NIGERIA

Amaka is a product management professional with 5+ years in fintech and banking with a strong background in product development, strategic planning, and marketing campaigns. She holds a certification from AIPMM, Harvard Business School Online, and a bachelor’s degree in management information systems. As a passionate advocate for youth empowerment, she serves as a Global Youth Ambassador for Theirworld and founded the Letter to a Lady Initiative, a non-profit with a team of 200+ volunteers dedicated to empowering girls through advocacy programs, skills training, and mentoring. Passionate about positive leadership, Amaka helps youth embrace their uniqueness and pursue greatness.

CANADA

Arushana is dedicated to making a difference through her roles at Oxfam Canada and Cornerstone Housing for Women. As a Donor Stewardship Retention Officer, she forges connections and supports vital causes. Proudly feminist, Arushana is passionate about social justice. Off-duty, she finds joy in cooking, diving into literature, and spending quality time with friends. Her dog is her constant companion, adding warmth to her downtime. With a heart full of compassion and a drive for positive change, she embraces each day as an opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the world.

ARGENTINA

Cecilia’s professional career is focused on project and program management, mainly related to the design and implementation of socially innovative initiatives within both the private and public sectors. Additionally, Cecilia has designed and delivered entrepreneurship programs for several organizations and has worked as a consultant specializing in the development of sustainable and scalable business models.

GHANA

David Dankwah Yeboah is a trained business coach, accountant, and design-thinking practitioner with over 7 years of experience in entrepreneurship, social development, and financial management. David is known for his proactive, creative, and result-oriented approach to problem solving.

KOSOVO

Doruntina is deeply passionate about digital marketing, leadership, and community impact. She is the Managing Director of Terra, a creative digital marketing and sustainability agency based in Prishtina, Kosovo. At Terra, she loves working on impactful marketing strategies for both local and international clients. Additionally, Doruntina is the Program Manager at the Open Data Innovation Institute, a woman-led NGO in Kosovo aiming to harness technology and data for societal empowerment. As a Board Member of Based in Science, an NGO based in London, she contributes to encouraging youth into STEAM-related careers. She has recently been selected as a mentor for FORA's Global Mentorship program. As a mentor, she is excited to share her knowledge and support aspiring professionals in their personal and professional growth journeys.

CANADA

Eva is best engaged on projects that are in service of critical challenges and opportunities that require navigating complexity or uncertainty or those that rely on multiple diverse and divergent sets of stakeholder groups for moving forward. As the Founder of Paradeigma, Eva draws on her extensive consulting experience and focus on strategy, foresight and collaborative design to help create innovative solutions in contexts where it becomes apparent that current strategies will only maintain status quos or there is a lack of momentum and alignment executing even on agreed upon plans.

MALAYSIA

Hafiza, a changemaker and recipient of the Outstanding Leadership Award, mentors youth on SDGs globally. With board roles at Amnesty International, she advocates for human rights. Pursuing an MPhil, her research centers on child and women trafficking. An LLB graduate from the University of London, she's authored a book on migrant rights, amplifying marginalized voices.

GHANA

Hiqmat Sungdeme Saani is an impact and technology entrepreneur with over 4 years track record in international business development, non-profits, and advocacy who is passionate about socially responsible entrepreneurship and therefore provides digital solutions to small businesses and non-profits, while equipping girls and women-led businesses with the competencies to leverage technology to pursue 21st century opportunities.

KENYA

Janet Ngombalu is the Christian Aid Director for Kenya. Janet previously worked for the Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC) in Kenya, as the Regional Programs Coordinator and Deputy to the Executive Director. Janet previously worked for Practical Action, in the Climate Change and Energy and Water and Sanitation, where she co-authored the book on Confronting the Crisis in Urban Poverty, making Integrated Approaches work. Janet holds a master’s degree in Sociology, majoring in Entrepreneurship Development from the University of Nairobi, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Community Development from the Daystar University. Professionally, she trained on enterprise development through value chains and business service markets in Turin, Italy.

CANADA

Joanna Rodrigues is Chief of Staff at Social Capital Partners, a non-profit focused on reducing wealth concentration in Canada. With over 10 years of experience in both the corporate and non-profit sectors, Joanna is passionate about improving organizational processes, delivering high-quality programs, and advancing equity and inclusion in Canada. Joanna has built companies from the ground up, contributed to a public listing on the TSX and, most recently, led the creation of a board diversity program which won the Governance Professionals of Canada’s 2023 Excellence in Governance Award (DEI category). Joanna has a Hon. B.A. from the University of Toronto and holds a Certified Professional in Investor Relations (CPIR) designation from the Canadian Investor Relations Institute and Ivey Business School.

NIGERIA

Jumoke has experience traversing social protection, HIV and AIDS prevention, and green skills in WASH projects. She has had research consultancy roles with UNICEF, UNWomen, and UNDP/ENDA SANTE. Currently she works with a sports foundation, promoting green WASH projects. Jumoke pioneered school farms for school meals with support of Danish Embassy Nigeria through ACAEDF as a fundraiser. She is an avid learner and collaborator.

INDIA

Karuna embodies enthusiasm and a deep-seated passion for analysis. Her adept problem-solving skills, empathetic leadership style, and unwavering dedication to team objectives set her apart. Beyond the professional sphere, Karuna channels her energy into analyzing sports and immerses herself in the pages of books, fostering a rich intellectual curiosity.

UNITED STATES

Krista is a mother of 2 beautiful kids and resides in Houston, TX. She has been a Manager Assistant at Bain since 2021, and prior to that, gained over 8 years of experience as a Project Manager in the Tax and Accounting field in Houston. Krista is an entrepreneur and enjoys many hobbies such as dancing, music, gardening, and astrology.

KENYA

Mwanaisha is a project manager and coordinator with over a decade of experience supporting women and the youth in entrepreneurship through fostering partnerships and capacity building. She is an alumnus of the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme and Clinton Global Initiative and has worked for start-ups and actors in the development sector.

SOUTH AFRICA

Nadia combines a 20-year career and multiple interests to start Grounded, which offers mental wellness programmes to improve individuals' and teams' emotional intelligence. She is a qualified yoga and mindfulness teacher with an undergraduate degree in Communication, with post-grads in Futures Studies, Health Economics, and an MBA.

GHANA

Ms. Patricia Boadu Kankam holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. Patricia is currently a Community and Programs Manager at a social enterprise, Every Human Ghana, where she engages in community service, advocacy, enterprise development and research, and sustainable entrepreneurship. Patricia is also a Rotaractor, loves reading and watching sporting activities.

NEPAL

Priyanka Basnet is a professional with 7 years of experience in development and fundraising, training and capacity building, research, project design and implementation, monitoring, and evaluation (M&E), organizational capacity building, and policy analysis. Beyond her work, Priyanka finds joy in watching movies, reading books, and listening to music, which she says not only helps her maintain a sense of balance but also keeps her highly motivated.

CANADA

Rasheeda is an independent fundraising consultant. After a decade of driving growth for businesses in the for-profit sector, she intentionally transitioned to raising funds for non-profits, where she has now spent over ten years. She supports growth and capacity building for small non-profit organizations. Her expertise includes leading teams through social and environmental change and responsible P&L management. In 2023, she embraced her role as a Fractional Fundraising consultant. Rasheeda is a first-generation Canadian from Pakistan. She identifies as biracial, with a Caucasian mother and South Asian father. Today she lives with her family in Toronto, honoring the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, Haudenosaunee, and Huron-wendat (Wyandot).

UNITED STATES

Sofia is a Software Engineer at Microsoft. Beyond her technical skills, she is enthusiastic about exploiting technology to address real-world challenges and create positive societal impact. Back in 2011, Sofia decided to become and electronic engineer because she believed that technology increased people's quality of life and transforms humanity. Sofia wanted (and still wants) to be part of all the efforts that scientists and engineers have made.

CANADA

Taylor Marlow is an international development professional who promotes youth leadership, social innovation and gender equality as key approaches for tackling systemic, global issues. With a Bachelors in Psychology and Masters in Sociology, Taylor is passionate about learning and collaborating with diverse teams on innovative, community-led projects. For 10+ years, she has worked in project management, facilitation, and research in several contexts including Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and East and West Africa. Currently as International Programs Manager at Youth Challenge International, she recruits, trains, and mentors hundreds of young people to advance their professional growth and social impact.

KENYA

Teklah is a seasoned Program Management Specialist with over a decade of expertise in project planning, implementation, and reporting. As the Senior Program Officer, she coordinates the planning and implementation of Programs and Initiatives at African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD). Previously, Teklah served as the Project Officer for the inspiring Women's Space Project at Mazingira Institute. She holds a Master’s degree in M&E from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Moi University, and a Diploma in Projects Management from Kenya Institute of Management. A Project Management Institute (PMI) member, she’s on her path to becoming a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). With a deep-seated belief in evidence-based programming and resource mobilization, Teklah is resolute in her commitment to driving impactful change.

GHANA

Tehodora is a 43-year-old who started her career as a banker before moving to the NGO sector where she has been for the past 8 years. Having previously worked in Business Development and Project Management, for the last 8 years she has been working her dream career, one that she had always talked about while in school. Her move to the NGO sector was birthed out of a risk taken; resigning from her bank position without having yet secured a role elsewhere. A choice that in the end, worked out perfectly.

UNITED KINGDOM

Urooj Nisar, a Chevening Scholar pursuing an MSc in Development Studies at SOAS, UOL, brings over 5 years of academia experience as an Assistant Professor in Economics for the Govt of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. With 7+ years in development practice, spanning roles from volunteer to consultant, Urooj is dedicated to shaping impactful policies. Passionate about social entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and fostering equality and inclusion, Urooj thrives on driving positive change. With a blend of academic rigor and hands-on field experience, Urooj aspires to contribute significantly to the intersection of policy, development, and social change.