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Luis Portalez Derbez

Experimentation and Impact Measurement Director, Institute for the Future of Education, Tecnológico de Monterrey

Luis Portales Derbez holds a Ph.D. in Social Sciences and a Master’s degree in Digital Transformation and Business Development. He currently serves as the Head of the Experimentation, Impact Measurement, and Writing Lab area at the Institute for the Future of Education at Tecnológico de Monterrey, where he leads experimental initiatives aimed at improving teaching and learning processes in Higher Education and Lifelong Learning. He is also a professor and researcher in the field of social and administrative sciences, and has authored several books and articles in indexed journals. Throughout his career, he has led applied research projects using the Action Research methodology, contributing to academic knowledge and the wellbeing of individuals in vulnerable situations. He was a professor and researcher at the University of Monterrey (UDEM), where he directed the Center for Wellbeing Studies and co-founded the Social Transformation Lab. Since 2013, he has been a member of Mexico’s National System of Researchers (Level I).

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Grace Clapham

Value Architect; Tech Humanist; Founder and Director, The Worth Club

Grace Clapham is a Tech Humanist, Value Architect, and multi-hyphenate systems thinker reimagining how we build lives, technologies, and ecosystems that foster human and societal flourishing. With over 20 years of experience spanning big tech, community design, leadership development, and social innovation, she helps individuals and institutions rearchitect how we live, lead, and build in a tech-driven world. Grace operates at the intersection of innovation, identity, and impact. As former Director of Community Partnerships (Product & Programs) at Meta, she led ecosystem strategy and product-market expansion across APAC and EMEA—supporting thousands of partners and building programs that shaped the future of digital belonging. Today, she sits on multiple boards, advises impact-driven companies, serves as a fractional executive for tech-enabled startups, coaches individuals, and teaches innovation and community strategy at leading universities. A four-time founder and global ecosystem builder, Grace has collaborated with a wide spectrum of organisations—from mission-led startups to institutions like BMW, PwC, AIA, the UN Foundation, Danone, and Hyper Island. Her work spans strategy, community architecture, leadership development, and innovation consulting—helping organisations cultivate values-aligned growth, foster internal leadership, and build solutions that meet real human needs. Known for building transformational programs, products, and movements that raise human consciousness and bridge innovation with identity, strategy with soul, and conscious tech with societal impact, Grace brings a rare versatility and depth to every engagement. Her philosophy is rooted in systems thinking: transformation must be personal, organisational, and societal. She challenges inherited narratives around self-worth, success, and wealth—supporting individuals and leaders to reclaim agency, reimagine value, and design resilient growth in an AI-shaped world. As a trauma-informed financial wellbeing educator and facilitator, she also advocates for more equitable, embodied systems of capital and care—particularly for women, minorities, and globally mobile professionals. Grace’s inquiry lives at the edges: Where does identity meet infrastructure? How can we build ethical products that reflect both individual agency and collective responsibility? What becomes possible when we embed belonging—not just efficiency—into the design of systems, platforms, and leadership? Through initiatives like The Worth Club—a movement and methodology sparking a worth revolution where individuals rewrite internalised narratives around wealth, leadership, and value, anchored in her Worth-Centred Leadership framework—and Parenting in (β)eta, a digital hub helping caregivers raise safe, empowered children in a rapidly evolving digital world, Grace continues to shape new paradigms for personal, digital, financial, and societal well-being, ethical innovation, and leadership rooted in worth. She has spoken at 90+ global events, delivered 200+ workshops, built communities of 30,000+, and been featured in over 50 publications. Recognised as one of Asia-Pacific’s most influential voices, she’s received accolades including Asia’s 50 Women Leaders and the Global Talent Unleashed Award judged by Richard Branson and Steve Wozniak. Grace is unwavering in her mission: to help us scale deeply, not just widely—and ensure our definitions of growth include dignity, justice, and joy. Her work is an invitation to rethink what we measure, honour, and invest in—so we can shape the culture and values of the future.

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Werner Binnenstein-Bachstein

Director, Community Arts Laboratory, Porticus; Co-Founder and Chairman, Community Arts Network

Werner Binnenstein-Bachstein joined Porticus in 2013 as Regional Director for CEE/MENAT. In 2016, he assumed a new role as Director of the Community Arts Laboratory (CAL) within Porticus. CAL concentrates on arts initiatives with a social impact and on creating an international network in this field. He is the co-founder and chairman of the Community Arts Network (CAN).

Until 2013, Werner worked at Caritas Vienna, where he fulfilled multiple roles: Starting as a socio-political advisor and head of the Immigration Department, he ultimately became the CEO. Previously, he was director of the Competence Centre for NPOs at the Vienna Business University and Assistant Professor at the Department for Social Policy.

Werner has always had a close connection to the world of arts. He initiated “Tanz die Toleranz”, ((superar)) and the community art location “brunnen.passage”. Werner collaborates with many renowned artists and institutions such as Royston Maldoom, Marin Alsop, Martin Grubinger, Gustavo Dudamel, Maestro José Antonio Abreu, Wiener Konzerthaus, Vienna State Opera, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Carnegie Hall.

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Dr. Bayo Akomolafe

Hubert Humphrey Distinguished Professor; Founder, The Emergence Network; Author and Teacher

Dr. Bayo Akomolafe (Ph.D.), rooted with the Yoruba people in a more-than-human world, is the father to Alethea Aanya and Kyah Jayden Abayomi, the grateful life-partner to EJ, son and brother. A widely celebrated international speaker, posthumanist thinker, poet, teacher, self-styled ‘trans-public’ intellectual, essayist, and author of two books, These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity’s Search for Home (North Atlantic Books) and We Will Tell our Own Story: The Lions of Africa Speak (along with Professors Molefi Kete Asante and Augustine Nwoye), Bayo Akomolafe is the visionary founder of The Emergence Network, a planet-wide networking project and inquiry at the edges of the Anthropocene that seeks to convene new kinds of responsivities, sensuous solidarities, and experimental practices for a posthumanist parapolitics. He is host of the postactivist course/festival/event, ‘We Will Dance with Mountains’ and curator of Dancing with Mountains, the educational consultation. He currently lectures at Pacifica Graduate Institute, California. He sits on the Board of many organizations.

Dr. Akomolafe is the Hubert Humphrey Distinguished Professor of American Studies in Macalester College, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA (August 2025), a Member of the Club of Rome and an Ambassador for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance. In July 2022, Dr. Akomolafe was appointed the inaugural Global Senior Fellow of University of California’s (Berkeley) Othering and Belonging Institute. He is also the inaugural W. E. B. Du Bois Scholar in Residence for Trans-public Intellectualism at the Schumacher Centre for a New Economics, the Inaugural Distinguished Philosopher-in-Residence at the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History (Onikan, Lagos, Nigeria), the Inaugural Scholar in Residence for the Aspen Institute, the inaugural Special Fellow for the Council of an Uncertain Human Future, as well as Visiting Scholar to Clark University, Massachusetts, USA (2024). He has been Fellow for The New Institute in Hamburg, Germany, Visiting Critic-in-Residence for the Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles (2023), and 2025 Hildegarde and Elbert Baker Visiting Scholar in the Humanities to Case Western Reserve University, Ohio, and an Expert Consultant for the Futures Literacy section at the UNESCO headquarters, Paris. He was named Centenary Philosopher (Scots Philosophical Association) by the University of Dundee in March 2024.

Dr. Akomolafe graduated summa cum laude in Psychology from Covenant University (Nigeria) in 2006, becoming the first to complete his undergraduate studies with first class honours from the College of Human Development. He has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Covenant University in Nigeria (2014). He is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the California Institute of Integral Studies (2023) and has been Commencement Speaker at two universities convocation events ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0teyqf0AAg / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh2QmobEMFg).

He is also the recipient of the New Thought Leadership Award 2021 and the Excellence in Ethnocultural Psychotherapy Award by the African Mental Health Summit 2022. In a ceremony in July 2023, the City of Portland (Maine, USA) awarded Dr. Akomolafe with the symbolic ‘Key to the City’ in recognition of his planet-wide work and achievements.

Drawing inspiration from Edouard Glissant, Gilles Deleuze, Gregory Bateson, Maurice Blanchot, Octavia Butler, Fernand Deligny, Chinua Achebe, and the still-ongoing adventures of the Yoruba monster-trickster and crossroads figure, Èsù, Bayo seeks to organize an always creolizing planetary, para-political process of the carnivalesque that is alive to minor gestures, open to sensorial mutiny and ontological apostasy, and committed to the formulation of new modes of encountering a more-than-human planet.

Dr. Bayo Akomolafe’s work is widely published, cited, and – much to his delight – very often transmuted into song, lyrics, theatrical performances, poetry, paintings, public installations, and even a publicly accessible, quirky bench from reclaimed wood in Detroit, Michigan. He has appeared on innumerable podcasts, radio interviews, and television programs (most notably being the focus of a lengthy interview and secondary segments exploring his thought on Swiss public television, SRF); and, he has been featured in several film documentaries including the award-winning ‘Regenerar: Possible Paths on a Damaged Planet’ (2022), ‘Where We Find Ourselves’ by Darren Bender (2025), ‘Closer to Home: Voices of Hope in a Time of Crisis’ (2024), and ‘Three Black Men’ (2025), in which Bayo travels around the world in the company of two other Black public intellectuals and leaders to enunciate an end-time emancipatory vocation of blackness during perilous times. A feature documentary focused entirely on Dr. Bayo Akomolafe’s work, life, and thought is being developed, called ‘The Times are Urgent, Let Us Slow Down’ – as well as a short, animated movie by Emmy-winning director Carolyn Scott, focusing on Dr. Akomolafe’s notion of postactivism.

He is currently writing his third book, ‘An Ocean of Milk: Morality, Desire, and the Monster at the Edge of the World’.

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Content Curation Advisory Board Member Technology and Artificial Intelligence Specialist

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Sennay Ghebreab

Professor, Program Director and Founder

Sennay Ghebreab is a Professor of Socially-Intelligent AI at the University of Amsterdam, where he also serves as the program director of the Master Information Studies and the founder and scientific director of the Civic-AI Lab. He earned his M.Sc. in Technical Information Systems in 1996 and his Ph.D. in Computer Vision and Medical Imaging in 2001, both from the University of Amsterdam. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, Sennay held various positions at the UvA, including assistant professor in the Informatics Institute and the Psychology Institute, head of Social Sciences at Amsterdam University College, and associate professor in the Informatics Institute. Sennay’s research focuses on harnessing AI for the betterment of everyday life and society, ensuring it is done fairly and inclusively. In addition to his academic pursuits, he is actively engaged in numerous committees and boards, such as the State Commission against Discrimination and Racism and the Supervisory Board of the Nemo Science Museum.

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Nina Hastie

Comedian, Actress, Writer, Public Speaker, and Host; Nina Hastie PTY (Ltd) and “Otherwise, you well?”

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About Nina Hastie

Nina Hastie – Comedian, Writer, Actor, Host, and Mental Health Advocate Comedy may be her flagship, but behind the pint-sized powerhouse that is Nina Hastie lies a fleet of creative expertise. With a career spanning two decades, she has carved out a name for herself as one of South Africa’s most versatile and respected media professionals—equally at home on stage, on screen, or behind the scenes. In 2025, Nina made headlines as the host of the 12th Annual Comics Choice Awards, where she brought her trademark blend of intelligence, irreverence, and presence to South Africa’s premier comedy event.

In 2024, she was celebrated as the creative director and writer of Trevor Noah’s “Welcome to South Africa” commercial, which earned third place at the World Tourism Film Awards, affirming her talent as a cultural storyteller with international impact. Her career is defined by both range and recognition. Nina was nominated for “Best Content Creator” at the DStv Content Creator Awards (2022) and for “Favourite Comedian” at the DStv Viewers Choice Awards the same year. Her stand-up was featured on the Netflix Original special “Only Jokes Allowed” (2021), and she played a lead role in M-Net’s drama series “Inconceivable” (2020).

From 2016 to 2019, she co-hosted the SAFTA-nominated talk show “Trending SA” on SABC3, becoming a household name known for wit, warmth, and relatability. As a comedy writer, she has received a SAFTA nomination for Writing in TV Comedy (2016) and a Comic’s Choice “Comic’s Pen” nomination (2015). She served as head comedy writer for NBC Universal’s “Celebrity Game Night” between 2019 and 2022, and most recently wrote and directed the first-ever DStv Content Creator Awards.

Nina’s presence as a host extends across a variety of high-profile events including the Assegai Awards, SATMA Awards, SA Hip Hop Awards, and the JSE Awards. Whether entertaining dignitaries, industry leaders, or festival crowds, her ability to read a room and hold it with confidence is unmatched. In addition to her work in entertainment, Nina is a passionate mental health advocate. Drawing on her lived experience and deep curiosity about the human condition, she created “Otherwise, You Well?”, a wellness podcast launched in 2024. The show blends candid storytelling, humour, and expert insight to help demystify mental health and create space for real, relatable conversations. It is fast becoming a trusted space for listeners seeking both levity and truth.

Whether on stage, in studio, or holding space for meaningful dialogue, Nina brings her signature mix of authenticity, intelligence, and bold humour. Her work continues to resonate with audiences across generations and platforms, establishing her as a powerful voice at the intersection of entertainment and wellbeing.

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Nelson Reiyia

Co-founder, Nashula Maasai Conservancy

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About Nelson Reiyia

Nelson Ole Reiyia is an Indigenous Maasai leader for social change and biodiversity conservation. He is CEO and Co-Founder of Nashulai Maasai Conservancy in southern Kenya and a social entrepreneur. As CEO and Co-Founder (with Olomunyak Ric Young) of the award-winning not-for-profit Nashulai Maasai Conservancy, Nelson in 2016 created the first Maasai-led and -governed community conservancy, situated in a 10,000-acre area in Narok County in southern Kenya, abutting the famed Maasai Mara Reserve. Its interdependent mission: Conserve Wildlife, Preserve Culture, and Reverse Poverty. In 2020, Nashulai was awarded the UNDP Equator Prize for its “paradigm-shifting model” for conservation and for meeting a majority of the UN Social Development Goals (SDG), including social justice and women’s empowerment.

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Jelena Dordevic

Co-coordinator of the Regional Strategy on Self-care, Collective Care and Healing, IM-Defensoras

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About Jelena Dordevic

Jelena Dordevic is a feminist activist. Originally from Serbia, Jelena has lived in Brazil for eight years, advising and supporting feminist and human rights organizations in developing self-care and collective care initiatives. For the last five years Jelena lives in Mexico. She holds a Master’s degree in Migration Studies from the University of Sussex in England. She is one of the founders of the Feminist Collective for Self-Care and Care among Women Human Rights Defenders (Brazil). Before moving to Latin America, Jelena worked on the prevention of violence against women and trafficking in women in the Balkans.

She is the co-author of the book “What’s the Point of Revolution if We Can’t Dance?” (published by the Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights, 2007). The book has been translated into several languages (German, French, Spanish, Serbian, Albanian, Portuguese, and Farsi) at the request of activists worldwide. The book had an unprecedented global impact among activists, becoming, in the words of many, an “inspiring milestone for activists and organizations in different regions of the world that paves the way for transforming the culture of activism.”

Over the past 17 years, Jelena has worked to introduce self-care, collective care, and protection into feminist and human rights defenders organizations around the world. She is currently co-coordinator of the regional strategy on Self-care, Collective care, and Healing of the Mesoamerican Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders (IM-Defensoras).

Website: https://im-defensoras.org
Instagram: @imdefensoras
FB: IMDefensoras
X: @IM_Defensoras
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IMDefensoras

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Jennifer Woolard

Professor of Psychology, Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs, Georgetown University

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About Jennifer Woolard

A Professor of psychology and Vice-Dean for Faculty Affairs in the College of Arts & Sciences at Georgetown University, Jennifer Woolard began her career at the National Victims Resource Center. While obtaining her doctoral degree in developmental and community psychology at the University of Virginia she also served as a victim-witness volunteer in the county police department, a staff member to the Virginia Commission on Family Violence Prevention, and a consultant with Virginians Against Domestic Violence (now Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance) . She then joined the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice and became an assistant professor at the University of Florida’s Center for Studies in Criminology and Law.

In 2002 she joined the psychology faculty at Georgetown University. Her research and action laboratory, the Georgetown Community Research Group, studies individual and family experiences with systems of care and control in order to create fair, effective, and just legal processes. Projects examine how youth and parents understand the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney, and the right to a trial. Dr. Woolard has testified as an expert before federal and state legislatures as well as in criminal cases. She has presented her research findings to a wide variety of academic, legal, and policy audiences, and won several awards for teaching excellence, including the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence. She is a Fellow of the Society for Child and Family Policy & Practice, Division 37 of the American Psychological Association.

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Christiane Sultani

President, Instituto Beja

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About Christiane Sultani

Graduated in Law from Mackenzie University, Master in Banking Law from IBMEC-SP, with specializations in Private Bank from IBMEC-SP and Corporate Law from Getúlio Vargas Foundation, she also completed the Impact Investing Program at the CSP – University of Zurich. She has practiced Law for the São Paulo Stock Exchange, at BBA Creditanstalt Bank and at the Consenso Family Office, and has worked as Wealth Planner at the Private Bank, and Head of Legal for Capital Markets and Corporate departments of Itaú Unibanco Bank. Furthermore, she was a partner at the banking department of Law Firm Veirano Advogados, has been the COO of Pedro Alberto Fischer Single Family Office, and founded BEJA Institute in 2021. As a philanthropist and impact investor, Cristiane is a member of the Corporate Citizenship Institute, The Forward Global and Synergos GPC.