Driven by the desire to provide dignified employment and fair wages to marginalised communities through innovative recycling initiatives, Keiran Smith co-founded Mr. Green Africa.
With Mr. Green Africa, Keiran has established the first recycling network of its kind in Africa that formalises and empowers informal waste collectors.
He continuously advocates for effective plastic waste reduction to build an inclusive, circular economy.
Deepali is a partner at Speedinvest with a strong emphasis on increasing representation among female and diverse investors.
She began her career in investment banking on Wall Street and later turned her focus towards access to capital and networks for female founders. In 2020, she co-founded a community working to grow the number of female angel investors in Europe supporting female-founded companies.
Today, Deepali invests in and mentors companies across fintech, health, and climate, with a shared focus on addressing some of society’s most pressing challenges. She is grounded in the belief that expanding access to capital and networks is key to unlocking opportunity.
Kidus Asfaw, CEO and Co-founder of Kubik, is working to rethink how waste is used in growing cities. What began as a mission to turn plastic waste into affordable construction materials has since evolved into a broader approach to waste and industry.
Today, Kubik turns urban waste into industrial value in Ethiopia. Through this shift, waste takes on a new role – cutting emissions in heavy industry while creating income for the women who drive the supply chain.
Kidus’ work has gained international recognition, including being named on the TIME 100 Climate Leaders list in 2023.
Powered by People was co-founded by Ella Peinovich, Hedvig Alexander, and Alison Phillips – three entrepreneurs with expertise spanning technology, international development, and retail.
They were united by a shared commitment to shifting economic power toward independent brands and artisan communities worldwide.
Today, they are creating new pathways between skilled makers and international buyers, grounded in the belief that creativity, craftsmanship, and entrepreneurship can create lasting economic opportunities when combined with access to the right markets and networks.
Priya Krishnamoorthy is the founder and CEO of 200 Million Artisans, an organisation working to strengthen cultural economies across the Global South. She has a background in journalism, arts, research, and entrepreneurship,
Through 200 Million Artisans and its platforms, Priya and her team bring together artisans, makers, entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders. Her work is driven by the belief that creativity and craftsmanship can create jobs, income, and stronger local economies when connected to the right markets, networks, and business opportunities.
Gulru Dodkhudoeva is Deputy Executive Director of BRAC Europe, where she forges partnerships with foundations, governments, businesses, and diaspora communities to advance climate resilience, gender justice, and inclusive economic growth.
She has more than two decades of experience in international development, turning partnerships into solutions that deliver at scale.
Gulru is deeply passionate about transformational change that goes beyond individual projects: shifting systems, putting women at the centre of development, and ensuring communities lead their own futures.
Abeba Birhane founded and leads the AI Accountability Lab at Trinity College Dublin. She received her PhD in 2022 from University College Dublin and is currently a Research Fellow at the School of Computer Science and Statistics in Trinity College Dublin.
She researches AI accountability, with a particular focus on auditing AI models and training datasets, work that earned her a place on the TIME100 Most Influential People in AI list in 2023.
Abeba is driven by an urgent need to demystify, critically assess, and publicly communicate how AI systems function under the hood, as well as how they affect marginalised communities, shape public life, and transform power, rights, and autonomy.
Aunnie Patton Power works at the forefront of innovative finance at Innovative Finance Initiative exploring new ways of mobilising capital for businesses and solutions that create positive change.
Through her work across investment, research, and advisory roles, she brings together investors, entrepreneurs, and institutions to develop financial models that support growth and impact.
A former M&A banker turned “adventure financier”, Aunnie has worked across five continents with investors, entrepreneurs, governments, and development finance institutions. She is driven by a belief that finance can be a powerful tool for creating opportunities and helping businesses and communities thrive.