Who
Visionary leaders join the annual World Woman Davos Agenda during the World Economic Forum week
Why
World Woman Davos Agenda’s Equality Moonshot is a bold new way to rethink our gender equality agenda for countries, communities, and companies.
when
Thursday, January 19, 2022
stay updated
WORLD WOMAN FUTURE FORUM
SEPT 19, 2022
MICROSOFT, 11 TIMES SQ, NEW YORK
NORMAL IS OVER
CHANGE IS HERE
World Woman Davos Agenda is built on the philosophy of collaborative, multistakeholder impact, providing a unique environment to redefine and rewire our understanding of a new era of global
responsibility and cooperation to make #EqualityMoonshot a reality.
The Equality Moonshot is our agenda for a sustainable planet, thriving economy and peaceful world.
BOLD IDEAS
BRIGHTER FUTURE
To recognize the important work and support extraordinary women heroes who have dedicated their lives to transforming the lives of women and children; have the courage to fight, the power to survive, and the leadership to inspire, they become the recipient of the World Woman Hero Awards. During the World Woman Davos Agenda will celebrate our heroes for their commitment to gender equality in a bold new way. We bring together heads of state to visionary leaders to reimagine their #EqualityMoonshot Agenda in a bold new way.
OUR EQUALITY moonshot AGENDA
Sustainability & Gender Equality
Fair Economy
Inclusive Innovation & Technology
Education, Job, Skills, & Parity
Health Equity & Healthcare
Better Business & LeadHership
Creative Economy, Web 3.0& Equal Future
Global Co-operation & Women Empowerment
TRACKS
Although women and men are intellectually similar, with little or no difference between them in areas like creativity and overall intelligence, the genders differ greatly when it comes to physiology. Women are subject to health problems that men aren’t, such as the many conditions related to reproductive systems and childbearing. Women also mature and age differently and are more susceptible than men to some problems that affect both. For example, women account for about 80% of the recorded cases of osteoporosis. And UTIs (urinary tract infections) are nearly 30 times more prevalent in women.Yet many signs indicate that women’s health needs are under-researched and under-addressed. Of the new medicines developed and approved for use in the USA over recent decades, very few are for conditions specific to women. Women also tend to be under-represented in clinical trials of medications meant for both genders, which can lead to the marketing of drugs that are sub-optimal for women, and female cardiologists have struggled to convince their male peers that women’s hearts need different care than men’s.But it’s not just a matter of shortcomings on the medical and research fronts. Other factors aggravate women’s health concerns. The global “clean cooking” movement is trying to combat the use of pollutants like wood and coal fires in less-developed regions, since dirty fuels are both bad for the environment and harmful to those preparing food — who, in most cases, are women.Then consider a common mental health problem. According to the USA’s Mayo Clinic, women are twice as likely as men to suffer from severe depression. Staff at Mayo report that this is due partly to physical causes, as with premenstrual or postpartum depression, but that “life circumstances and cultural stressors can play a role,” too. These stressors include women’s “unequal status” in society, workload fatigue among women balancing jobs with duties at home, and incidents of sexual or physical abuse.Finally, we must recognize the effects of poverty. Poor people tend to have unhealthier living conditions combined with less access to good health care. And, in many parts of the world, girls and young women from poor families get little education about subjects like sexual and reproductive health.In short, women’s health is a critical and complex issue. It’s critical because health problems degrade women’s quality of life and interfere with their ability to contribute to society. It’s complex because health is connected to many other issues, from the social and economic to the environment. An effective Health Equity Moonshot should (a) be comprehensive in scope and (b) look for points of leverage where an improvement in one area can trigger wide-ranging ripple benefits.
India is the headline story of the next decade, an emerging market with the highest growth rate and, more importantly, also set to become the world’s most populous nation beating China this year. It is also a place where women’s quest for a full share of that development gets tangled in the complexities of Indian society. On top of the country’s regional and religious differences, a new caste system is taking hold along economic lines. As The Economic Times noted, free-market policies since the 1980s have spurred growth but have made India “among the most unequal countries in the world, with rising poverty and an affluent elite.” And as Oxfam observed, “These widening gaps and rising inequalities affect women and children the most.”India has begun 2023 with good news….a significant decline in the maternal mortality rate from 130 deaths per one lakh live births in 2014-2016 to 97, less than 100 per one lakh live births in 2018-20. Just this one statistic is a major change for women and children in India.The big question remains, however, how do we build on indicators like these? Per Oxfam, public spending on healthcare is insufficient, with crucial gaps in both prenatal maternal care and post-natal care: “The poorest Indian states have infant mortality rates higher than those in sub-Saharan Africa.”The 2022 World Inequality Report found women’s share of labor income in India to be just 18% — “among the lowest in the world” and just slightly above the 15% share in the Middle East region.Overall, the WEF’s Global Gender Gap Index ranks India a very low 135th out of 148 countries studied. Despite India’s growing tech economy, women’s participation in professional and technical work ranks only 118th. Only 2.8% of all Indian business firms have female-majority ownership, and just 8.9% have women as top managers. Conversely, women make up nearly 89% of India’s “informal” (and typically low-paid or non-paid) labor sector.Economic statistics don’t tell the whole story. Gender inequality has long been ingrained in India’s culture, often in oddly contradictory ways. A Pew Research survey found most Indian men OK with the idea of a female prime minister, while believing that women should be subservient to men at home. Violence and harassment remain big concerns — in a World Bank survey, 56% of women in Chennai said they fear for their safety when they must ride public transport — and many Indian families still value male children much more than girls.Steps are being taken on various fronts. The esteemed Indian Institutes of Technology recently reached a goal of having women make up 20% of their incoming first-year students. But that’s far from adequate. At MIT, the U.S. school after which the IITs were modeled, women are already 48% of the entire undergraduate population.It’s time to re-imagine a New India with women as equal participants as India takes it place at the global high table, leading the G-20 presidency this year.. India needs an Equality Moonshot
With the growth of the internet and international trade, we take it for granted that we live in a “connected” world. But we also live in an increasingly collaborative world. It may seem strange to say that, given the constant flow of bad news about armed conflicts and political tensions around the globe. Yet the truth is that governments, organizations, and groups of all kinds cooperate across borders to a greater extent than ever before in human history. We are going to need even more such cooperation in the years ahead.Global cooperation is needed to address common problems such as climate change, war, and poverty. It also plays a positive role in improving everyone’s quality of life, by bringing together the ideas and resources of people everywhere. Here is a very brief overview of some forms of cooperation that are currently in place. Going forward, women of the world must build upon and leverage global networks to create a worldwide Equality Moonshot.First, consider how nations collaborate at present. The United Nations provides global arenas for cooperation that didn’t exist or were not effective previously. The UN’s World Health Organization has played a key role in eradicating smallpox and controlling other infectious diseases. UNESCO is active in education and environmental protection and supports international collaboration in scientific research. Altogether, we now have a multitude of platforms for nation-level cooperation. The World Bank and IMF provide financial help to assist economic development and recovery. Although it’s not global in scale, the European Union has become the most highly developed body of sovereign states on the planet.Independent NGOs have proliferated, too. Groups ranging from CARE and Human Rights Watch to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) work in various ways to help people in troubled regions.
Business firms also collaborate internationally more than ever — for example, in technology. Today’s complex products cannot be made by companies acting alone. Phones, computers, and electric vehicles all contain chips, batteries, and other crucial sub-systems designed and made by firms in multiple countries. Complex issues require collaboration as well. To tackle those around global healthcare, major pharmaceutical companies are now partnering with dozens of organizations in the World Economic Forum’s initiative on “Shaping the Future of Health and Healthcare for creating a healthier planet.
On the other hand, the Fashion industry, which employs a significant number of women and girls, is changing the fashion path, reducing its negative environmental and social impacts, and turning fashion into a driver of implementing a sustainable world. It’s time to reimagine global cooperation in all areas of fashion to promote projects and policies that ensure that the fashion value chain contributes to a thriving economy and a sustainable world for women and girls.Our purpose is to focus on women’s roles in building momentum in global cooperation in financial inclusion, sustainability, health equality, and access to equal opportunities.Many international women’s organizations exist or have existed. The oldest, the International Council of Women, was founded in 1888 and is still active. Groups for specific purposes come and go. Now that women finally have the right to vote in most places, the suffrage movements of the past have largely done their job, while new groups keep being formed for women in fields like technology and environmental policy. Women also are gaining greater representation in organizations such as the UN, the EU, and their numerous agencies. The task is to multiply and accelerate global efforts for a sustainable planet and inclusive economic growth for women and girls worldwide.
In most cases, women’s rights within a given country depend on having an open, democratic society, and that kind of society needs freedom of the news and communication media. The three are interconnected. Therefore it is not surprising to see women’s rights being limited or imperiled in countries that are less democratic and don’t grant much media freedom. An Equality Moonshot for women must include measures to help support both political and information freedom.Iran stands out as a current example. While the protest movements in that country have varied in intensity, they show definite signs of continuing into the new year. If the protests should manage to bring about substantial change, it would be a historic event — perhaps the first time in modern history when a movement originated by women, on behalf of women, grows to liberalize an entire nation. The protests are unfolding in a society whose record on freedom of information is, at present, very weak.In the 2022 global Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders, Iran ranked next to last at 178th of 179 nations studied. Only Eritrea scored worse. Recent suppressions of media freedom in Iran have included arrests of journalists covering Mahsa Amini’s funeral and the subsequent protests, as well as throttling citizens’ internet connectivity.Freedom of information can be stifled in various ways. In China, the government owns the major TV and radio outlets, newspapers, and news service, exerting strict control of what is reported and how.All media receive regularly updated censorship guidelines. Independent journalists run the risk of arrest, and imprisonment is common. Citizens’ use of online media is subject to monitoring, and access to many foreign-based websites is blocked.Elsewhere, Russia has rolled back freedom of the press considerably in recent years. State media outlets prevail and many independent outlets have been closed. Surprisingly, the United States ranks only 42nd on the Press Freedom Index, despite having an abundance of independent media and a government that doesn’t intervene in their operations. However, the flow of reliable information has been impeded by other factors.These include the under-funding of local news, the funding of biased coverage by wealthy major-media owners, and political efforts to sow distrust of certain media while limiting reporters’ access to government information. And — though it may be hard to trace a direct cause-and-effect link — women’s rights in the U.S. also have been eroded, as with last year’s Supreme Court decision that overturned a national ruling on reproductive rights.It will be challenging to mount an Equality Moonshot in this area. Situations differ greatly from one country to the next. In the places where democracy and media freedom are weakest, this is usually the result of suppression by a deeply entrenched government, which will actively fight any attempts to change things. But difficulty cannot be an excuse for inaction. The future of many may depend on our ability to marshal peaceful but effective means of change.
Women in the Middle East face huge barriers to reaching equality. While the recent protests in Iran have drawn wide attention, the status of women remains a thorny issue throughout this region around the Persian Gulf and the eastern Mediterranean. Many countries have laws and customs that relegate women to being second-class citizens. In extreme cases (which aren’t rare), women are essentially viewed as property of their husbands and/or male relatives.There has been progress on various fronts during the past decade or so. Women in Saudi Arabia, for example, have won the legal rights to drive cars, vote in elections and hold public offices. Yet the fact that these basic rights were once denied is startling. And while some countries have opened up their societies much more than others, the region as a whole needs an Equality Moonshot.Statistics tell a grim story. The WEF’s Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) is a combined metric that measures the standing of women vis-a-vis men in a nation across four areas: economic, educational, and political participation, and health. In the GGGI table for 2022, Israel and the United Arab Emirates ranked 60th and 68th out of 146 countries surveyed — but they were the only Middle East nations ranking above the bottom quartile, and the only ones with Index scores above 0.70 (representing 70% progress toward full gender equality). The next-highest ranked was Lebanon at 119th, with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and others all having similar but slightly lower Index scores. Near the tail end, with a significantly lower score, Iran ranked 143rd in the global 146. Syria and Iraq weren’t listed in the 2022 Index, but they landed at 152 and 154 out of 156 countries in 2021.The roots of the issue are complex. Although many countries have modernized and grown wealthy through oil and gas revenues, modernization is a fairly new phenomenon. As a result, conservative mindsets and ideologies persist, including patriarchal traditions that say men should rule the roost in both public and private life. Violence against women remains a problem as well. It can take many forms, from domestic abuse to state-sanctioned violence, as when the protests in Iran were triggered by a young woman dying at the hands of the nation’s morality police.On the positive side: Young women are now the majority of students at many Middle East universities. More will need to move into professional positions, as women’s share of labor income across the region remains very low at around 15%. The UAE, seen as a progressive Arab nation, has high-ranking women in business and government along with increasingly female-friendly legal codes. Women also make up 61% of university STEM students in the UAE and are starting to play a larger role in technology startups.Finally, women’s rights organizations are taking root across the Middle East. Many are national in scope; others are region-wide or focused on specific issues, and there are cases of women taking charge of events informally at the grassroots level. Amid the civil war in Syria, women who normally would stick to household duties have formed groups to mediate local conflicts and protect refugees from harm. The task now is to greatly accelerate the momentum for positive change.
When it comes to winning equality for women in the workforce, we have focused much of our attention thus far on improving the numbers. We measure progress by tracking the percentage of women in STEM or executive positions. We judge the level of equality in a nation by measuring women’s rate of participation in paid labor and the size of the gender pay gap. These numbers are important. We must continue trying to improve them. But the traditional “representation” numbers no longer tell the whole story.To really address workforce equality and inclusion, we must add new dimensions to our efforts. The world of work itself is changing. Major trends in recent years include the growth of virtual remote work, the emergence of the gig economy, and a growing divide between high-paid professionals and people at the lower end of the scale. To address workforce equality and inclusion, we must add new dimensions to our efforts. We need to look at how women are treated and how they can thrive, rather than suffer, within the conditions of these new trends.Studies show that remote work tends to be a mixed blessing for women. On the positive side, working virtually from home eliminates commuting, reduces the need to dress up, and avoids unpleasant gender-based interactions at the employer’s site. In a McKinsey survey, only one in ten U.S. professional women preferred working on-site. For women with children or dependents, working from home can also help achieve a work-life balance. But here is where the negatives start to creep in. Working online while trying to manage just one small child can quickly become a huge hassle.Furthermore, 37% of the world does not use the internet. With more basic services moving online and the pandemic highlighting affordability challenges in wealthier nations, these deep digital gaps are intensifying inequality and preventing women and girls full particpation in the workforce.Lastly, the growing socioeconomic divisions between high and middle-to-low earners loom large over everything. Women are affected the most since they are disproportionately represented in the lower brackets in practically every country where statistics are kept. Women working in lower-end roles cover a wide spectrum of occupations. They range from janitors, maids, and personal care attendants to workers in assembly lines, call centers, restaurants, and markets. In less developed regions, they are subsistence farmers, water carriers, low-wage artisans, and the like.The overall picture is complex. An Equality Moonshot for women at work will have to be aimed at multiple fundamental issues, many intertwined from digital inclusion, access to internet, workforce reskilling and upskilling and redefining the future of work. This Moonshot will require innovative thinking and action if it’s to be feasible.
Moonshot to change how women are viewed and treated. We can even use that leverage to shape the future of global capitalism and the planet itself.Consider the purchasing power at our command. Women control or influence 85% of all consumer spending in the United States. Worldwide, women control over $31 trillion in spending, and our buying is not limited to traditional “female” categories such as food and cleaning products or beauty and fashion. Women also purchase most of products in male-oriented markets, from motor vehicles to consumer electronics.And yet in recent surveys, over two-thirds of women said they feel misunderstood, stereotyped or objectified in advertisements for key products and services. Certainly things have improved since TV and print ads depicted housewives as dutiful servants to their husbands. However, the U.K. consulting firm PLH Research points out that sexism is still ingrained in advertising. For example, while many ads suggest that men should buy certain products to fit with the admirable traits they have, it’s often implied that women need to change — and that certain products will make them prettier or better in some way. Notably, teenage girls are swamped with messages promising to make them more attractive. Influencer marketing has grown into a booming industry, especially in Asian countries, with legions of glamorous young women selling sexy clothes and cosmetics to their online audiences.All of this has to change. Given how much time we now spend online, both for practical needs and pleasure, women are typically exposed to thousands of ads and marketing messages daily. These messages are hard to ignore, and their impact is profound. They add up to a constant flow of stories we are told, about how life works and who we are.It’s time for women to reclaim this power of storytelling. No longer can we accept media narratives that depict us as inferior creatures or that promise fulfillment through fantasies of seduction and superpower. We must demand and create messages that speak to the real lives and true nature of women everywhere. In contrast to the old saying that “women hold up half the sky,” most of us are heroes in very down-to-earth ways. We juggle duties and demands; we hold together our families and communities; we make life on this earth possible and find joy in it. We don’t need miracle products because the everyday reality of women is a miracle in its own right. That is the story that needs to be told — in advertisements, in all media, and in our daily interactions.There are signs of progress. Although most creative directors at advertising agencies are men, women are moving into such roles increasingly. As consumers, we are starting to show that we prefer products from socially responsible companies. More than ever, we are looking at factors like sustainability and fair treatment of workers when we choose what to buy. We hold the power of change in our hearts … and the instruments of change in our wallets. A new economy is dawning. Women will light the way
Formal protections of women’s rights are in place. The governing Treaty of the European Union mandates that ““In all its activities, the Union shall aim to eliminate inequalities, and to promote equality, between men and women.” The Council of Europe, an international body older than the EU, maintains the European Court of Human Rights to hear cases that allege violations of rights.Yet as the Council has stated, “The fulfillment of the human rights of women is still lagging in Europe.” Situations vary across countries, but one common problem is a persistent gender pay gap, due mainly to women holding lower-status jobs or doing less profitable kinds of business than men. Other issues needing attention include sexual harassment and violence, under-participation of women in tech startups, and lingering prejudicial attitudes. (According to surveys quoted in the EU’s Gender Equality Strategy for 2020-25, “44% of Europeans think the most important role of a woman is to take care of her home and family,” while “43% think the most important role of a man is to earn money.”) Reproductive rights are an issue in several places, too. Poland has banned abortion and safe access to the procedure is a tenuous matter in some other European nations.Meanwhile, Europe is serving as a testbed for two critical issues that affect everyone: sustainability and migration. The region is a leader in renewable energy, with about 24% of the EU’s electricity now generated by clean sources. An EU-wide ban on the sale of new petroleum-powered motor vehicles will take effect in 2035.At present, however, most countries still rely considerably on oil and natural gas, which have spiked in price since the Russia-Ukraine war began. The impacts have varied greatly — e.g., Sweden, which uses lots of hydropower and nuclear energy, appears to be least affected by the price hikes. But in many European cities, household utility costs have doubled or more, and governments have taken steps like dimming public lights and urging people to curb the use of hot tap water.Immigration is a hot-button issue throughout Europe. In some countries, immigrants now make up close to 20% of the population. Many are culturally or ethnically different from native Europeans, which leads to problems around acceptance and assimilation, while refugees from troubled parts of the world continue to arrive at the borders. All of this has produced an uneasy mixture of opposing forces — humanitarian concern for immigrants, plus the economic need for them in many industries, versus rising public and political resistance to immigration.To sum up: In terms of women’s issues, Europe is a battleground between admirable progress and conservative attitudes of the past. And in facing the planet-wide concerns of energy use and migration, Europe is experiencing tensions that seem certain to grow larger everywhere.
Our moonshot Mission is Equality on Earth
CELEBRATE WORLD WOMAN HEROES
To recognize the important work and support extraordinary women heroes who have dedicated their lives to transforming the lives of women and children; have the courage to fight, the power to survive, and the leadership to inspire, they become the recipient of the World Woman Hero Awards. During the World Woman Davos Agenda will celebrate our heroes for their commitment to gender equality in a bold new way.
AGENDA
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Rupa DashCo-Founder & CEO, World Woman Foundation
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Reshma RamachandranBoard Member & Chair of World Woman Davos Agenda
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Carolyn KissaneAssociate Dean of the NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs
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HEADLINE PARTNEROrganon & Co
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Brianna NewlandClinical Associate Professor and Academic Director of Undergraduate Programs for the Tisch Institute for Global Sport( Moderator)
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Geralyn RitterExecutive Vice President, External Affairs & ESG Organon
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Erin HulmeDirector of Global Philanthropy at the WHO Foundation
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Ramsey AlwinPresident and CEO, National Council on Aging
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Säbeen Fatima HaqueCEO of doctHERs
How can women move from being short-changed to being in charge?
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OFFICIAL ACADEMIC PARTNERNYU School of Professional Studies
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Carolyn KissaneAssociate Dean of the NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs ( Moderator)
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Helen ClarkFormer Prime Minister of New Zealand
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HEADLINER PARTNEROrganon & Co.
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Geralyn RitterExecutive Vice President, External Affairs & ESG Organon
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Gabriela RamosAssistant Director-General for the Social and Human Sciences of UNESCO
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Federica MarchionniCEO, Global Fashion Agenda
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Heba AlyCEO, The New Humanitarian
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Carolyn KissaneAssociate Dean of the NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs ( Moderator)
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HEADLINE PARTNERNDTV
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Sonia SinghEditorial Director, NDTV Group ( Keynote + Moderator)
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Divya GokulnathCo-founder and Director of Byju's
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Seema KumarChief Executive Office Cure
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Mirai ChatterjeeDirector of the Social Security Unit, Self-Employed Women's Association
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Reshma RamachandranBoard Member & Chair of World Woman Davos Agenda
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Navroop SahdevFounder and CEO, The Digital Economist
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HEADLINE PARTNER
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Sonia SinghEditorial Director, NDTV Group
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Jeanne BourgaultPresident and Chief Executive Officer, Internews
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Ghada OwaisLebanese broadcast journalist, Al-Jazeera
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Gloria LomanExecutive President of 50&50 Gender Leadership
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Fabienne KinzelmannInternational correspondent, Handelszeitung ( Moderator)
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OFFICIAL ACADEMIC PARTNERNYU School of Professional Studies
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Ghosson G. Al KhaledDeputy CEO of ACICO Industries Company
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Fatma Al NuaimiCommunications Executive Director at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Qatar
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Ghada OwaisLebanese broadcast journalist, Al-Jazeera
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Malak Al AkielyManaging Director of Golden Wheat for Grain Trading, Co-Founder of Golden Kayan for Oil & Energy , Young Global Leader with World Economic Forum
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Carolyn Kissane Clinical Professor, Global Affairs, NYU SPSAssociate Dean of the NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs ( Moderator)
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Alison MooreCEO, Comic Relief US
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Najoh Tita-ReidGlobal CMO, Logitech
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Gina BadenochYoung Global Leader WEF & Founder, Capaxia
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Claudia RomoEdelman, Founder & Executive Chairwoman, We Are All Human
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Chandra GuinnExecutive Director, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging (EDIB), McKinney
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Megan CunninghamAward-winning Author, Producer, Director, and Media Entrepreneur
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Adrianne C. SmithSVP/Senior Partner and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, FleishmanHillard (Moderator)
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OFFICIAL ACADEMIC PARTNERNYU School of Professional Studies
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Carol ChenCMO Shell Mobility and Chairman Shell Brand International
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Lauren TilstraChief of Staff & Executive Director, Strategic Communications, Office of the Chairman and CEO · Verizon
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Dr. Anna ZeiterAssociate General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, eBay Inc
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Dr. Lea SondereggerCDO/CIO, Member of the Executive Committee, SWAROVSKI
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Carolyn Kissane Clinical Professor, Global Affairs, NYU SPSAssociate Dean of the NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs ( Moderator)
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OFFICIAL ACADEMIC PARTNERNYU School of Professional Studies
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Annika Ojala,Rights & Democracy Campaigner, Greens/EFA in the European Parliament European Parliament
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Carolyn Kissane Clinical Professor, Global Affairs, NYU SPSAssociate Dean of the NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs
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Elena BalbekovaEnergy and Climate Change Adviser at British Embassy Kyiv
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Serap AltinisikCEO, Oxfam Germany
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Zuzanna Lewandowska Lewandowska Soclal Entrepreneur, Media and NGO ExecutiveSoclal Entrepreneur, Media and NGO Executive ( Moderator)
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OFFICIAL ACADEMIC PARTNERNYU School of Professional Studies
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Carolyn Kissane Clinical Professor, Global Affairs, NYU SPSAssociate Dean of the NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs
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Helen ClarkFormer Prime Minister of New Zealand
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Federica MarchionniCEO, Global Fashion Agenda
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Nicola MendelsohnVP Global Business Group, Meta
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Ghada OueissLebanese Broadcast Journalist, Al-Jazeera
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Fatma Al NuaimiCommunications Executive Director, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Qatar
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Geralyn RitterExecutive Vice President, External Affairs & ESG Organon ESG, Organon
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Gina Badenoch Badenoch Young Global Leader WEF & Founder, CapaxiaYoung Global Leader WEF & Founder, Capaxia
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Aayati Dash Kar Dash Kar Creator Queendom Metaverse & Asst.Creative Director World Woman LEADhER Bookreator Queendom Metaverse & Asst.Creative Director World Woman LEADhER Book
headliners
Helen Clark was elected Prime Minister of New Zealand first in 1999 and then twice more in 2002 and 2005.
Clark joined the Labour Party in 1971 and during the following decade held a variety of positions within the party. In parliamentary elections in 1975, she was selected as the Labour candidate for a seat that was considered safe for the conservative National Party. Although she lost that election, she was elected to Parliament from a different constituency in 1981and won ten consecutive elections there. .
As Chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Select Committee and of the Disarmament and Arms Control Select Committee (1984–87), she played a major role in the country’s adoption of a nuclear-free stance which has been embraced across the political spectrum.
From 1987 to 1990, Clark was a Cabinet Minister, holding at various times the portfolios of housing, conservation, labour, and health. In 1989–90, she also served as Deputy Prime Minister and in 1990 was appointed to the Privy Council, becoming the first woman in New Zealand to hold those offices.
After the National Party returned to power in 1990, Helen Clark served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition from 1990-93, and then as Leader of the Opposition until the Labour Party was able to form a governing coalition following the 1999 elections. She was the first woman to lead a party to electoral victory in New Zealand.
As Prime Minister, Clark also held the portfolio of arts and culture and appointed a diverse team of ministers which included 11 women and 4 Maori. During her nine years as Prime Minister, New Zealand enjoyed strong economic growth, low unemployment, and significant investment in public services. It set clear objectives for sustainable development and climate action. It also prioritised reconciliation and the settlement of historical grievances with New Zealand’s indigenous people and the development of an inclusive multicultural and multi-faith society. It maintained New Zealand’s independent foreign policy and support for multilateralism, one consequence being its refusal to support the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Activity after Public Politics
Helen Clark became the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme in April 2009 and was the first woman to lead that organisation. She was also the Chair of the UN Development Group, a committee consisting of the heads of all UN funds, programmes and department working on development issues.
Helen Clark stepped down after eight years and two terms as Administrator in April 2017. She now engages in public advocacy across a range of the issues she has engaged in over decades in public life.
Throughout her career, Clark enjoyed a reputation as a skillful politician and a capable advocate of nuclear disarmament, public health policy, and sustainable development. For her work on peace and disarmament, she was awarded the Peace Prize from the Danish Peace Foundation in 1986. In 2009 she was made a member of the Order of New Zealand, the country’s highest honour.
Helen Clark has been a Member of the Global Leadership Foundation since November 2017. From May 2020 – October 2021, she served as the Foundation’s Vice Chair. In October 2021, Helen Clark was elected to be the GLF Chair.
Ms Clark has been involved in a GLF project in South Asia.
Memberships and Affiliations
- Chair of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative
- Chair of Women Political Leaders Board
- Chair of The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health Board
- Chair of Global Commission on Drug Policy
- Co-Chair of WHO Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness & Response
- Co-Chair of Global Future Council on Health and Healthcare
- Co-Chair of &Green Fund
- President of Chatham House
- Member of Club of Madrid
- Member of Board of Directors for Women Deliver
- Patron of Himalayan Trust
- Patron of Helen Clark Foundation
Fatma and the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy are unable to address the recent protests in Iran as that is not their area of expertise. We would like for Fatma to focus beyond the governmental aspects and speak more to equity through a sports lens, which FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the lasting legacy it leaves in the region and around the globe strive to accomplish. We noticed there was a note about adding questions based on speakers areas of expertise and we think this would be a great place to weave these ideas in.
Chetna Gala Sinha is an activist, farmer, and banker. In the early 1980s, while still a student in Mumbai, she joined the Jayaprakash Narayan movement and travelled through the country championing land rights and other social issues. In 1996, Chetna founded the Mann Deshi Foundation in Mhaswad, a drought-stricken area of Maharashtra, with the aim of economically and socially empowering rural women. In 1997, she set up the Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank – India’s first bank for and by rural women.
Today, the Mann Deshi Bank has over 100,000 account holders, has loaned over $50 million, and regularly creates new financial products to support the needs of female micro-entrepreneurs. It has received the 2006 Microfinance Process Excellence Award, the 2014 Best Eco-Tech Bank Award by the Indian Bank Association and the 2015 ‘Best Bank Award’ by the Maharashtra Urban Cooperative Banks Federation.
Rupa Dash is an entrepreneur and futurist based in Los Angeles driven to solve the world’s biggest challenges through innovation, education, and creativity. Dash is the Partner of Dash Global Media, a consulting company that explores the complexity of the emergent future and the shifting dichotomy between innovation and evolution to prepare start-up companies for the global reset in Asia and Central Africa.
Dash has a passion for philanthropy, she is also the Co-Founder & CEO of the World Woman Foundation, Dash leading the global initiative of mentoring one million women by 2030. Dash is the first Indian American managing director of the world’s largest women’s entrepreneurship network recognized by the White House.
Dash has worked with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on India’s prominent investor meeting: Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit and Chief Minister Nitesh Kumar on a collaboration with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development to bring useful resources to the most underdeveloped states in India. Dash was the first woman to receive the UN’s International Telecom Union Award for her work to bring mobile entertainment content to Indian farmers across 40,000 villages. Dash received the Women Making Difference Award from Los Angeles Business Journal in 2018. She is actively involved with UN Women, Harvard Business School, Davos Forum, and Hollywood Film Festival, advocating for gender equality in film and entertainment. Dash has worked with leading media companies like Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros, and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.
Dash studied entrepreneurship at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. She currently serves on the boards of International Indian Film Market, Arkansas Cinema Society, and Board of Trustee of Russian Women’s Federation in Moscow.
Ramachandran is an award-winning innovative leader based in Zurich with 20 years of experience working in multicultural teams and geographies, including the United States, Europe, the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia. She brings a wealth of experience in digital and business transformation. She is currently working at the intersection of human capital and technology and is on the Board of Directors of Oxford instruments, a FTSE 250 company. Ramachandran coaches and mentors several young women in universities that have encouraged them to opt for STEM careers and minority ethnic groups to help them advance in their careers. As an advocate for women in STEM, Ramachandran actively champions the business benefits of employing an effective inclusion strategy and has been a voice of change both inside and outside the organization.
Geralyn Ritter is head of external affairs and ESG for Organon. She is focused on upholding Organon’s vision and representing our values in the world by guiding and shaping how the company interacts with key stakeholders and the environment. Geralyn joins Organon from Merck, where she spent 12 years, most recently serving as Corporate Secretary leading shareholder engagement, governance and ESG. Previously, she served as head of global public policy and corporate responsibility, where she was the President of the Merck Foundation and led the creation of Merck for Mothers, a global initiative to end maternal mortality. Previously, Geralyn worked at PhRMA, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and at the law firm of Covington & Burling. A survivor of traumatic injury, Geralyn is a passionate advocate, frequent speaker and an author on resilience and trauma recovery. She co-chairs the Patient and Family Advisory Council at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and is a board member of Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, Business for Social Responsibility, Power to Decide, and Domus Pacis Family Respite, a Colorado-based non-profit that supports patients and families facing terminally ill cancer. Geralyn received a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and her J.D. from the Stanford University School of Law.
Gabriela Ramos is the Assistant Director-General for the Social and Human Sciences of UNESCO, where she oversees the contributions of the institution to build inclusive and peaceful societies. Her agenda includes the achievement of social inclusion and gender equality, advancing youth development; promotion of values through sports; anti-racism and antidiscriminatory agenda and ethics of artificial intelligence. Her appointment at UNESCO allows her to continue supporting an agenda of inclusive growth, and the respect of human rights and human dignity.
Nicola Mendelsohn CBE is a British advertising executive. Active in the advertising industry since 1992, she was named vice-president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa for Facebook in June 2013. In 2021, Nicola was named Vice President of Meta’s Global Business Group
Dr. Carolyn Kissane is the Associate Dean of the NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) Center for Global Affairs. She is a Clinical Professor who teaches graduate-level courses examining the geopolitics of energy, comparative energy politics, energy, environment and resource security, and climate change and security. Kissane’s thought leadership and entrepreneurship areas include Energy Transition, Sustainability Innovation, Policy, and Cybersecurity.
She is the Founding Director of the NYU SPS Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab, Coordinator of the Energy and Environment concentration at the Center, and faculty advisor to the Energy Policy International Club. Dr. Kissane was awarded the esteemed NYU Excellence in Teaching Award in 2007, the SCPS Award for Teaching Excellence in 2009, and nominated for the NYU-wide Distinguished Teaching Award in 2008, 2009, 2016, and 2021. She is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the National Committee on US-China Relations, a 2003 Fellow of the Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, a non-resident fellow at the Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines, and a Distinguished non-resident fellow at the University of Piraeus. She serves on the New York Energy Forum and the Clean Start Advisory Boards.
She was named Breaking Energy’s Top Ten New York Women in Energy and Top Ten Energy Communicator. She hosts Fueling our Future, an energy series she moderates that bring in energy and environment experts for conversation and debate.
Dr. Kissane received her Ph.D. from Columbia University.
Divya Gokulnath is an Indian entrepreneur and educator who is the co-founder and director of Byju’s, an educational technology company founded in 2012
More than 2 decades in Broadcast Journalism. • A strong advocate of Impartiality in news coverage. • Specialized in running tough investigative interviews, objectively. • Delivered field coverage of several political stories and also from conflict areas and war zones.
Experience
April 2006 – Till now: Principal Presenter – Al Jazeera Arabic channel – Al Jazeera Network: Presents all news bulletins, especially the major ones such as Al-Jazeera Midday & The Harvest of the Day. Presenting Talk Shows & Current Affairs Programs such as: Beyond the News -the Talk of the Revolution – the Arab Reality – The Egyptian Scene -Without Borders. Presenting from the field of dozens of News Coverage, including: Eye on Sudan 2008 – Post-Israeli war on Gaza 2009 – South Sudan secession referendum 2011 – Presidential Elections in Yemen 2012 – U.S.A.Presidential Elections 2012 – Special Field Coverage from Aleppo in Syria in 2013 – Geneva II Conference on the future of Syria 2014 – Tunisian Parliamentary Elections 2014 – Anniversary of the Syrian Revolution 2016 – French Presidential Elections2017 – Turkish Presidential Elections 2018 – The Midterm Congressional Elections in 2018. May -1999April 2006: Field reporter, presenter, and Producer of bulletinsand programs in several Lebanese Media organizations: 2006 – 2004: Reporter, Reporter and Producer of news bulletins in ANB TV. Presented The daily flagship news show at 7:30, & sometimes the main daily evening show. – A field reporter for many events, notably the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in February 2005. September 2001 – October 2004: Presenter, Reporter and Producer in New TV Presented news bulletins, and worked as the channel’s correspondent in the Lebanese parliament. April -2000June 2001: Investigative Reporter in the Lebanese Magazine “Al-Afkar” (the Ideas). December 1999 – December 2000: Reporter for Al-Murr TV. May 1999 – January 2000: Program Producer and Presenter in Voice of Lebanon radio.
Carol was born and raised in China. She had very humble background. With her dedication and
persistence, She has developed a very successful international career where she has lived and
worked in 5 different countries (China, Canada, USA, Singapore and now UK), and has worked
in two giant global companies Procter & Gamble and Shell, where she holds senior positions.
Currently She is the Global CMO Shell Mobility and Chairman Shell Brand International, where
she leads a truly global team to elevate customer experience for 30 million_ customers daily
across 47,000 retail sites over 83 countries. She also holds the position as non executive
director of Shell Downstream JV in Turkey.
Carol is an ambassador for gender equality, striving for a more balanced future where women
have the same opportunities and influence as their male colleagues. She no only actively
mentors many young female leaders around the world, she also plays an active role to share her
stories and journey with local women network as she travel around the world.
Erin Hulme is the Director of Global Philanthropy at the WHO Foundation. In this role, she leads a global team that builds partnerships with individuals, family offices, foundations, and philanthropy networks to reach greater health equity globally. Before joining the WHO Foundation, Erin was on the Philanthropic Partnerships Team within the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she worked with philanthropists around the world to collaborate or learn about investment opportunities in Global Health and Development. In this role, Erin led the portfolio of work on gender equality in philanthropy, including advocating and building models for increased funding for women’s health, normalizing putting a gender-lens on grantmaking in the philanthropic field, and launching the Asia Gender Network, a group of 40 philanthropic and influential women working across boundaries to invest in and advocate for gender equality.
Erin started her career in partnership development at the United Nations Foundation (UNF), where she supported the Partnership Development team in cultivating new, global public-private partnerships such as Girl Effect. She then went on to work with Fortune 500 Companies to build their corporate responsibility and philanthropy strategies when working at the International Business Leaders Forum. Erin holds an MBA in Sustainable Systems and certificates at the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), in philanthropic advising through 21/64, and in Principles and Techniques of Fundraising from Indiana University. Erin currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland with her family
Serap Altinisik, CEO of Oxfam Germany. She was the Former Head of Plan International EU Office’s Head of Office and EU Representative. She is responsible for shaping the office’s priorities focusing on underlining the importance for EU external policies to be gender transformative to advance equal outcomes for girls in the Global South.She is highly involved with Plan International’s global campaign “Girls Get Equal” and promoting the asks related to one of Plan International’s flagship programs, “Safer Cities”, underlining the need for girls to be involved with their local governments to shape their cities, allowing them to feel safe to lead, learn, decide and thrive. During the International Civil Society Week in April 2019 taking place in Belgrade Serap was elected as Board Member of Civicus. In this role she will be working together with renowned global civil society activists, to steer the work of Civicus to strengthen citizen action and civil society throughout the world. She is also member of the FAIR SHARE Action Circle, an initiative with six intersectional feminist leaders in the global social impact sector who have decided to join forces to disrupt the status quo. Previously, she held the position of Program Director at the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) responsible for leading their Fundraising and Program Strategy.She successfully led the EWL 50/50 Campaign “No modern Democracy without Gender Equality” across Europe with the goal to achieve equal representation of women and men in decision-making and power positions within the EU institutions. Serap holds a Magistra Artium Degree in Political Science, English literature and Cultural Studies from the Leibniz Universität Hannover (Germany), and an M.A. in European Studies from the John Moores University in Liverpool (UK).
As President and CEO of Internews, Jeanne Bourgault leads the organization’s strategic management and its programs in more than 100 countries around the world.
Under her leadership, Internews has helped foster independent media sectors in countries such as Jordan and South Sudan, and provided lifesaving information to people during crises in Ukraine, Myanmar, and Afghanistan. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jeanne led Internews’ Rapid Response Fund to help local media partners access emergency funding and continue operating in dire economic conditions.
During her tenure, Internews has led the growing sector of humanitarian information, expanded into US programs, developed strategies to address digital information technology, and centered the information needs of underserved communities throughout its programs. Bourgault has overseen the development of innovative programs, including the Earth Journalism Network, United for News, FilmAid and the Listening Post Collective.
Prior to Internews, Bourgault worked internationally in countries undergoing dramatic shifts in media and political landscapes. She joined Internews in 2001 as Vice President for Programs after six years with the US Agency for International Development, including three years at the US Embassy in Moscow, and as a strategic advisor for media and community development programs in post-war Kosovo, Serbia, and Montenegro.
Bourgault has consulted on international program design and evaluation for the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Research Triangle Institute, and the United Nations Centre for Human Rights, among others.
An expert on issues of media for democracy, mis- and disinformation, women’s media leadership, information technology, and participatory community development, Bourgault has spoken at venues such as the Skoll World Forum, the Global Philanthropy Forum, and the World Economic Forum in Davos. She serves on the Media, Entertainment, and Information Industries Steering Committee for the World Economic Forum.
Sonia Singh, NDTV’s Editorial Director is HEAD OF INDIA’S MOST RESPECTED TV network for nearly 30 years and is currently the anchor of the daily show,The News at 8pm and various special shows like the NDTV Dialogues. In the last three decades, she has been part of the news coverage of events that have changed India. Her interviews with world leaders include Hillary Clinton AND Nobel Laureates The Dalai Lama, Malala, Kailash Satyarthi and Mohammed Yunus as well as a host of senior government leaders in India. She is also the author of the book, ‘Defining India: Through Their Eyes’, where she speaks to 15 of India’s great minds for their analysis of the Defining Moments that have changed this great nation.
Some of her Awards and Honours are
- Best Editor in Chief at ENBA, 2015
- Best Anchor award at ENBA
- Young Achievers award At FICCI,
- Many awards for best talk show namely NDTV Dialogues, Your Call, India Decides, India 60 minutes
Most importantly, she is the mother of 3 daughters , which according to her , “ is the most difficult & rewarding job in the world “
Seema Kumar is Chief Executive Office Cure, a healthcare innovation campus in New York City. Cure, an affiliate of Deerfield Management, is a world-class laboratory, engineering, and business facility that brings together industry leaders and innovators across the private and public sectors to advance healthcare through the development of cutting-edge solutions across medical devices, digital technologies, healthcare services, and bio-therapeutics. The 300,000-square-foot campus is purpose-built to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration and free exchange of ideas.also serves as a hub for networking and professional development.
Previously, as Global Head, Office of Innovation, Global Health and Scientific Engagement, Seema worked at the intersection of science, media, business and society to expand Johnson & Johnson’s leadership as a champion of science and a global health authority. She leads global efforts to enhance public engagement with science, leveraging creative arts to build trust and advance good science and public health policy. Seema is also responsible for Johnson & Johnson’s overall innovation reputation, for positioning the Johnson & Johnson R&D pipeline, and for leading the company’s COVID vaccine communications and external affairs efforts.
In addition, Seema serves as a science, innovation, and public health ambassador for Johnson & Johnson to organizations including the World Economic Forum, the Gates CEO Roundtable, the New York Academy of Sciences, and other partners, where she represents the company’s scientific engagement efforts and its commitment to diversity and inclusion in science and technology. A key strategic partner for Johnson & Johnson’s Vice Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Paul Stoffels, Seema is a member of the R&D Management Committee and a member of the Global Corporate Affairs Leadership Team.
Previously, Seema drove Pharmaceutical R&D communication with the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. She was the chief communications officer at the Whitehead Institute/Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Genome Research, where she played a key role in enhancing worldwide public awareness and understanding of the Human Genome Project. In addition, she worked with the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.
A passionate advocate for science and women’s empowerment, Seema has published hundreds of news and feature articles on these topics. She serves on several boards and advisory committees.
Carole is Professor of Extragalactic Astronomy and Head of Astrophysics. She served as Head of the Department of Physics from 2016 to 2018, when she was appointed as the first woman Chief Scientific Adviser at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In 2020, Carole was appointed as the first Chief International Science Envoy in the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. In 2021, Carole was named the Hiroko Sherwin Chair in Extragalactic Astronomy in recognition of her outstanding contribution to her international field of research, her contribution to the Univesity and her role in championing diversity and women in STEM.
Carole is currently President of the Science Council; elected to this position in 2021, she is the first woman to hold the role.
An observational astrophysicist, Carole began her research career as a radio astronomer at Jodrell Bank Observatory. She then diversified to exploit international ground- and space-based facilities across the electromagnetic spectrum with the goal of understanding cosmic black holes and their environments.
Following time at the University of Maryland, Carole brought a Royal Society University Research Fellowship to Liverpool John Moores University to study the Dynamical Evolution of Galaxies. There, she subseuently built and led an international team specializing in catching the fast-fading light from gamma ray bursts – the most powerful explosions in the Universe. She was awarded an RCUK Academic Fellowship in recognition of her pioneering work in GRBs and leadership of the Liverpool GRB team. Her team won the Times Higher Research Project of the Year Award, 2007.
She was appointed Professor in 2007 and was awarded a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award (2011-2016) for the study of ‘Black hole-driven explosions and the dynamic Universe’. She was appointed Professor at the University of Bath in 2015, where she founded the Bath Astrophysics Group and was named FDM Everywoman in Technology Woman of the Year 2016.
Carole has been involved in national and European research funding allocation and oversight of national and international astronomical facilities.
Her experience in strategic science policy advisory work has included technology, basic research and horizon scanning beyond astrophysics and she serves on prestigious science boards, including the International Advisory Board of the Royal Society Journal of Science, Society and Policy.
She is a prominent and committed communicator of science to the public and a vocal advocate for diversity in science.
Past memberships include
- Member, Science and Technology Facilties Council (STFC)
- Chair, STFC Skills and Engagement Advisory Board
- Member, Research Councils UK Public Engagement with Research Advisory Panel
- Member, European Research Council Fellowships Panel PE9
Annika Ojala (she/her) is an international human rights advocate, public speaker and expert on gender equality, LGBTIQ+ rights and inclusive leadership in the digital world.
Annika currently works as a Rights & Democracy Campaigner for the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament.
Prior to working at the European Parliament, Annika worked for the Green Party in Finland, where she co-created three highly successful electoral campaigns, which contributed to the historical rise of women to leadership positions in Finnish government.
Annika has contributed to numerous projects to support of women’s* leadership and inclusion globally. She has consulted with the OSCE, European Women’s Lobby, Google, and others to co-create transformative solutions to build inclusive and equal communities.
Annika contributes to national and international political strategies and campaigns, facilitates training sessions, and supports various grassroots activities for social change.
Her theory of change is rooted in green sustainable action, interlinking the promotion of human rights to the creation of ecologically sustainable communities.
Born in Helsinki, Annika now lives in Brussels after years lived in Johannesburg and Paris.
Dr. Anna Zeiter is Associate General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer of eBay Inc. Since March 2022 she is also managing director of the eBay Marketplaces GmbH, Switzerland. Before joining eBay in 2014, Anna had been working as a lawyer for two international law firms in Germany, specializing in data protection, IT and ecommerce law. Before working as an attorney Anna Zeiter did her Ph.D. in the field of free speech and fundamental rights at the University of Hamburg, she also holds an LL.M. in Law, Science & Technology from Stanford Law School. Anna Zeiter is regularly giving speeches at international data protection conferences and teaches at several universities, e.g. at the universities of Bern, Zurich, and Göttingen. Since 2020, Anna is serving as member of the IAPP (International Association of Privacy Professionals) Board of Directors and is member of the Global Tech DPO Network in Ireland. Besides that, Anna is member of the Digital Transformations Working Group of the World Economic Forum, co-leading the workstream Business of Data & Data Valuation.
Megan Cunningham is an award-winning author, producer/director, and media entrepreneur. In 2000, she founded Magnet, a global storytelling studio that produces 100+ engagements with brand and media partners. Magnet’s mission is to tell stories that matter so that we live in a more empathetic world. As a studio, they use strategy, storytelling, and data to drive measurable outcomes for fast-moving brands, startups, and organizations. Clients include: Google, Adobe, JPM Chase, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Airbnb, Goldman Sachs, Complex, CHIEF, Greenhouse, YouTube, PBS, and more.
Mary Ellen Iskenderian is President and CEO of Women’s World Banking, the global nonprofit devoted to giving low-income women in the developing world access to the financial tools and resources they require to achieve security and prosperity. She joined Women’s World Banking in 2006 and leads the Women’s World Banking global team, based in New York, and also serves as a member of the Investment Committee of its two impact investment funds.
As President and CEO of Women’s World Banking, Mary Ellen has led a significant reorganization of the NGO and led the organization’s growth into an institutional investor. In 2022 the organization will be leading a major coalition focused on digital financial inclusion for women, the WDFI Advocacy Hub.
In April 2022, Mary Ellen published her first book, There’s Nothing Micro about a Billion Women: Making Finance Work for Women. Mary Ellen’s essays, opinion pieces and writing have appeared in Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Harvard Business Review, and she has been interviewed and featured in Bloomberg, Axios, Foreign Policy and Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Mary Ellen is a passionate advocate for women’s economic empowerment through greater access to finance and is a leading voice for women’s leadership in financial services. She has spoken widely and published extensively on the topic of equality of economic opportunity and women’s financial inclusion.
Najoh Tita-Reid is a multifaceted global marketer with global
marketing expertise and a record of strategic and operational
ingenuity in diverse consumer product companies. A creative and
charismatic leader, Najoh is known for driving innovation in
products, processes, and people and driving transformation
across complex organizations. She has led turnarounds in
struggling businesses, developed acclaimed digital and
omnichannel initiatives, and launched industry-changing
multicultural campaigns. She builds strong, diverse, inclusive, and
collaborative teams and is comfortable working across cultures
and continents to drive accountability and creativity.
Najoh is the Global Chief Marketing Officer for Logitech. She is
responsible for worldwide marketing, brand equity, creative,
branded and direct-to-consumer e-commerce sites, and
marketing transformation. She is the former Global Commercial
Marketing Head for business-to-consumer and business-to-
business and the Global Marketing Reinvention Leader, where she
designed and implemented the first Global Commercial Marketing Organization, driving growth across
all regions, managing P&L and performance marketing across channels. She was also responsible for
reimagining, redefining, and reinventing the global marketing function, reporting to the CEO.
She is the former Global Chief Marketing Officer and Member of the Executive Board at Hero AG, where
she led the marketing function as well as brand strategy, R&D/innovation, sustainability, and quality for
a global family-owned food company. Najoh built Hero’s first truly global innovation pipeline, removing
silos to foster cooperation across 11 global and regional food brands while leading significant growth
across key markets. She was also a member of the board for a Hero Innovation start-up focused on
direct-to consumer products and services. Under her leadership, Hero attained growth in all lead
categories, more than twice the average growth of key competitors.
Prior to her role with Hero AG, Najoh held diverse general management, marketing, and product
development roles with some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical, health care, and consumer product
companies. In 2015, she was selected to lead a turnaround of Bayer PLC’s Consumer Care business in
the UK and Ireland, turning around the P&L and implementing a broad restructuring that grew market
share, historic sales and profit growth, and implemented net revenue management and data analytics
capability to drive record profitability. A board member of the UK Healthcare Industry Association, Najoh
had broad influence over global franchises, functions, and industry.
Najoh earned an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and a BA in English from
Spelman College. She also completed the Executive Leadership Program at IMD in Lausanne,
Switzerland, the Women’s Executive Leadership Program at Simmons University, the Design Thinking
program at the Stanford School of Design, and is a graduate of UKs CBI Leadership Program
(Confederation of British Industry) focused on building executive business leadership skills to drive
political and policy change. She is a founding member of the Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA) anda member of The Executive Leadership Council, where she serves on the International Steering
Committee and the Community Service Committee. She also serves on the board of AdThrive, a digital
media company that serves publishers and creators by enabling them to drive ad revenue and pursue
their passion of content creation.
Chandra Guinn is Executive Director, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging (EDIB) at McKinney, a full-service advertising agency. She collaborates across the agency to ensure efforts are consistent with McKinney’s mission to discover and unleash untapped potential. Chandra focuses on learning and development initiatives to build capacity for everyone to ACT as it regards EDIB and creating strategic partnerships that matter to colleagues, clients, and communities. She takes an intersectional approach to cultivate awareness and develop tactics for personal and social action. Chandra is an award-winning educator. Before joining McKinney, she was Director of the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture at Duke University. In 2021, Chandra received a DEI in the Workplace Certificate from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business. She was formally educated at Bucknell University and the University of NC at Chapel Hill. She is a native Mississippian who makes her home in North Carolina.
Adrianne C. Smith is SVP/Senior Partner and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at FleishmanHillard. Prior to joining FleishmanHillard, Adrianne was named the first Global Director of Inclusion and Diversity at WPP. Adrianne is also the Founder and Visionary of the Can: Diversity Collective, a non-profit organization created to provide access and exposure to young adults of color and under-represented communities to global thought leadership conferences on advertising, marketing, creativity, economics, innovation and technology. In 2017, she launched the first iteration of the Diversity Collective, the Cannes Can: Diversity Collective (CC:DC) which provides rising stars in the advertising and creative industry the opportunity to attend and participate in the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. In 2019, she made history by creating the first stand-alone Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Beach in the festival’s 66 years of existence and named it Inkwell Beach – Cannes the historic beach on Martha’s Vineyard. Adrianne has been recognized as an Outstanding Mentor by the Diversity Action Alliance and a Game Changer in the Quantum Leap category during the She Runs It Game Changers Awards.
Alison Moore is a media and tech industry veteran who is bridging the worlds of entertainment,
storytelling, and fundraising to drive social change.
Alison joined Comic Relief US in 2019 to build upon the organization’s ambitious mission to create a just
world free from poverty. Comic Relief US is leveraging its unique blend of humor and entertainment to
address complex and entrenched social and economic issues. Not content to let philanthropy tinker
around the edges, Comic Relief US is using its power and influence across industries to invest in
innovative problem solvers that can spark real and lasting change.
Under Alison’s leadership, Comic Relief US has created a new social impact goal of breaking the cycle of
intergenerational poverty in the US and abroad. To support this bold vision, the organization is creating
new content campaigns, launching innovative social impact-led programs, and providing more ways for
brands, organizations and communities to make a greater impact together.
Since 2015, Comic Relief US has raised over $380 million and positively impacted over 30 million
children in the U.S. and around the world, through its signature Red Nose Day campaign to end child
poverty. Fueled by Red Nose Day’s success, Alison and the Comic Relief US team are now reimagining
the traditional fundraising model, reaching next gen audiences on emerging platforms, while utilizing
new content and storytelling strategies to encourage individual participation and action. Alison recently
announced a commitment at the Clinton Global Initiative to deliver $1 Billion of social impact over the
next ten years — accelerating the organization’s work against intergenerational poverty. To ignite these
efforts, Comic Relief US has also established a new Innovation and Growth Fund, creating a new $10
million funding pipeline to create entertainment content and rapidly scale the exciting new ideas that
can inspire next gen audiences to act.
Alison was previously the Chief Business Officer, Beauty Collection at Condé Nast, overseeing the
Glamour and Allure brands. Prior to Condé Nast, Alison was Chief Revenue Officer at SoundCloud, and
held multiple executive level positions at NBC Universal, DailyCandy and HBO.
Alison is on the Board of Directors for TRACE, the top global media & digital platform for Afro-Urban
cultures & youth empowerment and is on the Board of Directors for Downtown Music Holdings, a global
company that owns, manages, and develops businesses with a vision for a more equitable and
innovative music ecosystem. Alison is an Advisor to several early stage digital start-ups, and is a member
of Chief, the network of senior women leaders.
Fabienne Kinzelmann is the international correspondent at Handelszeitung, Switzerland’s leading economic newspaper. As part of Ringier AG’s EqualVoice initiative, she has managed a project group which developed and advocated for statistical analysis of the challenges, gender bias workshops & a female expert list.
Säbeen is a Corporate Escape Artist turned social entrepreneur. After leaving a career in online learning and a senior position with Thomson in 2007, she arrived at the intersection of women + entrepreneurship. She went on to lead business incubators across North America with Ladies Who Launch.
In 2011, Säbeen moved to Pakistan and consulted for private & development sectors. She was the Country-Director for Ashoka and Advisor to the US-Pakistani Women’s Council. In 2014, she launched a boutique women-centric consulting company that managed projects such as the World Bank pilot, womenX, which accelerated 250+ women-led businesses.
Säbeen is the brainchild and angel behind doctHERs, Asia’s first Fortune Impact 20 venture. doctHERs reintegrates female healthcare providers into an agile, gender-inclusive workforce and promotes health equity using mobile health and telemedicine. In 2017, as the company pivoted, Säbeen stepped into an operational role. In her first 100 days, she led the company to impact 22K lives and by 2020 doctHERs had been inducted into the Million Lives Collective. Säbeen is passionate about gender equity in healthcare and the workforce, health advocacy, and coordinated care for the elderly.
Säbeen is a Vital Voices Fellow and Social Entrepreneur-In-Residence at INSEAD. She’s an alumna of INSEAD and Harvard Kennedy School. She’s participated in events such as the Women in the World Summit, President Obama’s Inaugural Global Entrepreneurship Summit, G(irls)20 & the Women’s Forum
International humanitarian, outdoor explorer, world traveler, city-dweller, news junkie, writer, amateur cyclist and, incidentally, Chief of Staff and executive communications leader at Verizon.
I’m a results-driven senior advisor and communications leader with a highly successful career enabling Fortune 500 companies and Non-Profit organizations to achieve strategic communications goals across complex & evolving environments. As a well-rounded & innovative comms pro, I have direct experience managing teams & strategies in executive, internal & external communications, as well as in corporate social responsibility and the office of the CEO (something I’m currently building at my current post). I’m known as a global thinker and digitally-savvy go-getter, working every day to position C-suite clients as industry thought leaders and to build cutting-edge 360 communications strategies that engage diverse audiences & positively influence the reputation, impact and bottom line of legendary brands and forward-thinking companies.
Recently named to PRWeek’s 40 Under 40 list of global communications professionals.
A Warsaw-based is a social entrepreneur and executive. Co-founder of initiatives in ethical leadership and education. She served as media NGO executive at the Gazeta Wyborcza Philanthropies – a non-for-profit arm of the largest newspaper in Poland. She worked as media relations consultant for clients such as the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, the Council of Europe and the European Commission. As a consultant in Boston, she worked on implementing public policy reforms on behalf of state governments, incl. the “Obamacare”. A graduate of Cambridge University, Lancaster University and Warsaw University. She is an alumna of the Leadership Academy for Poland, The Aspen Institute CE Young Leaders Program, and the Swedish Institute’s Management Program in Sustainable Development.
Dr. Brianna Newland (moderator) is a Clinical Associate Professor and Academic Director of Undergraduate Programs for the Tisch Institute for Global Sport. Her research and consulting work is focused on gender equity and the role sport and fitness plays across the lifespan. Bri currently serves on the board for iGiant, whose mission is to accelerate the translation of research into gender/sex-specific design elements such as products, programs, policies and protocols. She also serves on the board of Tharros, whose mission is to ensure access to and continued participation in sport for girls and women. As part of her research and consultancy work, Bri is a member of Wasserman’s – The Collective, which is a Think Tank of scholars who work closely with Wasserman to address gender equity issues across all levels of sport. Bri has also served on the Aspen Institute’s Project Play advisory panel to re-imagine school sport, where she advocated for access to sport for girls with a focus on women-specific issues like safe-play, abuse protections, body-related challenges (dysmorphia, confidence, puberty, etc.), and proper equipment and clothing (e.g., proper fitting sports bras, girl-specific equipment). Finally her research includes exploration of pathways for sport participation across the lifespan, with a focus on barriers to girls and women specifically as well as issues such as sexual, emotional, and physical abuse in sport. Bri received a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Texas at Austin.
Claudia Romo Edelman is a social entrepreneur, an advocate and a catalyst for change. She is a global mobilization expert, a captivating public speaker and media contributor, Claudia is a leader of inclusion, focused on unifying the U.S. Hispanic community and promoting sustainability and purpose-driven activities. Claudia is the Founder of the We Are All Human Foundation, a New York-based non-profit foundation, dedicated to advancing the agenda of diversity, inclusion and equity. She is also a Founder and Co-Host of ‘Global GoalsCast’, a podcast which highlights global progress through the stories of champions making a difference. With an extraordinary background with global organizations, including the United Nations and the World Economic Forum, she has worked on humanitarian causes for 25 years with organizations such as UNICEF, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. She has launched hundreds of successful campaigns and initiatives including the SDG Lions and Product (RED). Prior to her role at the We Are All Human, she was seconded to the Executive Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to lead communications and advocacy for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which she was instrumental in their creation and launch.
Claudia was a Jury Member in 2018 and 2019 for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. She also has been a Jury Member of the D&AD Impact Awards, “The One Show”, Catalyst 2030 and Entrepreneurship Sports Generation. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, has been in ALPFA’s Most Powerful Latinas list for two consecutive years, and was part of People magazine’s 25 Most Powerful Latinas in 2020. Additionally, Claudia is a visiting fellow of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and has been published extensively by Adweek, The Guardian, Ad Age, Thrive Global, Forbes, Marie Claire, among others. Claudia is a member of the board of directors of Canoo, the Hispanic Society, KIND (Kids in Need of Defense), Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, and Romemu. Claudia was a professor of marketing for social causes at the University of Geneva. She teaches Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and gives training on public speaking, networking and personal branding. She holds degrees in Communications, Philosophy and Photography, as well as a Master’s of Political Communications from the London School of Economics, and speaks six languages.
Mirai Chatterjee is the Director of the Social Security Unit at Self-Employed Women’s Association, (SEWA), a union that helps almost 2 million members in India obtain work and income security, financial services and primary health care. She joined the organization in 1984.
She is also Managing Trustee of the Lok Swasthya SEWA Trustand responsible for SEWA’s Health Care, Child Care and Insurance programmes. She is currently Chairperson of the National Insurance VimoSEWA Cooperative Ltd and actively involved with the Lok Swasthya Health Cooperative, of which she is a founder.
Ms. Chatterjee serves on the Boards of several organizations, including the Public Health Foundation of India, Save the Children and PRADAN. She was advisor to the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector and is in the Advisory Group on Community Action of the National Rural Health Mission. She was also a Commissioner in the World Health Organization’s Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. She was a member of the National Advisory Council, appointed by the Prime Minister of India in 2010 and was conferred the Global Achievement award by the School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University.
Ms. Chatterjee has a bachelors from Harvard University in History and Science and a masters from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Public Health, USA.
Navroop Sahdev is the founder and CEO of The Digital Economist, a global impact organization with the mission to drive technological convergence toward a human-centered global economy. Along with the world’s most respected digital economists, in 2019 she co-authored “Blockchain Economics: Implications of Distributed Ledgers: Markets, Communications Networks, and Algorithmic Reality”, the first book on the economics of blockchain. She has co-authored Hyperledger’s “Blockchain for Business” online course which has trained close to 200,000 entrepreneurs globally, and counting.
Navroop is currently a Connection Science Fellow at the MIT Media Lab, part of a curated group of top scholars and entrepreneurs in emerging technologies with a track record of outstanding achievement, who are building the future of Distributed Ledger Technologies, Digital Identity and Digital Networks. She is also the founder and CEO of Rethink Markets, a global action-tank focused on the Economics of Emerging Technologies, with the mission to bridge the gap between scholarly economics and business applications.
A pioneering economist and technology futurist, Navroop’s work lies at the intersection of emerging technologies, economic science and business strategy. Navroop is frequently interviewed by Forbes as a subject matter expert on the economics of emerging tech and requested as a keynote speaker at industry conferences. She was listed as one of the Top Blockchain Influencers in 2018 by Media Shower. She holds three masters in IP Management, Economics of Innovation and Applied Economics. Previously, she has worked at Harvard University and the United Nations Environment Programme. In 2017, Navroop served as a United Nations Youth Delegate.
Pioneer Communication Consultant specialized in Equality Programs and Female Leadership . Destined to help Companies, Institutions and Corporations in the development of their Social Responsibility . Objectives: Sustainable Development and the achievement of SDG 5 of the United Nations committed to Gender Equality .
50&50 GL was launched on the market on March 3, 2019 with a great action: the Solidarity Obstacle Race #PorUnMundo5050 . On March 8, 2020, it celebrated its 2nd edition.
On September 27, 2021, it celebrated its III Conference on Women and Leadership at CEOE . Business Summit that promotes Equality, Diversity and Humanist Leadership, through storytelling and inspiration from leading leaders.
The III Youth and Leadership Program #ChicasImparables will be held soon . Leadership training course for girls between 16 and 17 years old.
Gina’s Dream is to reduce inequality, enabling social and economic mobility by building a more inclusive society.
Creating experiences that change mindsets where the greatest prejudices exist between talent, potential and companies.
She has been working with Global organizations to promote a work-inclusive environment that increases inclusive leadership and diversity as an asset.
In 2006, founded Ojos que Sienten, 13 years ago she saw potential where others saw limitation by teaching photography to blind people, offering a tool that allows them to connect with the visual world.
In 2012, founded Capaxia, taking learnings from working with blind people developed a highly successful new approach to lower the impact of our bias designing an inclusive, empathetic and human centered recruitment and development of talent model called: First I hear you then I see you, based on implementing blind interviews, back-to-back, by which recruiting officers can go beyond their own unconscious biases and identify the true potential of future employees for a better match to job roles, better development of their talent and potential within organizations and ultimately promotion to roles that are satisfying to them and benefit their employers. Young Global Leader, World Economic Forum. Ashoka Fellow. World Economic Forum. Ashoka Fellow. Awarded by the Queen of Great Britain a British Empire Medal (BEM) among other recongnisions.
Dr Balbekova has more than 18 years of experience in the field of corporate and international law, international relations, energy and climate, environment, state reforms. Significant experience in the management and operation of NGOs, work in government, cooperation with major international stakeholders, strategic partners and IFIs.
Elena has a master’s degree in law and international economics from Ukrainian universities, master of public administration from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a doctorate in philosophy from one of the world’s best universities, Peking University. Substantial professional and educational background made Dr Balbekova a unique expert in global public policy and governance, development, energy transition and climate change. sustainable development in developed and developing countries. Doctoral studies focus on the sustainable energy transition in the context of the Paris Agreement.
Named by New African Magazine one of the 100 Most Influential Africans of 2018, Heba Aly runs the world’s leading source of original, field-based journalism about humanitarian crises. The New Humanitarian (formerly IRIN News) is an independent, non-profit newsroom reporting from the heart of conflicts and disasters. It amplifies the voices of those affected to inform more effective and accountable responses by the international community. A multimedia journalist by training, Heba spent one decade reporting from conflict zones in the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia before joining the transition team that led IRIN’s spin-off from the United Nations. Her work for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Christian Science Monitor, Bloomberg News and IRIN, among others, has taken her to places like Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Chad, Kenya and Libya; and she received a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting for work in northern Sudan. Her TEDx Talk – “Stop Eating Junk News” – drives home the importance of responsible journalism from crisis zones. Heba is a regular commentator on media coverage of crises, as well as humanitarian aid policy, in her published work, in governmental briefings and at conferences around the world. In 2018, the World Economic Forum named Heba one of 100 Young Global Leaders under 40. She is also a member of the Forum’s Global Future Council for Fragility and Resilience. Heba speaks English, French, Arabic and Spanish.
forum VENUE
hard rock international, davos
Hotel Davos combines the iconic Hard Rock experience you’ve come to expect with the beauty of the Swiss Alps to create a vibe like no other during the World Economic Forum with the meeting, networking, and exchanging world-changing ideas with the most visionary leaders.
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GET INSPIRED.
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Surround yourself with savvy leaders with diverse backgrounds, passions, and pursuits for a day of dynamic exchanges and innovative business ideas. They’ll have you energized and empowered to build a thriving economy, sustainable planet and inclusive world women and girls.
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Have your most-pressing world challenges, concerns, and questions addressed in this open forum. You will receive practical advice, feasible solutions, and innovative ideas on how to fund, launch and solve humanity’s grand challenges that women and girls face around the world
IN SPOTLIGHT
NEWS
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World Woman Hero Karla Welch: Unstoppable Force Behind The Period Company and Women's Rights Advocacy
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Global Voice Honoree Bharat Lal On India’s Equality Moonshot Vision and Global Prosperity
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