy environments.
Over the past four years, she served as Head of Business Operations at the Center for Free Enterprise (CFE), where she led projects involving corporate, government, international, and private-sector stakeholders.
She previously worked in the Spokesperson’s Office at the Blue House and later advised the Office of the Prime Minister. Through these roles, she developed a strong research focus on Korea’s climate, environmental, and energy policies, with a particular interest in how policy can address long-term economic and societal challenges.
Hye-Rim studied Political Science and Diplomacy at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree at Korea University’s Graduate School of Public Policy.
She combines academic rigor with practical experience to translate complex policy issues into actionable strategies and foster meaningful collaboration across institutions and sectors.
Senior Fellow
Sylvia is a Senior Fellow at Loom, focusing on dual-use technologies and the strategic capabilities Europe needs across energy, industry and security.
For more than 15 years, she has worked across DeepTech, venture capital and industrial innovation, helping move frontier technologies from early-stage development to investment, commercial adoption and deployment.
As Managing Partner for Cleantech & Energy International at UnternehmerTUM, Europe’s leading startup hub, Sylvia built cross-sector initiatives to strengthen energy resilience and industrial capabilities. She helped build and shape the Energy Resilience Leadership Group from its inception and was a Founding Partner of Energy Launchpad, linking science, industry and capital to scale European energy technologies.
Previously, Sylvia built and led the European hub of a Silicon Valley-based accelerator for enterprise and DeepTech founders. There, she invested in startups and helped them secure customers, follow-on funding and access to the US market. Earlier, she spent five years in global renewable-energy strategy at EnBW before moving into venture building and early-stage DeepTech investing at Future Energy Ventures.
Today, she holds governance and advisory roles across venture funds and investment platforms focused on energy, industrial DeepTech and strategic technologies.
Sylvia believes Europe’s resilience depends on aligning technology, capital, industry and policy to turn strategic technologies into industrial capabilities.
Director of Special Projects
Sepi Golzari-Munro is Loom’s Director of Special Projects.
She is a strategist and communicator with 20+ years experience working across energy sovereignty, industrial strategy, economic resilience and environmental policy, including projects spanning East Africa, South East Asia and Europe.
Before joining Loom, Sepi advised businesses on geopolitical trends, public policy and innovation. She also worked for government, think tanks and philanthropies.
She is a trusted commentator, broadcaster and editorial filmmaker having presented BBC programmes, featured in documentaries and televised debates, and produced bespoke audiovisual productions.