ADEL Bios

Rakan Aboneaaj is a research associate on the Sustainable Development Finance team at the Center for Global Development, where he focuses on multilateral development bank reform and climate finance. He also consults on the World Bank’s Private Capital Facilitation unit. Previously, he worked at Altman Solon, a strategy consulting firm, and the Center for Strategic & International Studies.

Yusuf was appointed to serve as a Commissioner by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in March 2022.

Aïcha Baldé is currently an analyst for the Threat Assessment Division for Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa, Canada. Before this, she was a Socio-economic analyst for the Pan-Africa Affairs division at Global Affairs Canada, where she would prepare briefing notes for ministers focused on reactive files for climate change, climate finance, biodiversity, gender equality components and renewable energy in sub-Saharan Africa.

Bitania is an award-winning young leader with notable contributions toward the inclusion of youth and women in public policy at regional and global levels. She is currently the youngest Programme Director at Amref Health Africa Global Headquarters, leading the Y-ACT, Youth in Action initiative.

Dr Hillary Briffa is a Lecturer in National Security Studies and the Assistant Director of the Centre for Defence Studies in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, where she read for her Ph.D, specialising in the security of small states. Previously, she has taught security and strategy courses across the Royal College of Defence Studies, the UK Defence Academy, UCL, Birkbeck University and Queen Mary University.

Stella Chelangat Mutai is currently working as a Geospatial consultant for World food Programme where she is tasked with monitoring the implementation of standards related to mapping and supporting country regions by developing procedures and workflows to improve the management of geospatial assets. Prior to this, Stella also worked with International Fund for Agriculture Development as a Consultant – Geographic Information System.

Camila Crescimbeni is 33 years old and currently one of the youngest voices in Congress, elected at 29 when she was president of the youth wing of her party (Pro). She works on sustainable development and childhood and family issues, and presides over the Population and Human Development Commission.

Joy leads the Tony Blair Institute in Nigeria, where her role involves establishing effective delivery structures in the Presidency for their priority initiatives. Additionally, she leads a team dedicated to helping a State Governor at the subnational level translate his vision into tangible benefits for the community. 

Marisa DeAngelis is a Director at BlackRock based in New York. Marisa began her career as a Special Assistant to former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in Washington, DC. In that role, she advised executives of multinational corporations on navigating political and economic developments globally. From 2014-2016, Marisa was based in Myanmar with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) where she managed investment and advisory engagements with financial institutions.

Carlotta has been working at Snam for seven years as International Relations Manager, representing and promoting the company’s business strategy and key policy initiatives before Italian and foreign Government officials at all levels. Prior to joining Snam, she worked for the Italian Government as climate and energy expert during Italy’s last G7 Presidency.

Oumaima holds a Bachelors in Economics and a Master’s degree in Politics from SOAS University of London, where she has written her thesis on the effect of integrating SDGs related policies into North African economies. After working in NYC advising high-net-worth clients on their ESG portfolios and sustainable and ethical business practices, she went back to Morocco to get into politics.

Marissa Fortune is a passionate advocate for youth leadership in policy-making at the local, national and global levels. She is the Programs Lead for the Young Diplomats of Canada, a Global Shaper with the World Economic Forum, and a member of the Canadian Coalition for Youth Peace and Security. Marissa is currently a Senior Analyst at Global Affairs Canada.