KNOWLEDGE IMPACT NETWORK - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Finance
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Chairman of AP Globale
Abhijit is Chairman of AP Globale (APG) and MD of Sakal Media Group as well as the Founder and Chairman of the Delivering Change Foundation (DCF).
Aimée has spent two decades supporting nonprofits at both international and local levels, using writing to promote a wide range of nonprofit activities. Aimée believes that sharing individual stories of those impacted by nonprofit work will spread messages, gain volunteers, increase donations, and expand impact.
Alain is an entrepreneur with experience in luxury apparel, healthcare services, telecom, M&A advisory services, and capital markets fund management.
Job Titles:
- President of Kroma Superfoods
Job Titles:
- CFO and Practice Manager for the Dallas Office of a VCFO
Ashford is both a Consulting CFO and Practice Manager for the Dallas office of a VCFO with an interest in helping the owners of privately held businesses reach their goals. Ashford has worked in several finance administration roles, including at the Wilderness Society.
Former Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Managementand Budget under President George W. Bush. Former Assistant to the President forPresidential Personnel, Clay was the Chief Operating Officer for the Dallas Museum ofArt and the President of the Horchow and Neiman Marcus Mail Order companies.
Connector, conduit and idea generator, Corrie is a mission-drivenadvisor with the ability to unlock potential for impact. Focused on collaborations andsupport of organizations that combat human trafficking/exploitation, support education,and economic empowerment of marginalized communities. Chair, YPO Impact Networks(People Action Network)
Executive fellow with the Center for Higher Ambition Leadership,which supports CEOs in pursuing a broader mission that transcends quarterly returnto investors. David co-founded and was CFO and CMO at American SustainableBusiness Council. David was a partner at Accenture and held other executive roles inmanagement consulting and high tech, helping leaders navigate strategic challengesin the media, computing and communications industries.
Job Titles:
- Executive Fellow With the Center for Higher Ambition Leadership
Job Titles:
- TrustxviiExecutive Director
Alliance Ecosystem Development at XPRIZE, and trustxviiExecutive Director, Dominic works at the intersection of trust, strategy and impact forbetter futures for all. He integrates a systems approach to identify leverage points,creating fresh perspectives and fostering exponential outcomes for just economicprosperity, human flourishing and environmental resilience.
Prior to her role as CEO of The Knowledge Impact Network, Elaine was the Executive Director of Harvard Business School Community Partners of Northern California, inspiring HBS alumni to leverage their business management talents for social good. She was a former management consultant with The Monitor Group and marketing leader at The Clorox Company.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Chief of Staff at the Sager Foundation
Eli is Chief of Staff of the Sager Foundation overseeing its global im-pact efforts. She leads TKP's Impact Council and advises TIE Global Artisans, a proj-ect of PYXERA Global and one of TKP's charter project partners. Eli's career began infinance and technology. Eli consulted to Fortune 50 companies on digital accelerationand worked for PBS/NPR developing digital media startups. She was Chief NetworksOfficer at YPO, overseeing its social impact efforts. She founded SDG Imperative tohelp companies align investment with impact and serves as a Human Rights Commis-sioner in Newton, Massachusetts.
Eli is Chief of Staff at the Sager Foundation and former CEO of TIE Global Artisans, a PYXERA Global program. She worked for PBS and NPR to develop digital media startups and was the Chief Networks Officer at YPO. She founded SDG Imperative.
Job Titles:
- Founder and CEO of the Dignity Fund
Founder and CEO of the Dignity Fund, one of the first for-profit funds investing in high potential micro finance institutions. Elizabeth started the social enterprise, DignityMoves, to build innovative interim housing for the tens of thousands of individuals and families facing homelessness. She intertwines profit and purpose, harnessing the power of capitalism to solve the world's most pressing problems.
Founding President en Social Global Leaders México SAPI de CVMexico. Civil Engineer (Universidad Iberoamericana); MBA (Egade Business School);AD2 (IPADE Business School); ECLA (Columbia Business School); OPM50 (HarvardBusiness School). Endeavor entrepreneur, "Entrepreneur of the year 2012"; Selected by Ernst & Young to be part of its "Hall of Fame 2012"; chosen as Entrepreneur of theYear 2012 by CNN Expansión. Selected as one of the Mexican Leaders by the maga-zine "Líderes Mexicanos". LinkedIn Guillermo Jaime
Heather is a strategic communications professional known for connecting the dots across organizations, inspirational team leadership and exceptional communications skills. Over her career, she has worked in the health care, aviation, energy and nonprofit arenas as well as been the editor of two magazines.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President - Strategy, Partnerships & Corporate Development at IronNet Cybersecurity
Senior Vice President - Strategy, Partnerships & Corporate Development at IronNet Cybersecurity. Founded the National Security Institute, a startup think tank at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University. Served in the U.S. government in a variety of roles, including on the leadership team of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and at the House Permanent Select Committee onIntelligence. Also served on the leadership team of the Justice Department's NationalSecurity Division and in the White House as an Associate Counsel to President GeorgeW. Bush. He also worked for Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch.
Business Development, AI at Google. Jana has worked for Google for more than a decade, in New York and Palo Alto. In addition to her current role in AIBusiness Development, Jana was on the Google Assistant team, Area 120, a work shop for Google's experimental products as well as X, The Mooshot Factiory, which invents and launches "moonshot" technologies that Google hopes could someday make the world a radically better place. Jana learned Mandarin at Beijing University, attendedHarvard Business School Executive Education and received her BA from McGill University in Commerce, Management & Neuropsychology. Jena is a longtime volunteer withMentor/We Are Family Foundation and Code to Inspire.
Prior to founding the Global Partnership for Civic Engagement just before the pandemic, focused on identifying the best systemic solutions to the world's greatest challenges and mobilizing support for them, Clark was best known as the Founder/CEO of the World Technology Network (www.WTN.net). The WTN was a global association of 1,500+ of the most innovative people in the world in science and technology, peer-elected via the annual World Technology Awards, held in association with Fortune, TIME, and CNN, among many others. Clark's first venture, founded 1986, was the first national, nonprofit jobs clearinghouse. Based at the Harvard Kennedy School, and UC/Berkeley, University of Chicago, and Duke, ACCESS was one of the first online companies in the world, operating in partnership with Apple. Clark next served as Director for the Non-Profit Sector & National Service for the Clinton/Gore Presidential campaign (1992). In 1993, he started one of the first Internet companies to bring the "make a difference" world online, in partnership with then start-up, America Online (AOL), and was named one of "The New Media Elite" (New York magazine). Leader of the Democratic Party's National Task Force for America's Future during the 2016 presidential campaign, since then he's been involved in various pro-democracy efforts, including by founding Democracy Dinners in 2022. A performing poet and amateur photographer, his art revolves around the concept of time and the power of direct experience.
Job Titles:
- Strategic Development Associate
Karen is an entrepreneur focused on social impact and female empowerment residing in the central highlands of Guatemala, with experience in management, operations and a degree in business administration. Karen has focused the last 10 years on community development, education and sustainability. She is an alumnae of the U.S. State Department's WEAmericas Program (Women's Entrepreneurship in the Americas). Karen and her husband co-founded NGO Asociación Nuestros Pasos and are small business owners of a seafood delivery business and a beach rental property.
Kelly is an administrative professional with a diverse work history that includes non-profit corporations, entertainment, visual arts, publishing and education. Her greatest professional satisfaction is in using her skills as part of a mission that is dedicated to making the world a better place. She is a past performer and teacher of classical ballet and traditional hula and has lived in 12 different states and 3 different countries. She currently resides in Las Vegas with her husband and two sons.
Leigh is an established leadership development and engagement specialist with over 15 years global experience in strategy, engagement, impact and development. She founded Steele Management and worked as a project director at YPO for more than a decade.
Job Titles:
- Communications Strategist
- Journalist
Leland is a journalist who built States News Service, which covered state and local news in Washington for newspapers across the United States. He published the hourly news updates on the New York Shuttles and created the news receipts distributed to diners at DC's Old Ebbitt Grill.
Job Titles:
- Strategic Development Advisor
Connectress and creator of opportunities, Maria co-crafts meaningful strategies for triple bottom line (people+planet+profit) organizations and businesses. Maria's experience includes communications and fundraising for international NGOs and social impact businesses. She served at The White House, US International Development Finance Corporation and four US presidential campaigns. Maria is a founding board member of Emerge, a leadership program that has expanded to 27 states. Her nonprofit-business-government partnerships experience began in Silicon Valley creating successful housing, education and transportation initiatives. She resides in Antigua, Guatemala passionate about our increasingly interconnected world and devoted to creating positive social and environmental change partnerships.
Marielle Walter has over 10 years of professional experience managing research, communications and operations functions in both the private and nonprofit sectors. Marielle is based in Washington, DC, where she has focused on streamlining operations practices, energizing communications platforms, and providing analytical insights to drive social impact initiatives in the areas of international climate policy, poverty alleviation, and agricultural development. Marielle has a passion for capacity building in the nonprofit sector and worked as a consultant with Common Impact where she managed cross-sector pro bono consulting engagements with JPMorgan Chase, Fidelity Investments and John Hancock. These engagements have increased the impact of nonprofit organization initiatives across the country in the areas of public health, economic development, and many more. Marielle also worked as a Manager of the Volunteer Consulting Program at TechnoServe, which provided pro bono consulting services to support small business growth in developing countries. Marielle also worked as a consultant at the World Bank, supporting the operations and communications initiatives of the Enabling the Business of Agriculture project, a research team measuring agricultural regulation globally. Marielle is also a real estate investor and the founder of PowerHouse Women Real Estate Investing (PHWREI), a platform that empowers thousands of women across the US to grow their wealth, freedom, and impact through real estate. PHWREI supports women in breaking into real estate investing through education and partnership opportunities including group investments. Marielle holds a Masters in Environmental Policy from Virginia Commonwealth University. Outside of the office, Marielle enjoys spending time with her young daughter and traveling internationally to explore the world.
Job Titles:
- Partner / Chief Human Element Officer
Leading the Project Award and Implementation Office, Michelle has worked for the International Potato Center in Peru for more than 12 years. She has over 25 years of experience leading operational areas of compliance, contracts/grant management, and project and financial management, with expertise dealing with private and nonprofit global organizations.
Job Titles:
- Learning Scientist and Head of Machine Learning / AIat Susquehanna International Group
Chief Machine Learning Scientist and Head of Machine Learning/AIat Susquehanna International Group and is on the Data Science Faculty at Berkeley. Mike specializes in deep learning and distributed scalable machine learning and is experienced in text comprehension, image recognition, recommender systems, targeted advertising, forecasting, user understanding, and customer analytics. He is a pioneer in developing training programs in industry focused machine learning and data science techniques.
Managing Partner, Marigold Capital. Canada's Top 40 Under40, Lecturer, BMW Responsible Leader, Social Finance & Innovation. A leader in social finance, Narinder has worked across sectors and silos bringing depth, perspective, and rigor to her work in North America and the Global South.
Job Titles:
- Chief Strategy Officer
- Deputy CEO
- Global Strategist
Deputy CEO & Chief Strategy Officer, King Khalid Foundation (KKF). Natasha is a global strategist with 25 years of experience in sustainability, philanthropy, and social and economic development. Natasha has extensive experience with systems change and building entrepreneurial ecosystems in the emerging markets. Through her consulting practice, Natasha helps organizations globally develop high-impact strategies and solutions, increase business engagement with theSDGs, and inspire innovation. Natasha has led innovative multi-stakeholder partner-ships for the 2030 Agenda and SDGs.
Emerging Markets professional with a senior leadership back-ground in private sector development, supply chains, circular economy and sustain-ability, entrepreneurial ecosystems, diaspora engagement and corporate finance. Nii has previous management and P&L responsibility with Fortune 500 companies. Hehas worked globally for multilateral and development finance institutions (DFIs) with advising, consulting and providing thought leadership for private sector development. Nii also focuses on venture building and integrating SMEs and local suppliers to global supply chains for job creation for African youth and young adults.
Paul is a trusted advisor to European and U.S. executives on international business initiatives, partnerships, commercial transactions and strategies. He specializes in the aerospace, defense, energy, environment, telecommunications and transportation sectors. He has deep expertise in identifying, evaluating, and mitigating corporate risks, understanding political, cultural, and commercial issues internationally.
Job Titles:
- Investor
- Corporate Partnerships Architect
Payel Farasat is an impact investor and the Co-Founder & Managing Principal of V4 CAPITAL, a bespoke private equity impact house that ‘amplifies the good+the genius of others. Previously, as the investment head and Chief Investment Officer of a large asset management provider and mutual fund family, Payel and her team managed over $16 Billion along with P&L responsibilities - all delivered on time and in budget. As CIO, Payel delivers consistent risk-controlled performance and profitability while being accountable for long-term planning with a robust strategy. Highly experienced in research, analytics, and financial operations, as well as, in selecting and developing high performance teams, Payel has effectively led the development and execution of corporate strategic and business plans, in addition to successfully targeting and quantifying new growth opportunities and value propositions. Payel has held several leadership positions at household companies such as Charles Schwab, American Express, and Oracle. Payel received her Bachelor's of Arts in Economics from UC Berkeley along with double minors in Computer Science and Business Administration from Haas Business School - summa cum laude. For her graduate studies, Payel went to the University of San Francisco to receive her Master's of Science in Financial Analysis - magna cum laude.
Payel Farasat is an impact investor and the Co-Founder/Managing Principal of V4 CAPITAL, a bespoke private equity impact house that ‘amplifies the good+the genius of others.' She currently serves as the Chief Investment Officer and Founding Sponsor Team member of a $288MM IPO, BurTech Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: BRKH) poised to bring revolutionary and innovative solutions in the ImpactTech sector to public markets. Payel delivers consistent risk-controlled performance and profitability in the impact space while being accountable for long-term planning with a robust sustainability of value strategy. Highly experienced in research, analytics, financial operations, and in selecting and developing high performance teams, Payel has effectively led the development and execution of strategic and business plans while successfully targeting and quantifying new growth opportunities and value propositions. Payel has held leadership positions at household firms: Charles Schwab, American Express, and Oracle. She serves on the Board of several global non-profit and for-profit social enterprises such as Centre for Responsible Leadership (CRL), End Poverty Make Trillions (EPMT), Bunker Labs, and Fund A Mom (FAM).
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Founder of TalentWell Partners
Pierce serves as a founder of TalentWell Partners, Chairman of Finback 670 (data management for disaster recovery) and CONNOR (environmental consulting).
Job Titles:
- Creative Director at Susan G. Komen
The creative director at Susan G. Komen, Rachel crafts authentic storytelling with breakthrough creative. She also runs a marketing and brand consultation agency, RD Creative. Rachel was the creative services director at YPO and was also the executive director for creative production at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder of the Regenerative Alliance and Member
Co-Founder of the Regenerative Alliance and member of YPO'sPlanet Action Network. Faculty of Lancaster University Management School, Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy. Board Member of the Resilience Institute.Former CEO of International NGO Medair and former Chairman of Mercy ShipsSwitzerland. Consultant, researcher, teacher and facilitator in governance, leadership and strategy. Randall was group CEO of Medair. Randall cycled solo across NorthAmerica to raise awareness about hunger and poverty. LinkedIn Randal Zindler
Rick co-founded and built the Washington-based clothing icon, Britches of Georgetowne. He also owned and ran one of DC's leading advertising agencies, AdWorks. Rick currently is the managing partner of custom suit maker Britches Bespoke, located in New York's Rockefeller Center.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Herald Holdings Ltd
Chairman of Herald Holdings Ltd, a public-listed industrial and distribution group on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In addition, Rob served as WPOBoard Chair 2011/2012 and has been actively involved in YPO since joining the YPOHong Kong Chapter in 1991. Rob served as Chairman of the Vision 2047 Foundation, a not-for-profit group of longtime Hong Kong residents who promote Hong Kong asAsia's regional business center.
Founder, STS Capital and Altruvest. Rob started STS to increase the sale values of companies so the owners could donate the additional upside to making the world a better place through supporting philanthropic charities. He created Altruvest to provide training and tools to improve the performance of charitable organizations so they can give more to their causes. In 1998, Rob received the Top 40 Under40 leadership award for the work he had done in creating 1,000 new jobs in Canada, as well as founding and growing Altruvest, which has now contributed over $10 million since its establishment. Rob has held various roles with YPO.
Job Titles:
- President of Florentine Strategies, Which Provides Board
President of Florentine Strategies, which provides board support, strategic consulting, and investment capital for healthcare, social enterprise and technology companies. Rob is also the CEO of Entrepreneurs in Action, which manages theEIA Social Enterprise Fund, investing in local social enterprises, helping them create successful businesses and jobs while addressing community and global social needs.Rob is part of the University of Central Florida's Partnership and Innovation team, serving as a Senior Strategic Advisor and Director of the newly created Innovation Districts. Robco founded, ForgeGreen Bio.
Sara's professional career has primarily taken place within nonprofits in Guatemala accompanying community development projects ranging from women's entrepreneurship to education to environmental sustainability. Her work has extended to migrant advocacy and humanitarian aid along the U.S.-Mexico border. With a background in communications and development, she has recently steered her career to the social impact realm, an interest that she is nurturing as the Program Coordinator with the Knowledge Impact Network. Sara holds a B.A. in History with minors in Political Studies and Pre-law from Eastern Mennonite University.
Sarah teaches International Business graduate courses at AmericanUniversity. Sarah founded BluWorld, launched in collaboration with Google and CiscoFoundation to provide opportunities to youth in developing countries. She co-foundedThe Remembering Site -- initially funded by the Elon Musk Foundation. Sarah served the United Nations as manager of the United Nations Development Program Information and Communications Technology for Development practice and was on the Panel ofAdvisers to the United Nations Global Alliance for Technology and Development.
Scott has led and worked with CEOs around the world. He is currently the CEO of Forrader Group, providing strategic counsel and support to leaders and their organizations. He was formally the CEO of YPO for nine years and was the CEO of various manufacturing businesses.
YPO's longest serving CEO, Scott led the 30,000-member organization from 2011 through 2020. Before becoming YPO's chief executive, Mordell worked with the Duchossois Group, leading six different business segments within the privately owned family portfolio. He also worked for The Chamberlain Group, Arlington Inter-national Racecourse, Deloitte and KPMG. He led Arlington through its most turbulent periods and negotiated an unprecedented merger of the privately owned institution with publicly traded Churchill Downs Inc.
Job Titles:
- Chairman & CEO at Burkhan Holdings
Chairman & CEO at Burkhan Holdings. Shahal's career as a venture investor spans over 25 years. His past investments encompass software/telecoms, real estate, energy, natural resources, technology and various Industrial sectors. He has been directly responsible for syndication of over $5 billion in equity for projects as a principal in the US, Europe, Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Shahnaaz spent 17 years with YPO, nearly five of which as the director of the Deal Network. She has deep experience working within non-profit, blue-chip and business school environments in leading and successfully executing key initiatives in areas of strategy, operations, relationship and change management, business analysis and project management.
Shamil is a Managing Director at STS Capital Partners; CEO of Altruvest Charitable Services, an affiliated foundation of STS and a global nonprofit organization that provides training and tools to improve the governance of community-based char ities. In 2016, he was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in "Manufacturing and Industry" - and again in 2017 to the Forbes 30 Under 30 All-Star list. He has also been featured as one of Inc magazine's "50 Emerging Global Entrepreneurs to Watch." Shamil co-founded Wiivv Wearables which became one of the world's largest supplier of custom 3D printed footwear.
Job Titles:
- Chairman and Founding Managing General Partner
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Co - Founder
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Peacemaker of Million Peacemakers. Stephen brings over 30 years of personal and business experience to the field of conflict resolution and is co-author of the bestseller, Nonflict: The Art of EverydayPeacemaking. Winner of the Canada Award for Business Excellence and the YMCAPeace Medal, Stephen served YPO leadership at chapter, regional and global levels with a focus on education. In 2019 he was co-chair of the highest-rated YPO international innovation event and has been a leader on the Peace Action Network.
Co-Founded the IMPACT2030 Initiative in 2015, a private sector led collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships and anchored by SDG17, Partnerships for the Goals. Sue is also the Founder of Strategies for Service, a consultancy specializing in helping companies develop high-impact solutions that define and elevate their social impact strategies, increase business engagement with theSDGs, and activate passion for the organization's purpose. From 2000 to March 2016,Sue was a senior executive with The Ritz-Carlton focused on expanding the company's"Serve with Purpose" philosophy.
Susannah is the Deal Network Global Program Manager at YPO, previously having served as YPO's Oman Chapter Manager. She has extensive experience as a freelance visual effects producer and has advanced certificates in health sciences.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President
- Head
Executive Vice President, Head - US Delivery Operations and GlobalHead Education, Training & Assessments at Infosys. Tan is an accomplished business leader, with over three decades of experience in the global IT services industry and expertise in strategy, operations, education, talent development and technology implementation. He is passionate about giving back to society and is an advisory member of multiple not-for-profit organizations.
Partner, RAISE SIG, Founder, Genashtim Innovative Learning, Thomas works primarily in eLearning, with clients in more than 10 countries who are mostlyMNCs and government institutions. Employees are 90% from marginalized communities like refugees and persons with disabilities. Prior to embarking as a social entrepreneur,Thomas spent 25 years as an international executive with major multinational companies in Europe, Asia, and Australia/New Zealand. He has been an active member of YPO and was the elected Chair in the Philippines before going on to the regional board. He was YPO Global Impact Awardee for 2016.
After graduating with Honors from Harvard College Theodore Sedgwick became, successively, a journalist, publisher, entrepreneur, Ambassador (security clearance-top secret) and has been active as well in the nonprofit sector. He has served on the boards of a number of organizations including the Slovak-American Business & Innovation Council (Current President), the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (Current Treasurer), the Civil War Trust (Former Chair), the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, Foreign Policy for America, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Athens Gennadius Library, and more
Victoria Lê is a University of Toronto student majoring in international business. She founded a start-up, Crane, a social enterprise aimed to reduce single-use plastic cutleries through locally sourced alternatives. Victoria is driven by a passionate desire to improve the world.
Job Titles:
- Digital Assets Board Member at the Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness
Digital Assets Board Member at the Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness at U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Vince created Fintech.TV, broadcast fromt he NYSE and focused on digital assets and legislative issues surrounding the fintech space. Vince has nearly 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and was a co-founder of Templum, Inc., and formerly the CEO of its subsidiary, Templum Markets, a FINRA registered broker dealer and Alternative Trading System (ATS). Beyond leading the way toward a more effective and efficient private market, Vince is passionately and deeply committed to impact investing and humanitarian issues.
Vivien works for YPO in Champion Development. She specializes in helping leaders and organizations unlock potential and enable growth. She was an associate with the London management consulting firm Bioss and an associate with The True North Alliance. Her experience includes work on the "people" aspects of merger integrations.
Senior Programme Officer, United Nations Office for Partnerships.Will works to promote new partnerships to support the work of the United Nations in alliance with corporations, foundations and civil society. He serves as an interface be-tween the UN Foundation (UNF) and the UN System in facilitating the identification and development of high impact projects and programs for channeling UNF and other partner resources into the UN System.