Claire Boonstra, Co-Founder, Layar, Holland
One of the founders of Layar, the Dutch company behind the world's first mobile augmented reality browser Layar. Layar overlays digital information on to what you can view via your mobile phone camera, e.g. whether the house you are looking at is for sale.
Sara de Freitas, Director of Research, The Serious Games Institute
Dr Sara de Freitas is Director of Research at the Serious Games Institute (SGI) – an international hub of excellence in the area of games, virtual worlds and interactive digital media for serious purposes, including education, health and business applications. Situated on the Technology Park at the University of Coventry, Sara leads an interdisciplinary and cross-university applied research group. Based as part of the largest commercial arm of any UK university, the SGI applied research group - with expertise in AI and games, visualization, mixed reality, augmented reality and location aware technologies - works closely with international industrial and academic research and development partners. Extending the aim of bringing together industrial and academic research and development, Sara also chairs the Lab Group, a group she founded in 2003 to bring together leading edge academic and industrial research groups in the e-learning area. Sara also holds a visiting fellowship at the University of London, where she continues to support leading edge research and development work in the field of e-learning. Formerly based at the London Knowledge Lab, Sara held two distinguished fellowships there and latterly worked as Manager of the London Knowledge Lab (Birkbeck College, University of London). Sara also held a Research Directorship on a prestigious University of London Centre for Distance Education award, and was funded on two Joint Information Systems Committee projects. In addition to holding other awards, Sara has worked on a range of research projects more recently funded through Advantage West Midlands, the European Regional Development Fund, the Science City project and the UK Technology Strategy Board. Sara has also lectured widely in the UK and abroad, has a long publication record in the field and sits on various committees and associations. Working as a consultant for the UK Joint Information Systems Committee e-Learning Programme, 2003-2007, Sara has published a number of leading reports in the field and contributed to innovating learning and practices.
Anna Kirah, Innovation and Design Anthropologist, former Senior Design Anthropologist, Microsoft Corporation. Anna Kirah is an innovation and design anthropologist. She was the senior design anthropologist for the Microsoft Corporation where she applied field research and the people centered approach to the design and development of products and services such as Windows XP and Windows Live. Prior to joining Microsoft, Kirah worked for Boeing where she ran user studies onboard commercial flights to create design recommendations for the 787 Dreamliner. Kirah had a three year break from Microsoft when asked to develop and head a radical innovation school for companies such as Lego, Bang & Olufson, and Nokia. The goal of the school was to educate companies in the customer/user experience and the customer/user journey as well as connecting these journeys to the design and development of new products and services. During this time, Kirah also sat on the board of the Danish government's user-driven innovation fund. Some of Kirah's clients both while working at Microsoft and during her time away have been: APC Schneider Electric, L'Oreal, Copenhagen Airport, World Association of Newspapers, Boeing, Microsoft, Nokia, Channel 4 (UK) , Scandinavian Airlines, Johnson & Johnson, Unicef , Danish Design Association, Grundfos, Coloplast, International Newspaper and Media Association
Lucy Vincent, Doctor in Neurosciences, Journalist and Author (France)
Lucy holds a doctorate in neuroscience. She broadcasts on scientific subjects for Radio France and is the author of several books, including Comment devient-on amoureux?
Dalia Ziada, Egypt Office Director, American Islamic Congress
Egyptian rights activist, blogger, laureate of Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Journalist Award, published writer and poet, joined the American Islamic Congress (AIC) in the age of 25, as the founding director of its Middle East and North Africa bureau based in Cairo, Egypt. Ziada dedicates her life to promoting women rights, freedom of expression, and nonviolent action in her homeland, Egypt, and the whole Arab world.
Emma Bonino, Vice President of the Italian Senate
Emma (born 9 March 1948 in Bra) is an Italian politician, former Member of the European Parliament and current Member of the Italian Senate. She is a leading member of the Italian Radicals, a political party that supports economic and social libertarianism, and human rights. She graduated in modern languages and literature from Bocconi University in Milan in 1972. A veteran legislator in Italian politics and an activist for various reform policies, she was elected as one of four Vice Presidents of the Senate on 6 May 2008.[1] Bonino was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in 1976 and re-elected in 1979, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1994 and 2006. In 1975, she founded the Information Centre on Sterilisation and Abortion and promoted the referendum which led to the legalisation of abortion in Italy. In 1986, she was among the promoters of a referendum against nuclear energy that led to the rejection of a civil nuclear energy programme in Italy.
Nadwa Al-Dawsari, Director, Partners Yemen
Nadwa is a dedicated professional with an impressive background tackling the problem of tribal conflicts in her country. She was most recently Senior Program Manager with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) in Yemen, where she worked directly with the national and local government as well as local civil society organizations to build sustainable systems to address the problem of tribal conflicts and revenge killings. She has previous experience in both gender issues and journalism, working previously with UNIFEM’s Post Beijing Operations Project, and with the Women’s Studies Center at Sana’a University and the Yemen Times newspaper. In what will hopefully be the one of many collaborations with other international fellowship programs, Nadwa came to Partners by way of her participation as a Fulbright-Humphrey Fellow at Rutgers University. The new Partners Center in Yemen plans to work on promoting local governance reforms, building the capacities of local civil society organizations and working with the Yemeni government, local authorities, tribal and community leaders, as well as local civil society organizations, to establish short-term and long-term interventions that address tribal conflicts in Yemen.
Raghida Dergham, Columnist and Senior Diplomatic Correspondent, Al Hayat
Raghida Dergham is Columnist and Senior Diplomatic Correspondent for the London-based Al Hayat, the leading independent Arabic daily, since 1989. She writes a regular weekly strategic column on International Political Affairs. Member of the International Media Council of the World Economic Forum, composed by 100 of the most respected and influential media figures worldwide. Named one of the 100 Most Powerful Arab Women in 2011. Arabian Business ranked her number 42. Featured in PBS Documentary "Caught in The Crossfire." She is quoted in several books in many languages. Ms. Dergham is in SUNY's Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Alumna and has received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters in 2003. Political Analyst for NBC, MSNBC and the Arab satellite LBC for 8 years. Contributing Editor for L A Times Syndicate Global Viewpoint and has also contributed to: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The International Herald Tribune and Newsweek Magazine. As one of the few women political commentators, Ms. Dergham has been a frequent guest PBS's "Charlie Rose” and "The News Hour", CNN, FOX, "ABC, CBS, Canada's CBC, Al-Jazeera as well as a radio guest on NPR and the BBC.
Tala Dowlatshahi, Senior Adviser, Reporters Without Borders (New York)
Tala Dowlatshahi is a Senior Adviser and US Representative of Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans Frontieres)-the Paris-based media watchdog organization. She is also the United Nations Bureau Chief for Talk Radio News Service. Most recently, she launched a web tv program entitled: “Reporters Uncensored.” The programs chronicles stories across the globe that promote social change. Tala is a New York based producer, reporter and filmmaker. Ms. Dowlatshahi has chronicled stories in Afghanistan, Colombia, Eritrea, Eastern Europe, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Tanzania, Turkey and Uganda. She has also been featured on CNN International, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, Voice of America, Reuters, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and in various humanitarian news programs. She is an associate member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Interactive EMMYs, New York Women in Film and Television, the New York Press Club, Newswomen’s Club of New York and the Overseas Press Club of America. She holds a B.A. in mass communications from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.A. in international politics from New York University
Shirin Ebadi, Human Rights lawyer and Nobel Prize Winner (born 21 June 1947) is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's, children's, and refugee rights. She was the first ever Iranian, and the first Muslim woman to have received the prize. In 2009, Ebadi's award was allegedly confiscated by Iranian authorities, though this was later denied by the Iranian government. If true, she would be the first person in the history of the Nobel Prize whose award has been forcibly seized by state authorities. Ebadi lives in Tehran, but she has been in exile in Canada since June 2009 due to the increase in persecution of Iranian citizens who are critical of the current regime.
Mary Ellsberg, Vice President, Research and Programs, International Center for Research on Women Mary Ellsberg is vice president of research and programs at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW). As vice president, she oversees ICRW’s portfolios in economic development, gender, violence and rights, gender and HIV and gender, stigma and discrimination. Ellsberg has more than 25 years of experience in international research and program work on gender inequity, domestic violence and sexual and reproductive health. Prior to joining ICRW in 2008, she served as a senior advisor at PATH for gender, violence and human rights, and as the director of PATH's Nicaragua office. While there, she coordinated InterCambios, an inter-American network of organizations that address gender-based violence from a public health perspective. Ellsberg also is a member of the Core Research Team of the World Health Organization (WHO) Multi-country Study on Domestic Violence and Women's Health. She has authored more than 20 books and articles in peer-reviewed journals on the prevalence and impact of gender-based violence on the health of women and children as well as ethical and methodological aspects of violence research.
Nina L Gardner, Director, Strategy International
Nina L. Gardner lives in Rome, Italy and is the director of Strategy International, a consulting firm she founded in 1999 specializing in international public affairs advocacy and corporate social responsibility partnerships between the private sector, governments and international organizations. She is currently a consultant to the OECD project on Indicators for Measuring the Progress of Societies focusing on outreach to foundations and think tanks and committed to the mainstreaming of gender issues. Her more interesting former projects include co-chairing an OECD Center of Entrepreneurship taskforce regarding the promotion of women’s entrepreneurship in the MENA region and providing advisory work to new NGO, Alliance for Health & the Future, regarding policy challenges posed by greater longevity in Europe. Prior to this she had two posts in the Balkans, first as a political officer in the UN Liaison office in Zagreb, Croatia, tracking human rights issues following the Dayton Accords, then with the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities as an institution and capacity building advisor for the Serb community in Vukovar, Eastern Slavonia. Ms. Gardner is an activist in women’s issues – and is the founding president of three professional women’s associations in Europe. She is a lawyer by training. She is a graduate of Harvard-Radcliffe, Columbia Law School and Rotary scholar at the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotà, Colombia. She is fluent in French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and speaks passable Czech and Russian.
Toddi Gutner, Columnist and CEO, TLGutnerLLC Media and Communications Advisory, USA
Toddi was an associate editor at BusinessWeek magazine for 11 years, where she wrote on such topics as the transformation of the bond market in the digital age, baby boomers who still want to work in retirement and the hidden impact of the alternative minimum tax. She became the first woman columnist at BusinessWeek magazine when she created and wrote a popular and well-respected weekly column in print and online called HERS, which focused on women and their financial and professional lives. She also edited a page of brief news items, and contributed regularly to two Businessweek Blogs, Hot Property, a real estate blog, and Working Parents. Before joining Businessweek in 1996, Toddi wrote for Forbes magazine for five years. Prior to becoming a journalist, she was as an economic analyst focusing on the energy sector for five years at a private economic consulting firm, National Economic Research Associates in Washington, D.C. Toddi has made several TV appearances on CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Power Lunch, Good Day New York, Weekend Today, Lifetime Live, Fox News, and This Week in Business. As a speaker and moderator, she has spoken and moderated at several conferences including, The Women’s Forum for Economy & Society in Deauville, France, The Conference Board, Deutsche Bank's Women on Wall Street, Financial Women's Association and The Corporate State. Toddi serves on the advisory boards of Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research (ITPAR), Nina McLemore, LLC, the Belizean Grove and the executive committee of the Winston Preparatory School in Winston, Ct. She is an active member of the International Women's Forum, The Economic Club of New York and Women Corporate Directors (WCD). Toddi received her Masters in Journalism from Northwestern University and a B.A. in economics from the University of Michigan.
Laura Liswood, Author of The Loudest Duck and Secretary General, Council of Women World Leaders. In August 1996, Laura Liswood co-founded the Council of Women World Leaders with President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir of Iceland located at The Aspen Institute in Washington, DC. Ms. Liswood is the Secretary General of the Council, which is composed of women heads of state and government. The work of the Council expands the understanding of leadership, establishes a network of resources for high-level women leaders, and provides a forum for the group to contribute input and shape the international issues important to women and society. In 2001, Liswood was named Managing Director, Global Leadership and Diversity for Goldman Sachs. Working on issues of globalization and workforce diversity, she is now a Senior Advisor to the firm. In 1997, Liswood co-founded The White House Project. Her work with women presidents and prime ministers was the inspiration for the Project to change the cultural message in the United States about women as leaders. From 1992 to 1996, as director of the Women’s Leadership Project, Liswood identified global leadership contributions by women heads of state. She interviewed 15 current and former women presidents and prime ministers, which is chronicled in her book and video documentary, Women World Leaders (1996 and 2007, Harper Collins).
Courtney Martin, Author, Do It Anyway: The New Generation of Activists
Courtney has been called “one of our most insightful culture critics and one of our finest young writers” by Parker Palmer, and her writing has been described as “varied, transformational, and necessary for us all” by Jane Fonda and “a hardcover punch in the gut” by Arianna Huffington. This fall, Penguin will publish her fifth book, Project Rebirth: Survival and the Strength of the Human Spirit from 9/11 Survivors, released in conjunction with a documentary film, called Rebirth, by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jim Whitaker. Last fall, Beacon Press published Do It Anyway: The New Generation of Activists, in which Courtney profiled eight young people doing social justice work on the ground. In early-2010, Seal Press published her first anthology, co-edited with J. Courtney Sullivan, titled CLICK: When We Knew We Were Feminists. Courtney also co-wrote the life story of AIDS activist Marvelyn Brown, called The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful and (HIV) Positive. Courtney’s first book, Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: How the Quest for Perfection is Harming Young Women was awarded a Books for a Better Life nomination and was called “smart and spirited” by The New York Times. Courtney is also an editor at Feministing.com, which recently won the Hillman Prize for Blog Journalism and the Columbia Journalism Review calls “head and shoulders above almost any writing on women’s issues in mainstream media.” Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, the Christian Science Monitor, The American Prospect, The Nation, Glamour, Mother Jones, Utne, and a variety of anthologies, among other publications. Courtney has appeared on Good Morning America, The TODAY Show, The O’Reilly Factor, CNN, and MSNBC, among other major media outlets. She is also a widely sought after speaker, who gives several dozen lectures and speeches annually, at universities and events across the U.S.
Nell Merlino, Founder and President, Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence
Nell is Founder and President of Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence, the leading national not-for-profit provider of resources for women to grow their micro businesses into million $ enterprises. She is author of “Stepping Out of Line: Lessons for Women Who Want it Their Way in Life, in Love, and at Work,” from Broadway Books. Throughout her career, Nell Merlino has been inspiring millions of people to take action. She is the creative force behind Take Our Daughters to Work Day, which moved more than 71 million Americans to participate in a day dedicated to giving girls the opportunity to dream bigger about their future. Through Count Me In, Nell is now inspiring women entrepreneurs to dream big and achieve even more. She is leading a global movement to empower women entrepreneurs to grow their businesses to a million dollars and beyond by providing tools, resources, and a supportive community of their peers. Count Me In’s Make Mine a Million $ Business program reaches women entrepreneurs in communities around the country through events and on-line community. This movement will not only add millions of jobs and billions of dollars of economic activity, but take women to new levels of independence, empowering them to act as economic leaders. Nell is also the founder and President of Strategy Communication Action, Ltd. (SCA) in New York City, a firm specializing in the creation of public education campaigns that motivate people to act. She is a member of the U.S. Department of State Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy (ACIEP), and appointed a Pathways Envoy by the U.S. State Department to promote women’s business growth through South and North America. Nell also sits on the board of the American Enterprise Organization. Prior to founding Count Me In, Merlino created campaigns like the YWCA’s The Week Without Violence, the United Nations’ Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, worked in two state governments, was an advance woman in presidential politics, a union organizer and a Fulbright Scholar.
Pia de Solenni, Owner, Diotima Consulting
Dr. Pia de Solenni is an ethicist and cultural analyst. She owns her own consulting company, Diotima Consulting. She is an expert in issues relating to women’s health, life issues, the new feminism, Catholicism, and culture. Her work has appeared in various publications including The Wall Street Journal Europe, The Washington Post, National Catholic Reporter, Our Sunday Visitor, and National Review Online. Dr. de Solenni has participated in many radio and television talk shows on various topics. She has appeared on MSNBC, “Hardball with Chris Matthews”, “The O’Reilly Factor”, CNN, ABCNews, among others. Dr. de Solenni has been quoted in newspapers nationwide, including The New York Times, The Washington Times, and The Associated Press. Dr. de Solenni received her doctorate in sacred theology summa cum laude from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome. Her dissertation was published in the university series Dissertationes. On November 8, 2001, she received the 2001 Award of the Pontifical Academies for her doctoral work. The award was presented by John Paul II.
Susan Stautberg, President, PartnerCom Corporation, and Co-Founder, Women Corporate Directors. PartnerCom Corporation, which assembles and manages Advisory Boards globally for businesses, governments, and non-profits. She is also co founder of WCD, the only global membership organization and community of Women Corporate Directors who meet for regional .off-the-record. dinners, at international Institutes with Global members and guests focusing on critical governance issues as well as emerging business trends, and are connected by email for updates to distribute board positions, opportunities to speak at conferences and discounts, to conduct surveys, and provide references and resources to one another on an as needed basis.
Patricia Szarvas, Lead Anchor, CNBC Europe
is a financial journalist currently based in Frankfurt, Germany working as the main anchor of CNBC Europe. She reports daily from the German stock exchange and financial markets for the international studios of the CNBC network and the German television station N24.
Yamina Benguigui, Writer, movie director, Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of human rights and the fight against discrimination (France). Yamina is a French-Algerian film director. She is known for her films on gender issues in the North African immigrant community in France.
Lina Ben Mhenni, Blog Author, A Tunisian Girl, and Assistant Professor, University of Tunis
Lina is an academic and the author of the popular blog A Tunisian Girl. Based in Tunis, she has reported from all over her country during the ongoing social upheaval. She risked her safety as one of the only Tunisians to criticize the repressive government openly on international broadcasts before the “Jasmine Revolution" began. Described as one of the bravest bloggers in the world, much of Ben Mhenni’s writing focuses on freedom of expression and the rights of women and students. Her influential blog, which was censored under Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s rule, was one of the most revealing and scathing criticisms of Tunisian society, focusing particularly on issues like women’s rights and press freedom. When unrest began in Tunisia in January 2011, Ben Mhenni began traveling across the country to take photos and video footage of both the protests and people she says were killed in the ensuing government crackdowns. She visited local hospitals and took pictures of those injured or killed by the police. In an interview with The Daily Beast she asserted, “There are no journalists doing this. And moreover, the official media started to tell lies about what was happening." These images served as proof of the regime’s brutality, and Ben Mhenni became one of the most prominent bloggers in the Arab world. Ben Mhenni has elected to continue blogging under her real name. “Even if you use a nickname, they can reach you," she says. “You give an example to other people. They say, ‘Look, she’s not afraid.’" Acknowledging that she might inspire others to action, Mhenni is careful to balance the importance of free speech online with the practical considerations of localized protest. She says, “I’m against the term ‘Facebook Revolution.’ We shouldn’t forget the martyrs and people who were injured, the mothers who lost their children and took to the streets again and again until Ben Ali fled. If the revolution had only been on the internet, it would never have had the same result. It was a combination of the fight on the ground and the fight on the internet."
Deborah Berlinck, Paris Correspondent, O Globo (Brazilian Delegation) Brazil
Deborah is currently the correspondent in Paris of O GLOBO, one of Brazil’s top daily newspapers. For the past 20 years, she has covered major events world-wide — from conflict in Bosnia to trade negotiations and summits. She covered G-8 and G-20 summits and several WTO ministerial meetings, including the launch of the Doha Round, in Catar. She recently received O GLOBO’s internal prize for the coverage of the 2010 UN Climate Change Conference, in Copenhagen. Deborah Berlinck was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She received a BA in Journalism and Communication. She also holds a Master in International Relations from the Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies, in Geneva.
Diane Brady, Senior Editor and Content Chief, Business Week, USA
Diane Brady is a senior editor at Bloomberg Businessweek, handling corporate coverage, profiles and management issues. She was named to this position in June 2008. Previously, she was a senior writer and bureau chief. She has her first book, Fraternity, coming out soon from Spiegel & Grau. Brady has received numerous awards for her work, including the National Headliner Award, the Deadline Club Award, the Front Page Award, and two National Magazine Awards in Canada. She has been nominated twice for Business Journalist of the Year. Along with regular appearances on CNN, NPR and other media outlets, she often speaks at industry events and is on the board of the Overseas Press Club. Prior to joining Bloomberg Businessweek, Brady was a staff reporter at The Asian Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong and Manila, as well as an associate editor at Maclean's magazine in Toronto. She was also a speechwriter for the UN Environment Programme in Nairobi, Kenya. Brady holds graduate degrees from Columbia Journalism School and the University of Nairobi, as well as a BA from the University of Toronto. She lives in New York with her husband and three children.
Barbara Bylenga, Founder and President, Outlaw Consulting
Barbara has more than 20 years experience in market research and strategy, specializing in identifying, understanding, and leveraging innovative insights from trendsetters, especially in "Gen Y." She founded Outlaw Consulting in 1994 and brings her vision, experience, and hands-on participation to literally every project the company undertakes. Over the years she has developed a deep skillset and worn a multitude of hats, including: strategist, skilled moderator, inspired creative thinker, strong client partner, sought-after speaker, excellent writer, and pioneer in non-traditional research methods. Prior to founding Outlaw, Barbara worked in a number of major advertising firms, including Leo Burnett; Tatham Laird and Kudner; Chiat Day; and ending her agency career as a VP at Foote, Cone and Belding. Beginning as a researcher and moving into Account Planning, she gained a wide range of both technical and strategic skills. Barbara earned her BS in Communication from Florida State University and her MA in Advertising from Michigan State University.
Alessandra Galloni, Bureau Chief, Southern Europe, Wall Street Journal
Alessandra Galloni has been Southern Europe Bureau Chief for The Wall Street Journal since 2006. She is responsible for the Journal's coverage of France, Italy, Spain and Portugal and the European aerospace, technology and luxury goods industries. She joined the Journal in 2001 and has worked in London as a European advertising and media reporter and in Rome as Italy correspondent. Subsequently, she has been a European luxury goods writer. She previously worked as a correspondent for the Associated Press and Reuters News Agency. Galloni graduated from Harvard University in 1995 and received a MasterÂ’s degree from the London School of Economics in 2002. She was the recipient of an Overseas Press Club award in 2004 and a British Journalism of the Year Award in 2005.
Deepa Gupta, Co-founder, Indian Youth Climate Network
Deepa Gupta is a Program Officer in Media, Culture, and Special Initiatives. She has responsibilities for the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, the Large Institutional grants program, New Ideas, and arts and culture grantmaking in Chicago. Previous to her arrival at MacArthur, Deepa worked on a range of issues for the last ten years that have included public policy, communications, and arts and culture. Most recently, she has been a senior associate at McKinsey and Co. Earlier in her career, Deepa worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development and as the business and marketing director for a start-up theater company. Deepa earned an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University and (jointly) a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She has an AB in Public Policy and Biology from the University of Chicago.
Tumi Makgabo, Executive Director, AfricaWorldwide Media
For over a decade, Tumi Makgabo has been one of the most recognisable South African broadcasters both at home and internationally through her work and the global news network CNN International. As an anchor for several years at CNN International’s headquarters in Atlanta, Tumi co-produced and hosted the network’s award winning program, Inside Africa. During the past decade, Tumi has had the privilege of discussing the state of Africa with many prominent world leaders such as former South African President Thabo Mbeki; former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan; former South African President, Nelson Mandela; former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair; Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu; U.S. President, George W. Bush; former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, former U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell; Tibetan spiritual Leader, the Dalai Lama as well as renowned stars such as Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, Martina Navratilova, Miriam Makeba and others. In 2005 Tumi decided to base her self back in Johannesburg where she was appointed International Affairs and Communications Manager and spokesperson for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa. In addition to her World Cup post, Tumi launched her own production company, producing and hosting her own talk show, ‘Talk with Tumi Makgabo’, for M-Net in 2006.
Patricia Mitchell, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Paley Center for Media, is the current President and Chief Executive Officer of The Paley Center for Media (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio) in New York City and the former President and CEO of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). She resigned from PBS in March 2006 and was replaced by the current CEO, Paula Kerger, formerly of New York's PBS station, WNET. At PBS, she was named President and Chief Executive Officer in March 2000, the first woman and first producer and journalist to hold the position.
Malika Mokeddem, Writer and Journalist
Malika (b. October 5, 1949) was born in Kenadsa in the Algerian desert. Raised by a father who considered women as secondary citizens and a mother who believed in maintaining the tradition of servitude for women, and coming from a fundamentalist village, she nevertheless managed to study medicine in Algeria and France. In 1977, she established herself in Montpellier in order to practice nephrology. In 1985 she stopped working as a doctor in order to concentrate on her writing. For her first novel, Les Hommes qui marchent, published in 1990, she won the Prix Littré, the collective prize at Chambéry for a first novel, and the prize from the Noureddine Aba foundation in Algeria. She received the African Mediteranean prize ADELF for her second novel, Le Siècle des Sauterelles (Ramsay, 1992), and the Mediterranean prize in Perpignan for L'Interdite (Grasset, 1993). Her career has continued to prosper with Des rêves et des assassins (Grasset, 1995), N'zid (Grasset, 2001), La transe des insoumis (Grasset, 2003), Mes hommes (Grasset, 2005), Je dois tout à ton oubli (Grasset, 2008)
Christine Ockrent, former Chief Operating Officer, Audiovisuel extérieur de France
Christine (born April 24, 1944) is a Belgian journalist whose career has principally centered on French television. She graduated from Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) in 1965. She worked for American television and collaborated on 60 Minutes, the CBS News Magazine. Back in France, she worked on Europe 1, a national radio station where she was in charge of morning news. In 1981, she became the first female anchor of the 8 pm news on the Antenne 2 television channel. Afterwards, she worked for TF1. By the end of her career, she had returned to France 2 as anchor of the evening news, and then for France 3 since 1990 where she was the host of different news magazines. She was chief of the L'Express editorial office. She is a former member of the Saint-Simon Foundation think-tank. In 2002, Ockrent wrote the preface to Ma guerre à L’indifference (English: My war against indifference), a book by United Nations official Jean-Sélim Kanaan.
Alison Smale, Executive Editor, International Herald Tribune
Alison Smale is the executive editor of the International Herald Tribune, the global edition of The New York Times. As such, she organizes the day’s news report, plans coverage for the days ahead and is constantly involved in mapping out the global strategy for The New York Times Media Group. Ms. Smale came to the IHT from The New York Times, where she had been deputy foreign editor since March 2002. She joined The Times in July 1998 as weekend foreign editor. As AP Vienna bureau chief for Eastern Europe, Ms. Smale covered the fall of communism across Eastern Europe, the troubled transitions of Romania and Bulgaria, the rise of Slobodan Milosevic and Serbian nationalism and the 1990s wars in the Balkans. From Moscow, where she was posted from 1983 to 1987, she chronicled the transition from Andropov through Chernenko to Gorbachev. Ms. Smale was in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, and organized much of the prize-winning New York Times coverage of the war in Afghanistan and the later war in Iraq.
Ann Mettler, Executive Director and Co-Founder of The Lisbon Council
Executive Director and Co-Founder of The Lisbon Council, an advocacy group and policy network committed to raising European competitiveness, encouraging economic growth, promoting structural reform, creating jobs and working towards a better, more prosperous future. Incorporated in Belgium as an independent, non-profit and non-partisan association, the Lisbon Council is among Europe’s most authoritative and thoughtful voices on economic reform and social renewal. Ms. Mettler has been widely quoted in the international media and has contributed articles to the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Newsweek, FT Deutschland and Handelsblatt. She is also a regular commentator on CNBC Europe, and has addressed audiences at the Kitzbuehel Leadership Forum, the World Economic Forum, Economist Conferences, Rockefeller University, Rheingauer Impulse, and other high-level events. From 2000-2003, Ms. Mettler worked at the World Economic Forum, where she served as Director for Europe. Prior to this appointment, she was responsible for the World Economic Forum’s activities in the United States and Canada. During her tenure, Ms. Mettler handled relations at the highest level with governments of over twenty-five countries, including six members of the G7. She was in charge of the conceptualization, organization and execution of economic summits in Europe and the United States, and provided content input and regional expertise to four World Economic Forum Annual Meetings in Davos.
From 1997-2000, Ms. Mettler held positions on the Governmental Affairs Committee of the United States Senate, a strategic communications firm in Washington, DC and the Foreign Policy Division of the European Commission, Brussels. A dual citizen of Germany and Sweden, Ms. Mettler has lived and worked in Greece, the United States, Switzerland and Belgium. She holds two Masters degrees and graduated with distinction from the University of New Mexico, USA, and the Center for European Integration Studies (ZEI) in Bonn, Germany.
Cleo Paskal, Associate Fellow, The Royal Institute of International Affairs
Cleo is an Associate Fellow at Chatham House, (aka Royal Institute of International Affairs), Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Geopolitics, Manipal University, India and Adjunct Professor of Global Change, School of Communication and Management Studies, Kochi, India. Also she is a consultant for the U.S. Department of Energy's Global Energy and Environment Strategic Ecosystem and a Huffington Post blogger. She is a geopolitical expert who specializes in the geopolitical, security, and economic implications of evironmental change (including climate change), as well as Arctic and Pacific security. Her book, Global Warring: How Environmental, Economic and Political Crises Will Redraw the World Map. Global Warring won a US$5000 Awards of Merit in the 2010 Grantham Prize for Excellence in Reporting on the Environment awards as well as the 2010 Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction
Tehmina Kazi, Director, British Muslims for Secular Democracy
Tehmina Kazi is director of British Muslims for Secular Democracy, an organisation which aims to raise awareness of the benefits of democracy and its contribution to a shared vision of citizenship
Barbara Mallinson, Founder, Obami
Barbara Mallinson is the young South African entrepreneur who founded Obami. She was born and schooled in Johannesburg, matriculated with a university scholarship, and went on to study a B.Bus.Sci in Marketing at UCT. Fresh from her studies, Barbara moved to London, where she climbed the online marketing ladder, working for large corporate organisations. After gaining invaluable experience, she decided to follow her life long dream of starting up her own business. And so, with the backing of a UK Government Grant, Obami was born. Obami is a social networking site that’s been developed specifically for schools; facilitating communication and collaboration between and amongst pupils, teachers and parents. Understanding the importance of online safety, Barbara built Obami as a walled garden – a safe environment for kids to interact with each other, and the adults in their lives. She also chose to offer Obami for free so that any school would be able to realise the beneficial role that social media can play in support of face-to-face communications (a number of other well thought out revenue streams allowing for this). Barbara then made the decision to bring Obami back to South Africa to try and make a difference in the country that she’s always called home. It hasn’t arrived unnoticed, and Obami was selected as IS Labs’ first incubation project, with schools lining up to join those already on board.
Chiara Palieri, former Director of Public Relations, Model European Union 2010
I am passionate about Youth activism and Social Entrepreneurship. I see myself as a Changemaker at global scale with an enormous drive which results to be successful in inspiring other peers. I am passionate about Public Relations as well as Lobbying since I reckon it is important to make a substantial difference in today's world. I'm passionate about CHANGE and LEADERSHIP. I am passionate about Volunteering and Youth work,which enables youth to practise democracy and helps them discover their full potential by providing them life-changing opportunities for creative projects and self-expression, experimental fields of communication and negotiation, meeting spaces and areas of respect. When people consider the future as inevitable threat,this might lead to a feeling of powerless and passivity. Decision-makers of all levels have to listen to and include the unconventional and fearless ideas of youth when they make decisions that affect them. Thus, new forms of more ethical governance must provide for a much stronger participation and involvement in decision-making of young people, whose future is being decided upon. I am involved in many projects at the EU level. I am the Head of PR for Model European Union 2010, first simulation of the European Institutions which takes place every year in the real premises of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. A successful youth-led project which has made for over four year a massive impact both at the institutional and the youth level. Through a life changing experience, the main aim of the project is to aware young people across Europe about their potential as active citizens as well as about the working of the European Institutions. Model European Union has been widely recognized as a highly educative example of non-formal education, obtaining a lasting endorsement from the Institutions. Gathering over 100 young people from any walk of life, Model European Union results to be the most important simulation existing in Europe, which shows how negotiations and the decision-making process actually work.
Daphne Bavelier, Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester (USA)
A distinctive feature of the human brain is its capacity to learn and adapt to an ever-changing environment. What are the factors that promote such learning and brain plasticity? Are some parts of our nervous system more plastic than others, making some skills easier to acquire? Answers to these questions are central to basic science, education, clinical rehabilitation, and aging. To address these questions, my laboratory uses a multidisciplinary approach (behavior, brain imaging, eye tracking, vital statistics) to study how individuals learn and adapt to changes in experience, whether induced by nature (deafness) or training (playing video games). Our work and that of others in the field highlights that, although possible, brain plasticity late in life is highly specific. Overcoming this specificity would be advantageous, and part of my research is now investigating ways to induce more plasticity with more generalized effects with training.
Nita Farahany, Member of the President’s Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, Associate Professor of Law and Associate Professor of Philosophy, Vanderbilt University
Nita Farahany focuses on the legal, philosophical and social issues arising from developments in the biosciences, particularly related to behavioral genetics and neuroscience. Her published work has appeared in legal, philosophical and scientific publications as well as the mainstream media. She is the editor of The Impact of Behavioral Sciences on Criminal Law (Oxford University Press), which includes essays from experts on the use of behavioral genetics and neuroscience in the criminal justice system. She is currently examining how these emerging scientific developments inform agency and responsibility theory, and challenge existing doctrines in constitutional law. Professor Farahany presents her work widely and to varied audiences, including past presentations to the Second Circuit Judicial Conference, the National Judicial College, the Stanford Center for the Integration of Research on Genetics and Ethics, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the American Society for Political and Legal Philosophy. In 2010, Professor Farahany was appointed by President Obama to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. In the Fall of 2011, she will serve as the Leah Kaplan Visiting Professor in Human Rights at Stanford Law School. Before joining Vanderbilt, Professor Farahany clerked for the Honorable Judith W. Rogers on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in genetics and cellular biology, and from Harvard University with a master's degree in biology, where her thesis, Prescribing Culpability, critiqued the use of scientific criteria to define normative legal concepts. She earned her J.D., M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy of biology and jurisprudence at Duke University, where her doctoral dissertation, Rediscovering Criminal Responsibility through Behavioral Genetics, established the scientific and philosophical limitations to informing individual responsibility with behavioral genetics.
Mayana Zatz, Director of the Human Genome Research Center at the Biological Institute of the University of São Paulo (Brazilian Delegation) is a Brazilian molecular biologist and geneticist. She is a professor at the University of São Paulo, currently being its Research dean.
Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund is a French lawyer and the managing director of the International Monetary Fund since July 5, 2011. Previously, she held various ministerial posts in the French government: she was Minister of Economic Affairs, Finances and Industry and before that Minister of Agriculture and Fishing and Minister of Trade in the government of Dominique de Villepin. Lagarde was the first woman ever to become minister of Economic Affairs of a G8 economy, and is the first woman to ever head the IMF. A noted antitrust and labour lawyer, Lagarde made history as the first female chair of the international law firm Baker & McKenzie. On 16 November 2009, The Financial Times ranked her the best minister of finance of the Eurozone. In 2009, Lagarde was ranked the 17th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine. On 28 June 2011, she was named as the next managing director of the International Monetary Fund for a five-year term, starting on 5 July 2011.
Monika Queisser, Head of Social Policy Division, OECD
Monika Queisser is the Head of Social Policy at the OECD. She is also one of the leading international experts in pension system analysis and pension reform. She has been working with governments in OECD countries advising them on pension system design and pension reform strategies since 1999. In 2007-8, she worked as an adviser to the OECD Secretary-General. Prior to joining the OECD Ms. Queisser worked at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. She was a member of the pensions and insurance group in the Financial Sector Development Department. She worked with and traveled extensively to countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe to consult governments on pension and insurance matters. Her first employment was with the German ifo institute for economic research in Munich. Her professional experience also includes employment as a journalist at daily newspapers and broadcasting in Germany.
Ms. Queisser holds two masters’ degrees (in economics and political science) and a doctorate in economic policy from the University of Munich. She is a German/American national.
Maria Livanos Cattaui, Member of the Board, Petroplus Holdings AG (in principle)
Maria Livanos Cattaui is a Member of the Board of Directors of Petroplus Holdings AG, Switzerland. She was Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce from July 1996 to June 2005. She has championed the role of world business in the global economy. She has been instrumental in establishing a global partnership between business and the United Nations, leading to greater business input into UN economic activities. Mrs Cattaui worked with the World Economic Forum in Geneva from 1977 to 1996, where she became Managing Director, responsible for the celebrated Annual Meeting in Davos, building the public awareness it enjoys today. She chairs the Balkan Youth Foundation and holds board and advisory board memberships on the EastWest Institute (New York), the Institute of International Education (New York), the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR), the International Youth Foundation (Baltimore), the Schulich School of Business (York University, Toronto), the Elliott School of International Affairs (George Washington University, Washington D.C.). Mrs Cattaui, who is of Swiss nationality and Greek origin, was educated in the United States. She is an Honours graduate of Harvard University. She holds an honorary Doctor of Law degree from York University, Toronto
Daniela Nascimento Fainberg, Founder and Director, Instituto Geraçao (Brazilian Delegation and 2011 Rising Talent ). With over 10 years of industry experience, he teaches about the social role of the family business in various organizations. Formada em Ciências Sociais pela USP. Graduated in Social Sciences at USP. Founded in May 2007, the Institute is the first generation civil society organization in Brazil, created to support financially privileged young people in their development process, to be responsible for the process of social transformation that reduces inequalities and is heading towards sustainable development.
Ann MacDougall, Chief Managing Officer, Acumen Fund
As Chief Management Officer, Ann manages Acumen's core operating activities and is a member of its management committee. Before joining Acumen Fund, Ann MacDougall spent 17 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, in various senior roles. Most recently she lived in Paris and held the role of Global Deputy General Counsel. Prior to that, she was US General Counsel and a member of that firm's ten person management committee. Before PwC, Ann worked at US West and the NYC law firm of Sage Gray Todd & Sims. Ann holds a JD from Brooklyn Law School and a B.A. from Tufts University. She currently serves on the board of Global Citizen Year and on the Audit Committee of Lycee Francais de New York.
Véronique Morali, Founder and CEO, Terrafemina.com, Vice-Chairman, Fitch Group and President, Fimalac Development and Women’s Forum. Ms. Véronique Morali serves as the President of FIMALAC Développement SA. Ms. Morali is also a Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Terrafemina.com. She serves as the Chairman of FIMALAC Développement SA. Ms. Morali serves as Deputy Managing Director at Fimalac, Chairwoman and Managing Director of Revue des Deux Mondes. She serves as Manager at Fimalac Tech Info and Fimalac Services Financiers. Ms. Morali has experience in the financial services sector. Ms. Morali ... served as Chief Operating Officer at Fimalac SA. until March 5, 2007. She served as Chief Operating Officer at Fimalac Development from 1990 to 2008. Ms. Morali served as the Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer at Fimalac Investissements. She left the civil service in 1990 to join Fimalac, where she has successively held the positions of Manager, Special Projects and Deputy Chief Operating Officer.
Charlotte Watts, Founding Director, Gender Violence and Health Centre, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (UK) Charlotte Watts is Sigrid Rausing Professor in Gender, Violence and Health and head of the Social and Mathematical Epidemiology Group in the Department of Global Health and Development. Originally trained as a mathematician, with further training in epidemiology, economics and social science methods, she has more than fifteen years experience in international HIV and violence research, and brings a strong multi-disciplinary perspective to the complex challenge of addressing HIV and violence against women.
Bonizella Biagini, Senior Environmental Specialist, NGO Coordinator, Global Environment Facility, World Bank, USA Bonizella (Boni) joined the GEF in 2001 and is responsible for the Adaptation program and portfolio of the GEF which includes the pilot program in the GEF trust fund (SPA), the Least Developed Country Fund (LDCF), the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF). A physicist by training, Boni has worked on climate change and other global environmental issues over the last 20 years in Europe and in the United States. She has extensive experience as a government and non-government representative in numerous international environmental meetings including the Earth Summit, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Before joining the GEF, Boni worked at the World Resources Institute in the Climate, Energy and Pollution Program as leader of several international projects on adaptation to climate change and directed the international office of Legambiente, a leading Italian environmental research organization. She is a contributor and reviewer of the IPCC Third and Fourth Assessments Report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, and the author of numerous publications on climate change science and politics, including the report Confronting Climate Change, Economic Priorities and Climate Protection in Developing Nations.
Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, Minister for Environment, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing of France. Her previous responsibilities in the French government were Forward Planning, Assessment of Public Policies and Development of the Digital Economy. She was a member (2002-2007) of the French National Assembly representing the department of Essonne, to the south of Paris. She is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement group. She is also the mayor of Longjumeau (Essonne) since March 2008. Although close to Jacques Chirac throughout his presidency, she is a strong advocate of green issues, and can be described as a part of the "blue ecologists" group. She graduated from the École Polytechnique and the Collège des Ingénieurs.
Jessy Tolkan, Executive Director, Energy Action Coalition (USA)
Jessy Tolkan serves as the Executive Director for the Energy Action Coalition, a coalition of 50 leading youth organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada. The Energy Action Coalition leverages the power of young people to organize on college campuses, high schools, and in local communities to build models of the clean energy future. Under her leadership the Energy Action Coalition is growing a generation-wide movement to stop global warming, by advocating for green jobs, stopping new coal plants, and making young people's voices heard in the policy debate around global climate change. Jessy has spent most of her career working to build power amongst the millenial generation. In 2004, as state director for the New Voters Project, Tolkan helped to register more than 130,000 young voters and produce one of the highest youth turnout rates in the country. She's been featured in Time Magazine, Hard Ball with Chris Matthews, and Vanity Fair Magazine. Jessy helped to plan the largest youth gathering on global warming in our nation's history - POWER SHIFT 2007, a conference that brought together more than 6000 youth representing all 50 states
Changhua Wu, Greater China Director, The Climate Group
A China specialist for nearly 20 years and an environment and development policy analyst, she leads the organization’s strategic development in the region and manages its Greater China operations. Ms Wu heads The Climate Group’s global demonstration work in China to forge public and private partnership with technology solution providers, financial institutions, city and regional governments, and leading experts to quickly scale up much needed low carbon solutions. A China specialist for nearly 20 years and an environment and development policy analyst, she leads the organization’s strategic development in the region and manages its Greater China operations. Ms Wu heads The Climate Group’s global demonstration work in China to forge public and private partnership with technology solution providers, financial institutions, city and regional governments, and leading experts to quickly scale up much needed low carbon solutions
Gretchen Addi, Associate Partner and Location Lead, IDEO (San Fransisco)
Gretchen Addi is an Associate Partner at IDEO. Based in San Francisco, she leads the development of THRIVE, an ongoing initiative that explores the needs of older adults to inform the design of products, services, and environments for this audience — especially the influential crowd of baby boomers who are reaching retirement. Gretchen has worked on IDEO projects for companies such as Hewlett-Packard, JP Morgan, Procter & Gamble, SFMOMA, and Starbucks as a designer, project manager, human factors specialist, and mentor. Gretchen also teaches in the Interior Design Department at California College of the Arts. Prior to joining IDEO, she worked for various design and architecture firms in the United States and abroad on retail and commercial projects.
Marina Filiba, Founder, Argentinian branch of I Am Challenge
The I Am Challenge started in 2008 with an idea. "Wear the shirt with ‘I Am Name' on it for a whole year, I dare you." Dan and Ben, who dared each other, dared to dream that maybe they could seek sponsorship for this feat, and give all the money to charity. The I Am Challenge teamed up with World Vision New Zealand and decided on raising funds for a rainwater harvesting tank in Tanzania. As well as raising funds through events, fundraising and sponsorship, participants raise awareness of the harsh realities of the consequences of the lack of water sanitation. The I Am Challenge takes the ‘T-shirt Challenge' and provides a framework for advocacy that can be used in any country. Over the past 3 years, I Am New Zealand has seen more than 50 youth participate with over $10,000 raised for World Vision water sanitation projects in third world countries. In 2011, I Am New Zealand expects participant numbers to break 100. International participation is being introduced, with the challenge being accepted in Germany, Australia, Thailand, Singapore and South Africa!Grassroots baby, and lovin it!!
Priyanka Jain, Founder and President, iCAREweCARE
We are the next generation. We are high school and college students who have realized our capabilities and want to take initiative to make a positive difference in the world. Our Mission is to create a globally aware, socially responsible, and action oriented generation. We aim to help students take initiative and leadership roles in the movement for social change.
