Speakers

Biography

Biography

Eduardo Cabrera is responsible for analyzing emerging cyber threats to develop innovative and resilient enterprise risk management strategies for Fortune 500 clients and strategic partners. Before joining Trend Micro, he was a 20-year veteran and former CISO of the United States Secret Service with experience leading information security, cyber investigative, and protective programs in support of the Secret Service integrated mission.

He started his career investigating transnational cyber criminal groups targeting the financial and retail sectors and later led cyber forensic operations in support of Secret Service large-scale data breach investigations. He then served as the Secret Service Strategic Advisor to the DHS National Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Center (NCCIC).

Twitter: @Ed_E_Cabrera

Biography

In his capacity as a partner of Ernst & Young LLP, he advises clients on capital strategy, mergers and acquisitions, public company spinoffs, IPOs and securities offerings. Bill has led some of the firm's largest client engagements, including cross-border transactions for major multinational corporations and leading private equity firms, and has deep experience in the beverage, automotive, fintech, telecom and professional services sectors.

Bill previously served as EY’s Americas TAS Deputy Managing Partner, Americas TAS Chief Operating Officer and TAS Leader for the Southeast Region.  Over the last decade, he has worked to help double the talent and revenues of Americas TAS practices, which now number more than 4,000 professionals based in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Israel, and Central and South America.

In addition to presiding over the practice’s record annual revenue of more than $2 billion, Bill has helped transform TAS from transaction compliance and due diligence providers into market-leading strategic advisors. Integral to this transformation was the US firm’s acquisition of The Parthenon Group in 2014, which significantly enhanced TAS’s front-end strategic offering.

Prior to his current role, Bill spent more than a decade with EY firms working on transactions in Latin America. In 1995, he was the first on the ground to help launch TAS services in South America, which has since grown to over 700 people. Bill was made an Ernst & Young partner in its São Paulo office, where he helped develop TAS practices in both Brazil and Mexico and worked on the largest-ever beverage deal in Latin America.

Bill serves as a member of the EY Americas Operating Executive and the EY US Executive Committee and is a Certified Public Accountant. He received his master’s degree in business administration from DePaul University and bachelor’s in accounting from the University of Illinois. He is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese and is a competitive triathlete.

Bill's Better Question: How can companies remain competitive in the face of constant sector and technological disruption?

Biography

Arnold Donald is President & Chief Executive Officer of Carnival Corporation & PLC, the largest travel and leisure company in the world.  Their portfolio of ten cruise brands -- Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises UK, P&O Cruises Australia and Fathom are based throughout North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Together these brands maintain a fleet of over 100 ships and serve more than 11 million guests annually.  Carnival Corporation & PLC also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon with 10 hotels plus rail and bus services connecting guests with the northern interior.  Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & PLC is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P500 and the FTSE 100 indices.

Mr. Donald has been President & CEO of Carnival Corporation since 2013; prior to that he served on the board for 12 years.  In January 2017 he was appointed Chair of Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA).  He currently serves on the board of Bank of America Corporation and Crown Holdings, Inc.

Mr. Donald spent more than twenty years at Monsanto Company as Corporate Senior Vice-President, and President of the Consumer and Nutrition sector and President of the Agricultural sector.  After leaving Monsanto, Mr. Donald was Chairman of Merisant Company whose products included the leading global sweetener brands Equal and Canderel.

Immediately prior to Carnival, Mr. Donald was a founder and President and Chief Executive Officer of the Executive Leadership Council, a professional network and leadership forum for African-American executives of Fortune 500 companies, and the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, the largest charitable funder of diabetes research in the world.

A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Mr. Donald received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Carleton College, a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Washington University in St Louis, and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

Mr. Donald has a strong commitment to higher education and serves on the boards of two of his alma maters, Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota and Washington University in St. Louis, in Missouri.  He is also on the boards of the Greater New Orleans Foundation and St. Louis based BJC Healthcare among others.

Biography

Miguel “Mike” B. Fernandez currently serves as Chairman of MBF Healthcare Partners, L.P., a private investment firm located in Coral Gables, Florida. The firm focuses on investing in healthcare service companies nationwide.
He has been the Founder and/or majority shareholder of 25 healthcare related companies. Most of these companies have been acquired by publicly traded companies. Among these enterprises are Physicians Healthcare Plans, CAC Medical Centers, Prescribit Rx, CarePlus Health Plans, Navarro Pharmacies, Medical Specialties Distributors, Hospitalists of America, Simply Healthcare Plans and Nutri-Force Nutrition.
Mr. Fernandez serves on the Board of Directors of Mednax (NYSE: MD) and on the Board of Trustees of the University of Miami and Loyola University Maryland. He has served on the Georgetown University MSFS Board of Advisors and on the Boards of Dana Farber Cancer Institute, the United Way, Sylvester Cancer Hospital, and others. Mr. Fernandez has been frequently honored for his business acumen. He has been recognized dozens of times with business and community awards.
In the last few years, he has devoted most of his time to helping the people of his native Cuba. As one of the founders, he helped launch the Cuba Emprende Foundation which teaches individuals how to begin and run small businesses in order to create a private sector independent from government control. He is the Founder of IMPAC Fund which focuses on family unity and works towards protecting the individual rights of immigrants. IMPAC Fund brings together business and civic leaders in Florida who support policies and practices that recognize the important contributions that immigrants make to our economy and our communities. Mr. Fernandez is also Co-Chair of American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC). ABIC represents a growing and diverse set of businesses and business associations promoting common sense federal immigration reform to benefit the people and economy of our country. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Latino Donor Collaborative, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to reshaping the perception of Latinos as part of the American social mainstream.
Mr. Fernandez was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa by St. Thomas University and by Loyola University Maryland. The degree recognizes outstanding achievements as a humanitarian, business leader and philanthropist. He also received an Associate in Science, Honoris Causa from Miami Dade College. He completed a 508 mile walk from France and Spain multiple times, in order to raise funds for a variety of children’s causes. Over the past 20 years, he has contributed in excess of $100 million to charitable causes.

Biography

Patrick Goddard is the President of Brightline Trains, soon to be Virgin Trains USA, the first privately owned and operated intercity passenger rail system in more than 100 years. Patrick is responsible for the company’s development and construction and bringing this innovative system to market. This includes approximately 1.5msq of Transit Oriented Development around the system’s three South Florida stations.

Launched in 2018, Brightline is a transformative rail project connecting the cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. In May 2019, construction on Phase 2, which will connect Orlando and South Florida, began and is slated for completion in 2022. Brightline is also expected to add three new stations to its system in 2020, PortMiami, Aventura and Boca Raton.

Brightline announced it acquired XpressWest in March 2019, a high-speed rail system that will connect Southern California and Las Vegas. Construction on this system is expected to begin in 2020.

Goddard comes from the hospitality industry having worked in hotel development and operations for Hilton Hotels, Loews Hotels and Rosewood Hotels. He also ran a large international hotel management company, Trust Hospitality, for 5 years as its president and chief operating officer prior to joining Brightline in 2016.

He has a degree in hospitality management from the Dublin Institute of Technology with a Bachelors Degree in Strategic Management from Trinity College Dublin.

Biography

Katherine is Chair of 38 North Solutions, a public policy consultancy specializing in clean energy and innovation. In this role, Katherine has been listed on the #Solar100 board by kWh Analytics and received a Cleanie Award as Entrepreneur of the Year in 2018. Katherine was Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum‘s Future of Advanced Energy Technology Global Future Council and President of GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic. Katherine served as President of the GridWise Alliance, advocating for nearly $5 billion in funding for smart grid projects in the Recovery Act. Prior to that role, Katherine was a policy advisor for Good Energies, Inc., a private investment company with a portfolio in clean energy technologies of nearly $6 billion. She co-directed the American Bioenergy Association, working with the states of Maryland and New Jersey to develop renewable portfolio standards. At the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Katherine led buildings research and then managed government relations in Washington, DC. Katherine spent a decade at Virginia Power, designing overhead and underground electrical systems for commercial and residential developments. Katherine studied electrical engineering at Northern Virginia Community College and holds degrees from Cornell University and the Sorbonne. Katherine is part of The Energy Gang podcast through Greentech Media.

Biography

Barbara Humpton is CEO of Siemens USA, where she guides the company’s strategy and engagement in serving the company’s largest market in the world, with more than 50,000 employees and over $23 billion in revenues and $5 billion in annual exports.

Most recently, Humpton served as president and CEO of Siemens Government Technologies, Inc. (SGT), a leading integrator of Siemens’ products and services for federal government agencies and departments. In this role, Humpton also served as an officer/director member of the board of directors of SGT.

Prior to joining Siemens in 2011, Humpton served as a vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton where she was responsible for program performance and new business development for technology consulting in the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security. Earlier, Humpton was a vice president at Lockheed Martin Corporation with responsibility for Biometrics Programs, Border and Transportation Security and Critical Infrastructure Protection, including such critical programs as the FBI’s Next Generation Identification and the TSA’s Transportation Workers’ Identification Credential.

Humpton is a graduate of Wake Forest University with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. Barbara is Chairman of the Siemens Foundation and of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA). She serves on the board of directors of MorganFranklin, the American Heart Association Greater Washington Region, the Northern Virginia Tech Council and the Seabee Memorial Scholarship Association. She resides in Washington, D.C., with her husband David.

Biography

Bill Johnson became President and CEO of Enterprise Florida, Inc. on March 2, 2015 following a 35-year career with Miami-Dade County government. Governor Scott appointed Bill to lead the agency that is the state’s principal economic development organization serving as a public private partnership between Florida’s business and government leaders. The position also serves as Florida’s Secretary of Commerce.

Enterprise Florida's mission is to facilitate job growth for the state through business recruitment and expansion; to assist small and minority businesses through capital programs; and to assist Florida businesses in export and international trade. During his tenure with Miami-Dade, Bill served in a number of executive positions including eight years as Director of Port Miami; and, as an Assistant County Manager, he had oversight of Miami International Airport. Bill also served as Director of the MiamiDade Water & Sewer Department and has had management responsibility for a number of the County’s large infrastructure projects including construction of the American Airlines Arena and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

As a government administrator, Bill earned a reputation as a key trouble-shooter, problem solver and proponent of economic development. At Port Miami, Bill launched one of the most ambitious capital development programs in the port’s history, including public-private partnerships such as the Port Miami tunnel and the deepening of the port’s channel to accommodate the super-sized cargo vessels that will begin passing through an expanded Panama Canal in 2016. On the cruise side of the business, Bill presided over the largest expansion ever of new cruise brands and new cruise vessels solidifying Port Miami as the “Cruise Capital of the World.”

In 2014, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez asked Bill to take over leadership of the Water and Sewer Department, where he launched an ambitious capital program to upgrade and expand the Miami-Dade’s critical water and sewer system. These improvements will enable future growth and economic viability, along with environmental sustainability, throughout Miami’s urban core and adjacent areas.

A native of Akron, Ohio, Bill holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Tennessee and has served in a number of leadership roles in business, maritime and economic development organizations at the national and international levels including: Vice President, International Association of Ports and Harbors; Chairman, Florida Ports Council; Chairman, World Trade Center Miami Board of Directors; Florida Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors Board of Directors; US Chamber Let’s Rebuild America Leadership Council and International Policy Committee; Federal Reserve Bank Trade and Transportation Advisory Council; Florida District Export Council; Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Governors; Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Circle; and Past Chair, Miami Beach Latin Chamber of Commerce.

Biography

Dimitri Kazarinoff is an accomplished transportation industry executive who has led impressive growth, expansion and innovation throughout his career. Prior to joining XL Fleet as CEO, Dimitri successfully scaled the hybrid power systems division of Eaton Corporation by 15x within two years, and delivered record profits for the North American P&L of AVL Powertrain Engineering. He previously worked at General Motors and McKinsey & Company, has a mechanical engineering degree from MIT, and an MBA from Northwestern University. Dimitri brings a strong customer focus, broad and deep functional capability, global supply and sales experience, and proven organizational leadership to drive an era of sustainable growth for XL Fleet.

Biography

Mr. Kuryla began his career with Miami-Dade County in the Parks and Recreation Department in 1987. He moved to the County’s Finance Department in 1993 as an administrative officer, where he managed a grants program funded by tourist tax dollars. After approximately a year and a half in the Finance Department, Mr. Kuryla took the position of Section Head at the County’s Public Works Department’s Road, Bridge and Canal Maintenance Division.

In 1996, Mr. Kuryla was promoted to work in the County Manager’s Office as an Assistant Administrator. He was promoted again in May 1998 to the Port of Miami as Assistant to the Port Director, where he oversaw the Department’s local, state and federal legislative agenda.  From February 2001 through February 2007 Mr. Kuryla held the positions of Assistant Port Director for Intergovernmental Affairs and Assistant Port Director for Intergovernmental Affairs and Promotions.

In 2007, Mr. Kuryla was promoted to Assistant Port Director for Maritime Services. In this capacity, he served as co-lead negotiator for the Port on all long term agreements executed with cruise and cargo customers as well as oversaw Port operations, facilities management, berthing, and property management, in addition to the customer service, business development, public information and media relations.  In 2009, Mr. Kuryla was promoted to Deputy Port Director. In this capacity, he was responsible for directly overseeing the Port’s five assistant port directors.

On April 1, 2014, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez appointed Mr. Kuryla to the position of PortMiami Director and CEO, where he oversees operations and capital development for the cruise capital of the world and cargo global gateway.

Mr. Kuryla holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration from Florida International University. In 2010, Mr. Kuryla obtained his Professional Port Manager PPM^® degree from the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA).

Biography

Paul is a social entrepreneur who brings a passion for making an impact in the world. He has extensive experience in banking, private equity, venture capital and impact investing, and a reputation for building strong teams and achieving results.

Previously, Paul was Executive Investment Partner at Capafrica, a Canadian private equity group that invests in renewable energy, infrastructure and telecommunications in Africa. Before his role at Capafrica, Paul was Head, Africa & Middle East, Global Banks at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC).

Paul served as founding CEO of Enablis Financial Corporation, where he pioneered a new model for impact investing in early-stage small and medium-sized enterprises in South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania.

Paul holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University and an MBA from the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris.

Biography

José Luis Manzano is an Argentine businessman with a deep understanding of Latin American public policy and global emerging markets. He possesses significant experience in the investment, media, energy and distress industries. He speaks frequently across the world on these issues.

Dr. Manzano founded the international firm Integra Capital, a private equity and merchant banking firm. Integra also provides services such as mergers and acquisitions, financial structuring, IPOs, due diligence procedures, debt and company restructuring, among others.

Dr. Manzano and his family are relevant shareholders of Phoenix Global Resources, a company engaged in the exploration and production of oil with activity in Argentina. PGR is listed on the London Stock Exchange, AIM Market, and the Stock Exchange of Buenos Aires, produces 10.000 barrels of oil per day and has more than 60 million barrels of proven reserves and 300 million barrels of unconventional resources. Dr Manzano is also a relevant investor in Interoil, an exploration and production company listed in Oslo stock exchange that produces 1600bopd in Colombia.

Dr. Manzano is the major shareholder of Integra Oil & Gas, an oil production company that produces 4000 bopd in Venezuela. He is also a major shareholder in Integra Gas Distribution in partnership with Mercuria Energy Trading. Integra Gas Distribution is a significant shareholder of Metrogas, the gas distribution company of Buenos Aires serving more than 10 million people. He is also a relevant shareholder of Edemsa, the distribution electricity company of the province of Mendoza, HIDROELECTRICA AMEGHINO, a hidroplant producing 60 megas and Altus, a winery producer of premium wines in Argentina.

In relation to the media industry, Dr. Manzano is a major shareholder of Grupo America, the second by size argentine media group he co-founded in 1996. The group owns TV stations, news channels, radios and newspapers, including America Tv, the national leader on live television, La Capital, the oldest newspaper of the country and El Cronista Comercial, the more prestigious business and finance newspaper of Argentina.

Prior to his business career, Mr. Manzano was active in the Peronist party where he was Secretary General. He served as majority leader in the lower house of Argentina’s National Congress from 1983 to 1991 and was appointed as Homeland Security Minister under President Carlos Menem.

Dr. Manzano is a relevant donor to several educational organizations and charities. Dr. Manzano is the President of Universidad de Congreso, where he is actively involved in academics and research activities. He has developed activities with the climate change organization of Novel Awards Al Gore and the Clinton Global Initiative. He is also active with the UK Argentinean Chamber of Commerce and the Cámara de Comercio Argentino Norteamericana. He is a sponsor of the Chinese House of Culture in Buenos Aires and was a member of the B20, the business group in support of the G20 Argentine presidency. Dr Manzano is a regular participant of the activities of the Council of The Americas and the Americas Society and is a member of the Energy Steering Committee of the Institute of The Americas.

Mr. Manzano received his Medical Doctorate and his Post Degree specialization in Occupational Health from the National University of Cuyo. He has been a Visiting Scholar at both Georgetown University and the University of California at San Diego. He has received an International Business Certificate and an International Finance Certificate from Georgetown University. He has received a diploma in leadership from Oxford University and lectured at prestigious universities in Argentina, Japan, Europe and the United States.

Biography

Diane Magnum is an award winning broadcast journalist who has spent the past 35 years bringing the news to the people of south Florida. WPLG, the ABC affiliate station in Miami, welcomed Diane to its team in 1983. After two years as midday anchor, Diane moved to weekends before settling in as
Channel 10's Monday through Friday main evening news anchor.
Diane also conceived of and spearheaded the Local 10 community service initiative called "Magnum's Force" in which she used the power of television to put together those in need with those who have the means to help. In the seven years that Magnum's Force was on the air, more than six and a half million dollars in goods and services were given away to thousands of deserving families in south Florida.
In 2017, Diane joined the news department at WFOR, the CBS owned and operated station in MIami, as a contributing anchor for the station’s evening newscasts.
She continues her broadcast work there, while also partnering with corporate clients on commercial and in-house video projects, as well as acting as emcee for corporate and non-profit events.
Diane's body of work has been recognized with three UPI awards, two Emmy Awards, a Silver Circle Award, a Green Eyeshade Award for Investigative Journalism, and the first ever Williams S. Paley award given to a local
television station.
Diane grew up in Miami. She attended Killian High School and Florida State University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Communications.

Biography

Jeff Marootian is the Director of the District Department of Transportation where he leads the 1100-employee agency in its mission to create a safe and sustainable transportation system for the District of Columbia. Jeff is responsible for delivering on Mayor Muriel Bowser's priorities to rebuild and modernize the city's public infrastructure; embrace innovation and technology to increase mobility options; and reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries through a concerted Vision Zero strategy. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the Northeast Corridor Commission and the Intelligent Transportation Society of America.

Prior to joining DDOT, Jeff served as the White House Liaison and Assistant Secretary for Administration at the United States Department of Transportation. As the White House Liaison, Jeff was a member of the leadership team under Secretary Anthony Foxx whose achievements include launching the nationwide Smart Cities Challenge; advocating for and helping to secure passage of the FAST Act; and creating economic opportunity through transit and mobility initiatives in communities across the country. As the Assistant Secretary for Administration, he oversaw the 55,000-employee agency’s business operations, workforce development and diversity and inclusion programs. Jeff was also the Department’s Chief Sustainability Officer and directed the implementation of President Obama’s Executive Order on Climate Change and Sustainability and contributed to the Department’s strategy on electric and autonomous vehicles. He also played a key role in standing up the Build America Bureau to advance the use of public-private partnerships for infrastructure projects across the country.

Jeff is an alumnus of the George Washington University where he also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Administration.

Biography

Ram Mohan C has 30 years of experience in Infrastructure Management and Tech Support. He has been in senior management positions for the last 20 years.

Prior to Happiest Minds, Ram was EVP and Global Head of IMS, Enterprise Integration, Mainframe services business at Mindtree Ltd. These businesses constituted $250m+ which is one third of Mindtree’s business. He was also the CISO for Mindtree and responsible for Automation Initiative across the organization.

Prior to Mindtree, he was EVP (operations) of e4e. He was founder and COO of Vinciti Networks, a specialized service provider in Infrastructure Management and Tech Support which he ran successfully for 5 years and built a 1200 strong team, before rolling up to the holding company. Ram has also had substantial stints with Wipro and MPACT Immedia.

Ram is a winner of the coveted Chairman’s award in Mindtree and is a CSO 100 award winner. He is a distinguished speaker in many Infrastructure and Support forums and seminars. He has also taught MBA (IT) students of Symbiosis.

Ram has Bachelor of Electronics Engineering degree from Bangalore University.

Biography

Mark Mondello was appointed as Jabil's CEO in January 2013. He joined Jabil in 1992 as a manufacturing supervisor. He was promoted to project manager in 1993, named vice president, business development in 1997, senior vice president, business development in 1999, and COO in 2002, overseeing global operations, business development, new product development, supply chain, and information technology. Prior to Jabil, Mr. Mondello was a commercial and defense-related aerospace project manager for Moog, Inc. A native of Chicago, he holds a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of South Florida.

Biography

Biography

Mr. Sanjeet Pandit is the Global Head for Smart Cities practice at Qualcomm, Inc USA and responsible for Carrier and Ecosystem relationships in this domain. His expertise in the telecom industry spans over 20 plus years. He specializes in the areas of Smart City design, creation of Smart verticals, digital transformation and go to market strategies creating an experience that would benefit public private domains and citizen engagements.

Mr. Pandit has successfully launched the Qualcomm Smart Cities Accelerator program that brings all Smart Cities B2B providers under one roof and enables matchmaking in this domain.

He has worked and created relationships with the Smart city ecosystem partners, resulting in multiple Smart City projects Globally. His efforts have enabled Smart Verticals and Smart Spaces concepts globally that have resulted into quicker adoption into various industries and industrial verticals.

He has held various senior positions at Qualcomm and was responsible for APAC and India business development prior to leading the Smart city vertical.

Biography

Biography

Gabriela Ramos is the OECD Chief of Staff and Sherpa to the G20. Besides supporting the Strategic Agenda of the Secretary General, she is responsible for the contributions of the Organisation to the global agenda, including the G20 and the G7. She leads the Inclusive Growth Initiative and the New Approaches to Economic Challenges and also oversees the work on Education, Employment and Social Affairs (including gender).

Previously, she served as Head of the OECD Office in Mexico and Latin America, co-ordinating several reports on Mexico to advance the health and education reform. She developed the OECD’s Mexico Forum and edited and launched the “Getting it Right” flagship publication series.

Prior to joining the OECD, Ms Ramos held several positions in the Mexican Government, including Director of Economic Affairs (and OECD issues) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Technical Secretary at the Office of the Minister for the Budget.  She has also held several positions as Professor of International Economy at the Universidad Iberoamericana and at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México. Ms Ramos holds an MA in Public Policy from Harvard University, and was a Fulbright and Ford MacArthur fellow. She was decorated with the Ordre du Merit by the President of France, François Hollande, in 2013.

Biography

Born in Hull (Gatineau) on November 25, 1944, son of Carmel Rémillard and Jeannine Desjardins, Gil Rémillard is married to Marie DuPont. They have one son, Nicholas-Philippe, and two grandchildren, Matthieu-Gil and William, whose mother is Élizabeth Côté. Gil has two brothers, Jean and Martin and a sister, Sylvie.

Gil Rémillard holds degrees in Philosophy (1965), Political Science and Economics (1968), was called to the Québec Bar (1969), and has a PhD in Law (1973). He has worked in the fields of university teaching, private law and politics.

Career

From 1965 to 1969, when he was studying at the University of Ottawa, Gil Rémillard worked as a freelance journalist for Radio-Canada on Parliament Hill.

Professor and lawyer (1973 – 1985)

Upon returning from Europe in 1973, where he completed his PhD, Mr. Rémillard began teaching constitutional and administrative law in the Faculty of Law at Laval University in Québec City; he also taught in several other universities. During this time, he also practiced law at the Chouinard, Rémillard, Bussière & Robinson law firm and acted as advisor to the Québec and Ottawa governments on reforming administrative bodies and on certain constitutional issues, among them cable distribution. In 1983, he became a special constitutional advisor to Brian Mulroney, then Prime Minister of Canada, and an advisor to the United Nations Canadian delegation in New York. He has appeared before all levels of the Canadian court system, including the Supreme Court of Canada. From 1981 to 1985, he organized and chaired the Québec Constitutional Conferences at Laval University, which included a number of high-profile speakers, among them Prime Ministers Trudeau and Mulroney, as well as Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (former Secretary-General of the United Nations), Mother Teresa and Marguerite Yourcenar.

Politician (1985 – 1994)

On December 2, 1985, Mr. Rémillard was elected as the MNA for the Québec City riding of Jean-Talon; 10 days later, he was sworn in as a member of Premier Robert Bourassa’s Liberal government. Within that government he held several positions, being successively Minister for Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs, Minister of International Relations, Minister of Public Security, and Minister of Justice. As Québec’s Minister of Justice for nearly six years, Mr. Rémillard was responsible for implementing the new Civil Code of Québec, which came into effect January 1, 1994. In 1990, he presided over the creation of the Human Rights Tribunal of Québec and, on June 4, 1990, convened a major Justice Summit and created the Prix de la justice Award. Each year, the award recognizes the outstanding achievements of individuals who have worked to ensure and promote the quality, universality and accessibility of justice.

As Minister of Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs, Mr. Rémillard headed the negotiations which led to the Meech Lake (1987) and Charlottetown (1992) Accords. While not officially part of the Canadian Constitution, these two agreements had a considerable impact on Canadian federalism, primarily because the Parliament of Canada recognized the “Québec nation.” In addition, the distinct nature of Québec and the principles of cooperative federalism that were central to the Meech Lake Accord are now recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada as points of reference for interpreting the Canadian Constitution.

As Minister of International Relations for the Bourassa government, Mr. Rémillard negotiated the agreement that would lead to the creation of the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF). As the Minister responsible for International Relations and La Francophonie, in 1987, he hosted the organization’s second summit in Québec.

Professor and Lawyer (1994 – the present)

In January 1994, Mr. Rémillard left the political arena. From February 1, 1994 until March 1, 2016, he taught at the École Nationale d’Administration Publique (ÉNAP), where he lectured on administrative and international law and gave a course on the principles and issues involved in public administration. He also served as counsel to the law firm Fraser Milner Casgrain, now Dentons Canada LLP.

In 1995, along with his wife Marie DuPont and his son Nicholas Rémillard, he founded the International Economic Forum of the Americas, which annually presents the following events: the World Strategic Forum in April in Miami; the Conference of Montreal in June; the Toronto Global Forum in September; and the Conference of Paris in November. The primary goal of these forums is to promote understanding of the major issues involved in economic globalization.

From 1996 to 2002, Mr. Rémillard acted as an advisor to the governments of the Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria concerning the reform of their Civil Codes, as part of the preparation for their entry into the European Union.

From 2008 to 2011, he served as Chair of the Board of Governors for the Université de Sherbrooke. From 2009 to 2012, he acted as a negotiator for the Québec Government and Secretary General of the Québec-France Mutual Recognition Agreement that establishes equivalency of professional qualifications for many trades and professions on both sides of the Atlantic. From 2010 to 2013 he sat on the roundtable of the International Monetary Fund (IMF); in December 2015, the Government of Canada appointed him Chair of the Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission. As Founding Chairman of the International Economic Forum of the Americas, in partnership with HEC Montreal, Sciences Po Paris, the University of Seoul, the University of California in San Diego, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in 2017 he created the International Institute of Economic Diplomacy.

Publications

Mr. Rémillard is the President and publisher of the economic magazine FORCES and IEFA Magazine, the official magazine of the International Economic Forum of the Americas. He is also the author of several books and articles, among them: Le fédéralisme canadien, et Le fédéralisme canadien, Éléments constitutionnels de formation et d’évolution, Volumes I and II. He has edited a number of collections, including Global Economy: The Foundation for the Next Era of Growth, which was published in 2014.

Honours

In 1992, he was made Doctor Honoris Causa by the Faculty of Law and Political Science of Aix-Marseille University, France. In 1994, he was awarded the Mérite du Barreau by the Québec Bar for his assistance in creating the new Civil Code of Québec. In 2001, he was appointed to the Order of Canada and, in 2002, was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In 2004, he received the Ordre national du Québec and, that same year, was made a Knight of France’s Légion d’honneur by then-President Jacques Chirac; in 2017, he was made an Officer of that same organization by then-Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

In May 2007, he was granted the honorary title of Advocatus Emeritus by the Québec Bar. In 2013, he was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and the France-Canada Institute’s Samuel de Champlain prize. That same year, Ottawa’s Saint Paul University named him Alumnus of the Year and established a fund in his name to help children with learning disabilities. On June 11, 2017, he was awarded the 50^th Anniversary Medal by the Québec Ministry for International Relations and La Francophonie (MRIF), in recognition of his years of service as Minister.

Social Involvement

A dyslexic himself, Mr. Rémillard devotes his efforts to supporting organizations that help children with learning disabilities. He serves on a number of Boards of Directors, one of which is the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, co-chaired by former Governor General of Canada Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul, that helps welcome new citizens and integrate them into Canadian life.

Biography

Nicholas Rémillard, President and Chief Executive Officer, International Economic Forum of the Americas (IEFA), is responsible for the direction and strategy of the IEFA’s four major economic events: the Conference of Montreal, the Toronto Global Forum, the World Strategic Forum and the Conference of Paris.
Since the organization’s inception over 20 years ago, Nicholas Rémillard has held a variety of management roles, ultimately serving as President and CEO from 2010. His contribution led to the rapid expansion of the organization where he launched the Toronto Global Forum and the Palm Beach Strategic Forum in 2007 and 2011, respectively. The latter event is now held in Miami under its new appellation: the World Strategic Forum. In addition to these North American conferences, the IEFA has also shifted towards Europe and will be hosting its fourth edition of the Conference of Paris in November 2020.
Beyond his role at the IEFA, Nicholas Rémillard also serves as Honorary Consul General of Iceland in Montreal and President of RDÉE Canada’s working group, the Economic Corridor of La Francophonie.
Nicholas Rémillard holds a law degree from the University of Ottawa.

Biography

Stephen Renna is Chief Banking Officer at The Export-Import Bank of the United States.

Previously, Mr. Renna served as Executive Director of the Advocacy Center at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he facilitated U.S. companies bidding on foreign government contracts through supportive U.S. government communications to foreign government officials. Under his leadership, the Advocacy Center successfully facilitated more than 100 contract wins for U.S. companies that include more than $75 billion in U.S. export content.

Mr. Renna has more than 30 years of experience working in the legal, policy, and trade association professions.

He is a successful trade association executive having turned around and led two trade associations and served as a senior executive at a third.  Mr. Renna also is a subject matter expert in complex real estate equity and finance structures and capital markets.

Mr. Renna was the Managing Director and Co-Founder of Source Association Strategies, a consulting firm dedicated to helping trade associations, coalitions and other business organizations maximize deliverables by optimizing structure, performance and execution.

He served for five years as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council (CREFC). During this time, he grew revenues from $4 million to more than $9 million.  Membership increased from 200 to more than 300 companies and became diversified across all types of industries.

Prior to joining CREFC, Mr. Renna was President of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Managers (NAREIM). Collectively, they manage more than $1 trillion of assets.

In this role, Mr. Renna turned an underperforming association into an industry-relevant and fiscally sound organization.  He expanded and honed his knowledge of the investment management sector which is based on the investment fund platform.

Mr. Renna also was Senior Vice President and Counsel at The Real Estate Roundtable, a Washington, DC based national public policy organization representing the commercial and multifamily real estate industry.

His 10 years with the Roundtable centered on tax policy affecting the industry.  This included taxation of buildings as well as taxation of entities through which commercial real estate is developed, acquired, disposed of and invested in.

Mr. Renna was responsible for enacting important legislative and regulatory policy initiatives and defending against the enactment of a myriad of policy initiatives that threatened the industry.  He led the Roundtable’s policy committee comprised of the foremost real estate tax practitioners in the country.

Mr. Renna practiced law and specialized in real estate taxation, partnerships and public and privately placed investment syndications.

He received his Juris Doctor degree from Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law in Washington, DC and his BA with honors from Fairfield University. He is admitted to the District of Columbia and Connecticut bar associations.

Biography

Alex Rice is a founder of HackerOne and currently serve as its Chief Technical Officer. In this role, Alex is responsible for developing the HackerOne technology vision and product, driving engineering efforts, and counseling customers as they build world-class security programs. He previously founded the product security team at Facebook, where he built one of the industry’s most successful security programs and introduced new transport layer encryption used by more than a billion users. Alex also serves on the board of the Internet Bug Bounty, a nonprofit organization that enables and encourages friendly hackers to help build a more secure Internet.

Biography

Secretary General of CAF since September 1, 2017. He previously served as CAF’s Director-Representative in Brazil (2014-2017) after having joined CAF in 2012 as Special Advisor to the Executive Presidency and leading several projects associated with the area of Institutional Development.
Formerly he held important positions in the international arena, including that of Secretary of Political Affairs at the Organization of American States (OAS), responsible for issues related to democratic governance, public management, institutional development, political analysis and electoral observation. Likewise he was Director General of the General Secretariat at the Andean Community (CAN).
In his native country, Bolivia, he was Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Vice Minister of International Economic Relations, Undersecretary for Integration and Consul General (Ambassador) in Santiago de Chile.
Additionally, he served as Alternate and Plenipotentiary Representative on the Committee of Foreign Trade Ministers of the Andean Community, as well as Chief Free Trade Agreement Negotiator with MERCOSUR and Mexico and at the Doha Round in the World Trade Organization ( WTO).
In the academic field, he was Professor of International Trade Negotiations at the Postgraduate Unit of the Bolivian Catholic University and is the author of several publications on international issues and economic integration.
He studied economics at the Universidad Católica Boliviana and possesses a master's degree in international relations from the Universidad de Belgrano in Buenos Aires as well as a postgraduate degree in the European monetary system from the London School of Economics.

Biography

John W. Rogers, Jr. is Founder, Chairman, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Ariel Investments. Headquartered in Chicago, the firm offers five no-load mutual funds for individual investors and defined contribution plans as well as separately managed accounts for institutions and high net worth individuals.

After working for 2½ years at William Blair & Company, LLC, John founded Ariel Investments in 1983 to focus on undervalued small and medium-sized companies. Patience served as the cornerstone of a disciplined approach that still drives the firm today.

John’s passion for investing started when he was 12 years old when his father bought him stocks, instead of toys, for every birthday and Christmas. His interest grew while majoring in Economics at Princeton University. In addition to following stocks as a college student, John also played basketball under Hall of Fame coach Pete Carril. He was captain of Princeton’s Varsity Basketball Team his senior year. There, Carril’s courtside lessons on teamwork profoundly shaped his views of entrepreneurship and investing.

Early in his career, John’s investment expertise brought him to the forefront of media attention, including being selected as Co-Mutual Fund Manager of the Year by Sylvia Porter’s Personal Finance magazine as well as an All- Star Mutual Fund Manager by USA TODAY.

Ariel Fund, which John started over 30 years ago and still manages today—is the number-one ranked fund among its peer group since the market bottom which followed the Great Financial Crisis. It’s a testament to John’s “slow and steady” patient investment approach, staying focused, remaining true to his convictions, having a contrarian view and investing in great companies that have fallen out of favor. A disciple of Warren Buffett, John believes in being, “Fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.” It’s also why John has been highlighted alongside legendary investors Warren Buffett, Sir John Templeton and Ben Graham in the distinguished book: The World’s 99 Greatest Investors by Magnus Angenfelt.

A sought after market commentator and speaker, John is regularly featured and quoted in a wide variety of financial broadcast and print publications.

Beyond Ariel, John is a board member of McDonald’s, NIKE, The New York Times Company and serves as vice chair of the board of trustees of the University of Chicago. Nationally, John is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a director of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.

In 2008, John was awarded Princeton University’s highest honor, the Woodrow Wilson Award, presented each year to the alumnus or alumna whose career embodies a commitment to national service. Following the election of President Barack Obama, he served as co-chair for the Presidential Inaugural Committee 2009, and more recently, he joined the Barack Obama Foundation’s Board of Directors.

Biography

Biography

Paul Schultz serves as CEO of Aon Securities and leads Aon’s investment banking team, responsible for providing investment banking products and services to Aon’s clients.

Aon Securities has developed a market leading practice advising clients on transferring insurance risk to the capital markets and raising capital for (re)insurance companies.  Paul began his career in banking in 1986 and spent 14 years at JP Morgan (its predecessor banks), specializing in the Insurance Practice.  Since joining Aon in 2000, Paul has led Aon Securities and also advised Aon on issuing the first ever securitization of private equity limited partnerships.

Paul is a member of the Executive Committee of Aon Reinsurance Solutions, a member of the US Reinsurance Solutions Leadership Team and the executive sponsor of Aon’s global apprenticeship programs.

Paul earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University. Paul also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Kellogg School of Management.  Additionally, Paul is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Biography

As President & CEO, Jamal Allen Sowell leads Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) the principal economic development organization for Florida, assuming this role at the outset of Governor Ron DeSantis’s administration. With his team, Sowell works closely with economic development partners and private-sector businesses across the state to strengthen and diversify Florida’s economy.

Prior to joining EFI, Sowell served as Chief of Staff for Port Tampa Bay, Florida’s largest port by acreage and a key economic engine in the Tampa Bay region, generating $17.2B of total economic value. During his time in Tampa Bay, Sowell was appointed to the Pinellas County Economic Development Council which helps develop programs for economic development and trade opportunities for the Pinellas community.

Sowell also served as Special Assistant to then-University of Florida (UF) President Dr. Bernie Machen and as Assistant Corporate Secretary for the UF Board of Trustees. Sowell is a sixth-generation Floridian and veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan. Sowell served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and active duty, enlisting as a Private First Class and combat engineer, and was eventually commissioned, completing his time as a Captain. His roles included stinger missile platoon commander, company executive officer, anti-terrorism force protection officer, electronic warfare officer, martial arts instructor and officer-in-charge of a Reserve Tank Unit.

Sowell obtained a Masters of Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He also earned a law degree and graduate certificate in constitutional design from Indiana University Bloomington Maurer School of Law, where he was a Pat Tillman Scholar. Sowell has worked for Congressman Todd Young and Shurat HaDin, a Non-Governmental Organization in Israel. The Federalist Society selected him as editor for the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy Symposium. Then-Indiana Governor Mike Pence appointed Sowell to a state board regulating health facility administrators.

Sowell holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from the University of Florida, where he was UF Student Body President, Vice Chairman of the Florida Students Association and member of the UF Board of Trustees. He was awarded the UF Outstanding Male Leader Award, inducted into the UF Hall of Fame, received the UF Outstanding Young Alumni Award and currently sits on the UF Alumni Association Board of Directors. He is a graduate of the Florida TaxWatch Citizenship Institute.

Biography

George is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Neuberger Berman, a private, independent employee-owned investment manager founded in 1939. The firm manages $304 billion of equities, fixed income, private equity and hedge fund portfolios for global institutions, advisors and individuals. With offices in 22 countries, Neuberger Berman has been named by Pensions & Investments as a Best Place to Work in Money Management, finishing first or second each of the last five years.

Prior to Neuberger Berman re-emerging as an independent firm in 2009, George was Global Head of the Investment Management Division at Neuberger Berman's former corporate parent, Lehman Brothers. Previously, George spent 14 years at Goldman Sachs where he was a partner and a member of the firm’s Partnership Committee. George’s additional Board Service includes: Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the Partnership for New York City and Grace Church School. George earned a BA, BS and MBA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Biography

Ellen L. Weintraub (@EllenLWeintraub) has served as a commissioner on the U.S. Federal Election Commission since 2002 and chaired it for the third time in 2019.

During her tenure, Weintraub has served as a consistent voice for meaningful campaign-finance law enforcement and robust disclosure. She believes that strong and fair regulation of money in politics is important to prevent corruption and maintain the faith of the American people in their democracy.

Weintraub sounded the alarm early–and continues to do so–regarding the potential for corporate and “dark-money” spending to become a vehicle for foreign influence in our elections.

Weintraub is a native New Yorker with degrees from Yale College and Harvard Law School. Prior to her appointment to the FEC, Weintraub was Of Counsel to the Political Law Group of Perkins Coie LLP and Counsel to the House Ethics Committee.

Biography

Tom Wilson is the chair, president and chief executive officer of The Allstate Corporation. Wilson has served as CEO of Allstate since 2007 and became the chairman of The Allstate Corporation’s Board of Directors in 2008.

Wilson has held a number of senior executive positions at Allstate since 1995. As CEO, Wilson has led a multi-year transformation of Allstate to position it as the only insurer with differentiated brands targeted at each segment of the market. The emphasis has been not only on doing the right things, such as investing in cutting-edge innovation, improving efficiency and productivity, and shedding non-core assets, but in doing them in the right way – optimizing the pace of change, restructuring for the long term rather than short term, honoring commitments to employees, agency owners, customers and communities, and investing in the people of Allstate.

He joined Allstate in 1995 from Sears, Roebuck and Co. where he was vice president of strategy and analysis. He was managing director of mergers and acquisitions at Dean Witter Reynolds from 1986 to 1993 and held various financial positions at the Amoco Corporation from 1980 to 1986.

Wilson is chairman emeritus of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He is an active leader within the financial services industry and the community. He is a Board member of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a trustee of Rush University Medical Center. He is also a member of the Young Presidents Organization Gold Chicago chapter. Wilson is committed to empowering youth and serves as the national and Illinois Co-Chair for WE Day. He is also the co-chair of Get IN Chicago, a public-private partnership to reduce violent crime among youth in Chicago.

He has previously served as chairman of the Property and Casualty CEO Roundtable, chairman of the Financial Services Roundtable and deputy chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Wilson regularly offers comment and insight about timely business and policy topics in national media outlets, and his articles have been published in the New York Times, Washington Post and CNN.com.

A native of St. Clair Shores, Michigan, Wilson holds an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan.

Biography

Philippe Zaouati is the CEO of Mirova. Mirova currently manages around EUR 9 billion, distributed across equities, fixed income, infrastructure and impact investing.

Prior to his tenure at Mirova, Philippe was Deputy CEO of Natixis Asset Management. His previous experience includes high-level management roles within the Groupe CDC, La Banque Postale, and the Crédit Agricole.

Philippe has contributed to the development of responsible finance both in France and across Europe, in particular through his role in various professional associations (AFG, EFAMA) and international organizations (ICGN, IIRC, Investment Leaders Group). He has recently been appointed by the European Commission as a member of the High Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance.

Philippe Zaouati is graduated from the ENSAE (École Nationale de la Statistique et de l’Administration Économique) and an accredited member of the French Society of Actuaries.