Rayan Fayez is Deputy CEO of NEOM where he is overseeing NEOM’s corporate functions as well as the NEOM Investment Office, the NEOM Investment Fund, and the NEOM Development Fund.
Prior to taking up his role at NEOM, Rayan was the Managing Director and CEO of Banque Saudi Fransi and before that, the CEO of Savola Group. He was formerly the Managing Director and Saudi Arabia Senior Country Officer at J.P. Morgan and has also held senior positions at Goldman Sachs’ Saudi and London offices. He started his career with J.P. Morgan’s Natural Resources Investment Banking team in New York.
Rayan sits on numerous boards across Saudi Arabia, including AlUla Development Company, King Salman Park Foundation and Sports Boulevard Foundation. He was the Chair of the Finance & Infrastructure Taskforce of B20 Saudi Arabia and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders.
He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

Daniel Feldman Founder and Chief Executive of ZITA (Zona Industrial Taller de Arquitectura), a mission-based architecture and urban design and development firm whose processes are rooted in community participatory design, environmental innovation, and historic preservation centered urban development. Since age 26, he has been a university educator leading architecture studios and seminars where he challenges his students to immerse themselves in complex social realities as a way of practice. He designed and developed multiple kindergartens in underserved rural communities as the Lead Architect in the office of the First Lady of Colombia, and was Head of Architecture at the Colombian office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) where he led the infrastructure investments that support the extreme poverty reduction programme in war-stricken areas. The public buildings he has designed and developed within secluded and overlooked communities in Colombia, Brazil, Kenya and the US have been internationally awarded and published in multiple occasions including the ward for the Best Young Latin American Architect in the Venice Architecture Biennial, 2018. Feldman holds an MA in Urban Design from Harvard University as a Fulbright Scholar, and a BA in Architecture from Universidad de Los Andes.

Valerie is a Senior Vice President in Verizon Global Services with a focus on global location strategy and accelerated digitization and automation of service operations. Previously, Valerie served as COO in a cleantech start-up, as an Associate Partner in McKinsey's High Tech practice in New York and Beijing, as a policy advisor to the International Telecommunication Union, and as Adjunct Faculty at Free University Berlin. Valerie holds an M.Sc. in business management and a M.A. from University of Muenster, a Ph.D. from Free University Berlin, and an Executive Certificate in Technology and Operations Management from MIT.

Carlos Fernandes is a deep generalist and an expert in digital disruption, transformation and its implications on society, businesses, competition and the economy. Currently, he runs a venture studio in the education space with ventures such as Puzzicle, Rookieverse, Daring Awards as currently public ventures. He's been a C-level executive at a billion-dollar company, a startup entrepreneur, an inventor (with award-winning patents), government regulator board member and an adjunct professor. His ideas have been published in the Financial Times, the Guardian and the Business Times to name a few.

Fernandes has served on the "Future of Media" Global Agenda Council as well as on the AI and Blockchain Expert Networks at the World Economic Forum. Fernandes has been appointed to the Competition Appeals Board by the Singapore Government. Previously, he served on the Entrepreneurship Review Committee for the Singapore Government and the Pro-Enterprise Panel (PEP), a board that was recognized by the United Nations, and tasked with reviewing the regulatory framework around new innovations. He's a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum and was named as the youngest ever Young Professional of the Year by the Singapore Computer Society.

Fernandes has an MBA (High Honors) from the University of Chicago, a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronic Engineering from Bombay University, a Masters in Information Technology. He is also an alumnus of Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Yale University Global Leadership programs.

Alvaro Fer­nan­dez runs Sharp­Brains, an inde­pen­dent mar­ket research firm track­ing how neu­ro­science and neu­rotech­ can improve health and per­for­mance across the lifes­pan. A fre­quent pub­lic speaker, he has been quoted by The New York Times, The Wall Street Jour­nal, CNN, Reuters, and Asso­ci­ated Press. Alvaro is the Editor-in-chief of a recent report on Pervasive Neurotechnology, and co-authored "The Sharp­Brains Guide to Brain Fit­ness", translated into Spanish, Japanese, Polish, and Portuguese. He holds an MBA and MA in Edu­ca­tion from Stan­ford Uni­ver­sity and a BA in Eco­nom­ics from Uni­ver­si­dad de Deusto, in his native Spain. Previously he worked in McKinsey & Company, Bertelsmann and Ashoka: Innovators for the Public.

V. R. Ferose is Managing Director of SAP Labs India, responsible for research and development based in India. He drives innovation, customer-focused initiatives and delivers operational efficiencies at SAP Labs facilities. At the age of 33, he was one of the youngest managing directors of a global multinational in India. Ferose is also a Member of the IT Vision Group of Karnataka and a Member of the Development Advisory Board of HOPE worldwide in India, and he is actively involved with multiple non-profits in the education, disability and social entrepreneurial space. Ferose is Co-Founder of the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers Karnataka Hub, with a vision of creating opportunities for youth in Karnataka. He graduated from the National Institute of Technology in Warangal, India, in 1997 with a degree in Computer Science and Engineering. He is a regular speaker in academia and several industry forums.

Carola Ferstl is Anchor and Filmmaker with the German news programme N-TV. She has dedicated her entire career to helping people understand their personal finance and investments on the stock exchange by translating complicated terminologies into simple, clear language. Ferstl graduated with a degree in Business Administration in Hamburg and began working for N-TV in 1992. She has written several books, including Woman Are Better Investors; her lectures are widely regarded. In 2009, Ferstl founded ?learn money e.V.?, a German-based foundation for financial literacy.

Rossanna is the founder of All Minds Count, a sustainable apparel company that spreads positive messages on neurodiversity and invites us to celebrate the beauty of thinking differently.

Rossanna is also the co-founder at Wafels & Dinges, an urban food concept credited with pioneering the Food Truck revolution in 2007. Started in NYC, the company's award-winning products are paired with a strong focus on improving local communities & public spaces with its iconic, award-winning yellow food trucks, carts & kiosks, which have been showcased extensively in national and international media outlets and have consistently ranked Best in Class.

In 2016, in tandem with her work at Wafels & Dinges, Rossanna launched Perros y Vainas. This gastro-social venture creates awareness around Venezuelan issues and donates part of its revenue to organizations working to feed the children in Venezuela. Through a partnership with Venezuelan NGO Alimenta Venezuela, Perros y Vainas fed 125 kids per day in some of the poorest slums around Caracas.

Rossanna is proud to have crafted a fulfilling, successful, non-traditional career path. She has been a Diplomat to the United Nations, a banker on Wall Street, an executive recruiter finding and placing talent for her clients worldwide, and an effective executive coach who can draw from her experience to help others thrive.

Chief Executive Officer, DoSomething.org, the largest organization for young people and social change with 5 million+ members worldwide. Founder and President, DoSomething Strategic. Expertise in engaging and activating GenZ and Millennials worldwide. Specific focus on voter registration and government in the US for 2020 and beyond. Member of the Board: Change.org; Care for the Homeless. Adjunct Professor, New York University. Former Curator, Global Shapers New York City Hub and Young Global Leader (2016), World Economic Forum. Named to Crain's Business 40 under 40. BA in Economics and Political Science, Washington University, St Louis; Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders, Stanford Business School.

Justin Finnegan is Founding Managing Director of Bloomberg New Economy. Prior to joining Bloomberg, he held a number of positions including co-founder and Managing Director for Mountain Hazelnuts Group and later as a White House Fellow and Deputy at USAID for Feed the Future, the U.S. Government's Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative. Finnegan has more than 15 years of operating experience in Asia, speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese and served as a Fulbright and Trustman Scholar. He received his BA from Harvard University and an MBA from Stanford University and is a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum.

Marco Fiorese is the co-founder of IVITA HEALTH Investment Group, a Holding Company in NY, USA focused on direct investments in Consumer Health. Companies include Spring Foods (better-for-you foods), Circle Health (virtual home-care), Atida Health (on-line pharmacy). He is “Curator” of the Family Business Community at the WEF. He is member of the board of the MET Opera in NY. He studied at Bocconi University (Italy) and Harvard Business School (USA).

Betsy Fischer Martin is an Emmy-winning journalist and TV news executive. Currently she is the Executive Director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University and a professor in the AU School of Public Affairs, She is also a member of the International Advisory Council of APCO Worldwide and founded her own consulting business, Fischer Martin Media, where she specializes in providing media training to corporate executives.

During her earlier career in television news, she was the Managing Editor of NBC News Political Programming, where she was responsible for the development and execution of network political coverage.

Before being promoted to the executive role at NBC News in 2013, Fischer Martin was the executive producer of the top-rated Sunday morning public affairs program, Meet the Press, for 11 years. Overall, her tenure with the program extended over 22 years, beginning as an internship during her senior year of college.
 
She serves on the Board of Directors of Washington’s International Women’s Forum and the National Press Club’s Journalism Institute. She is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

A native of New Orleans, Fischer Martin did her undergraduate and graduate work at American University in Washington, DC.  She is a cum laude graduate of their School of Public Affairs and earned a master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from the AU School of Communications.