Samantha Cohen
CEO of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council
Samantha Cohen CVO OBE has spent more than 25 year advising senior leaders in the public and private sectors. Sam is currently CEO of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council. Prior to this appointment she was Chief of Staff to the global CEO of Rio Tinto. For 17 years, Sam served Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as Press Secretary and a Private Secretary and continues to support The Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Trust as a Board Member.
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Prof. Corneliu Bjola
Professor of Digital Diplomacy at the University of Oxford
Corneliu Bjola is Professor of Digital Diplomacy at the University of Oxford, UK, and the Head of the Oxford Digital Diplomacy Research Group. His research focuses on the impact of digital technology on the conduct of diplomacy, with a special interest in public diplomacy, international negotiations, and methods for countering digital influence operations.
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Ambassador Manoah Esipisu
Kenyan Diplomat, Journalist, and Public Servant
Kenyan Diplomat, Journalist, and Public Servant Manoah Esipisu is a distinguished Kenyan diplomat, journalist, and public servant whose career has spanned media, international development, and high-level government service. Born and raised in rural Kenya, Esipisu's early passion for storytelling laid the foundation for a remarkable journey through journalism and diplomacy. He pursued his undergraduate studies in Literature and Political Science at the University of Nairobi and later earned a postgraduate diploma in mass communication.
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Dr. Dana Alsulaiman
Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Bioengineering at KAUST
Dr. Dana Alsulaiman is an Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Bioengineering at KAUST, where she joined the faculty in 2021. She is the Principal Investigator of the BioMAD Lab, leading cutting-edge research at the intersection of advanced materials and next-generation technologies for minimally invasive disease diagnosis, real-time health monitoring, and precision healthcare. She also serves as a contributing faculty member of the KAUST Smart Health Center of Excellence.
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Kazuhiko Koguchi
Former Secretary General of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Kazuhiko Koguchi is former Secretary General of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and is an expert in governance and strategies of multilateral development banks (MDBs). During his professional career over forty years, Kazu held various senior positions to oversee international economic and financial issues in the Ministry of Finance of Japan, as well as in three MDBs: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank Group (WBG).
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Ambassador Winnie Kiap
Chairs the Commonwealth Foundation
After finishing 6 years of secondary education in Sydney, Australia, Winnie Kiap graduated with a B.A. degree in Social Science from the University of Queensland, Australia, and with a certificate in Museum Management from East West Centre, Hawaii. She then commenced her public service career with the government of Tonga firstly in the Prime Minister’s Department as Senior Executive Officer, and as Assistant Secretary in the Department of Agriculture, Forest & Fisheries, and the Department of Labour, Commerce & Industry
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Dr. Kaire Holts
Interdisciplinary researcher & PhD Scholar
Kaire Holts is an interdisciplinary researcher with international academic and policy experience, working at the intersection of labour studies, leadership and social change. She holds a PhD from the University of Hertfordshire (UK), where her research examined entrepreneurial subjectivities. Her work explores the social dimensions of leadership, focusing on how individual and collective identities are produced through practices of self-management. Alongside academic posts in Germany, the United Kingdom and Estonia, she has worked as an expert for national and international organisations, including the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research.
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Ambassador Simone Fillipini
Dutch Diplomate
Simone Filippini is a former senior Dutch diplomat. She holds a Master degree in Slavic Languages and Literature, Utrecht University, The Netherlands, and finished training as a communications expert. Among others she served as diplomat in Jakarta, Indonesia, the Middle East Department, the Cabinet of the Director General for Political Affairs, as Head of the Gender and Women Rights Department in the Netherlands MFA, Consul-General for the Southeastern US and Dutch Caribbean based in Miami, and Dutch Ambassador to North Macedonia.
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Gabriela Oseguera Serra
Research Manager at M+C Saatchi World Services
Gabriela Oseguera Serra is a Research Manager at M+C Saatchi World Services, where she leads insight-driven work to support behavior change, social impact, and strategic communications in complex global contexts. Based in New York City, she works with governments, NGOs, and mission-led organizations to help them better understand the communities they serve.
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