Archives: Person
People
Fidelis Leite MagalhĂŁes
Fidelis Leite MagalhĂŁes is a Timorese scholar and senior public policy leader whose work spans governance reform, economic strategy, and international diplomacy. He brings together public service and sustained academic engagement, linking institutional practice with broader debates on democracy, development, and international political economy. Before entering national politics, he served as an advisor in multilateral and bilateral engagements, contributing to policy dialogue, institutional design, and international cooperation. He later assumed senior ministerial responsibilities in the Government of Timor-Leste, overseeing strategic coordination and advancing economic policy and institutional reform. He founded the Timor-Leste-based think tank, the Institute of Politics and International Affairs (IPIA), and MOTIVA, a civic movement dedicated to policy innovation, leadership…
More Information
Roy Yu-Ta Lin
Roy Yu-Ta Lin is an urban innovation leader working at the intersection of urban design, data science, and city governance. Roy currently serves as Head of Urban Informatics at the City Science Lab @ Taipei Tech, a joint lab between MIT and NTUT, where he develops advanced urban science and AI tools to help governments and city stakeholders address urban developments, mobility, and social-economical challenges across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Previously, Roy served as Director of Data Analytics & Applications at the Taipei Urban Intelligence Center (TUIC), the city’s first data-driven policy think tank. He is also an entrepreneur: founder of IVC InVisibleCities, a civic-tech community using open data for urban…
More Information
Roger Mina
Roger Mina is the CEO of Emcali, Cali’s Public Utility Company. In his career he has served as New Energies Manager at Cenit Transporte y LogĂstica de Hidrocarburos, a subsidiary of Ecopetrol, Head of Electrical Planning and Advisor to the CEO of Ecopetrol, Advisor to the Deputy Minister of Energy of Colombia, Consultant at the Energy Division of the Inter-American Development Bank and Manager of Energy and Optimization at Cenit. He is a member of the board of directors of Celsia, Transoccidente and CorporaciĂłn Manos Visibles. Roger is a Mechanical Engineer from the Universidad del Valle and holds a master’s degree in Energy Management and Policy and a PhD in Energy and Mineral Engineering from Penn State….
More Information
Thashlin Govender
Thashlin Govender is Head of Portfolio, Africa at the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, where for over 15 years he has led multi-country programs and delivered measurable outcomes for families and communities through partnerships with government, business, and civil society. In higher education, Thashlin reframed persistently low graduation rates among high-potential students from low-income backgrounds not as a funding gap but as a systems failure. He redesigned university support by integrating case management, incentives, guidance counseling, academic tutoring, and wellness services alongside financial aid. This model was scaled across multiple universities, achieving disproportionately improved graduation and employment outcomes for first-generation students. Working with the South African Presidency, Thashlin designed outcomes-based financing mechanisms that aligned employers, demand-led…
More Information
Sara Cohen
A career diplomat, Sara Cohen is the Deputy Ambassador (Foreign Policy and National Security) at the Embassy of Canada to the United States in Washington, D.C. As part of the Embassy’s senior executive leadership team, Sara oversees programs dealing with foreign and defense policy, energy and environment, public safety, border security, immigration, intelligence liaison and law enforcement. Prior to assuming this position, she held various executive positions in Ottawa at the headquarters of Global Affairs Canada. This includes Director General, South America and Inter-American Affairs Bureau (2020-2022) and concurrently the Prime Minister’s National Coordinator for the 2022 Summit of the Americas. Previously, she was Chief of Staff to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs…
More Information
Ruma Bhargava
Ruma Bhargava is a global health strategist and social entrepreneur who has shaped international health policy at the World Economic Forum, directed humanitarian operations for the International Red Cross across 38 countries, and built grassroots health systems across five continents at the convergence of digital innovation, health equity, and women's health. At the World Economic Forum, she led the Health Initiative, establishing Asia's first digital health vertical in India, leveraging AI across diagnostics, treatment, and health data integration. She built the WEF's global mental health agenda, pioneering public-private integration by collaborating with over 75 organizations across the private sector, governments, civil society, and UN agencies. At the International Federation of the…
More Information
Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter
Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter is an impact investment leader and ecosystem builder working at the intersection of capital, climate, and community in Latin America. She is the Co-Founder and General Partner at IMPAQTO Capital, a locally rooted fund manager deploying catalytic capital across the Andean region. Currently, she is leading the design of a new impact investment fund focused on the Andean Amazon. Michelle serves as Strategic Ambassador for Andean Amazon Initiatives at the Amazon Investor Coalition, is a member of the Private Sector Task Force for IDB Invest’s Amazonia Forever program, and advises Jumpscale on resilience circles and Indigenous-led entrepreneurship in the Amazon. Previously, Michelle was Executive Director of Strategy…
More Information
Mikhail Zygar
Mikhail Zygar is a journalist, historian, and best-selling author, known for his work on Russian politics, propaganda, and authoritarianism. He was the founding editor-in-chief of TV Rain (Dozhd), Russia’s only independent news television channel, which became a critical voice against state censorship until he was forced into exile. Zygar is the author of several internationally acclaimed books, including “All the Kremlin’s Men,” a best-seller that provides an insider’s account of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle; “The Empire Must Die,” a deeply researched narrative on the fall of the Russian Empire and the revolutionary forces of the early 20th century; and “War and Punishment,” which was named one of The New…
More Information
Wei Xing
Wei Xing is the founder of China Fact Check, the first independent fact-checking program in China. He built a network of online volunteers to be able to operate in a challenging media environment. Wei also promotes media literacy among the Chinese public through training, workshops, speeches, and media interviews. He published The Fact-Checking Handbook, the first of its kind in simplified Chinese. As a media entrepreneur, he co-founded Pear Video, China's first short-form news video platform in 2016 and has served as deputy editor-in-chief since then. Prior to that, he founded Sixth Tone, a must-read publication for China watchers around the world for its unique, critical, on-the-ground China reporting. He…
More Information
Mathias Wikström
Mathias Wikström is a renowned Sweden-based sustainability business leader and creative strategist who aims to drive innovation and simplify complex communication. Together with Johan Pihl, he founded Doconomy, a company that provides financial services with climate consciousness, and spearheaded globally awarded projects at the forefront of finance, sustainability and human rights. He has received an Executive MBA with honors from Stockholm School of Economics, specializing on leading innovation, and is an IMAGINE Leader as well as a member of The Explorers Club. A highly decorated creative, Mathias has won multiple Grand Prix at Cannes Lions and has served as jury president for innovation at Eurobest, among other prestigious award juries….
More Information