Kate Roberts is the founder of The Body Agency, TBACollective.org, The Ikigai Co, and Maverick Collective. The Maverick Collective was formed with Melinda Gates, Dr. Precious Motsepe, and the Crown Princess of Norway as Co-Chairs and, is redefining what it means to be an influential philanthropist and innovator through its work tackling women’s health issues in the developing world. Kate was formerly Senior Vice President for Population Services International (PSI), a Washington, DC-based $500M global NGO that operates in 50 countries. She has raised hundreds of millions of dollars, created public and private partnerships, and impacted women's lives across the world. Kate describes herself as a pioneer in developing a new type of philanthropy – going beyond the checkbook, using time, talent, and treasure to become a more powerful and efficient advocate for mission-driven philanthropy to end extreme poverty. In 2020, Roberts launched Ikigai Co, a private consulting practice dedicated to advising families, individuals, and organizations on strategies to design and execute customized and
purpose-driven fundraising. 2021, Kate founded The Body Agency, an eCommerce, femtech start-up and global movement making it easy for individuals to have access to much needed fem health products, services, and education.
20007 YGL, CNN Hero. Fast Company Top 100 Most Creative, Public Policy Top 100 Thinkers, Vogue Top 100, Founding Curator WEF Global Shapers.

Kelley J. Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), is a pioneering advocate in the realm of LGBTQ+ equality and social justice. As the first Black, queer woman to helm HRC, the largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization in the U.S., she brings over 15 years of experience, leading numerous successful campaigns for LGBTQ+, racial, and gender equity. Under her leadership, HRC declared a national State of Emergency, responding to a concerning surge in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Mobilizing HRC's extensive network of over 3 million members, supporters, and volunteers, Robinson has fought discrimination and fostered safer, more inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ communities. Her efforts have secured significant political victories, countering anti-transgender rhetoric and mobilizing "Equality Voters" to historic wins in 2023. To date, Robinson's presidency has witnessed landmark legislative achievements, including the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act and the defeat of numerous anti-LGBTQ+ amendments in the U.S. House. She has forged strong coalitions with progressive allies, businesses, activists, and "Equality Voters" to advance LGBTQ+ rights. A sought-after speaker, Robinson is a frequent presence in national and international media outlets, amplifying LGBTQ+ voices and issues. Previously serving as the Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, she advanced reproductive justice. Robinson is currently a Senior Fellow at the Kettering Foundation, where her leadership underscores the vital importance of centering LGBTQ+ rights in the struggle for democracy. As a further mark of her history-making influence, Robinson was named to the 2024 TIME100.

As the former Mayor of Quito (2014-2019), I led transformative initiatives for my city, most notably promoting and overseeing the construction of the country's first-ever metro system. During my tenure, I had the privilege of hosting the UN’s Conference on Urban Sustainable Development – Habitat III, and serving as World Co-President of UCLG, Vice-chair of C40 Cities, and board member of the Global Covenant of Mayors and ICLEI. In these roles, I emphasized my unwavering commitment to fostering sustainable and livable urban environments.

Currently, as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, I lecture and conduct research, shaping the discourse on the future of climate finance in cities. I also hold the position of Executive Secretary at the SDSN Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance, co-chaired by the Mayors of Paris and Rio de Janeiro and Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, collaborating with mayors, city networks leaders, climate and finance experts, and scholars to advocate for reforms to the global financial architecture to increase cities’ access to finance.

Simultaneously, in my role as the Lead for the City Champions for Heat Action Initiative at the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center at the Atlantic Council, I work with mayors globally to implement innovative strategies to mitigate heat-related risks in cities. I am also a member of the UN’s Committee of Experts on Public Administration.

As a partner at Meridio Consulting, a committed urban policy and city diplomacy firm, our collective goal is to help public and private sector clients address the complex challenges and opportunities of sustainable development, climate change, and resilience in cities around the world.

In 2019 I was recognized as one of the "100 World’s Most Influential People on Climate Action" by Apolitical, and received ICLEI’s Climate Action and Sustainability Leadership Award. Additionally, I was bestowed with the prestigious World Urban Leadership Award from the University of Pennsylvania.

My professional journey has been shaped by a commitment to impactful initiatives. I founded and led Ethos Public Policy Lab, a distinguished think tank based in Mexico, where we navigated the complexities of public policy with a forward-thinking approach. Ethos became one of the most influential think tanks in Latin America, according to the Global Think Tank Index.

I hold a JD from Universidad Católica de Quito and master’s degrees in Government Administration and Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania (Fulbright Fellow).

Alvaro Rodriguez is an Executive Fellow and former faculty member in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School. As member of the HBS faculty he taught the first year MBA required course The Entrepreneurial Manager (TEM) and the second year MBA course Global Tech Entrepreneurship.

As Co-Founder and Managing Partner of IGNIA Alvaro has been working with entrepreneurs for 16 years as the first venture capital fund in Mexico. IGNIA is a cross-border early-stage venture capital firm based in the US and Mexico investing in tech entrepreneurs from around the world who are solving pain points faced by the emerging middle class in Latin America.

His work at IGNIA has been recognized locally and globally when in 2011 he received the PODER-ABC Business Award, given by The Americas Business Council. In 2012 Forbes magazine named Alvaro as one of the Top 30 Social Entrepreneurs of the world and YPO awarded him with the SEN Sustainability Award on Economic Justice/Community Impact. Also, in 2014 the President of Mexico presented him with the National Entrepreneurship Award.

Álvaro has been a global leader in financial inclusion having been Chairman of the Board of ACCION International, a 60-year-old Boston based non-for-profit that promotes access to financial services to the poor in 35 countries and where he led ACCION’s efforts to be the first foreign entity ever to receive a microfinance license to operate in China. He was also Chairman of the Board of Compartamos, the largest microfinance institution in the Americas serving 3.3 million women.

For ten years Alvaro served in the C-Suite of NYSE publicly listed companies as CEO or CFO in Elektra, Farmacias Benavides and Vitro.

He participates in the following: Board Member of Harvard University’s David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (Advisory Board); the Social Progress Imperative (founding board member); ITAM Epic Entrepreneurship Center (Advisory Board); Oxford University Saïd Business School Global Council.

His philanthropic work today is focused on the Social Progress Index (SPI), a Washington and London based NGO which he cofounded in 2009.

In 2019 Alvaro received the Alumni Achievement Award from Harvard Business School; the highest honor the School bestows.

He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Economics from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM).

He is an active rower and during his younger years he was medalist at the US-Elite Nationals and a Pan-American Games. He was also 8th place at the World University Games in 1990.

James Rogers, is preoccupied with tipping civilization into an era that will allow us to regard the ‘plastic age’ the same way we regard the ‘stone age’. After receiving his PhD from UCSB in Materials, James founded Apeel with two graduate school friends. Apeel uses materials found in nature to create an invisible ‘peel’ on the outside of fruits and vegetables that allows them to live 2-3x longer. James’ time building Apeel led him to think of technology as a catalyst for system change. He is obsessed with expanding our concept of community beyond the people that we can keep track of on our own mental ledger.

Shezad Rokerya has been a global investor and financier for 30 years. Through his family office and Interlink he has been an active co investor alongside governments, private equity firms and sovereign wealth funds globally.

He is Executive Chairman of The Interlink Group, a 30 year-old merchant bank with over $70 billion in transactional experience. Direct investment experience across multiple asset classes including financial services, industrials, real estate, telecom, media, technology and energy where equity requirements range from $100 million to $1 billion per transaction.

Originated and executed high-profile transactions managing senior investment teams across Europe, US, Asia and GCC encompassing strategic reviews, equity and debt raising, M&As, LBO's, distressed asset sales, re-organizations, restructurings, balance sheet advisory, hybrid capital, project finance with a combined deal value in excess of US$100bn

Board Member of Interlink Investment Group (IIG) a global co investment platform and IIG Silverpeak a US focused Real Estate co investment platform. IIG and Silverpeak (which manages $14 billion in RE assets) are the two shareholders of IIG Silverpeak.

Senior Advisor of Carver Cross Securities, Inc. NY based $4 billion cross border boutique investment bank and M&A firm. Board Member of Interlink Private Office, US based single family office primarily investing directly and through a legacy portfolio of fund investments.

Counseled political leadership and Fortune 100 CEO's on strategic issues including Geopolitics; Foreign Policy; Former Special Envoy having negotiated a 4000MW power sale between Pakistan and India.

He attended McGill University and Western State Law School and is a graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and the Said Business School at Oxford University.

As Chairman of The Interlink Foundation, he is committed to the people’s empowerment in South Asia by developing human capital. Larta Institute (www.larta.org) Board Member, supports World Affairs Council, Asia Society and Young Arab Leaders. Board of Governors, Saba Trust; pioneering female education with orphans and upliftment in South Asia. Board of Trustees , KG IT Institute, India.

Michele Romanow is a serial entrepreneur who started six companies before her 35th birthday. A “Dragon” on CBC’s hit show Dragons’ Den (Canada’s Shark Tank), Michele is the Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Clearco (formerly Clearbanc). Clearco has invested more than $5B+ into 10000+ companies making them the biggest ecommerce investor in the world. She previously co-founded SnapSaves, acquired by American tech giant Groupon, and Buytopia.ca, which acquired ten competitors, including Shop.ca and WagJag.

A prolific investor, Michele was recently named Fortune’s 40 under 40, a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women, Canada’s Angel Investor of the Year and winner of RBC’s Women of Influence, Innovation Award.

Michele co-founded the Canadian Entrepreneurship Initiative with Richard Branson to encourage more women entrepreneurs. Michele has worked driving new digital solutions to many of the world’s leading brands, including P&G, Netflix, Starbucks, and Cirque du Soleil. In addition, she’s advised Fortune 100s and governments on innovation, AI, blockchain and the new economy.

During her Civil Engineering undergrad at Queen’s University, Michele founded The Tea Room, the first zero-consumer-waste coffee shop. At Queen’s, she was given the Queen’s Tricolour — the highest honor awarded by the university — and, after completing her Queen’s MBA, she founded Evandale Caviar, a vertically integrated commercial fishery.

Michele is a director for Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN), BBTV and Queen’s School of Business. Previously she was a director for Freshii, Whistler Blackcomb, SHAD International and League of Innovators.

“Innovator for the 21st Century” (TIME), “America’s Best Leader” (U.S. News), “Ms. Davos” (Business Insider), “The World’s Mentor Capitalist” (Thomas Friedman, The World Is Flat) and “The Entrepreneur Whisperer” (ABC, FOX, NPR) are among the designations given to Linda Rottenberg. The subject of five Harvard Business School and Stanford GSB case studies, Linda is primarily known by another name: Chica Loca (“the Crazy Girl”). Why crazy? Two decades ago, Linda insisted that high-growth, high-impact entrepreneurs exist in emerging and underserved markets; almost no one believed her.

As co-founder and CEO of Endeavor, Linda has led the global entrepreneurship movement since 1997. With 55 offices spanning the world, Endeavor’s team and network rigorously selects, mentors, and co-invests in the most promising entrepreneurs at the scale-up phase of their ventures. Today, Endeavor Entrepreneurs generate over $20BN in annual revenues and produce more than 3 million jobs. Linda also oversees Endeavor Catalyst LP Funds with over $115M AUM, raised to co-invest in Endeavor Entrepreneurs headquartered throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and underserved markets in the United States.

Beyond Endeavor, Linda currently serves on three corporate boards: a leading bandwidth infrastructure company (NYSE: ZAYO); a pioneering software developer (NYSE: GLOB); and a digital food-ordering platform (OLO). In her board capacity, Linda has served on two public company audit committees. Linda is also a member of the Yale President's Council on International Activities. Her book, CRAZY IS A COMPLIMENT: The Power of Zigging When Everyone Else Zags, became an instant NYT bestseller. Other recognitions include: Global Leader for Tomorrow/Young Global Leader (World Economic Forum); 2017 Visionary Award (Silicon Valley Forum); Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters (Babson College); 2018 Heinz Award in Technology, the Economy and Employment (Heinz Family Foundation).

A graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School, Linda lives in Brooklyn Heights with her husband, author/journalist Bruce Feiler, and identical twin daughters, Tybee and Eden.

Maya Roy is an experienced leader who is an appointed member of the National Housing Council, and is the past CEO of YWCA Canada and Newcomer Women's Services Toronto. Experienced in affordable housing and public policy, Roy has served on a range of committees and task forces providing expert council to decision-makers. Roy served on the 2018 Gender Equality Advisory Council during Canada’s G7 Presidency and was the Co-Chair of the Future of Jobs Working Group. In 2019, she was a member of Canada’s official delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. In partnership with Rotman School of Business, she served as Strategic Co-Lead on A Feminist Economic Recovery Plan for Canada: Making the Economy Work for Everyone, the first nationally-focused plan of its kind in the world.

Roy currently serves on the board of Women’s College Hospital where she serves on the Quality Assurance Committee and is an appointed member of the National Housing Council. She has also worked internationally as a front-line social worker where she worked to mainstream gender-based analysis in Brazil, India, Thailand, and the U.K., in human rights and violence prevention programming.

Her contributions have been recognized nationally and internationally. Roy was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, where she serves on the YGL Advisory. She has been a recipient of many honours including being named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, Toronto Community Foundation’s Vital People, and has received the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA)’s Gender Equity Advocate Award.
Roy is proficient in Bengali, French, and English. She holds a Master's degree in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics, and a bachelor's degree in Social Work from Toronto Metropolitan University. In 2022, she completed executive education with the Harvard Kennedy School and Wharton School of Business in public leadership and board governance.

Nilmini Rubin leads global public policy for Hedera, a leading sustainable, enterprise-grade distributed ledger technology network. As Chief Policy Officer, she engages with policymakers, civil society, and the media to shape blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and economic policy. Previously, Nilmini worked on Meta’s global policy team and led Tetra Tech’s global team of more than 300 diverse professionals implementing energy and internet projects. For 12 years, Nilmini served as a senior aide on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and on the House Foreign Affairs Committee where she spearheaded the passage of legislation to provide electricity access in Africa, increase global internet access, reduce corruption through transparency, and reform U.S. foreign assistance. She also served at the White House National Security Council under President George W. Bush where she helped secure agreements on non-proliferation, international health and foreign aid. Nilmini was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, serves as a senior associate of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the World Economic Forum Experts Network and the Academy of the Global Teacher Prize.

Veronica Ruiz del Vizo is a serial entrepreneur and modern marketing & communication strategist. As the Founder and CEO of WOS, a leading holding company comprising five innovative businesses specializing in modern communications and marketing, she has shaped transformative strategies for Fortune 500 companies, including MasterCard, Pepsico, and Mondelez.

A pioneer in social media since 2007, Veronica has consistently led innovation in the digital space. Her ventures reflect a deep commitment to democratizing access to advanced tools and education. Amarillo Creative Lab is a full-service agency specializing in the Hispanic and Latino markets in Latin America and the United States. SoPersonal combines AI with human strategy to revolutionize personal branding, working with celebrities and public figures to amplify their influence. Team Remoto offers consultancy services, fostering innovative remote work solutions. Bootcamp Vero delivers mass and in-company education programs, having trained over 20,000 entrepreneurs during the pandemic to sell online and adapt to new market realities.

Committed to reducing inequality, Veronica's mission this year is to train one million people in artificial intelligence, empowering them to bridge the digital divide and thrive in the modern economy.

Dr. Pardis Sabeti is a Professor at Harvard University, the Harvard School of Public Health, the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Her computational genomic lab has contributed to widely varying fields — including human evolutionary biology, viral sequencing, information theory, rural disease surveillance and education efforts in West Africa. They aim to create comprehensive approaches for detecting, containing, and treating deadly infectious diseases, including Lassa virus, Ebola virus, Zika virus, and Babesiosis microtia. She has invested in capacity building and education throughout, enabling the first diagnosis of Ebola in Sierra Leone and Nigeria, training over seventy African scientists through summer-long educational programs, and establishing genome centers in West Africa. Dr. Sabeti completed her undergraduate degree at MIT, her graduate work at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and her medical degree summa cum laude from Harvard Medical School as a Soros Fellow. Sabeti has received numerous awards and honors including World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global Leader, National Geographic Emerging Explorer, Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for Natural Science, TIME magazine “Person of the Year” as one of the Ebola fighters, TIME’s 100 Most Influential. She is also the host of ‘Against All Odds’ included as part of AP stats classes nationwide, and is the lead singer of the rock band Thousand Days.