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Jacinda Ardern

Prime Minister, New Zealand

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was born in the city of Hamilton, New Zealand, and grew up rurally. She attended high school before graduating from the University of Waikato with a Bachelor of Communication Studies in Politics and Public Relations.

Post-university, she worked as an advisor in the office of then-Prime Minister Helen Clark, in London for the Government Cabinet Office and as an Assistant Director in the Department for Business and Enterprise, and on a review of Policing in England and Wales.

The Prime Minister joined the New Zealand Labour Party at age 18 and entered New Zealand’s Parliament in 2008. Over her twelve years as a representative she has been a strong advocate for children, women, and the right of every New Zealander to have meaningful work.

She became the MP for the Auckland electorate Mt Albert in early 2017, and the Leader of the Labour Party in August 2017. As well as Prime Minister, she holds the roles of Minister for National Security and Intelligence, and Minister for Child Poverty Reduction, an issue particularly close to her heart. She is also the Minister Responsible for Ministerial Services and Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage.

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

Director General, World Trade Organization

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a global finance expert, an economist and international development professional with over 30 years of experience working in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America. Dr Okonjo-Iweala was formerly Chair of the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Since its creation in 2000, Gavi has immunized 760 million children globally and saved thirteen million lives. She was previously on the Boards of Standard Chartered PLC and Twitter Inc. She was recently appointed as African Union (AU) Special Envoy to mobilise international financial support for the fight against COVID-19 and WHO Special Envoy for Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator. She is a skilled negotiator and has brokered numerous agreements which have produced win-win outcomes in negotiations. She is regarded as an effective consensus builder and an honest broker enjoying the trust and confidence of governments and other stakeholders.

Previously, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala twice served as Nigeria's Finance Minister (2003-2006 and 2011-2015) and briefly acted as Foreign Minister in 2006, the first woman to hold both positions. She distinguished herself by carrying out major reforms which improved the effectiveness of these two Ministries and the functioning of the government machinery. She had a 25-year career at the World Bank as a development economist, rising to the No. 2 position of Managing Director, Operations. As a development economist and Finance Minister, Dr Okonjo-Iweala steered her country through various reforms ranging from macroeconomic to trade, financial and real sector issues.

She is a firm believer in the power of trade to lift developing countries out of poverty and assist them to achieve robust economic growth and sustainable development. As Finance Minister, she was involved in trade negotiations with other West African countries and contributed to the overhaul of Nigeria's trade policy enabling it to enhance its competitiveness. She has closely followed developments at the WTO, as she believes that a strengthened multilateral trading system is in the interests of all countries, particularly least developed and African countries.

She is renowned as the first female and African candidate to contest for the presidency of the World Bank Group in 2012, backed by Africa and major developing countries in the first truly contestable race for the world's highest development finance post. As Managing Director of the World Bank, she had oversight responsibility for the World Bank's $81 billion operational portfolio in Africa, South Asia, Europe and Central Asia. Dr Okonjo-Iweala spearheaded several World Bank initiatives to assist low-income countries during the 2008-2009 food crisis and later during the financial crisis. In 2010, she was Chair of the World Bank's successful drive to raise $49.3 billion in grants and low interest credit for the poorest countries in the world.

As Minister of Finance in Nigeria, she spearheaded negotiations with the Paris Club of Creditors that led to the wiping out of $30 billion of Nigeria's debt, including the outright cancellation of $18 billion. In her second term as Finance Minister, Dr Okonjo-Iweala was responsible for leading reform that enhanced transparency of government accounts and strengthened institutions against corruption, including the implementation of the GIFMS (Government Integrated Financial Management System), the IPPMS (Integrated Personnel and Payroll Management System), and the TSA (Treasury Single Accounts).

Dr Okonjo-Iweala has been listed as Minister of the Decade, People's Choice Award by Nigeria's This Day newspaper (2020), one of Transparency International's 8 Female Anti-Corruption Fighters Who Inspire (2019), one of the 50 Greatest World Leaders (Fortune, 2015), the Top 100 Most Influential People in the World (TIME, 2014), the Top 100 Global Thinkers (Foreign Policy, 2011 and 2012), the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the World (Forbes, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014), the Top 3 Most Powerful Women in Africa (Forbes, 2012), the Top 10 Most Influential Women in Africa (Forbes, 2011), the Top 100 Women in the World (The UK Guardian, 2011), the Top 150 Women in the World (Newsweek, 2011), and the Top 100 most inspiring people in the World Delivering for Girls and Women (Women Deliver, 2011). She has also been listed among 73 “brilliant” business influencers in the world by Condé Nast International.

In 2020, she became an Angelopoulos Global Public Leader at Harvard University Kennedy School. She was also appointed to the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) for President of South Africa His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa. In 2019, Dr Okonjo-Iweala was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2017, she received the Madeleine K. Albright Global Development Award from the Aspen Institute, the Women's Economic Empowerment Award from WEConnect International, and the Vanguard Award from Howard University. In 2016, she received the Power with Purpose Award from the Devex Development Communications Network and the Global Fairness Award from the Global Fairness Initiative in recognition of her contribution to sustainable development. She was also conferred High National Honours from the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire and the Republic of Liberia. She is also the recipient of Nigeria's third highest National Honors Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR). In addition, Dr Okonjo-Iweala has been awarded the David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award (2014), the President of the Italian Republic Gold Medal by the Pia Manzu Centre (2011), the Global Leadership Award by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (2011) the Global Leadership Award by the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (2010), and the Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award (2010). She is also the recipient of the TIME Magazine's European Heroes Award in 2004, named Finance Minister of the Year (Africa Investor Magazine, 2014), Finance Minister of the Year for Africa and the Middle East (THE BANKER, 2004), Global Finance Minister of the Year (EUROMONEY, 2005), Finance Minister of the Year for Africa and the Middle East (Emerging Markets Magazine, 2005), and Minister of the Year (THISDAY, Newspaper 2004 and 2005).

Dr Okonjo-Iweala is currently also Chair of the Board of the African Union's African Risk Capacity (ARC), an innovative weather-based insurance mechanism for African countries; and co-Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate with Lord Nicholas Stern and Mr Paul Polman. She is also Chair of the Board of the Nelson Mandela Institution, an umbrella body for the African Institutes of Science and Technology, and Chair of the Board of the African University of Science and Technology, Abuja. Dr Okonjo-Iweala is a trustee of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She presently serves on the following advisory boards or groups — the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Harvard University International Advisory Board, the Oxford University Martin School Advisory Council, Mercy Corps International Advisory Board, Women's World Banking Africa Advisory Board, the International Commission on Financing Global Education (Chaired by Gordon Brown), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Advisory Board, Tsinghua University Beijing — School of Public Policy and Management Global Advisory Board, the CARICOM (Caribbean) Commission on the Economy, the Bloomberg Task Force on Fiscal Policy for Health, and Tax Inspectors Without Borders of the OECD among others. She is a member of the B Team of Business and Civic Leaders cofounded by Sir Richard Branson, a board member of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Foundation, and also co-chair and board member of Lumos, an Africa focused renewable energy company.

Previously, she was also a Senior Adviser at Lazard (2015-2019) and she served as the co-Chair of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation with UK Secretary Justine Greening, and Chair of the World Bank's Development Committee (2004). She was also a member of the International Monetary and Finance Committee of the IMF (2003-2006 and 2011-2015), the United Nations' Secretary General's High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the Danish Government-led Commission on Africa, the World Economic Forum Global Leadership Council on Transparency and Corruption, and the Commission on World Growth (led by Nobel Prize winner Professor Michael Spence). She served for a decade on the Rockefeller Foundation Board and the World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders. Dr Okonjo-Iweala has also served on the advisory board of the ONE Campaign, the Clinton Global Initiative, the Global Development Network, and the University of Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala is the founder of Nigeria's first ever indigenous opinion-research organization, NOI-Polls. She also founded the Center for the Study of Economies of Africa (C-SEA), a development research think tank based in Abuja, Nigeria. She is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Center for Global Development, and also at the Brookings Institution, premier Washington D.C. think tanks.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala graduated magna cum laude with an A.B. in Economics from Harvard University (1976) and earned a Ph.D. in Regional Economics and Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, 1981). She has received honorary degrees from 15 universities worldwide, including from: Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, Trinity College (University of Dublin), Amherst College, Colby College, Tel Aviv University, and Northern Caribbean University, Jamaica. She also has honorary doctorate degrees from a host of Nigerian universities including Abia State University, Delta State University, Oduduwa University, Babcock University, and the Universities of Port Harcourt, Calabar, and Ife (Obafemi Awolowo). She is the author of numerous articles and several books, including Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons co-authored with Julia Gillard (Penguin Random House, July 2020), Finding A Vaccine is Only the First Step (Foreign Affairs, April 2020), Fighting Corruption is Dangerous: The Story Behind the Headlines (MIT Press, 2018), Reforming the UnReformable: Lessons from Nigeria, (MIT Press, 2012), Mobilizing Finance for Education in the Commonwealth (Commonwealth Education Report 2019), Shine a Light on the Gaps — an essay on financial inclusion for African Small Holder Farmers (Foreign Affairs, 2015), Funding the SDGs: Licit and Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries (Horizons Magazine, 2016), and The Debt Trap in Nigeria: Towards a Sustainable Debt Strategy (Africa World Press, 2003). She also co-authored with Tijan Sallah the book Chinua Achebe: Teacher of Light (Africa World Press, 2003).

Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is married to neurosurgeon Dr. Ikemba Iweala. They have four children and three grandchildren.

Jens Stoltenberg

Secretary General, NATO

Jens Stoltenberg became NATO Secretary General in October 2014, following a distinguished international and domestic career. As a former Prime Minister of Norway and UN Special Envoy, Mr. Stoltenberg has been a strong supporter of greater global and transatlantic cooperation. Mr. Stoltenberg’s mandate as NATO Secretary General has been extended until the end of September 2022.

Under Mr. Stoltenberg’s leadership, NATO has responded to a more challenging security environment by implementing the biggest reinforcement of its collective defence since the Cold War, increasing the readiness of its forces and deploying combat troops in the eastern part of the Alliance. He believes in credible deterrence and defence while maintaining dialogue with Russia. He has also advocated for increased defence spending and better burden sharing within the Alliance, and a greater focus on innovation. NATO has also stepped up its efforts in the fight against terrorism. He strongly supports a partnership approach, with cooperation between NATO and the European Union reaching unprecedented levels.

Before coming to NATO, he was the UN Special Envoy on Climate Change from 2013 to 2014. He has also chaired UN High-level Panels on climate financing and the coherence between development, humanitarian assistance and environmental policies.

As Prime Minister of Norway, Mr. Stoltenberg increased the defence spending and transformed the Norwegian armed forces with new high-end capabilities and investments. He also signed an agreement with Russia on establishing maritime borders in the Barents and Polar Sea, ending a 30-years dispute.

Mr. Stoltenberg was also Prime Minister during the deadly terrorist attacks, which killed 77 people in Oslo and Utøya on 22 July 2011, urging in response, “more democracy, more openness, and more humanity, but never naïvete”.

Mr Stoltenberg holds a postgraduate degree in Economics from the University of Oslo. After graduating in 1987, he held a research post at the National Statistical Institute of Norway, before embarking on a career in Norwegian politics.

2005-2013: Prime Minister of Norway
2002-2014: Leader of the Norwegian Labor Party
2000-2001: Prime Minister of Norway
1996-1997: Minister of Finance
1993-1996: Minister of Industry and Energy
1991-2014: Member of Parliament
1990-1991: State Secretary at the Ministry of the Environment
1985-1989: Leader of the Norwegian Labour Youth
Jens Stoltenberg was born in Oslo on 16 March 1959. He is married to Ingrid Schulerud. They have two grown-up children.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis

Prime Minister, Greece

Prime Minister of Greece

Kyriakos Mitsotakis has been Prime Minister of Greece since July 2019, when a landslide general election victory swept his Nea Demokratia party to power. He is the leader of Greece's first majority government in more than a decade.

Campaigning on an unapologetically pro-business/anti-corruption platform, and an end to populism and the rhetoric of empty promises, as Prime Minister he has focused relentlessly on green and digital job creation, strong economic growth, sustainable tourism, and tax reform.

To date, he has prioritised foreign direct investment, enhanced Greece's credibility among the ratings agencies, provided a strong and respected voice at the centre of the European Union. He has also championed the role of experts and technocrats in his Cabinet, in senior positions in government and at the forefront of Greece's widely praised response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Political career

Kyriakos was Greece's Minister for Administrative reform and e-government between 2013 and 2015. He became President of Nea Demokratia in 2016, after winning an open election in which he was widely considered the outsider. 

He immediately set about radically reinventing the party in opposition; modernising and renewing its appeal; boosting membership; and revolutionising fund-raising, based on small annual donations by members. He also put in place a code of transparency and accountability in how the party operated.

A member of the Greek Parliament since 2004, Kyriakos previously sat on a number of prominent parliamentary Committees, including the Committee for Constitutional Amendment, the Committee for Trade, and the Committee for National Defence. He was also an active member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. As Chairman of the Environment Committee and shadow minister for the environment he fought to highlight the issue of climate change and advocated for environmentally sustainable growth.

Early career and education

Before entering politics, Kyriakos worked for a decade in the private sector as a financial analyst with Chase Investment Bank, a consultant with McKinsey and Company and as CEO of NBG Venture Capital at the National Bank of Greece. He has a bachelor ’s degree in Social Studies summa cum laude from Harvard, an MA in International Relations from Stanford, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Family

Kyriakos is married to Mareva Grabowski, an investment banker. They have three children, Sofia, Konstantinos and Dafni, and live in Athens. In addition to Greek, the Prime Minister speaks English, French and German.

H.E. David W. Panuelo

President, Government of the Federated States of Micronesia

His Excellency David W. Panuelo is the Ninth President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).

Born April 13, 1964, Panuelo completed his early education on his home island of Pohnpei, and continued his education in the United States of America where he received his Bachelor’s in Political Science from Eastern Oregon University in 1987. Panuelo returned to his beloved home and, aspiring to serve the Nation and its citizens, started his career with the FSM National Government in the Department of Foreign Affairs as a Foreign Service Officer. A year later, he was confirmed as the Deputy Ambassador for the FSM Embassy to Fiji where he served until 1993 where, upon his return to Palikir, he was re-appointed to serve his Nation in the same role at the FSM Mission to the United Nations from 1993 through 1996.

After nearly a decade serving the FSM abroad, Panuelo returned home and, having been recognized as deep, strategic, and passionate thinker, was immediately offered a Cabinet position in the Pohnpei State Government, which he accepted so as to address more focused and pragmatic issues at the state level. In 1997, Panuelo was named the Director of the Department of Resource Management and Development for the State of Pohnpei and, for the next four years, devoted his energy and cross-cultural experiences to enhance the development of resources in Pohnpei, correlating with Pohnpei’s increased GDP per capita. At the end of the Administration in 2000/2001, he returned to the FSM Department of Foreign Affairs and served as the Assistant Secretary for the Division of American and European Affairs.

In 2003, Panuelo—recalling the Government’s desire to grow the private sector and create jobs for the citizens of the Nation—resigned from government work to re-direct his energy and efforts to the development of the private sector. For the next seven years, Panuelo established various businesses ranging from construction to human services, including the non-profit Care Micronesia Foundation.

Having demonstrated to himself that the FSM is capable of sustaining a healthy private sector, Panuelo entered his name in the national elections of 2011 with the goal of developing the Nation’s economy and human capacity.

On May 11th, 2011, Panuelo was seated as Pohnpei State’s two-year Senator from Congressional District Three to the 17th Congress, and was re-elected unopposed in 2013 and 2015. During the special election of 2015, Panuelo entered the race for, and was seated, as the State of Pohnpei’s four-year at-large representative to the 19th Congress, which he maintained into the 20th Congress.

Panuelo campaigned for the March 5th, 2019 election for the State of Pohnpei’s at-large seat for the 21st Congress, highlighting his various service-centered and people-centered accomplishments—including growing the FSM Trust Fund from $11,000,000 to more than $250,000,000—and on May 11th, 2019, Panuelo was elected by the 21st Congress of the FSM to serve as the Nation’s ninth President.

Panuelo is the loving father of five beautiful children and seven equally beautiful grandchildren.

Kristalina Georgieva

Managing Director, International Monetary Fund

Kristalina Georgieva currently serves as Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, a position she was selected for on September 25, 2019 and has served as since October 1, 2019.

Before joining the Fund, Ms. Georgieva was Chief Executive Officer of the World Bank from January 2017 to September 2019, during which time she also served as Interim President of the World Bank Group for three months.

Previously, Ms. Georgieva helped shape the agenda of the European Union while serving as European Commission Vice President for Budget and Human Resources. In this capacity she oversaw the EU’s €161 billion (US $175bn) budget and 33,000 staff, as well as the EU’s response to the Euro Area debt crisis and the 2015 refugee crisis. Before that, she was Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, managing one of the world’s largest humanitarian aid budgets.

Ms. Georgieva began her career in public service at the World Bank as an environmental economist in 1993. After serving for 17 years, and in many senior positions, including Director for Sustainable Development, Director for the Russian Federation, Director for Environment, and Director for Environment and Social Development for the East Asia and Pacific Region, her career culminated in her appointment as Vice President and Corporate Secretary in 2008. In this role, she served as the interlocutor between the World Bank Group’s senior management, its Board of Directors, and its shareholder countries.

Ms. Georgieva serves on many international panels including as co-Chair of the Global Commission on Adaptation, and as co-chair of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing. She has authored and co-authored over 100 publications on environmental and economic policy, including textbooks on macro- and microeconomics.

Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1953, Ms. Georgieva holds a Ph.D in Economic Science and a M.A. in Political Economy and Sociology from the University of National and World Economy, Sofia, where she was an Associate Professor between 1977 and 1993. During her academic career, she was visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In 2010, she was named “European of the Year” and “Commissioner of the Year” by European Voice in recognition for her leadership in the EU’s response to humanitarian crises. In October 2020, she received the Atlantic Council’s Distinguished International Leadership Award in acknowledgement of exceptional and distinctive contributions during her career of public service.

Antony J. Blinken

Secretary of State, United States

Antony J. Blinken is the 71st U.S. Secretary of State.

He was nominated by President Biden on November 23, 2020; confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 26, 2021; and sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris the following day.

Over three decades and three presidential administrations, Mr. Blinken has helped shape U.S. foreign policy to ensure it protects U.S. interests and delivers results for the American people. He served as deputy secretary of state for President Barack Obama from 2015 to 2017, and before that, as President Obama’s principal deputy national security advisor. In that role, Mr. Blinken chaired the interagency deputies committee, the main forum for hammering out the administration’s foreign policy.

During the first term of the Obama Administration, Mr. Blinken was national security advisor to then-Vice President Joe Biden. This was the continuation of a long professional relationship that stretched back to 2002, when Mr. Blinken began his six-year stint as Democratic staff director for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Then-Senator Biden was the chair of that committee from 2001 to 2003 and 2007 to 2009.

During the Clinton Administration, Mr. Blinken served as a member of the National Security Council staff, including two years as the senior director for European affairs, the president’s principal advisor on the countries of Europe, the European Union, and NATO. He also spent four years as President Clinton’s chief foreign policy speechwriter, and he led the NSC’s strategic planning team.

Mr. Blinken’s public service began at the State Department. From 1993 to 1994, he was a special assistant in what was then called the Bureau of European and Canadian Affairs. Now he is proud to lead the department where he got his start in government nearly 30 years ago.

Outside of government, Mr. Blinken has worked in the private sector, civil society, and journalism. He was a founder of WestExec Advisors, an international strategic consulting firm focused on geopolitics and national security. He was a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies from 2001 and 2002. Before joining government, Mr. Blinken practiced law in New York and Paris. He was also a reporter for The New Republic magazine and is the author of Ally Versus Ally: America, Europe and the Siberian Pipeline Crisis (Praeger, 1987).

Mr. Blinken attended grade school and high school in Paris, where he received a French Baccalaureat degree with high honors. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School. He and his wife Evan Ryan have two children.

Christine Lagarde

President, European Central Bank

Since November 2019, Christine Lagarde has been the President of the European Central Bank. Between 2011 and 2019, she served as the eleventh Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Prior to that she served as French Economic Finance Minister from 2007 to 2011 after having been Trade Secretary from 2005 to 2007. A lawyer by background, she practiced for 20 years with the international law firm Baker McKenzie, of which she became global chairman in 1999. In all such positions, she was the first woman to serve.

Janet L. Yellen

Secretary of the Treasury, United States

On January 26, 2021, Janet Yellen was sworn in as the 78th Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. An economist by training, she took office after almost fifty years in academia and public service. She is the first person in American history to have led the White House Council of Economic Advisors, the Federal Reserve, and the Treasury Department.

Janet Louise Yellen was born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn in 1946. Her mother, Anna Ruth, was an elementary school teacher while her father, Julius, worked as a family physician, treating patients out of the ground floor of the family’s brownstone.

In 1967, Secretary Yellen graduated from Brown University and went on to earn her PhD at Yale. She was an assistant professor at Harvard until 1976 when she began working at the Federal Reserve Board. There, in the Fed’s cafeteria, she met fellow economist, George Akerlof. Janet and George would marry later that year. They would go on to have a son, Robert, now also an economics professor.

In 1980, Secretary Yellen joined the faculty of the University of California at Berkeley, where she became the Eugene E. and Catherine M. Trefethen Professor of Business and Professor of Economics. She is Professor Emeritus at the university.

Secretary Yellen’s scholarship has focused on a range of issues pertaining to labor and macroeconomics. Her work on “efficiency wages” with her husband George Akerlof studied why firms often choose to pay more than the minimum needed to hire employees. These businesses, they found, are often making a wise decision. Firms that offer better pay and working conditions tend to be rewarded with higher morale, reduced turnover and greater productivity.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed then-Dr. Yellen to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Three years later, he named her Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

In 2004, Secretary Yellen began her third tenure at the Federal Reserve, this time as President of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. From that post, she spotted a worrying economic trend – a bubble in home values. When the housing bubble popped in 2008, Secretary Yellen helped manage the resulting financial crisis and recession. In 2010, President Barack Obama, appointed her Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve, before nominating her to succeed Fed Chair Benjamin Bernanke as the nation’s top central banker. Secretary Yellen would serve as Chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 until 2018.

On December 1, 2020, then-President-elect Biden nominated Dr. Janet Yellen to the post of Treasury Secretary. “She has spent her career focused on unemployment and the dignity of work,” he said, “She understands what it means to people and their communities when they have good, decent jobs.”

Prior to serving at the Treasury Department, Secretary Yellen was a Distinguished Fellow in Residence with the Economic Studies Program at the Brookings Institution. During 2020-2021 she served as President of the American Economic Association. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Council on Foreign Relations. She was also a founding member of the Climate Leadership Council.

Secretary Yellen has served on the advisory boards of the Bloomberg New Economic Forum, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and Fix the Debt Coalition (CRFB), and the Washington Center for Equitable Growth Steering Committee. She was elected to the Yale Corporation as an alumni fellow in 2000, serving until 2006.

Dr. Yellen has received honorary doctorates from Bard College, Brown, the London School of Economics, NYU, the University of Baltimore, the University of Michigan, the University of Warwick and Yale from which she also received the Wilbur Cross Medal for distinguished achievements in scholarship, teaching, academic administration, and public service.

Valdis Dombrovskis

Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade, European Commission

• Chair the Commissioners’ Group on an Economy that Works for People
• Trade Commissioner and overall lead on building a future-ready economy,
• Support the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the European Semester
• Oversee the launch and the implementation of the InvestEU program
• Lead work on deepening the Economic and Monetary Union and strengthening the international role of the euro
• Coordinate the work on the European Pillar of Social Rights and strengthening the role of social dialogue at European level. [Help prepare the Tripartite Social Summit]
• Represent the Commission in the ‘Economic and Financial Affairs’ Council meetings, the Eurogroup, the economic dialogue with the European Parliament, the Macroeconomic Dialogue and the Governing Council of the European Central Bank
• Enhance the democratic accountability of European economic governance and EU trade policy by actively engaging with the European Parliament
• Lead the EU work on the reform of the World Trade Organization and provide further impetus to WTO negotiations on e-commerce
• Lead the work to strengthen Europe’s global leadership on trade and promoting sustainable trading partnerships with the United States, China, Africa and neighborhood and conclude ongoing negotiations. Where appropriate, open new bilateral or multilateral partnerships
• Oversee the implementation of climate, environmental and labour protections enshrined in our trade agreements and ensure that new trade agreements contain a chapter on sustainable development
• Lead the work on protecting Europe from unfair trade practices by seeking a level playing field in procurement and implementing the new system for screening Foreign Direct Investment
• Contribute to the design and introduction of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
• Co-ordinate the work on the Sustainable Europe Investment Plan, which should unlock sustainable investment
• Manage relations with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB)
• Co-lead the Commission's work on the implementation of Europe’s Industrial and SME strategies, together with the Executive Vice-President for Europe in a Digital Age

Ong Ye Kung

Minister for Health, Singapore

Ong Ye Kung is the Minister for Health.

He had held the positions of Minister for Transport, Minister for Education, Second Minister for Defence and board member of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He is also the Chairman of the Chinese Development Assistance Council.

Prior to joining politics, he held various positions in Government, including Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Workforce Development Agency, and Deputy Chief Negotiator for the US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. He served several years in the Labour Movement, as the Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress, and spent some time in the private sector, as the Director of Group Strategy at Keppel Corporation.

Mr Ong graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science (UK) and the Institute of Management Development, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Perry Warjiyo

Governor, Bank Indonesia

Bio coming soon.

Riad Toufic Salamé

Governor, Banque du Liban

Born on July 17, 1950 in Lebanon, son of Toufic SALAMÉ and Renée ROMANOS, Riad Salamé attended the Jesuits’ College of Notre -Dame de Jamhour and then graduated with a BA in Economics from the American University of Beirut.

Career

Riad Salamé is the Governor of Banque du Liban, Lebanon's Central Bank, since August 1, 1993. He was reappointed for four consecutive terms in 1999, 2005, 2011 and 2017.

Governor Salamé manages all aspects of the Central Bank and is assisted in his functions by four vice-governors and the Central Council.

In this capacity, he chairs the following bodies: the BDL Central Council, the Higher Banking Commission, the AML/CFT Special Investigation Commission and the Capital Markets Authority.

Mr. Salamé is member of the Board of Governors at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF).

In 2012, Governor Salamé chaired the IMF and World Bank Boards of Governors held in Tokyo.

Starting July 1, 2013, Mr. Salame co-chaired the FSB Regional Consultative Group for the Middle East and North Africa for a term of two years. He was also the chairman of the AMF Board of Governors for 2013.

Between 1973 and 1985, he acquired an extensive experience at Merrill Lynch (Beirut and Paris) that led to his designation from 1985 through 1993 as Vice-President and Financial Advisor, a position that he occupied till his appointment as BDL Governor.

The main objective of Mr. Salamé’s monetary policy has always been to safeguard the Lebanese currency, in order to ensure the basis for sustained economic and social growth.

Awards

Governor Salamé received numerous awards including - Best Arab Central Bank Governor for the year 2019- Award from the World Union of Arab Bankers in April 2019; the Global Finance Magazine Award as One of the Best Central Bank Governors of the world in 2018; including the Global Finance Magazine Award as One of the Best Central Bank Governors of the world for the second consecutive year in 2018; the Global Finance Magazine Award as One of the Best Central Bank Governors of the world in 2016; the Gold-plated shield Award to mark the BDL’s 50th anniversary as well as his 20 years with the Bank in April 2014 from the Union of Arab Banks; the Shield Award of the Rotary annual congress in Lebanon and “Paul Harris” medal in honor of his achievements in April 2014; the Euromoney Award for Emerging Markets as the Best Central Bank Governor in the Middle East for 2013; the Banker Magazine Award as the Best Central Bank Governor in the Middle East for the year 2012;
Governor Salamé was also awarded the Global Finance magazine Award as One of the World’s Top 6 Central Bankers in 2011; the Officer of the Legion of Honor bestowed on him by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in December 2009; the Banker Magazine Award as the Best Central Bank Governor in the Middle East for the year 2009; the 2006 Euromoney Award as the Best Central Bank Governor in the world; the 2005 Euromoney Award for Emerging Markets as the Best Central Bank Governor in the Middle East; the 2003 Euromoney Award's Man of the Year as the Best Central Bank Governor; the 1997 Knight of the Legion of Honor bestowed on him by French President Jacques Chirac; and the 1996 Euromoney Award as the Best Central Bank Governor in the Arab World.

Fuxian Yi

Senior Scientist, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Fuxian Yi, senior scientist in the department of OB/GYN at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the leading advocate for abolishing one-child policy in China.  Since 2000, Dr. Yi has initiated a campaign against China’s one-child policy. At first public opinion was near-unanimously against him. Together his articles, books, and speeches have sparked a growing trend of anti-population control thought in China.

Dr. Yi’s book, “Big Country with an Empty Nest”, published in Hong Kong in 2017, was banned on the Chinese mainland. In 2013, a new edition of his book was released by a publisher under the Chinese State Council, and was picked as one of “the 10 Best Books of March 2013” by Xinhua News and as #1 of “the 100 Best Books of 2013 in China” by China Publishing Today.

Dr. Yi has given more than 100 speeches and distributed brochures to almost every member of the national parliament and provincial and ministerial officials in China. He has been interviewed by hundreds of media outlets including Reuters, AP, AFP, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and BBC. He has also published dozens of papers in academic journals and think-tanks, and one of which was selected in 2020 as one of 116 papers that have the greatest impact on China’s policy-making in 1979-2018. In 2016, he was invited as one of the distinguished panelists (including China’s Premier) to speak at the Boao Forum for Asia. In 2021, he was invited by the Canadian government to speak at the China Roundtable.

Dr. Yi has applied the knowledge and philosophy of medicine (especially reproductive medicine) to demographic research, and his estimates and projections of the China’s population have repeatedly proved to be more accurate than the official ones. He concluded that China's real population in 2020 was not the official figure of 1.41 billion, but only 1.28 billion, and was already declining. He has also applied his expertise in medicine and demography to assess and forecast China’s economy. He predicted that 2012 would be a turning point for the Chinese economy, that China’s economic center would shift to the south and west, that the one-child policy might trigger a Sino-US trade war, and that China's economy is unlikely to surpass that of the US.

Because Dr.Yi questioned China's official demographic and economic data, he was blocked from publishing his third and fourth books in 2015, his blogs and social media accounts hosted by companies in China were shut down in 2016, and most of his online articles in China in the past 20 years were deleted in 2019.

Dr Anthony Fauci

Director, NIAID

Dr Anthony Fauci is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, where he oversees an extensive research portfolio focused on infectious and immune-mediated diseases. He serves as one of the key advisors to the White House and Department of Health and Human Services on global HIV/AIDS issues, and on initiatives to bolster medical and public health preparedness against emerging infectious disease threats. He is the winner of numerous prestigious awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Science and the Lasker Award for Public Service.

Lenora Chu

Special Correspondent [Europe and Chinese Affairs], The Christian Science Monitor & Author, HarperCollins

Lenora Chu is a journalist and author of the award-winning Little Soldiers, a narrative account of China’s education system (HarperCollins, 2017). She is also a correspondent for the nonprofit news organization Christian Science Monitor, where she covers Europe and Chinese engagement abroad. With 15 years’ experience in the United States and China, her work illuminates the intersection of culture, education, and global competitiveness — a passion borne in part of growing up with Chinese parents in America. Ms. Chu has appeared on NPR, CBS, BBC, and the CBC, and her articles and op-eds have been published in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, among others, and in 2019 she was named a public intellectuals fellow of the National Committee on U.S.-China relations. She holds degrees in engineering and journalism from Stanford and Columbia universities.

Gabriela Bucher

Executive Director, Oxfam International

Gabriela Bucher is Executive Director of Oxfam International, a global network which fights inequality to end poverty and injustice. Ms. Bucher is an experienced social justice leader and deeply committed to gender equality and human rights, and to tackling economic inequality.

Ms. Bucher, who grew up in Cali, Colombia, is a champion for feminist leadership and believes in the power of collaboration. She worked alongside children and communities affected by Colombia’s decades-long armed conflict and contributed to peace-building, youth active citizenship and influencing the country’s approach on restorative justice for children. Prior to Oxfam, Ms. Bucher was the Chief Operating Officer at Plan International, and led Fundación Plan Colombia.

Alexandra Readhead

Lead, Tax and Extractive Industries, Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development

Alexandra Readhead is the IGF’s Lead, Tax and Extractives and leads the Secretariat’s project to address tax base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) in mining. Her work involves designing mining sector-specific solutions to some of the most difficult taxation challenges for resource-rich developing countries.

Alexandra prepares policy and administrative guidance, provides technical assistance and training, and manages partnerships with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the African Tax Administration Forum, and Inter-American Center of Tax Administrations. She also represents the IGF on the UN Subcommittee for Extractive Industries Taxation.

Alexandra trained as a lawyer in Australia and specializes in international taxation. She has advised numerous tax authorities in Africa and Latin America on strengthening legal frameworks against abusive transfer pricing in the mining sector. She was named in the International Tax Review’s global tax top 50 for 2017.

Alexandra is based in the United Kingdom.

Raphael Bostic

President and Chief Executive Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Dr. Raphael Bostic is the 15th president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He is responsible for all the Bank's activities, including monetary policy, bank supervision and regulation, and payment services. He is currently a voting member on the Federal Open Market Committee, the monetary policymaking body of the Federal Reserve System.

Before joining the Atlanta Fed, Bostic was the Judith and John Bedrosian Chair in Governance and the Public Enterprise at the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California (USC). He has also served as assistant secretary for policy development and research at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and spent several years as an economist at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

Bostic earned a PhD in economics from Stanford University and his undergraduate degree from Harvard.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta serves the Sixth Federal Reserve District, which covers Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, and parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The Bank has branches in Birmingham, Jacksonville, Miami, Nashville, and New Orleans.

Jena Griswold

Secretary of State, Colorado, United States

Jena Griswold is Colorado’s 39th Secretary of State, and is the youngest elected Secretary of State in the United States. She knows first-hand how important it is for every vote to count and every voice to be heard, no matter their background or income. As Secretary of State, she has decisively managed elections in the midst of a global pandemic, historic wildfires, and record turnout while making it easier than ever to verify that every vote is counted.

Anote Tong

President (2003 - 2016), Republic of Kiribati

Anote Tong was President of the Republic of Kiribati having served the maximum three term limit between 2003 to 2016. During his terms in office he was responsible for drawing international focus of attention to the human dimension of climate change by highlighting the existential threat faced by his people and those of other vulnerable countries on the frontline of the impacts of climate change, many of which are in the Pacific Region. On leaving office he joined Conservation International as a Distinguished Fellow from 2016 to 2018 and continues to speak on a worldwide basis at conferences and institutions.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) projections of sea level rise will render these island nations uninhabitable and even submerged well within the century and President Tong has been campaigning for credible options for securing the future of these communities. He was responsible for declaring what was then the largest marine protected area when he closed off more than 400 thousand sq. km of the Pheonix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) in 2008 from any extractive industries. PIPA has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. For his advocacy work on climate change and ocean conservation during his terms in office and since retiring from office, Anote Tong has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize, was awarded the Sun Hak Peace Prize in 2015, the Peter Benchley Award, the Edmund Hilary Award and a number of other awards in acknowledgements of his works.

He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Canterbury, NZ, his Masters in Economics from the London School of Economics, UK and an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering from The National Pukyong University, South Korea and an Honorary Doctorate in Law from the University of the South Pacific, Fiji.

He resides in his home country of Kiribati, a group of 33 atoll islands which are narrow strips of land which are on average less than 2 meters above sea level located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He is married with more than twenty grandchildren hence his deep concern for the future of his people and of the global community.

Carlos Scartascini

Leader Behavioral Economics Group, Inter-American Development Bank

Carlos Scartascini is Head of the Development Research Group at the Research Department and Leader of the Behavioral Economics Group of the Inter-American Development Bank. He has published eight books and more than 60 articles in academic journals and edited volumes. He is a member of the Executive Committee of IDB's Gender and Diversity Lab, Associate Editor of the academic journal Economía, and Founding Member of LACEA's BRAIN (Behavioral Insights Network).

Dr Laura de Molière

Head of Behavioural Science, Cabinet Office, UK Government

Dr Laura de Molière leads the Behavioural Science Team in the Cabinet Office of the UK Government, where she and her team consult on major policy initiatives and communication challenges. She is a thought leader in behavioural science, having significantly influenced how the field is practiced by moving it away from 'nudging' towards methods and approaches to understand people in their contexts and has systematically embedded these approaches in UK Government communications and beyond. She also leads the team in the development of novel approaches, such as the recent 'IN CASE' framework to understand behavioural risks.

She is providing consultancy services to policy makers and NGOs across the globe on behavioural challenges and is leading a private consultancy firm in Germany, focussing on behavioural science applied to sustainability behaviours. Dr Laura de Molière holds a PhD in cognitive decision sciences and social cognition from University College London, has taught at the London School of Economics and Political Science and guest lectured in Cambridge, King's College London and UCL, where she is an honorary research associate.

Jose Perez Gorozpe

Head of Emerging Markets Credit Research, S&P Global Ratings

Jose Perez-Gorozpe is the Head Credit Research for Emerging Markets and chairs the credit conditions committee for Emerging Markets. Credit Conditions Committees meet quarterly to review macroeconomic conditions in each of four regions (Asia-Pacific, Latin America, North America, and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa). Discussions center on identifying credit risks and their potential ratings impact in various sectors, as well as borrowing and lending trends for businesses and consumers.

Jose also chairs the Global Emerging Markets Risk and Research Hub. This Hub coordinates our economists, research analysts and senior practice representatives to determine our house view on key macro and credit trends in emerging markets.

Jose spent ten years as part of the Financial Institutions analytical team in Mexico’s City office. He was responsible for the analysis of several financial systems in Latin America. He also performed credit rating analysis for the largest banks in the region and several insurance companies. Previously, he was part of the International Public Finance Ratings team, responsible for the analysis of various local and regional governments, public utilities, and other public entities.

Jose joined S&P Global Ratings in November 2003 and holds a BA in Economics from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) and a Master’s Degree in Banks and Financial Markets from Universidad Anahuac.

Michael Lampariello

Director of Domino Park, Two Trees Management Co.

Michael Lampariello has been involved in the development and management of some of New York’s most notable new parks and public space projects. Mike currently serves as the Director of Domino Park for Two Trees Management Co. and leads the team responsible for the park’s ongoing stewardship. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Domino Park was first to implement social distancing circles as means to create a safe, welcoming, and socially distant park space. Previously at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Mike served as the Assistant Vice President of Park Operations and guided the daily operations of the 85-acre waterfront park. At the High Line, Mike worked on a series of initiatives related to the long-term operational efficiency of existing and future phases of the park. Mike has a degree in Landscape Architecture from Penn State University.

Robin Brooks

Chief Economist, Institute of International Finance

In his role, Mr. Brooks oversees the IIF’s macroeconomic analysis and serves as part of the IIF’s senior management team.

Previously, Mr. Brooks was the Chief FX Strategist at Goldman Sachs based in NY, where he was responsible for the firm’s foreign exchange forecasts and publishing international macro research. Prior to joining Goldman, Mr. Brooks was the FX strategist at Brevan Howard. Before joining the private sector, Mr. Brooks spent eight years as an economist at the International Monetary Fund, where he worked on the IMF’s fair value models for FX, published academic research and participated in missions to IMF program countries.

Mr. Brooks earned his PhD in Economics from Yale University in 1998. He earned a BSc in Monetary Economics from the London School of Economics in 1993.

X González

Gun Violence Prevention Activist

X González (They/Them) is an 21 year-old gun control advocate born and raised in Parkland, Florida. A survivor of the Marjory Stoneman-Douglas High School shootings, X was instrumental in organizing the historic #MarchForOurLives protest, the largest student demonstration in American history. While in high school, X also served as the President of the Marjory Stoneman-Douglas Gay-Straight Alliance. In addition to their work with March For Our Lives, they are currently pursuing their undergraduate degree.

James K. Glassman

Writer and Consultant

James K. Glassman was formerly U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, leading the government-wide global strategic communications effort. He was also Chairman of the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees Voice of America and other government-sponsored media.

From 2009 to 2013, he served as the Founding Executive Director of the George W. Bush Institute, the policy arm of the Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, and was a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute from 1996 to 2016, specializing in economic and technology policy. He recently ended a three-year term as a member of the Investor Advisory Committee of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Ambassador Glassman has had a long career in media. He was host of three weekly public-affairs programs on CNN and PBS TV, editor-in-chief and co-owner of Roll Call, the congressional newspaper, and publisher of the Atlantic Monthly and the New Republic. For 11 years, he was an investment and op-ed columnist for the Washington Post. He now writes a monthly column for Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.

He is currently chairman and CEO of Glassman Enterprises, LLC, a strategic advisory firm in Washington, DC and chairman of the International Commission to Re-Ignite the Fight to End Smoking. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Shakespeare Theatre Company, a director of the Making Every Vote Count Foundation, and a member of the advisory board of the Federal Infrastructure Bank.

Ambassador Glassman is a graduate of Harvard University, where he as managing editor of the university daily, The Crimson.

Atty. Allan B. Gepty

Assistant Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry

Allan B. Gepty is currently the Assistant Secretary for Industry Development and Trade Policy at the Department of Trade and Industry. His main portfolio is international trade policy and trade negotiations at the bilateral, regional, and multilateral level. Recently, he served as the country’s lead trade negotiator in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement, considered as the largest free trade deal in the world. He also serves as the country’s Senior Economic Official at the ASEAN.

Prior to his appointment, he was a Commissioner of the Philippine Tariff Commission. He also served as Deputy Director General of the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of the Philippines from 2010 to 2017.

He is a member of the Supreme Court Sub Committee for the Revision of the Rules of Procedure for Intellectual Property Rights Cases.

He is a lawyer by profession with diverse experience in the field of international trade, intellectual property, public international law, commercial law and litigation. He is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at The Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A., He finished his law degree from the San Beda College, Manila in 1997, and his Master of Laws degree from the University of Santo Tomas, España, Manila, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce major in Economics from the same university, where he graduated Cum Laude in 1992.

He is an active member of the Academe both at the College of Law and the Graduate School of Law of various universities.

Kristin Forbes

Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Professor of Global Economics, MIT Sloan School of Management

Kristin Forbes is the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Professor of Management and Global Economics at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. She has regularly rotated between academia and senior policy positions. From 2014-2017 she was an External Member of the Monetary Policy Committee for the Bank of England. From 2003 to 2005 Forbes served as a Member of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers and from 2001-2002 she was a Deputy Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Treasury Department. She also was a Member of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers for the State of Massachusetts from 2009-2014.

In 2019, Forbes was named an Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She is currently the Convener of the Bellagio Group, a research associate at the NBER and CEPR, and a member of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group and Council on Foreign Relations. She also serves in a number of advisory positions, such as on the Monetary Policy Advisory Panel of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, the Advisory Panel for the Bank for International Settlements, and on the External Advisory Group of the Managing Director for the International Monetary Fund. Forbes’ academic research addresses policy-related questions in international macroeconomics, including on monetary policy, macroprudential tools, capital flows, exchange rates, inflation, and contagion. She has won numerous teaching awards and teaches one of the most popular classes at MIT's Sloan School. Before joining MIT, Forbes worked at the World Bank and Morgan Stanley. She received her PhD in Economics from MIT and graduated summa cum laude with highest honors from Williams College.

Paschal Donohoe

Finance Minister, Ireland

Paschal is the Fine Gael TD for Dublin Central and in June 2020 was re-appointed as the Minister for Finance for Ireland.

He was first appointed to that role in June 2017, at which point he also held the position of Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. This is the first time a Minister had held both of the finance portfolios.

He was elected as President of Eurogroup of Finance Ministers in July 2020.

Paschal was appointed as the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in May 2016. Prior to that he served, from July 2014-May 2016, as the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. Paschal has also held the position of Minister for European Affairs at the Department of An Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs from July 2013-July 2014.

He was elected as a TD in February 2011, where he topped the poll in Dublin Central. Prior to his election, he was a member of Seanad Éireann from 2007 to 2011. He served as member of Dublin City Council from 2004 to 2007.

Paschal was formerly the Chair of Ireland’s Future in Europe Oireachtas Sub-Committee, as well as a member of the Public Accounts Committee. He has also served as the Vice-Chair of the European Affairs Committee and, as a Senator, he served as a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport.

During his time as member of Dublin City Council, Paschal served as Chair of the Environment & Engineering Strategic Policy Committee, as a member of the Corporate Policy Group and also as Chairman of the Central Area Committee.

Paschal is a graduate of University of Dublin, Trinity College, with a degree in Politics and Economics and has attended St. Declan’s CBS, Cabra.

Elvira Nabiullina

Central Bank Governor, Central Bank of Russia

Education

1986: graduated from the Department of Economics of the Lomonosov Moscow State University.

Career

1991–1992: Chief Specialist in the Directorate on Economic Reform of the Standing Committee of the USSR Scientific and Industrial Union Board, Moscow.

1992–1994: Chief Specialist, Consultant in the Economic Policy Directorate of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

1994–1994: Advisor at the Expert Institute of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

1994–1995: Deputy Head of the Economic Reform Department — Head of the Division for State Regulation of Economy at the Ministry of Economy of the Russian Federation.

1995–1996: Deputy Head of the Economic Reform Department at the Ministry of Economy of the Russian Federation.

1996–1997: Head of the Economic Reform Department at the Ministry of Economy of the Russian Federation; Member of the Ministry’s Board.

1997–1998: Deputy Minister of Economy of the Russian Federation.

1998–1999: Deputy Chairperson of Promtorgbank’s Management Board.

1999–1999: Executive Director of the Eurasian Ratings Service.

1999–2000: Vice President of the Centre for Strategic Research.

2000–2003: First Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation.

2003–2005: President of the Centre for Strategic Research.

2005–2007: Head of the Expert Council of the Organising Committee for Russia’s Presidency of the G8 in 2006; Research Team Head at the Centre for Strategic Research.

From 24 September 2007: Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation.

From 12 May 2008: Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.

May 2012—June 2013: Aide to the President of the Russian Federation.

From June 2013: Governor of the Bank of Russia.

Member of the Bank of Russia Board of Directors according to Article 15 of the Federal Law ‘On the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia)’.

Dame Meg Taylor

Former Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum
and former PNG politician

Meg Taylor is a national of Papua New Guinea (PNG). In 2014, she was appointed as Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum. She began her professional life as Private Secretary to Chief Minister Michael Somare during self-government of Papua New Guinea, and at the beginning of his tenure as Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. Admitted to the bar in 1977, she has practiced both public and private law.

She was appointed the first Vice President of the Office of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) of the World Bank Group in 1999. She has been recognized by her Government for her exemplary public service in 2002 and was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She has also served as Ambassador of PNG to the USA, Mexico and Canada. She also carries the role of Pacific Ocean Commissioner to secure the future of Pacific people based on the sustainable development, management and conservation of the Pacific Ocean and its resources.

Mary MacLennan

Lead, United Nations Behavioural Science Group

Mary MacLennan leads the UN Behavioural Science Group which works to increase the application of behavioural science across the UN system. It is an initiative of the UN Innovation Network and supported by the Executive Office of the Secretary-General.

Recently, the Group led in the development of the UN Secretary-General's Guidance Note on Behavioural Science and the UN Behavioural Science Report, which discusses the experiences of 25 UN Entities applying behavioural science and key enablers for its application in the UN. The Group also promotes and supports projects, strengthens capacity and fosters partnerships.

As a behavioural scientist, Mary works with academic institutions, international organisations and governments to tackle real world challenges. This has included working in early stages of behavioural science teams (most recently in the Privy Council Office in the Government of Canada) and as an expert advisor to the OECD and UN Women.

She is currently a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the London School of Economics in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science.

Linda Kirkpatrick

President, North America, Mastercard

Linda Kirkpatrick is president of North America for Mastercard, overseeing the company's customer-facing activities in the United States and Canada, including sales, business development, strategy and relationship management with issuers, merchants, digital partners, governments and acquirers. She sits on the company’s management committee.

Linda brings a broad understanding and appreciation of broad customer needs across one of the company’s most competitive and developed regions. Prior to this role, she served as president of U.S. issuers, managing and expanding the company’s partnerships and business with banks and credit unions. Linda also led the team responsible for managing merchant and acquirer relationships in the market, as well as business development efforts in co-brand, prepaid, commercial, transit, healthcare and public sector.

Since joining the company in 1997, Linda has held several leadership roles, including overseeing global rules and standards, compliance programs and dispute resolution management functions, in addition to working on Mastercard’s initial public offering in 2006 and merger with Europay in 2002.

Linda was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2015. She is a member of the Board of Trustees at Manhattanville College, a member of the Partnership for NYC’s David Rockefeller Fellows Program, a board member for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of New York and a member of the New York Transit Innovation Partnership Board.

Linda graduated magna cum laude from Manhattanville College with a Bachelor of Arts in economics.

David Schwimmer

Chief Executive Officer, LSEG

Bio coming soon.

Rhiannon Kinghall Were

Head of Tax Policy, Macfarlanes

Rhiannon provides advice on a wide range of corporate tax policy issues, monitoring and advising on the implications for business as they arise from proposals, consultations through to enacted legislation. Prior to joining Macfarlanes, Rhiannon spent five years at the CBI where she was responsible for leading the policy development of domestic tax issues affecting businesses operating in the UK during the OECD BEPS years. This involved analysis of tax policy developments; drafting responses to consultations; and voicing the business community’s tax priorities. Previously, Rhiannon spent six years in practice advising on corporate tax for multinational enterprises. Rhiannon is a Chartered Tax Adviser, founding committee member of the Women in Tax network (previously chair), and UK representative for the Women in International Fiscal Association (IFA) Network.

Tekedra Mawakana

Co-Chief Executive Officer, Waymo

Tekedra N. Mawakana is the co-Chief Executive Officer of Waymo, an autonomous driving technology company with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to get where they’re going.

As co-Chief Executive Officer, Tekedra is responsible for overall company strategy, with her primary focus on ensuring Waymo’s transformational technology — the Waymo Driver — is commercialized and widely adopted.

Tekedra has more than two decades of experience advising consumer technology companies on how to advance their business interests around the world and is an expert in navigating complex high-profile issues. She began her career working with regulated technology and telecom industries, and leading global technology transactions. She has served as a trusted advisor to Chief Executive Officers managing growth and risk-mitigation strategies.

Tekedra previously served as COO of Waymo. Prior to Waymo, Tekedra led global teams across five continents at eBay, Yahoo, AOL and Startec. She started her career at the DC-based law firm Steptoe & Johnson LLP.

Tekedra is a social impact-focused angel investor, and an LP with Operator Collective. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Intuit, and on the Advisory Board for Lyte. She also sits on the Board of Directors for Saving Promise, a non-profit dedicated to the prevention of partner violence. As a tech industry veteran, Tekedra is on the Board of Industry Leaders for the Consumer Technology Association; and previously, she served as the Chairwoman of the Board of the Internet Association.

She has been recognized by Automotive News in 2020 as among the 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry, “Top 20 in 2020 Influential Women in Mobility” by Vulog, and as one of the most influential black leaders in corporate America by Savoy magazine in 2020 and 2019. She was named a Visionary Leader by ALM and InsideCounsel in 2016, and a Tech Titan by Washingtonian magazine in 2015.

Tekedra received her JD from Columbia Law School and her BA with honors from Trinity College.

Falguni Nayar

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Nykaa

Falguni Nayar is the founder, Executive Chairperson & Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of our Company. She holds a post-graduate diploma in management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. She has over 26 years of experience in e-commerce, investment banking and broking. Prior to founding our Company, she was associated with Kotak Mahindra Capital Company Limited for 18 years where she also served as a managing director. She has also served on the boards of various companies, including Tata Motors Limited and Aviva Life Insurance Company India Limited Presently, she serves as an independent on the boards of various companies including, Kotak Securities Limited, ACC Limited and Dabur India Limited. She has won many awards, including ‘EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 – Start-up’ by Ernst and Young and ‘Businesswoman of the Year’ at the Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence, 2019. She was listed as one of Asia’s Power Businesswomen, 2019 by Forbes Asia and named as ‘Business Person of the Year’, 2019 by Vogue India.

Sebastian Siemiatkowski

Chief Executive Officer, Klarna

Degree of Master of Science, M.Sc. (Economics and Business), Stockholm School of Economics, 2007.

Board member since 2005 and Chief Executive Officer since 2010.

Board assignments:

Board member and Chief Executive Officer of Klarna Holding AB
Board chair or board member of other Group companies
Board member in a number of small private holding companies without any operational activities.

Jacek Olczak

Chief Executive Officer, Philip Morris International

Mr. Olczak was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Philip Morris International (PMI) in May 2021. Prior to this appointment, he served as PMI’s Chief Operating Officer from January 2018, having formerly been Chief Financial Officer, beginning in August 2012. Mr. Olczak is committed to delivering PMI’s smoke-free future and expanding the company’s product portfolio beyond nicotine. He has been a key driver of the company’s commercial transformation, turning a primarily business-to-business company into an increasingly business-to-consumer company. Throughout his nearly three-decade career with PMI, Mr. Olczak has established deep institutional and industry knowledge and awareness of PMI’s products, systems, and values—as well as a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory environment in which PMI operates. Mr. Olczak began his career with PMI in 1993. He started in finance and general management positions across Europe, including as Managing Director of PMI’s markets in Poland and Germany and as President of the European Union Region, before being appointed Chief Financial Officer in 2012. Prior to joining PMI, Mr. Olczak worked for BDO Binder. Mr. Olczak holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Lodz, Poland.

Nandan Nilekani

Chairman and Co-founder, Infosys, and Founding Chairman, UIDAI (Aadhaar)

Nandan Nilekani is the Co-Founder and Chairman of Infosys Technologies Limited. He was the Founding Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in the rank of a Cabinet Minister from 2009 - 2014. Most recently, Nandan has co-founded and is the Chairman of EkStep, a not-for- profit effort to create a learner-centric, technology-based platform to improve basic literacy and numeracy for millions of children.
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Born in Bengaluru, Nilekani received his Bachelor’s degree from IIT, Bombay. Fortune Magazine conferred him with “Asia’s Businessman of the year 2003”. In 2005 he received the prestigious Joseph Schumpeter prize for innovative services in economy, economic sciences and politics. In 2006, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan. He was also named Businessman of the year by Forbes Asia. Time magazine listed him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2006 & 2009. Foreign Policy magazine listed him as one of the Top 100 Global thinkers in 2010. He won The Economist Social & Economic Innovation Award for his leadership of India’s Unique Identification initiative (Aadhaar). In 2017, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from E & Y. CNBC- TV 18 conferred India Business leader award for the outstanding contributor to the Indian Economy-2017 and he also received the 22nd Nikkei Asia Prize for Economic & Business Innovation 2017. He has been inducted as International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2019. Nandan Nilekani is the author of “Imagining India” and co-authored his second book with Viral Shah, “Rebooting India: Realizing a Billion Aspirations”.

Ugur Sahin

Chief Executive Officer, BioNTech

Prof. Ugur Sahin, M.D., Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BioNTech, is a physician, immunologist and leader in the development of novel approaches to fight cancer and infectious diseases. Sahin is one of the world’s foremost experts on messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) medicines. He has pioneered several breakthroughs enabling the development of mRNA vaccines and other types of immunotherapies. Sahin initiated and oversees “Project Lightspeed,” the historic development of the first mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, moving from lab and clinical testing to conditional approval within an unprecedented 11-month period. He also leads BioNTech’s research and development of neoantigen specific mRNA cancer vaccines which are individually tailored and produced on demand according to the profile of non-synonymous mutations identified by next-generation sequencing in patients’ tumors. Based on his contributions to scientific discovery, Dr. Sahin has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the German Sustainability Award, the Mustafa Prize, and the German Cancer Award. He is married to Dr. Özlem Türeci.

Özlem Türeci

Chief Medical Officer, BioNTech

Özlem Türeci, M.D., Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of BioNTech, is a physician, immunologist, and cancer researcher with translational and clinical experience. Türeci has helped lead the discovery of cancer antigens, the development of mRNA-based individualized and off-the-shelf vaccine candidates and other types of immunotherapies which are currently in clinical development. Türeci leads the clinical development of BioNTech’s “Project Lightspeed,” the company’s successful effort to develop and distribute an mRNA-based vaccine against COVID-19, a historic achievement completed in less than one year. She currently serves as President of the Association for Cancer Immunotherapy (CIMT) in Germany. She is a recent recipient of the German Sustainability Award, among other notable recognitions.

Anthony Tan

Group CEO & Co-Founder, Grab

Anthony Tan is Group CEO & Co-Founder of Grab, Southeast Asia’s leading mobile technology company. By focusing on a hyperlocal business strategy and building strategic partnerships, Mr Tan and his team transformed Grab from a taxi booking app to the leading superapp platform in Southeast Asia, providing everyday services that matter to consumers. Grab today offers a wide range of on-demand services in the region, including mobility, food, package and grocery delivery services, mobile payments, and financial services.

Anthony is at the forefront of the “Grab for Good” social impact programme - which include partnerships and initiatives to drive digital literacy, economic inclusion and the development of technology skills across Southeast Asia.

Anthony is passionate about servant leadership and serving others in his community. In his personal capacity, he supports a range of causes in the region, such as Transform Cambodia which rescues and protects street children and offers them healthcare, education and life skills.

His leadership and vision have earned him several accolades, including Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in 2018, The Bloomberg 50 in 2017 and Fortune’s 40 Under 40 in 2018 and 2016. Under Anthony’s leadership, Grab has also received global recognition for its innovation and impact in the region, including ranking second on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in 2019, being on CNBC’s Disruptor 50 list for the last four years consecutively, and making Fortune’s Change the World list in 2020.

Anthony has a Bachelor of Arts (Economics and Public Policy) from the University of Chicago, and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Helena Lopes Caldeira

Chief Financial Officer, Inter

Helena Lopes Caldeira is the CFO and Investor Relations Officer for Inter. She joined the bank in 2016 and lead the Business Development team for a year, before moving to Investor Relations in 2017. In 2019, Helena became Inter's IRO and in early 2020 stepped in as the CFO. She was part of some of Inter's most important transactions such as its IPO at B3 in 2018, as well three follow-on offerings in the following years and key M&A deals. Formerly, Helena served as Fixed Income Portfolio Manager at Araújo Fontes (2009 - 2013) and as Business Development Advisor at Grupo Ferreira Lopes (2014). Helena holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Ibmec (2009), an MBA from London Business School (2016), and is certified by ANBIMA as Investment Manager (CGA).

Dan Schulman

President & Chief Executive Officer, PayPal

With extensive corporate experience and a lifelong commitment to social justice, Dan Schulman believes the private sector has a responsibility to serve multiple stakeholders and to improve the state of the world.

In 2021, Dan was ranked third on Fortune’s list of the World’s Greatest Leaders, an honor that recognized individuals for their leadership throughout the pandemic. The New York Urban League presented Dan with the 2021 Frederick Douglass Award, for his commitment, dedication, and influence to advance the rights of generations of underserved Black Americans. In 2020, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights honored Dan with the Ripple of Hope Award, for demonstrating a commitment to social change and a passion for equality, justice and basic human rights. He has frequently been recognized by Fortune as one of the top 20 Businesspersons of the Year, and has received "Visionary Awards" from the Financial Health Network in 2018 and the Council for Economic Education in 2017 for his promotion of economic and financial literacy. Dan received the 2017 Brennan Legacy Award, established to honor the late Supreme Court justice and his career-long commitment to social justice and “common human dignity”.

Dan is dedicated to building a world where everyone has access to economic opportunity, which he advances through his work as a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and co-chair of the World Economic Forum's Steering Committee to promote global financial inclusion. He is also an avid mixed martial arts practitioner.

Kaisa Hietela

Board Member, ExxonMobil

Kaisa Hietala is an experienced business and sustainability executive who helps companies to transform the challenges of environmental megatrends into business opportunities and growth.

Ms. Hietala is an experienced leader in strategic transformation in the energy sector who began her career in upstream oil and gas exploration and crude oil trading. Ms. Hietala served as the EVP of Renewable Products at Neste, a petroleum refining and marketing company, for five years ending in 2019. During her tenure, the Renewable Products segment’s revenues grew by 1.6x and operating profits grew by 4x. She played a central role in the strategic transformation of Neste into the world’s largest and most profitable producer of renewable products, which was named by Harvard Business Review as one of the “Top 20 Business Transformations of the Last Decade” in 2019.

Currently, Ms. Hietala serves on the Board of Exxon Mobil and the Board of Smurfit Kappa Group, a global corrugated packaging company and is the Chairman of the Board at Tracegrow, a private Finnish sustainable fertilizers company. She is a member of the Supervisory Board of Oulu University and was a former Board member of Kemira Oy, a Finnish specialty chemicals company, for the past 5 years.

Ms. Hietala holds a Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Cambridge, UK and a Master of Science degree from University of Oulu, Finland.

Carlos Tavares

CChief Executive Officer, Stellantis

Carlos Tavares was appointed Executive Director of Stellantis with effect from January 17, 2021 and Chief Executive Officer on January 17, 2021. Previously, he served as Chairman of the PSA Managing Board from March 31, 2014, having joined the PSA Managing Board on January 1, 2014. Born in Portugal in 1958, Carlos Tavares graduated from École Centrale de Paris.

He held various positions within the Renault Group between 1981 and 2004, before joining the Nissan Group. Carlos Tavares was appointed Executive Vice President, Chairman of the Management Committee Americas and President of Nissan North America in 2009, before being appointed as Chief Operating Officer of Renault, a position he held until 2013. Carlos Tavares also serves as a director of Airbus Holding S.A., and is a member of the board of directors of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA)

Alexander Lacik

President & Chief Executive Officer, Pandora A/S

Alexander Lacik has 30 years of experience in international business, marketing and business management. Prior to joining Pandora, he was Chief Executive Officer of Brittax Ltd., a British manufacturer of childcare products. He has also held CEO & senior management positions at Kasthall Golv & Mattor, Procter & Gamble and Reckitt Benckiser, where he held a number of positions including head of Reckitt Benckiser North America. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Växjö, Sweden.

Shari Redstone

Non-Executive Chair, ViacomCBS

Shari Redstone is a media executive with wide-ranging experience in the entertainment industry and related ventures. Through National Amusements, a world leader in the motion picture exhibition industry, Ms. Redstone and her family are the majority voting shareholders of ViacomCBS, which is home to brands such as CBS, Showtime, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, CBS as well as Paramount Pictures and streaming services Paramount+ and Pluto TV. Ms. Redstone is Chairperson, CEO & President of National Amusements and Non-Executive Chair of the Board of ViacomCBS.

Ms. Redstone also is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Advancit Capital, an investment firm launched in 2011 that focuses on early-stage companies at the intersection of media, entertainment and technology. Current investments include Masterclass, Headspace, Public, Thrive Global and The Athletic, to name a few.

Ms. Redstone serves on the Board of Trustees for the Paley Center for Media and is actively involved in charitable, civic and educational organizations. She is a member of the Board of Trustees at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Ms. Redstone earned a BS from Tufts University, and a JD and a Masters in Tax Law from Boston University. She practiced corporate law, estate planning and criminal law in the Boston area before joining National Amusements.

Bhavish Aggarwal

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Ola

Bhavish Aggarwal is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Ola, India’s largest mobility platform. With the mission of building mobility for a billion people, he started Ola in 2010. Prior to Ola, Bhavish, an alumnus of IIT Mumbai, worked with Microsoft Research, filing two patents and having three papers published in international journals.

Today, Ola is one of India’s most valuable organizations with over 2.5 million driver partners, serving over 250 million customers across 3 continents.

Ola continues to move the world to sustainable mobility through its ride hailing platform as well as through advanced electric vehicles manufactured at its Futurefactory, the largest, most advanced and sustainable two wheeler factory in the world. Ola also operates its new auto retail platform with Ola Cars bringing seamless, digital buying, selling and ownership of vehicles to consumers.

Ola is dedicated to transitioning the world to sustainable mobility and making the world better than we found it.

Frédéric Chesnais

Chief Executive Officer of Crypto Blockchain Industries, Atari

Frédéric Chesnais is an investor in blockchain, technology and videogame companies. A former Lazard investment banker, he became deputy Chief Executive Officer of Atari in 2001, bought Atari in 2013 and launched the Atari blockchain initiative in 2018. He is today the Chief Executive Officer of Atari Chain, Ltd, the entity of the Atari Group focusing on blockchain and crypto-currencies. His holding company, Crypto Blockchain Industries (CBI), is developing Alphaverse, a metaverse on the blockchain which includes many brands such as Atari. CBI also invests in blockchain and crypto-currency projects, as well as payment systems in Africa.

Lorenzo Bertelli

Group Marketing Director & Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Prada Group

Lorenzo Bertelli, aged 33, has been Group Marketing Director since 2019 and from 2020 has been appointed Group’s Head of CSR. He is responsible, on one side, for the Group’s Marketing and Communication strategy and on the other, for the Group’s overall approach to sustainability strategy and initiatives.

He joined the Group in 2017 as Head of Digital Communication and was appointed as Head of Marketing and Communication in 2018.

Mr. Bertelli has also been Director of Prada Holding S.p.A. since 2015.

In May 2021, he joined the Prada S.p.A. Board of Directors as Executive Director.

Lorenzo Bertelli obtained a degree in Philosophy at San Raffaele University in Milan in 2008; he is the son of Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli, the Chief Executive Officers of the Prada Group.

Robert A. Kindler

Vice Chairman and Global Head of Mergers & Acquisitions, Morgan Stanley

Rob Kindler is Vice Chairman and Global Head of Mergers & Acquisitions, and a member of the Management Committee at Morgan Stanley, which he joined in 2006. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Rob was Global Head of Mergers & Acquisitions at JPMorgan from 2000 to 2006. Before that, he was a senior partner at the law firm of Cravath Swaine & Moore where he started in 2000.

Rob is on the Board of Trustees of NYU School of Law, and was Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Colgate University. He graduated from Colgate University and received his J.D. from NYU Law School.

Scott Barshay

Corporate Department Chair, Paul Weiss

Scott A. Barshay is Chair of the Corporate Department at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. His practice focuses on advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, activist defense and other significant corporate matters. Scott also regularly counsels corporations and their directors on securities law, corporate governance, crisis management and internal investigations.

Scott earned his B.A. from Colgate University and his J.D. from Columbia Law School.

Piyush Gupta

Chief Executive Officer, DBS Group

DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia, widely recognised for being at the forefront of leveraging digital technology to shape the future of banking. The bank has been accorded accolades including “World’s Best Bank” and “World’s Best Digital Bank” by several global publications. In addition, in 2019, DBS was listed among the top ten most transformative organisations of the decade by Harvard Business Review.

Piyush is Vice-Chairman of the Institute of International Finance, Washington. In addition, he is a member of Singapore’s Advisory Council on the Ethical Use of AI and Data, McKinsey Advisory Council, Bretton Woods Committee - Advisory Council, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development - Executive Committee. He sits on the boards of Enterprise Singapore, Singapore’s National Research Foundation, and the Singapore’s Council for Board Diversity. Previously, he has been a member of the Singapore Emerging Stronger Taskforce, aimed at defining Singapore’s future in a post-Covid world, and the UN Secretary General’s Task Force on Digital Financing of the Sustainable Development Goals.

J. Christopher Giancarlo

Senior Counsel, Willkie Farr & Gallagher / Former Chairman, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Dubbed “CryptoDad” for his celebrated call on the US Congress to respect a new generation’s interest in cryptocurrency, the Honorable J. Christopher Giancarlo served as 13th Chairman of the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Considered one of “the most influential individuals in financial regulation” Giancarlo also served as a member of the US Financial Stability Oversight Committee, the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets, and the Executive Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions.

Giancarlo is the author of “CryptoDad – The Fight for the Future of Money,” an account of his oversight of the world’s first regulated market for Bitcoin derivatives and the coming transformation of financial services, including the most valuable thing of all: money. It will be released in October 2021 by John Wiley & Sons.

Giancarlo is Senior Counsel to the international law firm, Willkie Farr & Gallagher. He is also a board director, advisor and angel investor in numerous technology and financial services companies. In addition, Giancarlo is a co-founder of the Digital Dollar Project, a not-for-profit initiative to advance exploration of a US Central Bank Digital Currency. Twitter: GiancarloMKTS

Mariano Carranza

CFO, Clip

Mariano Carranza is the Chief Financial Officer of Clip. Before joining Clip in 2020, Mariano worked at Goldman Sachs for seven years, holding several positions within the Financial Institutions Group in the Investment Banking Division. Since 2017, Mariano actively participated in the expansion of Goldman Sachs Financial Technology coverage across Latin America. He started his career at Lazard in the Buenos Aires office in 2006. Mariano holds a BA in Economics from UCA (Universidad Católica Argentina) and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

John Maeda

Senior Vice President, Everbridge

Everbridge, Inc. Senior Vice President leading technology and product strategy. Formerly MIT Media Lab dataviz leader, Sonos and Wieden+Kennedy board of directors, Kleiner Perkins partner, Automattic head of inclusion, Publicis Sapient EVP and chief experience officer, Rhode Island School of Design CEO and president.

Author of five books including a gentle intro to AI/ML "How To Speak Machine" and the tech bestseller of 2006 "Laws of Simplicity." Writings, interviews, or talks include WSJ, NYT, TED, BBC, WEF, CNN, The Economist, Forbes, USA Today, Fortune, Fast Company, Esquire. Honors include three honorary doctorate degrees, TIME Best Twitter 140, White House National Design Award, Fast Company Masters of Innovation, LinkedIn Top 10 US Influencer, Esquire 21 Most Influential of the 21st Century, and Tribeca Film Festival Disruptor Award for launching the STEM to STEAM movement in the US.

Jessica Deckinger

Chief Communications Officer, Everbridge

Jessica Deckinger serves as Chief Communications Officer at Everbridge. In this role, Jessica leads Everbridge’s integrated brand and communications strategy in all regions and market segments. She is responsible for managing the external reputation of Everbridge, including public affairs, external and internal communications, and executive communications.

Jessica is a former, three-time CMO, having previously worked with major brands including Humana, the National Football League (NFL) and JP Morgan Chase.

She has over 20 years of experience in marketing, finance and operations, with executive leadership responsibility for brand marketing, digital marketing, communications, public relations, customer insights and analytics, customer engagement and human centered experience design.

Jessica holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Chris James

Founder, Engine No1

Chris has a more than 30-year career investing in and building businesses across multiple industries in transition. He founded Engine No. 1 based on his vision that capitalism can be harnessed for positive change and companies that align the interests of their shareholders and stakeholders are better, stronger companies as a result.

Prior to the launch of Engine No. 1, Chris founded Partner Fund Management, where he served as Co-Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager. Previously, he co-founded Andor Capital Management, and before that, served as a member of the management committee of Pequot Capital Management. Early in his career, Chris was an analyst at Ethos Capital (later sold to Moore Capital) and started his career at JGM Management.

Chris received a BA in Economics from Tulane University, where he also formerly chaired the Investment Committee. Chris is the Chair of Tipping Point Community, an organization that fights poverty in the Bay Area, and he is actively involved in broader poverty relief as well as initiatives focusing on conservation and education.

John Kerry

Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, United States

Bio coming soon.

Rob Kaplan

Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Circulate Capital

Rob is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Circulate Capital, a Singapore-based impact investment management firm dedicated to financing companies, projects, and infrastructure that prevent the flow of plastic waste to the world’s ocean and advance the circular economy in South and Southeast Asia (SSEA).

With 60% of the plastic waste in the oceans originating from Asia, Rob moved to Singapore from the US to be closer to the core of the world’s plastic crisis in Asia.

In December 2019, the Singapore-based Circulate Capital Ocean Fund (US$106M) will be launched. Circulate Capital along with investors from several leading corporations; PepsiCo, Chevron Phillips Chemical, Danone, Dow, Procter & Gamble, The Coca-Cola Company, and Unilever aim to prevent the flow of plastic waste into the ocean through financing Asia’s waste ecosystem and incentivize private capital investment in the recycling value chain across the region.

Prior to founding Circulate Capital, Rob was the Co-Founder of and Senior Advisor to Closed Loop Partners, an innovative platform for impact investing, sustainability, and the circular economy focused in North America. He oversaw strategy and new business model development, as well as day-to-day operations. The Fund has deployed more than $40M into recycling and circular economy investment opportunities.

Prior to Closed Loop, Rob also served as the Director of Sustainability for Walmart Stores, Inc. where he was responsible for packaging, customer engagement and integration with the Consumables business, including personal care and household cleaning. Rob led Walmart’s cross-functional efforts to eliminate 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas from the supply chain.

Before joining Walmart, Rob helped lead corporate responsibility and brand strategy for the Brown-Forman Corporation, which produces and markets spirit brands such as Jack Daniel’s. Rob developed marketing strategies to engage consumers, improve social and environmental performance and advance business objectives.

Eric Norris

Head of Lithium, Albemarle

Eric Norris joined Albemarle in January 2018 as Chief Strategy Officer. In this role, he managed the company’s strategic planning, M&A, and corporate business development programs as well as its investor relations efforts. In August 2018, he was appointed President of the Lithium global business unit.

Prior to joining Albemarle, Norris served as President of Health and Nutrition for FMC Corporation. Following FMC’s announcement to acquire DuPont Agricultural Chemical assets, he led the divestiture of FMC Health and Nutrition to DuPont. Previously, Norris served as Vice President and Global Business Director for FMC Health and Nutrition, and Vice President and Global Business Director for FMC Lithium. During his 16-year FMC career, he served in additional leadership roles including Investor Relations, Corporate Development and Director of FMC Healthcare Ventures.

Prior to FMC, Norris founded and led an internet-based firm offering formulation and design tools to the chemical industry. He started his career in a range of leadership roles with the Rohm and Haas Company. 

Norris earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and German from Colgate University.

Norris is a member of the board of directors of Communities in Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg and is a member of the board of advisors of The Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA). 

Kristen Siemen

Chief Sustainability Officer, General Motors

Kristen Siemen was appointed vice president of Sustainable Workplaces and Chief Sustainability Officer in February 2021. She will help lead General Motors to a future with zero emissions as the company continues to take bold actions against climate change, including GM’s commitment to become carbon neutral in its products and operations by 2040.

In her most recent role as executive director, Global Energy Strategy, Certification, Compliance and Test Labs, Siemen led a cross-functional leadership team responsible for setting corporate energy strategies, including the introduction of fuel economy improvement technologies as well as initiatives aligned with GM’s vision of a zero-emissions future. Siemen worked closely with the Sustainability Office to develop GM’s aspiration to eliminate all tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035 as well as the development of the company’s sciencebased targets. Siemen has been a member of the General Motors team for over 25 years, and for the past 10 years has held senior leadership positions in various engineering functions.

In addition to her accomplished technical career, Siemen is also passionate about promoting inclusion and gender equality. She was instrumental in creating GM’s career reentry program, “Take 2,” serves as GM’s key executive for the Society of Women Engineers and is the co-lead for the GM Women Ally Program. Her work to improve policies and practices effecting change for women earned her the National Association for Female Executives Women of Excellence Activist Award. Siemen also serves on the Board of Advisors for Catalyst and the Oakland University School of Engineering & Computer Science Advisory Board, where she received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering.

A native of Warren, Michigan, she grew up around the automotive industry with her father, grandfather and grandmother all working in the field.

Mark Cutifani

Chief Executive Officer, Anglo American

Skills and experience

Mark contributes to Anglo American over 40 years’ experience of the mining industry across a wide range of geographies and commodities.

Mark is Chair of the Group Management Committee (GMC), is a non-executive director of Anglo American Platinum, and chairman of De Beers.

Mark was previously Chief Executive Officer of AngloGold Ashanti Limited, a position he held from 2007-2013. Before joining AngloGold Ashanti, Mark was COO at Vale Inco where he was responsible for Vale’s global nickel business. Prior to this he held senior executive positions with the Normandy Group, Sons of Gwalia, Western Mining Corporation, Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines and CRA (Rio Tinto).

Current external appointments

Independent director of Total S.A. and a member of the board of trustees of The Power of Nutrition, an independent charitable foundation.

Paul Graves

Chief Executive Officer, Livent

Paul Graves is the President, CEO & member of the Livent Board of Directors. Before joining Livent, Paul was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of FMC.

Paul previously served as a Managing Director and Partner in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs Group in Hong Kong and was the co-head of Natural Resources for Asia. Paul also served as the Global Head of Agricultural Investment Banking and Global Head of Chemical Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Finance from Nottingham Trent University and is a qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA).

Joji Tagawa

Chief Sustainability Officer, Nissan Motor

Joji Tagawa is Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) at Nissan, where he drives sustainability initiatives for the company aimed at creating long-term value for all stakeholders and at addressing environmental and social challenges. He also oversees external affairs, crisis management, and compliance for the company.

Tagawa is currently a member of Nissan’s executive committee, the company’s highest decision-making body. He is also a board member and member of the audit, risks and compliance committee at Renault SA, as well as an outside director and member of the compensation committee at Mitsubishi Motors Corporation.

Tagawa joined Nissan in 1983, where he has held leadership roles across various functions, mainly in finance and investor relations. He was appointed CSO in 2019, having developed valuable and trusted insights on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues through his years of work with investor relations.

Tagawa holds a degree in economics from Keio University in Japan.

Richard C. Adkerson

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Freeport-McMoRan Inc.

Richard C. Adkerson is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Freeport-McMoRan Inc., a leading international mining company with headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. Freeport is one of the world's largest publicly traded copper producers, with a portfolio of assets that includes the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia, one of the world’s largest copper and gold deposits, and significant mining operations in North and South America.

He currently serves as Chair of the International Council on Mining and Metals, has been a member of ICMM since 2005 and previously served as Chair from 2008 - 2011. He is a member of The Business Council, the Business Roundtable, the Council on Foreign Relations and serves as Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States. He also serves on Greater Phoenix Leadership and the Dean's Council of 100 for the Arizona State University W. P. Carey School of Business.

For 10 years, he was named The Best Chief Executive Officer in Metals and Mining by Institutional Investor magazine, was named Copper Man of the Year 2009 and is an inductee into the American Mining Hall of Fame. He is past Chairman and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the National WWII Museum and is on the Board of Visitors of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Mr. Adkerson graduated from Mississippi State University with a B.S. degree in Accounting with highest honors and an MBA degree. In 2010, he received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Mississippi State and was named National Alumnus of the Year in 2011. He also completed the Advanced Management Program of the Harvard Business School in 1988.

Before joining Freeport-McMoRan in 1989, he was Partner and Managing Director in Arthur Andersen & Co. where he headed the firm’s Worldwide Oil and Gas Industry Practice. From 1976 to 1978, he was a Professional Accounting Fellow with the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C.

Namrata Thapar

Global Head, Mining, The International Finance Corporation

Namrata Thapar is Global Head of Mining at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), based in Washington, D.C. IFC—a sister organization of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group— is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. In this role, Ms. Thapar leads the IFC mining sector investment team, promoting the growth of IFC’s mining business in emerging markets with a focus on sustainability and development impact. She oversees a portfolio of about $1 billion, including equity, mezzanine, and senior debt.

Since joining IFC in 1999, Ms. Thapar has managed mining transactions around the world, working with a range of clients and a variety of financing arrangements.

Von Hernandez

Global Coordinator, Break Free From Plastic (BFFP)

Von Hernandez is the Global Coordinator of the Break Free from Plastic movement, consisting of more than 2,500 organizations representing millions of supporters worldwide that have come together to push for systemic and lasting solutions to the plastic pollution crisis.

Prior to his current role, Von was Global Development Director of Greenpeace International where he oversaw the development and performance of Greenpeace’s national and regional offices worldwide. He also served as the Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia (GPSEA), where he led some of the group’s most successful campaigns and programs in the region. He co-founded and spearheaded various environmental coalitions and partnerships at the national, regional, and global levels including the Ecowaste Coalition in the Philippines, Waste Not Asia, and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA).

In 2003, he was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for his work, which led to the first national ban on waste incineration. For his years of experience campaigning on waste and pollution issues, Von gained recognition from Time magazine as one of the Heroes for the Environment in 2007. He graduated from the University of the Philippines (BA English), and holds a master’s degree in Public Management from the National University of Singapore.

Mark Russell

CEO & President, Nikola Corporation

Mark Russell leads Nikola Corporation, a global leader in zero-emissions transportation and infrastructure solutions. He was named Chief Executive Officer in June 2020 after joining Nikola in February 2019 as president.

Before joining Nikola, Russell served as president and chief operating officer of Worthington Industries (NYSE: WOR) from 2012 to 2018, and prior to that served as president of WOR subsidiary Worthington Steel since 2007. Worthington is a leading manufacturing company with significant automotive focus, supplying makers of more than 50 different components including frames, wheels, suspension systems, transmissions and drivetrains.

Before Worthington, Russell was Chief Executive Officer of Russell & Associates from 2004 to 2007, a group formed to acquire aluminum products companies. From 2002 to 2004, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Indalex Inc., which was then North America’s largest independent aluminum extruder. Earlier he had served as a corporate development manager, and then as general manager of engineered aerospace products for Alcoa (now Arconic) from 1999 to 2002.

After receiving an integrated studies degree from Weber State University in 1987, Russell earned a JD from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School in 1990. Since 2009, he has served as a member of National Advisory Council of Brigham Young University’s Marriott School.

Mark and his wife Erin have four grown children and three grandchildren. An outdoor enthusiast with a passion for a clean and sustainable planet, Mark enjoys visiting the world’s beautiful places with his family and hiking, biking, climbing, and skiing.

Julie Gorte, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President for Sustainable Investing, Impax Asset Management

Julie Gorte is the Senior Vice President for Sustainable Investing at Impax Asset Management and Pax World Funds. She oversees environmental, social and governance-related research on prospective and current investments as well as the firm’s shareholder engagement and public policy advocacy. Julie is also a member of the Impax Gender Analytics team.

Julie serves on the boards of the Endangered Species Coalition, E4theFuture, Clean Production Action and is the board chair of the Sustainable Investments Institute. She also serves on the Investment Committee of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative.

Prior to joining Pax, Julie served as Vice President and Chief Social Investment Strategist at Calvert. Her experience before she joined the investment world in 1999 includes nearly 14 years as Senior Associate and Project Director at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, Vice President for Economic and Environmental Research at The Wilderness Society, Program Manager for Technology Programs in the Environmental Protection Agency’s policy office and Senior Associate at the Northeast-Midwest Institute. She received her Bachelor of Science in Forest Management at Northern Arizona University and a Master of Science and Ph.D. from Michigan State in resource economics.

Paul Eremenko

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Universal Hydrogen

Paul is a leading clean aviation pioneer, having served as CTO of both Airbus and United Technologies, leading both companies aggressively toward electrification. While at Airbus and UTC, Paul launched E-Fan X and Project 804, two of the industry’s largest hybrid-electric flight demonstrators. He was also responsible for Airbus’ foray into urban air mobility with Vahana and City Airbus, as well as the company’s biofuels efforts. Previously, Paul led DARPA’s X-plane office. Now settled in Los Angeles, he’s also a pilot and proud dog dad.

Mary Jane McQuillen

Head of ESG and Portfolio Manager, ClearBridge Investments

Mary Jane McQuillen is a Portfolio Manager and the Head of the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Investment Program at ClearBridge Investments. Mary Jane co-manages the ClearBridge Sustainability Leaders Strategy, as well as a number of other active equity ESG strategies. She has been with the ESG program at a predecessor firm since 1996 and has 25 years of investment industry experience, and is a member of the ClearBridge Investments Proxy Committee.

Mary Jane is a member of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) Listed Equities Steering Committee and the ESG Integration Sub-Committee. Mary Jane serves on the Board of Directors for both Net Impact and the Sustainable Investments Institute (Si2). She also serves on the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) Advisory Committee for the Listed Equities Working Group and on the Advisory Board for "The Journal of Impact & ESG Investing."

In 2015, Mary Jane was named to the "Women Worth Watching" list for Financial Services. In 2008, Mary Jane was named a "Rising Star of Corporate Governance" by the Millstein Center for Corporate Governance and Performance at the Yale School of Management. She is also a member of Bpeace, a volunteer organization that works to introduce sustainable business skills to women in Rwanda, Afghanistan, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Mary Jane received her MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School. She holds a BS in Finance from Fordham University.

Jean-Dominique Takis Kumbo

Chief Executive Officer, Entreprise Générale du Cobalt S.A

Jean-Dominique Takis has been the Managing Director of Entreprise Générale du Cobalt SA (EGC) since its creation.

Throughout his career, he has held numerous managerial and executive positions in the private sector but also in the public sphere.

In fact, he has accumulated proven experience in the Congolese mining sector as a Director of Gécamines for ten years, member of the strategy committee of the Board of Directors of Gécamines and Director of Sicomines. In addition, he sits on the Board of Directors of the Rawji Foundation, which focuses on the education sector.

In the political arena, Jean-Dominique held a mandate as a national deputy of the DRC for twelve years and as a member of the Economic and Financial Commission of the National Assembly.

Holder of a bachelor's degree in political science and international relations from the University of Geneva, Switzerland (Institut Universitaire des Hautes Études Internationales). He also holds a Master in Business Administration from George Washington University, Washington DC (MBA - Finance).

Eva Gouwens

Chief Executive Officer, Fairphone

With 18 years of experience in the consumer goods business, Eva Gouwens joined Fairphone at the end of 2017 and took over as Chief Executive Officer in 2018. Eva brings her natural ability to inspire and empower people, and transform Fairphone’s impact goals and strategy into actions. She hopes to make the world a bit more beautiful by supporting the growth of social enterprises within the Netherlands, and by inspiring an industry to make a positive change in how we care for people and the planet.

Carine Smith Ihenacho

Chief Governance and Compliance Officer, Norges Bank Investment Management

Carine Smith Ihenacho is responsible for the governance and compliance area, which includes ownership and responsible investment activities, control and operational risk, compliance and legal services.

Carine Smith Ihenacho was appointed Chief Governance and Compliance Officer 6 October 2020. She joined Norges Bank Investment Management in August 2017 as Global Head of Ownership Strategies and was promoted to Chief Corporate Governance Officer on 1 January 2018.

Prior to joining Norges Bank Investment Management, Ms Ihenacho was Vice President Legal and Chief Compliance Officer in Statoil ASA. She has more than 20 years’ experience as a lawyer, working in both financials and the oil and gas industry, as well as in law firms. She also has extensive board experience.

Ihenacho holds a law degree from the University of Oslo, a Master of Law from Harvard Law School and a Master of Economics from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH).

Christian Mumenthaler

Group Chief Executive Officer, Swiss Re

Christian Mumenthaler started his career in 1997 as associate with the Boston Consulting Group. He joined Swiss Re in 1999 and was responsible for key company projects. In 2002, he established and headed the Group Retro and Syndication unit. Christian Mumenthaler served as Group Chief Risk Officer between 2005 and 2007 and was Head of Life & Health between 2007 and 2010. In January 2011, he was appointed Chief Marketing Officer Reinsurance and member of the Group Executive Committee and became Chief Executive Officer Reinsurance that October. In July 2016, Christian Mumenthaler was appointed Group Chief Executive Officer.

Dr. Steve Howard

Chief Sustainability Officer, Temasek International

Dr Steve Howard is Chief Sustainability Officer of Temasek. In addition to chairing We Mean Business, Steve is on the administrative board of SEforALL, and until recently was Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Environmental and Natural Resource Security.

He was Chief Sustainability Officer at IKEA Group and served on IKEA’s Executive Group Management from 2011-2017. In 2015, Steve co-founded We Mean Business, a leading climate change coalition of organisations that helped support the Paris Agreement. Prior to IKEA, Steve was Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Climate Group, a global NGO that has built networks of cities, states, regions, and businesses committed to a net-zero carbon world. Before the Climate Group, Steve consulted on sustainability for major corporations and institutions, working as a partner at ERM Group in London and a Director at URS Corporation. He has worked with various NGOs and UN bodies on a wide range of global sustainability topics. Earlier in his career, Steve worked in WWF, where he established the Global Forest and Trade Network, chaired the UK Forest Stewardship Council and helped launch and chair The Forest Trust. Steve is trained as an ecologist and has a PhD in Ecophysiology and Environmental Physics based on research in Kenya.

Torbjørg Klara Fossum

VP Global CCS Solutions, Equinor

Torbjørg Klara Fossum graduated with an M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Trondheim and joined Equinor (former Statoil) in 1997. She currently holds the position as Vice President for Global CCS Solutions. Through various leadership positions she has gained insight in Equinor’s unique capability and experience within Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). These capabilities are based on decades of technology development, Technology Centre Mongstad (the world’s largest test centre for developing CO2 capture technologies), more than 25 years of operational experience (Sleipner, Snøhvit, InSalah) and the current development of the Northern Lights project which will kick-start a European value chain for CCS that will help European industry to de-carbonise.

Karsten Temme

co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Pivot Bio

Karsten Temme, Ph.D. is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pivot Bio, a leading nitrogen innovator. Driven by a vision of a more sustainable food system, Dr. Temme has dedicated his career translating new technology into commercial solutions that improve financial and environmental outcomes for farmers.

During his doctoral work in bioengineering, Dr. Temme and his Pivot Bio co-founder invented a breakthrough technology that enables cereal crops to self-fertilize. Together with his co-founder, they launched Pivot Bio in 2011 to lift up farmers and accelerate progress towards cleaner air and water with better nitrogen.

Dr. Temme earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in biomedical engineering from the University of Iowa, and his Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University of California-Berkeley Joint Graduate Group.

Bruce Niemeyer

Vice President, Strategy & Sustainability, Chevron Corporation

Bruce L. Niemeyer, is corporate vice president of Strategy and Sustainability for Chevron Corporation, a role he assumed in 2018. He is responsible for guiding development of the company’s key strategies, including capital allocation and sustainability efforts.

Prior to his current role, Niemeyer served as vice president of Chevron’s Mid-Continent business unit from 2013 to 2018. In that role, he was responsible for developing assets in the mid-continent United States, including significant Permian assets in Texas and New Mexico.

Niemeyer was vice president of the Appalachian/Michigan business unit from 2011 to 2013, where he led the company’s development of natural gas from shale in the northeast U.S. Prior to that, he served as general manager of strategy and planning for Chevron North America Exploration and Production Co.

Niemeyer is a member of the Oxford Energy Policy Club.

Niemeyer joined Texaco in 2000 from Atlantic Richfield Co. He earned a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and is a registered petroleum engineer in the state of California.

Dr Dieter Weisskopf

Chief Executive Officer, Lindt & Sprüngli Group

Mr. Weisskopf started his career at Swiss Union Bank. After gaining additional experience in the banking sector in South America, he then changed to the food industry, joining the Jacobs Suchard Group. At Jacobs Suchard and at Klaus Jacobs Holding, he held executive management positions in the area of finance, latterly as CFO in Canada and Switzerland. Mr. Weisskopf joined the Lindt & Sprüngli Group in 1995 as Head of Finance, Administration, IT, Purchasing and Sustainability. Since 2004, he has also been responsible for manufacturing. As of October 1, 2016, he took over as Chief Executive Officer of the Lindt & Sprüngli Group. The Headquarters' functions Group Communications and Group HR are reporting directly to him.

Thomas Schmall

Group Board Member, Technology Volkswagen AG and Chief Executive Officer, Volkswagen Group Components

The Volkswagen AG Supervisory Board appointed Thomas Schmall-von Westerholt as member of the Volkswagen AG Board of Management responsible for Technology as of 1 January 2021.

Thomas Schmall-von Westerholt was born in Frankfurt on 9 January 1964. After leaving school, he studied business management and labour and organisational psychology at the University of Giessen.

The business administration graduate joined the Volkswagen Group in 1991. Following posts in industrial engineering in Wolfsburg, Mexico and South Africa, Schmall-von Westerholt moved to Volkswagen do Brasil in 1999, becoming manager of the Curitiba plant one year later.

Mr Schmall-von Westerholt joined Volkswagen Slovakia as Board member for Technology in 2003, becoming Chairman of the Volkswagen Slovakia Board of Management based at the Bratislava plant two years later.

Thomas Schmall-von Westerholt was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Volkswagen do Brasil in 2007. He also held the post of Vice President of the São Paulo German-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce between 2009 and 2013 and was then elected President of the Chamber until March 2015.

Thomas Schmall-von Westerholt was appointed member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management responsible for Components effective 1 January 2015. Thomas Schmall-von Westerholt has been Chief Executive Officer of Volkswagen Group Components, an autonomous corporate unit under the umbrella of Volkswagen AG, since 1 January 2019. In this role he supervised the transformation of the division into a stand-alone unit. Mr Schmall-von Westerholt shaped this transition, above all, with an eye on adequate return on investment to ensure self-financing in all business areas. Under central management, Components increased its competitiveness, achieved synergies, optimised plant utilisation and investment planning - with the objective of making a lasting positive and sustainable value contribution to the Volkswagen Group’s operating profit.

As the member of the Volkswagen AG Board of Management responsible for Technology, Mr Schmall-von Westerholt is, as of 1 January 2021, responsible throughout the Group for all activities at Volkswagen Group Components of which he remains Chairman of the Board of Management. New developments include the marketing of Volkswagen modular toolkits to third parties, the cross-brand responsibility for the development and production of battery cells and systems as well as the corresponding procurement processes. The Board-level management function for Technology also has the global responsibility for Charging and Energy.

Peter Boone

Chief Executive Officer, Barry Callebaut

Peter Boone is Chief Executive Officer of Barry Callebaut and was appointed to that role effective September 1, 2021. Before, he has been CEO & President Americas since September 1, 2017. He has been a member of the Executive Committee of Barry Callebaut since 2012.

Peter Boone joined Barry Callebaut as Chief Innovation Officer. He assumed additional responsibility for Quality Assurance as of June 2013 and for Sustainability as of November 2015.

Before joining Barry Callebaut, Peter worked for 16 years for Unilever. His latest role with Unilever was as Chief Marketing Officer responsible for the marketing of all brands in all categories in Australia and New Zealand. He was a member of the regional Executive Board.

Peter Boone started his career at the Information Services division of ITT Corp., where he worked in a strategic marketing role. In 1996, he joined Unilever as a Strategy Analyst at the head office in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Peter Boone also held other positions at Unilever such as Global Vice President Brand Development at the Unilever Headquarters in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and Vice President Marketing & Sales Latin America Foods Solution based in São Paulo, Brazil.
Peter Boone studied Business Administration at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He was born in 1970 and is a Dutch national.

Jack McAneny

Vice President, Global Sustainability, P&G

Jack McAneny, Vice President of Global Sustainability, has been with P&G for 25 years.  During that time he has had a variety of assignments in the Health, Safety & Environment and Technical External Relations functions. In his current role, he coordinates P&G’s Environmental Sustainability efforts. Prior to joining P&G, Jack worked for the Federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration as an Industrial Hygiene Compliance Officer.

Nadia Rasheed

Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP India

Ms. Nadia Rasheed is the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in India. She assumed her duties in November 2018.

Prior to this she was Team Leader for the UNDP Regional Health and Development Team for Asia and the Pacific from 2014 to 2018. From 2009 to 2014 she was the global Practice Manager for the HIV, Health and Development Practice in UNDP Headquarters in New York.

She has worked with UNDP on a range of health, gender and development issues, representing the organization in partnerships with UN organizations, managing UNDP and interagency programmes and providing advisory support to UNDP Country Offices and national partners. From 2005 to 2009 she was Policy Specialist on HIV in the Bureau for Policy development, and the UNDP focal point for the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). She also previously worked with the UNDP Human Development Report Office, and with UNDP and other organizations on capacity development and gender equality.

Ms. Rasheed received her undergraduate degree in Economics from the London School of Economics, and her master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University.

Michael Peter

Chief Executive Officer, Siemens Mobility

Michael Peter is the Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Mobility - a company that is a leader in rolling stock, rail automation and electrification, turnkey systems, rail digitalization and related services. After having studied Electrical Engineering at the Technical University of Braunschweig as well as at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and receiving his master’s degree in electrical engineering (Dipl.-Ing.) in 1992, Mr. Peter has dedicated his career to transportation systems and industrial solutions, rolling stock and infrastructure solutions for rail and road as well as driving digital transformation at Siemens. He has held various positions with Siemens in Germany, USA, Thailand and Spain.

Andre de Ruyter

Group Chief Executive, Eskom

André de Ruyter is currently the Eskom Holdings Group Chief Executive (GCE), overseeing a 100% State-owned company of over 40 000 employees, responsible for providing over 95% South Africa’s electricity needs and approximately 45% of the electricity used across the Africa. Under André’s leadership, Eskom operates 30 power stations, including base-load coal and nuclear power stations, hydro, pumped storage and gas-fired peaking power stations as well as a self dispatching wind farm. Eskom has a total nominal capacity of over 44 000 MW, supported by a network consisting of almost 400 000 km of high, medium and low-voltage lines and underground cables serving over 6 000 000 direct customers.

A seasoned executive, with a career spanning over 30 years, André has amassed a wealth of experience both locally and internationally in various portfolios in the energy space, including the management of coal, oil, chemical and gas businesses, the marketing of export coal to international utilities and managing operations of mega coal and gas conversion plants, including electricity generation. His experience and expertise traverses a range of disciplines, including but not limited to: strategic leadership, sales, manufacturing, production, finance, legal & regulation, people management and socio-economic development. André holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Nyenrode Business University in the Netherlands, a Bachelor of Law (LLB) obtained from the University of South Africa (UNISA) as well as a Bachelor of Civil Law and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pretoria.

He was a member of the Sasol group executive committee from 2009 to 2014, and spent some time in China as President of China Ventures, also leading business turnaround and transformation in Germany. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Nampak in 2014, a position he left when he accepted the Group Chief Executive role at Eskom, beginning in January 2020, two months before South Africa went into a national lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

When often asked why he accepted the leading role at the beleaguered energy utility, André has consistently maintained that he believes the importance of Eskom in driving economic growth and development should never be underestimated, and is humbled to take up the challenge of restoring Eskom’s value-add, credibility and reputation. Deeply passionate about employee engagement, André has made a concerted effort to consistently connect with people across the business and share the vision of the Eskom “city on the hill” - re-invigorating, rejuvenating and redefining Eskom’s destiny to lead the energy transition into the future in a sustainable manner, as well as the importance of high performance culture amongst employees, to make this a reality.

Eoin Murray

Head of Investment, Federated Hermes International

Eoin is Head of Investment and a member of the Executive Committee. Eoin also leads the Investment Office, which is responsible to clients for the investment teams’ consistent delivery of responsible, risk-adjusted performance and adherence to the processes which earned them their ‘kitemarks’. He is also the Executive sponsor for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion.

Eoin joined the international business of Federated Hermes in January 2015 with almost 30 years’ investment experience. Eoin joined from GSA Capital Partners, where he was a fund manager. Before this, he was Chief Investment Officer at Old Mutual from 2004 to 2008 and also held senior positions at Callanish Capital Partners LLP and Northern Trust Global Investments. He began his career as a graduate trainee at Manufacturers Hanover Trust (now JPMorgan Chase) and subsequently performed senior portfolio manager roles at Wells Fargo Nikko Investment Advisors (now BlackRock), PanAgora Asset Management and First Quadrant. Eoin earned an MA (Hons) in Economics and Law from the University of Edinburgh and an MBA from Warwick Business School. Additionally, he has a Certificate in Energy Innovation and Emerging Technologies from Stanford University and a Diploma in Specialist Rescue from Coventry University.

Eoin is a Freeman of the City of London, a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths, Master of the Guild of Investment Managers, and a Fellow of the RSA. He is a member of the Exmoor Search and Rescue team, a fully qualified Swift-water Rescue Technician, a Powerboat Rescue Operator and a Flood Water Incident Manager.

Sandrine Sommer

CSR & Sustainable Development Director, Moet Hennessy

Since April 2020, Sandrine Sommer has joined Moet Hennessy as Chief Sustainability Officer. She oversees Moët Hennessy Sustainability strategy for the 25 Wine & Spirits’ Maisons and implement CSR initiatives worldwide in all markets. She is supported by long-term experts from different Maisons to manage all the scopes of Sustainable Development.

With this internal ecosystem, she coordinates initiatives to regenerate soils in all terroirs, to mitigate climate change through the value chain, to support communities around the world and to empower people within Moët Hennessy.

Before that, Sandrine worked for 13 years as Chief Sustainability Officer at Guerlain where she created and developed a game changing Corporate Social & Environmental strategy.

Sandrine is proud to belong to a committed Group, which is aiming to push its ambition for society and environment forward, without compromising the quality of luxury.

In France and internationally, Sandrine participated to several forums and events on sustainability and was a jury member of the Luxe Pack in Green Award for 8 years. She used to teach Luxury Management and Marketing to specialized MBAs.

Sandrine holds an engineer degree in Packaging and started her career at Mars in the Packaging Development department, before joining LVMH Group in 1999.

At LVMH, Sandrine held several positions as Head of Packaging at Moët & Chandon, Make Up For Ever then Guerlain in 2005. In 2007, she created and became Head of Guerlain Sustainable Development department and became in 2020 Chief Sustainability Officer at Moet Hennessy.

Joachim Wenning

Chairman of the Board of Management, Munich Re (Group)

Joachim Wenning is Chair of the Board of Management of Munich Re, a global reinsurer based in Munich, Germany. He was appointed to the Board of Management on 1 January 2009, initially responsible for the Life Division, later also for Human Resources. Mr. Wenning was appointed Chair of the Board of Management with effect from 27 April 2017. In his current role he is responsible for Group Strategy and M&A; Group Communications; Group Audit, Economics, Sustainability and Public Affairs; Group Human Resources; Group Executive Affairs, and Group Compliance and Legal.

Mr. Wenning joined Munich Re in 1991 and has served in a variety of leadership roles at the company in Germany and in Switzerland.

Born in Jerusalem in Israel in 1965, Mr. Wenning is a graduate in economics from the University of Munich, completing his doctoral thesis in 1995.

Helen Browning

Chief Executive, Soil Association

Helen has a very mixed organic farm in Wiltshire, with dairy, beef, pigs, cereals and is now also experimenting with agroforestry.

Her products are sold through the Helen Browning’s Organic brand in retailers, big and small, as well as through her mini hotel/dining pub on the farm.

Her book ‘PIG; tales from an organic farm’, written with her partner Tim Finney, tells more about the trials and tribulations of their farming and food life.

She has been Chief Executive of the Soil Association since 2011, after a long involvement with the charity in a variety of exec and non-exec roles.

Helen is a trustee of the RSPB, a Commissioner for the Food Farming and Countryside Commission and sits on the BBC’s Rural Affairs Advisory Committee. Up until recently, Helen was a member of the Food Ethics Council and sat on the National Food Strategy Advisory Panel.

Prior to rejoining the Soil Association, Helen was Director of External Affairs for the National Trust.

She has had a number of roles in agri-politics over the years, including the Government’s Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food (‘the Curry Commission’) and chaired the England Animal Health and Welfare Implementation Group. Helen was awarded an OBE in 1998 for her services to organic farming.

Walter Schalka

Chief Executive Officer - Chief Executive Officer, Suzano

Walter Schalka is CEO of Suzano, a position he has held since January 2013. Walter has played an instrumental role in the evolution of the company's strategy, results and ESG activity since joining, including overseeing the merger of old Suzano Papel e Celulose and Fibria Celulose, in January 2019.

He started his career at Citibank and later joined the holding company of Grupo Maepar. In 1989, he began working as Chief Financial Officer at Dixie Lalekla, and later became General Manager and eventually CEO after the merger that created the Dixie Toga Group. In May 2005, he joined Grupo Votorantim as CEO of Votorantim Cimentos. In January 2013, he became CEO of Suzano.

Walter is a six-time winner of Fastmarkets RISI’s Latin American CEO of the Year and was elected one of the 15 Best CEOs in Brazil by Forbes in 2018. Walter is 60 years old and is married with three children and a grandson.

David M. Turk

Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy

Prior to his nomination as Deputy Secretary, Turk was the Deputy Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), where he focused on helping countries around the world tackle their clean energy transitions. He also directed reports on the digitalization of energy systems, the future of clean hydrogen, and a project tracking progress on a wide range of clean energy technologies.

During the Obama-Biden Administration, Turk coordinated international technology and clean energy efforts at DOE. During this time, he helped spearhead the launch of Mission Innovation—a global effort to enhance clean energy innovation.

Turk also served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director at the U.S. National Security Council, where he coordinated interagency legislative affairs efforts by the full range of national security agencies and provided legislative advice to National Security Council decision-making. He also previously worked at the U.S. Department of State, including as Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change and helping to coordinate New Start Treaty ratification efforts in the U.S. Senate.   

Earlier in his career, Turk worked in both the U.S. Senate, primarily on national security issues, and as the Staff Director of the National Security Subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee. 

Turk was born in Quito, Ecuador and raised in Rock Falls, Illinois. He is a graduate of both the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Virginia Law School. He and his wife, Emily Turk, have three children. 

Oren Zaslansky

Founder & CEO, Flock Freight

Oren is the CEO and founder of Flock Freight and leads strategy, fundraising, and executive talent recruitment. Oren also works closely with sales development, product roadmap, and fulfillment teams.

Oren has been in the trucking and logistics industry for 20+ years since he founded E&H Transport Network in 1996. E&H provides specialized white-glove FTL service to SMB and enterprise customers nationwide. Oren built E&H from the ground up, including the recruitment and onboarding of over 1,000 truck drivers.

In 2001, Oren founded SolSource Logistics, a third-party logistics (3PL) company serving international Fortune 1000 clients such as Whole Foods, Wegmans Grocery, and Sprouts Market. SolSource provides consultative project management solutions to expanding or remodeling national and regional retailers, grocers and hospitality firms. SolSource manages the entire supply chain for build/remodel projects.

In serving a diverse customer base in the transportation industry, Oren identified an unmet need to reduce the significant waste and antiquated approach to transportation. Too often assets are underutilized and freight moves through intermediary depots when otherwise technology could facilitate those solutions without the waste of brick and mortar.

H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat

Minister of International Cooperation, Arab Republic of Egypt

Dr. Rania Al Mashat is Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation since December 2019, and previously served as the country’s first female Minister of Tourism. Prior to that, she was Advisor to the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC. She specialized in central banking issues and designing monetary policy frameworks. Her other former roles include serving as Sub-Governor for Monetary Policy at the Central Bank of Egypt, Senior Economist at the IMF, Deputy Project Director for the Institutional Reform and Informal Sector Center at the University of Maryland, College Park, USA, and Adjunct Professor of Economics at the American University in Cairo (AUC). Al-Mashat has several publications on monetary policy, financial stability and institutional reforms in transition and emerging markets.

She represents Egypt as Governor in several international financial institutions, including the World Bank Group, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, and Arab Bank for Economic Development; and as Alternate Governor of Egypt at the African Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and Islamic Development Bank. She is also Co-Chair of the MENA Stewardship Board at the World Economic Forum (WEF); and Member of the New Economy and Society Stewardship Board at WEF. She had several board affiliations, including the Egyptian Stock Exchange, the Egyptian General Authority for Free Zones and Investment, the Arab International Bank, the Arab Investment Bank, and the Middle East Economic Association.

Al-Mashat received a number of international and domestic awards; the “2019 Global Champion Award” from the World Tourism and Travel Council; the “2019 Global Leader’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Industry”. She was named among most powerful women in the Egyptian Banking Sector in 2015 and selected among the top 50 most influential women in the Egyptian economy in 2015 and 2020; the 2014 and 2015 “Choiseul Institute 100 Africa: Economic Leaders for Tomorrow”; and 2014 Young Global Leaders by WEF.

Al-Mashat received her PhD and MA in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park, USA, and BA in Economics from AUC. She completed executive education at Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and SaÏd Business School, Oxford University.

Don Lindsay

President and Chief Executive Officer, Teck

Don Lindsay joined Teck as President in January 2005, was appointed to the Board in February 2005 and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in April 2005. He is a graduate of Queens University (B.Sc., Hons.) and Harvard Business School (M.B.A.). He is currently a director of Manulife Financial Corporation. Mr. Lindsay was employed by CIBC World Markets Inc. (investment banking) from 1985 to 2004 where he was President of CIBC World Markets Inc., Head of Investment and Corporate Banking and Head of the Asia Pacific Region.

Richard Browning

Founder and Chief Test Pilot, Gravity Industries Ltd.

Richard Browning is Founder and Chief Test Pilot of Gravity Industries which designs, builds and flies Jet Suits, pioneering a new era of human flight. The company was founded in March 2017 to challenge the perceived boundaries in human aviation and to inspire others to dare to ask “What if?”. It now scales towards an International Race Series.

Prior to founding Gravity, Richard was a Royal Marines reservist for six years and an Oil Trader with BP for 16 years where he discovered and implemented major new technologies winning the BP Group innovation Award.

When he is not flying around the world, Richard is in Salisbury with his wife Debbie and their two children, Oliver and Thomas, kayaking and camping amongst other things.

Mia Mottley

Prime Minister, Barbados

The Honourable Mia Mottley is the 8th Prime Minister of Barbados. She became the first woman to occupy the high office, following General Elections on May 24th 2018, in which she led the Barbados Labour Party to an emphatic victory, winning all 30 seats in the House of Assembly by the largest margin ever seen in the electoral history of the country.

An Attorney-at-Law and Queen’s Counsel, Prime Minister Mottley has been active in the political life of Barbados for almost three decades. First elected in 1994 she is presently serving her sixth term as Member of Parliament for the constituency of St. Michael North East.

Between 1994 and 2008 Miss Mottley served in the Cabinet of three successive Administrations, first as Minister of Education and Culture; then as Attorney-General and Minister of Home Affairs; and then as Minister of Economic Affairs. In 2003 she was appointed Deputy Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Mottley currently also holds the portfolios of Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs and Investment.

Since becoming Prime Minister, Miss Mottley has served as the Chair of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) between January 1st and June 30th, 2020. Notwithstanding that, Miss Mottley, as Prime Minister of Barbados, serves as the Lead Head of Government within CARICOM, bearing responsibility for the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

Prime Minister Mottley also serves as Co-Chair of the Americas Cruise Tourism Task Force for the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America markets.

Yat Siu

Chairman and Co-Founder, Animoca Brands

Yat Siu, Chairman and Co-Founder of Animoca Brands, has been involved in NFTs since 2018, when he invested in Dapper Labs, (creator of CryptoKitties and NBA Top Shot). At Animoca Brands, Yat leads various in-house NFT projects including The Sandbox, the REVV token, REVV Racing, F1 Delta Time, MotoGP Ignition, and Formula E: High Voltage. Animoca Brands' various subsidiaries include BlowFish Studios, GAMEE, Quidd, Lympo, Pixowl, and nWay, all of which have their own crypto token projects. Yat’s vision is to enable digital ownership and Play-to-Earn for the world's 2.7 billion gamers. He is a supporter of various NGOs, a member of BAFTA, and serves on the board of directors of the Asian Youth Orchestra.

Merck Mercuriadis

Founder and CEO, Hipgnosis Songs Fund

Bio coming soon.

Nile Rodgers

Multiple Award Winning Composer, Producer, Arranger, Guitarist and Co-Founder of CHIC

Bio coming soon.

Renate Nyborg

CEO, Tinder

Renate Nyborg is the Chief Executive Officer of Tinder, the world’s most popular app for meeting new people. With more than 15 years’ experience building mobile and subscription businesses, Renate originally joined Tinder in 2020 to lead the business in the largest international region, EMEA. In that role, she managed and influenced every facet of the business including revenue, product innovation, marketing, communications and member experience.

Renate joined Tinder from Headspace, where she built and led its first international product and marketing team. She previously spent over four years at Apple, where she led the App Store subscription business in Europe. Renate also founded Pleo, a human-centric app design studio, and she was the first-ever Global Director of Mobile at Edelman.

Robert Dingemanse

CEO & Founder, PAL-V International BV

Bio coming soon.

Daehoon Kim

CEO & President, IriTech

Daehoon Kim has been CEO & President of IriTech, Inc., USA since the year 2000. They are at the cutting edge of biometric technology, particularly relating to iris recognition.

Prior to his role at IriTech, Daehoon had roles at Korea Institute of Science and Technology, the Mayo Clinic Biomedical Research Unit, and the Korean Agency for Defense Development. Daehoon and his team came up with a so-called Multi-sector Variable iris recognition method, which was granted an international patent. He established IriTech to bring into the iris industry such a great method, which was later on proven superior by NIST. Since then, he has been a well-known scientist in the field with several contributions to build up ANSI and ISO standards for iris biometrics from the beginning.

Daehoon has a doctorate from North Carolina State University, M.S. from KAIST and B.S. from Seoul National University, Korea

He is leading IriTech in the direction of bringing iris recognition technology from government-centric to consumer-centric.

Toby Norman

Chief Executive Officer, Simprints

Toby Norman is the Chief Executive Officer of Simprints, a Cambridge-based nonprofit biometrics company with the mission to radically increase transparency and effectiveness in global development. He is passionate about bringing cutting-edge technology to solve challenges in global health and international development. He holds a PhD in Management from the University of Cambridge, where he was a Gates Scholar, and BA in Biology from Harvard University. He has been recognised as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur, TechCrunch: Best Tech leader, a 2017 Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year Awardee, and a 2018 GLG Social Impact Fellow.

Andrew Barnes

Founder, Perpetual Guardian and 4 Day Week Global

Innovator, entrepreneur and philanthropist Andrew Barnes has made a career of market-changing innovation and industry digitisation. In New Zealand, Andrew triggered a revolution of the entire fiduciary and legal services industries, and the transformation he has led as the founder of Perpetual Guardian has positive implications both locally and globally.

As the innovator behind the 4 Day Week, Andrew is regularly asked to address international audiences on the future of work and subjects such as governance, philanthropy, business leadership, entrepreneurship, company culture and change management, and presented a TEDx Talk on the topic in 2019.

The 4 Day Week has triggered changes in government thinking and generated interest from companies and academics around the world. Most recently, the Spanish government agreed to support a 4 Day Week trial for interested companies, and California Congressman Mark Takano introduced legislation to reduce the standard workweek from 40 hours to 32.

In response to the demand for more insight, Andrew published a white paper on the 4 Day Week in 2019 and wrote a book on the topic, released in 2020 in North America, New Zealand and Australia, the UK and Europe. He also established 4 Day Week Global, a not-for-profit, international community of people interested in ushering in the work model of the 21st century.

Through this work Andrew is on the advisory boards of both the US and Ireland 4 Day Week campaigns and the board of the newly created Wellbeing Research Centre at Oxford University.

Meghana Reddy

Vice President of People & Operations, Loom

Meghana is VP of People & Operations at Loom, where she brings her vast experience in scaling high-functioning and inclusive teams across different time zones. Of note, she previously led people teams at high-growth companies in Europe and the US, including Framer, Catawiki, and NerdWallet, and also founded Third Tactic, a startup that developed training programs for clients like Pinterest, Venmo, and LinkedIn. Meghana started her career at Bain & Company, where she led teams across six global offices.

Jin Song Montesano

Chief People Officer, LIXIL Corporation

Jin Montesano is Executive Officer and Chief People Officer of LIXIL. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the LIXIL Corporation. She joined the company in 2014 as Chief Public Affairs Officer, leading global communications and corporate responsibility for the company, including stewardship of SATO, an award-winning global social enterprise tackling the challenges of global sanitation and hygiene. LIXIL expanded Jin’s remit in 2019 to include Global HR and General Affairs. As Chief People Officer, she supports LIXIL’s transformation from a people and culture perspective. Originally from Honolulu, she was educated at Columbia and Princeton universities and has lived and worked in Brussels, Singapore, Bangkok and now Tokyo

Justin Hall

Partner, Golden Gate Ventures

Justin is a partner at Golden Gate Ventures. He joined the firm in 2012 as its first intern, and became one of its four partners in 2018. Alongside Jeffrey Paine, Justin leads the majority of deal-sourcing and portfolio management at the fund, and currently sits on the board for some of its most notable investments, including Homage, BukuWarung, Chilibeli, ALAMI, and Ritase.

Justin Hall received his Master’s of Public Policy from the National University of Singapore, and graduated first with honours in History and Political Science from Trinity, College Dublin. In addition to his role at Golden Gate Ventures, he is also a Kauffman Fellow (Class 20), and an entrepreneur-in-residence at INSEAD.

In 2012, Justin chose Singapore’s entrepreneurship policy for his academic thesis, and first became acquainted with Golden Gate Ventures in a purely research capacity. He joined Golden Gate Ventures shortly after as an intern, before joining full-time as its first (and only) investment associate in 2013. Justin was eventually promoted to Principal following Golden Gate Ventures’ investment into Homage, and to partner in 2018 upon the close of Fund III.

Dmitry Levit

Partner, Cento Ventures

Dmitry is the founder of Cento Ventures (www.cento.vc), an early stage venture firm focused on supporting digital businesses operating across multiple fragmented emerging markets. Cento has been in operation since 2011, with majority of its investments concentrated in Southeast Asia. Cento’s portfolio includes, among others, region's premier digital payments platform 2C2P (Thailand), region’s first and leading direct carrier billing provider Coda Payments (Indonesia), SEA's largest non-executive recruitment platform FastJobs (Malaysia), region’s leading digital fashion retailer Pomelo Fashion (Thailand). As the general partner of several funds under Cento’s management, Dmitry is responsible for overseeing all investment and fund activities in Southeast Asia.

Dmitry formerly served as an advisor to several investment groups and corporations pursuing technology and media opportunities across developing Asia, with Media Development Authority of Singapore, Singtel, ru-Net, IDG Ventures Vietnam, SUP Media, Livejournal.com, Chinese Founders Fund, VIVA Media and Nusantara Ventures among his clients.

Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, Dmitry graduated from St. Petersburg University School of Management, holds an MBA from INSEAD and has lived in Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Finland, France, Czech Republic, Germany, Russia, and the UK.

Eddy Njoroge

President, ISO

Eddy Njoroge has been elected ISO President for a two-year term starting on 1 January 2020 and served as President-elect in 2019. He is an experienced entrepreneur with rounded experience in the corporate and financial sector. He is a former long standing (2003-2013) CEO of KenGen (Kenya Electricity Generating Company), where he spearheaded the transformation of the company from a parastatal to a publicly listed company with a greater commercial and sustainability orientation. His passion for standards was evidenced when he got KenGen to be the first parastatal company to be ISO 9001 certified. From 2008 to 2012, he was the President of the Union of Producers and Distributors of Electric Power in Africa, giving him a unique overview and perspective of Africa’s Power sector.

He currently serves as Chairman of Telkom Kenya, Britam General Insurance Company, Corbetti Geothermal Company in Ethiopia, Kenya Pooled Water Fund and is the Immediate Past Chairman of the Nairobi Securities Exchange where he was Chairman for seven years. He is a board member of Kenya Bureau of Standards (where he Chairs the Standards Approval Committee), and Proctor & Allan among other companies. He is also a Member of the Investment Committee of the Africa Renewable Energy Fund and serves on the board of Globeleq - a London based Pan - African power company.

He is the recipient of several awards honouring his contribution to industry development, including Elder of the Burning Spear (EBS), Chief of the Burning Spear (CBS) by The President of Kenya and the Ordre National du Mérite from the President of France, and a Life-time Award in recognition of his contribution to the transformation of the energy sector in Africa.

Mr Njoroge has a BSc. (Hons) degree in Chemistry/Biochemistry from Makerere University-Uganda and an MBA (Leadership and Sustainability) from University of Cumbria.

Natalie Johnson

Founder, Neuno

Bio coming soon.

Benoit Pagotto

Co-Founder, RTFKT

Benoit is one of the 3 founders of RTFKT.

With prior experience in both luxury fashion and gaming / esports, he’s specialized in building next gen brands, teams and business models merging those 2 very distinct worlds.

Tessie San Martin

FHi360

Bio coming soon.

Anna Kominik

Asia Pacific Region Director, Wisk

Anna leads a multinational team, bringing the world’s first self-flying electric VTOL air taxi to market. Before joining Wisk, she held senior management roles in the public and private sectors working across Australasia and served as a consultant to boards, governments and the aviation sector. Anna is currently the independent Chair of the Electricity Retailers’ Association of New Zealand (ERANZ) and sits on the board of the New Zealand United States Business Council and the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts. Anna is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors, and was a recipient of the Commonwealth Foundation Emerging Pacific Leaders Scholarship. She has a master’s degree from Northwestern University, Chicago and was a Rotary International Scholar. She currently serves on the Vertical Flight Society’s Board of Directors as the Director for the Asia-Australia region.

Andoni Luis Aduriz

Michelin Star Chef

Andoni Luis Aduriz is undoubtedly one of the most influential chefs of our times.Throughout his career, he has prioritized both culinary evolution and an interdisciplinary approach. His versatility and creativity always raging the predefined limits open windows to many new worlds.

After working in El Bulli, home of one of the worlds’s most renowned chefs Ferran Adrià. In 1998, Aduriz embarked alone upon his most risky and satisfactory project: Mugaritz, which has been recognized with 2 Michelin stars and since 2006 it has figured among the top ten in the list of Restaurant Magazine (in 2021 has obtained the 14th position).In 2021 he has been rated the third best chef in the world by Best Chef Awards.

Aduriz’ multidisciplnary approach embraces the innovation in the kitchen and the most diverse sectors. His lectures in places as Harvard University or the MIT, his articles in El País newspaper and his membership to the Basque Culinary Center Foundation’s patronage or to the Innobasque Board and the Tufts Nutrition Council from TUFTS University, and his books –written alone or in collaboration with scientists and scholars- are powerful tools to share all the knowledge that Mugaritz has acquired about creativity in organizations, health, perceptions or the gastronomy of the future.

During his professional life, he has earned prizes such us Spanish National Gastronomy Prize, the St. Pellegrino Chef’s Choice Award from St. Pellegrino, the Eckart Witzigmann Prize, the Healthy Cuisine Award by the Royal Academy of Gastronomy. In 2021 he has been recognised as Japanese Cuisine Goodwill Ambassador by Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan and he has obtained the Best Entrepreneur Chef Award in the XV Edition of the National Awards for the Hotel and Catering Industry by Hostelería España.

Michael (Mike) DePrisco

Chief Operating Officer, Project Management Institute (PMI)

As PMI Chief Operating Officer, Michael DePrisco provides executive leadership to the Global Operations Group, supporting more than 1.2M active certification holders, 650,000 members and 300 chapters from over 200 countries. He is responsible for the Product Portfolio, Lean Portfolio & Product Integration, Customer Care, and Digital Groups. His team's focus is on digital product delivery and management, and the successful execution of all major initiatives.

Mike joined PMI in 2013 and has held several roles within the organization including Vice President, Global Membership & Chapters, and Vice President, Academic and Educational Programs.

Prior to PMI, Mike served in executive positions in higher education. There, he executed university strategic plans to ensure integration and alignment of key initiatives and priorities. He provided executive oversight to campus development and growth, including student acquisition and retention, program development, financial management and stakeholder relationships.

He has a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and holds a Certificate in Company Direction (International) from the Institute of Directors. Mike is active in youth and educational programs in his community.

Coral Alcaraz

Chief People Officer, Desigual

Senior HR Manager with more than 10 years experience leading roles/content as Sr. HR Business Partner, Talent Acquisition, Employer Branding, Learning & Development, Performance & Goals, Career Management.

Joined Desigual in 2017 as Global Head of Talent and Development. In 2021, Alcaraz took over the People area and joined the management committee, becoming the youngest professional on the management team.

Psychologist, Master in Human Resources Management, Global Remuneration Professional, Project Management, Leadership. Storytelling & Communication. Speaker at HR Forums, EADA Business School.

Desigual is an international fashion brand established in Barcelona in 1984. It is famous for the individuality and unique character of its creations, which aim to bring positivity and authenticity to thousands of people who want to express the best version of themselves.  

The company has currently more than 2,700 employees and is present across 100 countries through 10 sales channels, more than 415 branded stores and six product categories: Woman, Man, Kids, Accessories, Shoes and Sport. 

David Radcliffe

Vice President, Real Estate & Workplace Services and Global Security & Resilience Services, Google

As Vice President of Real Estate & Workplace Services (REWS) and Global Security & Resilience Services (GSRS), David is responsible for managing all aspects of Google’s global real estate portfolio, industry-leading workplace services and physical security services that enable the company to thrive. His organization creates inspiring, sustainable environments where 130,000+ employees in more than 60 countries can do their best work every day in ways that promote productivity, collaboration and wellbeing.

Nipun Mehra

Co-Founder and CEO, Ula

Nipun is a co-founder of Ula and CEO. Nipun has had previous stints building out businesses and categories at Amazon and Flipkart, has been an investment advisor with Sequoia Capital and been part of the leadership team at payments unicorn Pine Labs. Nipun holds a Masters in Computer Science from Stanford University and an MBA from The Wharton School.

Givanildo Pereira Bastos

CEO and Founder, Favela Brasil Xpress

Social Entrepreneur, CEO and Founder of Favela Brasil Xpress, a logistics management model that aims to connect logistics companies to people from favelas who buy products online and local micro-entrepreneurs who want to sell their products beyond the favelas. He served as director of the administration team of “Street Presidents” in the fight against COVID-19 in Brazilian communities, in which he won the Social Entrepreneur of the Year award by Folha de S.Paulo newspaper. Coordinator of the social enterprise “Circuito Paraisópolis das Artes”, in fundraising, volunteer work, organization of events within the community of Paraisópolis. He studied all high school full-time in a private school with a scholarship (Escola Alef Peretz) in which he developed some projects, such as: "Sensor de Flood" and "Transforming Garbage into Art" Being awarded 1st place among 30 other projects. He holds a degree in Systems Analysis and Development from University Center Ítalo Brasileiro.

Sophie Goossens

Partner, Reed Smith LLP

Bio coming soon.

Margrethe Vestager

Executive Vice President, European Commission for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age

Margrethe Vestager is the European Commissioner in the Von der Leyen Commission, currently serving as Executive Vice President of the European Commission for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age since December 2019 and European Commissioner for Competition since 2014. Vestager is a member of the Danish Social Liberal Party, and of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE) on the European level.

She previously served as Minister for Economic Affairs and the Interior (2011-14) and Minister for Education (1998-2001) of Denmark, and as President of the ECOFIN Council (2012). She was Political leader of the Danish Social Liberal Party (2007-14), and has worked for the Danish Ministry of Finance (1993-95). Ms. Vestager holds an MSc in Economics (University of Copenhagen).

Michael Anthony Holding

Former Cricketer, West Indies

Former West Indies cricketer who went into Broadcasting in 1988 on both Radio and Television, spending my last 22yrs working for SKY UK and sharing the last 8yrs working for Supersport in South Africa.

Winnie Byanyima

UNAIDS Executive Director, UNAIDS

Winnie Byanyima is the Executive Director of UNAIDS and an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. A passionate and longstanding champion of social justice and gender equality, Ms Byanyima leads the United Nations’ efforts to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Ms Byanyima believes that health care is a human right and was an early champion of a People’s Vaccine against the coronavirus that is available and free of charge to everyone, everywhere.

Before joining UNAIDS, Ms Byanyima served as the Executive Director of Oxfam International, a confederation of 20 civil society organizations working in more than 90 countries worldwide, empowering people to create a future that is secure, just and free from poverty.

Ms Byanyima was elected for three terms and served 11 years in the parliament of her country, Uganda. She led Uganda’s first parliamentary women’s caucus, championing ground-breaking gender equality provisions in the county’s 1995 post-conflict constitution.

Ms Byanyima led the establishment of the African Union Commission’s Directorate of Gender and Development and also served as Director of Gender and Development at the United Nations Development Programme. She founded the Forum for Women in Democracy, an influential Ugandan nongovernmental organization, and has been deeply involved in building global and African coalitions on social justice issues. A global leader on inequality, Ms Byanyima has co-chaired the World Economic Forum and served on the World Bank’s Advisory Council on Gender and Development, the International Labour Organization’s Global Commission on the Future of Work and the Global Commission on Adaptation.

Ms Byanyima is a recipient of several awards, including an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, an honorary doctorate from Mount Saint Vincent University, Canada, and the 2018 Human Rights and Solidarity among Peoples Prize, awarded by the Latin American Council of Social Sciences.

She holds a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from Cranfield University and an undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Manchester.

Ms Byanyima is married and has one son. She loves birds, gardening and hiking. Ms Byanyima has seven given names, one of which is Kyegiragire, which means “I can make myself whatever I want to be”. Ms Byanyima says this has shaped her attitude to life!

Thomas Mew

Partner, Buckley Beal, LLP

Thomas "Tom" J. Mew’s practice covers a broad range of employment law matters including both individual and class action wage-and-hour, discrimination, and harassment litigation, as well as in arbitration and mediation. He is also an advisor on employment contracts, releases, and restrictive covenant issues. He has represented clients at all levels in state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court (Bostock v. Clayton County, GA, 140 S. Ct. 1731, 590 U.S. ___ (2020)). In October 2020, Tom was honored to receive the Stonewall Bar Association’s Conspicuous Service to the Stonewall Community Award for his role in the Bostock case.

Tom is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Georgia, School of Law and was a member of the school’s national championship-winning moot court team. Following law school, Tom clerked for Judge Herschel Franks of the Tennessee Court of Appeals and for the Honorable Harold L. Murphy of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Before joining Buckley Beal, Tom practiced law for many years at Rogers & Hardin LLP.

Tom is the co-author of “Georgia Motion Practice,” a guide to civil motion practice in Georgia’s trial and appellate courts and co-author of “Georgia Employment Law.” He is also a Contributing Author to Employee Benefits Law (3d. Ed.) (Bloomberg BNA 2012) and was named one of the Georgia legal community's "Rising Stars" for 2006, 2007 and 2009.

Dr Soumya Swaminathan

Chief Scientist, World Health Organisation

Dr. Soumya Swaminathan was appointed as WHO’s first Chief Scientist in March 2019. She heads the Science division that was created to strengthen the organisation’s core scientific work and ensure the quality and consistency of its norms and standards. The Division also promotes the use of digital tools and technologies to help achieve the SDGs and will work on governance frameworks to regulate new technologies like Artificial intelligence and genome editing. The division also will have a foresight function that enables WHO to stay ahead of the curve and will promote research and development that leads to products that meet unmet public health needs.

She was previously Deputy Director-General for Programmes (DDP). A paediatrician from India and a globally recognized researcher on tuberculosis and HIV, she brings with her 30 years of experience in clinical care and research and has worked throughout her career to translate research into impactful programmes. Most recently, Dr Swaminathan was Secretary of the Department of Health Research and Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research. From 2009 to 2011, she also served as Coordinator of the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) in Geneva.

She has sat on several WHO and global advisory bodies and committees, including the WHO Expert Panel to Review Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property, the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group of the Global TB Department at WHO, and as Co-Chair of the Lancet Commission on TB. She received her academic training in India, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America, and has published more than 250 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.

Ritu Kapur

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Quint Digital Media Ltd

Ritu Kapur is the co-founder and Managing Director of Quint Digital Media Limited which runs The Quint, an independent news site in India, alongwith Quint Hindi and Quint Fit.. She has driven digital innovation - from The Quint innovation lab to launching a fact check initiative - WebQoof, that crowdsources fake news.

Ritu has also strived to provide multiple platforms for free speech like The Quint's citizen journalism initiative "My Report", “Talking Stalking” – a campaign to change the laws to make stalking a non-bailable offence and “Me The Change” that focusses on the rights of young women in India.

Ritu spent over two decades in broadcast as the founder of Network 18 where she won awards for a docudrama series “Bhanwar” and for The Citizen Journalist show among others. At Network 18 she led programming on History TV 18 as well as was the Features Editor at CNN IBN, before she exited to launch The Quint.

She is on the advisory board of Oxford University’s Reuters Institute of Journalism, the World Editor's Forum at WAN IFRA and Future News Worldwide. Ritu Kapur has been recognized by Outlook Business as "Woman of Worth 2017 - The Newsmaker".

Bing Chen

President and Co-founder, Gold House

Bing Chen is an impact entrepreneur and new world builder, leveraging storytelling and systems to deliver greater socioeconomic equity. He is President and Co-founder of Gold House, the premier collective of Asian founders, creative voices, and leaders dedicated to uniting the world’s largest populace–Asians & Pacific Islanders–to enable more authentic multicultural representation and societal equity. He is also General Partner and Co-founder of AUM Group, a multicultural film fund; and serves as a Board Director and Advisor to several leading digital media companies including Google's Global Marketing Board, Snap's Yellow Incubator, Omnicom’s Sparks & Honey, Baobab Studios, Oura Health, Musely, and more. Previously, he was YouTube's Global Head of Creator Development and Management, where he was one of the original and principal architects of the multi-billion dollar influencer ecosystem that supports 500 million creators worldwide. He is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree; a Hollywood Reporter Next Gen Leader; a Hollywood Reporter Most Influential Agent of Change; ABC News History Maker; ADCOLOR Catalyst Award Honoree; Asia Society Asia 21 Young Leader; Magic Johnson's 32 Under 32 Leader; and Asian Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year. Bing is a third culture kid across North America and Asia, finally graduating from the University of Pennsylvania. He was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, which becomes obvious at $11.99 buffets.

David Greene

Civil Liberties Director/Senior Staff Attorney, Electronic Frontier Foundation

David Greene, Senior Staff Attorney and Civil Liberties Director, has significant experience litigating First Amendment issues in state and federal trial and appellate courts and was a founding member of the Internet Free Expression Alliance. David currently serves on the, the steering committee of the Free Expression Network, the governing committee of the ABA Forum on Communications Law, and on advisory boards for several arts and free speech organizations across the country. David is also an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law, where he teaches classes in First Amendment and media law and was formerly an instructor in the journalism department at San Francisco State University. He has written and lectured extensively on many areas of First Amendment Law, including as a contributor to the International Encyclopedia of Censorship. Before joining EFF, David was for twelve years the Executive Director and Lead Staff Counsel for First Amendment Project, where he worked with EFF on numerous cases including Bunner v. DVDCCA. David also previously served as program director of the National Campaign for Freedom of Expression where he was the principal contributor and general editor of the NCFE Quarterly and the principal author of the NCFE Handbook to Understanding, Preparing for and Responding to Challenges to your Freedom of Artistic Expression. He also practiced with the firms Bryan Cave LLP and Hancock, Rothert & Bunshoft. He is a 1991 graduate of Duke University School of Law.

David's work has been recognized by California Lawyer magazine as a 2013 California Lawyer Attorney of the Year, and by the SPJ Northern California as the recipient of its 2007 James Madison Freedom of information Award for Legal Counsel. He was also awarded The Hon. Ira A. Brown Adjunct Faculty Award by USF Law School in 2012.

Dr Mark McBride-Wright CEng

Founder, EqualEngineers

Mark McBride-Wright, PhD, CEng, MIChemE is a recognised diversity and inclusion leader. He is Founder and Managing Director of EqualEngineers, a company offering a wide array of diversity & inclusion consultancy and training services, as well as creative events. Mark has delivered 18 Engineering & Technology careers fairs since 2017 connecting over 6,000 diverse opportunity-seekers with over 100 inclusive employers. Mark also founded the Equality in Engineering conference, and the Engineering Talent Awards, and established the Masculinity in Engineering research theme leading to a new way to deliver more impactful positive interventions on organisational culture change. EqualEngineers has trained thousands of engineers on creating inclusive cultures.

Mark is also Chair and Co-Founder of InterEngineering, a non-profit industry body that connects, informs and empowers LGBT+ engineers and supporters. In recognition of his diversity work, Mark won the coveted 'Corporate Rising Star' award at the 2016 British LGBT Awards and was ranked #2 in the 2015 Financial Times Future LGBT Leaders list (#6 in 2016). In addition, he was 'Highly Commended' at the Inclusive Networks Awards (2015), shortlisted for the 'Corporate Equality Award' by PinkNews (2016), and is a regular speaker at the London Business School.

He has worked with many Fortune 50 companies on D&I programs and talent engagement strategies and has also authored a white paper for the UK Government on tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in engineering. Mark is a Chartered Engineer (IChemE) by training with a focus on health and safety, having worked at KBR Inc (2013- 2017) and ERM (2012-2013) before pursuing his work in diversity. He also holds a doctorate (PhD) in chemical engineering at Imperial College London (2009-2013).

Krista L. Baughman

Partner, Dhillon Law Group Inc.

Krista L. Baughman is a free speech, defamation and First Amendment attorney with a specialty in anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) matters. She is barred in New York and California, and litigates in state and federal courts across the nation.

As a partner of Dhillon Law Group Inc., Krista has managed precedent-setting cases, including those that expanded protected forums for speech under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, defined the parameters of “revenge porn” claims as applied to elected officials, achieved a landmark settlement to ensure the First Amendment rights of students at UC Berkeley, and eradicated a City’s unconstitutional speech-restricting policies on behalf of its citizens.

Krista’s work strives to ensure that our country’s bedrock First Amendment principles are respected in today’s digital world. She is currently pursuing novel litigation that seeks to establish the form that free and fair speech should take on social media platforms.

Melissa Siska Juminto

Chief Operating Officer, Tokopedia

Melissa Siska Juminto is the Chief Operating Officer at Tokopedia and has been with the company since 2012. Melissa joined Tokopedia as the 44th employee alongside other nine female employees.

Under her leadership, Melissa pushes to create a mother and child-friendly policies to allow female employees to have an equal opportunity and experience within the company, including a 3-month paid maternity leave and additional paternity leave, mother’s transition period as well as miscarriage leave.

Tokopedia’s workspace is also designed to support working parents through complete facilities such as Nursing Room and Kids Play Room, allowing parents to bring their children to office when they need to.

Prior to serving as COO of Tokopedia, Melissa held various posts in Tokopedia including Accounting and Finance, Vice President of Business and most recently as Chief of Staff.

Melissa received her BA in Accounting and Information System from the University of Washington.

RoseAnne Archibald

National Chief, The Assembly of First Nations

AFN National Chief RoseAnne Archibald of Taykwa Tagamou Nation, is a strength-based and heart-centered leader, with 31 years of experiences in First Nations politics.

RoseAnne is a third-generation Chief in her family whose leadership has been ground breaking and historical for women and youth.

She was the first woman and youngest Chief elected for Taykwa Tagamou Nation (TTN) in 1990 at 23 years of age. She was also the first woman and youngest Deputy Grand Chief for Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) as well as the first female and youngest Grand Chief for Mushkegowuk Council. She served a second term as Chief of TTN, and a second term as NAN Deputy Grand Chief. For nine years, she ran a successful consulting business providing advice and guidance to First Nations leaders, and organizations, specializing in negotiations and facilitation. She returned to elected leadership in 2018 becoming the first woman Ontario Regional Chief leading the Chiefs of Ontario.

Education is a priority and essential to self-determination. RoseAnne holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree and was the first member of her community to complete a Master’s Degree (Humanities). She was awarded the prestigious “Canada 125 medal” for having “made a significant contribution to Canada” through her leadership.

Positive and lasting change requires creative and innovative thinking and ways of being. RoseAnne balances her political life with creativity and art practice. She is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work focuses on political art, landscape and portrait photography, music as well as documentary short films that reflect a personal passion for social justice, political engagement and community building.

RoseAnne has dedicated her adult life to serving and striving to create a better quality of life and future for First Nations people. She represents a generational change, bringing diplomacy and encouraging unity in the First Nations political system, while breaking down barriers since the start of her political career.

Ontario Regional Chief (ORC), RoseAnne worked tirelessly and collaboratively with the Ontario Leadership Council over her three-year term. She made positive changes during her term including a strong and effective pandemic response that focused on saving lives and preserving the health and well-being of First Nation citizens; improved relationships with the federal and provincial governments; and established a Council of Elected Women Chiefs and the creation of an Economic Growth and Prosperity Table.

She was elected to Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief in July 2021.

Carlien Scheele

Director, European Institute for Gender Equality

Carlien Scheele is the Director of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) in Vilnius, Lithuania. EIGE is the only European Union agency focusing exclusively on gender equality. By providing reliable and policy-oriented research, it supports the EU and its Member States to strengthen the promotion of gender equality.

At EIGE’s helm since February 2020, she oversees the Institute's strategic programmes of activities and budgets. Ms Scheele aims to cement EIGE’s position as the EU’s knowledge centre on gender equality and deepen collaboration within and beyond Europe.

Before taking up her post at EIGE, Ms Scheele worked as a Senior Gender Equality Adviser/Senior Human Resources Adviser in the Council of Europe, seconded from the Dutch government.

Previously, she worked as the Director for Gender and LGBT Equality for the Dutch government, where she coordinated the national gender and LGBT equality policies.

Lidia Thorpe

Senator for Victoria, Australian Greens

Senator Lidia Thorpe is a proud Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung woman. After becoming the first Aboriginal woman elected to the state Parliament of Victoria, Lidia went on to be the first Aboriginal representative of Victoria in federal parliament. This continues a lifelong fight for human rights, social justice and the environment.

Dr Ahmad Sarmast

Founder and Director, Afghanistan National Institute of Music

Dr. Ahmad Naser Sarmast, a laureate of Polar Music Prize, a recipient of the Honorary Membership Award of the Royal Philharmonic Society of the UK, is the Founder and Director of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM). A visionary cultural leader and figure, Dr Sarmast is an advocate for music education and strong believer in the power of music as a force in bringing about social changes, transforming lives, and connecting nations and civilisations. This belief led him to establish in 2010 ANIM, a music school that within a short period of time became one of the most influential educational and cultural entity of the country widely known internationally for its unique mission and vision.

A winner of distinguished alumni award of Monash University, and an Honorary Fellow of the National College of Music, London, Dr. Sarmast received his PhD in Music from Monash University, Australia in 2005; his MA in musicology/ethnomusicology from the Moscow State Conservatorium in 1993; and his Bachelor Degree in performance and music education from the same school. He has been conducting research on music of Afghanistan since 1993, resulting in the landmark book A Survey of the History of Music in Afghanistan. His research areas also include music of North India, Central Asia, and Iran. His other publications include “The naghma-ye chartuk of Afghanistan: a new perspective on the origin of a solo instrumental genre,” and “Ustad Mohammad Salim Sarmast: a 20th century composer, and the first symphonic score of Afghanistan.”

Dr. Sarmast is an inspiring keynote speaker who spoken and continues to speak at important international music and arts conferences and congresses around the world. Sarmast has received many accolades, including the International Music Council (IMC) Musical Rights Award, the David Chow Humanitarian Award, and the Education Award of the Government of Afghanistan. In 2013 he was a finalist for Australian of the Year, and was named “Person of the year” by Radio Azadi, RFE/RL. In 2014 Dr Sarmast received the Charles Ansbacher Music for All Award and was honoured to receive a Monash Univeristy Distinguished Alumni Award. Recently Dr Sarmast has been humbled to receive the Asia Game Changers Award from Asia Society, Cultural Heritage Rescue Prize from Priorita Cultura, Italy and International Citation of Merit from the International Association of Performing Arts (ISPA). In tribute to and recognition of Dr. Ahmad Naser Sarmast’s service to children and Afghan music, the president of Afghanistan awarded him with prestigious state medal of Said Jamaluddin and the honorary Civil Service Excellence and Innovation Award. He is subject of many media reports including the feature documentary Dr Sarmars’s Music School, Dangerous Music and many more.

Dr Sarmast has been the victim of a targeted suicide bombing for the work he has done in Afghanistan in reviving and protecting musical traditions of this country, ensuring musical rights of Afghan children, promoting gender equality and coeducation in music and promoting musical diversity in this war torn nation. In the face of such adversity, Dr Sarmast tenacity and determination has not faltered and continues to grow to the dismay of extremist forces.

Julie Coffman

Chief Diversity Officer, Bain & Company

Julie Coffman is a partner and our Chief Diversity Officer. She is the leader of our Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practice, as well as a leader in our global Organization practice.

Julie works with clients across industries and regions to develop and deploy effective DEI strategies to meet the needs of their organizations and external partners. Some of her recent client engagements have included leading a DEI ambition-setting and strategy design effort for a global private equity fund for use internally and across its portfolio of companies and supporting the creation of OneTen - a coalition of employers committed to hiring one million Black Americans into family sustaining jobs without requiring a college degree. Internally, Julie leads Bain’s global DEI strategy and mobilization efforts for our people, our business and our communities. She is also the founding chair of Bain's Global Women's Leadership Council, which is focused on increasing the number of women in Bain's leadership ranks.

Julie has co-authored several articles on racial and gender equity including: Belonging, Support, and Trust: Racial Equity at Work, Flexible Work Models: How to create sustainability in a 24/7 World and Charting the Course: Getting Women to the Top. She is also co-author of 10 Proven Actions to Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion- a research-backed paper sharing tactics particularly effective at advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.

Julie has extensive experience leading organizational redesign efforts to improve both leadership effectiveness and build a more inspired and productive workforce. Major recent engagements have included leading a cultural integration effort across newly merged media conglomerates to enable better teaming, collaboration and innovation, facilitating executive leadership team journeys to improve team health and effectiveness while also role-modelling more inspirational leadership for a healthcare services organization, and developing the operating model infrastructure for population health management inside of a leading Academic Medical Center.

Julie is active in her local community, having served on the board of the Northwestern University Settlement House and co-chairing the board of the Rowe Elementary School (a charter school in Chicago). She is also a member of the Chicago Network of Women Business leaders.

Julie earned her BA from Wesleyan University in Mathematics/Economics with highest honors and her MBA at Stanford University, where she was recognized as an Arjay Miller scholar. Julie also earned her MA in Educational Administration.

Julie and her husband Jim are proud parents of three children. In her personal time, Julie is an avid reader and enjoys staying in motion – she is an OrangeTheory enthusiast and is rediscovering tennis.

Stéphanie Oueda Cruz

Head of Gender and Diversity, IDB Invest

Stephanie leads the Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Team at IDB Invest, which she joined in 2018. She is responsible for providing advice to financial institutions and private sector companies in the region in three key areas, definition of the internal gender and diversity strategy for employees; advice for the identification of new markets; and contribution to the development of inclusive value chains. Her areas of specialization include gender equality, and the inclusion of indigenous and traditional peoples; people from African descent; people with disabilities; multiple generations; and LGBTQI people.

Before joining the IDG Group, she was Associate Director for Diversity and Inclusion at Coca-Cola European Partners, based in London, and she was previously Head of International Diversity at L’Oréal, based in Paris.

Stephanie earned a master’s degree in economics and political sciences from Université de Montréal (Canada) and Sorbonne Université (France), and an undergraduate degree in political sciences and administration from Sorbonne Université.

Mark Schoofs

Editor-In-Chief, BuzzFeed News

Mark Schoofs is the editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed News, where he oversees a global news organization that reaches tens of millions of people each month and features award-winning reporting across tech, politics, culture, investigations, science, and international. Over the course of his 30-year career, Schoofs has earned a Pulitzer Prize for reporting on AIDS in Africa at The Village Voice; shared in another Pulitzer Prize at The Wall Street Journal for reporting on the 9/11 terrorist attacks; led a team of investigative journalists at ProPublica; and, in 2014, created BuzzFeed News’s investigations team, which is a three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and a winner of the Polk and National Magazine Awards. Under Schoofs’ leadership this year, BuzzFeed News won its first Pulitzer Prize for an investigation uncovering a vast system for the mass detention of Muslims in China. Schoofs began his career editing Chicago's weekly LGBTQ newspaper, The Windy City Times. Schoofs also serves on the faculty at USC Annenberg, allowing BuzzFeed and the school to build a unique collaboration.

Kate Bingham

former Chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce & Managing Partner, SV Health Investors

Kate Bingham is the former Chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce, where she led a team of world-class experts from across industry, science, academia and government with the shared purposed of finding and manufacturing COVID-19 vaccine/s. The Vaccine Taskforce helped place the UK at the leading edge of the international effort to fight the pandemic and the UK was the first Western country to start vaccination in December 2020.

Kate has worked in the biotech sector for 30 years and is Managing Partner at life sciences venture capital firm SV Health Investors, where she is responsible for SV’s biotech investments. Her investments have led to the launch of six drugs for the treatment of patients with inflammatory and autoimmune disease and cancer.

Kate is a board member of the Francis Crick Institute. She won the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the BioIndustry Association UK in January 2017 and has a first class degree in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford and an MBA from Harvard Business School (Baker Scholar).

Amanda Zamora

Publisher and Co-Founder, The 19th*

Amanda Zamora is publisher of The 19th*, an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy. Before co-founding The 19th*, Amanda spent nearly two decades as a digital editor, product manager and audience strategist at newsrooms including the Texas Tribune, ProPublica and The Washington Post. A native of Houston, Texas, she's a fan of dancing, cooking, spreadsheets and her two beloved rescue pups.

Gurchaten Sandhu

President of UN Globe, and Non-Discrimination Programme Officer, International Labour Organization

Born to Panjabi Sikh working-class migrant parents in the UK, Gurchaten (Nanoo) Sandhu (he/they) is a Non-Discrimination Programme Officer at the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work Branch. Alongside their B.A. (HONS) in Economics and MSc in Development Economics, their passion for social justice has led him to focus his efforts on promoting the principle of non-discrimination in employment and occupation. Over the past 16 years, Gurchaten has built their expertise and knowledge on promoting social justice through quality, decent and inclusive work for all, in particular to enhance LGBTIQ+ rights at work and economic inclusion. They also finds the time to volunteer as President for UN-GLOBE, the group representing LGBTIQ+ staff in the UN system. As its President, they works to ensure the voice and rights of LGBTIQ+ staff are represented in UN policies and procedures. They also serves as committee member of International Family Equality Day NGO, advising on non-discrimination based on family status in the world of work, a fellow of the Salzburg Global LGBT forum, a Sarbat LGBT Sikhs volunteer and a Board Advisor for We Create Space. Gurchaten is listed as the OUTStanding Executive LGBT Role Model for three consecutive years from 2018 to 2020, an Honouree of the Out & Equal’s 2021 Global LGBTQ Corporate Advocate Outie Award as well as the winner of the British LGBT Award for Exceptional Inclusion 2021.

Dr. Rachel Levine

Asst. Secretary for Health, United States

Dr. Rachel L. Levine serves as the 17th Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) where she fights every day to improve the health and well-being of all Americans. She’s working to help our nation overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and build a stronger foundation for a healthier future - one in which every American can attain their full health potential. Dr. Levine’s storied career, first in academic medicine, and as a physician then Pennsylvania’s Physician General and then as Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health, has focused on the intersection between mental and physical health, often treating children, adolescents, and young adults.

Ellene A. Sana

Executive Director, Center for Migrant Advocacy Philippines (CMA)

The Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA, centerformigrantadvocacy.com; FB: Center for Migrant Advocacy) – a Philippine-based non-government organization that works for the rights and welfare of Filipino migrant workers and their families through policy advocacy, facilitating assistance to distressed migrants, capacity building, networking, research, education, information work.

My Areas of Work in CMA: Advocacy and Lobby Work at local, national, regional and international forums; Training and Capacity Building on Migrants Rights;  Serves as CMA's principal resource person and representative on migration-related forums and activities in the Philippines and abroad.

Positions in other groups/ formations:

• Migrant labor representative, National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council, Philippines. 2019-2021
• Permanent Member, Migrant labor representative, Decent Work Advisory Committee. Philippines, 2018-2024
• Secretary, Philippine Migrants Rights Watch
• Member, Supervisory Group, Migrant Forum in Asia
• Member, CSO Reference Group for the Philippine Program of the Safe and Fair Project for Women Migrant Workers implemented by UN Women and ILO

Tim Cadogan

CEO, GoFundMe

Tim joined GoFundMe as Chief Executive Officer in March 2020. Under his leadership, GoFundMe has been recognized as one of TIME’s Most Influential Companies in 2021 and reached a milestone of more than $15 billion raised from over 200 million donations since 2010. A firm believer that the desire to help others is a fundamental human truth, Tim’s vision for the company is to be the most helpful place in the world.

Stacey Abrams

Founder, Fair Fight Action

Stacey Abrams is the New York Times bestselling author, an entrepreneur and a political leader. She served as Democratic Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives for 7 years prior to running for Governor of Georgia, winning at the time more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history. She launched Fair Fight Action after the 2018 gubernatorial election to ensure every American has a voice in our election system, Fair Count to ensure accuracy in the 2020 Census and the Southern Economic Advancement Project, a public policy initiative to broaden economic power and build equity in the South. Abrams received degrees from Spelman College, the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, and Yale Law School. Born in Madison, Wisconsin, she and her five siblings grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi and were raised in Georgia.

Audrey Tang

Minister without Portfolio, Executive Yuan Taiwan

Audrey Tang is Taiwan’s digital minister in charge of Social Innovation.

Audrey is known for revitalizing the computer languages Perl and Haskell, as well as building the online spreadsheet system EtherCalc in collaboration with Dan Bricklin.

In the public sector, Audrey served on Taiwan national development council’s open data committee and the 12-year basic education curriculum committee; and led the country’s first e-Rulemaking project.

In the private sector, Audrey worked as a consultant with Apple on computational linguistics, with Oxford University Press on crowd lexicography, and with Socialtext on social interaction design.

In the social sector, Audrey actively contributes to g0v (“gov zero”), a vibrant community focusing on creating tools for the civil society, with the call to “fork the government.”

Saru Jayaraman

President, One Fair Wage

Saru Jayaraman is the President of One Fair Wage and Director of the Food Labor Research Center at University of California, Berkeley. After 9/11, together with displaced World Trade Center workers, she co-founded the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC), which grew into a national movement of restaurant workers, employers and consumers. She then launched One Fair Wage as a national campaign to end all subminimum wages in the United States. Saru is a graduate of Yale Law School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She was listed in CNN’s “Top10 Visionary Women” and recognized as a Champion of Change by the White House in 2014, a James Beard Foundation Leadership Award in 2015, and the SF Chronicle ‘Visionary of the Year’ in 2019. Saru is also the author of four books including the forthcoming, One Fair Wage: Ending All Subminimum Pay in America (The New Press, November 2021). Additional publications include Behind the Kitchen Door (Cornell University Press, 2013), Forked: A New Standard for American Dining (Oxford University Press, 2016), and Bite Back: People Taking on Corporate Food and Winning, (UC Press, 2020).  She has appeared on MSNBC, HBO, PBS, CBS, and CNN. She attended the Golden Globes in January 2018 with Amy Poehler as part of the Times Up action to address sexual harassment.

Liz Jenkins

COO, Hello Sunshine

Liz Jenkins joined Hello Sunshine in 2018 as CFO and was promoted to COO in January 2021. In her role as CFO, she was responsible for establishing and overseeing finance, business affairs, and operations for the Company as well as accelerating and enabling the growth of the Company’s increasingly robust and multifaceted business, including their Scripted, Unscripted, and Kids & Animation studios, Reese’s Book Club, and more — all of which put women or girls at the center of each narrative. In 2019, she spearheaded the design and build-out of in-house production capabilities adding oversight of that function. She also led the acquisition of SKR Productions further strengthening the company’s Unscripted business.

Jenkins serves on the board and audit committee of Snap Inc. (NYSE: SNAP) and is also a board member and the Treasurer of GLAAD. She received her M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and her B.A. from Stanford University.

Dr. Aletha Maybank

Chief Health Equity Officer, American Medical Association

Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH currently serves as the chief health equity officer and senior vice president for the American Medical Association (AMA) where she focuses on embedding health equity across all the work of the AMA and leading its Center for Health Equity.

She joined the AMA in April 2019 as the association's inaugural chief health equity officer to launch AMA’s Center for Health Equity. Prior to this, Dr. Maybank served as the founding deputy commissioner for the Center for Health Equity at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Aimed at strengthening equity efforts and transforming organizational culture, the Center became a model of success recognized by NYC leadership, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. She was instrumental in infusing equity at the neighborhood level and advancing the department’s place-based approach to addressing health inequities. She also set precedence with groundbreaking work at the Office of Minority Health in the Suffolk County Department of Health Services while serving as the founding director.

Dr. Maybank has taught medical and public health students on topics related to health inequities, public health leadership and management, physician advocacy, and community organizing in health. In 2012, along with a group of Black women physician leaders, Dr. Maybank co-founded "We Are Doc McStuffins", a movement inspired by the Disney Junior character Doc McStuffins serving to shine a light on the critical importance of diversity in medicine.

She is a highly sought-after health expert appearing on national and influential media outlets such as NPR, MSNBC, NewsOne, Roland Martin, the Lancet and the Journal of the American Medical Association. Due to her leadership in the COVID-19 response efforts, she was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey and authored the New York Times Op- ed, “The Pandemic’s Missing Data” to bring more awareness to the structural inequities in the United States. She moderates the AMA bi-weekly web series, "Prioritizing Equity” that elevates the voices and stories of physicians centering equity in COVID-19 response efforts.

Dr. Maybank holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University, an MD from Temple University School of Medicine, and an MPH from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. She is a pediatrician and preventive medicine/public health physician.

Dr. Joia Crear-Perry

President, National Birth Equity Collaborative

Dr. Joia Crear-Perry is a physician, policy expert, thought leader, and advocate for transformational justice. As the founder and president of the National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC), she identifies and challenges racism as a root cause of health inequities.

She is a highly sought-after trainer and speaker who has been featured in national and international publications including Essence and Ms. Magazine. In 2020, Dr. Crear-Perry was honored by USA Today in its “Women of the Century” series and featured on ABC Nightline’s “Hear Her Voice.”

Dr. Crear-Perry has twice addressed the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to elevate the cause of gender diversity and urge a human rights framework toward addressing maternal mortality. A proud recipient of both the Congressional Black Caucus Healthcare Heroes award and the Maternal Health Task Force at Harvard University Global Visionary Award for Commitment to Advancing Women’s Health, Dr. Crear-Perry’s most notable efforts include the removal of race as a risk factor for illnesses, including premature birth.

Previously, she served as the Executive Director of the Birthing Project, Director of Women’s and Children’s Services at Jefferson Community Healthcare Center, and as the Director of Clinical Services for the City of New Orleans Health Department. In that role, she was responsible for four facilities that provided health care for the homeless, pediatric, WIC, and gynecologic services within the New Orleans clinical service area.

Dr. Crear-Perry has been celebrated for her work improving the availability and utilization of affordable health care for New Orleans citizens post the Hurricane Katrina disaster of 2005.

Dr. Crear-Perry testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee as the Democratic witness in support of the only Maternal Health Bill signed into law under the Trump administration. She has received funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to work with the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) and develop a Standard for Respectful Maternity Care. She also serves on the National Quality Forum Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Committee and the Joint Commission Perinatal Safety Project Technical Advisory Panel.

Dr. Crear-Perry currently serves as a Principal at Health Equity Cypher and on the Board of Trustees for Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Community Catalyst, National Clinical Training Center for Family Planning, and the UCSF PTBi. She is an Adjunct Professor at Tulane School of Public Health.

After completing undergraduate studies at Princeton University and Xavier University, Dr. Crear-Perry received her M.D. from Louisiana State University and completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tulane University’s School of Medicine. She was also recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

She is married to Dr. Andre Perry and has three children: Jade, Carlos, and Robeson.

Her love is her family; health equity is her passion; maternal and child health are her callings.

Roya Rahmani

Former Afghan Ambassador to USA

Bio coming soon.

Mahbouba Seraj

Executive Director, Afghan Womens Skills Development Center

Bio coming soon.

Alex Au

Vice President, Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2)

Alex Au has been on the board of Transient Workers Count Too since 2011 in various roles and is currently the vice-president. TWC2 is a non-profit in Singapore focussed on low-wage migrant labour who make up about one in three of the country's labour force. TWC2 provides services to workers in need, ensuring that they get healthcare, fair compensation and access to justice, Alex heads up the advocacy, policy formulation and public communications functions at TWC2, with an overview of case management and internal data systems. Prior to his involvement in TWC2, Alex was for about two decades active in LGBT rights and freedom of speech issues in Singapore.

Reiko Harima

Regional Coordinator, Mekong Migration Network

Bio coming soon.

Lukas Zeickner-Okoro

Director, Ahiamwen (Bird Guild)

L. S. Zeickner is a Edo-British composer, artist and director. He is a Bini bronze caster and the founder of Ahiamwen Guild of Benin, based between London, UK and Benin City, Nigeria.

His compositions, released under a collection of pseudonyms since 2011, span various genres. His classical pieces for piano as well as his art songs, published under his abbreviated real name, have garnered attention and a growing following worldwide.

Prof. Dr. Barbara Plankensteiner

Director, Museum am Rothenbaum–World Cultures and Arts

Bio coming soon.

Professor Abba Isa Tijani

Director General, Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments

Bio coming soon.

Rosanna Landis Weaver

Wage Justice & Executive Pay Program Manager, As You Sow

Rosanna Landis Weaver has been working in the governance and compensation fields since 1992. She began her work in governance with a position in the Corporate Affairs office at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, supervising research on corporate governance and management practices. She has served as a panel member at a number of conferences including: the Practicing Law Institute’s Corporate Governance Institute; and an Investor Relations Business conference on “Understanding and Responding to Shareholder Activism” and appeared on “Your World with Neil Cavuto.” She joined the Investor Responsibility Research Center (IRRC) in 1999 and served as an expert on labor shareholder activism, writing reports on labor fund activism, executive compensation shareholder proposals and golden parachutes. At Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), she worked on the executive compensation team as a senior analyst until 2010, with a particular focus on change of control regarding single triggers, modified single triggers and excise tax gross-ups. At ISS, Ms. Weaver also participated in policymaking and meetings with corporations and analyzed “say on pay” resolutions. From 2010 to 2012 she was governance initiatives coordinator at Change to Win. Ms. Weaver holds a BA in English from Goshen College and a Masters in American Studies from the University of Notre Dame.

Dan Price

Chief Executive Officer, Gravity Payments

Raised in rural Idaho, Dan Price founded Gravity Payments from his university dorm room at just 19 years old. His mission--which remains the core of Gravity to this day--was to help the thousands of hard-working small business owners who are consistently overcharged and underserved by their credit card processors.

Dan built his company on the values of honesty, integrity, and transparency instilled in him during his rural upbringing. These simple values have set Dan and his company apart from others in the industry, making Gravity the most trusted name in payments. Today, nearly 20,000 independent businesses across all 50 states trust Gravity to save them millions in fees and hours in frustration by making it easy for them to accept payments.

Dan captured national attention in 2015 when he decided to raise the company's minimum salary to $70,000 a year. Since then, he has become an outspoken advocate of income equality and, through speeches, articles, and media appearances, has consistently encouraged other business owners to take responsibility for the well-being of their employees. Although he's been criticized for what some consider his radical policies on pay and equality (Rush Limbaugh famously derided him as "socialist"), Dan believes businesses have enormous power to promote social good, regardless of what industry they're in, by serving communities instead of shareholders and putting people over profits. In 2019, Pulitzer-Prize-winning columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote in the New York Times that Gravity’s story provides “proof that capitalism can have a heart.”

Dan’s leadership has earned him many awards, most notably Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Entrepreneur of 2014” and the 2010 SBA “National Young Entrepreneur of the Year,” awarded to him by President Obama. In addition to these formal awards, Dan has been credited by other business owners who have decided to raise the minimum salaries at their own organizations. Dan lives in Seattle and is the author of Worth It: How a Million-Dollar Pay Cut and a $70,000 Minimum Wage Revealed a Better Way of Doing Business, published in 2020.

Dr. Abdulaziz Sager

Chairman, Gulf Research Center

Dr. Abdulaziz Sager is the founder and chairman of the Gulf Research Center and president of Sager Group Holding. He served as a member of the Makkah Province Council and currently serves on the advisory board to various organizations and universities such as UBT. He is the chair and moderator of the Syrian Opposition Meetings and initiator and participant in track-two dialogues. One of his publications is the “Political Reform Measures from a Domestic GCC Perspective.” Dr. Sager holds a PhD in politics and international relations from Lancaster University.

Professor Madawi Al-Rasheed

Visiting Professor at the Middle East Centre, London School of Economics

Madawi Al-Rasheed is Visiting Professor at the Middle East Centre, London School of Economics and Fellow of the British Academy. Previously she was Professor of Social Anthropology at King’s College, London and Visiting Research professor at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore. Her research focuses on history, society, religion and politics in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, Middle Eastern Christian minorities in Britain, Arab migration, Islamist movements, state and gender relations, and Islamic modernism.

Her publications include Politics in an Arabian Oasis (I.B. Tauris 1991), A History of Saudi Arabia (second edition CUP 2010), Counter Narratives: History, Contemporary Society and Politics in Saudi Arabia and Yemen (Palgrave 2004),Transnational Connections and the Arab Gulf (Routledge 2005), Contesting the Saudi State: Islamic Voices from a New Generation (CUP 2007), Kingdom without Borders: Saudi Political, Religious and Media Frontiers (Hurst 2008), Dying for Faith: Religiously Motivated Violence in the Contemporary World (I.B. Tauris 2009),  mazaq al-islah fi al-saoudiyya (Saqi 2005),  Demystifying the Caliphate (Hurst 2012),  A Masculine State, Gender, Politics and Religion in Saudi Arabia (CUP 2013),  Muted Modernists: the Struggle over Divine Politics in Saudi Arabia, (Hurst 2015),  Salman’s Legacy: the Dilemmas of a New Era (Hurst 2018), and The Son King: Reform and Repression in Saudi Arabia (OUP 2020).

Tawakkol Karman

Tawakkol Karman Foundation

Tawakkol Karman is a human rights activist, journalist, politician, and a Nobel Prize Laureate. She is known as “mother of the revolution”, “the iron woman”, and the Lady of the Arab Spring.

TIME Magazine named her both one of the 100 most influential women defining the last century and one of the Most Rebellious Women in History.

Nadim Houry

Executive Director, Arab Reform Initiative (ARI)

Nadim Houry is the executive director of the Arab Reform Initiative (ARI). Prior to ARI, Nadim was at Human Rights Watch (HRW) for 13 years where he started and ran HRW’s Beirut office for a decade before taking on the role of director of HRW’s Terrorism and Counter-terrorism Program. During his time at HRW, he worked across the MENA region, particularly on Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan on a range of human rights issues ranging from freedom of expression to abuses by security forces to labour rights. He has conducted extensive research in conflict zones and his writing often focuses on the themes of governance and accountability. A passionate advocate for change in the region, he has addressed the Security Council and the European Parliament on challenges in the Arab world. A lawyer by training, Nadim worked in the UN as Deputy Counsel for the Volcker Commission which conducted investigations into allegations of corruption into the Oil-for-Food Program in Iraq and was previously a lawyer.

Liz Shuler

President, AFL-CIO

Liz Shuler is president of the 57 unions and 12.5 million members of the AFL-CIO. She is the first woman to hold the office of the president in the history of the labor federation. A visionary leader and longtime trade unionist, Shuler believes the labor movement is the single most powerful vehicle for progress and that unions are a central force in leading lasting societal transformations. Liz leads the AFL-CIO’s initiatives on the future of work, the clean energy economy, workforce development, and empowering women and young workers. She is committed to busting myths about labor, leveraging the labor movement’s diversity for innovative approaches to social justice and making the benefits of a union voice on the job available to working people everywhere.

Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D.

Co-founder and Co-Chair, The Black Maternal Health Caucus in U.S. Congress

fourth full term in the House of Representatives.

Representative Adams serves on the Committee on Financial Services; Committee on Education & Labor and the Committee on Agriculture. She holds several leadership roles; as Assistant Whip for the Democratic Caucus, Chairwoman of the Committee on Education & Labor’s Subcommittee on Workforce Protections and Vice Chairwoman of the Committee on Agriculture.

The Congresswoman is a co-founder and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus and the founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Caucus. Her signature legislative accomplishment in the 116th Congress was H.R. 5363, the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act, which permanently provides funding totaling $255 million a year for all Minority-Serving Institutions, including $85 million for HBCUs.

For 40 years, Dr. Adams taught Art at Bennett College. As a now-former educator, Adams has dedicated her career to improving the lives of young people and her community, and has promoted quality education as a key right for all. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the North Carolina A&T State University Human Rights Medal, the highest award presented by her alma mater.

Earlier in her career, Adams served ten terms in the state House. During her tenure, she rose to become the chair of the North Carolina Legislative Black Caucus and was instrumental in passing the state’s first minimum wage increase in nine years. Prior to that, Representative Adams served nine years on the Greensboro City Council and two years on the Greensboro City School Board.

Adams has one daughter, Jeanelle Lindsay, one son, Billy Adams II, and four grandchildren. Adams graduated from North Carolina A&T State University in 1968 and received her master’s degree in Art Education in 1972. She earned her Ph.D. in Art Education and Multicultural Education from The Ohio State University in 1981.

Elvira Constantina Pablo Antonio

Policy and Member Engagement Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean, Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage

Elvira is a young indigenous lawyer from Oaxaca, Mexico. She is part of the Ayuuk Indigenous Peoples. Elvira collaborates with civil society organizations for the defense and promotion of human rights, especially women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples’ rights, on topics related to sexual and reproductive health and rights, violence prevention, political participation and indigenous peoples’ collective rights. She conducts advocacy at the local, national, and international levels. She is part of the National Coordinator of Indigenous Women, the National Network of Indigenous Women Lawyers and the Youth and Children Commission of the Continental Network of Indigenous Women from the Americas. Elvira currently works as the Policy and Member Engagement Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean of Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage.

Jerome Foster II

White House Climate Advisor, President Biden’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council, White House

Jerome Foster II is an environmental activist, voting rights advocate, and emerging technology engineer. He sits on President Biden’s White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council. Based in New York City, but born and raised in Washington DC, he served as intern for the late Honorable John Lewis and served as Board Member for the DC State Board of Education. He now serves as Executive Director of OneMillionOfUs which educates and mobilizes young people to register and turn out to vote.

Nathan Law

Hong Kong democratic activist

Nathan Law is a young Hong Kong activist, currently in exile and based in London. During the Umbrella Movement in 2014, Nathan was one of the five representatives who took part in the dialogue with the government, debating political reform. Upholding non-violent civic actions, Nathan, Joshua Wong and other student leaders founded Demosistō in 2016 and ran for the Legislative Council election. Nathan was elected with 50,818 votes in the Hong Kong Island constituency and became the youngest Legislative Councilor in history. Yet his seat was overturned in July 2017 following Beijing’s constitutional reinterpretation, despite international criticism. Nathan was later jailed for his participation in the Umbrella Movement. The persecution sparked global concern over Beijing’s crackdown on human rights and democratic movement in Hong Kong.In 2018, Nathan and his fellow student activists Joshua Wong and Alex Chow are nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by US congressmen and British parliament members. Due to the risk imposed by the draconian National Security Law, Nathan left Hong Kong and continues to speak up for Hong Kong people on the international level. In 2020, he was listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME.