Class: 2015
Idayat Hassan
Idayat Hassan is Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), an Abuja based policy advocacy and research organization with a focus on deepening democracy and development in West Africa. Her interests span democracy, peace and security, transitional justice, and ICT4D in West Africa. As the Director of the CDD, she oversaw CDD's rise from not being ranked in 2013 to 16th out of 94 think tanks in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the 2019 University of Pennsylvania Global Go To Think Tank Index Report. Under her leadership, CDD became a mover in the civic tech space. She has subsequently strengthened CDD's position as a civic tech leader with a…
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Svyatoslav "Slava" Vakarchuk
Svyatoslav “Slava" Vakarchuk is a social activist and lead vocalist for Okean Elzy, the most successful rock band in Ukraine. As an activist, Slava supported the Orange Revolution and is founder of the non-profit “Lyudi Maybutnyogo” (People of the Future). People of the Future’s programs include: “Knyga Tvoryt’ Lyudynu” (A Book Creates A Man), “Osvita Krainoyu” (The Country’s Education), “3-D Proekt. Dumay, Diy, Dopomogai” (3-D Project. Think, Act. Help.). Alongside members of his band, he actively supported MTV and the UN International Organization for Migration’s campaign “People Are Not For Sale.” In 2003, Slava became an Honorary Ambassador of Culture in Ukraine. In 2005 he was named a Goodwill Ambassador…
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Finbarr O’Reilly
Finbarr O’Reilly is an author and photographer who has spent the past 15 years living and working mostly in Africa and the Middle East. He began his journalism career as a writer in Canada and was based in West and Central Africa for Reuters between 2001 and 2012, covering conflict and social issues across the continent. He turned to photography in 2005 and in 2006 was awarded the World Press Photo of the Year. Finbarr has since won numerous top industry awards for his multimedia work and photography, which has been exhibited internationally. In 2019, he was the Nobel Peace Prize for exhibition photographer. He has published long-term projects on…
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Akisa Omulepu
Akisa Omulepu is an Emmy-nominated documentarian, director, and producer. She is the founder of Emerge Omnimedia. Emerge’s mission is to create and tell stories that explore, investigate, and celebrate the experiences of people from the African Diaspora. Most recently she directed and produced a documentary short for PBS. 'A Dream Deferred, The Broken Promise of New York City Public Housing' was nominated for two Emmys. Her documentary short, ‘Crowned,’ debuted and had a limited engagement at the Anthology Film Archives in New York City. The film explores the lives of three young African-American women navigating their way from high school to college. A native New Yorker to Panamanian and Kenyan…
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Rahimah “Ima” Abdulrahim
Rahimah "Ima" Abdulrahim is the Director of Public Policy for Southeast Asia (Established Countries) for Facebook Asia Pacific. Prior to this, she served at The Habibie Center, one of Indonesia’s leading think tanks focusing on democracy and human rights, for 19 years, serving as their executive director for 9 years (2010-2019). She has 20 years advocating for peace and democracy in Indonesia and travels extensively to speak about good governance, democratization, and the role of civil society in Southeast Asia. In 2017, Ima co-created, with World Fellows Stephen Shashoua (2015) and Abdul-Rehman Malik (2017), CERITA (Community Empowerment for Raising Inclusivity and Trust through Technology Application), a project using the art…
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Njoya Tikum
Njoya Tikum is Manager of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Office for West and Central Africa-Dakar-Senegal. Prior to this, he served as Regional Manager for East and Southern Africa at United Nations Volunteers (UNV). Njoya led the UNV's East and Southern Africa organizational transformation and established an entirely new and effective regional team and operation in 23 countries. Before this, he served with UNDP in different capacities, including as Regional Policy and Programme Advisor on Anti-Corruption and Economic Governance and as Regional Youth Programme Coordinator at UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa. Njoya served ad-interim in UNDP Liberia, in South Sudan as Country Programme Specialist in the UNDP…
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Taz Chaponda
Taz Chaponda is the CEO of Malawi Agricultural and Industrial Investment Corporation, a government initiative but private sector-led development finance institution, launched by Malawi President Peter Mutharika. Taz is a development economist with extensive experience across Sub-Saharan Africa, having worked in the major economic centers of Lagos, Nairobi and Johannesburg. Previously, he was a public financial management specialist at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. and a partner at Genesis-Analytics – a South African economic advisory firm working in emerging markets. Prior to Genesis, Taz was the head of the South African Budget Office, responsible for the national and provincial budget framework. He was also head of infrastructure finance…
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Pablo Bereciartua
Pablo Bereciartua is Argentina's Secretary of State for Infrastructure and Water and is Founder and CEO of Bereco SA & Bereco Labs, Inc., a company focused on innovation, technology, and management. He is also the founder of other technology based companies such as B3 and Agro Appgrade SA. In the public sector, he has served as the director of infrastructure for the city of Buenos Aires, where he faced both enormous challenges and opportunities to apply new technologies to city and regional infrastructure. Pablo is a professor at the University of Buenos Aires and former dean at the Buenos Aires Institute of Technology, where he focused on teaching and researching…
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Stephen Shashoua
Stephen Shashoua is a seasoned programme designer, trainer, and capacity-building specialist committed to fostering peace, cohesion, and preventing violent extremism through innovative approaches at the intersection of peacebuilding, identity, and culture. With over two decades of experience spanning diverse regions and sectors, Stephen brings a wealth of expertise and a track record of impactful leadership to his work. As the former Director of the UK-based 3FF (Three Faiths Forum, now Faith & Belief Forum) for over a decade, he spearheaded the development of pioneering social cohesion programs aimed at promoting interaction and learning between people of different faiths and beliefs. Under his leadership, the organization grew from a staff of…
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Mina Al-Oraibi
Mina Al-Oraibi is a journalist and political analyst focused on the Middle East. Since 2017, Mina has been the Editor-in-Chief of The National, a daily English-language newspaper based in Abu Dhabi and covering regional affairs. Previous to that, she was a Senior Fellow at the Institute for State Effectiveness where she focused on the state in Iraq, Syria, and the wider Middle East. Earlier, Mina was Assistant Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Alawsat, an international daily pan-Arab newspaper. From 2009-2011, she served as Washington D.C. bureau chief for Asharq Alawsat. She has covered the Geneva talks on Syria, Iraqi refugees, and American and European foreign policies towards the Middle East and North…
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