Founder and CEO, Swaniti Initiative, social enterprise that delivers development solutions by working with government officials. Role focuses on issues around good governance, data-driven delivery and public services. Former Labour Economist, World Bank, focusing on issues of job creation. Has also worked for organizations such as UNFPA and FICCI. Master's in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School; graduate in Political Science, Wake Forest University. Author of publications including: Frontiers in Development Policy (World Bank); A Primer on Labor Policies (World Bank); Global Business School Network (Harvard Business School).

Diane Binder, mother, social entrepreneur and ecosystem builder on a mission to regenerate our societies and our planet

Diane is an experienced business executive and social entrepreneur with 20 years of international experience in corporate environments, development organizations and NGOs, mostly in the Mediterranean region and Africa. She has always been guided by her deeply rooted conviction that a system change was needed to prioritize social justice and planetary well-being, and that it could only be achieved by breaking the silos between governments, civil society and the corporate world. To do so, she has worked in various environments and countries across 4 continents to develop public-private alliances fostering solutions promoting urban and community resilience, climate adaptation and mitigation, and the preservation of natural capital. More recently, she found an echo as well as strong economic and science-based foundations in the concept of regenerative economy.

In 2021, she therefore founded Regenopolis, as an international and collaborative initiative supporting local solutions developed by SMEs and entrepreneurs at the intersection of climate action, nature regeneration and social well-being. Regenopolis had initially developed 3 main programs: 1) supporting nature-positive solutions for urban development in Africa; 2) supporting the development of regenerative and commercially viable value chains, more specifically along the Sahel Great Green Wall; and 3) offering advisory services to corporates and international organizations to shift towards regenerative business models.

In 2023, she co-founded 700’000 heures Impact, a pioneer in regenerative travel, built on the back of trailblazing micro-hospitality initiative 700’000 heures, a luxury and exclusive wandering hotel offering pop-ups in remote areas while working with local communities. 700’000 heures Impact harnesses hospitality to catalyze projects that sustainably regenerate local communities and surrounding natural ecosystems through the emergence of local bio-businesses while preserving cultural heritage.

Before setting up her own ventures, Diane spent 10 years at SUEZ, a global leader providing water and waste management services to populations and industries, successively as Senior Vice-President for International Development in charge of Africa, and Senior Vice-President for International Relations.

Prior to this, Diane worked with a number of Development Financial Institutions and other international organizations such as the European Investment Bank, and as consultant for the French Development Agency, the World Bank, the OECD, etc.

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.

Diane is member of the Advisory Board of a few social impact ventures: SOS Group International (Europe biggest social enterprise), OpenESG (the first open, democratic and credibly neutral ESG rating utility) and Ubuntu Tribe (an ecosystem of digital investment backed by real assets).

Diane has been honored as a « Young Global Leader » of the World Economic Forum (2019), a « European Young Leader » of the leading think-tank Friends of Europe (2018), is amongst the Choiseul 200 « Economic Leaders for Tomorrow » (2017) and a Rising Talent of the Women’s Forum (2014).

She is a graduate from E.M. Lyon with a MSc in Management (2002), from Georgetown University with a MSc in Foreign Service and an Honour Certificate in International Business Diplomacy (2008) and has been awarded a Certificate of Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century Program from Harvard University (2021) and a Certificate in Artificial Intelligence from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (2023).

In 2022, Mr. Nasser launched Ambit Advisory, focusing on cross-sectoral and cascading risks impacting issues at the nexus of security and development in the Middle East. At the start of 2022, he was also appointed as Senior Advisor to the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), where he leads research relating to the impacts of ballistic missiles, drones, disruptive weapon systems and weapons of mass destruction on Middle East security and stability.

In 2023 Mr. Nasser became a member of World Economic Forum’s Global Futures Council on Complex Risk, an interdisciplinary invitation-only community that works to identify long term global risks for stakeholders in the World Economic Forum and develop appropriate mitigation efforts.

From 2010 until 2021, Mr. Nasser served as the Managing Director of the Middle East Scientific Institute for Security (MESIS) based in Amman, Jordan. In this position, he focused on addressing chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) risks across the Middle East region. During the same period, he also headed the Middle East Regional Secretariat, the first of eight secretariats to be established globally under the European Union’s Centres of Excellence initiative on CBRN issues.

Previously, Mr. Nasser worked in the office of His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan, where he last served as Senior Analyst in the Foreign Affairs Directorate. During that time, he managed several bilateral and thematic files and led analytical studies on Jordan’s regional and international relations.

Mr. Nasser is also involved with numerous organizations. He served as the Chairman of a leading insurance company in Jordan and currently serves as the Vice Chairman of a public national commission offering support to injured and disabled veterans. He received his master’s degree in Near Eastern studies from Princeton University and his undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and Policy and Business Management from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts (2001). Nasser is also the chair of the Princeton alumni committee in Jordan since 2004 and mentor for Middle East alumni committees for two terms (2017-2023).

In 2015, Mr. Nasser was selected by the World Economic Forum as a “Young Global Leader,” along with 187 candidates globally and served as Member of the Advisory Group for the Forum of Young Global Leaders between 2021-2022. Between 2018-2020, he was a non-resident scholar of the Washington-based Middle East Institute and in 2021 joined the English-language daily, Jordan News Daily, as a regular columnist.

Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is minister of youth and sports and a member of parliament for Muar, Johore. He is co-founder and youth chief of BERSATU. He is known for being a impressive debater and an advocate of anti-corruption issues. His dedication to engaging youth in politics is a primary feature of his platform.

Adam Bird is a Director with McKinsey & Company and Co-Leader of the Global Media and Entertainment Practice. He advises the top management of leading global media, entertainment, technology and consumer goods companies on critical business issues and leads McKinsey's Digital Marketing Practice, as well as the firm's Global Digital Initiative. Prior to McKinsey, Bird was the youngest Senior Partner with Booz & Company (formerly Booz Allen Hamilton). He founded the European Media and Entertainment Practice and led the Global Consumer and Media Practice. He also served as a Member of Booz Allen Hamilton's and Booz & Company's Board of Directors, the firm's highest governance bodies. Bird is co-author of Customer Centricity: New Opportunities for the Media Industry. He often speaks on media topics at conferences and is cited in leading publications. Bird is a Member of the International Council of the Paley Center for Media and serves as Vice-Chairman of the Board of the Munich International School. He is an honours graduate of Wesleyan University.

Peter Bisanz is a social entrepreneur, filmmaker and pioneer in the emerging field of Social Impact Entertainment (SIE), which leverages the power of entertainment to catalyze change on some of the world’s toughest challenges. He has also spearheaded social impact campaigns while Head of Communications and Development for the World Economic Forum’s think-and-do tank (the Global Agenda Councils), which is charged with tackling the world’s most pressing environmental, social and geopolitical issues.

Peter was the founding Executive Director for the Skoll Center for SIE in Hollywood — the first center of its kind — where he partnered with Participant Media in publishing The State of SIE, the first book on the topic. He also previously served as Head of Development for Paramount Pictures’ The Ladd Company, directed Entropy Films’ feature length documentary Beyond our Differences and was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2007.

Peter currently leads The Power of Story, a new SIE consultancy and production company. The Power of Story's current project is a documentary series and integrated social impact campaign based on The Conversation, Harvard Professor Robert Livingston’s eponymous book about a radically non-judgmental and scientific approach to ending systemic racism.

Peter earned his MBA from the University of Oxford, an MPA from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and a BFA in Film and Television from NYU’s Tisch School of Arts.

Matthew Bishop is a leading writer and social innovator. He spent over 25 years at The Economist, including serving as New York Bureau Chief and other roles including business editor and Wall Street editor. He then led the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center. Bishop is a co-founder of the Social Progress Index; Catalyst 2030; the SDG-focused initiative, 17 Rooms; and the #GivingTuesday campaign. He was official report author of the G8 Taskforce on Social Impact Investing. He is the co-author of several books, including Philanthrocapitalism: How Giving Can Save the World and The Road From Ruin. He has chaired the WEF Global Agenda Council on Philanthropy and Social Innovation and was honored by the WEF as a Young Global Leader.

Cristina Bitar is Executive Director of Azerta, a strategic communications company in Chile and Member of the Board of Un Techo Para Chile, an NGO dedicated to building housing for families in extreme poverty. She was also the Founder and Executive Director of Independientes en Red, a political movement that was created to promote new leadership and political renovation. From 1996 to 2008, Bitar was Executive Director and Founding Partner of Hill & Knowlton Captiva. Prior, she worked as Adviser to the Minister Finance of Chile and Head of the APEC Division at the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Chile. She also led the presidential campaign of Joaquin Lavin in 2005. Bitar is a Member of the Board of Comunidad Mujer, a local leaders association for women, and Member of the Board of Provida, the largest pension fund in Chile. She has a BA in Economics and Sociology from Dartmouth College, and an MBA from Universidad de Chile and Tulane University.

Oana Bîzgan is a Member of the Romanian Parliament on the Gender Equality Committee, one of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders, a Vital Voices fellow and an ambassador for the international Girl2Leader Campaign, run by the Women Political Leaders Forum. She fights for women’s rights, children’s rights and global social justice.

As a progressive and an independent MP in the General Assembly, she managed to propose and pass ten new bills regarding social justice and equal opportunities. She holds the strong conviction that equal opportunities are the real levers for the sustainable social and economic development of every society, particularly in the midst of the digital revolution we are undergoing. She wants to leverage the power of communities to change people lives for the better, as an MP and furthermore. Her vision is to empower every stakeholder to play hers/his part in ensuring social justice and invest strategically in building up the society we all want to live in. More details here: www.oanabizgan.com.

Jimena Blázquez Abascal has a PhD on contemporary art and public spaces. Prior to working for the NMAC Foundation, she worked at the Picasso Museum of Paris and for Art Adviser, Marc Blondeau. Since 1999, she has been focusing on the opening and curatorial direction of the NMAC Foundation and has curated more than 40 site-specific art projects by outstanding artists. She has created a platform of creative art and ideas at which artists from all over the world can come to dialogue, particularly between Africa and Europe. In 2003, she became a curator at PS1/MOMA together with Harald Szeemann of “The Real Royal Trip”, one of the biggest exhibitions of young Spanish artists ever presented in the United States and which became a travelling show around Europe. She was also the first curator to introduce the works of Jeppe Hein, Michael Lin, Yael Bartana Marepe and Maja Bajevic to an American audience. Blázquez Abascal has written several books, including a bestseller, "Sculpture Parks in Europe: A Guide to Art ". She is a frequent contributor to international art magazines.

Giulio Boccaletti, Ph.D. is an author, entrepreneur, senior executive, and a globally recognized expert on natural resource security and environmental sustainability. He is an Honorary Research Associate in the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University and senior fellow at the Euro-Mediterranean Center for Climate Change.
Trained as a physicist and climate scientist, he holds a doctorate from Princeton University, where he was a NASA Earth Systems Science Fellow. He has been a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a partner of the global consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he was a leader of its sustainability practice, and the chief strategy officer of The Nature Conservancy, the largest environmental organization in the world.
His book Water: A Biography (Pantheon Books) was on The Economist’s list of best books for 2021 and has been translated in multiple languages. He writes on environmental issues for news media and is an expert contributor to the World Economic Forum, which named him one of its Young Global Leaders. He routinely contributes to documentary series: his work on water has been featured in the award winning PBS documentary series H2O: The Molecule that Made Us, and he was series consultant to the PBS/BBC series The Age of Nature.
He is the co-founder of Chloris Geospatial, a venture-backed company that uses remote sensing and machine learning to help companies and institutions put nature on the balance sheet. Chloris Geospatial was recognized as a top innovator in the Carbon Market Challenge of UpLink at the World Economic Forum.

Ketevan Bochorishvili was vice-minister of Economy until 2017. Bochorishvili then became the first ever (and only, as of 2018) woman executive to take responsibility for management of over one-billion-dollar-worth private venture in Georgia - Anaklia City. Bochorishvili is recognized as a leading business environment reformer, a fighter of corruption and an innovator in terms of the provision of government services. Bochorishvili has contributed to a number of successful reforms and state projects targeting private sector development, simplifying bureaucracy and economic diversification. Her achievements were awarded with a Forbes Woman title in 2017.