Archives: Person
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Belabbes Benkredda
Belabbes Benkredda is an award-winning social innovator and the founder of the Munathara Initiative, the Arab worldās largest online and television debate forum highlighting voices of youth, women, and marginalized communities. Today, Munathara operates in 11 Arab countries and counts a community of some 170,000 members on its online debate platform. Its monthly prime time TV debates are the only civil society-run, independent political talk programs on Arabic television, syndicated across several channels. Previously, Belabbes held roles in the German Foreign Office, the League of Arab States, and the Council for Arab-British Understanding. After moving to Dubai in 2005, Belabbes became a government consultant specializing in public diplomacy in the…
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Ahmed Albasheer
Ahmed Albasheer is an Iraqi comedian, journalist, director, and host of The Albasheer Show, a weekly political satire program that humorizes Iraqi politics. Heavily influenced by comedians Jon Stewart and George Carlin, Ahmed began the show in 2014 as a tool to fight corruption, sectarianism, extremism, and terrorism in Iraq and the surrounding region. Having been banned from Iraqi television station, the show is recorded in Jordan and Turkey and broadcast weekly YouTube, Facebook, and Deutsche Welleās Arabic channel. It reaches a weekly audience of over 7 million people, the majority of whom area under age 30. Ahmed was born and raised in Anbar, Iraq, fleeing the country in 2011…
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Simidele Adeagbo
Simidele Adeagbo is a trailblazing Olympian, passionate advocate, and inspirational speaker focused on building a better world through sport. Simidele made Olympic history at the 2018 Winter Games, becoming the first Nigerian Winter Olympian and the first African and Black woman to compete in Skeleton at the Olympics. For more than fifteen years, Simidele led innovative marketing campaigns at Nike and now helps audiences unlock the power they have as change makers. Through her signature master classes, Simidele also helps girls across Africa build their leadership skills through the uplifting power of sport. An Obama Foundation Leader and Malala Fund supporter, Simidele has appeared in prominent media outlets such as…
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Rufaro Mudimu
Rufaro Mudimu is a social entrepreneur that is dedicated to youth development and socio-economic transformation in Africa. Rufaroās commitment to youth development in Africa is driven by her belief that socio-economic transformation and leadership of the continent is in its young people. She currently leads enke: Make Your Mark (enke), a leadership development organization that generates and incubates youth-led social impact and enterprise in South Africa. enke, meaning 'ink' in SeTswana, was started in 2009 to bridge socioeconomic inequality by connecting, equipping, and inspiring young people with the skills and experiences to realize their value, thrive, and mobilize for a better future for themselves and others. Additionally, Rufaro is the…
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Bam Aquino
Bam Aquino started in public service as a youth leader, television host and multi-awarded social entrepreneur. In 2013, he was elected Senator of the Republic of the Philippines and was the youngest at that time. When Bam ended his term in 2019, he was the Philippine Senateās Deputy Minority Leader. He has chaired various Senate committees such as Trade and Commerce, Youth, Science and Technology, and Education. He authored and sponsored several landmark laws including the Philippine Competition Act, the Innovative Start Up Act, and the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which made college in all state universities free for millions of Filipino students. In May 2022, he…
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Ying Lun āAllenā FUNG
Ying Lun āAllenā FUNG isĀ Vice President, Business Development forĀ Aerospace Technology Group Hong Kong. Prior to this he served asĀ Political Assistant to Secretary for Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. Before joining the government in 2014, Allen was a personal assistant to Mr. CY Leung from 2006 to 2012 and advised on his successful Chief Executive election campaign. Allen has extensive experience in politics and public administration in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. He is a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies and the All China Youth Federation, and Standing Committee Member of the Guangdong Youth Federation. He was Vice President (External)…
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Stephanie Busari
Stephanie Busari is Senior Editor for Africa at CNN Worldwide. She heads up CNN's Nigeria bureau where she pioneered CNN's first digital and multiplatform bureau. She also reports on-air for CNN International and led the network's 2019 Nigeria presidential election coverage. Stephanie oversees CNN Africa's digital editorial and operational strategy, crafting a new narrative for Africa and chronicling the continent's changemakers and innovators. In April 2016 Stephanie exclusively obtained the āproof of lifeā video that showed that the missing Chibok schoolgirls were still alive. This video kickstarted crucial negotiation talks with Boko Haram that led to the eventual release of more than 100 of the kidnapped schoolgirls. She was also…
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Wolfgang Proissl
Wolfgang Proissl is a journalist and Head of Communications and Chief Spokesperson for the European Stability Mechanism, an international organization founded by the 17 Euro-area member states whose purpose is to provide financial assistance to member countries in difficulty. Previously, he reported and wrote on monetary policy, international finance, and the financial crisis for the Financial Times Deutschland (FTD). As a journalist, he worked to promote European integration and was responsible for defining the editorial line on European affairs and global governance for the FTD and its affiliated news magazines. Through the FTD, he advocated for a stronger European Union, less energy dependence on Russia, EU membership for Turkey, and…
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Katherine Pustay Currie
Katherine āKatā Pustay Currie is a lead associate at Booz Allen Hamilton, a global consultancy firm. A graduate of Yaleās School of Management, she previously served as Deputy Staff Director to the Steering Committee in the U.S. Senate and as policy staff to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior in Washington, D.C. While at the Department of the Interior, she represented DOI in the 2010 oil spill response and served on the White House Council for Women and Girls. Kat spent the previous five years in Anchorage, Alaska advancing political, legislative, and environmental initiatives through work in the Alaska State Legislature and political campaigns.Ā
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Adrien Couton
Adrien Coutonās work focuses on bringing innovations to the global efforts and institutions supporting economic development. He is Vice President for the EMEA Region and for International development at Premise Data, a technology company leveraging big data analytics, a network of contributors in over 30 countries, and smartphone capabilities to measure economic and human development trends in real-time and guide major development players. Previously, he was a Partner and the Director of the Water Practice at Dalberg, a consulting firm specialized on global development. Earlier, he helped implement entrepreneurial solutions to water issues in both operational roles (as CEO of Naandi Water, the largest operator of community water systems in…
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