WHERE IS THE
WORLD HEADING?

Ruchika Sikri is a technology leader, investor, entrepreneur, and author whose work centers on helping people flourish. She is a Founding Partner at Wisdom Ventures, Founder and General Partner of Mandala Ventures, and Director of the Accelerator at the Stanford University Emergence program within the School of Medicine. Previously, she served as the Head of Wellbeing and Mindfulness Learning at Google. Across investing, supporting founders, writing, and building communities, she brings wisdom and compassion to how we build, lead, and live. Preventive health, compassionate innovation, and human flourishing are at the heart of everything Ruchika does.

Mahe Bayireddi is the CEO and co-founder of Phenom, a global applied AI company transforming how organizations hire, develop, and retain talent. A serial entrepreneur with expertise in computer science, machine learning, and predictive intelligence, Mahe champions a people-first approach to AI that empowers individuals while keeping humans at the center of critical workplace decisions.

Mike Flannagan leads Microsoft's Customer & Commercial Success organization, helping customers realize greater value from their investments and accelerate business and AI transformation. His organization advances commercial execution by connecting strategy, technology, and delivery to drive innovation, operational excellence, and long-term business value at scale.

He works across the company’s sales, engineering, marketing, and delivery teams to turn customers' strategic priorities into measurable outcomes. His organization helps accelerate adoption, remove barriers to execution, improve the customer experience, and bring the right expertise and resources to critical opportunities and challenges.

Before joining Microsoft, Mike held senior leadership roles across enterprise technology and entertainment. He served as Senior Vice President at SAP and Corporate Vice President and General Manager at Cisco. He was also Global Head of Networking and Telecommunications for SJS Entertainment and Chief Information Officer of a Live Nation subsidiary.

Mike is a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Board Leadership Fellow and a graduate of Directors' College at Stanford University. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data and on the Technology & Services Industry Association's Executive Advisory Board. He earned his MBA from Auburn University, where he is a guest lecturer and a member of the Graduate School Dean's Advisory Council. He also served on the Advisory Council for the University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business.

Tina Shah Paikeday is General Manager and Senior Advisor for Responsible AI at Findem, where she leads initiatives spanning AI governance, executive education and responsible technology innovation. A seasoned executive, entrepreneur and researcher, she brings extensive experience helping organizations navigate complex leadership decisions and build more ethical, equitable and evidence-based practices.

Prior to Findem, Tina served as Global Head of DEI Advisory at Russell Reynolds Associates, advising senior executives at leading global organizations. Earlier, she was CEO and Board Chair of zBox (acquired by Whirlpool). Tina started her career at McKinsey & Company.

Tina’s research on how AI can reduce cognitive bias in high-stakes talent decisions has been published in California Management Review and featured in a TEDx talk. She is completing her PhD in Executive Management at the Drucker School of Management and has guest lectured at Stanford, UC Berkeley, the University of Virginia and Cornell.

Shawn Zhang is the technical co-founder and CTO of Sanas, an AI startup building a kinder, more understanding world through voice. He dropped out of Stanford’s undergraduate program to start the company.

Sanas has 120 people across offices in Palo Alto, California and Bangalore, India, and has raised over $100M. Its products serve more than 1M active users and are deployed in enterprise contact centers and telecommunications networks worldwide. The platform spans premium AI capabilities including speech enhancement, accent translation, language translation, fraud detection, speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and speech analytics.

As CTO, Shawn oversees ML research and development and leads Sanas’s product roadmap and technical infrastructure.

Dikshya Upadhyaya is a senior computer information system and supply chain major at Howard University. She is a co-founder of a AI fintech app Smart credit and part of clubs like DECA, Consulting and Finance center. Throughout she’s been involved in a lot of leadership roles and has traveled to Asia and Africa. She aims to use technology for better lives of everyone.

Patricia Hargil is Chief Sustainability Officer of Messer SE & Co. KGaA, reporting to the CEO. She leads global sustainability, embedding it into strategy and business decision-making.

She began as an engineer on urban development projects, then worked in logistics and business development before consulting at Booz Allen & Hamilton. At Alcatel-Lucent (now Nokia), she led global strategic marketing and business development across the US, Latin America, Europe and Asia, supported its services merger integration and served as a Vice President of Corporate Strategy.

At Linde, she led large-scale digitalization and automation transformations and managed the carve-out and sale of its Americas business to Messer. She later created EMBRACE, a value-creation program engaging employees in continuous improvement at Messer.

Patricia holds an engineering degree from UFRJ, a master's in economics from UFES and an MSc in Management of Technology from MIT Sloan. She champions values-based leadership as a driver of lasting change.

Arran Stephens is a pioneering organic food entrepreneur, environmental advocate, artist, author, and philanthropist. Together with his wife, Ratana, he founded Nature’s Path Organic Foods in 1985, transforming a modest family enterprise into a global leader in organic foods, guided by the enduring principle: “Always leave the Earth better than we found it.”

For over five decades, Arran has championed regenerative organic agriculture, biodiversity, healthy soils, and food systems that nourish people while restoring the planet. His vision demonstrates that business success and environmental stewardship can flourish together.

A lifelong vegetarian and practitioner of meditation, Arran believes that meaningful climate regeneration begins with a fundamental shift in humanity’s relationship with nature—from exploitation to reverence and responsibility.

He and Ratana are recipients of the Order of British Columbia and honorary doctorates from the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria, recognizing their entrepreneurial, environmental, and philanthropic contributions.

Dr. Harvey Locke is a globally renowned nature conservationist, writer, and photographer who works on large landscape conservation and private sector financing of intact nature for biodiversity and climate outcomes. He is co-founder of ARTIC (Amazon Rainforest Tipping Insurance Consortium). He serves as Vice Chair for Nature Positive of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas.

Megan L. Fielding is Vice President, Sustainability, at Asplundh Tree Expert, LLC, a family-owned infrastructure services company with approximately 36,000 employees across North America and Australasia. She leads enterprise sustainability strategy, integrating ESG priorities into business objectives and risk management, and partnering across operations, fleet, procurement and legal to guide climate and decarbonization initiatives. She launched Asplundh’s annual sustainability report in 2023, formalized Scopes 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas reporting, and established a company-wide ESG working group. With more than 30 years in sustainability and financial services, she previously led communications and client services for Responsible Investing at Nuveen, the investment manager of TIAA. Megan serves on the Board of Trustees of the TREE Fund and its Development Committee, and on the advisory committee of the Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance. She holds an MA from the University of San Francisco and a BA in Economics from Wheaton College (MA).

Michael has 25 years of experience in private equity, project development and finance, and general management in the renewable energy and clean tech sectors.

Prior to founding The Climate Board, Michael was a founding managing director of GGE Investments, a clean tech investment and development company directed at deploying capital into the renewable energy and transportation sectors. Before that, he was a founding managing partner of GeoGlobal Energy, LLC, a $300M utility-scale renewable energy company that originated, developed, built, and operated utility-scale geothermal energy projects worldwide. He has served as CEO for various portfolio companies and directed the investment activities of private equity funds focused on infrastructure opportunities in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. At The Climate Board, Michael leads the company's strategic direction and client partnerships. Under his leadership TCB has developed Aqua Intelligence, a live facility-level water risk intelligence platform built around the same WRI Aqueduct methodology used by a Large Beverage Company, and BPS Comply, an AI-enhanced compliance management platform for Building Performance Standards.

Michael holds an MA in International Studies and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School), and a BS in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire.

Sree Menon is an operating executive who has scaled businesses from high-growth startups to Fortune 500 companies, managing businesses worth up to $8 billion. As Operating Partner at Venture Dock in Los Altos, California, she works with founders, investors and leadership teams on growth, transformation and bringing AI into how companies work. As interim CEO of Gierd, a venture-backed commerce technology company, she led a turnaround that cut cash burn by more than 80 percent. She was previously Chief Operating Officer of Tophatter, where she helped double the marketplace to more than $300 million in sales and reach operating profitability. Before that, she was General Manager of eBay Motors, an $8 billion business, and spent nearly ten years at Dell leading its $6 billion online sales business across the Americas. She also founded Acorn Connections, an AI-enabled marketplace for fertility services.

Keith “One Time” Thurman is a professional boxer from Clearwater, Florida, a former unified WBA and WBC welterweight world champion, and one of boxing’s most recognizable personalities. With a professional record of 31 wins and 2 losses, including 23 knockouts, he is known for explosive power, championship experience and a willingness to take on the best. Thurman discovered boxing through youth programs in Clearwater and has built his career on resilience, returning from injury to defeat former champion Mario Barrios in 2022 and winning again in 2025. He now prepares to face undefeated Vergil Ortiz Jr. on December 5, 2026, in Glendale, Arizona. For Thurman, the fight is never only about the past: it is about meeting the next generation with experience, confidence and the discipline that made him a world champion.

Bronson Koenig is a former professional basketball player and the founder of BK Sports Consulting. A member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, he starred at the University of Wisconsin, where he helped lead the Badgers to back-to-back Final Fours and served as team captain. He went on to play professionally, including signing with the Milwaukee Bucks. Koenig is a certified meditation teacher who speaks openly about mental health and inner well-being, and he runs basketball camps for Native youth across North America. Through his speaking and coaching, he helps young athletes build resilience, confidence and a sense of identity on and off the court.

Peter Marti is a Swiss entrepreneur and communications executive with a background in international advertising, marketing and corporate leadership. He is Chairman of United for Ethics in Sport, a Swiss association founded in 2019 to promote fair play, integrity, respect and responsible leadership in sport, and Co-Founder of the World Forum for Ethics in Sports. He helped launch WFEB’s seven World Summits on Ethics and Leadership in Sports, beginning at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich in 2014. Marti is CEO and owner of Marti Communications AG, a Zurich-based digital creative and marketing agency. He was previously CEO and partner of Marti, Ogilvy Zurich, and held a leadership position within Ogilvy Europe. He also chairs the Board of the Dr. Rau Foundation. He holds a BA in Marketing Communications and completed executive management studies at New York University.

With 30 years of experience in television journalism, Robin Gill built a distinguished career reporting across Canada, culminating in roles as a national correspondent and anchor for a Canadian television network. She covered major historical events, including the 2010 Olympic Games, the COVID-19 pandemic, devastating BC floods and wildfires, federal elections, and international events at the United Nations. Throughout her career, she interviewed politicians, CEOs, and people from diverse backgrounds, bringing depth, perspective, and insight to complex issues.

In 2022, she transitioned into strategic communications, providing media relations, communications strategy, media training, and public speaking workshops to corporations, nonprofits, and political organizations. She also continues to freelance as a talk radio host with CKNW and Bell Media, staying connected to current affairs and the evolving media landscape.

Nancy is the Founder & CEO of MacKay CEO Forums, the highest impact and least time intensive peer group for results-oriented CEOs across Canada. Nancy’s vision, drive and dedication is reflected in the firm’s enviable growth and member loyalty.

Passionate about accelerating CEO performance through peer learning, Nancy is a CEO coach, dynamic keynote speaker, and published author. Nancy focuses on strategy and culture, is the driving force behind the firm’s strategic alliances and is a strong advocate of recognizing the incredible CEO talent we have in Canada. MacKay CEO Forums is an alliance partner of the Deloitte Canada’s Best Managed Companies Program and the Waterstone Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures Program.

Dr Mo is the Chief Executive Officer of Prime Quadrant, Chairman of CAF Canada and continues to sit on a number of both corporate and charitable boards.

Mo has authored several acclaimed books, including In Search of the Prime Quadrant, The Philanthropic Mind, Partners in Preservation, and Selling Snake Oil. Drawing from years working closely with ultra-affluent families, Mo’s books are intended to help families improve their financial, social, and human capital. The konnect better initiative resulted from the recognition that no amount of financial assets could replace (or acquire) our most cherished relationships and the deep, loving connections we yearn for. As a result, Mo has focused this new book on empowering families to strengthen the relationships that matter most, as that is where true wealth ultimately lies. Philanthropy & Board Roles: Chairman of CAF Canada, Chairman of the Prime Quadrant Foundation.

Dr. Moussa Magassa is the Associate Vice-President of Community and Belonging and an Adjunct Professor of Education at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Previously, he served as Principal Strategist for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism Education, and Community Engagement at the University of Victoria, where he was also the university’s inaugural Human Rights Advisor.

Dr. Magassa has taught in social justice, intercultural studies, global leadership, and intercultural communication programs at the University of Victoria, Royal Roads University, and the University of British Columbia. He holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Victoria, as well as graduate and undergraduate degrees in Human Security, Peacebuilding, Conflict Resolution, and Peace Studies. Born in Senegal, he brings a valuable international perspective and speaks several languages in addition to English and French.

Driving growth and digital enterprise transformation through value-driven, AI-native IT solutions. Under his leadership, ServiceNow was recognized as a Leader in the 2026 IDC MarketScape for AI-Enabled IT Service Management