Speakers

Biography

Christophe Beck is president and chief operating officer for Ecolab Inc., the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services that protect people and vital resources.

Prior to being named president and chief operating officer in 2019, Beck held several senior leadership roles, including executive vice president and president of Ecolab’s Global Industrial Group; executive vice president and president of Nalco Water, an Ecolab company; and executive vice president and president of International Regions.

Previously, Beck was executive vice president and president of Global Integration, overseeing the merger of Ecolab and Nalco. His earlier roles at Ecolab include executive vice president, Institutional Sector; senior vice president and general manager, Institutional Foodservice – North America; and senior vice president, Corporate Marketing and Strategy.

Prior to joining Ecolab in 2007, Beck was senior executive at Nestlé for 16 years, where he ran major regional and global businesses out of several regions before leading the European corporate sales. Earlier in his career, he worked on a space shuttle project for the European Space Agency.

In 2006, Beck was nominated as a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum for his accomplishments and commitment to shape a better world.

Beck holds a degree in Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. He also serves on the institution’s strategic advisory board.

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

Stéphanie Émond is VP Operations and Chief Impact Officer at FinDev Canada’s, overseeing the Impact Enablement team responsible for development impact, technical assistance, environmental and social risk management, operations enablement, stakeholder relations and marketing communications.

Stephanie is vice-chair of the Canada Forum for Impact Investment of Development (CAFIID). She is also a member of the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation Board of Directors.

Prior to joining FinDev Canada, Stéphanie served as the Executive Director of FINCA Canada, a microfinance organization with the mission to alleviate poverty through lasting solutions that help people – women in particular – build assets, create jobs, and raise their standard of living.

Before FINCA, she worked as a management consultant with Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, on business and strategic planning, market analysis and marketing strategies, and for the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA – now Global Affairs Canada) as an economic advisor focusing on private sector development and financial inclusion. Prior to that, Stephanie worked with FINCA Peru, a Peruvian microfinance institution, and for Newad, a Canadian place-based media company, as Director of Marketing.

She holds a MBA from HEC Montreal

Biography

Becky Frankiewicz joined ManpowerGroup in July 2017 as the President of ManpowerGroup North America, bringing passion and compassion coupled with strong P&L experience from experience at large and complex global businesses.

Becky is committed to building a rightly-skilled talent supply to meet the increasing job demand across America. It's her firm belief that helping people find meaningful and sustainable work benefits individuals, families and communities. She is passionate about advancing women in leadership, developing skills to advance our workforce and advocating for conscious inclusion.  She believes enabling all people to participate in the workplace and achieve their potential is not just an ethical imperative, it's good-for business.

She has delivered this message at high-profile stages across the U.S. including MIT, appearing on Squawk Box and speaking at the CES Social Innovation Summit.

Before joining ManpowerGroup, Becky led one of PepsiCo’s largest subsidiaries, Quaker Foods North America where she was responsible for the $2.6B business. Under her leadership, Quaker Foods delivered impressive growth as she led the transformation of that brand to be known as America’s ‘best start to everyday’. She was also named by Fast Company as one of the most creative people in the industry, anticipating and adapting to fast changing consumer demands.

Prior to her success leading Quaker Foods, Becky held a variety of senior leadership roles at PepsiCo across the portfolio of brands. Her experience in these roles, which included leading Innovation, Finance, Strategy, Sales and Marketing across the PepsiCo portfolio, positions her well to lead ManpowerGroup’s strong and connected brands -- Manpower, Experis, Right Management and ManpowerGroup Solutions.  Prior to joining PepsiCo, Becky worked in strategic consulting with Deloitte and Andersen Consulting.

Her determination, candor and passion for work are characteristics that define the way she leads. She is a marathon runner, a mom to three daughters and the wife of her college sweetheart.  She is a literal farmer’s daughter and attributes her success to an early work ethic that came from growing up on a working farm in Texas.

Becky has an MBA in finance, and a BA in Marketing from the University of Texas.

Biography

Barry Grooms, Realtor and co-owner of Florida Suncoast Realty Inc. in Bradenton, is the 2020 president of Florida Realtors®, the state’s largest professional association with 195,000 members. “Our leadership team is dedicated to the spirit of inclusion, bringing out the greatness of every one of our members,” said Grooms. “We will also continue to be a powerful advocate for homeowners and communities throughout Florida.”

Population growth, a strong statewide economy, and worldwide demand for retirement and vacation homes will keep Florida’s real estate market moving forward in 2020, according to Grooms, who specializes in residential brokerage, commercial brokerage and property management.

A leader in regional, state and national real estate associations, Grooms has been active with the Realtor® Association of Sarasota and Manatee, serving as president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and director. He is a former district vice president of the state association, and has been a leader for its public policy and advocacy committees and forums. Grooms is an ethics instructor for the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), and has been a member of NAR’s Commercial Presidential Advisory Group. He also serves as a federal political coordinator (FPC) for NAR for new U.S. Congressman Greg Steube, helping to provide information and research on issues important to all Floridians.

In the community, Grooms is a member of the Children’s Miracle Network, FELT (Feeding Empty Little Tummies) and the Anna Maria Island Privateers. He has also been active with the Midtown and Downtown Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRA), Realize Bradenton and other business and civic organizations.

As president of the state association, Grooms will focus on providing Florida Realtors with professional information, education and advocacy programs to help them deliver the highest level of service to their clients and communities. As he said, “Our goal is to support our members in serving as trusted advisors to their customers.”

Biography

Ryan Heath is the author of Global Translations, POLITICO’s global newsletter and podcast, and previously authored POLITICO’s U.N. Playbook, Brussels Playbook, and Davos Playbook. Ryan moderated the first presidential debate of the 2019 EU election, as part of a five year stint in the POLITICO’s European leadership team. He appears on CNN, NBC and BBC and is the author of two books on politics. Prior to POLITICO, Ryan wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald in Australia, and worked for the European Commission in Brussels as a presidential speechwriter and later as the Commission’s spokesperson for digital issues.

Biography

Frank Holder leads BRG's Global Investigations & Strategic Intelligence (“Global.i”) practice as well as the Latin American region. With over 25 years of experience, he has directed corporate investigations and security consulting assignments across the globe. The investigative matters include large-scale internal fraud and public corruption investigations, product protection, litigation support, due diligence, and hostile takeovers. As a security expert, he has designed the security for international airports, seaports, and complex multijurisdictional distribution networks.
As a strategic consulting industry leader, Frank draws on decades of client service experience to provide cutting edge strategies and integrates investigative skills with technology and financial expertise to address and resolve critical problems. Frank has assembled and experienced international management team strategically located in financial centers around the world to work with BRG’s clients to mitigate risks and take advantage of opportunities as they arise.
Before joining BRG, Mr. Holder was the chief executive officer of Holder International, which was acquired by FTI in 2007. Before founding Holder International, he was the president of Kroll Inc.’s Consulting Services Group, responsible for operations in more than 35 countries. Prior to that, he was the head of Kroll’s Latin America and Caribbean region. Before joining Kroll, he was the president of Holder Associates in Buenos Aires, a risk mitigation and business intelligence firm.
Mr. Holder began his career with the U.S. Air Force as a political-military analyst for the U.S. embassy in Argentina and as a special agent for the Office of Special Investigations at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, with responsibilities in areas including counterintelligence and force protection.
Mr. Holder is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. He is an accomplished public speaker with numerous presentations throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Brazil on a broad range of topics such as money laundering, risk management, homeland security, and operational risk. He has written articles on similar topics for U.S. and Latin American newspapers and professional journals. He has taught courses in political science and law on the Inter-American system at the Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires.

Biography

Barbara Humpton is President and CEO of Siemens Corporation, 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 Corporation Board, the Siemens Foundation and of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA). She serves on the board of directors of the American Heart Association Greater Washington Region, Triumph Group, National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP), Economic Club of Washington, D.C. and the Seabee Memorial Scholarship Association.  She resides in Washington, D.C., with her husband David.

Biography

In addition to his full time consulting work as President of WHJ Consulting, Bill Johnson also serves as the President of the World Strategic Forum, a think tank comprised of Fortune 500 CEOs and world-class experts created to facilitate dialogue, share corporate insight and foster collaboration with regard to the central issues affecting the world’s economy today. Over 1400 delegates from 60 countries, including Fortune 500 CEOs and world-class experts, participated in the 2019 Forum.
As Secretary of Commerce for the State of Florida/President & CEO of Enterprise Florida, the state’s principal economic development organization, Bill’s mission was to facilitate job growth for the state through business recruitment and expansion; assist small and minority businesses through capital programs; and support Florida businesses in export and international trade.
During his 35 year tenure with Miami-Dade County, Bill served in various executive-level positions including eight years as Director of PortMiami; and, as Assistant County Manager, he had oversight of a number of key County departments including the County’s largest economic engine, Miami International Airport. Bill also served as Director of the Miami-Dade Water & Sewer Department and has had management responsibility for several of the County’s largest infrastructure projects including construction of the American Airlines Arena and the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center.
As a government administrator, Bill earned a reputation as a key trouble-shooter, problem-solver and proponent of economic development. At PortMiami, Bill launched one of the most ambitious capital development programs in the port’s history, including public -private partnerships such as the PortMiami tunnel and the deepening of the port’s channel to accommodate the super-sized cargo vessels that began 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 PortMiami as the #1 cruise port in 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 Miami-Dade’s critical water and sewer system.
A native of Akron, Ohio, Bill earned 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.
In March 2015, Bill was awarded the National Public Service Award by the American Society of Public Administration and the National Academy of Public Administration.

Biography

Karen joined Bridgewater in 2006 and heads Investment Research. She oversees teams of investors developing systematic insights on global markets and economies and is a regular author of Bridgewater’s Daily Observations, with a focus on fixed income, monetary and fiscal policy, money and credit flows and portfolio construction. Karen received her AB from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs with a Certificate in Finance. She is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, an Atlantic Council Millennium Fellow, and serves on the Board of Seeds of Peace, a nonprofit cultivating young leaders to transform conflict in the Middle East and South Asia. Karen was included in Fortune’s 40 Under 40 most influential leaders in business.

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

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 25 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.
Nicholas Rémillard holds a law degree from the University of Ottawa.

Biography

Biography

Lester Sola is the Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Miami-Dade Aviation Department. He oversees operations at Miami International Airport (MIA) and four general aviation (GA) airports in the Miami area, which together generate $33.7 billion in business revenue and support more than 280,000 direct and indirect jobs. MIA leads the way, handling more than 44 million passengers and more than two million tons of cargo annually, placing it among America’s busiest international passenger and cargo airports.
Mr. Sola has served Miami-Dade County for more than 26 years, most recently as Director of the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department. As Director of the largest utility in the southeastern United States, Mr. Sola was responsible for: providing high-quality drinking water and wastewater disposal services to more than 2.3 million residents, businesses and visitors daily; managing more than 2,700 employees and an annual operating budget of $796 million; and leading the largest capital improvement program in Miami-Dade County’s history. During Mr. Sola’s tenure at the department from 2015 to 2017, nearly 1,000 projects worth more than $1.1 billion were completed.
During the next 15-20 years, the multi-billion-dollar program to upgrade the County’s entire water and sewer infrastructure will include certification of 63 pump stations out of moratorium, allowing for community growth and economic development. The Department has approximately 900 additional projects in varying stages of progress.
Prior to his appointment to the Water and Sewer Department, Mr. Sola had been the Director of the Internal Services Department (ISD) since October of 2011. ISD is responsible for Miami-Dade County’s procurement of goods and services, small business development, architectural and engineering selection services, capital improvement programs, design and construction services, facilities and fleet management, risk management, parking operations, printing and graphics services, surplus asset disposal and capital inventory oversight. Mr. Sola managed an operating budget of $370 million, capital projects totaling over $400 million, and over 850 employees.
Mr. Sola began his career with Miami-Dade County government in 1992 as a member of the County Manager Management Training Program. He has held several high-level positions including: Contract Coordination Officer in the County Executive Manager's Office; Architectural and Engineering Consultant Coordinator for the County Executive Manager's Office; Assistant to the County Manager; Associate Director for the Aviation Department; Deputy Director for the Department of Business Development; Supervisor of Elections; and Director of the Internal Services Department.
During his more than two decades of public service, Mr. Sola has been responsible for: the reorganization of several County departments; coordination and refocusing of the capital program at Miami International Airport; the establishment of small and minority-based programs for the procurement of goods and services; establishment of centralized systems for the tracking of County capital expansion programs and professional services; and the provision of management direction to County departments, management agreements and agencies such as Aviation, Seaport, Beacon Council, Performing Arts Center and the American Airlines Arena.
Mr. Sola has a master's degree and bachelor's degree in public administration, with a minor in organizational psychology from Florida International University.