Business leader, social entrepreneur, and published author Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan is Executive Director of the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA), Founder of the Shamma bint Sultan Sustainability Initiatives social enterprise, Co-Founder of Aurora50 and Founder of Reset MENA. Sheikha Shamma holds a Master of Studies in Sustainability Leadership and a Master of Philosophy in Modern Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Cambridge and a degree in Business Administration from Zayed University. She is a well-respected industry expert on sustainability due to her business and academic endeavors in the field. Sheikha Shamma is Chair of Alliances for Global Sustainability and the Advisory Boards of Yale’s Center for Environmental Law and Policy, Pure Harvest, and Bamboo Capital. She is the Honorary President of the Emirates Green Building Council and a UAE Circular Economy Council member. She was awarded the Inspirational Woman of the Year by the Arab Women’s Awards UAE in 2020 and the Academy of International Business in the Middle East and North Africa (AIBMENA) Windtower Award in 2021. In 2022, Sheikha Shamma was selected as the first woman from the GCC to participate in the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center’s Women Leaders in Energy and Climate Fellowship and serves on the Advisory Board of the Center for Multilateral Negotiations (CEMUNE). Sheikha Shamma cites her great-grandfather, the UAE’s founding father, His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as a source of inspiration and credits his vision as why she places immense importance on sustainability, philanthropy, and female empowerment. Through her actions, Sheikha Shamma aspires to ensure that Sheikh Zayed’s legacy lives on and that his vision continues to create a positive impact globally.

H.H. Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid

Deputy Ruler of Dubai
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

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.

Princess Haifa Al Saud is the Saudi Vice Minister of Tourism. HH played a leading role in the successful transformation of the tourism ecosystem, including the development and execution of the National Tourism Strategy. The tourism ecosystem now comprises of the Ministry of Tourism, Saudi Tourism Authority, Tourism Development Fund, Tourism Development Council, Air Connectivity Program, and Saudi Red Sea Authority. Princess Haifa is a BoD Member of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, Qiddiya Investment Company, Tourism Development Fund, Taif Development Authority, AlAhsa Development Authority, and Saudi Red Sea Authority. HH is also a Member of Quality of Life Program Committee, the Tourism Development Council, an Executive Committee Member of Duyuf Al Rahman Program and Saudi Arabia’s participation at Expo, a Steering Committee Member of the Custodian of the Two Holly Mosques Scholarship Program, and Duyuf Al Rahman Program, and an Oversight and Monitoring Committee Member of the National Employment Program. During her tenure at the Ministry, HH Princess Haifa has been instrumental in delivering sector transformation through sustainability advocacy, dedication to youth and local community empowerment, and special attention to sector recovery, investment, and innovation.

Princess Haifa served as the Secretary General of Formula E Diriyah ePrix, the first major event in the Kingdom and a catalyst to the boom in events and entertainment sectors. She also chaired the Saudi-Emirati Youth Council and served as Chair and Vice Chair of the Arab Fencing Federation Women’s Committee and the Saudi Fencing Federation respectively, increasing the number of women on the official team from 0 to over 200. Her professional career started in equity sales at HSBC. HH holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of New Haven, USA, and a Master of Business Administration from London Business School.

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.

Thor Björgólfsson is a self-styled “adventure capitalist”, who became Iceland’s first billionaire in 2005. Thor began investing in frontier markets in Russia in 1991, founding a bottling company that grew into the Bravo brewing group, subsequently sold to Heineken in 2002. Following that transaction Thor founded Novator Partners in London in 2004, diversifying into telecoms and pharmaceuticals, building a portfolio of business investments.

Today, through his firm Novator, Thor continues to be an active investor in the emerging economies of Europe, South America and India as well as in his native country, Iceland. He also personally invests in cutting-edge sustainability initiatives including Princeville Capital, a fund for growth-stage tech companies focused on positively impacting climate change as well as David de Rothschild’s sustainable brand, The Lost Explorer, which focuses on protecting the heritage and biodiversity of Mexico.

Since 2006, Thor has progressively directed his attention towards the mobile telecommunications sector and Gaming, and his extensive expertise across diverse markets is unparalleled. In 2015 Thor brought this extensive experience to the South American market where he maintains a shareholding in telecoms Mobile operator WOM in Chile and Colombia, with a combined customers of ca 13 million and over 6000 direct employees. WOM has already build the fastest 5G network in LATAM in Chile.

Thor was made a Young Global Leader at the WEF in Davos in the first cohort of that group in 2005 and today serves as a Board Member there, as well as founding the Endowment fund for YGL’s with other alumni
Thor has supported numerous philanthropic causes throughout the years, both in his home country, Iceland as well as in London. Furthermore, Thor has extended his efforts in alternative countries where he has assisted in various projects concerning environmental issues and numerous charitable causes. As well as this, Thor has supported his alma mater, New York University’s Stern School of Business, as well as the Young Global Leaders’ programs so as to assist students and upcoming entrepreneurs from developing nations unleash their potential.

Thor’s autobiography, “Billions to Bust—and Back: How I Made, Lost and Rebuilt a Fortune, And What I Learned on the Way” was published in 2014. A revised edition, "Billions to Bust – and Beyond", is scheduled to launch this year, with an added chapter on his investments and business in Latin America.

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.