WEF 2017 Advisory Board

Ambassador Sabit Subasic officially became the Bosnian Ambassador to India in 3rd March 2014. Before coming to India he was a diplomat in Turkey for several years, where he witnessed some of the crucial phases of unique democratic development of the nation. Earlier he was the Minister/Advisor of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Australia. Prior to this he has also held several other positions including Editor of the Municipality Paper of Ilidza, Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Minister/Counselor/Head of Department of the Department for Planning and Analysis, Head of Department for human rights and acting Head of Department of Planning and Information among others.

Mr. Thorir Ibsen presented his credentials to H.E. Mr. Pranab Mukherjee President of India as Ambassador of Iceland on September 25th 2014. Ambassador Ibsen is the fourth Ambassador of Iceland with residence in India since the Embassy was established in New Delhi in 2006. Mr. Ibsen´s previous positions in the Icelandic Foreign Service include Ambassador of Iceland to the European Union and Belgium with accreditations to the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Ambassador of Iceland to France with accreditations to Italy and Spain. Permanent Representative of Iceland to the OECD, UNESCO and the Council of Europe. Chief Negotiator and Ambassador for Climate Change, Director of the Defence Department, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Delegation of Iceland to NATO, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs. Ambassador Ibsen is married to Dominique Ambroise Ibsen, visual artist.

Dr. Burak Akçapar is Turkey’s Ambassador to India, Nepal, and Maldives. Ambassador Akçapar is a career diplomat since 1987 who also served in the US and Qatar as Deputy Head of Mission, NATO as International Civil Servant, and Germany. Immediately before India, he was Deputy Director General for Political Affairs focusing on South Asia at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2009 to 2011. Simultaneously, he was also the Turkish Representative to the International Contact Group on Afghanistan and the Co-Chairman of that body’s Working Group on Regional Cooperation. In that capacity, Ambassador Akçapar took leading part in the design and negotiation of the Istanbul Process on Afghanistan and concurrently the 2010 Turkey-Brazil-Iran agreement on Iran's nuclear program...

His Excellency, Dr. Mbuya Isaac Munlo is the new Malawi High Commissioner to India. He arrived in New Delhi on 23 October 2015 to replace H.E. Dr. Perks Ligoya who was posted to Nairobi, as Malawi High Commissioner to Kenya.Before his appointment, Dr. Munlo was Malawi’s Ambassador to Ethiopia where he served from 2010 to 2013. He was also accredited to Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Saharawi (Western Sahara), Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan and Togo. As Ambassador Extra Ordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Malawi to the African Union and the Economic Commission for Africa,..

On November 8, 2014, His Excellency Mr. Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA appointed Mr. Hamza YAHIA-CHERIF as Ambassador to the Republic of India and to Sri-Lanka, Maldives and Nepal with residence in New Delhi. The Ambassador presented his letters of credence to His Excellency Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, President of the Republic of India on March 18, 2015, and to His Excellency Mr. President Maithripala Sirisena, President of Sri-Lanka on September 18, 2015. His new posting in New Delhi comprises an important personal dimension for Ambassador YAHIA-CHERIF, as he served in India, from 1988 to 1990, as first Secretary and Deputy Head of Mission, before he has been sent again to New Delhi, in January 2001, to prepare the State visit of H.E. the President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, as Chief Guest to the Republic Day. Ambassador YAHIA-CHERIF’s 34-year diplomatic career includes an ambassadorship to Indonesia (and to Singapore and Brunei Dar Essalem with residence in Jakarta), from 2004 to 2009 and foreign postings in Tokyo (1984-1988) as First Secretary and in Stockholm (1996-2000) as First Counselor, Deputy Head of Mission. At the Ministry Foreign Affairs in Algiers, he has served as Ambassador, in charge of studies and synthesis at the Cabinet of H.E. the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2009 to February 2015. He was also Deputy Director of South Asia prior to his appointment as Director at Asia and Oceania Division from 2001 till 2004. The Algerian Envoy has taken part in a variety of international gatherings such as G-77 (Buenos Aires-1983) the UNCTAD (Belgrade, June 1983), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (Kuala Lumpur-2002) and 5+5 Dialogue (Nouakchott-2013), as a member of his country's delegation. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Ambassador Hamza YAHIA-CHERIF graduated from the prestigious National School of Administration in Algiers in 1982, earning a degree in Diplomacy. Mr. Hamza YAHIA-CHERIF, who speaks three languages (Arabic, French and English), is an avid football fan and admires traveling and reading. The 61-year-old senior diplomat is married and has three daughters.

Narayana Murthy founded Infosys, a global software consulting company headquartered in Bangalore, He served as the CEO of Infosys during 1981 – 2002, as the Chairman and Chief Mentor during 1981 – 2011, and as the Chairman Emeritus during August 2011 – May 2013. Under his leadership, Infosys was listed on NASDAQ in 1999.Mr. Murthy articulated, designed, and implemented the Global Delivery Model, which has become the foundation for the huge success in IT services outsourcing from India. He has led key corporate governance initiatives in India. He is an IT advisor to several Asian countries.He serves on the boards of Ford Foundation, United Nations Foundation and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. He is a member of the President’s Council of the University of Tokyo. He has served as a member of the HSBC board and the Unilever board. He has served on the boards of Cornell University, Wharton School, Rhodes Trust and the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. He has also served as the Chairman of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.Mr. Murthy is ranked among the top 10 of the Financial Times’ list of “Business pioneers in technology”, published in March 2015. In 2014, he was ranked 13th among CNBC’s 25 global business leaders who have made maximum impact on society during the last 25 years. He was listed among the ‘12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time’, by the Fortune magazine in 2012. The Economist ranked him among the 10 most-admired global business leaders in 2005. He has been awarded the Legion d’honneur by the Government of France, the CBE by the British government and the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India.He is a foreign member of the US National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering. He is the recipient of the 2012 Hoover Medal. The Tech Museum, San Jose, awarded him the James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award in 2012. He received the 2007 Ernst Weber Medal from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, USA (IEEE).He is the first Indian winner of Ernst and Young’s World Entrepreneur of the Year award. He has also received the Max Schmidheiny Liberty prize. He has appeared in the rankings of businessmen and innovators published by BusinessWeek, Time, CNN, Fortune, Forbes, Financial Times and India Today.He is also a Trustee of the Infosys Science Foundation, which governs the Infosys Prize, an annual award, to honor outstanding achievements of researchers and scientists across six categories.

Demet Sabancı Çetindoğan as the daughter of late Hacı Sabancı and Özcan Sabancı. Growing up in Adana, she always took care to reflect the qualities common to women of her homeland. After completing her secondary education in Adana, she studied business in Richmond College in London. Following her return to Turkey, she developed a great interest in textile business which she was highly familiar with since her childhood thanks to her family’s involvement in the field and this interest led her to take part in her family’s textile investments.

Savannah Maziya holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the United States of America and an MBA from the United Kingdom. She is currently the Group CEO of the Bunengi Group based in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Bunengi Group is a project development, management and investment company that operates all over the African continent in the infrastructure, natural resources and financial services sectors. This company is the only one of its kind that is women owned and run in Africa. Savannah has worked in various other industries such as broadcasting, mining and financial services. She has run various businesses that she started and later sold. She has served on various boards such as Rand Water (the largest water utility in Africa), Immigration, National Gambling and Casino Boards, The Construction Industry Development Board, The New School in New York, and the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications. She has also served on various listed international mining groups, such as Gold one and Uranium one. After South Africa was declared a democratic country in 1994, Savannah also played the role of special advisor to various government ministers. She is considered one of the most influential women in the continent, whose work also includes being heavily involved in philanthropy with a focus on women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Savannah, has initiated a program that collaborates with African First Ladies, Heads of State and industry to advocate for girls in STEM and to raise funds for scholarships. She hosts an Annual Event during the United Nations annual general assembly in New York every September. She was recognised as one of the top 100 women globally in STEM. She also works with schools K-12 in getting tutoring for children in Maths and Science to help raise their understanding and working knowledge. Savannah also sponsors an orphanage based in South Africa. She mentors over 40 professional women. Savannah was the first African member of C200, a committee of the worlds’ most successful leaders and entrepreneurs. There are now two African members. She currently sits on the board of WSP, one of the worlds’ leading engineering, professional services consulting firms, WBHO (The largest construction company in South Africa, that also operates in Australia) where she is a shareholder, is the chairperson of Parsons Brinckerhoff Africa, and Bunengi, where she is Group CEO She is married with two children.

Breege is a highly experienced Board Member at Primark, with a strong focus on strategy, people and product, Corporate PR and CSR. She has an extremely successful track record of 37 years of her executive career across many functions, with considerable expertise in 11 markets, significant experience of leadership, diverse teams, complex cross functional business projects, and is presently Group Director, Business Development & New Markets. A Non-Executive Director of C&C, a manufacturer, marketer and a distributor of branded cider, beer, wine and soft drinks, headquartered in Dublin, with manufacturing operations in Ireland, Scotland, England and Vermont, USA. Breege chairs the Remuneration Committee at C&C. Breege has also sat as Non-Executive Director on 2 commercial state boards, chaired two Government bodies, and has experience of chairing Audit and Remuneration committees, as well as being a member of a Nominations committee.

Angela Mortimer is the Owner and Co-Founder of one of Europe's most successful recruitment consultancies, Angela Mortimer Plc. Established in 1976, her company currently employs approximately 150 staff in offices across London, New York, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, Geneva and Hong Kong. The company has developed the careers of more than 200,000 individuals, mainly female, since its foundation. Angela believes passionately in the need to encourage everyone especially women, to achieve their maximum potential. She seeks to inspire confidence and positive thinking by sharing insights developed over 40 years through training and public speaking.

Prabhu Chawla born in Lahore, Punjab, British India in 1946. He is allumni of Deshbandhu college University of Delhi . He is the Editorial Director of The New Indian Express, a Chennai-based newspaper in India.

Dr. Henderson began her tenure as president of New Jersey City University (NJCU) in 2012. In just three years, she has made dramatic strides in advancing the mission of the University on behalf of its diverse student population. Dr. Henderson created a robust fundraising program, and increased philanthropic giving significantly. Dr. Henderson spearheaded more than $400 million in construction projects, including a new School of Business facility, science building, new and renovated residence halls, and public-private partnerships to vitalize the community. Under her leadership, Dr. Henderson implemented a new General Education program and a range of student success initiatives. She created zero-based budgeting and integrated planning to ensure efficiency within the context of a rapidly growing city and region. Dr. Henderson is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Commission on Education of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Vice Chair of the Society for College and University Planning’s Board of Directors, and Chair of the Committee on International Education of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. At the state level, she serves on the Task Force on the Alignment of Higher Education Programs and Workforce Development, and co-chairs the Hudson County Alliance for Action and the Hudson County Vicinage Advisory Committee on Minority Concerns. Dr. Henderson holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Georgia, and bachelor’s and master's degrees in math education from Georgia State University. Dr. Henderson has received numerous awards for her work as an educator and administrator

Naina Lal Kidwai is Chairman, Max Financial Services and Senior Advisor, Advent Private Equity. She is also a Non-Executive Director on the boards of Nestle SA and CIPLA Ltd and has been Past President of FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry). She retired on December 2015 as Executive Director from the board of HSBC Asia Pacific and Chairman HSBC India. She is Chairman of the Harvard Business School, South Asia Board. An MBA from Harvard Business School, she makes a regular appearance on listings by Fortune since 2002 and others of international women in business. She has received many awards and honours in India and was awarded the Padma Shri

Daryl Harrison Rand is the President of HarrisonRand Advertising, Inc., a Women’s Business Enterprise Corporation, fully certified by the State of New Jersey, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the State of New York. In 2009, her sons Jason and David Rand joined her in the family agency founded by her father, Harold Harrison, in 1941. Since then, the agency has won an impressive roster of awards on behalf of a wide variety of clients in the NJ/ NY region. Her work on behalf of the International Advertising Association (IAA) dates back to 1994. Since then, she has served four World Presidents, been a member of the World Board, held the position of Vice President/Internships, and subsequently Professional Development, and assumed the Presidency of the New York Chapter, one of the organization’s largest and most active. Rand’s career has incorporated four decades of active volunteerism by serving as a board member of business trade associations, health care facilities, cultural arts organizations and educational institutions. Since 2005, she has led six delegations of North American Business Women to India to forge dialogue and linkages with members of the Indian business communities in Mumbai and Delhi. She also serves as a member of the Advisory Board of Children’s Hope India, Inc., from which she received the prestigious Lotus Award in 2011 for her leadership and philanthropy. In 2008, NJBiz named Rand as one of New Jersey’s Best 50 Women in Business. Later that year, the NJ Ad Club inducted her into its Hall of Fame. She serves the organization as a member of the Board of Directors. She is also Chairman of the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce which honored her in 2009 as a LEGEND

A highly motivated and experienced executive with a successful track record and accomplishments at Managing Director level in private, public and international organizations. Has strong intellectual and analytical skills and easily establishes and maintains effective relationships and strategic alliances with key business and regulatory influencers. Successfully leads inter-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams operating in diverse and competitive environments. Excellent exposure to banking, tourism and telecommunication sectors and has functional expertise in credit risk, retail banking, marketing, managing people and performance. Currently serves as the Board Chairperson for one of the top 4 banks in Zambia, Zanaco Plc as well as chairing the boards of SOS Children’s Villages Zambia and the government owned Hostels Board of Management. Enjoys travelling. cooking and looking after her well being. Twitter: @CClumpa; Facebook: Chanda Charity Lumpa; LinkedIn: Charity C Lumpa

Elaine has built her career through years in large, global media, branding and broadcasting companies. Her focus through much of her career has been in the women and children space having led in global FMCG brands and children categories like, Hong Kong Disneyland and Nickelodeon Television Networks. As the head of the Nickdelodeon brand in Asia, she was responsible for the development of childrent's content, distrbution, licensing, and digital developments. She has worked and lived in markets like China, US, Canada, Hong Kong, South America and Singapore, and continues to focus on women and children initiative through her company, Urban Kampong.

Anita Heidema is a Speaker, Mindset Coach & Business Strategist, Amazon best-seller to Vitality Knocks, creator of Mind Your Business Class, Mind School & Ah-ha! Academy for entrepreneurs, 21 Day Journey to Success and various other programs for business and leadership success. As Hypnotherapist and Travel creator of “Getaway to Find Your Way” Anita executes programs and destination getaways and online programs that build your mindset and strategies for business and leadership success. She is the go to person for entrepreneurs to get clear about where they want to go in their business and life. Anita is all about clarifying your vision and harnessing the power of focus to unlock your highest potential and lead you to ah-ha moments for success. Nearly five years ago Anita went from six figures to zero with two mortgages as a single Mom. As she always said, “you find out what you are made of when you are in survival mode and how to pull all your resources together to survive.” Three years later, Anita has surpassed her previous corporate salary and has never looked back. Now she helps you not just survive but thrive. She does that by helping create special ah-ha! moments to lead you to your success. Website: https://anitaheidema.com/about/

Marie-Claude Machon-Honoré has a long time experience of teaching English at secondary and tertiary levels as well as in continuing education. She has a Master’s degree on “The role of the Child Poverty Action Group in British civil society” and a doctorate in Anglophone studies on “The role of education in the development of women in the Anglophone Caribbean in the 21st century” (Paris IV-Sorbonne University, 2012). She is a graduate of the Caribbean Institute in Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies (2009). She presented her research on “The role of education in the context of international and regional Caribbean female migration”, at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies in July 2010, in London (UK). She was a panellist on Commonwealth Day at the University of Paris Diderot in 2014 and made a presentation titled: “The Commonwealth and the United Nations Organisations: A comparative study of Partnerships and Actions in Development- Achievements, challenges and perspectives in the Caribbean”. She is the permanent representative for the International Federation of Business and Professional Women/BPW International to UNESCO. She contributed to the first international NGO-UNESCO on education in 2013, NGO-UNESCO International Day of Literacy in 2014, NGO-UNESCO Action Day and declaration on climate change for COP 21 and co-organized the fourth international NGO-UNESCO forum on the role of women in fighting poverty in June 2015 at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris.

Debra Langley is an Executive Director at Blackrun Ventures, a non-traditional global investment group based in Singapore, where she has a particular interest in initiatives that impact women's lives. In March 2016, Blackrun formally launched Half the World Holdings, an investment platform for its women-focused portfolio. Debra is also a mentor to emerging designers in Singapore and a consultant at Coraggio, which provides advisory services to fashion and retail brands. Previously, she was the founder of Inverted Edge, a retail platform for independent contemporary fashion designers, and before that, she was President, DKNY JEANS International (Asia Pacific, Middle East and Europe), and President-Asia for Borderlinx, a global ecommerce facilitator. Debra has also held international development positions in Hong Kong and New York for The Economist Group and for Hearst Magazines. She was also a co-founder of an online wellness venture, and an early charitable donation site.

Lu Xing Yu (English name --Jennifer), She is the first Chinese Professional Philanthropist, born in 1987, constellation is Leo. She returned to China after graduating in the U.S. She initiated the concept of Chinese Benevolent Second Generation and genuine philanthropy. She is determined to be a Professional Philanthropist. Lu Xing Yu is the charity ambassador of TOJOY- Tian Jiu Happiness Holding Group, Executive Chairwoman and Secretary-General of the China-Africa Project Hope, secretary-general of the Project of Thanksgiving Hometown Free Clinic, secretary-general of Global Chinese Business Future Leaders Club and secretary-general of the Chinese Benevolent Second Generation Club. She has had a friendly communication with dozens of heads of state, heads of government and distinguished entrepreneurs, such as Secretary General of the United Nations, former president of the United States—George Herbert Walker Bush, King of Cambodia, President of Tanzania, President of Kenya, President of Namibia, President of Burundi, President of Malawi, Premier of Rwanda, Premier of Mozambique, Prime Minister of Thailand and the CEO of Microsoft. She is known as the youngest International Philanthropy Ambassador and Social Activist in China.

Op-ed Editor, Daily Times, Pakistan, and a columnist. Wrote for Express Tribune, Kahleej Times, Daily O, NDTV.com, Sunday Guardian (India), and Huffington Post. Leaves from Lahore, a compilation of my articles has been printed by Har Anand Publications, India. In the process of writing a book for Aleph, India. Persecution of non-Muslims, misuse of the blasphemy law, social and political issues and dynamics of Pakistan-India peace process are a few of the constant themes of my writing, tweets and television talks (both on Pakistani and Indian channels).

Retail industry professional with rich experience of consumer side Retail processes and systems. Worked extensively with top 5 International Retailers as a consultant for their merchandising and supply chain systems. Currently persuing a new concept in Fresh Food Retailing - Quick Service Chain of Restaurants as an entrepreneur. View More

Jo founded Redesign in 1998. Starting as a freelance operator, Jo has built the company into a leading design practice with work in many regions around the world. Jo is committed to each client with a personal drive for fulfilling every requirement on every project. Known for her professionalism, creativity and strong management style this combination has made both Jo and Redesign a success.Jo works with the Indian team to assist with business development and design work for new and existing clients. Jo travels to India frequently to reinforce the commitment to the clients.