Dr. Mantas Adomėnas is a Lithuanian scholar and politician who served in the Lithuanian Parliament (2008-2020). At the conclusion of his third parliamentary term, he was nominated as a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania (2021-2023). In 2023, he was elected a member of the Council of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Dr. Adomėnas worked on a range of issues, including support for democracy, foreign affairs, migration policy, national security, culture and education. He served on international election observation missions to Georgia, Ukraine, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

He is currently a Chief Strategic Officer / Senior Research Fellow at the Baltic Institute of Advanced Technology, and Associate Professor at the Department of Classics in Vilnius University.

Dr. Adomėnas earned his master’s degree as a Classicist at Vilnius University and PhD at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge University. He publishes essays and scholarly articles on topics ranging from Classics to political philosophy and current affairs, as well as novels.

Mansour Almarzoqi is an assistant professor of political science and the director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the Prince Saud Al Faisal Institute for Diplomatic Studies at the Saudi Foreign Ministry.

Previously, Almarzoqi was the vice president for research and strategic studies and director of the Think Tanks Department at the Saudi Center for International Strategic Partnerships in Riyadh. He was also a teaching assistant at King Saud University.

Almarzoqi received his PhD from Sciences Po Lyon, his MA from Sciences Po, and his BA in political science from Oregon State University.

Tarek Ali Ahmad is the Head of the Arab News Research & Studies Unit and its Media Editor. He edits and oversees the award-winning, long-form Deep Dives, the Preachers of Hate series and the Arab News Research Reports.

Notable coverage includes spearheading Arab News’ coverage of the Lebanon conflict, and the 2024 US Elections as well as the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos since 2020. He is also an executive producer of Frankly Speaking, the newspaper’s HardTalk-style interview show. He holds an MA in Human Rights Law from SOAS, University of London, and a BA in Media and Communication from the American University of Beirut.

Jamil Anderlini is POLITICO’s Regional Director in Europe. In this role, he is responsible for driving and implementing POLITICO’s strategy across the entirety of its European business, as well as elevating and strengthening the publication’s voice on the global stage. Having previously managed POLITICO’s European newsroom as Editor-in-Chief, Anderlini’s extensive journalistic achievements and sharp strategic insights have shaped the publication’s success in Europe.

With a deep understanding of both the editorial landscape and the rapidly shifting world of global politics, Anderlini oversaw POLITICO’s expansion across a variety of different markets alongside a unified newsroom strategy with the company’s American operations. An award-winning journalist, editor, and published author, he joined POLITICO from the Financial Times where he spent six years as Asia Editor, Assistant Editor and member of the Editorial Board, overseeing all editorial coverage and strategy throughout Asia. He also previously held roles as Beijing Correspondent and Beijing Bureau Chief for the Financial Times, Beijing Correspondent for the South China Morning Post, and Chief Editor of the China Economic Review.

In addition, Anderlini was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2013.A US and New Zealand native, Anderlini speaks fluent Mandarin.

Andrzej (Andre) Anton - Co-founder and CEO of Autopay, one of the largest financial and technology companies in Poland. Autopay Platform offers a range of tools enabling payments, online verification, AI, and marketing, supporting businesses in their transition from local focus to global expansion. The company’s solutions are used by over 50,000 online businesses and over 12 million people every month. 

Currently, as a board member, he is responsible for the company's strategic development. An innovator, passionate about sustainable development, green energy, and clean transport. Both in his private and professional life, he supports initiatives working towards gender equality in business and public spaces. A graduate of computer science and environmental protection from the Gdansk University of Technology. 

Dr Josef Aschbacher became the ESA Director General on 1 March 2021. In 2023, his mandate as Director General was approved for a further period of four years as from 1 March 2025.

Born in Austria, Josef Aschbacher studied at the University of Innsbruck, graduating with a Master’s degree and a PhD in natural sciences. He has had an accomplished international career in space, combining more than 35 years’ work experience at ESA, the European Commission, the Austrian Space Agency, the Asian Institute of Technology and the University of Innsbruck.

As Chief Executive Officer of ESA, Dr Aschbacher is responsible for the definition, implementation and development of Europe’s space infrastructure and activities, which include launchers, satellites performing Earth observation, navigation, telecommunication and space science, together with robotic exploration and ESA astronauts working on the International Space Station. He is responsible for an annual budget of €7.68 billion and a workforce of 6000 distributed across several establishments, principally in Europe.

When taking up office as ESA Director General, Dr Aschbacher published a new strategy for space in Europe, called 'Agenda 2025', aimed at accelerating significantly the use of space in Europe through major new initiatives and programmes.

From 2016–21, he was ESA Director for Earth Observation Programmes and Head of ESA’s ESRIN establishment in Frascati, Italy. He has been a key leader of the European Copernicus programme, which has grown beyond all expectations and is now considered to be one of the most ambitious and successful Earth observation programmes in the world.

He worked in various functions within ESA from 2001 onwards both in Paris and Frascati. From 1994–2000, he worked at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, in his latest position serving as Scientific Assistant to the Director of the Space Applications Institute. From 1991–93 he was stationed as ESA Representative in Southeast Asia, where he developed projects in the Asian region while, at the same time, working in a full-time academic teaching capacity as Associate Professor at AIT Bangkok.

In 2021, Dr Aschbacher became 'Grande Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana', the highest recognition accorded to non-Italian nationals. More recently, in 2025, Dr Aschbacher was awarded the Grosses Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich by the government of Austria. The award was presented by the Minister responsible for space, Mrs Leonore Gewessler.

Gerry Baker is Editor at Large of The Wall Street Journal. He writes a weekly column for the editorial page of The Journal each Tuesday on politics, economics and culture. Mr. Baker also writes a weekly column on US and global affairs for The Times of London every Friday. He appears frequently as a commentator on TV and other news platforms and is a familiar public speaker to audiences around the world.

Gerry was previously Editor in Chief of The Wall Street Journal. He has been a journalist for more than 30 years, writing and broadcasting for some of the world’s pre-eminent news organizations, including The Financial Times, The Times and The BBC. In 2023 he published his first book, “American Breakdown”, a look at the causes of the crisis of US democracy in the last decade.

Jan Bartkowiak is the President and Founder of Econverse, Poland's leading startup NGO. Selected for Schwarzman Scholars Class of 2026. Rafal Brzoska Foundation Scholar.

Since debuting at the National Stadium in Warsaw in 2022, Econverse supported over 5,000 high school and university students, gaining the backing of leading experts and brands, including Poland’s National Development Bank, Orange, Google for Startups, and Microsoft, and expanded to Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary with Econverse V4 in the Fall of 2024.

For his entrepreneurial accolades, Jan became a Rafal Brzoska Foundation Scholar. He was also recognized as My Company Polska's #1 Young Polish Ambassador 2025, Transcend Network Fellow, and spoke at Said Business School Oxford University, the European Economic Congress 2024 in Katowice, and ImpactCEE 2024 in Poznan. Econverse was also selected Laureate of the Emerging Europe Awards 2023.

Majored in Economics at Minerva University, studying in 7 global cities over 4 years (San Francisco, Seoul, Taipei, Hyderabad, Berlin, Buenos Aires, and London). Engaged in interdisciplinary coursework in Finance, Law, Design, History, Tech, and Public Policy.

At Minerva, Jan founded AI Consensus, a student-led organization that explores how AI can enhance learning and development. Supported by the Responsible Youth Technology Power Fund, AI Consensus has hosted hackathons and events across the globe - from Hyderabad, Paris to London - featuring experts from Samsung and Google DeepMind. The initiative has been featured in Nature and continues to make waves in the student tech community and beyond.

As Founder and CEO she leads Longevity Center to become a leading international medical clinic, specializing in a holistic approach to aging. My focus on business strategy and international business development has been instrumental in our expansion, and my expertise in these areas continues to drive our success. The Longevity Center Method integrates diverse health markers, offering personalized programs that redefine the future of health and longevity.As Founder and CEO she leads Longevity Center to become a leading international medical clinic, specializing in a holistic approach to aging. My focus on business strategy and international business development has been instrumental in our expansion, and my expertise in these areas continues to drive our success. The Longevity Center Method integrates diverse health markers, offering personalized programs that redefine the future of health and longevity.

From February 2024, as an Executive Vice President of the Management Board of Żabka Polska for strategy and development, he focuses on developing and implementing Group's strategy in every area of its operations.

Between 2012 and 2024 as an Executive Vice President of the Management Board and Managing Director of Żabka Polska he was responsible for researching, creating and developing new business areas and technological solution meeting the challenges the industry faces. 

Before taking up his current position, he simultaneously held two posts: Vice President of the Management Board of Żabka Polska for Development (since 2017) and Vice President of the Management Board of Żabka Polska for Finance (since 2015). He has been involved with Żabka Polska since 2011, as a member of the Board of Directors. 

He has extensive experience in investment banking and finance gained in Poland and abroad. He was associated with international banks ABN Amro and BNP Paribas, as well as Procter & Gamble. Since 2007, he held the position of director at Mid Europa Partners fund, where he was responsible for investments in Central and Eastern Europe (including Norican Group, Polskie Koleje Górskie and Żabka Polska).

In 2018 and 2020, he was awarded in the Digital Shapers’ annual survey of outstanding digital and new technology personalities in the “digital transformation” category. 

He is an alumnus of Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Warsaw School of Economics.

Specialisation: European Union, EU foreign and security policy, European global strategy

Małgorzata Bonikowska has a Ph.D. in humanities and she specializes in international relations (with particular emphasis on the European Union) and communication in public institutions.

EU expert, government consultant and academic fellow, graduated from the Warsaw University (Italian studies), University of Paris-Sorbonne (history and political sciences) and the PWST (State College of Theatre) in culture history. Alumnus of two Ph.D. programs: in Poland (Polish Academy of Sciences) and abroad (SSSS, Italy), dr Bonikowska completed a specialization program at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at the Columbia University in New York (Fulbright Scholarship). She is the author of more than 150 publications and tutor of over 100 BA, MA and post-graduated thesis.

Michal Brichta works as the Director of the Slovak Space Office - Industry Branch operating within the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency. Since 2019, he has been responsible for launching and leading the comprehensive development of the national space ecosystem, increasing the Slovak space industry capabilities by 200% and significantly boosting its international presence.

The work of his team consists of a broad variety of innovation-ecosystem-building activities - helping existing tech companies enter the space sector, fostering new startups, enabling technology transfer, engaging private investors, forming new clusters, fostering international business collaborations, as well as building talent and raising awareness about the space sector and its importance for the economy, society, and environment.

Along with his main role, he serves as the Slovak Delegate to the Council of the European Space Agency and a Vice President of the International Astronautical Federation.

He actively supports the democratisation of space and advocates for closer cooperation between the space sector and the broader ecosystem of relevant stakeholders, including a wider range of technology companies, financial institutions, or major users of satellite data and signal. Over the past years, he has also been pioneering new initiatives aimed at unlocking the untapped potential of European space by fostering more efficient integration between its well-established industry and emerging space ecosystems.

Dr. Susanna Cafaro is a professor of European Union law at the University of Salento, Italy, where she holds a Jean Monnet chair.

Since 2018, she has organized the Supranational Democracy Dialogue, an annual event aimed at bringing together scholars, N.G.O. leaders, political activists, international officers, business executives and innovative thinkers to discuss democratic solutions to the big challenges facing humanity.

She sits on the editorial boards and scientific committees of several journals and book series on European and international law, and is the author and editor of more than 90 academic publications focusing on democracy beyond borders, E.U. institutions, European economic and monetary union, E.U. external relations, global economic governance and Euro-Mediterranean relations.

Among other professional roles, she has served as an independent legal expert for international and European law at the European Parliamentary Research Service since 2017. Previously, she was appointed to the Scientific Committee established by the Italian Government for the Conference on the Future of Europe from 2021 to 2022, and was vice president of the Italian Society for International and European Law from 2019 to 2021. She was also awarded a fellowship in the European Central Bank’s Legal Research program in 2021.

Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati (born 11 February 1971) is an Indian politician, who served as the member in the upper house of the Parliament of India.

He is heir to Kolhapur royal family as the 13th direct descendant of the Maratha king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and great-great-grandson of Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu of Kolhapur.

Low profile and soft-spoken, he was the face of Maratha protest for reservation in 2011–19. He is currently an independent politician.

On 11 June 2016, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by then-President of India, Pranab Mukherjee.

On 12 May 2022, he founded Maharashtra Swarajya Party, a social organisation.

In July 2024, he, along with hundreds of his supporters, staged a march to the Vishalgad Fort. Violence broke out in Gajapur village, 3 km away from the fort, where his followers vandalized and ransacked several properties belonging to Muslim families.

Chung-li Wu is Distinguished Research Fellow, Institute of Political Science, Academia Sinica, and also Adjunct Professor of Political Science, National Chung Cheng University. In the past years, my research interests have focused on three academic fields including electoral studies, party politics, and minority politics.

In regard to electoral studies, the related topics have included straight-ticket and split-ticket voting, electoral stability and change/volatility, the impacts of evaluating the government performance upon electoral choices, research controversies over local factions in Taiwan’s politics, political analyses of the judicial domain, and appraisals and critiques of multi-member districts with a single nontransferable voting (SNTV) system.

In laying emphasis on party politics, the topics I have researched include analyzing and evaluating the candidate selection system, discussing the concept of party identification, and comparing the causes and consequences of divided and unified government at both the central and local levels with the relationship between the executive and legislative branches.

In relation to minority politics, I have continued to study the political attitudes and voting behavior of African-Americans in the United States. Of particular note, I have recently made more of an attempt to cite Western theoretical perspectives, and employ them to the study of ethnic politics in Taiwan, e.g., the impacts that political empowerment may have on the political attitudes and voting behavior of minority ethnic groups, including the Hakka and Mainlanders.

Prime Minister of New Zealand (1999 - 2008)

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator (2009 - 2017)

Helen Clark is a respected global leader in sustainable development, gender equality and international co-operation. She served three successive terms as Prime Minister of New Zealand between 1999 and 2008. While in government, she led policy debate on a wide range of economic, social, environmental and cultural issues, including sustainability and climate change.

Following her tenure in government, Helen Clark assumed the role of Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for two terms from 2009 to 2017, becoming the first woman to lead the organisation. Concurrently, she chaired the United Nations Development Group, overseeing coordination among all UN funds, programs, and departments dedicated to development issues.

In 2019, Helen Clark became the patron of The Helen Clark Foundation and remains actively engaged in various international organizations, continuing her advocacy for sustainable development and gender equality on a global scale. She was honored with the Order of New Zealand in 2009, the highest civilian honor in the country.

Mathias Cormann is the 6th Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). He took up his duties on 1 June 2021.

Mathias Cormann is the OECD's sixth Secretary-General, his five-year term having commenced on 1 June 2021.

Working with OECD members, his priorities as Secretary-General are:

·      Promoting policies to secure strong, sustainable, inclusive and resilient economic development and growth;

·      Providing global leadership on climate action to help secure global net zero by 2050 by facilitating the diffusion of evidence based best policy practice and improved international cooperation;

·      Seizing all the opportunities of the digital transformation and AI while mitigating and better managing all of the evolving associated risks and disruptions;

·      Promoting well-functioning global markets and a global level playing field with a rules-based trading system in good working order;

·      Advancing OECD standards through membership and partnerships and a sound approach to sustainable development.

Prior to his appointment to the OECD, Mathias served as the Australian Minister for Finance, the Leader of the Government in the Australian Senate and as Federal Senator representing the State of Western Australia.

In these roles, he has been a strong advocate for the positive power of open markets, free trade and the importance of a rules-based international trading system.

Mathias was born and raised in the German-speaking part of Belgium.

He migrated to Australia in 1996, attracted by the great lifestyle and opportunities on offer in Western Australia.

Before migrating to Perth, Mathias had graduated in law at the Flemish Catholic University of Louvain (Leuven), following studies at the University of Namur and, as part of the European Erasmus Student Exchange Program, at the University of East Anglia.

Between 1997 and 2003, he worked as Chief of Staff as well as Senior Adviser to various State and Federal Ministers in Australia and for the Premier of Western Australia.

Between 2003 and 2007, Mathias worked for major Western Australian health insurer HBF in a range of senior management roles.

In 2001, realising a childhood dream, Mathias obtained his private pilot’s licence.

Mathias grew up speaking German and graduated in law following studies in French, Flemish and English.

He is married to Hayley, a Perth lawyer, and they have two young daughters, Isabelle and Charlotte.

Mr Filip Czernicki is a Doctor of Law, attorney-at-law, and expert in aviation law, corporate governance, and project management. He has several years of experience in the aviation sector, having led strategic projects at Polish Airports (PPL), including Chopin Airport’s expansion and the launch of Modlin Airport. He also chaired the Supervisory Board of Szczecin-Goleniów Airport.

He is a certified PRINCE2 project manager and has managed investment portfolios and corporate structures within PPL. Beyond his professional work, he has long been active in the non-profit sector, co-founding the student legal clinic network and coordinating free legal aid initiatives, including support for Ukrainian refugees through ELIL.

A graduate of the University of Warsaw and the German Law School (with the University of Bonn), he speaks English, German, and Russian fluently.

Joe Daly is the Global Managing Partner of Gallup’s Public Sector Group and member of the company’s board of directors. Joe leads a growing business division focused on helping organizations leverage research and analytics to help better societies and workplaces. Gallup’s Public Sector Group works with a broad range of institutions including global philanthropies, K-12 schools and universities, government agencies, and mission-driven corporations.

Joe and his team partner with organizations to create the world’s official statistics of work and life. Current examples include wellbeing, loneliness, financial inclusion, digital connectedness, food insecurity, global risk and modern slavery. The global statistics are all enabled by the Gallup World Poll. Since 2005, the Gallup World Poll has collected the voice of the world in more than 160 countries and regions, representing over 98% of the world’s population.

In addition, Joe is a passionate advocate for accelerating the impact of higher education and government through CliftonStrengths® and building thriving public-sector workplaces. This far-reaching mission continues to make a positive impact on the lives of educators, government workers and hundreds of thousands of high school and college students every year.

In addition to his work at Gallup, Joe serves as chairman of the board of directors for Lemonade Day, a national philanthropy dedicated to youth entrepreneurship and financial literacy. Joe also serves on the board of trustees at the Meridian International Center, focused on strengthening U.S. diplomacy around the world.

Media 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.

Recently Dash launched World Woman Hour, the largest digital micro-storytelling platform in partnership with WPP and Facebook Watch with a massive reach of 42.7 million digital footprints, featured of NYSE Opening Bell Ceremony and UN Women.

Dash is the first Indian American managing director of the world’s largest women’s entrepreneurship network recognized by the White House. 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 villages.

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 the International Indian Film Market, Arkansas Cinema Society, and Board of Trustees of the Russian Women’s Federation in Moscow.

Beata Daszyńska-Muzyczka is a graduate of economics universities, specializing in corporate financial management, and of the Advanced Leadership Programme at the ICAN Institute in cooperation with Harvard Business Review. She also completed studies at the University of Cambridge.

From 1994 to 2016, she worked at Bank Zachodni WBK (Santander Group), where she led the implementation of strategic projects, including the introduction of a new branch model and the MiniBank24 electronic banking system. She was responsible for the restructuring and optimization of banking processes. From 2005, she managed the Logistics and Real Estate Division, and in 2008 she became a member and later Chair of the Supervisory Board of BZ WBK Nieruchomości. From 2012, she was responsible for the organizational culture transformation project “Bank of the New Generation” and took the position of Director of the HR Partnership Division. Following the successful implementation of numerous strategic initiatives, she was appointed a member of the Management Board of BZ WBK in 2015.

Andrzej Domański is a member of the Polish Parliament of the 10th term.

Over the years, he has been involved in the Polish capital market as analyst, fund manager, as well as investment director and board member of domestic and international financial institutions.

From 2008 to 2019, he managed equity funds and was also investment director and member of the management board in domestic and international financial institutions.

He worked as analyst and equity portfolio manager at KBC TFI (2008-2010), manager and director of fund management of Noble Funds TFI (2010-2016).

From 2016 to 2019, he was member of the management board of Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Eques Investment TFI (responsible for the Capital Markets Department, fund management, as well as macroeconomic and equity market analyses).

From 2020 to 2023, advisor to the biotechnology startup Auxilius Pharma. Member of the Supervisory Boards of XTPL (2020-2023), Movie Games (2022) and Auxilius Pharma (Chairman of the Supervisory Board).

He was chief economist of the Civic Institute and co-author of the Civic Platform’s economic programme.

Andrzej Domański is a three-time winner of the "Alfa" award for the best stock market fund manager and the "Złoty Portfel" award of stock market newspaper “Parkiet”. He holds a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) certificate.

He was a behavioral finance lecturer at Łazarski University and lectured mitigation and adaptation strategies in the face of the climate crisis at SWPS University in Warsaw.

In his professional career, he has gathered more than 25 years’ of comprehensive experience from companies at various stages of development, within banking and financial market institutions, Green Energy, and Real Estate. During his business career he has been associated with PKO Bank Polski, supervising the areas of financial risk planning and control, as well as the area of risk and debt collection from 2008 to 2011 and since March 2024 as a Vice President of the Management Board responsible for Finance and Accounting.

In 2012 the President of the National Bank of Poland awarded him for services to the banking sector of the Republic of Poland.

His core field of interest are banking energy transformation. He is the Head of the Committee for Hydrogen Technologies and Energy Storage of the Polish New Mobility Association. In 1998, he completed an internship at the Depository Trust Company in (New York), and a course for candidates for investment advisors and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He passed the EFPA ESG Advisor certification exam in 2023.

He graduated from the Warsaw School of Economics in finance and banking. He also completed postgraduate studies in philosophy at Collegium Civitas as well as:

• Erasmus University Rotterdam - Principles of Sustainable Finance under the guidance of the esteemed Professor Dirk Schoenmaker
• University of Pennsylvania - ESG Risks and Opportunities
• Wharton School - Global Trends for Business and Society

He is husband to Łucja and a father to two daughters, Nina and Gaia. He actively practices triathlon and supports the development of this sport as a board member of the TRICLUB ASSOCIATION. He is also involved in the development of education as a member of the management board of a private secondary school and a member of the EFPA Foundation Council, where he promotes high ethical and professional standards in the financial consulting segment

Katarzyna Dubno is Public Affairs, ESG & Market Access Director at Adamed Pharma and a member of the company’s Management Team. She has worked at Adamed Pharma since 2010 and is responsible for the company’s global activities in public relations and public affairs, ESG strategy, as well as the development and implementation of reimbursement strategies for Adamed’s product portfolio.

She is a co-founder and Management Board Member of the Adamed Foundation, whose flagship initiative, ADAMED SmartUP, supports young talents in the exact and natural sciences. She also serves as Vice President of the Management Board of the Polish Association of Pharmaceutical Industry Employers – Medicines for Poland.

In 2024, she was ranked among the top five of the 50 most influential women in the Polish healthcare system by Rynek Zdrowia.

She is a graduate of the Warsaw School of Economics and has completed postgraduate studies at the French Institute of Management as well as the Strategic Leadership Academy at the ICAN Institute.

Daniel is an Adviser and Solution Architect at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in the Innovation Hub where he builds technology solutions for the central banking community with a special focus on payments, digital currencies, blockchain and financial market infrastructure.

Before the BIS he led the CBDC work at R3, was a principal software engineer and a technical educator.

He started his career as a commander in the military and holds an honours degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Toronto.

A resident of Warsaw, mother of Alex, local government activist, politician, MP for the 10th term Sejm.

She was born and raised in Warsaw. In the capital, she learnt and shaped the values that guide her. Nearly ten years ago, she became the youngest councillor in the history of the capital. As a councillor, she actively supported the fight for clean air, creating new places in crèches and kindergartens and planning the expansion of road infrastructure and public transport.

Her commitment and close contact with the inhabitants led to her gaining record support nationally in the last local elections, with nearly 33,000 people casting their vote for her. She also co-created the victorious election campaign of the current Mayor of the City of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, being his spokesperson.

2019 was a special year for me, both personally and professionally. In June, I gave birth to Aleksander, and just a week later, I was elected vice-president of the Warsaw City Council. It was also in autumn 2019, from the last place on the list, that I was elected as an MP for the 9th term Sejm. 

She wants to use her many years of local government experience to make Poland modern, green and friendly to its residents and inhabitants. She breaks the stereotype that politics wears a tie; she believes that an influential politician can be a young, courageous person using innovative solutions.

Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) at Ringier Axel Springer Poland, journalist and co-host of the Forbes Women podcast, and trainer. She has 15 years of experience in communications and has been actively promoting equal representation of women and men in the media through the #EqualVoice initiative, believing that media play a crucial role in shaping societal awareness of equality.

She is a speaker at business conferences, sharing her expertise in equal opportunities, gender rights, and communication, and works as a trainer in the fields of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Mr. Górski graduated from the Foreign Trade Faculty at the University of Gdańsk.

Having completed professional internships in the banking sector (Kiel, Germany, 1988-89) and in insurance sector (Zurich, Switzerland, 1990-91) he was employed at the Ministry of Privatisation first as a Deputy Director of the Foreign Relations Department, and then as the Head of the Ministry’s Information Centre. In 1993 he became the President of the Polish Agency for Foreign Investments, responsible for supporting international investments in Poland and for the global promotion of Poland.

In 1995, he started his business career in private equity business as member of the management boards of three fund management companies: Polskie Towarzystwo Prywatyzacyjne - Kleinwort Benson, BRE Private Equity and Everest Capital Polska.

In 2021, Mr. Górski started his entrepreneurial career and has since been the President and principal shareholder of Polskie Towarzystwo Prywatyzacyjne Sp. z o.o. and later also of Aurum Venture Capital Fund Ltd. providing investment consulting services and investing in Polish companies. Currently, he is a shareholder in many entities, mainly concentrated in two large industrial companies: ERGIS GROUP (production of plastic packaging) and MERA PNEFAL GROUP (real estate and metal processing industry).

In the last twenty years he has been a member of supervisory boards of more than twenty companies operating in various sectors and industries.

Marek Górski is actively involved in the leading Polish employers' organization - Konfederacja Lewiatan, serving as Deputy Chairman of the General Council, and previously as Deputy President for many years. On March 25, 2025, he was appointed for a 3-year term of office as President of the Lewiatan Confederation and took up his position on June 26, 2025.

Specialties: mergers and acquisition, restructuring companies, investment management.

The Chancellor of the University of Warsaw is a manager with many years of experience in leadership roles across both the public and private sectors. He previously served as Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, specializing in economic diplomacy and innovation.

He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and The New School University, and has completed prestigious executive and management programs at the University of Oxford, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard University.

Iliana is an entrepreneur, author, adjunct professor, and speaker focused on empowering individuals and organizations to thrive in the age of AI. She has over a decade of experience working across multinationals, NGOs, and startups in Kenya, China, the UK, Australia, and Germany, with a focus on the intersection of technology and wellbeing.

She has delivered workshops and keynotes at institutions including the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics, and events such as the Digital Ethics Summit and the Future of Digital Wellbeing Summit.

Coming from Seoul, South Korea, Joon served in the Republic of Korea Army where he worked at the Joint Security Area along the Demilitarized Zone. He served as the student body president for the Columbia College Student Council. Tireless advocate of student issues, he talked at a press conference organized by the New York State Attorney General as a student leader to speak against the Trump Administration's rule that deports international students. Pre-COVID, you could have seen him acting in Lerner Black Box with Latenite and getting kbbq in K-town.

Taras Andriiovych Kachka (Ukrainian: Тарас Андрійович Качка), born on 28 November 1979, is a Ukrainian public official and economic policy expert. He served as Deputy Minister in key economic ministries from 2019 to 2025 and has been Vice Prime Minister since 2025.

He holds a law degree (LL.B.) from MNTU and a Master’s degree in Law from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Early in his career, he worked at the Ministry of Justice and later became Director of the Department of International Economic Relations at the Ministry of Agrarian Policy. He also served as Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine and Acting President of the Chamber in 2015–2016.

Kachka subsequently worked with the International Renaissance Foundation as Deputy Executive Director and Strategic Advisor. In September 2019, he was appointed Deputy Minister for Economic Development (later Deputy Minister of Economy) and became Ukraine’s Trade Representative. In July 2025, he was appointed Vice Prime Minister for European Union and NATO Integration in the government of Yuliia Svyrydenko.

Mariusz Kaczmarek, based in Poland, is currently a Managing Director at Totalizator Sportowy.

Mariusz Kaczmarek brings experience from previous roles at Totalizator Sportowy and PrivatBank. Mariusz Kaczmarek holds a 2012 - 2013 IESE Business School. With a robust skill set that includes Strategia IT, Zarządzanie kadrami, Zarządzanie relacjami biznesowymi, Analiza biznesowa, Zarządzanie dostawcami and more. Mariusz Kaczmarek has 2 emails on RocketReach.

Washington-based American journalist, media executive and venture capitalist.

Today he advises media and other companies, and serves as Editorial Chair of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks and Editor-at-Large of The Arsenal, a new publication focused on national security and defense tech. He is a senior strategic advisor with New Vista Capital. Matt also writes and speaks on global affairs. He is the co-founder of POLITICO Europe, a pan-European publication created in 2014 that quickly established itself as the dominant media company in Brussels. He is also the former Editor-in-Chief of POLITICO in 2018-2023, leading the publication through its sale to Axel Springer. Matt also serves on the boards of the Partners Group (Asia), World.Minds and the Center for European Policy Analysis. 

He was a foreign correspondent, opinion writer, and editor at The Wall Street Journal in Brussels, Paris and New York, and started his career at the Financial Times, reporting on the former Soviet Union. He was awarded an Overseas Press Club Prize and named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the conflict in Ukraine. 

Matt was born in Warsaw, raised in the U.S. and educated at Yale. He lives in Washington with his wife and two children.

Senior executive with two decades of track record at the intersection of public policy and financial markets, both on the sell and the buy sides, with key connections in Washington DC and in select G20 capitals.

Excels in identifying high-yield investment opportunities via in-depth analysis of macroeconomic indicators, policy shifts and political events; leveraging expertise in federal legislations, regulations as well as geopolitical factors.

Journalist and Director of RASP Foundation.

Founder and former Editor in Chief Forbes Women Polska and Newsweek.pl. For 20 years journalist, producer and manager in Polish and international media: Newsweek, Forbes, CNN and CNN Radio, TVN24, Polsat, TRK Ukraine, Radio Free Europe. Responsible for a successful digital transformation in Newsweek Polska and Forbes Polska.

Managed news departament in largest polish television, Polsat (CNN Affiliate). Trained in CNN Headquarter in Atlanta and cooperated with CNN International for 3 years. In Ukraine she worked as a senior consultant for TV and online news (TRK Ukraine, Tochka.net) My expertise covers digital and legacy media: tv, radio, online publishing and distribution. I am a feminist and equality advocate.

Parag Khanna is a leading global strategy advisor, world traveler, and best-selling author. He is Founder & CEO of AlphaGeo, an AI-powered geospatial analytics platform.

Parag's latest book is MOVE: The Forces Uprooting Us (2021), which was preceded by The Future is Asian: Commerce, Conflict & Culture in the 21st Century (2019). He is author of a trilogy of books on the future of world order beginning with The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order (2008), followed by How to Run the World: Charting a Course to the Next Renaissance (2011), and concluding with Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization (2016).

He is also author of Technocracy in America: Rise of the Info-State (2017) and co-author of Hybrid Reality: Thriving in the Emerging Human-Technology Civilization (2012).

Parag was named one of Esquire’s “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century,” and featured in WIRED magazine’s “Smart List.” He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics, and Bachelors and Masters degrees from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He has traveled to more than 150 countries and is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.

Michał Kobosko (born 1968), politician, journalist and media manager. He has been studying at the Warsaw Technical University, the American Study Center at the Warsaw University. Graduated from the SWPS University in Warsaw (Management and Leadership studies).

Gained his professional journalist experience in the early 1990s while working for "Gazeta Wyborcza". Later acted as a Deputy Editor-in-Chief of "Puls Biznesu" (Bonnier Business Press). In 2004 he joined Axel Springer group. He worked there as a Editor-in-Chief of a newly introduced Polish edition of "Forbes". For three years, since October 2006, he acted as Editor-in-Chief of “Newsweek Polska”. In 2009 he was responsible for an editorial merger of “Dziennik. Polska-Europa-Świat" with “Gazeta Prawna”. He became a first Editor-in-Chief of the “Dziennik Gazeta Prawna”.

In 2011 he joined Platforma Mediowa Point-Group, where he was responsible for negotiations with Bloomberg L.P. resulting with a launch of “Bloomberg Businessweek Polska”. Later he became the editor-in-chief of WPROST newsweekly, a position he held until January 2013.

Since that Kobosko has been involved in a large number of new projects, including a Polish edition of Project Syndicate, where he was an editor until late 2016. Starting October 2013 he became a Director of Poland Office at the Atlantic Council (www.acus.org), where he served as the Senior Advisor. In 2015 he has been hosting a morning on-line TV political talk-show broadcasted by Wirtualna Polska (www.wp.pl).

He was a member of the board of the Junior Achievement Foundation (www.junior.org.pl) and the Leopolis for Future Foundation (www.leopolisforfuture.pl).

Since late 2019 he became actively involved in Polish politics. Joined the 2020 presidential campaign of Szymon Holownia, an independent and non-partisan candidate (the third result in 2020 election). Together with Holownia Kobosko started forming a new political movement of Poland, called Polska 2050.

Svitlana KOVALCHUK is the current Executive Director of Yalta European Strategy (YES). She joined YES in 2016 from German Development Cooperation “Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer die International Zusammenarbeit Gmbh” (GIZ). There, from September 2014 to April 2016, Dr. Kovalchuk was the Director of the Project for Strengthening Capacities of the Ukrainian Emergency Services. Numerous projects were implemented under her leadership, including the construction of seven IDP settlements and the establishment of the humanitarian aid to the cities in Eastern Ukraine. Previously, in 2010-2014, Dr. Kovalchuk was a Deputy Director of Advisory Services and Capacity Development for EURO 2012 project of GIZ. Her responsibilities were marketing and tourism development of four host cities in Ukraine. Dr. Kovalchuk began her professional career at the National Television Company of Ukraine in 2005. There, she headed the Ukrainian delegation at the Eurovision Young Musicians in Vienna, Austria in 2008, and later at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv in 2009. Dr. Kovalchuk holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Institute for International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and an MBA from the MBA International SIC Academy. Dr. Kovalchuk speaks fluent English, German, Russian and Ukrainian.

Journalist, media analyst, political scientist. Author of political science and media studies science papers and reports. Experience in relations from the polish parliament, congresses, social, political, economic events.

With Business Insider Polska since May 2022, co-host of the Onet Rano Finansowo program. He focuses on the links between business and politics, as well as industrial production and retail, and is therefore interested in everything created with consumers and households in mind. When it comes to numbers and data, he looks at the decisions and motivations behind them.

A journalist since 2015, previously associated with Dziennik Gazeta Prawna. Outside of work, he is a PhD candidate at the Doctoral School of Social Sciences at the University of Warsaw and a member of the Media Studies Research Laboratory.

Magdalena Krakowiak is the Head of the International Public Affairs Team at Adamed Pharma S.A., Vice-Chairwoman of the European Standards Medicines (ESM) — an industry committee of the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham) Vietnam, and Adamed’s representative in Medicines for Europe.

She has gained extensive international experience working across various markets in Europe and Asia, having lived on both continents, including nearly ten years in Vietnam. Since 2018, she has been professionally involved in the pharmaceutical sector.

Magdalena proudly represents the European pharmaceutical industry on the international stage, actively contributing to shaping and ensuring pharmaceutical resilience policies in Poland and the European Union.

She is a graduate of the Faculty of Management at the University of Warsaw.

Krzysztof Krawczyk is a Head of Warsaw office and a Partner at CVC Capital Partners, one of the world’s leading private equity and investment advisory firms. He is also a board member of CVC’s portfolio companies, PKP Energetyka, Zabka, D-Marin, AR Packaging and Stock Spirits Group.

Krzysztof has over 20 years of successful track record in European private equity and he served on the boards of numerous private and publicly-listed companies in telecom, media, manufacturing, logistics and healthcare sectors throughout CEE region. Prior to joining CVC, Krzysztof was Managing Partner at Innova Capital, a leading mid market private equity firm in Central Europe.

Krzysztof also worked at Pioneer Investment, a Poland-based private equity fund, and Daiwa Institute of Research, an advisory arm of Japanese investment bank Daiwa. He is a member of The Polish Business Roundtable, an association of founders and CEOs of the largest companies operating in Poland. He is also a Board Member of the TVN Foundation and of the Valores foundation, the first venture capital fund in the CEE region.

Krzysztof graduated with honors in Finance & Banking from the Warsaw School of Economics and is also an alumnus of the Executive Program at Harvard Business School. Krzysztof has been named the PE Person of the Year for 2015, 2017 and 2023 by members of Polish Private Equity Association. 

Alfred Kubczak serves as Director of Corporate Affairs and Advisor to the Management Board at the Żabka Group. He is also the proprietor of Vitare Consulting, a firm specialising in brand strategy and communication management. With over 25 years of executive experience, Mr. Kubczak has held leadership roles across sales, marketing and communications within the retail sector. He was instrumental in establishing the communication and corporate affairs departments at Shell Polska and Jeronimo Martins Polska, subsequently overseeing them for many years. During his service at Royal Dutch Shell, he contributed to the global External Affairs (EA) team, delivering marketing and communication projects across numerous European and non-European markets. Mr Kubczak is a graduate of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and the Católica Lisbon Executive Program. He currently serves as a Board Member of the Polish Organisation of Trade and Distribution. 

Alfred Kubczak pełni rolę dyrektora ds. korporacyjnych i doradcy zarządu w Grupie Żabka. Jest także właścicielem firmy Vitare Consulting świadczącej usługi w zakresie strategii marek i zarządzania komunikacją. Od ponad 25 lat związany z zarządzaniem w obszarach: sprzedaży, marketingu i komunikacji w sektorze handlu detalicznego. Między innymi tworzył działy komunikacji i spraw korporacyjnych w Shell Polska oraz w Jeronimo Martins Polska, którymi następnie przez wiele lat kierował. W Royal Dutch Shell, w ramach struktur globalnego zespołu EA, realizował projekty marketingowe i komunikacyjne na kilkunastu rynkach europejskich i poza Europą. Absolwent Kellog School Of Management At Northwestern University i Catolica Lisbon Executive Program. Członek Zarządu Polskiej Organizacji Handlu i Dystrybucji. 

Grażyna Kulczyk is a renowned entrepreneur and patron of the arts who, for over four decades, has been one of Poland’s most accomplished businesswomen.

Her remarkable career spans multiple sectors and has had a significant impact on Poland’s post-communist economic transformation. Together with her late husband Jan, Grażyna created the “Wonder Team,” which played a key role after the systemic transition in restructuring, building, and expanding various industries in Poland, including automotive, brewing, and infrastructure. Independently of the family business, she also initiated and developed her own progressive ventures in manufacturing, distribution, and construction.

In 2004, following many years of artistic and philanthropic activity, Grażyna Kulczyk founded her flagship cultural initiative, the Art Stations Foundation. The foundation became the largest non-governmental cultural organization in Poland, establishing and running nearly 1,500 cultural and educational projects.

The foundation was headquartered in the carefully restored and expanded Old Brewery (Stary Browar) in Poznań—an 8-hectare post-industrial complex that became one of the first and most important retail-and-cultural centers in Europe, repeatedly awarded in Poland and internationally. This success led to her being invited as an expert to development projects in Europe and the United States that combine business and cultural functions.

In December 2018, after three years of meticulous renovation and expansion of a former medieval monastery, Grażyna Kulczyk opened the Muzeum Susch in the Swiss Alps, which quickly gained recognition as one of Switzerland’s most important museum institutions. The museum is known for its commitment to rewriting art history in order to give voice to overlooked or misinterpreted avant-garde women artists. The foundation’s activities also include research and residency programs focused on matrilineal studies and excellence in writing.

Grażyna Kulczyk’s interests extend beyond art and business. She finances pioneering technological ventures addressing systemic global challenges, supports women’s entrepreneurship, and promotes equal representation of women in STEM and other male-dominated industries.

Her contribution to the art world has been substantial. She served as a member of the International Council and REEAC at Tate Modern (2012–2018) and as the first European board member of the Modern Women’s Fund Committee at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Her achievements have earned her significant recognition, including the title of European Cultural Investor of the Year 2019, the World Woman Hero in Art award and a philanthropy award at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2024, as well as repeated inclusion on ARTnews’ list of the “Top 200 Collectors” worldwide.

Aleksander Kutela joined Ringier Axel Springer Polska in August 2015. In February 2016, he became COO of Ringier Axel Springer Media AG, and in September 2018, following the merger of the companies within the Onet-RAS Polska Group into a single legal entity, he assumed the position of Vice President of the Management Board of Ringier Axel Springer Polska. In September 2022, he was appointed CEO of Ringier Axel Springer Polska.

Between 2000 and 2015, Aleksander Kutela served as President of HBO Polska and Vice President of HBO Europe (2007–2015).

Jolanta Kwaśniewska is a Polish lawyer, social activist, and former First Lady of the Republic of Poland (1995–2005), the wife of President Aleksander Kwaśniewski.

She is widely known for founding the “Agreement Without Barriers” Foundation, which supports people with disabilities and those in need. She is also recognized as a style icon, a co-author of books on etiquette, and a television host.

Her work combines professionalism with charitable and media activity, promoting family values. She graduated from the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Gdańsk.

Aleksander Kwaśniewski is the former President of the Republic of Poland (1995 – 2005). He was born on the 15th November 1954, in Białogard, Poland.

He participated in the famous “Round-Table” negotiations in Poland that finally brought the peaceful transformation of Poland and the whole Central and Eastern Europe from communism to democracy. A co-founding member and first chairman of the Social Democratic Party of the Republic of Poland. He won the presidential elections for the first time in 1995, starting against Lech Walesa. Co-author of the new democratic Constitution of Poland, which he signed into law on July 16th, 1997.

A great advocate of Poland’s membership in both NATO and the European Union. It was under his leadership that Poland finally joined NATO in 1999. He is an active supporter of further alliance enlargement under the "open door" policy. A strong proponent of European integration, Kwaśniewski campaigned for approval of the European Union accession treaty in 2003, and saw Poland become a member on May 1, 2004.

Aleksander Kwaśniewski was one of the leading figures in European Politics. Author of numerous local and regional initiatives, decisively joined the global war on terror and backed the decision to send Polish troops to the war against Saddam Hussein. Long – standing supporter of Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty, Aleksander Kwaśniewski inspired the international mediation efforts during the 2004 Orange Revolution, helping the young democracy in Ukraine to prevail.

During his Presidency, he couragesly confronted the past, significantly contributing to the reconciliation between Poles and the German, Jewish and Ukrainian people.

On March 7, 2006, Kwaśniewski was appointed Distinguished Scholar in the Practice of Global Leadership at Georgetown University, where, as a visiting faculty member, he taught students in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service about contemporary European politics, the trans-Atlantic relationship and democratization in Central and Eastern Europe. He is a member of the Atlantic Council of the United States, Chairman of the Board of Yalta European Strategy, Founder of the Amicus Europae Foundation. Until November 2013, President Kwaśniewski co-lead the European Parliament monitoring mission in Ukraine to monitor the criminal cases against Yulia Tymoshenko, Yuriy Lutsenko and Valeriy Ivaschenko.In 2020 he become Chair of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Commission on Drugs and He is a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy.

Chief executive of CEPS, the leading independent European think tank – or European policy lab, and debating European and global policy issues all the time.

Independent director of BME (Bolsas y Mercados Espanoles), the listed company that manages the Spanish securities markets (2006-2018); member of foundation boards and advisory councils.
Author of several books and of numerous articles and op-eds on financial markets and European policy matters.

Holds a baccalaureate in philosophy (1984) and a MA in modern history (1985) from the University of Leuven, Belgium and obtained a postgraduate in European studies (Centre d’Etudes européennes, CEE) from the University of Nancy, France (1986). Worked for STUC (students’ cultural centre in Leuven), did a stage in the EU Commission (spokesmen’s service in Jacques Delors’ time), was employed by an Italian agro-food company (Ferruzzi of Raul Gardini) and a professional association, and active as free-lance journalist.

Dr. Katarzyna Lasota Heller is a dual-qualified lawyer (Switzerland & Poland) and founding partner of LEXcellence Legal Services, specializing in FinTech, Blockchain, IT Law, IP, and new technologies, with over 20 years of experience, lecturing at universities, and leading the Swiss-Polish Blockchain Association.

She holds extensive experience from top international firms like DLA Piper and CMS, focusing on regulatory compliance, data, e-commerce, and digital assets.

CEO of HealthAI - The Global Agency for Responsible AI in Health, a non-profit foundation based in Geneva.

Founder & President of ‘UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health’, a network of 500+ current and former members of parliaments, congresses and senates, in 120 countries, in partnership with the World Health Organization.

Chair of the ‘Global Health Policy Lab’, a collaborative between Charité – University Medicine Berlin (Center for Global Health) and Harvard (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Health Systems Performance Lab), based in Berlin.

Chair of the ‘Centre for Global Health’ at NOVA IMS – NOVA Information Management and Data Science School (Portugal).

Core member of the UK National Commission of Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare, by appointment of the Government of the United Kingdom.

Former Member of Parliament (Portugal, 4 terms) and former Vice President of the Social Democratic Party Parliamentary Board.

Mayoral candidate and Councilor of Sintra (2021-2025). Former Deputy Mayor and Councilor of Cascais (2015-2017) responsible for health, employment and international relations.

Awarded by ‘The Economist’ as a ‘HCV Change Maker’ (2016) in recognition of his leadership in the field of hepatitis c.

Prior to his election as an MP, practicing physician for 7 years, including a 5-year infectious diseases residency and internship at the World Health Organization (Copenhagen). He has also worked nearly a decade as a consultant in health information technologies.

Volunteer doctor in the COVID Emergency Room at the Cascais Hospital for over a year during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the summer of 2022, served as a medical volunteer at the Lviv Regional Hospital in Ukraine after the invasion.

PhD external student at Maastricht University having completed post-graduate studies in universities including Johns Hopkins, Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Medical School.

Founder of ‘CREATING HEALTH – Research and Innovation Funding’ (http://creatinghealth.ics.lisboa.ucp.pt) and co-founder of the ‘Estoril Conferences’ (www.estorilconferences.com).

Member of networks including European Young Leaders (Friends of Europe), Responsible Leaders Network (BMW Foundation), Atlantic Council, German Marshall Fund and ZEIT Stiftung. 2024-2025 Obama Leader.

Author of the book ‘Road to a Cure - Realities and proposals to reform the National Health Service in Portugal’ (D. Quixote, PT, 2020) and main author of the book “Citizenship for Health” (Universidade Católica Editora, PT, 2015) among other publications.

Member of the Management Board of ORLEN S.A. since 6 February 2024.

Witold Literacki is a graduate of the University of Silesia (Social Sciences) and holds an MBA from the Lublin Business School in cooperation with the University of Central Lancashire (UK). He is an expert in finance and taxation with extensive experience in the fuel and energy sector, gained in both Polish and international companies.

Previously, he served as CFO at PERN S.A. (2022–2023) and at PZL-WZM S.A. (2020–2022). From 2008 to 2020, he held senior tax leadership roles at PKN ORLEN, overseeing tax strategy across the ORLEN Group in Poland and abroad. Earlier in his career, he worked with RWE Stoen, Carrefour Polska, Arthur Andersen, and the Polish tax administration.

Clare Mahon is Managing Director for Europe, Middle East & Africa at the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC). Clare is an experienced business leader in the non-profit sector, with a proven background in membership development and engagement, strategic business-planning and enabling transformation, product development and financial growth.

Clare brings over fifteen years’ experience in Finance, Human Resources, Strategic Planning, Customer Service and Operational Management with a unique ability to achieve people optimization through buy-in to vision and change strategies. Clare was previously Director of Executive Programs and Councils Europe, for The Conference Board, a position she held for nearly five years. She was also the Vice President and member of the Professional Women International Board, for the Brussels chapter of PWN Global.

Clare holds an MBA from The Open University Business School, a Diploma in Hotel Management, Executive Program in Management & Philosophy at Solvay Business School Economics & Management, Advanced Program for Executive Search and Leadership Consulting at Cornell University, is a Licentiate of The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development CIPD.

Clare who has a passion for enabling learning, knowledge sharing and personal development. Is a member of the working groups of ACCELERATE and ME-TOTEM – two European funded projects working towards gender balance and diversity in the workplace and is currently studying Sophrology.

Felix Maradiaga is a recognized expert in public policy and political strategy across Central and South America. His extensive experience in public sector reform, social entrepreneurship, and organizational capacity development provides him with a comprehensive understanding of improving government-to-citizen engagement from the perspectives of government, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations.

Mr. Maradiaga currently serves as a Professor of Practice on Global Democracy at the University of Virginia (UVA), a Senior Fellow at Florida International University (FIU), and a Visiting Faculty at Johns Hopkins University, where he focuses on democracy building, governance, and civil society's role in resisting authoritarianism. He is also the Chair of the "End Arbitrary Detention Global Initiative."

As a frequent practitioner of applied political economy analysis, Mr. Maradiaga regularly provides complex analytical services to better understand the intersection of political will, economic conditions, and pragmatic development solutions.

In his public service career, he served as Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense and Director-General of the Office for Follow-Up on Compliance with the Peace Accords in Nicaragua. Through extensive community engagement, he played a pivotal role in strengthening legislative and policy frameworks, disaster management, humanitarian response, and the disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, reintegration, and resettlement of former combatants.

Upon transitioning to the non-governmental sphere, he founded the Civil Society Leadership Institute, a pioneering institution promoting non-violence and social innovation. In 2012, he co-founded a global social impact investment firm focusing on value chain improvement and the business-enabling environment in Latin America, particularly in agriculture and renewable resources. With expertise in policy reform, organizational capacity development, and economic growth, Mr. Maradiaga applies a multidisciplinary perspective to strategic planning and political-economic analysis.

A trusted representative and advisor, he has frequently engaged with government officials, major donors, private sector leaders, and multilateral organizations, driving innovation and collaboration. He has authored over 140 publications on topics related to governance, democracy, and development.

Mr. Maradiaga holds a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University and a Master of Engineering in Renewable Energies from Universidad de Barcelona (Spain).

Oleksandra Matviichuk is a human rights defender who works on issues in Ukraine and the OSCE region. At present she heads the human rights organization Center for Civil Liberties, and also coordinates the work of the initiative group Euromaidan SOS. The activities of the Center for Civil Liberties are aimed at protecting human rights and establishing democracy in Ukraine and the OSCE region. The organization is developing legislative changes, exercises public oversight over law enforcement agencies and judiciary, conducts educational activities for young people and implements international solidarity programs.

The Euromaidan SOS initiative group was created in response to the brutal dispersal of a peaceful student rally in Kyiv on November 30, 2013. During three months of mass protests that were called the Revolution of Dignity, several thousand volunteers provided round-the-clock legal and other aid to persecuted people throughout the country. Since the end of the protests and beginning of Russian aggression in Ukraine, the initiative has been monitoring political persecution in occupied Crimea, documenting war crimes and crimes against humanity during the hybrid war in the Donbas and conducting the #LetMyPeopleGo and #SaveOlegSentsov international campaigns to release political prisoners detained by the Russian authorities.

After the beginning of new armed aggression in February 2022, the Euromaidan SOS initiative restore their work. Among other tasks, their volunteers are documenting the events which have signs of crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in all regions of Ukraine which became the targets of attacks of the Russian Federation.

Oleksandra Matviichuk has experience in creating horizontal structures for massive involvement of people in human rights activities against attacks on rights and freedoms, as well as a multi-year practice of documenting violations during armed conflict. She is the author of a number of alternative reports to various UN bodies, the Council of Europe, the European Union, the OSCE and the International Criminal Court.

I advise boards, owners and senior leaders on executive appointments and leadership decisions at moments of transition, growth and strategic change.

I am the Founder and Managing Partner of Meissner & Partners Executive Search and Leadership Advisory, an independent firm operating across the USA and Europe, with offices in Warsaw and Washington, DC. Since 2010, together with my Partners, I have been building a practice focused on board-level executive search and long-term leadership effectiveness, working with organizations where leadership quality directly shapes outcomes.

Meissner & Partners is a member of Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC). I am an active member of the AESC IDEA Council for Africa & Europe.

Alongside advisory work, I serve as a Non-Executive Director at Smartschool, a U.S.-based company, and as a Trustee of the Universal Reading Foundation. I am also an investor and co-managing partner in healthcare businesses, with previous ventures successfully exited to larger market players.

My work is informed by a deep understanding of generational shifts, ownership dynamics and the human side of leadership systems. I am engaged in selected pro bono initiatives supporting the development of future leaders, particularly at the intersection of education, responsibility and social impact.

I hold a degree in Management from the International Management School FP in Warsaw and was a scholarship recipient of the ECES Program by the U.S. Congress at Georgetown University and the University of Wisconsin. I hold an Advanced Certificate in Executive Talent from Cornell University (2024) and have completed executive coaching and organizational systems programs accredited by the ICF. I am certified in MPA® and EASI® assessment tools, as well as in Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) and Hogan Assessments methodologies, supporting executive selection, leadership development and board-level decision making.

Earlier in my career, I held senior leadership roles in international publishing and led marketing for a U.S. pharmaceutical corporation, gaining first-hand experience of operating at scale in complex, global environments.

Rafał Modrzewski is the CEO and co-founder of ICEYE, a company building the world’s largest commercial constellation of microsatellites equipped with SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar), providing access to timely and reliable Earth observation data. ICEYE was the first company to successfully miniaturize a SAR satellite, delivering up to 100 times greater cost efficiency compared to traditional solutions. Thanks to its satellite constellation, ICEYE offers partners unprecedented imaging capabilities, including faster and more frequent access to any location on Earth.

Since the launch of the project in 2012, which led to the founding of ICEYE together with Pekka Laurila in 2014, Rafał Modrzewski has been responsible for overseeing the company’s growth and implementing ICEYE’s global strategy. In 2018, he was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe in the Technology category, in recognition of ICEYE’s breakthrough achievements in satellite technology.

Prior to founding ICEYE, Modrzewski conducted research on innovative products at VTT (Technical Research Centre of Finland) in the department focused on RFID technologies and wireless sensor networks. He also studied electronics at the Warsaw University of Technology, where he co-founded the Multimedia Technologies Student Research Group. He continued his education in radio engineering at Aalto University, where he led the team responsible for onboard data processing for Aalto-1, Finland’s flagship satellite project.

Born on 30 September 1992 in Myślenice.

Miłosz Motyka holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental Engineering and is a graduate of the University of Agriculture in Kraków. Actively involved in social and civic engagement, he served as President of the Forum of Young People’s Party Members from 2017 to 2023. He is also a graduate of the School of Political Leaders.

Since 2019, he has served as the spokesperson and Secretary of the National Council of the Polish People’s Party (PSL). From 2024, he has been a councillor of the Małopolska Regional Assembly, where he serves as Vice-Chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection and Public Safety.

Since December 2023, he has held the position of Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Climate and Environment, where he was responsible for renewable energy sources and the power sector.

Nader Mousavizadeh is the Founding Partner and CEO of Macro Advisory Partners. Nader has spent the past 20 years in leadership positions in global institutions at the intersection of geopolitics, policy and markets. Prior to founding MAP, he was Chief Executive of Oxford Analytica (2000-2013), a leading global analysis and advisory firm. Previously, he was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, where he worked in the mergers and acquisitions group in New York and London.

Before entering the private sector, Nader served at the United Nations where he was Special Assistant to the Executive Office of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan from 1997-2003, and a UN political officer in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Nader is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College and a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford where he received his M.Phil. in international relations from Christ Church College. He received his MBA as a Sloan Fellow at the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Nader is a widely published contributor of essays to The Financial Times, The New York Times and Foreign Policy. In 2012 Nader co-authored, with Kofi Annan, Interventions: A Life in War and Peace, and is the editor of the Black Book of Bosnia, published in 1996.

Nader is a member of the global board of directors for the World Resources Institute. He is a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Future Council on Geopolitics and was elected by the WEF as a Global Leader for Tomorrow.

Małgorzata Mroczkowska-Horne is Director General of the Lewiatan Confederation, the largest Polish employers’ organization. She is a legal counsel by profession and an expert in business law, in particular Polish and EU competition law, and gender equality in the labor market.  Małgorzata is an enthusiast and a practitioner of new technologies, including digital solutions at work. She is a regular speaker at international conferences on matters related to law, competitiveness, economics, agile business solutions, business security and diversity, equality and inclusiveness in business.

As a commercial lawyer, from 2005 to 2024 she managed competition law practices in international law firms, as a partner in the last 5 years.  She also served as a non-governmental advisor to the president of the Polish Competition Authority (the UOKiK) as part of the International Competition Network (2010 – 2014).

She is a graduate of King's College London, where she completed postgraduate studies in the field of EU competition law (2007) and the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warsaw (1997).

She is a member of the District Chamber of Legal Advisers in Warsaw and the Association of Competition Law (the SPK) as well as a member of the Social Dialogue Council.

In 2024, Małgorzata was ranked in Forbes’ Top 25 Women Lawyers in Business.

In 2025, Małgorzata co-founded a Polish Inhouse Lawyers Association (PILA).

Since 2019, Małgorzata has been working as a mentor and a judge in hackathons organized by Wolters Kluwer. In addition, she is a mentor in the programs of BNP Paribas Bank SA and the Women in Law foundation. She is a member of the ThinkTank Executive Network.

Co-Chief Executive Officer (co-CEO) and Member of the Management Board at Autopay SA, responsible for day-to-day business operations, product commercialization, sales, and business development. He also serves as a Member of the Supervisory Boards of WeNet Group and sportbm Ltd.

He brings over 25 years of experience in modern technologies, digital payments, telecommunications, and innovation. He began his professional career in large corporate organizations, including BIG Bank Gdański(now Bank Millennium) and Polkomtel SA, and has been associated with the Autopay Group since 2007.

Wojciech is a graduate of Gdańsk University of Technology, Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics, and completed an Executive Program in Strategy and Organization at Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

He is a co-founder of Remedium Rehabilitation Center Ltd., Cloud Services Ltd., and the originator and founder of sportbm Ltd. He actively supports educational initiatives focused on developing future-ready competencies, serving as a mentor in programs such as APLO by the Humanites Institute and Leopolis for the Future.

A strong advocate of teamwork and high-performing organizations, he believes that well-applied technology can become a powerful enabler of business growth, safety, and positive social impact. Privately, he is a husband and father of three, and a lifelong sports enthusiast.

Dr. Martha Namundjebo-Tilahun, is the Chairperson of the United Africa Group, a privately owned multi-billion-dollar business conglomerate in Namibia that has been in operation since 1992.

The inauguration of the Hilton Windhoek, the first five-star Hotel in Namibia, and the 1990- Freedom Plaza  Mixed Used Property Development in the CBD of Windhoek, is her latest development. Her passion and determination to succeed has been the engine that has driven her through seemingly impossible situations to become the Chairperson of over 42 highly diversified subsidiaries of her company. While the Hospitality portfolio is the pinnacle of her business, financial services, property development, as well as energy development are ventures that the group has also pursued with success.

Martha attributes her success not only to her determination to succeed but also to her ability to positively harness diversity for the benefit of her companies and the people she works with. Martha’s tenacity and resilient attributes were inherited from her late father who instilled in her the drive to take risks as a tool to break walls of failure.  Martha is married to her friend and business partner, Haddis Tilahun an entrepreneur in his own right, together they have three children.

Martha obtained a Master of Business Administration in Finance from the University of California Berkley, USA; a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Santa Clara, California, USA and Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and Management from St. Paul’s College, Lawrenceville Virginia, USA. 

Since 1990 he has worked as a journalist; first for the local and then national media. He worked for the “World of English” magazine (Europe), then completed a number of professional TV and radio attachments in the BBC and ITN in London and Manchester.

From 1999 (with intervals) he has worked for Polish Public Television Channel 1 as a journalist and current affairs programmes’ presenter (e.g. “Interview of the Morning”, “Channel One Interview, “Kawa czy Herbata, and others). He has specialized in interrogative political interviews (and interviewed many distinguished politicians, e.g. Pat Cox, Romano Prodi, Lech Walesa, Vicente Fox, Martin Schultz and others). Laureate of the professional stage programme by the British Council “BAS Top People Project” (2004) in BBC World Service in London (shadowing the director of the BBC World Service). Occasionally, he reports on selected issues for the BBC 5 Live (European Constitution Summit, European Elections). Professional placement completed with BBC World’s HARDtalk programme (2005) working on interviews with international politicians including Hamid Awaluddin, Indonesian Justice minister or Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, NATO Secretary General. He is interested in the development of civil society.

He is a journalism and media skills coach providing training for young journalists and business people. He ran a journalism workshop for “European Summer Academy”, Cologne, Germany. Business Communication coach for the “Worldwide Professional Development Centre”, Warsaw.

Currently, he is a host of current affairs programmes on Polish Public Televison Worldwide. He also organises Oxford style debates at the Warsaw University and “Encounters” debates organised by Oxbridge Society Poland.

Privately, he is interested in drama and theatre. He worked as a director and an actor of radio dramas. He is a vice president of British Alumni Society, and a member of Oxbridge Society Ppland. Honorary member of Cambridge Overseas Trust.

Salvatore Nigro is a visionary leader for youth empowerment who currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of JA Europe. His personal journey reflects a profound dedication to fostering youth entrepreneurship and employability, and he is committed to creating opportunities for the next generation. As the head of Europe’s largest provider of education programs for entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy, Salvatore continues to inspire and embolden young leaders across the continent.

His journey to JA Europe followed twelve years at Education for Employment (EFE), where he served as CEO for Europe and Global VP. There, he led business development, partnership management, and program implementation across Europe and extended his efforts to support operations in the Middle East and North Africa. Previously, he held various positions at the Glocal Forum, driving global initiatives through multi-stakeholder partnerships with the World Bank, UN Agencies, and Fortune 500 companies. Salvatore’s commitment to making a positive difference in the world was showcased by organizing one of the largest concerts for children in conflict areas, “We Are the Future,” alongside Quincy Jones.

Salvatore earned an MBA from the University of Malta, as well as MA degrees in International Strategic and Military Studies and International Political Science from LUISS University.

Alojzy Zbigniew Nowak (born 20 March 1956[2]) is a Polish economist. In 2020, he was elected Rector of the University of Warsaw.

In 1984, he graduated with a master's degree from the SGH Warsaw School of Economics.In 1991 he earned his PhD in economic sciences at the University of Warsaw. He received tenure in economic sciences in 1995, at the same university. Between 1996 and 2002, he held a position of an associate professor. By the decision of President of Poland he received professor degree in 2002. He served two terms as a dean of the Faculty of Management of the University of Warsaw (2006–2012 and 2016–2020). In the year 2012–2016 he served as prorector at the University of Warsaw.

He also worked as an associate professor at University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Exeter University and Free University of Berlin.

In 2015, he was named a member of Andrzej Duda's presidential think-tank National Development Council. Between 2017 and 2020 he was a member and the secretary of the board of the Powszechny Zakład Ubezpieczeń. Since 2017 he is a Chairman of the Board of the University Sports Association of Poland, the biggest student association in Poland.

Currently, Prof. Panda is based in Stockholm, and Heads the Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs (SCSA-IPA) at the Institute for Security and Development Policy, Sweden. He is also a Senior Fellow at The Hague Center for Strategic Studies in the Netherlands.

As a senior expert on China, East Asia, and Indo-Pacific affairs, Prof. Panda has testified to the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission at the US Congress. He is the Series Editor for Routledge Studies on Think Asia (a Taylor and Francis outfit), and also the Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Asian Public Policy (JAPP: Routledge), an SSCI journal. 

Absolwent Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu na kierunku: Zarządzanie i Marketing oraz Advanced Management Program w IESE Business School.
W latach 1999 – 2019 związany z branżą rynków kapitałowych oraz bankowości inwestycyjnej, pełnił kierownicze role w Grupie Santander (dyrektor sprzedaży, członek zarządu domu maklerskiego), Société Generale (ECM Director Poland), PKO Banku Polskim (Dyrektor Domu Maklerskiego, dyrektor Centrum Bankowości Prywatnej).
W ponad 20-letniej karierze zawodowej brał udział w ponad 80 transakcjach na rynku kapitałowym w Polsce i Europie Środkowej.
Od stycznia 2022, Dyrektor w Żabka Group, odpowiada za rozwój korporacyjny oraz relacje inwestorskie.

A graduate of the University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznań in the field of Management and Marketing and the Advanced Management Program at IESE Business School.
In the years 1999-2019, he worked in the capital markets and investment banking industry, he held managerial roles in the Santander Group (sales director, member of the management board of the brokerage), Societe Generale (ECM director Poland), PKO Bank Polski (Managing Director, Head of Brokerage & Investment Banking, Managing Director of PKO Private Banking).
In his 20+ years of professional career, he has participated in over 80 capital market transactions in Poland and CEE.
From January 2022, Director at Żabka Group, responsible for corporate development and investor relations.

Janusz Reiter is a senior Polish diplomat, public intellectual, and expert on international relations and security policy. His mission is to work for a free, democratic Poland, in an united and strong Europe, and transatlantic community.

He served as the Polish Ambassador to Germany from 1990 to 1995, where he played a crucial role in reshaping Polish-German relations. In 1996, Ambassador Reiter founded the Center for International Relations, an independent think tank based in Warsaw that focuses on foreign and security policy. In 2005, he was appointed as Poland’s Ambassador to the United States. After returning to Poland in late 2007, he took on the role of Poland’s Special Envoy for Climate Change.

Janusz Reiter has received numerous honors, including the Federal Cross of Merit with Star and Ribbon from the Federal President of Germany, along with several honorary degrees and awards. He has been a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow of the Robert Bosch Stiftung, and a Bucerius Fellow at the Hamburg Institute for Advanced Study. He has authored and co-authored numerous books, policy papers, and articles.

Reiter has also served on the boards of several Polish and international companies, including the media company Presspublica, DaimlerChrysler, SwissRe Europe, HypoVereinsbank, and Vattenfall Europe. He is currently a member of the Supervisory Board of Solaris Bus & Coach, Erbud, and ERGO Hestia.

Alexander Romanishyn is a policymaker and economist, and a former Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine. He is a Board Member at ISE Group – a think tank and corporate accelerator recognized by the Financial Times among the leading innovation hubs in Europe. 

His work focuses on public policy, corporate finance, digital transformation, and resilience, supporting economic, innovation, and digital strategies across Ukraine, the EU, the United States, and Canada.

In the private sector, Alexander has led M&A and corporate finance transactions across Central and Eastern Europe with EY, Midland Group (UK), and Volwest Group. 

He has contributed to research and policy work with Martens Centre, CSIS, and CRDF Global, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and hybrid threats.

Alexander holds a Master’s degree in Finance and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, and actively mentors founders across the European innovation ecosystem.

Rafał Rosiński holds a PhD in Economics and works at the Koszalin University of Technology, where he previously served as Vice-Dean for Student Affairs. In 2008, he earned his doctoral degree in economic sciences from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Gdańsk. His academic output includes over 50 publications, among them two monographs and several articles published in international journals. In 2009, he received the main award of the “Golden Wings of Gazeta Prawna” for the best book in the “Taxation” category.

Earlier in his career, Rafał Rosiński served as Vice Marshal of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship and was a long-standing member of the Regional Assembly of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship.

For more than 15 years, Rafał Rosiński has been affiliated with the Polish Economic Society. Between 2020 and 2024, he served as President of the Koszalin Branch of the Society, was a member of the National Board, and is currently a member of the Scientific Council of the Polish Economic Society.

The Executive Director of the Global Fund is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the Global Fund’s operational and administrative functions. Working under the guidance of the Global Fund Board, the executive director defines the partnership’s strategic vision, and is accountable for its implementation and the results achieved. The executive director serves a four-year term.

Peter Sands became the executive director in March 2018.

A former Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered PLC, one of the world’s leading international banks, Sands was a research fellow at Harvard University between 2015 and 2017, dividing his time between the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Global Health Institute. During his period at Harvard, he worked on a range of research projects in financial markets and regulation, fintech and global health.

Samir Saran is the President of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and Chair of CyFy: The India Conference on Technology, Security and Society.

He is co-founder and the curator of the Raisina Dialogue, India's premier platform on geopolitics and geoeconomics.

Samir is a commissioner on the Global Commission for the stability of Cyberspace, an international multistakeholder body working to discover and detail the norms and rules that will help in managing cyber regimes implicating international security.

He is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Geopolitics and member of its South Asia Advisory Board where he consults on digital and tech sector issues.

His latest publication, New Norms for a Digital Society, outlines rights and responsibilities of stakeholders in evolving digital spaces. Samir has frequently been featured in national and international publications and his opinions are regularly featured in the top newspapers and websites in India and abroad.

Samir has a PhD in climate studies, a Masters in media studies and is an electrical and electronics engineer. He is consulted by governments and the corporate sector on specific projects.

His latest book is on India's Climate Identity published by Palgrave, London.

A graduate of High School No. 1 in Bydgoszcz and Oxford University.

He served as a war correspondent in Afghanistan and Angola (1986–1989). In 2002–2005, he was a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., and the executive director of the New Atlantic Initiative.

Radosław Sikorski was Minister of Defence (2005–2007), Minister of Foreign Affairs (2007–2014), and Speaker of the Sejm (2014–2015). In 2019–2023, he was a Member of the European Parliament, sitting on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Security and Defence Subcommittee. He chaired the Delegation for relations with the United States.

He is a Senior Fellow at the Center for European Studies at Harvard.

As Poland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, he launched, together with Carl Bildt, the EU’s Eastern Partnership. He proposed and helped to establish the European Endowment for Democracy and the Solidarity Prize.

In 2014, he headed the EU mission to Kyiv, which stopped the bloodshed on the Maidan.

He was listed among the Top 100 Global Thinkers by the Foreign Policy magazine for “speaking the truth, even when it is not diplomatic”.

He is the author of several books, including: Dust of the Saints: a Journey to Herat in Time of War, Full circle. A homecoming to free Poland, The Polish House: an Intimate History of Poland, Communism-freed Zone. An Interview, Poland Can Be Better. Behind the Scenes of Polish Diplomacy, and Poland. The State of the State.

Internationally recognised leader, speaker, editor, innovator and strategist, with more than two decades of wide-ranging experience in research publishing, research environments at the academia/pharma interface as well as academia.

Max Song is a venture builder, entrepreneur, investor, and researcher specializing in digital sustainable finance. He is currently a Strikeforce Fellow and Entrepreneur-in-Residence for Peter Diamandis’ private office, working across investment, venture creation, speaking, and writing. Previously, he was an investment and venture partner at a Hong Kong–based family office, focusing on technology research and investments.

He was part of the inaugural Schwarzman Scholars cohort, completing a master’s degree at Tsinghua University with a thesis on U.S.–China cross-border renewable energy investments. His background includes research in genetic engineering at NASA Ames for the iGEM competition, co-founding Brown University’s first startup accelerator, and serving as a Teaching Fellow at Singularity University.

Kiara is a Program Director at Yunus Environment Hub, where she leads global programs focused on strengthening social business ecosystems and addressing environmental challenges. She works with public institutions, multilateral organizations, and private sector partners to support locally driven solutions.

She previously worked at Microsoft and Amazon in roles related to digital innovation, sustainability, and product strategy. Kiara is a member of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers community in Munich and mentors young innovators through EuroTeQ Collider, UNDP Youth4Climate, the Mercedes-Benz beVisioneers Fellowship, and the 3ZERO Club. She also contributes to the YOUNG Forum and volunteers with Tafel München and Bahnhofsmission München.

Andrii Ivanovych Sybiha (Ukrainian: Андрій Іванович Сибіга), born on 1 January 1975, is a Ukrainian diplomat and senior public official. He has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine since 2024.

Sybiha is a graduate of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, where he earned degrees in International Relations (1997) and Law (1999). He has been professionally affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine since the late 1990s, steadily advancing through its diplomatic structures. From 2008 to 2012, he served as Minister-Counsellor at the Embassy of Ukraine in Poland, and later became Director of the Consular Service Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In 2016, he was appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey, a position he held until 2021. Following this, he served as Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine from 2021 to 2024. In April 2024, he was appointed First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and in September 2024 he assumed the office of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, a role he continues to hold.

I specialize in designing highly reliable electronics working in radiation environments like space or particle accelerators. Most of my systems are used in scientific installations or science experiments. One example of the big systems I designed is the power control of the CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
At the same time, I have experience operating big scientific machines like the LHC.

I am a strong team player focusing on achieving results on time and supporting wide collaboration across the organization. I enjoy sharing my knowledge by actively participating in conferences, lecturing students, and communicating science to the general public by being a CERN guide as well as participating in media visits at CERN.

On my days off, I'm outside testing my limits on multi-day mountaineering expeditions in the Alps/Himalayas, traveling in remote places or sailing into the unknown.

Ambassador Kurt Volker is a leading expert in U.S. foreign and national security policy with 35 years of experience in a variety of government, academic, and private sector capacities.  He served as U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations from 2017 to 2019, and as U.S. Ambassador to NATO from 2008-2009.  Ambassador Volker is President and Founder of Alliance Strategic Advisors, LLC, and has previously served as a Director of CG Funds Trust and the Wall Street Fund.  He also serves as Senior International Advisor at BGR Group, which provides government relations, public relations, and business advisory services to a wide array of clients.  

In June 2020, Amb. Volker was named a Distinguished Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA).  From 2012-2019, Ambassador Volker was the founding Executive Director of The McCain Institute for International Leadership, a part of Arizona State University based in Washington, DC.  He remains a Senior Advisor at the Atlantic Council; a Trustee of the American College of the Mediterranean in Aix-en-Provence, France; a Trustee of the Hungary Initiatives Foundation; a member of the GLOBSEC International Advisory Board; and a member of the International Advisory Board of the U.S. Institute for Peace.  He has taught Transatlantic Relations at The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs and is a member of that School’s Board of Advisors.  He contributes regularly to public policy debates, through op-eds, articles, speeches, and television appearances for a wide variety of outlets.

Ambassador Volker began his career as an intelligence analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency in 1986, before joining the U.S. Foreign Service in 1988.  He left the State Department in 2009 as a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service.  In all, Amb. Volker, has 25 years of experience working on European policy under five U.S. Administrations.   

From 2017-2019, Ambassador Volker was the U.S. government’s most senior representative focused exclusively on ending Russia’s occupation of parts of Ukraine and bolstering U.S. and European support for Ukraine.   As U.S. Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) from July 2, 2008 until May 17, 2009, he was deeply involved in pushing back on Russia’s invasion of Georgia, the ramp up of military efforts in Afghanistan, the return of France to NATO’s military structure, the enlargement of NATO to 28 members, and NATO’s 60th Anniversary Summit in Strasbourg, France. 

From July 2005 until June 2008, Ambassador Volker served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, where he oversaw strategic planning and congressional relations, and was responsible 78 overseas posts, 300 domestic employees, and a budget of $400 million.  Ambassador Volker previously served at the National Security Council (NSC), and in the Private Office of NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson. From 1997-1998, he worked on foreign policy matters for Senator John McCain. 

Ambassador Volker has a B.A. from Temple University and an M.A. from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.  He speaks Hungarian, Swedish, French, some Spanish, and is studying Georgian. 

Prince Michael of Liechtenstein graduated from the Vienna University of Economics and Business with a master’s degree in business administration. During his studies, he worked with banks and manufacturing companies in Canada, the United States and Belgium.

From 1978 to 1987 he worked for Nestlé SA in the fields of controlling, marketing and management in various markets throughout Europe and Africa.

In 1987 he returned to Liechtenstein where he took over the position of Managing Director with Industrie- und Finanzkontor Ets., a leading trust company with tradition and expertise in long-term, multi-generational preservation of wealth, family values and businesses. Today, Prince Michael of Liechtenstein is the company’s executive chairman.

He is also founder and chairman of Geopolitical Intelligence Services AG, publisher of Der Pragmaticus and a co-founder of the International Institute of Longevity and Longevity Center.

Prince Michael of Liechtenstein is a member of various professional organizations such as STEP, and is Chairman of the European Center of Austrian Economics Foundation in Vaduz.

Johannes von Thadden is the CEO of Draco Aircraft in Warsaw, Poland.

From 2020 to 2023, he served as the CEO of Airbus Poland, where he successfully restructured the company. Prior to this, he was responsible for Airbus’s worldwide space business, valued at 3 billion euros.

During 2007 to 2017, he held various leadership roles in Airbus, including a board position at Astrium, the company’s space division.

In politics, he was the Director General of the Christian Democratic Union from 2003 to 2007, managing the election campaign that led to Angela Merkel becoming Chancellor in 2005.

From 2011 to 2024, he was appointed by the German government to lead the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation.

He holds a PhD in economics and was awarded Germany’s Order of Merit.

Ms Magda Wierzycka qualified as a Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries (Edinburgh) in 1994. With more than 20 years’ experience in the South African asset management industry, she has published widely in the field and served as board member of the Actuarial Society of South Africa.

Her career began in 1993 as product development and investments actuary at Southern Life, where she designed and managed index-tracking funds, followed by two years at Alexander Forbes as an investment consultant.

In 1997, she joined Coronation Fund Managers as Head of Institutional Business and as a director, where she grew the institutional assets under the management of the company fivefold. Ms Wierzycka left Coronation in 2003 to start IQvest, a hedge-fund company. Later that year, after selling IQvest to the African Harvest group, she was appointed CEO of African Harvest. Under her stewardship, the assets under the management of the company grew from R10 billion in 2003 to R35 billion in 2006. After negotiating the sale of African Harvest Fund Managers to Cadiz Financial Services in 2006, she led the management buy-out of the remainder of the African Harvest group, which resulted in the formation of Sygnia.

Ms Wierzycka grew Sygnia’s assets from R2 billion to R238 billion in September 2019, leading Sygnia to become the second largest multi-management company in South Africa. Sygnia was listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on 14 October 2015 (the share offer was 20 times oversubscribed).