Aditi Banerjee

Co-Founder and CEO

Magic Billion

Aditi Banerjee co-founded Magic Billion in 2018 and IndiaWorks GmbH in 2024 to build transparent, structured pathways for Indian talent into international labour markets, primarily in OECD countries. An economist by training, she spent fifteen years prior to her entrepreneurial journey in the development sector — at the World Bank, Boston Consulting Group and the British Asian Trust, patroned by HRH King Charles — focused on development finance and systemic public sector programs in education, climate and health. She is a finalist at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards (UK, 2019) and a recipient of the Indian Achievers' Award (2023).

Annemiek Dresen

Founder

NewBees

Annemiek Dresen is the Founder of NewBees, a Netherlands-based social enterprise supporting newcomers to enter the workforce and employers in building more inclusive workplaces. Prior to founding NewBees, Annemiek co-founded Guatemala-based NGO Niños de Guatemala, after which she worked in global finance roles at ABN AMRO. Since founding NewBees in 2016, she has helped over 6,000 newcomers and worked with 100+ European companies, earning recognition in 2022 as one of the Netherlands' 30 most inclusive leaders.

Borja Monreal Gainza

Public Policy Director

Prime Minister's Office (Spain)

Borja Monreal is Director of Public Policy at the Spanish Prime Minister's Office, where he works on the design and coordination of public policies across government. His main areas of expertise are migration, international development and poverty. He previously co-founded and led SIC4Change, a social innovation organisation using technology to address social challenges and expand economic opportunities. Over the course of his career, he has worked with UN agencies including FAO, ILO and UNDP across Africa and Latin America, with experience in countries such as Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Malawi and Kenya.

Brian Gannon

VP of Strategic Partnerships and Government Relations

LaborMex

Brian Gannon is Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Government Relations at LaborMex, where he works in global labor mobility, government policy, ethical recruitment, and workforce technology. He has more than 25 years of experience developing and managing international workforce programs, and has helped facilitate legal employment opportunities in the United States for tens of thousands of international workers, engaging extensively with employers, governments, policymakers, and global recruitment partners on responsible labor-mobility pathways. Brian is also the founder and president of the Ukraine America Initiative, a US-based nonprofit supporting Ukrainians displaced by the war.

Catharina Franz

Team Lead, International Partnership Management

Lingoda

Catharina Franz has 11 years of experience in international contexts, specializing in international recruitment, consulting, and educational initiatives for skilled labor migration. She is currently Team Lead for International Partnership Management at Lingoda GmbH, where she guides and advises international stakeholders involved in recruiting foreign skilled professionals and apprentices, and drives business development by establishing new strategic fields such as direct language education partnerships in source countries. Catharina holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a focus on Controlling and Finance. Prior to her current role, she was with WBS Training, where she helped build up WBS International Recruiting and managed the EU-funded project "MobiPro," which aimed at reducing youth unemployment across Europe.

Chad Sterbenz

Chief Investment Officer

Malengo

Chad Sterbenz is Chief Investment Officer at Malengo. He brings more than 20 years of experience in impact investing, financial inclusion, organizational leadership, and international development, including serving as Chief Investment Officer at Kiva.org and launching or managing impact investment funds for SEAF in Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Peru. He began his international development career as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching social sciences at a university in Osh, Kyrgyzstan.

Chris Maclay

Program Director, Jobtech Alliance

Mercy Corps

Chris's passion lies at the intersection of employment, technology, and start-ups. He is currently Mercy Corps' Program Director at the Jobtech Alliance, an ecosystem-building initiative bringing together start-ups, support organizations, and investors working on the future of work and the platform economy. He has spent over 15 years working in the youth employment and economic development space across Africa and beyond, working with NGOs, donors, and the private sector. Most recently, he was Chief Operating Officer at Lynk, the Kenyan gig matching platform for informal workers.

Daniel Yu

Founding Partner

Africa Jobs Fund (AJF)

Daniel Yu is the Founding Partner of Africa Jobs Fund, a philanthropic investment fund backing startups in international labor mobility and export manufacturing to maximally increase African worker incomes. Previously, Daniel founded and led Wasoko, an e-commerce platform supplying goods and financing to over 200,000 informal retail stores across Africa, recognized as the fastest growing company in Africa by the Financial Times in 2022 before completing Africa's largest ever tech merger with Egypt-based MaxAB in 2024. He currently serves as board chair of Malengo. Originally trained as a software developer, Daniel has worked in or traveled to over 75 countries and speaks Mandarin, Swahili, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Cantonese, and French.

Diana Akatwijuka

Founder / CEO

TokyoLingo

Diana Akatwijuka is CEO and Founder of Tokyo Lingo, an education and talent mobility organization building pathways between Africa and Japan. A Kenyan by birth and a naturalized Japanese citizen, she brings a unique perspective shaped by more than 15 years of living, studying, and working in Japan, connecting African talent with educational and professional opportunities while helping candidates and Japanese organizations navigate the cultural, linguistic, and practical aspects of international mobility. Through Tokyo Lingo, she works closely with Japanese language schools, companies, and institutions to create structured pathways for international students and professionals from Kenya and other African countries, supporting candidates through language and JLPT preparation, employer connections, visa processes, and relocation. She founded Tokyo Lingo in 2021 and is particularly passionate about developing Kenya–Japan talent mobility in a way that goes beyond recruitment.

Ed Shapiro

Managing Trustee

The Shapiro Foundation

Edward Shapiro is the Managing Trustee of The Shapiro Foundation, which he founded with his wife Barbara in 2000. From 1997 to 2016 he was a Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager at PAR Capital Management, a Boston-based investment management firm, after which he retired to focus on his family's charitable foundation and philanthropic activities, with an emphasis on refugee relief and resettlement/sponsorship. He previously held roles at Wellington Management Company, Morgan Stanley, and Kayne Anderson Investment Management. Ed has served on the board of United Airlines since 2016 and chairs its Finance Committee, and is board chair of The Welcoming Initiative for Newcomers (WIN) and The Community Sponsorship Hub. He earned his BS in Economics from Wharton and an MBA from UCLA Anderson.