Speakers at Philanthropy Asia Summit 2026

Ajay Banga is the President of the World Bank Group, beginning his five-year term on June 2, 2023. He stepped into the role with a clear mandate: to transform the 80-year-old institution into a faster, more efficient, and more impactful partner in development.

 

Since taking office, Ajay has led the adoption of a new vision and mission for the World Bank: to create a world free of poverty—on a livable planet. Under his leadership, the Bank has undertaken a broad set of reforms to boost lending capacity, simplify operations, and deliver development solutions that are practical, scalable, and impactful. He has prioritized a more agile institution—one that is easier to work with and focused on getting results.

 

At the core of Ajay’s agenda is a belief that job creation is the most powerful driver of development—offering not just income, but dignity and purpose. That conviction has helped shape new efforts to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030, expand access to quality and affordable healthcare for 1.5 billion people, and develop a modern approach to agribusiness that can drive growth, improve food security, and create economic opportunity.

 

Ajay has also brought renewed focus to harnessing the power of the private sector. He has strengthened collaboration with development partners, philanthropies, and investors, and launched the Private Sector Investment Lab—bringing together leading CEOs and asset managers to tackle the barriers holding back private capital in emerging markets. His approach reflects a fundamental shift: development progress at scale cannot be achieved without the innovation, financing, and execution capabilities of the private sector.

 

Prior to joining the World Bank, Ajay was Vice Chairman at General Atlantic and, before that, President and CEO of Mastercard. There, he led a global workforce of nearly 24,000 and made financial inclusion a core part of the company’s strategy. He also founded the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth to advance equitable and sustainable economic opportunity.

 

Ajay’s leadership extends beyond the private sector. He served as Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce (2020–2022), and has held board roles with the American Red Cross, Kraft Foods, and Dow Inc. He is also a co-founder of the Cyber Readiness Institute. His contributions have earned wide recognition, including the Singapore Public Service Star award (2022),  the Padma Shri from the President of India (2016), the Foreign Policy Association Medal (2012), and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

 

As President of the World Bank Group, Ajay Banga is reshaping the institution to meet the defining challenges of our time—with urgency, ambition, and a relentless focus on delivering results.

 

Alasdair Harris leads the Ocean Resilience & Climate Alliance (ORCA), a philanthropic collaborative advancing high-impact solutions at the intersection of ocean protection and climate action. ORCA brings together global funders to accelerate ocean-based climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience strategies at scale. A marine biologist and social entrepreneur with more than two decades of experience, Alasdair has built his career at the interface of ocean conservation and social justice. He previously founded and served as CEO of Blue Ventures, which began as a small community-led marine conservation initiative on a remote beach in Madagascar and grew under his leadership into an internationally recognised organisation of more than 300 staff working across over a dozen countries in Southeast Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. His work pioneered community-led approaches to fisheries management, coastal livelihoods and marine protection, demonstrating how locally led conservation can deliver environmental recovery alongside economic resilience. In addition to his executive roles, Alasdair has served as a founding chair and board member of environmental non-profits, and currently serves on the boards of several conservation and climate-focused organisations. Across these roles, he works to strengthen governance, strategy and capital mobilisation in support of practical, community-led climate solutions. Alasdair is a TED Fellow, Ashoka Fellow and National Geographic Explorer. He holds a PhD in marine ecology and an honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Edinburgh. 

 

Dr Ana K. Spalding is the Founding Director of the Adrienne Arsht Community-Based Resilience Solutions Initiative at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Dr Spalding holds a BA in economics and international studies from the University of Richmond, a master’s degree in marine affairs and policy from the University of Miami and a master's and doctorate in environmental studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She has published widely on the socio-environmental outcomes of lifestyle migration to Panama; on the linkages between land use and policy, property rights, and development; and, more broadly, on the evolution of marine policy and ocean governance. She is also fascinated by interdisciplinarity and collaboration as a critical framework for co-creating innovative solutions to the coupled social and environmental challenges of our times. Current research includes locally-led conservation, adaptation as a pathway to resilience for marine resource-dependent communities, and the role of ocean governance and finance in securing co-benefits for people and nature. 

 

 

 

Dr Brian Kennedy is a Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Biochemistry and Physiology and also serves as the Programme Chair of the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme and Director of the Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Singapore. In addition, he is also the Director of the Centre for Healthy Longevity, National University Health System. Collectively, NUS ageing research seeks to demonstrate that longevity interventions can be successfully employed in humans to extend healthspan, the disease-free and highly functional period of life. From 2010 to 2016, Dr Kennedy was the President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, USA and he maintained a professorship there through 2020. Dr Kennedy is also actively involved with a number of Biotechnology companies and also served as a Co-Editor-In-Chief at Aging Cell from 2011-2021. Finally, Dr Kennedy has a track record of interaction in China, where he was a Visiting Professor at the Aging Research Institute at Guangdong Medical College from 2009 to 2014. 

 

 

Brishan Rowjee brings over a decade of experience deploying equity and debt capital across growth-oriented and impact-driven sectors. He currently works at Grand Challenges Canada, where he focuses on leading risk capital investments that support innovative companies and solutions aimed at improving health outcomes in communities globally. He brings deep expertise in investment sourcing, due diligence, transaction structuring, and portfolio value creation across equity, debt, and hybrid financing instruments. His work is centered on catalytic capital strategies that help early and growth stage companies achieve financial sustainability while delivering measurable social impact. Brishan also holds multiple board positions across portfolio companies, where he supports governance, strategic growth, and capital planning. Prior to joining Grand Challenges Canada, he held roles in private equity, leveraged finance, and private credit, working on complex transactions and restructurings across emerging and developed markets. He brings a global perspective and collaborative leadership style, with a strong commitment to scaling locally led businesses that create lasting impact. 

 

 

 

Carolina Suárez Visbal is a leader in philanthropy and impact investing in Latin America, with over 20 years of experience advancing capital mobilisation and ecosystem development. She is the CEO of Latimpacto, the region’s leading network connecting philanthropists and impact investors to deploy capital more strategically and at scale. Under her leadership, Latimpacto has strengthened cross-sector collaboration and positioned Latin America as a key actor in the global impact ecosystem. Carolina has a strong track record in mobilizing private capital, building strategic partnerships, and strengthening institutions to drive long-term social and environmental impact. With a background in international business law, she brings expertise in capital structuring and partnership design. She is a board member, author, and frequent speaker at global forums on impact and philanthropy. 

 

Danny Kennedy works as a Senior Adviser to the Sunrise Project, Wollemi Capital and various startups and sits on the Board of the Global Solar Council amongst others. He was the founding CEO of New Energy Nexus, a global platform organization for funds and incubators, with chapters in a dozen countries from 2015-2024. Kennedy co-founded Sungevity in 2007, the company that created remote solar design, and Powerhouse, an innovation firm in Oakland, California. He was the first backer of Mosaic in 2011, the multi-billion solar loan provider, and remains on the Board of Powerhive, a solar mini-utility in Kenya. He was a founding Director of Sunergise, the solar-as-a-service business out of Fiji and the Energy Lab Australia. He helped build Solar Philippines and is currently creating a communications platform called Future Keepers. 

 

Dominic is Chair of Rio Tinto; Chair of LeapFrog Investments, an impact-investment firm focused on emerging markets; and the Chair of Asia House, a leading think tank and advisory firm in London. He is also a senior advisor and partner at Radical Ventures, a leading AI investment firm; and a senior counselor at Eurasia Group, a global political risk consultancy.

 

Previously, Dominic was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company and served as Global Managing Partner for three terms from 2009 to 2018. Dominic completed his role as the Ambassador of Canada to the People’s Republic of China from 2019 to 2021.He served as Chairman of Teck Resources and Non-Executive Director at the Singtel Group (Singapore) and Investor AB (Sweden). He brings a wealth of global business experience, as well as a deep insight of geopolitics, corporate sustainability, and governance.

Mr Edmund Koh is a career banker with more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region during which time he garnered a deep understanding of Asian markets and developed a strong track record in leading and building successful businesses in Asia.

A strong advocate of talent development and community involvement; he is always in the front line of providing mentoring to juniors, knowledge sharing and nurturing the next generation of leaders.

Mr Koh is a board/council member of various committees including the MAS Financial Centre Advisory Panel, the Wealth Management Institute, the Asian Bureau of Finance and Economic Research, and the University of Toronto International Leadership Council. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Toronto, Canada.

 

 

Fan Gu is Chief Investment Officer at 100x Impact, where she leads venture acceleration to identify & back potential “social unicorns” scaling solutions to positively impact billions of lives. She previously managed a financial inclusion investment portfolio within a £130m government initiative and has held senior roles across social and commercial investment, including at Charities Aid Foundation, one of the UK’s largest foundations with £1.1bn under management, and at Deutsche Bank, where she executed over £5bn in public market transactions. Fan holds an Economics degree from the London School of Economics. 

 

 

 

 

Hemant Mandal, Director, Department of the Asia and Pacific Region Hemant brings over 25 years of experience creating markets across climate and sustainability. This has involved running P&Ls, developing, structuring, and investing in projects and companies, and providing strategic advice on regulations, bankable commercial contracts, and PPP transactions to governments. His specialties span energy generation, transition, transmission, and distribution sectors, having successfully created portfolios of more than USD 10 billion globally. He has worked for multilaterals and the private sector, including the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group), the Asian Development Bank, Shell Wind, GE Wind, one of the largest global single-family offices and IPP’s. He has also run his own companies at operational and C-suite levels. He is an engineer by training and has an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. 

 

Kithmina Hewage is Director of Policy Engagement at the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS), where he leads the organisation’s policy engagement and strategic outreach efforts with governments, philanthropists, corporates, and nonprofit organizations across 17 Asian economies to facilitate more private sector capital towards addressing development challenges. Kithmina has over 10 years of academic and professional experience in international development policy research, analysis, and consulting in the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Sri Lanka. During his tenure at the British High Commission in Colombo from 2020 to 2022, Kithmina worked closely with senior political, business, and civil society figures both in Sri Lanka and in the United Kingdom. In the period 2015 to 2020, Kithmina worked for the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS), the country’s foremost policy think-tank. As a trusted advisor across the political spectrum in Sri Lanka, he was appointed to several government task forces on macroeconomic and investment policy reforms. Additionally, he has served as a consultant for international organizations such as the World Bank and the International Trade Centre (ITC). Kithmina is also a member of the Expert Network of the World Economic Forum (WEF). As a regular guest on television and radio programs in several countries, Kithmina provides insight into global political and economic developments. He has been invited to speak on panel discussions and deliver keynote addresses at prestigious regional and global summits. His op-eds have appeared in international publications such as Nikkei Asia and The Diplomat, while his research articles have been published by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) and Routledge. Kithmina holds a BA (honors) in international studies & anthropology (with a minor in economics) from Johns Hopkins University and an MSc in international public policy from University College London (UCL). 

Marisa Paramita is an Indonesian entrepreneur and social innovator whose work sits at the intersection of women's economic empowerment, inclusive technology, and the future of ethical AI in Southeast Asia. She created Bahasa Ibu ("Mother Tongue" — baibu.id), a UNICEF FemTech-funded initiative that is rewriting who gets to build artificial intelligence. The world's AI systems were built predominantly on Western, Male oriented, English-language data, leaving 700 living languages of Indonesia, and the daily realities of rural Indonesian motherhood, entirely absent. Bahasa Ibu directly confronts this gap by positioning rural mothers as trained, compensated, and self-governing language and cultural knowledge experts; building the datasets that make AI more inclusive, while earning dignified income and gaining portable qualifications that outlast the project itself. Bahasa Ibu is made possible by five years of deep community built through Ibu Punya Mimpi ("A Mother's Dream"), the platform Marisa co-founded to empower Indonesian mothers through digital skills and economic opportunity. Internal community data shows that every mother who joins brings an average of 15 more through peer referral; creating a self-sustaining network that Bahasa Ibu now channels into the AI economy. 55% of Ibu Punya Mimpi alumni report measurable income growth. 77% say it improved their access to employment. Before founding Ibu Punya Mimpi, Marisa led Uber's expansion across 34 cities in Indonesia and Myanmar, and co-founded a fintech platform presented at Money20/20 Las Vegas. She holds executive certifications from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Business School. Marisa speaks from five years of sitting with rural Indonesian mothers who are not waiting to be included in the future of work. They are building it themselves. 

 

Max Nelen is a mission-driven entrepreneur passionate about accelerating climate-smart solutions for smallholder farmers across Southeast Asia. As Founder and CEO of Agros, Max leads the company’s strategy, partnerships, and market development to make irrigation more sustainable, affordable, and scalable. Before founding Agros, he served as a Venture Builder at Rainmaking, where he helped launch and scale impact-driven ventures such as Solar AI and Table Pointer, advancing renewable energy and operational efficiency in urban and agricultural sectors. Earlier in his career, he worked as a Strategy Consultant at Roland Berger, advising Fortune 500 clients on growth and transformation. Fluent in English, Dutch, and French, he brings a global perspective to Agros’s mission of building a climate-resilient future for farmers. 

 

Mosun Layode is a development professional with two decades of experience in international development and nonprofit leadership. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the African Philanthropy Forum (APF) where she works extensively across Africa with established and emerging philanthropists who are committed to the sustainable and inclusive development of Africa. She was instrumental to the establishment of APF as an independent entity in Africa, increasing its reach and impact in the philanthropic community, as well as growing its brand and membership base. Prior to this, she served as the Executive Director of WIMBIZ and LEAP Africa, leading nonprofits in Nigeria. Passionate about the interplay of social issues and business, Mosun founded Social Runway, a nonprofit organization established to harness the power of the crowd for small donations supporting crucial initiatives Mosun studied Urban and Regional Planning at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria and obtained an MSc. in Environmental Resources Management from Lagos State University. She has an MBA from Lagos Business School and benefited from Executive Programs offered by the IESE Business School, Barcelona and Harvard Business School. Mosun currently sits on nonprofit boards including Candid, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and AMP Health. She is an alumnus of the United States International Visitors Leadership Program and was identified by Forbes as one of the black women to watch in philanthropy. 

Neerja Birla is the Founder and Chairperson of the Aditya Birla Education Trust and a leading force in advancing mental health and inclusive education across India and the Global South. Her work is defined by a systems-led approach, bringing together policy, community engagement and clinical care into cohesive and scalable models that drive long-term impact. As the founder of Mpower, Neerja has built one of South Asia’s most integrated mental health ecosystems, spanning prevention, early intervention, and treatment. With a reach of over 180 million people her work addresses one of the most pressing gaps in global health, the lack of accessible and stigma-free mental health care, particularly in underserved and complex settings. In parallel, she has built and strengthened institutions that advance inclusive and future-ready education, with a distinct focus on integrating neurodiversity and student well-being into mainstream learning systems, while strengthening in educator capacity to drive long-term, systemic impact across India and Asia. Neerja’s work in the Global South is marked by her ability to translate vision into execution at scale, consistently bridging the gap between intent and impact. Through her engagement with global platforms such as the Healthy Brains Global Initiative, Asia Gender Network of AVPN, Philanthropy Asia Alliance, Future Mental Health Collective and the British Asian Trust, she contributes to shaping more equitable and resilient systems for mental health and education worldwide. A deeply engaged philanthropist, her work reflects a disciplined, systems-oriented approach, enabling collaborative action across institutions to drive scalable and sustained impact. 

 

 

Pia Rebello Britto, is the Global Director of Education and Adolescent Development at UNICEF, where she provides strategic vision and leadership for UNICEF's education and adolescent development programmes, overseeing the development of policies, strategies, and guidance to implement learning initiatives for children around the world. Prior to this role, Britto served as UNICEF's Representative to the Lao People's Democratic Republic, leading the organization's work in advancing children's rights across education, health, protection, water and sanitation, climate action, and emergency response. She also previously served as UNICEF's Global Chief and Senior Advisor of Early Childhood Development, spearheading a global movement to give every child the best start in life. Before joining UNICEF, she was an Assistant Professor at Yale University, internationally renowned for her work developing, implementing, and evaluating early childhood programs and policies around the world — including providing evidence for the role of governance and finance in national systems, developing models for quality early childhood services, and promoting the role of parents and caregivers. SDG Academy She holds a doctoral degree in Developmental Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University, and is the author of over 100 publications, including books, peer-reviewed articles, and reports. She is a recipient of numerous national and international awards. 

Dr Ruth A. Shapiro is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS). CAPS is a research and advisory non-profit organization based in Hong Kong and working throughout Asia. CAPS is committed to producing world-class, evidence-based research to help philanthropists, governments and social delivery organizations maximise the positive impact of private social investment. Dr Shapiro is the primary author of Pragmatic Philanthropy: Asian Charity Explained, published by Palgrave Macmillan in January 2018. She is the editor of The Real Problem Solvers, a book about social entrepreneurship in America. She also co-authored the book, Building Energy Efficiency: Why Green Buildings are Key to Asia’s Future. She has published articles in Nikkei Asia, the South China Morning Post, Alliance and Philanthropy Impact and is a regular speaker on issues related to private social investment in Asia. Dr Shapiro founded the Asia Business Council and served as its Executive Director since its inception in 1997 until May 2007. She spent the early part of her professional career in the field of international development. Within this field, she held management positions and built new program areas at the Academy for Educational Development, the Harvard Institute of International Development and Global Outlook. She holds a doctorate from Stanford University and master’s Degrees from Harvard University and George Washington University. She completed her undergraduate work at the University of Michigan. 

 

Ryan is the founding Head of Temasek Trust's Catalytic Capital for Climate & Health (C3H), which funds early-stage companies in Climate, and the intersection of Climate and Health. He is also the head of the Planet Collaborative, which looks at synergising climate-related initiatives within Temasek Trust. Ryan is a seasoned executive with extensive international experience across industries, company stages, and working with diverse stakeholders. He previously held Chief Operating Officer (COO) roles at various start-ups both locally and internationally, and was also the COO at D’Crypt, a cryptographic technology firm. These operational experiences are complemented with earlier corporate roles, such as include heading Mergers & Acquisitions at StarHub, and consulting at Bain & Company. He started his career in the military, and completed a deployment to Afghanistan with the International Security Assistance Force. He serves as a board member on Equatic, a US-based early stage tech company. He also previously served as a member of Singapore’s Dover Park Hospice's Audit Committee. Academically, Ryan was valedictorian of his University of California Los Angeles Anderson and National University of Singapore Executive MBA class, where he was named a John Wooden Global Leadership Fellow. He also holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College (summa cum laude with High Honours), and an M.A. from Columbia University. He remains active in Singapore’s reserve as a Senior Lieutenant-Colonel and Chief of Staff of an Armoured Brigade. He was awarded the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation medal, and Singapore’s National Day Commendation Medal (Military) [Pingat Penghargaan (Tentera)]. In his personal life, he brings his persistence to outdoor activities, cycling and long-course triathlons, and has completed several IRONMAN 70.3 races and IRONMAN Cairns in 2024. 

 

 

 

Shamina Singh is the founder and president of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and executive vice president of sustainability at Mastercard, where she leads the company’s global social and environmental impact strategy. A member of Mastercard’s Management Committee, she draws on more than two decades of public and private sector experience to unite investors, policymakers, government and impact leaders to advance private sector-led social and business outcomes that shape inclusive and impactful economies. Her cross-functional leadership style has been recognized by American Banker and the Financial Times. Since launching the Center in 2014, Shamina has leveraged the power of Mastercard’s data, technology, capital, and expertise to advance inclusive and sustainable economic growth around the world. Mastercard and the Center demonstrate how the private sector can lead on business and impact outcomes alongside governments, nonprofits and researchers. This “doing well by doing good” strategy has earned recognition from Fast Company, Fortune, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal and Forbes. With a career spanning four U.S. presidential administrations and three Fortune 500 companies, Shamina has held senior roles in the White House and the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute, a Presidential Leadership Scholar, and an alumna of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leadership Fellows Program. Currently, Shamina serve on the board of The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), and on the advisory boards of data.org, Okta for Good, the Aspen Institute’s Civil Society Fellowship and the CGAP Financial Inclusion Initiative. She is also a contributor to MIT Sloan Management Review on the topic of responsible AI. Shamina holds a Bachelor of Science from Old Dominion University and a Master of Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School at the University of Texas at Austin. She has received Alumni of Distinction honors from both institutions. 

 

Dr Shantanu Pathak is a purpose-driven entrepreneur and innovator. His mission is to create equal opportunities of care for women in India and globally. Shantanu believes that most of an individual’s health journey starts in the womb, and that healthier pregnancy will have a positive impact on maternal and newborn health, avoiding adverse generational impact. Shantanu undertook his PhD in Women’s Health at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology and converted his research, learning and passion into an enterprise – CareMother (Doto Health). Over the last 10 years, apart from finishing his PhD, he formed and scaled CareMother as a pregnancy care startup and technologies served close to 1 Million pregnancies and newborns. He continues to contribute in women’s health research with IIT Bombay and collaborative research at the University of Oxford. He is a recipient of The President of India’s Innovation Award, Skoll Foundation Emerging Leader Award, Google SMB Hero Award. He presented his innovations at global platforms, securing grants worth USD3M for his work. Shantanu’s initiatives on technology, research and policy change are a unique blend to scale impact in the true sense. 

 

Siti Kamariah Ahmad Subki is a Chartered Accountant with qualifications from the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales. She has over 20 years of professional experience across Malaysia, Australia, and the United States. Her career includes leadership roles such as the Chief Executive Officer of Wanita Berdaya Selangor, an organization dedicated to celebrating talent and empowering women in Selangor in leadership, economic, and social fields. She has also served at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Khazanah Nasional Berhad, and the United Nations (UN). From 2015 to 2016, Siti served as an Economic, Financial, and Private Sector Advisor to the United Nations Humanitarian Financing High-Level Panel Secretariat in New York. During this time, she led the Islamic Social Finance for Humanitarian Action initiative, which was officially launched at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May 2016 by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Her extensive background in both the commercial sector and social development has played a key role in fostering entrepreneurship, social progress, and sustainable development. In addition to her professional achievements, Siti is also a self-taught visual artist, blending creativity with financial expertise to drive innovation, promote Malaysia's cultural heritage, and advance the country's economic, social, and sustainability growth. She currently serves as the Trustee and Managing Director of the Hasanah Foundation, a leading impact-driven foundation in Malaysia. At the same time, Puan Siti is a board member of Yayasan Khazanah, INCEIF University, and Think City Sdn Bhd. Puan Siti has completed the Art and Practice of Leadership Development program in June 2025 and the Leading Economic Growth program in December 2025, both at the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education. Additionally, she has been appointed as a member of the National Unity Advisory Council (MPPN) for the 2025-2027 term, under the Ministry of National Unity (KPN). 

Soumya Swaminathan is a pediatrician and global expert in tuberculosis and HIV research.

 

She recently served as the World Health Organization’s first Chief Scientist, and previously as Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (2015–2017). She became Chairperson of the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in February 2023.

 

She is also Principal Advisor to the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) and National Science Chair of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, Government of India.

 

Srikrishna Sridhar Murthy (Krishna) is the Co-founder and CEO of Sattva Consulting, one of India’s leading impact consulting firms. Krishna is known for championing Denominator Thinking in India’s social impact landscape. This approach focuses on driving systemic change at scale by fostering collaboration and innovation at the intersection of businesses, civil society, governments, and the broader impact ecosystem. His work emphasises the inclusion of underserved communities and geographies in these efforts. With over 15 years of experience in social impact, Krishna has served as an advisor to prominent national and international corporations, non-profits, foundations, and government agencies. Over the past five years, Krishna has helped 50+ leading corporations design CSR strategies that drive greater impact for communities and key industry stakeholders. He has also been a strong advocate for funding and supporting research, deep-tech innovations, and entrepreneurship through corporate CSR initiatives. His work involves close collaboration with institutions such as IITs, IIMs, AIM, IISc, C-CAMP, Social Alpha, and others. A regular speaker at government and industry forums, Krishna emphasises the importance of strategic CSR backed by a data-driven approach to maximise impact. Krishna has also supported the creation of public good platforms in knowledge and data like India Data Insights and the India Partner Network, which have added value to the impact ecosystem. Krishna holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Hons) from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, and an MBA in Entrepreneurship from INSEAD. 

 

Stuart J. Davies is the Frank H. Levinson Chair in Global Forest Science and Senior Staff Scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). He is Director of the Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO), a global network of 84 large-scale tropical forest research sites in 29 countries. The programme uses long-term intensive observations of forests across the world to understand the origin and maintenance of forest diversity, and to understand how forest biodiversity and function can best be conserved, managed, and used in sustainable ways for human benefit. The programme, the largest of its kind in the world, develops opportunities in training and capacity building to build a scientific basis for the management of the world's forests. Davies is a tropical ecologist with 30 years of experience working throughout the tropics, with particular expertise in the forests of Southeast Asia. His research investigates ecological and evolutionary influences on variation in rainforest communities across the tropics. Davies received his PhD from Harvard University in 1996. Before leading the ForestGEO programme, he was a Senior Research Associate at the Center for International Development and the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University, and Associate Professor at the University of Malaysia Sarawak. 

Since taking the role of Director of UNICEF’s Global Office of Innovations in 2021, Thomas has pioneered an era of expanded reach, scale and impact for child-centered innovations worldwide in close collaboration with private sector and government leaders worldwide. Thomas spearheads a radical reinvention of the UNICEF Innovation team as a core change catalyst for UNICEF’s impact globally, and harnesses the indomitable energy and deep expertise of his team to spot innovations that offer transformational potential for children, from data science to AI, blockchain, innovative finance constructs or innovative products to be picked up, co-created and scaled with the expertise and support from young innovators and partners across public and private sectors, so that, together, we create global social goods that advance humanity. Thomas' and his team offer strategic advice to the UN Secretary General’s office on emerging technologies and the ability within the UN to harness such technologies to advance humanity, with a focus on using global frameworks such as the Global Digital Compact to foster a collective movement as a catalyst for bridging the gap and creating an equitable future for all children. Thomas is a board member to the Global Digital Public Good Alliance and the UN Innovation Network, and supports a range of executive roles in support to World Economic Forum partnership alliances as well as Broadband Commission supported initiatives. Before assuming his current role, Thomas served UNICEF in leaderships role across the Balkans, South Asia, and the Middle East, and served as Head of Mission for country offices in Thailand and Algeria. Thomas holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, a Master’s degree in Political Science, and cherishes time with his two beautiful children who continue to inspire his creativity, passion, and drive for an equitable future for all. 

Trihadi Saptoadi is a seasoned executive and global development leader with over 30 years of experience across philanthropy, humanitarian action, and sustainable development. He currently serves as Chairman of the Executive Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Tahija Foundation, a venture philanthropy organisation in Indonesia, a role he has held since January 2019. Under his leadership, the Tahija Foundation has sharpened its focus on high-impact, science-based interventions in public health. Most notably, the Foundation plays a key role in advancing the dengue elimination project in collaboration with the World Mosquito Program (WMP) of Monash University, a landmark initiative that has demonstrated a substantial reduction in dengue transmission through the Wolbachia method, positioning Indonesia as a global reference for innovative disease prevention. Prior to joining the Tahija Foundation, Trihadi spent most of his career at World Vision International, one of the world’s largest humanitarian and development organisations. His senior leadership roles included Global Lead and Senior Vice President for Impact and Engagement, based in London, as well as Regional Vice President for South Asia and the Pacific, overseeing multi-country operations and complex humanitarian responses across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Throughout his tenure, he led large-scale partnerships with governments, multilateral institutions, and the private sector to address poverty, disasters, and systemic social challenges. Trihadi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and an MBA from the Institut Pengembangan Manajemen Indonesia (IPMI) in collaboration with Monash University. In addition to his role at the Tahija Foundation, he serves as Managing Director of the Jakarta Family Office (Tahija Enterprise) and sits on several national philanthropy and civil society boards. Widely respected for his ability to integrate business discipline with a philanthropic mindset, Trihadi Saptoadi continues to champion approaches that deliver measurable impact, long-term sustainability, and scalable solutions at the intersection of business, philanthropy, and public good. 

Wilson L. White is Vice President, Government Affairs & Public Policy at Google, where he is the global head of government affairs and public policy for Google’s Platforms & Devices business unit as well as Google’s government affairs operations across the Asia Pacific region.

 

With 20+ years of experience as an engineer and technology attorney, Wilson has used his multidisciplinary background and expertise to provide a lawmakers, regulators and other key opinion formers across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia with thought leadership on the rapidly growing and changing technology landscape and the societal implications of emerging technologies.

 

Wilson earned his Bachelor of Science degree, summa cum laude, in Computer Engineering from NC State University. He earned a Juris Doctor degree with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law, where he served on the Editorial Board of the North Carolina Law Review.

Zoe Whitton is as experienced investment banker and policy advisor. She works with financial institutions and governments to deploy capital towards transition, adaptation and impact opportunities. She previously was Managing Director and Head of Strategy and Capital Markets at Pollination Group. Prior, she led the award-winning APAC ESG Research team at Citi, covered ESG and climate change at Credit Suisse and at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and served as a youth delegate to the UNFCCC. Zoe is a founding director on the board of the Australian government's transition authority (the Net Zero Economy Authority) and is also a director of the Investor Group on Climate Change. She is the Chair of the Centre for Policy Development. She previously served as a member of both the National Hydrogen Strategy Advisory Council and the Expert Advisory Panel for the Powering the Regions Fund. She also served on the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute's Technical Advisory Group and as a founding member of the Governing Council of the Climate Governance Initiative. Zoe holds Master’s degree in Environmental Policy from the University of Oxford, and in Environmental Economics from UQ. She has won numerous awards for her work on climate finance and policy development.