Humanities & Social Sciences

Esteemed speakers contributing their insights into human culture, behavior, and societal development

Evelyne Akello

Evelyne Akello

Analytical thinker driven by fast-paced learning platforms in higher education with a significant experience of over five years in statistical modeling and quantitative data analyses utilizing R, SPSS, Excel, Tableau, Power Bi, MPlus, AMOS, Dbeaver, and SAS

Experienced in qualitative research methodologies including leading and participating in multisite collaborations and liaison responsibilities

Analytical thinker driven by fast-paced learning platforms in higher education with a significant experience of over five years in statistical modeling and quantitative data analyses utilizing R, SPSS, Excel, Tableau, Power Bi, MPlus, AMOS, Dbeaver, ... Show more

Oscar Cariceo

Oscar Cariceo

Ingeniero de Software con formación académica en antropología y ciencias sociales. Interesado en las posibilidades que ofrece la inteligencia artificial generativa y el desarrollo de aplicaciones orientadas mejorar la experiencia de los seres humanos con los sistemas computacionales. Actualmente se despeña como Manager de UX Research en Scotiabank.

Ingeniero de Software con formación académica en antropología y ciencias sociales. Interesado en las posibilidades que ofrece la inteligencia artificial generativa y el desarrollo de aplicaciones orientadas mejorar la experiencia de los seres humanos... Show more

Wanda Suila Ruth

Wanda Suila Ruth

Wanda Suila Ruth is a finance professional, community development leader, digital inclusion advocate and the Founder of Wanda's Legacy Foundation, a youth led organization dedicated to advancing menstrual health, gender equality, and digital dignity for girls and women in Cameroon.

Since 2020, she has led programs such as One Girl, One Sanitary Pad and the LEVEL UP trainings, reaching over 7,000+ people across the Center, Littoral, South West, and North West regions of Cameroon. Her work also addresses technology-facilitated gender-based violence and promotes safe digital spaces for young women.
Under her leadership, Wanda's Legacy Foundation was awarded the REDVOCATE Award 2025 from the International Menstrual Hygiene Coalition.

Wanda believes that, when girls are empowered and informed, the entire community rises, and she works daily to make that a reality in Cameroon.

Wanda Suila Ruth is a finance professional, community development leader, digital inclusion advocate and the Founder of Wanda's Legacy Foundation, a youth led organization dedicated to advancing menstrual health, gender equality, and digital dignity ... Show more

Aquayemi-Claude Akinsanya

Aquayemi-Claude Akinsanya

Aquayemi-Claude’s relentless drive for systemic reform has positioned him as a key figure across global platforms. He serves as a leader in youth empowerment, a mentor in educational equity, and a public speaker whose message resonates with diverse audiences. As a solopreneur and thought leader, his work bridges entrepreneurship, activism, and environmentalism, while his contributions to the Global Network of Young Persons with Disabilities highlight his commitment to creating inclusive opportunities for marginalized communities.

A compelling public speaker and storyteller, Aquayemi-Claude captivates audiences with inspiring narratives and thought-provoking insights. With a gift for communication and a dedication to amplifying marginalized voices, Aquayemi-Claude inspires action and fosters dialogue on issues of social significance.

Aquayemi-Claude is also an accomplished author, sharing perspectives and experiences that challenge conventional wisdom and inspire critical reflection. Through written works, Aquayemi-Claude invites readers on a journey of discovery and empowerment, encouraging introspection and growth.

Aquayemi-Claude’s relentless drive for systemic reform has positioned him as a key figure across global platforms. He serves as a leader in youth empowerment, a mentor in educational equity, and a public speaker whose message resonates with diverse a... Show more

Sarah Rose

Sarah Rose

Leadership Speaker | Author | Executive Leadership Coach | Founder of Fearlessly Unshackled™

Lead with Courage. Live with Purpose. Break Free from What Holds You Back.

Sarah Rose is a dynamic speaker, author, and executive leadership professional with more than 20 years of experience developing leaders, strengthening teams, and transforming organizational cultures. Her passion is helping individuals and organizations break through the barriers that limit their potential so they can lead with confidence, live with purpose, and create lasting impact.

Throughout her executive career, Sarah has led global teams, navigated complex organizational challenges, and helped people recognize that effective leadership is not defined by a title, but by the ability to influence, connect, and bring out the best in others.

But Sarah's message goes beyond leadership strategies.

Through her own journey of overcoming fear, self-doubt, perfectionism, and limiting beliefs, she discovered that some of the greatest barriers to success are not the circumstances around us, but the beliefs we carry within us.

As the founder of Fearlessly Unshackled™, Sarah is passionate about helping people recognize their worth, overcome the fears that hold them back, and step confidently into the purpose they were created to fulfill.

Sarah brings together real-world executive experience, practical leadership principles, personal storytelling, and a passion for transformation. Her engaging and authentic speaking style challenges audiences to examine what is holding them back and equips them with actionable strategies to move forward.

Through her signature programs, LEAD FORWARD™, BETTER TOGETHER™, CULTURE THAT KEEPS™, and FEARLESSLY UNSHACKLED™, Sarah delivers powerful messages tailored to corporate organizations, leadership conferences, women's events, and faith-based audiences.

Whether speaking about leadership effectiveness, communication, organizational culture, resilience, personal growth, or faith, Sarah's mission remains the same:

To inspire people to break free from limitations, lead with courage, and become all they were created to be.

Leadership Speaker | Author | Executive Leadership Coach | Founder of Fearlessly Unshackled™ Lead with Courage. Live with Purpose. Break Free from What Holds You Back. Sarah Rose is a dynamic speaker, author, and executive leadership profession... Show more

Rui Liu

Rui Liu

Rui Liu is a PhD candidate in American Studies at New York University. They work across transnational feminist and queer studies, global Asias, and critical ethnic studies, with a focus on Asian diasporic literature, visual art, performance, and film. Her dissertation examines how Asian diasporic aesthetic practices emerging from Sinophone and Inner Asian geographies contend with colonial intimacies across Cold War geographies and map anti-imperial modes of affiliation across geopolitical fault lines. Rui holds a BA and MA from the Women and Gender Studies Institute at the University of Toronto.

Rui Liu is a PhD candidate in American Studies at New York University. They work across transnational feminist and queer studies, global Asias, and critical ethnic studies, with a focus on Asian diasporic literature, visual art, performance, and film... Show more

Annette N/A

Annette N/A

Annette A. Opiyo is the Executive Director of the African Digital Rights & Governance Initiative (ADRAGI) and a digital rights and governance practitioner based in Kenya. Her work spans digital rights, data protection, digital identity, data governance, and emerging technology policy. She is interested in AI governance, responsible innovation, and research examining how digital technologies shape human rights, accountability, economic participation, and development across Africa. Through advocacy, research, policy engagement, and capacity building, she works to advance people-centred approaches to digital transformation. Through ADRAGI, she seeks to strengthen African perspectives in digital policy conversations and promote an inclusive, accountable, and rights-respecting technological future for the continent.

Annette A. Opiyo is the Executive Director of the African Digital Rights & Governance Initiative (ADRAGI) and a digital rights and governance practitioner based in Kenya. Her work spans digital rights, data protection, digital identity, data governan... Show more

Ashwin Mehta

Ashwin Mehta

Dr Ashwin Mehta is a keynote speaker and AI consultant, and winner of eight awards. He is Founder and CEO of Mehtadology, an AI and technology consultancy specialising in agentic AI transformation. He works with organisations on hybrid workforce architecture, agentic technology strategy, systems development and the practical adoption of agentic systems. His qualifications include a Master’s in Chemistry, an MBA and a PhD in learning technology adoption. He pioneered the Agentic Readiness Framework, and his career spans innovation strategy, data science, technology architecture, machine learning and artificial intelligence. He is the author of the upcoming book The Human Imperative: Systems and Skills for the Agentic Revolution, which sets out how organisations can design machine and human skills together, each doing the work it suits best.

Dr Ashwin Mehta is a keynote speaker and AI consultant, and winner of eight awards. He is Founder and CEO of Mehtadology, an AI and technology consultancy specialising in agentic AI transformation. He works with organisations on hybrid workforce arch... Show more

Jordan Peyton

Jordan Peyton

Jordan Peyton [游敏] is a Ph.D. student and Graduate Research Assistant in the CHARGE Research Group led by Dr. Mayra Artiles. Their research examines engineering Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs), undergraduate-to-graduate pathways, and equity-oriented data disaggregation within the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) umbrella. Drawing on professional experience across K-12 education, higher education, corporate DEI, and APIDA nonprofit organizations, Jordan’s work centers on understanding how educational structures and support systems shape students’ agency and access in engineering education.

Jordan Peyton [游敏] is a Ph.D. student and Graduate Research Assistant in the CHARGE Research Group led by Dr. Mayra Artiles. Their research examines engineering Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs), undergraduate-to-graduate pathways, and e... Show more

Paula Slier

Paula Slier

Paula Slier is an international journalist, keynote speaker and former war correspondent with more than 30 years of experience reporting from over 25 conflict zones and delivering more than 6 000 live broadcasts.
Her work focuses on artificial intelligence, information warfare, synthetic media, misinformation, disinformation and human judgment. Drawing on decades of frontline reporting, she examines how information is manipulated, how trust is built and exploited, and why people believe what they do.
Through journalism, keynote presentations and executive education, she explores the challenges of navigating an increasingly manipulated information environment, particularly when decisions must be made under pressure.
In 2026, she delivered a TEDx Johannesburg talk titled How Do You Know What to Believe?

Paula Slier is an international journalist, keynote speaker and former war correspondent with more than 30 years of experience reporting from over 25 conflict zones and delivering more than 6 000 live broadcasts. Her work focuses on artificial intel... Show more

Natalie Crüe

Natalie Crüe

Natalie Crüe is a cultural producer, consultant, Global Hip-Hop connoisseur, and activist. Natalie sees arts and culture as a vehicle for social change - spearheading various cultural, brand, and social impact initiatives around the globe that aim to foster civic engagement, spark dialogue, and amplify communities.

She co-developed the Metaverse Music Festival aka MVMF, the first global music festival rooted in the metaverse; Co-produces Huellas Festival in Southern Spain; and contributes to a number of DAOs and creative communities in the Web3 ecosystem. Recently, she founded Web3 Uncut -- a dynamic tech lab building micro experiments to support creators on chain and a newsletter centering Web3 arts & culture.

You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @NatalieCrue.

Natalie Crüe is a cultural producer, consultant, Global Hip-Hop connoisseur, and activist. Natalie sees arts and culture as a vehicle for social change - spearheading various cultural, brand, and social impact initiatives around the globe that aim to... Show more

Yev Malichevskyy

Yev Malichevskyy

Yev Malichevskyy is a Lisbon-based impact facilitator, event host, and founder of Evolution Tribe (https://evolution-tribe.lovable.app/).

With over 8+ years of experience and having designed and facilitated more than 300+ dialogue workshops, men's circles, team buildings, and retreats (running weekly for over 2.5 years straight), Yev specializes in transforming conversational friction and social isolation into psychological safety, team clarity, and collective ownership.

Operating at the crossroads of human well-being, technology, and intentional culture, Yev speaks and facilitates on:
• The Attention Diet: Reclaiming human depth and focus in an age of algorithmic burnout and digital overstimulation.
• Psychological Safety & Tension-to-Clarity: How leadership teams navigate difficult dialogues without avoidance.
• Intentional Living & Culture Alignment: Moving from reactive hustle into grounded presence and sustainable high performance.

Yev brings an electric, vulnerable, and grounded presence to conferences, executive retreats, and founder summits across Europe.

Yev Malichevskyy is a Lisbon-based impact facilitator, event host, and founder of Evolution Tribe (https://evolution-tribe.lovable.app/). With over 8+ years of experience and having designed and facilitated more than 300+ dialogue workshops, men's... Show more

Dr. Patrice Shavone Brown

Dr. Patrice Shavone Brown

From Dirt Road to Mental Health Priest: Turning Pain Into Purpose and Adversity Into Success

Dr. Patrice Shavone Brown is a dynamic motivational speaker, mental health leader, accomplished entrepreneur, author, and founder and CEO of Restoring Bodies and Minds LLC, a nationally accredited mental health services organization based in North Carolina.

Her extraordinary journey from poverty, single motherhood, and humble beginnings on a dirt road to becoming a successful business owner, author, and real estate investor is a powerful example of resilience, faith, determination, and personal transformation.

With more than 14 years of leadership in the mental health industry, Dr. Brown has dedicated her career to helping individuals overcome emotional challenges, identify barriers to success, establish meaningful goals, and restore their lives. Under her leadership, Restoring Bodies and Minds LLC has maintained national accreditation since 2013, providing services that promote mental wellness, recovery, personal independence, and community integration.

Beyond the mental health industry, Dr. Brown has built an impressive entrepreneurial portfolio that includes ownership of more than 15 real estate properties. She is also the author of seven books, including Secrets of a Crazy Mental Health Counselor and Restoring Bodies and Minds: By Identifying the Issues and Setting Goals. Through her writing, she explores mental health, family relationships, personal struggles, spiritual healing, and the importance of setting goals to achieve lasting success.

As a speaker, Dr. Brown combines personal storytelling, professional mental health experience, humor, authenticity, and practical strategies to inspire audiences to transform their lives. Her signature presentation, "From Dirt Road to Mental Health Priest," reveals how she overcame financial hardship, societal expectations, family challenges, and personal adversity to build a meaningful career and lasting legacy.

She is especially passionate about empowering women, single mothers, entrepreneurs, mental health professionals, and individuals who have experienced rejection, setbacks, or difficult beginnings.

Her presentations challenge audiences to move beyond survival, recognize their worth, strengthen emotional resilience, develop confidence, and take intentional steps toward personal and professional achievement.

Dr. Brown is available for keynote presentations, mental health conferences, women's leadership summits, corporate wellness events, entrepreneurship conferences, educational institutions, and community empowerment programs.

Her message is powerful and universal:

"Your past may explain where you started, but it does not have the authority to determine where you finish. Identify the issue, set the goal, and restore your life."

Dr. Patrice Shavone Brown — Credentials, Honors & Speaking Experience

Academic and Professional Credentials

Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology

Bachelor's Degree in Psychology

Associate of Applied Science (AAS)

Qualified Professional (QP) — Mental Health

Mental Health Leader and Life Transformation Coach

Founder and CEO, Restoring Bodies and Minds LLC

Leadership of a CARF International-accredited behavioral health organization

Awards, Honors and Recognition

2019 Women Worth Watching Award Winner — Healthcare Leadership

2026 P.O.W.E.R. (Professional Organization of Women of Excellence Recognized) — Mental Health Care recognition and membership

2026 VoyageRaleigh Magazine — Featured Entrepreneur and Mental Health Leader

Recognized in a published mental health coaching industry feature

Selected Speaking Engagements

Girls Who Brunch — Guest Speaker

Everything Girls — Guest Speaker

She Rises for Women — Women's Empowerment Speaker

Fat Girls Conference — Confidence and Empowerment Speaker

The BookFest, Spring 2021 — Mental Health and Physical Wellness Panelist

Professional Accomplishments

Founder of Restoring Bodies and Minds LLC, established in 2011

Mental health service experience dating to 2003

Author of seven books

Founder of the Confident Fat Girls Movement

Entrepreneur and real estate investor with a portfolio of more than 15 properties

Areas of Speaking Expertise

Mental Health and Wellness | Women's Empowerment | Leadership | Entrepreneurship | Body Confidence | Resilience | Personal Transformation | Healing and Goal Setting

From Dirt Road to Mental Health Priest: Turning Pain Into Purpose and Adversity Into Success Dr. Patrice Shavone Brown is a dynamic motivational speaker, mental health leader, accomplished entrepreneur, author, and founder and CEO of Restoring Bo... Show more

Mai-Linh Hong

Mai-Linh Hong

Mai-Linh K. Hong is a poet and literary scholar whose work explores how refugees know, navigate, and creatively re-imagine their worlds. Her debut poetry collection, CONTINENTAL DRIFT, won the 2025 Trio Award (Trio House Press, 2026) and was a Golden Poppy Award Finalist. Her current research,"Perilous Telling: Story in the Shadow of the Refugee Regime," theorizes refugee storytelling as knowledge-making under global duress. Dr. Hong's articles and essays on Asian American literature, refugees, race, and human rights appear in Amerasia, Verge, MELUS, Law, Culture, and Humanities, and other journals and edited volumes. She is coeditor and coauthor of THE AUNTIE SEWING SQUAD GUIDE TO MASK MAKING, RADICAL CARE, AND RACIAL JUSTICE (U. of Calif. Press, 2021). Dr. Hong's research has been supported by fellowships from ACLS, AAUW, and the Institute of Citizens & Scholars; her poetry, by Voices of Our Nation, Tin House, and the Vermont Studio Center. She is Associate Professor of Literature at the University of California, Merced.

Mai-Linh K. Hong is a poet and literary scholar whose work explores how refugees know, navigate, and creatively re-imagine their worlds. Her debut poetry collection, CONTINENTAL DRIFT, won the 2025 Trio Award (Trio House Press, 2026) and was a Golden... Show more

DeAnna Pellecchia

DeAnna Pellecchia

DeAnna Pellecchia is a professional dancer, choreographer, educator, and Founder and Artistic Director of Boston-based KAIROS Dance Theater. For more than 25 years, she has built a career in professional dance—an industry defined by rejection, financial uncertainty, physical risk, public exposure, criticism, and constant change. Along the way, she founded KAIROS Dance Theater from the ground up, building an organization, an ensemble, an audience, and a body of work without a roadmap or any guarantee that the next risk would pay off.

A faculty member at Boston University and New England Conservatory, Pellecchia has performed and taught internationally, developing an interdisciplinary practice rooted in collaboration, somatic awareness, and human connection.

For more than two decades, she has also danced with horses, exploring the extraordinary relationship between fear, trust, communication, and the limits of control. Working with a thousand-pound animal demands presence, clarity, adaptability, and the willingness to respond to what is actually happening rather than what we expect or intend.

Today, Pellecchia brings these experiences to audiences through three presentations: Dancing With Fear: The Courage to Move Before You're Ready, Collaboration in Motion, and Deep Listening & Leadership. Drawing on a lifetime of creative risk-taking, organizational leadership, and embodied practice, she offers a distinctive perspective on navigating uncertainty, strengthening communication, building trust, and finding the courage to act before the outcome is known.

DeAnna Pellecchia is a professional dancer, choreographer, educator, and Founder and Artistic Director of Boston-based KAIROS Dance Theater. For more than 25 years, she has built a career in professional dance—an industry defined by rejection, financ... Show more

Allen Baylosis

Allen Baylosis

Allen Baylosis is a PhD candidate and has taught at the University of British Columbia in Asian Canadian & Asian Migration Studies and the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality & Social Justice. He holds an MA in Performance Studies from New York University and a BA in Speech Communication from the University of the Philippines Diliman. His writing has appeared in the Canadian Theatre Review and BC Studies. His current appointment is at New York University's Asian/Pacific/American Institute as a Research Affiliate to complete his doctoral dissertation, Filipino Brown Erotics: Racial Affect and Queer Performances of Excess, which examines how contemporary performances shape transnational and transformative conversations about queer, racial, cultural, and sexual politics in the Filipino Canadian diaspora and beyond.

Allen Baylosis is a PhD candidate and has taught at the University of British Columbia in Asian Canadian & Asian Migration Studies and the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality & Social Justice. He holds an MA in Performance Studies from New York Uni... Show more

Adeola Adesoba

Adeola Adesoba

Adeola is a Cyber AI Solutions Architect in a leading technology company. She has over 5years of experience across various domains having worked on social computation and Network Analysis, accelerated Data Science, Conversational AI, Speech to Text services and Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), she is now focused on developing and deploying Cybersecurity AI solutions at scale.

Adeola is a Cyber AI Solutions Architect in a leading technology company. She has over 5years of experience across various domains having worked on social computation and Network Analysis, accelerated Data Science, Conversational AI, Speech to Text s... Show more

Emel Khan

Emel Khan

Emel Khan is a public speaker, content creator and fractional account manager with years of payments account management experience. She consults on POSH brand events and speaks weekly at Richardson Evening Toastmasters, where she won Best Ice Breaker. She was a panelist at Capital Factory Dallas and was runner-up for Miss Pakistan USA. She speaks English and Urdu and presents in person or virtually.

Emel Khan is a public speaker, content creator and fractional account manager with years of payments account management experience. She consults on POSH brand events and speaks weekly at Richardson Evening Toastmasters, where she won Best Ice Breaker... Show more

Solveiga Jaskunas

Solveiga Jaskunas


Solveiga Jaskunas is a seasoned HR professional and career coach with over fifteen years of experience in nonprofit and for-profit organizations, including several public schools in Washington DC and in Lithuania. She holds dual master’s degrees in Industrial Psychology and Human Resources Management and PHR and SHRM-CP certifications. As an immigrant to the United States, she overcame language barriers and numerous rejections before climbing the HR ladder to senior leadership roles. Her journey motivated her to mentor fellow immigrants and to start her own consultancy, which focuses on HR consulting, career coaching, training, speaking, and network referral services for organizations and individuals. Solveiga's passion lies in coaching immigrant professionals and helping employers make their workplaces more inclusive. She has also dedicated her time to aiding refugees, homeless children, and at-risk youth. Her story has reached a broader audience through speaking engagements domestically and internationally, in which she has shared her journey, offering hope and encouragement to other immigrant professionals. Her recent speaking events reached participants from more than 90 countries. She has spoken at national and international events such as The Expat Women Summit in March and October 2024, HR Global Summit 2024 and 2026, HR Week in Lithuania 2024, Women in Tech Global Conference 2025, SHRM Talent 2025,HR Southwest Conference 2025, GSX 2025 and 2026, DisruptHR, ASIS International, Motivated at Work 2026, WI SHRM State Conference, and more). Solveiga was recently featured in Security Magazine as one of three leaders with distinct LinkedIn communication styles. For more information about Solveiga, visit her profile at (https://www.linkedin.com/in/solveigajaskunas/)

Solveiga Jaskunas is a seasoned HR professional and career coach with over fifteen years of experience in nonprofit and for-profit organizations, including several public schools in Washington DC and in Lithuania. She holds dual master’s degrees in... Show more

Aviyah Baht Sinai

Aviyah Baht Sinai

Aviyah Baht Sinai is an author, technology professional, and creator of Mirrored Intelligence™, a human-first framework for working alongside artificial intelligence without surrendering human judgment, voice, or accountability.

Her perspective was shaped by a career spent inside major technology environments—and by a life interruption that forced her to rethink the relationship between technology, information, and human decision-making. After a serious injury abruptly changed the trajectory of her career and life, Aviyah began using AI not simply to generate answers, but as a thinking partner: a place to challenge assumptions, expose gaps, organize complex ideas, and turn thought into action. That experience became the foundation for Mirrored Intelligence™.

She is the author of multiple books, including Mirrored Intelligence and Broke My Body Saved My Life, which explore technology, resilience, identity, and what happens when people are forced to rebuild.

Today, Aviyah speaks and teaches at the intersection of people, perspective, purpose, and progress, challenging the increasingly common assumption that better AI means less human thinking. Her work makes the opposite case: the greatest value of artificial intelligence emerges when the human using it becomes more intentional, more discerning, and more capable—not less.

Her message is simple: AI isn't the answer. You are. But that doesn't make AI the opposition—the future isn't human or artificial intelligence; it's what becomes possible when the two learn to work together.

Aviyah Baht Sinai is an author, technology professional, and creator of Mirrored Intelligence™, a human-first framework for working alongside artificial intelligence without surrendering human judgment, voice, or accountability. Her perspective wa... Show more

Sheryl Grant

Sheryl Grant

Sheryl Grant won Ms. Olympia at 55, after three decades as a Silicon Valley leader. Today she helps leaders and organizations build the mental fitness that makes lasting change possible.

Sheryl is the founder and chief architect of the award-winning Kinectdots System™ and creator of Human-Centered Intelligence™. Her FIT Method (Faith, Intuition, Tenacity) builds the inner strength people need to lead through uncertainty, and her C4 Matrix (Communication, Connection, Collaboration, Community) turns that strength into cultures where change sticks.

An award-winning entrepreneur, she has built a global community of women transforming their careers, businesses and lives at every age. She has designed and scaled HR and employee development programs for organizations including Natera, Square, Niantic, TaskRabbit and Dell. As Vice-Chair of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce, she helped raise more than $1 million for Black businesses during the pandemic, and through How Women Lead she oversaw programs reaching women entrepreneurs in more than 20 countries.

Sheryl is the author of FIT for Life and holds a Master's in Leadership Development from Saint Mary's College. Audiences leave her keynotes and workshops with practical tools to beat burnout, lead with clarity and build the communities that carry them forward.

Sheryl Grant won Ms. Olympia at 55, after three decades as a Silicon Valley leader. Today she helps leaders and organizations build the mental fitness that makes lasting change possible. Sheryl is the founder and chief architect of the award-winni... Show more

Douglas & Heather Beaven

Douglas & Heather Beaven


When Douglas Beaven deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, with the 993rd Transportation Company, he expected combat dangers. He didn't expect to bring home a deadly enemy.

Now, Douglas and Heather are bringing the discipline and resilience they learned in uniform to the domestic frontlines.

Their forthcoming book, Hard to Swallow: Don't Let Dying Kill You is woven together from journal entries, voice recordings, medical records, and public documents. By alternating between Douglas's and Heather's perspectives, the book captures the devastating diagnosis in real time, with all the uncertainty and urgency of events as they actually unfolded.

More than a medical memoir, Hard to Swallow: Don’t Let Dying Kill You is as much a rallying cry for accountability as it is a tribute to the devotion that gives us life when medicine alone cannot.

When Douglas Beaven deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, with the 993rd Transportation Company, he expected combat dangers. He didn't expect to bring home a deadly enemy. Now, Douglas and Heather are bringing the discipline and resilience they le... Show more

Swati Randev

Swati Randev

I’m a Dubai-based speaker, executive coach, mentor and strategic advisor with over 18 years of international corporate experience spanning the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Latin America.

Having held leadership roles at PwC and Novo Nordisk, I’ve spent much of my career navigating organisational transformation, sustainability, stakeholder engagement and the complexities of working across diverse cultures and business environments.

I’m also a trained Level 3 coach with additional training in NLP, and I’m endlessly curious about human behaviour: why we think the way we do, make the decisions we make, and occasionally get spectacularly in our own way.

Through my platform, Space to Think, I explore leadership, self-awareness, personal growth, relationships and the psychology behind our everyday choices.

As a speaker and facilitator, I bring together corporate insights, behavioural perspectives, relatable stories and a healthy dose of humour to create conversations that make people think, question assumptions and perhaps see things a little differently.

In 2025, I was recognised among Gulf Intelligence’s Top 100 Middle East Energy Addition Sustainability Voices.

I believe meaningful growth begins with curiosity, a willingness to challenge what we think we know, and the space to explore new perspectives.

Think. Challenge. Grow.

I’m a Dubai-based speaker, executive coach, mentor and strategic advisor with over 18 years of international corporate experience spanning the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Having held leadership roles at PwC and Novo Nordisk, I’ve ... Show more

Ashleigh Vilk

Ashleigh Vilk

Having built an early professional identity in the corporate education sectors at Accenture and Generali, later transitioned into school careers guidance and social-emotional counseling. Drawing on extensive experience working within international schools and alongside elite sports federations, Ashleigh has dedicated her multi-faceted career to helping individuals "brave the waves" of both life and work.

Currently serving as the Careers Lead at the Korean International School (KIS) in Hong Kong, she spearheads a holistic, strategic approach to student readiness that led KIS to become the very first international school in Hong Kong to achieve the prestigious UK 'Quality in Careers Standard'. Driven by the philosophy that a student’s identity should stretch far beyond a traditional report card, Ashleigh also serves voluntarily as the Head of Education at the Self-Worth Academy, where they champion self-worth-oriented career guidance. A Skills Builder Leader since 2025, she specialises in pairing rigorous global benchmarks with explicit skills development, ensuring students discover their intrinsic strengths and understand the unique value they bring to a rapidly changing world.

Having built an early professional identity in the corporate education sectors at Accenture and Generali, later transitioned into school careers guidance and social-emotional counseling. Drawing on extensive experience working within international sc... Show more

Christian Gasperi

Christian Gasperi

Christian Gasperi is Group Data Architect at NEVEON, where he is responsible for the design and evolution of the enterprise analytics platform and data architecture. In this role, he leads initiatives around Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, data mesh enablement, and the integration of data governance directly into analytical platforms.

With a background spanning data warehousing, BI architecture, and international analytics projects, Christian brings extensive hands‑on experience from manufacturing and financial services environments. He focuses on building scalable, governed data products that balance fast reporting needs with long‑term architectural sustainability.

Christian’s current work centers on a program, where Microsoft Fabric is used as the strategic analytics platform while governance, security, and domain ownership are treated as first‑class architectural concerns.
In his sessions, he shares practical lessons learned from running governed, multi‑domain analytics platforms in production.

Christian Gasperi is Group Data Architect at NEVEON, where he is responsible for the design and evolution of the enterprise analytics platform and data architecture. In this role, he leads initiatives around Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, data mesh enab... Show more

Daniel DeLoma

Daniel DeLoma

Daniel DeLoma, M.Th., MSPC, is a hospice chaplain, medical theologist, certified death doula, bereavement coordinator, and creator of Meditative Heartbeat Therapy, a contemplative, rhythm-based approach to comfort and presence during serious illness and the final days of life. He has accompanied more than one thousand people through death and has presented his work for the Association for Death Education and Counseling, End of Life Psychedelic Care, the Louisiana-Mississippi Hospice & Palliative Care Organization, and the Connecticut Association for Healthcare at Home. He is the author of “Meditative Heartbeat Therapy: A Contemplative Guide to Presence, Rhythm, and Care at End-of-Life.”

Daniel DeLoma, M.Th., MSPC, is a hospice chaplain, medical theologist, certified death doula, bereavement coordinator, and creator of Meditative Heartbeat Therapy, a contemplative, rhythm-based approach to comfort and presence during serious illness ... Show more

Christina Lekati

Christina Lekati

Social Engineering Trainer & Consultant - Cyber Risk GmbH

Christina Lekati is a psychologist and a social engineer.
Christina has participated in penetration tests, law enforcement & corporate training, high-value target & corporate vulnerability assessments, and more.
She is working with Cyber Risk GmbH as a lead intelligence analyst & social engineer. In addition to her social engineering work, she is conducting Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) assessments to help organizations and high-value individuals identify and manage risks.

Social Engineering Trainer & Consultant - Cyber Risk GmbH Christina Lekati is a psychologist and a social engineer. Christina has participated in penetration tests, law enforcement & corporate training, high-value target & corporate vulnerability... Show more

Francesco Esposito

Francesco Esposito

Author of "Programming LLMs with Azure Open AI" (Microsoft Press, 2024), Francesco is currently Chief Technology Officer at Crionet, a primary sport-tech firm, where he started writing software and algorithms at the venerable age of 12. He coordinates a team of 30 developers and data scientists doing applications primarily on the .NET stack. As an entrepreneur, he founded Youbiquitous, a data analysis and software factory working primarily on the Python stack for major public Italian companies and universities, and KBMS Data Force, a startup in Digital Therapy and intelligent healthcare, where he serves as CTO.

Author of "Programming LLMs with Azure Open AI" (Microsoft Press, 2024), Francesco is currently Chief Technology Officer at Crionet, a primary sport-tech firm, where he started writing software and algorithms at the venerable age of 12. He coordinate... Show more

Brooke Joseph

Brooke Joseph

I'm an 18 year old Innovator from Canada. I'm extremely passionate about AI and learning about privacy-preserving technology. My main interest is in Federated Learning, which is a new AI setting introduced by Google in 2017. I was able to develop a few projects in the space with the help from mentors at The Knowledge Society. This is a human competitive accelerator program that accepts the brightest teens in tech to work on solving some big problems. From this experience, I also had the opportunity to work alongside Walmart and Amazon to pitch AI solutions for integrating technology into their businesses. I have also been able to research at TensoAI and have had my work published on BetterProgrammer's page.

I'm an 18 year old Innovator from Canada. I'm extremely passionate about AI and learning about privacy-preserving technology. My main interest is in Federated Learning, which is a new AI setting introduced by Google in 2017. I was able to develop a f... Show more

Susana Khan

Susana Khan

Susana Khan is CMO (Policy, Partnerships & Strategy) at Qatom, where she leads strategic partnerships, brand narrative, and the governance and compliance framework that brings Qatom's MCP-native payment and settlement infrastructure to new markets. Her background spans international development, civil and international law, and several years of operator experience. She is currently leading Qatom's adoption in Toronto's tech builder's community and an entry into Latin America, with Peru as the beachhead market. She operates in English, French, and Spanish.

Susana Khan is CMO (Policy, Partnerships & Strategy) at Qatom, where she leads strategic partnerships, brand narrative, and the governance and compliance framework that brings Qatom's MCP-native payment and settlement infrastructure to new markets. H... Show more

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