Filip Novakovic is a Sustainable Financespecialist, United Nations Climate Technology Mechanism lead and a scholar atthe University of Cambridge.
Filip is an Analyst at J.P. Morgan’sInvestment Bank in London. He leads the UN Climate Technology Mechanism workinggroup where he galvanises climate action through the development and deploymentof climate technologies. Filip is a Fellow at the Aspen Institute, served as aFellow at the International Renewable Energy Agency and was a consultant and aSustainability leader at Masdar.
Within the UN ecosystem, Filip is engagedin economic panels and working groups at the UN HQ in Geneva and New York. Hespearheads SDG action and resource mobilization across corporate,non-governmental and public organizations at conferences such as COP, SB andUNGA. As the official UAE COP27 delegate, he was the working group facilitatorand panel moderator on climate finance and ESG matters. He also led research onSDG implementation across Africa, hosting virtual roundtables with youthcommunity leaders across the African Continent. The research outcomes werepresented at the COP27 UAE pavilion. At COP28, Filip was appointed as asustainable finance specialist at the Institute of Green Economics, where hespoke at 6 expert panel events, negotiations and participated in high-leveldiscussions on sustainable finance.
Previously, Filip founded Block Principlesin 2022 and Greener Schools in 2018. Block Principles was a Blockchaininnovation community which connected 5000+ industry leaders to discuss thedevelopments in Blockchain, Crypto, VC+PE ecosystems. It included a weeklypublication. Filip authored 30+ editions driving the agenda to enable the nexusof Blockchain, ESG and process automation in the physical form. Greener Schoolswas a non-profit consultancy improving the environmental and socialsustainability at educational institution through a team of volunteers.
Matthew Kilgarriff served as an Executive Director at Richemont until February 2024. Leading in finance, governance and sustainability roles over 25 years, he helped to shape a blue-chip company with a green blush. Matthew also served on the Boards of global sustainability bodies, including the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), and the Swiss Network of United Nations Global Compact (UNGC).
Matthew now serves as an Independent Director and Advisor to international companies and academic institutions, including the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)
Natalia Allen, a native New Yorker, fostered her creativity through formal training and education at Parsons The New School. She graduated in 2004 as Designer of the Year, a title she shares with alumna Marc Jacobs.
In 2005, Natalia founded Design Futurist, an award winning design consultancy that has created innovative and sustainable textiles and clothes for multinational brands such as Saks, Calvin Klein and Donna Karan. She has also advised non-apparel brands such as P&G, Dupont, and British Telecom, helping them to extend sustainability and modern design principles to a range of products.
Called the “Conscientious Fashionista,” her designs, and her company have been covered by the BBC, NPR, and CNBC, and her work has been featured in periodicals including Women’s Wear Daily, New York Magazine and the Huffington Post.
For her ground-breaking work, Natalia has received numerous distinctions, including recognition as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, one of FastCompany's 100 Most Creative, and one of Utne Reader’s 25 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World. A Design Futures Council Senior Fellow and speaker on environmentally and socially responsible practices, she has presented at conferences in China, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and at Davos.
Driven by her mission to utilize technology to power positive impact, in 2014, Natalia spent several months in factories learning about advancements in automated manufacturing. She then launched a minimalist brand of goods made locally by robots that conserve energy and materials. Forbes, Oprah and Fox TV, to name a few, highlighted the achievement.
In 2018Natalia brought her entrepreneurial drive and years of experience to Eastman where she served as the Global Sustainability Leader for the Fibers and Textiles division. During her tenure she focused on the industrial circular economy and chemical recycling.
Natalia is currently traveling in Europe and continues to evolve professionally. She is working as an international consultant and building comprehensive multi-generational sustainability strategies for businesses that want purpose at the core of their value proposition.
Diane is an experienced business executive and social entrepreneur with 20 years of international experience in corporate environments, development organizations and NGOs, mostly in Africa, where she has been developing public-private alliances to foster solutions promoting local private sector development and the improvement of environmental services.
Diane is the Founder and CEO of Regenopolis, an international and collaborative initiative supporting local solutions developed by SMEs and entrepreneurs contributing to climate action, protection of biodiversity, urban resilience and community development. Regenopolis has developed 3 programs: supporting nature-positive solutions for urban development; supporting the development of regenerative and commercially viable value chains; developing regenerative micro-hospitality projects in Africa and Latin America.
Before setting up her own venture, Diane spent 10 years at SUEZ, a global leader in providing water and waste management services to populations and industries, as Senior VP for International Development. Prior to this, Diane worked with a number of Development Financial Institutions such as the European Investment Bank, the French Development Agency and the World Bank.
Diane is a member of the French Presidential Council for Africa since 2017. She is President and co-founder of Action Emploi Réfugiés (AERé), the French leading service accompanying refugees into jobs, that has recently become a subsidiary of Groupe SOS, Europe biggest social enterprise. Diane has joined SOS Group International Advisory Board in 2022.
Diane is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and a graduate from French top business school E.M. Lyon and from Georgetown University with a MSc in Foreign Service and an Honour Certificate in International Business Diplomacy. She also gained a Certificate of Global Leadership and Public Policy Program from Harvard University and a Certificate in Artificial Intelligence from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Klaus Kunz holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry and an MBA. He joined Bayer in 2001 and has gained 22 years of experience directing business strategic topics at a global level, taking leadership and executive roles in research, R&D project management, regulatory and public/governmental affairs, sustainability and business stewardship. Since February 2022 he is responsible for ESG strategy, non-financial and sustainability reporting and engagement with partners, investors and other stakeholders on ESG and sustainability-related matters. Integration of sustainability into business has been at the core of Klaus’ work for many years.
Klaus is senior advisor for Climate & Company, faculty member of Competent Boards, member of the advisory board of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on ESG (UK), the ESG practitioners of the WEF and other international initiatives. He is passionate about driving innovation and change, cross-cultural collaboration, politics, history and science, also holding a lectureship for chemistry at the University of Aachen. He is married with three children.
Devry Boughner Vorwerk is a seasoned thought leader, sustainability entrepreneur, and corporate advisor across sustainability, food, and agriculture. She is the founder of DevryBV Sustainable Strategies, a strategy and advisory company, primarily for small and medium enterprises on ESG. A true ambassador, Devry navigates local, national, and global markets to attain mutual benefit, and specializes in business-related sustainability practices. As part of her portfolio career, Devry is the co-founder of HUNGHRI, a non-profit in Minnesota that builds events, networks, social entrepreneurship, and programs enabling people to support a hunger-free world for every human in their everyday lives. She also works to advance sustainable food and ag technology, serving on the Advisory Boards of Agrology.ag and Culinary Sciences, Inc. Before running DevryBV full-time, she had a career as a global business executive in Corporate Affairs. Earlier, Devry spent years as an international business development and diplomacy strategist in trade relations and policy at Akin Gump law firm in Washington, D.C., and in roles at the U.S. International Trade Commission, the Office of the US Trade Representative, and the World Bank Group. Currently, Devry is a member of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council in APEC. She also serves on the International Advisory Council of APCO Worldwide and is a senior fellow at The Conference Board. Devry and her husband Doug and their two children enjoy family activities such as ice hockey and being outdoors connected to nature.
Lilian is a sustainability expert and strategist passionate about creating profitable and desirable solutions for companies to improve human and environmental wellbeing.
Lilian currently leads sustainability at Braze. Previously at Futerra New York, she helped some of the world’s most influential companies such as Google, Estee Lauder Companies and DiDi to drive positive change.
She brings a diverse and global perspective to her work, having previously worked at the United Nations Global Compact, with NGO Redress in China, Social Accountability International in Brazil, as well as co-founding the sustainable fashion e-commerce marketplace Fauna in Brazil.
Lilian has been listed as Greenbiz 30 Under 30, Grist50 and has been invited to speak at the UN, Harvard University, The New York Times, Rainforest Alliance, UK Royal Society of Arts, Columbia University, and more.
Fabrizio Shao stands at the intersection of sports, technology, and community empowerment, establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with in the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) space. His journey began on the basketball courts, where, as an adaptive athlete, he clinched three D1 national wheelchair basketball championships with the Rolling Knicks. His sporting prowess doesn’t end there; Fabrizio holds the unique distinction of being the world's only professional adaptive athlete in wallball.
Beyond the court, his presence has been felt across multimedia platforms. He was spotlighted in the June/July 2020 edition of GQ magazine, showcasing his remarkable story and contributions to the disabled community. The same drive and passion also got him featured in a USTA commercial, which garnered national attention when it aired on ESPN.
Fabrizio's entrepreneurial spirit is highlighted by his creation of CIDA DAO, a groundbreaking decentralized autonomous organization dedicated to the disabled community, minorities, and their allies. This organization serves as a testament to his commitment to leveraging technological advancements for the betterment of underrepresented groups.
In the rapidly evolving world of blockchain and cryptocurrency, Fabrizio made history as the first official chief ambassador for Cardano, a leading decentralized public blockchain platform. His role further amplifies as the DEI&B advisor for Sustainable ADA. Here, Fabrizio's vision is crystal clear: to bridge diverse communities into a realm where everyone is welcomed on their lifelong learning journey. By integrating individuals into the Cardano community, he aims to enlighten, enable, and empower them to grasp blockchain technology's essence, constraints, and boundless opportunities.
Now, as an esteemed member of the Expert Council at OpenESG, Fabrizio brings his unique blend of experiences, insights, and drive to foster sustainable and inclusive strategies that benefit all.
Janice is a copywriter, communications and content strategist with a passion for storytelling. She focuses on venture capital funds and on mission-driven, socially and environmentally conscious companies. Through her work as a fashion model, she has a unique perspective on how the world's strongest brands are built. She also co-founded the London branch of Model Mafia, a group of models working to create a more just, equitable and sustainable fashion industry and world.
Janice brings together a wide range of experience in the fashion, lifestyle and financial industries, in startup environments and in corporate settings.
She works with clients that have a strong vision towards making real social and environmental impact. Whether that is in fighting for our planet and against climate change, or investing in new, game-changing innovations that will improve people’s quality of life.
She works in branding, content writing and strategy and communications strategy, writing for the VC funds themselves, their portfolio companies, and for their investors and customers.
Janice's VC clients include Visionaries Club (investors in B2B SaaS and also in solutions for climate change, pollution, agriculture and mobility), Rethink Ventures (investors in the decarbonisation of mobility, transport and logistics) , Simon Capital (fka Bitburger Ventures, investors in consumer-based businesses that will improve the quality of life of future generations) and 3VC (seed and growth stage investor).
Hannah Phang is a leading expert in sustainability communications, systems thinking, and human-centered design. Hannah is currently the Co-Founder of The Now Work, the flexible talent platform for sustainability that connects world-changing people with world-changing work. Hannah is also the Managing Director of RAIN, a wellbeing brand with products for both body and mind that supports an optimised way of living enabled by functional plants and mushrooms.
Previously, Hannah has served as the CMO of Endless Wardrobe, a rental and resale start-up in the UK, as Head of Marketing and Advocacy of Futerra, the sustainability strategy and communications agency, and on the Steering Committee of the UN Fashion Charter for Climate Action. Hannah has worked with both start-ups and global corporates including Tommy Hilfiger and Google on launching and promoting their sustainable products and initiatives as well as developing the human-centric design processes for Capital One and Pfizer.
Mark Downes is Head of Sustainability at Ecoflix. The world's first not-for-profit video streaming platform. Their mission is clear: save animals and restore the planet. 100% of subscriber fees go directly to NGO partners.
With a background producing content for a variety of global brands including Nike, Beats, Visa, Adidas, Mark's moment of truth came when he witnessed Ban Ki Moon deliver a 'common ground' keynote address at Cannes Lions in 2016. The Secretary General call for ‘agents of change’ didn’t go unheard. Returning to London Mark quit his job, established Green Eyed Monster Films and started tutoring at AdGreen, inspiring filmmakers on how to reduce their carbon footprint. Highlights thus far are directing Sir David Attenborough on several occasions.
After completing the Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Learning business leadership course he has been in much demand as a speaker, consultant, and hands on media practitioner of all things sustainable. He hopes to bring this mix of science and creativity to the Expert network of OpenESG.
Mark holds degrees in Political Science, Sociology and History, a Masters in Cultural Studies and another Masters in Film. Originally from the west of Ireland, he now lives in London.
Courtney Flood is VP of Marketing and Business Development at LBB Specialties (LBBS), a leader in specialty chemicals distribution in North America. She is responsible for commercial strategy and sustainable manufacturing partnerships at LBBS, servicing over 5000 consumer goods manufacturers in Personal Care, Industrial Specialties, Life Sciences/ Pharma, and Food and Nutrition.
Eberhard is a former corporate Vice President at the world’s largest Food & Beverage company with 30+ years professional experience across Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Information Technology and Mergers & Acquisitions. This includes 20+ years of operational and project experience, managing and driving business transformations on global scale through Information Technology.
For the past 8 years, he has been part of the global IT leadership team. First, he led IT for supply chain and procurement, and then in the role of head of the CIO office, he oversaw the transformation of the company's IT from a project-based operating model to a product-based operating model, impacting several thousand employees.
In his third stage of life, Eberhard is particularly interested in how to get many people excited about the planet. How to activate them without restricting freedoms. He hopes to bring this and his views on how to transform IT from ‘useful to easy’ into the Expert Network of OpenESG.
Omar has background in business development, strategy and management and holds a number of directorships across several companies and serves as a Research Fellow at the Institute of Ecotechnics (UK and USA). He was formerly the director of Business Strategy and Development for Harrods and the Executive Vice Chairman of the Harrods Group, before the sale of the company in 2010.
Jaclyn Seow leads ESG and Impact at Openspace Ventures, a venture fund focused on tech-powered startups in Southeast Asia. Openspace manages over US$650M in committed capital and counts global responsible investors such as Temasek, Norfund, DEG, and DFC among its trusted Limited Partners. It has made investments in EVs (Indonesia), insect protein (Malaysia), circular economy (Indonesia), energy efficiency software for hospitality (Singapore) and carbon credit diligence (Southeast Asia). Jaclyn is involved in sustainable investments and works closely with investors and portfolio companies to develop and institutionalize ESG implementation capacity. Jaclyn was previously a policymaker with the Singapore Government and has represented the country in negotiations on global economic growth and development issues at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. She currently serves on the ESG Subcommittee of the Singapore Venture and Private Capital Association and sits on the boards of non-profits Advisory and WISE (Women in Sustainability and Environment). Jaclyn was honoured on Tatler’s Asia’s Most Influential List 2021 and is part of the Milken Institute’s Young Leaders Circle.
With 17 years dedicated to working in sustainability in China and the Asia Pacific, Callum is an experienced sustainability leader passionate about all sectors coming together to build a sustainable future for people and planet. He has a strong focus on nature and climate and having spent his time in China working in NGOs, the UN and PwC, Callum now works as a nature and biodiversity consultant to support organisations and individuals bring maximum impact to addressing the dual nature and climate crises. He is a firm believer that we are in a critical decade to get the world economy on track for a sustainable future–and that this can be done!
Callum holds a BA in Chinese Language and Asia Pacific Studies from Leeds University and a post graduate diploma in Economics at the University of London. He has been living in Beijing since 2006.
Steph L Dickson is a leading voice in sustainability in Asia. She founded Green Is The New Black, Asia’s first Conscious Festival and media platform, advocating for social and behavioural change, that leads to little green steps with big impact.
As the host of the Live Wide Awake podcast, Steph brings conversations to life at the intersections of consciousness and climate change, sustainability and spirituality.
Recently Steph co-founded UNTAM3D, a collective force carving out a place for APAC Women+ in Web3 for impact.
She is regularly asked to conduct talks and workshops on conscious living, rethinking and driving sustainability at work, inspiring keynotes on actionable green steps for meaningful change and eco-anxiety.
As a changemaker in the green space, Steph has been described as a "sustainability entrepreneur helping Asia businesses combat climate change"(CNBC) and a "force of nature" (Honeycombers). She is also a two-time TEDx speaker (P&G), a Gen.T by Tatler Leader of Tomorrow (2020), and Prestige 40 Under 40 (2018).
Dr. Birgit Vallmüür is the Founder and Managing Director of a London-based sustainability consulting firm TitanSwan that advises both corporates and governments.
She is an expert in corporate legacies, having created a corporate legacy approach to sustainability leadership that accelerates sustainability innovation and complements corporate purpose. Birgit is represented as a keynote speaker in sustainability and business by Chartwell Speakers.
She is passionate about responsible business and has held a session on the values taught in business schools to faculty members of eleven leading business schools. Her training videos on sustainability leadership and businesses leading the sustainability transition are featured on the B2B platform Sustainability Unlocked.
She has advised governments globally, listed and multinational companies, as well as startups, and taught management and executive education courses. Her work advising governments included working with the Finance Minister level from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. She has also developed and led medium-term strategic budgeting and management of a sovereign nation as a senior government official.
She holds a Ph.D. in Government and Politics. With her Ph.D. dissertation, she created a theory and methodology for tackling environmental crimes (wildlife trafficking; air, soil, & water pollution; illegal fishing, forestry, and mining) in law enforcement and building institutions that prioritize tackling environmental crimes. Her academic works have been published by Springer and Emerald.
Daniella Helayel is an experienced fashion consultant and creative director of Anglo-Brazilian origin who has been working in the fashion industry for over 20 years.
Her designs are renowned for their unique blend of sophistication and fun, drawing inspiration from various art forms. She believes in inclusive design, creating comfortable clothing for women of all ages and sizes. In 2001, Daniella launched her own fashion label, ISSA, in London, which gained worldwide recognition.
She has also collaborated with other brands, supported leading charities, and is passionate about protecting the environment and making a positive impact on society. Daniella has been featured in the global press and currently works as a consultant for global brands.
Claudia is a social entrepreneur, marketing expert, consultant, advocate, and catalyst for social change with more than 30 years of experience. She is a global mobilization expert, as well as a leader of inclusion focused on unifying the U.S. Hispanic community and promoting sustainability and purpose-driven activities.
She is the Founder of We Are All Human Foundation, a New York-based non-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing Diversity, Inclusion and Equity with a particular approach of the Hispanic community in Corporate America.
A former diplomat and journalist, Claudia is an expert on ESG, particularly in mobilizing corporations to advance the Social Agenda with focus on DEI. Her career includes decades working for the United Nations, UNICEF, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). She has worked for the World Economic Forum and has participated in the creation and launch of global frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals and Product (RED).
Claudia holds degrees in Communications, Philosophy and Photography from Universidad Intercontinental in Mexico, as well as a Master’s Degree in Political Communications from the London School of Economics. She is also the recipient of numerous awards, including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, has been listed as one of Most Powerful Latinas for three consecutive years by the Association of Latino Professionals For America, as well as People magazine's 25 Most Powerful Latinas in 2020. She has two children, enjoys sports with her husband, and speaks six languages.
Professor Virginia Cha is a leading educator of Innovation & Entrepreneurship with multiple appointments at Singapore’s leading tertiary education institutions: Adjunct Professor at NUS Business School and at INSEAD; Adjunct appointments at SMART (Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology) and Lean LaunchPad @Singapore. At NUS, she teaches the MBA module on Entrepreneurship and Innovation, in addition to the EMBA module on Managing Change and Disruption. She has conducted numerous executive programs, with special original content on Entrepreneurial Mindset with emphasis on action-planning for Corporate Innovation Programs. Her research work in entrepreneurial logic has been published as a chapter in “The Entrepreneurial Behaviour. Unveiling the cognitive and emotional aspect of entrepreneurship”, published by Emerald (2020). Together with her MIT colleagues, she has recently published a book “Adaptive Innovation”, by World Scientific (2022).
In her multi-faceted four decades-long industry and academic career which spanned multiple countries, Virginia co-founded or was the sole-founder and CEO of multiple venture-funded, hi-tech companies in Singapore and China, with listings on NASDAQ and HKSE. She’s co-authored a book “Asia’s Entrepreneurs: Dilemmas, Risks and Opportunities”, published by Taylor and Francis (2009), which captured Singapore’s technology entrepreneurial history from 1995-2005. Additionally, Virginia is a member of the Future Council of World Economic Forum. Virginia is also an active researcher, mentor, and angel investor in Singapore’s entrepreneur ecosystem with 16 start-up companies in her angel investment portfolio with operations in Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, USA, Finland, and the UK.
Virginia’s latest research into innovation is on the subject of restorative innovation (www.restorativeinnovation.com). This emergent framework uses an economic model on how sustainable goods can reach mass consumption through innovation along three dimensions: increased supply, supply chain efficiency, and increased adoption. This framework is now taught in leading Singapore tertiary institutions and published in “An Introduction to Circular Economy”, published by Springer Nature (2020).
Virginia earned her Bachelor of Science in Information Computer Science, University of Hawaii, in 1980, and her PhD from National University of Singapore. She has lived in Hong Kong, Thailand, multiple cities in the U.S. and P.R.C., and is based in Singapore.
John Haffner is Deputy Director – Sustainability, Hang Lung Properties Ltd., where he is responsible for formulating the company’s sustainability strategy and driving its execution. He has more than two decades of experience in cleantech, infrastructure and sustainability in Asia and North America, and is proficient in Mandarin. A 2008 World Fellow from Yale University, John has more than 20 publications on various topics related to the environment, energy and international affairs.
Kristin Rechberger is founder and CEO of Dynamic Planet, helping advance markets to restore nature. Dynamic Planet works with communities, governments, and businesses around the world to protect, restore and manage their seascapes and landscapes holistically. Using a combination of policy reform, new business models, blended finance, strategic communications, and best practices with partners, Dynamic Planet’s work helps shift from extraction to conservation economies. Guided by the global target of protecting at least 30% of each land and sea by 2030, much of Dynamic Planet’s work will continue to focus on ocean protection and replenishment, and coastal restoration. Kristin started her career as a Luce Scholar in Asia, then held several entrepreneurial leadership roles at National Geographic where she became Senior Vice President of Global Programs and Partnerships. Kristin was named a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and remains actively involved in its programs. She is a trustee of Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund and also serves on the boards of National Geographic Pristine Seas, Mongabay, The Environmental Investigation Agency, The Environmental Film Festival, Ocean Exploration Trust, and Friends of Anacostia Park at her home base in Washington DC.
E. Benjamin Skinner is the Founder and President of Transparentem, a discreet, nonprofit investigative group that uses frontline reporting ethics and methods to expose and eradicate human rights abuses and environmental degradation in corporate supply chains.
Previously, Ben was a Senior Fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism of Brandeis University. He also held a fellowship at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, served as Special Assistant to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, and worked as a Research Associate for US Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. His more than 50 chapters, monographs, and articles have appeared in numerous publications including Bloomberg Businessweek, Time, Newsweek, Travel + Leisure, the Los Angeles Times, and Foreign Policy.
In 2008, Ben was named one of National Geographic’s “Adventurers of the Year.” His first book, A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery (Free Press; 2008), was awarded the 2009 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for nonfiction, a citation from the Overseas Press Club in its book category for 2008, and was a finalist for The Ryszard Kapuscinski International Award for literary reportage in 2011. The World Economic Forum recognized him as a Young Global Leader in 2011. Ben graduated from Wesleyan University.
Oliver is the Chairman and CEO of TAU, a New York and Hong Kong based investment firm focused exclusively on the transformation of global supply chains. Prior to leading TAU, Oliver worked for more than a decade at the forefront of corporate governance, ESG/CSR, and financial and non-financial reporting while helping thousands of public companies, private companies, and investors to find their way in the early days of the ESG movement. As investor and entrepreneur, he has led and co-led more than 50 investments and acquisitions from early stage to billion-dollar buyouts. Oliver is also Chairman of Common Ground, a creative campus on Kauai that works on regenerative farming practices and the circular economy of food, as well as the Chairman of Broaden (formerly World Policy Institute), which builds media and enrichment programs. He holds a Ph.D. in Strategic Management, has been a World Economic Forum/Young Global Leader since 2010 and has served on numerous public, private, and non-profit boards such as the World Policy Institute, the National Museum of the American Indian, and EARTH University in Costa Rica.
Asher Jay, National Geographic explorer turned entrepreneur, is the founder of IncOperate, a community-driven blockchain application that brings accountability and radical transparency to Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Social Governance commitments. Jay is an international adventurer and public figure whose career arc has taken her from fashion designing on Seventh Avenue to campaigning against blood ivory on its Billboards. Jay’s work has contributed to raising consumer awareness and empowering citizen action for well known brands like Prada, Adidas, Citizen Watches, Loreal and others. Jay advises corporations and multinational companies on their sense of purpose which informs the integrity emulated by their ESG and the conviction evidenced by their CSR.
Jay‘s travels to the frontlines have made her both witness and story-teller of impacts worldwide. Her passion translates her field experiences into uncovering unique intersections between people, planet, purpose and prosperity that net positive. Her CSR impact projects have spanned from evaluating clean energy infrastructure and seeding micro-economic models in emerging markets to reducing human-wildlife conflict and launching inclusive outreach campaigns. Jay's laterally associative vision helps brands deliver solutions in alignment with frameworks that promote a healthy planet and a collective wild future. Her background in fashion design & development, merchandising and textile mass manufacturing have equipped her with mindful business acumen and creative problem solving abilities.
Reem Khouri is passionate about impact. She is the co-founder and Chairwoman of Whyise, an impact analytics software solution that enables organizations to aggregate their data in real time, analyze it, align with international standards and benchmarks for evidence-based decision making.
She is also the founding partner of Kaamen, an impact design company that has worked in the Middle East, Asia and Africa with governments, companies and NGOs to design models for exponential economic and social returns.
Reem is a member of the investment committee at Ibtikar Fund II, a disruptive venture capital firm that invests in innovative companies. She is a board member of Ruwwad for Development, a non-profit community development organization that works with disenfranchised communities through education, youth volunteerism and grassroots organizing. She is member of the board of trustees of the Welfare Association - Taawon, a non-profit civil society organization that supports vulnerable Palestinians to live in dignity through sustainable development initiatives. She also served as a member of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Human Rights 2020-2022.
She previously worked with Aramex, one of the leading global logistics and transportation solutions providers and served on its sustainability council and working with the company's founder and CEO Fadi Ghandour on sustainability, strategic initiatives, research and support for entrepreneurs.
She was recognized as one of the World’s 100 Most Influential Arabs Under 40 by Arabian Business Magazine in 2015 and 2016 and was selected in 2018 as a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.
Co-Founder and Managing Partner of IGNIA. IGNIA invests in world-class tech entrepreneurs solving problems faced by the emerging middle class in Latin America. Led investments in Rapyd, Tiendanube, Abra, Arcus, Credijusto, Lentesplus, ProducePay, UnDosTres and Sr. Pago.
Harvard Business School (HBS) Senior Lecturer where he teaches the MBA first year required course The Entrepreneurial Manager and second year elective Global Entrepreneurship.
Former Chairman of the Board of Compartamos Banco (Gentera), the largest microfinance institution in the Americas. Former Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACCION International a 60 year US non-for-profit. Rodriguez was formerly CFO of Vitro, CEO of Farmacias Benavides and CFO of Grupo Elektra. In 2005 Alvaro was named Young Global Leader (YGL) by the World Economic Forum (WEF). He is also a Board Member of Harvard University’s David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies; the Social Progress Index (co-founder); and Oxford University Säid School Global Council.
In 2012 Forbes magazine named Alvaro as one of the 30 Top Social Entrepreneurs of the world. In 2014, the President of Mexico awarded Alvaro with the National Entrepreneurship Award. 2019 HBS Alumni Achievement Award. He is a Pan-American Games and US Elite Nationals rowing medalist (1991) and was eighth in the World University Games (1989).
He holds a BS from ITAM and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Lady Mariéme Jamme is a Senegalese-born, French-British businesswoman with more than two decades of business experience in technology and system change. Her global speeches on humanity and responsibility towards marginalized young girls have received several accolades.
She is the Founder and Chief Sustainability Offer of iamtheCODE, the first African-led global movement to mobilize government, the private sector, and philanthropic foundations to advance STEAMD (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics and Design) Education. Her goal is to empower and enable 1 million girls and young women globally to become coders by 2030 and align with the UN 2030 Agenda. She recently founded Accur8 Global, a consultancy firm that helps companies embed ESGs into their overall business strategy by focusing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the “S” of the ESGs’. In 2023, she was named as one of the 100 Most Reputable Africans.
As a nominee of one of the BBC's Top 100 Women, she was named twice on the UK Powerlist in 2017 and 2018 for Britain's 100 most influential African and African Caribbean heritage people. She is the first Senegalese woman who made it to
Antarctica. Lady Mariéme is also on the Board of Directorship of the World Wide Web Foundation (Founded by Sir Tim Berners-Lee) and the ITU Generation
Connect Visionaries Board. Recently, she has been welcomed by Generation
Unlimited Unicef as a Global Leadership Council member. She is currently writing her first book to tell her story. The book will be a memoir of her painful journey. All proceeds will go to the iamtheCODE Foundation and young girls' education
in Africa.
Head of Digital at Kapital Entertainment. Adam previously served as the Global Lead for Sustainable Shopping at Amazon. Adam began his sustainability career as a student activist working to pass the California Desert Protection Act, which created Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks. At age 23 he became the national president of the Sierra Club, and later served on the board of Greenpeace International. He went on to help companies launch sustainable products as the Chief Sustainability Officer for Saatchi & Saatchi. He co-founded the technology company Trove, which today manages the recommerce programs for Patagonia, Eileen Fisher, Lululemon and Levi’s. He’s the author of three books, most recently, Strategy for Sustainability, published by Harvard Business Press. He lives with his wife Lyn and three kids between San Francisco and Bolinas, CA.
Sony Kapoor is an influential macroeconomist, finance expert, development specialist and sustainability adviser with a long track record of successfully tackling policy, business, and societal challenges. His career spans banking, asset management, policymaking, strategy consulting, policy research, political advisory, and civil society across dozens of countries. He is CEO of the Nordic Institute for Finance, Technology & Sustainability, Interdisciplinary Professor of Climate, Geoeconomics & Finance at the European University Institute, Chief Economist for Worthwhile Capital Partners, Chairman of Re-Define, and a Trustee of Friends of Europe.
Sony has been a long-time adviser to several G-20 and EU governments, large institutional investors and has served several stints as an expert adviser to international organisations including the EU, the UN, the World Bank, the OECD, and the IMF. He is well-known for his agenda-setting keynotes, influential policymaker reports and incisive media commentary. He has been invited to write for publications that include The Economist, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg.
Sony studied engineering at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology as a National Talent Scholar, MBA at the Faculty of Management Studies as a Far Eastern Economic Review Scholar, and finance at the LSE as a Chevening Scholar.
His leadership in tackling the euro crisis, promoting financial reform, driving action on climate change, and improving development policy have led to recognition as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and as a European Young Leader by Friends of Europe. He has been inducted as a Fellow by the RSA, and was awarded an honorary fellowship by George Soros, for helping diffuse the Euro crisis, promote tax justice, and green finance.
