Silje Vallestad is an accomplished entrepreneur, innovation leader, VC advisor, and ecosystem builder. She has an extensive track record of building transformative projects from idea to operation, curating networks, and ecosystems to drive impact through innovation and thought leadership and cultivating practices to boost organizational innovation performance.

Her expertise has been built over almost three decades of hands-on experience marked by entrepreneurial pursuit and a sharp analytical but equally out-of-the-box mindset. From building tech companies out of Silicon Valley, to advising enterprises and government bodies on innovation, to organizing the largest Global Investor Summit in Norway, to venture building for established companies seeking to diversify their portfolio, Silje is a proven builder who delivers results fast. She develops holistic and out-of-the-box solutions creating sustainable impact.

Silje is a strong believer that “magic happens when the right people meet”, and that magic requires that barriers created by geography, disciplines, and ages are broken down; “the old ways will not create the needed new solutions to our global challenges”. To facilitate change Silje has continuously curated communities that engage young talent alongside global leaders; Nobel Laureates, Presidents and Royals, C-suite executives of the largest tech companies, leading entrepreneurs and academics, Hollywood celebrities and artists. For over 20 years Silje has built and activated networks that inspire new partnerships and projects that drive change.
Engraved in Silje’s ethos is a commitment to global impact, and her work has been widely recognized earning her recognition as a Young Global Leader (World Economic Forum), a Top 20 Nordic Thinker (Nordic Business Forum), Female Entrepreneur of the Year (Ministry of Trade and Industry), Female Entrepreneurship Ambassador (European Union) and winner of the Rosing Creativity Prize - to name a few.

Educationally, Silje is a cross-disciplinary lifelong learner. She moved to Wales at 16 to attend United World College together with 400 teens from over 100 countries, which sparked her passion for cultures, diplomacy, and religions. Her undergraduate degree mixed World Religions, with public administration and social economics, and her Master's focused on strategy, business, and public-private partnerships. Silje has throughout her career continually pursued executive programs in leadership, innovation, and sustainability at world-leading institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Oxford, and Stanford.

Minister Van Gennip serves as the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment of the Netherlands since January 2022; and also as Deputy Prime Minister since September 2023. Her portfolio includes labour market policy, purchasing power, working conditions, labour migration, civic integration, labour market discrimination, childcare and child benefit schemes, international policy and inspection.

Equitable opportunities and inclusion have been a common thread throughout her career. Until January 2022 she served as the CEO of VGZ, the second largest health care insurer in the Netherlands. She has been board member of the OranjeFonds & INSEAD. Chair of the supervisory board of children’s charity SOS Kinderdorpen Nederland. Vice-chair of the supervisory board of emergency development charity Cordaid & the International Chamber of Commerce.

Van Gennip has broad experience in politics and business. After studying applied physics at the Technical University of Delft, followed by an MBA at INSEAD, she worked at management consultancy McKinsey & Company in Amsterdam and San Francisco. In 2002 she joined the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets. She was appointed State Secretary of Economic Affairs and Minister for Foreign Trade in 2003. In 2006 she became a member of parliament for the Christian Democrats. Van Gennip joined ING in 2008 and became CEO ING France in 2015.

Van Gennip is a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau in the Netherlands and a Knight of the Legion of Honour in France. In her spare time she is a field hockey coach and enjoys running. She is married and has four daughters.

Studied medicine at Trinity College Dublin and qualified as a General Practitioner. Former Member and Deputy Mayor of Fingal County Council. 2007, first elected to Dáil Eireann, Ireland (House of Representatives) as the TD (Member of the House of Representatives) for Dublin West. 2011-14, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. 2014-16, Minister for Health. 2016-17, Minister for Social Protection. Since June 2017, Leader of the Fine Gael Party and Taoiseach.

Parit Wacharasindhu is a Member of Parliament from the Move Forward Party in Thailand. He is the party's spokesperson and was its policy campaign manager during the general election victory in 2023. His main area of focus is constitutional reform, democratization and education, and he is currently Chair of the House of Representatives Committee on Political Development, Mass Communications and Public Participation. Before entering politics, his work experience included managing a start-up in education and working as a management consultant, after graduating in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford, where he was also elected President of the Oxford Union.

Yeo Bee Yin is member of parliament for Bakri, Johor. She is also the national assistant publicity secretary of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and vice-chairwoman of Pakatan Harapan Youth. At the age of 29, Bee Yin entered Malaysia's 13th general election and was elected as state assemblywoman for Damansara Utama, making her the youngest member of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly.