Innovation Factory

Dr. Werner Vogels is Chief Technology Officer at Amazon.com where he is responsible for driving the company’s customer-centric technology vision.

As one of the forces behind Amazon’s approach to cloud computing, he is passionate about helping young businesses reach global scale, and transforming enterprises into fast-moving digital organizations.

Vogels joined Amazon in 2004 from Cornell University where he was a distributed systems researcher. He has held technology leadership positions in companies that handle the transition of academic technology into industry. Vogels holds a PhD from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam and has authored many articles on distributed systems technologies for enterprise computing.

Cherie Blair CBE KC is a leading King’s Counsel, committed campaigner for women’s rights and wife of the former British Prime Minister. Cherie set up the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women in 2008 to support women in low and middle income countries to start, sustain and grow successful businesses so that they can be financially independent, have a stronger voice in their societies, and contribute to their communities and economies. She is also founder of Omnia Strategy, a pioneering international law firm that provides strategic counsel to governments, corporates and private clients.

Cherie is an advocate and ambassador for women entrepreneurs globally, working tirelessly to encourage the private sector, governments and civil society to do more to support women business owners. She generously gives her time, expertise and resources to advance women’s economic empowerment through the Foundation, travelling to visit our projects and partners, building collaborations, inspiring change and mobilising what’s needed to close the gender gap in business ownership.

Cherie was awarded a CBE in the 2013 New Year’s Honours List for services to women’s issues and to charities in both the UK and overseas.

Anna Marks is Chair of the Deloitte Global Board of Directors, responsible for leading the Deloitte Global Board in its role to govern and oversee the most significant matters that influence the strategic priorities and operations for Deloitte globally.

Anna is dedicated to driving responsible growth and positive societal impact through collaboration, effective governance and ethical leadership. She is passionate about the role of boards in building trust and resilience in a changing world – by providing constructive oversight and collaborating across their ecosystems to create long-term value for all.  She is a thought leader on topics including board performance, impact and organisational resilience.

Anna is also an active member of several advisory boards including the B20 International Advisory Caucus, the British American Business International Advisory Board and the World Economic Forum Community of Chairpersons. Anna is also a fellow and former board member of the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability in the UK. Prior to becoming the Deloitte Global Chair, Anna held leadership, board and executive roles for Deloitte North & South Europe (NSE) and Deloitte UK. She also has 20 years’ experience as a practicing audit partner.

Dr. Ebtesam Almazrouei is a pioneering force in artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technology, with a wealth of experience spanning both government and the private sector. Her exceptional expertise in artificial intelligence, supercomputing, telecommunications, semiconductors, technology governance, advanced technology, and strategic innovation has positioned her at the forefront of AI leadership globally, earning recognition among H2o.ai’s world’s top 100 AI leaders. As a thought leader, entrepreneur, and patent inventor, Dr. Almazrouei has been instrumental in pioneering cutting-edge AI models and fostering global AI policy frameworks.

Dr. Ebtesam Almazrouei plays a key role in shaping AI strategies and frameworks, and building international collaborations on a global scale. She serves as Chairperson of the United Nations AI for Good Impact Initiative and as a Senior AI Consultant for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), playing a critical role in shaping global AI policies, technology governance, and regulation frameworks.

Dr. Almazrouei’s exceptional contributions have garnered her notable honors, including the Leading AI Women in the World list, the Global Leadership Women in Tech® MENA Award, and a spot among the Top 100 Global Tech Speakers. She also holds various advisory roles and board memberships across various international organizations.

As the CEO and Founder of AIE3, Dr. Almazrouei continues to drive AI innovation, developing scalable AI solutions, building capacity, and leading industry-wide advancements. She previously held senior executive roles, including Executive Director, Acting Chief AI Researcher, and Founder of the AI Cross Center Unit (AICCU) at the Technology Innovation Institute (TII). She established and led the AI Cross Center, driving strategic planning and development. Dr. Ebtesam Almazrouei directed and spearheaded the development of the Falcon Large Language Models (LLMs)—Falcon 7B, 40B, and 180B. These AI models have made significant strides in AI research and development in the world, particularly in open-source generative AI models. Additionally, she developed NOOR, the first and the largest Arabic LLM in 2022.

Dr Ebtesam Almazrouei is the first Emirati woman to hold a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence for Wireless Communication Engineering and Computer Science. Her vision is to leverage AI to address global challenges and drive meaningful societal impact.

Gordon is a Entrepreneur, Change Agent and Investor.

Gordon Cole is a Noongar man, recognised for his leadership and contribution to Australia’s Aboriginal and Business community. He is an experienced Director and an award winning Business leader.

Gordon specialises in Indigenous Services, Business, Economic Prosperity, Wealth Creation, Coaching, Mentoring and Leadership. Bridging the Digital Divide and advancing AI.

He explores Global Markets. He led the establishment of the Noongar Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is a Director on First Australians Capital.

Gordon is the Co-Founder of Blak Digital and is leading the establishment of the Djinda Innovation Hub, he is based on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar (Country) in Boorloo (Perth), Western Australia.

As L’Oréal’s Global Tech Director for Sustainability and Trustworthy AI since 2021, Ariane leads the Group’s responsible technology strategy, focusing on achieving high performance while upholding social and environmental responsibility. She governs and directs L’Oréal Group responsible tech processes based on four strategic pillars: Sustainable Tech by Design, Tech for Sustainability, Inclusive Tech, and Trustworthy AI.

A biologist by training, Ariane spent 12 years in L’Oréal’s Luxury division, primarily addressing supply chain challenges. Then, drawn to complex projects, her two-decade journey in sustainability includes developing the Group’s responsible sourcing program (2005), establishing and directing the Global Environment department (2008), and leading Strategic Development Operations (2015-2021). Her broad expertise spans responsible technology, ethics, supply chain management, environmental and social issues, resource efficiency, and the circular economy.

Ariane’s influence extends beyond L’Oréal. She actively contributes to business associations (Medef, AFEP, France Industrie) and serves on the boards of Hub France Intelligence Artificielle, iMPACT AI, and Positive AI. Ariane embraces the L’Oréal Group’s motto, inspired by François Dalle: “Seize what’s beginning”.

Julius (J.N.) Hill is Deloitte’s Global Consulting Partner to the United Nations and the Managing Partner for the International Affairs and Development (IAD) sector in Europe, Middle East, and Africa. He leads a team specialising in operational efficiency, digital transformation and technology optimization. His team is leading flagship projects in the AI space with different UN agencies.

With 30 years at Deloitte, Julius has tackled complex challenges for both public and private sector clients. His deep understanding of the UN system and international organisations brings a unique perspective to addressing critical aspects of people, processes, and technology.

Deloitte continues to support ITU’s AI for Good initiative through the sponsorship of the Global Summit and their contribution to the annual AI for Good Impact Report. 

You can connect with Julius on LinkedIn.

John Samuel Gibson is an American trial lawyer and litigator who has served as founding chair of the United Nations’ AI for Good law track and is lead counsel for some of the world’s top technology companies. He is a DLA Piper partner and co-chair of the firm’s U.S. Business and Commercial Litigation practice. John has deep experience analyzing and litigating issues involving new technology platforms and ecosystems as they seek to balance incentives for both development and adoption. He is committed to exploring the use of foundational legal tools to conquer fundamental challenges posed by AI’s emergence—and thus help make “AI ready for the world, and the world ready for AI.”

In 36 years of practice, John has won high-profile trials and save-the-company cases for industry leading companies, professional sports teams, celebrities, and pro bono clients seeking social justice. These range from winning what the media called the “Trial of the Decade” in Los Angeles and winning one of California’s top jury verdicts to winning the nation’s first mandatory federal court injunction requiring a school district to accommodate the service dog of a student with autism. John has also figured prominently in litigation involving emerging technology ecosystems. He defeated a threatened injunction against launch of a leading mobile-device maker’s 4G devices regarding the client’s role in technical standard-setting for 4G-LTE mobile technology. And he won summary judgment for a leading global technology company—defeating an unfair competition law claim in a precedent-setting litigation to determine fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing terms for a worldwide portfolio of standard-essential mobile-telecommunications patents. He has also represented clients in non-litigation interactions with governments and competition law enforcement agencies around the world.

John has been named one of The Best Lawyers in America, as well as one of the Daily Journal’s Top Antitrust Lawyers of the Year and is rated AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 by Martindale-Hubbell. He won the Burton Award for being one of the “finest law firm writers of 2019” in a ceremony presided over by the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

John has spoken internationally on issues at the intersection of law and technology. He was a speaker at the UN’s first-ever AI Governance Day in Geneva. He also spoke on the topic of “Developing Standards For 3D Printing” at The Legal, Regulatory and Business Conference on 3D Printing in Chicago and “SEPs and FRAND: The US Approach” at the EU Competition Law: Current Issues in a Global Context event in Brussels. And John authored the article “Antitrust Law in the AI Age; Navigating the New Frontier,” published in the Daily Journal.

He has served on numerous charitable boards and is a member, alongside former U.S presidents, Supreme Court justices, and Nobel Prize winners, of the Washington, D.C.-based Cosmos Club for “persons of scholarship, creative genius, or intellectual distinction.”

John earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University, where he was a John Harvard Scholar (top 5% of undergraduate students) and his doctorate in jurisprudence from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was an editor of the Michigan Law Review.

His multifaceted legal experience at the intersection of law and technology, his success as a leader and trial lawyer, and his commitment to social justice make John an invaluable asset and distinguished authority sought after by the international community in the evolving landscape of AI and law.

Serial entrepreneur, investor, and futurist, Stephen’s accomplishments and global leadership positions with more than 100 programs / organizations and 300+ recognitions are too numerous to list. His leadership roles working daily with more than 1 million CEOs, Investors, Scientists with the world’s leading CEO, scientific, technical and financial organizations allow him a unique vantage point to oversee where transformative innovation and investments are heading in the coming years. Stephen is the visionary behind REDDS whose tireless work has positioned REDDS to take advantage of the globally unique superior intelligence received by the group.  As a small sampling representing under 1% of Stephen’s current activities, he is the:

• Founder of UN ITU, AI FOR GOOD, adopted by governments, corporations, and academia, with 3+ billion reach, as the world’s largest AI innovation solutions program, startup Innovation Factory, and daily summit driving AI top innovative business solutions such as generative AI (BingAI, Microsoft Azure OpenAI, GPT4-5) across 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and empowering CEO-led impact programs for the benefit of humanity and Earth Ecosystems such as with KIN (Knowledge Impact Network) and Million PeaceMakers. Ongoing judge and Grand Finale judge from the founding of the #AIForGood Innovation Factory with the last Grande Finale winner announced at the July AIForGood 2023 in this news release.
• Founding member of WFP Innovation Accelerator advisory council in 2017 and with the November 2023 announcement of two portfolio startups winning the 1 million UK pounds prize each, top innovation Earthshot Prize. WFP is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, multiple awardee of Apple, Good, Fast Company awards for innovation.
• From 2009 serving in roles as: current ACM practitioner board (PB) and past chair / current ACM PB chair professional development committee (PDC) / current board PDC TechTalks committee / current board ByteCast committee / current board working group head on startups-entrepreneurship; ACM is the world’s largest computing organization. From 1989 serving in roles as: past CIPS President and Chair; CIPS founding fellow advising CEO; CIPS is Canada’s national ICT organization. From 2007, serving in roles as: founder and current vice-chair IFIP IP3, founder and current chair IFIP Industry Council; IFIP is the UNESCO-founded independent federation of national and international ICT organizations with CIPS, ACM, IEEE as some of the founders. From 2004 serving in roles as: NPA board member, NPA founding fellow; NPA is a global infrastructure ICT organization. From 2016 serving in roles as: IEEE CS board committee member; current IEEE TEMS board committee member and active keynote in IEEE TEMS conferences/summits; current IEEE RASSE conference organizer/designer and opening keynote for industry forum in 2021, 2022, 2023; advisor to IEEE Entrepreneurship; IEEE is the world’s largest technology organization.
• Founder of Fintech Ideas Festival, Technology Advisory Council, providing industry solutions ten years into the future for the top 100 CEOs representing nearly US $100 Trillion in managed assets where the CEOs invested in all the transformational tech solutions and startups identified from Stephen 2015 including blockchain, digital identities, mobile financial services, AI/ML, cybersecurity, biometrics, 5/6G, quantum computing, future of fintech, future of the workforce, privacy and data analytics, personalization and precision services, new user/consumer experience from the confluence of the digital / physical / biological. Stephen directed the CEOs into execution focused working groups, monthly innovation forums, private summits. The public facing parts of this private work is captured in an article Stephen wrote for IT World in January 2017, “Top CEOs and futurists on the future of financial services and technology”, a rare public video from January 2017 private CEO summit, where Stephen provides his foresight insights to questions. The President and chair of the CEOs technology group introduces Stephen, “Introduce Stephen Ibaraki. Stephen is the entrepreneur and chairman of the Fintech Ideas Festival, a tremendous help and a lot of the people are here today came through Steve’s connections and his work in the industry. Steve’s has a fantastic executive leadership career, distinguished advisor for startups and global fortune 500 companies and governments specifically on strategy, most recently organizing the current AI for Good Summit in Geneva in June 2017 with the United Nations ITU and XPRIZE.” There is a joint article written for the CEOs which also appeared with the United Nations in 2017, “Trending: AI in finance” by Stephen Ibaraki, founding chairman FSR technology advisory council and Hari Gopalkrishnan, managing director, platforms and technology Bank of America. Article from Forbes in 2019: https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/04/17/is-financial-services-ready-for-broad-5th-machine-age-technology-adoption/?sh=46d1cec376cf Is Financial Services Ready For Broad 5th Machine Age Technology Adoption?
• Founding chair YPO Impact Advisory Board and YPO EU Impact Summit Advisory Board, creating workable business solutions for the world’s largest opportunities/challenges and focused on purposeful leadership / business / capital & investments / innovation. YPO: 35K CEOs, US $9 Trillion annual revenue (ranking 3^rd in GDP if considered a country) across 150+ countries, 500 chapters, employing 22 million. With work underway since May 2019, the first summit Oct 2020 and continuing as chair impact advisory board with first global impact summit (YPOGIS2023 in Feb 2023) and continuing in 2024 and beyond;
• Recipient of 21 Microsoft Global Awards (18 MVP Awards), 40+ overall recognitions, with six years MVP 2018-2023 in AI, with the world’s largest and top corporation in technology and advising Microsoft under NDA since the 1970s, recognizing decades of lifetime achievement, global–leadership, entrepreneurship, investments, disruptive innovation. As noted by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in award citations, “We recognize and value your exceptional contributions and commitment to technical communities worldwide. By sharing your real-world expertise and technical skills, you demonstrate outstanding technical community leadership. Thank you.” Judging as MVP, the largest youth innovation Award program, the Imagine Cup which empowers 2+ million students over 20 years. From Microsoft news release in Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior 2023, “The Imagine Cup Junior is more than a competition. It is a learning journey that empowers students to develop their skills in AI and other technologies. These students have shown us how AI can be used for good, to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems and create a better future for everyone. I’m proud to be a part of this journey and congratulate all the competitors – and winners — for their remarkable achievements.” Stephen Ibaraki, Founder, UN AI for Good and Imagine Cup Junior 2023 judge. Spotlighted by the Microsoft’s MVP program in 2023 for Stephen’s mentorship global contributions in serving startups, innovation and entrepreneurship: “Stephen’s mentorship initiatives have been pivotal in propelling entrepreneurship and innovations that yield significant societal benefits. His dynamic involvement spans a wide spectrum of communities, including CEOs, UN agencies, scientific/engineering entities, investors, media outlets, social media platforms, and more. He says, “Mentorship, or ‘support’ for innovation, entrepreneurship, and startups occurs at many levels. Initially, building awareness, directing freely available resources and open startup platforms, helping grow the startups presence, providing advice, supporting investment, helping startups to scale”… article continues with examples from Imagine Cup, #AIforGood Innovation Factory, WFP Innovation Accelerator, CEO Leadership Alliance, non-profit organizations IEEE TEMS, ACM, CIPS. Invited advisor, mentor, investor for the Microsoft Startup Founders Hub, founded in 2023.
• Active investor, investment / innovation / foresight advisor, serving on investment committees. Examples: Global Chair and managing general partner REDDS Capital; Adastral Funds; Southern California Master Fund (SCMF-CEO led funds of Funds); DTGO/MQDC; T&B Media Global; Terasaki Institute Biomedical Innovation (TIBI); serving on the investment selection committee for the new Canadian government sovereign funding renewed venture capital catalyst initiative (VCCI) adding up to 1.4 billion in the VC ecosystem. Canada in ranked in the top 5 in VC in the 38 countries of the OECD. Government announcements on the renewed VCCI: VCCI , Funds of Funds selection committee , Minister announcement of Fund of Funds , Minister announcement on Inclusive Growth Stream Funding.  For VCCI, examples of current contributions: Member of the Canadian government’s renewed Venture Capital Catalyst Initiative (VCCI) selection committee for the fund of funds and inclusive growth streams. See a letter of thanks outlining his work here on the Inclusive Growth stream 1 and here on the Funds of Funds stream. From the Minister,” I would like to personally thank you for your participation on the renewed Venture Capital Catalyst Initiative (VCCI) selection committee for the inclusive growth stream. Your report to the Deputy Minister of Economic Development was provided to me for my consideration and review. I appreciated the recommendations the committee developed on the selection of funds for the VCCI program, which demonstrated thoughtful deliberation and consideration. I particularly welcomed the recognition of the significant role of enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in Canadian venture capital as part of a market-driven investment program. As a member of the selection committee, you took on an important role contributing your expertise, insights, and leadership. Your industry experience provided a valuable lens through which to assess the applications, supporting the Government of Canada in its efforts to enhance access to capital to support Canadian entrepreneurs. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate my thanks and extend my personal appreciation for the time and effort you committed to support the renewed VCCI.”
• Examples of recent activities (at the time of profile creation: 23-11-13) for fall 2023: Host/moderator supporting organizer for O’Reilly Generative AI for Government superstream summit; opening keynote and conference organizer/designer IEEE RASSE 2023 Conference Industry Forum; MC for the private YPO UNGA summit; moderator/speaker for 6^th Annual CEO LOP Summit co-hosted by Salesforce; Mentor and AMA (Ask Me Anything) for CEO  Leadership Alliance OC AI region AI course; Plenary speaker at UNAOC’S 2nd Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence “Towards the World of #OneHumanity” on Human Centered AI
• Contributor to Forbes / Cognitive World and IT World Canada on leading new investments, innovation, entrepreneurship.
• Stephen conducts interviews with global experts since the 1970s appearing with news channels, Forbes, IT World Canada, ACM, IEEE/IEEE TEMS, IFIP, NPA, CIPS, KNVI, The Brand Called You (and their 20+ platforms) and more.

More here on lifetime achievement for innovation, investments, entrepreneurship as CIPS Founding Fellow and in LinkedIn.

Carlo Tortora Brayda di Belvedere, born in Rome, Italy, in 1969, is the founder and Executive Chairman of the Tortora Brayda Institute for Artificial Intelligence & Cybersecurity, a global Think Tank to promote effective partnerships. Mr. Tortora Brayda is the former CEO of Gorilla Corporation, the global leader in Technology Partnerships through Channels and Alliances. An organization that supported industry giants like IBM, AWS, and Microsoft as well as innumerable startups.  

His earliest work with the United Nations was as a Volunteer in the Office of the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid in Geneva, Switzerland. Shortly after that, he met with former United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali and Kofi Annan several times. These were profoundly formative meetings focusing on the role of public-private partnerships, entrepreneurship, and their role in international development.  

In 2003, he created Alchemy World Projects, an Ethiopian-based NGO aimed at poverty alleviation through entrepreneurship and coordination with the government on private sector development. The program was successful and lifted thousands of people out of poverty into employability and small-medium enterprise development. During this time, he was appointed Advisor on Trade and Industry to Federal President Girma Wolde-Ghiorgis. He also fulfilled an advisory role in Entrepreneurship development and Foreign Direct Investment to several Regional Presidents, particularly the President of Amhara State, the historical heartland of Ethiopia, covering more than 25 million inhabitants.  

In the ongoing spirit of Partnerships, Mr. Tortora Brayda signed Gorilla Corporation as a Sector D Member of the United Nations International Telecommunications Union to the forefront of internet policy making and standardization. In 2006, Mr. Tortora Brayda was invited by the World Economic Forum to be a Special Constituent Member and, subsequently, an expert contributor in assessing global risks for the  G20. Since then, his only focus has been supporting Partnership Excellence in all its forms within all technology growth areas, including the Think Tank’s core tracks: Cybersecurity, Cloud/Data Center, Artificial Intelligence, and Robotics. Mr. Tortora Brayda, a United States National Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity ISAO co-founder, has also been invited by NATO CyCon and Strategic Communication CoE to participate in its proceedings.  

He has been a Judge on the United Nations ITU AI for Good Innovation Factory since 2020. As of 2023, he acted as Judge for the ad hoc AI for Good Contest for Climate Change in partnership with ITU, UNESCO, FAO, IAEA, and World Bank culminating in COP 28.  

Mr. Tortora Brayda, an information systems engineer with a focus on Artificial Intelligence, and with his subsequent companies, has won numerous business awards, including the Forbes Technology Council Award for Best Group (Cybersecurity),  Shell Livewire Young Entrepreneur of the Year, South East of England, Shell Livewire Greatest Employment Potential, Oxfordshire Business of the Year Award presented by Boris Johnson, Guildford Mayor’s Cup, and was honored to join Queen Elizabeth II Golden Coronation private event at St James’ Palace in London.  

Mr. Tortora Brayda serves as Global Lead on Cybersecurity for the Forbes Technology Council, is a Fellow of the British Computer Society, and a Freeman of the City of London. In 2022, he joined CyberStratos M&A Advisory, as an GTM Advisor and Equity Partner. 

Merav Weinryb is VP & Managing Director of Qualcomm Ventures in Israel and Europe. During her tenure, Merav invested or was part of the Board of Directors of SentinelOne (NYSE:S), CrazyLabs (Acquired by Embracer), Magisto (Vimeo), OpenSignal (Comlinkdata), Tapingo (Grubhub), Weka, Scylla, Simply, Tytocare, Shopic, Medisafe and more.   

Merav has more than 25 years of high-tech and venture capital experience. Prior to joining Qualcomm Ventures, she was at Intel Capital, and before that a at Pitango Venture Capital. Merav holds a B.Sc. in Information Systems Engineering (cum laude) from the Technion, and an MBA from INSEAD, France. 

Micaelah is the Vice President of Business Development at MassRobotics where she helps identify and create new opportunities for Massrobotics and its member companies. Prior to joining Massrobotics, Micaelah served as the Director of External Affairs for Boston University’s Innovate@BU where she helped students innovate and problem solve in their careers and their communities. Micaelah was also the co-founder of the nationally recognized Greentown Manufacturing Initiative – which connected startups and manufacturers to promote local commercialization and economic development; and Executive Director of Greentown Learn (now FORGE), the sister organization of Greentown Labs, the largest cleantech hardware incubator in the United States. In these roles, Micaelah served as an advisor to programs developed within the US Department of Energy, US Department of Commerce, NYSERDA and others. Micaelah also worked in the MA State Senate from 2006-2012. She has a BA in political science from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and a Master’s in Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning from Tufts University. 

Senior Executive Vice President and CTO Corporate Executive Officer of Sony Group Corporation, KITANO is President and CEO of Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc., CEO of Sony AI Inc., President of The Systems Biology Institute, and Professor at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University. He is also a Founding President of the RoboCup Federation, President of International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI) (2009-2011), and Member of the AI & Robotics Council (2016-2018), and Quantum Computing Council (2019-2020) of The World Economic Forum, Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) (2021-). 

Pascale Fung is a Senior Director of AI Research at Meta. She is a Chair Professor at the The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST), and a visiting professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. She is an elected Fellow of the AAAI, IEEE, ACL and ISCA. She was the founding Director of HKUST Centre for AI Research (CAiRE), and the founding chair of the Women Faculty Association (a first in Asia). She is an expert on the Global Future Council, a think tank for the World Economic Forum. She represents HKUST on Partnership on AI to Benefit People and Society. She is on the Board of Governors of the IEEE Signal Processing Society. She is a member of the IEEE Working Group to develop an IEEE standard – Recommended Practice for Organizational Governance of Artificial Intelligence. She is part of the expert network for the United Nations Advisory Board on AI. Her research team has won several best and outstanding paper awards at ACL, ACL and NeurIPS workshops. She is frequently invited globally as a keynote speaker on public and academic forums on both AI core technology and governance. She lived in five countries and speaks seven European and Asian languages. 

As a thought leader in cutting-edge technologies such as AI, blockchain, authentication, quantum, and data security, I spearhead an innovative technology advisory firm that also offers asset management and IP valuation & financing services. Our independent IP valuation services empower forward-thinking companies to gain a competitive edge, attract attention from capital markets, bolster share prices, and secure funding opportunities. We achieve this by leveraging non-dilutive financing options that effectively communicate the marketability strength and value of their intellectual property assets. 

Additionally, I hold the position of senior managing partner at a pioneering technology incubation accelerator that focuses on growth opportunities in emerging deep technology markets. Our primary objective is to mitigate the risks of data privacy and data rights breaches. Over the years, I have authored pivotal patents in network security, identity verification, content security, and network tracking/use verification. 

Furthermore, I actively contribute to the United Nations (UN) AI for Good Innovation Factory project, where I serve as a judge, expert, and speaker. Through live pitch sessions, we support deep tech start-ups in accelerating the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Additionally, I am proud to be an official member of the Forbes Finance Council, an exclusive community for senior-level finance executives. 

Before delving into the world of deep technology and data security, I held key executive management positions at renowned Fortune 500 companies, including Kaiser Permanente, 3M, GSK, Allergan, and KPMG. With a track record of over 20 years in entrepreneurship, technology, global operations management, and business development, my expertise has been predominantly within the Healthcare and Life Sciences industry. 

Bruce Leak is a Founding Partner at Playground Global. From an early age, his intellectual curiosity led to a fascination with computers and emerging technology, and later informed his career path which took him from the frontier days of Apple and Microsoft, to entrepreneurship, to his time at Playground investing in complex ideas with the potential to change the world.

Ludovic brings 17 years of experience in venture capital, new business creation and strategic partnerships at Sony. Based in Silicon Valley as a core member of Sony Innovation Fund (SIF) since its inception, Ludovic leads startup scouting, due diligence, venture investment execution as well as portfolio management in many core SIF focus areas such as FinTech, InsurTech, web3, Mobility, Drones, FoodTech, AgTech and Environment. 

Ludovic was previously at Sony’s global headquarters in Tokyo, where he ran strategic assessments, mid & long-term technology perspectives and financial valuations to foster Sony’s Intellectual Property. Before that, he spent several years as Corporate Strategist in London, New York and Paris, spanning the entire spectrum of Sony’s Electronics, Gaming, Content, Financial Services, Telecommunications & B2B activities. 

A French native, Ludovic holds a MSc in Information & Communication Technology from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Sweden, and a MSc in Industrial Engineering & Management from the École Centrale in France. 

Keren Bitan is the founding principal at Tandem Impact, a boutique sustainability consulting firm. Keren specializes in advising startups and investment firms on sustainability, impact, and responsibility strategies. Keren works with innovative early-stage startups and multi-billion dollar late-stage companies across industries, as well as with some of the leading venture capital firms. Her advising has been instrumental in both enabling startups to reach new growth stages, and empowering investors to formalize responsible investing practices. Keren has collaborated with companies from seed stage to pre-IPO on ethical and responsible AI strategies. She supports startups in developing and implementing responsible AI pillars and policies, creating AI governance infrastructure, and navigating relevant risks. With investment firms, Keren advises on identifying key risks in due diligence, evaluating portfolio company responsible AI strategies, and providing ethical AI education for founders across growth stages.

Sarah Storelli serves as the Senior Executive Communications and Customer Programs Marketing Leader of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Worldwide Public Sector (WWPS) to drive strategic impact with AWS’ C-suite and VP-level customers and Partners around the world. She also oversees evangelism for AWS (WWPS), and is the creator, producer, & promoter of her new vodcast, AWS Behind the Cloud (60MM+ views), which showcases the personal stories of the global changemakers and pioneers who are making our world a better place. Prior, Sarah oversaw global marketing for AWS Public Sector Startups, AWS Partner Capacity and Capability, strategic executive engagements, and cloud innovation and acceleration programs.

Prior to AWS, Sarah oversaw global marketing, strategic partnerships, ecosystem marketing, and external communications as IBM Program Director and Chief Marketing Officer of Call for Code—the world’s largest tech for good initiative of its kind inspiring the worldwide developer community and problem solvers from 179 nations to use IBM tools and technologies to solve pressing societal and humanitarian issues.

With a degree in English and Minor in Law and Society from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Sarah has more than a decade of experience in developing higher education programs and initiatives for all students and alumni. She serves as a Member of the Cal Poly President’s Council of Advisors and Chair of the English Department Advisory Board. Sarah’s passion and knack for solving problems and making a positive difference has led to a life of service in roles as a Trustee of the Consumer Technology Association Foundation, a Board of Director for the World Institute on Disability and Center Point, Inc., and a trusted advisor to multiple start-ups. Sarah enjoys any opportunity to spend time with loved ones; focus on advocacy efforts for mental health as well as underrepresented populations and the Arts in STEAM; travel the globe; move the market; and help tilt the world in a more equitable direction.

Jan is a quantum physicist and co-founding co-CEO of IQM, building next-generation quantum computers. IQM has assembled an exceptional team of international professionals to build quantum computers for high-performance centers, academia, and industry. IQM has raised €128 million in Series A2 funding (in 2022), largest ever funding round raised by a European quantum computing company. Jan did his doctorate on superconducting quantum circuits at TU Munich and worked as a Marie-Curie Fellow in Helsinki at Aalto University, where he holds the title of docent. In 2023, he was selected as Founder of the Year by Handelsblatt. In 2020, Capital magazine selected him as one of 40 under 40 in Germany and he received an entrepreneurship award from the KAUTE Foundation. Jan was in the Board of the European Innovation Council EIC and holds a Board seat in the European Quantum Industry Consortium QuIC. He is also and member of the German Federal Economic Senate, an EIC Scaling Club Council member, member of the Hall of Future, as well as a Digital Leader and Global Innovator at the WEF.

Sarah Nassar is an Associate Program Officer at the IP for Business Division, IP and Innovation Ecosystem Sector, of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Since joining in 2019, she has focused on capacity building activities and promoting the use of IP as a key business enabler in various regions, including through the implementation of IP and business management training programs for SMEs and Startups. She also supports the integration of IP for business services within business support institutions. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Law from the University of Geneva, Switzerland.

Anshu is a General Partner at Converge, a bicoastal US venture firm investing in early stage B2B tech startups.  She has over 25 years of operating experience building and evangelizing cloud computing and SaaS products. Prior to joining Converge, she was the CEO and co-founder of Nimbella that was acquired by DigitalOcean. She has been part of four other startup journeys: as CMO and VP Product, Cedexis, acquired by Citrix; VP Product, ConteXtream, acquired by HPE, VP Product Ankeena, acquired by Juniper Networks; and Head of Product, Speedera Networks, acquired by Akamai. Her expertise is in building high performance teams in product, marketing and sales to rapidly grow the business from zero revenue to successful exits. Prior to moving into product and business roles, she worked as a research engineer at Motorola working on cutting edge technologies for speech recognition now commonly known as a field of artificial intelligence. She also has experience in commercializing open source and has also served on the Board of Directors of the OpenDaylight Project, Linux Foundation.

Tristan Post is the CEO and Founder of the AI Strategy Institute, Lecturer for the Management of AI at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Faculty Member for AI/GenAI at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Before that he built up one of the largest startup incubators for AI in Europe, worked as AI Strategist and AI Product Manager. 

A lawyer, medical doctor, and successful software founder, Danny is the 2023 Financial Times Innovative Lawyer of the Year and led Business Insider’s 2022 list of top lawyers helping companies adopt artificial intelligence (AI).  Danny leads DLA’s team helping Fortune 10, 50, 500 and global brands cross-industry adopt new and disruptive technologies like AI, including in risk mitigation, governance, and litigation.  Danny also represents leading life sciences and healthcare companies in matters involving FDA, CMS, HHS, commercial parties, and claimants.  The U.S. Library of Congress gave Danny a Burton Award recognizing “the best of the best writers in the legal profession” among the nation’s top 1,000 largest firms.

A graduate of Harvard College, Yale Law School, and UT Southwestern Medical School, Danny has handled successfully some of his clients’ most challenging and important matters. He played a key legal role in the Covid vaccine effort, helped obtain one of the largest Daubert wins in a pharmaceutical mass action, designed the winning scientific case in the first Hatch-Waxman suit in the Eastern District of Texas, and obtained a unanimous reversal in federal appellate court in a much-cited R&D tax case of first impression. He has successfully handled as lead counsel litigations arising from biotech M&A transactions and has resolved board and shareholder disputes for life-science companies. Danny has represented healthcare clients in matters ranging from internal investigations to business litigation.

Danny is a world-recognized leader in the law and regulation of AI. He sits on the World Economic Forum’s AI Governance Alliance and the Executive Committee of the United Nation’s AI for Good law track. Danny is a founding member of the Health AI Partnership with the Mayo Clinic, Duke, Berkeley, and others, and sat on Pfizer’s Digital Health Scientific Advisory Board.  He moderated the closed-door Ministerial Roundtable in Morocco on Improving Health Outcomes in Africa through Innovative Solutions and has hosted the Principal Deputy Commissioner of FDA, U.S. Senators, and others for fireside chats on key issues of public concern.  Danny is a frequent invited speaker on AI governance and law, including for the Attorney General Alliance, National Retail Foundation, National Association of Corporate Directors, the Business Council, Stanford Rock Center for Corporate Governance, Stanford Law School, Harvard Business School’s OPM Annual Conference, the Swiss Embassy, the Korean Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the Association for the Advancement of AI, and many others. Danny represents numerous companies on AI governance and adoption, as well as the leading foundation model and other innovators.  His clients also include breakout startups like IDx, the first FDA-approved fully autonomous AI diagnostic, with whom he authored the peer-reviewed Lessons Learned About Autonomous AI: Finding a Safe, Efficacious, and Ethical Path Through the Development Process. Danny’s writing on legal issues in medicine and biotechnology appears in National Law Journal, American Health Law Association Connections, Proceedings of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, Yale Journal of Law & Technology, the American Journal of Ophthalmology, and Health Law Litigation. Danny led a successful software company from inception to acquisition. His original medical research appears in Pediatric Blood & Cancer and the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.

Beyond healthcare, Danny has represented private equity, finance and other clients in some of their most pressing cases in state and federal court. He has argued successfully before the en banc Delaware Supreme Court and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals among others.

Danny is Chair of the Board of Directors of the non-profit AT&T Performing Arts Center, the largest performing arts district in the United States. He chaired the Legal Advisory Counsel of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science and has served on the boards of the Parkland Foundation, SPCA of Texas, Texas Israel Alliance, and the regional Anti-Defamation League. He has co-chaired the Judiciary Committee and the Membership & Admissions Committee of the Dallas Bar Association and served on the Governing Council of its Business Litigation Section. Danny previously served on the Executive Committee of the Yale Law School Association.

Melissa Tickle is an Investment Manager at FINCA Ventures with 7 years of experience in Impact Investing, SME Finance, and ESG management. FINCA Ventures is an early stage impact investor that supports social enterprises across sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to FINCA, she managed the Impact and ESG program for TriLinc Global, a fund sponsor that lends to SMEs globally. Melissa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and International Relations.

Tomas is an entrepreneur, educator, keynote speaker, and brand expert who helps founders fix their brands and scale internationally.

As the CEO and Co-Owner of the international branding studio GoBigname, he works with startups, small businesses, and corporates to help their brands grow globally. His work earned him a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

GoBigname is Naming, Branding and Web Design Studio helping Founders and Marketers of startups, SMEs on their journey to become global players: Slido, a Saas startup with more than 45 million users acquired by Cisco, Exponea acquired by Bloomreach now valued over $2.2 billion, Berlin Brands Group valued over $1,2 billion, Rezztek – technology startup brand which became officialy licensed product by NHL in 2023 and license provider for global sport brand HEAD.

Over the past 12 years, the GoBigname team has created more than 300 brand names, brand strategies, consistent & distinctive brand identities and websites.

Tomas has been sharing his knowledge through masterclasses and keynotes for organizations and companies all over Europe. He’s worked with the Swiss Government and was part of the Google Certified Trainers program, showing his passion for helping others succeed in business and branding.

Cyril Ebersweiler is a General Partner at SOSV and the founder/MD of HAX. He is an experienced investor in deep tech (250+) and has invested globally. He is a board member/advisor to a few startups including Formlabs, AngelList, Adoreme (ACQ: VSCO), Collaborate (ACQ: CISCO), Hackster (ACQ: AVNET), Dispatch Robotics (ACQ: AMZN), Makeblock, Yeelight, Particle, Opentrons, Bartesian, Avidbots and Simbe Robotics. A popular speaker at international events (TC Disrupt, Collision, Pioneers, MIT Forum, etc…) and Universities (Stanford, UC Berkeley, etc…), he authored of dozens of articles on topics such as technology, robotics, health and crowdfunding and has been featured in The Economist, Popular Mechanics, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Huffington Post, Wired, BBC and more. 

Managing Partner of STORM Partners, leading professional services firm dedicated to the blockchain industry, and Founder of recently launched innovation centre, Decentral House, in Geneva, Switzerland – Sheraz Ahmed is on a mission to provide the emerging technology industry with the necessary tools to succeed in this fast-growing digital age.

The under-30 entrepreneur is a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum, supporting dialogue, action and collaborative change. Sheraz also drives cooperation and integrity across the Web3 space as Ecosystem Director of the Crypto Valley Association.

Mostafa Gado is an Innovation Strategist, Startup & Tech Enthusiast and a World Economic Forum Global Shaper with 11+ years of experience – across various domains – in Business Development, Project Management, Strategy and Operations He has been actively involved in the Middle East & North Africa Startup/Venture scene during the past decade. Gado is currently working as a Venture Developer with the Berlin-based Corporate Venture Building firm, FoundersLane. He is also a former Advisory Manager and Innovation Strategist at PWC and Accenture Middle East respectively,with an Engineering background. 

Ryan Wang is globally acknowledged as a visionary technology futurist and esteemed business executive, specializing in Artificial Intelligence, Spatial Computing, and Frontier Technology sectors. He holds a distinguished position as Co-founder and General Partner of Outpost Capital, a trailblazing cross-border early-stage venture fund established in 2015, with a primary focus on frontier technology investments across the United States and Asia. In 2020, Ryan co-founded Zebra Labs, a music entertainment company creating new IPs and content with cutting edge technology in metaverse and AI. The company is backed by top investors including Sumitomo and MIT Media Lab.

With over a decade of active engagement in the tech sphere, Ryan has forged significant collaborations with industry giants and fortune 500 companies such as Meta and Google, serving in capacities such as advisor, consultant, or partner. These alliances showcase his commitment to fostering innovation and advancing technological frontiers.

Possessing a multicultural background and an exemplary track record, Ryan oversees a diverse portfolio of companies across North America, Europe, and Asia. His profound insights and robust connections within these markets have facilitated numerous successful ventures and have led to him being frequently featured in prestigious international media outlets, including Forbes, The Economist, and The Wall Street Journal. Furthermore, Ryan is a sought-after speaker, delivering keynote addresses at myriad global conferences, where he shares his visionary ideas and insights on the evolving technological landscape.

Before venturing into the technological domain, Ryan amassed extensive experience and built a comprehensive and successful career in investment banking, working with Citigroup and Societe Generale in New York City. This foundation has been instrumental in shaping his astute business acumen and strategic approach to technology investments and collaborations.

Faduma Aden is a Senior Equity, Inclusion and Innovation Strategist with expertise in embedding these principles into business development, product innovation and emerging technologies. At Spotify, she led DEI and social impact strategy for its largest business unit, headed Nordic initiatives and helped shape the global Equity & Impact strategy. She has advised think tanks, universities and cultural institutions, and serves on the Advisory Board of International WoMenX in Business for Ethical AI (IWIB4AI).

Faduma has represented Sweden in high-level international forums, including as a delegate to the 2021 UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) and as an international expert in the Swedish Institute’s Urban Challenges programme (2019–2022), co-developing safer and more inclusive cities across Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Sweden. She is also a founding member of the Global Shaper Hub in Stockholm, a World Economic Forum initiative.

Her current work focuses on advancing equitable, inclusive AI to address systemic inequalities and drive innovation that creates meaningful impact, especially for underserved communities. Her contributions have been recognized with multiple awards and distinctions for innovation, inclusive leadership and social impact. She holds an MSc in Computer and Systems Sciences from Stockholm University.

Josep Aliagas is the CEO of Dis Capital, specializing in strategic advisory and investment for startups and tech companies. With experience as a founder and angel investor, he has a deep understanding of the entrepreneurial journey and the challenges of building and scaling businesses. Aliagas mentors tech entrepreneurs, offering guidance on growth, fundraising, and operations. His expertise spans technology, AI, and fintech, where he identifies investment opportunities, drives strategic partnerships, and helps companies succeed in competitive markets. Through Dis Capital, he is dedicated to supporting the next wave of innovation and growth.

Serial Entrepreneur, Investor, Experienced Board Member, Shareholder, and Speaker with a passion for innovation in AI and healthcare. 

Dr. Julien Weissenberg is founder of Deep Tech Experts and AI Expert, an Expert for the World Economic Forum Strategic Intelligence and for Innosuisse, the Swiss Innovation Agency.

Deep Tech Experts is a boutique advisory which gathers world-class experts in AI, Encryption, Quantum Computing and Aerospace.

With over 15 years of expertise in Computer Vision and Machine Learning, Julien has been building AIs and working with investment funds, strategic investors, startup accelerators and competitions to evaluate and support AI startups in a wide array of industries, ranging from agriculture to insurance.

He completed his PhD and Postdoc at the ETH Zurich and holds an MSc in Advanced Computing from Imperial College London.