ADEL Bios

Salem Afeworki is a seasoned sustainability leader who is passionate about making a positive impact locally and globally. Salem is the first Energy and Sustainability Manager for the City of Costa Mesa and is responsible for developing and implementing sustainability programs citywide. Prior to joining the City, she founded Value Sustainability, a boutique consultancy that specializes in climate change and community engagement services based in Southern California.

Samira K. Azzam is a manager of global government relations at Accenture, a Fortune Global 500 consulting and technology company. 

Jessica Berlin is the founder and managing director of CoStruct, a strategy consultancy working at the intersection of business, technology, and economic development. CoStruct consults public, private, and nonprofit organizations on innovation strategy, program design for tech and entrepreneurship initiatives, and market entry in emerging and frontier markets.

Nicola Bilotta is currently researcher at IAI where he works on international political economy, digital economy and geo-finance. 

Cristian Botan is a digital entrepreneur and open government activist. After two years working on anti-corruption for Transparency International, Cristian launched an innovative, award-winning digital initiative aimed at combating nepotism in public sector recruitment in Romania.

Anabella C Ron graduated as both an economist and industrial engineer, since then her professional and academic career have been focused on International Development. 

Chiara Cocchiara is a System Operations Engineer at EUMETSAT, preparing future Earth Observation Space Missions to monitor weather and climate. She was awarded the MIT Innovator Under35 and the ESNC Prizes for a new drone technology design to help saving human lives, especially the immigrants in the Mediterranean Sea.

Cosmin Buteică has 12+ years of professional experience in international development and International Financial Institutions and is currently Senior Environmental Specialist in the World Bank’s Europe and Central Asia region of the Environment, Natural Resources, and Blue Economy Global Practice.

Jerome Cowans is a Project Manager and Strategist working as Jamaica House Fellow in the Office of the Prime Minister - Jamaica. He manages the Government's flagship youth employment programme - HOPE, which engages thousands of young people in training and employment opportunities.

Rachid Dahbi is the co-founder of Averty Market Research and Intelligence. He began his career with Hewlett-Packard as an HP.com country manager for Africa, where he was responsible for online lead generation and regional marketing campaigns.

Cire Ba is Executive Director, CIRTECH-CTC and has over six years of experience in political consulting. After the completion of his master’s degree in management studies from the Bordeaux Management School, he began his professional career in the management of development projects before specializing in public communications. 

Mohamed El Dahshan is managing director of OXCON, a research and consulting firm working on issues of economic and social development in the Middle East and Africa, with a focus on fragile and post-conflict countries. He is also a Fellow at Chatham House and the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP).

Dr. Fang Xiao is the deputy director of the Center for European Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS). She was also a visiting fellow with the Freeman Chair in China Studies at The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) starting in January 2013 as a visiting fellow with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung EU office.

Andy Gboka joined Exotix in March 2011 as an equity analyst covering the brewing and cement sectors in sub-Saharan Africa, not including South Africa. 

Dr. El Mostafa Jamea is a senior researcher and consultant at the MENARES research institute in Casablanca. 

Quentin James is the African Americans director for the Ready for Hillary political action committee (PAC). There he manages engagement with the African American community throughout the United States to build momentum for a Hillary Clinton presidential run. Formerly, Quentin served as the national director for the Sierra Student Coalition, the youth arm of the Sierra Club and the largest youth environmental organization in the United States. 

Bako Kantiok is the coordinator of the Greetings from America radio program, an initiative that promotes cultural understanding between the United States and Nigeria. Prior to this position, he was a program officer at Fantsuam Foundation, a Nigerian NGO that specializes in community development.

Carlos León is an economic consultant in the Inter-American Development Bank’s Fiscal and Municipal Management Division in Washington, DC. He focuses on public-private partnerships, fiscal risks, financial instruments, and trust funds for the public sector. 

Blanche Leridon has been Head of Operations at the Paris-based think tank Institut Montaigne since June 2017. She coordinates all editorial and event activities of Institut Montaigne. She is also in charge of relations with the governance and Montaigne’s Board members.

Lungile Mahluza is currently the chief of staff to the Deloitte Africa chief executive in Johannesburg, South Africa. Prior to this, she was a senior manager in the Deloitte Africa Consulting practice. 

Anand Reddi is a global health specialist at Gilead Sciences, Inc., a major multinational biotechnology company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative medicines.

Andrea Richter serves as chief of staff to the special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs in the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR) at the U.S. Department of State. 

Ritika Passi is Fellow at ORF. She works on connectivity, tracking developments across Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific, the changing global economic order and its geopolitical impact, and Indian foreign policy

Mbuih Zukane has 11 years of experience, working as a senior youth worker and an international cooperation expert. He lectures youth leadership as a transversal course in the University of Dschang-Cameroon.

Dina Abdel-Fattah is an associate with Development Gateway, where she is responsible for managing, implementing, and coordinating multiple projects, with an emphasis on incorporating geospatial tools for information management. 

Nejat Abdella works as an analyst at Dalberg Advisers, a leading strategy consulting firm focused on international development based in Addis Ababa. At Dalberg, Nejat specializes in the areas of humanitarian assistance, food security and migration.

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.

Sadé Abraham is a learning scientist and pipeline initiative strategist committed to supporting the underserved in our education pipeline.

Carolina Abrusci is a professor at the Central University of Venezuela’s School of Political and Administrative Studies. She has a master's degree in international politics from the Complutense University of Madrid and is currently a Ph.D.

Nitika Agarwal is a senior policy advisor to the government of the United Kingdom, where she represents the U.K. in negotiations with other European Union member states on financial services, and coordinates the HMT’s policy on international economic issues. 

Megha Aggarwal is the co-founder and CEO of LEAP Skills Academy. LEAP stands for Learning, Employability and Progress, and was founded to create opportunities and enable employment for motivated students in small towns in India. 

Sergio Aguiar Matos is director for New Business Development & Consulting for Brasilinvest Group, Brazil’s foremost merchant and investment bank. He is also head of projects for Fórum das Américas, the group's NGO. He graduated, respectively, from Fundação Casper Libero, the country’s first school of journalism, and Mackenzie Presbyterian University, one of Brazil’s most prestigious law schools founded in 1870. He holds an MBA degree from Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado.

Patricia AHANDA is a Consultant and a French politician, expert on issues of equality, leadership and female entrepreneurship. She graduated in Political Sciences, Geopolitics, Law and Communication. She started in politics at the age of 16, becoming involved in the issue of youth participation in politics. In 2011, she joined François Hollande's presidential campaign team in the Campaign Management.

Fatma Ahmed is currently the Capacity Building Specialist at UNDP Regional Program for Africa, based in Addis Ababa where she implements flagship projects on conflict prevention, peacebuilding, political transitions, climate security and other emerging development challenges and priorities with the African Union and regional

Ms Teocah Arieal Ainka Dove is a Social Extrapreneur and Social-Impact Storyteller.

Ilham Ait Bouazza is head of the partnerships department at the National Institute of Posts and Telecommunications in Rabat, Morocco.

Jihane Ajijti works for OCP SA as the head of project and development for Southern Africa. She is a graduate of HEC Paris (Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales) and a candidate of Africa Business school executive master’s in business administration partnership with Columbia Business school. 

Asma Akremi is currently Associate Counsellor for Competitiveness, Governance & Political Affairs at European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Her area of experience covers policy dialogue, governance, and investment climate projects, working with international organisations such as EBRD, USAID, and the British Civil Service. Asma holds a master’s in political economy from the London School of Economics and a Research Master's in Strategy and Marketing from ISG.

She ROARs is empowering female leaders across Africa. Having lived and worked across 5 continents, Chidiogo speaks 7 languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Igbo, Italian and Spanish). She is a World Economic Forum Global Leadership Fellow; and Associate Fellow of Nigerian Leadership Initiative.

Ahmed AlAhwal Tarek is an architect with academic and professional experience in urban development. 

Danielle Alakija is a barrister, multidisciplinary artist, Olympic athlete and the Founder & CEO The SOLI Group, an advocacy-based think tank and creative studio that operates at the intersection of community, culture and crisis.

Lina Alaoui is currently a senior consultant in program risk management with Ernst & Young Advisory Services in Atlanta, Georgia. She is responsible for conducting independent program reviews for large IT implementations across multiple industries. She also conducts complexity and maturity assessment for IT projects and sales deals. Prior to this position, she was a senior consultant in telecommunications with Capgemini.

Marianna Albuquerque is the Deputy Director of Projects at the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI). She was a substitute professor at the Institute for Strategic Studies (INEST-UFF) between 2017 and 2019, a consultant for projects in Think Tanks, and coordinator of the South American Political Observatory (OPSA/UERJ).

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.

Noura Alj is currently managing Director of King Génération (Moroccan import and distribution company). Previously, she was project manager for a leading food industry group in Casablanca, Morocco. Prior to that she was part of a business unit implementation at Henry Schein, a leading medical distributor present in over 190 countries, that offers industry-leading solutions and services for dental practices in the UK.

Taha Amiar is a sustainability analyst and the co-founder of Massolia.com, an initiative to foster North Africa’s commitment to renewable energy, waste management, water, and corporate social responsibility. 

Katrina Amupolo is the Business Development Coordinator for the Swakopmund Community Skills Development Centre. She has experience in empowering youth and women through entrepreneurship, skills training and mentorship.   Katrina founded the Empowering Erongo Young Women Project, a  project which offers job readiness training, mentorship and career guidance to unemployed  young women in the Erongo Region, Namibia.

Francis Anyaegbu, Global Partnerships Advisor - Plan International

Abrão Neto is a foreign trade analyst with the Brazilian government; he currently serves as an advisor to the secretary of foreign trade. 

Sihame Arbib is currently the chief executive officer of Victory Consulting, advisor to the undersecretary general of United Nations and partner of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Economic Forum.

Vicky is a lawyer, youth engagement and green jobs specialist. Currently, Vicky serves as the Program Manager for Youth Economic Opportunities (YEO) 2030- a global initiative uniting young people and multi-stakeholders to accelerate SDG 8 on decent youth employment, at Making Cents International. She also serves as a UNICEF Generation Unlimited Global Board Member and Global Leadership Council Member. She is also an Advisor for the Green Jobs for Youth Pact governed by UNICEF, ILO, and UNEP.

As the regional manager for West and North Africa for EnergyNet, Valeria Aruffo currently works with governments across West and North Africa promoting investment into the energy, electricity, and infrastructure sectors with a clear focus on energy access and economic development in Africa through project implementation, climate finance, technology transfer, and capacity building. 

Asim Ali has an extensive background in the Middle East, human rights, countering violent extremism, and public private partnerships. Asim is currently working as a Foreign Affairs Officer in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the U.S. Department of State.

Eric Asmar is the CEO of Happy Smala, a consulting firm and startup studio in Rabat, Morocco specialized in innovation and collaborative finance. Prior to this, he served as Director of Programs at the Moroccan Center for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship, where he launched Dare Inc., Morocco’s first social enterprise incubator.

Yasmina Asrarguis is currently the Public Relations Officer to UNESCO’s Director-General in Paris. Prior to this, she was a Manager at Richard Attias & Associates New York where she held several positions, from shadowing the Chief of Staff in New York to then expanding the business activities in the Middle East and Africa.

Internationalist with over 15 years of experience in international cultural cooperation, working mainly on policy-making, cultural diplomacy, cultural and creative industries and cultural heritage, with a wide knowledge of geo-policy and global agenda, as well as cultural topics and soft power.

Foster Awintiti Akugri heads a non-profit organization, focused on preparing the youth for future jobs. Impacting over 3000 youth since its inception and through its partnership with IBM, Hacklab Foundation hopes to reach over 100,000 youth by 2021.

Macarena Ayelen Acuipil is currently an advocate for gender equality. She is a Program Coordinator for the Women's Democracy Network in Argentina, where young female candidates are empowered to step in and take decisive roles in the political arena. She is also working as Chief of Advisors to the Senator of her hometown province of Chubut and as a professor in Gender Studies at the Siglo XXI University.

Khadijetou Ba is a citizen activist passionate about pan-Africanism and governance. She is a founding member of Leadership-Ethics-Governance and Strategies for Africa (LEGS-AFRICA), a Senegal-based CSO that promotes leadership qualities for Africans and a thinking model based on African values and principles. 

Felizia Bacall is a consultant in Bridgespan’s Boston office. Before joining Bridgespan, she worked as research analyst for the Finance Department of the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC.

Asma Bachikh is a water resources management specialist from Morocco, with a strong focus on the policy and management dimensions of freshwater resources. She has extensive experience working with multilateral development banks across various regions, including the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Sauradeep is an Associate Fellow at the Centre for Security, Strategy, and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation. His professional background spans the startup ecosystem, impact investing, and international development. His primary interests lie in fintech, emerging technologies, and finance. Sauradeep holds a Master’s degree in Finance from the Business School at the University of Edinburgh. 

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.

Ms. Nicola Barker-Murphy has been a member of Jamaica’s Foreign Service for nineteen (19) years serving in the areas of bilateral and multilateral affairs and trade.

Ruben Barnabas Djogbenou is currently a consultant for the African Futures Institute and the Bureau of the Special Adviser of the Prime Minister of Senegal. Prior to that he served as Consultant and Project Manager in a consulting firm, where he was in charge of conducting research projects in long term development and strategic planning.

Ana Paula Barreto (she/hers) is the Director of Programs for AfroResistance in New York. She has a masters of Arts in International affairs and she is a fellow of the United Nations Fellowship Program for People of African descent. Ana is an activist and researcher on race, gender, global health and inequalities with special focus on Black women and girls. 

Ana Barufi holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of São Paulo and is a Research and Innovation Manager at Bradesco Bank, in Brazil. She is also a visiting assistant professor at the Economics Department of the Federal University of São Paulo. Her research focuses on Regional and Urban Economics.

Laura Basagni is a program coordinator at The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) in Brussels.

She coordinates GMF’s portfolio on North-South and South-South cooperation, focusing on the Mediterranean and the wider Atlantic regions. Her research interests are EU foreign and trade policy, and the future of governance. She leads the organization of GMF’s Atlantic Strategy Group meetings, and coordinates the Brussels chapter of GMF’s Young Transatlantic Network (YTN.)

Pauline Batista works at the United Nations in New York, where she serves as a Media Production Assistant for the Global Communications Division. Her research interests include UNESCO’s influence over educational curricula in Latin America and also the exploitation of Paulo Freire’s Socratic method to reinforce standards for Heritage Studies in schools located in Latin American towns seeking UNESCO Heritage Site titles.

Lamia Bazir is the founder of Empowering Wo-men in the Atlas, a non-profit organization focused on community development and women’s empowerment. 

Dana Bekri is a member of the International Staff of the NATO Headquarters in Brussels. She is currently working in resource management for the NATO Security Investment Program, reinforcing the delivery of common-funded Alliance capabilities. 

Dubai based Technology entrepreneur and author, Mohamed is active in the cybersecurity space and in the entertainment industry. 

His cybersecurity companies VUL9 and Project Cypher work with public and private entities across the Middle East, Africa and North America in order to strengthen their resilience to cyber attacks and breaches using world class ethical hackers and advanced cybersecurity R&D.

Ali Belhaj Zahi is an entrepreneur and Tech enthusiast. He is a Co-founder and CEO at Evocraft, a Startup working on including Technology in Education and manufacturing the next-generation of Robots through the use of new technologies such as 3D Printing and Laser cutting.

Amal Benaissa is Sustainable Finance Manager at Bank of Africa - BMCE Group, a regional leader and pioneer in sustainable and inclusive finance. Part of the Bank’s Sustainability team, Amal’s work involves developing innovative financial products, services and partnerships that yield positive environmental and/or social impacts.

Ayoub Benfdila is currently Program Officer at the Moroccan-American Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange. Previously, he managed the "SheHasAccess" program, mentoring 60 girls, focusing on empowerment through sports and entrepreneurship, and served as Project Manager of "Alumni_Covid-19_Grant", leading Moroccan teams to address pressing issues caused by the pandemic.

Zineb Benjelloun is currently the head of the water and utilities section in industrial development at OCP Group in Casablanca, Morocco. 

Linda Benkaiouche works in the public security field. Prior to becoming a civil servant, she worked as a project manager focusing on innovative technology and market research.

Touria Benlafqih is a young activist that focuses on the role of youth in poverty reduction and social inclusion in Africa. She has been involved with social entrepreneurship and empowerment of youth and women for the past 12 years.

Ali Bensouda recently became partner for strategy at Advanced Consulting in Morocco, prior to which he was manager of strategy and internal consulting at the OCP Group. 

Ryan Berger is currently a postgraduate student at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where he is concentrating in international affairs and specializing in Latin American and African studies.

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.

Reda Berrehili is the creator of startups including MixoTV and Tumbup. Réda is a veteran entrepreneur with experience across a variety of tech fields. Previously co-founder and CTO at Squarebreak.

He graduated with an MEng in Computer Science from INSA Lyon. Le Point has described him as a ‘French Mark Zuckerberg’ and the Challenge magazine as a 'Moroccan Mark Zuckerberg'. In 2015 he was made President of the Jury at La French Tech, a government-run entrepreneurship initiative.

Hanae is an impact tech entrepreneur and certified international project manager with 10 years of overall professional experience, including 5 years in social impact stewardship at a multi-award non-profit and 2 years of operational stewardship at a high growth tech startup.

Rukmani Bhatia currently serves as the special assistant to the assistant administrator for Europe & Eurasia at the U.S. Agency for International Development. 

After working for several years as a business consultant in major French consulting firms, Fatim-Zahra Biaz decided to become an entrepreneur in the start-up scene. She took part in a European project of coworking, a space to gather start-ups from across Europe. 

Juan Pablo Biset is currently serving as a Special Adviser to the Deputy Mayor of the Buenos Aires City Government. Previously, he worked as Chief of Staff at the Secretariat of Urban Planning, focusing on revitalizing public spaces post-COVID-19, promoting local markets and fairs through various cultural and sports events, and encouraging sustainable practices such as waste separation and recycling.

Andrew Bishop is Deputy Head of Research at Eurasia Group, the world's leading political risk consultancy.

Tony Bishop currently serves as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the National Cyber Director in the Executive Office of the President.  He previously served as the Deputy Policy Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).  At the DCCC Tony wrote policy guidance for members of Congress and congressional candidates.

Diego Marroquín Bitar is the Inaugural Bersin-Foster North America Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center and the driving force behind their North America research agenda. He co-founded the North America Project at the US-Mexico Foundation and the non-profit North America 3.0. 

Julie Bleeker is a consultant for Private Investors for Africa (PIA), a business coalition of ethically like-minded companies aiming to tangibly contribute to the African continent’s inclusive economic and social development.

Jihad is a Moroccan American Psychologist and CEO of InspireCorp, the first prevention-focused mental health social enterprise in the MENA region and Africa. 

Prince is currently Manager for Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP) for Central/Eastern/Southeast/Southern Europe + outside Europe sales (comprising Latin America, AMA,ANZ) for the Personal Healthcare International (PHCI) Planning Service Center of P&G Health Germany GmbH in Darmstadt. He is a supply chain professional with experience in pharmaceutical value chains across several markets.

Benjamin Bocio Richardson is a humanitarian, health activist, and dentist. At the age of 14, he co-founded a charity with his family named FUMEBO, which is dedicated to supporting underserved communities in the Dominican Republic. Benjamin earned his degree in Dentistry from La Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) in the Dominican Republic and Boston University. 

Ayoub Bouafia is a Project Manager, working for OCP Group, precisely for SADV, a subsidiary in charge of the development and planning of OCP’s major urban projects.

Max Bouchet is a researcher with the Metropolitan Policy Program and the Global Economy & Development Program of the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Adam Bouhadma is the head of Education Media Company, a startup working on the editing of educational websites. Bouhadma is also founder of anqabot, a tool used to audit any website, giving practical recommendations.

Chaimae Bourjij is currently the national project coordinator of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom in Morocco. In parallel, she is founder chairwoman of the International Youth Council – Morocco chapter and MENA regional director for the International Youth Federation.

Jaimie Boyd is a policy analyst at the Department of Industry within the Government of Canada. She also serves as the chair of the Youth Network of the Americas, an organization that mobilizes and empowers young leaders. 

At CEBRI, she is responsible for coordinating the think tank’s Environment and Climate Change Program.

Deborah Braide is the Nigeria Research Coordinator for University of Massachusetts-Amherst/e-GUIDE on a project to support sustainable electrification of over 250,000 small and medium scale enterprises.

Charlotte Brandsma is a political scientist and activist with an interest in security, civic engagement and women’s rights. Her geographic focus is Europe, the United States and the Mediterranean region.

Enrique Bravo is currently finishing a Ph.D. in government at Georgetown University. For the past three years, he has been the senior advisor for policy planning at the Mexican Embassy in the United States. Prior to that he was the Mexico analyst of the Eurasia Group, a political risk consulting firm. He has also worked as an advisor to the immigration commissioner in Mexico’s Ministry of the Interior.

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.

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.

Anders Brudevoll is a public administration and international organisation professional specialising in the ocean and blue economy, incl.

Daniel Buchbinder is the Founder and Director of Alterna, a social innovation platform working triggering change in Central America and beyond. Since Alterna´s conception Daniel has leaded the launch of two social ventures that serve rural populations at the BoP, and the cultivation of the first inclusive generation of +2,000 entrepreneurs and social impact SMEs in Central America.

Dina Buchbinder is a social entrepreneur passionate about reimagining education. When she was 24 years old, in 2007, she founded Education for Sharing (E4S), an innovative, action-oriented organization that helps shape better global citizens using the power of play. When she was growing up, Dina didn’t like to sit still and didn’t understand why she was going to school. She perceived her classes as boring and useless.

Goodiel Moshi is currently the ICT Director at the University of Dodoma, Tanzania. Prior to this, he was the head of the Department of Telecommunications and Networks at the College of Informatics and Virtual Education at the same University.

Felipe Cala is associate director for advocacy at the Latin America Program at Open Society Foundations. Prior to this, he was a senior program officer managing a portfolio to strengthen the human rights movement in the region, and another to support media and storytelling initiatives on human rights. He has been engaged in advocacy, communications, and policy work at various civil society organizations and the Colombian government.

Jordan Campbell's career traverses the fields of theatre, education, and arts policy. He is a currently a candidate for the M.Ed Arts in Education Program at Harvard University.

Christina Caouette is a public policy and foreign affairs analyst with the Government of Canada. Currently, she contributes to developing Canada’s energy resources with the Petroleum, Gas and LNG Division at Natural Resources Canada. Her cross-departmental federal government experience has enabled her to strengthen Canada's bilateral relations with countries in Europe, Asia and South America.

Santiago Caramés is an active political and volunteer social worker. He is currently serving as councilman for the city of Montevideo. He is a member of the Human Rights and Social Development, Environment and Health, Legislation and Appeals, Estate and Accounts, and Budget Commission for the period 2011-2015.

Harold Cárdenas Lema is the founder of “La Joven Cuba” (The Young Cuba), a well-known blog platform for young people who want to exercise political participation in their country. 

Isabela Carvalho is a Product Lead and Project Manager for Ashoka, global organization that identifies and supports the world's leading social entrepreneurs and changemakers. 

Sebastian Castro is the founder of Baobab Creative, a consulting firm that focuses on communications and marketing strategies for non-governmental organizations, social businesses, and start-up companies. 

Malancha Chakrabarty is currently working as an Associate Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi. At ORF, she heads the team which researches on India’s development relations with Africa and the neighbourhood.

Karim Chbani currently serves as an investment manager within the SNI investment fund in Morocco, where he is responsible for the structuring and execution of M&A transactions. 

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.

Mr. Ayman Cherkaoui is the Coordinator for the Mohammed VI Prize for the Climate and Sustainable Development as well as Strategic Development Officer at the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection. Ayman is Regional Facilitator of Major Groups and Stakeholders, Africa, elected by African organisations accredited to UNEP.

Emil Chireno is a Dominican attorney and the current executive director of the United Nations Association of the Dominican Republic. Chireno was appointed by the President of the United Nations Association of the Dominican Republic, Dr. Leonel Fernández, in 2013.

Rumbidzai is the Director of Programs at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development (EJS Center). In this role, she leads the Amujae Initiative, the EJS Center’s flagship program, which prepares women to unapologetically take up roles in the highest echelons of public leadership.

Aleksandra is in charge of developing and implementing the IEMed´s innovative fundraising strategy and institutional partnerships. She is responsible for securing public and private funding for the IEMed´s programmes, as well as providing quality assurance and oversight of grants.

Dounia Chraïbi is currently a Senior Manager within the Sustainable Development direction at OCP, a Moroccan company and world leader in phosphates industry. 

Riccardo Cima is currently a Senior Consultant in the Global Trade Advisory team at Deloitte Italy, where he assists both national and multinational companies with various aspects of international trade. He has gained significant expertise in international and economic security, with a particular focus on trade compliance, export controls, and economic sanctions. He also serves as a member of Deloitte's EMEA Export Control & Trade Sanctions (EC&TS) Committee.

Gian Clavadetscher is currently working as an external consultant at the Victims Participation and Reparations Section of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Being awarded the Mercator Fellow on International Affairs he explores avenues for a more victim-centered approach to global criminal justice.

Matteo Colacchio is a Programme Manager at ISPI, managing and implementing high-profile initiatives and events, such as the Rome MED Dialogues. Previously, Matteo worked as a Business Developer and Senior Consultant at multinational companies and consulting firms, including Luxottica and KPMG. He holds a Master's degree in European and International Politics from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, as well as a Master's degree in Diplomacy from ISPI. 

Jessa is the Director of Programs & Policy at Nuveen Green Capital, an affiliate of Nuveen, the asset manager of TIAA. Nuveen Green Capital is a national leader in sustainable commercial real estate financing solutions. The company offers a market-leading suite of accretive financing products for commercial real estate owners who seek to improve the energy, water and resiliency performance of their property.

Julián Colombo is a 31 years old political advisor in the Argentina National Congress, and has 10 years of experience in public administration and public policy.

Julián has an undergraduate degree in Political Sciences from the Catholic University in Argentina and a MA in Policy Management from Georgetown University (Washington, DC).

Julia is a Communications, Public Affairs and Events Specialist. Born in Romania and raised in France, she spent 7 years in the United States (NYC) where she studied, and worked.

CEO of NaaS, transforming companies in fintech, Innovator under 35 by MIT, Master at University College London, Business Administrator, Founder Institute Mentor. Co-founded Wesend in Singapore (Blockchain-based app) and Seed Software in Colombia (Content management system). Global Shaper alumni from the World Economic Forum and Fellow at the Westerwelle Foundation, Edmund Hillary Fellowship. Author of the book ´beat the robots´ and presenter of #PachoenVivo

Fay Cowper is the founder and principal of Insaniya Global, based in Salé, Morocco. She specializes in gender-inclusive program design in the fields of digital development, entrepreneurship, and social innovation. Her previous professional experience includes Senior Technical Advisor for Digital Inclusion with CARE International, Managing Director for Douar Tech, leading youth and ICT programs with Peace Corps Morocco, and various roles with the U.S. Department of State.

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.

Sylvia Croese is an urban sociologist and senior researcher based at the South African Research Chair in Spatial Analysis and City Planning at the School of Architecture and Planning of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. She works on urban politics, policy and governance in Africa through the lens of housing, land, urban infrastructure, mobility and knowledge co-production, on which she has published widely, including two edited books.

Renata is a Political Scientist and the Programme Lead for Gender and Disarmament at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). Before joining UNIDIR, she was the Deputy Director of Projects at the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI), where she worked for six years.

Damarlie Antoine currently serves as the director of research at GrenCHAP, a human rights advocacy group in Grenada. She is also the founder and coordinator of eARTh, which is a recently formed arts-based group seeking to empower and enlighten Grenadian youth through artistic expressions.

Teresa Danso-Danquah is the Manager of NextGen Initiatives at Disability:IN, where she leads career development programs for U.S. college students with disabilities

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. 

Raphael Camargo is a master’s candidate in management of governance networks at Erasmus University, Netherlands. Prior to that, he worked as an international advisor at the Office of Foreign Affairs of São Paulo State Government, Brazil, responsible for articulating international cooperation projects between the state and foreign governments and international organizations.

Paula de Castro is project manager of the Atlantic Future’s Project, which is funded by the EU’s 7th Framework Programme.

Mahaut de Fougières is Policy officer at Institut Montaigne since March 2018. She mostly focuses on international issues and studies.

A King's College London and University College London (UCL) graduate in international relations, she also spent a semester at the American University of Beirut (AUB). 

Ana María de la Parra Rovelo is currently vice president of the COMEXI Youth Program and External Road Operation Supervisor Technical Manager at Tecnopeaje. Prior to this, she worked with United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) with Palestinian and Iraqi refugees in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. Previously, she worked as director assistant for the magazine Foreign Affairs en Español.

José Antonio Batista de Moura Ziebarth is an experienced professional with expertise in regulation, competition policy, infrastructure, M&A, and project finance. 

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.

Salim Dehmej is an economist in the Monetary and Capital Markets Department of the IMF. Since he joined the international institution in 2018, he covered several topics and countries (Iraq, Lebanon, Russia, and the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa - CEMAC) from different departments.

Natalie Delille is a visionary social equity advocate, recognized for her innovative approaches to leveraging technology and education to create lasting change for disadvantaged communities. At Visa, she drives strategic business planning to support the company’s mission of expanding financial inclusion globally.

Sophie Dembinski manages the International Chamber of Commerce U.K.’s relations with government and international organizations, and leads its policy work and national committees.

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.

Amine Derj is a 31 years old Moroccan & French national with an industrial engineer background. Amine came back to his home country Morocco to start two businesses. He is currently the co-founder and CEO of a consulting company and an Agritech Startup called Jodoor.

Dr. Sidi Mohamed Dhaker is actually Director General of the Institute of Economic Studies at the Central Bank of Mauritania and Associate Professor of Management and Economics at the University of Nouakchott and the National School of Administration.

He was previously Senior Advisor to the Governor, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Director of PR and Communications, and Director of Strategy and transformation of the Central bank.  

John M. Dionisio is currently a senior investment director at Meridiam, an investment firm that manages $5 billion of capital to invest in infrastructure projects and Public Private Partnership (“P3”) assets in the Americas, Europe, and Africa. 

Marième Diop is currently a desk manager at the President of Senegal’s Delivery Unit, where she is in charge of coordinating and monitoring five of the country’s twenty-seven flagship development projects.

Nerys Dockery is presently a senior foreign service officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis.

Serge Ghislain DOUKOURE Frejuce is an Engineer Statistician Economist, Education Expert, currently serving as Manager of Education-Training and Employment Sector to the Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire.

Gerold is a dynamic youth development catalyst using Education and Entrepreneurship to leapfrog strategic outcomes. He has significant experience in growing innovation ecosystems across Southern Africa by working closely with entrepreneurs, intermediaries, and policymakers. He currently works at the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board under the Office of the President, where he facilitates local and international market access and export for enterprises. 

Bruce Dube is a 25-year-old social entrepreneur. He is the founder of Youth Village South Africa, Botswana Youth, Youth Village Africa, EduCAN, and a number of youth-owned startups in Africa. His work has been listed on Tech4Africa, Apps4Africa, Elevator Enterprise, and the 5th SA Innovation Summit Innovation Lab.

Georges Philippe Duroseau is currently first secretary at the Embassy of Haiti to Benelux and Mission to the EU in Brussels. 

Tosin Durotoye is the CEO and principal consultant at Conselia Advisory Practice – a boutique management consulting firm offering management services for technology startups, private, governmental and non-profit entities. She has over 17 years of public and private sector experience in technology innovation and digitization, project and program management, and strategic partnerships and business development.

Bushra Ebadi is a social innovator, interdisciplinary researcher, storyteller, and global strategist committed to advancing peace, justice, and the agency of marginalized communities globally. She serves as a Global Advisor (Sherpa) to Aya Chebbi, analyzing policies and supporting the development of strategies to support systems change as it relates to communication, community engagement, governance, and the socio-economic impacts of health emergencies.

Kawtar Eddahmani is currently based in London, where she works with emerging markets investments in the asset management industry. 

Meriem El Asraoui joined OCP Group in 2012 as a Legal Counsel. Over the years, she has taken on roles of increasing responsibility, becoming Senior Legal Counsel in 2015, Legal Director for Commercial and International Affairs from 2016 to 2022, and Head of International Affairs from January 2023. In September 2023, she was appointed Chief Global Affairs Officer. Mrs. El Asraoui has been a licensed attorney-at-law and a member in good standing of the Quebec Bar (Canada) since 2010.

PhD. Consultant in HR & Management Science , PFP Alumna, Education Trainer, and Soliya/Erasmus+ certified facilitator, Asmae has been passionate about civic engagement since 2013.

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.

Ghita El Kasri is the Chief Operating Officer of UnitedCoin, a blockchain ecosystem that bridges the gap between traditional financial system and disruptive cryptocurrency world.

Adil El Madani is a Belgian federal civil servant currently serving with the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has a proven track record of designing private sector development programs in collaboration with diverse public entities and international organizations.

Adil holds a Master's degree in Management Engineering from the Solvay Brussels School, where he is achieving a Ph.D. in Economics. He is passionate about diplomacy and public policy making.

She started her journey at OCP in 2009 as a member of the Task Force in charge of implementing the Group's industrial transformation strategy. She then joined the Chairman’s Office where she was in charge of energy and raw materials procurement dossiers; after which she was appointed Vice-President within the Industrial Development Department where she led feasibility studies for a number of capacity enhancing and cost saving industrial projects.

Mohamed El Yacoubi is currently the chief executive officer of AlamJadid.com, the largest Arab social network. He started his company at age 19 and raised over $500,000 from foreign venture capitalist firms. He was named Best Young Entrepreneur in 2013 by the World Investment Conferences (WIC) and was selected by the U.S.

Ahmed Rachid El-Khattabi is an urban planner and an applied environmental economist with expertise in policy-oriented quantitative research and data management. His research focuses on issues at the intersection of economic development and environmental planning, with a particular focus on urban water management. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the U.S.

James Elias is currently a foreign trade analyst with the Brazilian government, advisor to the secretary of foreign trade, and deputy chief of staff of the Foreign Trade Secretariat.

Iskander Erzini Vernoit is currently a researcher at E3G, a leading climate change think tank. In this capacity, he pursues research on aligning finance with the Paris Agreement, advising governments and international institutions on the subject.

A results- oriented global development economist focused on  driving sustainable impact in education through systems change, data & partnerships.

Having obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Chidera Ezekwesili has gone ahead to work across various Nigerian organisations in the private sector with the aim of honing his leadership skills as well as contributing his quota to each organization’s vision.

Jojoh Faal is a project manager of LEAD Afrique Francophone, focusing on communicating research, strategy, and business development around leadership and sustainable development. Prior to joining LEAD Afrique Francophone, she worked on water policy as a program officer at the Overseas Development Institute, in the U.K.

In 2006, Amadou Fall Ba co-founded the largest association of Senegal Africulturban HipHop, which has more than 1,100 members and hip hop artist, Matador, as president. Since its founding, Africulturban has become one of the largest organizations in the African hip hop scene, organizing numerous cultural projects.

Nusrat Farooq is currently Technology and Programs Associate at Global Internet Forum to Counterterrorism (GIFCT) in Washington DC, United States. She is an engineer turned investigative researcher and practitioner with six years of work experience in diverse fields such as academia, think tanks, development, human rights and conflict mediation organizations both in India and the United States.

Martina Ferracane is passionate about policy-making and technological innovation. She is a Research Fellow at the European University Institute, where she manages the Digital Trade Integration Project. Her research covers digital trade, data governance, and digital education.

Adrian Fielding is an emerging markets focused public affairs and political risk professional with a background in due diligence investigations, political economy analysis and stakeholder relations. Prior to undertaking his MBA, he was Head of the Morocco Office of Africa Practice Ltd where he advised clients on political, security, regulatory and reputational risks associated with operating, investing or transacting with counterparties in sub-Saharan Africa.

Eve Fofana is deputy country manager for General Electric in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Her primary role is to identify and translate commercial opportunities into bankable projects for all the different businesses of GE in Francophone sub-Saharan Africa.

Luci is an investor at Base10 Partners where she co-leads investments for the Advancement Initiative, a growth fund that invests in pre-IPO companies and donates 50% of the carry to historically black colleges in the US.  Prior to Base10, Luci came from McKinsey & Company, where she helped establish the firm’s Institute for Black Economic Mobility.

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.

Michela graduated in building engineering from the Politecnico of Milan. After an international experience at the University of Tokyo, she applied for a Graduate Program at Hilti Group, a family multinational company in the building sector, where she worked 4 years, first in sales then in marketing for the South-Europe region. In November 2022, she joined her family business at Vivisol (SOL Group), where they provide home care assistance to over 600.000 patients worldwide.

Luisa Fernanda is currently Programme Manager in the Cooperation section at the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Colombia. She is the Co-founder of Pioneros, a Think Tank that pursues innovation in politics and public service. Nowadays, she is also a Global Policy fellow at the Institute for Technology and Society of Rio di Janeiro, Brazil. Prior to this she was working in Costa Rica as the Regional Director of international development at ICA.

Elizabeth is currently a researcher at the PRI in Tokyo. Her educational expertise includes conflict analysis, International Relations, and mental health. Prior to this, she worked at the OECD NEA Division of Radiological Protection and Human Aspects of Nuclear Safety, where she conducted research on women’s participation in the nuclear sector and enhancing trust between nuclear regulators and the public.

Nallely Garza has been a strong player in both the public and private sector in promoting Mexico as a destination of FDI. Her previous experience includes Political Advisor at the State Congress of Nuevo León and senior advisor to the Ministry of Economy in the State of Nuevo Leon (which is the second most wealthy State in Mexico with a GDP of $92.3 billion dollars).

Prior her current post, she was a Director General at Policy and Research Analysis Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia.

She is also Advisory Board Member for Westminster Center for Research and Strategy, UK, London. In addition Dr Aziza Geleta have served as a Co-Chair of the Global Environment Outlook - GEO-6: Summary for Policymakers.

Jeffrey Gelman is currently a senior advisor at the U.S. Department of State working on policy issues for the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Fitsum Girma has been working at Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2012. Currently, he is working as a Foreign Service Officer in charge of the North African Countries in the office of the Directorate General of the African Affairs where he is in charge of managing and coordinating the bilateral relations of Ethiopia with North African countries.

Blair Glencorse is Executive Director of the Accountability Lab- an organization that makes governance work for people around the world.

Jessica Gottsleben is the first-ever elected ambassador of Running Start, a nonprofit organization that trains young women to run for elected office. 

Jarius Andrew Greaves is the executive director of YONER-LIBERIA, a non-governmental youth organization that provides programs and services to enhance the quality of life for children and young adults. 

Asmaa Guedira is passionate about gender, and very interested in the impact of social innovation enabled by digital technology and the shifts happening in our societies, especially in developing countries.

Pedro Guerra is special advisor to the São Paulo State Governor since 2013. In this position, he makes contact with São Paulo state’s secretaries, enterprises’ CEOs, national, state-level and local representatives, and mayors in order to provide summarized information and analysis to support the governor’s actions and policies. 

Dulce María Guevara is currently a legislative advisor in the Mexican Senate, and a young associate with the Mexican Council of Foreign Affairs (COMEXI). 

Ayjemal Gurbanova is a professional from Turkmenistan, currently a Postgraduate Student and Employee at Dublin City University in Ireland. She is an Erasmus Mundus International Joint Master Degree Scholarship awardee for 2023-2025, specializing in Security, Intelligence, and Strategic Studies with a particular focus on Cyber Security.

Mohamed Ibrahim Hafez is a Researcher at Nottingham Trent University’s Centre for Policy, Citizenship, and Society. His work focuses on trade policy, economic integration, and political cooperation in the MENA region. Beyond academia, he works as an independent consultant, supporting market research and consulting firms.

Joseph Hammond is an award-winning journalist and fellow with the Center of Media and Peace Initiatives.

Khadija Hamouchi is currently an international development professional with expertise in education, technology, and innovation. A pedagogue at heart, she has a great interest in optimising the talents, programmes, and internal business operations of international development programmes in the global south. Her previous professional experiences include working for the United Nations’ International Telecommunications Union, Kiron Open Higher Education, and Theirworld.

Nchimunya Hamukoma is a Researcher at the Brenthurst Foundation, a Johannesburg based think tank. An Economist and Policy Strategist, her work at the Foundation has focused on economic policy development and strategy in Ghana and Nigeria.

Jevanic Henry is a climate change and development professional with experience leading and supporting the development of environmental projects at multi-levels.

Fatima Hewaidi currently leads the Market Intelligence office for the Middle East at Barclays Private Bank in Switzerland. For the past four years, she was a Business Engagement Lead at the World Economic Forum, where she developed partnerships and curated dialogues among business leaders in the Middle East and North Africa. Prior to this, she measured and analyzed the ease of starting a business across the Middle East and Africa as a Consultant in the World Bank's Doing Business project.

Tameka Hill is a Chevening Scholar who has over 10 years of experience in Communication and International Development, six of which were spent at an executive level, designing, providing technical direction on and managing programmes for multiple stakeholders. During her career, she has led a range of projects for, and, in collaboration with, government and private sector institutions, civil society and international development organisations.

GLOBSEC is an international think-tank based in Bratislava, Slovakia. Roger has previous experience as a strategic communication analyst at the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps-Greece (NRDC-GR) and with the delegation of the Kingdom of Belgium at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Nozuko Hlwatika is an Economic Development Manager at the National Economic Development and Labour Council in South Africa (SA) in which she manages processes and social dialogue pertaining to legislation, policies, regulations, and emerging issues concerning economic development and economic recovery.

Veronique Hob-Hob is marketing manager at Bridge Africa, a tech start-up that promotes African-generated content by enabling people to create professional websites for their business.

Steven Höfner is the Resident Representative of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) in Morocco since April 2024. From 2020 until 2024, he was the KAS Resident Representative in the Palestinian Territories, based in Ramallah. Previously, he served as Desk Officer for Europe, North America, and Multilateral Dialogue since 2016. In that capacity, he linked the KAS Headquarters with its offices in Brussels, Geneva, Vienna, and North America.

Sofia Horsfall is a professional in the financial and banking sector with extensive experience across private and public institutions. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Banking and Finance at Sapienza University with a focus on sustainable finance and working in a financial institution in the areas of Advisory and Sustainability.

Daniel Hošták is the Director of the Future of Security Programme at GLOBSEC, a global think tank based in Bratislava committed to enhancing security, prosperity, and sustainability worldwide. His professional career has been connected to GLOBSEC for more than eight years.

Katherine Hudak is a Junior Consultant at African Development Bank. Before that she served as a researcher for Kaiser Economic Development Partners, an economic research and strategy consultancy based in South Africa. 

Meriem is a communication expert with an international perspective. She is a Senior Account Manager in the Corporate and public affairs Team at Edelman Montreal, where she leads and supports numerous strategic communications campaigns on an international scale. She was recently named in Infopresse’s «Top 30 under 30 leaders» in the marketing and communication industry in Quebec.

Khaled Igué is Managing Partner and Africa Chairman of B&A Investment Bankers. Prior to joining B&A, Khaled was nominated Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum of Davos in 2018. He is the author of the book “L’heure de l’Afrique pour un développement durable et inclusive” published in Januray 2020 by les Editions Hermann in France.

Idia Irele is a Nigerian-American dual national who is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in International Education Policy at Harvard University.

Omayra Issa is a journalist and news anchor with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Radio-Canada, where she covers breaking news and investigates a wide range of stories. Her reporting focuses on the justice system.

Naimah Jabali-Nash is a freelance Producer who recently co-produced a feature-length, historical documentary slated to air on Netflix in 2020 about the crack-cocaine era in the United States. 

Jonathan Jackson is the Head of Corporate Brand and a Co-Founder of Blavity, the largest media and lifestyle brand for Black millennials, focused on empowering them through original content, video and dynamic experiences.

Mohammed Jamal is the founding partner and chief executive officer of Molton Street Capital. He oversees all operations and manages a team specialized in structured, corporate, and emerging market credit investments. In a previous position, Mohammed was executive director at Resource America, Inc. where he was responsible of the European structured credit and structured finance trading platform.

Mannat Jaspal is an Associate Fellow with the Geoeconomics Studies Programme at ORF. Mannat is deeply interested in exploring matters on sustainability and development – particularly around green innovation & technology, global climate change policies, energy transition and sustainable finance including carbon markets.

Hicham Jerrar is currently the project controls manager for industrial development at OCP S.A. in El Jadida, Morocco. Prior to this position, he was the maintenance manager at the Khouribga mine.

Gina Jones serves as a special advisor in the Office of the Deputy Director at the Defense Intelligence Agency, where she leads the development and implementation of strategic initiatives. She served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sara is a senior learning programs designer, trainer and facilitator with +6 years experience in entrepreneurship & innovation-oriented companies in Casablanca, Paris and New York City.

She designs and facilitates programs aiming at transforming working practices within a variety of organisations, from startups to corporate groups, by ups killing their talents — from operational level to top-management — in order to boost performance and innovation. 

Hind Kadiri is currently a consultant at the World Bank, specialized in private sector development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Prior to this position, she was strategy advisor to the Minister of Agriculture in Morocco, where she monitored the implementation of the sector’s strategy, “Green Morocco” and built partnerships with agriculture main business groups.

Eszter Karácsony is Research Analyst at Institut Sapiens where she facilitates expert working groups specialized in various fields of public policy in France. She also writes articles and analytical studies on political and socio-economic challenges.  

Chrissie is a sustainable finance expert with nearly a decade of experience across Investment Banking, Corporate Finance, Project Finance, and Venture Capital. As a Portfolio Asset Manager at AES, one of the largest energy companies in the U.S., she manages multi-billion-dollar assets. Chrissie focuses on using finance to address the climate crisis and supports the entrepreneurial ecosystem globally as a mentor with accelerators like Techstars, Nasdaq, and Village Capital.

Gabriela Keseberg Dávalos is an independent senior consultant specializing in international politics, focusing on the Global South and the European Union. Until mid-2024, she served as the Director of Global Public Affairs at Southern Voice, a network of 70 think tanks from the Global South researching sustainable development and UN-related topics.

Mohamed Khachani co-founded E-Commerce Conseil in 2011, an e-commerce business solutions provider, in response to the strong growth of e-commerce in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to help businesses create a presence in the electronic marketplace.

Soufiane Khebbaz is a professor with the Ministry of Education and a program assistant with Derb Ghalef Association for Development. Khebbaz worked in the nonprofit community in Casablanca as an office manager and a program coordinator for the past six years. 

Ramy Khoriaty is currently the Political Attaché and Director of Operations for Peter Schiefke, Member of Parliament for Vaudreuil-Soulanges and Parliamentary Secretary to both the Prime Minister of Canada and to the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction.

Kwamboka Kiangoi is a Legal Counsel at the Office of the Chief Justice in Kenya. She is a Law and Development practitioner with extensive experience in private practice advising on a broad range of commercial transactions and property acquisitions, and in the public sector advising senior government officials, policy formulation and organizational development.

James Kirchick is a visiting fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe and Project on International Order and Strategy at the Brookings Institution.

Dysmus Kisilu is the founder of Solar Freeze, a company that specializes in providing renewable energy solutions (solar powered cold storage units) to smallholder farmers in Kenya to increase agricultural productivity. Dysmushas worked with 3,000 smallholder farmers in Kenya to increase agricultural yields by more than 150%.

Seleman Yusuph Kitenge is a veteran of a decade of campaigning on youth development, peace and security. With the support of the European Commission (EC), Seleman is part of the  European Commission - One Young World Peace Ambassador programme which promotes and accelerates young leaders in preventing and countering violent extremism, peace-building efforts and conflict resolution.

Dustin Klaudt, BCom, JD, is presently a Law Clerk at the Constitutional Court of South Africa.  He previously consulted for South Africa’s largest and oldest domestic legal NGO, the Legal Resources Centre, on multiple human rights matters spanning equality, government accountability, and environmental law. 

Fritjof Knier is the co-founder of Integreat, a multilingual integration platform to provide understandable information for refugees and migrants arriving in a city.

Hervé Koffi has been vice president and chief financial officer (CFO) for West Africa at Citibank since 2012. He has been with Citibank for 11 years. Hervé is the co-founder of Initiatives Côte d’Ivoire, a non-partisan think tank. 

Arba Kokalari is currently a member of the Stockholm City Local Government, the international secretary of the Moderate Party Youth League, and group leader for the Moderate Party in the Cultural Committee. 

Ala’a Kolkaila, an economist and sustainability expert, has over a decade of experience in various roles, including working for the Egyptian government and international organizations, focusing on sustainability and economic development. Ala’a has served as an advisor to ministers in Egypt, significantly influenced national and regional programs, and developed impactful policies in various sectors. Ala’a earned her MA in Economics from Universität Phillips Marburg, Germany, in 2013.

Jordan Kronen is currently legislative assistant to Washington State Senator Liz Lovelett in Olympia, Washington. Prior to this, he completed his M.A. in Global Affairs as a Schwarzman Scholar from Tshingua University in Beijing, China.

Imane Lahlou is currently the technical advisor for GIZ’s Economic Integration of Women in the MENA Region program in Morocco. 

Maria Lourdes Landivar is a National Senator representing the Department of Santa Cruz for the legislative period 2015-2020 and Secretary of Political Training in Santa Cruz de la Sierra of Demócratas, the main political opposition force in Bolivia.

Savannah Lane currently directs strategic communications for an organization focused on equipping women into the policy spaces. Prior to this role, Savannah led and directed the NATO 2030 Global Fellowship Program in support of NATO’s 2030 Strategic Concept goals.

Lavar Thomas is currently a Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice at the US Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC. He is also a Co-founder of Leaders of the Free World, a non-profit organization that provides international experiences and leadership development to young Black men.

David Lawless is an environmental scientist and policy-maker serving as a senior advisor in the Government of Canada. His work focusses on creating climate policies to ensure a net-zero future. Prior to joining government, David worked as innovation specialist at MaRS, Canada’s largest innovation centre, where he designed a cleantech device that empowers citizens to conserve energy.

Olivia Lazard currently works as an international impact evaluation consultant on multiple humanitarian, development, and peace-building projects.

Elena Lazarou is head of the Center for International Relations of the Getulio Vargas Foundation FGV) and assistant professor at the FGV School of Social Sciences. Her current research focuses on the impact of the crisis of the euro on the EU’s external relations and EU-Brazil relations. She also coordinates a pilot program on think tanks and foreign policy in Brazil. Elena received her Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in 2008. 

Margot Le Guen is currently a senior research staff assistant with International Research Institute for Climate and Society’s Earth Institute at Columbia University in New York City.

Maundy Lewis is a communications officer with the government of Saint Lucia. Previously, she was an assistant project coordinator with the Saint Lucia Development Fund, working on the Special Framework of Assistance project funded by the European Union.

Kelsey Lilley is associate director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center. Her work focuses on emerging security threats and political developments across sub-Saharan Africa, in particular the Horn of Africa. Prior to the Atlantic Council, Lilley worked for the Society for International Development, where she offered operational and financial support to the membership-based international development organization. 

Thiago Lima is currently specialist in international relations at the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry, where he is responsible for international business cooperation matters.

Romain Limouzin is the associate director at Meridiam, a leading long-term investment company specializing in public infrastructure. 

Cecilia Lopez Pablos is a lawyer specializing in commercial and corporate law. She works at the United Nations Development Program in Argentina, specifically with the 12/012 Project for institutional strengthening and the AIDB Project, known as BECAR (science and technology scholarship program). 

Emmanuel Lubanzadio is a German Public Policy professional with roots in the DRC. He is currently employed as Manager for Global Government Relations in the healthcare industry and will be transitioning to the Technology Sector in the capacity of Public Policy Manager for the region Sub-Saharan Africa.

Estibaliz Luengo first worked in the internationalization department of the Bilbao City Council as a technician and is now the director of the internationalization department of the public entity named Bilbao Ekintza.

Hallelujah Lulie is a regional security researcher interested in democratization, regional security, nation and state building & social movements in the Horn of Africa, & the affairs of the African Union. Currently he is a visiting policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).

Kahi Lumumba is the founder and CEO of Totem Experience, an online media group based in France and Benin that promotes African culture across the world.

Sibahle Magadla is a Development Economist and career coach passionate about advancing Financial Inclusion, Job Creation, and Gender Equity in Africa. With a decade of experience across Private Sector, Academia, National Government, and International Donor Organizations, Sibahle has supported numerous projects at the nexus of Industrial Policy and Employment Promotion.

Nadia is a civil engineer who is passionate about applying her engineering knowledge to solve water, environment, and climate change challenges. She obtained her BE in Environmental Engineering at the Grove School then later her MSc in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University. She currently consults with the World Bank on disaster risk management projects in the Caribbean and works as a Program Development Officer with WaterAid America, focusing on Southeast Asia.

Igor Malgieri is the International Affairs Lead of Edison Institutional Affairs department. He manages Edison’s relations with international stakeholders, fostering the development of strategic projects and representing the company in the related business fora. After several experiences in the field of international cooperation in the Mediterranean area, joined Edison in 2020 to coordinate its international activities.

Bio is an economist from Benin with ten years’ experience in the field of economics and development. He is currently Research Associate for the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie), a global leader in funding, producing, quality assuring and synthesising rigorous evidence.

 Ayoub Mamdouh is Head of Strategic & Quantitative Research Department at OCP Group. Prior to his current position with OCP Group, he was one of the company’s vice presidents. He is a past president of the Tariq Ibnou Ziyad Initiative, a Moroccan initiative that promotes both the participation of young people in politics and political leadership in Morocco.

Sem Mandela Uutoni is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the One Economy Foundation and a Deputy Director in the Office of the First Lady, Republic of Namibia. In this role, he is responsible for spearheading the implementation of strategic objectives, leading fundraising initiatives, acting as the Foundation's spokesperson, company secretarial duties, financial management and managing the design, development, implementation and evaluation of programmes.

Paola, after 10 years in Brussels, recently returned to Italy where she is currently a Fundraising/Business Development Consultant in the field of arts, culture and urban regeneration projects: she is supporting Accapiù, a communication agency specialised in territorial and creative marketing and activation campaigns in the identification of new business opportunities in Milan and Fondazione Giulini, with the coordination of a community project in a marginalised area of Sardinia.

Brooks Marmon is an accountability architect with Accountability Lab, where he supports innovative programs to bolster accountability in Monrovia, Liberia. 

Jose Luis Gil Marroquin is currently the Transparency and Anticorruption Team Lead at USAID Mission Mexico. Prior to this, he worked in the private sector as a Senior Consultant in public policies regarding anticorruption, security, intelligence and citizen participation. Additionally, he has collaborated in different international cooperation projects and served indifferent civil society organizations.

Carlos Gerardo Martínez González is the dean and founder of the Instituto Internacional de Estudios Superiores Campus Nuevo Laredo, a private university in the border between Mexico and the United States that promotes the logistics competitiveness of North America.

Santiago Martinez Jaramillo is a social entrepreneur, impacting Latin America.

Santiago is the founder of Cómo Lo Cambiarías, an organization that has brought XXI century skills to schools in Colombia and Diseña Tu País, a creative think-do tank that is incubating innovative projects for Colombian pressing issues which was created in alliance with Stanford University.

Doreen is a social entrepreneur passionate about realizing Africa’s agriculture potential. She started her career in Accounting & Finance, advising clients on fund-raising and other matters in New York, Lagos and Abidjan with top global companies: PwC and Ernst & Young. She then founded The Good Heritage, a B2C venture aimed at making healthy products from Africa more accessible to global consumers.

Strahinja Matejic serves as an Associate Director in the Office of the President at the Eurasia Group. He works on government relations and public policy for the firm’s President, Ian Bremmer.

Chadia Mathurin is a Saint Lucian woman currently resident in Accra, Ghana. She is an author, an international luxury and commercial real estate consultant, an entrepreneur, and the Founder and Director of Wakonté. Wakonté is a group of companies dedicated to bringing Africa and the Caribbean into the fray of global development via the portals of tech, enterprise/commerce, and stories.

As project manager, Shane McCollam organizes and works in collaboration with leading European universities, technology transfer offices, research centers, and corporations to provide original research and analysis of key issues in EU research and innovation policy. Before joining the company in 2009, as a researcher and network manager, he worked for United Health Group as an expert in the area of healthcare insurance policy.

Pablo Medina joined Wood Mackenzie in 2012 as part of the Latin America Upstream Research team focusing mostly on Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil. 

Swapneel Mehta is the co-founder of a nonprofit, SimPPL, rebuilding trust on the social internet in 6 countries through responsible computing tools deployed with over 20 newsrooms, CSOs, nonprofits, and the UN. He is a postdoctoral associate at Boston University and MIT conducting behavioral economics research into platform governance and free speech. He is also a co-founder at an MIT-incubated startup delivering maternal health literacy information in rural India. Dr.

Jens Meijen is a doctoral researcher at the University of Leuven and a Europaeum Scholar in the University of Oxford's Europaeum Network. He is also a team leader at the Center for AI and Digital Policy in Washington as well as a Global Policy Fellow at the Institute for Technology & Society in Rio de Janeiro. He has been working as a journalist and author for almost ten years and has published three prize-winning books.

Alejandra Mejía is the director for Public & Private Sector Support for Latin America at Teach for All, a global network of independent social enterprises that promote educational excellence and equity. Previously, she was the account director for Latin America at the Financial Times.

With 14 years of experience in youth, international affairs, social and human development, she has worked in municipal, state and federal government. She has designed, developed and coordinated public policy projects at the local, national and international level.

She implemented the Social Entrepreneurship initiative with Harvard University and the MIT, as well as various international forums on migration, employment and the SDGs.

Based at the Mandela Institute for Development Studies, Mandisa is a professional in the development space, with over five years of experience in program strategy and policy advocacy. 

 In his current role, Marcos leads financial transformation initiatives, financial modeling, business control and analysis that impact over 24 markets in the Latin American and Caribbean Region. An Economist, Financier and Consultant born and raised in Managua-Nicaragua, Marcos has performed and led different roles in his career, ranging from Auditing, Central Banking, Venture Capital, to Consulting and Corporate Finance in the United States and Latin America.

In his current role, Marcos leads financial transformation initiatives, financial modeling, business control and analysis that impact over 24 markets in the Latin American and Caribbean Region. An Economist, Financier and Consultant born and raised in Managua-Nicaragua, Marcos has performed and led different roles in his career, ranging from Auditing, Central Banking, Venture Capital, to Consulting and Corporate Finance in the United States and Latin America.

Elisa Mendez is currently an Operations Team Assistant at The World Bank in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, working with the Social Protection Unit to improve the Conditional Cash Transfer Program and strengthen the integration of the social protection system for the extreme poor. She is also involved in a potential Development Policy Loan focusing on fiscal transparency and climate sustainability in Honduras.

Marco, a 35-year-old Ecuadorian entrepreneur and MBA professor, boasts an impressive portfolio of social and for-profit ventures. He co-founded Megamobilier, a furniture manufacturer offering entrepreneurial opportunities. Additionally, he established the Misión Ecuador Foundation, which has raised $1.5 million and awarded 950 fellowships to Ecuadorian entrepreneurs. Co-founder of Aclademy.com, an inclusive EdTech startup aiming to transform Latin-American education.

Lea Metke joined Ifri in 2014 as a project officer for the Study Committee on French–German Relations (Cerfa). She holds a master’s degree in European studies and a bachelor’s degree in European studies and applied foreign languages from Sorbonne University.

Othman Mezouar has been deeply involved for several years in leading innovative, sustainable, and high-impact development projects through sport and play in multiple countries across East and West Africa (Kenya, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Senegal).

Hicham Mhammedi is an entrepreneur based in Casablanca, Morocco. He started his career at Google, where he spent four years in product and sales marketing roles based in Silicon Valley and Singapore.

Davi Miller is a Partner Manager at Facebook where he consults both global and local entities on how to make meaningful connections with the 2.2 billion people on Facebook's platforms.

In 2019, Davi will be joining Medium, a start-up focused on building a platform where ideas are rewarded based on the value they provide to readers, not the fleeting attention they can attract for advertisers.

NaaKoshie Mills is a Public Policy lecturer at Howard University and doctoral candidate in Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her research examines the impact of race and racism in U.S. foreign policymaking in the Global South, with particular focus on democracy and human rights promotion. Prior to her doctoral studies, she was a career diplomat at the U.S.

Robel Minassi's recent experiences in management consulting with McKinsey & Co. have combined his passions for emerging markets and his past learnings from investment management to get a clearer picture of what actions must be taken for Africa's advancement.

Adauto is currently serving as chief economist at the BDMG in the Southeast region of Brazil.

With ten years of experience in the public sector, he has also served as special Advisor and Deputy Chief of Public Policy Analysis at the Presidency of the Brazilian Republic and Deputy Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Planning. He  holds a degree in economics from the University of Sao Paulo and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School.

 Vahid Monadjem is the founder and CEO of Nomanini, a pioneering fintech that is on a mission to improve the livelihoods of informal retailers by combining digital financial services and existing value chains.

Sarala S. Morusupalli is the founder of EmpowerLife, an organization that works to achieve gender equality. One of the initiatives she is presently working on is the development of a campaign against domestic and gender violence in consultation with the Government of India. She was a recipient of the White House USOW Change-makers Award in 2016

Hajar Mountassir is currently a project manager at OCP Group’s Reputation and Public Affairs team. She is passionate about international development, more particularly agricultural development and climate action. 2019 marked the year she moved from South Korea where she ended her Asian journey at the Green Climate Fund’s Independent Grievance Mechanism, to her home-country Morocco.

Yassine Moustanjidi is an architect and urban planner. He is a practitioner and a researcher on the issues of urban sustainability and mega-urbanization. Yassine has worked intensively on urban development in the MENA region, Asia, and Europe, and was part of the international  research project “Future Megacities: Energy and climate efficient structures in urban growth centres” funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Luanda Mpungose is an experienced Partnership Manager and International Relations scholar with over eight years of professional work experience. Excellent work ethic with an enthusiasm for global affairs and Africa's development. In her work, Luanda has endeavoured to influence development policy and advocacy through evidenced based research and capacity building initiatives. She has built up a solid network of thought leaders across the country and various regions of the African continent.

Jean Claude  Muhire is the Founder  and Executive President of Love the Kids Rwanda Organization, a registered non-profit, child rights and youth-led organization working to provide access to quality education and information, promote community acceptance, and improve better childhood development for the poor, mistreated, abandoned, orphans and former street children in Rwanda. 

Marie Louise Mujawayezu is the currently the manager of the  YWDP, a Rwandan NGO working on the fight against poverty among the vulnerable widows, single mothers, early pregnant girls and the youth  drop-out from school.

Juan Diego is a lawyer and academic interested in how corporations can solve social and environmental problems. He is currently the chief coordinator of the “Fourth Sector Policy Initiative” by the Ibero-American General Secretariat and UNDP. 

Winnie Mutai is currently the Climate Change Finance and Readiness Expert of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) at the African Development Bank (AfDB) where she is tasked to provide policy and technical support to countries in developing their own country readiness program that is an enabler to them mobilizing resources from the GCF.

Silindile Nanzile Mlilo is a PhD candidate for a Doctor of Philosophy in Migration and Displacement at the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS), University of Witwatersrand.

Mehdi Nassih is an Entrepreneur and Consultant, with a strong interest in Data Analytics and Technology.

Roxy Ndebumadu is a visionary leader and award winning speaker, acclaimed for her groundbreaking work in ethical AI, modernization of government technologies, and assessing the impacts of online harms on consumer behavior. Renowned as an elected-official, angel investor, and technology luminary, she is globally reshaping the landscape of innovation in our fast-paced world.

Nicolas Simel Ndiaye is the founder and managing director of L’Afrique des Idées, a think-tank dedicated to economic, social, and political issues related to Africa, which includes about 110 young professionals and researchers from 15 nations. 

Malao Ndiaye is a young professional engineer economist who is also certified in  Monitoring and Evaluation Management. Ndiaye used to work as Monitoring and Evaluation Officer in Executive Secretariat of the National Food Security Council, and also as Regional Supervisor of Kedougou for the implementation of Food Insecurity Profile, using the HEA method.

Amandla Ndisi is currently a Foreign Service Officer serving in the Middle East Directorate at Kenya's Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs. Previously, she worked in the Ministerial Secretariat, where she supported three consecutive Foreign Ministers in various capacities. A passionate feminist leader and women’s human rights defender, Amandla is deeply committed to advancing gender equality and increasing women’s participation in decision-making roles.

Kiron Neale is a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom working on his PhD that looks at residential solar energy transitions in Small Islands States.

Ana Janaina Nelson (Jana) is the Government Relations and Corporate Responsibility Director for Latin America at Bacardi.  Prior to Bacardi, she was the multinational consulting firm Speyside Corporate Relations where she served as Vice-President for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

Committed to engaging millennials and the next generation in the sustainable development goals, Vicky has used her former international beauty queen titles and creative industry disciplines to drive social Innovation professionally and now as a Consultant.

Gwen Ngwenya is CEO of Techpol, a policy and public affairs advisory. Prior to this she was Head of Policy and a Member of Parliament in the national legislature of South Africa. 

Mary-Jean Nleya is a freelance writer and was most recently the senior editor for the Harvard Africa Policy Journal. 

Chimaobi Nna is a Senior Research Officer at the Energy Commission of Nigeria. His recently concluded project was to provide Technical assistance to the National committee on the design and launch of energy policies, labels and minimum energy performance standards for end use appliances.

Carolina Novac is the State Secretary on Decarbonisation covering renewables and energy efficiency at the Ministry of Energy. For the past year she was the Energy Advisor to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova in the midst of the country's biggest crisis. She is a European energy public affairs professional with seven years of experience. Previously, she was the EU Policies and Regulations Manager at National Grid in Brussels.

Eric Ntumba Bukasa is a seasoned Corporate and Investment Banker from the DRC currently Head of Corporate, Private and Diaspora Banking with Equity Bank Congo (Business segments he has pioneered and spearheaded within the bank maintaining 3 digits growth rates over the last 3 years).

Marie-Noelle Nwokolo is with the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) as the Coordinator for the G20 Compact with Africa program, established in 2017 under the German G20 Presidency to promote private investment in Africa by increasing its attractiveness through improvements in the macro, business, and financing frameworks.

Raphael Obonyo is a multi award winning youth advocate at the national, regional and international levels.

He is the co-founder of a number of community and youth-led initiatives including the Youth Congress, a premier youth-led organization in Kenya.

He has extensive knowledge and experience in public policy, international development, political economy, governance and human rights.

Gastón Ocampo is currently the Secretary General of the Institute for the Promotion of Latin America and the Caribbean (IPDAL), Portugal’s leading think and action tank, where he has strategic oversight of the institute's initiatives and operations. Prior to this, he worked at the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington, D.C., one of the leading think tanks dedicated to Latin America, where he led initiatives on cities and subnational diplomacy in the Americas.

Michael Asare is the Project Lead of CART-Agro Africa, an agribusiness established in 2018 to increase global food security while economically empowering local farmers, their dependents and rural youth. Michael is a fellow of the African Presidential Leadership Program-Egypt, YALI West-Africa RLC-Lagos, and the Tony Elumelu Foundation.

LCDR Brent Oglesby is a United States Naval Foreign Area Officer who is currently assigned to the Comprehensive Research and Analysis Section of the NATO Strategic Direction – South HUB (NSD-S HUB) as an African Security Affairs Analyst.

Can Ögütcü has been working in the energy sector for more than 5 years both as a banker and analyst in the private sector and as an international organization staffer. At the International Energy Charter Secretariat, based in Brussels, he is currently in charge of relations with observer and non-member countries, particularly for investment climate issues.

PJ Okocha is a highly energetic Economist, with core knowledge of developmental policies and implementation, and hands-on experience as an executive in the Agriculture, Oil and Gas, Financial and Maritime industries.

OL Jonatan Beun is the former Director for Capability Building and Innovation of the Government Lab of Argentina, Cabinet Office. Currently, he is a Lecturer of Innovation at Torcuato Di Tella University and the Academic Director of the Applied Behavioral Design Program at the Catholic University of Argentina. Moreover, he is part of the Advisory Board of Apolitical and is a member of Global Shapers (World Economic Forum).

Sidney Olinyk serves as the chief of staff for Middle East Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the U.S. Department of Defense. Prior to her appointment at the Pentagon, Sidney worked at the Truman National Security Project where she directed the Project's Democracy & Human Rights Initiative.

Joana Ama Osei-Tutu- is the Head of the Women Peace and Security Institute (WPSI) at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center (KAIPTC) in Accra, Ghana. She works and supports the integration of gender perspectives into the Centre’s courses, policies and programs. She advocates for relevant stakeholders to have and operate a gender sensitive organization.

For eight years, Stephanie has worked as a researcher in the field of ocean governance and maritime security. During this period, she served as a panelist in the Ad-Hoc Experts Group for the Contribution and Finalisation of Draft Annexes to the Lomé Charter. Stephanie Schandorf has also contributed expertise to the G7++FoGG plenaries held in both Berlin and Abidjan and the 7th International Marine Debris Conference in Busan, South Korea, where she chaired a technical session.

Funlola is a professional with interests that lie at the intersection of technological innovation, climate change and emerging markets. Funlola currently serves as Investment Analyst at the McKnight Foundation where he helps steward the foundation's $3 billion endowment. He focuses on the private capital portfolio as it relates to venture, buyout, and growth opportunities.

Parfait Ouattara is a young Ivorian who is passionate about technology. He is CEO of  TaxiJet.

Anas Oulmidi presides the glimmer of hope association, which cares about improving health for those who cannot, and is general secretary of the center of addicotology of Marrakech, who works to help the people in difficulties with different drugs.

Jacob Ouma is the Managing Director at Admedia Communications Limited, a company he co-founded in 2008 based in Kenya which does communications consultancy, production and marketing services across the African region.

Seyi Oyenuga is an industrial entrepreneur with over 12 years experience working in America and Nigeria.  He serves as Executive Director and Head of Agriculture Division of ATMANCorp, a vertically integrated agriculture and food processing company based in Nigeria.

Zach Pagovski is the Senior Manager for business development and institutional partnerships at CIVIC. Prior to joining CIVIC, he was the Strategic Partnerships Manager at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, an organization that works to strengthen transatlantic relations in the spirit of the Marshall Plan.

Leonardo Párraga is a Colombian activist who believes in the value of systemic change through sustainable peace, increasing community well-being, and building strong networks. Passionate about the arts, alternative development, and constant learning, Leonardo has a wide range of experience in nonviolent resistance.  

Alexander Parsalidis conducts international trade policy analysis for the Canadian federal public service. He holds a Master of Arts in International Affairs with a specialization in International Economic Policy from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies from Queen's University.

Hugo Passarello Luna is a photographer and multimedia journalist. He has been awarded the Eiffel Scholar in France, the Global Citizenship Award in Canada, and the Daniel Pearl Prize from the Wall Street Journal, Europe. His photos have been displayed in the Art Museum of the Americas with a special acknowledgment in Washington, DC in 2012.

José Reis is a Principal Policy Officer at the Greater London Authority, where he leads on economic policy and strategy, including contributing to the Mayor of London’s approach to supporting recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. He has previously contributed to developing London’s first Urban Resilience Strategy, published in 2019.

She has worked in the G20 Leaders’ Summit, the Mercosur-UE Agreement, the WTO ministerial meeting, the UN General Assemblies, as well as more than 140 high-level bilateral meetings between Argentina and over 50 foreign governments.

Nereo Peñalver Garcia is policy advisor at the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament. 

Prior to joining McLarty Associates, Eliot Pence served as a director for the Whitaker Group, where he advised multinational companies on their strategies in over 20 markets throughout sub-Saharan Africa. 

Avril Perry is an aspiring screenwriter based in New York City. 

Sydney Piggott is a social impact leader and advocate for gender equity and social justice on a global scale. She is the Senior Social Impact Manager at Shopify, she is also a member of the Equal Futures Network Advisory Committee and Reach Alliance Advisory Committee.

Aaron Joshua Pinto is driven by the pursuit of potential and the intersection of public policy, global affairs, and innovation to solve community challenges. 

After a stint in Central Asia, Aaron is now working as a Trade Commissioner in Canada’s International Trade and Investment bureau in New York supporting growing tech startups and SMEs, spanning fields from ICT to fintech to artificial intelligence.

Máximo created and leads the Impact Community at SEK Education Group, which comprises 10 international schools and Madrid’s UCJC University. His foremost goal is creating a learning ecosystem of student and teacher changemakers that lead and engage in impactful projects. He also supports UCJC University in fostering sustainability and social impact research and the delivery of educational content that is aligned with the SDGs.

Dr Zuzana Podracká is a GLOBSEC Young Leaders Forum Coordinator based in Bratislava, Slovakia.

International analyst focused on foreign policy, defense, security, human rights, regional integration, conflict and mass atrocity prevention. Director of the regional thinktank CRIES (Coordinadora Regional de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales), GPPAC Regional Representative (Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict) and Adjunct Director of Academic Journal Pensamiento Propio. CARI Consulting Member, Senior Fellow at the Jack D.

Cinthya Porras is currently a monitoring and evaluation program assistant at the United Nations Children's Fund in Managua, Nicaragua. Previously, she worked in Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research across various organizations with a focus on Latin America, where she supported data analysis and facilitated the establishment of strategic alliances with stakeholders to develop projects in vulnerable communities throughout the country.